google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Steve Salitan

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Aug 17, 2010

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Steve Salitan

Theme: Presidential Vocalists - The last names of the four singers, their famous song part of the clues, are also the names of US Presidents. Two-part unifier.

17A. "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" singer : BRYAN ADAMS. The song. The President or President. Our second President was John Adams and served from 1797 to 1801. Our sixth President was John Quincy Adams and served from 1825 to 1829.

29A. "How Glad I Am" Grammy winner, 1964 : NANCY WILSON. The song. The President. Our twenty-eighth President was Woodrow Wilson and served from 1913 to 1921.

45A. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" singer : BONNIE TYLER. The song. The President. Our tenth President was John Tyler and served from 1841 to 1845.

61A. 1971 Oscar winner for "Theme from 'Shaft'" : ISAAC HAYES. The song. The President. Our nineteenth President was Rutherford B. Hayes and served from 1877 to 1881.

12D. With 36-Down, patriotic song that's a hint to this puzzle's theme : "HAIL TO..." and 36D. See 12-Down : "...THE CHIEF". The song. Can't be placed symmetrically due to 6/8 letter combination. Also impossible to put HAIL TO THE CHIEF together in the middle as it has a total of 14 letters. The middle theme answer has to have an odd number of letters.

Argyle here.

Too bad the Presidents weren't in chronological order. I didn't find much about our constructor; the first time we have seen him. He did attend the 33rd Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I hope he drops by and that we may see more of his work.

Across:

1. Jib supports : MASTS

6. Apparel : GARB

10. Waikiki's island : OAHU

14. Preminger and Klemperer : OTTOs. A film director and a music conductor.

15. Skinned knee, to a tot : OWIE

16. Pained sound : MOAN

19. Where the pupil is : IRIS

20. School cheer : YELL

21. Tofu source : SOY

22. Be a snitch : TATTLE

24. Shower wall growth : MILDEW

26. Fireplace fuel : LOG

27. Broke fast : ATE

28. TV network with an eye logo : CBS

32. Prefix with violet : ULTRA

34. Gladiators' venue : ARENA

35. Mexican money : PESO

36. Tuckered out : TIRED

38. Gym iterations : REPS

42. Dislike big-time : ABHOR

44. Fess up : ADMIT

50. Tissue layer : PLY

51. Beatle bride Yoko : ONO

52. Tuber also known as a New Zealand yam : OCA . To whom is it known as a New Zealand yam? Kazie?

53. Does spectacularly : EXCELS

55. From the beginning : AFRESH

57. 12/24 or 12/31 : EVE

58. Ice cream holder : CONE

60. In apple-pie order : TIDY

64. One of the HOMES lakes : ERIE . HOMES is a mnemonic device for remembering the Great Lakes.

65. Be deserving of : EARN

66. Techie's clients : USERs

67. In-basket stamp: Abbr. : REC'D.

68. Pool table cloth : FELT

69. "One of __ days, Alice...": Ralph Kramden : THESE

Down:

1. Melville's "__-Dick" : MOBY

2. Quaking : ATREMBLE

3. Hair salon staffers : STYLISTS

4. "... and __ a good-night" : TO ALL . I knew this one! Santa.

5. Fig. in an identity theft case : SSN

6. Decrease in value : GO DOWN

7. On vacation, say : AWAY

8. Backboard attachment : RIM . The basket in basketball.

9. Presented, as an honor, with "upon" : BESTOWED

10. Forget to include : OMIT

11. Main arteries : AORTAs

13. Not visible : UNSEEN

18. On the bounding main : ASEA

23. Opposed to, in dialect : AGIN

25. Evidence in paternity suits : DNA

26. Orpheus' instrument : LYRE

28. Sugar borrower's amount : CUP

30. Haul in one's arms : CARRY

31. Fat in the pantry : LARD

33. Horse coloring : ROAN

37. Greek "i" : IOTA

39. One on the payroll : EMPLOYEE

40. Pale lagers : PILSNERS . Beer.

41. Porker's pad : STY

43. Life stories, for short : BIOs

44. Rainbow shape : ARC

45. Yachtsman, e.g. : BOATER

46. In flames : ON FIRE

47. From Scandinavia : NORDIC

48. Pianist/actor Oscar : LEVANT . Oscar Levant's celebrity was based upon his reputation as a pianist. Here he plays the Chopin Etude in c# minor,op.10,no.4., recorded on August 26, 1946.

49. Corp. bigwig : EXEC.

54. Online shopping outlay : E-CASH .

56. Watched warily : EYED

57. __ of Sandwich : EARL

59. Latin "to be" : ESSE

62. MS. enclosure : SAE . Stamped Addressed Envelope.

63. Crude abode : HUT


Answer grid.

Here is a great photo of JD, Dick and Carol (in purple) seated in front of lily pond at Sunset Botanical Gardens. JD is based in California, Dick lives in Pennsylvania, and Carol has spent all her life in Oregon I think. They met via our blog and spent a few days vacationing together in Bandon, OR.

Argyle

71 comments:

  1. Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - I had a pretty easy time with this one, mainly because the singers fell quickly. Still needed the unifier to catch the theme, though. A fun solve, but I didn't like 'atremble' or 'afresh'. However, given the Wayne Williams pap we now have in the Philly Inquirer, I'll not be complaining much about any LAT offerings. Argyle, I liked the 'Santa' shout-out too. And thanks for the picture of JD, Dick and Carol - that's one fine-looking trio. Will we see more pics from the get-together?

    Speaking of the Inquirer, here's an interesting article about a young constructor we probably all remember.

    Our Atlanta trip was great, and I should have a couple pics soon. The drive down was a bit eventful -- we happened upon a UPS tractor-trailer on I-95 late Monday night that had just pulled on the shoulder with smoke pouring out of the trailer. Once I saw that the driver was ok, the three of us pulled back a decent distance (with him sitting on the trunk), since there was always the risk of something blowing up. The cops and a fire truck came about 15 minutes later, and then we took off. Never did find out what it was, or if it got worse, but if you're somewhere south of North Carolina and a package is late getting there, that might be why. The driver said he had a full load, but no Hazmat stuff. The drive back Sunday night went smoothly, in only 12 hours, and it's a good thing I was going north and not south - for whatever reason, there was a southbound traffic backup from mid-Maryland to the New Jersey border, some 40 miles.

    Lois, there was one stormy night in Atlanta where I had to go out on the balcony and check wind direction.

    Today is National Thrift Shop Day. Yesterday was National Tell a Joke Day, so here's one of my favorites:

    Two hunters are in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing. His eyes are glazed.

    The other guy takes out his cell phone and frantically calls 911. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?"

    The operator says, "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

    There is a silence, then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, "OK, now what?"

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  2. Morning, all!

    Very smooth puzzle today. The only real hesitation was at the crossing of LEVANT (who I do not know) and BONNIE TYLER (who I've only vaguely heard of). Oh -- and I'm embarrassed to admit I initially had NANNY WILSON at 29A until the perps set me straight. I've never heard of her before, so it made sense at the time for some reason...

    Thanks for telling my all-time favorite joke, Dennis! That one never gets old.

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  3. Good Morning, CC, Argyle and all. This was a good Tuesday puzzle. After I got HAIL TO THE CHIEF, I knew to look for Presidential surnames. WILSON and TYLER are not necessarily the first Presidents whose names pop into my head. Funny, though, I thought of (Isaac) HAYES in yesterday's puzzle.

    I learned of OCA just last week, when it was clued as a South American tuber.

    A shout-out to Gunghy with the MASTs.

    Tinbini - I think the "E" words are here to stay.

    Here's some food for thought from Beloit College. Today's entering Freshmen will graduate in 2014.

    QOD: Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell. ~ Joan Crawford.

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  4. Nice picture, JD, Dick and Carol! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,

    Blew through this one. Hail to the Chief gave the puzzle away.

    Glad you had a good trip Dennis.

    JD, Dick and Carol, Really neat you all were able to meet up and vacation together.

    Have a great Tuesday.

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  6. Hello out there in the land of puzzledom,

    There were quite a few good links late last night, starting with Lemonade714@9:53 PM. Darn things kept distracting me while I was writing today's blog.

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  7. Good Morning TO ALL. Nice picture of JD, Dick, and Carol.

    Easy puzzle. Liked HAIL TO THE CHIEF, but never looked for nor got the theme before coming here; the perps were adequate. USERS was a WAG. Liked RECD and ATE.

    There were 3 A___.. words: ASEA, AFRESH, ATREMBLE. I find these all clumsy and have never used them nor seen them used. We went 'to sea' or were 'at sea' a lot, but no one ever said anything about being 'asea'. I know, it's crosswordese.

    I go now to start the day AFRESH.

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  8. Good morning Argyle and all, another nice stroll in the park today. Not much to comment on today as the fills came quickly and easily. And, Barry G I also had nanny at first and got it corrected with the perps.

    Hahtool, I really enjoyed your link to Beloit College. Very interesting reading, thanks.

    As to the Oregon trip it was a delightful to meet Judy and her husband Bob. Both are terrific and interesting people. For Carol and Joe that was our second outing with them and this meeting was as pleasant as the first. We hope to do more trips together in the future.

    Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

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  9. Good morning Argyle, CC, et al., Excellent puzzle and theme, not that it helped me any, but I liked it...and all the links, Argyle. Thank you. Excellent job as always. I especially loved Levant playing Chopin...what dreams are made of...out-freakin-standing, just beyond perfection -thank you.

    Loved the Santa shout out too, Santa Baby, and thought of Gunghy and Jeannie w/'masts' and
    'boater'. I 'felt' this puzzle was a good Tues offering. I missed some of the clues b/c I was 'on fire'. The clues were straight up and clean. I hope we see more of Steve Salitan.

    24A made me laugh remembering one of my late husband's favorite responses to "What are you doin?" His answer: "Mildewin'". That's so appropos b/c today would've been our 36th anniversary. I'll bring one daughter in from Fiji, another from SC today, son from Richmond and the rest are here already to celebrate this gorgeous day with happy memories and stories, of which there are plenty - like driving down a neighborhood road, windows open, car full, and he's yelling out the window, "Kids for sale!" The kids believed him at first.

    Dennis: Welcome back. Scary trip down but good of you to help out that trucker. It's also good to know your weather detecting skills are useful in all areas of the country. I bet the flag pole got nervous about being replaced when you were out on that balcony.

    Enjoy this gorgeous day.

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  10. Good Morning All,

    I hope today's postings are all made by people steeped in civility, scholarship and bonhomie (and an aversion to cowardly, rude anonymous postings).

    Today's puzzle was pretty much a "write 'em in as you read 'em" but the themes and twists made it fun.

    OCA popped up and was a gimme from last week. Have you ever heard the saying, "Everyday I know more and more about nothing. Pretty soon I will know everything about nothing!"

    ISSAC/ISAAC is always a cautious fill for me.

    It is raining here in Eastern Nebraska this morning. God seems intent on making this a record breaking grain. Crops are as green and robust as I have seen them in years.

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  11. Correction on the saying

    Everyday I know more and more about less and less, pretty soon I will know everything about nothing.

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  12. Argyle, Nice links to the themes.

    More like a Monday offering, but I learned about Oscar LEVANT, so there was that plus.

    Saw the earlier comments:
    re:AFRESH, said to myself "Huh?" Had to search it out, obviously all perps at 55A.
    Well at least that SSN got AFRESH clue.

    OWIE got a grin, then a MOAN. Nice line.

    It's election season, so the *TIRED REPS* line makes me wonder if the electorate will actually make (some much needed) changes. Is it time for some AFRESH ideas and representation?

    Hahtool, Yup, I ABHOR ECASH.
    Folks it's just the *normal* money you spend everyday for stuff.
    Next thing they'll be trying to sell me Escotch.
    Well that line has been drawn in the sand.

    If you're so inclined, pick up a New York Times and have at Rex Parker/aka Michael Sharp NYT debut.
    Overall pretty good, but this non-sycophant has a few things to comment on. (Hmmm, Yup! It isn't perfect!)

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  13. Good morning, Argyle, CC and solvers all. Is it Monday again? It seemed like this was exceptionally easy... sort of Monday-ish. I didn't get any of the singers immediately from the clues, but the unifier fell easily and I knew I was looking for presidents and singers with the same last names. It was pretty much a one pass across, one pass down, fill in the missing across type of puzzle.

    The only thing that almost tripped me was the in-basket stamp. I had READ. NORDIA didn't look quite right so changed to NORDIC and then RECD didn't look right. I finally figured out the contraction, smacked myself in the forehead, and wandered over here to see what the rest of you thought about the puzzle.

    Excellent write-up, Argyle.

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  14. Forgot: Great picture of the c/w corner's troopin' trio by the lily pond. Lucky you, Dick, surrounded by beautiful women. Fun times. Happy memories! Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Hi gang -

    I found today's puzzle a bit on the bland side. Pres theme seems a bit loose.

    OTOH, some excellent long fill.

    Didn't even notice OCA, as I got it from the fills.

    Company department picnic today, and retirees are welcome. I'll have some hot dogs and a beer or two with my old colleagues.

    Beware the UNSEEN BOATER.
    Do antsy topers have PILSNERS ATREMBLE?
    Hair Salon EMPLOYEES are STYLISTS.
    The lake ghost emits an ERIE MOAN.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  16. Good morning Argyle at al.

    This was a very easy solve for me, even though I didn't know (or had forgotten) most of the singers' names.But perps came to the rescue.

    My only problems came trying to figure out what a "skinned knee" would be, to a tot? "OWIE" ?? somehow, I was trying to fit in "Calamity" or "Tragedy" or "End of the world", but nothing fit. When the answer came through perps, I just did a hunhhh? and put it into my memory bank for future puzzles.

    Argyle, thanks so much for the link to Oscar Levant. I do remember him from movies, but thanks for the reminder about what a gifted pianist he also was!

    And also, thanks for the lovely picture of JD, DIck and Carol. It is nice to put faces to the clever people behind this blog. Isn't it amazing how the internet has changed our lives and relationships? 50 years ago, these three may never have met. (I wonder when these three will meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain...???") I read the link Hahtool supplied from Beloit college. If you haven't already, go there and read it - it's amazing how different is the mindset of these new college freshmen. Ahhhh, for the "good old days" when e-zines and e-cash and e-dates were not a part of our lives.

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  17. Will read comments later--busy morning coming up.

    First, a great photo of JD, Dick and Carol. What fun! Some of us Midwesterners should try to do something together too!

    My last solve was the SW corner. For some reason I couldn't get BOATER or TIDY for the longest time. I didn't know Nancy or Bonnie and had tried Connie and Ronnie first. I didn't grok the theme until after I had them all.

    In the end I thought it was a fun puzzle and enjoyed some of the fresh fills.

    Back later!

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  18. Todays puzzle was also relatively easy... though I did not get the 'theme', until I read Argyle's commentary.

    Great job ! , Argyle ... and I laughed when I saw Santas 'Ho, Ho, Ho'... and the song linkups were delightful.


    To Bill G: From yesterday ... I had driven 120 miles last evening, and went off to bed.

    RE: The column by Bill Sones and Rich Sones (Ph.D.) - the colm is still running today ... have you tried Cleveland.com or googled 'Plain Dealer'? If it is not available online, you may want to check your local public library, about where you can get the older issues. It is on page 4 of Section HA. ( so the page would be HA 4). The comics and puzzles are printed on one sheet (or leaf) of newsprint paper, folded over... so it is half the size of a regular newsprint page. I know it has a special name, but for the life of me, I cant think of it right now.

    Hope this helps.

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  19. ♪♫♪♫♪"Am I blue...am I blue?
    Ain`t these tears in my eyes
    Tellin you?"♪♫♪♫♪

    Husker Gary: Your plea for civility hit me right between the eyes. I really lost it yesterday, which I sometimes do when someone I admire and respect is unjustly maligned. I can`t promise it won`t happen again...depends on how quickly Dennis or Argyle gets the troll-speak deleted. (Please delete my outburst, too. It`s shameful to re-read when there`s no apparent cause for it.)

    As to the puzzle, I listen to very little contemporary "music" and so the theme fills had to come from other fills.Oldies and goldies are my genre of choice. I did know about the theme from "Shaft."

    Wanted "boo boo" for skinned knee but knew it would have to be mis-spelled to fit, wanted "neat' for "apple-pie order" , hdl and ldl not withstanding, lard still fries the best chicken, and how to spell "Swede" (we miss you, CA)always throws me.

    Mr. tartan and sock pattern(Argyle), nice beard and nice write-up. Do you sleep with the beard over or under the cover? (A classic question for a long-bearded man.)

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  20. Good morning all,

    Thanks, Argyle, for Oscar Levant and the good write-up. Hope we get to meet him through one of C.C.'s interviews
    'Atremble' is a stretch; 'Aquiver' is what came to mind;
    'Afresh' was a stretch;'anew' is what came to min;
    'Asea' was a stretch;'at sea' is what came to mind.
    Basically it was a 'stretching' exercise.

    C.C.,it was late before I saw your pics. First of all, each is good-the outfits and hairdos can be interchanged.
    The dress seems more appropriate for 'dressier' occasions; the shorts, for more casual times.
    I love the 'American' hairdo!
    It is so up-to-date as you are; the clothes-ditto.
    The chinese dress is more conservative-no bare midrif-yet the lenghth is up-to-date and a little 'edgy'.
    What does Boomer say?

    Speaking of pics; I loved the pic of the 'new friends'-very attractive bloggers indeed!

    Lois:"Babies for sale" LOL and a dear story.

    Have a nice day,all.

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  21. ARBAON, you said/did nothing wrong. It was more than justified.

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  22. ARBAON: I certainly didn't think Husker Gary was referring to you with his statement about being civil. I took his statement to be a reference to the troll. I thought you showed remarkable restraint, all things considered.

    I, too, initially wanted Neat instead of TIDY for apple pie order.

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  23. Good Morning All,
    Re Husker Gary's remark, the version I heard repeatedly from my dad was:
    "Do you want to become a specialist?--A specialist is someone who learns more & more about less & less until he knows EVERYTHING about NOTHING!...
    Or would you rather be a generalist-- A generalist is someone who learns less & less about more & more until he knows NOTHING about EVERYTHING!"

    'Twas late last night that I posted re the URAL/ARAL confusion mentioned by Dudley et al., so I'll dare re-post this memory device:
    MoUntains
         R
         A
         L
         S

    SeA
        R
        A
        L

    Today's xw? Never caught the theme; only guessed it was lots of words beginning with "a". How in the world to connect this with the unifier??-- maybe a word to hail the chief is "ahoy!", but aint that strrrrettttcccchhhhhing it. A couple clues felt overly "lite": Greek "i"; "in flames" (Steve could've clued this "aflame" to echo some other fills),...

    Liked the Jackie Gleason clue, though my fave Ralph to Alice line is "To the moon, Alice!".

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  24. Good morning Argyle, C.C. and gang,

    This c/w made me feel so smart(which is hilarious) because I filled it as fast as I could write, although when I got to Bryan Adams, I had to switch direction and work down for a minute.I had NO CLUE about the theme(d'oh) so again kudos to Argyle for a excellent write-up.

    Wanted to know more about the Earl of Sandwich and the origin of the word.

    Fun to see clue"gladiators' venue". The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire(2nd largest was in Tunisia) Gladiators made the study of Roman history come alive for my class, especially the boys.Like the Romans, they loved the gory stories of men being mauled by bears, alligators,bulls,ostriches and other exotic animals imported just to kill and be killed...kind of like bull fights today.This all supposedly pleased the gods-beginning of politics.

    Hugs to you, Lois, on this beautiful day!

    Loved your joke, Dennis.I always forget the punch lines, so never can tell a good joke.

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  25. I enjoyed the photos.

    Yesterday, Windhover wrote: "I don't feel as though I have much to fear by being known."

    From very late yesterday: I feel the same way. I can't imagine somebody doing me or my family harm by information I provide on a crossword puzzle blog. I think it would be much more likely to be a random act. If you're a bad person and want to do someone harm, there are much more obvious ways than choosing someone on this blog.

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  26. This was a good Tuesday offering for me. I got the singer’s names before I got the President’s theme tie-in until I came to “Hail to the Chief”…a generational thing Lucina? Otto came via the perps as I had never heard of either Preminger or Kemperer. I did know Oscar Levant as he was one of my mother’s favorites. I at first wondered how ply was a “tissue layer” until it finally dawned on me that he was referencing paper products –HA! I remembered “oca” from last week and actually scoured my favorite grocery store for it and caused some bafflement with the stock boy there. No luck. When I make an apple pie it is anything buy “tidy”. I also had a little trouble with “forgot to include” - omit. When I omit something it is intentional or am I off base here?

    Hahtool, I went to college in 1981and boy do I feel old now, and to think I didn’t even have a cell phone, and typed my term papers on an electric IBM typewriter! Times sure do change.

    Carol and JD, you two look like sisters, and I echo Lois Dick….you lucky dawg!

    Dennis, good to see you at the “top of the page” again. It sounds like everything was in “working” order down south, in more ways than one!

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  27. ARBAON and HAHTOOL
    60A, "In Apple-pie order" has to be TIDY!

    Now if the clue had been:
    "Scotch order" then NEAT! is how I'd get it.


    OK, nitpick alert ...
    Two of the singer's giving a HAIL TO THE CHIEF aren't Americans.
    Bryan Adams - Canadian
    Bonnie Tyler - Welsh

    (This should get the 'birther's" in a tizzy over this puzzle ...)

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  28. Dennis, very interesting article.I'm sure we will see his xwd's sometime soon.Had to look up enigmatologist(a recent word that applies to Will Shortz) and epidemiology (study of factors affecting the health of a culture or society).

    Hahtool, the "mindset list" blew me away, and the fact that these college students were born in 1990!

    Bill and WH, I agree with you both. A friend of Dick's asked us if we were worried about meeting up with unknown people. The 3 of us laughed, as we feel like we've been friends for 2 years.

    Jeannie, Otto Preminger was "the director" of the 5o's. His films and his name came up during dinner conversations as I lived in "movie land" as a kid. Exodus was my favorite.

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  29. JD, we've seen his work here already, once or twice. I think we commented on how young he was.

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  30. Hi all -
    Fun puzzle...got everything but the names of the singers...I am like ARBAON, love the oldies ('cause I am one)and don't keep up with the contemporary songs/singers.

    Dennis, quite an interesting development in your drive down south, glad you were there to help the driver out. Glad no one was hurt too. Loved your joke :)

    Lois, thinking of you on this special day for you and your children, loved the comment "Kids for sale"..what a hoot. Did they behave better after that?

    We enjoyed our get-together with JD, Bob, Dick and Irene...seems like we had known each other for years, such nice people. Not an ax murderer or pervert in the bunch - not bad for meeting via the internet, huh?
    ok,ok, I know that last line is loaded. :0

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  31. Hi all -
    Fun puzzle...got everything but the names of the singers...I am like ARBAON, love the oldies ('cause I am one)and don't keep up with the contemporary songs/singers.

    Dennis, quite an interesting development in your drive down south, glad you were there to help the driver out. Glad no one was hurt too. Loved your joke :)

    Lois, thinking of you on this special day for you and your children, loved the comment "Kids for sale"..what a hoot. Did they behave better after that?

    We enjoyed our get-together with JD, Bob, Dick and Irene...seems like we had known each other for years, such nice people. Not an ax murderer or pervert in the bunch - not bad for meeting via the internet, huh?
    ok,ok, I know that last line is loaded. :0

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  32. Congrats Steve, a fine debut!

    Alternative fill definitions-

    ARC- "What brand of cola is that?" reply.

    OWIE- Start of an ode to golfer Michelle.

    OMIT- How to fit in in a Buddhist temple.

    LARD- St. in So Cal.

    AGIN- Growin' old.

    STYLISTS- Pig farm manifests.

    BESTOWED- Better off unpaid.

    EMPLOYEE- Dorothy's aunt as the object of a ruse.

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  33. Hello Puzzlers -

    Not much push-back from today's puzzle. Never heard of TIDY apple pie - does that mean no chunk of cheddar cheese? LEVANT is new to me also. The singers' names came slowly, I never had a knack for popular music.

    gGerry - Y'know, I just might keep ARAL/URALS straight now!


    ARBAON - You look good in blue. Hope it lasts...

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  34. Vidwan, I didn't have much luck with Plain Dealer but I Googled 'Strange but True' and found a number of their columns. Very interesting. However, very few of them had to do with math. Enjoyable reading though. Thanks.

    Speaking about Carol getting together with JD, Bob, Dick and Irene, years ago I had been in communication with a clever fellow from England, Elliott, through a website with math puzzles. I wrote him jokingly that Barbara was going to a conference over the weekend and why didn't he drop by? He surprised me by taking me up on my offer. The students in my class were upset reminding me that someone you met on the Internet might be an ax murderer.

    I met him at the airport. The limo drivers were all holding up signs with names of who they were meeting so I held up a sign too, with A squared plus B squared = C squared. We had a fun weekend. He wanted to go for a swim in the Pacific so we did. While walking up from the beach, I saw one of my students skating towards us. She saw me and when she noticed him, she stuttered, "Mr. Graham! Is that the fellow from England?" I introduced her to Elliott and he said something like, "I've always wanted to be an ax murderer but couldn't find the proper classes to take."

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  35. Anon's 1:57 comment was deleted
    before I could read it. From the comments, glad I did. Also missed
    John's link to the birds, sorry I did.

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  36. Good afternoon all.

    Nice, easy puzzle. Late for me because we went out for b'fast. Always enjoy that!

    Lois, how great that you and your kids are getting together for a remembering time on what would have been your 36th anniversary. Enjoy. (My late first husband died the year that would have been our 35th. My older son had me in NY with him for that day.) After our young are no longer teenagers, they can be most thoughtful. Ain't it grand?

    Cheers

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  37. Just checking to see if I correctly changed my avatar. It is taken from the back of the USS Badger on my way back to Wisconsin from the Michigan side.

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  38. I thought this was easier than yesterday's. Got the Hail to the Chief right off, but couldn't tie it to the theme clues as I was focused on how they all had a Y in them. Knew all the songs and artists though. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" brings memories of a wedding I went to and was in the party bus. One lady was totally hammered and singing along with that song quite loudly throughout. Funny what memories stick.

    I just heard about that Beloit college list yesterday. As I have a son heading off to be a freshman this year, it is especially poignant.

    Lois, hope it is a wonderful event. Your "kids for sale" story brought back memories. We used to kid our daughter that we were going to sell her to the gypsies for 25 cents. We also told her the mosquitos said "there's a pretty little girl, lets go bite her". Fun days. I did a 25 minute video for my son's graduation of old pictures and videos of him, and we watched it again this weekend. What a great sendoff. It's going to be a teary week.

    Back to packing Good day all.

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  39. Jeannie, Please post your old avatar back . It is so much more meaningful than a bland landscape/seascape. We want the foxy feisty lady ! We have plenty of pictures of the ocean.

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  40. Had to chuckle over the comments about axe murderers and meeting through the Internet. My dear wife and I, who were both widowed (38 and 41 years of marriage, respectively) when we met through the Internet ten years ago, are celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss today. Her daughter was worried about the kind of guys she might meet and wanted any suitors to meet her and prove identity first. Fortunately mom had enough sense to make her own decisions. I probably would have taken a pass if that had been the criteria for meeting. After all, it was only a dinner date at a very public restaurant.

    We have made friends with people across the country and around the world through the Internet. Most have been great to meet in person. A very few have had an Internet personality that was quite different from their "in person" personality. No axe murderers, though... yet.

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  41. @KQ... 25 cents? At least my father knew what we kids were worth. He said we were each a six hundred dollar tax deduction and wouldn't take a penny less. Oh, wait a minute, there was that time when an offer of 2 cents would probably have been accepted, but that's a story for another day.

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  42. oops, thanks Dennis...I didn't recall that.

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  43. My Dad always said he`d take " a nickle`s worth of five dollar bills" for me...He also agreed to trade me for a boy friend`s motor scooter, once...hang the goats! Then, when I was sick, he`d sit by me and say, "Just tell Daddy what you want...I`ll get it for you!" (*sniff*) I lost him in 2004.

    We are probably all old enough to take care of ourselves with on-line friendships...but I know many teens who put far too much info out there. They just don`t realize...

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  44. Hail, people,

    Again, a nice relaxing puzzle. Thank you, Steve. Only knew Nancy Wilson (she's pretty old, isn't she?) but not the others, nor the songs. Yes, Jeannie, it's a generational thing!

    Lois, wonderful that your clan is getting together for you. Have a wonderful reunion. If you have ever mentioned how many kiddos you have, it was before my time. Sounds like quite a few! Are you
    walking well, now?

    West Coast travelers, great picture! Looks like fun.

    The farmers are here today, so I must go see if they brought me any rutabagas!

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  45. Awww, y'all are so sweet. Thank you for the thoughts, wishes, and hugs. It was a great fun ride while I had it. Right now I'm just here for a touch and go ...in and out...here and gone...and thought I'd see what y'all are doin'...I know, I know....you're 'mildewin'.

    gGerry, thank you for that MoUntains and seA trick for Urals and Arals. I never remember those. Will now tho'.

    Happy Anniversary Grumpy 1. Isn't today a great day for an anniversary? I always thought so. I hope you have many many more years of wedded bliss.

    Sallie: It is absolutely grand!

    Carol: They weren't misbehaving to begin with. He was just being funny. They started asking questions then, by God. He got 'em all stirred up. Hilarious guy!

    KQ: I love the idea of that video. What a wonderful treasure to have. I will make that one of my projects too. It's never easy to let them go... I wish you strength and hope you can adjust quickly. Reminds me of John Lampkins' birds' nest the other day. Keep your chin up and forge on.

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  46. Bill G - There is a book on Math puzzles by Boris A. Kordemsky ( Scribners Publ.) titled - The Moscow puzzles / 359 Mathematical recreations. This may be a mother lode for you.

    H. E. Dudeney had at least 3 books on Math puzzles, but his books are quite old ( > 30 years ago.)

    Martin Gardner's books , at least 25 ? books - should be your best bet.

    Sam Lloyd was America's greatest puzzlist of yore, but his puzzles were more of the manipulative type ( the '15' puzzle etc.). There are 4 books in his name.

    The greatest living American 'tangible' puzzlist ( actually the term is 'Meta-Grob-ologist ) is Jerry Slocum, who has written at least 10 books, ... who has an entire wing in the Lilly Library at Indiana University at Bloomington. ( He donated a large part of his enormous collection, about 40,000 puzzles, to them.)
    Check out their web site, also Jerry Slocum and 'Puzzleworld.org'. Note Puzzleworld.com is a commercial website.

    Good luck.

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  47. (Waving to spitzboov) Hi, neighbor!

    Jerome, love your sense of humor. Besides Tree Swallow, there is also Barn Swallow and Cliff Swallow!

    Reading the comments today about what happened yesterday made me go back to read yesterday's to see what I missed. I still don't get the Darwin thing, and I did see the nasty post before it got deleted and just shook my head in disbelief. On to today.

    Easy puzzle. Nothing I needed to Google. No WAGs. Maybe this was just setting me up for the rest of the week.

    Arbaon, my husband did put BOOBOO in there, but he spelled it BOBO and then put GONE in for "on vacation, say." Sometimes I think he does this on purpose. (grin)

    Enjoy the rest of the day, everyone!

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  48. good afternoon c.c., argyle and all,

    fun puzzle today, the theme popped out at me right away. i don't think i've ever heard 'apple pie order,' but i'm sure i'm not the only parent who remembers this: "A was once an apple pie, / Pidy / Widy / Tidy / Pidy / Nice insidy / Apple pie."

    love all the pics lately, jd, dick and carol, you look like old friends. i mean, you know, not OLD friends, old friends. nevermind.

    lois, love the story, have a great day.

    gGerry, great Ural/Aral tip, thanks.

    i just saw a very tiny, very cute mouse scurrying down the hallway, must catch it before the cat does.

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  49. Melissa Bee: LOL want a glass of water to wash down your foot????

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  50. Hi everybody. Great puzz today, nice long enjoyable fills and clever but not impossible cluing.

    Heck of an experience yawl had there with that UPS truck, Dennis.

    Hugs, lois. May I make use of "mildewing"? I love it :)

    Hahtool, thanks for the Beloit College link. Strange to think much of that is true of my granddaughter, who is currently filling out almost a dozen applications to several universities.

    Later!

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  51. Great Story Lois, thoughts heading to you and your family.

    Stupid pet story of the day. Thelma the cat jumps about five feet off the ground chasing dragon flies and of course birds. She's a constant menace at the bird feeder despite our hissing and booing. The other day I heard a strange squawk and ran to the door to see her with a woodpecker in her mouth. I instantly fly through the house closing any door or window so she doesn't bring the damn thing in. Too late, she sneaked in through the tiniest crack in the slider screen into the living room. Lets it go so its flying all over the place, spewing feathers everywhere. I got the french doors closed so its me, the bird and the cat locked in the epic game of chase around the living room. I finally catch the bird after getting the shit scratched out of my forearms fighting off the cat. I get outside with the cat safely trapped in the house and set the quivering bird down on the ground near the woods. It takes a couple of hops and gains flight out over the lawn. I didn't realize Hank (the English Golden) had been watching the whole ordeal, sprints across the lawn and nails the bird in mid air. I just fell down laughing. Of course my wife had witnessed most of it except when I tried to free the stupid thing by the woods.

    Quote: "I can't believe you fed that poor bird to the dog!! Your a sick man!"

    Hoo boy! "Yes Dear."

    Time for a bike ride before introducing the water and sewer budgets.

    Have a great night.

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  52. mainiac, that is HI-larious. i'm having no luck catching the mouse, but cruiser (cat) leaves me gifts at the doorstep nearly every day so i have a feeling, despite my efforts to rescue him, this mouse is going down.

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  53. HAIL TO THE CHEF (or why you haven't seen a puzzle of mine lately)

    HERB ALPERT
    SPICE GIRLS
    SUGAR RAY
    ROSEMARY CLOONEY
    SALT N PEPA
    GINGER ROGERS
    BASIL RATHBONE

    I know C.C., totally not symmetrical. Besides, food themes usually suck. This one most of all.

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  54. Did any "See" the mini-theme orbiting around the EYE:

    19A. Where the Pupil is = IRIS IRIS; and

    28A. TV Network with an Eye Logo = CBS; and

    56D. Watched Warily = EYED.

    Lois: My thoughts are with you. This must be a difficult day, but you are fortunate to be surrounded by your children.

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  55. Maniac!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Best smile therapy of the month!

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  56. Another easy puzzle, just a little harder than yesterday's. 15 minutes. Straightforward clues, not much worthy of comment.

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  57. Mainiac: Loved the story!!! What a hoot, no wonder you fell down laughing-I am sure your wife was not amused though and I can understand. Watching nature at work does not make for warm and fuzzy feelings :0

    Melissa bee, I'll hold a special thought for the mouse.

    C.C./Dennis: I don't know how I posted the same comment twice, will the second one count toward my total of 5?

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  58. I'm finally back from a day of meetings, a group lunch, and a haircut followed by some errands.

    I have only been able to skim the comments, but from what I see, you've all been having a grand time of it.

    Dennis,
    Thanks for sharing the info on our constructor Steve.

    Some good jokes here today as well.

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  59. MelissaBee @ 3:33: (in the absence of CA, that's today's poem).
    What wine goes with mouse? Red or White? Maybe a nice California rosè?

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  60. @ Windover... a mouse-catel, of course, but preferably with the chocolate mouse dessert.

    @Lois... Yes, a great day for an anniversary. A little sun, a little rain, just like life. Thanks for the chuckle with "Mildewin'". I can relate to that.

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  61. Husker Gary. You discovered the secret of a college education. If you study business or engineering, you learn more and more about less and less until you know everything about nothing. In Liberal Arts you learn less and less about more and more until you know nothing about everything. That's w2here I am.

    I must be off!!

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  62. I had the bike on the car ready to head for the beach. I got in the car, turned on the key ... no sound. That's a bad sign. I called AAA and they sent round their special battery guy. The battery was five years old but it tested OK. He said the terminals that connect it to the car were corroded and should be replaced and then I needed to charge the battery overnight. $30 parts and labor. Cheap enough. So I finally headed off to the beach and went for a short ride. Beautiful day. Blue sky, temperature about 75 and a gentle sea breeze. I wish I could bottle up some of that nice weather and send it to those of you sweltering in the heat.

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  63. Kazie, Dennis linked a story about Joel Fagliano, not today's constructor, Steve Salitan.

    Joel's puzzles: June 26 and December 15

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  64. Lois: hope your special day was exactly that; special. I LMAO about your 'kids for sale' vignette.

    Jeanie: I liked the avatar you had up briefly - of L. Michigan, seen from the stern of the Badger. I don't think most people realize how large that lake really is - larger than Croatia, Denmark or Switzerland. (Even the smallest of the HOMES, Lake Erie, is larger than Israel.)

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  65. Argyle, with apologies to Dennis,
    In my haste, i didn't notice the difference in names, I guess

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  66. I'm still reading the blog, but wanted to get a quick comment in before it got any later:

    That's a wonderful picture of our fellow bloggers! So nice to "see" you all!

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  67. C.C., I loved the white dress yesterday! You look nice with your hair done up, too.

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  68. Good Evening C.C., Argyle and folk,

    JD, Dick and Carol, beautiful photo! It's really incredible the three of you should meet from 3 (or 2 in a 3rd place) different places. Awesome!

    Wonderful write up today, Argyle! All the songs brought good memories.

    The theme came together nicely and had a fun simplicity.

    48. Pianist/actor Oscar : LEVANT He was playing so fast...as if the keyboard was ( 46. In flames) ON FIRE! I had wished the word was 'afire,' it would have sounded just right!!!

    19. Where the pupil is : IRIS
    "Iris, did you ever want to be a teacher?" She said, "Yes, How could you tell?" I said, "by the pupils in your eyes!"

    Nooo, please don't throw any stones at me for that one silly little joke! I know, it pales in comparison to much wittier items already posted today.

    I'm thinking about each one of you! So many things going on in your lives and I'm so tired tonight. I'm sending positive energy yo you all.

    I'm out.

    P.S. An undisclosed person among us has a birthday coming up soon...are you (and you know I am referring to you!) counting the days???

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  69. C.C., Ditto Annette, you are so beautiful and sexy, too. The dress is breath taking...Really stunning on you...but who can resist the 'Daisy Duke' shorts and the tiny t-shirt! Just adorable!

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