google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Mark Bickham

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Sep 28, 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Promos - The first word of each two-word common phrase is a synonym of "ads". Each common phrase is then humorously clued as if it's ads related.

20A. Promo after promo after promo?: AD INFINITUM

35A. Thesis on promos?: COMMERCIAL PAPER

52A. One who takes a promo off the air?: SPOT REMOVER

Argyle here.

MEH!
Meh, Meh, Meh. Bland theme (The theme clues are fun). Ambitious vertical stacks in the corners, sides broke into just two segments, which results in triple columns of 6s & 8s in each corner ... Total 74 words. 32 black squares. Still, meh. No sparkle fill.

I had hopes when the Z's appeared but the only WIT was 27 Across (Bon mot expert). Of course, your experience may vary.

Across:

1. Jane Austen classic : EMMA

5. Lose it : SNAP

9. Marathoner's pants? : GASPS. A little misdirection.

14. Campus area : QUAD

15. Sport with mallets : POLO

16. Like Andean pyramids : INCAN

17. More than suggest : URGE

18. Loud laugh : ROAR

19. Swordsman of lore : ZORRO.
Zorro's Theme Song.

23. Ike's WWII arena : ETO. United States Army European Theater of Operations (ETO). General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander.

24. Gumshoe : TEC. Detective

25. Chowed down : ATE

26. Old Olds creation : REO. Early auto, used the initials of its maker, Ransom Eli Olds.

27. Bon mot expert : WIT

28. Artificial : ERSATZ. German, from ersetzen, to substitute.

30. Put into words : SAY

31. Fourth century start : CCCI

32. Well-endowed, so to speak : CHESTY. Who comes to mind?

34. Oil-yielding rock : SHALE

39. "Doe, __ ...": song lyric : A DEER

40. Metallic mixtures : ALLOYS.
Here is one example.

41. __ and turn : TOSS

42. Astern : AFT

43. Black Sea port : ODESSA

47. Printers' widths : EMS

48. Keebler cookiemaker : ELF

49. "__ Beso": Paul Anka hit : ESO. A Spanish/Italian? version.

50. Part of D.A.: Abbr. : ATT. District Attorney

51. Portuguese king : REI

55. Forest bucks : STAGS

57. __ Star State : LONE

58. "By __!" : JOVE

59. Little laugh : TE-HEE

60. Knock off : DOIN

61. Aggressive Greek god : ARES. Olympian god of war.

62. Sci-fi writer __ Scott Card : ORSON. The only author to win both of American science fiction's top prizes in consecutive years.
Wikipedia entry, with image.

63. Snow coaster : SLED

64. "Winning __ everything" : ISN'T

Down:

1D. Put "=" between : EQUATE

2D. Scream bloody __ : MURDER

3D. Voodoo and wizardry : MAGICS

4D. Yemeni port : ADEN

5D. Wine-and-soda drink : SPRITZER. OK, this is sparkling(or is it just the soda?).

6D. Nary a soul : NO ONE

7D. Jai __ : ALAI

8D. Actor's job : PORTRAYAL

9D. Thingamajig : GIZMO. Names for things you don't know the name for.

10D. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN O. "Alec, I would like to buy a vowel."

11D. Twist-off top : SCREW CAP

12D. Word with board or physics : PARTICLE.
Board made from small pieces of wood pressed and glued together. Physics studies of the elementary subatomic constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactive relationship between them.

13D. More stuck-up : SNOOTIER

21D. Darth, to Luke : FATHER. Bad clue. In Star Wars, Darth is the title of a Sith Lord or Master, the first part of the new name they take on. It was once believed to be a condensed version of 'Dark Lord of the Sith', and thus the reason for the title. Luke's father was- spoiler alert -Darth Vader

22D. One-eighty : UEY. U-turn.

29D. High points : ACMES

30D. Long-legged bird : STILT.
Image.

31D. Banking giant : CHASE. Anybody read this as "Baking giant"?

33D. Building repair platforms : SCAFFOLDS

34D. World of espionage : SPYDOM

35D. Waits on hand and foot : CATERS TO

36D. Dashboard gauge : ODOMETER

37D. Saviors : MESSIAHS

38D. Detail to tie up : LOOSE END

42D. Matterhorn or Monte Leone : ALP

44D. Really enjoys : SAVORS

45D. Director Spielberg : STEVEN

46D. Motionless : AT REST

48D. Museum Folkwang city : ESSEN. Germany. The term Folkwang is taken from the Edda; Folkvangar and means "hall of the people". Somebody here surely has visited it and can tell us more about it.

49D. "Sesame Street" regular : ERNIE

53D. Saw or plane : TOOL

54D. City east of Santa Barbara : OJAI.
Map.

56D. Political beginning? : GEO

Answer grid.

Argyle

116 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - very much a speed run today. Fun theme and some fresh cluing; I had two unknowns: 'Orson' Scott Card, and 'Ojai'. I'd heard of it, but had no idea where in California it was. Favorite clue? Duh. Oh, I did like how it crossed 'scaffolds'. Overall, a decent puzzle. My measurement for a puzzle is whether it entertains and/or challenges me; this one entertained.

Argyle, good job on the blog, but I'm not sure why "Darth, to Luke" is a bad clue unless you mean because there was more than one Darth. I think when most people read the clue, they'll know immediately the Darth being referenced.

Today is Ask a Stupid Question Day and National Good Neighbor Day. So if you have a good neighbor, you know what to do.

Ok, let's try this again:

1. What's the only (regular) food that doesn't spoil?

2. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?

3. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?

4. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Not a lot to say about today's puzzle. Quick, easy and fun, but not particularly memorable.

I've got your number, Dennis! It's one thousand. Haven't a clue about the other stuff, though...

Dennis said...

On the nose, Barry. It amazed me that there wasn't an 'A' before then.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, CC, Argyle and all. I had a spot of trouble in the NE corner today. GASPS just wouldn't come to me.

My first thought after reading Wine-and-Soda Drink was YUCK! who would want to drink something like this until I remembered that I did back in my 20s.

Yup, the Black-Necked STILT sure has long legs! I tried Stork first, though.

To continue the quote of 64A, here is the QOD: Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing ~ Red Sanders.

Argyle said...

I linked another map for Ojai.

Dr. Dad said...

Good morning everyone!

I really didn't like "uey". Thought it was a stretch to just make the thing work.

Speaking of particle physics - Does anyone believe that the Large Hadron Collider (LLC) which is going to study particle physics and search for the Higg's Boson is going to instead make a mini black hole that is going to suck everything into it, effectively ending our time on earth?

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing (Vince Lombardi).

This was a really easy puzzle. Only took about 8 minutes (Dennis probably had a much better time - he always beat me).

Go and ask your neighbor a stupid question?

Honey doesn't spoil.

All invented by women.

For A - one thousand.

Don't know the last one but, I can only think of one name. The most beautiful name in the world. Jenny. I think about her all the time.

Have a great Tuesday!!!!

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and all, a very easy puzzle today and it dod not leave much to comment about. I did not like UEY, but that is a small complaint.

1) Honey
2) Invented by women
3) One thousand
4)Serenity

Dr. Dad I did not know you were also Forrest Gump.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

Hahtoolah said...

Dr. Dad: Although Lombardi is attributed to that quote, it was actually Red Sanders, UCLA coach in the 1950s who actually coined the phrase. See my QOD, above. I knew I was invisible.

Nice Cuppa said...

Dennis:

Happy Unbirthday

Re your trivia questions, 2 Brit&Comm. additions/qualifications

#1. Regular food that doesn't spoil:

MARMITE - a yeast-based spread eaten from weaning through waning by all classes of folk - very nutritious (made from the dregs of Guinness brewing, so eco-friendly too). Classically used to make marmite soldiers to dip into your (soft-) boiled egg at breakfast. In the land of OZ they have an ERSATZ product called VEGEMITE.

Marmite

#3. Spell out numbers.

BRITS&C get there much earlier (though you did not actually specify where you must start). 101 is spelled "One hundred AND one", or even "A hundred And one", never "One hundred one".

Yours

NC

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Argyle and all,

Another speed run today. One pass, no lookups needed. The theme words came easily; SPOT REMOVER was a WAG. SHALE was a gimme. Liked the clue for GASPS. ZORRO helped make it a fun puzzle.

Here is the RPI QUAD.

AFT is where the 'fantail' is.

Lucina, thanks for your interesting story (at 12:28am)

Have a good day.

Mainiac said...

Morning All,

I agree with Argyle, Meh. New to me were Stilt and Orson. I new Ojai from when I lived outside of SB but spelled it with an H, Duh. I had a slow start until I got footing in the SW with Caters To, Odometer and Messiah. Commercial Paper was the first theme then perps filled the rest.

I think yesterday was ask a stupid question day. Seems like all I did was hold hands and wipe noses.

IMHO, winning is everything. I'm in disagreement with our school's philosophy. You can still get everyone play time keeping the goal of winning.

Have a great Tuesday.

Mainiac said...

#4. Money Pit

thehondohurricane said...

I thought the letter A first appears in 8? Isn't it "ate?" Oh well, stupid question.

Today was a pleasant journey considering the puzzle was broken into two halves, which as I reported last week always give me trouble. Perhaps I'm beginning to break away from my phobia.

The Southeast corner slowed me down because I never knew there was a city called Ojai. I kept trying to put in Lodi. Otherwise a straightforward solve.

I don't know if it is considered a food, but Honey doesn't spoil.

Nice Cuppa said...

Echos and GAVEUP alerts:

ECHOS - not quite CLECHOS:

S.E. corner: Jove on Ares - Latin forms of the planets JUPITER and MARS (Lone STAR to the West). SAVORS and SAVIORS. N.W. - EMMA for MURDER? ODESSA (FILE) crosses SPYDOM. ERSATZ and KNOCKOFF.

Best clue - PARTICLE board/physics

Didn't know "Knock off" = "Do in" in U.S. speak. Works in Brit.

GAVEUPS alerts:

28A. ERSATZ - pretentious word that makes a poor imitation sound GLITZY.
35D. CATERS TO - Waits on hand and foot. Poor clue. That would be CATERS TO EVERY NEED.
59A. TE-HEE is variant of TEE-HEE. TE-HEE does not follow spelling rules.
9D. GIZMO is more than a THINGAMAJIG, it is a NEAT DEVICE made for a specific purpose.
14A. Is QUAD an abbreviation? I don't think so.
3D. MAGIGS - dubious plural.

Crosswordese/Filler:

JAI ALAI - only redemption is preservation of the Basque language.
ESO BESO? - NO ESO BESO CLUO.
ETO - IKE's arena. ESO EDO? NO, ESO ETO.
Wheel of fortune purchase; 4th Century date; Chowed down=ATE. ACMES - last used in conversation?

Time to knock off before I do someone in.

NC

Dr. Dad said...

I disagree with "one hundred AND one" as I was taught in mathematics classes all the way through college that it was "one hundred one." To say it the other way was considered a mathematical faux pas.

Dr. Dad said...

And while Marmite may not spoil, it is in fact, a yeast extract that must be made by a processing procedure whereas honey is a pure food obtainable right from the honeycomb with no further processing needed.

Nice Cuppa said...

Dr. Dad

#1 Well, tell one hundred and one dalmatians that. I was of course referring to standard Brit-speak.

#2 You're moving the goalposts here, since the questions asked for "regular", not "natural". Besides, to be truly "natural" you would need honey collected from the hives of wild bees - good luck with that one!

There is really nothing unnatural about fermentation, and the extraction process is quite simple (N.B. honey will ferment if you don't keep it sealed; it can also cause botulism if it is not sterilized), but if you still want to stick up for the partially digested regurgitations of insects, good luck mate!

I'll go boil that egg, now.

NC

Husker Gary said...

Good Morning Bloggers one and all! Do you realize how disappointed I was when CHESTY had no links? Only disappointment in an otherwise nice write-up, Argyle!

We have a prized copy of EMMA in our house as our granddaughter is named Emma. Hard to find a variation of that name unlike yesterday's AMY.

I loved cluing for GASP and will accept TEC because it's showing up more often than a corrupt politician in D.C. Glad to see Liza's "DOIN" is still alive. Couldn't you clue it as "Joey's greeting "How you ___?"

CCC dredged up the old 2000/2001 millenium starting point of a few years ago.

We "flipped UEYs all through high school (Main Street was only 2 blocks in our little metropolis) but I never thought how the word would look spelled out.

Dennis, I knew HONEY, debated between 101 and 1,000, never would have gotten the Women inventors (sexist pig that I am), and would guess wife's/girl friend's name as most popular.

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Thanks for the write-up, Argyle...although I too was surprised at no link for 32A ?
(siggghhhh) Do I have to do this?

Hand up for everything that's already been said about the puzzle. Gotta run - have a great day!

Anonymous said...

honey doesn`t spoil...and it kills bacteria.

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

Argyle, good to know where REO comes from; ditto 'ersatz'.Thanks for a nother good write-up.


The puzzle was not quite so fast for me as yesterdays ; nor was it so much fun. Yet I did get a jolt from 32a- the clue as well as the answer. Lois show up please!

A 'spritzer' is how I usually end my day, so I felt very personal about it. I had to begin adding soda water to the wine to make the wine last longer- me too!

The pic of the stilt certainly exemplifies the need for birds' knees to bend backwards. In case anyone has ever wondered.

I really enjoy your questions, Dennis,even if I don't know the answers, I learn fun things. Thanks.

Have a nice day everyone.

kazie said...

My guesses were:
1 honey
3 thousand

I see others got all four, bravo!

NC,
I like your Brit version too. I also say 'a hundred and one'.
But Vegemite, made by Kraft Foods in New Zealand, is much more palatable than Marmite. I wonder why they bother to put 'use by' dates on them? When I visited friends in London in 1970, one had a gallon sized tin of Vegemite her mother had send to tide her over for the year she was there. Some we got 6 years ago is still good too.

14A is abbr. of quadrangle. There's one at Sydney University.

hondohurricane,
Only if counting in German: acht--8
In French it would be quatre--4

The puzzle ran smoothly, favorite fill was PORTRAYAL. Never quite sure how to spell UEY--wasn't it UIE once before, is that just what I wanted it to be?

Iluvscience said...

DrDad, thanks for clearing things up for me.

creature said...

I forgot to say that I thought, but just barely, that'uey' could be the navajo weave' entry. I just don't think its really a word. I'll try Dogpile.

Tinbeni said...

Argyle, Nice write-up but I disagree with your MEH! rating. (Is that a Simpson's thingy?)

Three themes is very thin but they were good ones. Plus COMMERCIAL PAPER crossed CHASE. Good stuff.

ERSATZ, EQUATE, CHESTY, GIZMO, ODOMETER, MESSIAHS, SPRITZER are all great Tuesday words.

OK, there was a bit too much of the common little stuff: ETO ATT REO etc. But as Jerome would SAY, they are the clue that hold the grid together.

Folks you know what I'm going to SAY
re: Triva question number one.

The only food that doesn't spoil is ... SCOTCH.
Case closed!

Vidwan827 said...

Argyle - Nice Blog. Thank you.

The puzzle was most enjoyable - and I have so much work - I had promised myself not to touch that section of the paper. But I did - and I really enjoyed it. I learnt what 'ersatz' really meant - artificial. I had thought it meant ' another word for -'.

I really love Marmite - but the bottle has lasted me 7 years - its almost gone now - time for a new one.

'Honey' makes a lot of sense ( I read a book about it ...) ... it is an antiseptic and has anti-bacterial properties, and acts much like Band-Aid.

Regarding the connection between honey and botulism - some honey may contain botulism spores ( Clostrida Botulinum, toxin Clostridium )... and the spores may incubate - in intestines of infants below 12 months of age, and cause botulism poisoning...

However, consider this - Botulism in infants in the US is extremely rare, and the NIH studies found that 89 % of such cases, were NOT caused by honey, but by poor hygiene in the households. So your baby, is far more likely to get Bot spores, from dirty clothes, anything in the yard or a dirty carpet than from ingesting honey. And the symptoms can be effectively treated - however, it is still is a good idea not to give honey to infants below 12 months. Adults face no such risk, because of a 'mature' intestine - and other copious amounts of bacteria, naturally resident 'in the gut'.

Other non-spoilable foods I could think of - Common Salt ( NaCl), Salts of all types - MSG ... Vinegar, Asafoetida ( a gum ),.... Nam-pla - a fermented sardine concoction preserved in vinegar- Thai cuisine ( C.C. might know ... ) ... my Nampla bottle is 10 yrs old - still going strong.

Philosophically, how can Limburger cheese - spoil - or get any worse ? How about aged blue cheese ?

As for bullet proof vests and fire escapes etc. - what was the answer ? ... Is it that they can't protect you from women ??

Argyle said...

OK, you want a Chesty picture, here ya' go. Image.

Nice Cuppa said...

@anonymous

Re Honey and bacteria.

But honey does NOT kill a number of hardy bacterial SPORES - those of Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus anthracis, for example (cause botulism and anthrax, respectively).

HONEY as the next BIOTERROR weapon????????

NC

Nick said...

Good morning all -

I agree with Argyle about 21D, I'm certainly nerdy enough to realize that Darth is a title that referred to 4 characters throughout the movies. Still, Dennis makes a good point that most people would get which Darth was being referred to in the clue. Sometimes having too much trivial knowledge makes things more difficult.

Favorite fill was 50A – but only because I am one and I think it’s fun to see my job in a puzzle.

58A was my least favorite fill – what the heck is “By jove”? Never heard of it.

Annette said...

My favorite today was GASP for the marathoner since my niece ran a 30k last weekend in preparation for her upcoming first marathon. I hear there was some GASPing for air involved.

For C. C. and all you other serious baseball fans, there's a documentary on PBS tonight called "The Tenth Inning: The sport of baseball rebuilds itself" that you might find interesting. Part 2 airs tomorrow night. The dates may vary, depending on your local PBS channel, but I saw it listed on MSN too.

Tinbeni said...

And of course I meant to type (regarding the "little stuff")

They are the GLUE that hold the grid together.

HeartRx said...

Argyle,

Loved the link to Chesty MacArthur!! LOL.

And while we are on the subject of "spoiling foods", how can you tell if sour milk has gone bad????

Nice Cuppa said...

@Nick the Attorney

By Jove! Well, it's about time you did, old chap!

NC

xtulmkr said...

Tinbeni, I assumed your case of Scotch always remained open.

Argyle said...

Great Jumping Jehosaphat!
Nick the Attorney, it's a sheltered life you've led.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Argyle was correct. It wasn't a sparkling puzzle but, for me, the long vertical fill made up for that. I thought SPRITZER, PORTRAYAL, MESSIAHS and SCAFFOLDS were terrific.

No problem with OJAI. My daughter graduated high school there.

I think Nice Cuppa tackled Jai ALAI too soon. Isn't it still a huge drawn in the Miami area?

Dr. Dad, Nice to see you....I think....nervous LOL...are we to be doomed by the Large Hadron Collider?

Darn it Dennis, I wish I hadn't been so interested in the blog site I linked last night. All of your questions were referenced on the "Debunked and Verfied" pages. I'll stay out of it today. If anyone is curious and missed it, it is Jeff Lewis Part II. All the other parts are interesting too.

Argyle said...

Great Scott! No wonder I didn't get an answer to 49A. "__ Beso": Paul Anka hit : ESO. A Spanish/Italian? version.

I forgot to make the link.

Maybe it is in Portuguese? Help!

Dennis said...

Annette, yeah, I saw the ads for the baseball series. It's another one by Ken Burns, so it should be superb.

HeartRx, you ARE kidding about 'Chesty McArthur', right? The picture is, of course, of Chesty Puller, one of the great heroes of the Marine Corps. In fact, he was used as a role model and we were taught whenever we were in a difficult or dangerous situation to ask ourselves, "What would Chesty do?". Hell, I still do that occasionally, much to my wife's dismay.

Husker Gary said...

I missed the answer to #4 if it was posted.

Chesty is totally inadequate to some of us more lecherous correspondents!

How's This For a Zorro Joke?

Fore! Can't waste this spectacular weather. My sympathy to you Californians who live so near a desert! My old geology prof always told us, "What makes California beautiful, also makes California dangerous!"

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

a good quick run this morning. I usually don't do well with longer words, but these all fell in so easily as I could "see" most of them before I read the clues. Favorites-gasps and spot remover.
Argyle, enjoyed the ZORRO theme.

Hand up for stork, and I also had roi before I filled odometer.Adding the al on portray took longer than it should have.

Had no clue about shale, but it fit, and so I browsed for more information. See Canada Oil-Shale Deposits if you are interested.

I remembered all of the trivia, except #3.#4 is supposedly Obsession, but I don't remember ever seeing a boat with that name. Maybe Jeannie can comment on this one.

Anonymous said...

Good morning everyone. Nice write up, Argyle. (But I hate "meh". Where did it come from? It's here so frequently.

I had trouble with GASPS because I was, as always, too literal. Tried to think of shorts, etc.

One hundred and one is incorrect. Before we got lazy and used "point", the one hundred and one meant one hundred and one tenth. The "and" signified a decimal point.

I was hired to do a math TV series for second graders. This was before taping, so if an error was made, the whole show had to be re-filmed.
I went through one hundred and one, one hundred and two etc. Then realized my mistake and had to redo the whole show.

Cheers

JD said...

Nick:
"by jove is an exclamation of surprise. Jove is a euphemism for Jupiter, the Roman King of Gods. The Greeks call him Zeus. The expression seems first to have appeared in the 1500's . Putting it into a simpler way, it is like saying My God, By God, (in this case, by Jupiter.)"

Dennis said...

Husker Gary and others who mentioned the lack of a link, try these on.

JD said...

Sallie and Dr. Dad, I agree with you. When I was taught to write a check properly, I was told NOT to add the and because it was incorrect..so it is one hundred one.

Brothers and Sisters is about a family who lives in Ojai.

Nice Cuppa, where did you come up with NICE?????

Bill G. said...

I tried some Marmite a while back. Definitely an acquired taste. I haven't acquired it yet.

I know it's different in the UK, but US math teachers teach students not to say one hundred and one. The 'and' is reserved for the decimal point. So 101.7 would be read orally as one hundred one and seven tenths. I think in England, it might be read as one hundred and one point seven. I think the reason US math standards approach it that way is to help students understand the equivalence between decimal numbers and fractions.

Argyle said...

Re: Meh: probably from the Simpsons.

I'm not sure how I would spell the noise I make when I shrug my shoulders to express indifference.

nenh, enh, anh, ainh

I don't know; something like that. I know it doesn't sound like meh but that has become the written equivalent of it.

Anonymous said...

Is this still a crossword discussion blog or has is it now become simply trivia quiz? Argyle did such a good job on the write up ... Perhaps Dennis should start his own trivia blog.

Argyle said...

Given the amount of trivia in a crossword puzzle, it would behoove you to pay attention to what Dennis has to say.

Anonymous said...

dennis is hijacking the xword discussions.

carol said...

Hi all -

Fun time with the puzzle until the NE corner. I couldn't get past 9A, had no answers for 12D or 27A either. After checking the letter solve area of the on-line version, I got WIT after that it fell into place but it wasn't easy!!

Dr.Dad: nice to see you again!!

I had never heard of Ojai. Sure glad I'm not in the LA area lately. We are getting some of their heat in Portland though and the humidity is just plain nasty. We are not used to this warm, wet air!! YUK!

Nick the attorney: you must be young as well as sheltered not to have heard the expression "By jove".

Vidwan827 said...

To Anonymous: I never thought I would have to be in a position to defend Dennis (!@#) but ...

Anon, if you happen to be a crossword 'purist', may I humbly suggest, that you don't come past the first page. That may be enough to satisfy your needs, and you can move on.

As for most of the other contributors, judging by the plethora of comments ... Dennis seems to be doing an excellent job of stimulating discussion.

As in any democratic blog, the majority counts, and 'might is right'. There is much more to life, than 'mere' crosswordese.

Argyle said...

Lest we forget, one day's trivia may one day be an answer: RENMINBI
Chinese currency

Dennis said...

anon, don't get your panties in a bunch - it was only yesterday and today.

Vidwan, you're too kind.

windhover said...

Anonymous:
"Hello! Is there anybody in there?"
"Your lips are moving but I can't hear what you say".
More trivia? From where?
More trivia, paraphrasing Nixon:
"If the ________ does it, it isn't wrong." (Fill in your own blank.)
On second thought, consider just going away.

Jerome said...

I'm guessing today's writer felt he was a little thin on theme and decided to make up for it with a wide open grid and a lot of outstanding fill. He certainly accomplished both. Through my eyes it's an impressive puzzle.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - I say thanks Dennis! Those are more like it. MUCH more.

Having had Vegemite in Oz and Marmite in England, I have to wonder: just what makes them so popular? Give me a good ol' American PB & J anytime.

Good puzzle for a Tuesday - I don't expect much sparkle early in the week.

Cheers -

Lucina said...

Good day, Argyle, C.C. and fellow puzzlers.

Well, everything that can be said about this xwd has been said. All I can add is that I agree it lacked a certain sparkle, however, forest bucks, STAGS and
SPOTREMOVER as well as marathon pants, GASPS were WITty.

For some reason I cannot remember REO and so ended up with RIO and UIE until SAY corrected the E to Y but still had UIY.

Dennis, thanks for the trivia discussion; at some point this information will be useful in solving a crossword and I'm a trivia squirrel anyway, always storing it.

Hand up for one hundred one; I assume it's the difference between British and American expressions.

As for Darth, I instantly knew it was FATHER, never a doubt. Of course by then I had filled AD INFINITUM so the F helped.

I've always heard QUAD when referring to the campus area.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!

Tinbeni said...

I find it curious that the annoying Anon makes quips about the crossword blog, Dennis (and the FUN triva today and yesterday) snipes at some of our ladies and at times makes false accusations.

Yet in all my time here, I have NEVER, EVER, EVER seen this little pest ADD anything to the discussion of the crossword puzzle.

Oh, Dennis in addition to SCOTCH for #1 ... would Twinkie be another answer?

And I am curious as to #4 the most popular boat name. (maybe I'll google it).

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Fun puzzles yesterday and today. Frankly I was impressed and pleased with the long fills. I guess the result of having long fills is the "leftovers" of having short, crosswordese fills to fill the remaining space. Glue, as Tinbeni so articulately said. By the way, Tinbeni, you didn't like my use of the word "Meh" on Sunday and the use of it today, too. Know what? I have come to agree with you and will no longer use it.

Stupid question of the day: What is the square root of 69? Answer: "Ate" something.

In spite of knowing that "Darth" is a title, not his name, I knew the intent of the clue and pencilled in FATHER immediately. Other gimmes for me today include EMMA, POLO, EQUATE, QUAD, SHALE, ADEER, ODESSA, JOVE, ARES, and SLED.

I liked SPOT REMOVER. Good fill, good clue.

If anybody has hijacked this blog, I certainly don't think it is Dennis.

Gotta go to work now and dabble in detecting electromagnetic signals. Best wishes to you all.

P.S. In anticipation of suffering a possible blitch, I always copy my comment before previewing and posting it. Thus, if it should fall into a black hole, I can easily reproduce it by pasting. I have learned that if a message is too long, it will APPEAR to have disappeared, but it really does post.

Jayce said...

Oh, and UIE is ewwwie. Be careful when you dewie, 'cause you could go ka-flooie!

Cheers!

Dilbert said...

Hi all.

And I thought of Adm. Nimitz for Chesty. Go Navy.

Jayce said...

I will never ever forget RENMINBI.

kazie said...

Bill G and Sallie,
Nice Cuppa is right to point out that 'a hundred and one' is correct in British English. And as any of us dual nationals from areas where British English is used will tell you, what is correct here is not always correct there, and vice versa.

My take on this is that it's the German influence, which is much stronger in the US, at least in the areas where so many of them immigrated in the mid 1800's.

German says hunderteins, hundertzwei, etc. Their 'und' is reserved for the two digit combinations which are expressed in the reverse: 221 is zweihunderteinundzwanzig (literally 2 hundred one and twenty). Since they're all written as one word up to 1,000, it was always fun teaching kids to write them out and see how long a number they could come up with. I also compared it to the nursery rhyme "4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie..."

While on the German thing, I have to say I was unaware of the Folkwang Museum is Essen. The Ruhr valley didn't strike me as interesting enough to do more than drive through in 1970, but many of those towns have since been spruced up and made more attractive since the steel industry declined in recent years. So maybe on another trip.

Tinbeni said...

Jayce
I do not have a problem with Meh.

I do have a problem with d'oh for duh.

It all goes back to not being a fan of The Simpson TV show. In all the years it has been on I may have watched it 2 or 3 times.

Now I realize Homer's "D'oh" is part of the language and our culture. But I'll stick with duh.

Actually, I really like that you and Husker Gary have joined in.
Your comments add to the discussion and are very funny.

I'll open that CASE (that XTULMKR noted is never closed) and toast y'all at sunset.

Chinese food lover said...

Jayce: Your square root question reminds me of a joke -

A chinese restaurant owner, making it with his wife, suddenly realized that the 'zing' had gone out of his life.

One night, he announced ' I want to have number 69'.

His wife goes, 'Its nearly midnight, and your thinking of Moo Goo Gai pan ?'

Bill G. said...

I this blog did nothing but discuss the LAT's crossword, I wouldn't be here. Most of what I would have to say has been said after the first five posts or so. The rest is social fun. That's what makes this blog better than some others. JMHO.

I'm thinking QUAD is short for quadrangle. It's become so common that it's now a word on its own.

Jeannie said...

Argyle, nice write up and I too was a bit surprised you had no link for 32A. I see others have your back on that error. Dennis, don’t you think Huskergary and the others would look kind of funny if they “tried those on?”

I too thought the theme was weak but the clueing fresh and clever. I did have to get some perp help with Reo, Eto, ersatz, and Ojai. We also had Te-hee (which I know as Tee-hee) and Roar. I thought of fermatprime for “toss and turn”. I hope you are doing better on getting some sleep. Like Hahtool, I had stork instead of stilt which caused a little bit of trouble before I straightened that out. I got quad no problem as my first two years of college my dorm was in a quad.

Nick haven’t you ever heard the phrase, “By Jove, I think he’s got it?”

Nicecuppa, when I write a check for over $100, it is written “one hundred one”.

I think the answer to #4 is Lo-li-ta.

Anon, if all that was talked about here on this blog was about the crossword puzzle it would be very, very boring. Most of the conversing is derived from the crossword puzzle in case you haven’t noticed. Just sayin'

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Sure, MEH on those perceived flaws that have already been MEHntioned. But I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.

I don't consider this theme to be thin at all - three solid answers, one of them grid spanning. And I love CHESTY crossing ACMES.

The long fill is quite exquisite.

Dennis - excellent link. Unless my eyes deceive me, nothing ERSATZ there.

You might find a CHESTY SPRITZER at a wet t-shirt contest.

Putting too fine a point on it probably, but an ALLOY is not just a mixture of metals, but an actual solution.

1) I'm petty sure Twinkies will last forever.

2) None of them will save you if the Hadron collider turns the earth into a black hole.

3) And A-one, and A-two . . .

4) Darth Maul

Cheers!
JzB who has never been to OJAI, but if from OJAIO

Otis said...

Howdy all,

Ditto Dennis for an entertaining puzzle. I laughed a lot, not a usual thing. Might just be my outlook during this second summer (80s and sunshine all week).

Only dislike: TEC for gumshoe. I read a lot of mysteries (and the newspaper daily), and I've never, ever heard this abbreviation. Might just be me, though.

Other puzzle comments: I LOVE the phrase ad infinitum - cool to see it in a puzzle. I spent so long with just the G for Marathoner's pants (NE was last to go) and kept thinking g-string, g-underpants, g-shorts, and so on, that when GASPS emerged, I couldn't stop laughing. As for Well-endowed, I won't mention the visuals conjured while I awaited for perp assistance to emerge. (Gosh, Dennis, can you come up with an equivalent male 'well-endowed' link? Holy cow.) Only knew STILTS as wooden leg extenders.

Hatool - you're not invisible. I look forward to your QOD.

NC - I agree about TEHEE. I have the same problem with TEPEE. Around here, it is TEEPEE or TIPI.

Here, here, Argyle on "Meh" - your written sounds are much closer to my indifference noises.

My guess for #4 was Mary (I also wrote "Twinkies" for #1, although I know this is not a "regular" food item).

Enjoy the day!
Otis

Seldom Seen said...

Re: d'oh and duh

These are two different words or expressions. Both are very useful and funny.

If you drop a hammer on your foot you would say: D'oh! (kinda like: shit!)

If someone then says "I bet that hurt" you would reply :Duh! (kinda like No shit?!)

Otis said...

Bill G from yesterday,

Otis is for Otis the (polar) bear, a (stuffed) sidekick of mine for around 20 years. As to the profile, I originally lot of info. Then, I decided it was way 'TMI' and deleted most. Maybe I'll put it back up again one of these days. Its just some movies and loooooooooooong lists of music and books.

Otis

Seldom Seen said...

A horse and a termite walk into a bar. The horse trips and says "D'oh!". The termite says "watch your step". The horse says "Duh!". The termite then asks "Hey, is your bartender here?"

Dennis said...

otis, I was going to post something for you and got as far as googling 'well endowed male'.

Google it at your own risk/pleasure.

And it feels weird having a conversation about well-endowed males with someone named Otis. What's the story behind the name?

Jerome said...

I know that there are some people in this community, Crossword Corner, that have been giving a go at constructing some serious thought. In light of that, there's something important to be learned from Mark's puzzle. Primarily, editors are looking for good, tight, clever, fun, interesting themes. Not a lot of theme entries or a high theme letter count.

As Jazz noted, "I don't consider this theme to be thin at all. Three solid answers..." And more importantly, the editor thought so too.

Nice Cuppa said...

Dear All

Just wanted to clarify that when I compare Brit and U.S. English, I am simply pointing to differences in standard usage between them - I am not making a judgment/judgement about who is "right". We all are!

NC

@JD, Is that a straight question on the origin of the phrase "nice cuppa", or are you suggesting my posts are not "nice"? The latter is not nice, but happy to respond to either.

Argyle said...

Aw, you guys are starting to bug me. Commercial Paper is an unsecured, short-term debt instrument issued by a corporation. Calling it a 'thesis' makes the clue thin, IMHO.

Dennis said...

Actually, Nice Cuppa, you might wanna hold off on the 'responses' - you're at 6 posts again; limit's 5 per day.

carol said...

Seen: as this is 'ask a stupid question day' I'll ask you what does that joke mean? I didn't get it.

Jayce said...

Moo Goo Gai Pan, eh? So that's what it's called now?

JazzBumpa, you're funny. I love your comments, even the serious ones.

Our son once had a cat he named Quad. I forget why he named it that. Short for quadruped, I think.

When I see the letters TEC I always think of Total Electron Content, but maybe that wouldn't be a very good clue. Wasn't there a computer company back in the 80's called something Technical something, commonly nicknamed TEC? I can't remember it's name. Nope, I just looked it up and it was DEC, Digital Equipment Corp. Not TEC. Nemmind :)

I read that the Large Hadron Collider is not powerful enough to create a black hole larger than microscopic in size that would have a life span measured in billionths of a second. According to the article, no danger there. Some also doubt they'll find the Higgs boson, either.

I had vegemite (on toast) once, and although it was not bad, I have never gone out of my way to obtain it.

Like Clear Ayes, and I'm sure many others of you, I spent years going to classes, seminars, etc, at various classrooms and labs within a university quad. We always called it "The Quad." No relation to my son's cat.

Okay, enough stream-of-consciousness rambling for today. More tomorrow, maybe.

Bill G. said...

Otis and others, if I click on your name to see your profile, what I'd hope to find is gender (unless it's obvious from your name), where you're from, what you do and some interests. Maybe it's just me but I've never felt insecure giving online friends some information about me. If someone wanted to do me harm, I think there are much more obvious ways than looking up some information gleaned from a crossword puzzle blog.

Also, I'd be interested to know how some of you came by your screen names. Mine is my name. But what about Spitzboov, Hahtool, Seen, Vidwan, xtalmkr and others?

Seldom Seen said...

Carol:

I was fishing for a "d'oh!" by posting such a groaner of a joke!

We all know about the horse with a long face but not many know about the termite asking if the bar was tender. Remember when bars were made of wood?

You know a joke is bad when you have to explain it...

carol said...

Seen: LOL - now it's my turn to say D'oh!!! (and hit my head with one of my V-8 cans). :)
Yes, I do remember when bars were made out of wood...nice and shiny too!
Lot's of those left and I'm heading out to one very soon for my afternoon of shuffleboard. Love that game!

Chinese food lover, again said...

Jayce:

I dont know if you got the joke - and I dont want to insult your intelligence - but just to make it clear -

Moo Goo Gai Pan ( actually, sliced chicken with button mushrooms, on white sauce )was the menu item No. 69 on the restaurant menu. That was what the wife remembered, since she was (presumably, obviously ) not familiar with her husband's actual intentions.

(Since many americans cant pronounce chinese or other foreign names, the menus often have numbers to make it easier to order the dish you want), and the owners and waiters, over time, form a memory association between the menu numbers and the dish.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone,
On first go through I thought this was going to be more difficult than most Tuesday puzzles. However, once I got a toe hold in the SE section, things rapidly fell into place. I thought some of the fill was a bit iffy. Magics? and Ueys?

For once the Roman numerals gave us a definitive clue with the word Start after Fourth century. Everyone should have been able to get this today.

I didn't have any one clue that was an aha or a Doh and I was able to finish while eating lunch.

Cuppa, My last math teaching manual for first grade was very definite in the fact that we were not to use and between numerals over 100, such as your example for one hundred AND one. We were to have the children say one hundred one, etc. I've just read an article on Google that says that there is a difference between the British and American versions of written and stated numerals. So you and Dr. Dad are both correct.

ARBAON said...

Hand up for enjoying any (well, almost any) trivia Dennis chooses to grace us with...any anon who doesn`t...could scroll down or find a blog better to their picky liking!

I love to say "Ad nauseam, ad infinitum." Makes me fell so erudite!

Loved the clever clues for the theme answers. "Snap" for "loose it" was an excellent pairing.
I looked at "adeer" for quite a while until the V8 moment came.
Same with "doin." And "incan" looked like "in can" for far too long...but then I worked most of the puzzle with dilated pupils from an eye Dr. appt. Never lost my sight...just very light-sensitive. In fact, I drove home!
I Always hate the Roman numeral answers but I know they are "necessary" at times....I just forgot that the 4th century would be the 300`s and this one would read "Three hundred one." Some old timers used to say, "nineteen and 99." But wouldn`t we say, "Twenty ten" instead of "Twenty and ten." Enough rambling...the screen is beginning to "blink." Better rest those pupils!

On the boat names: The funniest one I`ve read about is the one owned by the proctologist called
" Ben Dover."
I believe that came from Dennis, too!

For the one who asked: ARBAON is an acronym for "A rose by any other name..."

windhover said...

ARBAON,
I hope you'll take this for the compliment it's intended to be, but;
I don't think you can feel "erudite" unless you really are, because if you aren't, you most likely don't know the meaning of the word. A bit of circular logic there, I know, but........
Dennis, et al, do you think "circular logic" is anything like a circle ummmm, never mind, I think I know the answer to that.
Also, and this is a topic I don't really want to appear to know much about, there was/is a popular porn series starring a guy named Ben Dover. It was, I think, appropriately set in Britain.
Just saying.

kazie said...

Honestly, I think some people only read the posts selectively. Both NC and I have explained in several ways that we were discussing different versions of the English language, not what was right or wrong with the 'and' in numbers.

Also my 9:14 answered the question about quadrangle, which was later ignored by a couple of people. If you are skimming, understandable for busy folks, at least pause long enough to read what concerns you enough to comment on it later yourself!

As for CHESTY, I associate the word with Chesty Bond, and superman-like comic character in Oz, who always wore athletic singlets which were a tongue in cheek ad/promo/spot/commercial for Bonds underwear company.

Marge said...

Hi all,
I will make this quick as it is time to get supper.

I found this puzzle semi-hard. It did get better as I got into it.

Argyle-I think for the Wheel of Fortune it would be "Pat, give me an o." It is Alec on Jeopardy.

Speaking of Lombardi, he would hang his head after our Packer's performance last evening.
It was depressing.

Have a good evening all!
Marge

PS:The President just arrived in Madison!

Chickie said...

Ojai was a given today as my daughter and her family have lived there for many years. It's origins are art colony based and it is now a town that has the distinction of having more private schools in one location than most any other town in California or maybe even the U.S.

In reading over my first post today, it sounded as if I didn't enjoy the puzzle. Far from it. The long fills were very clever, and Snootier, particle, odometer, and messiahs in one puzzle made for a bit of head scratching. I had put in Snobbier for 13 D and Rescuers for 37 D before the crosses had me erasing and refilling.

I didn't see an answer for question #4 in Dennis' trivia today. I'll say Mary Ann. I don't know why, just a guess.

I do know that honey is the answer for #1. The botulism spores in honey aren't usually a problem for adults as our immune system takes care of any spores that we might eat. But for babies under a year, their systems aren't developed enough to ward off the botulism that occurs and so can become very ill or even die as a result. Therefore the warning on honey containers: "Please do not give to children under a year of age."

Husker Gary said...

Just in off the links and if God makes better weather than this, I'll have to be given documented evidence.

Dennis, your link to THEM was fabulous. Better living through chemistry!! I love your trivia questions and have done lousy on them which is just FINE! You would not have the many responses if people were not interested.

I think gutless wonders like Anon write just to get feedback since they left their wit and intelligence in their big boy pants which they seemed to have misplaced. Rave on poor, pitiful soul!!

Coaches and teachers get Anonymous letters every year and their concern is proportional to the courage of the signer. No sign = No guts. I won't dignify these sad people again!

Best boat name for a proctologist's boat was on Seinfeld -
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ASSMAN!!

Hahtoolah said...

Off topic: A local incumbent politician is running for re-election. The individual's campaign slogan is: "Vote for [Politician's Name] ~ Because the Job Isn't Done."
Good slogan or no?

Jayce said...

Chinese food lover, thank you, I did get the joke, hence my joking reply, which I won't insult your intelligence by explaining. By the way, I love Chinese food, too, and can even read some of the items on the menu. Thanks again.

Jerome said...

Hahtool- I'm not sure I'd want my slogan to say, "Because the Job Isn't Done". Voters might ask, "Well, why not?" And my response is...? If you answer that question with logic people don't want to hear about it. They'll take a reasonable argument as an excuse. You know how it goes, "What have you done for me lately?"
I can see that slogan as a rallying point for either side in the election. Why give your opposition ammo?

ARBAON said...

WH: If I were truly erudite, I could spell "feel." Convoluted logic...my favorite kind.

Did you happen to catch the poll on religion taken by Dan Harris on ABC eve. news? Agnostics and atheists scored the highest!

Bill G. said...

Kazie, I read everything but don't always remember it all. :>) I had forgotten your comment about QUAD. My point was that I don't think of it as an abbreviation any more. I think it has become a word on its own.

Also, I hope nobody construed my comment about saying 'AND' in numbers as a criticism about what's right and wrong. The Brits do it one way and American math teachers explain it a different way. On an unrelated matter, you also probably know that Brits pronounce 'scone' as we would pronounce 'skon'.

ARABON, I knew that. Why did you choose A rose by any other name if I'm not being too nosy?

Hahtoolah said...

Jerome: Fear not, that is not my slogan. When I first saw it up on a billBoard, though, I nearly drove of the road from laughing. It struck me as incredibly funny that an incumbent would thing that was a good way to attract voters.

ARBAON said...

Bill G. It`s a private joke.

lois said...

Good evening Argyle, CC, et al., Great fun puzzle yet again! My kind of week. Good job, Argyle, as always. I did love all the crosses in the SSE for 'lone' 'tool'
'doin' loose end, at rest and spot remover. Sounds like the 'gizmo' is a little d'aft' for lack of 'urge' and sh'aft' and who 'caters to' those afflicted best of all? ' a-den' of 'chesty' broads with the ability to 'screw cap's 'ad infinitum' but whatever, just g'emma' the 'quad's, baby, and I'll make 'spritzer' feel like vesuvius. It's a gift.

1. for me the only regular food that doesn't spoil is 'alcohol' - beer, wine, liquor, moonshine... the four major food groups.

2. all those things are protectors - like condoms- either saving you or the environment

3. 98, 99, a-hundred

4. Minnow, altho Drdad's 'jenny' and Husker's 'assman' were priceless.

Enjoy your night.

windhover said...

Rose:
No. I didn't. I don't own a (working) television. I haven't watched much since 1973, when I started farming. I did go out and buy one on January 28, 1986. It was kept on a shelf in a closet (for the same reason Christmas presents are) and given away in 1991.
Anyway, I'd be grateful if you'd email the gist of the story. I assume that by rated highest you mean in knowledge of the subject. That makes sense; you don't decide to not believe something because you know nothing about it.

Unless of course the subject is global warming or health care reform, but that's political and I won't go there.

Bob said...

Fairly easy puzzle. 14 minutes to complete. No difficulties.

In George Lucas' original Star Wars films, Darth Vader was played by 6'7" British actor Dave Prowse, who was offered the roles either of Vader or Chewbacca. He chose Vader, since he thought the audience would remember the bad guy more readily.

Garry Jenkins writes in the book, Empire Building, that Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill used to laugh "behind Dave Prowse's back. Prowse delivered Darth Vader's apocalyptic speeches in a rich, west-of-England accent. Fisher admitted that she had to stifle giggles almost each time she played a scene with him. "He had this Devon farmer's accent. We used to call him Darth Farmer."

In the end, as a result, Lucas decided to have Prowse's lines spoken by an uncredited James Earl Jones, and movie history was made.

Jerome said...

Hahtool- Aha, we agree. I didn't think it was your slogan, but I did think that perhaps you were trying to talk a friend out of using it. I was being a tad polite. Actually the slogan sucks! :)

Old Friend of Arbaon said...

Arbaon - I am the dude who first thought your name was (Arbaon, spelt backwards ) - No 'A' Bra - and I thought you were either a feminist or a free thinking dude, from the 70's - This was 3 months ago ... remember me ?

Well, you were not 'blue' at that time - and I had googled 'Arbaon' and came across a computer software developer's website called, ARBAON, in Westerville, OH - probably near Columbus.- And I figured you were a guy named Chris Rose, who owns the site, and a computer programming whizkid.

Imagine to my surprise, when I found out you were a female !!! (chauvinist me - ).

Well, whomsoever you may be - God bless.

Dennis said...

Ok, the answers:

1. Honey

2. All invented by women

3. One thousand

4. Obsession (nice going, JD)

I was gonna stop this with today's, but since anon enjoyed it so much, I'll see if I can find some for tomorrow.

Jazzbumpa said...

Jayce -

Thanks, amigo. But, when have I ever made a serious comment?

Who was it who quipped that England and the U.S. are two countries separated by a common language? Churchill, maybe.

Marge -
I wouldn't say the Packers performance was depressing (I'm defending everyone today.) I only saw the 2nd half - it was a very hard-fought game by two good, and pretty evenly matched teams.

Argyle - I'll defend COMMERCIAL "PAPER" as a thesis (paper) about advertising. Pretty good pun, I thought. How is that thin?

We have an EMILY, not an EMMA. I did a brief search to see if those are variants of the same basic name, but couldn't come up with anything. Last year EMMA overtook long time favorite EMILY as the most common name for baby girls.

Cheers!
JzB

ARBAON said...

"Old friend": I`m a little creeped out by all the "interest." That`s why I don`t put much info on my page, although I have been called a "whiz kid" at least once.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the comments today. I don't watch the show but it's "I'll have an o, Pat'. Pat Sayjack is the host of "Wheel of Fortune" which the clue references.
Att? Magics? Huh?

Lemonade714 said...

what a day, we have a storm a brewing

cajunrox said...

hi just wanted to say i love yall

Hahtoolah said...

Take Care, Lemonade. It has been an active season and I have been keeping an eye on the Gulf. Number 16 does look like it is headed your way. Hope you don't lose your electricity (or suffer any other damage).

Night, All. See you bright and early in the morning.

WikWak said...

My dear departed father used to say that drinking scotch was like kissing your maiden aunt on her well-powdered cheek...

(Apologies to Tinbeni)

Dennis said...

cajunrox, then you should join us.

lemonade, hope you come through unscathed. Keep us posted.

cajunrox said...

dennis, thank you so much.I am grinning from ear to ear! its the first time I've posted anything anywhere
and man i've wanted to since june merci!

Clear Ayes said...

Wow, it seems some of posters have been out of sorts today.

Like others, I'm all for giving Nice Cuppa and Kazie a pass on one hundred and one. Brit-speak is often different from Americanese. I've loved our trips to England and have picked up many enjoyable language (for me) oddities. I hope our New Zealand vacation will yield more of the same. Is there a Brit version of "Vive la différence.?

Cajun Does Rox! Welcome.

Good luck to all who are facing storms, floods and other weather problems. Take care.

Annette said...

Thank you, Clear Ayes! The timing for this storm couldn't be worse. I'd just come home from work Friday to find a puddle in my dining room, and a water spot on the ceiling. I'm kind of sweating T.S. Nicole...

Jayce, I was late getting home tonight because we were running a data conversion to get the last application off our remaining DEC system, so it could be decommissioned.

I once had a friend return a check to me that her bank wouldn't take because I'd spelled out the amount as "One-hundred-fifty-five and twenty-three/hundredths"!

I so seldom write out checks anymore that I voided one just yesterday because I'd accidentally put the "and" before the "fifty-five" (in the above example), instead of after. It seemed worth writing a new one, versus having it returned. Now I know why my instincts told me to do that - I didn't realize it was actually wrong in the US...

Lemonade714 said...

The problem is trying to get lots of work done in the event the power is lost. I am so impressed with the now rare 100+ posting day; cajunrocks, we welcome you. Go blue and let us get to know you

ciao chow

getting it straight said...

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

False - Individuals have probably been trying to make some type of bullet proof armor for as long as there have been bullets, but the credit for the first commercially available bullet proof vest goes to a man, Catholic priest Casimir Zeglen of Chicago, who developed it in the late 1800's. He used silk as the material to impede the bullet. However, it was a woman, Stephanie Kwolek, working at DuPont, who invented Kevlar, the material used in most modern bullet proof vests. The laser printer wasn't invented by a woman, either. It was invented by Gary Starkweather of Xerox in 1969. Additionally, the core technology behind laser printers, photocopying, was invented by Chester Carlson ca. 1938. The other two items listed were invented by women, though - fire escapes by Anna Connelly ca. 1887 and windshield wipers by Mary Anderson ca. 1903.