google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday October 22, 2010 Clive Probert

Gary's Blog Map

Oct 22, 2010

Friday October 22, 2010 Clive Probert

Theme: The Art of the Pun - The first word/part of each familiar phrase/word is punnily replaced by a sound-like name of an artist, whose school of art is indicated in the clue with a question mark to let the solver know a play on words is coming.

20A. Baroque painter's study of a snack?: RUBENS SANDWICH. Pieter Pawl Rubens was a Flemish painter who perhaps is best remembered for his portraits of FULL FIGURED women, so much that the term Rubenesque is used to compliment an attractive but not petite woman. I am not sure it is a snack, but who (other than you Veeeegans) does not love a good REUBEN SANDWICH .

36A. Surrealist's portrait of a president?: DALI MADISON. The wife of James Madison our fourth, and shortest president, was DOLLEY MADISON who was the first president’s wife to get much notice. She might have been a good subject for Rubens, but not for our bizarre friend SALVADOR .

42A. Synthetist's picture of a French author?: GAUGUIN ZOLA. My favorite as this synthesizes into one word, GORGONZOLA, the cheese, which has little to do with the colorful paintings of the Van Gogh contemporary PAUL GAUGUIN who was around the night Van Gogh cut his ear off, and showed the world the beauty of Polynesia.

57A. Impressionist's study of a washerwoman?: MONET LAUNDERER. In my youth, as a criminal defense lawyer, I learned about the strange art of the MONEY LAUNDERER, who could make black money green. MONET not to be confused with his fellow impressionist MANET, was credited as the founder of impressionism. I personally enjoy all four of these artists work; as my father taught me, I may not know art, but I know what I like. My youngest is a big DALI fan.

Plus, 45D. Representing in drawing: LIMNING. I guess this DEFINITION supplements our artistic theme.

Good day to C.C. and all of you anxiously awaiting the week end, and Halloween next week end. Lemonade here, with a fun puzzle from Clive Probert, who this summer did a NYT puzzle with 48 “B”s, with at least one in each answer. This theme was much simpler.

On to the rest, with clechos, lots and lots of music, and more.

Across:

1. Bulletin board material: CORK. A little teeny deception if you were trying to think what was being posted.

5. __ ed: PHYS. Shouldn’t there be a period after ed. To show it is an abbreviation?

9. Human-powered Eastern cab: CYCLO. I was not familiar with this term for the BICYCLE TAXI which was my learning experience of the day.

14. Hyalite, e.g.: OPAL. INTERESTING .

15. Realize: REAP. Reap what you sow big boy.

16. Arcadian: RURAL. This ancient Greek concept of pastoral bliss could have fit in out UTOPIA puzzle.

17. Actress Andersson : BIBI. One of Ingmar Bergman’s regular ACTRESSES starring some wonderful movies, like Seventh Seal .

18. Karachi language: URDU. In our current world, we should all know KARACHI is the largest city in Pakistan, and URDU is one of the two official languages of Pakistan. What do you think the other is? We also have 25. Muscat money: RIAL with MUSCAT the largest city in OMAN.

19. Popped up: AROSE. Calm down Lois.

23. 1986 movie title trio: AMIGOS. How bad could a MOVIE starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase be? Watch and see. Funny, every puzzle I blog reminds me of a story from my life. I am sure most of you have seen the new commercial where the couple bumps into Chevy Chase on the plane, they buddy up on vacation. Well, when I was doing my traveling to LA to talk to record companies, I literally bumped into him (he is one tall guy, btw) outside a Mexican restaurant. It just so happens my brother had published a book on Karate for teenagers (Defend Yourself, New American Library, long out print, but sometimes seen on ebay) and the editor was Ned Chase, Chevy’s father, which I thought made for an interesting coincidence. He did not, and was rude.

24. Rib: KID.

28. Employees with a lot of keys: VALETS. Really, is this supposed to be literal?

33. Go back: EBB. A new, simple way to clue a puzzle favorite.

38. Spanish pronoun: ELLA. Our first language lesson of the day.

40. Suffix with polymer: ASE. Way beyond my knowledge of SCIENCE .

41. Org. co-founded by Babe Zaharias: LPGA. Ladies Professional Gold Association, now at home in Florida. She was an amazing athlete, who is worth reading about. LINK .

47. Afternoon break: NAP. I know, I am going so slowly, you all need one.

48. Radiances: SHEENS. Like these TWO .

49. Mars candy bar: TWIX. Their version of the KIT-KAT, which has been around in England for decades.

50. Pol. platform-promoting org.: DNC. Democratic National Committee.

52. Après-dinner confection: MENTHE. Now our French lesson, I am sure you all deduced it just means mint.

62. Intense excitement: FEVER. Do you like A or B ? Also, 63. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do": ALL I. A very nice SONG filmed in part outside the ROXY in Hollywood, where I had some wild nights with Dick Whitehouse from Curb records. This is balanced by 44D. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISNT. LISTEN .

64. When repeated, "I agree": HEAR. And, then 7D. When repeated twice, "and so on": YADA. (Clecho) For good measure we also have the semi-synonym, 34D. Yawn-inducing: BLAH.

65. Newmark with an online list: CRAIG. Never knew this GUY .

66. Land of 10,000 Lakes: Abbr.: MINN. Is there ever been a bigger gimme for C.C. Jeannie and you other northern lights?

67. Delinquent's fear: REPO. I was thinking more about my father’s belt, but…

68. Ma's forte: CELLO. More music from the fabulous YO-YO .

69. Pre-wedding party: STAG. Not any more, very un-PC.

70. Pres. Reagan's "evil empire": USSR. We all know better, don’t we TB DAMN YANKEES .

Down:

1. G.I. Joe foe: COBRA. Never got into that world with my boys, more Transformers and Power Rangers.

2. Subject of Great Britain/China wars: OPIUM.

3. Religious teacher: RABBI. Literally.

4. Filmmaker's __ light: KLIEG. Our WORD OF THE DAY

5. Berlin was its last capital: PRUSSIA. More to LEARN .

6. Bathrobe word: HERS. I think more of towels.

8. Mettle: SPUNK.

9. Freshwater crustacean: CRAWDAD. You catch ‘em you eat THEM . And, 51D. Quahogs: CLAMS. LINK .

10. First first name in space: YURI. Then, 59D. First first name on the moon: NEIL. (Clecho) followed by, 60D. Landed: ALIT.

11. Popular foam shoe: CROC. I wonder if Clive received some shoes for planting AN AD.

12. Mascara target: LASH. Better than La Rue?

13. Shout of support: OLE. Not for the Bull.

21. Gare du __: Paris railway station: NORD. This is where we got our word NORTH.

22. Aria singer, often: DIVA. More music, three in a row.

26. Country singer Jackson: ALAN. Wrote a powerful song after 9/11 .

27. Symphonic poem pioneer: LISZT. Listen and see if you can recognize where you know this TUNE is from.

29. Word in many a rap name: LIL. Eva, Wayne, etc.

30. "NBA on __": ESPN. I wonder why they started in Bristol Connecticut of all places.

31. Frat party wear: TOGA.More than just fraternities.

32. __ pea: SNAP. I had them for dinner last evening; wow Clive and I are in tune.

33. Noodle tests?: EEGS. Cute, noodle equals brain, use it wisely.

35. Sad: BLUE. LISTEN .

37. "Please open a can for me"?: MEOW. Poor Morris.

39. Improve, perhaps: AGE. Fine wine, steak and….

43. Have, as an operation: UNDERGO.

46. Let go: AXED. Never liked this phrase.

53. Type of jacket the Beatles helped make fashionable: NEHRU. Perfect costume for HALLOWEEN .

54. Windbreak, often: TREES.

55. Lots: HEAPS.

56. Oversight: ERROR.

57. Like mortals?: MERE. Mere mortals. Love the alliteration.

58. Track: OVAL. Like INDY .

61. Humerus neighbor: ULNA.

62. Govt. broadband regulator: FCC.

Answer grid.

Here is an awesome photo of our witty Santa Baby Argyle. Here is a closer look. So sweet.

Oh well, I went over board again, and you all will need to take the day off to finish, but it was fun. Meanwhile, I am serious about a Corner thanksgiving day where we try to get EVERYONE to say hello; it is so nice to hear from Dr.Dad, g8trmom, Robin and the others, but if you still talk to our MIAs, let’s aim for the day before Thanksgiving. Good night Mrs. Calabash.

Lemonade

68 comments:

  1. Good morning, Lemonade, C.C. and gang - woke up this morning with a hell of a cold, so this'll be brief 'cause I'm going back to bed for a bit.

    I thought this was a good Friday-level puzzle, with an appropriate number of unknowns for me, including Bibi Andersson, Gare du Nord and the fact that Liszt was a symphonic poem pioneer. Croc gave me pains because my buddy tried to talk me into buying their stock when it first came out, and I declined, thinking that the idea of plastic/rubber shoes didn't have a prayer. One of the reasons I'm sitting here and not in Antigua. Anyway, clever theme, nicely-clued puzzle, and Lemonade, good job on the blog - I only checked out the first couple of links so far, but put me in the 'don't like Reubens' category - I don't like corned beef, rye bread or sauerkraut.


    Today is National Nut Day. Your call which meaning.

    Did You Know?:

    - The first drive-in movie theater in America opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933. Admission was twenty cents for each person and twenty-five cents for the car.

    - Each polar bear in the arctic will walk approximately 100,000 miles in its lifetime.

    - It's illegal to kiss for more than five minutes in Iowa.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. (CC, please stop in with a "Hi". We miss your voice as well.)

    CORK was the first thing that popped into my head when I began this morning, so I thought I might be in for an easy ride. My stumbling block came with the middle west rim.

    Here are some of the Beatles in NEHRU jackets.

    My favorite clue was Ma's Forte = YOYO, in one of his less serious moments.

    I correctly guessed that a Hyalite was an OPAL.

    In Louisiana, one would NEVER use the word "CRAWDAD." Those little mudbugs are properly called crawfish in Louisiana. Neither crawfish nor CLAMS are kosher.

    I have never heard of Acadian as being equivalent to RURAL. The Acadians were from France who settled in Nova Scotia until they were kicked out. Many ultimately settled in Louisiana and are known as Cajuns.

    QOD: Diligence is the mother of good fortune. ~ Miguel de Cervantes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is the name of today's constructor? My paper lists the constructor as Clive Probert.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hahtool,
    My bad. I misread the constructor name as Olive Probert this morning. Thanks for pointing it out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Morning Lemonade, CC and All,

    Tough one for me today. Unknowns included Nord, Liszt, Bibi, and I struggled with Arcadian being Rural. I'm sure there's a technical explanation for the latter. I liked the theme once it was explained. Thank Lemonade. Guarguinzola was a struggle.

    Great blog Lemonade. Loved the Rock Me Baby link. I never thought of Jimmy Vaughn at a level with the other three but he plays quite well. I forwarded it to my oldest. Maybe his band will get bluesy this weekend.

    I love Reubens. Piled so thick with corned beef and sauerkraut you can barely fit your mouth around it.

    There goes my lunch again! Two days in a row.

    TGIF

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lemonade, another excellent write-up.

    Loved this theme and for lunch I will have that RUBENS SANDWICH.
    DALI MADISON, we have a Dali Museum HERE in St.Pete. My fave day to visit is when they get these 8 or 9yo KIDs to explain each piece.
    Sometimes they get tongue-tied and have to start over (it's kind of funny) but all-in-all they do a great job.

    Lemon, for FEVER, I vote A, Miss Peggy.
    Thanks for the DAMN YANKEE'S clip.
    Apparently they have heart and like the Dennis Phillie's maybe they can comeback from down 1-3 (it's now 2-3 for both our teams).

    Learning moment was that KLIEG light and BIBI Andersson. Both all perps and a few WTF's?

    LIMNING was in a recent puzzle, maybe it was the NYT, but it looked familiar.

    GO YANKEE's and OLE !!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good day from picturesque Connecticut

    National Nut Day, huh? If dumb and nut are synonymous, it's my day. The artists, French RR stations, Symphonic poem pioneer, etc, etc, did me in from the beginning. My North and Central sections were virtually blank. The South came together thanks to a lot of perp assistance.

    None of the artists were unknowns, but except for Monet, the rest escaped me. My favorite clue was Represented in drawing because I had never heard of limning, still not sure what it means, but it is perfect to illustrate my total failure with this puzzle.

    Well, I'm off to Albany for the weekend. I'll have a two day break from puzzling and I sure need it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning all. C.C., you appear to be in fine fettle this morning based on your breezy and erudite commentary. Thanks for all the links. Loved the Sheen link in French. (Couldn't understand a word of it but LOLed anyway)

    Not too tough for a Friday. Interesting theme, which helped somewhat sussing out the crosses. Nice shoutout for MINN. After crisscrossing a few times it gradually filled in. No searches were needed. WAGS included LIMNING and RABBI. Thought CELLO and MEOW were cleverly clued. Liked GAUGINZOLA <> Gorgonzola, one of my favorite cheese ingredients in hearty soups.

    LIMNING - don't believe it has any relation to Limnology, the study of lakes and inland waters.

    "Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Even I had a little trouble following the Sheen link in French--I'm getting a little rusty after 5 years of retirement and concentration on German instead.

    I had so many unknowns today I had to hit the g'spot for more than I like doing. I was sure the 42A artist would be the architect GAUDI and was going for a pun with guardian angel so never did get Gauguin or Zola, both of whom are quite familiar. I only reluctantly went for MENTHE, having not registered the French in après. We had a candy in Oz called "Mintie" and I thought strange that it would show up here, but it slowed me down quite a bit in the east.

    Lemonade,
    I'm enjoying the Liszt link as I type, having watched and read his bio the first time. Wonderful!

    Normal for Friday, but not as enjoyable as I'd like. Names and acronyms always frustrate me, and this was built on them, albeit mostly fairly well known ones. I never knew CRAIG had another name!

    ReplyDelete
  10. L714's blog is consistently good. Thank you, sir.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good Morning All, two hallmarks of a great puzzle:

    1. It is just hard enough to challenge but in your mind you know you can get it (which I did with the NW falling last - I kept putting a NOTE on my bulletin board).

    2. There is a lovely and erudite write-up.

    Both conditions were met today!

    The origin of the Reuben Sandwich is somewhat in dispute but two possible sites for its birth run through Nebraska.

    Did the word spunk remind anyone of this Mary Has Spunk

    Of course Yuri Gargarin was a gimme for me and I really enjoyed Ma's forte which I thought might be something to do with my Mother's skills.

    Dennis, I have had 2 of those dang colds in the last 2 months and it just took me 10 days to get over them no matter what pharmaceutical relief I sought (I subbed or played golf most of those days anyway). You're made of sterner stuff and I know you'll whip it quickly! Semper Fi!

    BTW, I had another variation on Wednesday's theme:

    Ted's news

    CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lemonade, sorry for the misattribution above. Great blogging. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good Day C.C., Lemonade and all,

    Away from home- printed puzzle from LATimes Crossword site. Print is bigger,clearer AND it has the constructor's name! Now,I won't be driving to the end of our driveway at 6:00 AM, now in the dark-Yeah!

    Sorry for that outburst.

    Super puzzle!

    Slowed by my calling washer woman 'laundress' instead of launderer; perps cleared that up.

    Spelled Liszt 'Lizst'- got corrected at lemonade's blog.

    Loved the play in theme; lots of fun!

    Fav clue-Ma's forte- I almost put 'jello'- that's about my 'forte speed'. Anyone want my recipe?

    Must stop now- Lemonade, will finish your one man show, tonight. Thanks.

    And, Al, I enjoyed your program last night.Thanks,also.

    Have a nice day everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good morning CC, Lemonade, and puzzlers all.

    Great writeup, Lemonade. This has been a good week of puzzles... mainly because I finished them all without help. OK, that's not quite correct, DW gave me "ella" for the Spanish pronoun, but no Googling needed.

    It's good to be back from our trek through Europe, Egypt, Israel and Turkey. I missed the LAT crosswords, though. I had to endure 43 days of crosswords from the Times on the other coast. That's all they give us on the ship and I wasn't going to use internet minutes to get the LAT.

    1a CORK seemed too obvious for a Friday start, but 4d Klieg was a gimme, so that gave me a good start. I stalled out in the north so headed to the south end and got rolling again. As soon as I saw MONET LAUNDERER I had the theme and just enough filled in get the other theme answers.

    I hung onto 33a LAG, 35d GLUM which really messed up the middle west side, but finally thought of BLUE and the rest fell into place.

    New word for me was LIMNING, but I was sure of the crosses and let it stand, even though it just didn't look right.

    Now, if I can just find a really good thick Rueben... can I add a little Gorganzola?... for lunch, my day will really be great.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi All ~~!!

    Well, thanks to your link, Lemonade, I now know that Liszt would have been 199 today !!

    I made it through without the red-letter, with a few WAGs in the West: BLAH and EEGS helped me get GAUGUIN ZOLA, which was cute. The theme was good, took awhile to get the first and third ones.

    AXED led to TWIX led to MEOW, and I always feel good after a challenging puzzle, less the 'cheating'...

    I liked the Liszt piece -
    always reminds me of THIS toon from my youth...stick with it to the end...

    Enjoy !

    Splynter

    ReplyDelete
  16. I picked up a NYTimes and worked the wonderful Dan Naddor puzzle.

    What a treat!

    Rich Norris's online remarks really put a lump in my throat; this always happens to me about him. What a wealth of talent.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi gang -

    Lemonade - well played, sir!

    Last night was my turn in the insomnia barrel. I'm far from sharp today. Mixed feelings about this puzzle.

    Some incoherence in the theme, with one answer based on a single word comparator. That threw me off, beyond recovery.

    EBB means decrease, not go back.

    PolymerASE is an anzyme. I wanted polymerISE.

    ELLA can be perfectly well clued without resorting to any foreign language.

    I know we've had it before, but mispelt 64a as HERE, which bollixed that whole corner. Neither HERE nor HERE seems to make more sense than the other.

    Concert tonight, all opera music - Overture to Die Meistersinger, Donna Dianna, and the Evocation
    from Esclarmond by Massenet, along with some interlude dance music by Tchaikovsky and Delius. Quite a wonderful program.

    I will surely have a NAP between now and then.

    Cheers!
    JzB the not particularly coherent trombonist

    ReplyDelete
  18. aaaarggghhh

    Enzyme, not Anzyme.

    HERE and HEAR.

    Other typos will have to correct themselves.

    I'm outa HEAR.

    JzB The confused trombonist

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good Morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.

    Great write-up, Lemonade. I will explore some of the links in depth a little later. But I voted for "A" on 62A.

    I loved this puzzle, even though it did kick my butt in the mid-west. WAG for URDU, but I did know “PolymerASE” and LPGA, as well as all the artists. I practically live in museums whenever I travel, and try to get to the local ones whenever I can.

    Loved “Ma’s forte” for CELLO and “Noodle tests” for EEGS. 37A was a given, since my cats run into the kitchen whenever they hear the can-opener.

    Hahtool and Maniac.
    You are absolutely correct about the Acadians. But this puzzle clue was “Arcadians”, with an “R”

    I think the squirrels outside my window are taking care of the nuts for me, so I'll just go have a Reuben sandwich. Yummm!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The tide ebbed, it went back.

    A cartoon is what I had in mind for Lizst, but not Woody Woodpecker (egads, what name), hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for showing me the missing "r" in aRcadian. I read what I wanted so see, I guess. Either that or I didn't have my reading glasses!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi all -

    Surprise, surprise (for me), I found today's puzzle a lot easier than yesterday's! I did have stumbling blocks but managed most of them.

    Did not know BIBI ANDERSSON, ALAN JACKSON or GI JOE'S FOE...and a few others - oh, of the long answers, only GAUGUINZOLA was unknown.
    I always forget LIMNING.

    Nice larger picture of 'Santa'/Argyle I should have waited to post my limerick until today...oh well, I hope you saw it Argyle :)

    My favorite clue/answer was 37D

    No Ruben/Reuben sandwich for me! Dislike sauerkraut, rye bread and corned beef-but my Mom just loved them. Guess it's because she was of German parents. When she made sauerkraut for dinner I always asked if I could eat at a friends house, LOL, just the smell of it was sickening....she did make something else though, so my sister and I would eat dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I would like to most abjectly and most sincerely and most humbly apologize for that pretense of idiotic satire, and I most ruefully ask for forgiveness to that person and other related person(s) that I believe I may have/did hurt. I tossed and turned all night, knowing I had hurt the feelings of (at least) one divine generous hallowed soul, and possibly others. What was I thinking ? Nevermore, Nevermore.

    To the Sergeant-at-arms - What the hell were you thinking ? YOU WERE SLEEPING ON YOUR JOB ! That post should have been deleted right away. In matters of taste and etiquette you've got to be ruthless, dude. Follow the great surgeon's dictum - "If in Doubt, Snip it out". That piece of nonsense has no business on this blog.'Nuff said.

    Leomonade, you are one true rabbi - in a sense.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Et in Arcadia Ego

    That was the title of a chapter in Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited", which (Brit TV serialized; it launched the career of Jeremy Irons) weekly filled my undergraduate common room in the late 70s; and the phrase has always stuck in my mind.

    Do I sense correctly that "rural" in the US has lost its connotations of a pastoral paradise/Garden of Eden, and become more synonymous with "poverty"; much as "immigrant" has become chiefly associated with "unskilled, uneducated and (probably) illegal".

    Following my "compare and contrast" of yesterday's NYT and LAT crosswords, I thought I had better have a slightly more scientific sample-size of 2, so did both again today. Result: in the absence of the NADDOR factor, LAT wins hands down. The NYT clues were not cleverer and there was no theme. OK, some of the words were more obscure, but I think that is a sign of a bad puzzle, not a good one.

    So the West is the Best (that should be "better", but doesn't rhyme), and free! I will not be shelling out another $6.95 any time soon. Do I hear "Hear, Hear!" (or dammit, I thought we'd got(ten) rid of him)?

    TTFN

    NC


    P.S. One word of caution, which most of you will know. Don't use the word SPUNK in Britland unless you know what it means. In fact, don't use it at all.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Illegal immigrant is a contradiction of terms - Immigrants always enter legally. Illegal migrants perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Girl in front: They all wear big girl/guy pants here...they can take it.
    If they don`t particularly care for a post, they can ignore it with the best of `em. Now...if you seem malicious and purposely hurtful...that may be another story.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I didn't mention it before but two of my hangups today were thinking mother for Ma and putting JELLO at first, and also had NOTE for 1A for a while.

    BTW, Hahtool,
    The Acadians were treated as badly as the Native Americans by the Brits in Nova Scotia. Tricked into separating families that were then shipped all down the east coast, many never reuniting. The Longfellow poem Angeline being one example story. Some finally found respite in Louisiana and some families actually got together again there, but many didn't. The poem is a bit long to include here but it tells a sad tale.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sorry,
    Memory is fading in my haste: Evangéline!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello, Lemonade, C.C. et al. Wonderful blogging L, but I'll have to check later as I have a lunch date with a friend.

    Great puzzle today from Clive.

    I immediately thought of CORK and finished that NW corner, or thought I did, put in LONI Anderson and didn't realize my mistake until the blog, had tunansandwich, not RUBEN.

    Did not realize COBRA was the G.I. joe foe.

    However, the rest of this filled in very nicely and with DALIMADISON I realized the pun so was able to find the other theme answers.

    It all just fell into place and what I didn't know, like CYCLO was easily perped as we say on the Corner. I had seen HALITE before so it just popped out of my brain.

    ELLA was a given and The Three AMIGOS is a hoot of a movie. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself.

    I really liked:
    Ma's forte, CELLO

    Dennis, take care of that cold.

    Have a fantastic Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi Lemonade, C.C. and all:

    Well, somewhat tough puzzle for me. Kept trying to put Launderess, which of course didn't fit, but it finally clicked. Couldn't remember how to spell Gauguin, so kept changing it. When I finally got Undergo things fell into place.

    Lemonade: Got your message at the end, and I will do my best to be here on Wednesday the 24th to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Have a wonderful day everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  31. @Anon@11:27am

    Dear Oxymoron-Spotter

    Thank you for reading my post.

    I am surprised you consider the phrase "Illegal Immigrant" to be a contradiction in terms. You may be surprised then to read some statistics on illegal immigration from one of those reliable web-based sources: TEAPARTY

    And a migrant worker is surely only illegal when he/she claims to be an immigrant.

    NC

    ReplyDelete
  32. To answer Leomonade's question on Urdu ( literally, means 'camp' - as in militiaman/soldier/mercenary )

    What is the other national language of Pakistan ?

    - the other 'national' language of Pakistan could be 'Punjabi', ( by edict, this is written with a pseudo-Arabic script, in Pakistan ) or 'Sindhi'.

    Other languages in Pak. are Pashtu ( as from Afghanistan), Baluchi and other minor lang.s from the North West frontier.

    Ironically, before the secession of East Pak to Bangladesh, (1972) - 'Bengali' was also a national lang of Pak. - see older currency notes and coins. East Pakistan was 22 percent of the combined area, but 54 % of the population, because of the high population density.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi all.

    Long ago and far away, I would have
    argued that Indy is not an oval but a rectangle with rounded corners.

    Cheat when I make Reubins at home.
    Make them on toast and microwave the cheese.

    Loved Dan's xwd.

    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hello. I work the puzzle every day and then read this blog. It has so much information and many clever ideas and comments. I rarely comment because I feel like there is a little *club* atmosphere between most of the *posters* and I don't want to intrude. I always enjoy Dennis' DID-YOU-KNOW and QODs.

    Today I LOVED the LISZT link - music and bio. I once read that Liszt had unusually large hands and would write music that only he could play because of his hand-size. He intentionally did this, just to make it either hard or impossible for some of his contemporaries!!!

    Also, I'm somewhat surprised that there are so many non-crossword comments and postings. Some are a bit inappropriate to me, but they are easy to skip over and it's easy to ignore stuff that doesn't work for me - that's just life.

    One last comment, I'd love to join the *day before Thanksgiving* challenge - but don't really understand what it is.

    If you've read this far you are already my friend!!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Nice Cuppa - your point, on illegal immigrants, is well taken.

    The other National language of Pakistan is English, per Wiki. Makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hmmm, I think I’ll have a Reuben for dinner tonight. It’s hard to believe, but the best I’ve ever had is at Arby’s. It’s sliced paper thin, generously spread out over the bread (not just a mound in the middle that’s taller than you can bite), moist, and not too messy!

    34D elicited a laugh, since I sat in a staff meeting earlier this week, and 5 minutes into it, doodled “BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!” in my notebook. Sadly, it went on (and on), overrunning its intended hour by 15 minutes…

    Husker Gary, yes I thought of Mary Tyler Moore when I saw SPUNK.

    I saw a license plate the other day that read MEE OWW. I’d loved to have heard the reason behind it: Animal lover, seductress, the price tag (as in ME, OW!), etc.

    NC, I don’t know about anyone else, but I still think of rural as pastoral, not poverty. Also, I’ve seen that usage of SPUNK here in the states too, but had forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

    erieruth, I've enjoyed your comments in the past, and hope you'll pop-in more often.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Girl in front, from boy in the back,
    I thought your post last night was kind of funny, if a little weird, although the dialect portion of it could be offensive in the wrong context. But mainly I'm writing to ask if you'd be willing to share a bit of whatever you were smoking and/or drinking?

    Erieruth:
    If it's a club, it's an open membership club, and anyone who likes xwords and a little wordplay seasoned with a bit of trivia and a lot of esoteric knowledge. As for non-Xword posts, wouldn't it be boring if it was only Xword related.
    Come on in, the water's fine.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Did Dennis coin the word CYCLO too? It resembles CLECHO.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thanks Hatool for the YoYo link - delightful! I grew up in Iowa and we called them crawdads there. Also, in Iowa "rural" is beauty - anything but poverty. The only way I will touch sauerkraut is on a Reuben, and then it's gooooood. Good for you erieruth, I had the same feeling, but I keep coming back to enjoy the repartee.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Post hypnotic suggestion; I had a reuben for lunch.

    My pre-Thanksgiving concept is highlighted by your comment today, ERIERUTH; we have had many, many people comment in my time with the Corner. There is no 'exclusivity' to the posting, it is done by whoever wants to, though I have heard from others they also feel excluded because some of us have been here for a long time and can make "inside" jokes. That is not the intention, it is a place to gather, learn and entertain each other.

    We have posters like Dr. Dad and g8tormomx2 who pop up, now and then, we have ones like tarrajo and aimee aya who appear even lees frequently, and the we have ones like carlos d'oeste and many others who are here for a while and then are just gone.

    I believe 80 % of those who do not post anymore, are like you ER, they still read, but do not feel part of the group so they fade away. I want everybody from WM (nee wolfmom) who is busy but helped me get hooked here, to GRUMPY1 and Girl In Front, or whoever else is new (you too scotty)to post on the day before Thanksgiving so we can all know each of is part of this blog and it is something to be thankful for, as well as a thank you to C.C. for all of her work to make this exist and last. If 200 different people post it would be amazing, but possible. Of course if you all want to comment today, BRING IT ON, I am ready

    ReplyDelete
  41. LA714; Happened by today, saw your challenge...went back through and found out what it was and am posting early since I`ll be 'out of pocket' on November 24th.
    Am doing well...have started work on our 50th wedding celebration. The eldest son, who was having terrible marital problems when I left, has found a good woman with a similar background (maritally) and will marry her in March (so as not to "upstage" us :) The other two children are doing reasonably well...does anyone need a 2 1/2 story colonial on a 3/4 acre, paved round completely around it
    on an Ozark mountain top in MO reduced to $200,000? Let me know.
    Good to see familiar names but I missed some of them. Will check in when I can to see who answered your call.
    One sign of getting older is getting sentimental...surely that`s not you, LA! Good blogging job.

    HELLO CC! Hope you`re well

    ReplyDelete
  42. Lemonade714 - Thanks so much for your remarks. I'll definitely post on the day before Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Windhover - Boy in the back ( not so back -), thanks for the sort of- compliment. I was smoking some tabbaca and a lil weed, nothing you cant grow in Ky. I also had a Pomegranate Martini (Smirnoff, of course) as a chaser. But I tell you, I had the most god awful time trying to misspell all dem words - by the time I was done, I saw a red sea all over my script - and I still missed a few.By the way, you look young, virile and Unattached (?) - are you accepting applications for a fan club membership ?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Girl in front,
    Yes, I think we can tend to all your self-medicating needs right here in the Bluegrass State. I believe Smirnoff is now owned by a Kentucky corporation.

    I am quite attached to the Irish, although I believe you would find her to be a most understanding and agreeable person. In fact, we are currently looking for a woman with some farm equipment. Please send a picture of the tractor with your application.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Windhover, great paraphrase of the classic. Cracked me up.

    Mr Ed, no, 'cyclo' has been around for a long, long time.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Windhover - Boy, are U picky !

    OK then, here goes -

    2006 John Deere 8330 Tractor 1462 Hrs MFWD, DLX CAB, PS TRANS,A/T ready ,Front HID lighting, New 480/80R46 Titan Hi-Traction Radial Duals, and 380/85R34 Goodyear Ultra-Torque - Yada, Yada, Yada.

    No pics available - she gets jealous.

    Brrr, Brrr, Whoom.

    Your cornfield or mine ?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hello everybody. A quick in and out to say hi. Man oh man what fabulous blogging lately! It's all good (to plagiarize Lois). As for the puzzles, I took less time today than yesterday, and thought it was easier. As always, love the puns and clever stuff.

    I won't repeat that old "Christmas Liszt" joke.

    Best wishes to you ALL!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Congratulations to Lemonade for a most excellent blog...I do most often read the actual blog part but more often skip the comments because, after a serious computer obsession last winter, I have learned to parcel out my time better and am back to painting as full time as I can with a bit of FaceBook thrown in.

    I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish this puzzle last night but with a couple of cups of coffee this am it all fell into place...good week for puzzles. Lots of fun cluing.

    And since it is an "art" puzzle, here is your art factoid of the day...Rubens and a number of other painters did all these zoftig ladies because they represented the new emerging Merchant class wealth and one way to show off this new wealth was be able to show the world that you could afford to put lots of good food on your table...and padding your person with the calories in the process. So lovely fat ladies in luscious gowns displayed their husband's wealth by their plumpness. Not for everyone, but in many ways, far more pleasing to the eye than the anorexic women of current times.

    A good day to everyone and apologies if this info has been previously posted...scanned through and didn't see it.

    Friends, Hubs, and I will going to see the second half of the d'Orsay Impressionists exhibit in SF the end of October. We enjoyed the heck out of the first one, saw it twice, and this promises to be even more extraodinary. A special agreement between the curators of the d'Orsay and de Young Museum while the d'Orsay is being refurbished...best way to "store" paintings I can think of!!!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Girl:
    You're in!! Hell, you're president, although I probably can't turn that rig around on my 100 acres.
    No need for jealously, just send both your pics. The more the merrier, we say here on the ridge.
    Whose cornfield? We'll flip you for it, or we could just go to the house.
    How long is this road trip, anyway? We need to schedule a little induction ceremony. You have to talk like a hillbilly, though, or maybe an Acadian.

    ReplyDelete
  50. WM, great to see you, and your painting is awesome. Yes computer time can be very disruptive, but it is fun.

    WH, you are still king of the cornfield.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Guten Tag, alles,

    Hooray! I got a Friday puzzle finished with no lookups and just 1 (one) mistake: cycle instead of cyclo, which was a pretty dumb mistake because of ole then becoming ele. Somehow I was truly stumped by 13D, 'shout of support'. I kept looking at 'ele'and knew it couldn't be right, but I guess because of not having a Spanish hint, I just couldn't parse it! Crazy. There goes a dent in the V8 can!

    Erieruth, I was a newbie in January and I can understand your feeling about 'clubbiness'. It's just something one feels upon arriving at a new place, sort of like moving to a new neighborhood or town or school. There will be expressions and referrals you won't understand for a while, but this group is very welcoming and kind and will answer any questions you ask. Don't be shy. Just plunge right in; you'll get lots of help. Annette was wonderful about explaining how to change my avatar. I haven't done it again and may need more help. Lucina, who is newer than I am, I think, came with her friends for lunch when she was in California. Chickie and I have had knitting 'exchanges'. You'll be surprised. I even had a welcome email from Clearayes who lives around here somewhere.

    I'm usually pretty late making any comments, so sometimes it's hard to come up with anything that hasn't already been posted so I may not post that day, or for a couple of days, but I always read the blog. Just enjoy yourself and join the fun!

    Lemonade, terrific blogging, today.You really outdid yourself! Thanks much! BTW, I vote for A, Peggy Lee! She was incomparable! Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced because she got her start in North Dakota. My brother spotted her as a "comer" when she sang in one of our local bars.

    And I will try to be present at the reunion on Thanksgiving Eve!
    Can't plan too far ahead at my age!

    dodo

    ReplyDelete
  52. Lemonade, I know it's hard to believe but I think the link you gave us for Rubens 'full figured women' was a man! UNderneath the picture the name was given as 'Bacchus' who was a god, not a goddess. I know he looks like he has boobs but I'm afraid that's just part of his obesity. Hahtool, you might know if this is the case, or JD, you are pretty much into art, no?

    ReplyDelete
  53. Dodo...yes...the chubby fellow in the front and center is indeed Bacchus...but behind his shoulder is one of those beautiful Rubens' ladies.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Just got around to finishing today's puzzle, which took 33 minutes. Fun theme. No serious difficulties. No errors.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I couldn't hear the TV very well, but I think one of the answers on Jeopardy today was CHERRY BOMB, which had brought such naughty boyhood memories from many of the men on the blog when it appeared in yesterday's (?) puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Lemonade:
    Just now I had a chance to check the links and I vote, hands down, for Peggy Lee. I believe no one can so sultry as well as she can.

    I really like that you link EVERYTHING, but it does take a while to watch/listen to them.

    We still have one drive-in theater in Scottsdale. I'm not sure of the price since I haven't been since we saw ET there.

    I do plan to be here on Wed. before Thanksgiving and it's lovely to see so many bloggers returning now.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hello, Cute councelor, C.C. and the likes. I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle today. I had one mis-step and that was wanting Loni Andersson instead of Bibi. If you ever see me in a pair of "croc"s...you won't, but slap me in the head along with Dennis, as I'd be rich and I don't know where I would reside. I actually did take a "cyclos" ride in downtown Vancouver. He was very knowledgable about how to "hook us up". I had a great dinner too.

    It was a treat to see MN lakes posted...yep, nailed that abbr.

    Lemonade, I am thinking your French lesson via the Sheen's was for moi. I did watch the clip and tried to understand it....

    Dennis, I am really glad I don't live in IA, as I am pretty sure I would be in prison.

    Annette, Arby's???? Do you know that isn't even corned beef?

    ReplyDelete
  58. Windhover determines who or who not to comment to. Consider yourself lucky if he comments to you "girl in hell"....he's picky.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Well, anon,
    Like everyone else, I only have five a day, and I can't really be all that picky (since when is that a fault?), 'cause I burned #4 responding to you.
    I AM an equal opportunity blogger.
    And Lucina, yes, yes, yes to Peggy Lee. I remember seeing her way back when, and she was smoking hot. Probably still is.

    ReplyDelete
  60. As dear WM pointed out DODO, the painting had more going on than just ladies; I was looking for something different than the same paitings of his always shown, and BACCHUS I thought was a fabulous work.

    You go it cherie.

    So all five votes are for Peggy. well very interesting. As far as linking everything, I actually cut a number of links and comments, knowing the py=uzle does not have to be an all day affair.
    Part of what makes this experience so much fun, is that you can do as much or as little as you want. We had a foolish person chide Bob for his often soarse comments, but that is Bob; I am just very nosey and have lived a varied life.


    As they taught us growing up in New England, you eat what you can, and what you can't, you can.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Jeannie, maybe that's why I like it. Whatever it is, it's so juicier and more edible than what I've seen in most delis, in my opinion. And no, I don't want to know what it really is! If you stop and think about any meat product, it'd be difficult to eat. Who didn't go vegetarian for a while after seeing Bambi?

    Do you supply food for a number of food chains, or only BK?

    ReplyDelete
  62. Good evening all,

    Great blogging Lemonade..so many laughs, and it's great hearing from those who rarely post.Hopefully, more will write in pre-Thanksgiving. Great idea.

    Like Dennis, I woke up with a miserable cold yesterday morning, and so I have not done the xwd for 2 days.Oddly enough I think I'll live.

    Carol, your poem was super.

    erieruth,you just need to jump in to feel you belong. There are so many people here, so don't give up if no one addresses you. It's hard to say howdy to everyone.

    Are we about to have some cornfield shenanigans?

    Jennie, you're funny

    ReplyDelete
  63. Annette, you became a vegetarian at 5????

    ReplyDelete
  64. Annette, I work for a company that also supplies Subway, Dairy Queen, PF Chang's and a bunch of other concepts that might just be local here. I am the main buyer for Burger King.

    JD, living where I do, it would be really hard not to have some cornfield shenanigans...just say'n.
    I do like a cold glass of "Ade" when it's all said and done. Very refreshing. You can take that to the judge and jury.

    Lolita.

    ReplyDelete
  65. FYI
    Peggy Lee died in 2002 at the age of about 82. I loved her work, which continued pretty much right up to the end.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Perhaps with a some white foam on top?

    Meanwhile the Yankees are done. The empire is over

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.