google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday October 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

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Oct 7, 2010

Thursday October 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: "I'm puzzled and have some cross words for you." revealed in 64A. Where this grid's starred answers' ends have particular relevance: ON THE PUZZLE PAGE.

17A. *Stand firm: PUT ONES FOOT DOWN.

29A. *Find by chance: COME ACROSS.

37A. *Utility company network: POWER GRID.

49A. *1990s-2000s kids' show starring a pooch named for its color: BLUE'S CLUES. A blue spotted (female) puppy assists Steve, a minimalist artist, solve mysteries with the help of other animated friends.

Hi all, Al here.

Pretty straight forward theme answers, lots of 7 and 8 letter answers, and more than a few abbrevs to balance that out. Just about right for a Thursday, I'd say.


ACROSS:

1. The Bob Hope Classic component and others: PRO-AMS. Professional-Amateur sporting events, in this instance, golf.

7. Privately, to a lawyer: IN CAMERA. Latin for "in chamber", as a judge would have.

15. Like some Egyptian churches: COPTIC. Early followers of Christianity.

16. Robin's band: MERRY MEN. My favorite take on the story was Robin and the Seven Hoods starring the Rat Pack.

19. Writer de Beauvoir: SIMONE. I have no idea why I knew this name, but I just typed it in without thinking. Maybe it came up in an episode of Home Improvement or something...

20. Amiable: SWEET. Amiable music.

21. PIN requester: ATM. A new twisty clue, too bad it had to be all in caps.

22. European capital: RIGA. Capital of Latvia. I put in EURO right away and thought I was being clever to see through the clue.

24. 1871 Cairo premiere: AIDA. An opera by Giuseppe Verdi (Joe Green), who did not attend the premiere and was not happy that none of the attendees there were members of the general public.

27. Latin god: DEUS. Literally.

33. Own up to: ADMIT. Confess.

35. Pierre's peeper: OEIL. French for eye.

36. Eastern theater genre: NOH. Nōgaku is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles.

41. Fig leaf's outer edges?: EFS. Fig leaF.

44. iPod model: NANO. I'm sure these are designed for children with small fingers.

45. Surprise at the door: POP IN. This is seriously bent.

53. Rowlands of "Gloria": GENA. Virgina Cathryn Rowlands. Born in Madison, Wi. The only movie I've seen her in was Paulie, a picaresque (didn't we just have this word?) tale about a parrot, which also starred Tony Shaloub, who coincidentally was born and raised in Green Bay. Yes, it was a green and yellow parrot.

54. Gets free, as a smoke: BUMS. As Nice Cuppa might say, "bums a fag".

55. Flub: SLIP. Related word: slime, which also in turn gives us potter's clay, which is also called slip.

57. Highest power?: NTH.

58. One in a cast: ACTOR. Wrist? Thumb? What other 5-letter part can be broken?

62. Conceive: IDEATE.

68. Woo, in a way: SERENADE. From Italian serenata "an evening song," literally "calm sky," from sereno "the open air," noun use of sereno "clear, calm," from Latin serenus "peaceful, calm, serene." Sense influenced by Italian sera "evening".

69. Tied: EVENED. Verb form. I had EVEN UP at first.

70. Snuck up on, perhaps: STARTLED. Not completely the same thing, but the clue does only say "perhaps".

71. Ritual repasts: SEDERS. Passover meals. (I hope I got that right).

DOWN:

1. Angel dust, briefly: PCP. 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine, shortened to phencyclidine. Related to dextromethorphan, which is what you get in some cough syrups. Now you know why they tell you not to operate heavy equipment...

2. Caused to get up: ROUSTED. Rouse, a hawking term of obscure origin was originally used of hawks shaking their body feathers.

3. Best: OPTIMUM. From a form of Latin "optimus". Related: optimism, to think the best of.

4. Unit quantified in a subscript: ATOM. As in chemical formulas: H2O (water) or C5H12 found in 46D. Compound used as a lab solvent: PENTANE. A five carbon chain. Organic chemistry, not organic farming...

5. Secondary: MINOR. Latin for smaller. Smallest (minimus), gives us minimum.

6. Having lovely panoramas: SCENIC. Equal rights pics, one for each.

7. "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds" fictional spy org.: IMF. Impossible Missions Force, Mission Impossible.

8. Modernists: NEOS. Greek prefix for new.

9. Gloat: CROW. Old English: crawian "make a loud noise" the sense of "exult in triumph" is perhaps in part because the English crow is a carrion-eater, that is, feeding on the "dead" opponent.

10. Johnson of "Laugh-In": ARTE.

11. "Frankly, __ ...": MY DEAR.

12. Poker face's lack: EMOTION. From Latin ex- movere: "to move".

13. VCR's "Go back": REW.

14. Abby's twin: ANN. Ann Landers, Abigail Van Buren.

18. Bell-shaped lily: SEGO.

21. Oklahoma city: ADA. Birthplace of Oral Roberts...

23. Lovey-dovey: AMOROUS.

25. British mil. honor: DSO. Distinguished Service Order.

26. Resilient wood: ASH.

28. Nurse: SIP.

30. Data for a neurologist, briefly: EEG. Electroencephalography

31. Broadcast: AIR.

32. Hair holder: CLIP.

34. Loads: TONS.

38. WWII female: WAC. Women's Army Corps.

39. It usually shows more detail: Abbr.: ENL. Enlargement. Just fill it in and move on.

40. Follow closely: DOG.

41. Wane: EBB.

42. Swine __: FLU. Don't get me started...

43. Indonesian island: SUMATRA.

47. Two, for one: INTEGER. Number 2 is an integer. Directly from Latin in- tangere, meaning not touched, whole. Related word: intact.

48. "Never mind": NAH. Something along the lines of "slangy" would have helped.

50. Artist known for spatial impossibilities: ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis (M. C.)

51. Part of QE2: Abbr.: ELIZ. Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner. Now, just sitting in Dubai.

52. Walks like a crab: SIDLES. Sideways motion.

56. Irk: PEEVE. I kept reading this clue as ink.

59. Big top, for one: TENT.

60. Official gem of South Australia: OPAL. Really an abundance of a straight-forward clue...

61. Brusque: RUDE. From French brusque: "lively, fierce".

63. Mimicked: APED. To mimic is "of or related to mimes". Can't say I ever saw an ape try to get out of an invisible box.

64. CIA predecessor: OSS. Office of Strategic Services, wartime intelligence.

65. Safety device: NET.

66. The London Zoo has one: ZED. British for ZEE. Starting letter of Zoo,

67. Ms. evaluators: EDS. Manuscripts, editors.

Answer grid.

Al

76 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Al, C.C. and gang - I always look forward to Donna Levin puzzles, and this one certainly wasn't a disappointment.
A very apropos theme; I had a general idea it was gonna be crossword-related after the first theme answers, but still needed the unifier to know exactly. My one true unknown was 'pentane' and I needed perp help for some others that had multiple possibilities. Al, I had the same experience with Simone de Beauvoir - no idea why I knew it. Great blogging, loved the doughboy clip, and the new take on 'panoramic'.

What a great day of baseball for me yesterday, with the Phillies not only winning, but Roy Halladay throwing a no-hitter, and one of my favorite players, Cliff Lee, pitching a great game. The only disappointment was the Twins' loss to the Yankees after jumping out to a 4-0 lead.

Today is Bald and Free Day and World Smile Day. Certainly a day worth celebrating, and I'll leave it at that.

Did You Know?:

- In "American Graffiti", the license plate on Richard Dreyfusses' car is changed every time you see it.

- 'Slot machines' has an anagram of cash lost in 'em.

- A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes . (There's one more for the reincarnation list)

Hahtoolah said...

I knew we were due for a Donna Levin puzzle! I loved this one and cottoned on the the theme early. My only concern about the theme was the word "grid", which appeared in both a theme clue and another theme answer.

AIDA plays every October in Cairo, and it is now open to the general public. If you hurry and can get to Cairo this week, you can catch a showing of this opera. Traditionally, it has been shown in an outdoor theater near the pyramids.

There is no logical reason why I should have known about BLUE'S CLUES.


This is my favorite ESCHER. I incorporated it into a legal research paper on water conservation back when I was in law school.

I can't think of a single movie in which GENA Rowland's was in, but her name came to me immediately. She was married to actor-director John Cassavetes.


Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and existentialist. Her most well know work was a book entitled "The Second Sex." She had a long-term relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre.

In honor of Ms. de Beauvoir, here is today's QOD: No one is more arrogant toward women, more aggressive or scornful, than the man who is anxious about his virility. ~ Simone de Beauvoir

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - I enjoyed this puzzle-themed puzzle, and hope you did too. Quite a few unknowns but all worked out with perps.

COPTIC and BLUES CLUES aren’t on my radar, along with PROAMS and the few names. OEIL is familiar, as in trompe-l’oeil art - I have a cousin-in-law who does such painting on a large scale (whole walls of buildings for instance). OEIL would be a bear of a word to pluralize normally, so the French language leaps to YEUX for that.

No idea what NOH is, and thus flubbed the O in DSO.

Happy Thursday, all!

Otis said...

Good day, all.

Haven't done puzzle. Paper is not here yet. Tried to sign up for Cruciverb months ago and blitches (?) prevented. Prefer paper anyway. Must enjoy while I can.

Whoa nelly. Hmm, karma as a returned pig just might have some advantages, except that, um, oh yeah, it is the other red meat. Guess it might just be better to have a shorter earthly pleasure and a longer (hopefully) existence than the alternative sweet but likely short existence... Half an hour. WOW. Or, as Lois might say, HOLY HOTWICK (doubled).

Cool beans for the QOD, Hahtool. THX.

Really gotta get some sleep.

OTIS

Lemonade714 said...

Morning AL, et al.

How fun, a Donna Levin that starts with golf and then a law term, in camera. which really only means not in open court, in chambers.

morceau de gâteau.

My kids were too old so I really did not not know BLUE’S CLUES, but all the perps made it easy, and I have seen the books at B&N. I liked the trickery of the ZEUS DEUS possibilities and NURSING a beer was not what I was thinking about with the clue. A shout out to all our nurse contributors, past present and future. My mother was a nurse, so I will always have a soft spot (not just the one in my head). It did take a second to focus and recall the IMPOSSIBLE MISSION FORCE, and SIDLES was not my first crab walk thought, but all in all a fine, fun Jeudi and a typically informative write up

later

Dick said...

Good morning Al and all, a fun puzzle this morning, but with a couple of complete unknowns. I did not know blue clues, Escher, incamera and noh, but these all filled with the perps albeit somewhat slowly. Oeil would have been completely impossible, for me, if not for the crosses.

I, also, sensed the theme quickly, but needed the unifier to fully understand.

My favorite clue today was bums.

Nice informative write up Al, as usual.

Hope you all have a great Thursday

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

Really fun puzzle this AM. I actually got the theme (unusual on a Thurs. for me) which got me pecking and poking around for other fills. Simone and Deus were new and my French doesn't exist, Oeil was a wag.

What a blast from the past. Blues Clues was a favorite of my boys and a gimme. They would get so excited when they heard the song. Now I've got it stuck in my head! I hope everyone enjoys it.

Have a great day.

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Al, C.C. et al.

Great write-up, Al. The Pillsbury Dough Boy clip was really hilarious.

For some reason, this puzzle was very easy for me today. Once the theme answers fell, I was off to the races. I worked all the way to the bottom and didn’t get my “TA-DAAH” and had to travel all the way back up to 1A and fill in the “A” in PRO-AMS.

There were only a few glitches that the perps had to fix, like “ZEUS” instead of “DEUS” for 27A, “MIF” instead of IMF for 7D, and “ZEE” instead of “ZED” for 66D. But over all it was a straight-forward puzzle.

Favorite clue was “Fig leaf’s outer edges? For EFS (but shouldn’t it have been “Fig leaf outer edges? Otherwise, I would have answered “F&S”).

And then there was “ENL” – but unlike yesterday’s “ENLS”, this one was perfectly fine without the “S” stuck on at the end.

And this is in honor of
“World Smile (y) Day”

Spitzboov said...

Good morning, all. Nice informative write-up, Al.

A Donna treat today. Mostly on the easy side, but I did not know NOH. Wanting 'dsv' for DSO didn't help. IN CAMERA was a WAG but I agree with L714's comment. MERRYMEN and ATOM were gimmes. Liked the INTEGER clue. I don't hear ROUSTED used in ordinary speech. Didn't get the theme until the end, but the theme words were fair and adequately supported by the perps. The 2 fifteen letter acrosses were fun to deal with.

SUMATRA - The World's 6th largest island.

Have a good day.

kazie said...

Hahtool,
The QOD exemplifies my theory about anyone who throws their weight around too much--it's always the ones who have very little metaphoric weight to support them. Think of the gay men who have worked hard to put down other gays. Or the petty bureaucrats who love to boss everyone.

I probably had more unknowns than knowns today, but got it all out except the top section. Couldn't come up with PUT ONE'S FOOT DOWN because I had BOOSTED, IM? and ARNE for the perps up there. I had to WAG a lot of others too, like NOH, EFS (doh!), NANO, BLUES CLUES 9what era was that?), PENTANE (started with ---TONE), INTEGER (no math past HS), ESCHER (total unknown), and Ms. for manuscripts? Gimme a break!

Unknown said...

Hey Spitboov:
you say you liked the integer clue. I'm a bit limited, and am having trouble finding how "two, for one" is related, even after reading Al's explanation.
Please don't get me wrong: I know that both 2 and 1 are integers, but this clue seems strange to me.
Anyone else?

Dennis said...

pollyanna, it's the same as saying 'for example'. Does that help?

Wise guy in xwords said...

Pollyanna - I agree with you - giving an example like '2' is ridiculous - '2' could mean anything - a pair, a duo, a duet, a couple, an 'item' - a whole range of things.

The phrase, ( '2' for 'one' ) -- could also mean a 'two-fer' - as in 'late' Broadway tickets - , a discount, a sale, a 'fire' sale,

So the clue is so general as to be totally meaningless -- - unfortunately, this is a THURSDAY puzzle - and it requires not only skill at words, and puns, and special meanings and what-not , but also a special and spatial skill at cross-word-ese.-

-- WHICH you get ONLY by solving many hundreds of other crosswords - and understand the 'secret' signs of the Mormons, and the Free Masons, and the other secret societies, like the Skull and Bones etc . - this is a CATCH -22 , you have to pick up the 'lingo' - by many years of trial and error -

I got the word 'Integer', only because of the 'perpendicular' crosses - without them I would have been lost like you.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday puzzle are MEANT to give very , VERY, little info - and the info is meant to be totally misleading - so as to be no help AT ALL -

- so UNLESS you have been doing this, everyday, FOR the rest of your life-- just plan on 'giving up' -

- just come to this blog and get the answers - and shrug your shoulders, and get on with your life.

( Sorry, to be so pessimistic, but in the long run, you will be happier.)

Unknown said...

Thanks Dennis:
Yes, it makes sense now. I appreciate your help.
To Wise Guy: I agree that some of the clues on Friday puzzles, and especially Saturday puzzles, leave me thinking that I could spend my time better doing something else. But I'll keep doing them anyway--I guess I appreciate a good beating every now and again.
Until tomorrow...

Spitzboov said...

Pollyanna - What Dennis said. I took 'for one' to be 'for example'. That's why I thought it was a quite clever clue.

Frenchie said...

~Part un~
Good morning C.C., Argyle and Folk,

Lots of fun; fun clues, fun answers...it's clever! Thank you for a fresh morning, Ms. Levin!

1a. Bob Hope classic component and others-PROAMS Bob Hope's Charity Golf INFO
Interesting man, altruist, radio broadcaster, TV, etc. OBIT/DIES AT 100!
QOD #2
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
Bob Hope

2a. privately, to a lawyer/incamera. How does it come tog. to mean priv...lawyer? Hahtool? Lemonade? Thanks for explaining it, 'post facto" (?)

16a. Al, this clip is wonderful! "Old style." The cast was huge! Robin's band: MERRY MEN

22a. European capital: RIGA. Al, another good one! I usually get sucked into those monetary ones!

24. 1871 Cairo premiere: AIDA. I'd love to have this on CD. My little yellow Porsche and I would be flying along making sweet music! (20. Amiable: SWEET. Amiable music.)

45. Surprise at the door: POP IN. Seriously Al, it just can't be right for me to laugh this much this early in the day, all by myself...closet laughter...do you think it could be habituating?

Frenchie said...

Part Deux

19. Writer de Beauvoir: SIMONE. "I have no idea why I knew this name, but I just typed it in without thinking. Maybe it came up in an episode of Home Improvement or something"...from the neighbor behind the fence who always used obscure items to illustrate the advice he'd give 'Tim, The Tool Man'Taylor?? Hydy-Hoo, Neighbor, he'd say. What was his name?

50. Artist known for spatial impossibilities: ESCHER. Escher's work is just mind boggling...how or why did he feel compelled to get down that deep into the graphic minutia he created? Wonderful curiousities!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi, gang -

Fun, clever, actually brilliant puzzle today, but with a couple of horrible SLIPs.

Spelt out letters are, at best, 3rd class fill. Cluing them self-referentially is sneaky, not clever, and makes them stand out even more.

I blithely entered BENZENE (remembering my other rant a few weeks ago about organics compounds) for non-aromatic, but rather smelly PENTANE.

But SIMONE and SUMATRA came to me easily. Lots of other fine fill - COPTIC, STARTLED, MERRY MEN.

pollyanna -
"For one," as in "for example." Two is an example of an integer. This is typical clueish word play.

I haven't seen Blues Clues in a few years, but it was regular viewing fare with many of my grandchildren. It was one of those rare kids' shows that an adult could actually enjoy.

Putting the SIMONE quote together with Dennis's odd reincarnation fact, and contra my natural inclination to procrastinate, I wonder: Why put off it until the next life, when you can be a chauvinist pig right now?

Cheers!
JzB

Frenchie said...

~Part trois~

@Hahtool, that is an interesting coincidence with the theme...
@ Lemonade and others. Thanks, you've already cleared up most of my questions!

Very good puzzle. Fancy write up, Al! You've made my week.

Thank you C.C. for creating this little nook and thanks to all who participate in adding it all up. It's such a good way to start the day or to end it, I do it both ways. I'm happy to be a part of the whole.

@Fermat, how are you doing? I'm so worried about you! I know you are resilient, but you should be comfortable for the duration. Put your all into the physical therapy and get the H*^% home!

@HeartRX, have a good one. I'm smiling; doing my part in World Smile Day! Either that or it's this Sumatran Dark Roast my husband brewed for me today!

I'm out.

Tinbeni said...

Al, Informative write-up.
Such a lovely Panoramic SCENIC view.

Saw it was a Donna Levin and knew we were in for a FUN Thursday.

Great theme ON THE PUZZLE PAGE.
Only gripe was grid being in both POWER GRID and in the reveal clue. (I wonder if Rich changed this and forgot to proof-read).

SIMONE, PENTANE and BLUES CLUES (don't watch kid shows) were all perps.

Don't understand why the INTEGER clue has evoked sooooo much "dumb" blitching.
"Two, for one" was simply a Thursday level, clever clue.

pollyanna: Yours was a good question. The constructors do use misdirection a lot, later in the week.

Dennis: Congrats on the Phillies win, Halladay No-hitter. I think even 'SEEN' will ADMIT that was a great performance.

Then there was that little thing with my Bad Ass, Bronx Bombers, aka Murder's Row, 27 times World Series Champs, New York Yankees who COME ACROSS with, yet another, come from behind win. (Sorry about that C.C. & Jeannie).

Yup, it was a beautiful day!

Argyle said...

When I saw 45A. Surprise at the door: this story about Soupy Sales immediatly came to mind. It has a link to an uncensored clip, most impressive, men.

Frenchie, the "Hydy-Hoo, Neighbor", was Wilson. That is Wilson Wilson, non-singing brother to the Beach Boys Wilsons.

carol said...

Hi all -

I love Donna Levin puzzles but today's really kicked my hiennie (sp).

I did manage to complete most of it, with perp help but couldn't to it all.

Kazie: I do agree with you on
67D (Ms)

Al, fun picture with 6A, and at least the guy is NOT anatomically enhanced. The woman, well, it's typical. Anyone ever notice that in the movies, magazine pictures, etc prior to 1970 all the women had their OWN boobs (generally speaking). I happened to be watching a movie from the 50's and in a beach scene noticed all the young women had breasts that matched the rest of their figures.

As to World Smile Day, if we were all pigs, there would be no problem! Can you say 'grinning fools'???

kazie said...

My problem with integer is that I don't know the definition of an integer, I assume it's a circumlocution for number? Anyway, despite having taken trig and calculus in school, it is after all 48 years since I was done with them, and I don't remember much of the terminology from back then. I took the clue to be referring to a bargain at first too, and had ONE FREE there for quite a while.

I also knew the Bob Hope classic would be something golf related, but PROAMS had absolutely no significance to me when I filled it in.

So you see, those of you who complain about the foreign words at times, are no worse off than those of us with no background in the foreign languages of science, math, law, sport, literature, art or music. It's all a guessing game.

Anonymous said...

wise guy (on crosswordese) NOW you`re getting it! (knowledge and know-how that only comes from continually plugging away at all different levels of difficulty for quite a period of time.) You can almost tell at what stage each puzzler/commentator is by the posts.
I, of course, have attained vast knowledge and am infinitely qualified (NOT) to lecture! :)

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody. I thought the clues in this puzzle were more obscure than typical for a Thursday. Still, I muddled through. Even though I was a math teacher, I didn't see the INTEGER answer until I got a couple of the crossing letters. At that point, I thought the clue was very clever.

Kazie and others, here's an explanation of different sets of numbers. These terms are taught in middle school these days but not when I was in school.

Natural numbers: The numbers you learn to count with. 1, 2, 3, 4...

Whole numbers: The natural numbers and zero, 0, 1, 2, 3...

Integers: Positive and negative whole numbers and zero, ... -2, -1, 0, 1, 2...

Rational numbers: Any number that can be written as a ratio like a/b. That includes fractions, decimals, repeating decimals, integers, etc.

Irrational numbers: Any number that can't be written as a ratio including most square roots, pi, etc.

Real numbers: All of the above, rational numbers and irrational numbers.

Nice Cuppa said...

G'day Al, Kazie, et al., even Anon.

Much of this has been said before, but it is worth repeating:

Some of you are missing the point about crosswords. First: Yes, it is assumed that you have knowledge, expertise, or whatever, in SOME subject(s), but not ALL. If the latter, where would the fun be? The excitement (so) often comes from the perps, that enable you to conjure up a word from some deep axonic recess, slap it in, and then find out what it actually means/refers to, in detail.

For example, I was happy to (re-)learn today that SImone de Beauvoir was one of the most prominent feminists/Marxists/pedophiles of the the 20th century, and to find a photo of her taken with Sartre, Che and Fidel in 1960.

As for word plays, yes, there are some conventions to learn, including being prepared, nay assuming, misdirections. BUT, the misdirections must be grammatically legit., and otherwise make perfect sense in hindsight.

Take, for example, the clue "Two, for one". The comma after 'Two' is not put there in a casual way. It is quite deliberate. "Two for one" would NOT be a legitimate clue for INTEGER. "Two, for one" IS.

End of rant.

P.S. Did not enjoy seeing IDEATE again. The very idea!

P.P.S. Ms. is a perfectly legit. abbr. for manuscript, and a nice misdir. for Mrs/Miss. It has a plural too: Mss. = manuscripts.

BIt of a hangover from yesterday's celebrations. Back to my day job.

NC

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Happy Donna Levin Day (why not?). Here's a musical tribute to one of our favorite constructors.

Really liked the theme phrases and understood before the unifier popped up. ON THE PUZZLE PAGE was extra frosting on the cake.

Almost lost it, scientifically, 4D "Unit quantified in a subscript" and 46D "Compound used as a lab solvent" Thank you Donna for making ATOM and PENTANE easily perpable.

Our granddaughter was a BLUES CLUES junkie at five and six years old, so that was an easy one.

53A GENA Rowlands was a great "tough broad with a heart of gold" in 1980's "Gloria". Worth renting, if you haven't seen it.

When I think of QE2 (not the ship), I remember this Onion video of Elizabeth waving.

Hahtool, re: QOD, Ms. de Beauvoir could be a very insightful woman. although she did some very unwise (and illegal) things. It sounds like her "I am the great Simone de Beauvoir" (French) ego could have gotten in the way of her common sense.

Bob G. from last night. Don't buy a crockpot cookbook just yet. Try this online cookbook. Lots of other good recipe catagories on the right bar too.

Vidwan827 said...

Any of the following could be used as a clue for 'INTEGER' ...

... depends on your knowledge on the particular subject matter -

INTEGER:

1. What 'pi' and 'e' will never be, but i(squared) is...

2. What atoms and molecules always are ...

3. Where no 'proper' fraction is allowed to be shown ...

4. What a slice of pie could not be ...

5. What a 'cube' root could be, sometimes ...

6. What a prime ( number) always is ...

7. It is never irrational ...

8. It has no leftover parts ...

9. You dont use decimals for it ...

10. How the census bureau counts people ...

Thus, a clue can be as obtuse as the mind can conceive, and as to what is a 'clever' clue and a totally unfair one, (apparently ) is in the minds of the majority of 'mavens' sounding off in the blog.

kazie said...

Bill G.,
Thank you for the number definitions. I'll never remember all the differences, but it did rake up a few long lost memories, though I really don't think integer was ever one I was taught. As a purely linguistic observation, the explanation of rational and irrational numbers in relation to ratios makes a lot of sense to me now, whereas it never related before. I always thought of them as sane versus insane. (Well sort of). Thanks again!

NC,
Of course you are correct, and that is why we all persist in teasing ourselves with this daily. There's always the hope that at least some of what is learned will stick. Belatedly noticing that comma was what saved me in that corner.

Nice Cuppa said...

Vidwan

... but don't forget e**(pi*i)

Clear Ayes

Is "perpable" already in the Urban Dictionary? It should be.


NC

Nice Cuppa said...

Bill G.

But no-one has asked yet why real numbers are called real. I am sure Alice would have....

NC

JD said...

Good morning Al, C.C. et al,

mmm, not an easy one for me, but luckily Donna's puzzles are all usually very perpable. Words like pentane, in camera, noh and nano would not have been completed..oh, and oeil, which I SHOULD have remembered.sigh

Al, thanks for all of your explanations for zed,oss, dso, and bums.ha,ha..great clue!

Fortunately many of the longer fills were gimmes...although I did look up Simone( I don't think I've missed much not knowing her)

Geana Rowlands was in a few movies I enjoyed, probably only 2 stars, the type that entertain and are easily forgotten: Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock, and Something to Talk About with Julia Roberts.

Who isn't fascinated with Escher? Amazing art!

Clear Ayes said...

I did say Bob G.!....sorry about that Bill G. I don't usually correct my dumb typos, but getting a regular's name wrong is just too bad to let it go.

Maybe I am still too drowsy this morning after lying in bed last night listening to our fourth night of rain this week....lovely.

Oh, Gray And Tender Is The Rain

Oh, gray and tender is the rain,
That drips, drips on the pane!
A hundred things come in the door,
The scent of herbs, the thought of yore.

I see the pool out in the grass,
A bit of broken glass;
The red flags running wet and straight,
Down to the little flapping gate.

Lombardy poplars tall and three,
Across the road I see;
There is no loveliness so plain
As a tall poplar in the rain.

But oh, the hundred things and more,
That come in at the door! --
The smack of mint, old joy, old pain,
Caught in the gray and tender rain.

- Lizette Woodworth Reese

Lucina said...

Good day, Al and fellow puzzlers.

Great write up, Al.

Wow! What a fun way to start Thursday, with Donna Levin!

I thought this just a tad easier than most Th puzzles; loved the theme and most fills fell in quickly.

Hand up for recalling SIMONE de Beauvoir and after reading your comments I know why; she had such a reputation that much has been written about her.

My French is improving as I knew OEIL; and NOH from watching movies. It brings to mind The King of Masks, a poignant movie set in China which features NOH in action and an orphaned girl whose destiny is changed by the king of masks.

INCAMERA is one of those phrases learned from crosswords.

BLUESCLUES was my older granddaugher's favorite show so that would be about 7 or 8 years ago, Kazie. Now she has graduated from her NANO ipod to an adult one.

I loved the two, for one clue once the light bulb went on.

GENA Rowlands played in The Notebook with James Garner. That one is a heartbreaker.

You all stay safe and have a fabulous Thursday!

Vidwan827 said...

Nice Cuppa -

The name 'real' number was probably coined by the first guy (person) who thought of that concept.

Like 'Eigen' Numbers - in German, 'eigen' means 'its own'. 'Ordinary' or 'innate' ... whereas in Linear Algebra and ( horrors) in quantum mechanics, it has profound meanings, enough to make your head spin.

Dont even get me started on 'entropy', the very thought of which might lead me to a mental breakdown.

By the way, Benzene, Ethanol and Toluene are used 100 times more often -- as a universal solvent -- than Pentane in labs and commercial applications. Even CCl.4 - Carbon tetra-chloride and CS2 , Carbon di-Sulfide is used far more often - In the 15 years, I worked,( close to), a lab, I never even saw Pentane used.

I am done, for the day.

Lucina said...

Dodo and others who are having trouble signing in, I found that by signing in first, before typing any comments, then clicking publish after typing, my comment goes out without a glitch. Otherwise, it takes two or three times of repeating my password. I hope that helps.

kazie said...

Lucina,
Thanks for the time frame for BLUES CLUES. That definitely explains my ignorance of it. Both my sons are in their thirties and have not as yet sprouted any grandkids for me, so I have had no chance to become aware of it. No amount of hinting seems to help speed up the process either.

dodo said...

Greetings,Puzzlers All,

WOW! I did it all without a lookup! And it's Thursday! Are they getting easier or am I improving? Just a couple of little hangups: 'pop in' took some perps, also 'bluesclues' which I've never heard of and a blue dog? There were some gimmies, too: nano, bums, Seders, Aida, Coptic, oeil, Gena. Well, I guess it was easier than most Thursday challenges.

I don't have time to comment more for now; going to a balance class.

Later, possibly.

Anonymous said...

Hello to Al, C.C. and all my crossword solving buddies. Today's offering was not too difficult with the help of some perps and WAGs, or so I thought till I came here and saw that I had a few SLIPs along the way. The NW corner gave me problems. I had promos instead of PROAMS, and don't think I had heard the word COPTIC before, so 4D and 5D just would not fill in for me. Had Zeus for DEUS, EKG for EEG (OEIL is a new word for me), and on instead of INCAMERA (new term as well).

Al - Thanks for a great write-up. The amiable music is one of my favorites, Dough Boy made me laugh, the panaromas were both nice scenery, and I have always been facinated by Escher. I got 58A right away, but to answer your question, how about ankle?

Carol - About your boob comment: It is possible that they are not all fakes. I have noticed that young ladies nowadays are much more well-endowed (on average) than when I was younger.

Nice Cuppa - About your 11:14 am comment: Well put! I continue to do the crossword puzzles because it causes me to stretch the old gray matter. IMHO if you don't get a sense of enjoyment or accomplishment from them, don't do them.

Blues Clues was popular when my oldest was just a little too old for it. My husband and I made a big joke one year for Christmas that we were giving him something Blues Clues related as a gift. We hid his real gift and gave him clues - notes with pictures of the blue dog - that led him around the house and eventually to his new 4-wheeler. So much fun!

dodo - Everyone in Louisiana knows about George Rodrigue's Blue Dog. And there are blue heelers, and I have seen Catahoula curs that actually look like they have blue fur.

lois said...

Good morning CC, et al.,
Saw Donna Levin’s name at the top and got excited right away. This one is so ‘sweet’! Even has an OK reference. I have to ‘admit’ my mind was racing when the clue ‘stand firm’ came right after ‘merry men’ and loved how ‘rousted’ and ‘my dear’ cross the ‘stand firm’ clue. Oh, Holy Hotwick!!! Followed closely by ‘come across’ right below that. O Mea? Deus! What a ‘scenic’ mental image all those ‘merry men’ make in my head. I can almost hear them ‘crow’ing. This certainly set my clock for an ‘amorous’ night. I won’t need any of ‘blues clues’ to find a way to release this ‘emotion’. Just have to decide which ‘dog’ to ‘clip’. Somebody will be ‘startled’ when I ‘sidle(s)’ up to him and say, “Hey Handsome, ya wanna see my ‘Escher’s?” …’in camera’ baby, in camera. I love it when a plan comes together.

Great job, Al, Loved it all.

Not knowing how often a pig gets to have 30 minutes of uninterupted orgasm, I still prefer hours of multiples. A pig may only get the chance once a year for all I know. I'm going to bet on a sure thing. I'd rather be me again.

Enjoy your evening.

Nice Cuppa said...

Vidwan

I had always thought that REAL numbers were so called to distinguish them from IMAGINARY ones. But perhaps it was the other way round. It's all so COMPLEX. Does it PHASE you too?

NC

Jeannie said...

I usually am on the same wavelength as Donna when her puzzles come up but today I have to eat “crow”. I did suss out the theme but that’s about it. I didn’t know the legal term, “in camera”. I had no idea that “Coptic” was an Egyptian church. I was clueless that the Brit’s letter “Z” was pronounced “zed”. I think I need to get out of this country for once. I got all kinds of perp red letter help with Simone, Aida, Oeil, Noh and pentane. I did like “fig leaf” outer edges – efs. All in all, I liked Al’s write up more than today’s puzzle.

Everyone enjoy your evening and remember, “bald is beautiful”.

carol said...

Vettedoe: point taken on my 'boob' comment, but I didn't mean all women have had them, just enough to make it obvious. Did you know that the #1 request of graduating 18 year-olds is breast implants? I found that unbelievable!

Lois, good to see your comments again, so funny!

CA: Nice poem, I think your rain is headed our way. I was hoping it would hold off for a while, once it starts in our part of the state, if goes on til next June.

Re: Integer, I read all of the explanations offered, and couldn't understand a word...guess who's 'math challenged'? (and it's not because I'm blonde!):)

Tinbeni said...

Vidwan, etal

I always thought REAL "numbers" were the ones you rolled.

IMAGINARY numbers, the ones used by "Re-union attendee's" describing their success.

COMPLEX numbers, the ones we used when reporting Financial Results on 10-K's and 10-Q's ...

Anonymous said...

Carol - I meant no offense. I actually have heard that it is because of all the hormones that are pumped into chicken these days. Not sure if that is true.

On another (food related) note, in today's newspaper, there was an article about slow cooker recipes. I am linking the article here. You can also go to NOLA.com and search for recipes. They have a wonderful archive there. After Katrina, when so many people lost everything, many would write to the paper saying that they were looking for a recipe that had been printed in the paper at some point. As they find old recipes that have been requested, they add them to the archives. It is a wonderful resource.

kazie said...

I'm smelling my pork roast in the slow cooker as I type. I put it in earlier because I have to leave for a meeting right around supper time and thought I could then come home to it with no last minute rush. With onions, spuds, carrots, yummy.

On the zed spelling, I often spell my name that way when giving it over the phone. You'd be surprised what zee can turn into when people mishear you. So far I've never had anyone question it, but they always spell it back to me using zee.

Marge said...

Hi all,

Marge said...

Hi all,
It got too late last evening to post.The puzzle was 'sort of' hard but got it done. Yesterday was a full day. I read all your blogs and they were enjoyable.

Today, I haven't started the puzzle. Our State Journal always has a cryptoquote also so I will probably do that instead.

Dot- yes, I live in Wisconsin. Our address is North Freedom but Baraboo is where we usually go. I graduated from Baraboo High in 1950.
That's all for now, have a good evening.
Marge

Vidwan827 said...

Tinbeni -


I know you'll understand ...

IMAGINARY Numbers - Those rosy scenarios that were described to you, in great detail, in a prospectus, before you 'bought' into the tax shelter/ new venture -

COMPLEX Numbers - The mumbo-jumbo that glazed your eyes, in the (Unaudited - ) 'interim' financial statements. they make no meaning whatsoever, and do not follow GAAP, at all.

REAL Numbers - The miserable, disastrous results that are actually reported on your personal K-1's and screw up all your tax planning, put a hole in your portfolio ... and makes you kiss your investment, good-bye.

IRRATIONAL Numbers - Of people in the 'back' office of the General Partners, who are supposed to answer your questions about the debacle that happened, but are never available, once the investment has soured.

Older and Wiser said...

Al - Great Blog ... loved your comments, and the pictures were delightful.

The puzzle was challenging - but I got it done - thats all that matters.

*****

Placard in Tokyo, in a street protest, to restore funding for the Arts -

" Say Yes to NOH !!! ".

* * * *

Hahtool _ Aida plays every October in Cairo, and it is open to the general public - except that, unlike the slave girl, Aida, .... its just a few tourists who get kidnapped for ransom ... very realistic.

also the QOD: No one is more arrogant, more aggressive or more scornful towards homosexuals, than those men who are anxious and confused about their own sexual identity.

( consider some southern preachers, evangelists, and priests.)

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone,
A great Donna Levin to occupy my Thursday morning. I did the puzzle early on but am just getting to the blog.

After the first couple of theme entries I went directly to the starred clue unifier, and blithly put in Crossword puzzle. Hey, it fit! That is until I started filling in the perps. I then had a lot of eraser crumbs to brush away as well.

There were several unknowns, In Camera, Escher, Pentane, and Noh for a few. Most were easily gotten with the perps, but I looked up Escher to get me kick-started.

I though the Fig Leaf outer edges clue was great. Sip for nurse gave me a Doh moment as I always equate nurse with a person. The verb never even entered my mind. Perps helped here also.

Al, something else that could be in a cast with 5 letters: Elbow and Ankle.

carol said...

Vettedoe: No offense taken at all. I chuckled at your comment on hormones in chicken...I am sure hormones (and other 'goodies') are pumped into a whole lot of what we eat! Reading the contents label requires a degree in chemistry (probably why a lot of people are in trouble weight/health-wise). I often wonder how I made it this far :)

Anonymous said...

How do you make a hormone ? Sand, glue ?

Lucina said...

Lois:
you are really a funny gal! Your comments certainly stirred my imagination, especially in camera.

windhover said...

Anon,
You are very, very bad. But I would say that since most of us buy on the installment plan, we would have no idea.

A little addendum to the comment of "older and wiser":
The President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which is located in Louisville, Kentucky (a fact we used to be proud of), recently said in an online commentary that practicing yoga is "unChristian" and should not be done by believers. When challenged by some Christian practitioners, his fallback position was : If you're only doing it for exercise, you're not 'doing yoga', but that believers should take care.
You really can't make this s--- up, can you?

Older and Wiser said...

Windhover - I really wish I had 'done' yoga,--- especially the 'mental' part --- when I was younger and not-as-smart.

Now, with a heart attack under my belt, high LDL's, High tri-glycerides, high blood sugar and high blood pressure ... that yoga would 'shore' have helped me, especially with the 'peace' of mind part.

Now, I ask my Internal medicine MD, if I could achieve the same results and he tells me -

In Your Dreams.

dodo said...

Hiagain.

Carol: re: integer; DITTO!

Lucina, my problem is not getting my comment delivered, it's just that "choose an identity " requirement that's there every time for the first comment. And where,pray, does one sign in? There's no place for me to do that, only for sign out. I know it's not that important but I keep feeling like I'm an anon. every day.

Vettedoe, I do recall that there is the Kerry blue canine, but the blue dog of your link is unknown to me. Thanks, though.

BTW, in my enthusiasm about getting the puzzle with no lookupsc I forgot Simone was a gimmie, too, and maybe even some others. No wonder I didn't need lookups. I never know who the constructor is until I come here. My paper doesn't identify her(him). I did really like the puzzle. Thank you, Donna!

Al, as usual you gave us a great write up with interesting info! Thanx.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Just popped in to say hello and exclaim that I enjoyed yesterday's and today's puzzles immensely.

I very much enjoy reading all of your comments. Lois, you are so wise!

Bye everybody.

Donna L. said...

Hi, all. To those of you who put CROSSWORD PUZZLE as the unifying theme entry, you were actually channeling the first version of this puzzle. That was the original unifier until Rich N. noticed that it was too close to the "cross" in COME ACROSS.

Thanks, as always, for your comments, good and bad. They're helpful to us constructors.

-- Donna L.

lois said...

Lucina: thank you. I always enjoy your comments.

Carol: it's good to see you too. I find it hard to believe that 18 yos want boob jobs. Self images are so distorted. Ya just never know. BTW I'm with you on the math thingy - blonde or not.

Hahtoolah said...

Nice Cuppa @ 11:14. I couldn't have said that better myself. Crosswords are for fun, not griping.

Vettedoe: You beat me to the Blue Dog. Back when I was still in school, I came across one of Rodrigue's Blue Dogs that I absolutely fell in love with for a mere $300, unfortunately, being a student, I didn't have the money. Now, years later, I still don't have the money to pay 5 figures for one of the dogs.

Lemonade provided a more accurate definition of the term "in camera."

Seders are not limited to Passover, but one primarily thinks of Passover Seders. The word Seder actually means something along the lines of "order." During a Passover Seder, there is a certain order to the telling of the Exodus story and the mean.

Hahtoolah said...

Carol, Vettedoe: I saw a girl wearing a T-shirt that said "Guess?" So I said, "Implants?"

Lemonade714 said...

Part of what makes crossword puzzle solving so interesting is the variety of experience; one day you feel like you understand every clue and on another day you scratch your head so much your scalp is bleeding.

Part of what makes the comments so interesting is the variety of experience, where the same puzzle can be really easy for Bob and a bear for Frenchie.

Part of what makes the blog so interesting is the variety of perspectives from C.C. and her staff, each of whom presents a puzzle differently.

Mix them all together and we mostly have lots of fun.

Pollyanna, I like your spirit. I have been doing puzzles since I was a small child, and I appreciate the twists and turns of the constructors' minds. I may not love, or even understand every clue, but we eventually make sense of it all. If everything were straight definitions, it would just be like being tested in school.

Speaking of being tested, will Minnesota ever win at least one game? Sorry, but it makes me sad to watch the way teams fold against the dark empire.

Lemonade714 said...

Donna, as always you are an entertainer and a classy person. We like to have you stop by anytime

Bill G. said...

Frenchie, you asked late yesterday about the expression, "jumped the shark." It usually refers to a continuing TV show that does something out of character and that signals a downturn of popularity. It came from a "Happy Days" episode where the Fonz jumped over a shark while water skiing. The show went gradually downhill after that. For me, it happened on "Frasier" when Niles finally married Daphne. All the comic tension disappeared and I eventually stopped watching.

Carol, re. integers. Think about a very cold day with the temperature dropping below freezing. First it's 5 degrees F, then 4, then 3, 2, 1, 0. If it keeps dropping, then it's one degree below zero called -1. Then -2, -3 and so on. All of those numbers are called integers, positive and negative whole numbers. But no decimals or fractions.

BTW, I agree about how real numbers got their name. I'm guessing when people invented the name 'imaginary numbers' to make use of square roots of negative numbers, then it made sense to go back and call the regular numbers that weren't imaginary, 'real numbers.' Imaginary numbers aren't imaginary at all but aren't useful around the house. They are very useful in electrical engineering problems, for example.

Anonymous said...

Hahtool - I actually like your picture better. Gotta love a Blue Dog in a mask wearing beads! So, did the young lady slap you?

Annette said...

Ms. stands for manuscripts??? I thought it stood for Ms. magazine!

You can add me to the mathematically challenged group...

I've never seen or heard of any problems, but I've always been uncomfortable with the idea of crockpots being left plugged in all day. I've had some wonderful meals from them that other people have made, but I don't know if I could "set it and forget it" for a few hours.

My sister had gotten breast implants over 30 years ago. She never had any problems, but recently decided to have them removed. The reason she gave was that they prevented her from getting accurate mammograms. She had the surgery earlier this summer, but had a miserable couple of weeks because she was very slow to heal, requiring dozens of doctors visits, a home health nurse, and wearing a special electronic device 24/7 that enhanced the healing. It was awful!

Anonymous said...

Good night all.
Great write up Al to an enjoyable puzzle.

I have a copy of Blue Dog in the middle of my Mac screen - background.
Finally found one I could copy.

Nice to hear from all the newbies, but where are some of the old timers? Come back often Buckeye.

Cheers

Bob said...

Pretty easy Thursday puzzle. Took only 15 minutes. No real challenges.

Bob said...

A favorite M.C. Escher drawing:

Waterfall

Anonymous said...

Escher early and late, Hahtool at 5:48 am and Bob at 10:15 pm

Jeannie said...

Thank you Lois, for the blonde or non comment. I look at numbers all day long; unfortunately memorize them, and they filter into my sleep. Tonight I am trying to keep that pic from Al's post of panoramic in my thoughts...not working. As you would say, it's all good.

To all you math whizzes, out there...what do you call my obsession that I don't want to have? I can't remember names worth a sh&t but remember numbers? I was always good at math but wonder if I memorized it?

Fermatprime, I know this sounds weird, but I dreamt about you along with my foodshow booth layout numbering system. I hope you are on the mend.

I must admit I was totally lost on the pentane, atom discussion. I never did very well in Science, Chemistry, or Physics. I managed to get "A"'s or "B"'s by memorizing the material and promptly forgot the material.

dodo said...

Vidwan: GAAP? I expressed my feelings re: acronyms. Please explain.

Carol, Vettedoe, Annette, your discussion just confirms the fact that the young have no foresight: witness Annette's sister's ordeal, and.....tatoos! You've heard about the generation of tatooed old ladies coming up. And imsgine dealing with implants when your bosom meets your waistline!

Al said...

Here's my favorite M.C. Escher/Jim Henson (muppets)/Terry Jones (Monty Python)/David Bowie work. I should have remembered it earlier.

Lemonade714 said...

GAAP
Generally Accepted Accounting Pratices

RAP

Regulatory Accounting Practices

these are both the fictional books of regulated business, having no relation to the actual cash books.

We should run our lives like they do

Frenchie said...

I get the last word in. I'm bizarro Dennis! I hope you

(collectively) are sleeping restfully! I, obviously, am having a bout with insomnia once again. After this, I'll read.

"Four Authurian Romances"
by Chretien de Troyes It's hard to let go of! Nothing like a tried and true classic.
@Annette, that's awful!! After Georgia was in ICU for 12 days after the small back surgery which I mentioned a few weeks ago, and by the way I am happy to report that she's coming along fairly well. I've become frightened as I will be having jaw surgery next spring, TMJ/headaches. I am really spooked by these 'procedures gone wrong' . Is there an issue with occurrences hospitals having overly low population and they decide to send you home
@lemonade714, Bob does it fast and easy...I do it slow and hard. It's like the birds and the bees." 'It's like Buddah baby!!! baby("def: An incident or event.)
Lemonade714,my entry concerning Morels is 'cause I do like them so,and I like

I'm Out.