google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Meredith Ito

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Oct 12, 2010

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Meredith Ito

Theme: DC COMICS - (60A. "Superman" publisher, and this puzzle's title) - The four comics in the theme have the initials "D C".

17A. "Vicious Circle" stand-up guy: DANE COOK. Dane Cook: Vicious Circle was a live stand-up comedy special performed for HBO written and produced by Dane Cook. Nine minute censored
clip from his show. He has also done movies, Good Luck Chuck, and comedy albums.

25A. Stand-up guy who played Tobias Fünke on "Arrested Development":
DAVID CROSS. Arrested Development was a sitcom on Fox. A lot of sexual innuendos in this clip.

36A. Stand-up guy with his own sitcom, 1995-2004:
DREW CAREY. Full intro clip.

51A. Stand-up guy with multiple "SNL" personas:
DANA CARVEY. A clip from the Tonight show.

Argyle here with a new constructor... or is it. We believe Merideth Ito is a new Rich Norris anagram, "I'm the editor". C.C. said the grid with just one break down the sides & columns of triple 7s in each corner is very Rich-like. The theme entries are rather short, which makes those 7s possible.

Whoever's puzzle it is they did good. I just noticed EPIC ROCK under DC COMICS. Cool!

Across:

1. See 4-Across : RIG

4. With 1-Across, fix à la MacGyver : JURY

8. "__ Bovary" : MADAME. Gustave Flaubert's first published novel (1856) and is considered his masterpiece.

14. Suffix with stamp : EDE.

15. "Lonely Boy" singer : ANKA

16. Hypothetical primate : APEMAN. Enough Anka, some Kinks instead.
Clip.

19. Explosion sound : "KABOOM!"

20. Spiral-shelled mollusk : WHELK.
Image.

21. Uncover, in verse : OPE

23. River inlet : RIA

24. Whit or bit : IOTA

29. Carpenter's fastener : NAIL GUN

31. Regis and Kelly, e.g. : CO-HOSTS. Morning TV.

32. Big initials in nutritional supplements : GNC. General Nutrition Centers or GNC is a Pittsburgh based commercial enterprise focused on the retail sale of health and nutrition related products.

33. Hot day coolers : ADEs

35. Clear the chalkboard : ERASE

39. Horrendous : AWFUL

42. NYSE debuts : IPOs. The New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) and initial public offering(IPO) (when a company, the issuer, offers common stock or shares to the public for the first time.)

43. Enzyme suffix : ASE

46. Predicting a market decline : BEARISH

49. Husky, e.g. : SLEDDOG

53. Start from scratch : REDO. Although you could start from scratch the first time, too.

54. The Trojans of the Pac-10 : USC. The football team of University of Southern California.

55. Luggage-screening gp. : TSA. Transportation Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

56. __ Lama : DALAI

57. Platitude : CLICHE

63. Little laugh : TEE-HEE

64. Large-scale work : EPIC

65. Rebellious Turner : NAT. He led a slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831.

66. Iraqi neighbor : SYRIAN

67. Loser to paper and winner over scissors : ROCK. A hand game is often used as a selection method, similar to coin toss, drawing straws, or throwing dice. Simpson
clip.

68. USN rank : ENS. Ensign, a junior rank of commissioned navel officer.

Down:

1. Joe Louis Arena hockey player : RED WING

2. Pocatello resident : IDAHOAN. The county seat and fourth-largest city, largest city of Bannock County, and is in the southeastern part of Idaho.

3. Like some fingerprints : GENETIC

4. Tire-changing aid : JACK

5. Game with Draw Two cards : UNO. Fun for all ages.

6. "King Kong" studio : RKO. RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age.

7. Comedian Smirnoff : YAKOV. Catch phrase, "What a country!"

8. Just about manage : MAKE DO

9. Therapists' org. : APA. American Psychiatric Association or American Psychoanalytic Association or American Psychological Association?

10. Society newcomer : DEB

11. Loving, to Luisa : AMOROSA. Luisa is a female name of German origin (from Ludwig) which means "glorious warrior". Luisa is the Italian form of the French "Louise".

12. "Little Red Book" adherents : MAOISTS. Chinese, mostly.

13. How stadium crowds move : EN MASSE

18. Mideast carrier : EL AL. Israeli.

22. Photo : PIC

25. "Bro!" : "DUDE!"

26. From the start : ANEW

27. Word preceding a 22-Down : "CHEESE!"

28. Golfer Sabbatini : RORY. South African professional golfer. His last PGA Tour title was the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May 2009, his fifth tour title.
The young Rory McIlroy is probably more well-known.

30. Marinara clove : GARLIC

34. Lab subj. : SCI. Science lab.

36. Commercial battery prefix with "cell" : DURA.
Image.

37. Semicircular recess : APSE. To be found in churches.

38. __-poly : ROLY. "Ho, ho, ho!"

39. Kidnaps : ABDUCTS

40. Potter's friend Ron : WEASLEY. Harry Potter.

41. More decorative : FANCIER

43. "Sweet" girl in a barbershop song : ADELINE.
Sweet Adeline by The Mills Brothers (1939).

44. Recycled item : SODA CAN

45. Ones with I-strain? : EGOISTS

47. Glossy fabric : SATEEN. A cotton fabric with a luster resembling that of satin.

48. Noon and midnight: Abbr. : HRs.

50. Wee weight : DRAM. A pour, right Tinbeni?

52. Skywalker's nemesis : VADER. Star Wars.

56. Pier : DOCK

58. T'ai __ : CHI. "Supreme ultimate fist", "boundless fist", "great extremes boxing", or simply "the ultimate".

59. "Isn't __ riot?!": "Funny guy!" : HE A. A comment on today's puzzle?

61. Naval noncom: Abbr. : CPO. Chief Petty Officer

62. Pres. title : CIC. Commander in Chief (of the military services).

Answer grid.

Argyle

81 comments:

  1. Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - as with yesterday, I thought this one was a bit tougher than others for its given day. I was proud of myself that I saw the 'I'm the editor' anagram while I was trying to figure out if we'd seen this constructor before.

    It was obvious early on that the clues had the initials 'D.C.' in common, but it took the unifier to understand the theme. Very, very clever. Unusual for a Tuesday, I had unknowns in 'David Cross', Ron 'Weasley' and 'amorosa'. As Argyle points out, 'Start from scratch' and 'redo' aren't synonymous - you can start from scratch the first time too. Other than that one flaw, I thought this was a much better than normal Tuesday puzzle. Argyle, great job on the blog; fun links.

    Today is Cookbook Launch Day, Moment of Frustration Day and Old Farmer's Day. Although he's hardly old, this is a great day to honor our good friend Windhover, whose work ethic I admire tremendously. We should never forget that farmers truly are the backbone of this country.

    Did You Know?:

    - The average shark can swallow anything half its size in one gulp.

    - One third of high school graduates never read another book.

    - The Pentagon spent $50 million on Viagra for American troops and retirees in 1999. Certainly gives a whole new meaning to the 'standing reserve'.

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  2. Stand up comedians has a whole new meaning in this day and age of Viagra etc. Happy Tuesday all, very nice puzzle, though I do not get DANE COOK. Oddly he is on the radio as I type, promoting a local show and his new horror/comedy. Ah well, very nice write up Argyle, later all.

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  3. Good Morning, Argyle Great write-up for a tough puzzle. I am not so keen on cross-references, thus, I found the bottom portion was easier that the top.

    We loved Arrested Development, so David Cross was a gimmie. I think there is an Arrested Development movie in the making, but I never have been able to understand the attraction of a movie based on a TV show.

    QOD: I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there. ~ Herb Caen

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  4. Not what I have come to expect on a Tuesday, but the puzzle was Darned Clever. Even after figuring out the DC theme, other than Drew Carey, the DC answers were unknowns to me and I had to rely heavily on perps.

    Even with Argyle's explanation, I still don't get 67A, Rock. I kept wanting to change it, but nothing would work.

    Being relatively new to this group, there are a couple of terms you folks use that leave me in the dark. What is the meaning when someone uses Red Letter and Clecho? Thanks.

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  5. @thh, you've never done rock, paper, scissors to decide something? Here's a variant with two extra choices fully explained by one of the funniest characters on TV... Then to take it to an extreme, look here.

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  6. Luisa is a Spanish name and "amorosa" is loving in Spanish (fem.)

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  7. Red letter comes from doing the puzzle on line. If you type a wrong letter, it will be RED. You can turn the option off, if you like.

    Anon, are you saying "in addition" or "instead"

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  8. Good morning everyone. Good commentary, Argyle.

    This puzzle seemed harder than the past recent Tuesdays. Needed more than usual perp help for early in the week. Got the theme in mid puzzle, but it did not help. The SW was last to fall. ASE and WHELK were WAGs. Very doable though; no lookups needed.

    Enjoy traditional Columbus day although he was 500 years late. Helps to have good PR.

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  9. good morning all
    i hardly ever do the puzzle before i read the paper..but i was up at
    3:30 am.so i did the puzzle online.
    it seems much easier to do it online.
    my only hang up was RIG JURY..or is it JURY RIG..i had RIG and JU_Y
    and since i didnt know RKO i tried the alphabet trick...JULY..hem...JUCY...nah...
    JUDY...wtf..
    so how's that mean fix ? anybody ?

    Dennis.. i think the pentagon wanted ro make sure the troops give the president a " standing ovation" whenever he visits.

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  10. zcarguy, good line.

    'Jury rig' means to fix or repair using whatever's available. Google it for more.

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  11. Argyle, Outstanding write-up and clips.

    I like to start my day with a Mug-of-Java, CNBC, LAT crosswords and a hardy laugh. The clips brought a boat load of them.

    Excellent theme these DC COMICS and they brought along that Russian DUDE ... YAKOV.

    I guess the first time is a 'Do' then if you 'start over' it's a REDO.

    Like the mini-theme, IPOS and BEARISH.
    Moi? I'm a bull. I realize it is taking a bit longer than I expected but I believe our American Economy has turned the corner and IT IS still the world's juggernaut.

    An AWFUL lot of Potter clues lately. I guess, like the Simpson's, I'm going to have to remember these characters.

    FUN Tuesday.

    Happy (the real) Columbus Day !!!

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  12. Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

    Let's see: Star Wars, Harry Potter,
    4 Proper names for theme{2 I'd never heard of]sports,a word I had to look up to make sure it was a word{whelk],And another proper name of a comedian I had never heard of[Yakov]. Today is Tuesday isn't it? I have a puzzle that feels entirely perped,wags and I still didn't kknow what to make of it.

    This guy's good. Two look-ups on a Tuesday and I'm still speaking to him.

    Obviously, the theme is superior; I love the DC Comics. Extremely original- personally, too original.
    Thanks, Rich.

    Kudos to C.C.,Dennis and Argyle for ferreting out the constructor, analyzing it and confirming it. What a team! How fun! Such excitement for a Tuesday morning!

    And there's good news from last night's posts!

    Fermaatprime- Thank goodness, you're out of that mess. Sounds as if you have a super friend there.

    You've had this blog, to a person, ready to do whatever possible to help- take the time to review the last 2 days or so of posts. This group makes my heart swell; short of Jerome kidnapping Dennis to come beat up those bums at the home, we may have found out there could be a real possibility of some action.

    Of course, your inner strength and determination pulled you through that ordeal. You fought the good fight and "survived, damnit"!
    Keep it up!

    Lois- A masterpiece!

    Have a nice day everyone.

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  13. Argyle

    Thanks for the link to APEMAN. Very underrated, the KINKS. They did a less famous song called CUPPA TEA . In the chorus "Rosy Lee" is of course Cockney Rhyming Slang for "Cuppa Tea".

    Do we have some influence on this site? Is see TEE-HEE written phonetically/correctly for a change. I see that POTTER and STAR WARS (also STAR TREK) are becoming standard fare, part of our modern LORE.

    Does a genuine card-carrying CARPENTER use a NAIL-GUN? A house-builder, maybe, but a true artisan? Show some respect! Give me mortises, dados..... not some new-fangled gizmo.

    I knew only Drew Carey of the theme clues but the compiler was nice enough to make the crosses less ethnocentric, so it all came together. I took previous advice and wrote in ANKA whenever a male singer with a fairly sappy songtitle was clued, and was not disappointed.

    And now to the WHELK. What's in a word? A whole generation, that's what. My father loved 'em - something to eat (with a pin) walking down the prom at the seaside in the first half of the last century. There's a cute ballad by Ralph McTell set at the beginning of WWI. I can only find a cover - MAGINOT_WALTZ .

    Like Leopold Bloom*, my father was also partial to most inner organs. I could never stand any of the stuff. Here's a quote from James Joyce's "Ulysses" - hands up anyone who actually got to the end of the book:

    “Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liverslices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods' roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine.”

    Yes quite. "Offal" by any other name would taste as awful....


    Oh, and Genetic Fingerprinting was invented by a Brit - Sir Alec Jeffries - a colleague of mine at the University of Leicester for a while, as it happens.

    NC

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  14. Good Morning All, How clever are the ones who figured out the anagram of Meredith Ito! When Argyle mentioned it in his write-up it was definitely an "Aha!" moment for me.

    I was familiar with all the D.C. COMICS. DANE COOK would have been iffy except for the fact the I heard him on the Bob & Tom Show yesterday morning on my way into Modesto.

    I've seen DAVID CROSS recently on "Real Time with Bill Maher"

    I liked seeing WHELK. It is a nice looking and sounding word. I've never eaten one, but I would if given the chance. I might pass on mutton kidneys, but I do like gizzards, beef heart and liver.

    Yes, Nice Cuppa I did read "Ulysses", but it passed as in a dream. I must have felt obligated and just did it because I felt I shouldn't miss such a classic.

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  15. Sorry, had a typo in the second link.

    If you're still interested, here it is: - MAGINOT_WALTZ .

    The fourth cover has a chap wearing his Remembrance Day Poppy.

    NC

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  16. Compliments to our blogger, the Great Argyle - great job - charming links and lots of interesting explanations - love this blog.

    The puzzle was a little tricky for the Tues ( Its only Tuesday guys, ease it up a little ...). I had trouble with the NW corner, but the rest was eminently doable. ... never heard of Dane Cook ... and didn't get the 'DC' connection, although I got the 'DC Comics' allright.

    Particularly responding for Clear Ayes - If I may, continue the discussion, which was on yesterday - about ethnicity and blood groups - it seems to me, having done some studies on blood grouping, that the original blood group, of all homo sapiens was 'O' - with no antibodies - it is only through urbanisation, - and selective gene mutation, that some of the other antibodies, like A, B, and AB and Rh factors, developed, primarily because of local contingencies ... Just a thought.

    By the way, CA, the most diverse DNA marker spread, from China to Vienna, are the markers of the Mongols - Chengis Khan and the 'golden horde'. ref: DNA markers, by Geoffrey Palmerston.

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  17. So much for all the praise for this puzzle. It may be well constructed, but definitely not Tuesdayish. I'm going to come right out and ask: Were there any clues/answers that DIDN'T involve a name?

    The only names I knew were ANKA, DREW CAREY and DANA CARVEY. I never had time to think about the DC theme initials, and the only fixing MacGyver ever did to my knowledge was rigging up chemicals and mechanical things, so I had USE JUNK for 1 and 4A. Hence I never did solve the NW corner, also due to complete ignorance of all things sport team related. Pocatello sounded Tex-Mex to me.

    I'd never heard of DANE COOK or DAVID CROSS either and DC comics are unknown to me too.

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  18. CA,
    My Ulysses experience was the same as yours--an obligation. I got through it all mainly because I was reading it during my stink as assistante d'anglais in Montpellier, and had a lot of time on my hands.

    I've begun noticing that the foreign adjectival answers like AMOROSA tend to have clues that match the gender ending required. So Luisa, being feminine, required amorosa instead of amoroso. I'm not sure if it's always consistent because I only started thinking about it a few days ago, but I'm going to watch for it and see.

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  19. To the vitriolic poster from last evening: It wasn`t my intent to insult you or your mother.

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  20. stint, not stink! Maybe that was because I was thinking about also not knowing of RKO when typing it.

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  21. Good morning, Santa and fellow puzzlers.

    Wonderful observations, Argyle. I'll go back later for the links.

    i, too, thought this a bit challenging for a Tuesday, had no idea about DANECOOK or DAVIDCROSS but do know DREWCAREY, DANACARVEY and YAKOVSMIRNOF so there was just enough to WAG my way through this.

    WHELK jumped right out of some recess and that confirmed REDWING which has been mentioned a time or two on the blog by some fans.

    This is nicely stacked with some solid fills at each corner. And I, too, interpreted 11A, Luisa's loving to be Spanish.

    I have no idea about MacGyver, so came here with RI_ and so missed GENETIC as I guessed DAVE instead of DANE.

    I've also not read any Harry Potter books or seen the movies, so I'm learning the buzz words in the same way I've learned about the Simpsons, on the crosswords.

    This is too early for me, so I'm going to return to bed.

    fermatprime:
    I'm so glad you are home and recovering. Take good care.
    You all have a wonderful Tuesday!

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  22. Kazie:
    I noticed that gender agreement as well; it has not always been so, but I plan to watch for it, too.

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  23. Appropos to nothing 2October 12, 2010 at 10:36 AM

    Again, on yesterdays comments, that I was not able to comment on -

    Regarding the fact that marriages in the US and certain other 'developed' nations are primarily a 'civil' matter... rather than an emphasis ( or even a need for - ) on a religious ceremony.

    Developed countries, particularly in the West, have long realized that 'marriage' confers certain 'benefits' - like tax benefits, social security, food stamps, shared health insurance, even unemployment dole - way beyond, and more advantageous, than merely a license for perpetual, uninhibited, unlimited sexual cohabitation ( away from prying eyes ... ) that a religious union could ever attain - hence the need for a 'civil' ceremony *, a license to participate in the marriage, and a license to conduct one, and the eventual registration of that fact.

    (* a couple of religious ceremonies, I have attended, have unfortunately been far from civil ...)

    Further, in light of the pronouncements from the US Supreme ( being ?) Court, ANYBODY, even a wicca card carrying, satan-loving, dope-inhaling, atheist has the absolute 'right' to become a 'pastor' to get a license to 'conduct' marriages and confer a 'married' status. ( Thats exactly what sepration of 'church' and 'state' means, - and for whatever 2 bits, my opinion may be worth, I just happen to agree with that.)

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  24. Kazie:
    Thanks for all the info on AMOROSA. It was a wag and all perps for me.

    Hey, I was thinking maybe it was that bitch from The Apprentice. lol

    CA
    WHELK, like Conch, is very delicious.

    Fermatprime:
    It is SOOOOOO great to hear you have gotten out of the Black Hole of Calcutta.

    A call to the appropriate Health Agency in your state to report their abuse could maybe help those who are sentenced there in the future.

    Forgot to mention, it was wonderful to see Darth VADER in the grid.
    I love everything "Evil Empire."
    Go Yankee's !!!

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  25. I too got DC after the second theme fill but I didn't associate it with the comic books until the unifier. I devoured comic books all the way through college. I think it had something to do with my becoming a good reader because you read words in clumps rather than line by line.

    I'm happy for fermatprime and that this is the start of an upswing.

    I really enjoyed the Mills Brothers' link. Old time music...

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  26. Hi all - Great job Argyle! Your write up was a better experience for me than the puzzle.

    It was not a Tuesday puzzle for me!!!
    Way tooooo many names. Kazie I'm with you on this one.

    I appreciate the clever theme, and I got the unifier and two of the long clues (Drew Carey and Dana Carvey) but that was it for the names. I don't watch TV in the evenings.

    WHELK???? Wow that was a new one. I wanted CONCH. At least I have a new word. We don't have those shells on our beaches...too cold here.

    Fermatprime: so glad you are home. Please report that place! I cannot imagine how they have stayed open when they abuse those in their care.

    Question; why would our troops need Viagra???? Retirees maybe, but the troops are all young. On that subject, have you noticed the ads on TV? All the men are in their 40's! WTH??? I guess the Viagra people are trying to make the older men feel better by showing younger ones 'using' it...makes no sense to me. We don't need it in our house ;)

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  27. @carol, those army cots are quite narrow, so they use it to keep from rolling out of bed in the middle of the night.

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  28. Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

    Did I miss a couple days this week? This seemed more like a Thursday puzzle to me (and my solving time confirmed it, for me, at least) ! I only knew DREW CAREY, so I was more at a disadvantage than most of you.

    The NE remained largely blank except for IDAHOAN.
    And JURY RIG never occurred to me until I had filled in the perps. Siggghhh...

    I'm not really fond of proper name themes, even if they are clever. The unifier of DC COMICS was good, but didn't help me with the blanks, even after I filled it in.

    As for 53A "Start from scratch" could have easily been clued "Start OVER from scratch".

    Fermatprime, I am so glad to hear you are out of that hell-hole. I agree with Tinbeni about calling the state health agency. If you are so inclined, here is a link for the hotlines in every state.

    Well, Dennis, I had my MOMENT OF FRUSTRATION with this puzzle, so now all I have to do is write a cookbook and go say "Howdy" to the guy at my local farm stand.

    Have a great day, everyone !!

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  29. This is the kind of discovery that constructors get a kick out of- Not only are there DC COMICS, but most importantly, their names are perfect letter lengths for a crossword grid! It's like all the puzzle planets were perfectly aligned just for you at a particular moment.

    Not so aligned-

    ABDUCTS- Pores in the stomach
    GENETIC- Wilder's facial spasm
    ANEW- A rhea cousin
    IOTA- yes you should
    IDAHOAN- What Lupino's doin' in the garden

    Al- That's funny!

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  30. Good afternoon everyone.

    Good write up, Argyle, to a less than wonderful puzzle. I did not like all those stand up names, none of which I knew. Loved MacGyver, but couldn't come up with something beginning with J for 4 across.

    A friend didn't want to be put in a nursing home from the hospital. I agreed with him, and called my primary care physician to ask if he could just check himself out of the hospital. Yes you can. You have to sign that you are doing it without the doctor's consent. So we did, took him home, and he was fine. It sounds like it's possible once you're in the nursing home too.

    So glad you're out Fermatprime!

    Cheers

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  31. Re: Luisa

    Italian, Portuguese and Spanish feminine form of Luis, meaning "famous warrior."

    Re: AMOROSA; loving in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

    The poor Portuguese keep getting left out these discussions.

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  32. Dennis: Your Phillies lived up to expectations against my Reds. Congratulations! Although the crowd did move EN MASSE to the exits after the last out. I did not. A small group of us sat and discussed the "what ifs" and next years "shoulds" for almost an hour. The ushers were very accomodating and even joined in before finally telling us it was time to go.

    Also, my favorite CARPENTER, Norm Abram(from PBS's This Old House and New Yankee Workshop) uses a NAILGUN regularly. He also uses a laser to measure and level. If is good enough for ol' Norm, then it is good enough for me!

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  33. Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

    Kazie said it well...so many names including maoists and egoists. The "downs" were so much easier for me, although I didn't know Yakov or Rory.More Wags than usual for a Tuesday.

    Argyle, as always, you do a great job clearing the cobwebs of confusion. Dane Cook or David Cross were noteven recognizable after viewing your links.But,I do know David Cook, which didn't help.

    Al. funny clip @7:41, and I laughed at your explanation @ 10:59!

    NC, your J.Joyce quote was so gross, and delightful.With the W filled in, whelk was a gimme. We did a lot of shelling back when DH's parents lived in FLA.

    Femaprime, we're all hoping that things will be better for you soon.

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  34. Hi everyone, long time. I am actually able to do a tuesday cross/word and in a decent amount of time! I will have to go back and try to catch up on everyone and their happenings.
    Hope you are well!

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  35. seen, that team will be a force to be reckoned with for the next several years; you've got a great young ball club there. Congrats to you on a great season.

    Robin, welcome back; hope everything's good with you.

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  36. Wow! What a learning moment for me. I researched JURYRIG and found that it's a nautical term dating to 1788 and is totally unrelated to a jury panel that sits in a trial. Do all of you just know that?

    Welcome back, Robin. I had thought of you recently because I saw some red high-heeled shoes and wondered what yuo were doing and where you were.

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  37. Hi all.

    Fun Tuesday. Really enjoyed this puzzle.

    Okay, now it is SF vs Philly!

    Also enjoyed Norm building furniture.

    I don't measure when I pour scotch.

    88 yesterday. 90s today. Is this October?

    Take care.

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  38. seen- Carpenters often say, jokingly, "What would Norm do?"
    Before nailguns were in common use and before the invention of the vinyl coated nail, we would do what's called 'gas and wax'. We'd pour gasoline over a keg of 16 penny nails, ignite it and throw a block of parafin wax on top. The wax would melt, coat the nail and make it easier to drive.

    Master carpenters do use nailguns. Just as Great novelists use computers to write, long ago throwing away their quill pens.

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  39. Al (10:59) LOL - good one! Now I know!

    Robin, good to 'see' you again, don't be a stranger.

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  40. HeartRx- That link is perfect!
    Fermatprime, please use for the sake of others. You can make such a difference.

    Carol- your last sentence cracked me up!

    Al- your humor always surprises me;
    such deadpan.

    Tinbeni-I did too! Amoroso-LOL

    NC- I'm still trying to forget your quote and it is, of course,
    humorous. DH will crack up over it.
    ...He did and one upped it with some cannibal preferences. Ugh.


    Lucina- I love spinach salad- my favorite.
    Heavens no,I didn't know about the origin of 'jury rigged' and it never would have occured to me that it was not related to a
    'panel'jury. Thanks so much! In fact, I notice I made a verb out of rig. I have never used the term, but that's what I thought was being said. A jury rigged solution. My,my. A slice of humble pie.

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  41. Seen:
    Your team still had a GREAT season.
    I enjoyed hearing how you stayed, with your buddies, in your seats until the ushers said it was time to leave.

    I realize there is a traffic jam after a game, but if you wait like you guys did ... have a beer on the way out ... then the traffic jam is gone when you get to your car.

    Dilbert
    SF -v- Phillies
    Does that mean, for you, that baseball season isn't yet over?
    (Even though Hockey is back).

    Also, What's a measure? lol

    Dennis
    Do you have tickets for Saturday?
    Great pitching duel!

    Robin
    Welcome back.
    You were dearly missed.

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  42. Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., Another good job, Santa baby. Thanks for clearing the fog for me. I was out in left field w/this one. Loved the links.

    Dennis: about that 1/3 of the HS graduates never read another book. What do you mean "another"?

    And Viagra? I don't want to be the one the soldiers are aiming at when they are given the order to shoot...well, on the other hand...never mind that one. I don't want to be there when they have to shoot and they confuse their guns and rifles ...unless they're drilled. Ok, that did it..never mind that one either... I'm so glad the gov't takes care of our men...I'm all about that myself.

    WH: Cheers to you on this day in your honor. May I make an offer? You honor my offer and offer your honor. I honor your offer and all night it will be honor and offer....on 'er and off 'er. Cheers to you, my handsome farmer friend!

    Al: 10:59...LOL very funny

    Lucina: your granddaughter is absolutely beautiful! Fun times.

    Robin: good to see you.

    Fermat: so glad you're out. hope all gets better for you quickly and I hope you report it. Let me if you don't want to.


    heartRx: that web site for reporting elder abuse is perfect. Thank you for that. It should be common knowledge and published everywhere.

    Enjoy your night.

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  43. Lois, thank you. I'm partial to her myself.

    Jerome, that is really fascinating about the nails. Really clever for someone to devise that method.

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  44. WH:
    I forgot to salute you on your day! I'm sure most farmers would wish to look like you.

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  45. Hola Everyone, I got the theme DC Comics and knew that there were comedian's names to be found, but not knowing many of the present day comedians, other than Dana Carvey, I had to look up two before I could get things to fall into place.

    I, too, thought that this was a bit harder than most Tuesday Puzzles, and I had to rely on the perps to fill in some of the other unknowns, e.g. GNC.

    Great write-up Arglye with some interesting links.

    Some of the non-Tuesdayish (Is that a word?) words for me were bearish, whelk, amorosa, abducts and en masse. I did feel good about getting this one done, even though I had to Google a bit.

    MY favorite clue today: One with I-strain.

    Have a great Tuesday everyone. I'm getting ready for about 25 ladies here for a meeting tonight so I'm going to be busy the rest of the day.

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  46. Fermatprime, It is so good to hear that you are home. I hope that you have someone there with you part of the time.

    My thought is that you ought to think about reporting this terrible place so they can't contine to misstreat others like they did you.

    LOL, Al, at 10:59.

    Happy Farmer's Day WH.

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  47. Robin: I am glad to see you back. You have been missed.

    KaBoom! is also an organization that builds playgrounds on school grounds. The organization has been instrumental in building a number of playgrounds in New Orleans.

    Roly-Poly is also a sandwich chain. If you eat their sandwiches, do you become Roly-poly?

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  48. On 'er, off 'er. Lois, that joke might be older than you are! Good one though.

    Another little joke. I was nursing a drink at a bar when an attractive young woman came and sat next to me. We struck up a conversation. I found out she was working on her PhD thesis. I asked what it was about. She said it was about what kind of men make the best lovers. I asked her if her research was complete. If so, what were the results? "No doubt about it" she said. "It's Jewish guys and cowboys." We talked a little more. Then she said, "Wow, I've been very impolite talking about me all the time. I don't even know your name yet.

    I replied, "It's Hopalong Goldberg mam, at your service."

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  49. Robin,
    Welcome back!

    Fermatprime,
    Sounds like if you don't want to report the mistreatment you got, we'd all be willing to do it for you. Just let us have the needed details and it's done! Congratulations on getting home safely, may you continue to improve at the rate you must be feeling better now after your return!

    I've been working all day on the newsletter again. I've been very slow getting into it this month, but feel I got a lot done today so it feels good.

    Enjoy the evening everyone!

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  50. Thanks Appropos@9:39 for the reminder (my memory ain't what it used to be!) about Genghis Khan and the Golden Horde, another link in the DNA chain. Like many conquering armies (it's still happening), they sacked the cities, killed just about everybody and raped the women as they went. Then they took as many slaves as possible among those who were left. There's an interesting Wiki article about the Mongol invasion of Rus'. Hmmm, I wonder if I had my DNA tested what it would reveal?

    Kazie, :o) how could I not laugh at your Freudian slip>

    Stay awhile, Robin.

    fermatprime, I trust you are resting more easily today.

    WH, here's hoping Old Farmer's Day has a suitable reward at the end of your day. (Hi, Irish!)

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  51. An easier puzzle for me than yesterday's (14 minutes). Didn't know a few of the names but could work them out without any problem.

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  52. An easier puzzle for me than yesterday's (14 minutes). Didn't know a few of the names but could work them out without any problem.

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  53. Windhover: I`ve searched through the posts and can`t find out what your special day is. Birthday? Wedding Anniversary? What?

    ReplyDelete
  54. I finally saw it, "Old farmer`s day." Now just who would that be?!

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  55. Hello everybody. A quick in and out. almost all of what you all have said about this puzzle I would have said too, so no need to reiterate it. Thanks for the writeup, the links, and all your comments.

    Lucina, thanks for the info about the Arizona centennial. We'll be keeping in touch with our family there to see what's going on. Even if we don't attend any of the centennial festivities, we might just go there anyway, just to visit and hang out. Dunno yet.

    Windhover, you da man. Fermatprime, you da woomahn! (Those are both compliments.)

    Best wishes to you all.

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  56. In regard to yesterday's discussion about Columbus: As someone correctly noted, heroin (diacetylmorphine) was invented in 1874, so Columbus could not have been a heroin addict. In fact, I know of no credible evidence that he was addicted to anything, although opium addiction has been known since ancient times. Sounds like more Columbus bashing to me, which surfaces every year about this time. No doubt he was culpable of many things, mainly opening the floodgates for European access to America, but accusations on the Internet, endlessly repeated, on flimsy evidence do not constitute history. As his body has never been definitively identified, either in Europe or on Santo Domingo, no forensic research of any kind is possible. Blood types were not discovered until about 1900, due to the pioneering work of Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner. Type B is the rarest of the ABO types (16%), with its highest incidence in eastern Europe and central Asia. Type A only comes in at only 21%, and is found mostly in scattered populations across the northern USA, Australia, and northern Europe. Type O is by far the most common (63%). Most native Americans of central and South America were Type O, but then so were most western Europeans, so it's hard to see any significance in the arrival of some Type B in the Americas in Columbus's day, if that actually happened. The world distribution of blood types is a recent discovery and shows, as one might expect, a quite complex pattern, no doubt in proportion to the equally complex migrations of peoples across the world in past ages.

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  57. Did most of the puzzle in spurts today...am having first time, "special" company this weekend and am cleaning things I don`t clean otherwise.
    My father always said "jerry rigged" after a slur on the German army during WWll. "Dalai" always has to write itself...I don`t remember how to spell it. I`ve found many "whelks." Now I have name for them. Tried to fit "nave" for "apse"...didn`t work.

    Have evidently missed some things about "nursing homes." My best advice: Stay out of them!

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  58. Hello, gang,

    Better late than never, I guess. First of all, hand up for membership in Kazie's Klub! TOO
    MANY NAMES!!

    Another remarkable writeup, Argyle. Thank you. I Knew nothing about DC Comics in the first place. Knew Drew Carrey and remembered one teenage daughter talking about Dana Carvey in years beyond recall. I did see something about Smirnoff (not the vodka) in the paper lately, but no first name. Dave Cook and David Cross were complete strangers! That's not all but it's enough!

    Robin, welcome back!

    Cheers to Windhover, the farmer in my Dell!

    Fermatprime, may you enjoy a more satisfactory recuperation at home!

    IMBO !

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  59. Dennis:
    Thanks for that "old farmer" shout out. I'm not sure what the threshold for "old" is, but I'm getting damned close.

    Appropo @ 10:36:
    Some very good points, and stated coherently; many religionists just don't understand that separation of church and state is what gives them freedom to pursue their beliefs, not the reverse. As a member of the 'A' team, I really don't care to be lumped in with those other categories; as a friend of mine says, we don't believe in the other guy either. I'm not trying to start an argument; I'm definitely NOT a proselytizer.

    Lois @ 3:00,
    When we honor those offers they'll need a program to tell which players are on the field.

    Lucina @ 3:33,
    You really are too kind, and I will not again question your eyesight. Thank you.

    Thank you, too, Chickie. Twenty-four ladies, eh? How many are invited altogether? :-)

    CA: It's not exactly my birthday, but maybe if I tell her it was your idea........

    ARBAON & Jayce:
    Thanks to you, too. It made being an old farmer a little more fun today.

    And finally:
    To An Observer,
    What vitriol? I wasn't the one ranting about Easter eggs and Hallowe'en candy. Most of your crew likes a little tinge of paganism. They must; nearly every symbol has its roots there. But I'll let it go if you will.

    I've gone a little long, so will call it a night. Any other old farmer salutes should go to your local farmer. If you don't have one, get one. You may need him/her if times get much harder.

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  60. Hi gang -

    My reading here at the corner has been sketchy of late, so I'm gleaning about current events from today's comments.

    fermat - glad you're back in the real world. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

    My mom was in a nursing home for a couple of weeks a while back, after her hip replacement. It was a new place, and everything seemed fine. I guess we were lucky.

    I knew I'd like this puzzle when I saw REDWING. Stumbled over many of the names though. Guessed at DALE COOK, not realizing that prints are GENETIC, not GELETIC. DOH!

    When my son was an undergrad at Lawrence Technological University, they had a contest to pick a name for their sports teams. He suggested the Lawrence WHELKs.

    Makes a dad proud.

    He who captures the harem ABDUCTS EN MASSE.
    WEASLEYs are red (haired) but not MAOISTS.
    When the church was remodeled, they got A NEW APSE.
    Is GARLIC CHEESE better than Limburger?
    Those who can't afford silk have to MAKE DO with SATEEN.

    Speaking of SLED DOGs, quite a while back we spoke about the DONA DIANA overture
    , thinking at the time that it had been used in the LONE RANGER TV show. We're playing it in our October concert, and discovered it was actually used in Sgt. Preston of the Yukon
    - with his mighty wonder dog Yukon King, of course!

    At the end of every episode, King would look up at him with his dewy brown eyes and say in his Eeyore-like voice, "Gee, Sarge, you're terrific."

    Cheers!
    JzB who occasionally conflates canines

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  61. Hi.

    The thermo meter on one of the back patios says that it 98. Likely to go over 100 tomorrow.

    No. 1 son is the sport nut. He has season tickets to the Giants and to
    the Radiers. Will be going to London on Oct 31st for the game in Wimbly.

    My sport teams are from Pittsburgh
    so, my baseball season is real short.

    Someone must be feeding my zucchini
    Viagra. The last one picked was 15"
    long and 3.5" in diameter. Not saying another word about it.

    I have no idea what I did to get the printer to work.

    take care.

    PS. Wee dram? Just pour.

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  62. 'bin, what a nice surprise, we were just talking about Arizona and wondering where you were. You are back in time to participate in the first annual everybody say something to celebrate the Corner day, which is scheduled on the Wednesday before thanksgiving, which is just a few weeks, away. We all hope you popping up means good things in your life, and hope to hear more soon. Stick around; the more things change here the more they stay the same.

    ReplyDelete
  63. This probably means Lo-li-ta at post 69 will reappear, hmmm

    ReplyDelete
  64. Not Lo-li-ta, she must be busy this evening.

    From WH@7:26 "It's not exactly my birthday, but maybe if I tell her it was your idea..." I was reminded of an old joke.

    A college psychology class was studing human reaction to sexual stimulus and of special interest was the frequency of amorous relations.

    ''How many students here,'' said the professor, ''engage more than once a week?''
    Five people raised their hands.

    ''And how many engage once a week?''
    Ten hands went up.

    ''How many twice a month?''
    Eight hands went up.

    ''Once a month?''
    Four hands were raised.

    ''And how may once a year?''
    A little guy in the back waved his hand frantically and giggled hysterically.

    ''If you engage only once a year,'' said the professor, ''I don't see what you're so overjoyed about.''

    Flush with excitement, the little guy said, ''Yeah, but tonight's the night!''


    I know, pretty corny, but it was one of the first "dirty" jokes I understood.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Bob@6:50, I thought the same thing about Columbus. Definitely no heroin when he was sailing the ocean blue. I looked at several "Columbus addicted to opium" links, but there was nothing to back it up. One of those things repeated as if repetition will make it so. Thanks for more blood type information too. Very interesting.

    Has anyone here had their DNA ancestry traced? Here's the site I looked at. Maybe when we get back from New Zealand....

    That's all for tonight. Everybody have a good one.

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  66. Clear Ayes, I looked at that site out of curiosity, since I have no idea where the hell I came from on the paternal side, but how can a DNA swab test give a detailed rundown on your lineage?

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  67. It looks as if they're getting close to bringing the first miner out. Good luck to all of them.

    CA, another good one that I hadn't heard for a long time. Thanks for the memories.

    In return, a woman professor was speaking to a rural group about birth control covering all the usual methods; rhythm, condoms, etc. After the class was over, a woman came up to her and wondered why the professor hadn't mentioned the method she used. The professor asked what her method was.

    She replied, "The bucket and saucer method."

    The professor said, "I've never heard of that one. Explain it to me."

    The woman said, "Well, as you can see, I'm a large woman and my husband is pretty short. So he stands on a bucket. When his eyes get big as saucers, I kick the bucket out from under him!"

    ReplyDelete
  68. Fermatprime, I'm so glad to hear that you managed to get out of that place!

    Also raising my glass to you, Windhover!

    I enjoyed the Mills Brother's link. I'm going to bring my Greatest Hits CD set to work so I can listen to them tomorrow.

    I tried putting in CONCH too. I've never heard of WHELK, other than Lawrence Welk...

    Cross-referencing clues are bad enough, but I find them even more frustrating when they're in reverse order... I got JURY first, then wracked my brains trying to come up with a phrase using ??? JURY.

    Robin! I'm glad to see you back. I was thinking about you the other day.

    ReplyDelete
  69. They just brought up the first miner. How exciting!

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  70. No time to even glimpse at the puzzle today as the Foodwhow looms up ahead as do fall chores when I arrive at home.

    I need to write a cookbook and get published and escape all else.

    Fermatprime, I am so happy that you are in a better place.

    Robin, or as my favorite Counselor calls you "Fishie"-not sure why; welcome back, you have been missed.

    Tinbeni, I am a sore loser.

    WH, here's my shout out whatever that's worth. Living where I do, I give a damn about how our farmer's reap their crops. As a matter of fact, I helped an "old farmer" go get gas today. He was very embarassed and at the same time said I smelled good. It made me smile.

    ChefWalt if you are out there lurking; DITTO re: the Jets.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Anon 11:00, it's a shame you are such a puny, small-minded person. Even a double dose of Viagra wouldn't help you. Go back to middle school and try again to get a life. The rescue of the miners and you. The highs and the lows of the day. ¡Pobrecito!

    ReplyDelete
  72. BillG, would you buy my cookbook? Listen to what Dennis and others say, don't "feed the trolls". I am pretty sure if I had the wherewithall, C.C. might post a link if I did actually take on that task. I'm talking about a cookbook assinie ANON.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Well, we're both feeding the trolls with an unpleasant recipe of how we picture them. I'm picturing a young adult male, insecure, not very successful with interpersonal relationship and who tries to validate his pathetic existence with various anons postings. Of course I would buy your cookbook. I'm still intending to buy a slow cooker BTW.

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  74. BillG, I will make sure to add some of those recipes to my cookbook. "Jeannie's always cooking". Do you like the title? Maybe we should have a census here. We always talk about what we SHOULD do, and sometimes we just don't get around to it. Enough's enough. I am going to start it after my life gets back to normal. Winter is coming, so that's the best starting point as far as I'm concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  75. So this is what happens on the Corner when I'm off teaching a night class! What a hoot! Funny jokes, all new to me.

    Thanks, Bob, for your further comments about Columbus. It did seem like a slur and I was ready to check on SNOPES.

    Have a great night, everyone!

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  76. I'd buy it, and I don't cook, at least not in the kitchen.

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  77. How about you, Frenchie? Don't let me be last.

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  78. I thought to fix macgyver style should be jerry (jeri) rig. Jury makes no sense. He didn't rig any juries, he created impossible things out of little or nothing. I believe the expression comes from WW11 American GI ingenuity.

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  79. Per Wikipedia, the term IS jury-rig and it is of nautical origin and has been around for centuries. Jerry-rig means the same thing but has been around that long.

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  80. World War eleven, wow, that was a long nap

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