google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Anna Gundlach

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Oct 19, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Anna Gundlach

Theme: It's Your Move - Four twelve-letter entries that start with synonyms for your avatar on BOARD GAMES.

1A. With 73-Across, where you might find the starts of 20-, 33-, 43- and 59-Across: BOARD and 73A. See 1-Across: GAMES. Symmetrically placed pair.

20A. Guy in a spotlight: MAN OF THE HOUR

33A. Feature of much of Bach's music: COUNTERPOINT

43A. Coin for Long John Silver: PIECE OF EIGHT

59A. Symbolic but inconsequential act: TOKEN GESTURE

Argyle here.

I don't know about you but it gave me a start to see a unifier as the first entry. Then to find the last Across entry was also a unifier and together, they gave me no clue...well, I wasn't a happy camper. But the perps came through and the unifiers weren't really needed to solve the the themed entries. They did clarify the theme, so all is right in my Tuesday world.

This might be a debut puzzle. I would like to see more from this constructor.

Across:

6. Skips, as stones : DAPS. Did you remember?

10. "This doesn't look good" : "UH, OH!"

14. Sleep problem : APNEA. The temporary suspension of breathing, occurring in some newborns (infant apnea) and in some adults during sleep (sleep apnea).

15. Scat queen : ELLA. Ella Fitzgerald, also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella".

16. Best Musical award, say : TONY. For excellence on Broadway. Obie is for off-Broadway.

17. Almost fail : GET A 'D'. Tricky to parse.

18. "Parlez-__ français?" : VOUS. "Do you speak French?"

19. Slightly : A TAD

23. Country in which Tetris was created : RUSSIA. The puzzle video game was originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov.

26. Work hard : TOIL

27. Simpson judge : ITO. Lance Ito, the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who presided during the O. J. Simpson murder case.

28. Droid download, say : APP. Application.

29. Portfolio asset: Abbr. : STK. Stock.

31. Antacid named for its elements : MAALOX. Just google it if you need to know what they are.

37. Prefix with plasm : ENDO. Inner prefix.

38. Scepter's partner : ORB. Symbols of power. Image.

39. Inning sextet : OUTS. Three per side.

48. Spelunking spot : CAVERN. Spelunking = Cave Exploring.

51. Notable period : ERA

52. Meadow : LEA

53. Bird: Prefix : AVI

54. Senate helper : AIDE

57. Activating, as a fuse : ARMING

62. Numbskull : TWIT

63. Euterpe, to musicians : MUSE. Euterpe is the Muse of music.

64. Often unattainable perfection : IDEAL

68. Pre-Easter period : LENT

69. Blackjack needs : ACES. That and a face card or ten gives you 21 and that is good.

70. Nabisco's __ Wafers : NILLA

71. Beat by a whisker : EDGE

72. E-mail outbox folder : SENT

Down:

1D. Help a market cashier : BAG

2D. Unlock, poetically : OPE

3D. Hill crawler : ANT

4D. Chews (out) : REAMS

5D. Marcel Duchamp, e.g. : DADAIST. This is art? "Objet d'art".

6D. Punk/New Wave band since the '70s : DEVO. This is music? short clip.

7D. Like dirigibles : ALOFT. They are ALOFT when they're flying.

8D. Demoted planet : PLUTO

9D. Japanese fish dish : SASHIMI. Raw fish. Sashi = Pierced. Mi = Meat. Needs wasabi of course.

10D. The Beehive State : UTAH

11D. Hushpuppies are often fried in it : HOT OIL

12D. Running by itself : ON AUTO

13D. Original Oreo competitor : HYDROX

21D. __ Dogg, Snoop's cousin : NATE. Both are "musicians".

22D. Vivacity : ELAN

23D. 10K, for one : RACE

24D. Second word of many fairy tales : UPON. Once upon a time...

25D. Tater : SPUD

30D. McDonald's founder Ray : KROC

32D. Yours, in Reims : A TOI. Reims, a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lying 129 km east-northeast of Paris.

34D. "Don't think so" : "NOPE!"

35D. Start to conceive? : PRE

36D. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

40D. Fruit that isn't pretti? : UGLI. Cutesi to end them in "i".

41D. After that : THEN

42D. Male deer : STAG

44D. Turkey neighbor : IRAN

45D. Conundrums : ENIGMAS

46D. Weimar wife : FRAU. So we get a tad of German to go with our French today.

47D. Hoop or stud : EARRING

48D. Drive drove : CATTLE. Drove means herd.

49D. Swore : AVOWED

50D. Minnesota footballer : VIKING. Favre finally got Moss to play with him.

55D. Common wild card : DEUCE

56D. German industrial city : ESSEN

58D. Oil, watercolor, etc. : MEDIA

60D. Suffix with major : ETTE

61D. Part of SAT : TEST

65D. Horror film street : ELM

66D. Top-fermented brew : ALE

67D. __ Cruces : LAS. New Mexico.

Answer grid.

Argyle

60 comments:

  1. Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - well, this was different, having the theme partially clued right at the beginning.

    Speaking of the NW, I had one hell of a problem with 17A, compounded by not knowing who Marcel Duchamp was. I ended up with da_aist, and the only answer that seemed possible for 17A was 'get at', which seemed unbelievably weak for 'Almost fail', plus I'd never heard of a dataist. Finally realized that 'dadaist' was the only legitimate answer, but I must've stared at 'Getad' for 5 minutes before the can whacked me in the head. Nicely done. The rest of the puzzle flowed smoothly.

    I liked seeing 'Droid download' as I've been having fun going through the available apps for mine. It's almost like, oh, by the way, you can also make phone calls. Didn't like seeing 'Blackjack needs' because my last trip down to the casinos wasn't pretty. Decided to play some blackjack instead of the usual poker, and hit a losing streak that wiped me out in thirty minutes. Stunning dealer, though, which probably contributed.

    Argyle, as usual, superb job on the blog; I enjoyed the links.

    Today is Evaluate Your Life Day. Always a good periodic exercise.

    Did You Know?:

    - The shortest river in the U.S. is the D River in Oregon; it's 120 feet long.

    - There are about 10 trillion ways to play the first 10 moves in a game of chess.

    - When you adjust for the weight difference, men are stronger than horses. (I have a feeling the women will have a few horse-related comments, and I know which end they'll be referring to.)

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  2. Morning, all!

    Once I saw that 1A was the first half of a two-part answer, I just skipped it and hoped I didn't need to know the theme to solve the rest of the puzzle. And, fortunately, I didn't. Again, this was a case where knowing the theme added another dimension of "AHA!" at the end, but didn't help solving.

    Pretty smooth puzzle otherwise. Thank heavens I remembered MAALOX right off the bat! Do they even make that anymore? I don't recall seeing ads for it in a loooong time.

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  3. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Back in puzzle land after another airport adventure.

    This puzzle indeed started off with a jolt. I don't recall seeing a puzzle begin with references to the theme. It did take me quite a while to get some traction at the top. I filled in the long theme clues long before getting the unifier(s).

    Yes, Argyle. I did remember DAPS from the dark recesses of my brain. It does occasionally appear in crosswords.

    Didn't know Snoop Dogg's cousins, but was quite familiar with DEVO. I just didn't realize they were still around.

    My favorite clue today was Inning Sextet = OUTS.

    Tidbit of the Week: The London School of Economics found that on Tuesday, people are in their foulest mood. On Monday, the weekend has not yet worn off, but by Tuesday people are well into the working week and the following weekend is not yet in sight.

    QOD: The less routine, the more of live. ~ Amos Bronson Alcott.

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  4. Good morning Argyle and all, a nice puzzle this morning. A lot of difficulty getting started, but then a pretty easy ride after the start. Get a D was a long time in coming and not knowing Marcel Duchamp did not help. Once I got beyond the NE corner things went very well.

    I am not sure what counter point has to do with Bach, but the perps took care of that for me. And, yes, I did remember Daps. Like others I was surprised to see the unifier in the first and last puzzle positions.

    I think my favorite clues were get a D and inning sextet.

    Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

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  5. Missed one (DAPS at 6A). Never heard of it before. I thought DEVO was right for 6D, so I should have gone with my instinct. Otherwise, no problems. 17 minutes.

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  6. Good morning.

    A pretty easy puzzle all in all. Needed perps in places. I almost got a D in the NW with that one also.

    The D river. Unless there are other one letter rivers, does the D river also have the shortest name?

    The world record for "ducks and drakes" (see 6A) is 51 skips (which included several pitty pats at the end) set by Russell Byars on July 19, 2007.

    Have a great Tuesday.

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

    It was fun to know the theme entries but have to wait til the end for the theme.

    Perps gave me all but 'daps' and 'devo'. Even after the link, 'Devo'is meaningless to me.

    'Droid' and 'Tetris' are 'Geek' to me. Is 'Droid' a cell phone or an app? If an app, what?

    Argyle,your "objet d'art" is connected to Dadaism?

    I think I got up too early this am.
    Thanks for your help,Argyle.Maybe , this would be time for a brief snooze.

    Dennis- you're right, I've always heard "strong as a mule", but there is only one connector for horse that I can think of.

    Have a nice day everyone.

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  8. You know what? Its 'strong as an ox' and 'stubborn as a mule'

    Oh dear!

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  9. G'Morning Argyle, CC, Dennis, Barry (how's your Dad?), Hahtool, Dick and Bob

    I must have had an apnea attack, as I woke up at 2 am. The more likely reason was a thunderstorm ... we don't have many of those in these parts.

    This one was a jolly jape of for the most part. Nice theme, although GAMES came very quickly in the SE as the crosses were so easy (in common with much of the fill, which "reduced ones enthusiasm" a tad).

    One nice little juxtaposition - DADAIST and DEVO. Google DEVO and take a look at them - ought to know better at their age....

    Then we had ELLA and COUNTERPOINT - I had never connected BACH with SCAT before. I suppose HIP-HOP can be contrapuntal too, but then it ain't music - maybe 'rock poetry' if one was feeling very kind.

    One less pleasant near-cross. I would have to say that my quality of life has not improved by learning that REAM has many more meanings than 480 sheets of paper (might be handy after being reamed, I suppose). And then a few seconds later we are offered SCAT. Indeed.

    By a strange coincidence, yesterday's compiler, Don Gagliardo, is an anagram of "GOOD ANAL GRID". Verily. Propriety persuades me against anagramming Anna Gundlach.

    NC

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  10. creature, the Droid is indeed a smartphone, so named because of its Android operating system.

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  11. Argyle, Wonderful write-up.

    Liked just about everything in this puzzle.
    Anna, if this is your debut, WOW! & Great job.

    Well someone has to do it, SOOOOO, I am offically promoting PLUTO back to Planet status.
    Hey science guys, you TWITs, accept it or the REAMS will come (and I aint talking paper).

    Liked the HOT OIL / HYDROX / MAALOX crossings.

    UGLI may not be 'cute' but they are delicious! Esp. when I have them in Jamaica (I hear Negril calling me ...).

    Not a Snoop fan, so why should I know his cousin? NATE Dogg, all perps.

    I thought "Get A D" was clever. But let's leave it at that. (You and I know it WILL become "Get an A", "Get an F" etc).

    FUN Tuesday!

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  12. This is strictly for Jerome:

    There once was this person who sent several puns to all his friends, with the hope that at least some of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

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  13. This was a slog for me today even though the theme answers easily fell. Skipping stones and New Wave Punk group were unknown to me and I wagged a N instead of the D. I remembered Maalox, but not the spelling and and went Mae.... Atoi/Etoi ... both look French to me.

    Like some before me today, I can't associate Counter point with Bach.

    I'll blame today on this darn flu like cold that has caused my brain to become dimmer then usual.

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  14. Deanna, Brett Favre's wife, claims that there's nothing to the recent flap about the inappropriate messages and photos he sent out. They were supposed to be meant for her, but they just got intercepted...

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  15. Good morning Argyle et al,
    I saw GET A D right away, maybe it's the ex-teacher in me. But there were a lot of AHAS! and WTFs here to balance it. I had ZAP for DAP, and ZEVO made as much sense to me as DEVO would have. I also couldn't spell TONY because I had HIDROX. As a name for cookies, that has always seemed strange to me--sounds more like laundry detergent.

    Theme answers came quickly, only TOKEN caused a pause, because when I got the -NG- in the middle of 59A I thought it would have "I" in front of it. Once I had that, I stopped to see how they all linked up. Lots of unknowns, but no permanent problems.

    That is, except my computer. I got stopped short in the middle of this comment because somehow got the "sticky keys" checked and the keyboard stopped working until I found what it was and how to stop it.

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  16. Good morning, everyone.

    Been so busy I haven't even solved let alone had time to check in on the blog. I hope all are healthy and well.

    Interesting puzzle today. Argyle, after reading your write-up, I realized I didn't even see some of the clues. Good job!

    After the first 4 moves of a chess game, the number of possible moves exceeds the number of atoms in the Universe! (or so I'm told)

    Barry G, I had a hard time with that second "A" in MAALOX, but finally got it.

    Kazie, that was just a reminder from your 'puter that it is really in charge.

    Nice to see you all. I'll try to ramp up my visits once again because I've missed the interchanges!

    Tschuß!

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

    Argyle, great write-up. I don't believe that your links for 5D and 6D were art OR music! We had "Dada co-founder" Jean Arp a few weeks ago, and now we have Marcel Duchamp: a much lesser-known artist of that movement. The link to his "Fountain" piece was perfect - this is quintessential Duchamp. A wry expression of "art" that is rather tongue-in-cheek, and almost a challenge to the observer to "make something of it" !

    I also agree with everyone that it was a jolt to see the theme revealed at 1A. This puzzle was a beauty, but for that one glaring flaw. It would have been very easy to clue 1A as "Where some chairmen sit", and then clue 73A as "With 1A, where you might find the starts of...". That way, the theme would only have been revealed at the end of the puzzle, as it should.

    Have a great day everyone, and try not to be too grouchy - hump day is coming!

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  18. Good morning everyone. Good write-up, as usual, Argyle.

    Pretty much agree with the previous comments. While the unifier words were easily gotten from the perps, they did not help the solve; The theme clues were adequate and, with the perps fell out easily. DADAIST was a WAG. GET A D was clever, but perhaps, too cute at the same time. I stared at it, too. No searches needed.

    Clear Ayes: Gute Reise. I hope that you have many opportunities to see Crux. New Zealand is sufficiently south, I believe, that the Southern Cross constellation track is circumpolar; you can see it all night long!

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  19. Dr. Dad
    Yeah, I know you got the "record number of skips" 51 set by Russell Byars on July 19, 2007 off the internet.

    But, and it is a heavy BUT ...

    The NASSA, North American Stone Skipping Association, in no way recognizes records of 40 or more skips very simply because you CANNOT count the skips from the videos presented as evidence.

    NASSA encourages 'new' records, but the records cannot be just guesses at the number of skips.
    NONE of the footage NASSA has seen verifies the number of skips claimed by the recordholder. NONE!

    If other footage exists, then the NASSA wants to see it.

    (Please note, I personally will do nothing that will get the NASSA upset. These people are serious "DAPS fans").

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  20. Mornin' All ~!

    I am here to join the "whoa" club for seeing the unifier at 1A. I just skipped it and rolled along.

    Cute clue for the day was
    Pretti for UGLI.

    GET A 'D' would have normally stumped me, but I must've been on the constructor's wavelength.

    Knew DEVO, had to adjust my spellings of MAALOX and HYDROX (yeah, it does sound like detergent).

    Felt compelled to add this link, since FRAU always makes me think of this scene.

    Shake off that "Tuesday" feeling !!!

    Splynter

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  21. Good Morning All, For some(very) obscure reason, the first Marcel I thought of was Marcel Cerdan, the lover of Edith Piaf. He was a boxer who was killed in a plane crash. Even more obscure than a DADAIST. Luckily BOXER didn't fit, so I had to go perpish.

    I didn't mind seeing one of the unifiers at 1A and 73A. It kind of forced me to solve at both borders at the same time....enjoyably different.

    (11D) Hushpuppies are often fried in HOT OIL. Are they ever cooked in anything else?

    I bet deep fried HYDROX taste pretty much the same as deep fried Oreos. I've never had either. Seems like fair goers can get just about any food dipped in batter and deep fried.

    Annette & Chickie from last night. It is a first effort, so hopefully my watercolor MEDIA techniques will get better. BTW, Windhover is always an inspiration. You just can't see what is going on behind that old barn...;o)

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

    Crockett, good to see you back with us. You have been missed!

    I was completely stunned by 1A; is this Tues? It didn't take long to see that this was going to be OK after all, after I looked up tetris to see wtf it was, and Duchamp. By the time I got to Euterpe, I was well on my way. I guessed muse in lieu of mute."Drive drove" didn't make sense until I filled the t(cattle) instead of an s (castle).Great clue

    I'm not familiar with Devo (what an odd group), but I will listen to anything by il Divo.Celine is singing with them in this "I Believe in You" clip.

    CA, what a lovely painting and very good for your 1st effort!!The grass-very California-most people don't get how pretty it is.

    anon @11:29 last night..I LOVED that poem you posted. I could definitely relate to it.

    Chickie and I are off to meet with and view some of WM's paintings that are in a gallery in San Jose.Will share later.

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  23. Argyle- It is indeed a debut puzzle.

    Anon- Old! But no slight intended.
    :)

    Hahtool- Are you related to Hotoil?

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  24. Hi all

    Good thing I have a supply of V-8 cans! I needed one for the same reason Dennis did (17A) and I didn't know who Duchamp was either.

    I have heard of APPS but didn't associate them with 'DROID DOWNLOAD'.

    Lots more unknowns for me making this a more difficult than usual Tuesday. Once I got the theme, it was easier. I didn't know DEVO or DAPS but the perps helped that area.

    All in all, I did enjoy this puzzle and though I don't remember doing one by Anna Gundlach before, I will look forward to her next offering :)

    CA: Loved your watercolor of the barn. You should continue painting, I think you have talent. There is a water color class being offered at a nearby community center and I am going to look into it.

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  25. Forgot to mention that I know the river DEE...I have seen it since I was a kid. You have to look quickly, it really is that small..more like a trickle.

    Crockett, so good to hear from you again. Glad you have the time now to join us, you have been missed.

    Dr.Dad, same goes for you!! Almost seems like old times here :)

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  26. It seems sleep apnea and fibromyalgia are the two most commonly diagnosed "conditions" now a days...Hey!! what about an all-medical puzzle?!

    I thought perhaps our constructor was Minnesotan (Viking), then perhaps French (vous, atoi), then maybe Utahan (beehive state),then possibly a card shark (common wild card, blackjack needs), or perhaps a southerner (hushpuppies)but I finally realized. Ms. Gundlach just has the first attribute a puzzle constructor needs; a little (and sometimes a LOT) of knowledge about a plethora of subjects. An enjoyable solve.
    To all the guest/semi-regular bloggers: You all have that attribute too! I fully expect to see some of your names on future puzzles. You all do a teetotally terrific job!

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  27. CA,
    I had a closer look at your painting and really admire your talent. Really vibrant color for watercolors, I thought. Like JD, I think grass that isn't pure green is much more interesting. That bare shrub on the left is very well done. Thanks for sharing.

    Sounds like you have the packing all sewn up. How are you traveling--by rental car or on a tour? What are the major stops planned?

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  28. Hello, Argyle, C.C. and puzzlers.

    Very nice, Argyle. Thanks for the explanations.

    Hand up, I just DAPped right over to the next word after seeing 1A. I am surprised more people don't recall DAP; it has been in many xwds.

    Most of this almost filled itself; my stumbling blocks were ATOI/ ETOI, hard to decide, but VOUS spilled right out, DADAIST since I don't know Marcel Duchamp, and I didn't see GETAD at all.

    I had no idea Snoop Dogg had a cousin, so a few blanks to fill.

    Otherwise, I thought it was clever and after finishing with GAMES saw the theme.

    We should add ESSEN to FRAU for our German lesson.

    CA:
    My applause, also, for your painting. It's lovely. I hope you plan to continue.

    Hopefully, you are all having an excellent Tuesday!

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  29. Clear Ayes: love your painting. You do, indeed, have talent.

    I also agree with your comment about frying hushpuppies I'm HOT OIL. What else would one use?

    Jerome: I am not related to HOT OIL, but I have gotten myself in HOT WATER on occasion.

    Did anyone else notice REAMS (4-down) and REIMS (32-down)?

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  30. GET A D was easy. ON A U_O brought me to a screeching halt. I figured the judge had to be ITO, but UTO made no more sense than any other combination.

    Board filled with perps and as soon as I saw man, I tried to put rooms in 73A

    Tinbeni, I copied this next part from the wikipedia article on the Kuiper belt. Bring on the reams!

    The discovery of these large KBOs in similar orbits to Pluto led many to conclude that, bar its relative size, Pluto was not particularly different from other members of the Kuiper belt. Not only did these objects approach Pluto in size, but many also possessed satellites, and were of similar composition (methane and carbon monoxide have been found both on Pluto and on the largest KBOs). Thus, just as Ceres was considered a planet before the discovery of its fellow asteroids, some began to suggest that Pluto might also be reclassified.

    The issue was brought to a head by the discovery of Eris, an object in the scattered disc far beyond the Kuiper belt, that is now known to be 27 percent more massive than Pluto. In response, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was forced to define a planet for the first time, and in so doing included in their definition that a planet must have "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit." As Pluto shared its orbit with so many KBOs, it was deemed not to have cleared its orbit, and was thus reclassified from a planet to a member of the Kuiper belt.

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  31. "get a D" for "almost fail"? it's right up there with "easy A" for "GPA booster."

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  32. Jerome: Anon @8:20 and I apparently
    share a love for the ridiculous. Having said that, what about these doozies?
    Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Not surprisingly it sank,
    proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

    A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager
    came out of the office, and asked them to disperse."Why," they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said. "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

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  33. ARBAON: I got those same two in my email. I figured that many would short out Jerome`s bulb :)

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  34. Hi all.

    It was a nice little xwd to end the evening. Cruciverb.com was up and running at 7PM local. 1A and
    73A didn't bother me. It was just
    different.

    I mailed my Nov 2nd ballot this morning. Now to wait 2wks to hear the results. The PO computer was down so the clerk was licking a hand full stamps to reach $0.78.

    It is an hour to go untill the game. SF has a better home record
    than Phi has a road record. It should be interesting.

    Take care.

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  35. Hi Peeps, I will read the blogs later but am out the door to help my Mother-in-law after the puzzle at school.

    I wondered about Start to conceive but that turned out pretty innocently. Someone needs to tell my how a dope-smokin' felon like Calvin Brodus (Snoop) became an A-list celebrity for which anyone in Hollywood would sell their birthright to be seen with or put on TV or in movies. He is a symptom of what is so wrong in so many lost lives when he is held up as a good example. Videos and lyrics that are so saturated in soft porn, profanity, misogyny and questioning of any authority can't be useful to a functioning society. Calling him a musician is like calling Lizzie Borden a lumberjack.

    I thought the Simpson judge was a Simpson's reference and forgot about the double murdering former Heisman winner. Unlike Reggie Bush, he still has his.

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  36. p.s. Just to show you our great golf weather, here is what coming up for us before the bottom drops out:

    Omaha Weather

    Fore!

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  37. Yeah, and Gandhi didn't need novocaine because he could transcend dental medication.

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  38. Husker, I'll see you and raise you 5 days.
    Fresno, CA

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  39. Afternoon All,

    Finally a chance to post. What a great puzzle. I liked the unifier being stuck in your face first thing. It actually got me thinking theme first and by the time I got to the SE I had both answers, thanks to perps, which helped me get the theme answers. I confidently filled in Tavern for 48A because I guessed Spelunking was some sort of a drinking game. I also thought it may be some slurred local slang. (From where I don't know and can you tell what's on my mind?) Took some time to erase Tattle and get Cattle, great clue!
    Marcel Duchamp is a new one also.

    Great write-up Argyle, as usual.

    Have a great evening/afternoon.

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  40. Gunghy, I'd go all in with a hand like that!

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  41. I'm still wrapping up Sunday's puzzle and if I'm not breaking any rules, could someone please explain:'final purpose to Aristotle'-'telos'? I've read and reread and its [pardon the pun] still Greek to me. If so,what is its meaning?

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  42. Hola Eaveryone, My first thought was," UHOH this isn't good", when I saw the 1A clue. But as with everyone else so far the perps are what saved the day.

    The one clue that I really did get was, Get A D. the school teacher in me, I guess. Too many kids think that if they get at least a D they haven't failed. My thought is, that they probably didn't get much out of the course if they pulled a D.

    I had two errors as I misspelled Kroc/Croc so that left Stk as SEC. That looked ok as I thought of SECurities. Not knowing Snoop Dog's cousin didn't help. I waited to come here to get the correct answer.

    I didn't remember Daps, so Devo was also left until the last fill. I guessed at the D and was correct. (For a change).

    Thanks Argyle for a great writeup and the fixes to my wrong answers. I have to take time later to look at the links.

    JD and I had a great visit with WM over coffee and at the gallery in downtown San Jose where she has some paintings on display.

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  43. Creature: Human beings are driven by purpose. We decide to do things, either for our own self-satisfaction or for the good of something or someone beyond ourselves. The ancient Greek term for such "purpose" is "telos," often translated as "final cause," sort of like the cause that drives us. Aristotle explored this concept in his philosophy and then went on to apply it to nature (an idea which modern science has rejected). Applied to nature, it becomes "teleology." It is teleological to suggest, for example, that giraffes have long necks so they can reach the leaves in the tops of tall trees, that mother birds act like they are wounded to lure predators away from their nests, or that driver ants form armies in order to conquer neighboring ant hills. This way of thinking ascribes human-like purpose to the world of nature. Modern research has convincingly demonstrated, however, that what looks purposeful in nature is much more complex and usually involves normal genetic variation or instinctual responses without conscious volition.

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  44. Good evening everyone.

    Great write up, as always, Argyle. Enjoyed it and the puzzle greatly.

    And Clear Ayes, do have a wonderful trip. Loved the thought of Charley getting your daughter's family in line with a Schipperke's world. Ha!

    I don't have much time, but I just had to let you know about this one.
    My church bulletin arrived today telling us that new hymn books had been donated. "The new books go a long way toward enabling everyone to sin along during Sunday services."
    I do go to a great church!

    Will be gone for a week or so, so carry on as usual.

    Cheers

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  45. Bonjour, CC,Argyle, and group.

    A really quick fix for today! This was a clever, enjoyable puzzle; Thanks, Anna.You, too, Santa! Nice work!

    I never heard of Marcel Duchamp, wither, but when I got d-a-d I figured dadaist was the word. Interesting link, there.

    I,too, was always baffled by Hydrox for a cookie name. It certainly does sound like cleanser or maybe a new medicine. No wonder it's been replaced by Oreos. Much better name. Are Hydrox still around? I haven't thought of them for years. There was another cookie of the same type a year or so ago that had a surfing expression for a name. They were very good, so Nabisco quickly got them off the shelves...at least locally.I've never heard of deep-fried Oreos.

    CA, I'm impressed with your barn. You're painting is lovely. Unusually deep colors for watercolor. It looks like there is an old-fashioned pump beside the door. Great detail.

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  46. Oops! That's 'your barn' not you're barn!

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  47. Sallie: That is very funny! I'll bet you have an interesting church service next Sunday!

    It was snack time in today's puzzle, what with the 'NILLA WAFERs, HYDROX cookies and UGLI fruit.

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  48. I echo the sentiment of hoping to see more puzzles from Anna!

    I had a more DF concept for ‘Start to conceive’... It had the right letter count too.

    CA, Windhover must’ve been busy up in the hayloft during your painting.

    I liked the change of pace where the unifier was at 1A. The two together didn’t help me with the solve much, but they weren’t needed. People blog about going straight to the SW for the unifier at the start of the puzzle, so why not put it up there.

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  49. Short NPR segments on Dada and Marcel Duchamp from 2006

    READ OR CLICK ON LISTEN

    Dada and Marcel Duchamp-1

    Dada and Marcel Duchamp-2

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  50. Bob-Thank you so much for your 'telos' explanation. You are a very special person to take such steps to teach me about this and I am eternally grateful for your lesson. It is beautifully written and I am in awe.

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  51. Chickie & JD, my California Coven friends. I sure missed seeing you both and WM. I bet you had a great time and I bet her latest paintings are spectacular. Did you take any photos?

    I have a long way to go with watercolors. I wasn't too sure I would like it, but I'm finding it interesting. I still like pastels a lot thought. Right now, I'm a "doodler", WM really is a talented artist.

    Bob, thank you for coming back with the explanation of teleology. You're such a knowledgeable guy. Just posting your puzzle time most days is fine, but you have so much more to offer. The links to Marcel Duchamp were also very interesting. I won't forget him again.

    Dodo and others, read it if you dare. Here's the scoop plus photos for deep-fried Oreos. Apparently the method works with Snickers candy bars, Twinkies, Pop-Tarts and even Hydrox.....OMG!!

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  52. Nice Cuppa:

    ANNA GUNDLACH=A CLAN HANDGUN.

    You're welcome.

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  53. CA, we missed you too.What a fun gallery where WM has her paintings..so many different types of art.No wine today, just lattes and good conversation. I sent C.C. a picture.

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  54. Hi gang -

    I'm arriving very late today. Nice puzle, not much left to say about it. Here is one musician who does not know Euterpe. She must be sister to Erato and Terpsichore.

    I do know a little about counterpoint, having actually written a few fugues.
    It is a style of musical composition in which two or more melodies are played simultaneously. There is a lot of technique in getting it to work properly. Here it is deftly explained and illustrated. Pi are cubed, (or raised to some higher power) at no extra charge.

    I'll be insanely busy for the next few days. Will stop by when I can.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  55. CA, I enjoyed your painting. I think you should stick with it.

    JD and Carol, Thank you.

    Cruciverb is behaving itself for me. I really enjoyed tomorrow's puzzle. Have fun with it!

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  56. My foodshow was the last couple of days; and ironically there are many references to that in this puzzle. Tony was my "go-to" man that I have worked with in the last three months. I was the "woman of the hour" when "uh-oh" was muttered when we were out(s) of parking places and came up with an alternative. "Hot oil" was also an issue as the recycling barrels weren't delivered. Jeannie on it..."Shashimi was definetly served, no "Hydrox" as Kellogg's/Nabisco is a big vendor of ours (Oreo's). This morning came way too early as we had a vendor appreciation party the night before which entailed "ales", and we all were pretty much in the "bag". There might be a follow up story on a lost wallet that was recovered via an "aide" and a "cab".

    Biggest score of the day was from the Reinhart "Meat God" who hooked me up with a 10lb choice prime rib.
    It really wasn't in my cards tonight to cut half into steaks, but it's done. I ended up with ten nice steaks and about a 4lb prime rib to bake off.

    Enjoy your evening...I am off for a soak in the tub and sleep. Now why didn't I take tomorrow off???

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  57. Jeannie, I'm glad your foodshow came off with just a hitch or two-- that you seemed to have conquered without too much of a problem.

    That prime rib sounds absolutely wonderful. It must have been huge.
    I know that you'll enjoy it.

    Sallie, What a wonderful story about your new hymnals. Your bulletin writer won't live that one down for a while. My friend does the bulletin for her church in Hawaii and I'm going to send it straight to her. She'll get a good laugh out of it.

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  58. Welcome all, You may have been wondeing where I've been lately.
    This is the hardest message I've ever had to write. I'm writing from a rehab center where I'm spending some time getting away from drinking. I had gotten in the habit of having four stiff drinks every evening and then coming down to dinner intoxicated. This upset Barbara and my kids. I wouldn't want to visit anyone in the evening because I'd rather be at home. Needless to say, this caused alienation among me, Barbara and my kids.


    This facility is a dreadful place for me to be. There's one computer I can sometimes check out as I have today. There is no TV. There was a lecture for the men tonight and there wasn't room for me on the bus. So here I am typing away my misery with nothing else to do for several hours.
    There are lots of other people here, almost all of them much younger than me, most of them here for multiple problems with hard drugs and have returned here several times. We have little in common so there aren't many people for me to have a conversation with.


    I'm convinced I can never have a drink again. But the process I'm going through to get there is so alien to me. It's going to be a hard habit to break because it's the way I've lived my evenings for the past 20 or more years. I hope to come home soon and keep no liquor in the house. The evenings will be hard because of the bad habits I've gotten in for many years but I will have to do it. Wish me luck. It's going to be hard but I never want to go through anything like this again.


    Love, Bill

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  59. Bill B:
    I am so sorry to hear of your problem; it is a really tough one to overcome, but you sound determined and you are devoted to your family, so I'm sure that will be a powerful motive for you.

    I shall say some special prayers for you. Hang tough and know that we here are pulling for you.

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  60. Sallie:
    That is really funny! You may have an influx of new members by next week!

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