google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday November 21, 2010 Gail Grabowski

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Nov 21, 2010

Sunday November 21, 2010 Gail Grabowski

Theme: Tell Me No More - TMI (Too Much Information) spans across two words in each familiar phrase.

27A. 1929 song co-written by Fats Waller : AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'. Peter Wentz used this phrase in his "Right on Cue" puzzle last year.

44A. Tenderloin cut : FILET MIGNON. What's the traditional food on your Thanksgiving table? We always have wild rice & mashed rutabaga.

59A. Eleventh hour : LAST MINUTE

82A. "Just passing through" : DON'T MIND ME

92A. Construction site sight : CEMENT MIXER

113A. Gulf War defense weapon : PATRIOT MISSILE

15D. Well-meaning error : HONEST MISTAKE. My favorite theme answer.

58D. Wartime operation : COMBAT MISSION

118D. Brief version of this puzzle's title hidden in eight long puzzle answers : TMI

Nice touch to put the unifier as the last fill.

Simple & elegant theme. Gail's puzzles are seldom complicated. She's also quite fond of pinwheel grid for her weekday puzzles, often with 4 theme entries.

Across:

1. Furtive utterance : PSST

5. "The Stranger" novelist : CAMUS (Albert). Nobel Literature 1957.

10. Resided : DWELT. The answer is seldom LIVED.

15. Jumble : HASH

19. Scale sequence : LA TI. Musical scale.

20. Stove supplier : AMANA

21. Fiber used for fishing nets : RAMIE. New word to me.

22. Org. concerned with ergonomics : OSHA

23. School founded by Henry VI : ETON. British school, 4-letter, ETON it is.

24. Like a ruined roux : LUMPY. I've never made a roux in my life.

25. Nice thoughts? : IDEES. Nice the French city.

26. Palindromic time : NOON

30. Monetary policy maker, informally : THE FED

32. "Gotta go!" : SEEYA

33. Time in an ad : TONITE. "This evening in ad" would be easier.

34. Broad lowlands : DALES. Like this?

36. 23rd Greek letter : PSI. Can never remember the order.

38. Snatched violently : TORE

40. Shell container? : GAS TANK. Shell Oil.

50. Mediation org. established by FDR : NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). Was ignorant of its existence.

52. Express discontent : MOAN. Hmm, I think Dennis wants "Express content".

53. WWII photo site, briefly : IWO. Iwo Jima.

54. Bout of indulgence : SPREE

55. Capital of Delaware? : DEE. Capital letter in Delaware.

56. Requiem : DIRGE

57. Record : DISC

63. Name on a compact : ESTEE. Compact mirror.

64. Not snookered by : ONTO

65. Fort Erie's prov. : ONT

66. Creator of sublime lines : ODIST. Real word. No complaint.

67. Blossom bits : PETALS

68. Longish coat : MIDI. Always associate midi with skirt.

70. False appearance : GUISE

71. Revered Tibetan : LAMA. Does this refer to Dalai Lama?

72. Firmly established : STABLE

75. Tapered transport : CANOE

76. Court addition? : IER. Addition to the word coutrier.

77. Pain in the neck : KINK

81. Year's record : ANNAL

84. Black, to a bard : EBON

85. Blog comments : POSTS. Nice "blog" clue.

86. Bit of work : ERG

87. Helpless, in a way : ALONE

89. Govt. smog watchdog : EPA

90. Hot pair : ITEM

91. Cheer alternative : TIDE. Cheer laundry detergent.

95. Tickle pink : DELIGHT

97. Buckwheat noodle : SOBA. Needs drops of sesame oil.

99. Many a bunt, on a scorecard : SAC (Sacrifice)

100. Doesn't split : STAYS

102. Colorful pet store purchases : TETRAS

106. Reach one's destination : GET IN

110. Its members travel in a world of their own : JETSET. Indeed.

116. Morlock prey : ELOI. From "The Time Machine".

117. Low-tech note taker : STENO

119. City on the Po : TURIN. Po River.

120. Damaging downpour : HAIL

121. Pull up stakes, briefly : RELO

122. Muscat native : OMANI. Muscat is the capital of Oman.

123. You might get a ticket for one : U TURN

124. Nerve-wracking exam, for some : ORAL

125. Finely honed : KEEN

126. Big name in Russian ballet : KIROV. Needed crossing help.

127. Has a quick look : PEEKS

128. Cross a stream, say : WADE

Down:

1. Courthouse entries : PLEAS. Tricky clue.

2. "Socrate" composer : SATIE (Erik)

3. Rock : STONE

4. Old-style photo : TINTYPE

5. Colombian city : CALI. Colombia's second-largest city.

6. Not to be missed : A MUST

7. Fast ballroom dance : MAMBO

8. Release, in a way : UNPEN. Release the pigs.

9. Greet informally : SAY "HI" TO

10. Club with a big head : DRIVER. Golf club.

11. Dry riverbed : WADI. Like arroyo?

12. Fix, as text : EMEND

13. Alibi, maybe : LIE

14. Research site : TEST LAB

16. Since : AS OF

17. Flat, e.g. : SHOE. I sure was not picturing shoes.

18. What a student might raise : HAND

28. Boom sites : MASTS

29. Lots : A TON

31. Fathers and sons : HEs

35. Avoid a strike, e.g. : AGREE

37. Self-destruct : IMPLODE

39. Consumer application : END USE

41. Vital supply line : AORTA

42. Silent films idol Conrad __ : NAGEL. First encounter with this idol. Quite handsome.

43. Mini exhibits? : KNEES. Sexy clue. I suppose LEGS could be clued this way also.

44. Everydog : FIDO

45. "Bingo!" : I WIN

46. TV series filmed on Oahu : LOST

47. Qom native : IRANI. Qom is a holy city near Teheran.

48. Daring exploit : GEST

49. Figure on a pay stub : NET

51. Belarusian's neighbor : LETT. Latvian.

56. Judge : DEEM

60. Get up on : MOUNT

61. Shoot the breeze, e.g. : IDIOM

62. American of Japanese descent : NISEI. Ni = Two. Sei = Birth. Same character as Chinese.

67. Curfew setters : PARENTS

69. Troubles : ILLS

70. Sacred river of India : GANGES

71. Fruit high in vitamin C : LEMON. All citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C.

72. Palatable : SAPID. Sure sounds like opposite, does it?

73. Govt. security : T-NOTE

74. First name in wilderness photography : ANSEL (Adams)

75. Part of a high-tech tangle : CORD

76. Not active : IDLE

78. Alpine denizen : IBEX

79. "In your dreams" : NOPE

80. Tree trunk bulge : KNAR. Learned from doing Xword.

82. Prayer object : DEITY

83. "Platoon" setting, for short : NAM

88. Slate and Salon : EMAGS. Both on line magazines.

91. "Don't worry about it" : THAT'S OK

92. Radio-active sort? : CBER

93. Swallow something hook, line and sinker : EAT IT UP

94. Revue with fancy footwork : ICE SHOW

96. Old telecom giant : GTE. Merged into Verizon.

98. Holy Roman emperor, 1209-'15 : OTTO IV. Peeked at the answer sheet.

101. Primitive projectile : SPEAR

103. Itinerary : ROUTE

104. Based on __ story : A TRUE

105. Unsportsmanlike look : SMIRK

107. Jeweled topper : TIARA

108. Tale of an ancient siege : ILIAD

109. "Ally McBeal" lawyer : NELLE. Played by Portia de Rossi. Ellen's love.

110. Schmo : JERK

111. S. Grant foe? : E LEE. Weird answer, isn't it? Gen. Robert E. Lee.

112. Lacquered metalware : TOLE

114. __ regni: in the year of the reign : ANNO

115. Room renters : INNS

Answer grid.

C.C.

38 comments:

Dilbert said...

Hi all.

Pretty straight forward. Didn't look for TMIs untill I was finished.

Hope everyone in the Twin City area
is staying warm and dry. Just saw the WCCO weather report.

Take care.

Barry G. said...

Yep, pretty straightforward all right. Getting the theme did help me in one spot, however. I had SNEER and then SNARK for 105D, and once I found out that each theme answer was supposed to have TMI I was able to change that to the correct SMIRK. I probably would have gotten that via the perps anyway, but whatever...

Nothing else to say about this puzzle, so:

Unrelated News Item #1: Pats vs. Colts today! Thank heavens the game is at a reasonable time (4:15 EST) this week. I just can't do those late night games any more.

Unrelated News Item #2: I'm really loving my new car again! I had a minor suspension problem for awhile that was causing a clunking sound whenever I hit any imperfection in the road, and it was really sucking the enjoyment out of driving the car. I got it fixed the other day, however ($150 to replace the passenger-side sway bar linkage) and now I'm back to grinning from ear to ear whenever I step on the gas. Gotta love that 34 HP V8 Hemi engine!

Unrelated News Item #3: My dad is doing well in rehab, where he will probably remain for the next couple of months. It's a shame he won't be out for the holidays, but we will try to go visit him as much as possible. I just wish it weren't a 90-minute drive each way to the rehab center. Still, see Unrelated News Item #2... ^_^

Have a great one!

Argyle said...

A great day to everyone.

Happiness is getting Mr. Happy Pencil when you enter your last letter. Actually, it startled me; I thought I must have one or two I had to check.

As they say, your results may vary.

Argyle said...

34 HP V8 Hemi engine!

Even my old three cylinder, two-stroke Saab had more HP than that. (not much more)

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Husker Gary,
I was a bit puzzled myself when Bob first appeared in the blog with short comments mostly about his time. But gradually I've learned his style. Like others, I've been so impressed by and appreciative of his amazing contribution when he does have time for the blog.

You summed up well last night: "I'm here and care enough to check in". That's a very important & comforting message to all who blog here, because we care.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, CC and friends. So good to "see" you again, CC.

This was a fun Sunday puzzle. I think I found today's puzzle a bit harder than the previous posters, but not too hard to be frustrated.

I didn't get fooled by Nice Thoughts? = IDEES.

I was, however, briefly mislead by the Name on a Compact = ESTEE, even though I have one in my purse.

My favorite clues were: What a Student Might Raise = HAND; and
Mini Exhibits? - KNEES.

I was also mislead by Alibi, Maybe = LIE.

CC: I couldn't open your link to Dales (34-A).

Barry G.: So glad to hear that your dad is doing well. You are also lucky that he is only 90 minutes away. Unfortunately, my parents are a long plane trip away. Fortunately, they are currently in good health.

QOD: An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her. ~ Agatha Christie.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dilbert,
Cold & icy outside. Treacherous to get the newspaper earlier.

Barry,
I am so happy to hear that your dad is improving. Hope he gets a full recovery in near future.

Argyle,
Wow! I've never finished a LAT Sunday sans cheating.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Haltool,
Thanks for pointing it out. I've relinked the DALES picture. Also, as I told Carol on Friday, Notepad is a feature in Across Lite only. You won't find it in LA Times website.

Ideally, there shouldn't be even dashes in the clues (The newspapers all got it right). But the online software won't accept nothing for clues, so Dan had to put in dashes for his gimmick. Hopefully Litsoft, the developer for Across Lite, will amend on this and make clueless clues possible soon.

Hahtoolah said...

CC: I have never made a roux, either. The first instructions in true southern Louisiana cooking recipes, however, is: First you make a roux.

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.and all,

Enjoyed your write-up,C.C.; had the same problem as Hahtool on
link.

My ignorance, about "The Stranger" novelist, left me to struggle with much of that block- 3 blocks empty and 2 wrong.After looking at it I could have cleaned some of it up, but not the 'C'- Camus and Cali, Columbian city.

My favorite was 'hot pair'-'item'.

Thanks, Gail, for your puzzle and my new word, 'gest'. I can't believe this lovely little word escaped me all these years. Nice Sunday morning gift.

Barry, so glad to hear about your Dad. Hope the rehab brings him back to par.

Hey, Mr Happy Pencil- super job!

C.C., Glad you joined us,too!

Have a nice day everyone.

Barry G. said...

Even my old three cylinder, two-stroke Saab had more HP than that. (not much more)

Um, yeah. Make that 340 HP... ^_^

HeartRx said...

Good Morning C.C. et al.

Thanks for the write-up, C.C. As always, very informative. I "re-learned" a couple words today: SAPID and GEST.

“SAPID” is often used to describe the flavor wine or cheese – two favorites of mine. Especially when they are enjoyed together.

I actually had “feat” for 48D at first, because I thought GEST was spelled with an “e” at the end, as in “Beau Geste”. There were many remakes of this novel, but I think the best-known was the 1939 version with Gary Cooper. So the English translation is just missing the final "e".

I did finish without any look-ups, so I’m a happy camper today. Now it’s outside to rake up the last of the pesky oak leaves. Have a great day, everyone!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning C.C. and all.

Good Sunday challenge but ultimately, doable. Still had house guests so revisted it about 3 times. Great joy when Mr. Happy Pencil made his entrance. Gimmes included ONT, and the IBEX/CEMENT MIXER cross. There were many clever clues; I especially liked KNEES and GAS TANK. Nice thoughts - IDÉES - was good, too. No searches were needed.

Enjoy the day.

Grumpy 1 said...

Hot pair/ITEM.. HANDS and KNEES.. MOAN...TMI!

Lucina said...

Good morning, C.C. and all.

Very nice puzzle from Gail, fun to fill and went quite fast. No big problems until ICESHOW, SAC, and EMAGS. Had to leave those blank for the blog.

Otherwise easy for Sunday. ESTEE is always cosmetically related so it's almost automatic.

Had ODETS first for creator of sublime lines, then ODIST emerged with LETT and AGREE.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

creature said...

Actually, Gest is the first spelling for:1}adventure; exploit. Geste is the second.

Geste is the first spelling for:
1}deportment; 2}[archaic]gesture. Gest is the second.

From Merriam Webster.

HeartRx said...

Creature,
Yep, you're right! Thanks for the alternate spellings.

Dodo, I forgot to mention earlier, that it seems like "ODIST" will be our newest "odious" word !! LOL

JD said...

Good morning C.C. and all,

Worked hard on this one, but I am improving on completing Gail's xwds. The multi word answers used to baffle me.
Lots of "knowns" that I temporarily did not know, or didn't associate with the clues, like dirge, odist,guise and dales(nice picture C.C.).Should have had a V8 with DEE..had no clue what it was.On the other hand, I loved the TMI.
Combat mission looked like a war zone/holes everywhere, but my hour was up...and it's family day.I always enjoy the challenge.

Barry, so glad to hear about your dad, AND your car.I don't think women are bothered so much by funny car noises; we just turn up the volume on whatever.

Bob L. said...

Though I got the theme 'TMI' quickly from the answers Patriot Missile and Cement Mixer, I never did remember what it meant. I had to look it up online. Am I the only clueless one?

TMI = Too Much Information

Ah, then I got why 'Tell me no more' was the puzzle clue.

daffy dill said...

Great write-up, C.C. Thanks.

Late posting again. I won't reiterate what everyone else has said. Like JD, there were things I knew but they just wouldn't come to the front until I had enough perps to get and "Oh, yeah!" We've had SAPID before and I still think it means the same as "vapid." I did have to look up CAMUS. It seemed like an easier than usual Sunday Puzzle. I liked the theme and got it quickly.

Barry, I'm glad your dad is doing better.

Have to go back to the dentist tomorrow. Crown work. Joy, joy!

Dilbert said...

Hi.

Liked this one:

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/
overboard.

Karin P. said...

Such an elegantly enjoyable puzzle by Ms Grabowski--and a fine way to get reacquainted with some words on the mental 'back burner,' e.g., SAPID and TINTYPE. Enjoyed the clues for GAS TANK and ESTEE but I missed the mark on the first go for ON TO and E. LEE. NAGEL was new to me. Perhaps I finally will remember the differences between
'vapid' and sapid now?

Don't often have the time to try my hand at the Sunday puzzles, so it was a delight to find one which offered a blend of fun and challenge.

C. C.: To answer your question the word 'lama' (བླ་མ་ in Tibetan script, derived from Sanskrit) refers to an upper level priest in the Tibetan branch of Buddhism. The title is bestowed, somewhat akin to how Bishops are named in some Christian churches. (Info courtesy of Wikipedia)

I heard the Dalai Lama speak once on the topic of Peace, and he was wonderfully funny and astute. Rumor has it that he is thnking about retirement. I cannot say that I blame him! He criss-crosses the globe more than 80 times per year.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - Loved today's big puzzle, even if I did fall for most of the traps (Nice, particularly).

LETT, WADI, and KNAR came from some memory recess I didn't know was there. EMEND was recent enough that I got it, eventually. GEST is new to me, as is RAMIE. I hope there's room for more in that memory recess...

Had to wait 'til this evening to puzzle because the local church had its traditional Thanksgiving meal for lunch MMMMMMM. It's a nice warm-up for the real deal Thursday.

We're cramming for our Harry Potter final by watching all 6 of the previous films. The last one is tonight (Half-Blood Prince).

Stay warm, folks!

dodo said...

Hello, C.C. and crew,

How nice to hear from you, C.C., and your blog, as usual, was just great! Be very careful on that ice!

This was a challenging puzzle today, but very doable. It fell together quite quickly by working across and down almost all the way through, I didn't have much trouble. Just two letters: 58A, Capital of Delaware, and 99A, bunt on a scoreboard, were snags! I was so sure that 39D was one word that I had to resort to the alphabet, and when I got to "D", wham, the V8can! I'm ashamed that I was taken in by that all too familiar clue!
As for "sac", I have never heard of that! I just can't believe all the acronyms that must appear on a baseball acoreboard! Is there one for every single move in the game?
Like Kazie and a few others, I'm an ignoramus re: baseball (and many other sports) so they'll get me every time! Maybe some day a constructor will come up with some abbreviations for knitting instructions or baking ones, other than "tbsp" and we sports challenged ones will have our revenge!

Barry G., I'm so happy to hear about your dad. I hope he keeps on improving!

Bob, I hope you're feeling better, too. Take care of yourself until you're sure you've completely recovered! It's a nasty time of year for chest problems! Good luck.

Hahtoolah said...

Dodo: I am sorry we missed your birthday. You know your friends here would have liked to recognize you on your special day.

creature said...

Dodo, Sorry, there is no apparent system for birthdays. It might be a good idea to set up a couple of people to be responsible for the posters' birthdays. I'm guessing there are lots of folks, who have birthdays slip by. What is the current system that made us aware of Jimbo's B'day?Hahtool, doesn't Dennis announce these? If he has them? Just something to think about.

Dennis said...

creature, yes, I have the master list, and I've asked people to make sure they give me their birthdays, but I'm sure I still don't have everyone's.

If anyone hasn't given me theirs, here's another chance to do so. I've got close to 60 so far.

Dodo, I'm sorry we missed yours, but it wasn't on the list. Of course, it is now. I hope it was an outstanding day for you.

WikWak said...

Can you stand one more Lama comment? (Compliments, I believe, of Ogden Nash.)

The one-L Lama, he's a priest.
The two-L Llama, he's a beast.
And I will bet a pink pajama
You've never seen a three-L Lllama.

(With apologies to firemen everywhere.)

Jeannie said...

Hey, since it was icy outside I completed my "swapping out mission" today. I am pretty sure that Windhover's took a lot less time than mine. BTW, the Viking's loss really bit as we hate to lose to Chicago and Green Bay...I am thinking Childress should be canned by tomorrow. What do you think Dilbert/EddyB? BTW, if you think you can't go blue because of past disgressions we already know who you are. C.C. or Dennis would have already deleted your comments by now. It appears you have decided to "play nice".

Gave my stab at the puzzle and learned a few things, like Idee, and Dirge.

I am also sorry to say I didn't know what a buckwheat noodle was-Soba but that one came out via perps.

I also thought a "hot pair" must have been aces...Not.

Also, wanted "expos" for mini exibits, didn't see "knees" at all...wonderful clue. Other fav's were "club with a big head" - driver and "palidronic time" - driver.

C.C. a must have at any Thanksgiving feast is my signature stuffing and the "screaming heads". Filet Mignon is my favorite cut of beef. Seared on high (both sides) wrapped in bacon and slow cooked the rest of the way.

My favorite counselor, good luck to you and your procedure tomorrow. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Lo-li-ta...

Jeannie said...

Correction...hate those as they burn up a post but don't want to look stupid, but palindromic time....NOON.

Enjoy your night, and think of me as I go slip sliding tomorrow on my way to work as they aren't so keen on hitting the side roads I take across the countryside.

Lucina said...

Dodo:
When was your birthday? I am so sorry we missed it. I certainly hope you celebrated in grand style!

Dennis said...

Lucina, Dodo' birthday was 10/29.

Clear Ayes said...

Better late than never. Good Evening All. I didn't have time to do the puzzle today and probably won't be able to check in for a couple of days.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when my best friend and her husband (from Oregon) came a-knocking at the door. They were on their way to Yosemite for a few days and may have been rained/snowed out. So they are going to stay here until the weather clears before deciding whether to head east or south.

It looks like we may be having another day or two of rain here, so I may be busy eating, laughing and drinking wine and not able to check in. Sorry about that, but somebody has to do it.

Be back soon.

creature said...

and ...Dodo, Happy belated Birthday!

creature said...

Dennis,I was being a smart... and gave you the date of the Gettysburg Address as my b'day; its 11/19.

Anonymous said...

Hi All,
I'm Kathy and I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. I enjoyed this puzzle but had trouble with 10d. All I could think of was "Bertha" as in "Big Bertha" the actual name of a golf club my husband uses. A little to specific I guess. Driver never did come to me. Have a wondeful Thanksgiving. Kathy

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Kathy,
Great to hear from you. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Anonymous said...

Thanks CC,
It should be great now that I have been excused from work Thursday!
Kathy