google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, December 13, 2010 Gareth Bain

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Dec 13, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010 Gareth Bain

Theme: Puzzle of the Moment - Four progressively longer periods of time that end the common phrase theme entries in the pattern of " __ OF THE __".

19A. Restaurant special: SOUP OF THE DAY

27A. '60s ABC boxing show: FIGHT OF THE WEEK

41A. Featured mail-order club offering: BOOK OF THE MONTH

47A. Motor Trend magazine award: CAR OF THE YEAR

Argyle here.

This is one of those rare ones where you can almost fill in the answer without seeing the clue. A neat trick to keep it simple but still fun. Good one, Gareth.

Across:

1. __ Squad: Best Buy service team : GEEK. One heck of a marketing gimmick. VW.

5. Paving surface : TAR

8. Classic orange soda : FANTA. Fanta originated when ingredients for the production of Coca-Cola became difficult to obtain in the company's Germany plant during the build up to World War II. A fascinating write-up in Snopes.

13. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE

14. Naked : BARE

15. Ruthless J.R. on "Dallas" : EWING. TV's famous season ending cliffhanger, "Who Shot JR?".

16. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

17. Write on, as sheet metal : ETCH

18. Mediterranean island country : MALTA. Map. I've heard of Malta but not Gozo.

22. Barrio uncle : TIO

23. MSN rival : AOL

24. Rap's Dr. __ : DRE. It seems he's crossword's Doctor, also.

32. Fillies, as adults : MAREs

33. Singer Chris or actor Stephen : REA. Chris Rea: "Fool (If You Think Is Over)", Stephen Rea: "The Crying Game".

34. Tennis star/anti-apartheid activist Arthur : ASHE

35. Microwave gadget : TIMER

36. Sci-fi escape craft : POD. An escape pod figures importantly at the start of "Star Wars".

37. Geometry calculations : AREAs

38. Minute stake? : ANTE

39. Vienna's land: Abbr. : AUS. Austria.

40. Nasal detections : ODORS

44. B'way "no seats" sign : SRO

45. Contrived : PAT

46. Run in : NAB. Police-speak.

53. Ribs sauce style, briefly : BAR-B-Q

56. Silents actress Theda : BARA

57. Niger neighbor : MALI. Map.

58. French parting : "ADIEU"

59. What avengers get : EVEN. (Must resist urge to post picture of Mrs. Peel!)

60. Study a lot in a short time : CRAM

61. Roger who played Bond : MOORE. Bond, James Bond.

62. Low grade : DEE

63. Cathedral recess : APSE

Down:

1. Mardi __ : GRAS. FYI: Carnival celebration starts on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany); and picks up speed until Midnight on Mardi Gras(March 8), the day before Ash Wednesday.

2. Continental cash : EURO

3. Biblical twin : ESAU

4. Brown seaweed : KELP

5. Bit of body art : TATTOO

6. Semicircular entrance : ARCH

7. Prepared, as leftovers : REHEATED

8. Doe, for one : FEMALE

9. On holiday, say : AWAY

10. Zero, in soccer : NIL

11. Explosive abbr. : TNT

12. __ Khan : AGA. The divinely ordained head of the Ismaʿili branch of Shiʿism.

14. Suits : BEFITS

20. Catchall category : OTHER

21. Qatar's capital : DOHA, Arab emirate.

24. The Kalahari, for one : DESERT. Map. I'll admit I thought of sushi for a sec.

25. Uninspired new version : REHASH

26. Barely gets by, with "out" : EKES

27. Key of Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata : F MINOR

28. "You are not!" rejoinder : "I AM TOO!"

29. Plato's language : GREEK. Does the Geek Squad speak computer Greek? I wonder.

30. First-year student, briefly : FROSH. Freshman.

31. __ Terror: Bush campaign : WAR ON

35. Bills at bars : TABS

36. Finished dealing with : PUT TO BED. Often said of publishing a paper.

37. Hacienda brick : ADOBE

39. "We Three Kings" adverb : AFAR

40. Certain Nebraskan : OMAHAN

42. Opposite of transparent : OPAQUE

43. Main dish : ENTRÉE

47. Trucker with a handle : CBer

48. Top choice, for short : FAVE

49. Song sung with arm motions : YMCA

50. O.K. Corral name : EARP. The Earp brothers, Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil.

51. Word of sorrow : ALAS

52. "The __ of the Ancient Mariner" : RIME. A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in 1798.

53. "Pow!" cousin : "BAM!"

54. Hoo-ha : ADO

55. __ Grande : RIO

So I'm weak! Mrs. Peel

Answer grid.

Argyle

58 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Mostly smooth puzzle today with a fun theme. I breezed through most of it, but got stuck a bit in the west end where I put in RADAR for TIMER and FMAJOR for FMINOR. At the time, I was thinking that RADAR guns used microwaves, but now I'm not so sure....

The only other hesitation was over DOHA, which was totally unfamiliar to me and required all the perps to get. Kind of a strange word to see on a Monday, but easy enough to get.

Have a great one!

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and Friends. This was a great puzzle to start off the work week. It was a pretty easy theme, but still was lots of fun.

My only hangup was to think that the classic orange soda was Orange Crush, not FANTA.

Here's Theda BARA, almost 14-Across. I guess here name was apropos.

Here's the countdown to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Although the Kalahari is better known, did you know there is also a desert in Maine?

Sometimes an Arch leads to nowhere.

It's cold here; it won't even reach 50F, but I won't complain as I know many of your are experiencing sub-zero weather and tons and tons of snow. Stay warm, everyone.

Quote of the Day: The best car-safety device is a rearview mirror with a cop in it. ~ Dudley Moore

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

Thanks, Argyle for the write-up; I don't get the Mrs Peel link. Its early though.

Nifty theme and easy puzzle. Fanta was not at the front of my brain;Doha was completely new to me. Thanks to perps.

Abejo, welcome to our group.

Jeannie, great to see your posts. Bet your lasagna is outstanding.
Your avatar is chilling; I miss your pretty face.

JD, what's with the ice pack in your jeans?

Have a nice day everyone.

Mainiac said...

Morning Argyle, CC and All,

Went through the across clues and had only a few answers. Went through the downs and filled most of it in. Doha was the only unknown perps took care of. Typical Monday.

Hope everyone in the Midwest survived the snow. We're getting it now. Raining cats and dogs and blowing like stink! Gusts up to 60 mph.

Have a great Monday.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

Argyle, thanks for the informative write up, but like Creature, the Mrs. Peel link has me wondering what I missed. Also, I must remind you, the beautiful Diana Rigg is, was ,and always will be the true Mrs Peel.

Today's puzzle didn't do a lot for me. Too straightforward I guess, or maybe I'm too darned tired. The one clue I chuckled at was BarBQ. It's a variation I had not seen previously. Made my mouth start watering for a brisket from Angelo's in Ft Worth.

Three inches of rain in the area yesterday that started out as ice. Driving at 5:30 AM was pretty dicey. Fortunately, there were not too many of us greedy capitalists on the road early.

Enjoy your Monday.

fermatprime said...

Hello All!

Have been neglecting puzzles and attempting to get Christmas shopping done online. Got tired of that and worked a bunch of puzzles. As usual, enjoyed Sylvia Burstyn (LAT Calendar section) the most. Dragged during Friday's offering.

Has someone posted this before? Hallelujah Chorus. Pretty spectacular singing by secular group in Canada. But an egregious amount of hateful comments follow.

Time for beddy-bye?

Lemonade714 said...

Argyle:

Thank you for making this Monday a fun one, but as you said,there were parts of the puzzle where you could fill without reading the clues. I personally am sure the GEEK Squad speaks GREEK as they EKE out a living watching the Fight of the WEEK!

I must go, it is cold and grey, kind of BLEAK, it makes me feel WEAK.

Time to go...

thehondohurricane said...

Holy Cow!

I'm totally ashamed............ the pix is Diana Rigg. Hope this is not an omen for the rest of the day.

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and all, this was a typical Monday puzzle. It was just a matter of filling the squares and any mistakes were easily recognizable. Having said that, I had a few places where I managed to mislead myself. For 28D I entered “yes I am” and F major for 27D, but I quickly realized FY was not valid.

I am a bit late this morning as I had to go out and plow the driveways at about 5:00 am. The snow wasn’t too bad, but it sure was cold, near single digit, with a howling wind. Glad that is done, but will probably need to be done again today.

Hope you all have a great Monday.

Lucina said...

Good morning, Argyle et al.

Wow! This is about as straightforward as it can get. I started filling in "OFTHE" after the second theme entry and it almost filled itself after that.

Thanks, Santa, for the Mardi Gras info. I did not realize it was that detailed.

DOHA is what I heard numerous times during the dinner with the exchange students. Two are from Qatar.

Minute stake? ANTE evoked a smile

I'm sorry so many of you are in the throes of a severe snow storm. Please stay safe and warm.

Have lovely Monday, everyone!

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning Argyle, et al.

Not being musically trained, I did the FMAJOR thing too, but the perps care of that.

Barry, radar guns do operate at microwave frequencies, but at much higher frequencies than the microwave oven.

Doha was a gimme, as it frequently shows up in news items from the mideast. The Sunday NYT CW from a week ago had a twist on that with the clue 'Doha native/QATARI' for the 1d entry.

Had BARR instead of BARA, but perped it out. My only other misstep was when I started to put in CRETE for 18a. I was there about two months ago so it was still at the top of the memory stack. I quickly realized that Crete is not a nation but just a large island claimed by both Greece and Turkey. MALTA replaced that entry and everything else fell into place.

Forecast low tonight is 38. I know a lot of you would like to see that temperature, but here in Naples, that's downright COLD! At least it gives me an excuse to use the fireplace and burn up a few logs.

Barry G. said...

It's cold here; it won't even reach 50F, but I won't complain as I know many of your are experiencing sub-zero weather and tons and tons of snow. Stay warm, everyone.

Heh. After a week of temperatures in the teens and twenties, it's actually quite warm here today; it might even reach 50F! ^_^

Lemonade714 said...

Argyle wrote:
59. What avengers get : EVEN. (Must resist urge to post picture of Mrs. Peel!)

Mystery solved

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Nice informative write-up, Argyle.

Abejo, Welcome aboard.

Easy Monday, today. One pass with a back step to FANTA was all that was needed. The theme words were fun but the repetitions of 'OF THE' ate up some squares. Liked the clue for ANTE. When I see 'avengers' I think of Emma Peel, too. We had ARAL two days in a row. (Not the constructor's fault)

ADIEU

MH said...

Great writeup - the Fanta story is really interesting. And I used to love the Avengers, although I recently watched a few on Netflix and them seem sort of naive and simple in this day of incredible movie and TV special effects.

Pretty easy puzzle but maybe a little on the tough side for a Monday. I had a few miscues: FSHARP, then FMAJOR before FMINOR, and CRETE before MALTA. But all were resolved with perps so it was a very doable puzzle.

Abejo said...

This is my second day of particpating in this great experience. Thank you for allowing me. I worked the Monday crossword on my way to work on the bus. It was a typical Monday crossword, not too difficult. I liked the theme, day, week, month, and year. I am confused on 45 across. I cannot link the answer, PAT, to the clue, CONTRIVED. I even checked the dictionary when I got to work. Any help? Abejo

Spitzboov said...

Abejo - I took 'contrived' in the sense of a contrived answer or contrived solution. PAT answer seemed to work. I agree it was a bit of an obtuse clue.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Nice job, Argyl. I always enjoy Gareth's puzzles. Nice, easy start to the week.

Other possibilities:
Man of the hour.
Game of the week.
Playmate of the month.
Person of the year.

Drawing a blank on DECADE . . .

I think the Squad speaks Geek.

F,B,D,G,C SHARP, -MAJOR, -MINOR - these always need perp KELP - er, help!

The lovely young lady in the magnificent Hallelujah Chorus vid, featured for 4 seconds at 2:47 is almost a Diana Rigg look-alike.

Cheers!
JzB

Nice Cuppa said...

Thanks Argyle. It seems some of our regular contributors did not read thoroughly through your post. Tut tut, I'd say, given how much time and effort you and the others put into this. They must be avenged! Well, maybe an apology would suffice.

DOHA comes up in the news often as it gives its name to the regular meetings of the World Trade organization (the first one was held there in 2001).

You will also be hearing a lot more about DOHA and QATAR quite soon, as, amazingly, it was decided last week that the 2022 World Cup (that's soccer, folks) will be held there.

Now I have the "We Three kings" melody stuck in my brain...just the 1 adverb in the first verse, yup...

Santa Ana condition persists here - so another hot (~80°) day at the beach.

NC

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Great write-up, Argyle. Learning moment with the FANTA link !

THis was a speed run, with only one unknown - like many others, I did not remember DOHA. But perps solved it anyway.

DH and I will be attending Mardi Gras this year. We have friends in N.O. so accommodations are not a problem. And their family has rented the same condominium on the parade route for more than 30 years, so we will have an excellent view, AND a place to go to the bathroom (don't laugh - I hear that is the crucial issue at Mardi Gras!). Now all I have to do is figure out costumes....hmmmm, maybe the AVENGERS?

Have a great day everyone!

Husker Gary said...

Argyle and friends, the puzzle and the theme were fun today but the info from Argyle and Hahtool were wonderful! It is 10 degrees warmer this morning than yesterday (-1 to +9) but without wind – no prob!

Musings
-Pat answers are what politicians give when they don’t want to say anything. Questions they can’t answer make them revert to talking points
-Bought this laptop from the Geek Squad
-Orange Soda? NEHI, CRUSH, NESBITS – nope, FANTA
-Hand up for CRETE
-UFO for POD. I remember that scene where HAL sends the pod and Dave out into oblivion
-Theda Bara was hot for the time and is remembered about as much as Lady Gaga will be in a few years (months?). Bara was featured in TCM’s wonderful series about the history of film this month.
-I had Clayton Moore as a hero before Roger Moore who didn’t quite make it. After Sean Connery, what’s the point? Any memories of the former Mr. Moore for anyone else and any idea how he kept his clothing so clean and pressed on the prairie?
-One of the old spelling mnemonics I remember is Dessert has 2 s’s because everyone wants more dessert but no one wants more desert. Any others?
-I ain’t an Omahan but I play one at school
-I don’t know if you saw Cher’s “Dress” for her movie premiere but she definitely does not believe in OPAQUE. She’s 64 like me and had more work than a ’32 roadster but still…
-I don’t think Cher would mind showing everyone her “Hoohah” either
-BAM reminded me of the old Batman TV show. I love camp!

Well I’m off to the YMCA sans arm motions!

HeartRx said...

Jazz - how about "Design of a Decade"(song by Janet Jackson
and
"Turn of the Century"?

The first one doesn't exactly follow the pattern with "of the" in the middle, but it's the only one I could come up with.

carol said...

Hi all - Great Monday puzzle! Fast and fun.

I dredged FANTA (8A)out of my brain. Hadn't thought of that for years! I don't remember ever having it, my Dad would not let us have carbonated drinks so we got Bireley's Orange. I loved it and I was in my junior year of high school before I actually drank a coke. The carbonation fizz really hurt my throat...I was just not used to it. It didn't take too long for me to get adjusted and lemon cokes became my favorite.

How many of you have a tattoo? I don't have any - I think it is a generational thing. When I was young, the only ones I ever saw were on the arms of older men who apparently got them during military service or after a drinking spree. Women (unless they were in the circus) never had them. Funny how times/tastes change.

thehondohurricane said...

fermatprime,
Thanks for the link up. It's a truly inspirational hymn. A friend previously linked me up to a Philly Mall where it was performed around Thanksgiving. And yesterday in dear little Connecticut several area choirs combined to do the piece. Unfortunately I was unable to get there and jump in with my off key singing.

Bill G. said...

I finished the puzzle in until 10 minutes today, not that I was trying to rush. Navigating the grid online slows me down somewhat.

I loved Mrs. Peel! She was good-looking and had a very sexy persona.

No tattoos for me.

Splynter said...

Hi All~!

Well, I shot myself in the crossword foot on this one, made it tougher than it needed to be...

Hand up for MAJOR/MINOR, SINES for AREAS, and CHAD for MALI.

Also not a fan of PAT, but I get it, and the same for BAR B Q...meh

I am still pondering my first TATTOO; it will be a dragon, and I'm thinking wrapped around my whole arm - my brother got this done on his right arm.

Speaking of tattoos, Motley Crue made yesterday's puzzle, but I missed yesterday's blog, internet crashed. Just got the puzzle done in time...

Stay warm, take care -

Splynter

JD said...

a foggy good morning to all,

This was a quickie Monday, and true, some answers could be seen before reading the clue.Always enjoyable.Thanks Argyle!

Bireley's is the only orange drink in my mind, but, Of course, it would not fit.As I recall, I don't think it was carbonated..the reason I liked it.

Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world. It was settled by the Greeks around 700 B.C., and later populated by the Phoenicians traders. Later Carthage took it over, but during the Punic Wars, the Phoenicians rebelled and fought with the Romans and it became part of the Roman Empire.

Hahtool, great find on that desert in Maine. and Wowzer, I'm surprised at Thera's modern apparel.lol. Your QOD yesterday was terrific.

Abejo, I'm with you on the "pat" thing, so thanks Spitzboov and Gary!!

Creature, seems my lower back is rebelling if I lift anything!

Lucina said...

I echo JD. Thanks Spitzboov and Gary. PAT had me in a fog.

Welcome, Abejo! I know you'll enjoy it here.

Now I'm off to the gym, not the YMCA, though.

It's been 79 degrees here the past few days.

Bill G. said...

While looking at Cher's dress (?), I came across Kristen Bell on the far right. (Thanks, Husker Gary.) She is a favorite actress of mine. I enjoyed her on the now defunct TV show, Veronica Mars. Both she and her character seemed smart.

Found in a John Grisham novel last night, "In a country where laws are regularly flaunted...")

Andrea said...

How about:

Storm of the decade (or century)
Wedding of the decade (next April 29)

Cold cold cold here. We were hoping for a snow day due to extreme wind chill, but no such luck. It is very pretty though with all the trees covered in white against a bright blue sky.

For those interested, I opted for the Calloway gps for hubby. Hope he likes it. Just ordered some boots and slippers from Lands End with 40% off and free shipping, so my shopping is now DONE!

Enjoy the day - stay warm!

creature said...

Argyle,I would like to explain my ignorance. I am not familiar with the Avengers,so your remarks went right over my head as far as understanding, but not my notice.
NC has suggested I apologize and consider that done, I just do not want you to take my ignorance for a slight. I follow your every word. That's why I asked. Obviously, I am in the minority.

JD, I have a best friend who suffers with back pain. Her doc said it was the worst he'd seen.
She really does have towatch everything she does, because it acts up so much. After watching her suffer, I felt twangs of pain for you this morning, when you answered my question. Sorry, you have to go through it.

Fermatprime,I loved your link; Such
a fun thing to see. Shame there were bad remarks about it. Go figure.

Hahtool, I'm amazed at how compliated Mardi Gras is; what a schedule. THanks for your info. The desert too.

ltl (long-time lurker) said...

creature, whoever suggested you should apologize is indeed a fool. You're one of the nicest people on the blog.

Bob said...

Very easy Monday puzzle (9 minutes). The only one I didn't know was 33A (REA), but DOHA filled in the missing letter.

TNT (trinitrotoluene)was first synthesized in 1863, and although not as energetic as dynamite, was often preferred because of its relative safety. It is less prone to accidental detonation.

Nice Cuppa said...

O Creature

Sorry, I jumped to the wrong conclusion. My apologies are due then.

NC

VirginiaSycamore said...

Thanks for all the great comments!
I am here in the North Coast of Ohio and it is 19F, for real, not just the wind factor. The snow is not deep, but they say it will continue for the next 3 days.

I couldn't get Doha or Rea without help. One interesting novel is "Florence of Arabia" by Christopher Brinkley. A political satire that includes a constant pun on Qatar's weird pronunciation.

I thought Nehi, not Fanta. I think Nehi was older but I am not sure. Fanta may have been the first diet soda, as Argyle's link mentioned they had to sometimes use saccharine.!

Have a good day everyone.

creature said...

NC, Thanks for your apology, but it was not necessary. You'd think I would have hooked into all the avenger,Mrs Peel,Dianna Rigg remarks; and now apparantly one of the followers has decided it wasn't that great after all. I think I ought to rent it and OD on it.

LTL,your kindness towards me is warmly received. Thanks so much.

Argyle said...

Creature, no apology necessary, although the email I sent you this morning is probably sitting in your spam box. I was worried you meant the link didn't work.

Jeannie said...

I had more trouble getting to work this morning than completing this puzzle. I am not a science fiction fan, so didn’t know what a pod was but the perps took care of that one. Rea, Bara, and Doha magically filled themselves in or I would have had trouble there as well. No tattoos for Jeannie. I hate needles!!

Oh, and I hate to say it, but Cher at 64 can still pull it off!

-16 degrees this morning in my neck of the woods, but in International Falls, MN it was -32!!

Gunghy said...

Argyle, wonderful link on Fanta. Thank you. I needed your blog, I think I missed half the clues and needed to read them when I got here.

I completed Sat. and Sun. last night when I got home. Saturday was great, I needed to work, but I finished without help after about an hour. Sunday was good until the SW. I couldn't come up with the 'and' in OUT AND OUT, to my embarrassment. Then, I really dislike obscure names like CROSSE. I mean, I dislike names, but there is no way to solve for Crosse unless you are a total film freak or you hit google.

I've got a Chicago Times book that seems to feature DOHA. That makes it easy.

Carol, my son is adding tattoos, and it bothers me. I can't help but believe that a lot of people will regret what they've done someday. I often get asked at motorcycle events to show mine. My response: "Why do I want to hide the scars I've earned?"

Andrea beat me! I thought of 'Storm of the decade,' too.

Fermat, beautiful. Oh, Barry, your group, too.

Weather here is 50's and foggy. Rain starts tomorrow? It's predicted for a week. Of course, the prognosticators said that La Nina would make this a dry year in central CA. I can't get back to the ski resort 'til Saturday. I thought retiring would free me up.

Mainiac said...

Hahtool, What a stupid place for a desert. I've never been there, and probably never will, even though its right off the highway according to the directions. Thanks for the link.

No tats for me Carol. I'm sure I've been drunk enough but not near a tattoo parlor. No need for one anyhow. If my head isn't with my body when I pooch, they'll have plenty of scars to ID me with.


Great write-up Argyle!

Still raining and pitch black out.

ARBAON said...

(Who am I missing) "This puzzle was a speed run for me...just under three minutes...as fast as I could write!"
But it is true for ME today, too!
I`m a fan of "Star Trek" anything so "pod" came easy. Left "earp" blank and let the perps tell mr how to spell it.

BTW,A 2-liter Fanta orange and 2 cans of condensed, evaporated milk make a lucious home churned orange-cicle type treat.

For a good movie to snuggle by, "An Old Fashioned Christmas" is being "encored " @8 PM Sat night and 2 PM Saturday PM on Hallmark (EST) Beautiful scenery, costumes, Irish folk-lore and a plot that keeps you guessing right up to the end.

crazyhorse said...

I don't post often, but the last few puzzles have been fun. Saturday was tough, Sunday not so much and of course today pretty easy.

No paper delivery today and no mail, because of the really bad weather. I was supposed to go to a play yesterday, but came home instead. Took me an hour for a normal 20 minute drive and have not left home today. I live out in the country. At least I have heat and electricity!

Jeannie, not as bad as you, but I do get a lot of lake effect snow. Just me and my toasty warm dog!

Thanks

Jazzbumpa said...

Heart -

Not familiar with "Design of a Decade" by Janet Jackson

But that and "Turn of the Century" both work.

Andrea -

Don't know what the Wedding of the decade (next April 29) is.

But that and Storm of the decade (or century) are fine by me. The storm might even be perfect!

Few people look at Cher's dresses. I think the idea is to look through them. She's been dressing (so to speak) like that since the old TV days with Sonny. I think one night she wore three pieces of string and a half yard of gauze. She could do the dance of the 7 veils with 5 veils.

Cheers!
JzB coincidentally 64

Gunghy said...

I'm glad my weather isn't like this!

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, A qick easy puzzle today, but a fun theme. I filled in of the month and of the year after the first two long answers were in. That really helped with the rest of the puzzle. Doha was also an unknown, but Mali is a newly learned country.

Mali has one common border with Senegal where my grandson is currently serving in the Peace Corp. I've had the Map of Africa out many times since August and the countries are becoming more and more familiar.

I couldn't get Minute stake? for the longest time. I had ante, but it didn't make any sense, until I read it out loud while going through Argyle's writeup.

Nice Cuppa, I'm humming the
We Three Kings carol also. I can't seem to get it out of my head.

Husker Gary, You had me laughing out loud at your post today.

Welcome Abejo.

Chris said...

ARBAON, what does "who am I missing" mean?
Thanks.

ARBAON said...

Chris: All of the regulars knew...The indomitable Dennis alway started Mondays like that...(sniff)

kazie said...

Finally back (completely) after a magical time with our son and his wife for three weeks. I was only able to do the CW spasmodically during that time, but after getting them off today, my first important task on getting home was the CW. I sped through with only a pause and a WAG at the REA/DOHA crossing to slow me down.

I did have some thoughts on AUS as an abbreviation for Austria. Its real abbreviation is 'A', AUS being reserved for Oz. These are/were the international symbols used on cars to identify their owners' origins. However the Oz dollar is noted as AUD, while Austria now uses the Euro so has no currency of its own.

Argyle,
You were right, SNOPES was fascinating on Fanta.

I was born in the same year and month as Cher. It makes me jealous every time I see how good she looks. But I do think her face looks a little overworked, even if I like its shape batter than my sags and double chin.

We got a huge snowfall overnight Saturday, with a pole being knocked down in town which caused a power outage for much of the town. We had three-foot drifts across the driveway. We had power and were only missing TV reception all day yesterday, but now all is back--me included. The drive to Madison today was no fun however--snowpacked and slippery most of the way, a normal hour and a quarter took two hours.

carol said...

Husker Gary, LOL at you comments (8:54a). That picture of Cher is a hoot, her face does not go with her body. The more she has it lifted the odder she looks, sort of like Madam (the dummy)that Waylan had. The guy standing next to her looks less than interested in being there. Snort.

HeartRx said...

Carol - I have four tattoos....but not the "typical" ones that say "Mom" or "Devil". Mine are surrounding my left breast, and are a result of radiation therapy. Before they begin, they measure, and then "tattoo" a small dot at each quadrant, to be sure that all the radiation is directed at the correct spot on the breast. So all my friends have to laugh when I say "Yeah, I have tattoos...".

I think there are several of us who have this "body work", no?

creature said...

HeartRx, Thank you for reminding of my tattoo 'stigma', and for my youngest daughter's 'stigma'. She had reconstruction and some of it involved tattoos.

I heard from 'somewhere' 'You don't find a bumper sticker on a Bentley'. I'm from that generation.

My male chilren have tattoos, my female chilren do not. Yes, Carol, I think its a generational thing, at least as far as females are concerneed. I personally can't stand them,but, of course , I blink when it comes to my sons.

Boy, I've been busy today.

HeartRx said...

Creature,

I knew you would chime in on the "tattoo" reminder. There isn't a day that goes by, that I am not reminded (in the mirror) of that awful period of my life. But, hey - WE SURVIVED, didn't we? God bless all of you survivors!!

Grumpy 1 said...

HeartRx and Creature, I've got a set of those specialized tatoos also. One on each hip and one on my pelvis so they could line me up for my 25 shots of radiation for PC. So far, so good and keeping my fingers crossed.

carol said...

HeartRx and Creature: I hope you know I did not mean 'that' kind of tattoo. I feel fortunate that I have not had to face that 'type' (YET)...the odds go up as we age. I have a mammography every year and so far so good. I am so happy for you both that you are survivors!!

Grumpy1: you too...on your tats.

Creature: Yes, you do have to 'blink' when it comes to sons. :)- Mine does not have any but the popularity of them was not big when he was of a more impressionable age.

Annette said...

The crossing of DOHA and REA took me down today. I really feel off my game this week...

Don't forget SPUR OF THE MOMENT.

Jazz, I believe the "Wedding of the Century" is the royal wedding in England. I don't remember the exact date, but knew that was going to be only a couple weeks before my niece's wedding, May 14th.

No tattoos here. None in our whole family, for that matter. However, there were a few short-lived piercings in the next generation that were very hard to blink at... Luckily, if left alone, the holes do usually close up!

Lemonade714 said...

You survivors awe me, so calm and strong, I applaud you.

No tatoos for me, the bible seems to suggrst they are forbidden, or so it has been interpreted for many years by Jewish scholars. I doubt I would want one anyway, but in the infinite wisdom of life, my oldest brother is the most traditionally re;igious member of my family, I will not bore you all with details, but he is very observant. His baby daughter, to show her love for her father and his beliefs, went and had a CH'AI tattooed on her wrist. I wish I could express it better, anyway, it ia always fun to her from some of the infrequenters, CRAZYHORSE, CHRIS and ARABON. ABEJO, did you like our answer?

Jeannie said...

My favorite counselor, I just watched a sitcom on MTV, this weekend while "snowed in" on Gene Simmons from "KISS". I did not know he was a Jew from Israel and his Mother went through and survived a concentration camp. Evidentally, he doesn't have any tattoos and neither does any of his son, daughter, or wife as he claims they can't be buried in a Jewish cemetary. Is that true? What if you were tattooed in a concentration camp and were liberated? It actually was a touching episode as he was in Amsterdam and visited Anne Frank's hiding place. In honor, my only tune I like Beth.

All you survivor's out there are all my heros! I had no idea that there were permanent tattoos that are left after being "marked" for surgery.

Gunghy, you wouldn't want to have been within 10' of me this past Saturday. Okay, you might have enjoyed my lasagna, and I might have enjoyed you shoveling off my front porch.

Gunghy said...

Jeannie,
I broke down last week and bought a blower for the cabin. Since I can expect a minimum of 8 feet this winter, I bought a large Honda. It would give me a lot of time to eat lasagna. I just don't know if lasagna is enough to get me out in negative temps.