google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, December 27, 2010 Gail Grabowski

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Dec 27, 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010 Gail Grabowski

Theme: Stop the Car! - The five longest entries end with what might be a point of interest to tourists.

17A. "Awesome!": "OUTTA SIGHT!"

23A. 2006-'07 Microsoft release: WINDOWS VISTA

37A. Financial projections: ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

45A. Act embarrassingly in public: CREATE A SCENE

58A. Cable TV offering: PAY PER VIEW

Argyle(up to his ... in snow) here. Doing a hurry-up job in case the power goes out. A very decent Monday puzzle.

Across

1. Workshop holder : CLAMP

6. Fairy godmother's magic tool : WAND

10. Chopped-up fare : HASH

14. From around here : LOCAL

15. Son of Seth : ENOS

16. Indy racer : AUTO

19. Singer's syllables : TRAs. They need some LAs to sound good.

20. Rehab woes, briefly : DTs. Delirium tremens, the symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal.

21. Monte __: gambling resort : CARLO

22. In pieces : APART

25. "Oops, sorry" : "MY BAD"

28. Cooped clucker : HEN. Alliteration.

29. Mideast honcho : EMIR

30. Member of the crew : SAILOR

34. Sleuths, for short : PIs. Private Investigator.

40. Coll. helpers : TAs. Teaching Assistant.

41. 1910s-'20s Ford assembly-line classic : MODEL T.

42. Prefix with septic : ANTI

43. Cone dropper : FIR. And needles.

44. Expanse with waves : OCEAN

52. Jaunty tunes : LILTS

53. Fritter away : WASTE

54. Monopoly quartet: Abbr. : RRs. The railroads: Pennsylvania, Reading, B&O, and Short Line.

57. Roller rink shape : OVAL

60. Hairy Himalayan, reportedly : YETI

61. Job site standards org. : OSHA

62. Where D.C. is, familiarly : US OF A

63. Part of a process : STEP

64. Pizza crust order : THIN

65. Out sick, say : NOT IN

Down

1. Wad of dirt : CLOD

2. Boorish sort : LOUT

3. Stops stalling : ACTS. The clue could have been for dry gas!

4. Place to wipe your shoes : MAT

5. Lake __, 1980 Winter Olympics town : PLACID. Adirondacks, NY. They probably have less snow than New York City!

6. Very odd : WEIRD. Indeed.

7. English-speaking : ANGLO

8. "Not gonna happen" : "NO HOW". Some day it will be "No Way".

9. Annual cause of losing an hr.'s sleep, perhaps : DST. Daylight Saving Time.

10. Millinery accessory : HAT PIN. Centuries ago, many of the hats that were worn by European women came from the Italian city of Milan. A person who lives in Milan is a Milaner, and traders who sold hats made in Milan came to be known as Milaners too. Gradually, this word became milliner, and women’s hats are still called millinery.

11. Subtle qualities : AURAs

12. Get going : START

13. Shade-tolerant plant : HOSTA. Image.

18. Start of many California city names : SAN

22. Keep from happening : AVERT

23. Say "Be careful" to : WARN. I was thinking of who you might say it to: WARD.

24. "Fore!" or "Olé!" : SHOUT

25. Encounter : MEET

26. Org. known by its first letter : YMCA

27. Revealing books, briefly : BIOs

30. Campground treat : SMORE. Just one SMORE?

31. Partner of abet : AID

32. Cooler cubes : ICE

33. Online cackle : LOL

34. Fried corn bread : PONE

35. Greek "i" : IOTA

36. Potato part served as an appetizer : SKIN

38. Forgets to mention : OMITS

39. Shoe securer : LACE

43. Scuffle souvenir : FAT LIP

44. What a solo homer produces : ONE RUN

45. Overdoes the sweetness : CLOYS

46. Girder fastener : RIVET

47. Send to cloud nine : ELATE

48. Flooded : AWASH

49. Greet someone casually : SAY "HI"

50. "Washington Journal" channel : C-SPAN

51. Hot time in Toulon : ÉTÉ

54. Unruly outbreak : RIOT

55. New mtge., e.g. : REFI.

56. Graceful bird : SWAN

58. Word with belly or boiler : POT

59. Brandy bottle letters : VSO. The last alliteration. VSO - Very Superior Old

Answer grid.

Argyle

56 comments:

thehondohurricane said...

From stormy Connecticut, Good Day Folks,

Why our power is still on is beyond me. It usually goes out when dark clouds appear. That being said, I've probably just put the "kiss of death" on our area. Winds have been as high as 60 MPH according to the weather service. Snow amount seems moderate.

Enough about the weather.... today's puzzle was one of the easiest in some time for me. I finished pretty quickly, but I don't keep time. A couple of goofs were quickly remedied. Initially I had "out of sight", but I didn't think Chairman Mao was a place to wipe your shoes, although I wouldn't be surprised if there were lots of people who would have liked to.

The other miscue was "pay for view" instead of "pay per." Again, quickly corrected.

Well, time to stop procrastinating and get busy with the snow clean-up.

Wherever you are, enjoy the day.

Lemonade714 said...

Morning Argyle and all:

Appreciate your soldiering on during the storm; Ms. Grabowski is one of the giants of constructing, and there were entertaining parts of this puzzle, with lots of areas covered by the clues from food to sports to games, with HOSTA the only unfamiliar word. I did not see a theme because the puzzle was finished before I needed one, but it was nicely done.
Stay warm and be careful out there.

from south Florida having long ago escaped stormy Connecticut

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I have a foot or two of white stuff to shovel this morning as well. Fortunately, the whole family has the day off and nowhere to go. Not that they'll actually help me shovel, mind you, but at least I don't need to take anybody anywhere...

Smooth, enjoyable puzzle today, with the possible exception of the NE corner. I did not know HOSTA and wasn't overly fond of TRAS, so that section was a bit thorny. Everything else was just perfect for a Monday, though.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and Friends. This was a good Monday puzzle. I had difficulty with the NE corner, however. It took me a while to catch on to what was needed there My back yard is even filled with HOSTAs!

Thanks for the origin of the word "Millinery." Interesting history.

My great-grandfather bought my grandmother a Model T for her 16th birthday.

Lake Placid and the 1980 Olympics are well known for the Miracle on Ice.

My favorite clue was Revealing Books = BIOS.

I hope everyone stays warm and cozy during the blizzards crossing the country.

QOD: How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? ~ Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss)

Mainiac said...

Morning Argyle, CC and All,

Easy Monday with very fresh clues. Two problems I had to erase. Wrote Model A first but Shout fixed it. I spelled Hosta with an A also which made Indy Racer trouble. I was thinking of a name but perps came through.

Just switched back to snow after raining for a couple hours. Wicked messy.

Hope everyone had a good Holiday!

Tinbeni said...

Argyle, Hey, it's a FUN Monday.
Not much of a 'write-up' necessary.
Thanks for the pic of the HOSTA.
That was a learning moment for me.
Also the info on the HAT PIN/Millinery history.

Liked these themes thought they were all ...
OUTTA-SIGHT !!!

D.T.'S., Hmmm, NOPE! Never gonna happen.
That ICE will never make it into my Avatar.

A Clear & Sunny (though a bit coolish, High today is only 52) "Toast" to One-And-All at my 5:43 Sunset from Honeymoon Island.

Cheer's

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Thanks for hanging in there Argyle, and doing a great job on the write-up for this puzzle.

I saw the first two theme entries, and knew it was going to have something to do with "scenery", so that helped make this a speed run for me. CLAMP was a sticky wicket for a short while, but perps filled it in. HOSTA came immediately to mind for me unlike others here.

I liked the cheeky quips like FAT LIP, MY BAD, OUTTA SIGHT and US OF A. They just made me chuckle for some reason.

Now it's time for the job of clearing off the steps and sidewalks. We got about a foot, I think. But a lot of it looks as if it has been blown away by the high winds (I can only hope??).

Have a great day everyone, and try to stay warm!

Splynter said...

Hi All~!!

Still have my power here, LI, NY, but I can hear the wind howling. We got a good two feet, but with the wind, some areas are thin, and others are heaped.

No one going anywhere here, either - but I will be out there this afternoon.

As to the puzzle, a good start to a blustery Monday. I too, had HASTA for HOSTA, and that fixed quickly, and I had DOLT for LOUT, but a CD AMP was not something I am familiar with. CD, yes, Amp, yes, but not together...

Funny, but the Monopoly RR's don't sound right - guess I haven't played in a long, long time!

Stay warm, stay dry, and don't throw your back out throwing snow !

Splynter

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

Brrr. Just reading your descriptions makes me cold. We've escaped this last go round; at least for the moment.Argyle, thanks so much for your write-up. Hosta make me think of spring bursting forth.

Gail's puzzle was quite a treat this a.m.; easy,but colorful. Nice theme. Thanks, Gail.

Don't overdue the shoveling, Barry,
Hondo and all.

Have a nice warm day everyone.

Abejo said...

Good morning everybody. I enjoyed the quick puzzle, Gail. Nice write-up, Argyle. Much quicker than yesterday. Kind of did a clear and start of my mind for the week. I actually worked this one before I got on the bus, at home. Therefore, I could read my next book on the bus, "The Reversal," by Michael Connelly.

The only clue and word that was strange to me was 25A MY BAD. I have never heard that term before. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania I guess we did not use that there.

I shoveled all my snow yesterday. We got no more last night.

See you all tomorrow. Abejo

Burrito34 said...

Good morning from dry and cold Oklahoma.

Today's puzzle was a nice break from the tough one yesterday. Perps took care of all the answers I didnt' know such as "VSO" for brandy bottle letters (d.59). Being a teetotaler, I'd never have gotten it without help. As to "Windows Vista", I never messed with it. For my computers I'm either hanging on to XP Home or for my netbook, Windows 7. From what I hear though, Vista wasn't worth the expense and trouble.

The only reason I got "hosta" is that I was looking for plants that would thrive in a shady flower bed I have at home and I got this recommendation from one of the landscape people at the university where I work.

I feel for you all in the snow covered lands. I have a north-facing house and when we do get snow or ice here, it means a lot of shoveling work for me while my neighbors across the street let the sun do most of the work. *Sigh* If I ever move again, I'm going to make sure my new house faces SOUTH.

Have a great Monday everyone! :)

burrito34

MH said...

Now I remember why we live in California. Hang in there East Coast!

Nice easy Monday puzzle. Never heard of HOSTA so that's my word for the day. Theme was obvious and helped me with WINDOWS VISTA because I had WINDOWS SEVEN initially.

Argyle: grace under pressure - I hope the power stays up for you and all our friends who are weathering the storm.

kazie said...

Good morning all!

Thank you, Gail, for a very easy and fun Monday offering.

Thanks Argyle for the millinery explanation--I didn't know that.

All you East Coasters must have got the snow we had a few days earlier, but a lot more of it, from what I'm hearing on the news.

I didn't know Dr. Seuss was really a Geisel--it means hostage in German.

It surprises me that so many of you didn't know what hostas are. We have several. They grow well at the base of trees, and prevent you from getting too close with the mower and hitting the tree bark.

My only pause today was having AVOID for AVERT until HEN stepped in. I like puzzles based on words rather than trivia. I got the theme after the first three--at least I mean I realized the linking factor was the idea of a sight of some sort.

Have a great day everyone.

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning Argyle, CC and the solving gang. Another escapee from the frozen northlands here and I sure don't miss shoveling the stuff. I certainly hope those of you that have to put up with the winter mess are able to make it through with your power, food supplies, back muscles and sense of humor all intact.

I went through thgis one pretty quickly and never realized there was a theme until I got here. My one error was putting down WINDOWS SEVEN instead of VISTA, and that slowed the NE for a bit. AVERT alerted me to my error (I refuse to say MY BAD!) and then that corner came together.

I'm not sure when the phrase "My bad" originated, I don't like it and I don't use it, but it has become so common that I filled it in without a thought of other possibilities. I suspect that it may have come about as "text speak", being quicker to type than "my error" or "my mistake".

Thanks for a fun start to the week, Gail. It was just right for a Monday.

Lemonade714 said...

Burrito

Think about the bill for the A/C when you have that southern exposure; the snow packed in outside your house helps keep the warmth in as a form of insulation. Having not lived anyhwere but Floirda for 40 years qualifies me as an expert on snow.

There is a longer history to MY BAD .

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Argyle and all.

MY BAD; I did not properly parse USO_A, and misread 'new mtge.' so I mucked up the SE corner. The rest was easy and went well. Interesting theme. ÉTÉ somehow seemed a tease for our wintry weather.

Hi-tailed it out of New England yesterday to beat the storm. No snow from the storm in the Upper Mohawk Valley.

Have a good day.

carol said...

Hi all - fun and fast...just right for a Monday.

43A Scuffle souvenir/Fat lip was my favorite.

Argyle: thanks for the explanation on 59D Brandy bottle letters/VSO. I think I have read that before but could not remember it.

Hosta's - I love them and have several plants in my shady back yard. They do not require much care but do need to be protected from slugs. (both love shady, moist areas).

Sorry for all you that are up to your *&^#'s in snow. We are snow free so far this year but if we get any, it will be next month or the very first part of Feb. After Feb. 15th it begins to look very much like spring here...daffodils are usually up about 2/3" by then and crocus are blooming....can't wait!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - As usual, whipped through the puzzle without spotting the theme. Got caught in the NE for the same reason: never heard of a HOSTA.

Hand up for WINDOWS SEVEN - I had no idea that the troubled Vista was so recent.

Can't get myself to ACT on the driveway's needs - the snow is blowing around all over the place and it's just plain cold. Brrr.

Anonymous said...

It was interesting to see 'no how', - which has a homonym 'know how' - which implies (somewhat ) exactly the opposite meaning. Tech companies ( and many other businesses ) will pay generously for 'know how'.

I have always felt that saying 'My Bad', is a mild way of apologizing without appearing (sufficiently ) contrite. ( I guess, thus preserving your ego, intact.)

If you really want to apologize -saying 'I'm sorry' works much better every time, and the recipient will realize that you actually mean what you are saying.

Lucina said...

Hello, everyone!

Thanks, Argyle, for the explanation about millinery. That is my lesson for today. It's very interesting.

What a lovely puzzle from Gail Grabowski. I "grabbed" onto it very quickly and dshed through it but had the same trouble as some of you on the VSO and USOFA. It didn't make much sense.

I have had Windows Vista for about five years and have not had any trouble with it. I don't understand the flap over it.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone. I have another party tonight!

Lucina said...

Hahtool:
You probably did not see my note last night about the Alhambra. It's in Granada.

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,

Pretty slick run this morning; USOFA and VSO made me pause for a bit. Cloys, auras and lilts also needed perp help.
New word for me was hosta. Thanks for links, Argyle and Lemonade. Beautiful leaves. Thought they'd be perfect for my shady garden among the ferns, begonias and coleus, but not anxious to have MORE slugs and snails.There is not enough beer to drown these gross varmints.

Carol, we think alike. Fav. clue was scuffle souvenir=fat lip.

Lucina, your White Elephant party is such a great idea for a big family gathering..so many laughs.It's regifting at its best. Our faculty has one every year. A few of the items come back each year.

Jeannie, your C'mas sounded perfect. There is nothing better than being around family.

kazie said...

Lucina and Hahtool,
I thought the same thing about the Alhambra--I know it's in Granada. But when I checked the linked photo, it had Cordoba in the web address so I said nothing, wondering if there's another one there. On checking wiki today, I see only one. I met my future husband the day after I'd visited it and was leaving Granada.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, It is nice to get back to puzzle solving and the blog. Nice job as usual Argyle, particularly when you are under the threat of power outage.

I had some problems with the south east section of the puzzle. I'm not a brandy drinker, so VSO was slow in filling. I've never used the term US OF A, but I have heard it, so I guess I don't have much of an excuse there. Abbreviations are usually tough for me and RE-FI wasn't easy either.

All the theme phrases filled in pretty quickly with the help of the perps.

I've never heard of HOSTA. We live in a dry area and shade tolerant plants don't do well. We have to concentrate on plants that love the sun and don't need much water.

Christmas was fun with a couple of problems. I thought for a while, my youngest sister and I were going to have to find a way to fly to Sarasota FL. Our middle sister had an emergency hysterectomy on Christmas eve. She had been having abdominal pain for a couple of weeks and was told it was irritable bowel syndrome. She finally had a CAT scan which revealed a massive abcess, so off she went to the OR. (They threw in an appendectomy since they had her opened up anyway.) Her husband called us on Christmas morning and sounded much more confident about her recovery. I talked to her last night and she was totally buzzed, but sounded pretty good.

Then on Christmas night GAH slipped on a throw rug and twisted his left ankle. He is at the doctor's office right now having an x-ray to see if it is just sprained or if he broke any bones. At least he can still drive and use his right foot for gas and braking.

Hahtoolah said...

Clear Ayes: So sorry to hear about your sister's emergency surgery. Glad to hear the prognosis is good and she will be up and about soon.

Lucina: I stand corrected, you are absolutely right. The photo, however, was from Cordoba, it just confused it's name.

Lemonade714 said...

Gee, why all the hating on "MY BAD?" If someone is admitting fault, is that not enough? I am just pleased when others do not look to blame me for their mistakes. Why would you post that comment anonymously, as it is after all an opinion, which is your right?

CA, you are living proof of the ROSEANNE ROSEANNADANNA saying, "It just goes to show you, it is always something." I wish for you and yours a very quiet and uneventful 2011, with just happiness and relaxation.

Seldom Seen said...

re: My Bad

I don't think of it as an apology but rather as an admission of fault.

Athletes use it often when there is some type of mistake on a designed play. The player at fault will return to the huddle and say "my bad" instead of "shit, I screwed up, let's try that again."

It's not used in place of "I'm sorry" as in "My bad, I ran over your hostas"

Seldom Seen said...

Oh, Lemon beat me to it. Thanks for "having my back"(another cool newer phrase that people are "hating on")

carol said...

I agree with Seen about 'my bad'..I think of it as 'my mistake'. (and you'd better NOT run over my hostas or you will LOOK bad too) :)

ps I don't like the phrase.

fermatprime said...

Hello fellow solvers!

So glad Christmas (and birthday--thanks CREATURE) is over. I was so stressed out before that I slept all of Sunday.

I went to Spain with help from a grant and made two videos about mathematical symmetry at the ALHAMBRA. The math dept. sold them worldwide. I never got around to putting them on DVD after I retired. (They belong to me now.)

The phrase MY BAD annoys the heck out of me, also.

Fun puzzle, thanks Gail, Argyle. If I ever get well, I'll plant some of those lovely HOSTAS.

CA--sorry about your problems. Hope family will recover swiftly.

I was given an (GASP) iPad for the big day. A new addiction!

Have a good week!

Bill G. said...

That was a very pleasant Monday puzzle. Nothing much to add to what already's been said.

As a teacher, I never liked 'My bad' when I first started hearing it. It's better than being called 'Dude' or 'Bro' though. I never put up with that.

I just finished watching 'The Blind Side' with Sandra Bullock. Very enjoyable I thought.

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and all, a quick solve to the puzzle today. There is not really much to comment on as the puzzle was so easy. Not a rant as I enjoy easy puzzles too. Only pause was in the NE corner as I was trying to come up with a name for Indy racer and like some of the others I had hasta at first. It took some time before auto popped into my brain.

Argyle you must have been scurrying to get the blog out this am, thanks.

At Burrito, I have Window’s Vista on my lap top and would love to throw it out. We have Windows XP on our desk top and it is far superior to Vista.

We got lucky here in western PA as the storm passed just to our south as it headed east and up the coast. Sure glad we missed that one. We had enough snow last winter to last a life time.

Clear Ayes, sorry to hear about your recent difficulties. Hope things improve for you soon.

Hope you all have a great Monday.

Husker Gary said...

Puzzlers, for all the meteorological misery elsewhere in the country, we seemed to have paid our dues last year. It is 35 here and may touch 50 on Thursday. Last year my snow blower was the “little engine that couldn’t” and this year my new one is untested and sitting in the garage.

Musings-
-SLAW for HASH
-TRA seems to be around a lot this season that we are donning our gay apparel
-A Cluck in my mother-in-law’s former egg business was a term for a hen that sat on a nest, made a lot of clucking sounds but did nothing. Sound like some people you know?
-_ _ _ _ O R I thought was the ANCHOR of the TV crew
-Model T? Sure, in any color as long as …
-Miracle on Ice has to be one of the top sporting events ever!
-Research seems to show that daylight savings has never been very effective and is not at all useful now
-Hosta’s are a big deal here in Nebraska and at our house! You can’t kill ‘em and they love the shade
-I’m off to the Y right after I send this
-My bride loves S’MORES and I have never liked them – too dry!
-I love potato skins or any other part of that vegetable. I’d be 30 lbs lighter if I didn’t
-Rivets on jeans are illegal at our Y
-I witnessed my dad go through the DT’s 35 years ago. It was horrible but he never had another drink. If only it had happened when I was still at home.
-I’ve had DOS, Vista, XP, Seven and several others. Will it ever end?

Well I’m off to Create a Scene at the Y!

Argyle said...

The mail finally got through.
Model T.

elli said...

Afternoon :-) Amazingly, we have lovely sunshine today, maybe we'll get a break from snow for a bit!

Thanks Argyle -- I didn't know the background for millinery; funnily, that was the one sticky bit -- I had mash instead of hash and so mat pin, which was inexplicable. *smile* Otherwise, I was glad to have a fun, easy puzzle this morning, after the busyness of the past few days. I had saved Friday's and Saturday's to do on Sunday (my paper gets the NYT puzzle on Sunday and I tend not to like that one), and those two were definitely harder, to today's was pleasant. Have a good day all.

~ Ellie

Clear Ayes said...

I talked to my sister a little while ago. She sounds much less doped up and there doesn't seem to be any residual infection. GAH just got home from his x-ray and it is a bad sprain, rather than a break. That's good, except he is grumpy and it still hurts. As Lemonade quoted Roseanne Roseannadanna. "It's always something"

My 2 cents on MY BAD is that it is an "Oops, my mistake", not the same as "I'm sorry". It was cute the first 1,000 times I heard it, but it is pretty annoying now. I feel the same way about "Back in the day." Cute then (back in the good old days....90's??), but now it has a "look how cool I am" feeling to it.

Nobody in the mid-west or eastern seaboard wants to be cool right now anyway. I hope the snow lets up for all of you.

Gunghy said...

Happy day after the day after Christmas to all!

My son's Christmas present (ordered 12/1) arrived today. He had to return to base to work today and tomorrow. Fortunately, half his stuff, including the dirty laundry he brought home, is still here, so he'll make the 8 hour drive again on Weds.

Puzzle was enjoyable. Gail's my new favorite: no people names, AT ALL!! Yeah!!!

Hosta, I knew. I've never planted them because of the snail problem, but I have a lot of north facing areas and I keep looking at them. They have an insignificant white or purple flower in the spring, but are mostly for the foliage.

I read 10D as MILITARY accessory. Hatpin went in from perps, but Number 1 Son does not use them so I came here for an explanation. That and Win 7 were my mistakes and as a Mac user, I claim a mulligan on windows clues.
PS, Husker - The windows parade will end when they finally catch up to the Mac OS. They do seem to be getting better, but they're not there yet.

Lemon, I have to join the list of haters. There is a big difference between admitting you did something and contrition. 'My Bad' is just a way to deflect wrath without considering what you have done. Now, like Husker, I heard it mostly in the classroom, often as the student was still doing the transgression they were "apologizing" for. I got to the point where I said, " I don't want to hear 'My bad', I want you to stop doing... [insert mistake here]

Abejo, You would have heard it a lot more if you watched Sports Center on ESPN. Manute may have introduced it, but one of the talking heads shoved it down our throats. I, of course, don't remember the name of the guilty party; but I once heard another of their anchors give him credit for coining the term. Obviously, if it had just been a journeyman BB player using it, it would have died out.

Hope all have a good 2011.

Lucina said...

Hahtool:
The photo you posted yesterday is indeed in Cordoba. It is a beautiful former mosque which could never be used as it was slightly askew from east. As I understand it, when worshipers kneel to pray, they must face Mecca.

CA:
Best wishes for the recoveries of your GAH and your sister.

Hostas are very popular in the east coast. I have admired them in gardens there. Never in Arizona.

kazie said...

CA,
Good news on both fronts for your DH and your sister. May they both continue improving. DH will need medicating often if he's like mine.

'My bad' is annoying on several fronts, not least because it uses 'bad' (an adjective) as a noun, so it simply sounds uneducated. But also because it has become such a fad that it is over-used.

kazie said...

CA,
Sorry--I should have said GAH.

Gunghy said...

The hosta comments reminded me: The common brown snail can be blamed on a failed French 49er (alliteration) that switched to apple farming in Northern California. When he sent back to France for his favorite apple varieties, he had them included some of his favorite lunch. After all, they move so slowly, they could never escape the orchard.

Anonymous said...

Good evening everyone.

Fermatprime: To get a iPad for Christmas is wonderful. And it is addicting. That's what I got DH, and he goes nowhere without it.

I agree with those disliking my bad. It's just sloppy I think.

And ClearAyes, what a streak of bad luck your family is having. It must be over now, so you'll all have a contented and happy new year.

My big holdup in the puzzle was from reading 1A as worship holder. Couldn't fit church in, so I left it blank and discovered the error when I went back after lunch.

Cheers

Seldom Seen said...

Chillax, my peeps. I think most people who use MY BAD hope it is annoying to anyone outside their peer group(especially teachers!). It is just slang.

Like the article explains, as these words and phrases become more widely used they are discarded.

I like to hang with my nephews and/or buddies and use slang frequently when chillin' (like a villian on penicillin).

I speak more better when I am on a sales call.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Nice job, Argyle.

Maybe I'm losing it. I didn't think that was an easy Monday at all.

Has anyone said "OUTTA SIGHT" since about 1970?

I just saw the run down on the news of celebrities who died in 2010, and there was Manute Bol, who didn't make it to his 48th birthday. Never heard of him. MY BAD.

It was sunny here this afternoon. We haven't had new snow for several days.

C.A. -- Looks like the good news is that the bad news isn't as bad as it could have been. Sometimes we have to settle for that.

You can avoid a nasty confrontation with shade-tolerant plants if you AVERT HOSTAlities.

PAY PER VIEW is OUTTA SIGHT for me.

I'd give you my ECONOMIC OUTLOOK, but that might CREATE A SCENE.

Stay warm and safe, everyone.

Cheers!
JzB

Jeannie said...

It was a busy day at the office as there were only two buyers plus my boss in today. Let's see, I was the Subway buyer, the dairy buyer, the dry goods buyer, and the frozen foods buyer today. Oh, and I was the purchasing assistant which tomorrow will be buying lunch for. I really didn't take into consideration how many stinkin' reports she has to run during different intervals in a given day. Hence no time for the puzzle until I got home tonight and as everyone else has noted, was pretty easy. I never did get the theme.

Just a couple of side notes...I hope you east coasters all are warm, safe and sound with your cupboards full. I guess it helped having the storm during the holiday as I would think you would have been stocked up.

Hahtool, your Great Grandfather must have been a man of means and way ahead of his time to buy such a special gift for his sixteen year old daughter! I don't mean to sound sexist here, but son yes, daughter back then, WOW. What a fellow.

Fermatprime, I missed wishing you a very Happy Birthday! What a nice birthday/Christmas gift you got! Keep yourself on the mend and you'll be out planting those hostas come springtime!

Clearayes, It's good to hear that your sister is going to be fine and that GAH didn't break a bone. Will this affect his golf game? If so, that is probably what he's grumpy about.

Husker Gary, are you kidding about no rivets allowed on jeans at your Y? Also, what kind of scene did you pull there at the "Y"?

Jeannie said...

Okay, one more thing for any of you "techies" out there. My computer is an old antiquated Compaq that had a very big old monitor. My best friend just updated her system and gave me her old flat screen monitor. When she came over to help me hook it up, it seems that the speakers that came with the old monitor hooked into that. There is no hook up for those into the new one. Can I buy new speakers to work with this machine? If so, what kind?

carol said...

CA: sure glad to hear GAH's ankle was only sprained instead of broken! I am also relieved to hear your sister is doing much better, especially the part of no infection present. It can only go up from here....you have had way more than your share of the gremlins this year.

Hey Husker Gary... don't blame the poor potato for you gaining a few pounds, it's what people put ON the potato that causes the problem. (or the way they are prepared). Potatoes are a wonderful source of all kinds of vitamins and fiber,and they are low in calories. Good for energy...just like a good carbohydrate should be :)

Jerome said...

Gunghy- You might want to take a closer look.

Bill G. said...

Kazie, I agree with you about "my bad." I thought you expressed my opinions better than I would have. Also, the expression seems dismissive rather than serious.

Jeannie, I have old powered speakers that plug into the headphone jack of my iMac. I know you can get new ones like the old ones I have. It sure improves listening to music on iTunes.

CA, best wishes for your sister and GAH. I know bad sprains can be difficult to recover from.

creature said...

Ca, glad about your sister's being better and GAH's not breaking a bone[although a bad sprain can take some time to heal].

Jeannie, I love your relationship with your mother. I am very close with my daughters,also. Its such a special bond. Sounds as if you got overloaded today at work; you must take good care of yourself; and I know you know how to do that.

Check out Hosta Societies; not all bring on slugs. over 200 or some outlandish number of varieties. Spectacular plants.. investigate.

I'm thinking about all the folks with snow problems,etc. Our driveway is still dangerous,yet the other roads are fine. We just creep along and use a side entrance.

Everyone take care.

Hahtoolah said...

Jeannie: I forgot that you didn't know my grandmother. She was a cool lady. You would have liked her and vice versa. She was an only child and her mother was very ill, hence, the vehicle was, in part, to allow her to handle some house-hold duties more easily.

Clear Ayes: Glad your sister and husband are doing better. I just learned today that my mother fell last week in the clinic where she has her physical therapy and tore the tendons in her shoulder. She didn't want me to know that she had injured herself for fear that I would worry.

Jeannie said...

Hahtool, I have an older brother bty 18mos that was born in 1960. As soon as he turned 16 in November he had his license and a "beater" car to drive. He didn't care as he was/is a motor head. When I turned 16 in May, my Dad insisted I take my drivers test in the snowy November like my brother. Then, I could only use the extra car when HE didn't want to use it. It wasn't fair and I guess that is what triggered my comment. In a matter of months though my brother tired of the car and went out and bought his own so I ended up with "Bob" a 1972 Ford Toronoto. Good memories with that car :)

Creature, you always know just the right thing to say here. You are one sweet LADY. I would love to meet your daughters, as they are as lucky as I am to have such a Mother.

My favorite counselor, how is your eye improving, and when is the next one scheduled? Do you have your sons here to visit for the next week or so? If you do, I encourage you to spend as much time with them as you can. Work can wait.

Gunghy, good to hear that your son's gift showed up and that laundry is awaiting...hopefully clean by the time he returns!

Dennis, I don't have a clue what the weather is doing "down south" but I hope you got out in time and get to enjoy one of those "topless" beaches. That might be questionable depending on the weather. Us gals here in MN find 60 degree weather a reason to bare all...

Lemonade714 said...

Lo-li-ta, as it hit 30's here, I thought of you and the rest of our Minnesota contingent; went back to the doctor today and he said come back in two weeks.

Saw a blip on the news about air rescue helicopter in Phoenix; you out there fishy? Cookies? I am beginning to think Dennis packs the cold and brings it with him. we will not hit 70 until wednesday; brrrrrrrr

Jeannie said...

BillG, thanks for the info on the speakers, but I don't own a Mac. I really hate to shop and don't want to go to the store and buy something that is incapatible as I know myself and won't return them if they are wrong. Don't get me started on the bags of pants/shirts/sweaters in my closet that I bought because they were such a "great deal". Once a year I go through those to see if they magically fit, or I magically like them, and they all go to charity, IF I make the effort to actually take them somewhere...MY BAD.

My favorite Counselor, good to hear that at least your doc's visits are still encouraging. I am rooting (looks wrong) for you none the less.

Where is Windhover? Buckeye? Crockett? Embien? Warren? I miss you guys!!

On another note, good to see you LE Cove, it appears that your writing skills keep improving. That's a blessing in itself. I am glad that you and your children enjoyed celebrating this Christmas season together.

Tomorrow is another day, and one I hope to just focus on my job and not four others! Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for said job. Everyone visit your local Burger King tomorrow!

Did I mention that I miss my speakers?

Jeannie said...

I really hate my own typos. Incompatable speakers. I am too tired and too lazy to do a spell check, but just knew it looked wrong.

Have a good evening friends.

dodo said...

Clearayes, since my comments yesterday disappeared into cyberspace, you didn't get my wishes for good health for your sister and GAH. I'm glad to hear the better news today and hope that things continue to improve.
So sad that these things happen when you should be enjoying the
holiday. Hoping the New Year will hold better tidings for you and yours! dodo