google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, January 31, 2011 Donna S. Levin

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Jan 31, 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Audio Alerts - The last word of the first three theme entries can precede the last word of the fourth.

17A. Exec's perk: COMPANY CAR


23A. Tempts fate, in a way: PLAYS WITH FIRE

50A. Second in a Sue Grafton series: 'B' IS FOR BURGLAR

61A. Fairly spicy, as chili (and like this puzzle, literally, based on the ends of 17-, 23- and 50-Across): THREE ALARM

Argyle here. One minor problem and that may be just me. Solid construction but not much spice, even though spice is mentioned several times. LOL. If you look for them, there are quite a few connections, intentional or not.

Across:

1. Dissolves into a puddle : MELTS

6. Firing range rounds : AMMO

10. Dog bugger : FLEA

14. Audibly astonished : AGASP

15. Pastry served au rhum : BABA. A small yeast cake saturated in rum.

16. Bee, to Andy : AUNT. From the Andy Griffith Show

19. Adriatic resort : LIDO

20. Sixth sense letters : ESP

21. Tableland : MESA

22. Conestoga, e.g. : WAGON

27. God of manly beauty : APOLLO

29. Actor Diggs : TAYE. This
man.

30. "Saturday Night Fever" dance genre : DISCO

31. Bogus plan : SCAM

33. Actress Cheryl : LADD.
Image, of course.

37. Acolyte's suffix : IST. Can someone explain this? Donna?

38. One in an extra-large baby carriage, perhaps : TRIPLET

41. Angus's greeting : MOO. I had this strange picture of Scots going around saying, "Moo", to each other. Must be the Monty Python effect.

42. Space Shuttle gp. : NASA

44. Feb. 14 : V-DAY. Saint Valentine's Day.

45. Colorado resort : ASPEN

47. "Of __ I Sing" : THEE

49. Mideast fleet : OILERS. The big oil tankers.

55. One more time : AGAIN

56. "Trick" or "treat" : VERB. But NOUN works too.

57. Horn for a Muppet named Zoot : SAX

60. Defame : SLUR

64. Charged particles : IONS

65. Feathery wraps : BOAs

66. Dance in a line : CONGA

67. Layer of paint : COAT

68. Eyelid woe : STYE

69. Praise : KUDOS

Down:

1. Nutmeg spice : MACE

2. Boardroom clashers : EGOs

3. Streetlight supports : LAMPPOSTS, And lampposts are traditional supports for drunks.

4. 1/6 fl. oz. : TSP

5. Musical with the song "The Holy Grail" : SPAMALOT. Still looking for the Holy Grail!

6. Bottomless pit : ABYSS

7. Avian chatterbox : MACAW.
Pretty bird.

8. Wharton deg. : MBA

9. Galley mover : OAR

10. Pita filling : FALAFEL. Falafel is made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans and spices.

11. "Super Mario" brother : LUIGI. Video game.

12. Biblical witch's home : ENDOR. I think of
Endora, from TV's "Bewitched".

13. Do penance : ATONE

18. R&B artist with the 2006 #1 hit "So Sick" : NE-YO. Unknown to me but
this (3:29)(with lyrics) is pretty good.

22. "For what reason?" : "WHY?"

24. Partnership letters : LLC. Limited Liability Company.

25. Country with a da Vinci drawing on its one-euro coin : ITALY.
Image.

26. Docile : TAME

27. Score after deuce : AD IN. One more letter and it's AD OUT, depending on which tennis player has won the next point, thus giving them the advantage.

28. Galileo's birthplace : PISA

31. Flip of a hit single : SIDE B

32. IRS audit rep : CPA

34. Barnes & Noble link? : AMPERSAND

35. Perpetrator : DOer

36. Crime bosses : DONS

39. Winnebago owner, briefly : RVer

40. NFL ball carrier, often : TAILBACK

43. In the beginning : AT FIRST

46. Gp. that abducted Patty Hearst : SLA. Symbionese Liberation Army. It happened in 1974.

48. Sweetie : HON

49. Meanie : OGRE

50. Rudimentary : BASIC

51. Inuit home : IGLOO. The Inuit were once known as Eskimos.

52. Sweat box? : SAUNA. Now that's funny; sweat box following the ice box(igloo).

53. Sun danger : UV RAY

54. Witherspoon of "Walk the Line" : REESE. The
story of Johnny Cash.

58. Jason's vessel : ARGO

59. Dec. holiday : XMAS

61. "Very funny" TV station : TBS. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

62. In vogue : HOT

63. '70s TV boss of Mary, Ted and Murray : LOU. Mary Tyler Moore Show, editor LOU Grant(Ed Asner).


Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Patriots' faithful fan Joshua (Barry G's handsome boy), who turns 6 years old today.

Happy Birthday to Bill G too. Sheng Ri Kuai Le, Bill!

66 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - running late this morning, so this'll be quick.

Fun, easy puzzle with Donna's wit evident throughout. For some reason, I liked 'melts' and 'agasp' together. Didn't like 'VDay for 44A, 'Feb. 14'; never saw it abbreviated that way.

Argyle, great blog; loved the image of Scotsmen greeting each other with 'moo'.

Today is Inspire Your Heart with Art Day. More importantly, it's BILL G.'s BIRTHDAY. Happy Birthday, Bill - I know this has been an up and down year for you and hopefully this upcoming one will be the best yet; lots of people here are pulling for you.

Did You Know?:

- There are more Subway sandwich shops in Manhattan than there are actual subway stations.

Dennis said...

Forgot: Re 37A, Argyle, one of the definitions of 'acolyte' is 'follower', hence the 'ist' suffix.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Still waiting to hear if my boss is going to cancel our meeting tomorrow or not. I'm hoping he will, but he's already out there (he flew in from Toronto), so we'll see.

Happy birthday to Bill G!

As for the puzzle, well, it was a fine Monday outing. The theme was nice, although I didn't really notice it until the end. And the fill was mostly nice as well, although I'm not sure what NEYO was doing there on a Monday.

If you don't hear from me tomorrow, it's likely because I had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to catch a flight...

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and all, a very fast solve this morning. There were a few spots where I had to wait for the perps, but the fills just kept coming. Argyle, I liked your “Moo” comment. Just not much to comment on this morning, but unlike yesterday I found this puzzle fun.

Happy Birthday Bill G.

Freezing rain moving in this evening followed by 3 to 4 inches of snow and then more rain/freezing rain. This will continue through Wednesday or Thursday.

Dennis, I told you last night that you were not going to like it.

Hope you all have a great Monday.

Dick said...

Barry G., safe travels. I am so happy I do not have to travel anymore except within my time frames. It is worse today with all of the hassles with security, full flights and less numbers of flights.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and Friends.

I rather liked this Donna Levin puzzle. I liked the THREE ALARMs from the first three clues giving us the answers in the final clue.

BABA is also sometimes pronounced Babka.

Angus's Greeting = MOO was one of my favorite clues of this puzzle.

AMPERSAND is a fun word. I liked the Barnes & Noble Link.

Happy Birthday, Bill G. Hope this milestone is spectacular.

Give my birthday wishes to your son, Barry G.

QOD: Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. ~ Will Rogers

Tinbeni said...

Argyle, Thanks for the NE YO info and link.
A total unknown here.

Happy 6th Birthday Joshua.
Bill G I hope your Birthday is a great one.

"Monday with Donna" has a nice ring to it.
FUN, easy offering. KUDOS !!!

Last to fall was the FALAFEL. I like to fill my pita's with deli meats & cheeses.

Been watching the Weather Channel and all that snow up north.
I almost feel guilty taking those 6 mile walks on the beach, getting a lot of UV RAYs over the weekend.
If this cloud-cover clears ... I'll feel guilty again this afternoon.

Cheers !!!

thehondohurricane said...

Good morning folks,

So far the puzzle was, and likely will be, the only good thing around here for the next few days. Dick covered our pending doom pretty well, but forgot to mention the highly likely power outages. I can't ever remember so badly wanting a winter to end, but this one has been a bear.

I didn't have a trouble with the themes today, but there were a lot of slowdowns because of my fading memory or total unknowns. Lido, baba, apollo, conga, and sla gave me pause for thought. Taye and Neyo, never heard of before. But managed to fill in with lots of help from perps.

Fav clue was company car, only because never had one. Also Lou, because the Mary Tyler Moore show was a big hit with me.

Enjoy Monday.

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Thanks for the great write-up, Argyle and especially the link to Taye Diggs (nice earring ;-D ). Taye and Neyo were total unknowns, but were filled in by perps, as everyone else has said. Thank goodness, they didn’t cross each other or I would have been totally lost.

It was a very simple theme, but I enjoyed some of the fill. Loved seeing SPAMALOT, and 38A “One in an extra-large baby carriage” for TRIPLET made me chuckle.

HBD Bill G - you have lots to celebrate today! And Barry G, give that cutie a b-day hug for me!

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,

Neyo and Taye are new ones for me as well as Vday. This one took some pecking and poking around for a Monday. Very fun.

Happy Birthday BillG and many more!

And a Happy Birthday to my fellow Pats fan Joshua! (Have to admit not even thinking about football lately!)

Thanks for the write-up Argyle.

Have a great day

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning Argyle, CC and all ye Monday peeps.

I sure zipped through this one a lot faster than the last few days. I see our old friend Sue Grafton is back. We haven't seen _IS FOR_ for awhile. Those were almost a weekly staple for a time last year.

Angus cattle was sure not what I was thinking. You got me on that one Donna. I messed up a bit with ADONIS instead of APPOLO, but perps corrected that. NE-YO and TAYE were total unknowns, but I won't complain since all of the crosses were easy.

Happy birthday BillG. May it be among the best ever.

Geez, you people up north complaining about all of the snow! Yeah, I did that for too many years, also. We finally decided to head south and enjoy a snow free retirement. No ice on the streets here unless someone spills their drink. Here's hoping those of you that still have to endure the winter woes make it through safely.

Hey, Tinman, I hope you weren't among the 350 "drunk and disorderlies" that were arrested at the Gasparilla Pirate festivities over the weekend. LOL

kazie said...

Good morning! and a great birthday wish to Josh and Bill G!

I actually thought this was a bit hard for a Monday. I perped NEYO OK but had TAYA because I couldn't spell FALAFAL. Not only that. but in several other places I took a lot longer than usual. Didn't know TAILBACK and had ADONIS and LAMPPOLE for quite a while.

More snow here today, but not much as yet. Have a wonderful day all of you!

kazie said...

Not complaining about the snow, mind you. I grew up in a snow-free climate--first snow I saw was on my trip to New Zealand at the age of 20. I love the change of seasons and the variety it brings to life. I never noticed what seasons did to nature before moving to Wisconsin. Of course, growing up in a concrete jungle didn't help that either.

I also forgot to mention that what I think of in a pita are Kebabs, which will be my first "fast food" delight when I get to Germany in April this year.

MH said...

Fun puzzle but not as easy for me as some apparently. I liked the theme but didn't get it until I filled in the unifier.

Getting ready for a few days in Vail where the weather has been great (for ski bums like me).

Also getting ready to return to the work force next week after a 6 month hiatus. It's called an "encore career" - doing something you like at reduced pay in your retirement years. CityCarShare is a non-profit based in San Francisco with a mission of improving quality of life in the Bay Area. I will be in charge of developing the EV and PHEV fleet.

Husker Gary said...

Argyle and other Monday friends,

The E that ended the name of someone named TAYE and was the second to last letter of FALAFEL, kept me from perfection. I went for an A.

Awesome seems to be the only adjective adolescents seem to use these days but that word would not miss describing Blue Man Group last night! From music so loud that it could sterilize the Octomom to movements so subtle that you had to pay great attention to 9 seven foot lit balls bouncing around the audience at the Lied Center, it was, well, AWESOME!

Barry G. HPD to that great looking 6 year old. I have this 5 ½ year old granddaughter and I think she goes for older men…I’m glad I am not shepherding 41 kids through O’Hare today!

HPD to Bill G as well! BTW, Bill, what is that logo on your T-shirt in that lovely picture?

Musings
-Didn’t know BABA or NEYO (or au rhum) but got ‘em. Isn’t today Monday?
-Embarrassed to say my hero Galileo’s birthplace was unknown to me. I thought he was born in Florence and not Pisa. I was at his burial crypt in Florence!
-Cheryl Ladd has zip and fortunately does not know that is a verb also!
-APOLLO, you’re in for ADONIS
-Happy VDAY beats Happy VD!
-Chatterbox bird starting with M? MYNAH! Nope, not so much.
-Top of the MOOrning to you Angus!
-OILERS not TANKERS?
-I showed my kids a vinyl record last year (no SIDEB’s) and held a paper cone with a needle in it in the groove and let it spin (slue?) on the turntable. OMG, they almost dropped the iPods they were so amazed.
-The same kids holding their calculators with 12 places of significant figures were fascinated by my slide rule with its 4 sig figs at best
-My wife’s purse around here is known as the ABYSS. How can whatever she is seeking NEVER be on top?
-If you think TBS comedies are very funny, I bow to your superior ability to extract amusement from I perceive to be the lowest of low brow humor and an insult to a lot of minorities. To each his own.

Barry G. said...

Thanks for the birthday wishes for Joshua!

I just spoke with my boss and he will decide by noon today whether to go ahead with the conference or not. He's already in Wisconsin, but I'm supposed to fly in from Boston and one of the other participants is supposed to fly in from St. Louis (which is also expecting the "storm of the century" to hit). Getting to Wisconsin won't be a problem, but getting back home might be nigh impossible. There's also my family to think about if I'm stuck out of town for an extended period while they are dealing with ice storms, blizzards and possible power outages...

Anonymous said...

Nothing much to comment on - did the puzzle - Had a great time - ( its a Monday, afterall - ).

Thank you Donna Levin -( still remember your picture from a few weeks ago) - for a delightful puzzle -

Lest we forget - Thank you Argyle for your wonderful blog - reading it is like sweet wicked icing on the Baba au rhum.

Wait a minute - does Baba** have any icing ? - my memory is fading ... or is it the Rum ?

Have a great week you'all.


** Baba, in middle Asia is a term for 'guy' or 'fellah' ( the latter term, more in Egypt). It is also an endearing term used for young male children. ('baby' - meant respectfully, for girls - )

Tinbeni said...

Grumpy 1
As a "life-long" local ... I NEVER go to the Gasparilla Parade over in Tampa.

I was guarding Honeymoon Island.

No Pirates attemped a landing but there were a lot of 'pale-faced' Northerner's walking the beach Shelling.

(At 350 arrests for "drunk and disorderlies" (hmmm, that sounds like the "female skin exposure" Dennis would be cheering) the Tampa Police said it was "calm" for Gasparilla Day).

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!

Yup, same mistakes as most everyone, MYNAS, ADONIS, HALF back, FULL back, oh TAIL back - hockey, not football here.

Took a LOT longer than expected for a Monday, but then again, I can never remember SLA, and I had ARMADA for the fleet (thinking USA) so none of that area was working for me...

I think of EWOKS when I hear ENDOR, and not a huge fan of VDAY either.

Good luck BarryG, I just checked, and it's messy for the next two days PLUS another blast coming Sat - I could go for some warm air, now, too...ugh.

Splynter

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Nice Monday work, Argyle and compliments to Donna Levin.

The years are weighing! We all know Perry Como and even Elvis, but a #1 chart topper like NE-YO left me blank. That too bad, "So Sick"(now that I've heard it) is a pretty nice song.

I remembered TAYE Diggs as the gorgeous piano player in the movie "Chicago".

I liked seeing 5D SPAMALOT. I am reminded that we have tickets to see it in Modesto in March. We're looking forward to it.

Yes, I admit to filling 41A with HAE, until I got the clarifying perps that put MOO where it belonged.

It's been a while, but I've read most of Sue Grafton's ABC books. 50A B IS FOR BURGLAR was a great bottom section anchor to make sure the perps came easily.

I finished "The Help" last night and began one of Salman Rushdie's older books, "Midnight's Children". I'm definitely becoming a Kindle addict.

About FALAFEL; anything to do with fava beans, yogurt, cucumbers or hummus isn't going to be on my menu. They just aren't things that tickle my palate.

My northern European roots and culinary training have steered me away from very spicy food. Medium spicy Mexican food is about as daring as I get.

Husker Gary, I agree with you about the level of amusement provided by TBS. We haven't watched even one of their "very funny" sitcoms. Well, we did watch the last half of the SAG awards on TBS last night. We were pleased to see "The King's Speech" won for best cast and Colin Firth for best actor.

Happy Birthday, Bill G. and to Joshua too!

I'm off to "Inspire Your Heart with Art Day". Monday art class this afternoon.

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

Thanks, Argyle for breathing some life into some remote answers.

Donna, I alwys enjoy your puzzles; this felt like a Tuesday for me with;FALAFEL;NEYO and SLA. Nice theme,too.
fav: angus's greeting;MOO.

Happy Birthday to Joshua ; 6 is a big one!

Bill G,Hope this is a special day for you; your family pic is a delight and you all look so devoted. HBday and many more!

JD, loved the 'lighten the mood' link! I so relate. Hope your new adventure is fun

MH, I couldn't get your link to come up; I like the "encore career" concept;you seem to be so 'current' in your posts, I'm sure you'll do well. Maybe you'd give an opinion after you've been at it for a while.

Have a nice day everyone.

fermatprime said...

Good morning all!

Great write-up, Argyle! Nice puzzle, Donna!

A bit longer than usual Monday. Really scratched head over NEYO. No problem with TAYE as one of my past guilty pleasures was Ally McBeal (loved Peter MacNicol).

Felicitations Bill G!

A little rain here yesterday. Hope it's back to warm Spring today!

Have a good week!

Bill G. said...

Happy Monday!

Thanks for all the thoughtful birthday wishes. We went out for a nice birthday lunch on Saturday. Barbara has promised me belated treats of cornbread and bread pudding (my mother's recipe). No scrapple today. Maybe tomorrow. Today was oatmeal with brown sugar and half and half. (Why am I posting this? Running out of significant stuff I guess.)

I think I heard Abby (Pauley Perette from NCIS) was going to be on Letterman tonight. Maybe I'll record it.

thehondohurricane said...

Cripes, my mind is addled today.

Bill G, Happy birthday. I hope you have a blast.

Argyle, thank you for today's write up. Very informative as usual with nice links. Cheryl's still an attractive lady, but so isn't the macaw.

Lucina said...

Good day, puzzle people!

Thank you, Argyle, for your pleasing commentary.

Seeing Donna Levin's name always cheers me; her puzzles are great to solve and this one filled fast.

BABA au rhum is a familiar xwd term and always happy to see MESA there, not only a tableland but a city in Arizona.

The gorgeous hunk, TAYE Diggs is eye candy, thanks for the link.

Ditto for thinking ADONIS instead of APOLLO but already had SPAMALOT so that was dispelled.

I love the word AMPERSAND but VDAY and XMAS abbreviations, not so much.

I love ITALY, PISA and Da Vinci and would go back to visit in a heartbeat.

NE YO is my lesson today and loved the MOO image, Argyle.

No UVRAYS here today as it's overcast and rain predicted.

Happy, happy birthday, Bill G and Barry, add my birtday hug for your handsome boy.

Please have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

MH said...

Creature - right, the link in my original post seems to be broken. I must have done something wrong with the html.

Try this one: CityCarShare.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone.

I couldn't get 16A AUNT or 12D ENDOR, but everything else came, albeit slowly. Interrupted by the dryer repair man; we need to buy a new one. That thought puts one off the xword for sure!

Thought of you Tinbeni when I read of the arrests in Tampa. Glad you weren't one of them.

Happy birthday Joshua.
And happy birthday Bill G. It doesn't sound very good with your pending travels and rotten weather.
I do hope everything works out.

Cheers

carol said...

Hi all -
Love Donna Levin! This was not as easy as some of her Monday offerings, but I did enjoy it.

I had several mistakes and unknowns (never heard of SPAMALOT, NEYO, VDAY, LUIGI) I had to look some up but I did get through it all.

41A ANGUS'S GREETING/MOO had me laughing, I too kept picturing couple of Scots so it took awhile for me to catch on.

I also put ADONIS in for 27A and that screwed up that area for several minutes.

Don't remember ever seeing AGASP before..(my spell check says it's incorrect)

Happy Birthday Bill G...know you've had a rather rough year so the next one will be good :)

Bill G. said...

Husker Gary, do you mean the black sweatshirt in the family picture? If so, it's from a tennis sportswear company called Le Coq Sportif. I liked their stuff.

Sallie, I think you're getting me mixed up with someone else. I'm not traveling and the weather here is beautiful

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Happy birthday wishes to Joshua and Bill G.

Sure enough, I wanted MYNAH and ADONIS. I also wanted CHASM for 6d. In fact, as started the puzzle with the acrosses, as I usally do, I kept drawing blanks until I got ESP, and that gave me a feeling of foreboding. Usually on a Monday I can confidently fill in at least one fill along the top two rows right away. Today was not so easy.

NEYO and TAYE were total unknowns to me, and I didn't know what ENDOR was until I looked it up.

Like many of you, I got a nice laugh from MOO and the kilt-clad images it evoked in my mind.

Somehow I got one number off and put VAIL in at 44 across instead of 45 across, which left me wondering how to stretch THEE out to five letters (thinking it went in at 45 across). When I finally re-synched which line of clues went with which grid spaces I was all right again. Didn't like VDAY much, even though I've seen it used in advertisements recently. I think it is another example of the media getting all cutsie by creating artifical abbreviations. Sorta like Alec Rodrigues being nicknamed A-Rod, following on the heels of J-Lo. I remember an Olympic Athlete a few years ago, Jennifer Rodrigues, who told the sports announcer (I think it was Bob Costas) straight out that she would not take kindly to being called J-Rod. He looked duly chastised. All too cutsie-poo for my taste.

I remember the first time I ever heard of a "rum baba" years ago. I heard the term uttered by a colleague of mine from the middle east, and when he said it, with his inimitable accent ("rhummmbahbahhhhh!"), I thought it was an Arabic expletive, LOL. He had to explain to me that it was a kind of dessert. I always thought "baba" was a title or honorific, like "aga" or "khan", such as the well known Ali Baba. He told me that is true too, that "baba" is often added to names as a term of endearment. Gosh I love language.

Just don't call me Johnny-baba thank you. LOL

Best wishes to you all, and a special hearty handshake to Bill G.

Jayce said...

Bill G, my wife went to look for scrapple yesterday but couldn't find it. Turns out she went to Raley's, not Ralph's. Ah, my dear little wifeybaba :)

Jayce said...

I've been reading up on Endor and the Witch of Endor, and it is fascinating. Very cool, Argyle, that you saw a connection between that and the name of Endora the witch on the televison show "Bewitched."

daffy dill said...

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

Mondays are usually 8-10 minute days, but today stretched to 26 minutes. I got off on the wrong foot by putting GASPs instead of AGASP. Don't like it unless we can say it as two words "A GASP." Didn't know NEYO, TAYE, or ADIN. I g'd NEYO and perps got the rest. I knew ENDOR from I Samuel 28, where King Saul asks the witch of Endor to call up Sanuel from the dead to help him out of a pickle he got into. (I suspect the MIL in "Bewitched" was named "Endora" because of that passage.) I had PISA and LAMPPOSTS, so I knew 27A was APOLLO.

Happy birthday to Joshua and BillG. Many happy returns.

Keeping fingers crossed - the forecast is for rain/snow or ice tomorrow. Todays high should be 74 and tomorrow's 31! Brrrr! I'll live with it if it brings moisture.

Husker Gary said...

Bill, Yes that is the shirt. I liked the logo. Does that mean The Sporty Rooster?

Daffy, where in the world is the high 74 one day and 31 the next?

Jeannie said...

No time to do the puzzle today as we are at “crunch time” on the foodshow. I will do it tonight as I see it’s a Donna Levin puzzle and she is one of my favorites. I did however, want to add my Birthday wishes to little Joshua and especially Bill G! Enjoy that corn bread and bread pudding!

Clear Ayes said...

For Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, here's a poem I picked up from the internet.

Life without ART

Can you ask a baby not to cry?
can you ask a bird not to fly?
can you ask a flower not to bloom?
life without art is death after doom
life without movement still and content
worthless meaningless time is spent
idle just slumber just plain and bland
no strokes no pens or pencil in hand
no music no prose no blisters on toes
no broken hearted dancers no shows
only true artists understand and know
how life would be so grey and dark
life without love is life without art
rehearsals and go sees and cattle calls
no models no musicians at all
no mp3s or mov's nor any html
no lyrics lost no cds to sell
no beats no bangs no blues no rock
no jazz no reggatone no not
museum walls crying for frames
artifacts unknown fossil names
markers paint oil and lead
art cannot live if it is dead
Art is a baby waiting to be
nurtured and loved eternally
Art is a Rose in full bloom
Life without art is Death after Doom

- by Darlene Lewis

Lucina said...

Clear Ayes:
That is a beautiful poem! And I can "see" the picture it paints of a gloomy existence without art of any kind. Unimaginable!

Thank you.

Jayce:
I am not in the same area as daffy dill, but here we are experiencing the same change, all last week in the 70s and starting today, plunging into freezing temps because of a cold front heading in from the West.

Barry G. said...

Al right, it's official... I've canceled my trip to Wisconsin due to the impending snowpocalypse. I'll feel like an idiot if the weather turns out to be not so bad (the meeting is still going on -- I just said I won't be there), but I just can't risk my safety and that of my family.

Now all I have to do is avoid killing myself trying to shovel out...

Gunghy said...

Not much to add. I didn't know Ne-Yo or Taye either. When I got Taye, I assumed it was a female name. I didn't even try with Ne-Yo. Chasm for abyss was my only error, but it sure was slow for a Monday.

I love Falafel, but Baba is a total unknown.

I found a new hot sauce over the weekend. when I was checking the label, I found this under the nutritional facts: "Hot sauce really doesn't have nutritional value. It's vinegar and peppers for God's sake. What did you expect? Why are you even trying to determine the nutritional value of Hot Sauce? Just enjoy it." Combine that with the label of "Not-So-Famous" and I had to buy it. After paying, I decided to test it. CA, testing consists of tilting back the head and pouring in a TSP or so. The checker almost had to be helped to a seat, but this Swede ignores 3 alarm in favor of the more flavorful stuff.

BillG, hope it's good.

Marge said...

Hi all,

I thought this was harder than a Monday puzzle usually is. I got some of it done but had to look up some. It was fun, though, thank you Donna L.

Angus made me think of cattle right away, didn't even think of Scotsmen!

Agnes Moorehead, who played Endora, is buried in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. It was her home town. It is about 11 miles from here.


I've read Sue Grafton's books too and I put "B is for B" but couldn't remember the rest right off. I have also read all of JD Robb's (Nora Roberts) In Death books too and waiting for next one coming out in Feb.

We have had snow all day so far and may get up to 10 inches by tomorrow. It is possible most of it will go south of us.

Happy Birthday Joshua and BillG.

Did any of you watch "The Lost Valentine" last evening with Betty White? It was really good and also very touching. I am amazed at what Betty can do at 89.

Have a good evenng!
Marge

kazie said...

Barry and Marge,
We have about 6-7 inches today so far, and it's still coming. (Dennis, I mean SNOW!)

Barry,
I don't know which airport you were coming to, but they may have been closed anyway, so perhaps the meeting will end up called off too.

Andrea said...

Greetings, all.

Pretty smooth sailing on the puzzle today. Any unknowns were filled in easily by the perps. I did get stuck on VER_ for trick or treat, running through all the vowels in my head and not figuring out what it could be. For some reason, didn't think of B, so had quite a V8 moment.

Barry, not sure where in WI you were going, but I'm in Chicago right now for work, where 1-2 feet is expected tomorrow, so if you were flying through ORD to get to WI, you made the right call. It's already snowing in Madison, altho not as much is expected. I'm hoping I'll be able to drive back home tomorrow morning before the Big Storm hits - they're expecting it to be one of the Top 5 of all time! Thankfully the Packers were able to make it out of Green Bay and get to Dallas!!!!!!

Happy bdays to Bill and Joshua.

Unknown said...

An acolyte assists the celebrant with communion. I am an acolyte as well as a Lay Eucharistic Minister. I've never heard of an "acolytist".
Acolytes can be crucifers who carry the cross during the procession as well as leading the priest into the nave for the Gospel reading. Torch bearers light and carry the candles. The torches are a throw-back to the catacombs. The candles lit the way in those very dark places in the early church.
Let's not even get into incense and bells, known as "smells and bells".

windhover said...

The top 5 of all time? Now THAT is hype!!!!!

CA:
That is a great poem! To all my pseudo-scientific farmer friends, who have gulped down the "Better Living Through Chemistry" Kool-Aid, I insist that farming is still an art. There is certainly craft involved, but two of my personal heroes, Liberty Hyde Bailey (has there ever been a better name?) and Wendell Berry, instruct me on the art of farming.
Puzzle (plus the previous 4 days) on the way home with the Irish. All the good comments have already been made, anyway.

Kazie:
Nice try, but I still prefer last week's mental image. Speaking of which, screw winter!, and absolutely no pun intended.
59 days till April 1.

LaLaLinda said...

Hello Everyone ~~

After struggling with the weekend puzzles I found that today's went really quickly. What I was unsure of, filled in with perps. I did know TAYE Diggs but didn't know NEYO. As others have mentioned, I had ADONIS for APOLLO and didn't notice that the related perps would be wrong. I found my mistake only after coming here. Thank you Argyle for a very helpful and interesting write-up!

Barry ~~ Happy Birthday to your cute son Joshua ~~ and ... it's good that you won't be traveling tomorrow ... the forecast makes it sound like quite a two-day "event."

Happy Birthday, Bill G. ~~ a really nice family picture!

Well, I've charged my cell phone and my Kindle. Now I'll check on the flashlights and oil lamps. This preparation is more for ice build up on power lines than it is for snow. Time to hunker down, as they say.


Stay warm ~~ Stay safe!

daffy dill said...

H.Gary, I live in West Texas. Our weather can be erratic. Now, let me say that the TV weather people often get all excited over a weather front, but it doesn't turn out to be as bad as they forecast, The high tomorrow might be 51 instead of 31. We have to just be prepared.

Marge, I watched "The Lost Valentine" and enjoyed it very much. I'm not much of a crier, but I cried throughout the whole thing. Betty White was very good. She is wasted on that ridiculous "Hot in Cleveland" sitcom.

Lucina said...

Marge and daffy dill:
I also watched The Lost Valentine and sobbed through most of it. Betty White is still certainly a sterling, passionate actress but I was also impressed with the young man who played Lucas though didn't catch his name.

Lucina said...

I keep forgetting to mention how much I LOVE CHILE, SALSA, HOT SAUCE and any similar product; three alarm is wonderful!

Marge, I believe that it was the definition of acolyte as a follower would lead to the -ist ending, such a follower would be a socialIST, communIST, loyalIST, etc.

Warren said...

Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang,

A quick and fun puzzle today. My wife and I finished all except the top right before she left for work.

When I got 10A: Flea

That answer reminded me of this commercial which may also be a earworm so be forewarned before you click...

;-)

ARBAON said...

We chose the wrong time to "migrate" to the middle west, I see! That`s where it can be 70 something one day and 30 something the next! And this time of year, that huge swing is what causes those Fujita scale storms!
I too chose Adonis for Apollo...messed up that whole side for a while...
BTW: Where do you park a camel? In Camelot of course!
And for the people who could get an inch of ice, 1/2 inch can cause you to be without power for days (the weight of the ice breaks limbs which fall on power lines if they haven`t already broken under the weight of ice....)so be prepared.

Happy birthday Bill and LG Joshua!

Clear Ayes said...

Gunghy@3:10, you are a brave man to sample the "Not-So-Famous" sauce after the good-natured admonition on the label. It isn't that I don't like it at all, I am just very careful in dribbling it on drop by drop.

Then there are the natural addicts like Lucina who love the stuff.

I think if you grow up with Mediterranean, Asian, or other south of the equator cuisine, spicy is just part of your life and you acclimate early on.

We Scandinavians, on the other hand, have dibs on complaining about lutefisk.

Abejo said...

Good Evening, folks! I was too busy at work to get this out today. Very nice puzzle Donna Levin. It was a little tough in spots for a Monday, but so what. Some days are tougher than others. (Like yesterday's puzzle, which i still have not finished) Great write-up Argyle. I liked the reference to Endora from "Bewitched." I got that connection too, and it helped me to get the word, ENDOR.

LIDO came easily because I used to stay at the Lido Motel on Mannheim Rd in Franklin Park, IL, many years ago.

I did not know NEYO or TAYE. However, the perps helped.

MOO had me stumped for a while. I was trying for a Scot answer. Finally it hit me. Simple.

I still have Sunday's to finish. I may work on it tonight. I hate looking things up. I worked on it yesterday, off and on, while cooking up a batch of golabki. It turned out great.

Happy Birthday Bill G. and Joshua.

See you all tomorrow.

Abejo

Barry G. said...

I was supposed to fly into Milwaukee Airport (MKE), which may or may not be closed. But the meeting will take place because my boss is already there and three of the five directors that are supposed to be attending are local. Of course, if they really get the amount of snow they are predicting in Milwaukee, the entire office might very well be closed.

The other director who was supposed to fly in is down in St. Louis. They are expected to get 1-3 inches of ice followed by 15-18 inches of snow, so he wasn't too happy about the prospect of flying into a blizzard and never making it home, either. Fortunately, for the both of us, our boss said we should use our best judgment to decide whether or not to make the trip...

Lucina said...

Clear Ayes:
You are so right about how our background often dictates our tastes in food; however, while in Sweden I also became addicted to pickled herring. Love that stuff!

Anonymous said...

Bill G.: Sorry, yes I had you mixed up with Barry G.

Barry G., my comments were meant for you.

JD said...

Good evening all,

Donna always gives us a fun puzzle, with some learning moments.Kudos!
For me, I did not know the relationship between Spices/mace.html>mace/nutmeg, so I just had to see.

I saw "company car", as comp ANY car, which would be an awesome perk!

You can ogle over Taye Diggs every week on Private Practice.

Husker, lots of people are confused by The Blue Man Group. I think they are hysterical!Don't ever sit in the 1st few rows at one of their shows. Paint flies everywhere.

Happy Birthday Bill! This one should be the best ever! We are all so proud of you.

Barry, good call to cancel your trip, and HB to your darling son!

See you all on the 13th, just in time for V Day.

JD said...

wrong link..or just incomplete..
oops

Husker Gary said...

JD, Blue Man Group was amazing! They sold out 4 shows at the 2,2200 seat Lied Center in Lincoln and then added a 5th show and that sold out in a day!

They were loud and so unique. The first 6 rows had plastic bags for people to wear for the liquid that flies off the drums while they are playing them. We were in the first row of the balcony so the little ones could see but the 5 year old left after 40 minutes. Too loud, Papa!

I'd go again!

Nice Cuppa said...

Evenin' all

A late post today as I had a major deadline to meet. Thanks DENNIS AND DONNA. Smooth enough for a Monday. 2 comments:

1. As you might imagine, "DOG BUGGER" took some time for this Englishman to parse, but after my slap on the wrist the other day I will say no more (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean? Say no more, squire...)

2. Andy and Bee sent me off on a tangent. Princess Beatrice of York is currently #5 in line of succession to the British throne. She is the daughter of the Queen's eldest son - Andrew (#4) - formerly known as Randy Andy due to the extent of his premarital exploits - and "Fergie" (remember her?). The current top 10 is given below. It will all change of course assuming William (currently #2) and Kate (currently #65,000,000) tie the knot (bastards don't count) and go forth and multiply later this year:

#1. HRH The Prince of Wales (The Prince Charles; b 1948) son of Queen Elizabeth II
#2. HRH Prince William of Wales (b 1982) son of The Prince of Wales
#3. HRH Prince Harry of Wales (b 1984) son of The Prince of Wales
#4. HRH The Duke of York (The Prince Andrew; b 1960) son of Queen Elizabeth II
#5. HRH Princess Beatrice of York (b 1988) daughter of The Duke of York
#6. HRH Princess Eugenie of York (b 1990) daughter of The Duke of York
#7. HRH The Earl of Wessex (The Prince Edward; b 1964) son of Queen Elizabeth II
#8. James, Viscount Severn (b 2007) son of The Earl of Wessex
#9. The Lady Louise Windsor (b 2003) daughter of The Earl of Wessex
#10. HRH The Princess Royal (The Princess Anne; b 1950) daughter of Queen Elizabeth II

NC

lois said...

Good evening Argyle, CC, et al., Just wanted to stop in and wish the 'boys' a very happy birthday, Joshua and Bill G.

Bill G: I hope this year sparkles for you. We're so proud of your accomplishment.

I feel so sorry for all you who are suffering w/the snowpocolypse.
The weather channel had a review of the last year for New York the other day. It was one extreme record breaking event after another. And it continues.Amazing!

Argyle: If you want to escape that stuff, you can come down here any time you want to. You can check out my chimney while you're here too. Got it 'swept' recently. That was a first. Woohoo!

CA: Excellent poem. I love that one!

BarryG: glad you're staying home. Wise man.

Clear Ayes said...

NC, A small typo. Andrew is the second son of the Queen and Prince Phillip. Interesting that the York princesses are in line before their uncle Edward or aunt Anne, but I see how it works now. Thanks for the ranking. I'm glad to know that I come in as a closer contender (#64,999,000) to the throne than an unprincessed Kate. A nudge is as good as a wink to a blind man. Say no more, say no more....thanks Monty Python.

Lucina, no arguments about pickled herring. I love that stuff!

WH, Lois, Lucina, et al, glad you all liked the poem. It was just a lucky catch on an appropriate day.

Annette said...

Happy birthday, Bill G.!

Barry G., smart decision!

I really did enjoy the overall puzzle. I always seem to feel as though I'm on Donna Levin's wavelength, more so than most other constructors.

I first saw Taye Diggs playing a very sexy young Jamaican in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back". I heard he was also in the original production of Rent.

I've heard of Ne-yo and think he sang on "Dancing With the Stars" once. I still needed some perps to help me fill it in though.

I also needed some perps to tell me what "B is for...", as well as "Acolyte".

I don't care for V-Day either, but I've seen it enough over the past few years that it wasn't a problem. I remember being told that spelling Christmas that way was disrespectful, although some fanatics explained it as the X standing for the crucifix.

TRIPLET took me a little while to get. The wording of the clue felt awkward to me. I just couldn't read it right. I was pretty tired when I did the puzzle last night!

I don't care for the VERB or NOUN clues. I think I'd rather guess at a directional or Roman numeral... Anyone else?

JD said...

CA, good poem. It's such a shame that many schools have cut out music and art, and with the strict curriculum, it's hard to sneak it in during English, history. math,etc.

Garlic Gal, how was the puzzle fest? Did anyone else go?

Seldom Seen said...

When I think of Angus' greeting, I think of "g'day". But it doesn"t fit.

Neither did ADOUT. Have we ever seen ADOUT?

This storm is the real deal. It is anything but hype. How many people will be affected?

What?...No Zoot love?

dodo said...

Evening, All,

I just lost my posting! I'll try again.

HBTY, Joshua G and Bill G and congrats, Bill, for your great accomplishment!

Clearayes, I loved the poem.

Annette, hand up for not enjoying VERB and NOUN as answers; seems to me as sort of a cop out. ATONE is appearing pretty often. And AGASP seems like a made up word! Have never seen VDay except in 1945 before it became VEDay.

Frenchie said...

Hi C.C., Argyle and folk.
6a firing range rounds/AMMO ammo is an abbreviation; clue doesn't suggest it. But it's such a fun one!
@BillG, happy birthday!
Happy Birthday Joshua, too!
@CA, I love the Kindle, too. I started with a KOBO (Borders) and it kept malfunctioning and with Kindle, it's incredible! I just have to think of a title and can be reading it in a snap!
Sleep well, all...
I'm out.