google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday January 16, 2011 Jonathan Black

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Jan 16, 2011

Sunday January 16, 2011 Jonathan Black

Theme: Put Me In, Coach - ME is inserted in each familiar name/phrase/word, and the resulting phrase is then humorously clued.

23A. King of workouts? : HENRY THE FIR(ME)ST. Henry the First.

45A. Belittle Short? : DE(ME)AN MARTIN. Dean Martin. Martin Short.

96A. Rogaine-induced reverie? : DREA(ME)D LOCKS. Dreadlocks. I've never heard of Rogaine. Drug for hair loss.

119A. Institution for Shrek and Fiona? : HO(ME)LY MATRIMONY. Holy matrimony.

15D. Footballers who draw flags? : DIRTY LINE(ME)N. Dirty Linen.

48D. Purloined sirloin? : (ME)AT HEIST. Atheist.

51D. Zoo area for dromedaries? : CA(ME)L ZONE. Calzone. Have yet to taste it.

64D. Silent cowboy flick? : MI(ME)D WESTERN. Midwestern.

Nice set of 8 theme answers. Half of them have one-word base phrases. No easy task to comb through **ME** words & come up with cluable answers.

I also like the intersection of 4 theme answers. Always impressive. The theme title is rather self-revealing though. I bet many of you grokked the gimmick quickly.

Could be Jonathan Black's debut. If so, congratulations.

Across:

1. Toward the ship's rear : ABAFT. Nailed it.

6. It may be rolled out : TARP. Was picturing red carpet.

10. Sandler of "Big Daddy" : ADAM

14. Really dig : ADORE

19. Man of La Mancha : SENOR. Nice play on the film "Man of La Mancha".

20. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Filipinos working as nannies in Hongkong.

21. Steam (up) : RILE

22. River to the Tyrrhenian Sea : TIBER. Through Rome.

26. Cache : TROVE. Ah, now Argyle and I fully understood how important those cached files are.

27. Jam time : SESSION

28. Balaam's mount : ASS. Biblical mount.

29. Upscale groups : ELITEs

31. Swore : ATTESTED

34. By far : EASILY. Easily the best.

36. Seed protector : ARIL. Like the tiny white stuff covering the pomegranate seeds.

39. Isolate, in a way : ENISLE

41. Green sides : SALADS. Took me a minute.

50. __ Victor : RCA

52. Country where Baha'i was founded : IRAN. Their calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days.

53. Lab subject : DNA

54. Bully : COERCE

55. Hip bones : ILIA

57. Milky Way phenomenon believed to occur almost weekly : NOVA

58. Delay : LAG

59. Bullet that leaves a trail : TRACER. New to me.

60. Wordsworth works : POEMS

62. Commander, in Arabic : EMIR

63. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Learned from doing Xword.

65. "My mama done __ me ...": song lyric : TOL'. Grammatically incomprehensible.

66. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE

67. Earned : MADE

68. Creep : INCH. Needs "along" in the clue, no?

70. Good in the 'hood : BAD

71. Bowler's assignment : LANE

73. Cup part : BRIM

76. Parting shot, say : RETORT. I don't get this clue. Why "parting"?

79. La __ : PAZ. Bolivia. Paz = "Peace"

81. Chimborazo's range : ANDES

85. Bank deposit : LODE. River bank. Awesome clue.

86. Beauty pageant prize : TIARA

87. Pounds : THROBS. What did you want, Dennis?

89. "__ fallen ..." : I'VE

90. Word most often heard around midnight : AULD. On New Year's Eve.

91. Talk with one's hands : SIGN. Sign language?

92. A lot of thinking is done in them : CRANIA. I feel the left side of my skull is bigger than the right side.

93. Truck capacity unit : TON

94. Hasenpfeffer, e.g. : STEW. I've never heard of this German rabbit stew, Kazie. Hase = Rabbit. Pfeffer = Pepper, a la Wiki.

95. Antitrust law enforcer: Abbr. : FTC

99. Mezzo Berganza : TERESA. No idea. She's Spanish.

101. They have reservations : HOTELS. Thought of Indians.

103. Quaker's pronoun : THEE. I confuse Quakers with Shakers.

104. Confined : SHUT IN

106. Most austere : BLEAKEST

111. Compound used to stabilize perfume : KETONE. Learning moment.

113. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir. : ENE. I trust the constructor gets it right.

115. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA

118. Like some floors : TILED

124. Bestow : AWARD

125. "-zoic" things : ERAS. I like this clue.

126. Cork's home : EIRE. Cork county, Ireland.

127. Bistro bill of fare : CARTE

128. Fool : NINNY

129. Coastal raptors : ERNS

130. Artistic impressions, briefly? : TATS (Tattoos).

131. See 2-Down : KNEES. And 2D. With 131-Across, greatest thing : BEES. Bee's knees.

Down:

1. Lenten symbol : ASH

3. Writer Tyler : ANNE. She is from Minnesota.

4. On eBay, e.g. : FOR SALE. I just buy.

5. Assignation : TRYST

6. California border lake : TAHOE

7. Words of agreement : AMENs

8. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Was unaware the "so few" in "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"refers to the Royal Air Force.

9. Key letter : PHI. Fraternity/Sorority key. Got me. (Correction: KEY here refers to the PHI Beta Kappa symbol. Thanks, Lemonade.)

10. Guns : ARMS

11. Semi filler : DIESEL

12. Capone and Capp : ALs. Then we have 114D. Capone harasser : NESS (Eliot). Capone echos.

13. Allots, with "out" : METES

14. Fifth-century scourge : ATTILA. Attila the Hun, Scourge of God.

16. O, in old radio lingo : OBOE. No idea.

17. Guns : REVS

18. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE

24. Little bird : TIT. Made me TEHEE (105. Giggle).

25. Pie cuts, essentially : RADII

30. Dr. Cuddy on "House" : LISA. Got via crosses.

32. 1970s-'90s Toyota : TERCEL. Wiki said "Tercel" derives from Latin meaning "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla.

33. Come in : ENTER

35. Mountain homes : AERIES. For the eagles.

36. Discombobulate : ADDLE. Fun word, discombobulate.

37. Kidney-related : RENAL

38. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

40. Threw barbs : SNIPED

42. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA

43. Longtime Seinfeld collaborator : DAVID (Larry)

44. Catch : SNARE

46. Join the cast of : ACT IN

47. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR

49. "Giovanna d'__": Verdi opera : ARCO. Know nothing about operas.

56. __ Altos, California : LOS

61. Caribbean, e.g. : SEA

66. Delt neighbor : LAT

69. PC component : CRT

70. German chancellor, 1969-'74 : BRANDT (Willy). First encounter with this guy. He won Nobel Peace in 1971.

72. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Boomer loves his songs.

73. Great time : BLAST

74. Beat : ROUTE

75. Dynamo's antithesis : IDLER

77. Discipline involving slow movement : TAI CHI. Very slow. Mostly practiced by old people in China.

78. Web address ending : ORG

79. "Wheel of Fortune" category : PHRASE

80. Saroyan's "My Name Is __" : ARAM. I've never heard of the book.

82. Abandon : DITCH

83. Arouse : EVOKE

84. Taste, e.g. : SENSE

87. Immune response component : T CELL

88. Nod, maybe : BID

95. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr is a faun, right?

97. Mutiny : REBEL

98. It can help you relax : OTTOMAN. Sofa.

100. Poorly made : SHODDY

102. Like some bands : ONE-MAN

107. Like soldiers and their families, usually : APART. Poignant clue.

108. Toys with tails : KITES

109. Ring bearer? : EAR. Earrings?

110. Small cut : SNICK

111. Smallest ratite bird : KIWI

112. Brio : ELAN

116. Traditional wisdom : LORE

117. A chip, maybe : ANTE

118. "The Joy Luck Club" author : TAN (Amy). Very authentic portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants.

120. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Wow, no idea, Bobby!

121. "Are we there __?" : YET

122. "Mamma __!" : MIA

123. "Absolutely!" : YES

Answer grid.

C.C.
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36 comments:

  1. eddyBJanuary 16, 2011 at 12:41 AM

    Hi all.

    Not bad for a Sunday. The theme was a give away and there were a lot of knowns which made solving easy.

    Thanks for the kind thoughts and wishes. I appreciated them.

    Will be interested in how others make hasenpfeffer. It is not a Stew
    the way I make it. My favorite dish.

    The Sharks won! The Steelers won!
    Great way to end the day.

    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lemonade714January 16, 2011 at 1:09 AM

    C.C.:

    I cannot believe how quickly you comleted this puzzle and blog; I am in awe.

    I found this to be a real workout; the theme was fun and helped tremendously, especially after I looked at the title, but there were pitfalls everywhere.

    Not sure why I remembered ARIL; I recently read about the history of Baha’i, so that was easy; if you read about war you will learn more about TRACER bullets. I just read the first book of Ken Follet’s FALL OF GIANTS trilogy. A very nice 1000 page read.

    I heard this SONG when I was very little.

    We all remember I’VE FALLEN .

    Never heard of Berganza : TERESA

    I think the clue: Key letter : PHI, is referring to the PHI BETA KAPPA key bestowed on successful college students. My avatar shows my son Aaron holding his.

    Discombobulate is a great word.

    We have had it before, but I still love the multi-cultural :One paying a flat fee : LESSEE, tricky since we Americans do not call apartments falts.

    Well it is early and it is late

    ciao

    ReplyDelete
  3. Barry G.January 16, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    Morning, all!

    I got off to a bad start, theme-wise. I originally had HENRY THE FITTEST for 23A and couldn't figure out how the theme derived that from HENRY THE FIFTH. Of course, I later realized that the original phrase was HENRY THE FIRST and the answer was HENRY THE FIRMEST, but that kept me from grokking the theme for awhile.

    Once I did get the theme, however, the rest of the puzzle went fairly smoothly. I got hung up a bit when I put in SYNE instead of AULD at 90A, but that was about it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SplynterJanuary 16, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    Hi All ~!!

    Yes, the theme was apparent as soon as I opened the puzzle, but that didn't stop me from having fun with it -

    I happen to like camels and calzones, so CAMEL ZONE was funny (a calzone is sort of like pizza, folded over itself).

    Funniest - probably DREAMED LOCKS, especially in comparison to Dreadlocks ~!

    MEAT HEIST may have been the seed for the theme, as ATHEIST is totally off the track of the answer.

    Don't like ROUTE, unless the constructor was going for a "cop's BEAT" type of ROUTE - otherwise, this is not the ROUT of a sporting event.

    Catch-22 is one of my favorite books, ever.

    Gotta go check my Capricorn horoscope for the day !!

    LOL,

    Splynter

    ReplyDelete
  5. DickJanuary 16, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Good morning CC and weekenders, I think this is the first time I have completed a Sunday puzzle unassisted. I found the puzzle to be the easiest one this week and could solve it with just the perp help and a few wags. As usual my paper did not come until very late and I had to work on line, which I do not like to do.

    The theme came early and was a big help in today’s solve. My favorite answers today were “Tarp” and “crania”

    Overall this was a very fun puzzle for me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I finished it quickly and without help.

    Way to go Steelers!!!!

    Hope you all have a great Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  6. SpitzboovJanuary 16, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    Good morning all. Good write-up, C.C.

    It started out not being too hard, but then at the WSW, i got stuck. Did not like the clue for AULD at 90a. Maybe on a special midnight once a year but not on midnight, per se, the other 364 days. Gimmes included RAF and BEES KNEES. I liked the clue for 66a, LESSEE. 111a, KETONE, was an educated guess because ketones are a very common organic solvent. I did not know 110d, SNICK, and 130a, TATS, but was helped by the perps.

    TERCEL - I always remember it as a male hawk used in falconry.

    Enjoy the day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DennisJanuary 16, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    A little something to give you a laugh this morning. Pretty clever.

    ReplyDelete
  8. HeartRxJanuary 16, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Good morning C.C. et al.

    Thanks for a very interesting write-up C.C. ! I never know if the questions you pose are genuine inquiries, or just items for discussion? But you always bring up interesting ones that make me think more about each answer:

    68A “Creep” for INCH. I don’t think it needs “along” in the clue because you can use “inch” as a verb, as in “He inched his way forward…”.

    76A “Parting shot” for RETORT. When arguing, you might leave the room in a huff as you issue a last response, or RETORT. Hence a “parting” shot.

    95A Satyrs are almost FAUNs, but they were from Greek (not Roman) mythology. They originally had horse tails, but later came to be depicted with the Roman fauns goat’s tail.

    Like others, the theme title helped with the answers. So I wrote in “Henry the -------“ and waited for perps to tell me where to insert “ME”. The others fell pretty easily.

    Loved “Bank deposit” for LODE – great clue.

    I was happy to see one of my favorite authors, Amy TAN, in the puzzle. I always thought her accounts seemed true portrayals because of the way she writes, but thank you for confirming, C.C. !

    Lemonade, thanks for the great link to “Blues in the Night” sung by William Gillespie. I didn’t know the history of the song until I looked it up, but it is an interesting story, and an awesome blues piece!

    Dennis, Hilarious!!!

    I have to get ready for football this afternoon. Playoffs are always interesting, especially when your home team is involved. Have a great day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    To Dennis-

    Your linkup with the ventriloquist's dummy ( does that remind me of someone ?? ) was really very nice. Thank you, for the lovely clip, and some much needed laughter, this Sunday morning.

    ReplyDelete
  10. DennisJanuary 16, 2011 at 10:37 AM

    And on the heels of the piano illusion, can someone smarter than I please explain how the hell this works?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Clear AyesJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    Dennis and all, I got an email from a friend about a year ago. She wanted to know the "trick" to "Regifting Robin". I did some jotting, emailed her and saved the answer....just in case it came up again.....So...

    There is a 99 square grid, with different numbered "gifts" arranged randomly (or are they???)

    1. We can toss out # 1 through # 8. That's because there aren't any two digit number where you can subtract the sum of the numbers and come up with 1 through 8. Try it, but trust me, you won't find any. The puzzle maker is messing with us.

    2. The next steps takes a little figuring.
    If you chose any two digit number 11 through 19 and follow the steps of subtracting ( example 11 - 1 - 1 = 9 ,
    or 15 - 1 - 5 = 9 , or 19 - 1 - 9 = 9, etc.) you will get the answer 9. Look at "gift" square #9 and write it down.

    3. Next , for any two digit number 20 through 29 and follow the steps of subtracting you will get the answer 18.
    So look at "gift" square #18 and write it down.

    4. Same steps for two digit numbers 30 through 39. The answer will be 27. Does "gift" square 27 look familiar?
    Two digit numbers 40 - 49, the answer will be 36
    Two digit numbers 50 - 59, the answer will be 45
    Two digit numbers 60 - 69, the answer will be 54
    Two digit numbers 70 - 79, the answer will be 63
    Two digit numbers 80 - 89, the answer will be 72
    Two digit numbers 90 - 99, the answer will be 81

    (Also forget about squares 82 through 99. Same reason as Step 1. He's messing with us. There aren't any two digit number that you can subtract the sum of the numbers and come up with 82 through 99.)

    5. Last step..if you look at squares 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, they all have the same "gift". The grid changes randomly, but the gift in thoses squares always matches with each other. That's why Robin can't be wrong. Your answer always has to be one of those multiples of 9.

    Check out the site again without choosing numbers and look at these numbers. That will be Robin's answer (and will have had to have been yours too).

    ReplyDelete
  12. LucinaJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    Good morning, C.C. et al.

    What a nice Sunday solve, although this is not to say I didn't have problems. The NE gave me fits and I finally threw in the towel and looked at the answers. Sometimes I'm too stubborn and refuse to change my fill, such as GOUGE for really dig.

    Also, I had RHO instead of PHI so FIRMEST fell very slowly.

    ARIL is one of those really old xwd terms from long ago as is ERNS.

    I, too, love Amy Tan's books and did wonder about the authenticity. Thanks for affirming that, C.C.

    Having traveled from Charlotte to Raleigh many times, ENE filled immediately.

    KIWI emerged quickly though I had no idea about "ratite bird."

    Once again, the Italian-Spanish connection helped me with Giovanna d'Arco, Joan of Arc; however, hasenpfeffer, STEW was a pure guess.

    Overall, this was fun to solve.

    Fav was DREAMEDLOCKS and HOMELY MATRIMONY.

    I hope everyone is healthy and with not too much snow to shovel. Today is the annual P. F. Chang Marathon so I'm ENISLED as all the streets just west of me are blocked. Luckily the freeway is nearby.

    Have a super Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Clear AyesJanuary 16, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    Now then, about Sunday's puzzle.

    I didn't know (1A) ABAFT, so it's a good thing I knew the expression BEES KNEES to get that corner started.

    I had never heard of (99A)TERESA Berganza and even though I've read "Catch-22, I didn't remember (120D) ORR.

    (111D) KIWI was OK because we had KIWI as a clue for RATITE just a few days ago.

    Since the theme was furnished I got HENRY THE FIRMEST without much problem. Maybe a little knowledge is a dangerous thing because I had more problems placing the ME in the rest of the theme answers. I sometimes have vertical dyslexia and can't seem to read some Downs, even when complete. CAMEL ZONE came out CALZ ONE without the ME.

    (72D) "Like Willie Nelson's voice"/NASAL. I agree with Jonthan Black's assessment and more! Willie has written some of the greatest songs, but his voice is like fingernails on a blackboard to me.

    The only thing that came to mind with (94A) Hasenpfeffer, e.g./STEW was the theme song for La Verne and Shirley. I admit, it was a guilty pleasure. I loved Lenny and Squiggy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. JeromeJanuary 16, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Try as I might, I don't understand the puzzle's the.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2011 at 1:29 PM

    Me neither, Jero.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    There is no I in theme, but there is a me in Jerome.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bill G.January 16, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    Fun puzzle and excellent writeup. Thanks C.C.

    To add to what HeartRx said, part can mean to move away from as my desktop dictionary said: "verb intrans. (of two things) move away from each other : his lips parted in a smile." So a parting shot is what you say when going away from someone as your last comment.

    ROUTE seemed wrong for beat. I thought the answer should have been ROUT but Splynter's alternate explanation seemed reasonable.

    Dennis, fun video. Also, I was going to add a little algebra to CA's explanation to show why the arithmetic always results in a multiple of nine. Let me know if you are interested.

    ReplyDelete
  18. MR EDJanuary 16, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Where in the world did this guy come up with 18D. I would certainly like to know.

    ReplyDelete
  19. MJJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:11 PM

    Thanks for the blog C.C., very informative, as usual.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, and thought the theme was extremely creative. As C.C. said, I can only imagine what the constructor went through to come up with such clever phrases. I hope we see more from Jonathan Black in the future.

    Dennis, thanks for the absolutely hilarious link!

    Mr. Ed, I believe it's from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

    Enjoy the day!

    ReplyDelete
  20. LucinaJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:38 PM

    MJ and Mr. ED:
    That's what I thought, from "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

    Lemonade and others have mentioned The Fall of Giants by Ken Follet; I second it, as usual with his books, a really good story.

    ReplyDelete
  21. fermatprimeJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:38 PM

    Good afternoon fellow solvers.

    Thanks to CC!

    Puzzle was a real bear for me. Guess I am out of practice with these Sunday monsters. Or, losing my mind.

    It's quite warm in the San Fernando Valley. A real pleasure. But I am out of turtle food. Will wrap this up and make a quick phone call to ameliorate the situation.

    Happy holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Bob L.January 16, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    I agree with Fermatprime. This one was a bear for me. Unfortunately, the first theme answer I got was 45A "Demean Martin" so I thought you had to put in BOTH 'ME' and 'IN', so next I put for 96A "Dreamed in locks". Then for 119A "Ogrely Matrimony" and kept thinking that the y at the end should be an i, but where was the 'me'?

    I finally sorted it all out, but never did get the SW and NE corners before I called it quits. Oh well, better luck next week.

    ReplyDelete
  23. SpitzboovJanuary 16, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    C. C. Re: 16d O in old radio lingo - OBOE. The clue refers to an older phonetic alphabet in use prior to and during WWII. See link . Today O's phonetic name is 'Oscar'.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AbejoJanuary 16, 2011 at 4:00 PM

    Well. Greetings everybody. I have had a tough time with puzzles this week. This one was the easiest of the last four, of course Saturday's I have not even looked at yet. Thursday I have not finished. Friday I have not finished. Saturday is not started. Sunday's I finished. I am determined to get Thu, Fri, and Sat. Will let you know when that is done.

    Today was a great puzzle. Congrats to Jonathan Black. Also, very write-up to C.C.

    I was able to get started with ABAFT right away. We had that word a few weeks ago. Ithought SENOR was clever. I kept looking for one of the characters. I jumped around all over the puzzle and eventually got most of it. My problem was in the WSW. I could not get the BRIM of the cup. I chose BOWL and could not get my head turned around. All in all, I enjoyed it.

    My time was very limited this week because of work and my normal fraternity meetings that are never ending. I could not put in the effort that was needed.

    Of course I could use the excuse that I tried one of Melissa Bee's "Midas Touch's" and did not wake up for three days. I did actually get some of that. Eight bottles for $27. Ahem. I will nurse them for two reasons. 1. At 9 percent alcohol you do not chug these things. 2. It really does not taste like beer. It is more like some kind of wine with a foamy head. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy these, Melissa, but not too many at once. They are potent.

    Abejo

    ReplyDelete
  25. DennisJanuary 16, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    A belated Happy Birthday to KQ, another long-timer on the blog. My apologies on missing your birthday yesterday; I wasn't on the blog until the afternoon and never checked the list. Hope it was an outstanding day for you.

    ReplyDelete
  26. JDJanuary 16, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    Good afternoon C.C. and all,

    These Sunday puzzles take me a long time, so I did part of it,and went out and pruned 8 rose bushes. My mind was refreshed and had little trouble finishing up.I did Google Lisa Cuddy and Brandt. Remembered amah and aril from previous xwds.

    My list of new words is long: abaft, enisle, snick, ketone, elemi, and the blasted ending la on pianola. Perps were good.

    Wasn't a fan of the theme/answers. With each one I just stared and asked,"WHY?" Thanks for cluing me in,C.C.BTW, your comment for 92A was funny. Really?

    Oh I think retort means like getting the last word in. You know, there are those people.

    LMAO...ass..I thought it was a mountain!! Then I realized it was just a mount, a donkey.

    mezzo berganza- thought it had something to do with slow music, like sotto, lento...always learning, but not always remembering.

    CA, sooo glad you remembered about hassenpfeffer!! I kept thinking it was a jump rope rhyme from our childhood!!!

    Dennis, loved the ventriloquist clip. My favorite v. is Terry Fator, and we saw his show again last week. Although he primarily works with puppets and sings, he did this same act, but he really dressed the guy up.Hilarious.

    Lemonade and Lucina, I had mixed feelings about Fall of Giants. Maybe it is because I'm not up to snuff on WWI, and some of the characters were hard to follow.It did not come close to Pillars of the Earth.

    Off to B'day celebration at daughters.No hockey tonight, just Golden Globes.

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnnetteJanuary 16, 2011 at 5:48 PM

    My favorite today was Cork's home: EIRE. It just tickled my funny bone for some reason.

    A belated Happy Birthday to you, KQ! I'm sorry we missed it, but hopefully you had a nice celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  28. LucinaJanuary 16, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    KQ:
    I'm sorry we missed you birthday. Belated greeting! I hope it was wonderful.

    JD:
    I agree, Pillars of the Earth is a masterpiece which I've read three times; it's really hard to equal it. I just thought Fall of Giants was a good story and perspective on WWI.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Clear AyesJanuary 16, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    A a few weeks ago, I finished Ken Follett's "World Without End", the sequel to "Pillars of the Earth". It takes up in the town of Kingsbridge two hundred years later, so they aren't directly connected, except in a general way. I'm in the middle of Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart", a totally different kind of story set in early 19th century Nigeria. I like to switch things around. I'm looking at maybe a couple of Michael Connelly mysteries next.

    a belated Happy B-Day, KQ.

    Have a lovely evening all.

    ReplyDelete
  30. HahtoolahJanuary 16, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    Good Evening, friends. Back on US soil, but still not home yet. Awaiting my next flight.

    No Internet to do today's puzzle so I will have two puzzles to look forward to tomorrow.

    MelissaBee, I am still laughing at your autocorrect link.

    ReplyDelete
  31. MJJanuary 16, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Belated HB's to JD and KQ!

    Just had to share the beauty of nature which played out here in So.Cal. this evening. Incredible colors!

    Night, all.

    ReplyDelete
  32. WikWakJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:22 PM

    C.C.: Tracer bullets (in WWII, at least) were made of phosphorus (or at least tipped with it). They began burning as soon as they left the barrel of the gun; in the daytime their path could be followed by watching the smoke trail and at night they left a fiery trail. Machine gun ammunition belts were loaded with regular shells, but every 10th or 15th one was a tracer. That way the gunner could tell where he was shooting and what he was hitting in the confusion of battle. If you've ever watched actual footage from WWII, you've undoubtedly seen tracers!

    Probably these days phosphorus, which is pretty hazardous to handle, has been replaced with something safer...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Lemonade714January 16, 2011 at 11:30 PM

    KQ, no wonder we do not see you often as we are forgetful people. Many happy returns of the day and enjoy your birthday month

    ReplyDelete
  34. LucinaJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    I am so pleased that Colin Firth won the Golden Globe for best dramatic actor! He looked fantastic, too.

    If any of you are fans of Anita Diamant (The Red Tent), you may already know about Day After Night, her latest book. That's my next read.

    Good night everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  35. JDJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:39 PM

    Happy Birthday KQ, a new born sagittarus! How are you liking SD, and are you still traveling back and forth? How is your son doing in college?

    ReplyDelete
  36. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    Would like to see Johathan "Fade to Black". I miss Sylvia!

    ReplyDelete

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