google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday February 5, 2011 Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson

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Feb 5, 2011

Saturday February 5, 2011 Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 27

This puzzle might have started with triple-stacks of 15s on the top and bottom of the grid. Then six extra blocks were added later for smoother fill. Or Brad and Doug just used an existing template and started the way it does.

Anyway, the marquee answers are:

13A. Role for which its actor refused an Oscar : DON VITO CORLEONE. By Marlon Brando. Don Corleone jumped into my mind immediately, not VITO.

16A. Actor who said "Some people have youth, some have beauty—I have menace" : EDWARD G. ROBINSON. Stumper. Did recognize his face when I googled. He's in "The Ten Commandments".

45A. Offended parties in a long-running series of 3-Down : THE GEICO CAVEMEN. This might be the seed entry. And 3D. Show stoppers : TV ADS.

48A. Experience sudden inspiration : HAVE AN "AHA" MOMENT. Great answer.

We also have a symmetrically placed pet pair:

6D. Reward for rolling over : DOG TREAT

31D. Mrs. Norris in the "Harry Potter" books, e.g. : HOUSE CAT. Not a "Harry Potter" fan. The only Mrs. Norris in my mind is Kim, Rich's wife.

Across:

1. Bumpy, in a way : RUTTED

7. They reflect : MUSERS. Needed extra block for my MIRRORS.

17. General at Cold Harbor : MEADE (George). Oh, the Fort Meade guy. Not aware of his involvement at Cold Harbor.

18. Latish alarm setting : TEN AM

19. Proterozoic, for one : EON. Shouldn't it be ERA?

20. Family title word : OURS

21. Pool feature : DRAIN

22. Have no use for, and then some : HATE. Didn't come to me readily.

23. Use a tap, perhaps : SPY. Wiretap.

24. "We need to talk" : SEE ME. Oh, no.

25. Rage : MANIA

26. On the defensive : AT BAY

27. Put on guard : WARNED

28. Gardener's soil hauler : TIP CART. Spelling check wants this answer to be two words.

31. Impedes : HAMPERS

32. Albéniz piano work : IBERIA. No idea. Wikipedia says Iberia is a suit for piano composed by the Spanish pianist Isaac Albéniz. No wonder the title.

33. Magazine with a "Best Places to Live" feature : MONEY. Boomer used to subscribe this magazine.

34. Gauge : METER

35. Court official's call : FAULT. Tennis court, right?

36. Brief memo nicety : PLS

39. Gym set : REPS (Repetitions)

40. Speciously highbrow : ARTSY

41. Send sprawling : TRIP. And 8. __ sprawl : URBAN. "Sprawl/Sprawling" clechos.

42. Top 10 hit from U2's "Achtung Baby" album : ONE. Here is a clip.

43. Equine facial marking : BLAZE. Dictionary says it's a white area down the center of the face of a horse/cow. New definition to me.

44. "Take __!" : A HIKE

49. Investigates, with "into" : DELVES

50. Airfield fixtures : TOWERS

Down:

1. Didn't stay where it should, as a skirt : RODE UP. Like hers.

2. Not on the ball : UNWARY

4. Spot for studs : TIRE. Was picturing stud earrings.

5. Terminal abbr. : ETD

7. Unificationist : MOONIE. Derived from the name of its founder Sun Myung Moon, who's still alive.

9. Hardly odds-on : SLIM

10. Yet, to Yeats : E'EN. Even.

11. Sitcom about the Conners : ROSEANNE. I've never watched this sitcom. She's too loud.

12. Less likely to mix : SNOOTIER

13. Out-of-the-box models : DEMOS. Got the answer via crosses.

14. Like Twinkies filling : CREAMY

15. Near-decades : ENNEADS. Groups of nine.

21. Messing with a script? : DEBRA. Debra Messing. Great clue.

22. Hideous hybrid of myth : HARPY. Part woman, part bird.

24. It may be winding : STAIR. Tricky clue.

25. "American Buffalo" playwright : MAMET (David). Know him, not the play.

26. Range units : ACRES.

27. Without vigor : WANLY

28. "Lie to Me" star : TIM ROTH. Stranger to me. British actor.

29. Patsy's protest : I BEEN HAD

30. Political blog feature, often : PET PEEVE. Crossword blogs, more often.

33. Seder bread : MATZOH. We often see SEDER clued as "Passover feast".

35. Donnybrook : FRACAS. Fun word.

36. Novice's text : PRIMER

37. Compares : LIKENS

38. Wiped out : SPENT

40. 1955 Dior innovation : A-LINE

41. __ park : THEME

43. Theodore, to Wally : BEAV. "Leave It to Beaver".

44. Swear : AVOW

46. Coiffure holder : GEL

47. Te-__: Mexican cigar brand : AMO. Guessable. It's "Robusto", Lois!


C.C.

58 comments:

Rich Norris said...

Hi C.C.,

I don't look terribly happy in the picture of Kim and me you linked to, but really, I am. :-)

Rich

fermatprime said...

Good evening fellow cruciverbalists! (It's 11:30 here.)

Good write-up, CC! How do you do it?

Puzzle pretty hard, I thought. Got CORLEONE in, but rest of name was a mystery for a bit (a big fat Duh). All brain cells firing in different directions after banner attack of insomnia--all night and all day.

Like "Lie to Me" and music of Albeniz. Hope TIM ROTH gets another season!

Remembered family in ROSEANNE but cannot remember watching the show much. Not my cup of tea. When her character first appeared on TV, it was indeed amusing, however. A whole new schtick for a woman.

Favorite answers: DEBRA and SPY.

Have a great weekend all!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

This one slapped me upside-down and sideways, especially in the NW corner. Like C.C., I got Corleone, but unlike C.C. I could only think of VITO and couldn't figure out why it didn't fit. It didn't occur to me until the bitter end to include his title, at which point I had my AHA MOMENT.

TIP CART was completely unknown to me, but I think everything else was embedded in my brain somewhere. Well, the answers, at least. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, so therefore had no idea that "Mrs. Norris" was a HOUSE CAT. Similarly, while I'm familiar with the word IBERIA, I had no clue who Albeniz is (or was).

I wasn't crazy about PLS or I BEEN HAD, but the rest of the puzzle was quite enjoyable. Favorite clue was definitely "Messing with a script" for DEBRA.

Splynter said...

Hi All ~!

Argh, this one got me - if only because I agree with C.C. that the time period should have been ERA, and not EON - add that to ANGER in stead of MANIA, and HINDERS instead of HAMPERS, and I was stuck with "SNARKIER" (sounded right)...left me staring for a long time on that side looking for a break - and I knew the hybrid was a HARPY - from my Latin classes in HS; the real Harpy story is quite gross....

Knew Tim Roth, from his "honey-bunny" role...

Knew Mrs. Norris was the keeper's CAT in Harry Potter; yes, I am a big fan, read all the books before the movies

Knew it was Brando, but took a while to get the role - forgot all about the Godfather; was in "Contenda" mode

DEBRA Messing was good; nailed it.

TIRE stud was very deceptive - didn't nail it, but a good one.

Didn't watch Roseanne, an unattractive slice of American life - certainly a long way from "Leave it to BEAV"

Thanks for the 'skirt' link, C.C. - lots of leg in that shot~!

Gorgeous - I designed a winding STAIRway into my "Castle" ~!

Splynter

Al Cyone said...

I, too, thought it was the Proterozoic Era, not "Eon", but Wikipedia says otherwise. Eons are divided into eras, which are in turn divided into periods, epochs and ages. Check it out.

HeartRx said...

What Barry G. said.

For 19A “Proterozoic”, I really wanted Era, too. But (sigh) EON is correct. I guess I just have to trust our constructors to do their homework.

Nice to "see" you and your lovely wife, Rich!

Splynter said...

Hey -

I see that I was wrong about the EON / ERA thing, but does it bother anyone else when considering this planet....

2.5 BILLION years ago?

Sometimes, days seem to go on forever, don't they?

Splynter

elsie said...

Ouch, a hard puzzle, but an enjoyable one. Clever cluing. Liked 'spot for studs' & 'it may be winding'. I like doing the puzzle in the newspaper each morning, but it seems on Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun, I can only finish the puzzle online. It helps when as soon as I enter a wrong letter, it pops up RED. This seems like I am cheating. I love to see a finished puzzle, but hate that I need that extra help. It does seem like I am entering less RED letters and having more 'AHA MOMENTS'! Does anyone else use the RED letter help?

Abejo said...

Good Morning Folks! Thanks to the constructors, Brad and Doug. Tough Puzzle! Worked on it for three hours. Thank you C.C. for the interesting notes and post. Enjoyed the photo of Rich Norris and wife.

To get this puzzle I had to look up a couple. TIMROTH and THEGEICOCAVEMEN. I don't watch much TV, so ads always stump me. I hate to look things up, but I have a big day planned, and have to get going.

I also was stuck on ERA. I changed it to EON and all the NE answers fell together.

I had HAVEANASAMOMENT. It even worked because MATZOS is a good answer. I thought NASA was akin to an inspired thought, outer space, technology, etc. I agree AHA and MATZOH are better (and correct) words.

See you all tomorrow.

Abejo

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - This puzzle beat me up, tossed me down the stairs, and took my lunch money. Finished only with red letter help and trips to Goog. GRANT was where MEADE should have been, and he wouldn't budge for the longest time. Didn't know about the Godfather, Roseanne, and tons of others. Got caught up in the AGE/ERA/EON possibilities.

Very nearly a DNF. However, loved the Messing clue. Long day ahead - cheers!

Anonymous said...

Six-thirty AM in California. Fed the dogs made coffee and finished the puzzle. Last fill was eon/ennead. The rest seemed easy. Something isn't going as usual, maybe I should buy a Lotto ticket.

Argyle said...

Question: Is "I BEEN HAD" (29D) proper English or have we been had?

Lemonade714 said...

Happy Saturday solvers

That was the most fun themeless; I really thought I was going to have to quit, it started so bleakly. But 27 minutes later, there I was with a completed grid and the urge to google overcome one more time. As usual, unlocking the 15 letter ones really helped, but they did not end the work. Did not know TIP CART or IBERIA and even though I could picture TIM ROTH, it took a while for his name to come to me. I do not watch the show, but remember him from movies like PULP FICTION and THE HULK where he becomes a anti-Hulk. Once he appeared the rest came a little at a time.

The DEBRA MESSING clue is my first nominee for clue of the month for February, and it was nice of Mr & Mrs. Rich to appear.

Beautiful day, and super bowl hype reaching a crescendo, enjoy all

Spitzboov said...

Good morning all. Thanks for the comments, C.C.

I thought it was a fairly hard puzzle for a Saturday. But with a little red letter help, and a couple breaks for coffee, it finally was done. I didn't like I BEEN HAD either. Also had Grant for MEADE, and wanted era for EON. Finally thought of BLAZE.

We are enjoying our sojourn in Naples. Es gefällt uns. BH and I met up with Sallie and Grumpy and their spouses last night for a wonderful seafood dinner. They are all great people, and we had a lot of fun and good conversation. (Pictures in due course).

Enjoy the weekend.

Anonymous said...

What's with I been had...hated eon as well.

daffy dill said...

A grudging good morning because of the difficulty level of the puzzle - to me, at least.

Hand up for era/EON error. I didn't like many of the clues because they were about movies, actors and such. I did find IBERIA in the fuzzy recesses, though. Had lightbulbMOMENT for a long time. Several trips to Google and two red letters later, it was worked. Oh, well, onward and upward!

Hope everybody enjoys the day.

Husker Gary said...

Good Morning C.C. and Saturday Solvers, At first glance I thought someone had misplaced the black squares! What a horrible/fun exercise! I had to look up TIMROTH to unlock SW and I was done. I thought gweneTH was the star of some “romcom” called Lie To Me

Musings (From 7A)
-NW corner handled EWELL (general), IDEAS (out of box models), FLEWUP (skirt malfunction), WALL (stud location) and STA (terminal) before EDWARDGROBINSON blew it all up! I hope Staples has a sale on new erasers!
-Now I know how to spell MATZOH – Mazel Tof!
-I’VEBEENHAD? Nope, only one verb necessary! Also, not a Patsy Cline title!
-I thought the early ROSEANNES were wonderful until she jumped the shark full of her own success
-Loved the BEAV, DEBRA

No Freaking Idea but got anyway-
-IBERIA, TIPCART, ENNEADS, MAMET, ONE, AMO

kazie said...

I got stuck all over the place. Knew no names and only had some of the diagonals filled when I gave up and came here. Only long one that I got was HAVE AN AHA MOMENT. Was TRIPped elsewhere by LOBE/TIRE, DREAMY/UNWARY, AGE/EON, ETA/ETD. Was thinking law courts instead of tennis for FAULT and for some reason Conners made me think of a spinoff from All in the Family instead of ROSEANNE, maybe because she annoys me so much I never watched it often enough to know what the family name was. I had ---GEICO-AV-ME- and still couldn't fathom that either, or connect it to the related 3D.

Also screwed up today's sudoku, so I guess me brain's on vacation.

ARBAON said...

A "patsy", one who unkowingly "takes the fall, "is left holding the bag" etc. might utter "I been had" ala old movies...much like "Cheeseit! The cops." (not to reopen old wounds...)I`ve also heard, "You`ve been had" said to an innocent who fell for a scheme.
Frenchie: And good morning to you! (I was emulating George and Gracie`s tag line.)

kazie said...

me = my brain's on vacation--see what I mean? Maybe the I BEEN HAD rubbed off on me. I had forgotten that the one name I dragged out of the fog was DEBRA Messing, but when I do get a name it's always a struggle rather than automatic.

Grumpy 1 said...

Good Morning Saturday solvers. C.C. you got a break with this one with the low word count.

My experience with this one... pretty much what Dudley said. I had to resort to Google for TIM ROTH and IBERIA, but the rest was just a matter of trying different words until something clicked.

It was a great inaugural meeting of the Naples Crossword Corner last night at The Wharf Tavern. My LW and I really enjoyed meeting Sallie and her DH and Spitzboov and his LW. Did any of you feel your ears burning?

Have a great weekend all.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

After my first pass on this "piece of work", I went to red letters in hopes of gaining a foothold. Turned out there was too many clues that just flew over my head. Unwary, tip cart, iberia, blaze, harpy, & Mamet. I didn't quit, but I consider it a DNF because I used the red letter approach.

Oh well, next week will be better.

Peace

Bill G. said...

Yes Elsie, I use red-letter help on Saturdays. I much prefer it to not finishing as would often be the case on themeless Saturdays.

Grumpy1, sounds like a fun crossword party.

Here's a little puzzle of a different kind for those of you who might enjoy it. If you want to try it, don't read further because some folks may have already given their answers.

Every answer is a two-word rhyming phrase with both words having three syllables. For example, given the clue “unexplained circumstance of the past,” the answer would be “history mystery.” Ready?

Clues: Monthly pay for working at an art store; better-looking guy paying for a kidnapee; an average amount of boringness; chance drawing for some clayware; not as neat a Xerox machine; a more sadistic worker with gems; faithfulness to the crown; whoever is the current leader living in the White House; a group of friends at an international service club.

ARBAON said...

crayola payola, handsomer rasomer...still working

ARBAON said...

pottery lottery, sloppier coppeir


still working

ARBAON said...

crueler jeweler, resident president...ya`ll can do the rest!

Denny said...

This was so hard it really wasn't very much fun.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, yes Elsie and BillG., on Friday and Saturday, I go for the letter help. Cheating?...OK, but I'd be at the computer all day (most times) if I didn't. Today I didn't need much help

Thank goodness for EDWARD G. ROBINSON. His name just "fell" into my typing fingers.

I first thought of GENERAL GEORGE PATTON, a role for which George C. Scott refused an Academy Award. It didn't fit and DON VITO CORLEONE was an easy second thought.

No problem with TIM ROTH either. He played both the nervous robber (along with Amanda Plummer) in Pulp Fiction and a dastardly villain in Rob Rob.

I disliked THE GEICO CAVEMEN ads even more than I disliked ROSEANNE's TV show. But they did their jobs and I remembered them enough to get the fill.

The DEBRA Messing clue was great

Seldom Seen said...

Puzzle related trivia:

That CREAMY Twinkie filling was originally banana flavored until WWII caused a banana shortage. The resulting vanilla flavor was so popular that it became permanent.

I think a banana twinkie would be tasty.

Clear Ayes said...

Hi, Rich Norris, you look fine and pleased with your lovely wife, Kim.

Seen, yummmmm, a banana Twinkie sounds much better than the plastic cream they have now.

Argyle@8:39... LOL, I think we been had.

For all of our crusading grammarians, here's a bit of doggerel that might ease your pain. I'm on a Pogo kick, so this one is also from Walt Kelly.

"Do you herd sheep?" my grandpa said,
my Granma leapt in fright!
"The grammar's wrong", to me she sighed,
"Have you heard sheep?" is right.

Lucina said...

Good day, Puzzlers all!

Thank you for explaining, C.C.

For me this was a hard, slow slog and I echo all of you who declared the same.

CORLEONE came easily but had to work at DONVITO. Same for ROBINSON but for some reason was thinking EDGARG, until finally EDWARDG emerged. The rest was by guess and by golly. Refused to give ERA and knew ENNEADS but of course couldn't work it in.

I also misspelled MATZOH as MATZAH so that HAMPERED me further until GEICO emerged.

Great work by Doug and Brad; I wish I could have been in their wavelength.

Messing with script, DEBRA, wonderful clue.

Rich, your wife, Kim is lovely!

The Corner conference in Florida sounds wonderful. I'm glad you all had a good time.

Now I'm off to care for my grand daughters. You all have a delightful Saturday. 70s here today! That's more like it.

Splynter said...

Hi Again ~!

Yes, I too, had to resort to the red-letters to see my errors, but it happens on Saturdays, I am OK with it.

BillG - those puzzles you came up with are in the Long Island paper Newsday - called "wordy gurdy"

Splynter

Jayce said...

Hello everybody.
Dodo, I also read your comments. I read all of everybody's postings.
I thought this was a very difficult puzzle, but ultimately doable. Had to look up a lot. Knew Vito Corleone but didn't know, at first, what the three extra letters should be. I see a shout-out to our Muser Husker Gary. Didn't know ENNEADS or TIPCART. I should have known IBERIA but it only came to me after I got a few perps. This was, IMHO, a nice LAT puzzle, complete with some AHAMOMENTS. Best wishes to you all.

Clear Ayes said...

I hope C.C. doesn't mind if I address something I've noticed on the blog.

I've been fortunate that I have received more than enough "Howdies" and acknowledgments for my posts. But I don't post for praise or notice. I post because it is fun to voice an opinion, puzzle frustration or share a poem. Everything else is gravy.

It seems that some people get their feelings hurt if their carefully thought out or researched posts don't get a return mention or thanks, or (even worse) get the name wrong!

I hope all of us can understand that with as many posters as we have here, it is difficult to respond to all the interesting comments. A lot of us read most posts, even from the previous evening. Even with a generous 5 posts, it would be difficult to acknowledge everyone. So post what you enjoy and trust that someone else is enjoying it too.

Jayce said...

Tim Roth was absolutely awesome in "Rob Roy" as the simpering fop. DEBRA Messing was also my favorite. There's a Fort Meade in South Dakota to, just outside Sturgis. (Gosh, now why would I know such a thing? LOL) Pet peeve? I ain't got no steenking pet peeve. LW still subscribes to MONEY magazine. Glad you are a happy man, Rich. I like most of David Mamet's plays. Is that his wife who co-produces the TV show "The Unit"? Best wishes.

JimmyB said...

If this were the first crossword I ever did I would be looking for a new hobby. Too much esoterica for my tastes. I do appreciate the imagery related to RODE UP and DEBRA. But for the most part my AHA MOMENTs were few and far between.

I too insisted on ERA, because a SNORTIER person probably wouldn't mix any better than a SNOOTIER person.

Then I outthought myself and tried to make MAINE COON fit for Mrs. Norris. This puzzle was just a no-win puzzle for me.

Thanks, C.C. With your blog and accompanying comments I at least know I had company in my struggles.

Clear Ayes - Well put, even though I know you didn't need to hear that!

Jayce said...

Splynter, that is one amazing stairway!

Elsie, yes I use red letter help, but only on Sundays when I do the puzzle on line instead of on paper.

Grumpy, Spitzboov, et al, glad you had a chance to get together and had a fun time.

Jerome said...

Masterful piece of work today. Just superb!

HeartRx- No lutefisk for me. Though I'm Norse, I despise the stuff.

Anon- Beyond my daily six-pack and shot of bourbon I do no other drugs. Don't even take a toke. The 'one hit' grass that's grown these days only makes me drool. Besides that, 300 bucks an ounce... I don't think so.

eddyB said...

Hi all.

Found it to be difficult but enjoyable.
Don't know where Meade came from
because it was Grant who was in charge. Lee was on the run and it was the beginning of the end. Also walked that battle field.
Hockey news: Sharks beat Boston! 3 back of Dallas. Now Malkin out for the season.

take care.

Dudley said...

shoveled many roofs

body hurts

OIL CAN

HeartRx said...

Dudley, enjoy your Foster's ! After clearing all the ice off the driveway, I'm going for a nice red wine, myself (with a tylenol chaser...).

Seldom Seen said...

Here is a list of pet peeves.

I've got one they can add to the list.

Websites that provide lists without numbering or spacing so that reading them causes your eyes to cross!

Mainiac said...

Evening All,

Finally a chance to do a grid and got pretty beat up, which is typical for me when I do a Saturday puzzle. Reverted to red letters to get the grid spanning crosses which still was enjoyable. What caught my eye first were the single blocks in the corners and diagonals from SW to NE.

Off to sleep, rain than freezing rain tonight on top of all the snow.

Thanks for the write up CC

Mainiac said...

Had to show this.

Hank and Zivah enjoyed the last storm!

Jayce said...

Actually, I believe it was Clara who sang "Summertime" at the beginning of Porgy and Bess, not Bess. Just a nitpick. It's still a magnificent song, though :)

Lucina said...

Splynter:
That is a gorgeous STAIRcase!

Let me add that I love this blog and that is why I post and return to it as often as I can during the day. If anyone notices what I say, well that is just icing on the cake! I read all of yours and really like the repartee and interchange of ideas.

PJB-Chicago said...

Good evening, all!

Sorry to be "latish" to the party! Brad and Doug pulled off a very clever themeless Saturday with lots of fresh fill: LIKENS, FRACAS, PRIMER, RUTTED, MOONIE (opposite of "Sunnie"?) and IBERIA stand out. Tough to solve: BLAZE and MUSER. I was asea, ashore, aflutter, and AT BAY for big chunks of the grid.

The expression "AHA MOMENT" has been attributed to Oprah, but its use predates her popular TV show/empire.

I (was) "BEEN HAD" ---or, as youngish people say "pwned" (semi-intentional misspelling of "owned") by confusing era with EON.

Hint of the day: Don't put MATZOH in a toaster for more than 30 seconds. Watch it like a hawk, or flames will ensue! Otherwise, whether spread with honey or peanutbutter, it's a great snack!

"See" y'all soon!

Jayce said...

Lucina, hear hear!

Anonymous said...

I not only read all posts, - over the long run - I also get a pretty good mental imagery of what type of attitude the person has. ( I am sure all of you have a similar experiences as well ...).

Jayce, for instance is very polite and a gentle person, and makes sure he ends his first post by spreading good wishes around. He would be a very nice person to have as a co-worker.

( We are what we are - )

Dudley said...

HeartRx 4:04 - Yes, Foster's Lager does come in an oil-can container, but I was referencing the Tin Man. When Dorothy and the Scarecrow discover him in the woods, his joints are stiff and he needs his oil can to get moving again - remember?

Meanwhile, the Foster's people use ad slogans such as "Foster's: Australian for BEER!" in America. In Queensland, however, NOBODY drinks Foster's. I witnessed this personally. I am told that this is true throughout Australia.

kazie said...

Dudley,
I agree. Fosters originated in Melbourne, and as a Sydneysider, none of my beer-drinking friends would be seen dead with it in hand. In QLD the most popular is still XXXX, or is it XXX? Anyway, my DH always preferred Tooth's Old, Toohey's or Resch's when we lived there. I think some of those have now disappeared because Foster's bought them out. Bastards!

Those Foster's ads are almost as annoying as the Outback Steakhouse ads.

kazie said...

I guess it's XXXX (pronounced 4X). This Great Aussie Beer Page has links to all the popular brands for different styles of beer, and there are plenty of types to research!

Dudley said...

Kazie - we made a point of visiting pubs large and small, in QLD, NSW, and SA, including the touristy Ettamogah Pub, in hopes of finding tasty local brews or similar. In general we found the same stuff everywhere: VB, Cooper, Carlton, XXXX and Toohey's. Foster's was not generally in sight. The variety was, well, not very various, to our disappointment.


We are spoiled in W. Mass. where a good assortment of well-established brewpubs exist. We have dozens of locals to enjoy, representing a large range of styles. There's something for everyone. Let us know when you're dropping by...

Dudley said...

PS: Outback Steakhouse ads are irritating. I suspect the voice actor is a fake.

WikWak said...

Hoo boy! 'Bout the same as the rest of you except having recently married off a son, I was trying like crazy to make SHIRT fit into the place you put a stud. Couldn't do it though, could I?

Loved "Messing with a script"... laughed out loud when I saw it.

FINALLY, being a rabid Harry Potter fan paid off!

I remember having read a western many years ago in which the whole plot revolved around switching two horses and one person's discovering that the BLAZE on the sub's face was different. No idea why that popped into mind at just the right time but it was my AHA MOMENT for this puzzle.

I got so tied in to looking for something to do with IRAs and 401Ks as rewards for rolling over that I looked at DOGTR--- for the longest time without getting it. When it finally happened, I was out of V-8, so I owe myself one.

Even with all that, this was one of the more enjoyable Saturdays in a while.

[The song of the snowblower is still heard throughout the land.]

Frenchie said...

Good morning all:

Referencing 'latish,'

18. Latish alarm setting : TEN AM I read latish with a short a and couldn't feature, LA Tish??!! A Latvian security system?? Ha! Ha!

21. Pool feature : DRAIN When I had my pool estimates done, they said they would take the bottom drain out, that they use a different system now, HMMM. So, pebble tech or quartz???

Love this one!
24. "We need to talk" : SEE ME.

Clever!
39. Gym set : REPS (Repetitions)

IMHO, one who uses ARTSY to mean speciously highbrow would themselves be 'speciously highbrow.' ...and then they may grossly add an f to it. UGH!
40. Speciously highbrow : ARTSY

42. Top 10 hit from U2's "Achtung Baby" album. Thanks for the clip. I'm not really into a lot of pop music and music videos so it was new for me to experience this...very sad; shocking, really.

5. Terminal abbr. : ETD What does this mean?

15. Near-decades : ENNEADS. Groups of nine. My new word for the day.

29. Patsy's protest : I BEEN HAD Oh, the patsy being the person who was being used...the first time I heard this word was in a movie title, "The Patsy," wirh Jerry Lewis. The Patsy - Singing Lesson

Frenchie said...

@HuskerGary,"Musings (From 7A)
-NW corner handled EWELL (general), IDEAS (out of box models), FLEWUP (skirt malfunction), WALL (stud location) and STA (terminal) before EDWARDGROBINSON blew it all up!" I like your version!

@ARBAON, Good Night! Ha! Ha! That is still cute after all these years!

@Grumpy1, I think my ears were burning...I would love to have been a topic in your conversation...I wish I'd been there! I'll be in Sarasota at the end of March.

@CA, good one!!!

@Lucina, highs were 63-68, actually...still pretty chilly. It's 47 now...having the hot tub outside is challenging! BRRR!

@Jayce, very well said! You seem to be a very kind and thoughtful person!

@Seen, Oh, my goodness, I never knew there was a list like that!!!

I'm out.

Anonymous said...

In connection with 33D (matzoh) you mention that SEDER is often clued as a "Passover Feast". I often see it clued a "Jewish Feast". That irks me. SEDER does not mean "feast"! If a meal is included in a Seder (in some places in the world it is not) it is sort of an intermission in the Seder(Order).