google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, March 18, 2011 Dan Naddor

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Mar 18, 2011

Friday, March 18, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: Out, out damn ING. The “ING” ending to the last word of a familiar phrase are removed to reveal a new, and quite amusing phrase.

17A. Lodging surplus?: EXTRA INNS. EXTRA INN[ING]S, when a baseball game is tied after nine innings. The only plural answer.

20A. Versace creation?: ITALIAN DRESS. ITALIAN DRESS[ING], on your healthy salad, Gianni Versace was a famous designer killed by a random gay lover right here in beautiful Miami. His sister has carried on the company.

37A. Misplaced Yogi and Smokey?: LOST ONE'S BEARS. LOST ONE'S BEAR[INGS], losing your way, and my favorite because I can picture Yogi and Smokey doing some serious woodsy stuff.

58A. Plant at Sotheby's?: BRITISH SHILL. BRITISH SHILL[ING]. The now DEFUNCT British coin which was the equivalent of our nickel (20 to the pound); replaced by the five pence piece. Sotheby's is the famous British auction house, and a shill is put in the audience to bid up items to get the crowd to pay more.

62A. Investment in fine fabric?: SILK STOCK. SILK STOCK [ING], the wonderful casing that makes a gam shine like the stars. You do not see SILK used much anymore for leggings. Sad.

And the hint to the theme,

48D. Pleasure trip, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: OUTING. Not to be confused with any gender issues.

Wow, Lemonade here and I am amazed. I better understand the pressure on Argyle and C.C. doing back to back blogging. I feel like Curt Schill[ing] (BTW, shilling comes from schilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere) must have, as he was all battered, and prepared to take on the Yankees in the 2004 AL championship playoff. Having just blogged a John Lampkin, and now being handed the ball to take on a Dan Naddor, is a thrill, a challenge and a nice balm for other disappointments. In the world of blogg[ing] it does not get any better. The theme jumped out to me after the first fill, and they each were funny, set out in a 9,12,13,12,9 symmetry. Well lets look at what is likely one of the last of his efforts.

Across:

1. Hardly a walk in the park: TREK. STAR TREK?

5. "American __": IDOL. STAR maker? Do you watch the new incarnation?

9. Provoke: ROIL. I think of the sea roiling, but I guess bad habits can begin to roil me.

13. Russo of "Tin Cup": RENE. Best known for her work in the Lethal Weapon movies, she is Pretty.

14. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO.

15. Snoring cause, perhaps: APNEA. Sleep Apnea, where you actually pause in your breathing, has become a treatable condition.

19. Settles in: NESTS. Not my first thought.

22. Blotter letters: AKA. Also Known As; big in the police blotter world.

25. However, contracted: THO. Actually, Although.

26. Bygone Chrysler: LEBARON. The Lebaron, which in recent years was a mid-priced member of Chrysler’s fleet, began as the IMPERIAL LEBARON in the 30’s, their luxury car. It was designed by the Lebaron company, which was from Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was doing car bodies for many companies.

27. Target of a military press: DELT. The Deltoid Muscle is the round top part of your shoulder.

29. Animal rights org.: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights that uses some very odd images to promote their cause IMAGE .

31. Penn et al.: Abbr.: STNS. Stations, in this case railroad, a Manhattan reference.

32. Backed up, in a way: ON DISC.

35. Quad building: DORM.

42. Limo occasion: PROM. Yes, you must have a limo because they all drink.

43. Maker of pianos and bikes: YAMAHA. And much more; the company began when the eponymous founder began making organs.

45. Pacific salmon: COHO.

49. Scholarship drive donor: GRAD. You wonder how much all those schools spend on postage sending out their requests for money.

51. Carnival starting point?: PIER. The cruise line.

52. Blood specification: ONE UNIT.

54. "Gotcha!": AHA. See, I say I am not an O HO, and I get my A HA.

57. Hydroelectric structure: DAM. But we try not to swear, or make Coulee jokes.

61. Busted: RAN IN. Dan's multi word way to say arrested; and a mini-theme, along with 40D. Bust: RAID. Like Elliot Ness in the old days; not like Dolly Parton. And, 47D. Duff: HEINIE. Not old time actor Howard, but the one you sit on.

66. __ acid: AMINO. The body's building blocks.

67. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

68. Way-back-when time: YORE. Days of yore, when men were men.

69. Coat rack items: PEGS.

70. Just slightly: A TAD. Probably a derivative of TADPOLE.

71. Classic theater name: ROXY. Old movie houses, and I will finish part one, with this SONG .

Down:

1. What's a little past due?: TRE. Oh, you multilingual devil Dan. Uno, Due, Tre; one two three in Eye-talian. What a tricky way to start us on our ride down.

2. Name fit for a king?: REX. Latin for King.

3. Tonsillitis M.D.: ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat.

4. "Felicity" star Russell: KERI. One of many from the Disney machine, she started out as a MOUSKETEER .

5. Thomas of the NBA: ISIAH. Detroit Piston star, terrible Knick coach, and now coaching Florida International right nearby me in Miami.

6. Maker of tires and tennis balls: DUNLOP. You ask what do those have in common, the answer RUBBER .

7. Present opening?: OMNI. Opening for the word omnipresent.

8. Silicon Valley city: LOS ALTOS. Puzzles are funny, there are many New York centric questions which are easy for we east coast residents, and I am sure this was a gimme for our left coaster, but for me it was a bit obscure. While the town is rich, it is small.

9. Grammy category: R AND B. Another of Dan's patented use of multiples to confuse, as RAND is a word.

10. Met expectations?: OPERAS. The Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, which we had recently.

11. Supplement: INSERT. The noun, like the newspaper inserts.

12. Reveals: LETS ON. Dan back to multi word answers.

16. Clubs: Abbr.: ASSNS. Associations, I am suing a number of Condominium Associations this month.

18. One of two authorized U.S. iPhone carriers: ATT.

21. Close at hand: NEARBY. Oops, I used that word in my write up.

22. Flap: ADO. My solitary chance to plug Shakespeare today.

23. __ Ration: KEN-L. I guess ALPO was too much like 24. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

28. "My country __ ...": TIS of thee. Sweet Land of Liberty.

30. Swelling: EDEMA. Not from Latin, but from the Greek οἴδημα,

33. Additive sold at Pep Boys: STP. Andy Granatelli's "Racer's Edge." Not this STP .

34. Pembroke or Cardigan dogs: CORGIS. My oldest brother has two; I also loved the cross of this clue, with BRITISH SHILL, as a tribute to the dog loving QUEEN ELIZABETH II . Can you believe there is a WIKI FIDO?

36. Start of an apology: MEA. CULPA, from Latin. The modern version which our group does not like, is "My bad."

38. View from Edinburgh: NORTH SEA.

39. Band aid?: AMP.

41. 2000 World Series stadium: SHEA. Another MET reference, and more New York.

44. Ready for battle: ARM.

45. Army attack helicopter: COBRA. For those who did not get enough violence yesterday ATTACK .

46. Cloverleaf component: ON RAMP.

50. Flowering plant used for food by the Aztecs: DAHLIA.

53. Yucatán youngsters: NINOS. Spanish.

55. Hoofed it: HIKED.

56. Roker and Rosen: ALs. What an odd couple he picked.

59. Bank deposit?: SILT. Finishing strong with a classic misdirection, the river bank.

60. About 10 trillion kil.: LTYR. Light Year.

63. Valentine symbols: OOO. XXX to you all.

64. '80s-'90s Honda model: CRX. These are very popular as race cars.

65. Critical: KEY. We have reached the critical point in the write up, where I must turn the key and shut off the motor and bid you all farewell, not to be back in the blogging seat for a while. Thank you Dan for another fun ride. Be careful, like Arnold, I will be back.


Lemonade

65 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I'm sure Dennis will be along shortly... ^_^

Pretty much a walk in the park for me today. What I didn't get my first pass through the acrosses I knocked out with the downs. The one exception was the entire NE corner, which remained mostly blank until the bitter end.

I had APNEA and ASSNS, and that was it. I was hampered in part by having LOS GATOS instead of LOS ALTOS at 8D, which hid ITALIAN DRESS from sight. RANDB, ROIL, NESTS, INSETS, STNS and even LEBARON were all things I just couldn't get via the clues.

I finally realized what the theme was and entered LOS ALTOS, which got me ITALIAN DRESSING, and that gave me the foothold I needed. Loved "Met expectations" even though it took awhile to get.

I'm guessing Rich had to change the ATT clue a bit since Dan originally wrote it...

Barry G. said...

Sorry, make that INSERTS instead of INSETS. You know what I meant, right?

Hahtoolah said...

Happy Friday, Lemonade and Friends. Great write-up on our beloved Dan Naddor. I moved along pretty smoothly until I reached the final third. That held me up for a while.

I caught on to the All NO-ING theme fairly early. Interesting that two of the five theme clues required a "s" following the missing ING. SILK STOCK[ING} reminded me of our recent discussion of Silk Stalkings.

I was sure that HATS were Coatrack items. Well, PEGS works, too. I also initially thought of LOEW instead of ROXY for the classic theater name.

My favorite clue was Blotter Letters = AKA.

QOD: It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry. ~ Joe Moore.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

A wonderful Nadder challenge today which ended in a DNF because of total brain lock in the North sector. The Central and South sectors came together w/o much difficulty. By using Mr G, i did manage to complete the North, but because I needed outside help, I still think of it s a DNF.

Lemonade, a nice write up, but you could have omitted the reference to Curt Schilling and 2004. Geez, I never bring up 1978 & Bucky Dent.

Like Hahtool. I initially thought of Hats and Loew, but perps corrected my thinking. I thought Blood Specification/ one unit was misleading. I kept thinking pint, but perps came to the rescue again.

A lot of clever cluing from Dan today and it would be difficult to pick a favorite, so in spite of my struggles with the North, I'll say all of them were favorites.

A pleasant weekend to all.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks:

Thank you Dan (RIP) for a swell puzzle. Got through it easier than a normal Friday. I would rate this as a Thursday puzzle. Thank you Lemonade and C.C. for a great write-up and posting.

I zipped through this faster than normal for a Friday. Actually finished before I left the house.

Enjoyed the theme. OUTING came easily since I had a few of the theme answers by then. A few words I did not know, but the perps filled the gaps. ie: TRE, DELT, and ALDO.

Thought 63D, OOO, was very clever.

See you all tomorrow. I hope tomorrow is not too hard. i have a long day scheduled and I would like to get it done early. We'll see.

Abejo

Tinbeni said...

Lemon, Wonderful write-up.

Now this was a FUN Friday.

Like Barry G. the NE was the last to fall.
Just after (finally) getting the SW and the OUT-ING.

For that Versace I had 'ITALIAN suitS' before R-AND-B got me the DRESSing.

Had a brain-freeze over the Army Attack Helicopter ... could only think of Apache until that COHO salmon got me going and the COBRA.

Also, for 'Just slightly' I had "A Bit" before A-TAD. SILT for Bank Deposit fixed that and got a V-8 can head slap.

Fave was the reference, SHEA, to the 2000 Subway Series won by the N.Y.Yankees over the Mets.

Ready for the regular season to begin.

Play Ball !!!

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.

Wow, you really hit the jackpot this week, Lemon! And what a great job on both counts. I loved your link for ROXY “Hot Honey Rag”. That movie is one of my favs.

And thanks for explaining the Carnival – PIER link. I had it filled in by perps, and was still thinking “Huh?” until I read your explanation. Then AHA !!

I got hung up on “Blood specification” because I was thinking of “ABO type”, which inconveniently fit into the answer. Again, perps to the rescue!

Knowing how Dan’s puzzles go, I (almost) immediately thought of the Italian “due” for 1D, so at least that one didn’t hold me up. Like Barry, the NE was last to fall.

Have a great day, everyone!

Husker Gary said...

Lemon, et al, my favorite puzzles are ones where the theme jumps out quickly and makes me laugh followed by an intelligent write-up. Today filled the bill!

Musings
-NE a fun slog but a slog nonetheless
-ROIL not GOAD? LASGATOS too! AKA not APB.
-Rene would fit today’s Bust clue well!
-A sponsor I took to Fla. had to pull out his apnea equipment at night. Looked uncomfortable to me!
-Duh, that carnival! I thought it meant the Ferris wheel event I saw on the Santa Monica Pier!
-The mouseketeers of my youth didn’t wind up in tabloids
-Met expectations certainly can’t be a pennant
-Saw Ready as an adjective and not a verb in Ready for Battle. Did you?
-Kilometers not Kilograms!
-Hahtool, I agree about penguins but at the Omaha Zoo they are also an olfactory experience!

creature said...

Good Morning C.C., Lemon and all,

Thanks, Lemon for your nice write-up. Especially, back to back.

I was on the same wavelength as Dan for all but: Target of a military press,27A. I guessed the ‘L’, but I did check out DELT to see what it meant. Turns out what I didn’t know was ‘military press’.

Of course, I enjoyed the cleverness of his theme and OUTING. R and B slowed me down-slow to parse.
I really enjoy how neatly Dan puts together a puzzle. Such a natural flair for design.

“In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking..” Singular and memorable use.

CA, funny St Pat link.

Jeannie, more ‘dear parents’, enjoyed.

BillG, Lucina, Seen thanks for the Jeopardy explanations.

Have a nice day everyone.

Tinbeni said...

Husker Gary
I know you love your golf game.

Well, the PGA is playing in Palm Harbor, FL this week. The course, Copper Head at Innisbrook, is about 3 miles due North from Villa Incognito.

eddyB
Grand-Prix in St. Pete next weekend.
Weather looks to be perfect.

Grumpy 1 said...

Good Morning, C.C., Lemonade and the usual suspects. Great back to back blogging, Lemon.

This one solved fairly easily. All I had to do was look for a more obscure use of the key word in the clue. OK, that worked a few times, but it certainly took more effort than that.

Hand up for GOAD before ROIL, but that gave me OPERAS. The rest of that corner came together easily after that. Each of the theme entries brought a good chuckle as they revealed themselves. I really admire Dan's wit and humor.
too bad the supply of his puzzles is rapidly dwindling.

My spare tire is a DUNLOP... my belly DUNLOP over my belt...

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!!

Another well constructed and witty puzzle from Dan, and I, too, wonder if this was the last one....

It took a bit to catch onto the theme, I did WAG "LOST TWO BEARS", THO it didn't fit....then I got EXTRA INNs, and off we went~!

I could go for seeing a gal in an ITALIAN DRESS and SILK STOCK(ings)....

I liked DUNLOP and YAMAHA, and I have the iPhone with AT&T - but the coverage s**ks....

Felt a bit "duh" when I missed STNS for Penn - my stop for Ranger games; I always start with thoughts of William Penn....

HIKED today, HITCH HIKER yesterday, and one of my favorite books, the "Guide to the Galaxy"

Thanks for "splainin' the PIER answer; I was not on that wavelength.

Splynter

Jeannie said...

Early to the party today as I took a well deserved day off to go and get pamper(ing) with a girlfriend.
I got the theme this time but had some trouble as others have noted in the NE. Favorites today were "Carnival starting point" - pier and "band aid" - amp. Dan's signature was all over this one with his two word answers...one unit, ran in, a tad (my Mom's mom - Granny was a fantastic cook, but all her recipes called for a tad of this, a pinch of that). More, R and B, Lets on.

MFcounselor you out did yourself this week with two great puzzles and two great write ups considering your challenges with your eyesight. Just for you, I do own a pair of silk hose. One must be very careful when putting them on.

Creature, Bill G and others, thanks for the aaawwws for my parents. They are a remarkable couple.

C.C. as a favor for me could you post their wedding pic for me tomorrow? It's their 51st anniversary.

Husker Gary said...

Tinman, that golf course is breathtaking. It would be worth a walk with or without a stick in your hand. I would probably have to have a GPS unit in my ball to find it again in all those lovely trees!

Splynter, we saw many scooters in Italy, the land of $8 gas, but none with passengers as well, uh, arrayed as that! Momma Mia!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Dan warned us with the 1A clue, but most of you thought this was easy. Well, my HAT (or PEG) is off to you. I found this to be almost too much of a challenge. Got through with G-spotting in the NE and SE and too many head smacks to mention. As much as I hate to G-spot, leaving this terrific puzzle undone was not an option.

CORDOBA has the same number of letters as LE BARON. (sigh)

YAMAHA also makes trombones.

Classic Dan Naddor. What a great end to the week. Wonderful write up, Lemonade. Nice tie of ROXY back to RENE, though RZ uses the other spelling.

I know most of you do not share my enthusiasm for MS Zellweger, but if you have a chance, check out MISS POTTER, a very gentle and moving story, and quite a different type of performance.

Cheers!
JzB

Elissa said...

Haven't visited for a long time, but I do the puzzles and come to the blog when I can't understand an answer (like TRE today, thanks, Lemonade). But I couldn't resist stopping by when my home town is in the grid. I entered LOS ALTOS figuring it wouldn't be correct but it amused me. And lo and behold . . .

Anonymous said...

Didn't Al blog yesterday? I don't understand the "back-to-back" references.

Renee Z? ECHHH!

Lemonade714 said...

Doctors, nurses, hospitals all refer to blood in units; it is how transfusions are ordered.

Splynter, nice link; really sheer.

innisbrook, nice links.

Lo-li-ta, I would think the greater threat to your silk might be in the taking off...just saying.

Elissa, how nice to hear from you; where have all the flowers gone?

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I don't think I could have filled 1D/TRE if I hadn't already had TREK and RENE. Dan Naddor's lovely (and frustrating) obfuscation at work again.

Thank you Lemonade for explaining the answer to 27A/DELT. I had no idea what a "military press" was.

I'm always pleased when I see Dan Naddor's byline. His two and three word phrases are tough, but he always tosses us a blank place where we can get a toe hold, if we look carefully enough. It may be different for each of us.

Today 34D/CORGI was a good one for me. GAH and I love lots of dog breeds. Oh yes, "Pembroke" and "Cardigan" (and "Welsh") are capitalized, but corgi is not.

Elissa, don't stay away so long.

Lemonade, "Borta bra men hemma bäst." an old Swedish proverb."Away is fine, home is best." Take care and don't stay away too long.

Bill G. said...

Lemon, really enjoyable write up. Thanks. A tough but fun puzzle for me.

JzB, I like Renee OK but there aren't many women prettier than Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Seldom Seen said...

YAMAHA also makes excellent home theater amplifiers. Just stay away from their entry-level stuff. For that application, try Denon.

Ahhh PETA, People Eating Tasty Animals..correct? Just Kidd.(Scottish captains executed for piracy on May 23, 1701? 8 letters)

ROXY reminds me of this classic.

Dr. Phil may be an O ho.

kazie said...

What is easy for some is a BEAR to others, namely me. Like Carol, my hats off to Lemonade for his great blogging on this.

My DKs (didn't knows) and DGs (didn't gets) were loS aLtoS, Le barOn, one Unit, coBra, oUTing (hence not getting the theme, nothing else made sense), silkSTOCK, YORE and ROXY. I g'ed SHEA, YAMAHA and several of the above, but the effort only bore fruit on the latter two because I had INNY for INNS so even finding Los Altos, it wasn't going to fit.

Valentine symbols drew a complete blank--knew of no way to make hearts fit. Didn't know police had blotters, I thought the letters would be backwards.

It didn't help that I was gone for a meeting and by the time I got back I had lost interest.

I had HATS at first for PEGS too.

cherylptts said...

I am so excited!!! Rather new to doing these puzzles seriously, and actually got the clues today--ON A FRIDAY! Previously would not even attempt the puzzles Thurs-Sat. Did not fill in all on my own, however. Maybe next week.

Zcarguy said...

I thought I was gonna finish in record time,, then I got to the SW corner,, I had Coho, Cobra and Amino, and for the life of me I couldn't see the rest,,I worked out the SE section and came back to finish,,, but it took another pot of Turkish coffee to do it,, damn that was fun,

Michelle Pfeifer & Andie McDowell by far !!

thehondohurricane said...

Zcarguy,


Michelle Pfeiffer is the 2nd best looking woman in the world. Fortunately, I'm married to #1.

Zcarguy said...

Thehondohurricane,,
Aaawww that's so sweet,,, or you're guilty of something...
No no .. You're married to Andie ? Right ?

Anonymous said...

what a waste of time. no fun.

Lucina said...

Hola, puzzle troupers!

And thank you, Lemonade, for yet another zesty blog. I'll miss you but look forward to your return. At least it won't be a LTYR!

OOh, la, la, what a fun TREK today. Seeing Dan Naddor's name I immediately set on my misdirection cap and enjoyed the OUTING. I was not fooled; through French 101 at the Corner knew TRE, Latin gave me REX and sports trivia, ISIAH. Isn't there an A missing?

I can't choose a favorite because they are all excellent clues. I did want HATS before PEGS, THO.

SEEN, I love your definition of PETA, that's for me and it's a bumper sticker I'd use.

Welcome, CHERRYPTTS!

Have a fantastic Friday, everyone!

Lucina said...

I'm sorry, CHERYLPTTS, didn't mean to misspell your name.

Zcarguy said...

Anon @ 12:43
Ok let's see.. You fired your computer up.. You logged on to a browser then logged on to this site and took the time to write " what a waste of time " ... You're right !!

Lemonade714 said...

Bill G., It was for Z-J that I chose the mispelled Roxie link. I agree, though Michelle Pfeiffer is a keeper.

For the newbies, Ms. Z. has a country home now near where I grew up. I escaped, she bought.

eddyB said...

Hello.

Wasn't going to comment, but:

Did the puzzle last nite while watching MIN at SJ. Marleau did it again.

Use to use Dunlop golf balls. They have/had a low compresion version.
My eagle on a Par3.

Tin. Right. Start of a new season.
I remember you predicting rain a few weeks ago. I was very close to
coming.

Take care.

kazie said...

Lucina,
I'm glad your French helped with the Italian TRE. Dan sure was being tricky! ;)

Lucina said...

Thank you, Kazie, Lemonade and all who provide French and German lessons. I'm slowly increasing my vocabulary.

Hahtoolah said...

Warren: Where are you? Happy Birthday!

JD said...

Good afternoon all,

This was one of the better Fridays for me;able to finish,grok the theme, and enjoy Dan's cleverness.

Lemonade, wonderful write-ups-thx for the whys of delt,& pier, and always your sense of humor!

A few V8s needed for operas, mea and RAND_. Yikes!R&B! DELT was not making sense either.

Too busy with my 3 little guys to write lately.Also,when subbing, rarely find time or a usable computer.

Jeannie, loved your family stories.

Lucina, thx for the heads-up on Jeopardy. It's a hit or miss program with me.

HeartRx,seeing roil today made me think of your comments about those memorable art pieces.Made me wonder as well.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, A DNF puzzle for me as I just could not finish the SE corner. I see that the NE corner was a problem for some, but that was my easiet area. Go figure.

I always love a Dan Naddor puzzle, even if it takes me a bit longer to complete, or I complete it with help. I always feel that I learn something that will carry over to future CWS.

I thought Band aid?/Amp and Target of a military press/Delt were great clues. I had to guess on the plant that Aztecs used for food. I didn't know that the Dahlia tubers were edible!

A windy, rainy day today and getting colder by the hour. We should see snow on our surrounding hills this evening.

Chickie said...

Thank you Lemonade for a great writeup. We'll be waiting for your return,soon I hope. The theme eluded me today and your writeup was very enlightening.

I immediately thought of you Elissa when I filled in Los Altos. It was good to see you today. We miss your "voice".

Thanks also for the links to "Chicago" and to Jazz for the Miss Potter link. I missed that movie when it came out and am hoping that it will be a TV show someday in the future.

Husker Gary said...

MIL is 89 and got a ticket for running a red light yesterday (OHO). She called us frantically wanting to know what to do. The ticket is $123 and her income is $5,500 (EKEING out a living)! I scoped it out for her and will pay the fine for her and she calmed down (AHH) and was so grateful. Is anyone else the last line of defense for an elderly parent?

Clear Ayes said...

AHA, a "Best Babe" discussion going on between the guys. All of the ladies mentioned are talented and very attractive.

GAH has kind of a crush on Rene Zellweiger's squinchy-eyed smile. We did see "Miss Potter" and enjoyed it. OTOH, my current favorite is Timothy Olyphant in "Justified"....I know it's all in the hat, or maybe it's the gun.

I finished reading Major Pettigrew..etc. about a week ago. I liked it, but... No, I won't say anything because others are reading it.

Now I'm about 2/3's through "A Canticle for Leibowitz", a 1960 sci-fi book I wouldn't necessarily recommend, unless you aren't bothered by the end of world civilization (more than once) and the inability of religion to intervene.

Next on my list is ELIE Wiesel's "Night".

Husker Gary, according to my daughter, GAH and I ARE the elderly parents.

windhover said...

Not currently, but if the people who are currently trying to dismantle the already thin social safety net are successful, a lot more of us will be.

windhover said...

Since I'm already in violation, I might as well add that anyone who isn't disgusted that a late octogenarian who has presumably worked or otherwise contributed to the society his/her entire adult life should, in the putative "richest country in the world", be required to attempt to live on $15/day, should, assuming they have health insurance, inquire about a heart transplant. Probably should get the brain, too, if it's available.

Lemonade714 said...

"Borta bra men hemma bäst."

CA, Thank you. I am just going to Sarasota to visit with some cousins who are coming in town for a wedding, which I am also attending. I extended my stay to have some time both catching up and determining if resting will help my eye to decide to heal.

My mother suffered from Alzheimers the last 12 years of her life, and she was ahandful in every way, but she was my mother. I miss her.

Warren said...

Wow thanks for remembering my birthday Hahtool, my wife and I did today's puzzle this AM and I agree that Rich must have modified the iPhone clue. We just got back from a trip to visit the Hiller Aviation Museum up in San Carlos. Lots of rain today in SF area too, bad traffic coming home.

fermatprime said...

(Testing. Need to see if I get dumped again.)

Jazzbumpa said...

My mother will be 90 in less than 2 months. Her twin sister had a triple by-pass yesterday.

My sister lives near by; we're about 70 miles away. Sis takes good care of mom, and we do what we can.

My MIL is 80, but less mobile and far more reclusive. Gloria has a brother that lives near by, by he his mom don't mesh especially well.

Gloria's late dad was a policeman for over 25 years, and his widow lives on about as much as Gary's MIL.

I can't exactly say we're the last line of defense, but we're certainly in there somewhere.

Cheers!
JzB

JD said...

Husker, I don't think Keri Russell has been tabloid fodder, except when she cut her hair. WB has written into their contracts that young stars may not alter their current hairstyles.

Hi Elissa..so nice hearing from you.

I do watch Amer. Idol, and I think the girls will be the 1st to go, leaving Pia and the boys.Talented bunch this season.

C.C., I'm still thinking about what you said about those beautiful Banyan trees.heh,heh

Lemonade, DO rest those eyes.

fermatprime said...

Good afternoon, all!

This time the site ate a 20-line post. Did not get sent to usual "no cookies" site. Just dumped. (Accidentally copied over clipboard in more complicated effort to restore access to blog.)

This puzzle was a delight. One of Dan's best, I think. Loved the theme. Most amusing answer (to me): BRITISH SHILL.

I too was a great fan of Adams' HHG to the Universe, Splynter. I had some great old TV tapes. Has anyone read Colfer's sixth book?

Have had difficulty rising from depression after giving up antidepressants. (Now deemed to be really unhealthy.) Thanks to you people for brightening my day. Have a happy weekend.

Lucina said...

JD:
The contestant Tom, can't recall his last name, is wonderful to watch. He is about as good as Ken Jennings, though more solemn.

Husker Gary said...

JD, I don't know Keri Russell at all but do know former mouseketeers Christine Aguliera and Britney Spears. Walt would not have approved but times are different.

Lucina said...

Oooh, boy, Kazie, obviously my mind is not on the present; Italian just registered in my brain. Frankly, I've been thinking more about taxes and the fact that I owe the Feds which really riles me as not too much has changed from last year.

I guess we'll need French 102 to assure that I learn it!

Warren, I hope your birthday was wonderful!

Lemonade714 said...

happy birthday Warren; where did we hide Dennis/
keep coming back cherylptts; this is a very fluid group/ where is buckeye/ dick/ maniac/ embien/ well the list is long

ciao ciao until next time

fermatprime said...

Anyone here tonight interested in ballet? I was sent something truly awesome that you might enjoy:
Swan Lake

fermatprime said...

Warren--HBTY! 39 again?

Clear Ayes said...

Phew, we just came off of a two hour electrical outage. But I turned on my Kindle and read for a while. We are always worried that we will have a repeat of the four day outage we had...was it two years ago?

WH, if it weren't for the Irish and GAH, I'd saddle up the neighbor's burro and wend my way toward Kentucky.

A late Happy Birthday to Warren.

fermatprime, thank you for the information on the Eoin Colfer book. I've read all the Douglas Adams HHGTTG books and will add "And Another Thing" to my list. I'd seen the Chinese acrobatic version of Swan Lake before, but it was worth repeating.

I also miss our absent blog members. I particularly hope that Buckeye is OK, his heart is holding up, and he is still uncomfortably ensconced at the Pia Zadora Golden Buckeye Retirement Village, keeping busy avoiding nurse Rachet's
evil eye.

JD said...

Lucina, I think Tom Whatshisfoot was a tad embarrassed that he missed that last question tonight, and the other 2 got it.He is a quick draw.

Happeeeee Bithdayyyyy Warren.

Hand up for missing many of our old cronies...even a howdy once in awhile would be good, so we all would know you are doin' OK.

Lucina said...

Fermatprime:
Thank you. That is a magnificent performance!

Frenchie said...

Dear C. C., Argyle and folk:
Another good day on the blog... thanks to you, Lemonade and all bright bloggers, So many perceptive points!

1a. It's refreshing to see TREK used and not related to 'Star.'

Starting with 17a. the theme is lovely! I found it to be 'solver friendly' and with lemonade714 laying this puzzle out so smartly, it proves once again what a "Smartie" he is. Out, (57a) damn'd spot! out, I say!

6d. Too funny, Grumpy1! LMAO

41d. I live North of a road named SHEA BLVD.

47d. My heinie and I

are out!

Anonymous said...

Why is 17across plural and 37across not?

kazie said...

Lucina,
You're more than welcome. In French three is trois, by the way.

Fermatprime,
I've seen that performance before, but wanted to watch again, it's so unbelievable. Thank you!

A late HBTY Warren, have a great weekend celebrating!

dodo said...

Hello All you solvers,

First of all, I really, really like Renee Zellweger! I'll admit she's no beauty and she's not particularly sexy but she's a really fine actress. You don't even think about her looks when she's playing a part. She can make you think she's beautiful. Think of Meryl Streep; the same is true of her: not beautiful or sexy, but you don't see that when she's acting! Any way, I think she's terrific!

And I agree with you who say Michelle Pfiefer is the no.1 beauty! Love her, too!

Good puzzle, a challenge. Didn't get the theme but did get the theme phrases. Out of lines, Bye!

dodo said...

not much else to report. Oh, I was billed by Comcast for two Pay per view movies which I did not order. The names: "Chica luvs it grande" and "Bouncy Boobs 2"! Now I ask you!

I'm a little old lady in tennis shoes and why would I order such trash? They're refunding for those two but not for the 3 more that have been charged to me osince the billing! I'm livid!

Abejo said...

To Anon:

Looks to me like 17A and 37A are both plural. Referring to my puzzle sheet that I am looking at. Maybe I goofed it up.

Abejo

Lemonade714 said...

comcast are horrible people they made a 2000.00 eror in my autopay and took two weeks and threats of a lawsuit to reimburse me' if i had a choice they would be history

Anonymous said...

Just ignore it. It'll go away.