google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, March 9, 2011 Gareth Bain

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Mar 9, 2011

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: O, MG! Each theme answer is a two word name, with the initial letters M and G.

17A. *Moscow park eponym : MAXIM GORKY.  Gorky Park is an amusement park in Moscow, named after the Russian/Soviet author born Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov. The bitterness of his early experiences in Russia led him to choose the name Maxim Gorky (which means "the bitter one") as his pseudonym. 

61A. *"What's Going On" singer : MARVIN GAYE. LOVE any excuse to see his name. What a genius, and like many other brilliant artists, awash in drama and gone too soon. This tune seems appropriate, as tax filing time nears.

10D. *20th-century cartoonist who wrote "He Done Her Wrong," a 300-page pantomime tale : MILT GROSS. Billed as one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th century. Complete title: He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It — No Music, Too. It's the story of a young man from out of the wilderness, coonskin cap and all, who falls in love with a fair maiden. 

32D. *"Mad Max" star : MEL GIBSON. Still in the doghouse.

61D. With "the," 48-Down's band (which sounds as if it could have included the answers to starred clues) : MG'S

48D. Leader of the band with the 1962 hit "Green Onions" : BOOKER T. I know this song because it is on the soundtrack of one of my favorite movies, Get ShortyLook at me.

Melissa here. This seemed to be on the easy side for a wednesday, very few pauses or unknowns. Not a terribly exciting theme (MG), although i loved the trivia associated with all the above answers, and found lots excuses for musical tie-ins. 

Across

1. Doughnut shape : TORUS

6. Doofus : CLOD. Tried putz first.

10. Hi sign nicknames : MOMS. Hi, Mom!

14. Furniture wood : EBONY. 

15. Circle dance : HORA

16. Does a bakery job : ICES. Aced it.

19. "__ we forget" : LEST

20. Palm Treos, e.g., briefly : PDA'S. Personal Digital Assistant.

21. Tailless primate : APE

22. School orgs. : PTA'S. Parent Teacher Association.

23. Article for Adenauer : EIN. German, translates to a, an, one, on, or any. Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following WWII, he brought Germany prosperity, democracy, stability and respect. To a large extent Adenauer's policies still dominate Germany.

24. Upside-down frown : SMILE

26. __ Dei : AGNUS. Latin term meaning "Lamb of God." Rufus's take.

28. __ Andreas Fault : SAN. In my backyard. For now.

29. Bit of dogma : TENET

30. Poppycock : TRIPE

31. Opera setting, for short : THE METThe Metropolitan Opera, in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Reminded me of Moonstruck, which just came up on the blog.

33. Outs partners : IN'S. In's and out's.

35. Hops-drying oven : OAST

36. Animals who often bear twins : EWES. Windhover!

38. Evokes wonder in : AWES

40. Asian sea : ARAL

43. It's not known for MPG efficiency : SUV. Sport Untility Vehicle - gas guzzler.

45. Soak up : ABSORB

49. Din in the library? : GUNGA. Gunga Din, one of Rudyard Kipling's most famous poems, from the point of view of a British soldier, about a native water-bearer (a "bhisti") who saves the soldier's life but dies himself. Jim Croce adapted the poem into a song for his album Facets.

51. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : MASHA. Olga, Maria (Masha) and Irina.

53. Big suit, briefly : CEO. "Suit" is slang for executive.

54. About the eye : OPTIC

55. Elect to take part : OPT IN

56. Hoo-ha : ADO

57. Option for Hamlet : TO BE. Or not to be.

58. Exxon Valdez cargo : OIL. Very moving documentary about the spill, Black Wave.

59. Short run, for short : ONE K. 1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers.

60. Wimple wearers : NUNS. Medieval garment worn by women around the head.

64. Élan : BRIO. Enthusiastic vigor. Hm ... i need to start using this word.

65. Kindergarten staple : GLUE. And sometime snack.

66. Courtroom demand : ORDER. Order in the court!

67. Quite a long time : AEON

68. Pair in bunk beds, perhaps : SIBS. Siblings.

69. Burden bearer : BEAST

Down

1. Violent storm : TEMPEST

2. Shortest book in the Hebrew Bible : OBADIAH. After Amos, and before Jonah. I had to memorize all the books of the bible in order as a child. One of those things that sticks.

3. Steve Martin film based on "Cyrano de Bergerac" : ROXANNE. Mildly amusing movie. Better tune.

4. Colleges, to Aussies : UNI'S

5. Mozart's "Jupiter," e.g.: Abbr. : SYM. Symphony.

6. Noted composer of études : CHOPIN

7. Rhine siren : LORELEI. rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. 

8. Mork's planet : ORK

9. "And God called the light __": Genesis : DAY

11. "1984" setting : OCEANIA. From Wikipedia: George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four takes place in Oceania, one of three intercontinental super-states who divided the world among themselves after a global war. 

12. Goofs : MESSUPS

13. Old JFK arrival : SST

18. Spermatozoa, e.g. : GAMETES. A cell that fuses with another cell during fertilization.

22. Frisk, with "down" : PAT. Pat-down.

24. Crock-Pot potful : STEW. Crock-Pot weather lately.

25. Sicilian mount : ETNA

27. Collector's goal : SET. 

34. East African language : SWAHILI

37. Sport for heavyweights : SUMO. Sumo wrestling.

39. Israeli diplomat Abba : EBAN

40. In days past : AGO

41. Burst : RUPTURE

42. Actor Banderas : ANTONIO

44. Vicks ointment : VAPORUB

46. Anthem for "eh" sayers : O CANADA. Canadians end a lot of their sentences with the confirming, "eh?" like Americans ask, "right?" or "you know?" at the end of sentences to make sure they are understood clearly or to verify that the other party agrees. Nice puzzle today, eh?

47. Overnight flights : RED EYES

50. Impeccable service : ACE. Tennis. Great clue.

52. "As I was going to __ ..." : ST. IVES. English nursery rhyme: 

         As I was going to St Ives

I met a man with seven wives
Each wife had seven sacks
Each sack had seven cats
Each cat had seven kits
Kits, cats, sacks, wives
How many were going to St Ives?

59. Fairy tale baddie : OGRE

60. Hoops org. : NBA. Basketball.

62. Poetic boxer : ALI

63. San Francisco's __ Hill : NOB. Also Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill.

Answer grid.

Melissa

71 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Mustang Mel, C.C. and gang - a nice, smooth solving experience today, with lots of familiar clues. The theme became apparent early on and I thought the tie-in was pretty clever.

The only screw-ups I had were putting 'ein' for 'Article for Adenauer' and 'Maria' for 51A. Everything else fell into place fairly quickly; the 'vaporub' answer brought back lots of early memories - in addition to the stuff on your chest, I remember a machine sitting on the floor pumping stuff out.

Melissa, very enjoyable blog; I knew you'd enjoy the musical references. Good of you to take the high road on several of the clues, too. I mean, how often does one see 'spermatozoa' on a puzzle? Well, actually, there was that one time.....ah, never mind.

Today is Panic Day.
Did You Know?:

- If birds could sweat, they wouldn't be able to fly.

- When mating, a hummingbird's wings beat two hundred times a second. I understand that.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Melissa and Friends. This was a fun puzzle. The "S" in MGS was my last fill. It was also the "lightbulb" that allowed me to connect the * and see the theme. I had filled in MILT GROSS even though I had never heard of him. I only knew that in the song, Frankie and Johnny, Johnny "Done Her Wrong."

GUNGA, a shout out to our Gunghy, eh?

Anthem for "eh" sayers = CANADA was my favorite clue.

I wanted Tornado in lieu of TEMPEST, especially since there have been so many tornados going through Louisiana this past week.

BRIO must be the word of the week!

I liked seeing EWES and AWES side-by-side.

QOD: The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Not terribly difficult today, but a couple of speed bumps kept it from being a speed run for me...

I've never heard of Milt Gross, despite his supposed fame, but I eventually got him via the perps. And I've heard of Gorky before, but never knew his first name. Unfortunately, the perps weren't as much help there, since I couldn't remember how to spell OBADIAH and had to play the "Guess the vowel" game. I tried E and then I before A, sadly.

Dennis -- if you put in EIN for "Article for Adenauer," then you got it right! I originally had DER, personally... ^_^

Burrito34 said...

Good Morning!

My choice for the theme today would be "Booker T and the MG's", but I like yours better, Melissa (OMG!). Once again I see why you guys get to do the lead blogging duties. "Green Onions" is a catchy instrumental song from way back when. Don't know why but it seems to remind me of Cheech and Chong.

Dennis, thanks for the info. I'll try not to panic today. ;-)

Favorite clues:

(49A) Din in the Library? I was thinking noise. Nice misdirection. Also an old movie. Gunga Din,(1939, RKO Radio Pictures), starred Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sam Jaffee. My first memory of Sam Jaffee was as Dr. Zorba on the early sixties series, Ben Casey.

(1A) Torus, or similar words keep appearing for donut shaped so I'm finally catching on to it.

(10A) Hi sign nicknames: moms. "Hi" rather than "high" should have tipped me off earlier but it wasn't until some perps cleared it up. It often appears with the phrase, "send money!"

(44D) Ugh. Vaporub. How many of you have a jar that was bought you don't know when, possibly was inherited and lurks in a forgotten corner of your medicine cabinet? It was worse when I had that stuff smeared on my chest when I was sick as a kid.

I hope to see a few more song links in later comments today!

Best to all,
Burrito34

Dennis said...

Barry, my mistake - like you, I had 'der' initially. The perps forced me to 'ein'.

fermatprime said...

Hello all!

Fun puzzle, Gareth, as usual. Nice exposition, MB!

I, too, remember the VAPORUB, Dennis. When I had my own children, the pediatrician pontificated that one might as well use a voodoo wand. So they never were able to enjoy it, as I did! Just love menthol. (My mother, who followed Dr. Spock's credo about not cuddling kids unnecessarily, used to hand me the jar.)

This was an easy fill for me. However, I cannot abide any more use of ACE!

Am reading amazing book (language-wise) called Swamplandia!, by Karen Russell. Word mavens should all love it.

Spent 5 hours on line and on phone yesterday trying to redeem, for the nth time, some eBay gift cards (100 clams). Unbelievable hassle. I really abhor Pay Pal. Could write long essay. EBay hardly much better.

Back to taxes today. Found many misfiled items. Should be able to get to work in earnest tomorrow. Such fun! (Back in the alky days, many bottles of sherry were necessary for this project!) After that I smoked my head off. When one adds up all of the stress, misery and time required for this effort, one concludes that a huge amount of life has been defiled. (Do not forget to add in the audits and the huge outpouring of money.)

Bill G.--Did you read my reply about Time Machines?

Here is hoping that all of us who have been suffering from bad weather get relief soon. The big problem in the SF Valley lately has been the destructive wind. (My acre has beaucoup trees.)

Cheers!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - Pretty much a speed run today. Ran into vowel uncertainty where EBAN meets MASHA since neither was known. Similarly ignorant about biblical books, had no idea there was an OBADIAH, but perps framed it in. Missed the theme, of course!

What a coincidence that we just had HORA and BRIO.

We had one of those steam vaporizers when I was a kid, the kind with a cup at the top for adding Vaporub - sort of like the butter dispenser on a popcorn maker. I don't remember it helping much with relief from ailments, but the darn thing did steam the finish off my bedrail.

Cheers, eh?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

I'd appreciate if everyone takes my 20-line request seriously. Thanks.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning all. Nice commentary, Melissa. Thanks for including the St. Ives poem.

A little hard for me today only knew two of the theme words and never got the MG connection. But assiduous use of perps and a few lucky guesses got it don without lookups. Thought MOMS was clever.

23a Adenauer article. EIN is correct here, but I thought the clue might be referring to Adenauer's nickname in German: Der Alte (the Old One)

LORELEI - Here is the song and English translation

Have a good day

Barry G. said...

I'd appreciate if everyone takes my 20-line request seriously. Thanks.

Does that include spaces?

Lemonade714 said...

Hey MB, nice entertaining write up of a Gareth Bain. Hahtool, in addition to EWES and AWES, he has OPTIC followed by OPT IN.
The nerve of the man. He also slipped a mini-Shakespeare with Much ADO About Nothing , TEMPEST, as well as Hamlet’s TO BE. Of course, the reason most do not know MILT GROSS is he died in 1953. His work was distinctive though. Off to see what I can do with this day; no panic.

windhover said...

Here on the ridge, we never panic.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thanks to Gareth for a swell puzzle. It was easier than I expected for a Wednesday. But, that's OK. Thank you Melissa Bee for a nice write-up. I clicked on AGNUS DEI, but I have no sound card. Thank you, as always, C.C.

Fun run through this puzzle. I cannot believe we had BRIO twice in a row. Yesterday I wagged/perped it and lucked out. Today I knew it. If it is there tomorrow, i am going to start wonder.

"Gorky Park" was an excellent book written a few decades ago, and I also believe it was also movie. Murder mystery type. The kind I enjoy.

Enjoyed the St. Ives Poem, Melissa.

Abejo

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Barry,
Exclude spaces.

Nice Cuppa said...

Thanks Melissa

Fun puzzle with lots of minithemes. CLOT is the British form of "CLOD", so that slowed me down a bit. Otherwise, 4 comments in less than 20 lines, C.C.

Could someone explain why MOM is a "nickname" in this (or any) context.

Add ANTONIO to the mini-Shakespeare theme. SIREN should pass too.

Did anyone notice that OCANADA and OCEANIA differ in only 2 letters?

Took me a while to parse BOO KERT. Just one one those strange American names I thought.

NC

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning and happy hump day, all. Great blog, MB. I really liked the puzzle. Favorite clue was 'Din in the library'/GUNGHA. Yes, i was thinking noise.

Torus was obvious but couldn't decide on 'typhoon' or 'tornado' for 1d and left it blank. Perps finally straightened me out on that one.

I didn't know MILT GROSS, but I had groked the theme and knew there was an MG parked in that garage.

C.C. Thanks for excluding blank lines from the count. I'd hate to see every post as one paragraph.

MH said...

This was a good puzzle in that I actually needed the theme to fill in some of the them answers. Fortunately Green Onions and Booker T and the MGs are of my era. Once I had "MGS" I was able to figure out at least the first letter of a couple of the theme answers which was enough to get me through the puzzle. Very enjoyable.

I haven't been around much because I'm now working in San Francisco which means a 1.5 hour commute each way. Will still try to drop by from time to time.

Tinbeni said...

Melissa, Thank you for the ST.IVES riddle.
Hmmm, I guess that would be one.

My ONE-K was not a 'speed-run' ... but it was a FUN Wednesday.

MASHA was ALL perps. As was MILT GROSS.
I read "1984" about 40 years ago. Perps to the rescue, again.

BRIO & STEW for the second day in-a-row.

VAPORUB, I can still smell it.

Ash Wednesday left its mark.
Ohhh, what to give up for Lent.
You can bet it will NOT be Avatar!!!

Damn, it's already 73 with a light breeze ...
What-to-do? What-to-do?
No Panic here ... it's beach-day!

Cheers to all at Sunset !

Anonymous said...

I enjoy the crossword everyday.
My local paper does not give the theme,except Sunday, so I come on here to see the them.

I had a bit of trouble with "eh" anthem. I deal with a lot of Canadians and it sounds as if they are saying "aye" not "eh", so it threw me off.

I also enjoy reading the comments.
Thanks

kazie said...

Nice blog, Melissa.

I needed to look up MASHA and BOOKER T because I've never heard of him or the MG's and I couldn't for the life of me come up with the K at the end of ONE-. A kilometer is not my idea of a short run. I also forgot that GAYE's first name is MARVIN and not Martin, so couldn't make sense of STITES. Palm treos meant nothing either. I thought it must be a Spanish word I don't know, but perps got that one. OBADIAH was a WAG after enough perps were there.

I also thought of DER (Alte) before EIN, and didn't know Milt Gross. But the "he done her wrong" phrase kicked in a memory my mother used to quote that ended with "and grabbed 'is pocket knife to end 'er cares". Familiar to anyone else?

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Melissa, C.C. et al.

Great job on the blog this morning, Melissa! Fun links and interesting comments on the theme entries. I once went to THE MET to see “La Traviata”. My friend knew the stage manager, so we got to go backstage after the opera. I stood in the exact spot in the photo in your link. It is so much more impressive in person, and it AWES me to think about it.

What Barry said…(verbatim).

And my fav was also “Din in the library?” for GUNGA.

BRIO again – Abejo, glad to see you nailed it this time!

In addition to EWES/AWES, OPTIC/OPT IN, there is also PDAS/PTAS.

Dennis, the hummingbird’s heart has been measured as fast as 1260 beats per minute. Between the heart and wings, that a lot of beat goin’ on!! Wonder if MARVIN GAYE could keep up with that?

Have a great day everyone!

kazie said...

I just remembered: it was from an epic poem "The Sentimental Bloke" by CJ Dennis. An excerpt titled "The Play", in which the Sentimental Bloke agrees reluctantly to go to see Romeo and Juliet with his girlfriend. The poem relates the story in his own words. Maybe it had nothing to do with Milt Gross, but for some reason it hit a nerve in my memory.

Warning: lots of humorous Oz-isms included.

Dennis said...

anon@8:51, the weekday themes are created by the blogger of the day and/or C.C.; there's no official theme.

As to the 'eh' sound, I guess that's how it's come to be written -- to me, it's just the sound of a long 'a' (ay, maybe?).

Husker Gary said...

Good Morning Melissa Bee et al, The write-up was lovely and I found this puzzle a hoot! I had to struggle to get NW figured out and had a real “aha” moment when it fell into place! Of course, Green Onions is my favorite Rock and Roll instrumental and evokes that great drag race at dawn in American Graffiti.

The call to sub always comes between 6:30 am and 6:40 am and I always wake up just before then in anticipation. Today? No call after two days of work. I can live with it. Is anyone else cursed with an internal alarm clock and “time I can’t sleep past”?

Musings
-TORNADO was a big erasure for TEMPEST
-ANGUS? Nope, that’s Nebraska beef!
-My Envoy SUV gets 22mpg on the hwy
-I listened for LORELEI on the Rhine. Must have been her day off.
-I had 3 boys get patted down on Fla. trip this year!
-Loved cluing for OCANADA, GUNGA and CEO
-VAPORUB is one of those olfactory cues that take me back to childhood? Others?

Anonymous said...

24

Anonymous said...

Buzz! That's 30 lines!

Tinbeni said...

Husker Gary:
I have an internal-clock that goes off around 4:00am.

Then I check my emails to see if a "Project" has arrived from Moscow or Zagreb.

They keep me busy, round 15 hours each week.
The rest of the time I am a Certified "Beach-Bum."

Just finished Sanford's "Wicked Prey."
Never been to Minneapolis, but 'through him' I feel like I have visited.

Now C.J.Box has me "Below Zero"as a Game Warden in Wyoming.

SOOOO many books, so little time.

carol said...

Hi all - Wow, what a NW corner on this one!!! The only answer I got was 3D. I never heard of TORUS, wanted TORNADO, had no idea of 2D,4D 14A, 17A....sigh. After looking up a few though, I did manage to get to the rest of the puzzle and finish. YAY!

Loved 49A Din in the library...took me awhile though.

Booker T and the MG's are a favorite group of mine...did you know that MG stands for Memphis Group?

Great job Melissa!

eddyB said...

Hello.

Nice, easy puzzle today. No problems. Perps filled in a lot of ans.

SJ closing in on Det. Another OT win.

Waiting for the grass to dry so it
can be cut. At least I have the garden weeded.

take care.

Vidwan827 said...

Melissa Bee, VERY nice blog -really enjoyed it -Thank you very much. I opened all your links and they were very informative - especially Gunga Din - a ballad (?) I had not read before.

Gareth Bain - Thank you for a very nice puzzle - very enjoyable and interesting.

Aside --- Dennis, 'sweating birds - dont fly' - does this mean that chickens sweat a lot ? They probably do when they're being fried southern style...

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Melissa's clever O-MG connection made me smile, although I too thought of the theme as "BOOKER T and the MGS". I had a STM (Smile To Myself) thinking about the four M.G. initialed band members. They would have made quite a motley crew.

It was tough filling in MEL GIBSON. Much like Charlie Sheen, I don't think he deserves a lot of thought time devoted to him.

MILT GROSS was unknown and before I caught on to the theme, the only MILT cartoonist I could think of was MILT(ON) CANIFF who created "Terry and the Pirates". (I'm old enough to remember both BOOKER T and the MGS and Terry and the Pirates.

I must be old. Palm Treo? OK, I believe you Melissa.

I hadn't known that LORELEI was a real rock. I just knew the story of the Siren luring sailors to their deaths with her hypnotic singing.

creature said...

Good Day C.C.,MelissaB and all,

Thanks, MB, for your fun write-up. I had some link problems, so I’m going back.

I finished the puzzle, with no look-ups, but heavily depended on perps.61D, of course, cleared up the theme, which I already had. The fill was ok; not as outstanding as yesterday’s, but , naturally , the clues were more important, difficult-wise, since we’re getting on in the week and he had to switch to more proper names, as well.

Clever clue: 53A. Big suit-CEO; thanks, Garth.

BillG, we were overcast, but I’m in awe; bright as Jupiter ? Wow.

MH, That sounds like a brutal commute. Is that daily?


Have a panic free day, everyone.

Vidwan827 said...

RE: Gunga Din - etiology of the word - 'Din' means 'gift' - presumably from God - from 'dena' - to give. Thus, 'Alladin' means 'gift (from) Allah' - hence a muslim connotation. Gunga, a sanskritized Aryan word, anthropomorphic (whew!) of the major Indian river ( and eponymous goddess), would presume a Hindu name. Further, since most (upper class) hindus would never take up the job of a water carrier,( bhisti - pronounced bisti ) since it meant touching a leather water-bag, thus a skin of a dead animal, hence taboo - Gunga Din was probably of the lowest class, to whom the taboo did not apply.

IMHO, The ballad was very well written ... in the interests of good taste, I will decline to comment on the spirit in which it was written.

Lucina said...

Hello Puzzlers!

Thank you, MB, for an entertaining blog. I'll have to return to finish the links. Love the music.

And thanks, Gareth Bain for a nice Wed. xwd. I sashayed through most of it but had TYPHOON before TEMPEST became apparent. It filled so quickly that I didn't notice ANTIONIO (expected a link) and RUPTURE.

I couldn't recall BOOKER T so stared at 48D and was DNF there.

I still use VAPORrub for allergies, a bit around the nostrils really helps.


Read Gorky Park as well many years AGO.

Loved din in the library!

Have a happpy Wednesday everyone!

Lucina said...

Windhover:
EWES made me smile and thought of you,

MH said...

@Creature: yes, it's a daily commute but the train is so much better than driving...

Jerome said...

Among my treasures are the Gorky books I bought in my youth. After reading a book I give it away. I could never part with Gorky.

Treasures none-

EIN- Stein filler
ICES- Cold hearted goddess
AWES- What a wizard does
ADO- Alabama wedding vow
OBADIAH- Tot's answer to, "Where'd he go?" Could also be the start of a childrens song in Japan, "OBADIAH HAD A OBI O-B-A-D-I-HA!"

"Ay, there's the Vaporub" said the Shakespearean actor with a cold.

SUMO- Gangsta lawyer's resolution

HeartRx said...

Jerome, very funny. Especially loved "ADO"!

Kazie, thanks for the link to “The Sentimental Bloke”. You’re right – there were a ton of colloquialisms in there, and it was tough reading. But once I got the hang of the accent, I could almost “hear” him speaking. Very funny synopsis of Romeo and Juliet!

Vidwan, very interesting explanation of the origin for the name Gunga Din. I re-read the poem with your comments in mind. Yes, I agree.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Fun puzzle with a nice blend of familiarity and fresh fill. I enjoyed the theme. Could not come up with BOOKER T. Also had to g-spot MASHA. Then I stared like yesterday's theme at STIVES and ONEK, unable to rightly parse the words.

I also got swept away by the TORNADO

There was a time when Garth and I were joined at the virtual interface. His puzzles appeared on my blogging days three times in a row. I didn't blog anything in between.

So - his puzzles are always kind of special to me.

Along with EWES-AWES, we have OPTIC-OPTIN and PDAS-PTAS. Nice.

Cheers!
JzB

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, Not a walk in the Park for me today, but I did eventually finish with a couple of lookups.

I saw Chekov's "Three Sister" so many years ago that I couldn't remember their names. I filled in Maria, but Swahili took care of that error. I also had a hard time remembering the shape for a doughnut. Round was my first fill, so the NW corner didn't fill in very easily.

I made things too hard for myself today, trying to think of things like a stage set for Opera. "The Met" was so easy, I made it difficult. I couldn't think of a name for Hi-sign nicknames. I was thinking along the hi-five line. Duh! My v-8 can got a work out today.

My favorite clue today was Din in the library?/Gunga.

Have a great day everyone.

JD said...

Good morning all,

Melissa, I enjoyed your write up as much as I loved this xwd.So many great links plus the lovely shout out to your mom..hi Barb!

Didn't fill much at first, but seemed more with it as I filled the downs. Looked up Obadiah, Eban and Booker T. Loved the clever tie in when revealed here.

Got a big laugh seeing "hoo ha"-almost lost my latte.

Masha (ouch)- seems to me Sasha or even Tasha would be better.Did not know the poor girl.

O nek did not LOOK right.lol.Seem to be having some "Pickles" moments.

All in all, good fun!

kazie said...

Vidwan,
I'm in agreement with HeartRX. I had never read the poem fully before, and I can detect the attitude of British colonial forces there, much as they were in all the colonies they claimed and ruled. Not only did Britannia rule the waves, they thought they ruled the world and everything in it and bestowed great cruelty on their fellow man wherever they went.

HeartRx,
I'm glad you were able to appreciate "The Play". C.J. Dennis apparently wrote over 4,000 poems in his brief 62 years.

Bill G. said...

I guess I found this puzzle to be a bit more challenging than many of you. My favorite clue was "Din in a library." I saw the movie as a kid and have seen it several times since. Very enjoyable.

Yes Fermatprime, I saw your post about Time Machine. Thanks.

I hope some of you got to see the ISS last night or the night before. Impressive I think to see a manmade object streaking across the sky. I watched Discovery land for the laat time this morning.

Chickie said...

Melissa B, thanks for the great writeup. I listened to Jim Croce's song while I finished reading the blog.

JD from yesterday, Brio at our house also meant small trains and toys. I've picked up many a "Brio" from the family room floor.

WH, I immediately thought of you when Ewes popped into the grid. I was wondering how many twins you've had this year?

I'll try again with this post as the first one went away, along with all the rest of the blog when the website was timed out. That's never happened before.

JD said...

For those of you forgetting words, that we have already had, this may be your dilemma, a Pickles moment.

Does anyone know why I made a Gorky Park/Beatles connection?..a complete WAG

Bill G. said...

I went to the car dealership for my weekly free car wash. One of the people in customer relations even applied a dab of touchup paint to a tiny chip on the edge of a rear door (where it had nudged a too-close wall) and will color sand it and buff it in a couple of days when I bring it back. Geez, this dealership is making me change my opinions about car salespeople.

Since I know we have a lot of Calvin and Hobbes fans here and some of us even enjoy math, I thought you might appreciate this classic.

Bumppo said...

23 across was a FOUL. Adenauer was DER Alte, not merely Ein Alte.

Anonymous said...

I love Melissa B.

Jerome said...

JD- You were probably thinking about Lennongrad.

Bumppo- You're misreading what the clue is asking for. Reconsider.

Marge said...

Hi all,

Today was fun but not too easy. I have done Monday and Tuesday but never time to post.There were some areas to look up some times its like being a detective as I follow the clues.

Vapo-rub, it was populaer with when I was young too. My DH still uses it, so i still get to smell it.

Spitzboov, thanks for the beautiful Lorelei in both languages.

Good evening all, time to go to Ash wednesday soup supper.

Marge

Spitzboov said...

Marge, you're welcome.

Bill G.: Saw the ISS in clear skies again last night. It hove into view at 7:23pm and transited about 7:26. It passed under Orion and exited to the SE past Sirius. BH came out with me to see it. Thanks again for the link.

Bill G. said...

Spitzboov, de nada. Did you get to see Discovery too? It preceded it by about two minutes? No big deal. One of them is spectacular enough.

Just got back from a short bike ride. About 70 degrees, blue skies and a gentle breeze. Very pleasant. A good macchiato too.

Spitzboov said...

Bill re: Did you get to see Discovery too?

Yes we did. Quite spectacular.

Lucina said...

Bill G:
What a hilarious cartoon! Thanks for the ISS schedule. I was in class last night so couldn't watch but my neighbor did and said it was impressive.

Jerome:
I can't wait for your next puzzle. You are in great form.

Vidwan827 said...

Finally finished 'Major Pettigrew's last stand' by Helen Simonson; recommended by Lemonade, about a week ago. This British- American author, first book, writes wonderfully,( and in a charming manner ! )- has her british quirkyness down pat, but the last few pages have 95 percent of the action and the end is quietly disappointing ( I think -).

My 2 chief complaints:

1. A 69 yr old widower and a 56 yr old widow - what damage /sins /blunders can they cause- except for a few goosepumps ?? What readers need is a hefty dose of Viagra - and she gives us half a dozen No-Doz tablets !! - Blow Hot, Blow Cold !


2. Her descr. of the goings on in the Pakistani community, in the UK,meant for thematic effects, is so unflattering, that were this to become a major motion picture, this will guarantee appropriate protests / riots/ murder/ mayhem in a half dozen cities around the globe.

Vidwan827 said...

RE: Major Pettigrew, as above,

In all fairness, I would like to request Lemonade, Hahtool and others who have read the book to offer their own contra-, alternative opinions.

Anonymous said...

Thought they said "aye" in 46 question. At least.thats what it sounded to me when i went
to sturges on my bike and met tons of canadians.

Seldom Seen said...

Bill G./Spitzboov: Wheel Stop

Good to see you eddyb.

kazie said...

Here's a love story for nature lovers: A Tale of Two Cockies aka A True Aussie Love Story (about cockatoos).

Hahtoolah said...

Vidwan: Although not a mystery novel, I would classify Major Pettigrew's Last Stand in the "cozy" genre. It's a quiet novel about a budding relationship between widower and a widow of two different cultural and economic backgrounds, and their spoiled relatives of a younger generation. I agree that the ending left me wanting. Knowing woefully little about the British/Indian/Pakistani governance, the 1947 Partition, and the ramifications in England today, I can't really comment on the author's depiction other than to say it did seem a bit over the top.

Clear Ayes said...

I'm about 1/4 way through "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand". So far, the Major is a rather unlikeable prig. Obviously, Mrs. Ali likes him, but I can't see why (again, so far). We'll see, I'll let you know.

fermatprime said...

Hi again!
C.C.--will try to keep these short from now on!
ANYBODY--Have you received emails like this?
I get 40/day on average. How can I stop them?
They begin with the following items in triangular brackets
HR
BODY
CENTER
(I cannot copy the whole thing. The brackets are unacceptable, preview says.)

Lemonade714 said...

It was the charm and writing skill of the book, which I enjoyed most in Major Pettigrew. As CA says, you begin not really relating to any of the characters, but through the power of love, the "major" characters all grow. I cannot comment on the possible reaction of the Pakistani community, but with only one exception, I believe the author was both harsh and forgiving of all the players, and allowed them to learn. I certainly did not feel any negative bias toward the transplanted Pakistanis, certainly not as disppointing as the behavior of some of the Brits.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

JD et al,

Tomorrow's puzzle involves circles.

Click here for a printed PDF file.

Or you can play on line here.

Unknown said...

Fun puzzle today. Thanks, Carol, for the nod to my hometown! We loved Booker T and the MGs back in the day and still do. Such great talent came out of Memphis and keeps on a comin'.

Today is Ash Wednesday. Did you all know that the ashes used for imposition come from burning the blessed palms from last year's Palm Sunday? I've worn mine all day, since I need the reminder!
It's late, so off to bed after a busy day repenting!

Unknown said...

Ooops! I forgot to ask; Isn't 67 across grammatically incorrect? Shouldn't it be "an eon"?

eddyB said...

Hello.

Bring back the Red Line before some
one is killed. That was an unbelievable hit last nigh. The Hab
player has a broken neck and may never play again.

Watching the Rangers and Ducks after doing tomorrow's puzzle.

take care people.

Bill G. said...

Mom, AEON is a dreaded variant spelling of eon. I don't like it much either but it's OK.

Annette said...

"Hi Sign" made me think of The Little Rascals. Our family used to give each other the "Hi Sign" all the time, even in church as the Sign of Peace for relatives you weren't within handshaking distance.

JD, that was my first thought for "Hoo ha" too!

I started my day off in a major PANIC due to a doctor not thoroughly explaining things. Luckily, I have a great sister who's a nurse. She explained much better than the doctor and allayed (most of) my fears! I'm so grateful to have her in my family and as my friend.

Dudley said...

Bill G - Thanks for the Calvin & Hobbes! I still marvel at Bill Watterson's wide imagination.

Space Shuttle Discovery: rest well, old friend.

Of all the shuttles I worked on in the late 80's, I had the most time by far with Discovery. Such complex craft develop "personalities"; Discovery was, at least in my day, willing and able. She had a good heart.

Clear Ayes said...

Cruciverb.com has the circles in place for Thursday's puzzle. So, if you solve online, you are set to go.

Lemonade, agreeing that author Helen Simonson has a lovely way with words.

fermatprime, I don't know what your emails mean, but can't you block the sender's address, or (if they are coming from multiple sources) emails with those specific brackets and words in them? I've done that when I have received unwanted email.

Annette, I hope your medical issues are not serious. Nice to have your sister/nurse there to help.