google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, April 11, 2011 Gareth Bain

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Apr 11, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: Address - The first word of the theme entries are the labels on the lines of most forms we have to fill out.

18A. "I'll pay whatever you're asking" : "NAME A PRICE"

30A. Cost to the customer, as of illicit drugs : STREET VALUE

36A. Smooth urbanite : CITY SLICKER

44A. Subject of a highly classified file : STATE SECRET

59A. "Not another word!" : "ZIP YOUR LIP!"

Argyle here, not really awake but can't get to sleep either. I'm blaming it on the warm weather; I don't know how to handle it anymore.

So about today's puzzle, is it fresh or mundane? It may just be I've been filling out too many forms for taxes that it seems old but I can't say I've ever seen it done before. All in all, a good job.

Across:

1. Dance move : STEP

5. Give a free ticket to : COMP. Shortened form of 'complimentary' and can be a noun, meaning things like tickets given without extra charge, or the act of giving these items, a verb. Can also be an adjective.

9. __-Abyssinian War: 1936 Mussolini triumph : ITALO. The Second Italo–Abyssinian War (also referred to as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War) was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy (Regno d'Italia) and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia). per Wiki. Map. After 1936, Mussolini's official title was "His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire".

14. Task list heading : TO DO

15. Foot's curve : ARCH

16. Grinding tooth : MOLAR

17. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS. King Tut, that is.

20. Doves' homes : COTEs

22. Holy smoke : INCENSE

23. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie __": 1974 hit : KOO. "Lordy mama, light my fuse"(3:48)

24. Sportage automaker : KIA. Compact SUV, from South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer.

27. As __ as Methuselah : OLD. Methuselah is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

28. "... three men in a __" : TUB. Nursery rhyme.

33. Toon storekeeper from India : APU. TV's The Simpsons.

34. Problem for Pauline : PERIL. The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments. There were also movies, as late as 1967.

35. Brake component : DISC

40. Campus VIP : BMOC. Big Man On Campus.

42. Double-reed winds : OBOEs

43. "She Done __ Wrong": Mae West film : HIM

50. Small bill : ONE

51. Mustard's rank: Abbr. : COL. Colonel Mustard, from the board game, Clue( also known as Cluedo.)

52. Audible dance style : TAP

53. Pub purchase : ALE

54. Homemade shorts : CUT-OFFS

57. Lazy __: revolving tray : SUSAN

62. Use UPS : SHIP

63. Sound that might accompany 37-Down : SNORT

64. French franc successor : EURO

65. "The __ Love": Gershwin song : MAN I. Clip.(3:07)  Originally part of a 1924 score but dropped, it became more famous as an independent popular song than as one from a Broadway musical.

66. Moorehead of "Bewitched" : AGNES. She was Endora, Samantha's mother.

67. Chess standoff : DRAW

68. Yemen city on its own gulf : ADEN

Down:

1. Pick-up __: toy : STICKS. I think last time we has this clue, many people hadn't heard of the game. Image.

2. Also : TO BOOT

3. Newspaper bigwig : EDITOR

4. Model's stance : POSE

5. Is able to : CAN

6. "... man __ mouse?" : OR A

7. Early 20th-century year : MCMI. 1901

8. Early antiseptic compound : PHENOL. It was widely used as an antispetic, which seems much safer.

9. Get in the way of : IMPEDE

10. In a dilemma : TORN

11. "The Guns of Navarone" author MacLean : ALISTAIR. A Scottish novelist who died in 1987.

12. Hiking boots, e.g. : LACE-UPS

13. Galena or hematite : ORE

19. Civil rights gp. : ACLU

21. Trapshooting : SKEET

25. "Lord knows __!" : I TRY

26. Rent-a-car option : AVIS

29. Tampa NFLer : BUCBuccaneers.

31. "Beowulf," e.g. : EPIC

32. Dole out : ALLOT

35. Genealogy abbr. : DESC. Descendants

36. Discover fortuitously : COME UPON

37. Scoffer's words : "I BET"

38. __ Nostra : COSA

39. Hangs on to : KEEPS

40. Pres. after GWB : BHO. Barack Hussein Obama.

41. Chopping, as garlic : MINCING

44. Runs fast : SCOOTS

45. Vegan staple : TOFU

46. Director Hitchcock : ALFRED

47. "Cosby" actress Phylicia : RASHĀD. She was married to football player, Ahmad Rashād. He proposed to her during a Thanksgiving pregame show in 1985.

48. Jerry's female friend, on "Seinfeld" : ELAINE

49. Part of a daunting split, in bowling : TEN PIN

55. Rugby radial : TYRE. Rugby the town in England.

56. Cast aspersions on : SLUR

58. West Point inits. : USMA. United States Military Academy.

59. When doubled, a Gabor : ZSA

60. Savings vehicle for later yrs. : IRA

61. Comics punch sound : POW


Argyle

52 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - I think Gareth delivered an excellent Monday-level puzzle today; appropriately easy but with some nice, fresh cluing.
In hindsight, the theme was pretty obvious, but it actually took me a while to see it. I saw 'TV' in the middle of 'Street value' and was trying to find something related in the other theme answers. Got off to a roaring start with dance 'step' and Pick-up 'sticks' (which I still sell in the retro section), but neither 'Italo'-Abyssinian War nor 'Name a price' came easily. A pretty smooth run after that. Favorite clue was 'Rugby radial'; least favorite was.....well, I think by now everybody knows my least favorite.

Today is National Eight Track Tape Day - remember those? We had one of those systems, back in the day, that was billed to have "Quadraphonic Sound", with each of four speakers delivering its own track. And speaking of sound systems, does anybody else remember Reverb systems in cars back then?

Did You Know?:

- Using the highest strength grade of Velcro, a 160-pound person will stick to a wall with only a four-inch square. Seems like a great trick to pull on a friend at a party.

Off to the gym.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Strange little puzzle today, especially for a Monday. Tons of unknowns/semi-unknowns (KOO, ITALO, ALISTAIR, PHENOL, RASHAD), which was surprising, but they were all easily gettable via the perps or else given away by the clues, which made up for it. As an example, I wouldn't have gotten ITALO if not for the inclusion of Mussolini in the clue.

Also had a bunch of misstarts, such as SHOW for DISC, STREET PRICE for STREET VALUE and (I'm ashamed to admit) WJC for BHO.

Only real complaint, though, was seeing BMOC clued as "Campus VIP" since "Campus" appears both in the clue and part of the answer.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning all. Nice commentary, Argyle.

Not a speed run, but not real hard, either. The theme fills were easy enough (but, as usual, did not get the theme before coming here). ITALO, ELAINE, and ALISTAIR were gimmes while PHENOL was a WAG. Fresh or mundane? I think some of both. IBIS, ADEN, and USMA were mundane while I thought words like RASHAD and LACE-UPS pushed the edge a little. Good start to the week.

Abejo: thanks for your comment on the Berghoff.

creature said...

Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,

Thanks for your perfect write-up, Argyle.

Gareth- neat puzzle- a little grit and nifty theme - make for a fun Monday.

TV man coming in drive.

Later, I hope.

Have a nice day everyone.

Abejo said...

Good Morning, folks. Thank you to Gareth Bain for a swell Monday puzzle. It is always great to start off the week on a high note. Thank you Argyle for the write up and links. I did not open them, except for the pick-up sticks, because my computer at work has no sound card. Thanks, Chief C.C.

This puzzle was great. Had some easy ones and some stumpers. I did it on the bus going to work. That's my gauge of an easy puzzle.

I remembered ALISTAIR MacLean. read some of his books. RASHAD came with perps. I wanted to put a SEVEN TEN split in there, since I've had a few of those. Then I wanted a TWO TEN split because it fit. Then I re-read the clue and entered TEN PIN. AVIS came easily. Standard crossword word. I always think of O. J. Simpson and Avis ads when I see AVIS in a puzzle. Oh well.

I did not catch the theme until I logged into the blog. I guess I did not need it so I did not look for it. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. An interesting Monday puzzle. Parts were easy and other parts slowed me down. I initially thought the theme was going to focus on the second word of the answer = PRICE and VALUE. Getting CITY SLICKER dispelled that thought.

Crikey! Holy Smoke was mu favorite clue.

Some of the early, silent Perils of Pauline movies were filmed in the gorges around Ithaca, New York. Or at least that is what they told us when I was I grade school there.

QOD: You can observe a lot by just watching. - Yogi Berra

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!

Yes, it took me a few minutes to see the connection to the theme answers, and there was no unifier, so it wasn't until I 'stepped back' and looked at all the answers that I got the "Address" format - and I missed STATE in the process.

I was pleased that this wasn't a speed run, didn't know PERIL, ITALO, INCENSE, etc.

Had ONE I, not MAN I, SHOE for DISC, and DEAN for BMOC.

If I am not mistaken, Methuselah was 969 yrs old - was one of 20 super difficult questions on one of my 6th grade assigments - no Google back then ~!

Interview today, suit and tie ~!

Splynter

kazie said...

Nice job, Gareth and Argyle!

Splynter,
Good luck today!

Not a speed run for me either, in fact a relative slog for a Monday. Unknowns were PERIL, KOO, BMOC (tried DEAN first), COL--thought this might refer to the color of different mustard strengths, I TRY--took a while to parse this one, and I'm also ashamed to admit needing perps for BHO. I just haven't thought about his, or Bush's, initials yet.

Now back to the packing!

Husker Gary said...

Good Morning Argyle, et al, got a call at 6:15am and am looking out at a room of 16 year olds industriously engaged, for the most part! Took 2 days off blogging but Saturday and Sunday puzzles were fun and breezy! This one was nice Monday fare as well!

Musings
-Never had an 8 track or knew one with one but remember radio with Civil Defense Symbols
-Velcro is a mainstay for weightless astronauts
-Creature, is TV man fixing a set or interviewing you?
-Played a lot of Pick Up Sticks! Anyone ever play 52 card pickup?
-City Slickers was a fun Billy Crystal movie. Sequel was unnecessary! I don’t even want to talk about Analyze This
-Didn’t Pauline always get off those tracks or did she have to wait for Jones

Grumpy 1 said...

Happy Monday Argyle, C.C. and everyone. I pretty much agree with most of the comments, some easy stufff and some head scratchers that took care of themselves via perps. I didn't even look for the theme. I just filled all of the blanks.

Ah, yes, the Lear 8 track. Like, Sony Beta, it was a superior system, but it never got established before the compact cassette clobbered it into oblivion. My former brother-in-law probably still has one in his garage that I talked him into buying because of its technical superiority.

Good luck on the interview, Splynter.

Oops, Abejo, O J ran through the airport for Hertz, not Avis, If my memory serves me.

carol said...

Hi all -

Not such an easy puzzle for me. Same unknowns as the rest of you mentioned. Glad the perps helped in most cases.

Loved PICK-UP STICKS as a kid...I got pretty good at them too.

Ahhh, the old 8 track tape players. We put one in our car 'way back when' and just as we were singing our hearts out, the tape would spew out of the slot, there would be a hisssss and then nothing.

Dennis: I'll bet Lois could use that super strength Velcro, she always likes a man hanging around!

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, a very nice start to a lovely spring morning.

I thought the theme phrases were very clever. My favorite was ZIP YOUR LIP. I'd never say it to anyone, but I have been tempted!

I liked the new clue 42A "Double reed winds" for our old friend OBOE(S).

Thanks for "The MAN I Love", Argyle. Nobody beats Gershwin (well, maybe Cole Porter for his wittiness).

Monday's a busy one for me. Craft class at 9 AM (very short drive) and art class this afternoon. I'd better get going.

Have a great day.

eddyB said...

Hello.
Easy speed run for me. Loved the snail mail address theme.
Hope for a Civil War theme tomorrow. It started 150 yrs ago.

Take care.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Didn't notice it was one of Gareth's till I got here. Tidy, well ordered theme. Nice blend of fresh and familiar. A bit slow to develop in the NE, so not a speed run.

Lots to do today. Gotta slide on outa here.

Cheers!
JzB (cuz that's what trombonists do)

eddyB said...

Little eagles and falcons are thriving. Great APOD photo today.

Lucina said...

Good day, Cyber friends! Very nice blogging, Argyle, you answered some questions for me, namely, BMOC?

Actually I had left the B blank and failed to return to it. Like Kazie I haven't thought about their initials.

I still have some 8 track tapes. Got rid of the player long ago.

I also enjoyed recalling pick up STICKS and COL Mustard.

The top was a speed run. In the book Cutting for Stone, it is mentioned that until 1935 Ethiopia was the only African nation not previously conquered by a European power. The book is set in Ethiopia.

In the SE corner I am disappointed in myself because I thought it was RASHEED and had ELAINE misspelled so created a mess finally straightened out by Argyle's blog.

Gym today, so I'm off.
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!

Lucina said...

CA:
Is that another of your masterpieces? It's lovely.

Anonymous said...

I'm fairly certain that Trap and Skeet are two different sports. In Trap shooting all of the targets come from the same location. In Skeet they come from two locations, a high house and a low house, and the shooter is unaware which house it is coming from.

Mainiac said...

Afternoon All,

I didn't catch the theme this morning because I was totally focused on Price and Value. Similar experience as Splynter had so no need to regurgitate.

I had stacks of Eight Tracks. Loved it when the track ended mid song and you heard it click to the next track. Reminds me of an Easter dinner when I was a kid. We had Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" tape memorized and the four of us started singing along to it during dinner. Of course when the track changed we all went "Click, click". and carried on. Dad nearly blew mint jelly out of his nose! Mom was wicked impressed.

Flushing hydrants today. My feet are soaked.

Have a good one.

Argyle said...

Anon, I beleive you are right about trap/skeet but it has been clued this way before so it isn't likely to change. It is like once a word gets into the system, right or wrong, we will see it again.

Seldom Seen said...

I imagine that BHO is helpful to constructors needing fill. I wonder if we'll see CHARL soon? So don't forget "2011 Masters champ, familiarly".

As a Seinfeld fan, I noticed ELAINE crossed SUSAN. A good clecho for 48d/57a could have been "George's female friend, on Seinfeld".

Saw the end of eight-tracks, thankfully. They were popular in cars but if the tape got hot it would break down and get "eaten" by the player. And cars rarley get hot inside, right? Also you had to press "program" and wait to hear your favorite song. Song orders rarely matched the vinyl version. Some tracks were shortened for some reason...etc...etc...

Jeannie said...

For some reason I blew through this one today. I never would have gotten Apu without perp help. I think I might be the only person that has never watched an entire episode of The Simpsons. Elaine was a gimmee as I am pretty sure I have never missed an episode of Seinfeld. Also didn’t know Alistair or Italo, and like BarryG I guessed Italo because of the mention of Mussilini. Favorite clue today was “holy smoke” – incense. I also thought it was neat to see “Rugby radial” - tyre after our English puzzle last week.

Dennis, refresh my memory…what was your least favorite clue?

Splynter good luck on your job interview. I guess I didn’t know you were looking.

Our mainframe computer system is down so I am limited to what I can do work-wise. I guess it’s back to watching the eagles!

Abejo said...

To Grumpy 1: OK. You caused me to ponder. I looked up O J on the internet and, for sure, you are correct. It was Hertz that he represented. Good catch! Thank you. All these years I have been associating him with Avis. Now when I see Avis in a crossword I am really going to think of O.J., because of my faux pas. Thanks for your help.

Abejo

Seldom Seen said...

What? No cutoff links?!?

So many links, so little time.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-The MANI response made me think of what must be one of the most selfish athletes to ever play who is in the headlines today – Manny Ramirez. The sports talk shows are buzzing with negative stories about him including a scathing assessment from Curt Schilling. He definitely was always “Manny being Manny” and sooner or later, it ain’t cute any more.
-Golf on TV can be very boring for people who don’t play but yesterday’s Master’s finish was riveting on many levels and had many great story lines. The young man who blew up on the back nine and seemed nearly moved to tears was so gracious in defeat.
-I remember OJ running through airports too but alas, that will not be the main legacy he leaves behind.
-Holy Smoke makes me sneeze!
-Splynter, I too wish you luck and would hire you in a minute if I had a job to offer and you could tolerate living here in the Hinterlands.

Anonymous said...

In honor of National 8 track tape day. I would like to share the two I owned.

Bad Girls

Donna Summer

My Sharona

The Knack

lois said...

Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., Great Monday puzzle. missed some perps b/c of the speed. Only on Mondays. Sometimes on Tuesdays. Never of Sunday....actually never Th-Sun to be truthful, but we ARE just talking speed runs on the puzzle, right?

For a minute I thought I was downtown here: BMOC, SHIPment, ALLOT, STICKS, SNORT, TUB, POSE, STREET VALUE, PERIL, TORN, KEEPS, DRAW, POW, ZIP YOUR LIP, STATE SECRET!!! The local nightly news!

Carol: funny! You know me too well. However, Velcro is not one of my favorite restraints. They can get out of that too easily. hand cuffs are much more effective. fun times!

Good luck, Splynter. I'd hire you in less than a heartbeat.

Enjoy this gorgeous day!!!

lois said...

Forgot: thank you,Argyle, for such a good write up. Enjoyed your explanations. I'm with you on those tax forms. I finished Sat. I'll sleep after Merrill Edge's nightmare of forms is finished. I hope you get some sleep.

Gunghy said...

Speed run til the SE Corner. US Army Academy and RashOd left me with "The AONI I Love" So, Google or come here? Here, of course.

Laced up my hiking boots yesterday. Weather here is beautiful. It's hard to believe that I'm going skiing Weds.

Husker, Hand up for 52 card pick up, ever play Smoke, Smoke, Fire?

Jeannie, no Simpsons and no Seinfeld, Ever.

Anonymous said...

21 down trapshooting and skeet are two different things!!!!!!!!!!! I used to go skeet shoot which the clay pigions come from left and another on the right while trap shooting the clay pigeons go sraight ahead!!!! PULL!!!!!

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, Not a real speed run today, but I did get all but one answer correct. I put in The god Isis, instead of the bird Ibis, and ToSoot was a real question mark. I should have read the clue a little more carefully.

My question about incense was answered with your fine blog this morning, Argyle. I was looking for an idiom for Holy smoke. Duh!

Husker, I've played 52 pickup--But only ONCE! I have asked others to play, however. One of the better memories of cards as a child.

Jeannie, no Simpsons for me either. What I know of the characters I've learned from CWs.

CA, I do love your new Avatar. You have a real talent.

Splynter said...

Hi Again ~!

Thanks for the good luck - I am back, and it went well - this was the preliminary interview, to see if I was qualified to be the "Facilities Construction & Maintenance Engineer" - or as I like to put it,

Handyman.

Southampton hotel. Classy place, we will see....

Here I am in my suit ~!


Splynter

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Thanks for the writeup and links, Argyle. Without you I would never have picked up on the theme today, which, now that I recognize it, is pretty neat-o.

Dennis, thanks for the Did-You-Know fact today. And for your Today-is information.

Pretty much everything I experienced doing this puzzle today you all have already described. I got a smile out of the fill TO BOOT and the clue Holy smoke. Like you, Jeannie, I didn't get fooled by TYRE. And like you, Chickie, I played 52 Pickup only once. Splynter, I hope your interview goes well.

Husker Gary, not only Analyze This but also all the Fockers movies. What a waste of Robert DeNiro.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - Easy 'nuff puzzle today. On to the comments.

We had an 8 track in a '73 Super Vega. Not the plain old run-of-the-mill Chevy Vega, no siree, but the Super Vega! (Yes, it was still an oil burning piece of crap) At least the 8 track worked, even if we only had one tape (Beach Boys).

I do not yearn for those days.

Lucina said...

No Simpsons on my TV either, ever. I know the names from xwds.

I forgot to name my favorite clues, too.

holy smoke, INCENSE
problem for Pauline, PERIL, I love alliteration
homemade shorts, CUTOFFS, memories of my youth. So cool.

Splynter:
Good luck on the job interview! Let us know.

Lemonade714 said...

As someone who has worn a tie almost everyday since I was 6 years old; Splynter, you like nice. However, a suit is a matched jacket and pants, identical in material.

Why is it so quiet here today?

Anonymous said...

Great puzzle, but hey, Agnes Moorhead played Endora, not Eldora. Were there no Bewitched fans reading the blog today?

Lemonade714 said...

Anon, we do not worry about typos. We have spoken of Endora often

Jayce said...

So, Lemonade, would you abbreviate yourself as ATY or ATTY? Does your "shingle" actually say "Esq" on it?

Clear Ayes said...

Geez, what have youse guys got against "The Simpsons"? OK, I haven't watched every episode (not even close), but every time I have seen it, I have been treated to a real LOL...seriously, out loud. It is a satirical lampooning of American culture that has made fun of virtually everybody. All politicians, both left and right, all religions, government, big businesses (and small businesses for that matter), foreign countries and just about every celebrity who ever lived have come under Simpson scrutiny.

How great to live in a country where "The Simpsons" can get away with their edgy commentary....and win 27 Emmys while they are at it. It even beat out "Seinfeld" as Time Magazine's "20th century's best television series". (I know, only 60 years really counted.)

Jeannie, I loved Jerry Seinfeld and his dysfunctional pals too.

Lemonade714 said...

Jayce:

We always use atty as the abbreviation; as far as the Esq. designation, it generally is not used on business cards or stationery, but on pleadings and correspondence on the signature line. Not all bar members use the Esquire, especially now that the bar is almost 1/2 female.

dodo said...

Evening everybody, I'm late tonight. I probably should have put this in before I read the comments but better late than.......

Splynter! My god, you look like the Hathaway man! Who'da thought!
They'd be crazy not to hire you!

Another hand up for being Simpsons deprived....voluntarily! And for Seinfeld, I don't know why we missed him the first time around, but at present I am always hunting for the reruns!

Sorry to hear about Analyze This, I had thought it might be pretty good. Haven't watched any of the Focker movies because I think young Stiller is toxic! And I'm sad about that because I really adore his mama, Anne Meara! Don't know what she sees in Jerry Stiller, but chacun a son gout!

dodo said...

Argyle, thanks for your blog; top notch, as usual.

I'm another one who has nothing much to add to what has already been written. Good puzzle, pretty easy, but it's Monday.

CA, you're latest art work is outstanding! What do you do in your craft class?

s This coming weekend we
will be enjoying the annual Asparagus Festival here in Stockton. I have never been and now have heard that it comprises some 12 city blocks and might be a little much for those of us who don't walk for long. Darn~! I want some of that deep-fried asparagus!

dodo said...

Not me again? Lemonade, I had a lovely young female lawyer help me after my husband passed away. She was very sharp and I guess must have been sort of new at the job, because she did have 'Esq.' on her card or stationery, I don't remember which. That was almost seven years ago. I recently had some little business with her and I notice, she no longer uses the 'esquire'.

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed the puzzle and the write up. Argyle, thank you for your high-quality effort as usual.

Splynter, Good luck. I hope you get the desired result.

I too have had a bias against the Simpsons but I've enjoyed it whenever I've made the effort to watch. Didn't care much for Seinfeld. I did like Cheers, Frasier, WKRP in Cincinnati and Welcome Back Kotter.

Here's a nice bluesy piece with guitars and trumpet by a Brazilian woman. Only, there's no trumpet, just her talented mouth. It's Miss Celie's Blues from The Color Purple.

Annette said...

Maniac, that's so funny about singing along with the 8-tracks! There are a couple songs I'll hear on the radio and I know exactly when it would have been time to turn the cassette over. One of my favorite 8-tracks contained the most hilarious scenes from "All In The Family". Another 8-track contained an obscure segue song that was NOT included on the CD that was later released!

I've never watched the Simpson's, and have seen very few Seinfeld episodes. I've never played Clue either - I need to correct that omission some day, but no plans on correcting the other two.

Have you seen the new "Perils of Pauline" AFLAC commercial?

Splynter, you looked nice - good luck with the follow-up! It sounds like a dream job.

Jayce, nice new avatar!

Dudley said...

Hey Puzzlers, remember a month or two ago when we had something about Red Ryder BB Guns in a puzzle? At that time I was surprised to learn it was a real, sought-after kids' toy, not just something made up for A Christmas Story.

Well, darned if I didn't just find one buried in the back of an old closet in my old homestead! A Daisy Model 94 Red Ryder Carbine!

lois said...

Bill G: thank you so much for that 'bluesy piece'. Dang, I love that stuff!

Splynter: you are HOT! Hope it works out for you. If you need any help, I'll volunteer.

Oh, Santa baby, can I request one of him?

CA: Your avatar, as I'm figuring out, was done by you, right? That is outrageously wonderful! You really are quite talented. I wish Chuck was here to weigh in on its excellence and your awesome talent. The more I learn about you, the more amazing and impressive you are..but we all knew that. So proud to know you and your awesomeness.

Dodo: I hope you go to your Asparagus Festival for a little while. Deep Fried Asparagus sounds interesting. Don't find that around here. Never have seen it or heard of it before. I'll be watching out for from now on tho'

Unknown said...

Thanks for the excellent blog today, Argyle. I always learn something.
8-track tapes? My dad was way ahead of his time. We had 8-track players inside as well as in the Impala (66?) super sport. Each of them was wired into several speakers so that we had surround sound. I learned to drive in Daddy's '68 Eldorado, also equipped with sourround sound.
My favorite clue was "Holy Smoke". At church when the incense is burned and the bells rung, we call it "smells and bells." We don't celebrate with "smells and bells" very often now.
Dance step and tap were nice clechos!
Two more days and counting with the Brazilian hurricane. We will miss her when her parents get back.
Have a great evening everyone!

Lucina said...

Splynter:
Very nice! Good photo but I have to agree with Lemonade, suit means matching coat and pants. Still nice.

I hope you clinch the job.

Today Jeopardy! had one whole category on the Simpsons. Maybe I should watch. Once.

Annette said...

Dodo, after reading your post, I just had to google Fried Asparagus. I found a photo of those served at the festival, plus the recipe! Now you've GOT to go so we can hear whether they're as good as they sound. I think Dennis might even try them, considering they're deep fried and have cheese sprinkled on them.

Fried Asparagus

I had a great recipe idea yesterday that I'm looking forward to trying this weekend: Eggs Benedict, substituting artichoke hearts for the ham. Or maybe keeping the ham, but using shaved proscuitto with the artichoke hearts. I'm sure it's not original, but sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

John Lampkin said...

Congrats to Jerome for a truly stunning idea, well executed. This should put a cap for good on the "word-that-can-follow" gimmick. How could anyone possibly top this? On a Tuesday no less. Wow!