google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday April 30, 2011 Barry C. Silk

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Apr 30, 2011

Saturday April 30, 2011 Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 27

This puzzle is anchored by two Down 10s intersecting triple stacks of 9s, which cross another Down 9:

1A. Michael Jordan began college as one : MATH MAJOR. Was unaware of this trivia.

15A. Plants : SHRUBBERY

17A. Sex symbol of the silents : THEDA BARA. Rare to see her full name.

53A. Adjacent to : ALONGSIDE

58A. Shepherd of old radio : RIN TIN TIN. German shepherd.

5D. GMAT taker's goal : MBA DEGREE

60A. Where three's a crowd : TETE-A-TETE Two person chat. Therefore three's crowd. Stumped me.

9D. 2006 N.L. MVP : RYAN HOWARD. Phillies should send Barry team-signed balls/bats for his loyalty and continued promotion of their players.

26D. Behave suitably : ACT THE PART. Nice entry.

31D. What oldies evoke : NOSTALGIA. Easy to lose time on YouTube.

How's your solving experience today? Felt harder than last Saturday's grid.

Across:

10. Leather leggings : CHAPS. The guy in the middle looks dangerous.

16. "Casbah" actor, 1948 : LORRE (Peter). I've never heard of the film "Casbah". Only "Casablanca".

18. Very funny : ARIOT. A-word to irk Bill G.

19. Accessory : ADD-ON

20. Titans, e.g. : NISSANS. The pickup truck. Not the Tennessee Titans I had in mind.

22. Current source : OUTLET. Power.

24. Negative sentiment : I HOPE NOT

25. "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen" composer : GRIEG (Edvard). "Peer Gynt" is all I know about him.

26. He got his only World Series ring in 2009 : A-ROD. Big deal.

27. Staff note : MEMO

28. "Viva-Vegas" link : LAS. Viva Las Vegas.

29. Eastern quaff that's typically 18-25% alcohol : RICE WINE. Do you like Sake?

32. 21-Down, e.g. : ELEMENT. 21D. Kelp nutrient : IODINE. You can find kelp in miso soup.

34. They're assumed : ANONYMS. Nice clue.

38. Motions : GESTURES

40. Want ad abbr. : EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity)

41. Mosque leader : IMAM

44. "__ a hunch ..." : I HAD

45. Far from assertive : TIMID

47. Ariadne, to Minos : DAUGHTER. Quite a sophisticated clue.

49. Archaeologists, at times : DATERS

50. Clique : IN-GROUP

51. "Going Rogue" author : PALIN (Sarah)

52. Three-time Clooney role : OCEAN (Danny). "Ocean's Thirteen" is pretty good.

57. Old Scottish landholder : THANE. Like Macbeth.

59. Like some bars : SANDY. I don't get this clue.

Down:

1. Colorado hrs. : MST

2. Sound of recognition : AHH

3. Mill's "On Liberty," for one : TREATISE. Not familiar with the work.

4. Where plays may be discussed : HUDDLE. Football.

6. Brother's keeper? : ABBOT. Monastery.

7. Name often seen before a hyphen : JEAN. Like Jean-Claude Van Damme I suppose.

8. #4 at Boston Garden : ORR (Bobby)

10. Necklace feature : CLASP

11. Jockeys : HORSEMEN

12. European satellite launcher : ARIANE. I can never remember this name.

13. Nous or vous : PRONOM. French for pronoun.

14. Begins : SETS TO

22. Eye up and down : OGLE

23. River through Orsk : URAL. Sometimes we see ORSK clued as "Ural River city".

24. Fight cause, often : IRE

30. As found : IN SITU

33. Hollywood-themed Vegas hotel : MGM GRAND. Crazy consonant cluster.

35. Rial spender : YEMENITE. Only know them as Yemenis.

36. Rabin's '70s predecessor : MEIR (Golda)

37. Fixes bare spots, in a way : SODS

39. Former Mideast gp. : UAR

41. Certain how-to book targets? : IDIOTS. Dummies also.

42. La __: region of central Spain : MANCHA. Where Don Quixote's from.

43. Like the stables cleaned by Hercules in a single day : AUGEAN. Augean stables. Unpleasant task.

46. "I disagree" : IT ISN'T

48. Love : HONEY

49. "Purgatorio" writer : DANTE

51. Bridge in Paris : PONT. French for "bridge".

54. Rest : LIE

55. Morse character : DIT

56. Wind dir. : ENE. Not much a clue. 

Answer grid.

Click here to read Rich Norris' article on our E-less puzzle last Saturday.

C.C.

46 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Well, I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment after [finally] finishing this one unassisted. Were I up on my baseball and had I known who RYAN HOWARD was, it would have saved me a lot of grief. As it was, however, I needed every single perp to get him. And those perps were hard! MATH MAJOR, SHRUBBERY, THEDA BARA, NISSANS, ANONYMNS...

    The SE was the other main brier patch for me today. I really wanted YEMENI for 35D (which didn't fit) and briefly toyed with YEMENIAN despite the fact that I knew it couldn't be a real word. YEMENITE isn't much better. RINTINTIN was hard, since I didn't realize the show started on the radio, and I stared at TETEATETE for a loooong time before I got the French connection (it was a perfectly valid clue, but it would have been nice to see some indication that we were talking about a totally foreign word here).

    The rest of the puzzle went smoothly, but those two spots nearly did me in...

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  2. Good morning, C.C. and gang - a not-so-smooth Saturday Silky for me today. I always look forward to Barry's puzzles, both because they're clever/tough and because he usually sneaks in a reference to our home town boys, the Phils.

    I had a lot of the same problems as C.C. - in particular, I had no idea Michael Jordan was a math major and, like Barry, I can't tell you how long I looked at 60A as 'tete at ete', trying to parse a 'head in the summer', even though there was no indication of French. Sometimes the synapses just don't fire. Barry, I don't think there needs to be an indication of foreign language for the common ones, such as et al, tete-a-tete, bon mot, etc. - they're so much a part of our everyday language now.

    I needed tons of perp help to finish this one and enjoyed it immensely, except for the bad memories of my first night in Japan, where I discovered just how potent 'rice wine' (Sake) truly is. Nasty, nasty stuff.

    Today is Hairstyle Appreciation Day, and National Honesty Day. Maybe I'll keep my 'bed head' today and see just how honest people are.

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  3. Hi There ~!

    Phew ~! Got through this one, and in my personal allotted time, too. I was stuck in the SE corner, as well, looking for a man (like Alan) for Shepherd, and I even had IT ISN'T in there, too.

    And I smiled when I finally got the "French connection"....

    I always think of this for shrubbery

    Funny, but I wasn't going to comment yesterday on Julia Roberts (don't like her, don't think she's pretty) and "OCEAN's Twelve" was weak - but I loved the first one, and the third, C.C., without her, was good, too.

    Splynter

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  4. unable to click on answer grid .. no highlighted

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  5. Some bars are sandy--like sand bars, the ones in the ocean.

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  6. Good morning all, a bit of a slog this morning, but doable. I seem to have had the same difficulties as CC, Barry G. and Dennis. The SW corner was the last to fall when IMAM fell. Tete a Tete was the most difficult to obtain because pont and Dante took a long time to appear.

    Linda beat me with the answer to sandy for some bars.

    Gotta run, see ya all later.

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  7. Unless you spend time at beaches, you need more information t undestand SAND BAR . For those of us who do, it was easy.

    Barry Silk always crafts such a nice challenge, making you feel stupid and then smart when you finish. Luckily, I know only YEMENITE and RIN TIN TIN was a favorite, or maybe the clue should have been ALSATIAN of radio.

    Busy Saturday, enjoy all.

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  8. C.C., et al, some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you. I got the bear today as this fell very nicely for me. The NW fell so quickly that I had to stop eating my Cracklin’ Oat Bran to quickly write in a response. C.C., your mention of nostalgia makes me wonder what age you were when you came here and how far back your nostalgia, American Style, goes.

    Musings
    -I was amazed at how many long fills I got with no or very little help (I’m always leery of those!)
    -Perps got PRONOM, AUGEAN and PONT
    -I remember Rin Tin Tin from TV
    -I had OH OPEN IT for negative sentiment first
    -I have a 64 year old friend who has a bike (crotch rocket) and dresses the part but would never go on the highway or over 40 mph
    -I thought football Titans too and hope the Cumberland River doesn’t flood their stadium again
    -Our rivers around here are full of SAND(y) BARS
    -Great cluing – How to target, 3’s a crowd, Where plays are discussed
    -I could never appreciate Trump’s hair!

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  9. Addendum

    Rin Tin Tin youtube exploration yielded this incredible video with these high points (you can probably see more)
    -The introduction had character names and not actor names
    -Show was in black and white, of course
    -Prizes are truly tied to the times – love that small record player
    -Address is pre-zip code and you needed a box top to enter
    -Winners were divided up among 3 regions of the country (Boston, Chicago and Seattle)
    -Gender requirement on entry form
    -Talk about your nostalgia!!

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  10. Hello Puzzlers - This was a trial-and-error sort of puzzle. Every sports clue was a mystery to me (Michael Jordan was a math major? Really?). Like Barry, I'd have benefited from a bunch of reliable letters had I ever heard of Ryan Howard. No idea who the guy is.

    Splynter - You beat me to it. It's well nigh impossible to see/hear the word SHRUBBERY and not remember the Knights Who Say Ni!

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  11. What A RIOT! Love Barry Silk! Wags and snags here and there but so many misdirection clues made me LOL many times. 4D – where plays may be discussed-wanted under covers. 27A staff note sent me to music and 59A Sandbar is a real bar here with great happy hour deals & 2 pool tables to boot.
    41D idiots made me really LOL ‘cause I’m certainly one of those. There are so many other ways I’d rather spend my time rather than fixing things and in August it will be at the MGM Grand. Really well done, Barry!!!

    Husker: thank you for the Rin-Tin-Tin link. Huge wave of nostalgia. Never associated him w/radio tho'. What an easy training job!

    Enjoy this gorgeous day.

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  12. Splynter: LMAO w/that Monty Python link. hilarious! Thank you.

    Dennis: I'm sure your idea of 'bed head' would be considered a studly hot new look on you.

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  13. A purist might say that SAKE should be referred to as rice beer, rather than rice wine because ...
    It's brewed, not fermented; it's made from grain, not from fruit; and it's best when fresh, not when aged.
    But who am I to argue with standard usage?

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  14. Husker - That was an interesting bit of NOSTALGIA! Rin Tin Tin was a bit before my time, but the look and feel of old black & white shows is familiar. It takes me back to that old TV set that had a persistent little dot in the center of the screen after being turned off.

    I wonder how Nabisco benefited from that contest in those days before mailing lists. Maybe their whole point was to get kids to try certain cereals, dunno.

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  15. Today was just imp. for me. Not a sports fan! Thanks Lemonade714 & anon. for the insight to yesterday's blog. Wasn't aware of the Atra lotion for men. However, I still contend that racquet ball as an answer would have been less confusing & more accurate. Have never hear Squash called Racquets but have heard of Racquet ball. Thanks again.

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  16. Splynter, thanks so much for the Python link - I forgot how much they crack me up.

    Dennis: I'm sure your idea of 'bed head' would be considered a studly hot new look on you.

    Not unless you like a cockatoo. Oh wait - stupid question.

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  17. How could you not get sandy, as in a sand bar, a build up of sand or dirt in a waterway, causing boats or ships to get stuck on it? This goes out to Barry G. From Mike at mfms42@sbcglobal.net

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  18. C.C., since you asked about my solving experience, I agree with everybody about this being a high-quality Saturday puzzle, but like most themeless puzzles, it wasn't much fun for me.

    I'm not a huge fan but I liked Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

    Like Husker Gary, I don't appreciate Trump's hair but I also don't like his ego and arrogance.

    The wedding was great, the tornados were horrible. Best wishes to all the people affected by them.

    Have a great weekend!

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  19. Bill - Do you mean all the people affected by the tornadoes and the wedding ? :-)

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  20. Good Morning All, my "hop-around" style paid off on the Barry Silk offering.

    I started with the Downs since I had no idea what Michael Jordan was doing at 18 (other than getting ready to be ridiculously rich). With MST and AHH filled in, the Acrosses kicked in.

    I know lots of RYANs, (Adams, Gosling, O'Neal, Philippe, Reynolds and Seacrest), but HOWARD had to wait for the perps. I got 26A/A-ROD, so I guess my sports knowledge isn't totally "D'uh".

    Splynter, SHRUBBERY made me think of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" too.

    Bill G., ditto on Donald Trump.

    C.C. your link & comment to 10A/CHAPS made me smile. Those guys are probably a podiatrist, a CPA and an attorney. We see weekend Harley riders parked in front of the local saloon every Sunday. They aren't dangerous. Dangerous would be San Bernardino Hell's Angels even though they aren't wearing CHAPS or boots.

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  21. Hello everybody. Wow, what a super puzzle this was today. I'm amazed I solved the whole thing without having to look anything up.

    When I saw the clue "Shepherd of old radio" I immediately thought of Jean Shepherd whom I used to listen to regularly back in the late 50s. Unfortunately, "Jean Parker" didn't quite fit in the space.

    Interesting that JEAN would be a fill at the top of the puzzle, and maybe that's what triggered my mind to think of Jean Shepherd. I wonder if Barry Silk did that on purpose. Bet he did.

    I was wanting some sort of Greek myhtlogical Titans for a long time before I figured it out. NISSANS made me laugh out loud.

    Loved the mass of consonants in MGMGRAND. Loved such long fill as SHRUBBERY, DAUGHTER, ALONGSIDE, and MBADEGREE. And then there's ARIADNE and ARIANE. Wow.

    I'm a happy solver today.

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  22. How could you not get sandy, as in a sand bar, a build up of sand or dirt in a waterway, causing boats or ships to get stuck on it? This goes out to Barry G. From Mike at mfms42@sbcglobal.net

    Huh? Who said I didn't get SANDY?

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  23. Splynter, thank you for saying you don't like Julia Roberts and you don't think she's pretty. I feel exactly the same way. Ran out of time and energy last night or I would have mentioned it.

    Something she did a few years ago when she was giving her Academy Award acceptance speech exemplifies why I don't like her. You know how the orchestra stars to play when the speaker goes on too long? Well, when she was reminded by the starting of the music to end her speech, she looked down into the orchesta pit with a snarl on her face and haughtily said something like "Hold off, there, stick man. I'm not finished yet."

    No class at all.

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  24. Good day, or should I say "mon dieu" puzzler friends. So much French today.

    Great to see you, C.C.

    AHH, what is better than a Saturday Silky with coffee on the side? A funny Saturday Silky with great misdirection, I say.

    My style on these is downward, find the perps all the way to the bottom and it filled quickly.

    Like Bill G and others, YEMENIS seemed right but of course was not. With DANTE and PALIN there, I then assumed PONS then PONT, it quickly fell and that corner was done.

    On to the West, which seemed ridiculously easy; loved DAUGHTER in there and SANDY beaches evoked NOSTALGIA for summer fun at the OCEAN.

    RYANHOWARD was the last to fall, of course, but SHRUBBERY made it appear.

    Splynter:
    Thanks for the Monty Python link. That is so hilarious.

    I agree about Julia Roberts; have only enjoyed Pretty Woman because of Richard Gere and really good directing. My Best Friend's Wedding was fun, too.

    We're finishing the tamales today, so off I go to that adventure.

    I hope your Saturday is superb!

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  25. Good Day C.C. and all,

    Thanks for your write-up; I think that A RIOT is two words, in this context “you are funny” equals “you are A RIOT”. I agree with you on YEMENITE, it gave me a brain twist or two.

    I got some pretty good licks in right off the bat. The biggest problem was SANDY; I had ‘seedy’ for ever. Finally, I worked enough perps to clean it up. 7D JEAN was not an ‘aha’ moment. for me , but I kept it. For 51D, Bridge in Paris, I wanted 'neuf', then I realized it was the word, not the bridge.

    Really did enjoy Barry’s puzzle. Lots of misdirection, yet lots of fun. Thanks.

    Felt good to finish. Onward to Rich’s note.

    Have a nice day everyone.

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  26. Lucina, I trust you all will enjoy the tamales, and the company of all the folks who are eating them. Didn't you give us all a recipe several months ago? I recall it was pretty much an all-day process to make them. A lot of work!

    I like sake, but it really has to be warmed up just right or it doesn't taste as good. Maybe everything tastes better when one is enjoying it with friends. It's sure no good drinking it alone.

    Back in my South Dakota "cowboy" days, we routinely wore chaps when riding horses for "work" purposes (as opposed to riding for pleasure). Chaps were especially necessary in places like the Arizona desert, to protect one's legs from getting slashed to ribbons by riding through thorny brush and too close to cactus.

    Can you give the next line in a poem that begins "Nedicks, schmedicks, double bedicks, pipkins all agree"...? (Jean Shepherd)

    Man oh man, the nostalgia.

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  27. Good morning C.C. and all,

    Woo Hoo! I so love Mr. Silk's smooth puzzles;piece by piece they fall in place. So many fills gave me a smile.Very perpable..hard to fill Theda Bara, Ryan Howard,Ariane, and tete a tete.

    Reviewed the 5th labour of Heracles

    Nostalgia reminded me of Lemonade's comments last night.Crosswords seem to always have something that brings back warm memories.MGM Grand- my childhood crush became its CEO until just a few years ago.

    Bill, I'm a sucker for those Cinderella stories, so I also loved Pretty Woman.
    CONGRATS on your 6 month ann.

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  28. Jayce - Orans, frankens, goodens eatens
    Wholesome as can be (my spell checker is lit up like a Valentine’s Card)!

    -Julia Roberts is indeed “full of herself” but if she puts butts in the seats, she’ll keep getting $20 M per picture. Hollywood doesn’t care “how”, they just care “how many?” We saw the trailer to a new movie with her and Tom Hanks called Larry Crowne and we will go see it. He never disappoints.
    -Beautiful golf weather today. I played the last 9 with an 89-year-old man who can only hit the ball 120 yds. but the competitive juices still flow even when I hit the ball 250. Testosterone never loses its magic (curse).
    -Off to Lincoln for granddaughter’s confirmation!

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  29. Dennis: LMAO! You nailed me
    ...yet again!

    Husker: congratulations on your g-daughter's confirmation. How old is she?

    CA: Are those massive masculine specimens of manhood buying lemonade from that kid? Melts my heart if so....Looks can be so deceiving...or not. I'll take the middle one anyway and save a motorcycle.

    Jayce: love it when you talk prickly & dirty AKA Arizona cowboy. Bet you looked good in chaps!

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  30. BillG and Splynter, I don’t think I’ve ever congratulated you two on your anniversaries. I’ve certainly bragged to DH and a couple of close friends, one of whom has been through that ordeal. All are impressed and send their congrats, too. I have forgotten others except Ferm; please forgive.

    C.C., thanks for the link to Rich’s notes on Michael Weisenberg’s E-less puzzle. Good press.

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  31. Husker Gary, that is as good a next line as any I have heard or read :)

    Lois, a man can't go around with scratched thighs now, can he? LOL

    Bill G, you da man! A hearty congratulations to you.

    Dennis, so does your 'bed head' have a cowlick?

    Why is it called a 'cow lick' anyway?

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  32. Hi.

    Copied the wrong puzzle last night!
    ???
    No sense in doing Barry's now.

    Didn't buy any pottery. Did get a jar of olalliebery jam from Warren and Ruth.
    Also got to meet JD and the little
    one. He's all eyes and cute.

    Jill should be back from her DKG meeting in Sacramento tomorrow. I'm
    not telling how I got lost in the hills above Los Gatos.

    Was a fun drive tho.

    Take care. Nap time.

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  33. Jayce: Because it often looks like one's hair grows as if a cow licked it and it stayed that way.

    "Nedicks, schmedicks, double bedicks,
    Pipkins all agree,
    Orans, frankens, goodens eatens,
    Wholesome as can be"

    Thank you all for your well-wishes six months ago and your kind words over the last couple of days. It makes it a lot easier when you know other folks are pulling for you.

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  34. Hi all,

    Puzzle was difficult, partly due to really bad fibromyalgia A day. Was due to have Life-Line Screening today (anyone ever had one of those?) but my ride cancelled due to a kidney stone. Good thing for me.

    I utilized red letters. TETE A TETE was no problem. RYAN HOWARD was difficult. I do not particularly like Julia Roberts either. Pretty but not beautiful also.

    Have not been able to blog due to UVerse problems. Had 3 guys here to "fix" problem. Then the problem became terminal. Third guy finally found problem. The original cable was run ACROSS THE ROOF NAKED! It was chewed and chewed and finally chewed completely apart. Last guy took the time to run it under the eaves with staples.

    To be continued...

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  35. Warren and his wife have created some very lovely pieces of pottery.Had little time to look around at all the other's displays, but I may get back tomorrow. Such a pleasant surprise to meet Eddy B too.

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  36. Continued...

    GET THIS--ATT guy was so horribly afraid that he would be FIRED for taking that time! He was supposed to just run another cable across the roof! He said to contact him personally for any future problems! (This is the company that tried to con us years ago. Another story.)

    Hope you are all thriving! Missed this blog!

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  37. JAYCE:
    Thank you for those good wishes. Yes, it is a LOT of work and only four of us, however we only made 15 dozen which is a paltry number. For Christmas we normally make 40-60 dz.

    It's always a good time for us as we joke and talk the entire time.

    Congratulations, Bill G. on your six months and Splynter on your six ;years! What a major accomplishment each of you.

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  38. Jaycee: a man can't go around with scratched thighs now, can he?
    Well, guess it depends on who she is and how many rounds it takes to get where you're intending to go. Might be the measure of a man right there. Ya just never know, esp out in them thar hills.

    Ferm: That is so sad about ATT. My cable company is just the opposite - Cox works hard to satisfy everybody....true, so true. One guy even volunteered to fix my computer after hours - got me protected so I couldn't catch a virus, hooked me up with an external hard drive, and even showed me how to reconfigure things to insure smooth running. I really like Cox...so true.

    JD: did you get any pictures of Warren et al or their pottery? I love all your pix BTW. Thank you for them.

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  39. Hi C.C., Argyle and folk!
    Happy Saturday to all!

    I'm curious if chap, the leg covers, has any root relationship to chap, meaning fellow or mate. Does anyone know?

    31D. What oldies evoke : NOSTALGIA. Ha! Just yesterday Argyle and a few of you were talking about the nostalgia of old songs. What a great fit to put such a fun, long word into the puzzle! Husker, thanks for the fun Rin Tin Tin link. Oh the box tops and all that...what a fun memory!

    22. Current source : OUTLET I was thinking of a news source or a journalist's source.

    38. Motions : GESTURES Not a legal reference today either! Was yesterday trial, Lemonade?

    4. Where plays may be discussed : HUDDLE. My fav. today!

    57. Old Scottish landholder : THANE.. My new vocab. word for the day!

    @Splynter, good visual for shrubbery!

    @Lemonade714, thanks for expanding on sandbars...it was leading me to think about the tidal pools created on the beach. They were safer for the kids to play in when they were little.

    Thank you Barry Silk for a great construction and thank you to all blog participants! Good job all the way around.

    I'm out.

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  40. P.S. I like Julia Roberts and I see all the movies she is in. I liked finding out one time that she knits!
    @Lucina, yummy on the tamales! If you need to get rid of any left overs, I'm local you know! Ha! Ha!

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  41. Good Evening all.today's puzzle was a Scarlett one for me (tomorrow is another day).The Brazilian Tornado has worn me out!
    I loved all the notes on Harleys and such, because I spent a week in Sturgis, SD, a few years back. I was sent there by a clothing company to conduct a study on biker fashion! What an education that was. My report after the week was over was that when they were wearing clothes; my company's garments were running a close second to Levis. Before I left my instructions were to learn biker lingo. My favorite was "crotch rocket". It referred to the high speed (loud) Japanese bikes which were very unpopular in Sturgis at the Great Ride! Everyday I was warned not to go off on a ride into the hills with any of the "dudes" and to beware of the Banditos. This was from a one-eyed ancient biker who had elected himself my protector. Every night that week I spent at "Full Thortle" the largest biker bar in the world.
    Thanks, C.C. it was an excellent article, as usual.

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  42. MSO, what an incredible experience! You are very brave! That, of course, is not to say that all bikers are dangerous. I guess I am a world class Scaredy Cat!

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  43. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing those three guys in chaps have more in common with The Village People than any Harley biker dudes!

    Not that there is anything wrong with that...

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  44. Hello, solvers,

    I just finished today's and yesterday's puzzle, so I'm even later than usual. My comments re: today's puzzle have just about all been mentioned. I had to do some googling and spent a lot of time after I found Orsk on the map(Russia really is BIG, isn't it?)

    I want to go on record that IMO Julia Roberts is a fine actress who may not be a raving beauty but she makes you forget that. She was outstanding in "Steel Magnolias" and very good in "Mystic Pizza" as well. She isn't aging very well, but at least she hasn't ruined her looks (so far) with cosmetic surgery ala Meg Ryan, whom I didn't recognize the last time I saw her!

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  45. Now I must read yesterday's comments. BTW that puzzle was much easier than today's, I thought.

    Regards to all.

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  46. Frenchie:
    You are welcome to a sample when they are available. Just e-mail me. We can meet somewhere.

    ReplyDelete

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