google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday May 27, 2011 Julian Lim

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May 27, 2011

Friday May 27, 2011 Julian Lim

Theme: Put on another building block - Synonyms of "lid" are added to the top of each theme answer, verbally and visually, in order to create a new phrase. By having all the theme entries in the down section, the add-ons are literally above the words. We have had a few of these multi-level themes lately, let us see how Mr. Lim chose to attack our minds.

4D. Surpassing a classic arcade game?: TOPPING PONG. PING PONG morphs into PONG the introductory Atari game.

9D. Boxed pasta that's different every time you open it?: CAPRICE-A-RONI. The San Fransisco treat, RICE-A-RONI becomes a capricious pasta. This is my favorite, but then I never trusted those rice and pasta combos.

21D. Wheels for a spy?: COVERT MOBILE. T-Mobile. The cell phone company becomes a spy car.

27D. "Hush!" (and hint to how 4-, 9- and 21-Down are formed): PUT A LID ON IT.. LID being a synonym for TOP, CAP and COVER.

Well, Lemonade here to make some sense of this seemingly straight forward Friday, with a few zingers.

Across:

1. Brewery fixtures: OASTS. Okay, I just cannot ignore how often we get this brewing clue, and references like:

16A. Like some ale: PALE. Number 1 son is driving to meet me in Connecticut and touring breweries on his way.

6. Dramatist Connelly: MARC. Not familiar with this PLAYWRIGHT

10. One standing out in a field?: CZAR. Not a physical field, but an endeavor, like the drug czar.

14. Not see eye to eye?: STOOP. He stands tallest who kneels to help a child.

15. Specialty: AREA. My son's is Roman Archaeology.

17. Flaw-spotting aid: LOUPE. The jewelers glass, which is a type of magnifier.

18. Hard time: BUMPY RIDE. Dealing with Blogger these days has been one, at least for me.

20. Uncommissioned: ON SPEC. Houses, paintings, anything you create without being paid to do so, in the hope of selling when done.

22. Colt producer: MARE. I was thinking of the gun, but Julian was horsing around.

23. Officiate: REF. Did you watch the Heat? What finishes! Not to be confused with 13D. Snorkeling spots: REEFS, for which the Florida Keys are famous.

24. Immunity __:"Survivor" prop: IDOL. I have never watched this show, but have seen the idols from all the incessant plugging of the show.

26. Nursery needs: DIAPERS.

28. 14th-century European musical style: ARS NOVA. Literally NEW ART describing the polyphonic music of the 1300s, I will let our musical experts comment.

31. Neutral color: ECRU.

32. Dream analysis pioneer: JUNG. Carl, was Swiss and followed and built on Freud's theories.

33. One-tenth of a microjoule: ERG. Again, i defer to our engineers and scientists.

35. Need: ENTAIL. What will finishing the job require?

39. "Now!: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

40. Mikhail's wife: RAISA. Mrs. Gorbachev, who became a world figure for women in politics.

42. Court fig.: ATTY. Okay, my shout out (and Hahtool, any more?)

43. Potential creditor's request: REPORT. The damn credit reports they hawk all of the time.

45. 1-Down's land: Abbr.: NOR. Norway, and 1D. Akershus Castle site: OSLO. You can read about this REGION .

46. Nut: LOON. An old fashioned word from the superstition that the moon made people act crazy, or is it real? Anyone who works in hospitals or law enforcement will tell you about full moons.

47. Identify: NAME.

49. You can't see beyond it: HORIZON. Well, that is why it is called the horizon, I like this clue.

51. Permanently: FOR GOOD. I always thought it was foolish to say, get out and stay out for good, when there was nothing good about it.

54. Without width or depth: ONE D. Dimensional, height, not my specialty

55. Organic dye: AZO. Very vivid colors, especially the yellows and oranges.

56. Very: Pref.: UBER. Kazie, our German teacher you want to take this one?

58. Solver's cry: I GOT IT. No, I am more the , "Whoopie!" type.

62. Community service often associated with a law school: TAX CLINIC. Really? I have never seen a law school do this and think it would be awful, we all just need Andy Dufresne.

65. Oafish: INEPT.

66. Port on its own lake: ERIE. An eerie coincidence?

67. "Prison Break" role: LINC. Lincoln Burrows, (played by Dominic Purcell), was falsely accused of murder.

68. Young girl: MISSY. If you want to irritate the female staff in your office, just use this word, not that I would ever do that.

69. __-Ball: SKEE. I wonder why it is not called get the ball in the hole?

70. Med. tests using leads:ECGS. Electro Cardio Grams, which are more often called EKGs now.

71. Lucy's neighbor: ETHEL. Mrs Mertz, played by Vivian Vance.

Down:

okay we are motoring now.

2. Oceans: A TON. I guess just meaning a lot of something.

3. __-chef: SOUS. Okay, back to French lessons, this means UNDER, which is what a sous chef is, acting under the head chef. SUR in over and SOUS under.

5. Phelps sponsor: SPEEDO. Michael, our record breaking Olympic swimmer and random toker.

6. Shelley queen: MAB. Percy Bysse wrote this POEM, MAB also is in Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare.

7. Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Are you all familiar with this PLANT

8. Like "Psycho": REMADE. This was a really bad remake of a great movie.

10. Pressing activity?: CPR. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, the pushing on the chest to restart a heart.

11. Congo, once: ZAIRE. One of the many new names in Africa.

12. Electric guitar wood: ALDER. A good light WOOD .

19. Hanker: YEARN. Makes me thing of the mountain Williams hankering for their cousins.

25. Croft of video games: LARA. The Tomb Raider played by MRS> PITT.

28. Allowing a little light: AJAR.

29. Scheme: RUSE. A deception.

30. Go ape: SNAP. One more hour watching the kids and I would...

34. Singapore Sling ingredient: GIN. Well, there are as many recipes as there are people in Singapore, but hey all include GIN . it was also my first public drink at the Trailways bus station bar in Albany when I was 16.

36. Complete: A TO Z. A familiar letter combo to deceive.

37. "__, Sing America": Hughes poem: I TOO. A very powerful poem by Langston Hughes to remind white America that the blacks were part of our country as well.

38. NFL Hall of Famer-turned-politician Swann: LYNN. A wonderfully graceful wide receiver, who has difficulty articulating words but is very popular, like Hines, Dancing with the Stars Ward.

41. Trendy London district: SOHO. The name is unrelated to the SOHO in NYC, as here is no Houston Street in London in this reformed red light district.

44. "High Sierra" director Walsh: RAOUL. This DIRECTOR had the pleasure of a great John Huston script and Humphrey Bogart at his best.

48. Unspoiled: EDENIC. Of or relating to the Garden of Eden

50. Dieting and exercise, say: REGIME. From the King's rules.

51. "Thread of life" goddesses: FATES. CLOTHO is the spinner who spins the threads.

52. Arkansas city: OZARK. The name comes from the French AUX ARC, reflecting the bend in the river.

53. Client of Billy in "Chicago": ROXIE. Poor murderous RENEE in the movie.

57. Encircle: RING.

59. Radio host John: TESH. Piano playing, singer, song writer and host.

60. __ dixit: IPSE. The law Latin of the day, Literally he said it, something you are asked to take as true without proof.

61. IM sign-off: TTYL. Talk To You Later, I am a Tigger TTFN guy.

63. Company opening?: CEE. The letter which begins the word.

64. Keeps apprised, briefly: CCS. Carbon copies, from the days such were how you made and sent copies.

Answer grid.

Well there it is, I though it was overall an easy Friday, but some fun; be careful over the holiday and see you all later.

Lemonade

59 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Well, I'm glad that Lemonade thought this one was easy. I struggled through most of it, was doing pretty well until the end, and then crashed and burned.

    Did not know RAOUL, couldn't think of REPORT, couldn't see EDENIC (had EDIBLE, which messed me up), didn't think of UBER, couldn't remember ROXIE (put in ROSIE), didn't know LINC, couldn't think of CCS, and never would have guessed TAX CLINIC in a million years (shouldn't that be Business School instead of Law School in the clue?).

    I finally turned on the red-letter help and ran though every letter to get ROXIE, which got me TAX CLINIC. That gave me the boost I needed in that section and I was able to finish pretty quickly after that.

    The theme was fun, although I misread the tense of the clue for 4D and thought the answer was TOP PING PONG instead of TOPPING PONG. As a result, I was all prepared to metaphorically march in here all indignant like and complain that the arcade game was called PONG and not PING PONG. Oops...

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  2. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I'm with Barry G on this one and thought the puzzle was a toughie. There were some great new clues, however.

    It's a good thing that OAST appears so often, otherwise, I would have had SEAS instead of A TON for Oceans. I also wanted SHORT instead of STOOP for Not Seeing Eye-to-Eye.

    I also initially tried EUREKA for what a solver would cry out.

    My favorite clues were: Flaw Spotting Aid = LOUPE;
    You Can't See Beyond It = HORIZON.

    On this Memorial (Day) Weekend, remember those who served our Country.

    In honor of 37-Down, here is today's QOD: Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you. ~ Langston Hughes

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  3. Good day folks,

    Not a lot to say about today's puzzle. I did it in the wee hours on the computer and almost immediately turned on the red letters. In short, this puzzle was a bear and there is no way I would have completed it without assistance.

    Loupe was one of the few gimme's because it is a necessary tool in the world of vintage sports cards, unfortunately. Like Barry, Law school/Tax Clinic didn't work for me either. Only licensed professionals are able to provide tax guidance and Law School aspiring barristers ain't licensed.


    I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

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  4. actually HH, Law Students who are supervised by members of the bar give lots of advice to the public, jut not tax advice; I just meant easy for a Friday.

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  5. Morning Lemonade, CC and All,

    Typical slog of a Friday for me. I didn't know one of the name answers and was completely Inept at Arsnova which wasn't the only pothole on this Bumpy Ride. My brain isn't into it.

    Sitting hear listening to the cruise ship sound its horn because now that the rain has stopped the fog has rolled in. It is as thick as pea soup and making the roads wet enough I doubt I'll ride my bike again today.

    You won't see me around next week. Our annual pilgrimage to the Northern Maine Woods begins on Monday. Hopefully the fish will be biting as well as I anticipate the black flies will be. Its been wet up there too.

    Have a good week.

    TGIF

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  6. Good Morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.

    Thanks for the erudite write-up, Lemonade! Great explanation of the theme, too. I missed the fact that the theme entries were all downs, thus emphasizing the visual of “LID”. Clever. And I agree that it was “relatively” easy, for a Friday.
    I filled in PUT A LID ON IT first, which helped immensely with the other theme entries.

    Queen Mab could have used some of JUNG’s analyses for Lanthe’s dreams, no?
    Like others, I did not know ARS NOVA, but made a WAG when I had the _RS_OVA crossings.

    FOR GOOD and TAX CLINIC kept the SW blank for a time until I finally remembered ROXIE (loved that movie) and SKEE ball, AZO dyes , and the FATES. Then everything came together.

    TGIF – make it a good one, and have a safe holiday weekend everyone!

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  7. Good morning, Lemonade, C.C. and frazzled Friday solvers all. As soon as I saw Julian Lim and Friday I knew this would be a BUMPY RIDE. I usually have trouble staying in sync with his cluing and today was no exception.

    Like Barry, the SW and middle south area was a real bear for me. Even with TAX_LI_I_, it took forever to see the missing letters. E_GS, hmmm, is it E,G or K? I finally figured out CCS and the rest fell into place.

    I thought the theme was clever. It helped that I got the unifier with just the PU starter. Well, I wanted "put a sock in it" but that wouldn't fit so I went with choice number two.

    I'l have to check the cupboard and see if there is a box of Caprice-a-Roni on the shelf. I'll wash it down with a stein of Old Frothingslosh, the PALE stale ale. You remember... the beer with the foam on the bottom.

    Have a great weekend everyone, and remember those that gave their lives for our freedoms. One of the most moving experiences of my life was last fall, standing on the steps of the memorial at the American cemetary in France, looking out over the thousands of grave markers and hearing our National Anthem played on the carillon.

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  8. Good morning all on the opener to Memorial Day. I'll start with This offering in honor of the day. It's sung at the Viet Nam Memorial by NE born singer Jim Salestrom. He's lived in Breckenridge for decades, but was originally from Kearney, NE and headed a band called Timberline back in the '70's. Quality is poor, but the song is very moving.

    The puzzle was a brute for me. Solved it unaided, but it prolly took 20 minutes. Nothing came easy, but hop-scotch progress was made throughout. Last corner to fall was SW. I really wanted the K for ECG and didn't care a lot for Edenic, but finally submitted and it came together.

    Lemonade, I have to wonder. Is Mountain William a cousin of Richard Cranium?:-)

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  9. Caprice-a-roni = O, a rare picnic.

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  10. Glad to see Avg Joe took only 20 minutes--I took about an hour and a half with an OCEAN of googling. That included IDOL, MARC, ALDER, RAOUL, LINC, LYNN, ROXIE. WAGS accounted for about half the rest. I wanted SEAS for A TON, I DID IT for I GOT IT, then couldn't figure why the lid would be IN it. Thought of "tall poppy" syndrome but of course it wouldn't fit for CZAR. Have no idea bout SKEE ball.

    Ãœber does mean above or over in German, hence our usage for "over the top" or "very". Opposite of "unter", or "sous" if you want to mix languages, where a sous-chef is one notch below the "chef", which really only means "boss", or chief, and can be used in any field in French, not just the kitchen. It's probably the origin of "chief" being used referring to Native American leaders, since so many explorers here were French.

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  11. DNF

    I'm not sure I know the style of 21st Century music in America.
    So 14th Century European music style, ARSNOVA, is not on my list of things I want to remember.

    Never saw the movie "Chicago" so ROXIE was a wag.

    Never watched "Prison Break" and if I wanted a LINC I'd go with that "Mod-Squad" dude.

    Avg.Joe: Love the Avatar, LOL

    Kazie: Thanks for the UBER explanation.
    When I saw the clue at 56-A, Very; Pref. my first thought was "Oh, it's a clue looking for a word in German as the answer."

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  12. I had to check to make sure this wasn't one of the other Times puzzles, 'cuz it was taking a long time and I was getting pretty frustrated -- enough to finally come here for enlightenment.

    PALE ale reminds me, too, of Olde Frothingslosh. I had a Miss Olde Frothingslosh (R.I.P.) pinup calendar back in the day, which got thrown out, alas, during one of my infrequent cleaning frenzies.

    Eagerly awaiting Saturday, which usually is pretty easy for me.

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  13. Hello Puzzlers - was my own worst enemy on this one. I was so convinced that MACARONI was involved, I got rid of some correct answers to accommodate it. Once that was fixed, it was a straight shot.

    TAX CLINIC was pretty slow to show. I went to Goog once for RAOUL, don't know the guy. Thanks to Lemonade, most everything makes sense now ( I needed perspective on CZAR particularly).

    I've never seen LARA Croft, might have to Netflix that one.

    There are many versions of Pale Ales. Many pubs offer India Pale Ale, or IPA, so named for its hardiness - apparently it was one brew that could survive the transit from England to India, without refrigeration, and still be drinkable once it got there. At least that's how a brewer explained it to me!

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  14. Musings
    - SW corner was my undoing and abstruse references like ARSNOVA, RAOUL, EDENIC and AZO sucked the fun out of this and this puzzle was my first DNF for quite a while. I’ll take a 90+% and move on.
    -Daughter MISSY turns 44 this weekend as she was born during the 6 Day War.
    -I always thought a diet/exercise program was a REGIMEN and a REGIME was a ruling government body
    -I got the unifier before the theme answers
    -I did get and like TOPPINGPONG and CAPRICERONI

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  15. Hi There~!

    Well, I guess it pays to have no skill in the legal AREA, as I filled in TAX CLINIC - I had tax and the last C, and s-l-o-w-l-y pieced the SW together, with EXTR, no ULTR, oh UBER, SERENE, no EDENIC...phew. That T for T-MOBILE kept me YEARNing for a hint, but "I GOT IT"

    It took me 20mins, too, and I don't mind that for a Friday, plus, I did it without red-letter, and I had a DNF last Friday.

    Lets go TAMPA ~!!~

    Splynter

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  16. Good Morning All, how clever of Julian Lim to figure out two-in-one phrases for his theme answers. There was a lightbulb moment when CAP RICE-A-RONI morphed into CAPRICE-A-RONI.

    28A/ARS NOVA was almost a stopper for me. It was very perpable though, surrounded by JUNG, ASAP and IDOL. I think I've mentioned that GAH and I started watching "Survivor" to have a personal link with our Asperger's Syndrome afflicted nephew. He is a Survivor expert and still loves to discuss all the psychological machinations.

    Speaking of psychology, 32A/JUNG was a gimmee. I have a copy of Jung's "Man And His Symbols" on our dining room table. It's a gift to our high school graduating grandson who is interested in becoming a psychologist...maybe?? (of course there is money involved too).

    I didn't know 6A/MARC or 67A/LINC, but knew 44/RAOUL, 53/ROXIE and 71A/ETHEL (of course!), so it more than evened out.

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  17. mornin' Lemonade, C.C., et al,

    My jaw dropped when I read that this was an easy Friday.I knew I was in trouble when I had to swing thru the alphabet to get the p in stoop! My ride was pretty much like Kazie's.

    Didn't like czar, one d,ttyl, edenic,or ars nova. Now I know what a loupe is and an arum (none in CA).

    So ironic that "I got it" popped out like a sore thumb.

    Hahtool, not too many in the US are welcoming that summer rain...Carol?

    DH is having laser surgery on detached retina today.Dick, I gotta tie his shoe laces again.

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  18. Hands up for wanting PUT A SOCK IN IT and not knowing why CZAR fit as an answer until I came here. I also don't like EDENIC (neither does my spellchecker). I know it's a "good" word; I just don't like it.

    Thought the theme was clever and especially liked CAPRICEARONI.

    After yesterday and today, I'm feeling like I've been rode hard and put up wet. Can't wait for a Monday puzzle!

    Have a nice weekend, all.

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  19. Hello, everyone! Thanks, Lemonade, for your always erudite explanations and enlightenment.

    Yowza! Easy?? How exactly? Like you I saw Julian Lim, Friday and knew it would be a BUMPYRIDE which I erased, then refilled.

    My first toehold was RAISA who I thought was a beautiful woman and represented her country grandly.

    From there I radiated out through the center and finished the entire East. The West almost made me SNAP although OAST as has been said, is becoming familiar, but had ALOT before ATON, FOREVER before FORGOOD.

    In short, my eraser lost mass with this REGIME(n)?? No problem with ETHEL or ROXIE but didn't know RAOUL, MARC, or LINC. DNF the bottom center as I gave in to frustration!

    I hope your holiday weekend it memorable!

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  20. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone.

    What a surprise a few days ago, when I received an email notifying me that my son-in-law had made a contribution to the USO in my father's name. My father had been in the Navy in the Mediterranean during WWII. It was totally unexpected and I was very touched.

    I'm reading a WWII-centric novel right now. Did you know that the British Crown Dependencies, the Channel Islands were occupied by Germany from 1940 to 1945? I sure didn't. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a very interesting, amusing and often sad account of day-to-day life under Reich rule.

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  21. JD: well, technically it isn't summer yet! Ironically, in my neck ofnthe woods we are actually in a draughts, even though the river level is only 3 feet from the top of thie levee.

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  22. I had better luck than with Thursday's puzzle, not saying much.

    I can't even find any clues I really like.

    Sun is trying to peek through. Supposed to have showers all weekend. So much for the Boatnik Festival. I can't imagine watching boats racing on the Rogue in the rain is much fun.

    This may be a bit disjointed. My husband is across the room talking bad things to his computer. E mail issues. Kind of hard to tune him out.

    Have a great weekend all. I hope the wind dies down enough so I can display the flag on Memorial Day.

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  23. Farmer - outstanding in his field
    Lettuce - grown on a farm
    Caesar - dish made with lettuce
    CZAR - derived from the word caesar

    ergo

    CZAR - outstanding in his field!

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  24. Good morning Lemonade, CC, et al., DNF..ran out of time and out of patience. This was a slog for me but I thoroughly enjoyed your comments, Lemonade. Excellent job and more enjoyable than the puzzle IMHO.


    CA: I'm glad you're encouraging your grandson to become a psychologist. One thang fer sure is that there is gold in them thar 'ills'.

    Maniac: happy travels to you. I'm envious.

    Husker: Happy Birthday to your daughter. Today is my eldest's
    (34). Great month to have a baby!

    JD: hope DH's surgery goes well. Keep us posted.

    Grumpy: just reading about your experience in France gave me goose bumps. Not much can happen to top that!

    With parades, festivals, boat/beach/pool parties galore, I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy wkend while we remember those who died insuring us the freedom to do so.

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  25. Good Day C.C., Lemon and all,

    Thanks, Lemonade, for your explanations. Some interesting notations.

    Basically, this was a slow but steady puzzle for me until the south middle. I also had Rosie instead of ROXIE and looked up RAOUL. Did someone mention 20 minutes? I also looked up 67A and got ‘T Bag’,
    which seemed fine to me. I’m tired of telling it and you’re tired of reading it. I’m convinced the red letter feature is something I should learn about; at least, it would remove some of the vexation. It’s just those ‘new tricks’. I, too, relate to regimen rather than REGIME.

    Nice theme; very creative and fun. Thanks, Julian.

    Have a nice day everyone.

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  26. Hello all.

    Have a great and safe weekend.

    I'm also taking Monday off to grill the brats and have some wheat beer.

    Remember Bob Prince doing the Frothingslogh coms.

    Take care

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  27. BillG,

    On the uniqueness of Jeannie's number puzzle, couldn't the alphabetical order allow 2 and 3, 6 and 7, 8 and 9 to be reversed since alphabetically they start with the same letter; hence it would not be a unique number?
    8,549,176,320
    E FFN OSS TTZ
    [1 234 567 890}

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  28. Creature, when you alphabetize a list and there are duplicates of the first letter, the second,or subsequent, letter determines the rank. Thus the number is unique.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Happy Friday! Put me in the 'harder' rather than 'easier' camp. I started without red letters and then turned them on about halfway through, especially in the bottom part.

    Creature, I can't imagine just giving up on a puzzle like this one rather than using red letters and being able to finish. I use the LA Times website and select Regular level rather than Master level. You can also change levels (under Options) partway through if, as was the case with me, you find you get stuck and need some help partway through. You can also do it on Cruciverb though I prefer the LA Times format.

    Regarding Jeannie's number puzzle, since five comes before four alphabetically (using the second letter) and likewise six comes before seven, I think her alphabetical order is unique. Or, maybe I didn't understand what you meant?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Here's another little puzzle in the form of a spelling test. Since the blogger spellchecker underlines misspelled words, that would give away your mistakes. So you'll have to do it with pencil and paper and then own up to your results and mistakes. This is from my column borrowed from Reader's Digest many years ago.

    I'm just a retired math teacher, capable of spelling Pythagoras and hypotenuse but I sure had trouble with some of these.

    Here are 20 common words spelled more or less phonetically. See how you do. Be brave and make your answers public before wimping out with spell checkers or dictionaries.

    1. Ass-uh-9
    2. Brag-uh-doe-C-O
    3. Rare-uh-fie
    4. Lick-wuff-I
    5. Puh-vill-yun
    6. Ver-mill-yun
    7. Im-pah-stir
    8. Mock-uh-sun
    9. Uh-kahm-uh-date
    10. Kon-sen-sus
    11. Roe-ko-ko
    12. Tit-tle-8
    13. Sack-ruh-li-jus
    14. May-uh-naze
    15. Im-pray-sor-ry-O
    16. In-ock-U-late
    17. Soo-per-seed
    18. Ob-lee-gah-toe
    19. Des-suh-kate
    20. Re-sus-suh-tate

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  31. Bill G. I was going to post my list, but it would take all 20 lines of a post, LOL!! All I can say is, thank goodness for spell-checker.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I consider myself a good speller, but I got 9 wrong! Double letters and the lack thereof were my main problems.

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  33. Are need and entail really synonymous? "What will finishing the job entail?" Can you replace entail with need in that sentence?

    I've heard of a diet and exercise regimen but regime seems odd to me.

    Kazie and Marti, yes, that's a hard test but unlike the National Spelling Bee, the words are mostly very common.

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  34. Bill, I missed 3 out of the 16 thatI could read, but I can't seem to figure out #'s 4,11,15 and is 18 Japanese???? You say these are common? ha,ha! This is probably why I stayed in 6th grade for umpteen years!

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  35. Hola Everyone, What Barry said. I didn't finish this puzzle today even though I had a lot of the answers in I had holes here and there which I just could not fill!

    I put in Seas, then A Lot for oceans, Forever for For good and Dark for Pale Ale. No toe hold for me today in any one area.

    Arum was a given as Callas are also in that same group of plants.
    We have Jack-in-the-Pulpits in our nearby Santa Cruz Mountains.

    Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. My busy, busy week is finally over and I'm looking forward to the holiday.

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  36. CA, If you ever get the chance to see the PBS Masterpiece theater series, "Island at War" it is a wonderful account of the Guernsey Island's occupation by Germany during WWII. I then read the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" book as a follow up.

    It certainly was a surprise that these British Crown Holdings were occupied duering WWII.

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  37. Bill G.
    Excellent list of difficult to spell words. I thought I was a good speller until I attacked this list. I missed 5 of the 20. A fun exercise.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Clear Ayes: one of my reading groups read The Guernsey Literary ... A couple of years ago. Not only was the subject matter interesting, but the literary style was, too.

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  39. 1. asinine, 2. bragadoccio 3. rarify, 4. liquify 5. pavillion
    6. vermillion 7. imposter 8. moccasin 9. accommodate
    10. consensus 11. rococco 12. titillate 13. sacriligeous 14. mayonnaise 15. impressario 16. innoculate 17. supercede 18. obligato 19. dissicate 20. resuscitate
    The only one I'm unsure of is #2 and this site doesn't show me spell check.

    lois:
    I see our daughters were born the same month and year.

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  40. Aha, it's braggadocio

    I guess I should check them all.

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  41. uh-oh rococo and sacrilegious are also wrong.

    If anyone else finds one, please indicate it as I'm burning too many posts!

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  42. Hello all, I haven't finished today's puzz;e and probably won't at this rate, but I wanted to thank all of you who answered my question(s) yesterday. Kazie, Lemonade, Seen, AvgJoe, and I hope I haven't missed anybody. I do remember that Annette said to sign in, which I never have done. I certainly will in the future. Kazie, are "Pommies" Brits? and how did that name come about?

    Enjoy the long weekend, folks. My flag is already flying!

    P.S. Linda that was a lovely picture of a very handsome couple.Best regards!

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  43. Dodo,
    Yes, in Oz we don't call them Brits at all. I was told the name originated from the French referring to their rosy cheeks looking like "pommes" (apples). Some say it's derived from the pomegranate, which is also red. Others claim it's from the acronym POME (Prisoner of Mother England), which many of our ancestors were, after they could no longer be sent here after the Revolutionary War. Though why that would become a term for those still in Mother England I don't know.

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  44. ahhhh-liquify; it looked like liquffel to me :)

    rococo-popular in the 1st half of the 18th century-I was not there.

    also learned impresario, and obligato (opt.obbligato)-have never used either; not a music person

    desiccate..so the spell check shows; I think that is what I did to that COMMON list.

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  45. Bill G. , I couldn't read lick-wuff-i because I thougt the last letter was an 'l'. Lickwuffle? Got the rest of 'em. Fun; I love word games!

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  46. When I first saw this list, I would have bet good money that it was rarify and liquify. But not so. It's rarefy and liquefy. Hard to figure. Also supercede looks right but it should be supersede. Tricky words.

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  47. Bill G: supersede is the only -sede word. There are a half dozen or so -ceed words like exceed or proceed. All the others are -cede.

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  48. Bill, I got red underlines for
    liquify and supercede; yet, my Webster's 'liquefy OR liquify'and 'supersede OR supercede'. I think some of that spellcheck is debatable. However, I really messed up some words. Other than the ones above, I missed about 4 I think. I don't have the patience to check with my dictionary tonight, but I've learned that I better check a little more often. Thanks for the fun!





    fun!

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  49. I loved the clue "Pressing activity?" for CPR!

    The only Phelps I could think of was from Mission Impossible, so I couldn't figure out how Speedo related to that, until I saw Lemonade's write up.

    I've never understood why people did remakes of classic movies. How often do you see one that even comes close to the original version?

    LYNN Swann was a gimme! The height of his career was during my high school years. My sister and I swore the cameras aimed at huddles was operated by a woman, because it always seemed to be strategically focused on his "tight end". His other "cheeks" were adorable too! He took ballet lessons to improve his agility on the football field. When I finally invested in a Steeler jersey last year, I had a hard time choosing between his shirt and Franco Harris', but wound up going with Harris' #32. I was afraid his #88 might appear DF or unflattering on the chest...

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  50. Hello CA,
    The Chicken Bristle Film Society has convened for 2011. Tonight's feature: Dog Town Z-Boys.
    Do you know this film? Very cool, amazing sound track. I'm thinking you were in San Berdoo at the time?
    I've got to get back there one more time. Road trip?

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  51. I'll play, BillG. I just checked in and saw your post. No cheating, no looking ahead at other efforts. Here's my entries in the contest. Red underlining has been ignored.
    1)assinine
    2)braggdicio
    3)rarify
    4)liquify
    5)pavilion
    6)vermillion
    7)imposter
    8)moccasin
    9)accommodate
    10)concensus
    11)rococco
    12)tittilate
    13)sacreligious
    14)mayonnaise
    15)impressarrio
    16)innocculate
    17)supercede
    18)obligato
    19)dessicate
    20)ressucitate

    There's a lotta red on the screen, but I'll go with these. The only word I don't recognize is #18. It seems Italian and is probably a synonym for onus??

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  52. Lunch and movie with women friends today. It wasn't my turn to choose, and we saw "Bridesmaids". I was pleasantly surprised, good acting, a decent plot and I laughed a lot.

    WH, Glad to hear that Chicken Bristle Film Society is back is business. I did see "Dogtown and Z-Boys" about a year ago, or thereabouts. I was recuperating from something or other and was tapping on the TV remote keys. I happened on "Dogtown...", got interested and watched the whole thing. Good documentary, and you're right, the sound track was fantastic. By the mid-1970's, I was in West Covina, geographically not that far from the Santa Monica/Dogtown action. Psychologically, as a soon to be divorced working mother, I wasn't even on the Z-Boys home planet.

    Middle grandson's graduation ceremony is tomorrow at 10AM. Family BBQ to follow. GAH and I have to be on the road at 6:30AM. See you all on Monday.

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  53. Avgjoe: Obligato is a musical term meaning: a repeated theme.

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  54. Good night everyone.

    JD: best wishes on your DH's surgery for a detached retina. Sounds ominous.

    Clear Ayes: I read the Potato Peel Pie Society last year and loved it. I'm so glad that book and movie (Netflix) recommendations are made here.

    DNF today's puzzle. Too hard for me!

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  55. Good Evening, folks! Thanks for the puzzle, Julian, even though it was a bear. Thank you Lemonade for the write-up and clever comments.

    Well, I took all day, on and off, working this monster. It was not easy. I bounced around and got most of in bits and pieces. The SW corner was the last holdout and I never finished it all. I had COVERT MOTORS instead of MOBILE and did not get TAX CLINIC. I did not get EDENIC either, I had EDIBLE.

    OASTS has been a regular for years in puzzles. RAISA was easy. I remember the Gorbachevs well. ARSNOVA was a wag.

    To the Bookworms: My book club also read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" a few years ago. We all thought it was excellent. Good history, as well.

    To the beer drinkers: As far as Old Frothingslosh, I do remember that beer, with the foam on the bottom. I believe it was brewed in Pittsburgh at the Duquesne Brewery, which I believe is now defunct.

    I am getting up early to plant some stuff in my garden, then out on the streets to sell onions. I will take the crossword with me.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  56. Avg. Joe, you made a lot of the same mistakes as I did and as many others did. I'm sure you can find the correct spelling for the red underlined ones. Obbligato is a musical term for something to be played exactly as written without changes or omissions. I'll post all the answers in a little while.

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  57. Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap your post length at about 20 lines each (spaces excluded). No politics, no religion and no personal attacks. Please hit the PREVIEW button before you publish your comments. It allows you to see your post length and catch any typos. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Grumpy, The cemetaries in France where so many of our boys, and boys of several other countries were buried is certainly a very moving experience.

    We were on a bus trip through France and one of our companions was a WWII veteran. He had fought in France and when our driver found out he had buddies buried in a certain cemetary near one of our stops, he arranged for a lunch nearby and a stop at this cemetary.

    Our fellow passenger was so moved and we all felt that we had been a part of something bigger than ourselves as we watched him walk through the crosses and read the names of some of his buddies.

    ReplyDelete

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