google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, June 13, 2011 Jeff Chen

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Jun 13, 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: Small Cup? - The four men used for the theme all have AA in their names and the reveal is about batteries, not bra size, but I'm more DF than that.

17A. Johnny Carson's predecessor : JACK PAAR

21A. "Misery" co-star : JAMES CAAN

36A. "I, Robot" author : ISAAC ASIMOV

55A. Vice president involved in a historic duel : AARON BURR

61A. Common batteries, and a feature of 17-, 21-, 36- and 55-Across : DOUBLE A'S

A newly refurbished Argyle here. Jeff has started our week off with a nice, compact puzzle. I admit if I had started with the reveal, I'd have had a easier time with the spelling of the gentlemen's names.

Across:

1. Frying pan spray : PAM

4. Fanatic's feeling : ZEAL

8. Player on stage : ACTOR

13. Santa __: city SE of Los Angeles : ANA

14. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer : IRMA. Rombauer privately published The Joy of Cooking in 1931.

15. Curvy ski race : SLALOM

19. "I need a hug" : "HOLD ME"

20. Pong producer : ATARI

23. Pat of "The Karate Kid" : MORITA. "wax on, wax off" Image

25. Binary code digit : ONE

26. Animal like new? : GNU

27. "Famous" cookie creator : AMOS

28. Floated upward : ROSE

31. Alternative to leaving a test question blank : GUESS

33. Roget entry: Abbr. : SYN

34. Pulled in different directions : TORN

35. Pasty : WAN

40. "Car Talk" airer : NPR. Although radio stations quiver when the Tappet Brothers say it, "National Public Radio".

41. Front of a clock : FACE

42. LAX approximation : ETA

45. Worry persistently : BROOD

48. Blue state? : FUNK

49. Dab at with a towel, as a spill : BLOT

50. __ Tin Tin : RIN. Early TV dog.

51. NATO part: Abbr. : ATL. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization

53. Turn like a chair : SWIVEL

59. Justice Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA. Sorry, but she looks more like a homeroom mother.

60. Masonry finish applied when wet : STUCCO

63. Pick up the pace : HASTEN

64. Vaulted recess : APSE

65. Windsor knot neckwear : TIE

66. Clam-digging area : SHORE

67. Blacken on the grill : SEAR

68. Gore and Hirt : ALs

Down:

1. Bedtime garb : PAJAMAS

2. TV's "Grey's __" : ANATOMY

3. Cheese companion : MACARONI

4. "Not another word!" : ZIP IT

5. Prohibition __ : ERA

6. Key with three sharps: Abbr. : A MAJ. Another entry I let the perps take care of.

7. Zhivago's beloved : LARA

8. Pale : ASHEN

9. Nip and tuck contest : CLOSE GAME. I had the brief image of two plastic surgeons going head to head.

10. Skin-soothing powder : TALC

11. Golden years : OLD AGE

12. Friends-countrymen link : ROMANS

16. Lists of computer options : MENUs

18. Singer Kristofferson : KRIS. I expect we will get some more links for KRIS today.

22. Stooge with a bowl haircut : MOE

24. Cacophonous, as a crowd : AROAR

29. "The Lord of the Rings" monster : ORC

30. Major mess : SNAFU

32. Spanish 25-Across : UNO

34. Hoofer, so to speak : TAP DANCER

35. Candle threads : WICKS

37. Commercial prefix with Cone or Ball : SNO

38. Japanese honorific : SAN

39. Kraft cheese spread : VELVEETA

43. Polished part of a piggy? : TOENAIL

44. Books of maps : ATLASES

45. Full of chutzpah : BRASH

46. Rodeo gear : RIATAs

47. Surge : ONRUSH

48. Cause of chills and fever : FLU

49. Tab at a bar : BILL

52. Steak selection : T-BONE

54. Big brand in barbecues : WEBER. I like these two together.

56. Prefix with -pus : OCTO. Or with Mom.

57. Nutrient guidelines, briefly : RDAs

58. Rodeo gear : ROPE

62. Mex. neighbor : USA


Argyle

86 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a total speed run today, even with not knowing 'Orc'. It's always interesting to see a constructor's efforts in creating both Monday-level and end-of-week-level puzzles; both must be equally difficult to do, and Jeff has certainly already proven himself at the latter level.

Got the theme after the second theme answer, and other than liking the juxtaposition of the two 'cheese' answers, not a lot to comment on.

Favorite clue: Animal like new.

Argyle, great to see you back. Nice job, as always, with the blog; the "homeroom mother" image was spot on.

Avatar is from South Beach a couple weeks ago.

Today is Sewing Machine Day.

Did You Know?:

- If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Pretty standard Monday fare today. Fun, doable and easy on the brain. I know how much everybody loves clechos, but I'm personally not fond of instances where the same exact clue is used for synonymous answers like ROPE and RIATA. I much prefer it when the clechos involve a little word play, otherwise it just seems like lazy cluing to me. Other than that, though, a fine puzzle.

Oh, and Dennis -- your little bit of trivia is regrettably another urban legend. Check out this article on Snopes.com. I'm just saying...

Dennis said...

Barry, thanks for that - saved me from crawling into the fireplace. It did seem strange that the fireplace/well would make a difference, but I went with the book instead of checking it out.

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and all, like Dennis a speed run today. The clues I did not know fell quickly with the perps and some were completed before I read the clues. I worked the downs first and then the horizontals, but had to leave 39D blank as I was not sure of san. When I worked the crosses I looked at 48A and saw fu*k and my first thought was “no it can’t be that” and …. it wasn’t. I probably would not have gotten 14A, but my wife watches all of the TV cooking shows so that one was a snap.

I really liked polished part of a pig/toenails and gnu.

Have a great Monday.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Good to have you back, Argyle. This was quite a speed run and there were many clues that I had to go back and read because they had already been filled in.

It was a fun theme. After getting JACK PAAR and JAMES CAAN, I wracked my brain thinking of other names with a DOUBLE A in the name. The surname in the first two theme answers contained the AAs, whereas the AA was in the given name in the last two theme answers.

My favorite clue was Polish Part of a Piggy? = TOE NAIL. (The toe theme from last week continues!).

The Miranda warnings (you have the right to remain silent ...) came about due to the ruling that came down on this date in 1966.

In honor of both Argyle and 36-Across, here is today's QOD: do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them. ~ Isaac Asimov

Lemonade714 said...

What a nice way to begin the week, our friend Jeff Chen presented with the benificent blogging from Argyle. The stars while not visible from the bottom of my well, are now back in alignment in the sky. I had trouble convincing myself of the new:GNU clue, enjoyed Blue state clue not being a political reference, though obviously a serious tease from JC (especially with SNAFU in the puzzle), and thought giving VELVEETA some love was fun.My personal misguided mental image was of Miss Piggy's toenails.

Have a great week all.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,

What a great puzzle. Great cluing for a Monday and just right on the difficulty for a Monday. My only erasing was Flats for 66A. I wrote it in confidently not thinking how regional a term "Clam Flat" is. Tides are just wrong right now for me to hit the Flats.

Goofing off this morning because I have to take the youngest to school. Hoo boy!

Have a good one.

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

I had to chuckle at your take on the theme, Argyle. Glad to see you back to your DF self! And here is the obligatory Kris Kristofferson link. Did you like the Roger Miller or Janis Joplin version better?

Dennis, I think that must be what Timmy was trying to do when he fell down the well. He should have just gone to Snopes, like Barry did. Would have saved Lassie a lot of running around.

I really liked this one, and it was definitely a speed run. Other than AROAR, the fill gave me lots to smile about.

Have a great day, everyone!

Avg Joe said...

Welcome back to the world of imaginary friends, Argyle. Hope the withdrawal wasn't too grueling.

I also had the theme at answer #2. Expected to see Aaron, Isaac seemed only natural. My only criticism might be that it was too easy, but that's a minor nit. Especially on a Monday. Fun puzzle and a good start to the week.

And yes, there certainly was a bit of serendipity in Kris showing up this morning.

Husker Gary said...

Hi guys! I can’t get used to looking for a theme but this was very nice as those aa’s are hard for me to remember at times.

Musings
-Argyle, we’re all glad you are electronically whole again and providing great blogging
-I love watching skiing (double i’s not a’s) and the slalom is fine but downhill skiers have to be the one of the most fearless athletes on the planet. Agree Marti?
-I do remember when Pong was the cock of the walk and the huge consoles in bars and restaurants had huge lines just to control a dot back and forth
-I wanted to connect wet masonry to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel technique
-Swing yesterday and Prohibition today
-Apollo 13 took off at 13:13 in the afternoon and soon after liftoff in the movie, the Kevin Bacon character looks up through his window and sees the sky turn black and the stars come into view in the afternoon sky above the atmosphere.
-Mr. Snapper and I have a date to mow today!

Unknown said...

There is nothing like an easy puzzle to start the week. I even got the theme; Alert the media!
I loved the polished piggy clue. In fact I am going to have my piggies ploished this morning! Sexy red or party pink? Stay tuned.
By the way, Velveeta is not considered a Cheese spread! In the South, we consider it the Brie of Southern cuisine. It is said that every Southern cook has a can of mushroom soup and a box of Velveeta in her pantry. Rotel dip is not the same without our beloved Velveeeta!
Of course, I would never serve it alone or even in the same room with the afore -mentioned Brie! Nevertheless, a dab of Velveeta in a pot of grits, along with garlic and onions is the base for my shrimp and grits. Calling it a spread is blasphemy! Velveeta is a block of processed cheese (along other things). There, I've said it!

Bye now, y'all! I'm off for the mani/pedi adventure!

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

I wouldn't call this a speed run today, but more of a steady pace. "I, Robot" author and Japanese honorific were both unknowns and the S was a wag. Otherwise, no particular hold ups, just a steady grind.

I'd forgotten Aaron Burr was a VP, but I do remember him as one bitter man. Hand up for "polished part of piggy" as favorite clue today.

Finally a decent, springlike day so it's time to get moving and take advantage of it.

kazie said...

Nice and easy for me too. I missed seeing some clues as the perps took care of them. Other perps took care of what I didn't know, such as Aaron Burr.

Not sure I agree about old age being "golden". After this week of back pain, it doesn't feel "golden" to me, and theoretically, I haven't really even reached old age yet!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - What Hondo said. Especially the part about it finally being a decent day. I have acres of lawn/forest to deal with.

Hahtoolah said...

Hondohurricane: you must be a tad older than I thought since you remember that Aaron Burr was a bitter man. LOL!

ZIP IT reminded me of Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies.

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning Argyle and the gang. At first I thought this was going to be a tough puzzle for a Monday, with so many proper names that just weren't coming to the surface immediately. The perps were pretty easy though and showed me enough to recall all of the names.

I really tried to screw up thhe SW corner by putting in 'crass' for BRASH and RIAToS instead of RIATAS. 'Crood' and 'sosten' ... hmmm, must have a SNAFU in there somewhere.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Mr. Chen for a very nice Monday puzzle, and Mr. Argyle for a very nice blog. Nice to hear your computer problems have been solved for the next few years.

I must disagree with the desc. of Ms. Justice Kagan, ... I happen to think she really very sexy. Actually, sexy is a crude word - I would say she's really very beautiful - though that is also influenced by all I have read about her. She is a very brilliant person, ( tho' IMHO, I disagree with her political leanings - ). For my personal opinion, I am just so sorry, she will not leave her progeny and her DNA, in this world, because I feel her children could have contributed a lot to this world.

Thank you Barry G. for correcting Dennis' D Y Know, on stars in chimneys . I thought it was a bit far fletched, but I would have believed it. Some urban legends can 'fool' the most savy of us all.

Anonymous said...

Alternate QOD: The lawyer read my father's will. It said" Being of sound mind, I spent every last cent". - Myron Cohen.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Argyle and all.

Easy Monday but not quite a speed run. Liked the theme fill but did not need the unifier, DOUBLE A'S which was cleverly clued. Had a small hiccup in the SW when I filled in 'oedi'pus before the perps made clear that it was OCTOpus. Sigh.

NATO - Spelled backwards is OTAN, its acronym in French, the other official language of NATO.

Have a great day.

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!

Good to have you back, Argyle, and a speed run today for me, too, with nary a stop for the theme answers, too boot - knew them all for a change.

My only thought was that TAP DANCERS are lithe, agile, and not nearly "hoofers", which is what I used to call my step-daughter, who liked horses, and seemed to stomp off to bed like one.


Go VAN - COU - VER ~!!!!!


Splynter

Splynter said...

Oh -

Hatool, I think of "Dr. Evil", too ~!

Splynter

Tinbeni said...

FUN Monday. Thanks Jeff.

OK, my fave today was 'Tab at a bar' BILL.

Least fave; anytime the Prohibition ERA gets any reference. (That SNAFU put many into a FUNK).

Cheers !!!

Anonymous said...

Dennis: What an attractive woman! Does the wife know?

carol said...

Hi gang,
Easy, fast and fun! Just what a Monday puzzle should be :)

Welcome back to the write-up Argyle! We did miss your comments.

Kazie: I wonder at what age 'old age' starts??? Anyone??? Surely I am not there yet!!

Lots of new, fresh words in this puzzle: Velveeta, zip it, Pam, swivel, macaroni.

I see RIATA and ROPE made an appearance too..had to chuckle on that one. C.C. knows why :)

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I knew all the theme names without going to the perps. For anyone who didn't, this might seem more like a Tuesday puzzle, or at least a Monday-and-a-half.

I loved seeing 3D/MACARONI and it grid opposite 39D/VELVEETA. I haven't had it for years, but when I was a kid, I begged my mom for that oozy cheese product and mac.

Is that Karma giving me a little bite on the derriere for dissing KRIS Kristofferson last night? Still in all, "Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin is the standard to go by.

Saw some amazing Hoofer/TAP DANCERs on the Tony Awards show last night. It is always so much more entertaining than the Emmys or Oscars.

GAH's doctor recently said, "Nothing gets better as you get older, but we do have medication to make it easier."

Marti, got a good chuckle out of the "Timmy down a well" remark.

Anonymous said...

Spitzboov : It is surprising that NATO should have French as (one of ) the other official languages, since the French left NATO, in a huff, a long time ago, under DeGaulle's persistent anti-American rhetoric, and his 'force de frapp' !! (Probably, reality has since set in. )

HeartRx said...

Husker, I agree that there are few things as thrilling to watch as downhill racers at Kitzbühel in Austria. But this has to rank at the top of the list for extreme thrills.

Mom speaks out, I had to LOL at your Velveeta description. DH wouldn't even think of sitting down to a big game without his Rotel and Velveeta. (I'll stick with the brie...)

Carol and Kazie, isn't "old age" ten years from whatever we are now?

Husker Gary said...

OMG, Marti! That’s a sport? I’ll stick with my golf as I am too timid or too smart to do what that guy does. As long as I don’t have to pay for other people’s eccentricities, rock on!

Mom, Velveeta has crowned a lot of burgers in my life! My wine and cheese palate is pretty parochial. As I said before, my Greek wife hates feta but I’m willing to try about anything.

Carol and Kazie, 64 yrs old seemed ancient in my misspent youth but since my health is okay, I like the view from here!

Lawn is mowed, so fore!

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 10.17. France never left NATO. They did go through a period where they chose not to directly integrate their forces into NATO units. However, they still had observers at NATO exercises. I believe they are involved in Libya operations as part of NATO.

kazie said...

Marti,
I'd like to believe that you're right on old age. Trouble is, we all are different ages, so that makes some of us old in the eyes of others, no matter what age we are. I've already outlived my Dad, so I'm working on outliving my mother now. I guess after that, anything goes.

creature said...

Good Day C.C., Argyle {missed you bad} and all,

Thanks for your write-up, Argyle and Jeff, your puzzle was a fun quickie before I went out to over see and fetch for the repair of our little Cadet. Nothing. Now have to get in the local retired ,master mechanic, who is usually very busy. In the meantime, I’ll fire up the Low Boy and mow around the house. It just won’t look as pretty.

I’m too mentally scattered to drag anyone through my muddled thoughts, but as far as old age, Oscar Wilde’s quote from Hahtool last week is now my criteria for a definition of old age. I think it was Thursday’s , but I’m out of here.

Back later.

Have a nice day everyone.

carol said...

Husker Gary, you kid you! 64 is a good age...I like HeartRx's description...10 years from whatever age we are now. (this doesn't apply to you 'youngsters' out there). I feel as though I am in my 40's and can do just as much...maybe it's the 26 years of bike riding that's part of the reason. The other part is being feisty.

Bill G. said...

That was a fun puzzle and an enjoyable writeup to start the week. Thanks.

I was going to comment on the "Did You Know" but Barry beat me to it.

Congratulations to Al who got the money riddle from yesterday. The first riddle (with no guesses) was, "What does no man want, yet no man wants to lose?" The cleverest answers I know are a bald head and a law suit.

Here's one for today. How many three-letter body parts can you name? In case a bunch of people try this one, why don't you just answer with the number you found rather than give the actual answers. Then we can start sharing our actual answers later in the day.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, what fun.

carol said...

Bill G: I came up with 8 body parts.

Clear Ayes said...

Hahtool, for a moment I thought that ISAAC Asimov had written "2001, A Space Odyssey". Then I remembered it was Arthur C. Clarke who mistrusted computers, at least for that book/movie.

Bill G., I assume (always a mistake) that slang like GAM and other less polite three letterers don't count.

Grumpy 1 said...

Now that my 70th birthday is behind me, I'll admit being on the shady side of middle age, but I'm sure not ready to accept old age. My lovely wifes daughter was whining about her 30th birthday and the fact that she was going to be "middle aged". My wife, who was in her 60's, told her that she wasn't allowed to be middle aged since my wife was still claiming that title and you can't span two generations with it.

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

Welcome back Argyle;missed your write ups.

This was very speedy.Like Dick, I ended up without the n in San/funk..last fill..took some thought after some laughing.

Had fresco for stucco, until riatas.Carol, I remember that Giant discussion :))

velveeta-only use it for 2 recipes.It enhances the white sauce for my tuna casserole; also makes a great "Camping Dip" when mixed with a few cans of chili (no beans),etc.

clam digging area-Pismo Beach, 1950. My dad brought salad forks for this adventure.Obviously a huge faux pas.

I enjoyed all of Kristofferson's music when he could sing.Joplin, not so much-ever.

eddyB said...

Hello.

Slow and steady as I was watching the Mavs win.

Splynter. It's a 5 o'clock game out here.
Don't stay up too late if it goes
into OT.

Never been at the bottom of a well.

Take care all.

carol said...

CA: If DF names for body parts don't count then I only have 6....I say count 'em in and let's have some fun!!
(GAM was not one of them) ;)

Lucina said...

Good day, Puzzle People! It's great to have you back, Argyle and I'm glad your computer is functioning.

A nice speed run from Jeff Chen today except that I invariably misspell JACKPAAR with two Rs, went blithely on my way then came to a screeching stop at 61A and looked for AAs. So AMAJ now made sense instead of AMRJ.

I loved the symmetry of this puzzle with MACARONI and VELVEETA on opposite sides. Speaking of which, the VELVEETA, Rotel mixture is a favorite at our parties, too.

Loved TOENAILS, polished part of a piggy.

Fun, quick puzzle. Thanks, jeff.

Kazie:
My belief is "you're as old as you feel" and I'm sorry your back is in pain. That has to be one of the worst there is as I found from having sciatica a while back. I am now pain free and I wish that for you, too.

Bill G:
Ten body parts with three letters.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Jerome said...

Clean as a whistle Mr. Chen. The theme was fun but I'm really impressed with the fill. It's just terrific. Lots and lots of long entries give the puzzle some extra pizzazz! One of the best puzzles of the year!

Some of the worst crap of the year-

ANATOMY- "I'd give an arm and a leg
TO MY ANA", said Mr. Gray

"There's APSE for that", said the programming priest

"Where's your wife, Boomer?"
"C.C.'S OUT mixing STUCCO"

Most people don't know that VELVEETA cheese comes from a town in Israel called TEL AVEVE.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone.

Great write up to a puzzle that was fun. I had trouble spelling Paar like Lucina. Also couldn't get zip it and zeal for a long time.

I disagree with you Argyle on your comment about Justice Kagan. I think it is not your usual good judgment, and a totally unnecessary comment.
I realize I am being an old fogy, but since the meaning of SNAFU was told to me during WWII, I still don't like it in a puzzle.

Cheers

Tinbeni said...

Bill G.
I counted 18 though it became redundant.

As to the "OLDAGE" question.
I ran it by my 100 yo neighbor.
He told me: "I'll let you know ... when I reach it."

Lucina said...

I'm off to the gym but hope to return in time for the reveal of the riddle.

kazie said...

Tinbeni,
Your neighbor sounds like he was a good person to ask. Makes me feel a whole lot better.

I have seven 3-letter body parts and five more that I consider cheaters, so far.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, This wasn't a total speed run for me today, though I did finish in good time.

I misspelled Irma/Erma Rambaur, so the eraser got a little workout today. Also put in Crass for Full of Chutzpah--another eraser workout. Also "Misery" co-star didn't immediately come to mind, but the Down perps helped fill that in.

Good to see you up and running Argyle.

As for 31 across , I sometimes guess on a blank square in a CW. I'm not always right, either.

Have a great Monday everyone.

I'm going to be giving my sewing machine a workout today.

Grumpy 1 said...

Sallie, the word in SNAFU is 'fouled' in 'polite' company. That's the definition I've always used when asked to explain what it meant. I let people decide for themselves whether to except that or substitute something else.

Chickie said...

I found eight body parts with three letters if you count internal and external parts.

I will check back later today to see what everyone else has found.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Don't recall ever seeing a theme of all guy's names before. The gender bender theme is brilliant.

Has the CLO of nip and tuck and tought it was going to be something to do with clothing - put me on a wrong track.

My Brother-in-law just called from Kuwait. He's doing OK, and is in a rally good mood.

Summer concert season starts this week. All music all the time. Not much in A Maj, though. That key's for symphonies and and hillbillies.

VELVEETA (already mentioned with MACARONI) is a food-like substance that acts as a flux for melting cheddar.

We're doing some chicken on the WEBER for dinner.

My four TAPDANCERs have their recital this weekend. I think it involves TOENAIL ANATOMY.

IMBO.

Cheers!,
JzB feeling the ONRUSH of OLD AGE

Argyle said...

Sallie, I hope you don't think " Justice Kagan...looks more like a homeroom mother." is a bad thing. She looks fair, considerate and kind, the kind of judge I would like to see more of.

Bill G. said...

Re. the riddle, count whatever you want to. I think you might find close to 10 pretty straight-forward ones. Even more if you include slang, DFers and oddballs like wax (ear wax?).

Feel free to post your answers in a couple of hours, say after 5pm EDT?

Hahtoolah said...

Bill G. I can think of 10 three- letter body parts and 2 others that are iffy. Of course, there are a lot more if the body parts are all counted ( there are multiply copies of most parts).

Avg Joe said...

I'm stuck on five 3 letter parts. I'm not counting any multiples and not using any slang (yes, the common word for gluteus maximus is slang). Can't think of anything internal. I'd better move onto productive work. Check back later to see the results.

Tinbeni said...

Kazie
He still drives (though only during daylight) and walks around the block twice-a-day (about a mile).
And enjoys an nip of Avatar daily.
He really is a hoot !!!


Bill G.
Hey, if I can use slang & DF's then we're probably over 30 ...
knowing this crowd ... 50!!!

thehondohurricane said...

Hahtool,

Actually, I missed knowing Aaron by a few years!

Another example of failing to read my write up prior to posting. Comment was based on my recollection of Chernow's portrayal of Burr in his book, Alexander Hamilton.

JD said...

learning moment of the day, RO*TEL. Was I the only one who has never heard of it?

CA, another learning moment. I clunked the avocado pit today to see it fall out. Amazing! Had avocado/salami sandwich..yum.

Bill,I have 9 words with a few DF's to add.

Dennis, nice photo.

Jayce said...

Excellent puzzle today. Loved it. So much fun!

Kazie, sorry your back is hurting you. I hope walking and keeping moving help you to feel better soon.

Velveeta is plastic :)

Loved that piggy toes entry! Blue state was another favorite. Really a lot of terrific fill today.

Clear Ayes said...

JD, glad to furnish a handy hint. Now if someone will come up with a way to easily de-seed a mango, I will be very grateful. BTW, Ro*tel is canned chopped tomatoes with green chiles and spices. It has a great kick for dips and sauces.

3 letters?...I've got 17, but 7 of those are slang and a couple of the 7 I probably wouldn't list here (there's DF, and then there is just not nice), so I guess it is back down to 15. Since I'm sure we've all thought of these, how about some Dance: Ten; Looks: Three from A Chorus Line.

Anonymous said...

What does DFer stand for?

Argyle said...

dysfunctional ;~)

Lucina said...

Well, it's 2:12 P. M. here so it must be 5:12 EDT. This is my list with no slang:

eye, ear, lip, jaw, rod (inside the eye), arm, hip, leg, rib, toe.

I have to confess to having seen this before.

Frenchie said...

Hi C.C., Argyle and folk,

2a. Fanatic's feeling...wanted real but a fanatic is extreme and the letter z and the word zeal are extreme

8a. Actor, in the profession, females seem to prefer to be called actor as opposed to actress...a woman's lib. or right's thing?

60a. Stucco, yea! We finally got the green sticker for the wall sheer engineering on my house so we can finish the insulation and house wrap then finish the sheathing and then, stucco time!

2d. I'm a Grey's Anatomy fan.

18d. Love Kris Kristoferson's music. His movie roles tend to be hokey. Sunday Morning Coming Down

Everything came together quick and tidy...very clean construction.
thank you, Mr. Chen!

Happy Monday, bloggers and

I'm out.

kazie said...

Lucina and Jayce,
Thanks for the commiserations. I am doing better today, especially after walking this morning. I might even cancel the Dr. appointment tomorrow and go to a chiropractor instead.

Do (eye)'lid' and (knee)'cap' count as multiples? Or are they acceptable? And what about 'fat'? We probably all have some of that as part of our bodies.

dodo said...

Hello friends,

Today I'm named correctly: made a really stupid mistake which could have been avoided if I'd just checked over the completed puzzle!
There should be something even heavier than a V8 can to thump my head! Like a brick!

Could not for the life of me think
what 'candle threads' meant (REALLY dumb right there) so I left it and went on. Then I mispelled 'Asimov' with an 'a' after the 'z' instead of an 'i' so the 'candle threads'ended up as 'wacks' until I was checking the grid here! Beat me with a wet noodle! Will I be abolished from the blog?

Avg Joe said...

Frenchie, I couldn't get that link to work, so if you don't object, I'll pinch hit: Sunday Morning Coming Down

And another of my favorites: When I Loved Her

Several Doh moments on the body parts on my part. I had thought of arm, but leg never occured to me. I was segmenting too much....thigh, calf, ankle.. Also didn't think of lip. Brain dead, so I'd better quite.

Lemonade714 said...

Gore Vidal's historical nove, BURR is one of my all time favorite reads. I also named my oldest son Aaron, so it is all good by me.

Abejo said...

Good Evening, folks. Thank you, Jeff, for a great Monday puzzle. Nice to have you back, Argyle. You were missed.

Enjoyed zipping through this puzzle. The theme came easily.

We had A MAJOR the other day. interesting to see it again so soon. A MAJ

I really do not like macaroni and cheese. My wife and daughter like it, so it is in the house. However, I never eat it.

RIN Tin Tin brings back memories. Yo...Rinny!

Always enjoy WEBER, as in the grill. I own four of them.

As far as three letter body parts, I count 11.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Frenchie said...

part deux:

@ anon., 9:00am, that is some weird s#%^ about the progeny stuff.

@Grumpy 1, What I've been hearing is 70 is the new 60 and I'm cool with that!

@Ave. Joe, thanks! I have to check what I'm doing wrong!

@lemonade714,
65. Windsor knot neckwear : TIE
Did I recall you having an avatar at one time in which you sported a Windsor knot? What are the favorite knots among this group?

Argyle said...

Garlic knots, good for my 'gut'.

dodo said...

Back again. Just read the comments. I came up with 8 body parts; same as Lucina except for hip, and rod (never knew). I did have 'gut' though which I don't think is slang as drs. use it all the time.

Kazie, I was middle-aged or even younger until 80. Since then I feel life getting short. My mind doesn't seem a lot different than it ever did. Not only intelli-gence, but interests and dreams(?). Memory definitely not so sharp and I talk too much and am not always a good listener. The listening businss has to do with wanting to say something and being afraid you'll forget it by the time your turn comes around! Sad but true!

dodo said...

We had a neighbor here who finally died at 103 She played the piano and bridge until about her last year! My next door neighbor is 97 and I can't keep up with her physically. I've outlived all my immediate family. My driver's license expires in Oct. 2012 and I don't think I'll renew it, but maybe I wont feel that way in a year.

Frenchie said...

Ha! Ha! Argyle, you are very feisty today! I love a man who knows his own mind...garlic knots! Very revealing!

Seldom Seen said...

Has anyone suggested DNA and/or RNA?

Seldom Seen said...

Just kidding. But what about pit?

Frenchie said...

@seen, would egg then be viable?

Bill G. said...

Good job on the three-letter body parts. I think we can all agree on the following: arm, ear, eye, gum, hip, jaw, leg, lip, rib, toe. (I never thought of rod. Good one!) Stretching the definition of body parts a bit, you might have included: fat, lap, lid (eyelid), ova (or egg), pit (arm pit), pus, wax and a few other DF terms. Personally, since doctors use the word “gut” to describe your digestive body parts, I think it should be included too.

creature said...

Dodo,

Thanks for being candid and sharing your experience after 80. If we are lucky, we will remember your experiences.

I hope you can pick up where your 103 y.o. neighbor leaves off. Your liveliness and interests come off as someone who is a lot age-wise younger. I assume this is your natural state of mind and I am impressed. I understand your needing to speak the few things you want to say before you forget them. I have tripped over this predicament myself.

Hang in there and speak up. You are a delight.

Al said...

Speaking of gut, we also had MAW as a puzzle answer not that long ago, and PED is a common crossword answer for foot. How about a BUD on your tongue? If you're allowing pus, does that extend to zit? And to push it even further, there's DNA and RNA, but those are abbreviations, so they probably don't count.

carol said...

Al, I LOVE a Bud (light) on my tongue ;) (well, there is another but ---)
I also had tit and ass but you all know I'm a bit DF - I am sure there were others even worse but I will leave that to all your collective imaginations, which I know are extensive.

Bill G. said...

Dodo, I echo Creature's sentiments. I always enjoy reading your posts. I'm glad you discovered this place to share your thoughts as well as your crossword solving experiences.

Al, I'm not allowing or disallowing anything. They're all OK with me. I'm surprised nobody has included ass, tit, etc. Ahh, I guess we're all too cultured and proper for that stuff. :>)

Clear Ayes said...

Oh well, might as well toss in JUG, MUG and GOB as well as the earlier mentioned GAM. I'll leave my last two to our vivid imaginations.

That's all for me. Have a good evening everyone.

kazie said...

Bill G,
OVA is the plural form of OVUM, though I don't know if that would disqualify the word.

Dodo,
You have a lively neighbor who obviously keeps you young too. I'd renew that license if they let you.

dodo said...

Dear friends, I didn't really think you'd dump me! dodo

Frenchie said...

@lemonade and argyle, "to be or knot to be..."

Wow, I just forgot about the alarm system being armed and I opened the door to go out with my dog and the siren went off...so loud! I'm kind of shaken up and my dog has yet to come back down stairs!

HUTCH said...

To one and all! Life is like a roll of toilet paper.The nearer the end, the faster it goes!