google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Scott Atkinson

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Jul 20, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Scott Atkinson

Theme: DUCK-LING fling. Five common English words that can serve double duty as either nouns or verbs are adorned with a diminutive LING suffix, yielding another common English language noun, now in an off-beat, humorous diminutive form. Some of them are still verbs, as well.

17A. Very narrow fissure? : CRACKLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A bit of fried pork or goose fat; V: producing a series of snapping noises.

26A. Landfill in a toy city? : DUMPLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A lump of dough cooked in liquid.

38. Minuscule tattoo? : INKLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A hint, 3) A vague notion, 4) (plural) An Oxford University literary discussion group whose members included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; V: Communicating in an undertone or whisper (obsolete.)

40A. Dollhouse dress adornment? : BOWLING. N: 1) Tiny BOW, as per the clue, 2) A game in which one knocks down wooden objects with a rolled ball. V: Playing that game.

49A. Where to wear a training bra? : BUSTLING. N: Per the clue, A, AA, or AAA miniscule bosom. (Dare I?) V: Moving energetically.

62A. Very young hobo? : TRAMPLING. N: Son of ON THE ROAD, perhaps. V: Treading in a heavy-footed, damaging manner

And the unifier, 67A. Waterfowl whose young inspired this puzzle's theme : DUCKS. Baby DUCKS are DUCKLINGS.

Wow! Six theme entries, plus a unifier, and very complex wordplay, with layered double, and sometimes triple meanings, a rich musical sub-theme, and a bit of DF. I am AGAPE, but will not DUCK out on you. Lets DUCK INTO the puzzle and see what we can find.

Across:

1. Birthday secret : WISH. We make our wishes known. Otherwise, you get what you get.

5. "Back in Black" band : ACDC. Of all the bands that (tried to ) sound like Led Zeppelin, I preferred Led Zeppelin.

9. Visibly amazed : AGAPE. Jaw-droppingly so.

14. __ Domini : ANNO. Latin: In the year of Our Lord.

15. Bodybuilder's supplement : WHEY. Dairy-based protein source.

16. Hand-dyeing craft : BATIK.

19. Vintage violin : AMATI

20. Michael Moore health-care film : SICKO. Unavoidably political, ergo: no comment.

21. Melody : TUNE. We opened the Jazz Fest with this TUNE. Hardest Big Band Chart I've ever played. I have a video posted on Facebook. If you're on and interested, send me an email, and I'll send you a link.

23. Rock 'n' roll middle name : ARON. Alvis ARON Presley

24. Didn't sell : KEPT.

28. CIA part: Abbr. : AGCY. Central intelligence AGENCY.

30. Arthur Fiedler et al. : MAESTRI. Pl. of MEASTRO - orchestra conductors.

32. Hamm of soccer : MIA. From the U.S Gold Cup Championship Team of a few years back.

33. Ryder rentals : VANS. TRUCKS doesn't fit.

34. Where eaglets hatch : AERIE. Alternate spellings of this word always leave me feeling eerily up in the air.

42. Opposite of perfect pitch : NO EAR. OK. But TIN EAR is more idiomatic.

43. Composer __ Carlo Menotti : GIAN. 20th Century Italian-American composer.

44. Transp. group in the Loop : CTA. CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY

45. Pago Pago people : SAMOANS

48. Did a farrier's job : SHOD. Installed horseshoes. A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves. Now you know.

52. Lacking spice : TAME

54. Chain selling stacks : IHOP. International House of Pancakes

55. Clue in a case : LEAD

57. Dip for a chip : SALSA

60. Mila of "Black Swan" : KUNIS

64. "Fear of Flying" author Jong : ERICA

65. Sneaky trick : WILE. In theory, perhaps.

66. Luke's sci-fi sister : LEIA

68. Black stone : ONYX

69. Enjoys a smorgasbord : SUPS

Down:

1. WWII auxiliaries : WACS. Pl of WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS.

2. Calvary inscription : INRI. L. abbrv. "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews." Calvary was the site of the crucifixion.

3. Twinkie or Ding Dong : SNACK CAKE. Empty calories.

4. Game with sticks : HOCKEY.

5. Pointy tool : AWL

6. Slip in a pot : CHIT. Slang for an IOU

7. Strips of leaves : DENUDES. Remember Agent Orange?

8. Swan constellation : CYGNUS. Use your imagination.

9. The N.Y. Nets were its last champion : ABA. American Basketball Association

10. Warren Harding's middle name : GAMALIEL. You all knew that - right?

11. Asteroids maker : ATARI. Ditto.

12. Spike for a mountaineer : PITON. Drive it into a CRACKLING.

13. Squeezing (out) : EKING

18. Keystone character : KOP. BUSTLING Bumbling gendarmes from the silent movie days.

22. Ambulance VIP : EMT. EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN. Note abbrv in cl & ans.

25. Bur. of Prohibition employee : T-MAN. Treasury Department officers out to collect alcohol taxes.

27. Shrimp relative : PRAWN. What's the difference?

28. Key with no sharps or flats: Abbr. : A MIN. Now this is tricky. A MIN is the relative minor of C MAJ - both with four letters, but no sharps or flats.

29. NFL Hall of Famer Marchetti : GINO. Old time Baltimore Colt.

31. Zambia neighbor: Abbr. : ANG. ANGOLA - also a city in Indiana.

33. Like megapopular web videos : VIRAL. Slang term, meaning passed from person to person, like a virus

35. Cardinal who was a foe of the Musketeers : RICHELIEU

36. Wild about : INTO. How long has it been since anyone asked you: "Are you INTO C B?"

37. "Zounds!" : EGAD. Slang from across the pond.

39. Unwanted playground game teammate : LAST PICK. Yes. That would be me.

40. Recycling vessel : BIN

41. Brewer's kiln : OAST. Crossword stalwart.

43. Yuri who was the first to orbit Earth : GAGARIN. Russian Cosmonaut.

46. Wire measure : MIL. Thousandth of an inch.

47. Punch sequence : ONE-TWO. Take that, and that . . .

48. Some tees : SMALLS. T-Shirt sizes.

49. Pedaled : BIKED. This guy gave his girlfriend a bicycle. Then she peddled it all over town.

50. Freedom, in Swahili : UHURU. Didn't we just see her last week?

51. Part of SST : SONIC. Super SONIC Transport

53. "Antony and Cleopatra" killer : ASP. Slithery crossword stalwart.

56. Tyne with a Tony and Emmys : DALY. The name is familiar, but not the face.

58. Salon sound : SNIP. Cutting hair

59. "What __!": "How fun!" : A GAS. Groovy slang, man. Far out!

61. Palindromic airline : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System International, if you have an INKLING to travel.

63. Tex-__ cuisine : MEX. Burritos, fajitas, chile con carne, etc. OK. Now I'm hungry.
Fine, intricate puzzle. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I.

Cheers!

JzB

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few more "Hard to Believe" pictures from another blog regular. I'm afraid her captions will give her name away easily. I just adore the third picture. She looks gorgeous!

58 comments:

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, JazzB and friends. I loved today's puzzle. It seemed a tad easier than the usual Wednesday, and for me, was easier than yesterday's. The new definitions for all the "-ling" words were very amusing.

I used to work with a man who, when we had to travel around the state, would go miles out of the way just to stop at a place that sold CRACKLING. He claimed they were the best Cracklin's around. Since I don't eat pork products, I wouldn't know.

My favorite clue was the Landfill in a Toy City = DUMPLING.

Another very hot day, but the rain has finally stopped.

QOD: Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Fun theme today. It was a nice surprise to see GAGARIN, GAMALIEL and RICHELIEU in the grid -- three names we should all know but probably don't. I knew them vaguely, but was able to get them eventually with some per help. Well, except for the C in RICHELIEU (I had an S instead and couldn't figure out my mistake since it crosses the completely unknown CTA.)

I could have done without MAESTRI and NO EAR, but the rest of the puzzle was just fine.

windhover said...

Gotta be the lovely Hearti Marti

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - What Hahtool said. I like this puzzle's sense of humor!

CRACKLINGs were unknown to me until that day in '82 when I tried to follow Irma Rombauer's "Joy of Cooking" recipe for making clam chowder. It called for frying a lump of salt pork, then removing the cracklings. Having no idea what they were, I had to call a friend, a veteran housewife up in Maine, for clarification.

Related note: the recipe did not call for tomato in any form. :-)

Dudley said...

Oh, and I second Windhover's motion.

Lemonade714 said...

Hey happy humpers,

What a fun theme and puzzle and write up. Thank you Scott and JzB.

My first thought when I got the first couple of theme answers was this famous CHARACTER .

FP, nice new avatar. And SHADOWLANDS is up there in my top movies ever.

Where are all the Harry Potter people (do not disclose the ending, please).

Anonymous said...

Hard to Believe ?

Hmmm - The eyes looks like Creature'(s).

The hair is a different color,(than her avatar -)

but you never know (the real 'birth' color - ) with women. ( just an observation, no offense meant - ).

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Fun puzzle.

Stayed up late, got up early. Off to a meeting, then to T-Town to visit my mother. She had her hip replaced a couple of weeks ago, and is doing fabulously well.

I'll check back in this evening.

Cheers!
JzB

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Jazzbumpa, C.C. et al.

What a fun puzzle today. And a fantastic write-up to go with it, JazzB! I really chuckled at your comment on the PITON clue.

I literally laughed out loud when I filled in BUSTLING. I am in awe at the execution and cleverness of this one: Great, Scott!

Learning moment today was GAMALIEL. I had filled in GARRISON, which really messed up the NE for me. But the perps demanded that I take it out, so out it went. The rest of the puzzle went really smoothly. I liked seeing SNACK CAKE, VIRAL, LAST PICK and ONE-TWO. Fun fill.

Have a very happy hump day everyone, and stay cool and remember to drink plenty of water !

Hahtoolah said...

Angola is also the state penitentiary in Louisiana.

Interesting to have Yuri GARAGIN on the anniversary of Neil Armstrong's moon walk.

The profile in the first photo made me think of Kazie, but the others reminded me of HeartRx, so I am going with Her as our mystery lass.

Husker Gary said...

What a lovely oasis in this heat wave – a fun, helpful theme, fresh cluing and a perfect humpday level of difficulty. Thanks Scott! Write-up was first rate as well, Jazz.

Musings
-Jazz, those did not appear to be AAA’s and seemed to be already well trained!
-BCE and CE are new non-religious options for BC/AD
-I heard Mia comment on current women’s soccer team and she is bright and articulate as well as a superb athlete
-I have sung next to “NOEAR” peeps who “sing” louder when the pitch goes up and vice versa
-Hawaiians tell SAMOAN jokes like some others cultures tell ethnic jokes – How many ___ does it take to screw in a light bulb?
-Mila Kunis has done a very nice thing!
-Wile E Coyote - how much meat can there be on that roadrunner anyway?
-TMAN is sometimes clued sans abbr.
-LASTPICK is one of life’s real lessons learned on the playground!
-This NASA guy tried GArGARIN first!

Yellowrocks said...

--

kazie said...

I second the others who guessed Marti.

Hahtool,
I did wear school uniforms, but in Oz, everyone did in those days--all public schools too. In fact, my high school was the first public girls' school in the country. It was 75 years old when I started there in 1958.

I screwed up two areas today--I had IN AWE for AGAPE--Namaliel looked as good a name as any to me and I was going through the alphabet trying to remember what those climbing thinglings were called.

I didn't know WHEY had anything to do with bodybuilding either. I guessed DENUDES, but shouldn't the clue have been "strips OFF leaves"? Our paper has "of".

Another scorcher coming today.
Stay cool!

Yellowrocks said...

Sorry for the blank. I have typed and retyped this comment many times. The computer "ate" it every time, so I wanted to be sure I could get in before typing it again.
I loved the many layers of meaning in this puzzle and JazzB's witty comments and links. It was a much more interesting puzzle than must easy ones.
I had C MAJ for 28A, quickly changing it as the initial A appeared.
I thought 1A WISH refered to the wish you make when you blow out your birthday candles. If you don't keep it a secret, it won't come true, so they say.

Anonymous said...

"Back in Black" band : AC/DC. Jazzbumpa IMHO, I prefer them to Led Zepp. I guess it is because radio stations in my youth over played Stairway to Heaven. Great write up otherwise.

I just wish AC/DC would license their music for digital download.

Michael Moore health-care film : SICKO. IMHO It's a great film it brought attention to people who aren't able to afford healthcare.

I find it strange that we don't believe that access to healthcare is a basic human right. Other countries that are smaller and have less than we do in the land of plenty believe it.

Rock 'n' roll middle name : ARON. Elvis ARON Presley

Elvis

Fun Facts by Dave Letterman

Researchers at Sara Lee have spent nearly $3 billion dollars trying to find a way for people to have their cake and eat it too.

The broadway show RENT closed after the theaters landlord evicted them.

Tinbeni said...

JazzB; Excellent write-up & links.

Thanks to the perps I now know why GAMALIEL wanted to be known as Warren "G." Harding.

GAGARIN & RICHELIEU were gimmies.
Hmmm, "the Loop" is in Chicago, so CTA was an easy wag.

CHIT I learned as an accounting student.

BATIK & UHURU are our new ASP, lately.

All-in-all, a FUN Wednesday.

Cheers to all at Sunset.

windhover said...

Hmmmm,
No denial @ 7:30, so must be.

RSD:
Me too.

creature said...

Good Morning CC, Jazz and all,

Super write-up, Jazz. Thanks for your fresh , fun slant on 49A. And thanks to Scott for delightful clue/answer.

This was a little more than a Wednesday for me. A letter at a time, but made it through. My brain hadn’t awakened and I slowed to a long pause over 8D. For some reason, I switched to phonetic spelling and it took me forever to spell CYGNUS- ‘signus’ and I groveled with ‘w-ei until CYGNUS.. The band A-DS
Was another mess. Took a break and it fell.

The attractive mystery lady must be Marti.

Out the door for an appointment.

Have a nice day everyone.

HeartRx said...

Windhover @8:58, you guys are just too sharp!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Nice write-up, JzB.

Not real hard for a Wednesday, but ended up w/ red-letter help for the R in VIRAL. No other look-ups needed. Got the theme in mid-solve, with all the diminutive 'LING' endings. Clever. Believe RICHELIEU was Louis XIV's prime minister who cobbled together much of modern France for him. Richelieu is also a river in Quebec, the outlet of Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence River. Had no trouble with UHURU this time. A few too many abbrs. for me but otherwise enjoyable.

Stay cool.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, everything is settled this morning including Marti's photos. Nice ones of our adventuresome contributor.

44A) I figured "Transp. group in the Loop" was Chicago Transportation Association....still winds up CTA. No harm, no foul.

I had a few hiccups with 6D)CHIT, 28D)A MIN, 31D)ANG and 46D)MIL. OTOH, GAMALIEL, GAGARIN and RICHELIEU popped out with no problem.

I enjoyed all of Scott Atkinson's Little LINGS and Jazzbumpa's links and explanations.

Now back to cleaning out cupboards and cabinets...ugh!

Bill G. said...

Fun puzzle. I didn't notice the plural for MAESTRI but it looked ok 'cause I didn't know how to spell GAMALIEL. GAMALOEL looked just as good.

Cygnus is a great constellation. It contains lots of interesting telescopic stuff and has a beautiful double star when viewed through a small telescope. The stars are bright and close and obviously different colors. Really pretty!

Me three re. SICKO.

Of course, that soccer link isn't Mia Hamm but you probably already knew that.

Yes, a nice thing that Mila Kunis has done. I didn't know much about her except she looked pretty. I heard her on a talk show and she loves reality TV including Jersey Shore. So I guess I won't be asking her out after all. I'm guessing we wouldn't have anything in common to talk about. :-(

CdelO said...

A farrier is a horse shoer who wants to be called a farrier.

Lucina said...

Hello, JazzB, C.C. and ALL YOU puzzle MAESTRI.

I really liked this puzzle; it's like crossword SNACKCAKE. Very nice, Scott, thank you.

I agree, there is nothing like being THELASTPICK to put one in one's place! Bummer when you're a kid, though.

Love me some CRACKLINGS but must avoid them like the plague, too fattening.

Ditto on SICKO: a great film.

I loved seeing GAMALIEL and RICHELIEU though tricky to spell.

I have NOEAR for singing so I envy those like CA who do.

My vote for HeartRX, too. The skiing gave it away.

I hope your Wednesday is spectacular!

Lucina said...

CdelO:
Don't be a stranger! I've missed you and I lost the link to your website on my old computer.

Grumpy 1 said...

Good afternoon. Thanks for the snazzy jazzy write up JazzB. I didn't read the entire clue and missed the need to pluralize MAESTRo. Like Bill G, I had no idea of the spelling of Warren G's middle name so I wound up with an error on what was otherwise a fun puzzle.

No comment on "Sicko".

Avg Joe said...

It's all been said, but I second it. Fun puzzle, clever cluing and....well.....fun!

Technical DNF for me since I also didn't pluralize Maestri. Had to wait for perps on Yuri since I always "heard" the name as Gurgarin, but did get it.

Didn't mind No Ear and am completely familiar with the term Denuded trees. I'll admit, I get a curious look when I use it at times, but I do use it frequently.

We're still in a weather pattern that can only be described as "Sot!". Borrowing from Bil Keane's Pun-Abridged Dictionary, that's several steps up from Swarm.

Jeannie said...

It must be the heat, yeah, the heat. This one was a big DNF for me. I didn’t know Cygnus, Gamaliel, Gagarin, or Richelieu so Mr. G spot got my business today. I did manage to figure out the “ling” theme not that I really liked it all that much. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all!

Hearti-Marti was my first guess today too. The skiing gave it away, and just loved the “hippy car”!

Speaking of vehicles, today is National Ugly Truck day. Anyone have one?

Still really hot here. I heard an interesting tidbit on my way home last night. The coldest day so far this year in MN was 44 below zero w/ the windchill factor and yesterday with the temps at 98 with 84% humidity it felt more like it was 118 degrees. That’s 162 degree difference. You gotta love MN, why else would we live here??

Bill G. said...

I remember being last picked in elementary school. They were choosing up sides for softball in fourth grade and I got picked to be umpire. It obviously had an effect on me since I still remember it. When I moved to California, I organized and played on a slow-pitch softball team called The Steamshovels. We won the league a couple of times.

There's a woman cook/chef who does radio advertisements locally. She used the expression "cook up a little sompin' sompin' special" in one of her advertisements. Geez, I find that annoying. It's like she's trying extra hard to sound cool. It's even worse than 'ginormous.'

Here's a video about a phenomenal young man and his father. It makes me appreciate my day a little more.

windhover said...

Jeannie:
Got one? I've got two. Number one is an '88 S-10 that the Irish bought in '89. It's got 294K on the clock. A little rust, but it's still red. Number two is an '84 F150 with an indeterminant number of miles. It's four colors, you can see the ground through the floor of the bed. But I rebuilt the front end two years ago, all the bearings and u-joints, and it still hauls a ton of feed home from the mill same as the $60000 duallies. They do make fun of it there, though.

Avg Joe said...

WH, I generally agree with the Ford F series pickup ads that speak of their quality and owner loyalty. They've been a leader for 50 some years for a reason. But....there's always a butt....those early 80's models were absolutely the worst rust buckets that ever rolled off a Ford assembly line. Most of those were rusting through before they were broken in. The survivors have been held together with BW and twine for most of their lives.

Disclosure: I also have an ugly truck. It's a '96 Tacoma with 152K on it that's still a really good truck. No rust, dents or problems and it will still climb a tree. But it is red and is badly faded, so it just ain't real purty. Kinda like me.

Lucina said...

Bill G:
Thank you for that link. I am wiping the tears as I type this and wondering in awe at the strength of the human spirit.

Now it's time for my mani-pedi and I'm grateful to be able bodied.

windhover said...

Joe:
You're right. I bought an '85 F-250 new back in the day and the spot welds on the tailgate let go in less than a year. I think Ford must have gotten a deal somewhere on pre-rusted steel. I used to be a GM guy (way back in the day) but now I just want to haul some stuff and roll down the road (and back).
When the guys at the feed store say I need a new truck I tell em if I want to look good, I'll shave and get a haircut.

Dudley said...

Had a very close call today! A car going the opposite way crossed the double yellow line and came well into my lane. Closing speed must have been near 90 MPH I guess. I narrowly escaped a crash by doing extreme maneuvering. The errant car apparently corrected course and went on its way. I can't prove it but I'll bet the driver was texting. GRRR!

Jeannie said...

Even I have an “ugly truck”. His name is Chief and he’s a 1991 Chevy two-toned red beauty with 241,000 miles on it. I keep him around for hauling brush and he comes in handy for hauling furniture or appliances. Only small problem is he’s missing most of his exhaust but he sure sounds impressive going down the road!

carol said...

Hi gang,
A little late to the party today, busy morning.

I liked the puzzle but it did kick my fanny. Things like CYGNUS, GAMALIEL, MAESTRI, WHEY. Why do bodybuilders eat whey?? Curds and whey: isn't that cottage cheese? You eat too much of that and your thighs begin to look that 'whey' too. ;)

DENUDES for striping leaves from a branch? Was the branch 'dressed' before? How the heck does one 'denude' something. Undress, yes.
If you are nude, that is pretty much it.

I NEVER remember how to spell LEIA!

I have to agree with Yellowrocks on 1A. Making a wish is what you do before blowing out the candles, and you don't tell what it is, that is the 'secret'.

Seldom Seen said...

Had a friend whose mother offered to buy him 5 new albums if he would throw away his AC/DC's Back In Black.

I drive a 2003 F150 King Ranch that grows uglier after every job. She still is dateable though.

Grumpy1: You're not alone. It just feels that way.

Mmmmmmmm Mila....Watched her on That 70's Show. Really liked her in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She might be more than just another pretty face.

Unknown said...

Thanks, JzB for the super writing today.
Fun puzzle wasn't it?
I loved "dumpling". Our dumpling is back at home with her parents tonight. We taught her the "hokey-pokey" last night before she went to bed. This morning after her ovo (eggs) breakfast, we were doing the dance again. The hokey-pokey is fun at 8 P.M but at 7 A. M., not so much!
Have a cool night all!

eddyB said...

Hello there.

96 in the back yard shade @3:30.

My truck is a 1996 Dodge Dakota.
Factory color WAS Jade. All of the grey primer and rust spots still not covered must have confused the Milpitas police. They think it is blue. Just turned 19,301 miles today.

take care. eddy

Yellowrocks said...

I'm back to the land of the active! I danced two sets last night out of eight. What fun!! And this morning I am not the worst for wear. Mom Speaks Out, most of us are not wearing what you called Bo-Peep outfits. Shorts, come-as-you-are, "whatever" is the order of the day. I can tackle my neglected housekeeping by the hour instead of widely spaced 20 minute intervals. The first of June the pain came on almost overnight, took a bull dog hold for 7 weeks, and quickly abated. I feel for those whose pain is so much more permanent.
I may go tent camping with four of my siblings and extended families early in August. I had thought that was going to be impossible.

creature said...

Our truck is a '95 red F-250.It has an extended cab and is perfect for hauling horses for weekend rides, etc. We have only used it to haul things from time to time since we don't haul horses any more. I forgot the mileage on it, but of course it wasn't new when we got it. Everyone said it had low mileage. It needs to be jumped as it's been idle. I will get the mileage when I get AAA here. I love a truck! I claim I may need it for emergencies, but really I love that truck.It makes me feel so empowered.

Grumpy 1 said...

The "truck" here is a 2003 Suburban with almost every bell and whistle they had that year. I got it used at a very good price in 2005, it still has less than 50,000 miles on it and cleans up very nice. After some of the ugly trucks we had at work (crew cab diesels) the Suburban is a thing of beauty. I don't need it often but I keep finding "reasons" to take her out.

creature said...

BillG,

Your 'phenomenal' link is a young man and family from Louisville. They were featured on"Extreme Home Makeover"several years ago. They have inspired our community for quite some time and we are very touched by them. The entire family is an inspiration.You are very special yourself. Thanks for being you. Funny how these things spread.

Abejo said...

Good Evening, folks. Thank you Scott Atkinson for a swell puzzle. A little tough in spots, but that's why we do them. Thank you Jazzbumpa for the great write-up.

I jumped around on this one. The theme came easily. DUCKS was an easy answer.

I got GAMALIEL, but it was a struggle. I also got RICHELIEU. It was also a struggle. Had EATS instead of SUPS for a while.

My favorite was I.N.R.I. for 2D. I like Latin and one of my favorite phrases is IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAERORUM. Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Jazz referred to it in his write-up.

Again, one of my favorites, and still think it is in the top ten of crossword answers, ASP.

I had '76 Ford F-150, four-speed, and a '90 Ford F-150, five speed.

See you all tomorrow.

Abejo

HUTCH said...

Jeanie. All the Norski's decided to meet in Fargo to discuss the bitter cold! Finally after much discussion, it was decided the only solution was to emigrate away. All the Norwegians came out to Seattle and Ballard. The Swedes moved to Minnesota. This is a Norwegian story.

Avg Joe said...

I see the bar has been raised on ugly trucks. Well now...

I had a 1965 red and white F-100 short bed with a curved contestoga style topper on the bed back in 1977. Don't recall the milage, but let's say it was "heavily experienced". Numerous dents, several areas of Bondo, rust in the front and rear panels etc. This PU had so many idiosyncrasies that it could have spent a lifetime in therapy without meaningful resolution. It clicked, it clanged, it ka-chunked, it ticked and generally ran badly. I think it had a chunk missing out of the flywheel. But it got me through a about 7 months and cost me less than $300 to own during that period, so I guess I did OK. Can't say that I ever missed it once gone, but it was my first pickup and it started a trend that's not likely to be ended soon.

fermatprime said...

Hi All!

Cute puzzle, Scott; fun write-up, Jazz!

Got the ...LING thing pretty quickly, laughed at the answers! Liked DUMPLING the best.

Still fighting with ATT. Too bad I cannot get rid of them for phone and internet also. DTV not working right yet--really idiotic installers. Am having an hydraulic lift put by the pool so I can get out of it. Will be great to be able to swim again!

I have an ugly truck! A 1999 Silverado 1500. Scratched to death by the privet hedge in the driveway. (Never got a scratch when I had the 1964 Firebird.) Also a few dents. Only 20,000 miles. You beat me on that, eddy!

More tomorrow!

HeartRx said...

Bill G., you always provide such inspirational links, and today's was no exception. If I ever grumble about my sore back, or chemo side-effects, JUST KICK ME!! I absolutely loved the video of Patrick and his father - absolutely incredible, and a motivation for all of us to "do the right thing" in every thing we do. Thank you for sharing!!!

Dudley, it's close calls like that, that make us appreciate our "little" time in this world. It could be gone in a flash!! Glad you are not among those...

And speaking of pickup trucks, well, my daddy had a Ford Model T that he converted into a "truck" of sorts...it is what I learned to drive in, out in the back fields. I suppose it is still rusting away out there somewhere, and if anyone had a mind to, it would probably be easily resurrected today, if you wanted. So my vote would be for Ford, any day!!
to be continued...

HeartRx said...

Glad y'all enjoyed the pics, but sorry it was so easy to spot who the "mystery girl" was. All pics of me as a toddler went to my older sisters (they were also in the pics, naturally - mom never wanted to waste film on "individual" photos). Now that all my sisters are gone, I suppose some niece or the other is looking at those old photos and wondering, "Who was that goofy-looking gangly kid with mom???"

Bill G. said...

I'm glad you guys enjoyed that link. Most of us would never know about those kinds of stories if it weren't for the Internet.

I don't have any old truck stories but I wish I did. Would a '65 VW bought new by me for $1900 count for something? Now that Barbara has a new Yaris, I guess we'll have to sell the bug eventually. I hope we can find a good home for it.

Lemonade714 said...

Marti:

I do not see you as a "goofy-looking gangly kid," more likely a gangly looking goofy kid.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Mom had a follow-up with her surgeon today, and got a good report. She can probably go back home from the nursing home in about another week, depending on how her PT goes.

I'm tired.

Cheers!
JzB

Anonymous said...

Good night all.

Jazz, what great news about your mom. Hope the PT goes well too. A hip replacement sounds worse than a knee. (My DH has had both knees done and is most happy with the results.)

No wonder you're tired after the superlative write up.

Bill G. said...

It's surprising what might slip by when you aren't really paying attention.

I was aimlessly watching TV because an advertisement for the Auto Club was on. One lady said that when she got her quote from the Auto Club for car insurance, she "literally fell out of her chair." Another happy customer beamed, "They don't set the bar, they are the bar." It all sounded OK unless you were thinking about what they were saying.

By the way, their auto insurance provides very good customer service at a significantly lower price than most others. I just think their ad agency needs calming down a bit.

dodo said...

Evening folks.

Had lots of fun with this puzzle. Thank you Scott. And your write up was great, Jzb

I went for 'Cmaj' as well as some of the rest. I'm not at all good at key signatures and usually ask my daughter, the musician of the family. I do know the key of 'C' though. Wrong anyway!

Gamaliel eased out of the vapor somehow, but I wasn't sure about the second 'a'. Could have been 'e'. Richelieu and Gagarin were gimmies. 'agcy ' was a bit of a hangup because of the 'Cmaj' gaffe. Otherwise, a nice run today.

"Jazz, those did not appear to be AAA’s and seemed to be already well trained!
-BCE and CE are new non-religious options for BC/AD" - Husker, can you translate, please. I'm completely in the dark.

Chickie said...

Very late this evening. I did finish the puzzle and I second all the things said by others.

Very busy day today. Tomorrow will be about the same.

My grandson in Africa has had a fever and bad headache and is in the Medical hut at their training compound. Dr. said virus. He is feeling much better, but one worries when the kids are soooo far away. I've been on Facebook to check on his progress. Nice to have instant answers to questions and not have to wait for a letter to arrive.

Good night all.

Chickie said...

Marti, loved the pictures of you.

Thanks, C.C. for providing us with some fun and games this summer. The pictures of our blogging buddies have been great.

Bill G. said...

Dodo, instead of BC and AD as we've been used to, BCE now means Before the Common (or Christian) Era and CE means Common Era. At least, I think that what it all means.

This may one of the few places in the US where it wasn't stifling hot today. It got up to the low 70s here.

Course, when a high pressure area sits over this area and the Santa Ana winds start, it gets pretty unpleasant and we don't have AC.