google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, August 1, 2011 Andrew Bannem

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Aug 1, 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011 Andrew Bannem

Theme: Cool It - Themes that end in a type of the unifier.

20A. Microprocessor : COMPUTER CHIP

39A. Substance in a visual display unit : LIQUID CRYSTAL

56A. Broth-making aid : BOUILLON CUBE. I'm having some broth now.

65D. The ends of 20-, 39- and 56-Across are forms of it : ICE

Bonus entry in the center of the grid:

30D. 65-Down, in a cocktail : ROCKS. The cube type.

Argyle 90% here. Thank you for your get well wishes last week. Typical Monday. We tend to forget that while OBI(21D) are gimmes for most of us there was a time when it was a unknown. I do like the unifier being the last word.

Across:

1. Effervescence : FIZZ. Wow! Starting out with two Z's. Unfortunately, there is no W, so no pangram.

5. Orange container : CRATE

10. Afterthoughts : ANDs

14. Mine, in Marseille : À MOI. French.

15. Where dos are done : SALON. Hair dos.

16. Chimney buildup : SOOT

17. Blessing : BOON

18. Words spoken while tossing in cards : "I'M OUT". "Too rich for my blood."

19. One may be dog-eared : PAGE. The corner is turned down.

23. Hard tattoo to misspell : MOM

26. Grafton's "__ for Burglar" : 'B' IS

27. Sunday dinners : ROASTS

28. Qatar's peninsula : ARABIA

30. Grating sound : RASP

32. Load (up), as energy food : CARB. Yes, CARB can be used as a verb.

33. Synthesizer pioneer : MOOG. Moog demonstration.(2:19)

35. Juanita's "this" : ESTÁ. Spanish.

42. Scout uniform accessory : SASH

43. Depression era migrant : OKIE

44. Graph line : AXIS

46. Snobbish mannerisms : AIRS

48. Maine mail order giant : LL BEAN

50. Halfback's maneuver : END RUN

54. __-mo replay : SLO

55. High-speed PC option : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). High speed in comparison to Dial-Up.

60. Two-tone treat : OREO. "More cookies!"

61. Oodles : A HEAP

62. Long skirt : MAXI

66. Leave out : OMIT

67. Modern kind of phone : SMART

68. Voltaire's "with" : AVEC. French.

69. Topeka's st. : KANS

70. Versatile blood donor : TYPE 'O'

71. Green stone : JADE

Down:

1. Beatles adjective : FAB. The FAB Four.

2. Chat room "I think ..." : IMO. "In My Opinion."

3. Bronx attraction : ZOO

4. Metal in pennies : ZINC

5. Forensic TV spin-off : "CSI MIAMI"

6. Highway exits : RAMPS

7. Baseball's Felipe or Matty : ALOU. Or Jesús. Or Moisés.

8. Track tipster : TOUT

9. Goes in : ENTERS

10. Pet-protecting org. : ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

11. __ Ark : NOAH'S

12. Loaf on the job : DOG IT. Another meaning for DOG.

13. Staircase units : STEPS

21. Japanese wraparound : OBI

22. Double Dutch needs : ROPES. Using two jump ropes at one time. Clip.(1:12)

23. Fella : MAC

24. Postgraduate grillings : ORALS

25. What they call the wind, in a 1951 song : MARIA. Clip.(3:01) The Big song from "Paint Your Wagon" sung by Vaughn Monroe.

29. Backyard cookouts, briefly : BBQs

31. Prefix with culture : AGRI

34. Skunk's defense : ODOR

36. Take a __ at: try : STAB

37. Put a levy on : TAXED

38. Assumed name : ALIAS

40. Ryder competitor : U-HAUL

41. Shout at from below : YELL UP TO

45. NBC show with Baba Wawa skits, briefly : SNL

47. At the bottom of the standings : IN LAST

49. Soft shot : LOB

50. Kindle download : EBOOK

51. "__ Rae" : NORMA. 1979 American drama film with Sally Field, Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman, Pat Hingle.

52. Expected at the terminal : DUE IN

53. Mob outbreaks : RIOTS

54. Alarming situation : SCARE

57. "That's a surprise!" : "OH MY!"

58. Twice-monthly tide : NEAP. the tide that occurs when the difference between high and low tide is least

59. Key of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 : E MAJ.. Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) was an Austrian composer.

63. Gardner on screen : AVA. Image, with Frank.

64. Crossed (out) : X'ED


Argyle

72 comments:

  1. This appears to be the debut puzzle for Andrew Bannem, unless Jerome can come up with an anagram of our editor for it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, all!

    Mostly an easy breezy Monday effort, but there were a few minor sticking points for me. ANDS did not pop immediately to mind when I saw "afterthoughts". I can sorta see it now, but it still seems a bit off to me. Same thing for INLAST -- it makes sense, but I resisted putting it in since I've only heard it with PLACE at the end and not by itself.

    The big one, though, was BOUILLON. I hate to admit it, but I've apparently misspelled (and probably mispronounced) this word my entire life. I always thought it was spelled (and pronounced) BULLION. You know, like the bars of gold. So when I saw BOUI____ starting to appear in the grid I had a major WTF moment. The only thing I could think of was BOUILLABAISSE, but (a) it didn't fit and (b) how is that a broth-making aid?

    Ah well, thank heavens for easy perps...

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  3. I guess you could say that the unofficial theme was food.

    5 A Crate (Orange) container
    32 A Carbs
    48 LL BEAN (soup)
    56A BOUILLON CUBE for broth
    60 A Oreo for dessert.
    39 D BBQS


    Fun Facts BY Dave Letterman

    Since 2002, comedian Jimmie Walker has been strip-searched over 200 times by airport security looking for dy-no-mite.

    The air from the subway grate that blew Marilyn Monroe's skirt up in the Seven Year Itch also blew off a cameraman's hairpiece.

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  4. I wanted BOUILLABAISSE also Barry G.

    Wikipedia says that........

    What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth, the use of bony local Mediterranean fish, and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, with the seafood and vegetables served separately in another bowl or on a platter.

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  5. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a fun Monday romp. For some inexplicable reason, the first thing that popped into my head for 39-A was Liquid Plumber, and, even though that answer made no sense, it fit. (Plus the perps set me straight here, too.)

    I also tried Man for Fella, but DARB made no sense, while CARB did.

    When I was in college, we used to occasionally make midnight runs to L.L. Bean. At the time, it was one of the few stores that was open 24/7.

    QOD: Everyone is guilty of something or has something to conceal. ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
    QOD:

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  6. Thanks Argyle, Your brought some zest to a puzzle that really should have been a pangram.

    The puzzle did bring back memories of my parents listening to Vaughn Monroe records, and BOUILLON is one of many words we all spell wrong in our heads. I did like the new clue for OREO.

    HAPPY AUGUST!

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  7. Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

    Thanks for the write-up and very interesting links, Argyle! I remember doing "double dutch" with my sisters in our driveway. We could usually get two sisters jumping together, while the other two controlled the "reins". Many happy hours were spent like that, when we weren't playing softball in the back yard...

    Pretty much a speed run today, as is fitting for a Monday. ANDS, IN LAST and BOUILLON were my sticking points, just as Barry said. I did like seeing DOG IT, but there was that unfortunate crossing of the PAGE, which is "dog-eared".

    Otherwise, a nice, clean debut for Andrew.

    Happy Monday - make it a good one!

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  8. Happy Monday, Argyle, et al. Glad to see that our leadoff blogger is feeling better.

    No major problems with this one. ANDS wasn't readily apparent but perps filled it. MAn had to yield to MAC since loading up on nARBS isn't in my regimen. Perps helped A HEAP with the spelling of that durn CUBE.

    TYPEO... that's something I make a lot of as I hunt and peck my way around the keyboard.

    Have a great day, all.

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  9. Only one problem today--MAN for MAC. I thought NARB might be a conglomerate of NOSH and CARB. I also hesitated over the spelling of MOOG/MOAG, like the pronunciation of it.

    BOUILLON comes from the French bouillir = to boil. Related words are bouilli: beef boiled to make broth, bouilloir: kettle, bouilleur: brandy distiller. Whenever you see an 'i' before double 'll', it sounds like a 'y' as in yacht. Interestingly, a secondary meaning given in my dictionary for BOUILLABAISSE is an 'awful mess'. My bouillabaisse I tried when in Marseilles was served with the (whole) fish in the soup, and it did look a bit messy!

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  10. Kasie, my sources tell me that the rule of the double l preceeded by i being pronounced as a y has many exceptions, especially if the double l is followed by an i or an e. Comment?

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  11. Argyle: Great write-up!
    Noticed your Avatar is looking a bit empty.
    And NOW you're feeling 90% better.
    Coincidence ???

    IMO the ICE theme rates just an OH MY!

    FUN Monday.
    Good job Andrew.

    Cheers to all at Sunset.
    Given my propensity, I'll have that Pinch, NEAT!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Grumpy,
    I'm not aware of any hard and fast rules on that, but you are right about 'll' followed by 'e': elle = she/her, but there is no 'i' before the 'll' there. All the words I found with 'ill-' were given the 'y' pronunciation in the French dictionary. And all the words I can think of with just '-ll-' have the 'll's pronounced as 'll's.

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  13. Hi All ~~

    Barry said:

    "The big one, though, was BOUILLON. I hate to admit it, but I've apparently misspelled (and probably mispronounced) this word my entire life. I always thought it was spelled (and pronounced) BULLION."

    I'm with you, Barry! I was sure the puzzle had a mistake (as if that would ever happen) when there wasn't enough room for the '-ion' at the end of the word. I've always thought it was: 'bool-yon' - 'boullion.' Always so much learning here!

    ~~ It was a fun, easy puzzle after the weekend puzzles that took considerably longer.

    ~~ Thanks for the write-up, Argyle ... glad you're feeling better.

    ~~ After three weeks at the beach in Rhode Island, it's good to be home in CT in air-conditioning!

    Enjoy the beautiful summer day ~~

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  14. Hi from hot and humid plains where the corn is the only thing enjoying our weather. The dew is everywhere but that is better than the drought our southern friends are having!

    Musings
    -I have switched to ice(d) coffee for the summer by brewing at double strength, refrigerating and pouring over ice cubes. Does anyone know a better way?
    -Tattoos are becoming much more common. It’s hard for me to overcome dislike of them, especially in excess.
    -Put numbers on x/y axes and I’ll get it!
    -OKIE not JOAD
    -This puzzle was a little bit of ESTA and a little bit of ESO
    -DSL is slower than our high speed but ain’t it amazin’ how we are impatient when we have to wait 5 seconds for a page to load?
    -Who said, “Avec plasir, Miss Snake-in-the-grass?”
    -Pennies are now 2.5% Copper
    -Gotta love those Alou boys and their three vowels
    -Poster boy for DOGIT – Manny Ramirez
    -My KC Royals are INLAST but have lots of young players
    -Hand up for misspelling bouillon

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  15. Good morning Argyle and all.

    I'll second Tinbeni's ICE theme rates an OH MY. Fairly easy solve, but not a speed run for me. Needed perps frequently to confirm direction of the answer. Other than getting BOUILLON spelling from the perps, the actual fills were quite straightforward. I was pleased avec AVEC. If translated would have made the pangram (With). Had an open box of OREOs sitting next to me. Argyle, thanks for explaining double Dutch ROPES. Good start to the week. Thanks, Andrew.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Grumpy, your sources should cite some examples.
    Be as thorough as Kazie always is.
    Be specific.
    Our resident authority on languages, generally. If she doesn't know it, she says so.
    (Unlike a few of our 'Authorities')

    Thanks, Argyle and Andrew. Great Monday exercise. Back later.

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  17. Creature - C'mon, give Grumpy a little slack. He usually speaks true. Further, he did ask Kazie for comment.

    I learned long ago to have a reference if you wish to state an ostensible fact. Many times I check Google here before posting even if it is a question of spelling or usage. This is one sharp forum which keeps you on your toes.

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  18. Spitzboov, Grumpy and all,

    What'd i say? Just need examples so we learn something. I love you both, as well as Kazie.

    Grumpy, consider yourself slackened. "I'm not heavy, I'm you're brother"

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  19. Kazie, Grumpy

    The "ll" is effectively silent at the end of "GRENOUILLE" (pronounced appproximately as "grunwee") (frog) - not sure if that counts as an 'exception'.

    NC

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  20. Hi gang,
    Nice offering for a Monday...I didn't know 5D except for the CSI part. I have never watched it. But the good perps saved my backside.

    Had a moment with MOOG...I knew I knew it, but my brain refused to cough it up for several minutes and since I was having trouble with 5D, it took awhile.

    I never could do DOUBLE DUTCH with a jump rope...I was not a very limber or coordinated kid. I could do all the single jumps though.

    Grandson coming over today to stay a few days doing some work for us to earn money. It'll be nice having him here...he's a good kid!!

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  21. NC,
    Good example, but the French dictionary indicates the 'y' sound at the end nevertheless (indicated by the symbol 'j'). However, I agree that in normal pronunciation it's usually not sounded clearly. We're probably nitpicking. All I wanted to do at first was give people who didn't know how to pronounce that letter combination a rough idea of the correct sound and a general rule to follow.

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  22. how about bacille, capilliare, codicille, distiller, lilliputien, mille, osciller, tranquille.

    My point is that Kazie, in her original post, made her statement in a way that indicated a hard and fast rule of pronunciation. I stated that I'm told it isn't hard and fast, which Kazie has acknowledged.

    The examples I cite are from this site which, like Wikipedia, may or may not be totally accurate, but I cite it since some people seem to think every statement needs to be sourced.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I ran out of room trying to fill MARIAH in 25D, and smugly drug out my Paint Your Wagon score to confirm. I was quickly de-smugged. A consult with Dr G revealed that MARIAH is the "currently popular" spelling, whereas MARIA is the "classical". That, and BUILLON, of course, were the only stumbles in an otherwise as-fast-as-I-could-write August Fools' Day puzzle with no standout clues.

    Just fired up "Switched-on Bach" to honor Bob MOOG and perk up the morning ...oops, early afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Fun Monday level puzzle. Who knew about Bouillon?

    Busy day, gotta go. But I'll leave you with one more from Paint Your Wagon (since it's the best musical ever) Wandrin' Star

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  25. Maybe if there is a hard and fast rule it would be that the 'ill-' has to follow (an)other vowel(s). In all Grumpy's examples, it follows a consonant, and he's right--all those do pronounce the 'l' sound. I maybe gave my "rule" according to instinct without thinking it through thoroughly. Fun to explore though!

    I'm sure the non-francophones are sick of our discussion by now, so I hope we've got it done!

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  26. Rabbit rabbit. Hello everybody. Wow, August really crept up on us quickly.

    Enjoyed the puzzle today. It was easy but not brainless. When I saw COMPUTER CHIP and LIQUID CRYSTAL I thought the theme was something to do with technology. Even after filling in CUBE I still thought so, until ICE bonked me over the head and jolted me out of that line of thought. I sorta knew how to spell BOUILLON but wasn't 100% sure until the perps helped out.

    I think, for example, "vie" and "ville" are not pronounced the same. Although very subtle to hear when spoken quickly, there is that little tiny "yuh" sound at the end of words like ville, grenuoille, and deshabille. These sounds are much more pronounced (haha) when sung or when recited in poetry. Anyway ...

    Argyle, thank you.

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  27. Morning all,
    This took a little longer than normal for a Monday , maybe it was the fact I woke up late or the fact I had one too many last night, but brain fog was for sure a factor, had trouble getting DOG IT , I just couldn't see that as being lazy,
    And why does ROAST have to only be a Sunday dinner, why not Tuesday ?
    And how do you graduate before you do ORALS ?

    On a happy note, my Sister's doctor told her to stop all cancer medications and chemo treatments,
    I think I'm gonna have me a drink , cheers

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love "Switched-on Bach." Walter (now Wendy) Carlos sure showed a lot of talent and imagination in that album! Many years ago I once tried playing around with a friend's Moog synthesizer but could never really figure it out, since it had no keyboard or anything like that; the whole thing was just knobs (dials) and switches. A very weird gadget to my untrained mind.

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  29. Zcarguy, that is very good news about your sister. Thanks for letting us know.

    Speaking of the Z-car, we just watched that old movie Capricorn One last night and were amused to see Elliot Gould driving around in a bright red 240Z. It brought back fond memories of me in my old Mazda RX7 before getting married and having to give it and my Zundapp motorcycle up. Man oh man I'm such a sedate sedan driver now, except on those infrquent and treasured occasions when our son lets me drive his Porsche Boxster.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Clear Ayes, thanks for your comments about doggerel yesterday. I guess it is all subjective, as you indicated. One person's doggerel could be another person's "music of the spheres." By the way, I found a book of Robert Service's poetry at the bookstore and was surprised to see how thick it was; that guy wrote what must be thousands of poems!

    By the way, my taste also runs to "Song of Hiawatha" (by the shores of Gitchee Goomee) and "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" (listen, my children).

    But hey, I like rhubarb pie, too. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hello, Argyle, C.C. and all.
    I'm glad you are better, Argyle.

    This was almost a speed run except for some awkward phrasing as Barry pointed out and that created doubts about ANDS,and DOGIT.

    I also couldn't recall whether the French for mine was AMOI or ATOI.

    Otherwise it was smooth and quick. Thank you, Andrew Bannem.

    I received word that my oldest aunt, 92, died so we shall be traveling to northern AZ by the end of the week.

    Have a FAB Monday, everyone!

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  32. Thanks Jayce,
    I too had a 280ZX that my friend wrecked after I loaned to him, and just recently gave up my BMW 'M' roadster
    It was the best sports car for the money that I've ever driven, or owned
    Being an auto broker I've had my fair share of cars that I've bought and driven
    So if you guys have any questions or want my input on any car,wether it's about prices or reliability, please don't hesitate to ask, you can ask me on this blog or E-mail me

    ReplyDelete
  33. Loved my 280 z until a straight back truck backed up over it at an outdoor concert in Georgia. It never was the same.

    Husker G, that would be dear Dr. Frank Burns

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  34. Good Day, everyone,

    This one has put me in a happy mood for the day. No hitches, no lookups, only erasure was changing one of the 'o's in 'Mo_g' from an 'a'. Just a spelling error. I do love Mondays!

    Hope you'll have a wonderful week, friends. Things in D.C. look a bit more hopeful!

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  35. Go, Kazie! I'm with y ou all the way!

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  36. Hello.

    Only problem was with 28A. Thought
    it sould have been Arabian.

    Just so my check comes.

    The back and forth is fun.

    Have now lost my PRINT key.

    eddy

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  37. Right you are Lemon! It was the libidinous Major Burns.

    Today feels like South Florida weather here in the hinterlands!

    Now I hope I can get some good ice(d) coffee ideas.

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  38. Re. iced coffee. Your idea of making it stronger is good if you pour it hot over ice. Otherwise, to save on coffee, make it regular strength and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours first before pouring it over ice. I like it with some milk (half and half?) and a little sugar. It tastes great like coffee ice cream. Or if you add even more milk, it's like an iced latte.

    ReplyDelete
  39. You don't have to necessarily be a "sedate" sedan driver, Jayce. It's all a matter of getting the right sedan.

    I traded in my Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (all wheel drive + turbo) when my wife was expecting our son, but eventually ended up buying my current Chrysler 300C AWD sedan. With 340 HP, there's nothing "sedate" about it, believe me, and my wife thinks it's a great family car due to the all wheel drive system (plus, she thinks it feels very luxurious). I just try not to drive like a complete maniac when she's actually in the car with me. Of course, sometimes I forget... ^_^

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  40. Barry G, I had forgotten that you have a 300C. What an awesome car! We came "this close" to buying one. I still turn my head to look when I see one on the streets.

    We ended up with a Camry Hybrid, which actually is no slouch either. I noticed my driving habits changed dramatically with that car, though. I find that I no longer do jack-rabbit starts, and I do much more coasting. There is a dial, in lieu of the tachometer, that shows your fuel mileage at the moment, and it reveals how easy it is to suck gas at 10-15 mpg when you have a lead foot. I now have a feather foot. But I don't drive slowly or wimpily; I'm just not as aggressive as I habitually used to be. Call me sedate, at least most of the time. Sedateness is a state of mind :)

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  41. Good Afternoon All, Once through the Downs, and once through Across and it was a done deal. I had to go back to see which fill I had sailed past without reading the clues.

    I guess I never will get over disliking OKIE. I think I've already told you my mother-in-law was called OKIE as an insult when she was a child. It was the same as calling her and other migrants "poor white trash".

    Sometimes I "get" it. I spelled BOUILLON correctly....(this time). Court bouillon (no CUBE) is a nice poaching liquid for fish or chicken.

    Anon@6:05, that was my first bouillabaisse experience in Nice 1978. I was sooo disappointed when all I seemed to get was some broth and chunks of bread. Gee, was I dumb. .....then came the platter of seafood. Delicious!

    Avg Joe, :0D, if you say so.

    Glad to see you're feeling better, Argyle.

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  42. My first introduction to iced coffee in Oz involved ice cream instead of ice cubes and/or milk. I liked that, but the idea of ice cubes doesn't seem as if it would still be as tasty.

    I just had a wonderful midday break --yoga followed by a leisurely lunch with friends. Now I'm going to continue relaxing for the rest of the day. It just feels right, somehow, after my early morning dog walking and three loads of laundry before I went out.

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  43. Hola Everyone, In retrospect this was an easy puzzle. I didn't think so to begin with as there was the French for "mine" crossing a Beatle's adjective with the Chat room "I think" for the second down! That was the last area to fall today.

    I think I'm going to have to take some serious French Lessons! French for "with" being another unknown for me.

    I did manage to get everything without lookups, but guessing was a big part of the CW today.

    Barry, I had to go to the cupboard and look for my chicken boullion to get the spelling! I lied, I did look that up, but not on Google!!!

    My college chorus group won first place singing "They Call the Wind MARIAH". I tried very hard to put in that H also, but it just wouldn't fit.

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  44. Jayce, You beat me to Rabbit, Rabbit today. Our scout troop girls always tried to be the first one to say "Rabbit, Rabbit" on the first. On pack trips we would be awakened very early with the yelling back and forth from tent to tent.

    Busy day today. Have a great rest of the afternoon and evening, everyone.

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  45. All of the comments re spelling and pronunciation called to mind a recent complaint by a mother who was upset that people in school were not pronouncing her daughter's name correctly.

    The daughters name was le-a. It's obvious, she said, that her daughter's name was "Ledasha."....."and people needed to know that the dash don't be silent."

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  46. Avg.Joe
    I (too) really like the musical "Paint Your Wagon."
    MARIA being my favorite song.

    Then again my Gal-Pal, Kris, looks like the twin of Mitzi Gaynor from South Pacific.

    As such I (always) have a problem when someone says "since it's the best musical ever."

    IMO everyone has their own personal taste.
    And in this world should be allowed to decide whatever "is the best ever."

    Plus, it's no contest "West Side Story" lol

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  47. Fun Monday puzzle. Thanks, Argyle.
    Iced coffee? I like to mix just a bit of sweetened condensed milk and crushed ice into strong black coffee. To me it tastes like the expensive ones at chic coffee shops. You can oder a coffee extract maker from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. This gizmo uses a pound of coffee and some water to make a jug of really strong coffee. After it's made, you store the extract in the fridge and use it like instant coffee. Yummy!
    I tripped on the "Maria" song also!
    Favorite clue-Where dos are done-salon! My hubby can't understand why I go every six weeks to get my do done. Silly man, he thinks my hair is till brown!
    Ava Gardner's nephew lives here and is dating a friend of ours. He is a sweet fellow and refers to his aunt as "Ava". He inherited a lot of her stuff when his mother, Ava's sister, died. He and his brother had a fabulous auction because they couldn't keep it all. He kept the mementos from the her marriage to Sinatra, however.
    Backyard cookouts in the south are just called cookouts, because we all understand that BBQ refers to the pulled kind found in Memphis and it is pork, not beef!
    Ciao!

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  48. I forgot to add that I was raised in a "car" family. My dad was a car junkie, so at any given time we had a variety of cars to drive. He especially favored GM ones and Caddies were his real love. I learned to drive in a yellow Eldorado.
    He is spinning in his grave right now because I am driving a PT Cruiser. "Beauty" is a GT and turbo charged. She will get up and go and reminds me of Daddy's Impala Super Sport. He would approve of that!

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  49. Hi all,
    Well, I can never seem to do more than one blog a week, I'll see what this week brings.

    Last week my daughter and sil were here. It was a nice time. They and some friends 'did' the Dells, Wisconsin Dells which is near us. It has zillions of water parks.

    I never heard of Moog, also thought Arabia should have been have been Arabian, and hope that some future puzzle constructionist gives equal billing to Lands'End some day with LL Bean. Hm!

    We are having hot and steamy weather also, it doesn't sound like it will end any time soon.

    Have a good evening.
    Marge

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  50. Interesting discussion today about the pronunciation of "ll" in French; Spanish is much simpler, it is always like "y."

    We have seen MOOG enough times that it just popped out of my brain.

    MSO:
    I am surprised you like the PT Cruiser so much. Last year it was our rental in San Francisco and we vowed to never go near one again because we found it so uncomfortable.

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  51. Wow! "Best Musical" is a lot different from "Favorite Musical". Then there is the Broadway version vs the movie version. Tinbeni, when I saw W.S.S on stage, I loved everything about it, but the movie chemistry between Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer wasn't there for me. I loved Man of La Mancha with Richard Kiley, but the movie version was awful. I fell hard for Topol in the movie Fiddler On The Roof and the stage version wasn't far behind. The Music Man? Cabaret? Gypsy? Oklahoma? Choosing a favorite is like picking your favorite child. I don't know if I could even pick a top ten.

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  52. Clear Ayes and Tinbeni: Of course it's all a matter of opinion and no two will match. Ever! That's what makes it interesting, ain't it?

    But it's also a matter of era. I was just a kid who was 15 when I saw Paint Your Wagon. I dragged a friend to it, kicking and screaming, cuz it was a musical. Turned out he loved it as much as I did. Ordinarily I don't care much for any type of musical, but that one was a definite exception.

    I'll part with Gold Fever. (Clint can't sing any better than Lee.....and that's part of the allure:-)

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  53. C.A.
    Thank you for seeing through the
    "Best-v-Favorite" conundrum.

    Personal preference are often "stated" as a fact.

    As such, I relish comments with the qualifier IMO (In My Opinion) or the preferred IMHO (In My Humble Opinion).

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  54. For me, it's "The Music Man" but only IMHO.

    H Gary got me started so I order an iced macchiato today. Espresso, foamy milk, some sugar poured over ice. Very enjoyable.

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  55. Musings 2
    -My middle age flier was an RX-7 also but practicality won out. It was a hog on ice and not all that comfy.
    -Favorite vs. Best musical is of course correct but I lean toward Music Man!
    -Grease on stage is WAY different than on film and I am REALLY looking forward to Jersey Boys in Omaha next month!
    -Thanks for all the ice(d) coffee info!!

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  56. Hi gang -

    Argyle - glad you;re feeling better.

    Pretty good puzzle today, though I am not pleased with "ANDS," nor any of the French. OTOH, the pronunciation discussion was interesting. Alas, I won't remember any of it.

    Bogged down at the bottom with A HEAP (which I couldn't dredge up) OH MY (which doesn't fit the clue very well) cross.

    Still, a puzzle that starts with FIZZ and ends with ICE is worth more than just a taste.

    Doesn't YELL UP TO looks strange pointing down?

    I'll never learn how to spell Booyon.

    Cheers!
    JzB the badly out of touch trombonist

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  57. Zcarguy: great news about your sister. So glad to hear she is on the mend.

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  58. Tinbeni, I agree completely with your comment re IMO and IMHO. However, I'm a bit jaded. Not just a little, but a lot. I've been frequenting chat boards and blogs for well over 10 years now, and it's been my experience that there is no such thing as a humble opinion in the cyber world. Nevah happen GI!!

    OTOH, it's all opinion when something that is clearly an opinion is voiced, so it seems redundant to me to point that out.

    All IMHO, of course:-)

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  59. Hello Puzzlers - I sure hated being forced to take French back in the sixth grade. The seven years of study were no picnic, and I couldn't converse now, but it sure is handy for crosswords! BOUILLON was familiar.

    There was a good PBS special on Bob Moog last winter. His instruments, or machines, were hard to learn, especially the early ones. I fooled around with one at the New England Conservatory synth lab in the mid 70's. Intuitive it was not.

    Speaking of musicals: I just finished watching Damn Yankees with Gwen Verdon. It wasn't the powerhouse I thought it would be. It would be hard to pick an all-time favorite, but Oklahoma would be close.

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  60. DOUBLE dutch?

    I never even got SINGLE dutch mastered! The original klutz...

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  61. Argyle:
    Just one nit I noticed now. Esta with an accent at the end means "she is, he is, it is. Without the accent it means "this" which is what the clue called for.

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  62. Thanks, Lucina. I hope I don't make that nit again but no guarantee.

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  63. Tinbeni, the gin is gone...now it's vodka & tonic.

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  64. Thanks Jayce,
    I too had a 280ZX that my friend wrecked after I loaned to him, and just recently gave up my BMW 'M' roadster
    It was the best sports car for the money that I've ever driven, or owned
    Being an auto broker I've had my fair share of cars that I've bought and driven
    So if you guys have any questions or want my input on any car,wether it's about prices or reliability, please don't hesitate to ask, you can ask me on this blog or E-mail me

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  65. Wow, your car improved from the last (deleted) post!

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  66. Argyle, I forgot to mention your writeup, which as usual, was great! And I'm so glad you're back to normal. Don't like friends feelin' bad!

    Clearayes, we must have cooked from the same cookbook. Now I can hardly remember all the fun I used to have in the kitchen!

    Jayce, your avatar looks very sedate to me. Once in his later years, my husband went to look at a jazzy sports car that was for sale and the young man who was selling it said to him, "Well, it's not for you, is it?" DH was crushed!

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  67. @Barry G., My daughter studied in Lyon, France one summer. They focused on cooking, restaurants, herb garden...she came home saying, "bwi-yon" as the pronunciation for bouillon. Egg on my face! I always heard it pronounced, "boull-ee-on." I'm so happy to finally be corrected.

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  68. my favorite musical is The Producers Nathan was hilarious in that. I also liked RENT.

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  69. Darn it, I missed my number by "this much". I just wanted to touch base as I haven't had the time to construct a puzzle lately.

    JD, I have never owned a cat, but had a nice Dog Rusty (14) that my parents had to put down when I was away. I still think of him often.

    Red State Democrat, (Matt) thanks for your link today of Deacon Blues. You too, Warren for your link. It brings me way back to tooling around in my LTD with a cassette in rounding Lake Michigan. It's nice to know that someone remembers your profile.

    I just picked my first five really ripe tomatoes (beefsteak). Enjoyed a really good BLT with basil mayo and crisp lettuce on good whole wheat bread. Oh, MN corn is out too!! The best sweetcorn ever. Husker Gary may argue, but in my opinion....it's the best.

    Take care all, I am really busy at work right now so I might be sporadic in my posts. I miss you all.

    CA, my dear, I hope everything went OK today at the doctor. You are always in my thoughts.

    JD, was your test to check if I was out there? LOL.

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  70. Sorry, C.C. I went over a bit.

    While I'm at it, Argyle, I always enjoy your write ups, I am glad that you are approaching 100%.

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  71. What does "WAG" mean when used in commenting on clues and answers?

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