google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, September 19, 2011 Jeff Chen

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Sep 19, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: What? No bread? - The first word from the theme entries gives us the famous quote from today's unifier.

17A. "No holds barred!" : "LET IT ALL HANG OUT!"

22A. Where there's gold, in prospector-speak : THEM THAR HILLS

38A. Swallow one's pride : EAT CROW

53A. Worker with icing and sprinkles : CAKE DECORATOR

60A. Ruler to whom the quote formed by the starts of 17-, 22-, 38- and 53-Across is often attributed : MARIE ANTOINETTE

Argyle here. Fantastic offering from Jeff today. To get all this in a Monday with hardly a hitch...amazing. Cruciverb was down last night so my comments will be few, not that they are needed anyway.

Across:

1. Internet letters : WWW

4. President who appointed Kagan to the Supreme Court : OBAMA

9. Stuns with a blow : DAZES

14. Code cracker's cry : "AHA!"

15. Noses around : PRIES

16. Good smell : AROMA

20. Diplomatic quality : TACT

21. Like many rappers' jeans : BAGGY

28. Deli spread : MAYO

29. Kneecap : PATELLA

31. "Les __": show featuring Jean Valjean : MIZ

34. Aussie reptile : CROC

36. In a few minutes : SOON

37. Manipulate : USE

42. Singer Sumac : YMA. Did you remember?

43. Fleshy area below the knee : CALF

45. Scotch partner : SODA

46. Ellipsis element : DOT

47. Nibbled at, with "of" : HAD A BIT

51. Nadirs : LOWS

57. "... stirring, not __ mouse" : EVEN A. Sounds familiar.

58. Belgian river : YSER

66. Three-time U.S. Open winner Ivan : LENDL

67. Sympathetic words : I CARE

68. Directional suffix : ERN

69. Trumpets and trombones, e.g. : BRASS

70. "The Taming of the __" : SHREW

71. Deli bread : RYE

Down:

1. Animator Disney : WALT

2. Deli bread : WHEAT

3. Keep an eye on : WATCH

4. Decide : OPT

5. Garment with cups : BRA

6. Have a bug : AIL

7. __ toast : MELBA

8. B-flat equivalent : A-SHARP

9. "Rats!" : "DANG IT!"

10. Diamond-patterned socks : ARGYLEs. Sounds familiar.

11. Animal housing : ZOO

12. Aussie bird : EMU

13. Used a stool : SAT

18. Pair in the tabloids : ITEM

19. Turkish general : AGHA

23. Feudal armor-busting weapon : MACE

24. Banks of TV talk : TYRA

25. Owl's cry : HOOT

26. Bridges of "Sea Hunt" : LLOYD

27. Way to verify an ump's call, for short : SLO-MO

30. Med sch. subject : ANAT.

31. "__ obliged!" : MUCH

32. "I, Robot" author Asimov : ISAAC

33. Nintendo princess : ZELDA

35. Keeps in the e-mail loop, briefly : CC'S. Sounds familiar.

39. Hershey's candy in a tube : ROLO

40. Smell : ODOR

41. Trumpet effect : WA-WA

44. Documents with doctored birth dates, say : FAKE IDs

48. Cuts at an angle : BEVELS

49. Inkling : IDEA

50. 66-Across's sport : TENNIS

52. Eyelid affliction : STYE

54. "Shoestring" feat : CATCH

55. Big name in blenders : OSTER

56. Second effort : RETRY

59. Thinker Descartes : RENE

60. World Series org. : MLB

61. __ Lingus : AER

62. Cell "messenger" : RNA

63. Dinghy propeller : OAR

64. Anger : IRE

65. First word in four state names : NEW


Thank you Jeff for all the shout-outs.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our original musician Bill! I miss your grumpy comments!

48 comments:

  1. Very nice start of the work week (not that I do).

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  2. Morning, me hearties!

    Arrr, this be a typical Monday effort, methinks. I didn't expect DAZES for "stuns with a blow," but everything else was smooth as the seven seas. Nothing to shiver me timbers about...

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  3. Good Morning, folks. Thank you, Jeff, for a great start to the week. Thank you, Argyle, for the write-up. I notice you were a part of this puzzle (10D).

    I could not sleep, so I got up and did the puzzle. It was a speed run. Good thing, I was not in the mood for a lot of deep thinking, like Saturday's puzzle.

    PATELLA jumped out. a friend of mine fell the other day and broker her Patella in four places. Ouch.

    Liked the theme. All fell together easily.

    Put DNA instead of RNA. Always do that. Theme fixed it.

    Two deli breads, WHEAT and RYE. That's a first.

    I'm going back to bed. See you later.

    Abejo

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  4. Good day folks,

    Other than initially entering "ate a bit" for 47A, this was a smooth solve. When "much" appeared for 47D, all was rectified. Valjean was unknown to me.

    Didn't like using the same clue for 71A & 2D, but otherwise no complaints. A nondescript start to the week.

    Barry, you have plans to spend the day on the briny?

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  5. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a fun Monday puzzle. I enjoy Jeff's offerings.

    A nice shout-out to our commentator, this morning with the ARGYLE Socks.

    I was in a car accident several years ago and shattered my PETELLA.

    YMA Sumac used to make frequent crossword appearances. It was nice to see her again today.

    Happy Birthday, Bill. Stop by again. I hope you get to EAT CAKE!

    QOD: Courage! I have shown it for years; think you I shall lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end? ~ Marie Antoinette

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  6. Morning All,

    Clever little grid with the typical Monday difficulty level. My only problem was writing in Make A instead of Melba. Baggy fixed it.

    Took NyQuil Saturday night and I'm finally coming out of the Daze. My chicken soup fixed me right up last night. Yum!

    Go Pats!!

    Have a good one.

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  7. Barry, you have plans to spend the day on the briny?

    Arrrr, ye scurvy dog! Know you not that today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

    Arrrr...

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  8. Aye Mateys ~!

    ARRR - Good to see ARRRGYLE get a shout out from the constructor, with a CC thrown in, to boot.

    Thanks for the "pirate" thing, first mate BarryG

    Splynter

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  9. Scotch's partner is SNIFTER. Neat !!!

    SODA is NOT allowed here at Villa Incognito.
    Just ask Avatar!!!

    Enjoyed the ARGYLE's & CC's shout-outs.

    Cheers to all at Sunset.

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  10. Good morning. Talk like a pirate day? well, the ones in Pittsburgh aren't saying anything except "Wait'll next year"...

    Easy puzzle, but that's what we like on a Monday. No snags or snarls. Nice of Jeff to give a shoutout to ARGYLE and CC.

    Have a great day, all.

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  11. Good morning Argyle and all.

    This one was easy to solve, but probably not easy to construct with this level of easiness. Nice theme and unifier concept. Also enjoyed seeing the shout-outs for ARGYLE and CC. Had WATCH and CATCH in the same puzzle. Funny how they have different vowel sounds. Couple unknowns like ZELDA were easily gotten from the perps. No lookups needed.

    Have a great day.

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  12. The deli bread (2-Down & 71-Across) shows some bread was available, the peasants only had to look in the cornaars - Marie.

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  13. Choices, choices. what would you OPT for? WHEAT, RYE or MELBA toast? EMU,CALF, CROW, CROC? Plain or MAYO? A SODA to wash it down? CAKE for dessert? Jeff must have been hungry when he constructed this one.

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  14. Hi all!

    I almost put a pair of black squares in so I could have ARGYLE rather than ARGYLES, but decided against it. What better than a homage to the wonderful blogging community?

    Happy Monday,
    Jeff

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  15. Thank you, ARGYLES was close enough. Great puzzle.

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

    This was about as easy as a Monday can get - what an accomplishment, especially with a grid chock-full of theme entries! I rally liked the lively fill of LET IT ALL HANG OUT, THEM THAR HILLS, and EAT CROW.

    Great job, Jeff!

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  17. Love Jeff..always. Great puzzle and write up

    ARGYLE and CC!

    Thanks! Happy Monday!

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  18. Avast, me Hearties -

    'Tis a fine puzzle Jeff's be givin' us. Trumpets and Trombones! WaWa! A SHARP IDEA!

    Place to EAT CROW? NEST. Do you give a HOOT?

    But I be thinkin', DANG IT he should walk (silent "L") the plank for crossing BRA with LET IT ALL HANG OUT.

    THEM THAR HILLS? MUCH ANAT!

    In MLB, Verlander got #24. Could this be the year of the Tiger?

    WHEAT, RYE, CAKE -- now, I be hungry.

    Casting off . . .
    JzB Who will NEVER put SODA in Tin's avatar

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  19. Very Funny, Jazz! You've topped yourself. LOL

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  20. Morning all, Argyle

    Nice and easy, fitting for a busy Monday.

    Can someone explain " Shoestring Feat " CATCH

    Y'all have a good day.

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  21. Zcar, a shoestring catch in baseball is when a fielder catches a very low ball just before it hits the ground, just off his shoe tops. Thus, a shoestring catch.

    From late last night: This is some of the most amazing stuff. The first video is a time-lapse movie from the International Space Station including the west coast of the US, lightning in the clouds, etc. The other stuff is equally amazing. There's even more using the numbers at the bottom of the page. Great stuff!

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  22. anonymous with privacy concernsSeptember 19, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    Easy but fun puzzle, Mr. Chen.
    Thanks for the shout out to ARGYLE.
    Favorite answer: Them thar hills
    Wanted "saggy" instead of "baggy" because dress codes use "no sagging."
    Would have thought "wheat bread" was more main stream nowadays. Did Ms Antoinette really say that? I`ve heard there is doubt in some circles.

    Favorite quote from the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie:

    "Tear this pagan shrine down. Only God can grant eternal life!"

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  23. Hello, mates. ARGYLE, great shout out to you! And C.C., too!

    Thank you, Jeff, for a nice, enjoyable Monday puzzle. Fun to run through, however, I believe the attribute to MARIE is a myth.

    She was 13 when she was wed to Louis and 17 when she was executed so not mature at all and hated to study so she was something of an airhead as we would say today.

    My company left today and there's much to do.

    Have a glorious Monday, everyone!

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  24. @Jazzbumpa: I wondered if anyone would notice the LET IT ALL HANG OUT and BRA crossing. Tee hee!

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  25. Good afternoon everybody.

    Very nice post, Jazz. It truly did make me laugh about the cross of BRA and LET IT ALL HANG OUT that you mentioned.

    Happy birthday, Bill.

    I do love to do Mondays because I can.

    DH has a toothache in a front tooth that has had a root canal and a crown. Ouch for him and for our pocketbook.

    Cheers

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  26. I don't want to seem TACTless but BAGGY between LET IT ALL HANG OUT and THEM THAR HILLS...?

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  27. Thank you Mr. Jeff Chen for a VERY nice puzzle - enjoyed it thoroughly.

    Thanks Argyle for the very nice - and concise - blog. I really didnt need it, but I came to hear you anyway - missed some your special links though. Very happy to see yours and CC's names mentioned - and even more delighted, to know that they were intentional. Wow !

    Marie Antoinette's apocryphal words, were made up long after the fact, probably in England, where they tend to make up, such charming and memorable bon mots. She was the poster girl, for a 'fall guy'.

    Alt QOD: - When the roll is called in the Senate, the Senators do not even know whether to answer "present' or "not guilty". ~ Teddy Roosevelt.

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  28. Good Morning and (I suppose) Arrr, All, Thanks to both Jeff Chen for a very nice Monday run and to Argyle, who deserved his puzzle shout-out.

    I'm not exactly a fan of Marie Antoinette, but I have some sympathy for her and have read several books about her. She was quite noble during her last days in October. 1793.

    Did she say LET THEM EAT CAKE? Probably not. But a good story can always trump the truth.

    I thought it was amusing to see 8D)"B-flat equivalent".and a few spaces away 5D)BRA. At least a padded one, would have taken care of that 8D) problem. The LET IT ALL HANG OUT problem would have been eliminated too.

    French misery galore. Added to the French Revolution that did in Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, is The June Rebellion of June 1832 at 31A)Les MIZ

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  29. Hello.

    Finally went to the Chi Trib @ 11:30 to get a copy.

    Bad afternoon for some fans. Wondering if this is the Lions year.

    Too bad 5D wasn't 36D. Noticed the cross.

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  30. A fine raising agent for Monday - It is tea-time yet? - a cake and a cuppa would do nicely.

    I would have linked soda to cake-making myself - Scotch and Soda borders on heresy in certain parts of the world, laddie!

    The only clue/answer I did not like was 17 A.

    "Let it all hang out" and "No holds barred" are not synonymous in my lexicon:

    OK old chap - just relax, be yourself - while I punch you (pugnaciously) with impunity.

    NC

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  31. Jeff, thanks for another enjoyable puzzle! I liked THEM THAR HILLS!

    From last night for Jayce: I've had my iPad2 about 2 months. Since I use a kindle app on my smartphone and it's always with me and more compact, I don't bother with the iPad for that.

    Typing on it seems a bit easier than my phone though, but as a pc user, there's a bit of a learning curve, not too bad though.

    I've usually already done the puzzle the night before on my laptop, so i've only used it for that a time or two.

    I thought I'd use it more around town for those 2 things but don't want to carry it around with me all the time. As you considered, I'm afraid I'd lose it, or have it stolen. Maybe next time I have a bigger purse.

    I'm hoping to find it more useful the next time I travel.

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  32. C.A. - Arrr - with my musician's hat on, I never noticed the B-FLAT possibilities.

    EddyB -

    Can't say for sure that this will be the Lion's year, There's a whole lot of Green Bay between here and the end of the line. In fact, the Lions close out the regular season on Jan 1 at Lambeau. But the dark, dark days of 2008 - not so very long ago, sure look like ancient history now.

    Cheers!
    JzB Detroit sports fan

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  33. Fun Chen puzzle on a beautiful fall day on the Platte! Theme was not evident early as I am, uh, dense!

    Musings
    -Vick got DAZED with a blow last night
    -The legacy of Supreme Court appointments have a longer effect than most presidents
    -Aromas? Coffee, bacon, lilacs and roses!
    -Those baggy pants and visible “drawers” didn’t cut it at our school.
    -Kingston Trio and Scotch and Soda
    -You want that on wheat or rye?
    -Walt Disney, KC’s most famous native?
    -Tyra, good looks and lousy temper!
    -SLoMo shows umps right most of the time except for some phantom tags and DP’s
    -JD, did anyone explain rink feint to you yesterday?
    -We blue peeps are in CC’s email loop!
    -MLB has got to quit playing big time World Series baseball games in early winter!
    -Eddy, the Lions have that Husker “boy named Suh”

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  34. Jeff,
    Great Monday puzzle!
    However, please do not ever use "tee hee" in public again.
    Thanks,
    MCI

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  35. Hi all,
    Wow, the first time ever I did a puzzle without looking up any answers. What fun! I had to use the perps to get a couple but it was a great Monday puzzle.

    Thanks to Jeff Chen, Argyle and C.C. for this blog and puzzle.

    Weather is beautiful today, back up in the 70's again.

    I really liked 60A, after seeing 'Let them eat cake.'

    Have a nice afternoon and evening!
    Marge

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  36. I was about to link Scotch and Soda again since it's one of my favorite Kingston Trio songs. But now I don't have to. Thanks.

    I found an old Alfred Hitchcock movie (1941) on cable called Suspicion with Cary Grant. Are you familiar with it? I'm not quite halfway through it yet.

    I'm heading out for a bike ride soon with my teaching buddy. Cool weather and almost nobody on the bike path but us.

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  37. Today I cooked the Stilton Cauliflower Soup recipe that was linked on this blog last week. Awesome!! We loved it. I copied the recipe right away, but cannot find who blogged it. Was that you, Spitboov? Thanks.

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  38. Yellowrocks:

    Yes 't'was I. Glad you liked it.

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  39. Hello,gang,

    I really liked this puzzle. Thanks, Jeff, for a nice start for the week! Nice, succinct writeup,Argyle, but I miss your good links.

    Only unknown: "Shoestring" feat but the perps took care of it. i don't understand it though.

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  40. dodo:
    re: shoestring CATCH
    Just check Bill G. explaination to Zcarguy @ 10:52 am.

    The only "Scotch and SODA" that is acceptable is the tune by the Kingston Trio. Thanks, Husker.

    As "partnered" in our puzzle is blasphemy.

    Avatar is NOW enjoying his fill.
    As always ... NEAT !!!

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  41. Antoinette was a consort not a ruler. Louis XVI was

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  42. Jeff Chen, a fellow JC who always delivers with a special inside laugh or two. Great to see you back. Argyle, the hardest working blogger in show business, another challenge overcome. Cruciverb is like computers, we are so addicted.

    HBDTY Bill, hope all is well. It is sneaking up on that time of year when we start wondering about our missing ones and try to entice them back, if only for a day.

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  43. Fun puzzle today! Thanks, Jeff.
    Blogging was top-notch, Argyle.
    I loved the bra/let it all hang out crossing.
    Very clever!
    I'll be gone for a while. My daughter and I are going to NYC for our birthdays! Papa Bear/ DH is a generous old soul.
    Anyone with any dining suggestions,please say so. Broadway shows? We do have some tickets and a couple of reservations for brunch and a dinner. Any faves?
    Thanks!

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  44. Not sure where one commenter got his/her Marie Antoinette history, but Marie Antoinette was born in 1755, married the crown prince in 1770, and was put to death in 1793, making her 37 years old. Her story is actually far more complex than what is popularly known. She was certainly a victim of the times more than she was of her own vanity. In fact, there is a wonderful book which explores the thesis that she used her fashion to empower herself. Here is the link.

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  45. Nance,
    There you go confusing with facts again. Until something appears on The History Channel or in Wikipedia, it's not to be believed. ;) And in a book? How last century!
    But thanks for trying.

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  46. Actually I read somewhere that MARIE ANTOINETTE told the puppet that the restaurant was out of cake so the MARIONETTE ATE IN.

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  47. @Abejo: you should tell your friend to stay OUT of those places! (Sorry... couldn't resist the old Groucho Marxism...)

    ReplyDelete

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