google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, October 17, 2011 Kelly Clark

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Oct 17, 2011

Monday, October 17, 2011 Kelly Clark

Theme: What's in a nit? - That which we call a nit by any other name might be described by the last word of our four themed entries.

20A. "The sky is falling!" critter : CHICKEN LITTLE

33A. Seven-time winner of the Daytona 500 : RICHARD PETTY

41A. Like Chopin's "Funeral March," keywise : IN B FLAT MINOR

57A. New Orleans daily, with "The" : TIMES-PICAYUNE

Fat-fingered Argyle here. I don't see any imagery in the grid as I did with the first two puzzles I parsed by Ms. Clark, which some of you will be glad to know. Just a straightforward Monday to start the week.

Across:

1. Prepare, as apples for pie : PARE

5. Dirt bike relatives, briefly : ATVs

9. Dressed like a judge : ROBED

14. "Jeopardy!" first name : ALEX

15. Actress Perlman : RHEA

16. Get the lead out? : ERASE

17. Bossa __ : NOVA

18. Blurted out : SAID

19. Full of attitude : SASSY

23. Get the lead out : HASTEN

24. Visits, as a doctor : SEEs

25. Cock and drake : HEs. I'd like to know who started this plural HE business.

28. Suffix with dextr- : OSE

29. Snapshot, for short : PIC

31. One who doesn't have much laundry to do? : NUDIST

36. Modest skirt length : MIDI. Add a thigh high slit and it isn't modest anymore! Image.

39. Have a life : ARE

40. Tennis great Arthur : ASHE

46. Enjoyed the rink : SKATED

47. Letters before xis : NUs. More of the Greek letters thingie.

48. Neg.'s opposite : POS.

51. Air France flier until 2003 : SST

52. Election Day: Abbr. : TUES

55. Stymie, as plans : THWART

60. Kitchen strainer : SIEVE

62. "Love Songs" poet Teasdale : SARA. Clear Ayes?

63. Alda or Arkin : ALAN

64. Like flawed mdse. : IRREG.

65. Slices of history : ERAs

66. Jackson 5 brother : TITO

67. Boss's privilege : SAY SO

68. Hawaii's state bird : NENE. "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

69. Most affordable golf purchases : TEEs. A lot of golf clubs won't allow tee shirts; you must have a collared shirt.

Down:

1. Mexican Villa : PANCHO. Mucho bad hombre. Pancho and Lefty.(4:45)

2. Hawaiian hello and goodbye : ALOHAs

3. Edit : REVISE

4. Not off by even a hair : EXACT

5. "__ and Old Lace" : ARSENIC

6. Comparative word : THAN

7. Bridal coverings : VEILS

8. __ Hawkins Day : SADIE

9. Gathers strength for a big day : RESTS UP

10. Taken with a spoon : ORAL

11. Singles, on a diamond : BASE HITS

12. Tricky road bend : ESS

13. Susan of "L.A. Law" : DEY

21. Foreign Legion cap : KEPI

22. Be inclined (to) : TEND

26. O.T. book named for a woman : ESTH. ESTHer.

27. Eyelid problem : STYE

30. Casual talk : CHAT

32. Sugarpie : DEAR

33. Break in friendship : RIFT

34. Business end of a slot machine : ARM

35. Bridle strap : REIN

36. Be nostalgic for : MISS

37. Tattooist's supplies : INKS

38. Common flashlight power source : D BATTERY

42. "Hands off!" : "LET ME GO!"

43. For two voices together, in scores : A DUE

44. One with a screw loose : NUT CASE

45. Fed. workplace monitor : OSHA

48. Talking parrot voiced by Jay Mohr : PAULIE. Trailer.(1:06)

49. Showily decorated : ORNATE

50. Shorthand pros : STENOs

53. Krupp Works city : ESSEN. Not related to Krups Coffee Makers and Espresso Machines, Krupp Works made an assortment of naval guns and field artillery pieces for Germany in WW II. In 1999, the Krupp Group merged with its largest competitor, Thyssen AG; the combined company—ThyssenKrupp AG, became Germany's fifth-largest firm and one of the largest steel producers in the world. (Wikipedia)

54. Flat replacement : SPARE

56. Lawman Earp : WYATT

58. Folk singer Burl : IVES. Burl had his own nit here. A Little Bitty Tear.(2:04)

59. Persian Gulf nation : IRAN

60. Bro's sib : SIS

61. Tax shelter initials : IRA


Argyle

75 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

A bit crunchier than our standard Monday fare, but still nice. "Mexican Villa" was a nice misdirect, since it had me thinking of a Spanish word for "house." And PAULIE is a parrot with whom I've never had the chance to become acquainted.

As for the theme answers themselves, only CHICKEN LITTLE was immediately gettable. All the rest needed a lot perps to piece together, and as a result I never even noticed the theme until I was done.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

I had the same nits as you, Argyle, with HES and NUS. Thanks for reminding me!

I loved seeing the TIMES PICAYUNE – I bet Hahtool got that one right away! But is it a well-known paper outside of NOLA? Consistency is important in theme entries, and while three of these phrases are proper nouns, “IN B FLAT MINOR” is a (kind of klunky) phrase. AIR FORCE BASE would also work with this theme. ENGLISH TRIFLE might fit as a twelve-letter entry, but “trifle” is a noun, and not an adjective as in the other entries.

There were a lot of proper names in this one, aside from the theme entries: ALEX, RHEA, ASHE, SARA, ALAN, TITO, PANCHO, SADIE, DEY, PAULIE, WYATT and IVES. Did anyone have trouble with those? To me, they were all well known, but I would hesitate to put so many into a Monday puzzle.

I filled it so quickly that I only noticed all the names after I had finished and went back to read the clues I didn't even see the first time through. So maybe it was OK, after all!

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and Friends.

You are right, HeartRx, The Times-Picayune was a gimme. It was also the clue that made me realize that we were being "small" minded with this puzzle and let me to RICHARD PETTY and IN B-FLAT MINOR.

I zipped through the top and bottom of this puzzle, but slowed a bit in the middle section.

Despite the abbreviate in the clue, I fell for Ruth instead of ESTH, for the O.T. Book Named for a Woman. Unfortunately, the last letters were the same.

I liked both Gets the Lead Out clues. For 16-Across, my immediate thought was Arise (I live with people who hate to get up in the morning), but ERASE was just brilliant.

Happy Monday, everyone.

QOD: If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. ~ Albert Einstein

Abejo said...

Good Morning, folks. Thank you, Kelly, for a swell Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the review.

It was a nice Bio on the constructor.

My goal is always to never enter an answer unless it is tied to a previous word that has been entered. Except for the first entry. Today it worked. Felt good.

The themes came easily. Needed a few perps to catch the Chopin answer.

I also liked ERASE for 16A. Clever.

Just has Susan DEY the other day.

Did not know A DUE for 43D, perps helped.

Great start to the day. Thank you. see you tomorrow.

Abejo

desper-otto said...

Quick solve today -- under 5 min. Argyle, thanks for the trailer; I'd never heard of Paulie. Only got it via the perps.

And HeartRx, I don't live near New Orleans (actually near Houston), but am quite familiar with the Times Picayune. After Katrina I think lots of people came to know it. BTW, thanks for that IOI pointer the other day. I didn't know it was verboten.

Lemonade714 said...

Well my nit for the day, is you early birds have said most of what I thought. It was straight forward Monday, and it is interesting how certain fill gets 'hot' like DEY and ESSEN. I liked seeing ESS in the puzzle with ESSEN. I guess if I were naming a parrot, Paulie is ok.
Enjoy the week, thanks Argyle and Kelly.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

Wasn't too fond of this puzzle today even though it was a easy solve. I, too, needed to rely on the perps for the theme answers. Had riot initially for 33D and was going nuts trying to understand what In bolatminor was. Finally the light came on and riot became Rift. Also began with pix for pic. Perps to the rescue again.

Got a chuckle out of 16A, get the lead out/erase.

Long, busy weekend so my butt is dragging. Following the advice from 9D today, I'm going to rest up.

Anonymous said...

If we're nit picking, I'd like to put in mine. I see it more and more, even in published hardbacks, and it scares me. Clue 67A, Boss's?? Please tell me I haven't forgotten that much grammar school English! It should be Boss', no?

Husker Gary said...

It is cold, wet and gloomy on the plains today and so I’ll not use my cheap TEES and work Kelly’s fun Monday offering!

Musings
-What Marti said!
-I COREd before I PAREd
-Judge Judy does great honor to her ROBE and is on opposite ALEX here
-This looks like a fun line dance to Eydie Gorme’s Blame It On The Bosa Nova - predatory ear worm warning!!
-Regretful secretary sang Blame It On The Boss’s Sofa!
-Restrooms labeled Drakes. Hmm… I guess that’s me
-Argyle, I agree on HES but the plural of PIC is PIX
-I root for NU
-IRREG in clothing is better than in digestion
-My high school put on Arsenic and Old Lace on the night of Nov. 22, 1963 after much debate
-Flawed Pete Rose is King of Base Hits
-Slot machines eat social security checks

Anonymous said...

I believe, technically, either is correct although the absence of that last 's' is far more prevalent.

- John

Grumpy 1 said...

Good Monday, everyone. Nice easy start to the week, thanks to Kelly's puzzle and Argyle's interpretation.

I've gotten used to the plurals of Greek letters and other simple words like 'HEs' so they don't bother me. My only nit with this one is D BATTERY. It's a cell. A battery is a grouping of more than one cell. Common usage, though, has corrupted the word to the point it's considered acceptable, I guess.

I'm not sure when I first heard of the Times Picayune, but it's been a familiar name for many years. I've only been to Nola once and knew the name of the paper long before that. Three of the themes were obvious and the fourth only needed the note and a decision between 'aj' or 'in' to complete. Perps took care of that.

Nice misdirection on Villa. I knew it wasn't casa so I let the perps take care of it.

kazie said...

Enjoyable start to the week. good Monday level but with a little spice.

My one problem was first having POLLIE for PAULIE, then realizing it needed an A where the O was for THWART, but neglecting to react to realizing that the ending for PICAYENE would need two N's to be truly French. Not familiar with PICAYUNE at all.

Other than that all the proper nouns were either known, perped or wagged.

I'm happy with boss's, since the extra 's' sound would always be sounded in oral speech to show the possessive.

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you Ms. Clark for a very nice puzzle and dear Argyle for a spirited commentary. A lil more difficult than average, for a Monday.... got all the words but never figured out the theme.... I guess it takes an expert to do that. I have heard of the T-P, but never knew what 'picayune' meant - why would they put it in a newspaper title ? - don't they want to be taken seriously ?

Krupp were the biggest, baddest steel and armament makers ( 'Big Bertha' - the 240 ton cannon - which could only move by railroad tracks, , was named in 'honor' of the founder's wife - ). Their cannons were very devastating even in WW I. After WW II, the company was convicted of using slave labor, among other atrocities. Still a major corp. with a lot of millionaire shareholders - mostly from the origi8nal family.

I dont understand 'Have a life' - ARE
and 'for 2 voices together, in scores' - A DUE.

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: I always applaud your Monday & TUES. write-ups.
HeartRx/Marti has written about how they ARE just as tough to create as our later-in-the-week puzzles.
Likewise, I think it is tough to make these "easier puzzles" write-ups interesting.
You come through "with-flying-colors."

Being a "Race-Fan" RICHARD PETTY was a gimmie.
There is sadness in our world after the death of Dan Wheldon yesterday. tears ...

The TIMES PICAYUNE is well known. I thought of Hahtool too as I filled it in.

Faves today were that NUDIST & NUT-CASE.
In our DF fashion, 'nough said.

My toast tonight goes out to Dan & His Family.

Anony-Mouse said...

Ooops, nearly forgot the Alt QOD:

Alt QOD: I chased a woman all year only to discover her tastes were exactly like mine. We were both crazy about girls. ~ Groucho Marx.


Not so politically correct today, - the world, it keeps a'changing. No other comments.

Tinbeni said...

Anony-Mouse:
Per Wiki:
The PICAYUNE was first published in 1837 by Francis Lumsden and George Wilkins Kendall.
The paper's initial price was one picayune—a Spanish coin equivalent to 6¼¢ (1/16 of a US dollar).

It became The TIMES-PICAYUNE after merging in 1914 with its rival paper, the New Orleans Times-Democrat.

I've always thought it was a great name for a newspaper.

Husker Gary said...

Hahtool, QOD corollary

Lemonade714 said...

Like many old industrial giants, Thyssen-Krupps has had its ups and downs, but I am sure we have ridden them.

Misty said...

Good Monday morning, everybody!

Great puzzle though I didn't pick up on the theme until Argyle's write-up. Had no trouble with anything but "midi." Figured it had to be either 'mini' or 'maxi'--neither of which worked--and so figured maybe the constructor slipped up on this one. But no, it was me--even though, heaven knows--I may even have worn a midi eons ago.

As for "boss's, my understanding is that if a singular word ends in 's' you add an apostrophe + s. If a plural word ends in 's' you just add an apostrophe (e.g. boss's job versus and bosses' job).

Sfingi said...

I'm refugee from the Puzzle Girl blog, washed up here. I generally do M-W.
Cute theme.

I had some rewrites: "gET away," before LET ME GO.

And because I had aRiSE before ERASE, not catching the joke, tried BiSExual before BASEHITS. To be sure, I know nothing about sports and don't expect to pick up much at this late date.

I see one commenter I know. Hello @Tinbeni.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Argyle, thanks for the comments.

No nits to pick today. Straightforward solve. For 4d, wanted 'bang on' and but chose EXACT after seeing the ALEX cross. Yes we had ESSEN again. It's also the infinitive for 'to eat' (by humans). Animals do 'fressen'. Liked the NUDIST clue. Cute how the skirt length went to MIDI so we could do D BATTERY.

Had to skip yesterday's puzzle; no time.

Have a great day.

Spitzboov said...

Anony-Mouse said I dont understand 'Have a life' - ARE.

One meaning of 'to be - am, is, are' is to 'exist', or have a life.

kazie said...

Anonymouse,
Your other question re A DUE --it's Italian for: for two, hence a duet.

Sfingi,
I'm another non-sports fan, you are among friends! We just wag and perp them all.

Lucina said...

Hello, cyber friends. Great job, as ever, Argyle, thank you.

I SKATED quickly through this one and you have all mentioned the main points. No problem with the proper nouns as all are well known.

Seeing Mexican Villa I immediately thought, hacienda, but already had PARE so PANCHO fit nicely and wrapped up that NE corner.

I've heard of the TIMESPICAYUNE at some time or other and of course thought of Hahtool.

Enjoyed the theme which was apparent after I finished and yes, thought Krupp was the coffee maker.

Today my car goes into the shop for some body work so I must go now.

Have a delightful Monday, everyone!

Lucina said...

sfingi:
Welcome! I, too, am not a sports fan. As Kazie said, it's perp and WAG.

Anonymous said...

Hi - I'm a refugee too. Nice site here. Today there was a bit of a retro feel for me - what with arsenic and old lace, the bosa nova, burl ives and lots of other oldies populating the grid. Got skunked on Pancho.
Burner10

Bill G. said...

I agree with Misty. Boss's is correct.

Unless you (Argyle) were making a joke and I didn't get it, I think 69A "Most affordable golf purchase"/TEES is referring to the cheap little wooden stilts you put under the ball to tee it up rather than tee shirts.

Ron Worden said...

I too am a P.G. refugee, thanks for being here. Nice monday puzzle not to hard not to easy. I only had one writeover ruth instead of esth. Enjoyed the write-up and the interview with Kelly Clark. Lots of sympathy to Dan Wheldon's family as a lifelong resident of the Tampa Bay area. Thanks again for this blog. R.W.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Cute puzzle today, though nitable, as was mentioned. A bit harder than the typical Monday. Didn't get the theme 'til I finished and discover that less is more.

Didn't know PAULIE.

IN B FLAT MINOR certainly clunks, bit I guess it's OK. It only took a couple of perps to get FLAT MINOR. Sussing the preceding three letters wasn't so easy. Here is clink-free blues IN B FLAT MINOR that I love playing.

Symmetries: PANCHO's STENOS write at the Vila. Leis are part of ORNATE ALOHAS. Mdme Bovary was an ARSENIC NUTCASE. BASE HITS are the bane of D' BATTERY. (Pitcher and catcher for you non sports fans.)

Tough sports week end in SE MI. OTOH, undefeated Wings SKATED to a victory.

Jazzbumpa said...

The missing link.

Blues in B FLAT MINOR with an implied toast to all.

Cheers!
JzB

Steve said...

Had Peel instead of PARE right off the bat, but fixed that when I saw ALOHAS and the rest was pretty plain sailing.

Nice start to the week. THWART was great, for no good reason other than I like the word!

Tinbeni said...

@Sfingi:
I'm glad to see my favorite Utica, NY resident drop-by.

Crazy-Cat-Lady & genspenst (from my time @PG's) have also found this site.

I think you'll find us a little more "up-beat" ("less-critical?") of the LAT puzzles, themes, clues, etc.
(But WE do have our moments).

Ron Worden:
I'm also a life-long resident of Tampa Bay.
How about that St.Petersburg Times headline today?
Dan moved here just before he won the initial St.Pete Grand Prix in 2006.

creature said...

Really enjoyed puzzle, Kelly. Your 'nit', too, Argyle. LOL.

CC, thanks for an enjoyable view of Kelly. She's a diversified soul, with lots of talent.

TIMES PICAYUNE was my favorite entry- it really 'upped' the theme for me; and, like Tinbeni, its a great newspaper name- humorous.

ERASE is right in there too.

I'm just so thrilled to see all the new folks. Welcome, again!

Out to the mower, for my last field of the year.

Nice Cuppa said...

@Anon(s)

Most definitely Boss's. As Kazie pointed out, it is used here as the possessive form. Boss is singular, and has a regular plural, BOSSES. Write it as you would say it.

The only exceptions are historical characters, where you have a choice, unless tradition or tongue-twisting would suggest otherwise.

e.g., Jesus' , Ulysses', Socrates', etc.

NC

eddyB said...

Hello.

Thanks Joe and creature.

Was in tears again when cars lined-up for 5 lap tribute and piper played.

TK said that the biggest fear a driver had was not having a car to drive. Dan worked hard to get a ride after winning the 500 this year.

Tin. Will join you tonight. May even start early.

Dan was one of the good guys. RIP.

Take care. eddy

JD said...

Good morning all..old and new,

*all of what Barry said.Struggled with picayune,which made me actually figure out the theme, and voila!

Love those perps. Definitely was thwarted with 47A..very tricky ..NUs.

Would not have known Essen, but it was filled before I saw it. Other names were well known. Thought it was a great Monday puzzle.The interview was an added bonus. Thanks C.C.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I knew of the TIMES PICAYUNE, so that wasn't a problem. Thanks,Tinbeni for the origin information I'm glad to know it never meant the value of the content. I like unusual newspaper names like the "Cleveland Plain Dealer"...I hope they tell it like it is, and our own "Modesto Bee". It started out as the "Sacramento Daily Bee". I guess it was meant to buzz around and get all the news.

I thought this was a nice Monday puzzle. I agree with Marti about the proper names. They were all enough well-known and have been used many times before.

69A)"Most affordable golf purchases" TEES...not shirts, but the little wooden ball stands. GAH has a shoe box full of them. He gets them for free at sports shops, clubs and just laying around on the course.

Fun puzzle Kelly, and nice blogging Argyle. I'll be back with a Sara Teasdale.

melissa bee said...

good morning all,

nice monday morning fare, fun and breezy puzzle, great interview, smooth write up. thanks c.c., kelly and argyle.

as usual, by this time of day, most has been said. great theme entries, and fun 'get the lead out' clechos. wagged and perped b flat minor and adue.

welcome to all the self-described orphans and refugees. nice to have you here.

ant said...

The classic rock station here in Phoenix, KSLX, likes to "Get the Led Out" - a block of three Led Zeppelin songs each weeknight. In fact, I'm sure it's probably not the only station across the country that does this. We also have a rock station, KDKB, that does "Mandatory Metallica" every night - also a block of three songs.

Any others in your local markets...?

Argyle said...

Yes, I think we all know what golf tees are. Lord knows, they appear often enough. No, I was stating my nit that golf clubs do not like players to wear tee shirts, hence you can't buy them in the pro shop.

Around here, the ground, even in the tee box, is so hard that I use broken tees I find because they are shorter and the splintered end is sharper.

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you, Tinbeni for the Picayune explanation - I might have read that name in one of O. Henry's stories ... 'A municipal report' - one of his best stories ever - read it if you get a chance.

Thanks Spitzboov and Kazie for the 'are' and 'a due' explanations. Hopefully, I'll remember.

The biography of Friedrich Krupp ( son of Alfred Krupp, grandson of - yet another - Friedrich Krupp - ) - 'The House of Krupp' - is an epic saga story much like the Rothschilds, except that the Krupp fortunes were tied to one country, Germany - with consequently ( at times - ) disastrous results.

Again, welcome to all the savants and aficionados from the other blog, LA Confidential . No disrespect meant, but whenever I see P.G. , I always think of my favorite author, of bygone days - P. G. ( Sir Pelham Grenville - ) Wodehouse - the funniest author it has been my privilege to read.

Have a good week, you all.

Clear Ayes said...

Sara Teasdale's poetry collection "Love Songs" won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1918. Ms. Teasdale, like too many talented artists, committed suicide in 1933. Her darker side is reflected in this poem. Ray Bradbury based one of his "Martian Chronicles" short stories on this Teasdale poem.

There Will Come Soft Rains

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Clear Ayes said...

Oops, Argyle, sorry if I stepped on either your toes or tees.

Anonymous said...

Tinbeni - I'm just thinking aloud, if a Picayune was 1 / 16th, it would be 'half a bit'. ( Since 2 bits made a quarter $ - one bit was one-eighth.)

Thank you C.C. for that very interesting interview of Kelly Clark - puzzle constructors have indeed very fascinating day-jobs, which sometimes tie into their hobby and vocation.

( I actually knew a guy named Clark Kelly, once.)

Is it just me, but every time I look at melissa bee's new avatar, I lose my train of thought.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, A nice Monday puzzle. Very doable, but with some out of the box clues.

I thought that Mexican Villa surely had to do with a house--uh uh! Also Get the lead out didn't have anything to do with being in a hurry. I didn't have to use my ERASEr very much at all today.

I saw the theme after Little and Petty, so Minor came readily. However, Picayune not so easily. I also had to use the downs to spell it correctly.

Thanks Argyle for a great writeup.

Have a great Monday everyone.

HeartRx said...

Clear Ayes, thank you for sharing "There WIll Come Soft Rains". It struck me that Sara Teasdale's poem and Ray Bradbury's short story were also reinvented in the 2008 movie "WALL-E". But there were a couple differences:
-Nature did suffer, except for one small green plant that the robot tended carefully every day. Other than that, all was destroyed.
-The humans were still living in a spaceship, and eventually did return to earth.

The "moral" of the movie was the same as the poem and the short story, but I think the ending was modified to appeal to the General audience.

Jayce said...

Welp, Mexican Villa was not RANCHO, and singles on a diamond was not SOLITAIR. CHICKENLI____ could have been either LITTLE or LICKEN. WAGs and perps indeed.

Loved how ERASE was clued.

THWART is awesome fill.

Wouldn't ALOHAS be Hawaiian helloes and goodbyes?

NUDIST gave me a smile; HES gave me a frown.

I'm with kazie and Lucina with regard to sports.

My final fill was the letter U in TUES and ADUE.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Kelly Clark and Argyle for a good Monday start.

Tripped around through the puzzle coming up with all the right stuff EXCEPT for some reason, I read business and slot machine and came up with ATM. Didn't phase me to have ATE for "have a life". Very telling, methinks. Probably not the only one who lives to eat.

-PK

Avg Joe said...

G'Day everyone. What's already been said. Clever puzzle with no major hangups. Learning moment of the day was the etymology of Picayune, but knew the name of the paper (from CW's).

Since you covered the Townes Van Zandt song "Pancho and Lefty" in your links Argyle, I'll add Snowin' on Raton since it fits the look of the sky here today.

Welcome all ye refugees. They granted me asylum here a few months ago:-)

Chickie said...

Jayce, I wondered, too, about the s for Alohas and Hellos and Goodbyes. However, Hello AND Goodbye indicated a plural. We often see that when people's names are clued, e.g. Alda or Arkin/Alan, or Baldwin and Guiness/Alecs.

CA Thank you for the lovely "there Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale. So beautiful, but so sad.

Model railroader said...

Anon @ 1:14,
I looked, and went completely off the rails.

Jayce said...

Clear Ayes, love that poem. Thanks for posting it.

Chickie, yes, you are right. It just felt funny to me. Clues using peoples' names don't give me that same feeling that something is "off." Maybe it's because Guiness and Baldwin (or Chevrolet and Buick) are two distinct things (two different people, two different cars), while Hello and Goodbye in Hawaiian are one and the same, not two different alohas.

Welcome to all you refugees.

KeaauRich said...

Since this mornings puzzle had not one but two Hawaii-related answers, i decided it was time to end my self exile and return to the CC communiy after my more than a year of inactivity... I got off to a quick start with "core" for 1A and "casita" for 1D, then hit 2D and came to a screeching halt. Rebooted and had smooth sailing from there on. Didn't latch onto the theme until i was done, so it was little help (hahaha, I crack me up!) Warm alohas to all from the Big Island!

melissa bee said...

current avatar is my daughter, done up like a peacock for promotional event at the spirits festival in san diego.

Argyle said...

So what is this spirits festival ?

Anonymous said...

You meet some strange spirits and partake of some of them.

Anonymous said...

Tees refers to the tee you set the ball on not t-shirts

Lemonade714 said...

KeaauRich,

Welcome back, we talk about our missing hawaiians all the time. E komo mai.

Sfingi and RW, welcome as well. Tinbeni, and others of us, including me, used to read LACC as well as the Corner, beginning when Rex and Amy were part of the process. We like different perspectives here, which can lead to lively discussions.

mb, the pic of your daughter is precious and beautiful, just like her mom.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of avatars, Argyle, what is that black thing with the yellow eyes? Halloween early?

-PK

melissa bee said...

anon 4:19 is essentially correct. like an art and wine festival but for spirits. webpage.

Jayce said...

I forgot to wish everybody a happy "Double Ten Day" last week. It was exactly 100 years ago, on October 10, 1911, that the Republic of China was founded. Cheers and "gan bei"!

Betty said...

Anon at 4:29, about those "tees", see Argyle's nit clarification at 12:56.

Argyle said...

Thank you, Betty.

I changed my avatar to full lenght.

Hahtoolah said...

That's a funny avatar, Argyle. I had seen the partial view for the past few weeks, and thought it was some sort of laboratory tank with a cat face on it.

creature said...

Jayce, Thanks for that info on the Republic of China.

CA, Thanks for Sara Teasdale's poem. You make my day almost every day with your poem choices. I feel so privilged to share this blog with you. Thanks.

Eddy, Wish I were near you guys to be able to meet. JD and Chickie and others.

I think I need one more day to put this farm to bed for winter.

Anonymous said...

Argyle, that is one cute bottle of wine (?), just in time for the spooky season. BTW, your blog page curious 'hits', is going to hit the 13,000 mark soon - maybe its time for a new 'improved' AND (even more - ) 'exotic' avatar.

BTW, melissa bee's avatar takes my breath away - I thought it was 'her' in person. ( Honesty is always the best policy - ) The picture is absolutely stunning - her daughter should be in Hollywood or on TV.

I know, I know, we cerebral minds should not be swayed by such inane diversions.

Anonymous said...

BTW, Creature, you look very nice too, in your avatar. But more importantly, your kind and gentle ways and sincere bon homie (Sp ?) and your genuine good wishes and open hearted greetings for everyone, go far, to give this blog a warm family atmosphere, despite the fact that all of us, are so far away from each other. I have been reading your posts for the last 4 months or more, and I have a very good feeling about what sort of warm and compassionate person you must be.

I know, I know, I am only an Anon., but this is meant straight from the heart.

As for the rest of you regulars, I guess I shall have to compliment you at a later date.

creature said...

Melissa Bee, your daughter is gorgeous. I'm sure you know this. WOW!

Thanks for sharing her with us.

There are 67 posts, at this hour; Yhanks for the remarks.

dodo said...

Good evening, colleagues,

What a lovely puzzle, Kelly! Thank you! I truly enjoyed it and even got the theme!Thank you too,
Argyle. Good blog as usual.

Oh oh, something seems to be wrong with my keyboard.Must stop and figure it out.

Clear Ayes said...

Thanks to Marti, Chickie, Jayce, Creature and all others who enjoy an occasional poem. I've been hanging onto that particular Sara Teasdale for a while, hoping for a day to post it.

Your daughter is beautiful, MB. No wonder proud her Mama posted the photo!

Hope all is well with Jeannie.

The rest of this week is busy...busy, and not enough time to enjoy the beautiful summery (not too hot) weather we've been having.

creature said...

Oh my goodness, Anon 7:17, Thank you for such kind words. I have to turn the compliment back to you.

For you to take the time to say such kind words just fills my soul.
I hope I get to 'personally' know you. Can you share your identity?
You sound like someone the blog would like to have a handle on.

Thanks,

windhover said...

As Creature can tell you, here in the horse racing capital of the world we place a lot of stock in the three generation pedigree. With BarbB and MelissaBee in the lineage, the daughter was, as they say at the track, an odds-on favorite to be a beauty. Add my compliments to the others.
And a big Bluegrass salute to our resident poetry aficionado, CA.
Two weeks behind on the puzzles, but rainy days are coming up.

creature said...

WH, been thinking a lot about you while getting machinery ready for winter.

Washing old grass off the bushhog and hoping the mice won't find it to make cozy nests. Oh well, so what if they do? Just stay away from the house. Please.

Glad to hear your voice.

fermatprime said...

Hi all,

My, what an increase in participants!

Fun puzzle. Good work, Kelly and Argyle. Enjoyed the piece on Kelly, too. Thanks, CC.

Favorites: ERASE and NUDIST.

EddyB: Finished Flash and Bones late last night. The whole poison thing was rather convoluted, but, all in all, excellent writing as usual. (But no love life.)

Does anyone else read Kathy Reichs? She certainly has a busy life! That almost semi-immaculate conception on Bones was somewhat silly. No?

CA: Great poem!

Cheers!

JD said...

Fermaprime, I have read a few of Kathy Reichs' novels. Loved the 1st one, not the 2nd. @Bones, what were the writers to do? Actually, it makes me wonder how they will write the new season.

CA, thanks for the lovely poem..always a treat.

MB, lovely picture!! Still a shark?

Let's not hear any "quack,quacks"

Where is Jeannie????