google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Pam Klawitter

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Nov 15, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Pam Klawitter

Theme: How's the Grub, Bub? - The theme seems right up front but the unifier reveals an extra tidbit.

20A. On-the-go morning snack : BREAKFAST BAR

37A. Cash for a sandwich : LUNCH MONEY

43A. Waiter's handout : DINNER MENU

57A. Familiarly, nutritious trio found twice in this puzzle : THREE SQUARES

Argyle here. I never completely read the the unifier and so I was surprised to find circles in three corners of the puzzle. Some of you may not have gotten these circles. In the NE, SE, and SW corners, the word MEAL forms a little square. See here.

There are at least two different theories on where we got the phrase, a square meal. One is that it comes from the wooden board that served as a plate.


The other comes from the idea that a square meal was an honest, fair meal. Square is used in the sense of getting a square deal. Three hots and a cot!

Across:

1. Onetime VHS rival : BETA. Both are gone now.

5. Like honed knives : SHARP

10. Relaxed : CALM

14. The Earth turns on it : AXIS

15. Swiss calculus pioneer : EULER. Leonhard Euler, 1707 – 1783, was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist.

16. Hebrides hillside : BRAE. The Hebrides is the archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. Map.

17. Rules, in brief : REGS. Regulations.

18. Grassy Southwestern tract : LLANO

19. "Mike and Mike in the Morning" radio station : ESPN. Check your local listings.

23. Flight that may be round : TRIP

24. Craft stabilizer : KEEL

25. "¡No __!": Mexican's "Enough!" : MAS. A phrase made famous in the Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard fight.

28. Story spanning decades : SAGA

31. St. Teresa's home : ÁVILA. Ávila is the capital of the province of the same name in the center of Spain.

33. Matador's cloak : CAPA

40. Tenth of a sawbuck : ONE CLAM

42. Tailgaters' beverage carriers : COOLERS

45. Dorothy's dog : TOTO

46. Run the show : EMCEE. Used as a verb.

47. Vidal's Breckinridge : MYRA. Myra Breckinridge is a 1968 satirical novel by Gore Vidal written in the form of a diary. It was made into a movie in 1970.

49. Actress Sandra : DEE

50. Moan and groan : CARP

53. Browning work : POEM

61. Dubai big shot : EMIR

64. Medium's card : TAROT

65. Part of a float : SODA

66. Take it easy : LAZE

67. Bacteria in rare meat : E. COLI

68. Footnote word : IDEM. "the same". Ibid.(short for ibidem), means the same place.

69. Biblical heirs, with "the" : MEEK

70. Barber's chair attachment : STROP. The leather strap used to sharpen a straight edge razor.

71. Corporate __ : SEAL

Down:

1. Farm fence feature : BARB

2. Put into action, as effort : EXERT

3. LSU mascot : TIGER

4. Very, musically : ASSAI

5. __-centered: egotistical : SELF

6. Luau entertainment : HULA

7. Sarah Palin, notably : ALASKAN

8. Yvonne's income : RENTE. French.

9. Legislative investigation : PROBE

10. "Good buddy" : CBer

11. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS. Also known as "The Art of Poetry".

12. Comfy spot for some cats : LAP

13. Guys : MEN

21. GI mess crews : KPs. Kitchen Police; fits with today's theme.

22. Memorable Texas landmark : ALAMO

25. "Giant" actor Sal : MINEO

26. Ready for whatever : ALERT

27. Final authority : SAY-SO

29. Old apple spray : ALAR

30. Frances __: Judy Garland's birth name : GUMM

32. Battery unit : VOLT

33. Encrypted : CODED

34. Japanese cartoon style : ANIME

35. Pound divisions : PENCE. Since decimalisation in 1971, the British pound has been divided into 100 pence.

36. Adolescent woe : ACNE

38. Manhattan campus, for short : CCNY. City College of New York.

39. Rush __ : HOUR

41. Bloodsucker : LEECH

44. Invisible-clothes wearer in an Andersen tale : EMPEROR

48. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU

51. José's humanities : ARTES

52. Show one's feelings, say : REACT

54. Kalahari refuge : OASIS. Southern Africa.

55. Wear away : ERODE

56. Jason jilted her : MEDEA. The cad!

57. Taxing trip : TREK

58. Go it alone : SOLO

59. You may stick it in your ear : Q-TIP

60. Dan'l's cousin? : SAM'L. And they ride on a cam'l.

61. Street shader : ELM

62. Ginnie __ : MAE

63. Special ending? : IZE. Specialize.

79 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    No circles for me, so I had no idea what the "hidden" theme answers were. The theme itself was rather straightforward, though, and once I got BREAKFAST and LUNCH I filled in DINNER without even looking at the clue.

    Overall, I thought this puzzle was trying to be a lot harder than it actually was. A number of obscure words, but ones which I've seen enough times to now be familiar. ASSAI, GUMM, EULER -- these are the types of words that always make me feel smart for knowing them.

    The only speed bump today was in the SW corner where I initially had IST instead of IZE at 63D. It fit well with EMIR, but messed everything else up or a bit. Even that got resolved pretty quickly, though.

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  2. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Well, I found yesterday's a tad difficult, but I just breezed through this one. (A puzzle with the LSU TIGER has got to be good!)

    I had the circles filled in, but instead of reading the letters as MEAL, I initially read them as LAME. Then the THREE SQUARES hit me. What a clever theme!

    My first thought for Pound Divisions was Ounce, but that was quickly remedied.

    Stop sticking Q-TIPS in your ears! This is the second reference to doing this in a week!

    QOD: Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in. ~ Alan Alda

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  3. Can someone explain 60 down?

    "Dan'l's Cousin" = Saml

    The explanation in the write-up didn't help me.

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  4. Good day folks,

    Not a lot to say about today's offering. There were no hang ups, WAGS, or head scratchers. Just a couple of misdirections that were easily resolved with perps.

    Not too familiar with Anderson's works so I had EMPRESS initially for 44D. EMPEROR appeared as soon as I began the across fills in the South. Never knew Judy Garland's birth name was GUMM.

    Sad story in today's Hartford Courant. Pat Witt, starting QB for Yale, had to chose to either play vs Harvard Saturday or fly to Atlanta to interview for a Rhodes Scholarship. He chose THE GAME. The Courant article goes trough the pros and cons, etc. Too detailed to discuss here, but the Courant web site covers it thoroughly if anyone is interested.

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  5. There was very little misdirection in the clues, so this turned into another speed run.

    Hand up for reading LAME in the corners.

    Did scratch my head over the MEEK heirs for a moment, but then I remembered the words of Herbert Hoover -- Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.

    Anon, Dan'l is short for Daniel (Hand up if you were thinking Boone here!) and Sam'l is short for Samuel, and Caml isn't short for anything. This is the Biblical Daniel and Samuel.

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  6. desper-otto,
    Yes to Boone, and his oldest brother (and the reputed father of one of his children) was Samuel (Sam'l).
    There was also D. Webster, but (as you say) the clue just refers to the similarity of the abbreviations of the two names.

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

    Nice write-up today, Argyle - thanks for all your Monday/Tuesday workouts! I really chuckled at your "cam'l" quip. Hands up here for thinking of Boone before SAM'L appeared with perps.

    I liked seeing ONE CLAM crossing PENCE. But I thought "Pound divisions" might refer to Ezra, so I wanted to put "poems" in there. But no, that answer was reserved for Elizabeth Barrett in 53A!

    Clever theme, with some nice misdirections to call out the thinking cap. Just right for a Tuesday!

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  8. Hahtool, I forgot to say - I thought of you when the LSU TIGER appeared! "Geaux Tigers"!!

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  9. Since when is Pamela Amick Klawitter just plain Pam? Did she simplify her name to fit in with the early week puzzle? I do not believe we have ever had an early week puzzle from her.

    The circles made the theme more exciting, and while as Barry said there were some semi-obscure puzzle words, it all went smoothly. Sun shines, birdies sing, but I will be inside until late night again, drat.

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  10. Morning All,

    A typical Tuesday for me and I found yesterdays a snap. Euler and Llano required help and I wrote in Ounce for 35D that perps straightened out. Favorite today was One Clam. Clever theme.

    Haven't been able to post as of late or even visit. I have been averaging about three puzzles a week. Budget and personnel cuts have left things really thin. I'm thankful my position hasn't fallen victim to the slashing yet.

    Probably be keeping the same schedule so won't be able to blog much. I do miss it and hope everyone is well.

    Have a good one.

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  11. Good morning, all. I have to agree with Barry's assessment. There seemed to be more crosswordese than we usually see on a Tuesday. Casual solvers may find it daunting, but most of us that solve regularly can breeze through.

    Now to pick a nit. ESPN is a network. It is not a station. US radio and TV stations have call letters and ALL of them start with either K or W by international convention.

    Having done quite a bit of geneology research in the past year, I've seen the Dan'l and Sam'l abbreviation on many census forms from the 1800's and early 1900's, particularly from Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

    Good to see you check in Mainiac.

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  12. Thank you Ms. Klawitter for a very nice puzzle, and thank you Argyle for your witty comments. I had no trouble with this one - tho' I kept thinking what does a 'lame' 'male' do ?

    LSU mascot could have been my 'natick', but the perps were generous.

    Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ( Leibnitz) and Sir Isaac Newton are generally considered to be the co-discoverors of the theory of Calculus. (That is a big controversy that rages, even to this day - ). Leonard Euler is generally recognized as a very great mathematician, in his own right.



    ALT QOD:- Sushi must have been invented by two Jews thinking: "How can we open a restaurant without a kitchen ?". (sic ) ~ Jackie Mason.

    Note:- Typed as published, no comment.

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  13. A Definitive LiberalNovember 15, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    Yesterday, someone alluded to the fact that the word 'tata' had an alternative interpretation, but chose not to explain it.

    Ta Ta(s) - noun. - euphemism for breasts, presumably fem. (slang )

    Since this blog exists, partly for the elucidation of the meaning of words, if somebody knows, or is aware of an alternative meaning of certain words, it would be preferred that they also go 'straight up', and explain the alternate definition, in a safe, non-risque', concise manner and save everybody else the time and bother of having to look it up themselves.

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  14. Argyle: Wonderful write-up.

    As for the circles ... well I thought those MEALs were LAME also.

    Hand up for first thinkin' of Dan'l Boone.

    Wanted a different 7-letter word, that starts
    with A, than ALASKAN, for Palin.

    Almost forgot the ALAMO.

    A toast to all at Sunset!

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  15. Mornin'

    Didn't see any circles....just filled in words from left to right.

    Really expected a harder puzzle; this was a breeze!

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  16. The only thing I couldn't get was the 15A/8D cross as I was unfamiliar with EULER and never earned RENTE.

    Favorite clues were 40A: Tenth of a sawbuck: ONE CLAM, and 59D: You may stick it in your ear: QTIP. Anybody ever try to stick one clam in their ear?

    How do you feel about 23A? Flight that may be round: TRIP. I didn't like the wording on the clue.

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  17. Unlike Barry, I didn't know ASSAI, GUMM, EULER, but they appeared via perps without help. I breezed through this quicker than yesterday's, several Spanish unknowns notwithstanding. I had -ENCE before CAPA, and was thinking of a dog pound, and wanted Fence until the penny dropped when I realized that wasn't a plural.

    The Brits decimalized the easy way, changing their 20 shillings to 100 (new) pence. In Oz, we made our pound into 2 dollars, which meant that instead of 1, 3 and 6 penny coins, we now have 1, 2 and 5 cent coins. Instead of 1 and 2 shilling coins (12 and 24 pence respectively), there are now 10 and 20 cent coins. The 10 shilling note is 1 dollar, the pound a 2 dollar note. Thank goodness the guinea (£1/1/0) went the way of the donkey cart!

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  18. A Definitive Liberal said...,
    Except when it's assumed that everyone already knew what was intended. Then the unneeded explanation falls under the topic of some of the funny criticisms leveled at all of us last night.

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  19. Dang! I saw LAME before I saw MEAL. Just like when I bought a BETA machine and it went extinct years earlier than the VHS. Fun theme/puzzle Pam.

    Musings (many similar to Hahtool)
    -ASSAI, LLANO, RENTE, AVILA, IDEM, ARTES and CAPA seemed very untuesdayish to me but all came home to roost
    -I was all over EULER, a fellow Swiss with Tinman and me
    -We kept our budding knives SHARP at the nursery with leather STROPS
    -Francis Gumm ranks up there with Archibald Leach
    -Ounce and buck, you’re out. Pence and clam, you’re in.
    -Re: QOD - Assumptions in life and in crosswords can delay success!
    -Tin, I held up on snarky Biden comments and now you “go rogue” on poor, incompetent Palin.
    -Liberal, the tata’s references yesterday are in the spirit of this blog and have been bandied about many times on this site as well as in An Officer and a Gentleman . It ain’t all academic here ;-).

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  20. I've been following this blog for some time. Thank you to the puzzler explainers for all the info about the entries. I had an easy time with the Three Squares today--fun puzzle. I especially like seeing a couple of my teenage idols, Sandra Dee and Sal Mineo in the clues.

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  21. Tin:
    Re: "Almost forgot the Alamo":
    Very nice! I "almost" didn't get it. :)

    Husker:
    Regardless of your politics, you have to admit this about Biden et al; it's good to get back to a time when you can make an otherwise annoying and bothersome guy disappear by making him VP. Of course there's always that "one heartbeat away" thing; guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. :)

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  22. Hello Puzzlers -

    The circles didn't show up today for some reason, so I missed that part of the theme. Stumbled at IDEM - wanted IBID - and at CARP, a verb I rarely see or use.

    All in all a solid Tuesday.

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  23. I'm just BIDEN my time...

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  24. Just one letter away from Bidet, but basically serving the same function.

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  25. I guess most of you aren't going to try Don and CC's bonus puzzle today. It's got a baseball theme. Barry G and I -- two non-baseballers -- are the only ones who've commented on it so far.

    Kazie, where is Oz? Last time I was in SW Wisconsin they were using dollars...but it's been awhile.

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  26. WH, what a great point! John Nance Garner had the worth of the office of vice president pegged very well with his famous and crude comment (Offensive phrase alert!) Getting "kicked upstairs" is a common strategy in a lot of enterprises.

    Off to the Y!

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  27. Desper-otto,
    I use Oz for Australia, much shorter and the generally accepted abbreviation used by the locals. Since I grew up there I can't shake that feeling of it still being "home" to me. The currency changed there in 1966, when I was still in college (aka "at uni") in Sydney, so the trauma it put the older generation through is very familiar.

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  28. "Oui! Oui!" French Student

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  29. The odd thing about the LSU Tigers is that next year they will be one of three "Tigers" in the same conference (Auburn and Missouri too). I think someone should have to change their name.

    Only issue I had was in the SE. Honestly, SAM'L is a crap fill. Especially since it crosses a word that works with either a T or an L. I sat there looking at SAMT wondering WTF the constructor had smoked and where I could get an ounce or so of it.

    Tell ya what, I'll just pretend it's short for Samantha and consider my puzzle finished as a success.

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  30. Good day, Argyle, C.C. and puzzle folk. Funny stuff, Argyle.

    Nice puzzle from Pamela today with no need to EXERT myself.

    MEAL was apparent as I already had BREAKFASTBAR and saw that it related to eating.

    Loved SHARP crossing PROBE.

    Abejo, I hope MAS, CAPA and ARTES as well as RENTE don't ruin your day.

    Clever misdirection of flight that may be round, TRIP.

    Hahtool, I also thought of you at TIGERS.

    Happy Tuesday, everyone!

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  31. Good morning all,

    This was a typical Tues., very perpable for the few I didn't know.The most difficult fill for me was the crossing of idem/saml. Ibid was my choice.I wagged the r in carp.mas was not famous enough.

    Avila filled in itself, but it confused me as the book I read LONG ago said St Theresa was from Lisieux.She died very young from TB while in the convent.

    Argyle, thanks for clearing up the unifier.....and brae.

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  32. Good morning Argyle and all.

    Not much new to add. Agree with Grumpy's nit about US radio call signs. Had the circles and saw they had the same 4 letters 3 times. Didn't need them, though. Theme was easy and puzzle wasn't difficult. No lookups needed. TOTO has become a common brand of toilet in the US. Did lots of BARBed wire fence work as a youngster. Had 'ounce' first for PENCE until I caught the misdirection. Nice warm-up cw for the rest of the week.

    Enjoy the day.

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  33. Another great band from the 80s (can you tell when I grew up?)...SAGA!

    They're still around and recording, but they never obtained the level of success they had with these two songs. Hopefully, more earworms for ya!

    Wind Him Up (3:31)

    On the Loose (4:09)

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  34. Clever, clever, clever--both easy and fun, my favorite kind of puzzle. Thank you Ms. Klawitter, and Argyle, of course. Not only got everything but even saw the three square meals in the circles right away! I usually don't eat breakfast, so why am I a little hungry this morning?

    Did have a small problem with Dan'l since I kept thinking Hawaii Five-O--until I remembered that was Danno, not Dan'l (wasn't it?).

    It helps to know your Saints, and I'm not talking sports!

    Finally, I always think of Sal Mineo in 'Rebel without a Cause.' What vulnerable roles he played!

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  35. Husker:
    I wouldn't “go rogue” on "poor, incompetent Palin" (your evaluation, mine also).

    Maybe, just maybe, I was thinkin' that 7-letter,
    A-word was ... AMATEUR.

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  36. JD, the saint from Lisieux is spelled "Thérèse"- she is the one known as "The Little Flower". The one from Avila is spelled Teresa. She was a theologian and doctor of the church, and is known as "St Teresa of Jesus" because of her many writings.

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  37. Hello. Mike and Mike in the morning is on ESP2 out here.
    Suppose it's 6 to 10 back East.
    Didn't know ESPN was a Radio station. KDKA in Pittsburgh is an
    exception to the K/W rule.

    take care. eddy

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  38. Fun puzzle, enjoyed it.

    @Barry - what did you mean by "this puzzle was trying to be a lot harder than it actually was" ?

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  39. @eddyB - Doesn't KDKA start with K?

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  40. EddyB, actually the K/W "rule" was more of a convention. Prior to the communications act of 1934 stations could pick either a K or W. Later it was decided that stations east of the Mississippi would use W and stations to the west would use K. So there's KDKA in Pittsburgh as you mentioned, also KFIZ in Fond Du Lac WI, KYW in Philadelphia, WOAI in San Antonio, and WFAA in Dallas, just to name a few. The "misfits" are mostly old, established stations.

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  41. I certainly didn't mean to slight TOTO - another great 70s/80s band that is still touring and recording (after a brief hiatus).

    Gosh, what do I pick? Rosanna, Hold the Line, Africa, 99? All crossword staples. How about a cover song? This one's for you, eMBee

    While My Guitar Gently Weeps (5:38)

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  42. Gunghy, good to se you and Mainiac, glad it is only business which keeps you away. Now we need only 40 or 50 more of our old guard to check in and say they are well. BUCKEYE? CROCKETT? EMBIEN?

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  43. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Pam, for a swell puzzle. Thank you as well, Argyle, for the write-up.

    I would have gotten into this earlier, but I was frantically raking leaves this morning to get them to the curb in bags for the garbage (basura) man. I know that spanish word from our old factory.

    Zipped through this for the most part. The theme came easily, three meals. Also the squares in the corners emerged.

    Yes, Lucina, I got MAS with perps, CAPA I missed, had CEPA with perps but one did not work, ARTES I wagged and lucked out, and RENTE totally with perps. I am becoming a man of the world.

    Liked BRAE. We usually get a different type clue for Hebredes (Isle).

    I alos had OUNCE for 35D until my erroneous CEPA straightened me out.

    SE corner was tough. Had COLA instead of SODA and DEAL instead of SEAL.

    Tonight I am off to the Dobrovsky Club for my monthly Bohemian Dinner. Sauerkraut, dumplings and all.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  44. JD:
    I was going to answer your question, but I see that HeartRX already did that.

    On SAM'L, having the circles and the E, M, and A already in place, made L obvious. The same in the SW corner; the circles and anagram definitely helped.

    It's good to see you, Maniac; I worried that harsh weather was keeping you away.

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  45. Ant: I was just going to post that you missed TOTO!

    Did you notice the other one word musical group references? Anyone? EULER? EULER?

    How about SEAL,OASIS,RUSH(from a clue), SOLO(a bit obscure)and MEN(at work).

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  46. Thanks HeartRx..didn't know there were two. Thought the spelling difference was Fr./Eng.

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  47. Kazie:
    I forgot to tell you I enjoyed "Lichtbirne" from last night. (not sure of spelling) That might help me remember it should I encounter it in a puzzle sometime!

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  48. Here is the end of the NO MAS fight. DO NOT WATCH if you disapprove of boxing.

    Howard Cosell's commentary is spot on, as usual.

    I have SRL's autograph on a Mirage Casino cocktail napkin. Funny story but too long to post.

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  49. JD, It's St. Teresa from Avila Spain, and St. Therese from Liseux France.

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  50. Hi gang -

    Circles on square meals? I'm confused. And the three locations define a triangle. Well, as the acorn said when it grew up" Gee, ah'm a tree!"

    It's all been said, so I'll just note that the MEN-ELM symmetry is an anagram, and the ASSAI- OASIS symmetry is "O" so close.

    And now I know what ASSAI means!

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  51. Kazie: re Lichtbirne. My Cassell's gives: die Glühbirne. (glowing pear), also, simply, die Birne for electric bulb. A regional thing maybe, or is my Cassells (1958) getting a little dated?

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  52. Square meals come from when the settlers arrived on the ships the plates were wooden squares for easy cleaning and stacking. I dont know where they got the idea about the other origins but this is fact. Also hated todays puzzle for a tuesday. If this was easy for some why was it not yesterdays? I hate the inconsistantcies. Willtransfer to comute puzzle from now on. It does not have stump the chump clues!!!

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  53. Wow I agree with anonom. See ya all.

    George

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  54. So long. It's a shame to lose such experts.

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  55. to: George and the Anonom

    If you are looking for a non-challenging puzzle, might I suggest the one found in the national paper (similar in name to America Now). They cater to those who just prefer to feel smart.

    However, good luck in finding a blog to discuss your new-found intelligence.

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  56. My favorite radio station is the historic WLW. There are some interesting facts in the "history" section.

    Are there other stations with only 3 call letters?

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  57. @Anon 2:09

    "This is fact". Really? Here's some more "fact" for you:

    It is widely reported, by tour guides and the like, that this originated from the Royal Navy practise of serving meals on square wooden plates. Such plates did exist and so that sounds like a plausible story, but there's no other evidence to support it. In fact, the lateness of the first printed record (see below) pretty well rules this out as a credible theory. The Royal Navy's records and many thousands of ship's logs are still available and, if the phrase came from that source, it would surely have been recorded before the mid-19th century.

    This 'square plate' theory is a clear example of folk-etymology. The phrase exists, the square plates exist, and two and two make five.

    The word square has many meanings, including 'proper, honest, straightforward', and that's the meaning here. This isn't a rectilinear meal on right-angled crockery, but a good and satisfying meal.
    The phrase is of US origin. All the early citations are from America, including this, which is the earliest print reference I have found - an advertisement for the Hope and Neptune restaurant, in the California newspaper The Mountain Democrat, November 1856:

    "We can promise all who patronize us that they can always get a hearty welcome and 'square meal' at the 'Hope and Neptune. Oyster, chicken and game suppers prepared at short notice."


    You might have a happier time with the puzzles if you treat them as a learning experience. In fact, you could probably start with learning how to spell "inconsistencies", as the ability to spell might have a direct bearing on your ability to complete a puzzle, and enjoy it.

    Have fun with CAT/MAT/SAT

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  58. Thank you, Steve, but please split it up next time to keep near the 20 line limit.

    Thank you.

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  59. Spitz,
    I'm sure there are regional differences, but Birne on its own works in most contextual situations. I still have my college Cassell's bought in 1963 which also gives Glühbirne, but the 1993 Klett's I bought at a conference, (and the salesman laughed when I said how old my other one was), gives elektrische Birne. Maybe I made up Lichtbirne, but it could be the recent Saxon influence that made me say that. My husband's old school dictionary also gives Glühbirne, so you might be onto something.

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  60. Steve, I was hoping somebody would set the record straight, with respect to the cranky message from Anonymous, and you did it: with research, information, and courtesy. (Well, okay, and a well-deserved little admonishment thrown in).I think we all owe you a huge cheer of thanks!

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  61. Kazie, thanks for the reply.

    Steve @ 2:41. See List of 3 letter callsigns in US.

    Argyle, I grew up with WGY. Always was on in our cowbarn. 50,000 watts then. I don't know about now.

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  62. Tinbeni said...
    Wanted a different 7-letter word, that starts with A, than ALASKAN, for Palin.
    ===================================
    LOL, Tinbeni!

    DNF. Natick at RENTE and LLANO.

    **shakes tiny angry fist at foreign words**

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  63. The british were not the only ones sailing the seas. The french portugese and dutch sailed to the new world too. Plus wooden squares were easy to make. But you all take comments too seriously. In fact I loved todays puzzle very challenging. I think your all cool. So someone isnt. Leave em alone. I have always loved the circled box clues. Cheers!

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  64. I used to listen to WLW at night on my homemade crystal radio. I have very fond memories of the crystal radios I made.

    Barbara's two brothers and a sister are in town for a few days for a mini-reunion. We went out for a nice lunch (lentil soup, Caesar salad with anchovies and my favorite crab melt half-sandwich). Then, a macchiato and tutoring for me. Maybe tomorrow we'll go for a scenic drive around Palos Verdes.

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  65. WWL in New Orleans
    WHO in Des Moines
    WLS in Chicago
    WBZ in Boston
    I'm sure there are others, but those 4 were preset on the radio in my '56 Chevy. They only came in at night, but that's when I was in the car.
    The 5th button, which Seen will know, was WSAI, in the Queen City of the West, which was 64 miles from my hone town of Maysville, where the hometown station was WFTM - World's Finest Tobacco Market.

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  66. Bill, IIRC, you wrote of having a creamy sausage and mushroom soup at Olive Garden a while back. If that memory is accurate, I tried that soup several years ago and have devised a good knock off version that has had great reviews from all that I've served it to. I'd be happy to provide it.

    Besides, the anon's of the past few days didn't comment on recipe sharing. I think they're losing their edge. :-)

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  67. DON'T WORRY JOE, YOU'RE COOL

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  68. Good evening everyone.

    Late to the party today. I loved this puzzle. Missed only one square in the SE. (The M)

    I was beginning to think we had seafood for a theme with CARP and CLAM.

    Good to see you Maniac.

    Cheers

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  69. larry,

    As a kid I listened to WLS and WBZ and wrote 'bedtime stories' for Art Roberts starting when I was in high school. Dusty Dick Summer , who still does national voice overs, was my favorite voice of the 60's. His take on the invention of the Shrewsbury is classic. The late Larry Glick also was great

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  70. Evening, gang,

    I must admit I'm aptly named: thank you, Argyle, for explaining that the four circled letters spelled "MEAL" not "LAME"! I guess I need about a case of V-8 cans for that whopper! I rally should pay better attention to the theme!

    I'm going into my corner now and grovel.

    dodo

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  71. Avg. Joe, I'd be happy to try that soup recipe. It's funny. Years ago, I'd seldom get excited about having soup as a course in a restaurant. Now, I really look forward to it.

    This lunch place I went to today is ideal in that respect. One of their lunch specials is soup, salad and half a sandwich. Just the right amount of good-tasting food. They were even willing to put anchovies on the Caesar salad as a special request.

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  72. Thanks Mari. I understood that with Marti's 11:06.I didn't think Avila was in England...but I did think Teresa was an English variation of the spelling.Obviously that was today's learning moment for me.

    Saw J. Edgar today, and that was filled with learning moments.Nicely done.Kudos to Clint Eastwood.

    Nice research Steve. :-)

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  73. @L714

    I'm no Casanova but then I've also never had a summer worthy of that nickname!

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  74. OK Bill. I'll begin with the caveat that I see recipes as guidelines or suggestions, not hard and fast instructions. That said, quantities are at your own discretion:

    Ingredients:
    Fresh mushrooms.
    Butter.
    Onion, diced.
    Garlic, smashed.
    Potatoes, small, peeled and sliced in a "thick/thin" manner. (Each slice is tapered, which allows them to cook to different degrees on each end of the medallion)
    Dry basil....lot's of basil.
    Chicken stock to cover the potatoes while cooking.
    Hot Italian sausage, either bulk or cased. If cased, sliced into 1/2" medallions.
    Cream.

    Peel and slice the potatoes, add chicken stock to cover, add some basil. Bring to a boil. Clean and slice the mushrooms, saute in butter. Remove and set aside. Add onions and garlic to pan that mushrooms were cooked in. When onions are cooked, set aside and drain pan. Fry Italian sausage in same pan, try to keep it in fairly large chunks. Drain when done, set aside.
    When potatoes are cooked do not drain. Add all other ingredients, plus cream to taste. Then add more basil. Then add more basil! Some sea salt and pepper might be good. More butter is also an idea. Texture should be thick, but not too thick.
    Wish you were Italian.

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  75. Hola Everyone, I had the puzzle completed, but when I read Argyle's comments, I realized I had left out the Y in Myra and CCNY. I wasn't sure how to spell Myra, so left it to go back to later, but didn't go back.

    A fun puzzle, and I did have the squares in the corners, so meal came up easily after I had the Three squares in for the unifier.

    The few obscure words--already mentioned were doable with the perps. I had an easier time with this puzzle that the one from yesterday.

    Late to the group because I'm baking again today. Trying to get ahead on my Holiday chores for a change.

    As for radio stations, KGO, San Francisco was our station of choice from out here on the West Coast. It is a talk radio format now.

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  76. JD: we also saw J. Edgar, and really enjoyed it.

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  77. Gee Steve. The last time I checked
    Pittsburgh was East of the Miss River and KDKA started with a K.

    WSAJ-AM/Grove City College first on air on Apr 26,1920. KDKA on air
    on Nov 2,1920. Both built by the same Prof.

    The three way tie for 2nd place
    will be broken tonight. PHO up by
    2 goals.

    eddy

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  78. Gee, @eddyB - I know I'm smart, but I don't have ESP.

    Paraphrasing (read down the thread and tell me what I'm missing here)

    Grumpy said: "Stations start with K or W"

    You said: Exception is KDKA"

    I said: Doesn't that start with a K?

    Desper-otto said: West/East K/W

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