google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Ned White

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Dec 7, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Ned White

Theme: Maybe - A fence sitters puzzle; three pros, three cons, and a grid spanning undecided in the middle.

14. "Affirmative!" : "NO ARGUMENT!"

16. "Affirmative!" : "AMEN!"

17. "Affirmative!" : "I'M SURE OF IT!"

38. "It could go either way" : "I JUST CAN'T DECIDE"

63. "Negative!" : "NOT A PRAYER!"

65. "Negative!" : "UH-UH!"

66. "Negative!" : "IN A PIG'S EYE!"

Argyle here. I researched today's constructor before I started and was slightly intimidated. The man's first puzzle was a Saturday NYT! But his debut LAT feels like a perfect fit for a Wednesday. A few unknowns to keep it a learning experience, minimal crosswordese, good fill and a unique grid layout. I would like to see some more of Ned's work.

Across:

1. Bar fixture : ALE TAP

7. Twosome : DUO

10. Border Patrol city of the Southwest : YUMA. Sector map below.


18. Drill command : HALT

19. Shiny fabrics : SATEENS

20. Hiker's map, casually : TOPO. Short for topographic map.

22. Nav. rank : ENS.

23. Times for les vacances : ÉTÉs. They get more vacation than we do in France?

25. Bank products : LOANS

29. Block or stock suffix : ADE

30. Oil, informally : TEXAS TEA

33. Give or take, e.g. : VERB

36. Japanese noodle dish : RAMEN. Clued as Nagano noodles on Sunday.

37. Zebra on a field : REF

42. Pres. Carter, e.g. : DEM.

43. Snarl noises : HONKS. Snarls from a traffic jam.

44. __ Inn : DAYS

45. 1975 seminal green movement novel by Ernest Callenbach : ECOTOPIA. Wikipedia article.

47. Post-WWII nuclear org. : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission. 1946 - 1974

49. Others, in Oaxaca : OTROS. State located in Southwestern Mexico.

50. Down Under st. : TASM.. Tasmania is the island down under Down Under.

52. Former boomer, briefly : SST

55. Staff sign : REST

58. Frankenstein's creator : SHELLEY

60. "The Thorn Birds," e.g. : SAGA. Down Under saga.

67. Hampers : BINS. You know, ladies, those clothes hampers men don't use.

68. Cribbage marker : PEG


69. Colorful fish : TETRAs

Down:

1. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE

2. Fictional salesman : LOMAN. Willy, from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

3. Bridge seats : EASTs. The card game.

4. Devoted : TRUE

5. "Deal!" : "AGREED!"

6. Bandleader Tito : PUENTE

7. Excellent, in modern slang : DEF. Short for definitely but Urban Dictionary entry says it's archaic, circa 1981.

8. Second, e.g. : UNIT

9. "Beetle Bailey" dog : OTTO

10. Boors : YAHOOs

11. Thurman of film : UMA

12. Director Brooks : MEL

13. Social worker : ANT

15. Jazz pianist Allison : MOSE. Mose Allison Trio live on PBS. Your Mind Is On Vacation.(2:32)

21. Carpenter's tool : PLANE

24. Performed terribly : STANK AT

26. Bright lobbies : ATRIA. Plural of atrium.

27. Down on one's luck : NEEDY

28. They may be hard to crack : SAFEs

29. Bodybuilder's pride : ABs

31. Lifesavers, for short : EMTs

32. Crossed (out) : Xed

33. Tape, perhaps : VIDEO

34. DVD button : EJECT

35. Buzz : RUMOR

36. Eastern royal : RANI

39. More than that : THOSE

40. Swipe : COP

41. Atlanta-based health org. : CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC)

46. Sacred scrolls : TORAHS

47. Fireplace receptacle : ASH PIT. Usually there is a trap door under the grate that you sweep the ashes into, the clean out would be in the cellar.

48. Come out : EMERGE

51. "Stat!" relative : ASAP

52. More cunning : SLYER

53. "Ciao!" : "SEE YA!"

54. Rolls rollers : TYRES. British car, British spelling.

56. Short cut : SNIP

57. Shape (up) : TONE

59. Endure : LAST

60. Torpedo, or its launcher : SUB. Some ambiguity, torpedo(sandwich)/sub would be launched by Subway.

61. Yellowfin tuna : AHI

62. Shooter : GUN

64. Mattress feature : TAG


Argyle

Birthday greetings to Windhover today. I hope you are warm and dry.

76 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - Argyle, you're right -- after today's puzzle, I'm definitely looking forward to more from Ned White. Nice LAT debut.

I liked the theme, which helped somewhat with the solve, but this was certainly no speed run. Ned got me good with 'Snarl noises' (brilliant!) and 'Rolls rollers.' Took a minute to see 'Texas tea' and I needed perps for 'Ecotopia'and 'Mose' Allison. And I thought 'def' was a little off; I always thought it meant 'sure' as in 'most def'. A very, very enjoyable solve overall.

Argyle, I though hampers were for stacking dirty clothes on. They open up?

A belated Happy Birthday to Lucina and Donna, and to my amigo Windhover. I hope you all party accordingly.

Off to the gym.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Glad to see you back again. Lots of my unknowns were easily completed through the perps.

This was a fun, easy Wednesday puzzle. I also liked how the theme clue NO ARGUMENT crossed with AGREED.

My favorite clues were Social Worker = ANT.

I also smiled when I finally filled in Rolls Rollers = TYRES.

It is very cold here today. Winter has arrived!

A very happy birthday to my dear Windhover!

QOD: Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn't change people's habits. It just kept them inside the house. ~ Alfred Hitchcock

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I have to say I wasn't all that enamored with the theme today. In fact, I found it a bit annoying having so many identically clued answers so close to one another. But that's just me. The execution was actually quite nice and having an equally distributed number of opposite answers made up for my initial annoyance.

Unknowns for me today were ECOTOPIA and MOSE, and I definitely could have done without ASHPIT, ALEPIT or TOPO.

fermatprime said...

Hello, All.

Interesting puzzle, Ned. Not a speed run for sure. Swell write-up, Argyle!

Had trouble seeing UNIT and HONKS. Never heard of ECOTOPIA. No cheating, though. Also, couldn't quite see DEF.

Time for bed.

Oops, nearly forgot: HBTYAMM, Windhover!

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

Difficult time today, especially in the Central section. North and South successfully completed, but the Central was a bear. Many screw ups! Had ECOTENIA for 45A. THESE for 39D and CON for 40D looked good to me. Had RUMEN for 36A. 24D, STUNKAT looked good too. So stink, stank, stunk and these, those, them did me in.

Lots of stuff I could pick at in this puzzle, but I'll be nice and let someone else vent. Overall, there were some unique clues/fills, that while I might question, made it challenging.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Good feel for a Hump Day, not a speed run by any means, but solvable with enough perps. Love the balanced stacks of theme answers!

Got slowed down by having CLEF instead of REST, even erased TORAHS to accommodate it. Put in STUNK AT which left me with RUMEN - a real word, but having little to do with noodles. Unless of course that's what your cows are being fed. :-)

Dudley said...

Virginia C from yesterday:

In case you see this post - send me an email and we'll get you hooked up for puzzling on your iPad.

Argyle said...

I fogot to link Ella's Undecided.(3:19)

Yellowrocks said...

Happpy birthday to Lucina, Donna and Windhover.

My favorite clue was TORPEDO OR ITS LAUNCHER = SUB. I took it as a double meaning. A torpedo sandwich is a sub, and a sub( U-Boat) launches a torpedo.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Ned, for a good wake-up this Wednesday. Thank you, Argyle, for the write-up.

My first entry was AEC at 47A Could not get started at the top. Then got CDC, DAYS, ATRIA, NEEDY, and SAFES.

Then I bounced all over and got it all, with the last fill being RUMOR, ECOTOPIA, THOSE, and HONKS. That was a tough section. Never heard of that book, but the clue helped (green movement).

Enjoyed ALE TAP at 1A once I had a couple letters.

I looked at SUB as the undersea ship that launches a real torpedo.

To me LOMAN at 2D is long-time crosswordese. We have had that answer for years. I got it without even thinking too much.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Anonymous said...

To drill or not to drill? Pros? Cons? Yay? Nay?
IJUSTCANTDECIDE!
I liked how TEXASTEA was balanced in the grid with ECOTOPIA.

kazie said...

Happy Birthday WH!

I enjoyed this after a slow start. My most trouble was in the midwest, where I thought of JIM for DEM and couldn't come up with VERB. All quite obvious once I came here and put VERB in, the rest flowed easily.

Unknowns include AEC, CDC, MOSE, OTTO, ECOTOPIA, PUENTE. The only Tito I know of was the Yugoslavian dictator.

Tasmania is a state of Oz, hence part of it, not "the island south of" it as is often said. But its abbreviation is Tas, never Tasm., though often referred to as Tassie, like Aussie, the ss pronounced zz.

SouthernBelle said...

Mornin' to all,

Guess I am in the minority.....I really enjoyed today's puzzle. Enough new clues & fills to wake me up and use the thinking cap!

Geez, I didn't know that men even knew the use of a hamper!

Raining here....chance of snow later...ah well, this isn't Florida!!

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Great write-up.

I really enjoyed HOW this puzzle was constructed and themed.
Nowhere near a "speed-run" but a FUN Solve with some clever cluing.
Fave was that Rolls TYREs, a gimmie.
Also, ALE-TAP for my obvious reasons.
Had the same hard time in the middle.
ECOTOPIA was all perps, learning moment of the day. Nice link.

ASHPIT made sense, then again I've never had a Fireplace or Basement here in Tampa Bay.

Kazie: I was wondering about that TASM abbr. for Tasmania as I filled it in. Thanks for the explanation.

Barry: ALEPIT would have bothered me too ...
if it was in the grid.

Windover, Happy Birthday.

My first "toast" at Sunset is to you!

SEE YA ...

Mari said...

Good morning! Nice pace puzzle for a Wednesday. I managed to screw up the SE corner pretty bad, but did finish it.

I didn't know Ernes Callenbach, Allison Mose, or Tito Puente. But I somehow remembered Salesman Loman.

HONKS made me grin.
DEF made me groan. I guess I'm not hip to modern slang.

Queston: 37A Zebra on a field: REF. Should there be a hint in the clue that the answer is abreviated?

Lucina said...

Good morning, Argyle and friends. Good to see you back. Does that mean your computer is well?

A nice one from Ned though at first I thought it looked like a Saturday grid.

With a hop, skip and jump it eventually all filled. PUENTE is familiar and we have seen him before but not MOSE.

Had ECOLOGIE for a long time but STANKED of course, stank, so looked up the correct spelling of the book and found ECOTOPIA. Surprise!

TYRES and ANT were wonderfully clued as was SNIP, short cut.

Hand up for CLEF before REST.

Happiest of birthdays to Windhover!

Everyone, have a lovely Wednesday!

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning, happy hump day and all that stuff.

I'll echo most of what Dennis said on this one.

Happy Birthday, Windhover.

I hope we see more from this constructor. It seemed challenging but doable. Just right for a Wednesday.

Avg Joe said...

Liked the puzzle. Great debut. Had a lot of trouble in the SE, but it all came together.

Happy B-Day Windhover!!

Did you hear about the Arizona cartographer that was fired from his job?

He lost his sense of Yuma.

pres said...

good puzzle today! Right for Wednesday! 2 more days of school this week and the 4 1/2 next week then we are done til next year!Loved texastea from Dallas tv show
I wanted clef also oh well got the right one before long! Fpres

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

HBD, WH!

Tough going today. Hard to get a foothold. Felt more like a Thursday. Needed red letter help for ECOTOPIA, and SUB just doesn't seem right. Thorn Birds was a SAGA?

Looks like I STANK AT it.

Boo, hiss on VERB for "give or take." When that revealed itself, I uttered something very impolite.
I like the clecho-rich theme, though it took lots of perp help to fill it in.

IMBO.

Cheers!
JzB

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you Ned White for a very nice puzzle. I got it all ( except for 2, so sue me ). The clues were challenging, cute, repetitive ( in a good way - ) and a few obscure.

Like Barry G., I loved ALEPIT, ARMPIT and ASHTAP. ;-)

Whats wrong with 'tyres' ? Thats the way I always spelled them, - the other ones are only when I'm (getting - ) exhausted.

Argyle, nice to see you back, ... ofcourse all you bloggers, especially CC are top notch. Thought of CC's Boomer in 52 A. (former boomer briefly ).

Loved HONKS, SUB, ANT, TYRES. Could not understand 'DEF' until I came here.

Have a good day, you all.

Tinbeni said...

Mari:
re: REF and no hint at abbr in the clue.

I think some abbreviations have become "little" words, in and of themselves, in our daily usage.

That's why REF, ABS, SST (and UMP for that baseball Umpire) often show up as an Abbr without the clue indication.

"Zebra on a field" for REF(eree) has become almost crosswordese.

kazie said...

Argyle,
I meant to answer your question about French vacations. Like most of the enlightened western world, workers there get about 5 weeks annual paid vacation. They say August is a bad time to be on the road because most take their vacances then. Also it's bad to be in Paris then because it's street repair time.

We had a fireplace with an ash dump in our first house here. It helped not having to carry ashes through the house to get rid of them.

We have a built in basket in our closet for things that collect during the week and DH does use that. We also have a laundry chute inside the linen closet. But every wash day morning, DH piles his things on the floor outside the closet instead of dumping them down the chute, unless I remember to empty the basket there first, and leave the linen closet door open as a hint.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, My first thought at seeing the multiple "Affirmative!" and "Negative" was "Walk away..." But since when have I followed my own advice? It turned out to be a lot of fun, although I needed every perp and probably could have used a few more.

I don't play Bridge, so 3D)EASTS was one of the perped fill.

D'uh..8D...Oh, a second is a UNIT of time. I had it filled in, but it took some staring to get away from "first..second..third..etc".

Argyle thanks for the explanation of 47D)ASH PIT. We have to clean our fireplace with a brush and a big bag.

A most truly wished "Happy Birthday!" to Larry.

Anony-Mouse said...

To continue, I'm ( - clearly ) no ClearAyes, or Bees, or Cees, but, I came across this, that I thought was cute and appropriate ...

Parody of 'My Country 'tis of Thee':


My grammar, 'tis of thee,
Sweet incongruity,
Of thee, I sing.
I love each mood and tense,
Each freak of accidence,
Protect me from common sense,
Grammar, My King !

-Isaac Goldberg (1887-1938)
American writer and critic.

Todays ALT QOD:- Doing research on the Web is like using a library assembled by pack rats and vandalized nightly. ~ Roger Ebert.

ciao.

carol said...

Hi all,

First, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to WH.
I know you will know how to make the most of it ;)

This was what I would call a Wed + puzzle. Several places stumped me.

I'm with Jazz on 33A - after I figured out 'VERB', I said a few bad words too.

I put ASHCAN for 47D as ASH DUMP didn't fit but I would never have thought of PIT. We had an earth stove in our fireplace when we bought our house (30 years ago this year), and we just got rid that stove 2 years ago. I saw a 'hole' in the base of the fire pit so I had a friend put a steel plate over the entire fireplace floor. We enjoy seeing the flames from an 'open' fire. I don't mind scooping any ash up as we don't make too many fires.

I love cribbage and have played since I was about 9. I know CA plays on a regular basis but how about the rest of you?

Hahtoolah said...

Carol: my grandfather was a big cribbage player and he taught me to play. He died when I was 12. I still play cribbage with my mom whenever we are together. She is the only one I play the game with, however.

carol said...

Hahtool, I wish my mom was still alive, she was so much fun to play cribbage with. She and I would draw 'nasty' cartoons about each other when we lost. Joe and I play but for the last few years, he just cannot beat me...and he now hates to play. He is a good player, just cannot seem to get the cards. It takes both skill and luck and when you have the skill and no luck, you're sunk.

desper-otto said...

Finished the puzzle early this am, but my internet service was down until just a few minutes ago. Guess that's the price of living out in the sticks.

I found the puzzle to be fairly easy; 9 minutes top to bottom. VERB was the only aromatic fill.

When I think of Texas tea I think of the Beverly Hillbillies rather than Dallas. "Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea."

Cribbage is the best two-person card game I know. Haven't played in years. Used to play it with mom before she died back in 2000.

Happy B-day, WH.

Ron Worden said...

Good morning to all, and a happy hump day. Thanks for the write-up and I am glad that you are back Argyle. This one tool a little longer for me, but was doable. I had to look ecotopia, but everything else was pretty smooth. Got 1 down right away because I and a greek friend drank plenty of ouzo back in the day. To Tinbeni ditto on never having a basement or a fireplace. My parents didn't get A/C untill 1967 in our house so that is what we wished for. Have a great day to all. Maybe you should have a little ouzo at sunset RJW

Grumpy 1 said...

I'm further south in Fl than Tinman and actually do have a wood-burning fireplace. No ASHPIT though, since there is no basement or crawl space. My inlaws had a house with a crawl space and didn't think to put a metal tub below the fireplace. After several years there was a musty smell build up that they traced to the pile of ashes under the house. We use an ASHcan for our debris.

Tinbeni said...

Ron:
Hmmmm, Ouzo at Sunset sounds great.
Probably time for a quick trip to Tarpon Springs for a real Greek Salad.


desper-otto:
I prefer Strip-Poker with Gal-Pal.

Somehow I win ... even when I lose.


Grumpy 1:
We have one of those Space Heaters with the "fake" fireplace.
(No ashes to ... either).

Cheers !!!

Anonymous said...

Good morning everyone.

Happy birthday Windhover. Have a good one!

Good write up, as always, Argyle. Nice to have you back.
And it's always nice to have Dennis on.

Puzzle? DNF. Didn't get any of the long ones. Sigh. Knew AEC because that's who paid for late husband's PHD.

Cheers

windhover said...

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. It is a local holiday (local being the boundaries of the farm), although we're moving the celebratory festivities and the fireworks display
to Lexington later in the day. Until then, the approximately 150 other animals who live here don't know or care what day it is, and since I'm their owner (though I'm certain they regard me as their slave) they must be served.
I've been keeping the body part ZZ Top went downtown for warm exclusively with wood heat since 1973, and have always used an ashcan. The ashes are a nice addition to the compost pile, but I learned the hard way not to put them on live. The damned thing burned for days.
Thanks again.

Warren said...

Hi gang, a great puzzle theme but honk for snarl was a new one.

I think that my wife and I only got `25% done before she left for work.

I thought of the Beverly Hillbillies too for Texas Tea.

Happy Birthday to windhover!

Re: Ashpit -- we used to have a fireplace with a metal ash dump but it only emptied into the crawl space so I never used it and when we still used the fireplace I shoveled the ash into a paper sack.
Now we've remodeled and removed the fireplace to make room for a new digital TV that's in it's place.

Ron Worden said...

To Tinbeni: one day when I get my prosthesis we'll have to meet up for a greek salad. I also might suggest some 7 star metaxa that will keep you warm on a cold night to go along with the card game. Cheers RJW.

Anoa Bob said...

Pulled on a few beer tap handles when I was a bartender working my way through grad school, so ALE TAP at 1A produce a "What the...?" from me. Decided to go to the arbiter-of-all-things, Google, for help.

Did not find ALE TAP as a stand alone phrase. There are a number of tap handles with the name or logo of a brand of ale on them, so a line might read something like "Sam Adams Summer Ale Tap Handle". But the ALE belongs to the brand and the TAP goes with the handle. So the phrase sounds a bit made-up-for-a-puzzle to me.

If you're going to put a six-letter "Bar fixture" in your puzzle, how about TIP JAR?

kazie said...

I only ever played crib (as we called it then) with my parents, who have both been gone since Feb. 1974. I uploaded the photo of my crib board here once before, but can't find that photo now. Some will remember it. My Dad had made it while he was in the Middle East with the Australian 9th division. It is from the metal of an Italian airplane wing which had crashed in the desert. I still have it, only don't use it now. He made the pegs from old toothbrush handles.

Misty said...

I got it! What a relief! After DNF on a Tuesday puzzle yesterday, I took one look at this and my heart sank at all the long spaces. But the "Beverly Hillbillies" gave me "Texas Tea" and from there on I sailed to the finish. Almost goofed on a few--thinking it was Willy Lowman instead of Loman, and couldn't believe "tyre" even though I knew the author of "Frankenstein" was Mary Shelley.

But this was great fun, so many thanks, Ned White, and Argyle, as always. Also Anony-Mouse for the parody. And finally, happy birthday Windhover.

windhover said...

Anoa Bob,
I've never drawn a beer or an ale from a tap, but I've ordered a few thousand of 'em. I'm sure you know that "ale" isn't just a brand, it's a type. I guess all ales are beers but not all beers are ales (some are lagers, pilseners, etc.). So the tap would be called whatever comes out of it. If milk, it's a milk tap. OK?

Dudley said...

My fireplace has an ash pit plus an exterior combustion air inlet - makes for complete combustion.

My neighbor put the ashes from her Jotul stove in a paper sack and soon had a house fire. Embarrassing, that.

Anonymous said...

Barry...You're the man! You always say it like it is, and I usually agree with you.

Lucina said...

AvgJoe:
Funny joke about YUMA!

ANOABob:
TIPJAR was my first thought, too until ANISE squashed it.

Anony-Mouse said...

Misty - Why, Thank you , ever so much. I always appreciate (and am so hungry for - ) compliments from anyone - and, God knows, I've received more than my share from you.

Just to let you know, your kind words are much appreciated.

To all, have a great day.

From Anony-mouse
who may be 'hidden', but, like many others, craves recognition.

desper-otto said...

ASHPIT ALEPIT and TOPO -- aren't those the three guys who walked around with Daniel in the den of lions?

WH, so those are milk taps on those cows? Udderly ridiculous!

Bill G. said...

I see where Harry Morgan has just died. He sure was great as Colonel Potter on MASH.

Anoa Bob said...

Windhover,

I'm guessing you didn't leave anything in the lagniappe jar for serving up my comment. But that's O.K.

Clear Ayes said...

Love that cribbage. Looks like I'll have to be teaching my daughter and grand daughter how to play. We have a pretty solid cash offer on our house, so it will be packing up time soon (keep your fingers crossed). That also means I'll be dropping out of our cribbage group here. A 1 1/2 hour drive one-way is just too much. GAH and I will be house shopping very soon.

Selling the house is the good part. GAH had his neurologist appointment after an EEG and is scheduled for a carotoid ultrasound and an MRI. But the doctor said (although there is no official diagnosis) that he probably has early stage Alzheimer's. He is on medication and (again, cross your fingers) he will be able to maintain his everyday life...including golf for a long time. Routine stuff is fine for him, but changes confuse him until he gets the knack. It was like Abbott and Costello around here a couple of nights ago when he changed his med schedule.

Me? I've started a new chemo series. So far, except for a few joint aches, I feel pretty good.

Grumpy 1 said...

CA, sounds like you've got a lot to deal with right now. We're hoping and praying all goes well with the chemo, the house sale and move, and GAH's adjustments.

Anony-Mouse said...

ClearAyes, Good luck on your house sale, and sincere prayers for your husband and you.

We are, in a sense, ( with certain exceptions - ) all from the Geritol generation, and it is indeed a pity, that now, ( of all times - ), when we have accumulated so much knowledge, experience, trivia and inspiration, - and a certain degree of financial freedom, that the 'health' chickens suddenly come home to roost. I would not like to say that maybe that is what God intends, but rather, that maybe, such is life.

We are only guests on this planet, and exigencies dictate that we take it, as it unfolds - one day at a time.

Best of luck.

Clear Ayes said...

Life is always interesting! All of you have always shown real concern and we are very appreciative. But...enough about me.

Anony-Mouse, I thought the poem was clever and appropriate for this blog. It made me laugh.

Dudley, never thought about a fire after cleaning the fireplace. LOL, we don't do it that often, so the ashes have always been cold and dead.

Argyle, thanks for the Ella.

I "G'd" ECOTOPIA post-puzzle and it looked familiar, but that was 36 years ago. I may have read it...or maybe I just read a plot summary.

windhover said...

Bob:
To the contrary:
I'm a very generous tipper, and most particularly to bar men and maids. I'm of the opinion that one meets a better class of people in bars than almost anywhere else, and that that is even more true of those on the other side of the bar.
So thanks.

Anonymous said...

Argyle. Just noticed the date of the torn off tag from your mattress (on the blog - )... (1998 ! ). Really, don't you think it is time to splurge for a new one ? I'm sure they must have found a new updated substitute for 'Urethane foam', by now -

;-0) lol.

Bill G. said...

Happy birthday WH!

Include me with the folks who shovel the cold ashes from the fireplace into a paper bag.

I just watched Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe gets involved with butchering a cow. Very enlightening.

CA, good luck with your house sale and GAH and your health issues.

Anony-Mouse, I wish you'd go blue and tell us a little about yourself, job and where you're from. I enjoy reading what you write.

I just recorded from TCM and have started watching A Tale of Two Cities. It appears to be a worthwhile classic.

Anony-Mouse said...

Windhover, I had 'passed over' the earlier comment, from Anoa Bob, because I did not know what a lagniappe jar was. After your last comment, I went and looked it up.

Lagniappe ( lay-nap)-noun.(Creole ?) - a small gift, from a merchant to a customer, generally, oftentimes, an unexpected one.e.g. a 13th in a baker's dozen.

I generally don't wish people HB's, because of some silly, superstitious evil eye anti-predilection, but I do hope you will have plenty of Irish Tea, Irish Brandy, Irish luck and Irish.

May I also take this opportunity to recognize you as an honest, decent, open-minded, liberal and self restrained farmer-intellectual. This is sincerely meant.

Mari said...

Tinbeni, Thanks for the lingo lesson. Cheers to you at sunset!

Mari said...

My dad and his wife played cribbage. They kept a cribbage board hanging on the wall as decor.

My hubby's got a bad cold, so there's a lot of honking and snarling going on around my house.

eddyB said...

Hello.

Can't let this day "of Infamy" go
unnoticed.

15 for 2.

Warren. Save a jar of olalliebery
jam for me. Will pick it up Sun.

eddy

Argyle said...

2:23 anon, check out this tag:

Tag.

windhover said...

Anony-Mouse:
Although I am conscious of (and was saving for) the post limit, it would be, as we say out here in flyover country, tacky, and even uncharitable and unChristian (oh wait, I AM
unChristian) of me not to thank you immediately for the high compliments. And, as we also say, Backatcha !

I believe that in general 'lagniappe' means a gift or gratuity. Here in Kentucky we are fond of giving our farms names, and an acquaintance who was gifted a small farm by a relative named it Lagniappe.
I hope I don't have to beg our esteemed proprietress for the lagniappe of an extra post, so I'll save number 5 for later.

And again, thank you to all of you who make this the best little blog on the 'Net.
Larry

Anonymous said...

When ever I like a puzzle nobody else does this has been my favorite this year. 56d and 39d down were my favorites. Northwest was hardest for me though. See yas.

Misty said...

@Anony-mouse, the pleasure is all ours--mine and the other bloggers! Thanks for the thanks!

creature said...

I have to say HB to Larry! Hope you two have a super celebration.

CA, I'm really sorry about the health issues that you and GAH are facing. It sounds as if you both have up-to-date Drs,in touch with the latest meds; so, as you suggested, I have my fingers crossed, along with thoughts and prayers aimed at you two.

I have a feeling that if and when this farm sells, I will welcome an apt. No overhead, repairs etc. I can 'turn the key' and go.Also, good for a loner.

I just need to acclimate to that thinking, before I leave here. It won't be as hard as it would have been, but still a big adjustment.

Do you have any places you have seen?

Tinbeni said...

Ron:
After you get the Ahab (lol, I can almost picture you on the BUCs Pirate Ship in the North EndZone) I would enjoy driving up to SEE YA in Weeki-Wachee.

That Front brought some nice rain.
What do you do on a rainy day?
MOI? I lost at that poker game, again.

CA:
Glad to hear GAH can still hit the links.
Hoping for the day when you tell us you're off that poison.

WH:
I agree with your comment re: the people you meet in bars.
I prefer the "less-classy" Pubs.
The ones frequented by regular folks.
My current fave has 50 different beers on tap.
Plus, it's only 4/10ths of a mile from Villa Incognito ... walking distance.

Cheers !!!

Qli said...

Yay, cribbage! I play with my Dad every week. Tinbeni would like the pegs we use; they are little waiters with towels over their arms and wine bottles or glasses! My brother-in-law made a board out of a moose antler.Never a dull moment around here.
Took me a while to get why snarl noises would be honks, but I finally got it. It's been a long day, and I feel like Mari's husband, with the honks! No snarling yet, but the evening is young...
Loved the ANT clue.

Lucina said...

CA:
RE your good news and bad news: I'm so happy for you that you have a buyer. If you move nearer to your daughter as you have mentioned, she will be a comfort and a help I'm sure.

I'm sorry about GAH and hope he can enjoy his golf game as much and as often as possible.

Stay strong, my friend. Positive thoughts and prayers going your way.

Today I saw this on a license plate and thought of all the golfing bloggers: GOL4NUT

kazie said...

CA,
Add my prayers and hopes for you and GAH. I sincerely hope things all fall into place for you both with minimal disruption, discomfort or confusion. I wish you well, and am glad the chemo is not interrupting everything too badly this time.

Anon on the 2:23 said...

Argyle: Thanks for the 'Unknown Material' TAG. I remember seeing something like that in an old jay Leno show.

Daniel Karp, a social philosopher once observed that - we, as Americans, are such a law abiding people, that if you ever go to a landfill and check out all the mattresses that have been discarded - EVERY ONE of them, will still have the 'DO NOT REMOVE', tag still on them...

Ronald Worden said...

To Tinbeni: I certainly did'nt have your kind of fun. Watched the rain through the sliding glass doors from my recliner. Wife was at work,daughters at school. The grandaughter and I read the Cat in the hat. Whats a pirates favorite alphabet letter? RRRRRRRRRR RJW.

LaLaLinda said...

Hi All ~~

Busy day so I worked on the puzzle off and on. I was enjoying it so much that I didn't want to rush it or look up anything. I picked away at it, had some trouble in the mid-west, but finally got it done!

I agree with those who didn't like VERB. Whenever I finally get clues like this one -- in this case I was trying to think of something that was an approximation, for 'Give or take' -- I feel like I taxed my brain for nothing. ;-)

A great Wednesday puzzle and an informative write-up, Argyle. I always like the puzzle titles you come up with!

Thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband, Clear Ayes.

I hope you've had a Happy Birthday, Windhover!

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, I had a DNF today. I got through the upper half of the puzzle just fine, but bogged down with the Middle west section. Pres. Carter was first Jim, then Ret., but Dem. didn't come to mind at all. Very obvious when I read Argyle's writeup!

I really enjoyed the clues, Social worker/ant, They may be hard to crack/safes, and Buzz/rumor. Snarl noises kept me guessing for a very long time. A truly brilliant clue!

I wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to Windhover. I hope you are doing something really special to celebrate.

We've had cold nights, down in the low 30's. So my citrus, and fragile plants are all wearing covers to keep them warm.

eddyB said...

Hello.

Per Priscilla. Lemon admitted to
hospital. Best wishes and prayers for him and family.

More later. eddy

m said...

Oh no. Please keep us posted, Eddy B. How terribly sad.

Misty said...

I'm so sorry to hear this, Eddy B. Please let us know what's happening.

Anonymous said...

All My Love

sympathy

Concerned said...

eddyB, are you talking about Jason, (Lemonade714)? If so, why is he in the hospital? Your note and the following comments make it sounds like it is something life threatening. Who is Priscilla?