google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, Jan 14, 2012, Alan Olschwang

Gary's Blog Map

Jan 14, 2012

Saturday, Jan 14, 2012, Alan Olschwang

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 32

5 grid-spanners today from our constructor, whose last Sat LAT puzzle was April 2011. This was another healthy mental workout for me, with just a couple of "ugh" spots of proper names crossing foreign words or abbrs. Our 15-letter entries:

17A. Without delay : AT THE DROP OF A HAT - Scroll down to read about it here

32A. They're hidden in negotiations : ULTERIOR MOTIVES - every single one of them

37A. One with a lot to offer : REAL ESTATE AGENT - a "lot" to offer - good one ~! I need to get in touch with local agents, so I can promote my new Inspection business; I saw this name for an Inspection company yesterday - "Sure Lock Homes"; thought it was a locksmith's truck at first....

38A. Cousins of flares : BELL BOTTOM PANTS - Image

52. Rail campaign, traditionally : WHISTLE STOP TOUR - a little history here, and a side note that the color of UPS trucks is called "Pullman Brown"

Yes, No, Maybe, Not ~??

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. "Vexations" composer : SATIE - Don't like to start on a Proper Name; sparse piano piece

6. Offers : BID PRICES - not a fan of eBay, but it's OK in crosswords

15. Collision sound : CLACK - Makes me think of Terry Pratchett's "communications" system

16. Annoy the director : OVER-EMOTE

19. Backstabber : RAT

20. __ Arann: Dublin-based carrier : AER - WAG, of Aer Lingus type

21. Communicates, in a way : SIGNS - using your hands, for the deaf, e.g.

22. __ rich : FILTHY

25. Nice noodle? : TETE - French, the city of Nice (neece)

26. "The Prague Cemetery" author : ECO (Umberto)- Crossed with "biblical mount" ??? - Eh

27. Dope : POOP

29. First mate? : EVE - Adam's mate

39. GPS heading : SSE

40. Apparently are : SEEM

41. Egg head? : OVI

42. Office stamp : REC'D - I like to "over-pronounce" when I fill in crosswords; hence, this is "Wrecked"

44. Common soccer result : ONE-NIL - my dad is a monster soccer fan, so I hear on the TV all the time a "gripping one nil victory for Manchester ~!!!" ( 1-0 )

47. Express a view : OPINE

49. Classified letters after a number : RMS - I actually do not get this at all - my first thought was Rms, for hotel rooms, then I thought it was speaker output rating; and now I wonder if it's the reference to a British ship

51. Horned grazer : GNU

56. They may be competing : INTERESTS

57. Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Anne __ von Otter : SOFIE - a half WAG; I had the --FIE part

58. Chucks : TOSSES OUT - Do we all use the word 'chuck' in this sense? I know it's common here on Long Island

59. Examines closely : SIFTS

DOWN:

1. Secret Santa gift : SCARF - Never been in a Secret Santa; my mom, as a teacher, was often involved - but never got or gave a scarf

2. Asia's __ Mountains : ALTAI - take a gander

3. Revealing : TATTLE-TALE - adjective, in this moment

4. Hessian pronoun : ICH

5. Obtain the hard way, with "out" : EKE

6. Drill : BORE

7. Composer Novello of British theatre : IVOR

8. Passbook abbr. : DEPosit - that kind of passbook

9. Many a Rilke work : PROSE POEM - Rainer Maria Rilke

10. Overhaul, as in dry dock : REFIT

11. Celeb's concern : IMAGE

12. Rosenberg trial attorney Roy : COHN

13. They may change during flights: Abbr. : ETAs

14. Ready : SET

18. Word with trip or light : DAY

23. Immune response component : T-CELL

24. Biblical mount : HOREB - Not up on my Bible - more here

25. Oater omen : TOM-TOM - the "injuns" are mounting an attack DUM - dum - doo-doo

27. Blotto : POTTED - Sunday marked 7 years since I was "potted, blotto, wasted", etc.

28. Be bombastic, perhaps : ORATE

29. Barkeep's respite : EVENING OFF - does he go to the bar anyway? I used to on my night off....

30. Blow off steam : VENT

31. Ballpark figs. : ESTimatesS

32. Metro regions : URBS - metropolitan/urban

33. Bottom of the barrel : LEES

34. Symmetrical, in a way : ISOSCELES - the Triangle; how many can you find?


35. Hit lightly : TAP ON

36. "__ my love ..." : I GAVE

42. Gets promotions : RISES - possible I might be getting one

43. __ nous : ENTRE - 'Frawnsh', again

44. Spanish bear : OSO

45. Arctic language : INUIT

46. Attractive aspects of fishing? : LURES

47. "Aaugh!" : OH NO

48. Worst : PITS

49. Alphabet string : RSTU - I'm OK with this

50. __ Helens, Wash. : MT. ST. - the volcano

52. 1999 Pulitzer-winning play by Margaret Edson : WIT

53. "__ Beso": Anka hit : ESO

54. Some email enders : PSs - Have you ever added a P.S. to an email, or just wrote another one?

55. French pronoun : TOI - Eh, you know how I feel; seems like French is more frequent at the beginning of the year~?

Answer grid.

For those who are wondering, my paperwork is in for the promotion at UPS, but no word yet - and I got a real cell phone at last ~! Yea~! It works as a phone, everywhere, and all the features work - joy~!

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

1) Congratulations to Splynter on the impending promotion and new cell phone. You deserve both!

2) Happy Birthday to dear JD. Hope it's a day full of wonders and love. Look at her adorable grandsons.

91 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Overall a very nice Saturday workout for my brain. The long answers seemed intimidating at first, but I was able to chip away at the perps easily enough and get them.

    OVER EMOTE seems repetitiously redundant, since EMOTE means to overact in the first place. Over overact? I got it easily via the perps, but it still annoyed me a bit.

    The crossing of ALTAI and CLACK, on the other hand, didn't come easily via the perps. In fact, I had ARTAI/CRACK until the bitter end because (a) I couldn't remember ALTAI from past puzzles and (b) CLACK just doesn't work as a collision sound to me. Defend it all you want, but I'm still gonna call foul.

    When I "finished" the puzzle and didn't get the "tada" at the end, I knew right away that something was wrong in that corner since every answer was solid except for ARTAI, which meant nothing to me. And yet, I knew that CRACK had to be right, didn't it? Every other letter other than the crossing "R" was beyond rock solid, though, so I finally started going through the alphabet until I found the right letter. A frustrating way to finish a puzzle, but it worked.

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  2. 49 across apparently refers to "classified" ads, "4 rms to rent"

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  3. Mornin' to all,

    It was a good morning until I started this puzzle! Too much for my brain. CLACK? Really?

    Bah Humbug!

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  4. Good morning, Splynter, C.C. and gang - I had fun with this one; it really taxed my few remaining brain cells. Agree with Barry that overemote is redundant -- I was reluctant to fill it in until there were no other alternatives.

    Some great cluing here, such as 'cousins of flares', which had me going in a different direction. Loved 'one with a lot to offer'.

    But......'clack'???? Can anyone tell me what collision causes a clack??

    One discordant note doesn't ruin the puzzle, though - a very nice effort.

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  5. Nice puzzle. Enjoyed your write-up and informative links, Splynter. Congrats on that promotion. I'm sure you'll get it.

    Found this to be a much quicker solve than usual. I didn't like CLACK either, but ALTAI was solid, so it had to be. HOREB jumped into my noggin' because Mount Horeb is a small town outside of Madison that I used to drive through frequently. My biggest problem was that ONENIL thingy. I wanted ONEONE or ONETWO. The fishing LURES solved that.

    I believe RMS could also mean Root Mean Square. Fermat?

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  6. I suppose the "collision" of castanets could be considered a CLACK. That's a stretch, I know.

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  7. The puzzle was difficult because it had too many unknown names (which I had to google). Also, many clues were stretches or they were too broad (i.e.--scarf, clack). Really??

    So far, only 4 people have posted comments. That must mean that many are still working this puzzle.

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  8. Tough one for me. Did not get ICH or CLACK.

    RMS means rooms. Think of the play 6 RMS RIV VU.

    The only collision I can think of that might produce a clack is that of pool balls.

    Congrats on 7 years Splynter!!

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  9. For 49 across RMS - Royal Mail Ship - classified letters
    after a number. Really like your blog.
    Augie

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  10. I had a good time but knew I would have to rely on Splynter for a few cells of foreign words and artists. Hey, I’m in awe of what it must take to construct these behemoths with all the grid spanners and I got some education in the process with only 2 bad cells.

    Musings
    -HBD, JD!
    -I am currently reading the McCullough biography of Harry Truman and just finished the section on his WHISTLE STOP TOUR.
    -EMOTE, OPINE and ORATE in the same puzzle
    -My dope was a FOOL who didn’t have the POOP
    -My office stamp first read PAID and my grazer was an ELK
    -Me too on Root Mean Square
    -We CHUCK in Nebraska and my wife does it frequently. No hoarder she!
    -Also, my first real basketball shoes were CHUCKS
    -My dad went 35 years of not being BLOTTO. I wish he could have started before I was 25.
    -I took a class that examined Omaha’s URBan, subURBan and exURBan areas
    -We monitored St. Helens day by day in class

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  11. Good morning, Splynter and Saturday Solvers.

    "But......'clack'???? Can anyone tell me what collision causes a clack??"

    "The only sound was the collision of her stiletto heels with the tile floor as she went clack, clack, clack down the hall." Yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of the crack of the bat against the ball, too. Fortunately, I remembered ALTAI from somewhere and decided CLACK was OK.

    REAL ESTATE AGENT, WHISTLE STOP TOUR and BELL BOTTOM PANTS came easily, and gave me the anchors needed for the bottom two thirds. It took a few extra perps to figure out AT THE DROP OF A HAT, but the rest was easy once that was in.

    Didn't know IVOR, but did remember COHN and SATIE. All in all, a fun solve.

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  12. Good day folks,

    This puzzle made an unforgettable week in solving, more unforgettable. Here's hoping whatever is going on inside my head clears up by Monday.

    That was the long way of saying, I had another DNF today. I did solve the puzzle, but only with red letter assistance.

    Hand up for CLACK. Makes me wonder if it is a screw up. Did something get by Rich? T-CELL, HOREB, ESO (thought it was MUY), & TOI all outside of my wheelhouse.

    I'm off to join the scarecrow and see if we can both find a brain.

    See you Monday.

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  13. Happy Birthday, JD!! I hope you're doing something fun.

    And Splynter, lest I forget again, your blogs are exceptionally good reading; you've set a very high bar for new bloggers. And good luck with the promotion.

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  14. Off topic: This cartoon has Tinbeni's name written all over it.

    Willy and Ethel.

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  15. Splynter: Thank you for explaining my typical Saturday Ink Blot.

    Hondo; I guess we were classmates, again.
    At least when you use Red-Letter help you declare it a DNF. I respect that.
    (Still trying to figure out how to get that for my newsprint).

    My Blotto was BOMBED. My Dope, a BOOB.
    Secret Santa left me some Pinch.
    (Who needs a SCARF in Florida!)

    Happy Birthday JD. Cute grandkids.

    Cheers to all at Sunset!!!


    PS Sorry about that 26 for 206 Bones in the Human Body, typo yesterday.

    PSS Avg.Joe, I rarely belch, lol
    (But I did want to use a PSS).

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  16. I remember Alan's puzzles during the week as always having quotes or sayings. Always enjoyed them. First quick look at this and I thought I could not even start!! But chipped away and with a lot of WAGs finally got it.

    Did not like clack-- but I think trains go clickity-clacking down the rails. When I was 23 I spent 3 months backpacking thru Europe with a Eurail pass. So I know from trains!

    Splynter--congratulations on 7 years sober. You've improved your quality of life a hundred-fold. Good luck for that promotion!

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  17. Hi There ~!

    See what happens to brain matter at 2am?? Ah, classified ADS....

    Well, my first guess was right, even if I had the wrong "RM" structure....

    I meant to comment, too, on the over- over acting, but then again, I can tell you from experience, it really will 'annoy the director'.

    I think the best example of a clack was desper-otto's billiard ball suggestion, although castanets are good, too.

    Anyone remember this toy??

    Splynter

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  18. Hello Puzzlers -

    Today's solve was done like a granite sculpture: one small chip at a time. I thought I had most of one grid-spanner at 32A with _____INTENTIONS, later changed to INCENTIVES, but no luck. Forgot ECO, didn't know SATIE, and that clue for RMS is still a mystery despite the various suggestions.

    Only got HOREB via perps, and had to Goog SOFIE. All in all a superb Saturday workout! Thanks Splynter for turning on some of the lights.

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  19. Hbd JD. Yes, those are some cute kids.

    Splynter, on that new inspection business: You aren't planning to go into competition with Dennis, are you?

    Chapstick52, hopefully there's no collision involved when your train goes clickity-clacking down the track.

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  20. Splynter, I was thinking of mentioning clackers! They were banned at my school after some had shattered.

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  21. Splynter, actually, it was Avg Joe who was playing pool. I was the one dancing the flamenco.

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  22. Ooops,

    Sorry, Avg Joe, I am still out of whack.

    Splynter

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  23. Forgot to mention 1D before, Santa's Secret Gift/ SCARF. Can someone explain that? I don't see the connection.

    JD, Happy Birthday. Hope you get to do whatever you want .

    Forgot UConn/Notre Dame starts at 11:00AM. We'll be at brunch but home in time for the Ladies at 2:00 PM , to be followed by FOOTBALL. Go Giants.

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  24. SCARF is the stereotypical gift you give when you've drawn the name of someone you hardly know for the Christmas party. Works for either sex and can fit about any price range.

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  25. Sawright Splynter. I also thought of Clackers too, as well as that executive desk toy with the suspended balls. Earlier I didn't have my paper beside me so I couldn't remember what I'd filled in...it was CLAnK, giving me InH down. I went with it and was wrong.

    Hope I can stay up past my normal bedtime tonight for the entire game. GO DONKEYs (and tomorrow GO PACK)!!

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  26. Musings 2

    -I was clanking and clunking at first too but thought of these clackers that can amaze adolescents and, as you can see, other mammals (:50)
    -Tin, didn’t you need a scarf a few days ago or did you stay indoors waiting for sunset?
    -Tebow/Brady duel is expected to draw a record TV audience for a playoff game.
    -Vis a vis previous musing - we seem to tolerate public displays of thuggery more than displays of piety and frankly I don’t care for either.
    -Daughter’s mass on tongue was found to be Level 1 cancer but Dr. said it is all gone and all other “markers” indicate no other cancer and so Crissy said, “I am going to conduct my life as if I am cancer free!” Strong kid, that daughter of ours!

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  27. I actually finished this one with only a couple of cheats at the g-spot. I got Rilke's PROSE POEM right away since I had to study him in college German. I best remember his "der Panther" poem, and the funny little German guy who was the lecturer trying to emulate the panther as it paced back and forth in its cage.

    I didn't know several other names though, but my google stops helped their perps. Hand up for CRACK, and I wanted CBDS for URBS. I've come across that in Oz--anyone familiar with it here? (Central Business District)

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  28. RMS?

    Clack???

    Yet another Saturday puzzle that leaves me pondering the ways I could better spend my time on a Saturday morning.

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  29. One more football crazy note: TWC reported that Green Bay, WS put out a request for people to help scoop the 3” of snow out of Packer Stadium for this weekend’s playoff game against the Giants. 1,500 people showed up and waited in line for hours for the privilege. They only let in 450 workers with their own shovels and got the job done in 3 hours @$10/hr but everyone they interviewed said they would have done it for free. The same thing would probably happen in Lincoln.

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  30. Can't help but wonder if scarves as Xmas gifts aren't a bit like fruitcakes. The one you got this year goes to somebody else next year. And you just have to remember to make sure it's not the same person.

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  31. Hi Everyone:

    I am a Newbie poster but have been reading and enjoying posts for a long time. It's a great blog and you all sound like one big family. I love doing CW's and have learned a lot reading this blog. Looking forward to future write-ups.

    Irish Miss

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  32. Hi Everyone ~~

    For the most part I really enjoyed this puzzle. I did have some challenges but managed to get it all but two cells. I realize now that RECD didn't need to be clued as an abbreviation ... that's what on the stamp! I also couldn't let go of 'Sotted' for 27D which gave me 'Soop' instead of POOP. Misdirection got me twice ... I was thinking of 'Dope' as an idiot and 24D 'Biblical mount' as a four-footed creature. Ah well, that's what makes it fun.

    I was hung up for a bit in the SE because I had 'EVENINGout' instead of OFF and in the NW, I started with 'Tattlingon' before TATTLE TALE. I needed your explanation on that one, Splynter.

    ~~ Didn't think of CLACK as a collision except maybe for dentures.

    ~~ Hondo ~ You might have read 'Secret Santa gift' as Santa's secret gift.

    ~~ Splynter ~ multiple congrats: your write-up, your possible promotion, your sobriety and your cell phone!

    ~~ Have a wonderful birthday, J. D.!

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  33. Well, I'm glad everybody is as ticked about CLACK as I am. Had 'crack,' of course, since I don't know my Asian mountains. But I also had another dumb problem that was my own fault: had 'sotted' instead of 'potted' and couldn't for the life of me figure out how 'soop' meant 'dope.' Thought I'd learn something new when I blogged on--but it turned out to be that I have to work a little harder on a Saturday morning.

    Survived Friday 13 yesterday, and look forward to attending an old friend's 95th birthday party this evening. Inspiring!

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  34. Hi y'all. I'm OK with CLACK, maybe because of the Clackers toy (all the rage when I was at school until they were banned for safety reasons - boo Nanny State).

    @Barry - not worried about over-emote, in my mind emote doesn't always mean excessive acting, just displaying an emotion. Obviously some hams will go overboard on the emoting!

    Great write-up Spltyner and congrats on your 7 years, I hope you got a cake. Thanks to Anon 7:00AM for the RMS explanation, I couldn't see that either.

    I think the technical term for the middle three grid-spanners is "stacked 15's", I'm super-impressed anytime I see that kind of thing. Nice job all round, Alan.

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  35. Good morning, Solvers...or Semi-Solvers!

    First of all, congrats to you Splynter for all of the above - the write up, promotion and sobriety! This might be the day to buy a lottery ticket.

    DNF for me. Same reactions to clack, scarf, PPS, many more. Oh well. Another day, another Monday...

    No need to shovel snow for the 49ers game today. We're expecting a balmy 68 degrees! Go Niners!!

    Last but not least, Happy B-Day J.D. I'll spring for coffee on the 31st!!

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  36. So the Packers do not have snow plows or snow blowers? How about the stands themselves or will 50K plus fans be risking frostbite on their butts?

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  37. Thanks, Splynter! Keep up the good work in all ways!

    The puzzle: AAUGH! Nuf said.

    Happy B'day, JD! I told my daughter about your cake map. She was excited to use the idea for a Revolutionary War map in the history seminar class she does for home schooled kids. She needed some kind of craft for her few 13-15 year-old boys.

    - PK -

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  38. Good afternoon everyone. Thanks for the comments, Splynter.

    At first glance the five spanners seemed daunting. Here a fill there a fill, but no real good anchor. But 52a, WHISTLE STOP TOUR, clicked immediately and I was on my way with 17a next. 38a, flares, made me think for the longest time about emergency or signalling devices. Finally the perps became sufficiently ample to indicate BELL BOTTOM PANTS. Great clue, Alan. Knowing Aer Lingus, seemed to indicate the AER spelling for Arann. Nice sops for Alan to give us ICH, TOI, TÉTE, and OSO. I didn't 'get' the intent of 49a so thanks Anon @0700 for jogging my brain. A great Saturday workout but in the end, doable.

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  39. Way easy for Saturday! It is the first time I have never hit a snag. Whenever one spot seemed tight I could find a break elsewhere. This should please me, but it's double edged, isn't it? It felt TOO easy to be an accomplishment.
    I agree with Barry G that CLACK is weak for the sound of a "collision," but it fit readily. I didn't get RMS either, but Anonymous answered it to my satisfaction.
    Well, it's just as well that it wasn't a challenge. A busy day ahead....

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  40. Happy Birthday JD! Really cute little guys.

    Congratulations Splynter. I hope it all comes through well for you.

    I'm never a fan of themeless puzzles but I liked this one less than usual. It wasn't the cluing but the words and expressions I was supposed to suss out just seemed unnatural for my brain and vocabulary. Like CLACK for instance. And why is a 'Secret Santa present' suppose to conjure up SCARF? It was just the opposite of being on the constructor's wavelength. Now let's see what everybody else had to say.

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  41. I got about 25% of this grid filled in before I had to turn on the red letters. I don't like using them, and I normally would have put the puzzle off until later, but I could tell I was gaining no traction. I didn't even have one grid-spanner. There's misdirection, and then there's WTF? Aaugh!

    To those who finished this puzzle without help, "I GIVE my love to you..."
    DAY After DAY (3:30) -Badfinger

    POOP - really?

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  42. Argyle/C.C., I think my previous post went in the can...

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  43. Greetings, Saturday Solvers! Lovely blog, Splynter, thank you, and congratulations on your sobriety, cell phone and pending promotion.

    Happy, happy, happy birthday, JD!
    Your grandsons are adorable.

    Yowza! I was not on Alan's wave length at all today. Did recall SATIE and ALTAI (Asian mountains: Ural, Alai, Altai) so that helped with the NW corner.

    I have REC'D many a beautiful SCARF as gifts and do wear them.

    Loved REAL ESTATE AGENT, one with a lot to offer, brilliant.

    Had to search for SOFIE and COHN and initially had IGOR not IVOR.

    Could not let go of Sotted so a DNF at POOP.

    This hurt my brain but thank you, Alan for a fine challenge.

    Have a super Saturday, everyone!

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  44. Oh, thumbs down on the liquid pencil. It works well on smooth paper but not on newsprint which is my intended use. It shall be returned.

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  45. Ant,
    OK now. Spam filter is sensitive to your link. Badfinger sounds bad.

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  46. One for future puzzles: Secret Santa action - REGIFT

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  47. Hi all,

    Can anyone explain 41A Egg head?/OVI?
    Liked REAL ESTATE AGENT with a "lot" to offer. Otherwise, agree w. what's already been said.

    For me, it's not so much that there's anything wrong with this CW. It's just that the last few have been real spoilers, really fun solves, esp. yesterday's, which I thought was perfect. So, about half way through this one, I started losing interest, said the hell w. it and turned on the red squares.

    BTW, re: uniform colors. Most people are "Winters" and look terrible in brown, khaki, beige, etc.

    Anyway,since I haven't made the transition from yesterday to today yet:

    Chanteuse

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  48. Collision sound- CLACK

    Merriam-Websters defines clack as an "Abrupt striking sound"

    You might not like the clue/answer combo, but to imply they are not correct is silly and bullheaded. Ave Joe's example of a pool balls colliding is perfect.


    Really silly- OVEREMOTE- A speck of dust on a female body part.

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  49. Jerome, I love how winter gets your blood flowing, your heritage holds true.

    Irish Miss, come join in the fun.

    JD, HBDTY and many more

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  50. BTW, OVI is a prefix meaning egg like or related to eggs, hence the clue.

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  51. Strange, no one has commented about the same clue and answer in this puzz and today's NYT. They're both in the NWs.

    Didn't like CLACK either, but the crosses were solid. Also had EVENINGOut and was working on vetts for "Examines closely" when I erased the whole corner and started over, knowing TOI had to be right. Also had writeovers at Sinai/Tabor/Horem/HOREB. (That Horem was a Pharoah, but what the hey.)

    Did not know COHN, but so wanted Judge Roy Bean. Knew that wasn't right so didn't write it in.

    All in all, a good, Saturday challenging puzzle, IMO. Re SCARF: having agonized over Secret Santa gifts, I got that off the S___F, and will remember it for future Christmases.

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  52. What everyone else has already said.

    Participated in many Secret Santa exchanges over the years. Never gave or received a SCARF. Never saw anyone else get a SCARF either. Had CLUNK before CLACK. That's what it sounded like a few weeks ago when I backed into a dumpster.

    Have a nice weekend everyone.
    Thanks for a super write-up Splynter. I finally got an Iphone. What a difference it has made. Hope your new phone works out.

    @Tinbeni me too for BOOB and BOMBED

    PSS Favorite answer - ISOSCELES. Justin Vineyards and Winery out here in Paso Robles makes a nice Bordeaux blend by that name.

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  53. I forgot to say welcome Rube. There's been a steady migration of posters from the "other" blog. It would be fun to have Doug and Gareth here as regulars!

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  54. Lemon @ 1:51

    It was the "head" part I didn't get. Thanks for the word "prefix". I wake up slowly on Saturdays!

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  55. I have what is probably a dumb question.

    Many of you refer to WAGS. Can somewhat please tell me what that means?

    Thanks : )

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  56. Hola everyone, Brain freeze for me today. What I did manage to put in was correct, but only after some big fixes. I had Proposals for Bid Prices and I was so sure that was correct, but nothing in the down category would fit. Sigh!

    I came here to have Splynter help me out with the unknowns and there were plenty. I don't usually try Sat. puzzles, but had some time to work this one today. Time's up!

    JD's beautiful grandsons are going to the zoo with Grandma today for her birthday, but all the way to San Diego. The zoo there is fantastic. I know they'll have a wonderful time. She'll have pictures I'm sure!

    I also heard from Clear Ayes, and she is packing, throwing out, and generally pulling out her hair getting ready for their move. Their new house is now theirs and they are in a nice neighborhood. She said that she'll be Baaaaack!

    Have a great weekend everyone.

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  57. Crazy Cat, It stands for Wild Ass Guess. When it's a SWAG, it is sophisticated.

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  58. CrazyCat @2:32

    There's no such thing as a dumb question!

    WAGS are Wild-Assed Guesses.

    Nice pussycat avatar, BTW.

    Cheers!

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  59. Here's the straight poop: I had to look up a number of answers, including COHN, ECO, SOFIE, IVOR, and WIT, before I could get anywhere at all with this puzzle. After that, though, I was able to solve it.

    I admire very much the construction, as I like long fill, and I realize it must have been a lot of work to construct. Three grid spanners stacked together, wow! Clunkers like CLACK, OVI, ESTS, and RMS only diminished my appreciation a little bit. Wonderful fill such as ISOSCELES, FILTHY, and TATTLETALE enhanced my appreciation and pleasure.

    Thanks, Splynter, for a terrific writeup. You already know how I feel about going over to the "dark side." I hope and trust you will be a fine manager.

    Happy birthday, JD, and best wishes to you all.

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  60. Avg Joe ~~ Is your cat retrieving a paper airplane? What does he/she do for an encore? >^:^<

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  61. Good luck on your job application, Splynter. You know that we are pulling for you.

    Our cousins had a gray, lawn, street, and garden from the Mt. St. Helen's ash. They lived in Yakima which is well East of St. Helens. It was a wide-spread diaster. Some of that ash is in a small jar on our den shelf. Probably one of those things that I need to toss out!!

    Welcome Irish Miss. Do stay! We have a lot of fun.

    I have to get ready to watch the Niner's game. Go team!

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  62. Good news about Clear Ayes. Thanks for letting us know, Chickie.

    Crazy Cat, I'll look for that wine the next time we go shopping. There's some nice stuff coming from Paso Robles, which, by the way, is a nice little town.

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  63. Good afternoon everyone.

    Hey! I got 11 correct answers today. Can't believe I'm so smart. They were all over the place, so they didn't help any.

    Happy birthday, HD. Hope it's memorable.

    And Splynter, congratulations on 7 years. I guess it's all over but the shouting for your promotion. And what kind of phone did you get?

    Husker, such good news about your daughter. Thanks for letting us know. How old is she?

    The comments today were most entertaining. Thank you.

    Cheers

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  64. LaLaLinda, Just before Christmas we had a table set up with boxes and gift bags spread out on top. She thought it would be great sport to stick her head into one of those bags. Apparently she did this through the loop that formed the handle. I didn't see it, but heard a crash then heard her scamper off. When she emerged from under the stairs, she had that handle around her head and a chunk of the bag hanging in front looking like she was wearing a sign. That's why I captioned it "Will work for Cat Chow". It took me 15 minutes to catch her to get the silly thing off.

    Encore? Well, at about 4 this morning she decided it was play time. She went out and brought a toy back to the bedroom; one of those fabric covered balls with a bell attached. After batting it around for a while on the floor, she gave it a good toss and it hit me right in the nose as I lay in bed. A second later she pounced right beside me. As you might guess, I was in no mood to play at 4 AM, but I couldn't help but laugh at her goofy antics.

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  65. Hi again ~!

    sallie, I got the Droid Incredible 2 because I need a device for running software that's Windows-based. The iPhone wasn't going to cut it; lost it's off button, and camera, and since I used to be on AT&T, never had a signal - NO MORE~!

    Thanks to all for the wonderful encouragements, and compliments

    Splynter

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  66. We just got back from lunch at the same local restaurant we've been to several times before. We met some friends there that we hadn't seen for a while.

    I usually like to try different things but I couldn't bring myself to order anything different from my favorite crab melt half-sandwich, Caesar salad with anchovies and cream of Zucchini soup. Good blueberry dessert too. I'm a happy camper.

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  67. i'm with Ant on this one, with the exception of Poop, the answers were great, it was the clues that sucked.
    (or should i say clacked, as oppossed to clicked)

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  68. Avg Joe ~~ Sounds like a fun kitty! OK, maybe not so much at 4:00AM. :-) I once had a cat who caught her head in a bag loop as you described. I had to chase her all over the house in order to free her. She was terrified! I think she thought something had a hold of her and she was trying to escape from it. It took a while to calm her down after that.

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  69. Thanks Sallie. Crissy is 40 with a 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter.

    She teaches in a parochial school and the support has been amazing after we got her through the first few days. She has gotten meals, babysitting, laundry done, taxi services, along with prayers, text messages and calls.

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  70. Chickie:
    Thanks for the update on Clear Ayes and it's good to know that JD will be celebrating her birthday with animals and small children! She's great.

    Bill G:
    You inspire me to have a good lunch. It always sounds yummy.

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  71. I saw my last post for a few seconds ... spam filter got me!?

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  72. len and Avg Joe - Thanks! Love it! I've written in my share of those over the years.

    Jayce - If you're in Paso, Justin is a great winery to visit. I'ts a trek (farthest winery out the 46W), but worth it. And it's a beautiful drive on winding country roads. My daughter lives up there and works in the wine industry.

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  73. Better clues for Poop:
    aft deck?
    Don't tread on me?

    Better clue for Pits:
    Really bad (with the)
    arm stops?

    Can anyone think of a better clue for Clack?

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  74. Better Clack clue? - 1. Click's NPR partner.

    They are a riot!

    We are off to take MIL out to dinner and go see the Dolly Parton/Queen Latifa movie.

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  75. Spam filter must not like me. Is the 3rd time a charm?

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  76. WH & HG: Click and CLACK are a panic. Listened to them this morning while out on an errand.

    Happy Birthday, JD

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  77. LaLaLinda, what did you do to PO the spam filter?

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  78. You're not paranoid Linda. They really are out to get you:-)

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  79. Avg Joe & Argyle ~~ IF you see this ... LOL!

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  80. Just watched a great football game between the 49ers and the Saints. Four lead changes in the last four minutes of the game; one of the best games I've seen all year. Even won a little money on it too, but damn, was it gut-wrenching. Congratulations to the 49ers and their fans here for a great win.

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  81. Happy Birthday, JD!

    My sister gave me a very nice scarf for Christmas this year. I found myself scratching my head, wondering what to do with it here in South Florida. Especially since I already have one very similar to it, that I've never found occasion to wear yet.

    I'm haven't figured out whether it's for warmth or fashion (or both). Of course, when I mentioned I had my eye on one just like it to give her, she said she never wears scarves! Glad I didn't get it for her...

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  82. Thanks for the welcome from Lemonade and Chickie. Hope I can be part of the group!

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  83. Yup, you're part of the group. Welcome.

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  84. Good evening, folks. Thanks, Alan, for a good puzzle. Thank you, Splynter, for the write-up.

    Well, I was in Chicago all day and then to some friends this evening. Just got home. I did the puzzle on the way to the city and on the way back. No way to log in.

    I found this pretty easy for a Saturday, once I got a foothold. My foothold was not in the NW. That was my tough area.

    The five long spanners came easily.

    Had to think for a while on POTTED/POOP. I wanted SOTTED initially.

    As others, I had a tough time with SATIE, CLACK, and ALTAI all bunched up together. I used CRACK and ARTIE. And missed.

    Wonder about the clue for 42A. Thought the answer should have been a whole word.

    All in all a very good puzzle.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  85. Irish Miss: Welcome. I have been on this blog daily for about 13 months and look forward to every day.

    Abejo

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  86. Thanks, Abejo. I'm looking forward to joining in as a participant.

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  87. Re: Abejo @11:44pm

    Re: 42A 1st name in sportscars

    Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy.
    Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929,

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