google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, May 25, 2012, Don Gagliardo and C. C. Burnikel

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May 25, 2012

Friday, May 25, 2012, Don Gagliardo and C. C. Burnikel

Theme: The Dynamic Duo see Double: Each single word verb (or gerund) has a middle letter doubled and the word split in two, with the remaining second word a four letter ING word. An interesting theme which revealed itself early, but a Friday chock full of fresh fill, some new words, some nice twists, and all we expect from our hometown heroes.

On with the show:

17A. Where to find joe at the hotel? : BRE(W) WING. Add a "W" and your coffee (beer) making (hi sons) because a wing in a hotel where they make coffee.

26A. Metal recycling center sound? : DUM(P) PING. Add a "P" and your recycling gets a sound.

35A. Bit of surfing damage? : BOAR(D) DING .Add a "D" and your surfing gets your board damaged.

49A. Gang of market pessimists? : BEA(R) RING. Add an "R" and you get a bunch on investors in a circle.

58A. Basketball contest champ? : DUN(K) KING. Add a "K" and you are LeBron James.

Across:

1. Plato's "T" : TAU. All Greek to me; I like a puzzle where I can start with a tau hold.

4. Golfing countryman of Sergio and Jose Maria : SEVE. Severino Baellesteros who sadly recently died while still young.

8. Petal oils : ATTARS. Learning moment for me, so I will give them a PLUG. Don't worry I did not get any 38A. Pay stub? : OLA. Payola.

14. Good times : UPS. Yes, in our manic/depressive world, we have our ups and downs.

15. Canned : AXED. No longer a literal way to terminate employment.

16. Big Apple musical attraction : THE METropolitan Opera. 64 Columbus Avenue New York, NY 10023.

19. 1980s Cabbage Patch Kids producer : COLECO. HISTORY. My mother-in-law, made them from the original pattern and sold them at the flea market on Sunrise before they were popular. The only dolls my boys had.

20. Pier gp. : ILA. International Longshoremen's Association. We see this union often. Nice peer/pier pun.

21. Clasp in a boardroom : TIE BAR. Have not worn ONE is years, also called tie tack.

23. Knock : RAP. hey do not knock the clue. marti, your RHAP music, too funny. You are the best.

24. When in Act I Hamlet's father's ghost first speaks : SCENE V. Loves me some SHAKESPEARE.(1:29)

28. Air intake spot : NOSTRIL. I nose this answer.

30. Address : SPEAK TO. Don't you speak to me like that!

31. NFL extra periods : OTS. Over Times.

32. Siouan language : OSAGE. All you need to KNOW.

34. "Illmatic" performer : NAS. Rhymes with JAZZ? (4:54)

40. Dirt : GRIME. How odd, as it is now next to NAS.

41. ISP option : DSL.Internet Service Provider Digital Subscriber Line.

44. Like C work : AVERAGE. We all work hard to see our writeups are not just average.

47. iPhone current events app : NPR NEWS. National Public Radio

51. Like string in cat's cradle : LOOPED. Took me years to master, It really

52. Bug : IRKed me.

53. Sister of Janet : LATOYA, of the Jackson family.

55. Rush find : ORE. I wanted MOSES but ti would not fit. I know it was the gold rush.

56. Muffle : DEADEN. Sound familiar?

61. Baby on a cliff : EAGLET. Not Claven.

62. "For here ___ go?" : OR TO? I'll have mine here, black.

63. Old pro : VET. Last week it was the doggie doctor.

64. Draft holders : STEINS. Yes the Stein family holds the biggest fantasy draft in all of South Florida. Oh, beer mugs, never mind.

65. Addams family nickname : TISH. I loved the ORIGINAL. (3:21)

66. Network logo since 1951 : EYE. HISTORY.

okay part deux, no not duh!

Down:

1. Soaking place : TUB. PRETTY GIRL. (partial nudity).

2. Jam fruit : APRICOT. The only fruit I do not like, I think it is:

3. Futile : USELESS.

4. Dated : SAW. Like this? LINK. (2:18)

5. Permit to leave the country : EXIT VISA. So much fresh fill, it is awesome.

6. Caesarean section? : VENI, VIDI, VECI. Classic misdirection.

7. Just beat : EDGED.

8. Where some kids spend summers : AT CAMP. HERE? (0:19)

9. 1912 Olympic legend : THORPE. A true American hero


10. Rolodex no. : TELephone.

11. Kafka novel : AMERIKA. LINK.

12. Takes back : RECANTS. Or is very careful with wine.

13. Like much rush hour traffic : STOPGO I have always seen stop'ngo

18. Desire : WANT.

22. Transported from another area, as a special work force : BUSED IN.

24. ___-Cat : SNO. Along with cone, another puzzle staple.

25. Switch back? : EROO. Switcheroo.

27. Twinge : PANG.

29. '70s-'80s Seahawks receiver Steve : LARGENT. Great WIDE RECEIVER.(3:28)

33. East Berlin was its cap. : GDR. German Democratic Republic. Really DDR. Kazie...

35. "Roseanne" star : BARR.

36. Some dental work : IMPLANTS. I wonder if they started this clue with teeth? (From C.C.: "Boob jobs" is our original clue.)

37. Fiddling tyrant : NERO.

38. Pig out : OVER-EAT.

39. Amount getting out : LEAKAGE. Wonderful word, like shrinkage.

41. Strip (of) : DEPRIVE. So if you give something are you priving?

42. Eliot's "___ Among the Nightingales" : SWEENEY. Nice to see some thing other than Cats from this POET.

43. '60s "trip" drug : LSD.

44. Puts up with : ABIDES. Had this last week as well, I guess I can stand the repetition.

45. "America's Funniest People" co-host Sorkin : ARLEEN. FAMOUS?

46. West Coast team : GIANTS. Baseball in San Fran.

48. Kindle rival : NOOK. I like my Kindle. I can increase font and read!

50. Literary no-show : GODOT. Beckett is still waiting, no not Kate.

54. Doctor Zhivago : YURI.


57. Half of MCII : DLI. I guess this all adds up.

59. ___-i-noor diamond : KOH. To rule the WORLD.

60. Verizon forerunner : GTE. General Telephone and Electronics.

Answer grid.

Well Guys and Dolls, time for me to roll up the sidewalk and off into the Florida midnight sun. Nice to see your grass Dennis. Nice to hear from you all. Lemonade.

Constructors' note:

Don came up with this idea while we were brainstorming our K-2 puzzle. It's challenging to make new phrases entertaining yet maintaining surface meaning. Again, we were a bit bold in our grid design and met a few challenges during the filling process.

68 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Terrific theme on this one and, once I figured it out, I was able to make short work of the rest of theme answers.

    All the proper nouns almost killed me, though. I did actually get SEVE, but struggled with LARGENT, AMERIKA, COLECO, SWEENEY, NAS, THORPE and ARLEEN. COLECO was hard because I associate that company with hand-held electronic devices and had no idea they made other stuff (live and learn). SWEENEY, on the other hand, was rendered almost impossible because I had AOL instead of DSL at 41A. DSL certainly isn't a type of ISP, which is what I was thinking, but I suppose it's an option you can get from an ISP.

    BTW, I liked seeing RECANTS in the grid today. Because I need to RECANT what I said yesterday about the cluing on COBWEBS. I don't know if it's a regional thing or whether my parents just taught me wrong, but I had no idea that the word was just another term for an actual intact spider web. All my life I've understood COBWEB to refer to the individual dusty strands leftover from an old spider web and not the web itself.

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  2. Good day folks,

    This was a difficult finish for me today, but I got it done without assistance. Never really figured out the theme and there were several areas totally outside of my wheelhouse.

    Didn't know Coleco produced the Cabbage Patch Dolls, but I did know the companies CEO. It was a business relationship and not always a pleasant one.

    ILLMATIC performer, IPHONE current events app, ADDAMS family nickname, KAFKA novel, & ---i-noor diamond were some of my ???????????'s.

    Flower day at the family plots at the cemetery's, so got to run. Try to finish up later.

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  3. Lemon: Thank you for another wonderful write-up & links.
    It is very apparent that the daily 'bloggers' really ENJOY the LAT puzzles and doing the write-ups!

    C.C. & Don G. I hope you had as much 'fun' creating this grid as I did solving.
    And yeah, at IMPLANTS, I thought of "Boob-job" which would be "just-fine" (with our crowd) but Rich was probably correct in changing it to 'Some dental work'.

    Hmmmm, Just wondering ... does the RECANT include "blaming Rich" for clues/answers?
    Do the Constructors who 'come-here' like the 'editing job' they receive by Rich Norris?
    IMHO, I think they believe Rich does a wonderful job with their grids.

    Hondo: I had the same "???????" but the perps came to the rescue.

    VENI, vidi, veggie ... I came. I saw. I had a salad.

    Oh well, a FUN start to the Memorial Day Weekend.

    A 'toast' to all at Sunset.

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  4. Good morning Lemonade, C.C. Don G. et al.

    Wowie, with no owies today filling in this one. It just flowed for me, and again - I didn't even see some of the "down" answers until I read your amusing write-up, Lemon! Like EXIT VISA and OVER EAT - two really nice fresh fills, totally escaped my notice! I got a big chuckle over your risqué link to the girl in the bathtub. And RECANTS? Priceless!

    I had to pause and think about the Hamlet clue. SCENE ___ is a common fill, so all you have to do is fill in the roman numeral. Since I only had one space to fill in, it had to be either I, V or X. I knew there weren't ten scenes, so I or V? Scene I is the famous watchtower scene, and Hamlet doesn't appear until scene II. So TA DA! All that work just for one crummy "V"...

    Much more to like, but I'll save some for others to comment on. Great job you two!

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  5. Morning to Everyone,

    Lots of unknowns for me as well today but easier than yesterdays, which I couldn't finish. Perps were a wicked big help today but I still needed help in the end (guess I didn't finish this one either).

    Great write up Lemonade.

    I'm off next week. Our annual pilgrimage to the North Woods of Maine.

    Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!

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  6. HeartRx - why aren't you working with Don Gagliardo?

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  7. Good morning, folks. Thank you, D.G. and C.C., for a tough Friday puzzle. But, it should be tough. Thank you, Lemonade, for the swell write-up. Yes, you got me on the baby in the tub.

    Welcome back, Tinbeni.

    Started in the NW with TAU. Got that corner soon. Was able to get BREW WING early on. That helped with the rest of the theme answers.

    EXIT VISA came easily and helped a lot in the North and West.

    I, too, had AOL for 41A for a while, then changed that to DSL.

    THORPE rang a bell for 9D. There was a recent article in the Elgin Courier-News about Jim Thorpe's great grandson, who recently came into possession of his great grandmother, Iva Thorpe's, diary, detailing their world travels. Interesting.

    My last area to finish in this puzzle was the deep South. Did not know TISH or KOH. YURI was a wag. I saw the movie, many moons ago, but ?????

    Off to my home tasks for the day, then a funeral visitation for friends of ours who lost their son to cancer at 45.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  8. Anon @ 7:12, I know that my constructing would be vastly improved by working with someone as talented as Don. And I do hope to do a collaboration with him at some point.

    But he has been very generous in helping me "behind the scenes" whenever I ask him for advice, and I truly appreciate it!

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  9. I had to take off my warm up jacket to whip this one, but I got ‘er done! Top middle took some time but what a fun trip where theme was helpful and entertaining and fresh fill abounded.

    Musings
    -My first place to find (J)joe was in the hotel piano bar requesting his kind of music!
    - Switchback and Pay stub? When I filled them both in, my next words were, “Oh, C.C.! (and Don)!” along with cluing for VENI (love your alternative, Tinman!)
    -Too many poor to mediocre teachers have not been AXED.
    -With daughters and granddaughters, we have been through Barbie, Cabbage Patch, Bratz, American Girls and probably more I don’t recall.
    -Scene I, V or X. Probably not L, like Marti said.
    -I prefer college fb OT’S. I remember Eli Manning in a 7 OT game in 2001.
    -I looked up some of NAS’s lyrics…
    -If you’re teaching a middle school class where C is average, you’ll be AXED. The curve is definitely skewed to the right.
    -I was TIRED before I just got EDGED
    -I tried to RENEGG (sic) before I RECANTED
    -3 of the old Roseanne stars are now on The Big Bang Theory along with the old Blossom and Winnie from The Wonder Years and…
    -C.C., How far did Boob jobs make it in the process?
    -The wind at the GIANT’s Candlestick Park made every pop fly an adventure and did this in the ’61 All Star Game
    -My literary no-show was a GHOST writer first

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  10. Good morning everyone. Lemon, all good comments.

    I liked this puzzle from our favorite duo. Once I got the 'hang' of the theme, it went fairly straightforwardly. I had the same reasoning as Tinbeni for SCENE V. Had DDR before GDR - to accommodate OSAGE. Even tho Lemon explained it, and I had VENI right, I still don't quite get it. Couple strikethroughs but no lookups were needed.
    Liked 28a, air intake spot. First was thinking of, say, a Diesel engine, or a ship's engine room. D'oh.

    Dennis, nice digs.

    Have a good Memorial Day weekend, everyone.

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  11. I've been trying to solve the LAT puzzle daily (M-F)for a couple years now and today was my first unaided Friday solve. Eaglet and Payola were favorites today! Nice job job Don and CC!

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  12. Hmmmm, Just wondering ... does the RECANT include "blaming Rich" for clues/answers?

    Of course! I apologize to the constructor, to Rich, to the sensitive members of this blog who were horribly offended my remarks and to the members of this blog who aren't particularly sensitive but who still had to deal with the comments of those who are sensitive. I apologize to C.C. and to her ISP who had to host my comment. I also apologize to my parents for shaming their good name and to any members of the Boston Red Sox or Celtics who may have been put off their game as a result of my erroneous remarks (hey -- you can never be too safe).

    I'd also like to say that it will never, ever happen again. But that, alas, would be a lie...

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  13. Good morning, everybody!

    As usual, I didn't know (but I suspected) that this was a C.C/D.G. opus until I got here. I got the theme early, and that helped a whole lot with traction throughout the grid. Good job, you two.

    I had TESS before TISH (never watched the Addams Family), but YURI fixed that in short order.

    Lemon, I have to take issue with your TIEBAR/TIETAC comment. IMO a tie bar is also a tie clasp, but a tie tac (basically a decorative brad) is a different animal entirely, but serves the same purpose. It also leaves a hole in your tie. Luckily, I haven't needed to put on a tie in over 15 years, so for me a tie bar or tie tac is superfluous.

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  14. HeartRx - looking forward to Gagliardo & DuGuay-Carpenter by line.

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  15. Nas rhymes with gauze.

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  16. more (high tech) humor:

    My Mom texted me and asked, "What do IDK and LY and TTYL in texting mean?"
    I texted back "I don`t know, love you, talk to you later" Her next message said, "That`s OK dear, I`ll ask your sister!"

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  17. Good Morning, Loved the write-up and am jealous of those who solve Friday puzzles. I Guess it just takes a while! Hard to enjoy something that defeats you but yes, I liked the puzzle too.

    I had a problem cuz I wanted denuded at 41D and thought Busedto (22D) should have two esses.

    I always thought that if a young child woke up in the night to see a cabbage patch doll on their pillow, it would scar them for life. The are sooo ugly!

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  18. Thorpe lived quite an interesting life, and Largent later became a congressman. Largent was considered one of the best wide receivers ever, but then Jerry Rice decisively crushed his records.

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  19. Of course! I apologize to the constructor, to Rich, to the sensitive members of this blog who were horribly offended my remarks and to the members of this blog who aren't particularly sensitive but who still had to deal with the comments of those who are sensitive

    Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the classic example of the pot calling the kettle black.

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  20. Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al,

    hmm, this one was a little out of my wheelhouse, but still enjoyable. I thought of Melissa B when seeing petal oils.

    Favorite clues: baby on a cliff,
    draft holders, and Caesarian section.

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  21. I had a much easier time with this than yesterday's puzzle. Did not know GDR, but could see no alternatives. Lots of clever cluing and no major roadblocks.

    Avg Joe FIP

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  22. Yay, Dream Team! And, of course, Lemonade for the write-up. I blanched on my first go-round, as I always do. But I know my Kafka, and got SCENE V, although HeartX's way of getting it was a lot more fun. But like Spitzboov 8:45, I put DDR for East Germany and didn't let go. As a result I had 'osade' instead of OSAGE, and I should have known better. Had another Duh! moment when I misread Rolodex as Rolex. I got TEL but kept marveling at the thought that Rolex watches actually included phone numbers!

    But, hey, a fun Friday morning, and great start to the Memorial Day weekend. Our Gourmet Club is hosting a tapas party on Sunday, and I'm making garlic shrimp and anchovy toasts. Yummy. (Is it okay for women to say Yummy?)

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  23. Where's Dennis when we need him?

    Can someone do something about that jealous anon post about C.C.?

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  24. Julius Caeser is famous for the latin phrase, VENI, VIDI, VICI. (I cam, I saw, I conquered). One part (or section) of that quotation is VENI. He also is famous because he was not born through the birth canal but surgically removed from his mother, a process now know as Caeserian Section.

    Barry, why no apologies to the Bruins and Patriots; just because their seasons are over, I am sure they were equally offended. Or perhaps you could explain your Rich comments, so the audience would understand how you know his editing technique.

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  25. If I hook up my DSL backwards to my computer
    Would that cause it to TRIP ?

    Nice job Don & CC lemon

    Most enjoyable puzzle of the year

    Fore !

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  26. drat, I missed the DSL LSD thanks Z! (mine was a 1977 gold 280)

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  27. Lemon ,
    I'm gonna have to change my blog name I think
    1- I no longer own a 280zx
    2- I just bought my second 280 SL Pagoda

    Any idea for a name ?

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  28. Good afternoon everyone.

    thehondohurricane said... Flower day at the family plots at the cemetery's, so got to run.

    I remember when this was called Decoration Day, and one was supposed to put flowers on graves of loved ones. Now Dear Abby has a long letter from a founder of an organization to honor veterans who've died in service to our country. Nothing wrong with that, but she wants everyone to stop at 3 PM to observe a national Moment of Remembrance. That's so much like the Nov. 11 at 11 AM that was for fallen soldiers of WW1. I kind of liked Decoration Day. JMHO.

    Celebrate the day, and
    Cheers

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  29. PS Oh yes, the puzzle. DNF, but enjoyed what I did get. The NW corner went smoothly and easily. But then I was stuck on several things all over the grid.

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  30. !st things 1st, Lemonade714, "Please post" part 2 of the 4D dated=Saw link. I need to know that girl is all right!

    Started in the NW corner as a speed run, until i got to the last word of Brew"wing", from then on it was more like a speed bump...

    After several passes, i started wagging, each & every one of them wrong. (partial list)
    8A Petal oils= scents
    19A Cabbage Patch maker = Mattel
    23A knock = pan
    51A cats cradle string = corded
    56A muffle = dampen (like a piano)
    66A network logo = TNT
    36D dental work = fillings
    I had so many i started making up sillier ones like 65A Addams nickname = Pugs? & so on...

    41D deprive reminds me of "privy to", i wonder if there is a connection.

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  31. Sallie @ 12:20

    Unfortunately those of us remaining family members do not know where all our relatives are interred, so it's usually meet at 9:00 AM and done by 11:AM.

    But our discussions always stir up memories of loved ones and some great stories.

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  32. I enjoyed the solve here and refreshing my memory on some answers like LARGENT, GODOT, YURI, & TISH.

    After finisihing, went back to see if there was anything new and of interest. OSAGE as the language of the Sioux was it. ARLEEN, LATOYA, & NAS do NOT qualify.

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  33. Hands up for DDR instead of GDR - which was in a Henning Mankell book I'm reading, so thought it was a gimme

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  34. Hello everybody. Terrific puzzle and interesting comments today. I foun d this puzzle to be quite difficult, which I expected a Friday puzzle to be, and was not able to finish it without looking some things up. Entering Mattel at 19A is an example of the sorts of difficulties I had. My experience filling SCENE V was just the reverse of Marti's: I already had the V from EXIT VISA, so I guessed the only possible fill for the remaining 5 letters had to be SCENE.

    Waited to get the L in LSD before filling 41A, but that doggone L nudged me to put in AOL instead of DSL. Once I did, finally, erase that and put in DSL, I laughed out loud at its crossing LSD.

    Loved how STEINS was clued.

    Liked seeing one of my favorite words, NOSTRIL, in there.

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  35. Oh yes, hand up for pencilling in DDR at first. OSAGE forced it to be GDR, but I was not happy about it.

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  36. Lemonade, your comment about RECANT was wonderful, as was your question about PRIVE. Love that wordplay stuff. Thank you.

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  37. I guess that since the clue was "East Berlin" which is in English, the best answer would be "GDR" which is the English abbreviation. Had the clue been in German, the best answer would have been the German abbreviation "DDR".

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  38. I haven't seen this theme idea before... loved it. Fresh, elegant and fun.

    A word about co-writing puzzles. C.C. and Don are a terrific team and obviously they enjoy working together. Each brings a part of their own uniqueness. When combined, the result is wonderful puzzles. I hope they stay as a team. However, my experience with dozens of constructors leads me to believe that many are loners at heart and prefer to work alone. If they co-write it's because they had trouble developing the theme or in designing a grid that allowed for the best of fill and asked another puzzler for help. I've co-written puzzles with three other constructors and in each case it was because of one or both of those two reasons. And for those who think creating a puzzle with two people working on it would be easier, it isn't in some ways. There's a ton of e-mailing back and forth making changes or suggestions for the grid and then having to agree on them. Ditto for clueing. It's vey time consuming. Of course the unmentionable is you have to split an already crappy amount of compensation.

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  39. Thank you jerome, the blue moon of constructors.

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  40. Ave, omnia. as Caesar would say. Lemonade, thank you yet again for an informative and amusing time on the blog.

    I'm very late the the party today because of a doctor's appointment. Just a routine check.

    Finished most of this before I left and almost had a Natick at LARGENT/BOARDDING, then realized it needed a DD, something with which I'm quite familiar.

    But I misread rolodex as Rolex and had TEN at 10D so missed COLECO.

    Otherwise, after a few UPS and downs, I launched onto the dynamic duo's wave length, it took AVERAGE time to solve. Clever cluing and even with the sports references I managed it.

    Now I'll read your comments.

    I hope your Friday is proving to be supberb, everyone!

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  41. chin @ 1:57 PM, good point. Well said.

    Good insight, Jerome, thank you.

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  42. I liked the cluing for STEINS, draft holders, VENI, Caesarian section, UPS, good times (thought of Splynter and United Parcel Service), ORE, rush find, and of course, YURI, Dr. Zhivago. Love him.

    This was a fun solve, thanks, C.C. and Don G.!

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  43. Hi everyone:

    Better late than never. Great puzzle, Don and CC, and nice expo, Lemon.

    I finished but needed help as I didn't know Addams family nickname nor the -i-noor diamond. Also had pain before pang and aol before dsl. Clever theme and cluing made this a good Friday challenge.

    Happy Friday.

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  44. Ah, Lucina; you are the one to inject the Double D's into our comments. Maybe we will hear from Dennis now. Lois, Carol, Jeannie?

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  45. Jayce, Thank you. I love words , play and wordplay

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  46. Hi Everyone ~~

    Thanks for a very enjoyable puzzle, Don & C.C. After I changed 1D From 'Spa' to TUB I was off and running! I caught the theme quickly with BREW WING and thought it was so unique and clever. BOARD DING was the last to fill, I think because I wanted GER for 33D instead of GDR.
    ~~ I had a few slow-downs - it took me much too long to come up with THE MET but once I did I was able to complete that section. 25D - 'Switch back' / EROO also took some time for me - loved it.
    ~~ I really liked 'Baby on a cliff' / EAGLET and 'Dated' / SAW - I was thinking of dated meaning out of style. I love misdirection - even when I seem to create my own!
    ~~ My sister gave me a Cabbage Patch Kid in 1986 during the World Series - Red Sox/Mets ...sigh - not fun to remember Game 6. Anyway, the doll was wearing a Red Sox uniform complete with batting helmet. I named him Jim Rice after a player who was then on the team. Good memories.

    A wonderful write-up, Lemonade ~ so much information, great links and fun comments!

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  47. Happy Friday. Good puzzle from the A-Team.

    We just got back from a check-up with our attorney re. our family trust. I never like that kind of stuff but it's necessary and went off without much angst.

    Now for a short bike ride and a short macchiato at my new favorite emporium.

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  48. Aw Gee Barry G., Now you are going to have to apologize for that apology! (Apologies are a sign of weakness, i prefer to claim insanity.)

    Tinbeni! Where were you! i was so worried after posting a link to softstone ice cubes!

    (By the way, if you didn't figure it out, i DNF today...)

    Brew Wing

    Dump Ping Here's what happens when you dump 320,000 ping pong balls down a hill.

    Board Ding

    Bear Ring I had no idea there were so many. My fav, 2nd from right, top row.

    & finally, the undisputed Dunk King

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  49. My body got up very late, due to a late night. My brain continued to snooze. Thus the puzzle was almost a complete white-out for me.

    I got the NW corner and was elated. My hopes were shattered because, alas, I had opted for SCENE I and NOSTRaL.

    Nothing correct in the rest of the grid until the SE corner. Got VET, EYE, GTE, NOOK, KOH so managed to get one theme DUNK KING then YURI.

    Got ABIDES, BEAR, IRK, and DEADEN before stalling out again. Thought bottom of the door draft stoppers for 64A but couldn't name them.

    Finally, came for a Lemonade day sweetner and plowed through the rest.

    I had 13 apricot trees when I moved to the farm. The greatest flavor than just isn't found in a grocery store. Once they are refrigerated they lose taste. I made nectar and jam and cobbler and no one ever complained about being tired of it. (As they did the broccoli banner year.)

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  50. CED: you have to be high on the list as the undisputed Link king. Where do you find this stuff? LOL

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  51. Gibbs' rules:

    1. Never let suspects stay together. (Yankee White)
    2. Always wear gloves at a crime scene. (Yankee White)
    3. Don't believe what you're told, always double check. (Yankee White)
    4. Never say you're sorry.
    7. Always be specific when you lie. (Reveille)
    8. Never take anything for granted. (Probie)
    9. Never go anywhere without a knife. (One Shot, One Kill and Missing)
    12. Never date a co-worker. (Enigma)
    15. Always work with a team. (Leap of Faith)
    18. It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission. (Silver War)
    22. Never interrupt during an investigation. (Smoked)
    23. Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live. (Forced Entry)

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  52. Hi gang -

    Our Dynamic Duo is a Prolific Pair!

    Lemonade - terrific blog today.

    Took several passes. but I finally made it through. Same trouble spots as everyone else.

    Clever, original theme - lots of fun, and a satisfying solve.

    For AMERIKA wanted DIE VERWANDLUNG, but couldn't make it fit.

    Planted flowers this morning, took an afternoon nap, grilled a nice steak with corn on the cob for dinner.

    No, I have no excuse for arriving so late.

    Holiday weekend is off to a great start, though.

    OTOH, the Tigers are heartbreaking. Even Verlander can't get a win. They're in Minn for the weekend. Probably the best gift C.C.'s Twins could hope for.

    Cool regards!
    JzB the best Hungarian cookies have APRICOT filling.

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  53. Hola Everyone, A real DNF for me today. What I had filled in was correct, but there wasn't enough to finish up without lookups.

    Thanks Lemonade for the finishing touches today. I thought the misdirections were very clever. Our two favorite constructors did it again--in style.

    Some of my computer is back up--but not all is running smoothly, yet. I have the internet and e-mail, but not my address book. I'll have a whole new computer look when my DH gets everything reinstalled.

    Hondo your ?????were exactly the same as mine. With no I-phone, nook, or much sports info in my memory bank I really bombed out today.

    PK, Apricots still are high on our list of favorites. I hoard my jam and try to make it last until the next season.

    Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone.

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  54. CED, for Dunk King, wouldn't Dr. J. be another good choice? Dunk King.

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  55. CED @ 4:26-Thanks for those delightful links. My favorite is the bear rings as I have a collection of Teddy bears and I love rings. I wear 11 rings on 8 fingers, one of which is a Chinese coin celebrating the Panda bear. Some of those pictured on your link are very tempting but I think 11 is the limit.

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  56. Around 1952,on duty at the capital as a capital policeman, Mike Palm, a local retaurant owner and sports figure came up to me and said "shake hands with my friend". I did so and Mike said "You have just shook hands with 'Jim Thorpe'.I have never washed that hand since! What an honor!

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  57. Irish Miss, 11 rings? Your hand must feel heavy. Can shaking hands sometimes be painful? Do you take them off at night? Always the same 11?

    Wow! Jim Thorpe - a real Olympics legend.

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  58. Bill G @9:52-I never take them off except to make meatloaf or meatballs, or to have them professionally cleaned. I am so used to them that I don't feel any weight at all and have no problems with handshakes. And, yes, it is always the same 11 and most have a particular sentimentality attached. I guess we all have our quirks. BTW, could you explain what a macchiato is? I am not a coffee drinker so am unfamiliar with lattes, etc.

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  59. Without saying 'yummy'.

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  60. Nice story Hutch. Have a great weekend all.

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  61. BillG: Dr. J is undisputed Dunk king. I said CED is high on the list for Link King. You also are high on my list for Link King. What great stuff the two of you contribute for our enjoyment!

    Dr. J. was in our city last week. I wanted to go shake his hand, but couldn't muster the courage to confront the gentle giant.

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  62. Irish Miss, a macchiato is espresso coffee with a modest amount of steamed milk or froth on top. A cappuccino is similar but has more foam on top. A latte is like a French cafe au lait. It's espresso poured into steamed milk. So an espresso has the strongest coffee flavor, then a macchiato has some steamed milk on top and is next strongest, then a cappuccino and finally a latte which is more milk than coffee.

    While espresso has a full-bodied coffee flavor, it isn't that strong in caffeine because of being dark-roasted.

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  63. Bill G-Thanks for the various definitions of the popular coffee drinks. I think I'll stick to Dewar's White Label! :)

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  64. @Irish Mist -- That's where I am, with a splash of Laphroaig on top

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  65. Dewar's White Label is best of all

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  66. The puzzle is syndicated in The Times of India, yes thats in India. The time lag is about 3 months. Frankly, the proper names, local colour, "typical Americanisms" are meaningless to me, and the spellings would have raised the hackles of any of my school teachers. But I do enjoy cracking the other stuff, much more difficult for me under the circumstances.

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  67. Welcome to the corner. Not many will see your comments but there will be a few so if you have any questions, just ask.

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