google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Mark Vago

Gary's Blog Map

Jun 12, 2012

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Mark Vago

Theme: Let 'Em Play Through - Three legends of golf, all born in 1912.

17A. Born February 4, he had 52 official wins on the 40-Across : BYRON NELSON

25A. Born May 27, he had 82 official wins on the 40-Across : SAM SNEAD

40A. FedEx Cup-sponsoring org. : PGA TOUR

50A. Born August 13, he had 64 official wins on the 40-Across : BEN HOGAN

64A. Milestone 17-, 25- and 50-Across would have all reached this year had they lived until their birthdays : CENTURY MARK

Argyle here. The Professional Golfers' Association of America was created in 1916. The PGA TOUR (all capitals), was formed in 1975, after the "Tournament Players Division" became  separate from PGA of America in 1968. So, technically, these three gentlemen played on the PGA tour (no caps).

Now about the puzzle.... A nice drive straight down the fairway for me. Non-golfers may have found themselves in the rough. 40-Across should be considered the unifier and the fill was par for the course. Great debut, Mark.

Across:

1. Made into bundles, as cotton : BALED. Common bales these days.

6. Twitch, e.g. : SPASM. Known as "The Yips" on the putting green.

11. Spider's specialty : WEB

14. "Star Trek" character who famously kissed Captain Kirk in a 1968 "Star Trek" episode : UHURA


15. "Cosi fan __" : TUTTE. "All the women do so..." A bit more colloquial sense in English might be: "Women Are Like That".

16. Tokyo affirmative : "HAI"

19. DSL user's need : ISP. (Digital Subscriber Line/Internet Service Provider) My sympathies to anyone still on dial-up.

20. Borscht base : BEET. (also borsch, bortsch, borstch, borsh, borshch; Ukrainian: борщ)

21. Michigan's __ Peninsula : UPPER. They have their own "band", Da Yoopers.

22. Eyelid malady : STYE

23. Help out : ASSIST

27. Pic takers : CAMS

29. "Holy Moses!" : "WOW!"

30. Fighter formerly known as Clay : ALI

33. Jury members : PEERS

36. Theater 56-Downs : OBIES. Tony's would have been more timely.

39. Got together : MET

42. Like a debut : NEW

43. Search engine giant : YAHOO

45. Queen's tenure : REIGN. And a long one it's been.

46. Stately tree : ELM

47. Tel Aviv's land: Abbr. : ISRael

48. Yalies : ELIS

55. One way to pay : IN CASH

59. "__ Dinka Doo" : INKA. "Jimmy" Durante's signature song.

60. Being kept cold : ON ICE

62. "Horton Hears __" : A WHO!. 1954 book by Dr. Seuss.

63. Harry Potter friend : RON. Weasley.



66. Bout ender, briefly : TKO. (technical knock out)

67. Take the wheel : STEER

68. Shopper's indulgence : SPREE

69. Single or double : HIT. No, not shots. Behave!

70. The ones here : THESE

71. Watergate co-conspirator : LIDDY, G. Gordon.


Down:

1. 2012 Masters champ Watson : BUBBA. I expected more golf references, frankly.

2. "Now I get it" : "AH, YES"

3. Fishing aids : LURES

4. Sexy : EROTIC

5. Sportscaster Patrick : DAN. Dan puts a golf simulator in his studio. Video.(0:56)

6. Staircase part : STEP

7. Cheap novels : PULPS

8. On the briny : AT SEA and 9. Concern on the briny : STORM

10. Chess pieces : MEN

11. Chardonnay, e.g. : WHITE WINE

12. No-brainer course : EASY A

13. Two-footer : BIPED. Also, those short putts that give you the "yips".

18. Eggnog sprinkling : NUTMEG. Unofficially (but popularly) Connecticut is known as "The Nutmeg State".

22. Stuffed shirt : SNOB

24. 1972 Olympics city : SAPPORO. Japan. The first Winter Olympics ever held in Asia.

26. Ready to testify : SWORN IN

28. Blacken : SEAR

30. Author Tan : AMY. (The Joy Luck Club)

31. Grazing area : LEA. Poor LEA is getting overgrazed lately.

32. "In my opinion, uh-uh" : "I THINK NOT"

34. GPS offering : RTE

35. Silk on the Seine : SOIE. French, tie-in with 65-Down?

37. Snakelike fish : EEL

38. Guy in a personal ad, for short : SWM. Single White Male.

41. Harder to look at : UGLIER. Tanning mom?

44. Fed. workplace watchdog : OSHA

49. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI

50. __ certificate : BIRTH

51. Japanese mushroom : ENOKI


52. "Pride __ before ..." : GOETH

53. Year, to Yves : ANNÉE. A tie-in with 65-Down.

54. Evenings, in ads : NITES

56. Prize : AWARD

57. Make into confetti : SHRED. If you have a crosscut shredder.


58. Phony : HOKEY

61. Antidote : CURE

64. Minnesota hrs. : CST. (Central Standard Time)

65. Couture monogram : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent) He was the first designer to use black models in his catwalk shows.


Argyle


78 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Hmmmm, let's see....

    We've got a bunch of old golfers, tons of cross references, a couple of French words and CAM (which surely could have been clued as an engine part instead of a half-a$$ed abbreviation).

    What's not to like?

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  2. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Interesting that three big-named golfers were all born 100 years ago. Although I am not up on my golf games, all I knew all the names. SAM SNEAD opened the door to the other golfers.

    HAI is a word I learned through working the crosswords.

    My last fill was the A in UHURA / DAN crossing. Not familiar either.

    I loved your overgrazed LEA comment, Argyle!

    QOD: The reason the [golf] pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~ Phyllis Diller.

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  3. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Mark Vago, for an excellent Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for your usual great review.

    Got through this with little difficulty. One the folders started it was easy to get them.

    Never heard of UHURA. Seldom watched Startrek.

    Got GOETH much more easily the ANNEE.

    We have had the Japanese mushrooms before, ENOKI.

    Windhover: Nice to see you check in. Welcome back.

    PK: I am in North Dakota on a mission trip with my church. Helping the residents recover from their flood last year in Minot. Did drywalling yesterday. Before that I was in Pennsylvania working on a place we have there. I have some time since my job ended last year when the charity I worked for moved to Texas.

    Off to send some postcards, eat breakfast, and then head to the job site for more drywalling.

    That cold shower I had yesterday was an eye opener.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  4. Morning Everyone,

    Fun puzzle. I needed perp help as I don't follow golf at all. Typical Tuesday difficulty level and I wrote everything in quickly.

    Thanks for the write up Argyle!

    Have a great day!

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  5. Good morning!

    I have my laptop up and running so can post this morning - much easier than on my phone, where I usually read the blog.

    Pretty straightforward puzzle today. Took a couple go-arounds, but I eventually managed to figure it all out. I had no idea these golfers would have been 100!

    My daughter just finished kindergarten, and her Summer Adventure Camp starts today. New schedules and routines for the family to get used to. Will be a fun summer!

    Enjoy the day.

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  6. Nice fun puzzle by Mr. Vago, and your blogging was excellent, Argyle.

    Could 'VAGO' mean Go-Go ? ( I know the Chevy Nova's, of the 70's, had to be renamed in Mexico, because in the Spanish, they meant ' No-go' ... )


    I haven't seen a golf course, from the inside, ( or on TV - ), ( I must get out more - ), but the names seemed vaguely familiar.

    'Hai' is more than a mere 'Yes', ... it is said very often and an almost automatic response, to the speaker, to show that you are 'fully attuned, rapt with attention, and all ears'. In polite Japanese society, mere nodding in agreement, is not enough .... you have to keep saying 'hai', at periodic intervals, at appropriate times, so the speaker does not feel he is talking to a blank wall.... Perhaps YellowRocks can give us some of her advice, on this.



    I have an ALT QOD, which I can't understand, and would appreciate some help, from the Friday solvers ...

    Seth Grimaldi :- Clinton's running mate may not have invented the Internet, but on the dance floor you can't beat his algorithm. (??)

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  7. Thanks, Argyle, for the explanations. This was as tough as an end of the week puzzle for me. I went across and down and back and forth all over the puzzle. Finally finished it when Ben Hogan name came out of my memory from somewhere and fit with the letters already in the grid. I know almost nothing about golf and I found some of the other clues to be very difficult too.

    Abejo, you are working about 5 hours east (340 miles) of me this week. Many of our high school students go on to attend the university in Minot. We saw many pictures of the devastation caused by the flood. We sent supplies, books and money to the teachers there. After our school (Grades 7-12) burned down and we received aid and assistance from communities near and far, we try to do the same for others.

    Have a good day everyone. I hope tomorrow’s puzzle is easier.
    Montana

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  8. Mark what a wonderful puzzle for the week of the U.S. Open golf tournament. As a golfer (sort of) who had the pleasure of watching all of the referenced players, this was a really fine tribute. The fact they were all born the same year is interesting. Only Sam Snead has more wins than Tiger Woods, but each of the three of these men along with Walter Hagen and Francis Ouimet paved the way for Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to make golf into a booming industry.

    Will we have another European claiming the Open title, or will Bubba or another American excel? I know most of you do not care, but hey, it is all good. My City scramble is Friday morning, my first in many years. I am already yelling fore to warn the people.

    I was kind of expecting Dennis to be first with a welcoming comment for our new constructor, perhaps one from the old days.

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  9. I don't follow golf either, so thank God for PERPS. The Downs saved me today, making it a pretty quick solve.

    So many names: PATRICK DAN, BYRON NELSON, BEN HOGAN, SAM SNEED, BUBBA WATSON, G. GORDON LIDDY, RON WEASLEY, ALI, whew! Formal names are not my QWP strong suit.

    Abejo: That's great you're helping like that. You reference Chicago a lot, where are you based out of?

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  10. Anony-Mouse @ 7:59 am: Funny Al Gore joke :)

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  11. Anony-mouse: Clinton's running mate was Al Gore, so on the dance floor, he had good rhythm. (algorithm).

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  12. Good morning, Argyle and all.

    I got most of the across fill, except for the theme entries, on the first pass and only needed a few downs to spot the golfers' names. From there, it was just a matter of filling a few empty squares to finish this one.

    I'm not a golfer but sometimes watch the tournaments on TV and recognize all golf related names in the puzzle. The Harry Potter pal is a different matter, though. All perps, as I have never read a Harry Potter book or watched one of the movies. What little I know of that series (and the Simpsons) I have learned from CW puzzles.

    Thanks for a fun puzzle, Mark, and a good write up, Argyle.

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  13. Mari, could you please EXPLAIN the joke to me ? I am lost....

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  14. Thanks, Hahtoolah.

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  15. With so many names, most of this was WAGS for me. Only LIDDY, SAM SNEAD, ALI and AMY were recognizable after they perped. I had no idea about SAPPORO either. Just as well I know French, or I might have felt totally helpless as a non golfing, non sports watching solver today.

    Spent a good part of yesterday sorting and throwing things from our basement storage area. I think I need to keep at it until the job is done, or I'll lose interest.

    Have an excellent Tuesday everyone!

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  16. Good morning Argyle and all.

    Straight drive down the fairway for Argyle; walk in the park for me. Only unknown was ENOKI, little soft on SOIE, bnd the perps took care of those. No issues, no strikethroughs or lookups needed. I liked the flow of the solve, including the theme. Nice offering, Mark

    Have a great day.

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

    Great stuff in this puzzle, so thanks for all the info today. I never realized that these three golfing greats were all born in the same year. And I found your explanation of PGA Tour vs PGA TOUR very enlightening!

    I loved seeing another golfer, BUBBA, at 1D. But I really wanted "tap-in" for the two-footer clue!

    Hahtoolah, you QOD is absolutely hilarious, and appropriate for this puzzle! For Anony-Mouse, there used to be a rumor going around, that Al Gore claimed to have "invented" the internet. Snopes explains it better here. So the joke makes reference to his supposed comment...and then makes a pun on his name - "Al Gore Rhythm" (algorithm).

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  18. Nightmare puzzle to me - 10 sports, 2 French, 2 Japanese. Trying to imagine the person who whipped through this. My opposite. A guy, 6"4", took French in school, actually read Harry Potter and watched Star Trek. Likes sushi.

    So, I've heard of BEN HOGAN and SAM SNEAD, but BYRON NELSON?

    In the end, the only Naticks were UHURA crosses DAN and ENOKI crosses RON.

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  19. Argyle: Nice write-up.
    Mark: Thank-you for a FUN Tuesday.

    Even if you are a person who "doesn't follow golf" THESE three gentlemen, BYRON, SAM & BEN should be known by Xwd solvers.
    (Sfingi: I knew you would get them!)
    Kinda like ... if you don't "follow baseball" maybe you heard of Babe Ruth or Ted Williams.

    Though I was hoping one of the entries would be Husker Gary (but I know he isn't that old, lol).

    Liked the BIPED misdirection in a golf puzzle.

    A toast to all at Sunset.
    Cheers!!!

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  20. Anony-Mouse: Please see Hahtoola's explanation of the Al Gore joke at 8:13 am: "Clinton's running mate was Al Gore, so on the dance floor, he had good rhythm. (algorithm)."

    Recall, Al Gore is often quoted as saying he created the internet.

    I bet Sheldon Cooper would get a chuckle out of the "algorithm" tie in.

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  21. Good day, Argyle and puzzlers. Interesting to know about PGATOUR and PGA tour. Thanks.

    Breezed through this like a golf ball whipping through a LEA. SAN SNEAD and BEN HOGAN are quite familiar names as they were legendary in their time.

    Thank you, Mark Vago, for a good time and though I am not a sports fan, I enjoy the challenge. I also admire people who achieve outstanding performances.

    Vago would mean vagabond or hobo in Spanish.

    UHURA is my weakness as I tend to spell it UHURO and wasn't familiar with DAN Patrick. DON sounded good.

    Well, I'm off to the doctor and soon my world will cease to look like an impressionist painting.

    Have a very good Tuesday, everyone!

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  22. Hi gang -

    Nice puzzle. Not a tap-in, but not too rough either. I'd say Mark treated us in a fair way.

    If this is Mark's debut, does that mean he's green?

    Wandered around in search of perps; found what I needed. Had no idea those guys were born the same year. I get Clinton and Bush, Jr.

    Nice misdirection on BIPED. WHO knew it would be literal?

    We're not Chardonnay fans, preferring PINOT Grigio.

    Wanted to parse I THINK NOT as IT something . . . I am vertically challenged.

    Much to do today. IMBO.

    Cool regards!
    JzB (aka RON)

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  23. Anony-Mouse, yes,to be polite in Japanese society you must often interject HAI to show you are listening. But it also does mean yes.
    Uses of Hai
    The basic meaning of the word Hai is "I have understood what you just said". Sometimes it means "I agree with what you said" as wellYou may always use it
    - to say you agree,
    - to show you're hearing, and
    - to acknowledge a direct order from anyone with authority over you.
    To summarize
    To accept invitations use Hai (or repeat the verb); to refuse them, use excuses. At any rate, show you're grateful.
    Answer conjectures with Hai (or repeat the verb) when you agree, and with excuses when you disagree. Don't use Iie AT ALL to answer conjectures unless you're very very sure you know what you're doing.

    Kuruma ga arimasen ka ?
    Be very careful here. This sentence does not mean "don't you have a car?". It means "you have no car, right?".
    If somebody asked "you have no car, am I right?", how would you answer?
    An answer of "you're right" or "you're right, I don't" would make clear that you don't have a car. That's exactly what an answer of Hai means: "you're right, I have no car".

    On the other side, an answer of "you're wrong", taken literally, makes clear that you do have a car. But it doesn't sound very polite, even in English.
    The Japanese word Iie, in this context, means the same thing, "you're wrong". Taken literally, it means that you do have a car. But it sounds even worse than its English counterpart, something like "You're plain wrong, you jerk. Of course I do have one".

    Therefore, if you wrongly think that Kuruma ga arimasen ka means "don't you have a car?", Hai means "yes" and Iie means "no", you have 100% probability of getting understood backwards and 50% probability of unwillingly insulting somebody.

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  24. Sumimasen. Sorry, I was trying to split the post into 2 parts and accidentally published it.

    Kaze, I am, too, am in the sorting process, sorting my files and discarding much. You have my symapathy, a distasteful job.

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  25. I know the Chevy Nova's, of the 70's, had to be renamed in Mexico, because in the Spanish, they meant ' No-go' ...

    That is actually an urban myth.

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  26. Good morning:

    Thanks, Mark, for a fun Tuesday offering and to Argyle for a nice write-up. No help needed and no write- overs as everything was pretty straightforward.

    For the Sheldon fans, there is an eight-plus minute clip on You Tube of some scenes from Harvey which is very funny.

    Lucina, you will be amazed by the improvement in your eye sight. Good luck!

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  27. Fun puzzle today. Great way to kick off US Open week.

    Misspelled Sam SneEd, ended up getting an Easy E in spelling.

    Mari, it's Dan Patrick, not Patrick Dan.

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  28. Yellowrocks, I used to be a member of a Japanese Buddhist sect, called Shinnyo-en, and my understanding of the Japanese language, and behavior, is very limited.

    I was informed that in Japanese society, to say 'No' ('lie'? ) is very insulting .... it not only denies the question ( or proposal ) itself, but literally attacks the speaker directly - like a slap on the face. In Calculus, this (meaning - ) would be equivalent to a 'double differentiation'....

    Thus, I understand, the preferred word is 'maybe'.

    If you offer a preposterous proposal to a Japanese superior, he would grimly answer, 'maybe', without elaborating. This means a definite 'No', but he has kept your self respect.

    In other societies, especially in Israel, where people are frank, and ascribe no ulterior higher level connotations, to say 'maybe', when you mean 'No', is grossly misleading, dishonest and very rude.

    When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

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  29. Fun puzzle. About right for a Tuesday I thought.

    I forgot to wish Lucina well with her cataract surgery. I hope all goes well and that we hear from you soon. Good luck and see well!

    Homophone puzzle
    Each answer is a pair of homophones, which are words that sound alike but are spelled differently. You are given two words: One would precede one of the homophones, the other would follow the other, to complete a familiar two-word phrase. For example, given the words "hay" and "jumper," the answer would be "bale" as in "hay bale" and "bail" as in "bail jumper."

    Chow/attraction, 24/stick, debt/wax, honeymoon/tooth, anchors/game, paper/beer, white/watchman, track/thermometer, marine/sample, 800 pound/warfare

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  30. A record for me: two puzzles in a row without an erasure! Yay! Either my little gray cells are recovering, or Mark and Rich decided to cut us a little slack this early in the week. But either way this is a high for me since I have never played or watched golf in my life (well, except miniature golf when I was a kid). But I do glance at the sports page (Hurray, Kings!) every morning precisely to lodge some info in my brain for crossword puzzles--and so got BUBBA, for example--an answer I would totally have suspected of being wrong, otherwise. Anyway, a terrific way to start a Tuesday, thanks Mark and Argyle.

    And have a great day, everybody--especially Lucina.

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

    Mark, what a fun xwd, a timely tribute to Snead, Hogan and Nelson (not a familiar name). Started watching golf when Jack Nicholas was hot, and we're close enough to Pebble Beach to have watched a few tournaments.

    SWM made me chuckle, as there are so many different listings now-a-days.

    I also prefer Pinot Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc. Many chardonnays are too oakie.

    It's a beautiful day in our neighborhood ...carpe diem.

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  32. Anony-Mouse,
    That is exactly what i was trying to say. Hai, I agree. Saying Iie, No, is insulting, and is like saying,"You are wrong," but even more impolite. Instead you give excuses, or equivocate, "Well..." etc.
    To answer the question, "You don't have a pen, do you?" if you have no pen, the answer is Hai, and means I agree, I have no pen. Thinking of agreeing is more reliable than thinking the double negative.

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  33. Sounds like HAI is used like EH-YUP in New England.

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  34. Not being interested so much in the Olympics (except for opening and closing ceremonies...and I know that`s probably un-American,)Sapporo was a "wait for the perps and then check the grid to be sure." It was my learning point for today, that and the Japanese mushroom name.

    Having seen it in reruns, the "kiss" between Kirk and Uhura wasn`t a kiss exactly. An entity forced them to put their lips together for the watcher`s entertainment. The premise was that Kirk wasn`t going to do anything to Uhura that might smack of sexual harassment (before we even knew the term)except by force because he had such respect for her. But the media hailed as what Argyle said.

    I`m one of the three people in the world who have never read JK Rowlings but "Ron" was the only name that fit.

    Golf persons were in their element with this one..I guess.

    A joke to make someone smile: A man called in sick and the boss said, "I really need you today...When I feel poorly, I go sleep with my wife and I feel better." About 2 hours later, the no longer sick guy shows up for work and says, "Boss, you sure were right...and BTW, your house is fabulous!'

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  35. If you do not know LORD BYRON Nelson you are missing an amazing individual who retired at 34, still in the top in alltime wins. He holds the one record which will never be broken, he won 11 events in a row. I think the wikipedia article was the inspiration for this puzzle

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  36. If you want to become a great golfer, I would suggest you read a book I found most helpful: "How to Make the Fourth Putt."

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  37. Fun golf theme and I had no idea they had a common birth year! These men played in a much smaller universe of players but were the best of their times. Arnie really brought it to the masses.

    Musings
    - We have BALED hay here and they look like this which resembles the shredded wheat I ate as a child
    -I love BEETS any way they are prepared but never have had borscht
    -ALI is paying the price for plying his trade
    -How would you find PEERS for Sheldon?
    -I don’t “get” royalty but Elizabeth seems to have fulfilled her function with much elegance and is adored by her subjects.
    -Dutch ELM disease wiped out hundreds of beautiful trees in my hometown
    -Why does every administration seem to have unsavory characters like LIDDY?
    -BUBBA Watson’s very emotional reaction to winning the Masters this year (:50)
    -Those putting “yips” get more pronounced as you play with more peeps. If it’s just me and the geese…
    -Tin, playing like I’m 100 won’t get me in the puzzle, my friend!
    -My friend tells a lovely joke about a southern belle who listens to some preposterous Yankee lies and responds “I do declare!” to each statement and when she is quizzed about the overuse of this phrase says simply, “because we are too polite in the south to say Bulls**t!”

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  38. Good afternoon to all and happy Tues. Great puzzle and write-up Argyle. Golf references and other cluing was good for me. Getting ready to go to the Ray's game tonight with my grandson and someday son-in-law. My daughter got the tickets for us for fathers day. have a great day to all. RJW.

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  39. Good afternoon, all. I'm late to the party today. I'll sure be glad when Sunday rolls around and this pool grand opening will be history.

    This was a quick, easy solve. For once I knew every proper name -- even all those antique golfers. Sfingi, for the record I'm only 6'0" and I don't like sushi.

    Bill G, I can get a few of 'em:
    chow mein / main attraction
    debt ceiling / sealing wax
    honeymoon suite / sweet tooth
    anchors aweigh / away game
    white knight / night watchman
    track meet / meat thermometer
    marine corps / core sample
    800 pound gorilla / geurilla warfare

    I'm still working on the other two.

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  40. 24 Karat/Carrot Stick
    paper draft/draught beer

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  41. OK, I'm not working on those two any longer.

    Lucina, good luck with the cataract surgery.

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  42. Glad you all enjoyed the El Camino Del Rey video yesterday. I tried (but failed) to link Google Earth satellite photos in 3D. This area is amazing, & with Panaramio you can see actual photos right from the Google Earth map. If u do try Google Earth, look under El Caminito Del Rey, Spain. (looks like a great place to go fishing!)

    The Interracial Kiss crashed my Shockwave Player!

    Fav= 2 footer. (for me the answer was Bogey!)

    Hatoolah! Q.O.D. LOL!(X2 with 8:13 Al Gore Rythm)

    Barry G. Best review evah!

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  43. Never have been a golfer, but knew the names with the help of perps. Interesting that they were all born the same year.

    I guess new stats show that you are more likely to die on your birthday than any other day. Chances increase the older you become--- I found this so encouraging?? :(

    I was astonished when some gold company had G. Gordon Liddy as a speaker for their company. I assumed they were hoping younger people would not remember he is a felon.

    Daughter is working on her doctorate @ MSU, so I was upset I didn't know MI peninsula--
    Upper...duh

    Lucinda, I had not heard sight with cataracts referred to as a impressionist painting...very descriptive. Praying for a very good result.

    My twins did not read Harry Potter books until they were adults. They read all of them one summer. They found a stray kitten in the garage and named it "Hermione". RON came easily. Last two books did seem kind of dark for children.

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  44. Good job on the homophones puzzle.

    For those who are interested, I think there is a better answer for this one.

    paper draft/draught beer

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  45. Easy, breezy Tuesday for me. I did it in ink since I couldn't find my pencil and didn't have one scratch out.

    I'm not much of a golf aficionado, but my father was and my brother and husband are, so I knew all the names. I went to the Byron Nelson Championship back when we lived in Dallas. Someone hit a hole in one. Can't remember who, but I do remember seeing Payne Stewart.

    Any puzzle with Chardonnay/WHITE WINE is AOK with me.

    Thanks Argyle.

    Good luck Lucina!

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  46. @JD - I agree with your wine choices, although some "unoaked" chardonnays aren't bad.

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  47. Liked the puzzle. Great comments, Argyle!

    At a recent PGA tournament the 100th anniversaries of the birth of these guys was being celebrated. So this was a given for me. And I watched Bubba win, weep and hoist his trophy. I was rooting for him.

    I've never been on a golf course. But I watch PGA TOUR most weekends. Like to "hang out" with the guys. For some reason, I find it soothing. Maybe all that green... I had heard of DAN Patrick, but couldn't put a face on him.

    I got into trouble in the SE corner. Had WEB, EASY A, STYE and SNEAD. I, too, was looking for a golf term for two-footer. All these initial-type computer terms refuse to take root in my brain. Don't know any Japanese. Didn't know that wine is WHITE. So I had four empty squares.

    As state winners, my daughter and four of her students, including my granddaughter, are in Washington, DC for the National History Day competition. The kids are 12 and very excited.

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  48. Bill G @ 2:53

    How about paper route / root beer

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  49. Hello everybody. I gotta agree with CrossEyedDave: "Barry G. Best review evah!"

    Another thing that struck me as I was working this puzzle, especially the bottom part of it, is how many words there are that have double-E in them: STEER, ANNEE, SPREE, PEERS, EEL, BEET. And words that aren't spelled with double-E nevertheless sound like it: OBIES, THESE, SEAR, SNEAD, HOKEY, EASY A. Mr. Vago seems not only to like and know golf, he seems to like that EE sound, too. Oh, and Japanese stuff.

    Man oh man Japanese is a complicated and difficult language, is it not, yes? I tried to learn it; didn't get past the first semester level. Would I try again? Maybe...

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  50. Mmmm, I loves me a nice chardonnay, but I agree with JD that I don't care for ones that are too oakie hokey. If I *had* to choose a white wine, I would most probably select a riesling. A teeny weeny local winery here (which I think is no longer in business) called Obester used to make a fabulous pinot blanc. LW and I used to buy cases of it. Now we buy cases of BV (aka Beaulieu Vineyard) "Red Blend" and pinot noir.

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  51. "Dan" Patrick makes 1 across "baled," and not "bales."

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  52. Irish, I like your paper route/root beer better than my draft/draught but I had a paper ROWTE (rhymes with bout) and not a paper ROOT (rhymes with boot) when I was growing up. People here also live on a rural mail ROWTE. But you do get your kicks on ROOT 66… Regional again!

    And I was raised on the Bell CRICK not Bell CREEK! Ain’t language fun?

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  53. Fun puzzle today, and though I am not a golfer, I knew all of the theme answers just from hearing their names all my life on TV/radio.

    Favorite clue, 42D. "Pride goeth before a fall" My mother used to say that to me all the time. New word PULP (the meaning that is). SWM and DAN were complete WAGS, but I knew how UHURA was pronounced, so I went with Dan. Thought NEW was a better choice than NEO, and thus it all worked out.

    I have recently discovered Sauvignon Blancs. I love their crisp dry character, and they are enjoyable as a hot weather beverage!

    Cheers

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  54. Excellent, Irish Miss. That one might not occur to people because 'paper route' is often pronounced as 'rauwt' or something like that.

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  55. John Arado, what are you trying to say? 1-Across is BALED. Did you find some place where it is BALES?

    Anon, if you're that concerned, email her.

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  56. Anon-- I read this blog and comments for about a year and never commented until I could identify myself by turning "blue". Unfortunately, I don't feel well enough many days to comment in a timely manner. If you want to comment as anon, please have the courtesy to ID yourself. Thank you.

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  57. I'll chime in the Route/Root topic. I'm with Gary. In these parts it's "Rowt". But it's still a very good answer.

    As for the libation of choice, I discovered beer some time back. I like it! :-)

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  58. Argyle- I don't check my e-mail often.

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  59. Actually, Sapporo beer is not bad. And I had forgotten about Sauvignon Blanc. Thanks for mentioning it, LA CW Addict. Come to think of it, maybe it was Sauvignon Blanc, not Pinot Blanc, that we used to buy lots of. It was a long time ago.

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  60. Husker Gary, Bill G. and Avg Joe:

    In my area, route is pronounced both ways. And, HG, so is crick for creek! Yes, language is fun. I suppose that is why we are cw fans. Congrats to Desper-Otto for getting so many correct.

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  61. In case you all didn't know, this is US Open week for the USGA. As such, the 2012 US Open champion will be handed the trophy at the Olympic Club just outside San Francisco on Sun afternoon. That place is beautiful. I like how the puzzle incorporated golf into its theme in a week where we discover our National Champion.

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  62. Power failure, I've been out of it for awhile.

    I think lea might be overgrazed!

    You find strange things if you Google erotic.

    Doctors recommend vitamin C instead of Viagra

    Inka Dinka Doo

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  63. LACW addict& Jayce, may I recommend a nice New Zealand sauvignon blanc... Kim Crawford.

    Jayce, we try to buy local too. We also like J. Lohr's cabernet.Oddly enough, he built our house. I think after he built a "few" houses he had enough to create his own winery.

    Crazy Cat, can you recommend a buttery chardonnay?

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  64. Hello JD

    I live in Ithaca NY and most of the time we can order just about any wine(s) we want.

    Might I ask, is Kim Crawford an Australian wine? Please give us (myself & Jayce) a hint!

    Thanks much

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  65. JD

    Never mind - too many beers tonight!

    I see the wine is from New Zealand, but good guess considering, don't ya think?

    Thanks so much!

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  66. LA CW Addict, there are many others from that Marlborough area in NZ, but we like this one. I agree, it was great guess. You must know a lot more about sauvignon blanc vineyards than I do.

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  67. CED you are a trip. Lucina, see you soon? C'mon guys quit the wining and let's get to some dining. Go heat. The Byron Nelson in Dallas is where they were celebrating the 100th birthday

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  68. Marlborough: Hmmmmm, I wonder if that's where they make Bin 65?

    Thanks so much... searching for wine gives me something to do, and I am usually relentless when I'm trying to find something!

    Yes, I have had a bit of experience learning about wines; and it is a life-long pursuit! I will let you know if I find the Kim Crawford. Cheers again!!

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  69. Just did this puzzle and felt compelled to come here to say, "Bravo Mark Vago!" Loved it!

    I'm a huge golf fan so thought it amazing that you discovered three of the greatest and tied it all together with PGATOUR in the middle and ended with their would be 100th birthdays. Fantastic!

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  70. JD - The buttery chard that comes to mind is Cakebread Cellars from Napa. I haven't had it in a while, so not sure how the current vintage is. Another one is Au Bon Climat from Santa Barbara County.

    Cakebread is pretty pricey. Definitely for a special occasion.

    I'm more into the Sauv Blancs and the Pinot Grigios. My new favorites are the Grüner Vetliners. They're usually German, but there's one from the Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo called Zocker that's a treat. It has a fairly high alcohol content for a white though.

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  71. JD I forgot to mention that malolactic fermentation in oak barrels is what gives chardonnays that buttery taste. The only reason I know this is that my daughter has a degree in wine and viticulture and has been working in the wine industry for the past 6 years. It's one of the few things that actually stuck LOL!

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  72. Hey Joho, any new puzzles from you in the pipeline?

    We Bruce S in collaboration soon.

    How about SJSJ and Mark B.?

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  73. Crazy cat, thanks! I will check them out.We have visited many wineries, but the scientific information was never as interesting as the tasting.

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  74. Lemonade714, you are special.

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  75. I downgrade crossword puzzles based on how many times I say "huh?" while working them. This one rates 5 huh?s. TUTTE, HAI, SOIE, and ENOKI, indicate that you have to be multi-lingual in order to solve crosswords nowadays. Also, HOKEY does not mean phony. It means corny.

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  76. Huh? Look up HOKEY in the dictionary!

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