google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday August 11, 2012 John Lampkin

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Aug 12, 2012

Sunday August 11, 2012 John Lampkin

Theme: "Beg Your Pardon?" - Each apology is ironic & funny considering the profession of the person who apologizes.

23A. Slapstick comic's apology ... or is it? : I FELL DOWN ON THE JOB. Falling down is a slapstick routine.

39A. New Year's Eve techie's apology ... or is it? : I DROPPED THE BALL. He should have dropped the ball.

59A. Proud liberal's apology ... or is it? : I DID NOTHING RIGHT. Liberals lean left of course.

84A. Army cook's apology ... or is it? : WHAT A MESS I'VE MADE. Army mess.

100A. Zen Buddhist's apology ... or is it? : I WAS THOUGHTLESS. Zen Buddhists tend to keep their mind simple and uncluttered.

122A. Nostalgic seismologist's apology ... or is it? : THIS WAS ALL MY FAULT. Perfect apology for Jayce.

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all long, taking a total 96 squares, which is a Sunday norm (84-100).

Total 63 black squares, we normally get 70-78 on Sundays. Excellent gridding skill and amazing restriction in using cheater squares. (Correction: I meant "restraint from using cheater squares"). John likes to make every black square count.

Across:

1. Greengrocer's stock : PRODUCE

8. "Piano Man" singer : JOEL (Billy)

12. Head honcho : PREZ

16. Down-in-the-mouth org.? : ADA. Fun clue.

19. Classic mouthwash : LAVORIS. I can only think of Listerine. All clue echos are highlighted in green.

20. Sell short : UNDERRATE

22. L.A. Times section? : LOS. Great clue. Los & Angeles are two sections of L.A., visually.

25. DJIA stock : AT &T. Or IBM.

26. British peer : EARL

27. Actor Morales : ESAI

28. Smashing target : ATOM. Was picturing a door.

29. Suckling babe : NURSER

31. Western evergreen : RED FIR

33. CD-__ : ROM

35. __ Plaines, Illinois : DES

37. Muskogee's st. : OKLA

38. N.Y.C. medical facility grantor : SLOAN. Spitzboov mentioned this before.

44. "Mad Money" network : CNBC. Jim Cramer. He's always so excited.

46. Certain : SURE

47. Gave the nod : SAID OK

48. Tempo : PACE

51. Conducted : LED

53. Fruit zest : RIND

55. Sneaky : SLY

56. Kind : ILK

63. Soccer ball juggler : KNEE. And 73. Ball girls : DEBS. Different balls.

64. Dragonfly snare : NET

65. Albatross's milieu : OCEAN. Golf course too.

66. Prefix with gram : SONO

67. Composer Rachmaninoff : SERGEI

69. First name in Prohibition history : ELIOT. Eliot Ness.

71. Sciences' partner : ARTS

75. Agreements : PACTS

76. Bubbly drinks : FIZZES

78. Tavern in the same city as Krusty Burger : MOE'S. "The Simpsons".

80. Capital of India : RUPEE. Money again.

82. Slowing, in scores : RIT

83. 111 digits : ONES. Three one's.

88. Cartoon canine : REN. Ren & Stimpy.

89. Half a cocktail : MAI. Or TAI. I want a Bloody Mary now. Weird.

90. City near Provo : OREM

91. Ditty syllable : TRA

92. "Remote Control" host Ken : OBER. Not familiar with this guy. Died in 2009. Only 52 years old.

93. Muscular jerks : SPASMS

96. Shorten, as nails : CLIP

98. Auto designer Ferrari : ENZO. Learned from doing Xword.

104. Newton with laws : ISAAC

108. Writer Ephron : NORA. Really like her "Sleepless in Seattle".

109. Orbiter until 2001 : MIR

110. 67.5 deg. : ENE

111. Inedible buffet jelly : STERNO. Another fun clue.

112. Shell shooter : MORTAR

115. Frat frock : TOGA

118. Set down : ALIT

120. Gear components : COGS

121. Lyric poem : ODE

126. Boom lead-in : SIS. Sis boom bah!

127. Saying "You can say that again!" again, say : REDUNDANT. Another clue gem.

128. Victim of river diversion in Asia : ARAL SEA. This and Ross Sea both have friendly letters, hence their frequent appearance in puzzles.

129. Lunar New Year : TET

130. Mounted on : ATOP

131. Prevent littering? : SPAY. Ouch.

132. Tailgaters' carriers : COOLERS

Down:

1. Nut grippers : PLIERS

2. San __, city near San Francisco : RAFAEL

3. Go too far : OVERDO

4. Like young Shirley Temple : DOLL-FACED


5. Surfer's destination : URL. Internet surfer. And 101. Stereotypical surfer's wagon : WOODIE

6. Apple product : CIDER. And 119. Apple on a desk : iMAC

7. Those, to Juan : ESOS

8. Subordinates : JUNIORS

9. Lennon's lady : ONO

10. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

11. Riga native : LETT

12. Doc wannabes : PRE-MEDS

13. British rule in India : RAJ. And 14. British prep school : ETON

15. Indian cattle : ZEBU. New word to me. What's under her belly?

16. Aleutian Islands crustacean : ALASKA KING CRAB. Huge.


17. "Go on" : DO TELL

18. Star-shaped : ASTRAL

21. __ Island : RHODE

24. Annie, vis-à-vis Daddy Warbucks : WARD

30. "__Cop" : ROBO

32. Country retreat : INN

34. Cry over : MOURN

36. Hidden supply : STASH

39. Summer cooler : ICE TEA. Ate lots of water melon this summer.

40. Overly fussy types : PRIGS

41. Booth Tarkington kid : PENROD. No idea.

42. Sword handles : HILTS

43. Dreyer's partner in ice cream : EDY

45. Faction : BLOC

48. Desire intensely : PINE FOR. Don't. Giving up is a wise choice.

49. Barbershop quartet sweetie : ADELINE. "Sweet Adeline".

50. Vigilante's collar : CITIZEN'S ARREST. Excellent long entry. Same as 16D.

52. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA."Dharma & Greg". Unknown to me.

54. Bistro patrons : DINERS

57. Current with the wind : LEE TIDE

58. Tush : KEISTER

60. Something to take or play : NOTE. Not an easy clue.

61. From A to Z : IN TOTO

62. Lose it all : GO BUST

63. Malay Peninsula's Isthmus of __ : KRA. See here. Yet another unknown.

68. Fencing weapon : EPEE

70. U.S. pint's 16 : OZs

72. Go through : SEARCH

74. Church points : SPIRES

77. Sound of breakers : SWASH

79. Refine, as ore : SMELT

81. "Thirteen" star __ Rachel Wood : EVAN

85. Stereotypical sidelines greeting : HI MOM

86. Author Zola : EMILE

87. Hunter's bull attractor : MOOSE CALL

89. Yoga class need : MAT

94. Coll. prep exam : PSAT

95. Gets dressed for the launch : SUITS UP. Oh, for the astronauts.

97. Fine, for instance : PENALTY. I was thinking of card grading.

99. Complexion spoiler : ZIT

100. Like the hub, relatively : INMOST

102. Mature : GROWN

103. Hawk : SELL

105. Excite : AROUSE

106. One playing the bass? : ANGLER. Lovely clue.

107. Sportscaster Bob : COSTAS

111. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam.

113. Gillette Mach3 forerunner : ATRA

114. Art of publ. speaking : RHET. Rich probably only allows this entry on Saturday/Sunday.

116. Gallivants : GADS

117. "Hurry!" : ASAP

123. Agreement to enter an institution? : I DO

124. Literary collection : ANA

125. Schwarz of toys : FAO

Answer grid.

C.C.
at

50 comments:

  1. fermatprimeAugust 12, 2012 at 5:02 AM

    Greetings!

    Great puzzle, John! Fine expo, CC!

    Took a bit longer than usual. No cheats. Lots of cute answers! Did the Reagle puzzle earlier, but ended up cheating on it (really difficult, I thought).

    I usually use a wrench to tighten a nut. (But don't do much of this anymore.) REDUNDANT is a great word. The ALASKA KING CRAB had my mouth watering. Haven't had it for aeons!

    Younger son and family brought over dinner. Unfortunately, even in my room (only air-conditioning in the house) it was miserable. They did not stay very long! It was nice to get fed, however. (Harvey will not be home for several days. He usually prepares meals about half the time and leaves leftovers in my small fridge.)

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barry G.August 12, 2012 at 6:27 AM

    Morning, all!

    Very fun Sunday puzzle. Absolutely loved the theme and it was a real delight uncovering each theme answer.

    I originally put in ENTIRE at 61D. When MOES at 78A became clear, I changed it to ENTOTO. Ooops. That was my one hang up with the theme answers as I stared at IDIDNOTHENGRIGHT for a bit. It didn't help that I was parsing it as I DID NO...

    Wasn't crazy about the clue for ONES. It seemed awfully lame to me, in fact. Just one of those clues that was so obvious I refused to accept that it could be right, you know?

    I also thought that "DJIA stock" was a pretty lame clue for ATT. As C.C. pointed out, it was extremely nonspecific and could have been a lot of things.

    Never heard of SWASH before, let alone with reference to breakers. I wanted ROAR, but that didn't fit.

    Didn't know that ASTRAL could refer to the shape of a star.

    Didn't know you could "juggle" with a KNEE (bounce, perhaps, but juggle?) and did not know KRA. With _NEE in place, though, there wasn't much else it could have been.

    Other unknowns were SLOAN (sorry Spitzboov), PENROD and EVAN.

    Our local zoo has a ZEBU and we visit there frequently (it's only one mile from our house), so that was a gimme.

    Loved the clues for CIDER, SPAY, ANGLER and IDO.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ArgyleAugust 12, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    SWASH...must be where we get swashbucklers from.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 6:52 AM

    TTP'er here

    Thank you John Lampkins and thank you CC. I had a lot of fun with this puzzle, and the cluing was great.

    Start with 12D PREMEDS, throw in 37A clue Muskogee Merle's song then 38A SLOAN (Kettering) and you may end up with this Will Ferrell 59A and 100A answers had me laughing. 80A New Delhi wouldn't fit. A great clue/answer. 84A Army cook's apology ? Trust me. Army cooks do not apologize. 110A 67.5 deg may be a clue that experienced puzzlers have seen before, but I had not. Couldn't think of any significance of that number, and it took the perps to see it was a direction. 67.5 degrees might be a good launch angle for your 112A, all factors considered.

    28A Smashing Target = ATOM. The Tevatron here at Fermilab has been shut down. Fermilab

    Loved 16A, 85D, 95D, 101D, 106D, 111D, 119D.. 131A SPAY was fun. Had 5 or 6 unknowns, but perps or crosses filled them in, such as 61D and 63D

    17A DO TELL answer... Sounds like a response from Katherine Hepburn to Spencer Tracy.

    Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday !

    ReplyDelete
  5. DennisAugust 12, 2012 at 7:18 AM

    Good morning, C.C. and gang - very nice to have one of John's works on a Sunday morning.

    I struggled a bit in some of the same places Barry did, including ENTIRE at 61D. Also, forgot my geography and put ELKO instead of OREM (because it fit ENTIRE).

    Again, I had the same thoughts as Barry regarding ONES and ATT, although maybe not as harshly; I just didn't think they were up to John's high standards.

    As to SWASH, I spent a fair amount of time trying to get from SWASHbucklers to the ocean, and failed.

    John got me with SPAY and STYRO; didn't know Ken OBER or EVAN Rachel Wood or the Isthmus of KRA.

    Overall, a great way to start a Sunday, thanks to John and C.C.

    The new avatar's been my favorite back-yard lunch spot for the past couple months. The binoculars in the picture, while of course used mostly for watching the passing parade of ships and boats, also aid in looking for candidates for my new side business.

    ReplyDelete
  6. HahtoolahAugust 12, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    Good Morning, C.C. and friends. This was a fun Sunday Puzzle. I DROPPED THE BALL was my first theme answer. I was thinking of something relating to Pie Throwing for the Slapstick. Instead, we got Chevy Chase.

    Like Barry G, I had a spot of trouble with parcing 59-Across. I looked at is I DID NOT HING RIGHT. What is Hing?!!

    Lots of mis-directions, for me, anyway. I wanted Peel instead of RIND. I thought of Beat instead of PACE for Tempo and wanted Ran instead of LED for conducted. I also wanted File instead of Clip for shortening one's nails.

    I, too, could only think of Listerine. it took a while for LAVORIS to come to me.

    My favorite clue was Prevent Littering = SPAY.

    QOD: Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone? ~ James Thurber

    ReplyDelete
  7. HeartRxAugust 12, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    Good morning C.C. et al.

    It is always interesting to read your analysis of the puzzles, C.C. I did not notice how many blocks were theme fill, but when I glanced at the grid before starting, I did expect to see theme entries at 16D and 50D. Instead, there was some fine long fill with ALASKA KING CRAB and CITIZENS ARREST.

    I loved the clue for SPAY (Prevent littering?) and (One playing the bass?) for ANGLER. DOLL FACED and KEISTER were both cute as well. I worked from top to bottom, going back only to fill in LAVORIS in the NW to finish. Thanks for a fun Sunday morning diversion, John Lampkin!

    ReplyDelete
  8. HahtoolahAugust 12, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    DOLL FACE or Ball Girl?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Husker GaryAugust 12, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    I hung onto PELE like grim death (should have taken C.C.’s PINE FOR advice) and then getting KNEE (looked at paper’s solution grid), unlocked the four mideast cells (KRA and SERGEI). Prevent littering elicited a big laugh here on the plains. Thanks John!

    Musings
    -Being in the Times Square mob on New Year’s Eve is not on my bucket list
    -Unintentional I WAS THOUGHTLESS works for husbands sometimes too and better be followed by IT WAS ALL MY FAULT no matter what.
    -Daughter gets PRODUCE delivered to her door every week by a local farm cooperative.
    -The real joy of the Olympics is seeing an UNDERRATEd athlete or team win –“Do you believe in miracles?”
    -Jon Stewart RIPPED Jim Cramer for his bombastic and utterly wrong advice on Bear Stearns! Beware of anyone that SURE!
    -ELIOT got Al Capone’s KEISTER put in jail
    -Big Bang on Indian Monopoly with rupees
    -Those SPASMS lived in my back two weeks ago
    -The smell of STERNO can dominate a reception
    -Those of us of the Vietnam War Era remember TET for a different reason
    -Two PRE-MEDS live across the street and a very young RN lives across the hedge
    -Political ROBO calls are driving me up the wall
    -Citizen’s Arrest (5:51 and worth it)
    -ONES - Five for a fin? School D’s? Bo Derek’s opposites? Who the two’s play in a scrimmage? Playtex’s are Wet?

    ReplyDelete
  10. SpitzboovAugust 12, 2012 at 9:52 AM

    Good morning all. C.C. I always enjoy your comments.

    John's puzzles are always enjoyable. Liked his breezy cluing. In addition to the theme fill, I liked the two long downs as HeartRx pointed out. ARAL SEA was my first choice. I always thought KRA would make good fill some day. I think that's where Phuket is; hit real badly by the Indian OCEAN tsunami a few years ago. Memorial SLOAN-Kettering in NYC is the world's oldest and largest private cancer center.
    No lookups were needed.

    C.C. said amazing restriction in using cheater squares.. I didn't see any.

    TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

    Enjoy the day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lemonade714August 12, 2012 at 9:58 AM

    A wonderful puzzle, write up and sunny day. Enjoy all, off for more family stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AbejoAugust 12, 2012 at 9:58 AM

    Good morning, folks, again. This is my second blog of the morning. I did yesterday's this morning as well. Thank you, John Lampkin, for a great puzzle. Really liked it. Thank you, as well, C.C., for an equally great review.

    Fermatprime: Glad you a back with us. I have met Harvey in Virginia. Great fellow. I have a couple of pictures of Harvey and myself I will forward you when I get home and can get them off my camera. By the way, Harvey's Drill Team won first place in their class. He is with Los Angeles #9.

    Well, I got started on the wrong foot. Put in ORGANIC for 1A. Much later in the puzzle I corrected that to PRODUCE. I had RAFAEL for 2D and thought my first answer might have been right, but nothing else worked. So, PRODUCE eventually appeared with some perps.

    The themes came quite easily. The one that stumped me the most was WHAT A MESS I'VE MADE. I could not think of the I'VE at first.

    Did not know OBER, but MOOSECALL fixed that.

    Thought SPAY was a good one. You too, Marti.

    Had to use my mental compass for ENE. Worked.

    Wanted PRES instead of PREZ. Fixed it. I should have known. No abbreviation in te clue.

    Congrats to Splynter on yesterday's construction work that we saw. Good job!

    Husker Gary. Enjoyed the IPhone level you showed us yesterday. I wonder if there is something like that for an Android system. I will check. That sure would be handy.

    Well off for a little sightseeing, etc.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ReplyDelete
  13. desper-ottoAugust 12, 2012 at 10:04 AM

    Good morning, friends.

    Thought I'd try to do the puzzle online one more time. By accident I wound up doing the Washington Post Sunday Challenge. Tough puzzle! After 10 miles on the bike I came back and started over.

    I had a few problems with John's offering. I started with ALASKAN for the Crab and CURLY for Shirley, so it took a little while for the right words to appear.

    KRA? I think John made that one up! Sorta sticks in ONE'S kra. I agree that ONES and ATT weren't topnotch, but they perped out OK. This one took me longer than normal, but it was a fun ride. Thanks John and C.C.

    And what is that thing below the zebu's stomach? A ground wire?

    ReplyDelete
  14. LucinaAugust 12, 2012 at 11:12 AM

    Hello, C.C. and everyone. I always enjoy your perspective on the puzzle, C.C.

    It is great to anticipate what's coming in a JL puzzle and I jumped into his wave length with JOEL and San RAFAEL as I have a good friend who lives there and whom I love to visit.

    It's delightful to find so few abbreviations in a puzzle this size. I loved these clues:

    prevent littering, SPAY
    one playing the bass, ANGLER
    agreement to enter an institution, I DO

    Hand up for ALASKAN but then OK became clear and brought on KING CRAB.

    Would someone kindly explain the clue for WOODIE. TIA

    I remember seeing ZEBU a very long time ago but didn't recall it enough to change SEBU. DNF!

    Thank you, John L for the entertaining time today.

    I hope you all have a superb Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. MontanaAugust 12, 2012 at 11:13 AM

    Good morning, friends,

    It is not supposed to get over 90 degrees today. What relief!
    Today's puzzle was too difficult for me, but I came to read the comments anyway.

    Abejo, an Android version of a level is called Bubble Level. A Magnetic Stud Finder app and a TapeRuler app are also available.

    Have a good Sunday all,
    Montana

    ReplyDelete
  16. Irish MissAugust 12, 2012 at 11:18 AM

    Good morning:

    Fine Sunday offering, John, and neat expo, CC.

    Clever theme and cluing: especially liked clues for angler, spay, and cider.

    HG @9:51 ~ The political robo calls haven't started yet in my neck of the woods, but I must get 15-20 calls a week from telemarketers or just plain scammers. Caller ID is well worth the price.

    Happy Sunday to all.

    ReplyDelete
  17. DennisAugust 12, 2012 at 11:21 AM

    Lucina, here you go: Woodie

    The classic surfer's vehicle in the '40s, '50s and '60s.

    ReplyDelete
  18. ArgyleAugust 12, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    Lucina, here is a picture of a woodie. Surfers used them to tote their boards around. Actually, they were called estate wagons and had real wooden sides.

    ReplyDelete
  19. CrossEyedDaveAugust 12, 2012 at 12:04 PM

    Speaking of
    "Funny" Apologies"

    ReplyDelete
  20. LucinaAugust 12, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    Thank you both, Dennis and Argyle. You are the "go to" guys. I remember the WOODIES but did not know them as for surfers specifically.

    ReplyDelete
  21. BobLAugust 12, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    I thought Listerine at first also, but then Lavoris came to me right away for the following reason.

    As a teen back in the 60s, I was in a hurry one day and saw a bottle on the bathroom sink that had red liquid in it and a word starting with Lav so I took a mouthful thinking it was Lavoris (since Lavoris was red). Ugh -- it was my Mom and Sis's nail polish remover that had turned red from their red nails!!

    My tongue went numb and I had to rinse my mouth for about 10 minutes. It took about a day for it to get back to normal.

    No, no, I'll never forget Lavoris!

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 12:59 PM

    Good afternoon everyone.

    It was, as usual for any day not Mon. or Tues., a DNF. Got some right though.
    Congratulations Splynter on the construction job. Good for you.

    I was a breast cancer patient at SLOAN Kettering in 1991. It was the most amazing hospital I've ever been in. The care and treatment were outstanding. My D-I-L told me to get to NY and had made an appt. for me the following day after the diagnosis. If any of you get that dread diagnosis, go there.

    Breakfast made as always by DH was at 11 AM, so we're taking it easy, obviously.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  23. JayceAugust 12, 2012 at 1:12 PM

    Hello everybody. Excellent opus today! Such an imaginative theme! Loved this puzzle; to me it had all the elements just right. The only place I had any serious doubt was the S crossing FIZZES and SWASH. The answer to 67.5 deg was a classic forehead-bonker. I kept thinking degrees of temperature or degrees of latitude. Some gimmes included ESAI, SERGEI, ENZO, ISAAC, and ADELINE. I recall seeing KRA in previous xwords, but only remembered it after getting it from the perps.

    Could the ZEBU in that photo be a bull?

    ReplyDelete
  24. River DocAugust 12, 2012 at 1:32 PM

    Fun, do-able puzzle today. Only had four problems - all in the east.

    I had Spay on the fill, but didn't "get it" until reading the blog - D'OH!

    Remote Control was MTV's first game show, supposedly set in Ken Ober's basement. Famous faces that played his sidekick over the years included Adam Sandler, Colin Quinn, and Denis Leary.

    My best friend has lived in San Rafael for 21 years - would love to be able to retire to the Bay Area someday (should've bought AT&T)....

    Kudos to Husker Gary - LOVED he Citizen's Arrest clip!

    ReplyDelete
  25. JayceAugust 12, 2012 at 2:23 PM

    Vegas Doc, the Bay Area is an expensive place to live. Housing, especially, is costly. The population is dense and the traffic is almost always clogged. There is no viable mass transit to speak of, so driving a car is a necessity, exacerbating the air pollution and putting a heavy burden on the highway infrastructure. California is badly governed; in fact it is virtually ungovernable. Taxes are high and the state is business unfriendly, its policies conducive to business leaving the state. Then, of course, there are the earthquakes. But, by golly, you can't beat the weather here! LW and I are definitely going to stay here when we retire.

    Hahtoolah, what is your avatar? It is very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  26. PKAugust 12, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    Took all my patience, but got the puzzle except for "Z" in the PREZ/ZEBU cross. Chuckled a lot! Thanks, John, you naughty boy: Nut grippers & SPAY, AROUSE & WOODIE. This puzzle really FIZZES!

    ZEBU is relieving himself. See the droplets? Only Indian cattle I'd heard of was Brahmas.

    New clue: Where are Dorothy's snacks? INTOTO. (Okay, I hear you groaning.) I had such trouble with this section. Hands up for "entire". For 85D I had HIgh V (five).

    Great expo, C.C.!

    ReplyDelete
  27. John LampkinAugust 12, 2012 at 2:46 PM

    Hey all,
    Thanks as always C.C. So glad everyone had fun with this. I sure had fun putting it together. I DROPPED THE BALL was the seed that got this one going. Six theme answers made lively fill easy to find.
    My own fave theme entry is THIS WAS ALL MY FAULT since the play is a bit of wild stretch.
    Happy solving!

    ReplyDelete
  28. LucinaAugust 12, 2012 at 3:19 PM

    Forgot (what else is new?) that I enjoyed reading the PENROD stories by Booth Tarkington ages and ages ago. PENROD was a naughty and mischievous little boy who among other things liked to dip girls' braids into inkwells.

    ReplyDelete
  29. River DocAugust 12, 2012 at 3:22 PM

    Jayce - I agree with everything you said about Cali, especially your observation that the state is business unfriendly. That's one of the reasons I left in '98. I suppose I could afford to live there again if I was okay with sleeping in a cardboard box under a freeway....

    ReplyDelete
  30. willieAugust 12, 2012 at 3:34 PM

    pshaw

    ReplyDelete
  31. MR EDAugust 12, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    huh?

    ReplyDelete
  32. MR EDAugust 12, 2012 at 3:38 PM

    Vegas Doc,
    be glad you didn't buy AT&T stock like I did. It reverse split 1 for 10. I lost a ton.

    ReplyDelete
  33. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    Lucina,
    I'd like to dip my 'pigtail' in your inkwell

    ReplyDelete
  34. GunghyAugust 12, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    Great puzzle. interestingly, I had little trouble with the ones people have commented on, but struggled with a bunch of the easier fill. Ended with "mess I remade" and that made no sense but I couldn't see anything else.

    Jayce, you can beat the weather here. 111 yesterday and 109 today in Sanger. But then, Romney has kissed off the state, so not so many Robo-calls. Oh, yes, that's a bull and he is lacking potty training.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Bill G.August 12, 2012 at 4:26 PM

    WEES. I really enjoyed the clever clues. Thanks for the writeup, C.C.

    Gary, I liked the citizen's arrest clip. I watched that show off and on. In hindsight, I should have watched it every week.

    I really enjoyed Tom Brokaw's piece last night on Britain's Finest Hour, Churchill and FDR and the US finally deciding to take sides in WWII. Brokaw made that era really come to life for me. Another good story on Sunday Morning about Louis Zamperini, a local hero.

    ReplyDelete
  36. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 5:25 PM

    Love SWASH. It is onomatopoeic. The waves SWASHed against the pier. They splashed violently, a keen visual and aural image.

    ReplyDelete
  37. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 7:06 PM

    Dennis, Time to change your residence on your bio?

    ReplyDelete
  38. JayceAugust 12, 2012 at 7:59 PM

    The fault is all mine! Mine, I tell you!

    ReplyDelete
  39. SpitzboovAugust 12, 2012 at 8:15 PM

    Anon 1906 - While we're updating bios, why don't ypu go blue yourself? I'm sure we would all like to know more about you.

    ReplyDelete
  40. QliAugust 12, 2012 at 8:52 PM

    Great romp of a puzzle today, John. The theme was easier to see once I realized my errors.

    Thanks for the link to the ZUBU, C.C. I had never seen that breed before. Thought it was hilarious that you found the photo of a male urinating for the link!

    Favorite clue was "prevent littering".

    I will always think of Barney Fife and smile whenever I hear CITIZENS ARREST.

    ReplyDelete
  41. AnonymousAugust 12, 2012 at 8:52 PM

    I've got some literary collections but I've never heard of the word "ana". Took me a while to solve this puzzle while watching the Olympics closing and that clue/answer was the only one that really puzzled me (though I didn't know "Penrod" either.

    ReplyDelete
  42. PamelaAugust 12, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    I was anon at 8:52. Wasn't sure how to use my name. I read here occasionally when I get frustrated about an answer I don't understand but wasn't sure how to put my name with a post. Now I do, so I will.

    ReplyDelete
  43. ManacAugust 12, 2012 at 9:14 PM

    Pamela,
    ana is one of those crossword staples that you either know or don't. Like Ari or adz. The more you do, the more they come to mind.
    Spitz.. LMAO

    ReplyDelete
  44. PamelaAugust 12, 2012 at 9:26 PM

    All right, took me some searching but I have found it and now do recognize it -- but "ana" is not a word, it is a suffix, "-ana" as in "Americana." IMO it should have been clued as a suffix, not a word. Again, annoying....misleading. But I'm legalistic. :-/

    ReplyDelete
  45. ManacAugust 12, 2012 at 10:02 PM

    Pamela,
    Annoying?? Misleading?? Welcome to our world of the LA Times x words.
    What fun would it be if they were all easy? And welcome to the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  46. GunghyAugust 13, 2012 at 12:17 AM

    Pamela, Welcome
    This is from dictionary.com.

    ANA
    an·a    [an-uh, ah-nuh]
    noun
    1.
    a collection of miscellaneous information about a particular subject, person, place, or thing.
    2.
    an item in such a collection, as an anecdote, a memorable saying, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  47. ArgyleAugust 13, 2012 at 1:58 AM

    Origin: 1720–30; independent use of -ana

    ReplyDelete
  48. TTP'erAugust 13, 2012 at 5:28 AM

    Lot of good comments yesterday

    ReplyDelete
  49. jeggeAugust 13, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    found this puzzle hard at times...using google often but getting better at it...

    ReplyDelete
  50. ArgyleAugust 13, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete

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