google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 Kevin Christian

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Aug 14, 2012

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 Kevin Christian

Theme: What Bart said - The ayes have it, twice, and their homophones start the other themed entries.

20A. "Rocky III" theme song that became a #1 hit for Survivor : EYE OF THE TIGER

31A. Bart Simpson's "Good grief!" : ¡AY, CARAMBA!

41A. Robert Graves novel narrated by Nero's predecessor : "I, CLAUDIUS"

53A. "Roger," on a ship : "AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN"

Argyle here. Déjà vu. Last Tuesday's puzzle from C.C. was the same gimmick except her homophones (2) was the second word in each phrase these "I's" come first. Some pretty good fill fleshes out the puzzle.

Across:

1. Nero's 701 : DCCI

5. Silent performers : MIMES

10. Nocturnal hooters : OWLS

14. Patron saint of Norway : OLAF

15. Wombs : UTERI

16. Language of Bangkok : THAI

17. Even fewer than hardly : NARY

18. "Beat it!" : "SCRAM!"

19. iPhone message : TEXT

23. River mouth area : ESTUARY

24. World's largest cosmetics company : L'ORÉAL

27. Golfer Michelle : WIE. She tried to compete with the men; it didn't work out.

28. Breezed through : ACED

30. Tiny : WEE

35. Goddess for whom a month is named : MAIA. She is eldest of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters. The Perseids meteor shower was last Saturday night.

36. Caught in the act : SEEN

37. Hands out cards : DEALS

39. Beginning on : AS OF

40. Sibilant "Check this out!" : "PSST!"

43. Bank acct. earnings : INT. (interest)

44. Istanbul native : TURK

46. Indefinite degree : NTH

47. Golf shirt feature : COLLAR

49. Bear __: 2008 JPMorgan Chase acquisition : STEARNS

56. "Livin' on a Prayer" band Bon __ : JOVI. Video w/lyrics(4:04)

58. Skin care brand : NIVEA


59. Former slugger Martinez : TINO. First baseman. Complete run down, Link.

60. Victor's cry : "I WIN"

61. Keystone State Ivy League sch. : U PENN. Pennsylvania is known as "The Keystone State".

62. Biblical brother : ESAU

63. Rare blood type, for short : B NEG

64. Company with "counting sheep" ads : SERTA

65. Hit the hammock : REST. in a Serta hammock.

Down:

1. Charity recipient : DONEE

2. Potter's supplies : CLAYS. I don't remember Harry getting any clay.


3. Insertion mark : CARET. More than you need to know link. CARET is at the bottom right.

4. "Anything to make my buddy happy" : "IF YOU WANT"

5. Not-to-be-missed book : MUST READ

6. Like wool, for many : ITCHY

7. __ mortals : MERE

8. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

9. Idiom with "as" in the middle : SIMILE

10. River frolicker : OTTER

11. Words from a digresser : "WHERE WAS I?". That's what I said after an hour, trying to find the origin of "mere mortals".

12. Lenient : LAX

13. Command to Fido : SIT

21. Evenhanded : FAIR

22. Monotheists believe in only one : GOD

25. Alphabet quintet : AEIOU. (vowels)

26. Flips (through) : LEAFS

28. Surprised way to be taken : ABACK

29. Match a bet : CALL

31. Jellied garnish : ASPIC

32. Like some easy questions : YES/NO

33. "Such is life," to Pierre : "C'EST LA VIE"

34. Former Israeli prime minister : MEIR. Golda

35. Alice's tea party host : MAD HATTER

38. Windy West Coast city? : SANTA ANA. The name for the winds may have nothing to do with the city. Etymology.

42. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso

44. ___ Bo: fitness system : TAE. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

45. Penultimate planet : URANUS. Second to last.

48. Full of baloney : LYING

49. Sachet emanation : SCENT

50. Increase a bet : RAISE

51. Future señoras : NINAs. La Nina's mean future weather problems.

52. Muzzle : SNOUT

54. "Holy cow!" : "YIPE!". Reaction to a cold snout?

55. At any time : EVER

56. Triangular sail : JIB


57. Possess : OWN


Argyle

58 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Blew through this one pretty quickly. Had a minor stumble in the NW corner when I entered OLAV instead of OLAF at 14A and then tried first RARE and then NONE instead of NARY at 17A. Once I got that straightened out, it was smooth sailing.

    I think my only other misstep was putting in MARCH HARE at 35D, but I realized my mistake even before I finished entering it, so it really didn't slow me down. And I almost put in ABCDE instead of AEIOU at 25D, but I already had WEE at 30A and changed my mind right away.

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  2. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This puzzle gave me a bit of a challenge. I rather like homophone puzzles, thought.

    I, CLAUDIUS was also a TV mini-series starring Derek Jacobi. We caught it on PBS on rerun years ago.

    What was your last MUST READ? This one really blew me away.

    I wanted Sped instead of ACED for Breezed Through.

    There are lots of 4-letter Biblical brothers. All of Adam and Eve's sons had 4-letter names. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob.

    QOD: It's all right to hold a conversation, but you should let go of it now and then. ~ Richard Armour

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

    Funny you should mention déjà vu, Argyle. When I finished the puzzle and looked for the theme, I wondered if we didn't have the I-Eye-Aye-Ay homophones before? Maybe not, but it sure felt familiar.

    I did a 28A: "Breezed through": ACED this puzzle. My only hesitation was needing the perps for TINO Martinez. I liked seeing WIE - ACED - WEE. I can picture Michelle getting a hole in one and shouting "WEE"!!

    Hahtool, my last must read was "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skoot. I have actually worked with the HeLa cell line, and was fascinated to read about the woman and events leading to its discovery. I think you would really enjoy it.

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  4. Wow ! Number 3 on the list of bloggers .... must be a slow day ....

    Thank you, Mr. Christian for a very nice, somewhat challenging puzzle , and thank you Argyle for your very nice and fascinating blog.

    I nearly put in 'Mystery' for a popular book ... Mystery ... really ? I read too many books to have a 'must read' .... Aaah, so many books, so little time ....

    Nero's 701 somehow made me think of a graduate level university course, or a post-doctoral course ... thesis ? advanced seminar ? ... until I realized it was only Tuesday, and 701 is only a number ( certainly not the loneliest number ... ).

    Numbers can have meanings too, '786', a symbol for Indian Muslims, is in praise of God ( ... in the name of Allah ... ) , whereas '420' in Calif. is a discreet reference to cannabis ( Marijuana ) and ( for other reasons .... ) a particularly vile offensive slur in the Indian subcontinent. ( Has to do with the Indian penal code.)


    ALT QOD:- Naming you daughter Karma is probably something that will come back to bite you in the butt. ~ Liana Maeby.

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  5. Finished w/o getting the theme. Thought something about poker was going on (hands out cards, match a bet, increase a bet).

    Beauty product companies (NIVEA, L'OREAL). Cute animals (OWL, OTTER).

    Didn't know WIE (sports, of corts).

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  6. HeartRx : I agree with you. The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks is, indeed a must read. I, too, worked with HeLa cells in my earlier career. I have given that book out as gifts to numerous friends. I read the Warmth of Other Suns more recently. I highly recommend it to you.

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  7. Got through this quickly enough not to have noticed the theme at all. A couple of missteps quickly corrected: WISH/WANT, JUNO/MAIA, and I needed perps for the unknown STEARNS and TINO.

    Some interesting fill such as ESTUARY, and L'OREAL for a change from ESTEE.

    I'm embarrassed to say I haven't had time for a book since I can't remember when.

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  8. Good morning:

    Thanks, Kevin, for a good Tuesday challenge, and thanks to Argyle for a nice expo. Hand up for sped before aced and Tito before Tino. Liked the Wie and wee.

    Bill G and Fermatprime: Each morning, the first thing I do is check the previous day's blog for any late posts that I might have missed.

    Have a great day everyone.

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  9. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Kevin Christian, for a great Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.

    Sitting in National Airport in DC ready to board.

    This puzzle was a good one and pretty easy. 1A was a good start. I like romance numerals. DCCI

    Had to perp most of CEST LA VIE. Oh well.

    Theme was easy except for AY CARAMBA.

    MAD HATTER appeared. Just went to a wedding that was themed Alice in Wonderland. It was quite a deal.

    I also read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" with our book club. We all enjoyed it. Good history of the evolution of some medical practices and tools. Many people sure have tough lives. That was part of it.

    Should be boarding soon.

    It was. Pleasure to meet Harvey in Alexandria. What an energetic person.

    See you tomorrow, from Illinois.

    Abejo




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  10. HeartRX and Hahtoolah, I also enjoyed reading about Henrietta Lacks. I read it for a book club and otherwise probably never would have picked it, but I enjoyed it. My favorite part was about the look on Deborah's face in the very end.

    Most recently I read The Red Badge of Courage. But the best book I read recently was either Deadly Valentines by Jeffrey Gusfield, or Al Capone and His American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife by Bill Helmer.

    Oh by the way, "I" liked the puzzle too :)

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  11. Good morning everyone ! Thanks Richard and thanks Argyle. Loved your links and vid's. I apologize for yesterdays's link to Of Mice and Men. It was what I would call atonal. A quick TA DA today.

    9D. Failing to notice the usage of a SIMILE may cause you to misunderstand the clue, like failing to notice a stop sign may result in a ticket. Is that a simile or a metaphor ? Time to study...

    11D Words from a digresser = WHERE WAS I Words to a digresser = "to the point please" or "land that plane!"

    49A Bear STEARNS how timely ...Husker Gary's recent muse and link to Jim Kramer / Jon Stewart, and 25D AEIOU, Spitzboov's recent post on the only two words in the english languaue that that have all vowells in order

    Hahtoolah QOD: It's all right to hold a conversation, but you should let go of it now and then. ~ Richard Armour... I love it ! Not as brusk as "land that plane!"

    Opinions from this esteemed collection of educators on Number 3 in this list ?

    Have fun today

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  12. Good morning Argye and all.

    On 53a, I winced badly when I parsed the answer, which was easy enough. You don't 'Roger" your captain. You say yes sir or no sir or AYE AYE as appropriate, but not 'roger'. 'Roger' is used in signalling and radio to acknowledge receipt and understanding of a message.

    The rest of the puzzle was fun. Always liked C'EST LA VIE. Two words have AEIOU in order: 'abstemious' and 'facetious.'

    Have a great day.

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  13. As Yogi said, "Deja vu all over again"

    This is fun but work beckons.

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  14. Hi everyone.

    And here I thought Kevin's puzzle was going to be a speed run. Not so much. I confidently filled in JUNO for 35A and ABCDE for 25 D, which really goofed up the middle section. It was fun to finally see the light.

    Argyle, you are a font of knowledge. Or a darn good wiki-surfer (what kind of dash was that again?). Quite possibly both.

    Harry Potter and Hagrid school shopping in Diagon Alley was a pretty apt link at this time of year. He didn't pick up any CLAY, but he did get an OWL (actually, I don't remember if he got Hedwig on that trip or not. But he did have to get an OWL so that he could get mail at Hogwarts).

    Bon JOVI is one of the few bands of that genre that I like, due in no small part to the hunkiness of the band's namesake.

    Marti, the image of Michelle WIE yelling WEE cracked me up!

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  15. This was another quicky. Although AEIOU made a brief appearance, it disappeared just as quickly. Otherwise, it was just a dive to the bottom.

    If you're looking for a page-turner for a summer read, I recommend The Trinity Game. A southern Holy Roller TV evangelist, a self-admitted fraud, begins to speak in tongues during his "performances." However, when played backwards, and sped up somewhat, these unintelligible rantings become understandable speech. (Shades of "Paul is dead.") They turn out to be predictions of future events -- predictions that always come true. Both the Vatican and Las Vegas gambling interests get involved. The Vatican wants to disprove these "miracles." Las Vegas wants to stop him from accurately predicting trifecta race results. Interesting, fast-moving, not a great book, but a good read.

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  16. TTPer,
    What made me wince as much as anything in that #3 was the job description: "Prepare students for future schooling and working by teaching them a variety of subjects." Whatever has happened to real education? If we are just preparing them for future learning and jobs, I can see why it's becoming unfulfilling. The utilitarian attitude to school classes is why students are now only rarely inspired to do any real learning on their own. What happened to the spark and the "Aha!" aspect of it all? I would describe real teaching as "Inspiring youth to become self motivated students, ready for life-long learning and worthwhile careers."

    The other part of the explanation referring to lack of adequate remuneration and respect for the profession, however, is spot on, and good reasons, I believe, it will be hard to convince future students to enter teaching as a career.

    Lack of opportunity to be promoted is a side issue. If you like being in the classroom, you don't want promotion, which brings more money, but takes you away from doing what you enjoy and do best: teaching. Administration often attracts those who get "kicked upstairs" because they can't teach well.

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  17. Nice iteration of C.C.’s theme and an easy Tuesday puzzle. Just had to work out mai taI vs. taE bo and carAt vs. carEt

    Musings
    -Local high school are the Tigers and they are introduced to Eye of the Tiger and then they run to midcourt and touch the eye of the tiger painted on the floor. Uh, they still only won 5 games.
    -Remember this scene where a MIME gets pushed over?
    -Is any double negative used more often than “not hardly?” (my grammar checker just gave me the dreaded wavy green line).
    -How did I exist before TEXTing?
    -Statuesque Michelle WIE is not WEE and her playing against men as a teenager was a sideshow but it put butts in the seats. Whee!
    -You have to wear a COLLARed shirt on most golf courses. One dumpy course here in town doesn’t care.
    -Funny Similes
    -Bad TSA agent is LAX at LAX
    -We’ve had a hard month helping out family, “C’est la vie”!
    -Seinfeld debate over ugliest world leader included de Gaulle and Meir.
    -URANUS is funny no matter how you pronounce it. Google the T-shirts you can get.
    -QOD comment, “Brevity is the soul of wit!”
    -My last MUST READ was Angels and Demons after reading/seeing The da Vinci Code
    -Abejo, can I have some of your frequent flier miles?
    -Grandson Hudson is 10 today and we are off to Lincoln and lunch at Hu Hot!

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  18. @ Qli: An owl wasn't required; Hagrid gave Harry Hedwig as an eleventh birthday present.

    In contrast to yesterday, where I had to red-letter the NW (I couldn't guess PATCH and was stuck with RANCH), I completed today. Better yet, I've at least heard of all the theme answers!

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  19. Kazie, I have seen the opposite here. Very talented, driven teachers focus on getting into administration where they make the big bucks and don’t have to see kids all day. The best two administrators I worked for were fabulous teachers first. Administration is a coveted position and I saw many more get in by merit, sucking up or the “good old boy/girl” system than getting kicked upstairs. The teacher unions constantly stress paying teachers only for years of service and degrees obtained only.

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  20. Hello Puzzlers -

    WBS. A speedy solve once I fixed the ABCDE goof, and once the perps showed just how to spell the AY before CARAMBA.

    Kazie - I think it was in a high school production of Up the Down Staircase that I heard the phrase "he was the best teacher we had, so naturally he gets promoted right out of the classroom." Or something like that. It woke me up to the possibility of really good teachers being lost to Administration. It didn't seem to be a problem at my school, however.

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  21. Good morning everyone.

    Missed two: TItO and cANT, but enjoyed getting WHERE WAS I. Many others needed the perps, so I think this was a bit tough for a Tuesday.

    Thank you, as always, Argyle.

    A SIMILE is similar (He ran like a tiger); a metaphor changes (He was a tiger when he ran.)

    Cheers

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  22. PS: Kazie, your comment about teaching is spot on. In one school the principals came from coaching! They didn't know diddley squat about classrooms.

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  23. Greetngs!

    Nice puzzle, Kevin; thorough expo, Argyle. Thanks a bunch. About the same amount of time as Monday.

    Had only four hour sleep. Trying to get back to sleep before construction guys come again!

    Bill G: Agree about the west coast thing.

    Lucina: Thanks!

    See you later, maybe.

    Cheers!

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  24. To all who have reacted,
    I agree you find all types in administration. We had a principal here recently who had been an excellent science teacher elsewhere, but needed more money, so got qualified in administration and took the job as principal. But he never really "fit" the job too well and after a few years went back into the classroom at a neighboring school, where he is much happier.

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  25. Delightful Tuesday puzzle, even if it wasn't a speed run. Like others, I also had NONE before NARY, SPED before ACED, etc. Can't believe I had trouble with Loreal, L'OREAL, after the kazillion ads I've seen for their products over the years. The problem was the absence of that apostrophe and the uncapitalized o.

    Anyway, thanks, Kevin, and thank you, Argyle, for finally showing us what the dickens a JIB looks like.

    We're going on a little local "staycation" on Thursday (can't go far from local hospitals in case of emergencies with my husband). I'm finally going to read 'The Wings of the Dove' by Henry James while there.

    Have a gread day, everybody!

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  26. Good morning to all and happy Tuesday. Nice speed run for me. Thanks Mr. Christian and Argyle for your writeup. Must read Carol King Bio "A natural woman". I will be off to vote shortly asi it is primary day here.
    Have a great day to all. RJW.

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  27. Desper-Otto: That sounds like a good book. I'll look for it at my library (2nd home).

    Does anybody else miss brick-and-mortar bookstores? I used to browse at Borders for hours. I like Barnes & Noble too, but there aren't any close to my house.

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  28. Hatoolah and Desper-Otto - Your avatars are purr-fectly charming!

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  29. Nice, FUN, Tuesday offering. Thanks Kevin.

    Argyle: Really enjoyed your write-up & links. (As Always).

    Marti: I'm with you. I think we've seen this theme before (OK, maybe it was at the NYT).
    But it has been a while, soooooo I won't go on a "Rex-Rant".

    Husker: How nice that Hudson has finally joined us in the D.D.A.C. ... the Double Digit Age Club.

    Mari: My local library is less than 1 mile from Villa Incognito. I must be in there about 2 or 3 times a week (ordering books to read/returning/just enjoying being around others who like books).

    Ron Worden: I was the first in line to vote at 7:00 am.
    If they had an election for 'dog-catcher' I would make it the most important task of the day.

    TINO Martinez grew up in Tampa. Yeah, I followed his whole career.

    A 'toast' to all at Sunset.

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  30. AY, CARAMBA! I had no idea that was used on the Simpsons. The things I learn doing puzzles.

    Thanks, Argyle, for your constant illuminations.

    With DCCI, I just sashayed right through this with not even one mishap. That's rare.

    I loved I CLAUDIUS when it ran and hope it is aired again sometime. Derek Jacobi is a remarkable actor in whatever he does.

    SERTA next to REST, that's nice.

    Speaking of MUST READS, thank you to whoever recommended The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour. It's excellent. That is the first one by him I've ever read and his style impressed me as much as the theme.

    Currently I'm reading One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus and our Book Club's next choice is These is Their Words by Nancy Turner. That awaits to be read. I shall add the ones mentioned here, too, thank you Hahtoolah and HeartRx.

    Have a super Tuesday, everyone! I voted by mail as I hate standing in line.

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  31. Mari:
    Fortunately, Barnes and Noble is just a couple of miles away from me and the library just about as close.

    My favorite used book store closed last year after many decades of existence here. So sad. Amazon gets a lot of my business.

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  32. homophone

    homonym

    Last book i read was Hunger Games. I was surprised that i could not put it down!

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  33. TTPer, another complaint about hughesnet is that it all to often decides a site isn't available. After 3 tries, I'm giving up and saying that Kazie said it much more eloquently than I ever could. I retired when the district told me I had to give up labs so I could spend all my time doing drill-and-kill.

    Must reads... anything by Neal Stephenson. If you like history or science, read the Baroque Cycle. Math? Try the Cryptonomicom. Just be prepared to read a lot. His books average about 1000 pages.

    I'm off to get out of this infernal heat. 'See' you all in a week, If the heat breaks.

    PS Fun puzzle. Waited on AEIOU for a perp, and put TITO first. Rest just flowed.

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  34. Hello everybody. Well, starting off with a Roman numeral made me wonder what the rest of the puzzle would be like. I guess first impressions are indeed influential, as my expectations started off rather low. Fortunately I felt better and better about the puzzle as I continued on through it. Wanted to put in some variation of "have a cow" for the Bart Simpson phrase, but it was not to be. I didn't grok the theme, but I think if I had it would have made AY CARAMBA a slam dunk.

    Then CEST LA VIE came along and I once again had inner musings about the use of non-English words and phrases (and even full sentences!) in an English language puzzle. I know, we've had this discussion before, which is why my musings were internal.

    Hand up for noticing and liking WIE and WEE. Wanted NONE instead of NARY at first, and blithely entered TITO instead of TINO.

    Can't think of any must-reads, but I am very much enjoying the Kate Shugack series of mysteries by Dana Stabenow. I think as I read more of Stabenow's work I realize more clearly how she sometimes too-obviously tosses in "canned" wording from her toolbox of similes and metaphors. I mean, does everybody *always* drink a whole bottle of beer, soda, or water in one long swallow? Is every cup of tea *always* hot and sweet?

    Best wishes to you all.

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  35. Good puzzle and writeup. Seemed harder than usual for a Tuesday.

    If Michelle were excited, wouldn't she go 'Whee!' instead of 'Wee!'?

    I was sorry to see teaching ranking high on the list of jobs that made people unhappy. I always enjoyed getting up and going to school. I was teaching a subject I liked to students I enjoyed. I liked most of the principals in my schools. Maybe I just got lucky being employed in a district where families valued a good education. I had the occasional run-in with bratty students or with parents who were convinced if there was a problem, the fault lay with me instead of their precious child. Since that was the exception rather than the rule, I was mostly happy with my environment. I too got frustrated near the end when teaching to the standards became over-emphasized.

    I'm guessing if I had been teaching at inner-city schools, I would have been less satisfied and experienced more frustration. Maybe I just got lucky.

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  36. Hi,
    I wondered about the word caret used as the name for the keyboard/calculator ^ symbol. I ran into the spelling "carrot" for this symbol. The person spelling it like the vegetable -- I guess because of the vaguely carrot-shape -- seemed unaware of the "caret" spelling.

    Has anyone else run across this usage, especially for the ^ key on a calculator?

    Thanks for a great blog.
    Gail

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  37. Warning, the attached link of Esoteric Homophones is not necessarily funny (but better than volume one), & the only reason i include them here is because i do not wish to suffer alone...

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  38. Bill G. @ 1:45, I guess it would depend on just how excited she was...

    Hahtoolah, I will definitely put Wilkerson's book on my list. Lucina - I already have "One Thousand White Women", and will start it as soon as I finish my current one. Thanks to both of you!

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  39. Great puzzle, Kevin! Another great presentation, Argyle!

    Yesterday's link to "One" had a side link to "Eye of the Tiger" which I played. This prepared me for today's puzzle nicely. Before playing it I hadn't known Survivor did the hit. Spooky coincidence.

    I knew C'est La Vie but let perps help me spell it.

    In 1985 as a H.S. graduation gift, I took my daughter to Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore. We learned of a Bon Jovi concert. I wanted to go but decided it was too costly. I regret not going.

    Fermatprime, is Harvey your son or a friend?

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  40. Jayce, I finished the Shugak series and have been disappointed in several books I tried since. I may go back and pick up her Liam Campbell series.

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  41. PK, let me know which books you tried since and were dissapointed with. I'll avoid 'em. My plan is to go back and finish the Liam Campbell series (I read the first 2) after I finish all the Kate Shugak books. After that I think I'll try the two books Hahtoolah and HeartRx liked.

    Never having been a teacher, other than an RA for a year, which I very much enjoyed, I can't speak to that. However, I sure know a bad teacher when I see one, my high-school band teacher being an excellent example. One time I was passing throught the school's gym-cum-basketball court and came across a set of kettle drums that I guess had not yet been put away. I picked up the "sticks" and had a blast banging away on them, actually playing little "tunes" with them (since there were four drums of different sizes and pitches). The band teacher apparently heard the noise, came rushing out, and yelled at me to get get away. "Hey kid, do you know how expensive those are? Who do you think you are, Gene Krupa?" It seems to me a good teacher would have taken an approach more like, "So you like those, eh? Would you like to learn how to play them?" Not to mention that Gene Krupa did not play the tympani.

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  42. Hi gang -

    This puzzle felt like a Monday offering, but still took me over 10 minutes.

    Totally missed the theme.

    Today is Nate's 10th birthday, too. How 'bout dat!

    Don't know if I have any must reads. I love the Song of Ice and Fire series, speaking of 1000 page books, but it's sure not for everybody. Rereading GAME OF THRONES now. There are lots of aha! moments, now that I've read all 5 current books.

    We went car shopping today. The new Dart looks pretty inviting.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  43. Musings 2
    -Tin, I showed Huddie your DDAC membership blurb at Hu Hot and it brought a smile to his face. He got $350 in cash for his birthday. Cash is always the right size!
    -Jazz, HBD to Nate
    -Barnes and Noble has a store next to the Kohl’s in Omaha and so I get to go there when Joann is “looking at cloth”.
    -I am not sure about every citizen has an obligation to vote, especially if they have no idea on the issues.
    -There are different ways to react to the Horshacks of the world. The best ones don’t involve anyone losing face. “Never let ‘em see you sweat”!

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  44. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has added "aha moment" to it's online dictionary. Link

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  45. Happy birthday to Nate.

    I enjoy "hanging out" at our local Barnes & Noble. I just wish they had more chairs and couches. Funny about that, Husker Gary, my wife spends lots of time in the nearby arts & crafts store, which is what propels me into the B & N.

    Argyle, very cool.

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  46. Mari: I thought Barnes & Nobles were everywhere. There are 2 within 4 miles of my house. I shouldn't buy anymore books until after I read the hundreds I already own. I use my nook a lot to check out books from my library. The nook isn't good for all books, though. I tried Game of Thrones on my nook, but because of the family trees depicted at the back of the book, I ended up buying the paperback. As Jazzbumpa noted, the books in that series are very entertaining.

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  47. Hi, this is Kevin, I constructed today's puzzle. I'm glad that most of you seemed to like it.

    I thought this was a Monday puzzle when I was making it. But I'm still not surprised that it felt harder than a Tuesday for some. Hard puzzles are easy to make, easy puzzles are hard to make.

    I didn't notice I had three different gambling references in there until someone else pointed it out to me.

    I originally clued I CLAUDIUS in reference to Derek Jacobi in the PBS miniseries. The editor changed it to refer to the book.

    See ya!

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  48. Gary, I don't quite understand what you meant about Horshacks of the world.

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  49. Hola Everyone, I finished the puzzle before my ride to Dodo's appeared at the door right on the dot of 9:30. We had a mini coven today, but still had a great time.

    I had whizzed through the puzzle with just a misstep for Tito instead of Tino. I see that this was also something others did as well.

    Our lunch with Dodo was wonderful. The food is always great and the company was even better. However, we were disappointed in the fact that CA didn't make it today. She was not doing very well and felt that the drive would have been too much. We were so looking forward to seeing her. It has been a year since we were all together the last time.

    I did give extra hugs to Dodo, though, as several of you had requested.

    Have a great evening everyone.

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  50. Evening all. Liked today's puzzle.
    All I could think of was cowabunga at first for Bart Simpson's saying.
    H.G. & Jayce , I do the exact same thing when out with my wife shopping.
    Barnes & Noble is my sanctuary. I think it is a conspiracy, they know exactly where to put stores to bring me in. Not sure if I should link this but this happened just two miles from me. This is rural country and just doesn't happen here. Just the work of an idiot or an a$$hole.
    Idiot

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  51. Fermatprime, I just read the late blog entries from last night and I was hoping to have a report on how CA is doing. Dodo said that she is really upbeat, but had to take a pain killer today and couldn't drive. I do see her Facebook entries from time to time and she is seeing lots of her family. She also is caring for her husband who has Altzheimers. This can't be easy for her.

    Your walk in tub/spa sounds wonderful. I hope it will help with some of your aches and pains. They look like they would be a great help.

    Take care.

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  52. If you can get past the decidedly Christian (not our puzzle constructor) bent, "Leota`s Garden" by Francine Rivers is a well-balanced look at how the young treat the old, sincerely thinking it is the best and most caring way.
    BTW: Mon and Tue puzzles were fun and easy...as Mon and Tue usually are.
    I was amazed that I remembered how to spell "c`est la vie!" Isn`t that French for "Que sera sera?"
    Yesterday`s "one horse carriage" (shay) reminded me of " a one horse open sleigh."
    Wikki says "No popes named Otto" and we all know how accurate they are! Never knew thick crust pizza was Sicilian in origin but I can "Picture it, Sicily 1940." Knew Morino from the diet aid commercials. I, too, first put "abcde."
    CC: If this is too long...I`ve been "out of pocket" and it is two day`s worth.
    Fematprime: What is your sign, if I may ask?
    I`ll end with a favorite quote: "You can teach the science of teaching, but you must be born with the art.

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  53. Ditto Chickie Above!

    The South Bay Coven had a Most Excellent Adventure. Our driver, JD, did a superb job handling her "precious cargo". Chief navigator. Chickie, shouted directions with authority (right? no left! no right!). And I got to relax in the very spacious back seat.

    Dodo looks fabulous and was as gracious as ever. Champagne, lunch, cobbler...it could only have been better if CA could have made the trip. Next time!

    Oh yeah...the puzzle was fun.

    And oh yeah...we talked about ALL of you! LOL

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  54. Kevin C., thanks for stopping by. We like the give and take of constructor feed back. GG, Chickie etc., glad you had a good time, and we too are sorry CA is not feeling better. I am sure you had some pointed comments on the commenters. Bill G. and Fermatprime, all of your posts are read by many, the fact we do not comment does not mean we do not read. When I blog a puzzle I make many comments and links read but all of the viewers and certainly most do not get commented upon. Relax.

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  55. Arbaon:
    Yesterday I meant to post that I had looked at the list of 266 popes printed in the introduction to my Bible and there are no Ottos. Some of the unusual names such as, Formosus (891-96), Conon(686-87)and others might be interesting in a crossword puzzle.

    Chickie and Gralic Gal:
    Thank you for the report on your sojourn to lunch with Dodo. I'm sorry to hear about CA's absence, however.

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