google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, Aug 8, 2012, Jeff Chen

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Aug 8, 2012

Wednesday, Aug 8, 2012, Jeff Chen

theme: city of angels

17A. Recent history : MODERN (LA) TIMES. modern times is also a 1936 silent comedy film staring charlie chaplin as his little tramp character. and i think anyone doing this puzzle knows what the la times is … nice shout out by jeff.

23A. Custom-based rule : UNWRITTEN (LA) LAW. la law was a popular legal drama tv series on nbc that ran from 1986 - 1994.

48A. Ones who refuse to serve, pejoratively : DRAFT (LA) DODGERS. around these parts (sf bay area), dodgers is a pejorative term also. any dodgers fans here?

58A. It's lowered for a touchdown : LANDING (LA) GEAR. LA gear is a shoe company based in los angeles.

37A. Randy Newman song about SoCal, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 23-, 48- and 58-Across : I LOVE LA

los ángeles is spanish for the angels, and nicknamed the city of angels. city of angels is also a 1998 movie starring nicholas cage and meg ryan. it was loosely based on one of my favorite films, wim wenders' 1987 german film wings of desire, about angels that roam the city of berlin. french architect jean nouvel designed a building in prague (47a) that has the image of one of the angels in the german film etched into the glass on the facade. see it?




also, alanis morissette has a track on her havoc and bright lights cd called guardian, that was inspired by wenders' film.

across:

1. Peter Pan rival : SKIPPY. peanut butter.

7. Childish comeback : AM SO. are not.

11. Not-so-big shot? : BB'S. bee bees.

14. Cold War statesman Gromyko : ANDREI. had no idea.

15. Kilauea output : LAVA. one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, on the island of kauai, hawaii.

16. Inning ender : OUT. baseball.

19. Legendary NHL defenseman : ORR. bobby.

20. Irish humanitarian who co-founded U2 : BONO

21. Biblical middle child : ABEL. cain, abel, seth.

22. "Don't look __ like that!" : AT ME

26. Senior moment, e.g. : LAPSE. has anyone else wondered out loud where your cell phone is, to the person you're talking to on your cell phone? me neither.

28. Some Deco prints : ERTES

29. Change for a 50 : TENS

30. Sideways look : LEER

34. Could possibly : MIGHT

36. Balaam's mount : ASS

39. Long-jawed fish : GAR

40. Online buddies, e.g. : USERS

42. Nautilus captain : NEMO

43. Impose, as a tax : LEVY

44. "Maria __": Jimmy Dorsey hit : ELENA. great cover by ry cooder.

46. Alley pickup : SPARE. bowling alley.

52. Cincinnati nine : REDS

53. Wild time : RIOT

54. Seniors' advocacy org. : AARP. american association of retired persons.

57. Actress Gardner : AVA



61. Kipling classic : KIM. novel by rudyard kipling.

62. "Let __!": "Enough!" : IT GO. or not.



63. Find on the dial : TUNE TO

64. Ernie of the PGA : ELS

65. Many August births : LEOS. so timely. btw, thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes on friday.

66. Knitted, as bones : HEALED

down:

1. Tycoon Walton with a club : SAM. sam's club.

2. Drawer pull : KNOB

3. "... and __ it again!" : I'D DO

4. Asset-protection agreements : PRE-NUPS. pre-nuptial.

5. Onetime Argentine power couple : PERONS. juan and eva.

6. Feminine side : YIN.

7. Perp's excuse : ALIBI

8. "Glengarry Glen Ross" playwright : MAMET. david.

9. Lithe : SVELTE

10. Allied gp. since 1948 : OAS. organization of american states.

11. Bathtub gin distiller : BOOTLEGGER

12. Old maker of sequential highway signs : BURMA SHAVE. speaking of angels ...



13. Disperse : STREW

18. La Brea goop : TAR. la brea tar pits, in los angeles.

22. One voting no : ANTI

24. Hardly rare, in restaurants : WELL. well done.

25. First name in household humor : ERMA. bombeck.

26. Selection made with a frown : LESSER EVIL. unless you're mae west.

27. Sierra Nevada photographer : ANSEL ADAMS

29. Crosslike letter : TAU. 19th letter of the greek alphabet.

31. Many ages : EON

32. Genesis outcast : EVE

33. "Shiny Happy People" band : REM

35. Attempt : TRY

37. Common contraction : ISN'T

38. Earn some lovely parting gifts : LOSE. snort.

41. Whistle blowers : REFS. referees.

43. Garfield's favorite food : LASAGNA

45. Commercial charge : AD RATE

47. Place to meet a Czech mate : PRAGUE

48. Male mallard : DRAKE

49. Rock's __ Boingo : OINGO

50. Utter fools : DODOS. but not our dodo.

51. Popular VW model : GTI

55. Fishing partner of 60-Down : REEL

56. Soiree spread : PATE

58. Dogpatch adjective : LIL. abner.

59. Imprecise ordinal : NTH

60. See 55-Down : ROD

Answer grid.

melissa

59 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Fun puzzle today. Didn't get the unifier until after I solved things, and didn't need it. Still a fun theme, though.

Thought PRENUPS should have had an indication that it was an abbreviation (of prenuptial agreements), but I guess the abbreviated form is now solidly in the language the same way "uke" is.

I've also never heard of LESSER EVIL without "of the two" sandwiched between them. That didn't slow me down, though, so no harm, no foul.

The only real sticky spot today was down in the south where I had LET IT BE instead of LET IT GO and ORGY instead of RIOT. Took a little while to straighten that out. I knew I needed OINGO at 49D and stared at the grid wondering what had gone wrong...

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, MelissaBee and friends. Fun puzzle today. I knew when we started out with Peanut Butter that this would have lots of amusing clues.

LA Law was the big TV show when I attended law school in the other LA.

I especially liked the Not So Big Shots = BBs.

I found the clue, Could Possibly = MIGHT amusing because where I live, people often use the two words together, as in: I MIGHT Could help her with her home work.

Great photo of the SPEWING Kilauea, Melissa, but I think the volcano is actually on the Big Island of Hawaii.

We hadn't seen our old friend ERTE in a long time.

Today is the first day of school for kids in my area. When does school start where you live?

QOD: Beauty, more than bitterness, makes the heart break. ~ Sara Teasdale

desper-otto said...

Good morning, MB, CC, et al.

Jeff Chen offered up a quick solve today, but not without a few stumbles: DOPES / DODOS, TUNE IN / TUNE TO, LET BE / LET GO, I DID / I'D DO. All were quickly resolved.

Learning moment (which will quickly be forgotten): OINGO. I also didn't know that SVELTE = LITHE, I just thought SVELTE = THIN, LITHE = LIMBER.

Have a great OTH day.

HeartRx said...

Good morning melissa, C.C. et al.

Fantastic link to LAVA spewing from Kilauea, melissa! And the "Let IT GO" pic was priceless...

I thought this was a snap for a Wednesday, and everything just filled from top to bottom. A quick check of the perps kept me from falling into D-O's traps. And I vaguely remembered OINGO Bongo from the 80's. I kind of liked their reggae-type music.

Interesting theme, which I doubt I would have gotten without the unifier. Thanks for a fun puzzle, Jeff!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning melissa and all.

Easy enough for a Wednesday; ample perps. Got the theme and unifier without incident. We have an ANSEL ADAMS (Moon over Halfdome) print in our living room. I did not have a LAPSE when not renewing our AARP membership. I think KNOB is a 'cousin' word to the German 'Knopf' (button), Low German Knoop - the K's are pronounced - not silent. I sometimes hear or use LESSER EVIL without the 'of two'. KIM (1950) was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. Good job, Jeff.

Bill G - How far do you live from La Brea?

DO - I think SVELTE has a catlike or slink quality to its meaning.
Enjoy the day

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jeff Chen, for a very good Wednesday puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for the very good review.

First, thank you everyone for wishing me well with my stitched up hand from Monday. It feels better and I will have the bandages changed today and will get a look at the 18 stitches. As long as it is not infected. It does not feel like it, so hopefully all is well.

Hahtoolah. Liked your photo from yesterday of the moon, et al.

The puzzle. Got started in the SW with ELS. Ernie is a crossword staple, obviously because of the spelling of his name.

I bounced around all over and slowly got them all.

SKIPPY was clever for 1A, when I finally got back up there. Was looking for some variation of Captain Hook. I do like Skippy and Peter Pan peanut butters, crunchy of course.

Theme was clever. Liked the LA TIMES. Good reference to our puzzle.

26A Senior Moment/LAPSE. The older I get, the more this happens. I have become fanatic about writing things down now, appointments, etc.

LANDING GEAR was a little slow coming. Was trying to think of a football connection. Finally, my senior brain switched gears.

BBS was clever. I had a BB gun as a youth. With proper training, BB guns can be a good way to graduate to the use of real rifles, for hunting, target practice, plinking, etc. I believe there is less focus today in training youth in the proper use of firearms than there used to be. Too bad.

ANSEL ADAMS has some great photos. All black and white. I had a calendar once of 12 of his photos given me by my boss at the time. They were great. After a few years I gave it to a co-worker friend of mine who always commented on how much he liked the calendar.

Tomorrow I am off to Virginia for Drill Competition on Saturday. Hopefully I can carry my sword in my right hand. Practiced last night.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Sfingi said...

Smooth and easy. Had Rat before REF. Never heard of a VW GTI. Stands for Grand Touring Injection.

NASA, at earthobservatory.nasa.gov has some great stills of Mt. Etna spewing long streams, as well as what's happening on Mars. No ETs peeking in, though.

Mari said...

Great "Let It Go" photo! I'm rooting for the little guy.

Nice puzzle, nice theme. Some super clues today. I loved "Not-so-big shot?": BBS. Also liked 38D: Earn some lovely parting gifts: "LOSE" (story of my life). Goes well with the answer to 36A.

LA Gear were popular athletic shoes worn mostly for fashion in the late 80s/early 90s. They paired great with flourescent nail polish and big hair (not that I'd know anything about that, ahem).

That building with the angel image is amazing. Thanks for sharing in Melissa.

kazie said...

Good Wednesday level. Several WAGS for me though--names, and I never did see the LA connection. Am only aware of LA LAW and LA TIMES, but not the others, and don't follow country music and didn't know either of the songs. LOSE did not appear for me since I figured the tone of country music required that one to end with YA rather than LA.

Abejo,
Glad the hand is better. I didn't get back here in time to wish it well last night.

I loved Wings of Desire, somewhat because of the surprise of seeing Peter Falk as the main character. But Wim Wenders is a great director. City of Angels was also a good film.

kazie said...

...Also, how is losing going to bring "lovely parting gifts"? I didn't get that at all.

Mari said...

Hahtoolah @ 6:16 am: Chicago Public Schools start classes on Monday, but it looks like in the suburb where I live school doesn't start until August 27th.

I always loved shopping for school supplies and hated going back to school. I went to Staples the other day and couldn't believe all the cool school supplies they sell these days.

Mari said...

Kazie @ 8:21 am: Often on game shows losers get "lovely parting gifts", which are not nearly as grand as the big prize.

Argyle said...

You can't ask for a much better earworm than Maria Elena(3:20).

melissa bee said...

hahtoolah, you're correct, kilauea is on the big island. i misread the first sentence on wikipedia. it is the town of kilauea that is on kuaui.

Tinbeni said...

Jeff Chen: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday offering.

Enjoyed the I LOVE LA theme (and 'shout-out' to our LA LA Linda).

Also liked the 'shout-out' to our missing DODO(S).

Hmmmm, when does school start around here???
Well, I'm going to skip this year ... so I guess it ISN'T going to start at all. lol

Hope my BOOTLEGGGER makes a delivery later.
Then I can 'toast' the SUNSET with some 'shine'!!!

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Thanks, Jeff, for a clever puzzle with a little bit of bite for a Wednesday, and thanks, Melissa, for a good expo. Learning moment: Garfield loves lasagna. (Although, just how that knowledge is going to alter my life remains to be seen.).

I, too, thought Peter Pan was referring to the play, and lowering for touchdown was calling for a football term.

Our schools start up a day or two after Labor Day. That was such an exciting time, what with your new school clothes and supplies. Then, after maybe a week, the dreaded, woolen uniforms were required; a navy blue jumper with a colored insignia to designate your grade level and a crisp, white blouse with the top button, buttoned! And no crinolines allowed!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Jeff Chen said...

Hi all!

Those two pairs of ten-letter down answers were a bear to fit in. "How hard could it be to jam in two pairs of nice long down answers without compromising the rest of the puzzle?" I asked myself.

Ten hours later...

Happy Wednesday,
Jeff

Argyle said...

Ten hours? Slow down. Ten days sounds more reasonable.

Anonymous said...

"Not-so-big shot?" should yield "BB," not "BBS."

If the clue were "Not-so-big shots?" then "BBS" would be fine.

I am curious why people here "loved" this clue when it is clearly poor.

I guess this blog is more like a support group. I also guess my comment will be deleted before too long.

Cheers to the sunny-side only-ers.

Bumppo said...

11 down is incorrect. One who distills illegally is a "moonshiner." A "bootlegger" is one who traffics in alcoholic beverages illegally. Bootleggers don't make the stuff (unless they are moonlighting as moonshiners).

Lucina said...

Greetings, everyone! Thank you, Melissa Bee, for the great inks and illuminating us on the angel connection. And it's amazing to see Kilauea spewing LAVA.

I was in TUNE TO Jeff's wave length almost immediately although had to wait for SKIPPY, not sure of the exact reference. ANDREI and KNOB made it clear.

Abejo, I hope your hand is soon HEALED.

I can't even begin to count my senior moment LAPSEs. The worst one is walking toward a room and immediately forgetting why I'm going there. And why is that, I wonder? It's frustrating!

Thank you, Jeff Chen, for the shoutout to LA Times, our favorite puzzle provider and for a fun puzzle.

Have a super special Wednesday, all!

Ron Worden said...

Good morning to all and happy hump day. Thanks for a fun puzzle Jeff and MelissaB for the writeup. Randy Newman had some great songs,and Maria Elena was one of the first real songs I learned on the guitar. DW is a teacher here and she goes back to work on Monday. The students go the following Mon the 20th. Although she has been working on her classroom all summer long. Have a great day to all.RJW.

Misty said...

Clever puzzle, Jeff--many thanks! And you too, Melissa, for all the helpful explanations. Never hear of LA GEAR, even though we only live an hour from L.A. That's what comes of not being a jock.

18 stitches, Abejo! Wow! Hope all is well when you get them checked today.

I haven't seen a BURMA SHAVE ad in years! Probably thanks to Lady Byrd Johnson who got our highways tidied up from all that junk. But I do remember that they were entertaining and made long road trips more fun.

Have a great Wednesday, everybody!

Tinbeni said...

Well I see the 'nits' are out today.

Anon @10:35 Just curious, how many crossword puzzles have you constructed and published in the LA Times?

Bumppo @10:38 The definition of bootlegger INCLUDES "One who makes illegal liquor" (as well as sells or transports alcoholic liquor for sale illegally).
Gee, it took almost 10seconds to look that up on google.
Maybe you should TRY that first before being an ASS.

OK, so not everyone will be included in my toast at Sunset. lol

Dennis said...

anon@10:35, you're really showing your ass. 'Shot' can be singular or plural; its usage in the puzzle was correct.

Maybe you could have someone show you how to look up words?

GarlicGal said...

Yaa-Hoo......... shout out to Dodo! See you next week.

Zcarguy said...

Morning all,

Jeff Chen, it doesn't seem fair that you spent that much time to construct this jewel for us to have 1/2 an hour of fun, and for that I thank you .

Hahtoolah said...

ZCar: you are a classy guy. Well said. Jeff you did provide us with an entertaining puzzle.

Unknown said...

When I start a puzzle I skip around, just for the heck of it. So I came upon Utter Fools before Balaam's mount. I so wanted asses instead of DODOS. But, when I saw ASS, I knew it wasn't to be.

SKIPPY was a duh moment.

Needed perps for ANDREI and ERTES.

Liked BBS and SPARE.

Used to read ERMA in the local paper. After we moved to OR, mom used to clip and send me some of the columns.

Two fire engines and two cop cars came screaming into our 'over 55' (or old fart) subdivision this AM. Still haven't heard what happened. These guys always cut the sirens when they pull in.

Have a great day.

River Doc said...

Don't usually do the weekday puzzles, but since I'm waiting for the windshield replacement guy to show up, I thought I'd try Wednesday's online. Fairly straight forward, just a few go-backs.

Got the LA connection pretty quickly, but since I'm the anti-Randy Newman (I Hate LA), it was not as enjoyable as it seems to have been for others.

Other thoughts:
- Danny Elfman and his brother Richard founded Oingo Boingo, and he has gone on to have a nice career composing movie music
- It really threw me for a loop when I started receiving mail from the AARP at age 50 - who retires that soon in life?
- The Smithereens also do a song called Maria Elena (but it's not a cover)
- Pretty painful for me to enter Dodgers as a clue answer....

Husker Gary said...

First golf in a week coupled with .5” of rain, lower temps and Jeff’s puzzle makes for good moods!

Musings
-LA is like a demographic tossed salad. Our Rose Bowl trip of two years ago was fabulous but It’s always good to get home.
-Dad was a Brooklyn DODGER fan and never forgave Walter O’Malley for taking them west.
-Gromyko was one of many Soviet apparatchiks who traveled the world spreading communist verbal fertilizer
-Msgt. In Good Morning Vietnam referred to his sergeant stripes and asked the Robin Williams character, “What does 3 up and 3 down mean to you soldier?”. Robin replied, “End of an inning?”
-Not that LAPSE, but I’ve looked for glasses that are on the top of my head and keys that were already in my left hand.
-Jimmy DORSEY not DURANTE (another LAPSE)
-Alley pickup is not TRASH.
-We’re going to the Black Hills the last week of August and are using our AARP discounts at every opportunity
-LET IT GO! A radio personality I like says, “Look at life through the windshield not the rear view mirror”
-Ernie Els won the US Open while sitting in the clubhouse this year and Adam Scott was collecting bogeys.
-Pious Lutherans north of my hometown made huge vats of BOOTLEG liquor during prohibition. I imagine they are now upset with marijuana growers.
-Lady Bird did not like BURMA SHAVE signs
-Have you ever sent back a WELL done steak you ordered Medium? I have.

tawnya said...

morning (afternoon) all!

FANTASTIC PUZZLE, jeff chen! got the unifier right away - although i always recognize randy newman songs, i couldn't actually name another one. (btw, the LA Kings used to play that song after every goal - not sure if they still do.) so it was easy enough to fill in everything: i'm a die-hard DODGERS fan, was raised to only read the LA TIMES and even had a pair of LA GEAR high tops circa 1988 while listening to OINGO BOINGO and U2. (danny elfman is everywhere if you start looking...)

BBS was hilarious. hands up for being stumped by SKIPPY since captain cook wouldn't fit.

All in all, an enjoyable puzzle that took me down memory lane. keep up the great work, jeff!

have a wonderful day,

t.

ps to the anon trolls: if you have a question about a clue, ask nicely and someone will politely explain. otherwise you will be treated like the "Balaam's mount" that you are.

Anonymous said...

NTP'er here. Nineteenth (me thinks) Thank you Jeff Chen and thank you Melissa.

Ah. Maybe I'm not quite ready for the Master level. Perhaps just a bad day. 1A Peter Pan rival. Great clue. I was immediately drawn to Tinkerbell, Fantasia... Choosey mothers choose Jif. DOH ! 11A BBS. Filled it with the perps. My buddy down south of Houston town buys shot in different sizes and packs his own loads. 20A BONO and 33D REM. Know exactly what Bono is singing about in Sunday Bloody Sunday but have no idea what REM's song Losing My Religion is about. Anyone ?

Looked at 45D ADRATE for a long time and thought I'd have to go look up what an adrate was. DOH again. Ad Rate. Insert inward 16A clue from a few days ago here.

So I zipped through the puzzle and was dismayed when I didn't get the TA DA at the end. Starting looking for keyboard errors. Fingertips on the left hand don't always go where I want, and I often get a D instead of an S, or vice versa, as was the case in another recent fail. Gave up after looking for 10 minutes and hit the solve button. Going to have to make sure I look at EVERY clue. 6D had YaN, not YIN, 36A eSS, not ASS, and 40 eSERS, not USERS. 29D Cross like letter incorrect Tee made sense and I never got back in that area or thought about TAU. So 3 wrong letters.

Just a couple of other quick comments. Have hosted lots of relatives from the "old country" through the years. For the first timers, there's often this huge association of Chicago and Al Capone and that era. Not after we take them downtown on the train and up to the top of the Sears (now Willis) tower...

MARI, Well said. Me too. I'm pulling for the little guy. If I still commuted, I'd post that picture on the wall of my office with a permanent balloon caption of "ME" by the little guy, and have a supply of sticky notes with an assortment of captions for the big bird.

Husker Gary, you bet. I tell them, "Medium, and err or the side of being less done rather than well done."

Looong lunch over. Gotta get back to work. Hope everyone enjoys their day !

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. A lovely puzzle today, thank you Jeff Chen. And thank you for tying it all together, Melissa Bee.

Husker Gary, very cool that you are going to visit the Black Hills! I'm sure you will undoubtedly drive up Mount Rushmore to see the memorial, and it is worth going. May I also strongly recommend you take a leisurely drive through Spearfish Canyon, which is absolutely gorgeous, don't waste too much time in Deadwood, maybe go see the gold mine in Lead, and there is a wonderful exhibit in the Rapid City area of real dinosaur bones and dig sites. Also, if you can, try to take a drive through the badlands, which are also well worth seeing. Another "off the beaten path" trip you might enjoy is to drive up to the top of Terry Peak and gaze out over the vast expanse of evergeen forest like the forest-fire spotters used to do from that peak through their telescopes. I don't know if this is the time that all the motorcyclists gather in Sturgis, but that could be fun. And please, if you can, drive out to Bear Butte; maybe you might even like to climb up to the top of it; it is yet another gorgeous view.

Best wishes to you all.

JD said...

Good morning Melissa, C.C. et al,

Woo Hoo, a Wed. I could complete w/o help!!! Jeff, you rock. Those long words must have been hard to connect.I had to write out les-serevil to "see" lesser, which filled ass, then last fill tau.

Geologically, Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, so its volcano, Mt. Waialeale,is dormant; its usually considered the wettest spot on earth. Low clouds usually hide the summit. The island of Hawaii is the youngest of that chain. Great picture Melissa!

Growing up, we lived just a few miles down Wilshire Blvd from the La Brea Tar Pits. No museum then, just bubbling ponds of black goo.

Marvin Hamlisch will be missed. Nobody Does it Better

windhover said...

We don't need no stinking dictionary, we're anonymous.
And proving once again the adage, "No one is completely worthless, they can always serve as a bad example."

Avg Joe said...

Gary, The drive up Needles Canyon is also very impressive.

And Lucina, If you're going to the northern part of MN, Itasca Park is amazing.

Fun puzzle today with lots of clever fill.

Sfingi said...

@Vegas - I'm the anti-Randy Newman because I'm a Short Person.

2poodles said...

After my slow, but complete solve yesterday without any lookups, today didn't go quite the same. Several trips to Google, but no actual cheating (i.e. coming to the blog before I was done!). It was a fun puzzle that made my brain work. Thanks, Jeff Chen, and all the constructors. I can't imagine..... My Colorado friend and I met up in the Black Hills one August. People warned me it was "Sturgis week," but I wasn't worried because I wasn't going to Sturgis. I learned that the motorcycles spill out of Sturgis for miles around. They were EVERYWHERE, including all the campgrounds! But we did secure a campsite and it was fun watching the bikers!

Bill G. said...

Very enjoyable puzzle. It was perfect for we Crossword Cornerers with all the LAs and Dodo too.

Spitz, we live about 15 miles southwest from the tar pits. It wouldn't take long on the freeways if all of the other cars would stay home. We've been there several times. BTW, good job to you and desper-otto figuring out Humphrey's sister's weight. Maybe she's Samoan...

We had a smallish earthquake last night. It's kind of fun feeling the house shake; that is, when you are not worrying about whether it will get stronger or not.

The damn Dodgers can't hit...

An all-southern California pairing in the Olympic beach volleyball competition today.

I first heard of Marvin Hamlisch when he adapted Scott Joplin's music for 'The Sting.' I think one of his most memorable songs was 'The Way We Were.'

Unless I missed it, nobody comment on my question about Olympic divers. Just this time I've been noticing that they seem to jump on the board one more time (than they used to) before diving. Yes? No?

Manac said...

Afternoon all,
Enjoyed the puzzle. My only slowdown was that I really wanted moonshiner, but knew that BBs was right. Bootlegger came soon enough. Those guys always had their own homemade shine if you were dumb enough to try it. Such a nice afternoon here I think
I'll grab my shotsgun and a box of shotsgun shells and do some skeet. Don't know if I want to use #6 shotsgun shells or #8 shotsgun shells. Why is my spell check going ape s@&t?

Lucina said...

AJ@1:46
Thank you. Those are exactly the things I want to know. It's hard to decide among such beauty.

Manac said...

Bill G.
Care to bet on the outcome
of that volleyball game?
Just kidding, watched it online.
No time to see it tonight.

Tinbeni said...

Husker: Actually, Ernie ELS just won the OPEN Championship (aka British Open).

Bill G.: I noticed the "extra step" in the Olympic Diving when they were doing the "Sync.Diving" competition.
Seemed the right number of steps on the 3 meter dives.
(Though he scored a ZERO, that German diver DID complete 3 & 1/4 flips. Just saying, that should have counted for something, lol).

Manac: I WON MY BET ... and also lost it.
Was wondering which team got "pumped-up" when the fans were shouting: USA! USA! USA!

Cheers!
(It's sunset somewhere!)

Manac said...

Tin,
Was wondering the same thing myself.
I posted at the start of the olympics
that USA had two good teams this year.
Never thought that they would go head to head for the gold. They are all awesome athletes. Around here it's always "Got to be five o'clock somewhere" so in your words "Cheers"

Bumppo said...

Tinbeni @10:57 Oh excuse me, I forgot, we are in the era of Webster's 3rd International Unabridged Edition when any word can mean anything anyone wants it to mean and will be defined according to how anyone happens to use it. If you care, though, you might look at the derivation of "bootlegger." And, do you really use Google for a dictionary?

Manac said...

Gee that's funny,
Both my OED and Webster's define bootlegger as anyone who Makes, Distributes or sells illegally.

PK said...

Great fun puzzle, Jeff! Great commentary, Melissa!

Did any of you see Joon Pak on the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions today? He did well!

We happened to go to Mt. Rushmore during the Sturgis Rally. I don't think my husband saw the faces on the mountain. He was too busy looking at the biker babes in leather vests with nothing underneath them. What an experience.

I liked the Crazy Horse monument.

My Air Force DIL has had a month to pack and be at their next assignment in Oklahoma. She takes possession of her new home on August 17, the same day her four boys start in their new school. My son won't be done at the old base until the end of October. DIL is such a trooper!

CrossEyedDave said...

Did the puzzle early this am, no major problems except the lower middle took a break to figure out. Then life intervened... My 14 year old daughter decided to wade barefoot in our local creek yesterday. I took her to our pediatrician to make sure she was up to date on her shots. (it looked like just a scratch!) She took one look at it & said, "i can't do this, take her to the ER!" We got home 6 hours later, X-rays showed metal & her foot was infected. 2 specialists from podiatry cut the metal out of her foot, but the infection had spread, to they packed it & left it open. I have to take her to a podiatrist tomorrow to see How we can ( or should ) close it up!

LA,,, cute theme (i wish i was in LALA Land!)

Anyway, for 6 months i have been waiting for "senior moment" to come up so i could link "The Remember Song." & now it's so late, probably no one will get to hear it! :(

Hahtoolah said...

CED: Best of luck with your daughter's foot infection. I hope it heals quickly.

Spitzboov said...

CED @ 2011 - Let not your heart be troubled. Those of use with nothing better to do are still checking in. Loved your link. So true.
Hope your daughter's foot mends well and heals properly. Sounds like a nasty wound. Feet are tough to work on.

Blue Iris said...

WEES...Remember when parents said "we MIGHT" it probably meant we wouldn't( not possibly could ).

HG, my parents took us to the Black Hills every year, but that was 50 years ago when everything was Cowboys and Indians. Very non-PC now. We always camped in a tent. Remember driving through Needles Park and watching climbers on Devils Tower. I think binoculars would still be a good idea to observe wildlife. Hope everything is still as beautiful as I remember and you have a great time.

Irish Miss said...

CED @ 8:11 ~ Hope your daughter's foot is okay and heals quickly.

Thanks for "The Remember Song". I have never heard it before but it brought a smile and a chuckle. A good way to end a good day!

Blue Iris said...

CED-Sorry to hear about your daughter's infection and long ER visit. Hope it's much better when checked again. Thank God for antibiotics.

Thanks for the Remembering Song". I'm listening to it with my husband.
Makes for a nice end of the day laugh!

Lucina said...

CED:
I'm so sorry about your daughter's foot problem. I hope she heals soon. Good thoughts and prayers going your way.

HG:
If you haven't seen Mt. Rushmore it's definitely worth the trip. It's spectacular as is the statue of Crazy Horse, that is, what is carved so far.

PK:
Yes, I saw Joon Pak though I couldn't remember if that was a rerun or not! I had to do some research on the last answer. I wonder how he knew that?

Manac said...

CED, Was wondering where you were today. Aren't children grand? I have spent more than my fair share of time in the ER Because of them. I just hope all goes well with your daughter's foot. Keep us informed please.
And liked that link. Can really relate to it at times.

MJ said...

What a great week for puzzles thus far. Thank you, Marti, CC, and Jeff! BTW, CC, this was my favorite yet of your solo compositions. Loved the "2" theme.

For anyone interested, Joon Pahk will return to Jeopardy (to be broadcast) next Monday, after successfully sweeping today's round. Perhaps we'll have a puzzle from him again soon, as well.

Enjoy the night!

Anonymous said...

Late to the party.
Yes, Joon Pak was very impressive. These are all reruns. I hope Alex is OK; there was some news of an illness and, I think, hospitalization.

Lots of fun with today's puzzle: thanks Jeff and Melissa.

Cheers

Bill G. said...

CED, I'm still here too. Good luck for you and your daughter. Maybe a song like that could be rewritten and titled CRS Blues.