google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, September 17, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

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Sep 17, 2012

Monday, September 17, 2012 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Where did you go this summer? - Maybe you stayed home but the four theme entries start with a type of the unifier.

18A. Experienced tradesperson : JOURNEYMAN

27A. Military stint : TOUR OF DUTY

47A. Bank heist idler : GETAWAY CAR

62A. Pulverizing tool powered by gravity : TRIP HAMMER

38D. Break suggested by the starts of this puzzle’s four longest answers : VACATION

Argyle at home. We start the work week with a meaty offering of themes and fill. Some oldies drop in for a visit; gives the puzzle a lived-in feel.

Across

1. Sunday celebration : MASS

5. Streisand, to fans : BABS

9. __ d’art : OBJET. A French phrase that actually is what you think it is.

14. “Don’t think so” : "UH, UH". OK, you can have your own opinion.

15. Spherical hairdo : AFRO

16. “We tried everything” : "NO USE"

17. Frozen dessert franchise : TCBY. (The Country's Best Yogurt, formerly This Can't Be Yogurt)

20. “I knew it!” : "AHA!"

21. Wrestling duo : TAG TEAM

22. Set (down) : PUT

23. 2002 Best New Artist Grammy winner Jones : NORAH. Old Hank Williams song.

 

25. Openly declares : AVOWS. I tried AVERS first.

31. High-end German car : AUDI sharing the Autobahn with 58D. High-end German cars : BMWs

34. Dutch bloom : TULIP

35. Neeson of “Unknown” : LIAM. If he's unknown to you, here.

36. Rocker Bon __ : JOVI

39. Al or Bobby of racing : UNSER. Or Jerry or Al Jr.

42. Old Ford models : LTDs

43. Fields for flocks : LEAs

44. Delete : ERASE

46. Marine predator : ORCA

52. Fed the poker pot : ANTED

54. “Groovy!” : "NEATO!"

55. Plop down : SIT

57. Gave power to : ENABLED

61. Old hand : PRO

64. A blue moon, so to speak : AGES

65. Overplay the part : EMOTE

66. Actor McGregor : EWAN. Here is his IMDb site.

67. One of the deadly sins : LUST

68. Pastor’s abode : MANSE

69. Tax return IDs : SSNs

70. Tunneling insects : ANTS

Down:

1. Deviant sci-fi character : MUTANT

2. Sound of a sneeze : [AH-CHOO!]

3. Outback automaker : SUBARU

4. Bashful : SHY

5. Peninsula bordering California : BAJA
 
 

6. In __: out of it : A FOG

7. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

8. Angry with : SORE AT

9. “__ Time”: ’70s jazz musical : ONE MO'. A lackluster review. Link.

10. Baby in blue bootees : BOY

11. Skydiver’s outfit : JUMPSUIT

12. Biblical birthright seller : ESAU

13. Canvas shelter : TENT

19. Seagoing military force : NAVY

21. Commandments pronoun : THOU

24. Craftsperson : ARTISAN

26. South Dakota’s state fish : WALLEYE. Why they are called WALLEYE. Link.

28. Winter bug : FLU

29. Very loud noise : DIN

30. Surprise win : UPSET

32. Family man : DAD

33. AOL pop-ups : IMs. (instant messaging)

36. “The Back-up Plan” actress, in tabloids : JLO. Her IMDb page.

37. Atop, poetically : O'ER

40. Historical span : ERA

41. Uncooked : RAW

45. Hourglass stuff : SAND

47. Actress Rowlands : GENA. Her IMDb page.

48. One of four singing brothers : ED AMES. Ed's back again.
 
 

49. Toy that goes “bang” : CAP GUN. It was POP GUN last Thursday.

50. Not moving : AT REST

51. Henhouse perches : ROOSTS. The chickens have come home to roost... again.

53. Little laugh : TE-HEE. Still giggling since Sunday's giggle?

55. Champagne flute part : STEM

56. “__ la Douce” : IRMA. One last IMDb link.

59. Tilt to one side : LEAN

60. Sea eagles : ERNS. Today without the second E.

63. Liq. measures : PT's. (pint)

64. Pie __ mode : À LA. Sweet as Irma.


Argyle

74 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Mostly smooth Monday solving experience. I've never heard of ONE MO TIME and, like Argyle, initially had AVERS instead of AVOWS at 25A, so I ended up staring at ONEME for a bit wondering how the heck it should be parsed. Once I realized that RALLEYES needed to be WALLEYES, however, everything was all set.

Are AUDIs really "high end"? I've never owned or even driven one, but for some reason I've never considered them to be at the same level as BMW or Mercedes Benz...

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. What a fun Monday puzzle! It makes me want to plan my next GET-AWAY.

Hand-up for Avers before AVOWS. I also tried Elected instead of ENABLED for Gave Power To.

Lots of cars in today's puzzles. In addition to the two High-End German cars, we had the LTDs and the SUBARU.

I also liked seeing Set (Down) = PUT and Plop Down = SIT. Struck me as amusing for some reason.

My Nadick was the intersection of NO USE and One MO Time.

My favorite clue was Winter Bug = FLU.

If TCBY and I Can't Believe It's Not Yogurt merged, the would the new company be I Can't Believe It's The Country's Best Yogurt?

QOD: Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen. ~ Warren E. Burger (former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, who was born on this date in 1907)

thehondohurricane said...


Howdy folks,

Straight forward Monday solve that offered minimal hesitation. Perps quickly solved any area that I wasn't 100% sure of.

TRIP HAMMER a learning moment. When I saw the clue, I immediately thought Jack Hammer, but realized it wasn't going to work. TCBY was another newbie for me.

Almost entered AVOWS, but AVERS won out.

Even though I found this puzzle pretty bland, I can't kill the constructors. It's impossible for me to imagine the difficulty in creating a crossword. The constructors have my upmost respect.

Good Sunday ... Yankees beat Rays (St Pete) & Giants beat Bucs. Didn't like Bucs going for Eli's knees on games last play.


Happy Monday.





desper-otto said...

Morning, y'all.

It was an easy, quick Monday offering from Gail. I stumbled at the start with MR HYDE where MUTANT should have been and LIST for LEAN. Otherwise, it was a typical Monday race to the bottom.

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes yesterday. I didn't get a chance to thank the late posters, so thanks to Jayce, BillG, Abejo, Barry G, Avg Joe, Dennis, Sallie, Lucina, and anybody I may have missed (if I did, it was unintentional). I cooked up a pot of my from-scratch red-hot Texas chili. Mmmmmmm good! Even the heartburn was good.

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you Gail and Bruce ( we're on a first name basis now - ) for your wonderful puzzle, and Argyle for your always sparkling commentary.

I had AVERS and RALLEYE ( - probably a cousin of the Walleye, that I have never eaten - ), so technically a DNF. I had the online hookers, Edames - again.(lol).

Yesterday, someone offered me a deal - 5 lbs. of over-ripe Avocados for a Dollar - and like a fool, I took it. Since soup kitchens don't serve Avocados, I made A GOB of Guacamole ... bad idea .... I am now seeing green and looking green ... let this be a lesson to you all. I know, there are 10 families in India, who would love to eat it, but it went PLOP into the garbage.

Hahtoolah, yesterday, I suggested a book, 'The Convert' for your perusal - on second thoughts, forget it ... its not worth reading.

L'Shana Tova Tikatevu - Happy Rosh Hashana, Jewish New Year, for those who celebrate it.



ALT QOD:- I was a ballerina, but I had to quit after I injured a groin muscle. It wasn't mine. ~ Rita Rudner.

Have a good week, you all.

Mari said...

Good puzzle, not much to say. I went with MOTHRA at first for 1D: Deviant sci-fi character. That messed me up, but after some other fill I was good.

I wasn't familiar with TRIP HAMMER, but I sure could use a VACATION. I'd gladly take a staycation. There's always so much to do around the house.

Here in my neck of the woods the Chicago teachers strike continues. Gladly I'm not a CPS parent, but I do have a neice who is affected.

Have a nice week.

Hahtoolah said...

Anony-Mouse: It was the Ralleye that made me realize that Avers could not be correct! Thanks, for the book recommendation and withdrawal. i may still check out the book if it is available in one of my libraries. May I recommend to you, The Girl From Foreign, by Sadia Shepard?

TTP said...

Speed run for me at under 17 min, but, but, but, no TADA. Last fill was the intersecting N at OneMoNoUse. And No TADA ! Seems that it's IRMA, not eRMA. DOH.

This one went so fast that I didn't see a number of the clues or answers until I got to Argyle's write up. And reading the actor's IMDB ref's took longer than the puzzle.

5 or 6 auto references in that puzzle. My learning moment was that Subaru was made down under. Never been in one. Never thought about it. Just assumed they were another Japanese import.

Abejo said...

I did not look at the answers. Came straight here. The Cruciverb site does not have today's puzzle. I am in Erie, so I will try to find a real computer and a printer and print the puzzle from Chicago Tribune.

Hope to see you later.

Abejo

Sfingi said...

High-end German car. AUDI, BMW.

Argyle left no comment, but someone explain - is it British Motor Works or Bavarian (Bayerishe) Motor Works?

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Argyle, I liked your intro.

Pretty easy, but came close to a Natick in the NW with AHA, UHUH, and AHCHOO. NORAH didn't help either. But the right combination was finally sussed, and I could drive on. We say 'atchoo' but it must be a dialect thing. Seemed to be a sub-theme of extra j's; OBJET, BAJA, JOVI, and their crosses. Whenever I see UNSER, I think of the German 'our'. (Sorry.) I usually enjoy Gail's and Bruce's offerings, so this was a pleasure, as well.

BMW = Bayerische Motoren Werke

The NY state fish is the Brook Trout.

TTP said...

Mari, isn't it disappointing ? Especially when it sounded late Friday / Sat that it was going to be over today ? Did you see the
Yahoo article ? They had a different version of the same article last night that was a bit more informative.

kazie said...

I've lost my cookies and had trouble getting in here before when I had a full answer for Sfingi, which Spitzboov has now dealt with.

This is a test to see if I'm in again now. I can never add phone info when they want me to because I don't have a smart phone. It seems even the AARP mags expect everyone to have one of those now too. I refuse.

Anyway, count me in with those who had AVER couldn't make sense of NOUSE until Argyle explained it and as well I have never heard of ONE MO.

Car Dealer said...

TTP: The Subaru Outback is a model of a vehicle, not the country of origin.

Sfingi: I think you are confusing BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) with the BMG

kazie said...

One more thing: My computer now shows the add your comment box up on the right side of the screen again where it used to be--anyone else as well?

desper-otto said...

TTP, Subaru is a Japanese auto company, but they make a 4-wheel drive model named the Outback.

Dennis said...

And continuing the auto thread, Barry, yes indeed Audi's are in the same class as M-B's and BMW's. They're building world-class cars now and are on the verge of overtaking the other two in head-to-head testing.

Splynter said...

Hi there~!

Funny, I had PILE DRIVER, which fit, and I got the theme - so what kind of a vacation is a "PILE"~????

Oh, never mind....

I happen to be on vacation this week from UPS, too

I put in AV--S, and waited - it got me last time.

Like Dennis added, I watch UK Top Gear, and AUDI is always up there with BMW and the "Merc" - but not a US of A Mercury

I see your IMDb theme, Argyle, thought you might find this for two of our actors

Splynter

Yellowrocks said...

Quick, easy puzzle. I had AVER, too, but I knew ONE MO time so I soon realized AVOW would change RALLEYE to WALLEYE.

Somehow I missed the ONE part of four singing brothers and was looking for their family name. I had TRIPHA-MER. I soon saw it had to be an M and was surprised to see good old ED AMES. So no prob.

Shana Tova to all our Jewish friends.

Ron Worden said...

Good morning and happy Monday . Thanks for a fun start to the week Gail and Bruce. Thanks to Argyle for your write-up. I have not seen a TCBY around my neck of the woods in a long while. I missed last week due to a short stay in the hospital, and lots of antibiotics. Have a great day to all.RJW.

TTP said...

Thanks Car Dealer and Desper-Otto.

So now I know that Subaru is a Japanese auto company, and Outback is a model. Thanks.

Chicago Teachers Sing Out in semi-unison:
Pop Song - Another One

Spitzboov said...

Kazie @0859 - My comment box is normally at the top right. But if I increase the font size, it moves to the bottom. I use the Safari browser.

Warren said...

Hi Gang, it's been quite awhile since I've had time to post...

An easy enough puzzle for Monday, my wife and I had only one error that was fixed by the perps. We had getaway man for awhile until it became getaway car.
For EddyB and others (JD?)

Here's a reminder about this weekend's Pottery sale

chin said...

Good easy start to the week. I too wanted Mothra before mutant but it didn't work. I agree that I have never thought about Audi being a high-end make. It is apparently a very nice car but not of the Mercedes or BMW ilk.

I am never sure about avow and aver. I know there is a difference but I cannot get it through my dense intellect. Whenever I come across one or the other, I just enter the "av" and wait for the perps.

Zcarguy said...

High end , or ultra luxury cars:

Aston Martin
Bentley
Maybach
Rolls Royce

High end sports cars :

Ferrari
Lamborghini
Lotus
Maserati
Porshe

Luxury cars :

BMW
Jaguar
Lexus
Mercedes

Mid luxury cars :

Acura
Audi
Infiniti
Lincoln

You can fit a certain Model of a certain Brand name in some areas ,e.g. the GMC brand is not considered a luxury or even mid luxury brand , but the Denali version of the Yukon and the Accadia could fit in the Mid-luxury category . IMHO

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

I have to agree with HondoH on the puzzle being bland. (An awful lot of 3 letter words). But I, also, admire and appreciate the time, effort, and creativity required to construct a puzzle so kudos to Gail and Bruce and hats off to Argyle for his review.

Hand up for avers and an almost Natick at Nouse/Onemo, which I have never heard of. Other than that, easy, breezy Monday.

Had to solve on paper as Cruciverb is not working. It seems as though every time an app is updated, problems ensue.

According to Parade magazine, TBBT is the most anticipated return show of the new fall season. As Sheldon would say, "Why wouldn't it be"?

Have a nice Monday.

Anonymous said...

Good morning everyone.

Had a bit of trouble with this Monday one. What a disappointment ! Didn't get TRIPHAMMER (which my spell check doesn't like either). And missed MUTANT – so it was a DNf. Sigh.

Kazie, my Mac, using Firefox, has the comments place at the top if I have a large window. If smaller, it's at the bottom.

Cheers

Misty said...

I love a Monday speed run, and this one was terrific! Many thanks, Gail and Bruce, and you too, Argyle, for the always delightful write-up!

We love our 9 year old Subaru Outback! We needed a small station wagon to carry our two dachshunds in the back, and found very few on the market back then. The one we got has turned out to be just wonderful!

Have a great day, everybody!

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

I was up in NH this weekend with my book club girls - we read "The 80 Dollar Champion", which is a true story about a horse that was rescued from the slaughterhouse. The hostess for the weekend owns a horse that was also a rescuer, and his name is "Tater". A really sweet, gentle horse that we all got to ride on Sunday!

So I missed the goings on Sat and Sun -belated Happy birthday, Desper-Otto!!

Fun puzzle today - everyone else has highlighted my stumbling blocks, so I'll just move on.

maregrant said...

I think you mean avows won out, not avers

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

For Sci Fi deviant I wanted BARBARELLA or, at least, DURAN DURAN, but, alas, too many letters, and, in retrospect, not THAT kind of deviant. Oh, well.

AVOWS/AVERS - left two cells blank and waited for perp help.

This is a nicely constructed puzzle with a good, tight theme, lots of 6+ letter fill, and a fine Monday feel. What's to not like?

Our Summer VACATION GETAWAY was at Black Lake these past two years. We already reserved a week for next year.

Cool regards!
JzB

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, et al,

Haven't had the pleasure of doing a puzzle from the Times for 2 weeks, so this was a nice one to get back into solving. Only trouble spot was the crossing of Ed Ames with enabled, oh, and trip hammer.

Thanks to all who gave me "places to see" on our vacation. Unfortunately Hurricane Elaine kept us away from P.E.I., but did enjoy the sights in Nova Scotia after the rain.

ARBAON said...

Only probs were "nouse", a "what the heck is that!!!" moment until it clicked, which wrestling duo and asking SO "what car is made in Australia?", a trap into which many of us seem to have fallen. I`m guessing "at rest=not moving" has to do with the laws of physics. A mini theme could be "religious references" ie
1a, 67a, 68a, 12d, 21d. Puzzlers may be the only population segment that would know these terms in today`s world.
A belated HBTY, Desper Rotto

Yellowrocks said...

ZCARGUY, where are you? This looks like your thing.
No DF please.

Lucina said...

Hello, Argyle and all.

VACATIONS, TRIPS, GETWAWAYs and JOURNEYs are my favorite kinds of themes. I love to travel! In fact I shall be leaving in two weeks.

Both hands up for AVER corrected to AVOWS when RALLEYE made no sense.

Besides the cars I enjoyed seeing BABS, GENA, ED AMES and Bon JOVI today. Speaking of luxury cars, at the party yesterday I was seated next to someone who rebuilds them and I was shocked learned that an oil change on a Ferrari costs $350!

This was a NEATO puzzle from Gail and Bruce, thank you both.

Have a superb Monday, everyone!

Lucina said...

correction: I was shocked to learn

Anonymous said...

Welcome to 2012. Outperform both BMW and MBs.

Anonymous said...

Why did Yellowrocks put 'no DF please'?

TTP said...

SL Zalameh

Perhaps the epitome of Sports Cars ?

Veyron

Other than pics and videos, I've never seen one. Starting at $1.7M, I think it would be a safe assumption that one would have to be a 1%er to own one of these.

desper-otto said...

As soon as I make my first $100M, I'm going to buy one of those $1.7M Bug cars. Oh, wait, I'm already retired. I'm probably not gonna get there anytime soon.

I visited Audi's web page. I would think the S8 at $110K would qualify as a luxury car, and the R8-GT at $210K would be a sport luxury vehicle. Doncha think?

Zcarguy said...

Yellowrocks ,

I f you mean where I've been , I don't post much , too busy, I'm sure you now notice I'm SL Zalameh , I no longer own a Z car and now I have 2 SLs.

If you mea where I'm from ...Fresno, CA

Now .. What you mean by my thing .... I'm gonna respectfully say , I have no clue.!

Yellowrocks said...

SL. Zalameh,
Sorry I didn't realizeyou were the same poster. I thought that you were in the car business and would know about today's discussion. Whenever I wonder about cars I think, ask ZCARGUY. I'm glad you put 2 + 2 together for me and that you still chime in from time to time.

Anony-Mouse said...

Hahtoolah, I have read 'The girl from Foreign' by Sadia Shepard. There was a weeks celebration of neo-jewish-world books, about 3 yrs ago, in our local library - and I read atleast 2, the one above, and about ( the aging, extinct - ) Cochin Jews from Kerala.

Sadia's book, I'm sorry to say is not well written - you have to be a story teller first, and an author next, to write well. This is a 'budding' playwright with barely recognizable Jewish roots, at best, who suddenly discovers her 'heritage' when generous Jewish funding comes along to send her on an exotic 'vacation'.....including a frustrated love affair. (?)(lol).

For a fun, non-jewish, non-fiction, I recom. 'The dancing girls of Lahore' by Louise Brown, who got a Nuffield Fund scholarship to 'study' prostitution in Japan, Thailand, India and Pakistan.(!) Her humor approaches Mark Twain, with the primness of a Victorian dowager. No porn or explicit sex whatsoever.

Husker Gary said...

I did the puzzle in the clubhouse while the rain fell and just now got home.

Musings
-A JOURNEYMAN in baseball is someone who has been on a lot of teams and has just enough skills to stick around
-I could never call our MASS a celebration. Sunday Fr. Jim took on pride and greed on Sunday but didn’t get to LUST.
-Huskers best receiver and his AFRO
-TULIPS on this side of the Atlantic
-Movie MUTANTS
-A friend of mine wore JUMP SUITS all the time. He always looked like he was going to change somebody’s oil
-A WALLEYE shore lunch prepared by our Cree Indians guides on Lac La Ronge (how ‘bout that French Marti?), Saskatchewan is one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life!
-Husker head coach Bo Pelini was taken to the hospital at half time with FLU-like symptoms. I’ve never seen a head coach not make it back out for a second half.
-We couldn’t afford a CAP GUN so my brother and I just pounded the caps on the sidewalk with a hammer
-QOD corollary – Everyone has right to free speech, they just don’t have the right to be heard
-Will Howard’s marriage ruin the TBBT chemistry?
-Shana Tova to all our Jewish friends.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! I woke up this morning with Ed Ames "Cup Runneth Over" runnething over my brain. Spooky premonition?

Great as usual, Argyle!

This puzzle was fun. There is more going on here than at first glance:

Gail & Bruce had a number of brands of GETAWAY CARS for our VACATION.

One destination suggestion: BAJA (I had fun there).

We could don a JUMPSUIT to skydive, catch WALLEYE, stay in a TENT, see ONE MO', eat pie ALA mode at TCBY, or see any of the famous names in a movie or concert or watch TAG TEAM wrestling?

Maybe we'd go to see an UNSER race or OBJET d'art? But be careful where you LUST. You'll be UPSET if you catch the FLU!

Ron, sorry to hear about your hospital stay. Hope this wasn't complications for your prosthesis. Take care of yourself.

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a swell Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.

Well I finally got a copy of the puzzle. Went to the local library and printed one from the Trib Site.

Puzzle was fine for a Monday. Usually I can get most of the words at the top. Today I did not know BABS, OBJET, or AFRO. NO USE was tough in coming. But, I was able to get them eventually.

The theme was a good one. I hesitated on TRIP HAMMER, but accepted it.

I also wanted AVERS for 25A, but did not write it in. I always make sure before I write. AVOWS is therefore not a write-over.

Everything else fell with my knowledge or with perps.

LIAM Neeson is one good actor. The movie "Taken" a few years ago was outstanding.

Dinner tonight at my sister's.

Tomorrow I walk for leukemia and lymphoma. Then back to Illinois.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

PK said...

I read in the paper that Sept. 21 is National Tradesmen Day. We're supposed to thank the people who provide our services. Some time ago I told my plumber I thought he was more important than the governor. If I had to vote someone off the island, I know which one I'd keep. Anyone who keeps me flushing is great in my books.

But right after I booted off the governor, my roofer would get the old heave-ho. I wish upon him a bad case of the shingles.

Anony-Mouse said...

Some musings - some may actually be funny .....

1. The second day of a diet is usually easier than the first, as by then, you're likely off it.

2. Why was Cinderella so lousy at baseball ? She ran away from the ball, and had a pumpkin for a coach.

3. When you read the fine print, you get an education. But when you don't, you get experience.

4. It may be that a good listener is just thinking of something else.

5. If you can swallow an aspirin at a drinking fountain, you deserve to feel better.

6. He who laughs last probably didn't get the joke.

Enjoy.

CrossEyedDave said...

Is triphammer falls an oxymoron?

I thought a trip hammer was a pile driver,,, oh so that's what it is!

I thought Subaru's were swedish, & i'm an Aussie! Oh, Outback is the model name, ooohhh!

What do rich people say when they get a boo boo? (Audi!)

ZcarGuy, You can change your name??? I am thinking of changing mine to just CED,,, when i grow up...


Tulips, Ah,,, i remember tulips...

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed playing with my CAP GUN as a kid. The trouble was, no matter how carefully I aimed, my brother always claimed I missed him.

A minister in a small town was complaining to a friend that someone had stolen his bike. His friend suggested that he preach a fire and brimstone sermon on the 10 Commandments and when he got to 'Thou shalt not steal', he should get real loud and emotional. Then as he looked over the congregation, maybe he could spot somebody looking guilty. The minister thought this was an excellent idea. Come Sunday, the minister got to the commandment about not stealing and he went on by quickly with no special emphasis. After the service, his friend asked him why he hadn't followed through with the plan. "It's because" the minister said, "when I got to the commandment about not committing adultery, I remembered where I left my bike!"

Reamus said...

Way better than the BMW

Pookie said...

Knew walleye from cousin in Minnesota. they catch trout, walleye, sun fish and crappie, which is a heck of a name for a fish, IMHO

Blue Iris said...

Wees- Love a Monday's puzzle. Hopefully, I'll have time to catch up on Sat. & Sun. offerings.

Argyle, enjoyed "Cold, Cold Heart" sung in jazz genre. Crossed over really well.

We just watched all three X-Men movies with our son a couple weekends ago. MUTANT fill came easily.

Those of us who said groovy would never had said NEATO.

Loved GENE Rowlands as Sandra Bullock's eccentric mother in "Hope Floats."

I have not seen a TCBY lately. Does anyone have one near you?

HBTY, Desper-otto!!!

Avg Joe said...

Ramblings:

CED, In case you don't know the origin of that comment, there was a famous scene in Chicago Hope where the character (Might have been Mandy Patinkin, but I don't remember for sure) said: "Ah. Roses on the piano. The only thing better is tulips on the organ."

PK, Roofers are only one step up the from drywallers in the evolutionary food chain in the construction trades....But....there are in fact some very good roofers. Just not very many

JazzB, Duran Duran? ROTFLMAO!!

Pas De Chat, Keep in mind that the name is pronounced "Croppie" and that they're actually very tasty and probably the most prized of the "pan fish". Still, your point is valid.

Yellowrocks said...

I, too, always thought crappie was a heck of a name for a fish, especially because the people I know pronounce it to rhyme with happy. I just looked it up and the dictionary agrees with Avg Joe that it should rhyme with poppy. I learn something here every day.

We have very many TCBY shops here.

PK@ 2:13, I enjoyed your post a good bit more than the puzzle itself.

JD said...

Warren, thanks for the reminder.Will be there.

PK-delightful!
Anony-mouse- enjoyed your musings also.

Lucina, where are you off to in 2 wks?

TTP said...

Desper-Otto,

Just checking back in and took a look at those Audi models you referenced. So, yes, I would think so. An Audi S8 would seem to fit into luxury vehicle and R8-GT into high end sports car. But if I had my druthers and unlimited funds, I'd still opt for the Veyron :) Might as well dream big...

Thelma said...

Not aloof... nor very shy... wasn't lurking... just wandering about on occasion among the puzzle answers. Then.. I found the blog and I suppose you could say I was lurking.. :)

I just want to say thank you all so much for the many smiles and chuckles... and for so many relatable subjects....

Thanx
T

Argyle said...

Take a trip and never leave the farm. Going Up The Country(3:07) - Canned Heat.

CrossEyedDave said...

BEST CATCH OF THE DAY!

They say a big storm is coming up from the South, rain the next 2 days, probably a preseason nor'easter. So i thought i would get some fishing in while i could.
My local fishing spot is a 1/2 mile walk from parking thru the woods, & this is not a fish story, (i am not making this up!) I spent 3 hours on the lake, with not a single bite! So i packed up grumbling about my luck, & started the walk back to my car. On the way i saw a plastic name tag in the trail,,, i thought, should i do the right thing & pick up some one else's trash? (&%$@#* Kids!) I didn't have my glasses on, but i picked it up, & something about the signature seemed familiar...

(it was my fishing license!)

Crappie

kazie said...

Thanks Spitz and Sallie for answering my question earlier--this is the first chance I've had to get back here today. I guess that's how it works for me too--I just didn't notice before.

Manac said...

Avg Joe @4:03, While i don't consider myself a roofer or drywaller I do take offense at your comment. I can do both and quite exceptionally at that! I could also install your brand new $35,000 custom Cherry kitchen cabinets and counters or your $6500 master bathroom tile motif without even raising an eyebrow! So if I have to do a roof or drywall a room or house to put food on the table i will do it with honor. I take great pride in my work no matter what it is.
Enough Said.

PK said...

Manac: bravo to a true ARTISAN! I love a tradesman who takes pride in his work. I always did in mine.

As to the roofer in my post, you may not have seen my problems TEN months ago with my roofer. I asked to have all new 5/8" plywood installed since my old 1/4" plywood had been saturated and warped. They slapped new shingles on the old mess and charged me for work and materials I knew had not been used. I refused to pay for what I didn't owe and won that.

This past week, my insurance company finally sent me a check for the balance they had withheld on me. This was a week before my large annual premium is due. I had told another agent in the same company I was thinking of changing agents.

My roof still doesn't look as good as it should. I wouldn't buy a house with a roof like this. But I've quit looking up at it. Gives me more heartburn than Texas chili.

Bill G. said...

We had our very old cedar shake roof replaced a few years back by a local roofing contractor. An all-Mexican crew worked hard for about four days and seemed to have done a very good job.

They were on the job about six or seven hours at a time. I always wondered where they peed?

A different Mexican crew was doing a neighbor's roof. A young lad came knocking on our door and communicated in broken English that he had just gotten paid with a one-hundred dollar bill and in pulling something out of his pocket, it had blown away in our direction. We looked all over our yard and I even drove up and down the street but no luck.

Avg Joe said...

Manac, Not enough said.

I spent years in the trades. I grew up in it, and I also did it with honor. I'm a good drywaller and a good roofer. But I'm more experienced than just those trades. I'm also a good brick mason, a good flooring mechanic, a good trim carpenter and at least a decent cabinet builder. Evidently you are too. You took my comment entirely out of context. It was more or less an inside joke. If you do it every day and are good at what you do, you're the target audience for the joke, not the butt of it.

Anonymous said...

Quiens mas macho ?

Norm Abram

Argyle said...

"Quienes mas macho"

Tim Taylor, of course.

Pookie said...

Re: CrossEyed Dave: Great story! I've been snooping around reading comments and finally got up the nerve to get a name and post a comment. My paper dropped the NYT crossword in favor of the generic "daily" (sigh) Miss good ol'Rex Parker, but don't subscribe online. Need to make a "Have a Crappie Day" T-shirt and send it to my cousin Deb in MN. Thanks all!You are all very entertaining.

Argyle said...

pas de chat, did you like my link to "Cold, Cold Heart" in the write up?

Hope you'll like it here.

PK said...

My Mexican roofing crew was very impressive. It was the arrogant white estimator/job manager that did me dirty.

BillG: They probably sweat so much up there in the sun there isn't enough liquid left in their bodies to come out elsewhere.

Bill G. said...

Argyle, I should have said something earlier. One of the reasons I like Norah Jones is that she often sings a good old song giving it her interpretation. "Cold, cold heart" is a good example. Thanks for the link.

I probably would rush out and buy a CD by Taylor Swift if she would record a Patsy Cline retrospective.

It's hard to tell what might be a sly joke or not when it's online. I guess that's why people use smiley faces.

Anonymous said...

Even with an explanation, I still see no inside joke. Only a condescending opinion of drywallers and roofers. I wonder where painters are positioned in his food chain?

Manac said...

Bill, PK is somewhat right, most people would just sweat it out but for the rest... I hope you didn't have a vegetable garden nearby.
Avg Joe, Not wanting or trying to get into a pissing contest with you but I don't think I took the phrase "Roofers are only one step up the from drywallers in the evolutionary food chain in the construction trades" out of context. Joke or not ,We do what we have to do nowadays just to survive.

Lucina said...

Actually it's Quien es mas macho

JD:
I shall be going to Minnesota for a wedding. It's the third one this year among my grand nephews and one nephew.