google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, September 3, 2012 David W. Cromer

Advertisements

Sep 3, 2012

Monday, September 3, 2012 David W. Cromer

Theme: Sphinx - Three synonyms for aloof when they are detached from the second part of their entries.

17A. Accommodations in a balcony or box, say : RESERVED SEATING

37A. Gadget found in a sofa, all too often : REMOTE CONTROL

57A. Third cousin, say : DISTANT RELATIVE

Argyle reticently here. I felt for a Monday, David got in some decent fill and without B J K Q W X Y or Z. Perhaps he was just being restrained.

Across:

1. Hand over : CEDE

5. Actress Petty : LORI. Her IMDb.

9. Response to "Who's there?" : "IT'S ME" leading to 6D. "Where are you?" response : "OVER HERE"

14. Response to a sermon : "AMEN!"

15. All tied up : EVEN

16. Vital sign : PULSE

20. Prefix with -pod : TRI

21. Cone-producing tree : FIR

22. Turn out to be : END UP

23. Encouraged, with "on" : EGGED

25. Long deli sandwich : HERO
 
27. NW state with a panhandle : IDA. (Idaho)

30. Advance : LEND

31. Lose its solidity : MELT

32. Frenzied : MANIC

34. Video game giant : ATARI

36. Spill the beans : TATTLE

40. Weasel out : RENEGE

41. Working, as a machine : IN USE

42. Untrue : NOT SO

43. Editor's "Never mind" : STET. Direction to let cancelled material remain.

44. Pet lovers' org. : SPCA. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

48. Volcanic fallout : ASH

49. Locking mechanism : HASP

50. Bringer of thunder and lightning : STORM
 
51. Theater employee : USHER

54. Co. for Web users : ISP. (internet service provider)

56. Once around the track : LAP

61. "Let's Make __": TV game show : A DEAL

62. Puerto __ : RICO

63. Cake finisher : ICER

64. Avoid, as the draft : DODGE

65. Fencer's blade : EPEE

66. Hawaiian goose : NENE

Down:

1. Price-fixing bloc : CARTEL

2. Come to light : EMERGE

3. Architect's task : DESIGN

4. L.A.-to-N.Y. dir. : ENE

5. First name in denim : LEVI

7. Rare meat color : RED

8. Newspaper circular, e.g. : INSERT

9. 2010 Apple blockbuster : iPAD

10. "Swan Lake" attire : TUTU
 
 
 
11. Don, as something more comfortable : SLIP INTO

12. AOL rival : MSN. (MicroSoft Network)

13. Neurologist's order, for short : EEG. (electroencephalogram) Cardiologist's order, EKG or ECG (electrocardiogram).

18. Outlying mail delivery svc. : RFD. (Rural Free Delivery)

19. Music producer Brian : ENO

24. "My Cup Runneth Over" singer : ED AMES. Clip(2:48).

26. Draws out, as a confession : ELICITS

28. Pickle herb : DILL

29. Bullet in a deck : ACE

31. Brisbane buddy : MATE

32. Yoga class needs : MATS

33. Motionless : AT REST

35. Like drive-thru fare : TO GO

36. Letter-shaped hardware : T-NUT. Those of you who knew Lipton, Nestea, and Salada.

37. Vintage autos : REOs

38. Really excited (about) : ENTHUSED

39. Unlike a bikini : ONE PIECE. Much more demure. Image.

40. Genetic messenger : RNA

43. "No Exit" dramatist : SARTRE. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980)

45. Cops : POLICE

46. Horror director Wes : CRAVEN. Wes Craven IMDb.

47. Unit of current : AMPERE

49. Farm layer : HEN

50. Hotel amenity : SPA. Certainly not all hotels.

52. Dateless attendee : STAG

53. In good health : HALE

55. Fruit used to flavor gin : SLOE

57. Pop : DAD

58. Altar vow : "I DO". Hmm, pop and dad before "I do"; sometimes.

59. Tear, or actor Torn : RIP
 

60. Oz Woodman's makeup : TIN. But no heart.


Argyle

55 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all (and Happy Labor Day)!

Pleasant puzzle today. Perhaps a bit crunchier than usual for a Monday, or perhaps I'm just a bit more tired and brain-fried than usual for a Monday morning. Either way, this one took me a bit longer than usual.

No real hangups -- I knew ED AMES, but not the song he wrote, and inexplicably put in TACO instead of TOGO at 35D (perhaps I was still thinking of the delicious Doritos® Locos Tacos Supreme I tried for the first time yesterday...)

Anyway, gotta get ready for the barbecue. Have a good one!

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Cromer, for a fine Monday puzzle. Thank you, as well, Argyle, for the fine review.

Well, I got started slowly because I could not get the puzzle from Cruciverb (again). Printed it from the Chicago Tribune site from my wife's cousin's printer. I think I woke her up.

Anyhow, zipped through this pretty quickly. For the most part from top to bottom.

I have never lost a REMOTE CONTROL in a sofa. I do not lay down and watch TV. Hardly watch TV. I believe my wife and daughter have lost one a time or two.

Did not know CRAVEN for 46D. Perps fixed.

Nice to see NENE again. It has been a while.

DISTANT RELATIVE reminds me of my wife's first cousin twice removed that lives next door in Johnsonburg.

I have lots of work to do on this Labor Day.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo


Spitzboov said...

Good morning all. Argyle, I chuckled at your HERO picture.

I woke up at 0300 and was restless so to calm down, I did the puzzle on-line. I agree with Barry's assessment; a bit crunchy. After finishing I took a whack at what the theme could be since this is one of my Achilles' heels. I came up with "Unfriendly Demeanor". Now I see why they give Argyle the big bucks. No lookups, or nits.

Hope everyone has a good Labor Day celebration. Those of you in Canada, too.

desper-otto said...

Happy Labor Day!

Loved your TNUT comment, Argyle. Also your not-so-demure ONE PIECE example.

This was a very quick solve. My only misstep was PADS for MATS -- quickly resolved.

Barry, ED AMES didn't write the song. He had the best-selling recording of it back in '67.

Montana said...

Good morning, fellow puzzlers. It is nice to occasionally have a puzzle one can solve in a single pass through, although reading vertical clues to verify a letter now and then.
Thanks, Argyle, for the write-up. Reading this blog has become as enjoyable as doing the puzzle.

Every year on Labor Day, a wagon train ends its week long trek at our city park. So, I have a parade to see this afternoon. The wagon train takes a different route within our county each year, but always ends with the parade through town. Lots of spectators, vendors and fun.

Have a great day all,
Montana

Argyle said...

Montana, untill I looked closer, I thought the baby was popping out of a cake!

Argyle said...

How 'bout that, lyrics by Tom Jones on "My Cup ....". Wiki. Take a look at the record label on the clip; I picked it for Kazie.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This wasn't a Monday speed run for me, but it was an enjoyable puzzle. Are we really Aloof, or merely Shy?

Like Barry G, I knew that Ed Ames sang, but didn't know that he was particularly know for the song in the clue. When I think of Ed Ames, though, I think of this.

Atari makes me think of the line from the Cee Lo Green Song: Yeah I’m Sorry / I can’t afford a Ferrari / But that don’t mean I can’t get you there/ I guess he’s an X-Box and I’m more Atari ...

QOD: I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Fun puzzle this morning, but I didn't even notice all the missing letters until you pointed it out, Argyle! I loved your Ed Ames link, but like Hahtoolah I will forever associate him with the famous Johnny Carson clip. Hilarious, even after all these years!

Today will be relaxing, watching the final round of golf from the comfort of the couch (lots of walking yesterday!)






Yellowrocks said...

Happy Labor Day. I enjoyed this puzzle because it was a little crunchier for a Monday. Fun links, Argyle. T-Nut comment LOL.

We were about to go "down the shore" to stay until Fri noon, but rain is forecast Mon through Thur. I am canceling. For nine years running the week after Labor had good shore weather in NJ. Now this is the third wash out in a row for us. Boo hoo.

It took me years of living in NJ to get used to the idiom "down the shore." Do you use it?

Husker Gary said...

A just right Monday level. I’m off to play golf with Huddie today and then we’ll have burgers with the kids.

Musings
-Didn’t know LORI Petty but recognized Kitt from A League Of Their Own immediately
-Some TV’s have a button that you push to have the remote make a sound to help find it, otherwise finding your lost remote
-Our DISTANT RELATIVE is very near the fires in Chadron, NE
-Shoot, my grammatical IT IS I never made it off the bench
-My response to a sermon? ‘Bout time!
-Dave Ramsey was railing on the radio that you should never LEND money to relatives. We’ve done it 3 times and none of those times were pleasant.
-Falling ASH created amazing Ash Falls State Park in northern NE thousands of years ago. That super volcano is now under Yellowstone and…
-Joann reads the circulars everyday
-RFD and Saturday mail may be on the ropes as the USPS continues to lose money due to internet and huge retirement commitments
-Once DILL is in your garden, it’s gonna stay!
-Kazie, have you ever said, “G’day MATE.”
-I’ve been to Sonic Drive Ins for TO GO food twice. We won’t be going back.
-I didn’t see that demure suit in the Olympic swim competition, Argyle!
-Volts don’t kill, AMPERES do!
-My STAG days have been gone for over 45 years
-“Oz never did give nothin’ to the Tinman that he didn’t, didn’t already have”. Our Tinman has a heart!

Sfingi said...

Easy puzzle. Didn't know LORI, so thanks for ref.

RIP Torn, famous for being Sissy Spacek's cousin.

Heat seems to have finally broke from this hellish summer. Now I can labor in the garden.

Beach Goer said...

Last day of summer in my new One-Piece. Hey, Argyle, you started it!

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you David Cromer for a nice and easy and a very pleasant puzzle .... really enjoyed it.... and thank you Argyle for your charming delivery and explanations. I really shouldn't say this, but thank you for Marilyn Monroe in that one piece .... I've seen women in revealing clothes, in real life, unfortunately they don't have the figure or the tone to match, and end up looking grotesque and a 'before' picture of a really tacky skin creme. Really, spare us please.

I was somewhat nonplussed with 'Ed Ames' .... first I had Emanem, then I sussed eDames - and I thought probably some online, supposedly classy, hooker's group that I had never heard of. (not surprising - )... their C cups were probably runneths over.

My city of 2 sq. mi. had a fireworks display yesterday .... we watched a lil bit from our skylight windows - and watched our hard earned taxes going up in smoke.

Such a relief to know Hahtoolah is safe and sound. Missed her postings.

The wife and I were discussing about unusual jobs working on Labor Day - she is 'off' today for the first time in 3 years - other than the emergency, cops, hospitals etc., and I thought of car salesmen, ushers, plumbers, sewage backup, garage door repairers .... and totally forgot about you - working beyond the call of duty, pay, pension, benefits .... whatever. Thank you. I hope you have some pleasant company with whom to share this loong weekend.

Enjoy the rest of the shortened week, you all.

Anonymous said...

Haatoolah, lol. When I saw Ed Ames, I thought of that also. That clip is a classic!

desper-otto said...

Anony-Mouse, our little town of about one square mile has a fabulous fireworks display every fourth of July (except for last year, called off due to drought). But no tax dollars are involved. We have a Special Events Committee, no relation to the SEC, which holds fund-raisers throughout the year for the express purpose of funding the annual fireworks. Seems to work very well.

PK said...

Fun puzzle on which we didn't have to expend undue labor!

Great links, Argyle! I saw that Swan Lake Pas de Quartre done by the (English) Royal Ballet many years ago in Houston. Enchanting then. Enjoyable now.

Couldn't think of Ed Ames for a sec although I could hear his voice in my head. When that song came out, I was nursing a new baby. My husband made a real cute little version of the song which he went around singing until our two-year-old picked up on it and sang it to my shocked MIL.

Hands up for thinking of the hatchet scene.

Hearti, did you get to see any of Louis Oosthuizen's outstanding round at DeutscheBank? I watched some of it on TV. Thought of you there and wanted to wave at you.

Anony-Mouse said...

Wait a minute, Hah knows the song lyrics from Cee Lo Green ?? In my life, I barely know one rap song ( sort of - ) and that's the one ... and the title is 'F*** you'... and the only reason I know of it, is because someone, probably in this blog, linked a youtube video of that song being sung in Am. Sign language... and I couldn't understand the language or the words, or the accent, so I had to also link the lyrics, and print them out - and match them to the ASL symbols ....... Its actually pretty clever and sophisticated.... and rhymes !

Unf, I dont know how to link it.

Today, I have to go looking for a new car for the better half, with the wife ( horrors - )... we have decided that we have saved long enough, and now we shall proceed, at breakneck speed, and spend our kids inheritance, so our budget is at least twice as much as the last car - and we are exceeding it already. ( We buy new cars, and keep them lovingly for long periods - ). But this car we are aiming for, already has me worried - about somebody dinging it in the parking lot - I have never, ever had to worry about that before ... What foolishness, in our old age !!

Have you heard the one where - if a man goes around the car, and opens the car door for his wife - one of them is new ? - either a new car, or a new wife....


ALT QOD:- There was a girl knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I let her out. ~ Henny Youngman.

PK said...

Ate cake and ice cream yesterday to celebrate my granddaughter's 13th birthday a bit late. Her favorite gifts were pierced ears and a terrarium with hermit crabs (one of which has already succumbed). She got one of the little creatures out to walk on her hands.

I didn't say so, but her mother would have screamed and ran if someone gave her crabs for her 13th birthday. My daughter was terrified of frogs! At 13 I myself liked to wade in the river and turn over rocks hunting for crawdads. Some traits skip a generation.

Hahtoolah said...

PK: LOL! I don't think you meant what you wrote, but it is pretty funny!

Anony-mouse: There is a sanitized version of the song, which goes by "Forget You."

HeartRx said...

PK, yes, I watched Louis from the 6th-9th holes. The performance was unbelievable, and the roars that went up with each birdie must have been quite distracting to those on the tees in front of him!! But I wouldn't count out Rory, Dustin or Tiger just yet...

Anony-Mouse, DH is a true Southern gentleman, and always opens my car door, whether we are in his 7-year old car or my new one...and we have known each other for six years now. So I guess my question would be, "When does the newness wear off?"

PK said...

Gee, AnonyMouse, what are you buying? BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari? Don't keep us in suspense... Good for you! And will you actually let your wife drive this expensive guilty pleasure? LOL

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Thanks, David, for an easy, breezy Monday puzzle and thanks, Argyle, for the usual fine expo. Smooth sailing all the way through-a nice start to the week.

Another beautiful day as we head toward the end of summer.

Happy Labor Day!

kazie said...

Smooth sailing for me too but the theme completely eluded me.

Anonymous said...

That Rod Stewart and Sacha Baron Cohen are able to make livings doing what they do is all the evidence one needs to safely conclude that most people are stupid.

Anonymous said...

The ultimate stupidity? Thinking anyone who disagrees with your taste is stupid.

Misty said...

A surprising speed run for me this morning, and a great relief after the miserable DNF on Saturday. So many thanks, David, and you, too, Argyle--as always!

No barbecues or fun stuff for us today because our beach town will be overrun on this sunny holiday, making us pretty house-bound whether we want to be or not. But what's not to enjoy on a lazy Monday at home!

Have a good one, everybody!

Lucina said...

Hello, and happy Labor Day! You are in fine form, Argyle. T-Nut! LOL. I can tell you tea is what helps me fall asleep at night.

My PULSE barely revved up with this puzzle but it's fun to ACE one quickly. It definitely massages the ego.

LOL with the ED AMES clip as I remember watching it. Interesting to know that Tom Jones wrote the lyrics.

Have a fun day today, everyone!

Bill G. said...

Fun puzzle but harder than usual for a Monday I thought.

If that bathing suit shows up locally on the beach, it will certainly be a hazard for my safe bike riding.

I've seen that Ed Ames clip many times and always enjoy it. Ed was obviously embarrassed and started to go to remove the tomahawk but Johnny Carson grabbed his arm to let the hilarity build up.

That Cee Lo Green rap interpreted into sign language showed off the skill and personality of the young student interpreter very well.

YR, nobody says 'down the shore' out this way. I don't remember hearing it back in Virginia either.

Yeah, but volts cause AMPERES.

Argyle said...

No 'down the shore' here either but we do take a run 'out to the coast'. Like Old Orchard Beach or York Harbor.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Pretty much a speed run. Thanks David, Argyle. I did not even notice ED AMES as it was perped out. Did not go back and parse EDAMES--what, some kind of soy bean?

Plumbers going to restore water to faucets close to house (and delete other peripheral ones) today, with any luck. Cost of $12,000 at least (for those who do not read Sunday blog). (Necessary due to $6,000 water bill.) One wonders what can happen next. Am pretty much stressed out. Six hours sleep doth not make up for thirty six w/o.

Helper taking the day off. I really wish that I could walk more than a few steps. Theoretically Harvey returning to this area this evening.

Hahtoolah--did you PhotoShop the cat (har har)?

Happy Labor Day!

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone.

Hooray for Monday puzzles. I can do them! My only hangup was 9A. I had to do the perps to see if it was going to be grammatically correct or not. I still don't understand why the editor thinks the grammatically correct "It is I" is not for these puzzles. No one would say "Me is it." Grump.
It was great fun to – for once– get the theme answers. Great fun to be able to do the whole puzzle. Thank you Mr. Cromer and to Argyle for your usual funny and informative write up.

Happy Labor Day everybody. And let's not forget what it's in honor of!

Cheers

Anonymous said...

please explain "once" or "twice" removed (as with relatives)

Argyle said...

It's a generational thing. My father's first cousin is also my first cousin, once removed. But their children are my second cousins becoause we are of the same generation. My father's sibling's children are my first cousins.

Lucina said...

anon@11:43
Your aunts' and uncles' children are your first cousins. The first cousins' children are your first cousins once removed. Their children are first cousins twice removed, etc.

kazie said...

Husker,
No, I've never said g'day mate. It's typically used by men, and mostly those of little erudition at that. I have heard it used by acquaintances addressing each other.

Anonymous said...

Youse guys are better than Wiki and much faster...Thanks for the info, Argyle and Lucina.

"Blog folk know it,
"Seldom blow it!"

CrossEyedDave said...

easy Monday, no worries.

Nene (5:33) for bird lovers only...

Lost Remote?

For Hahtoolah,,, unusual --- cat --- coats

(for Me:) one piece thong

CrossEyedDave said...

Now i know why cats are so aloof,,, we lost the remote!

How long can you remain aloof around YOUR cat!

desper-otto said...

We just got home from a mission of mercy. DW found an injured young squirrel in our woodlot yesterday. We also had a large barred owl in our woodlot yesterday, and he may have been the culprit. The baby squirrel was pretty feisty, so DW decided that if it was still alive this morning that it'd go to the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. So we drove 30 miles across the county and finally found the TWRC as well as the note on the door which read "closed today, but our other location will be open." So we continued on to that other location in a different county, and finally turned in the little critter and made a $20 donation to the cause. Total time spent: 4 Hrs. Total miles driven: 125 Now we've got a tracking number, so we can check on the squirrel's progress online. That's just gotta be the world's most expensive baby squirrel.

PK@9:31 -- too funny!

Hahtoolah, I've seen that Ed Ames clip many times...but it's still funny. Especially Johnny's ad lib remark at the end.

Bill G. said...

CED re. one-piece thong: Well, yeah but is she any good at crossword puzzles?

Hahtoolah said...

CED: I loved those cats with interesting marking on their coats.

Fermatprime: The cat is Venus, a real cat.

CrossEyedDave said...

Bill G. in response to your query, "can she do crossword puzzles,,,

(i hope not!)

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Nice puzzle today, especially after the last 3 days of really hard ones. Pretty much my only false start was to put false in for 42A, even though I knew Ed Ames. Funny how the mind works. Hahtoolah, I love that clip. Never get tired of it.

For 9A I wrote in IT and then checked the perps to see if the other letters were going to be ISI or SME.

Yellowrocks, when we lived in Pennsylvania we said "go down to the shore" all the time. When I went back there once after having been away for many years, it sounded funny to me to hear someone say "the shore." Out here we say "go over to the coast" or "go to the beach." Nobody here ever sells sea shells by the sea shore, I guess.

Best wishes to you all.

Jayce said...

fermatprime, "some kind of soy bean" -- good one!

Misty said...

desper-otto 1:59, your story made my day, and you and your wife are total heroes in my book! Many thanks, from all creatures great and small!

Yellowrocks said...

Jayce and Fermatprime, when I wrote EDAMES, I also thought of edamame, soy beans in the pod. Love 'em.

IMO Argyle's model doesn't look so great in her one piece. Her birthday suit would be more flattering. On the other hand, the one piece on the model shown by CED@ 1:08 is cute for the few who have the figure for it.

"Down the shore" refers to the entire experience: the boardwalk, the ocean beaches, the bay beaches, the barrier islands, the casinos, the bars and restaurants, the whole nine yards. It is not just the beach or the coast. For me the strangeness is the omission of the word TO. " down the shore” not “down TO the shore.”

CrossEyedDave said...

I was researching edames, & of course adamames came up along with pics of a young & vital indian, mixed in with pics of soybeans. But in the middle somewhere, this link came up, & i found it,,, i can't find the word, poignant? interesting? Worth remembering!

Anonymous said...

Here in the Southeast PA and Delaware-Jersey, the Weather anchors usually shorten it all to "downna shore". Not only that they generally slant the forecast favorably to please the commercial interests...usually saying partly sunny when its actually going to be a clouy day (downna shore)

Jayce said...

Ah, I have not heard the expression "down the shore." But we walked boardwalks, we did. Living in Delaware at the time, as a young boy (not yet 7 years old) I fondly remember spending summers at Lewes Beach, with occasional visits to Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach. Uncles, aunts, cousins, and we loved our times at my uncle's place on Barnegat Bay, near Forked River, NJ. Around here, you can't swim in the Pacific Ocean, as it is too cold and too dangerous.

Love edamame beans!

Manac said...

For all you late nite posters, any one remember this guy? somewhat relevant to today

Bill G. said...

Desper-otto, good job with the squirrel. I hope he makes it OK.

Manac, I remember Benny Hill vaguely. The girl looks like an ex-algebra student. She never did her homework though.

I see where a colleague of mine is being honored for 50 years of service. Her retirement income will probably be higher than her salary.

Manac said...

Bill G.
Re: your posts @ 2:06 and 8:45
Your on a roll today! LMAO!

Bill G. said...

There was supposed to be bigger surf this weekend due to a storm out in the ocean. So I went "down the shore" but I saw nothing but a nice sunset. I guess the south-facing beaches got most of the higher surf. Oh well...



Lucina said...

Ced:
Thank you for posting Try to Remember. I loved Ed Ames.