google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, Sep 29th, 2012, Barry C. Silk

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Sep 29, 2012

Saturday, Sep 29th, 2012, Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 33

Saturday Silk~!  This one was 'overdue' according to my schedule, but always a pleasure to see.  Deceptively "easy" looking grid without that "whitewash" look to it, with what I would call manageable 6- and 8-letter corners, and two 14-letter near spanners,  sort of related:

27A. Rocket scientist's calculation: ESCAPE VELOCITY - Husker Gary probably nailed this one; the thrust needed to overcome gravity; since the passing of Neil Armstrong, AMC  has been showing Apollo 13 frequently, and I love that movie

44A. 1979 Einstein Medal recipient: STEPHEN HAWKING - we just had a "PH" Steve on Thursday.  This one became  obvious after I got the "K" from the Star Trek clue

 Lots of proper names had me worried, but in the end, they filled via perps~!

 On-WORD ~!

ACROSS:

1) Heavy D, e.g.: RAPPER - I am familiar with the name, but my crossings weren't cooperating at  first

7) Herb related to oregano: MARJORAM - Did not know this, but then the "J" appeared, and strangely, the last tenant in my apartment put up 'herb' wallpaper in the kitchen, and marjoram is on there - so I am glad I still haven't gotten around to painting over it~!

15) 1960s-'70s San Fransisco mayor: ALIOTO - filled with perps; this guy

16) Natural soother: ALOE VERA - good to see the whole thing; got it right away

17) Suit portmanteau: HAZMAT - I keep forgetting what portmanteau means; once I had ---MAT, I figured it out.  Short for "HAZardous MATerials" - we have a department at UPS dedicated to coming around to collect damaged packages; so far, all I have ever seen are  leakers, and it's usually Mop N' Glo - the containers are a bit flimsy....

18) Scraps: REMNANTS - the noun, not the verb

19) French naturalism pioneer: ZOLA - this guy; once I read this I said "yeah, OK....I'll get back to it"

20) Fury: IRE

21) Without hope: LOST - FUTILE didn't fit

22) Withdraw: WEAN

24) Philosophy that influenced Buddhism: TANTRA

32) Acre's land; Abbr.: ISRael

33) Burst of bad temper: HISSY - usually seen with "FIT", and usually seen at bedtime with 5-yr olds....

34) 2012 Angels rookie standout Mike: TROUT - See here.

36) Purple Label designer: LAUREN - Ralph

38) React when the brass walks in: SNAP TO - not  SALUTE; we have some military here at the blog; probably did both with a "snap to and salute"

39) Janitor's supply: LYSOL - brand name, was not looking for that

40) Invention credited to Bartolomeo Cristofori circa 1700 - PIANO - a lot of clue for a little answer, I had --ANO, and the light came on....

43) Block: BAN

47) Infected: SEPTIC

48) 10th-century Russian Orthodox saint: OLGA - I WAGed OLAF, just because....

49) Modern code letters: HTML - once I had HT--, I confidently put in HTTP, and BZZZZT~!!

53) Make fun of: APE - not RIB

54) Big name in music compilations: K-TEL - oh yeah, I remember them ; - Wow~!!! that's a bargain~!

56) Principal McGee portrayer in the "Grease" films: EVE ARDEN - never watched it all the way through; just not my thing

58) Five-time all-star catcher Santiago: BENITO - C.C., anything to add? (From C.C.: I was surprised to find out that he's National League's Rookie of the Year in 1987.  Mark McGwire for American League the same year. Jose Conseco AL 1986? Wow. * & *.)

61) Suppresses: SMOTHERS - and I had FIRE HOSE at 63A to start, too....

62) Put in a row: ALINED - it's a word, and I wanted the "G" in there, too

63) Crowd-control device: SAW HORSE - oh, uh, yeah, that, too - not what I use them for

64) Ska kin: REGGAE - nailed it

DOWN:

1) Stadium backing: RAH - oh, not the company that owns the place....

2) As per: Á LA

3) Place for toppings: PIZZA CRUST - was thinking Ice Cream parlor

4) City mentioned in the 1964 hit "G.T.O.": POMONA - OK, so I cheated and went to the lyrics on Google to verify that PEORIA was wrong

5) Citation ender, perhaps: ET AL. - Latin, et alia (alii) for "and other(s)" 

6) Gradually substitute: ROTATE IN - used to rotate stock at the hardware stores I worked at, too.

7) "Battle Cry" squad members: MARINES

8) With awareness: ALERTLY

9) Guitarist Ángel or Pepe: ROMERO - I know Cesar....

10) Actress famous for "The Rachel" hairstyle, familiarly: JENnifer Aniston - one of my personal favorites


11) Cricket infield shape: OVAL



12) Western city with an annual balloon race: RENO - just missed it; next September

13) NEA part: ARTS - we've had this discussion before; it's either the National Endowment for the Arts, or the National Education Association

14) Spar: MAST - meh, I know this was intended to be a misdirection, but I always thought of a 'spar' as a cross-member TO a mast....image

22) 1947 Tony-winning composer for "Street Scene": WEILL (Kurt) - I had "-EILL", and I put in "N" which made sense, but then I had "NEAN", and that couldn't be right....

23) Lamb treats: ESSAYS - HA~!!! Did not fool me - looking for this guy, not the meat

25) Colorado skaters, in sports reports: AVs - who? what? come again?...not familiar with this organization....oh, those people

26) Ad directive: ACT NOW ~!!! - see 54A

28) Impossible Missions Force leader Jim: PHELPS - earworm~!!! dun dun dun da da

29) After-work plan, for short: IRA - I missed the "-" in the clue, so I was thinking about "a toast to all at sunset"

30) What starts get: TOP BILLING

31) Chinese author Lin ___: YUTANG - this guy

35) Kingdom called the Friendly Islands: TONGA - travel guide

37) Sturgeon yield: ROE - hey~! I got one~!

38) Theater feature: SNACK BAR

40) 3-Down topping: PEPPERS - I prefer meat toppings, but not lamb....

41) Strong: INTENSE

42) Hawaiian tuna: AHI

45) Shot from the top?: HEADER - as in soccer, knocking it home with one's noggin

46) Chekov portrayer in "Star Trek": KOENIG - Walter, the Russian character who, along with Uhura and Spock, were part of Gene Roddenberry's vision of a 'unified' future - although the "bad guys" in the original series, the Klingons, were clearly a variation on the 1960's "Commie" threat

49) Name on a collectible toy truck: HESS - I pretty much got one every Christmas, until they started getting silly with jet fighters and such; I still have the '30s tanker truck that was also a coin bank - I'll have to go look and see where I put it

50) "Rescue Me" rating: TV MA - Mature Audiences, along with L, S, D & V - can you name them without looking them up?  ( the "D" is the odd one ).  I know ferm was a big fan of this show

51) "Got milk?": MEOW - cute

52)  Wood strip: LATH - messed up my FIRE HOSE

55) Marketing leader?: TELE-marketing

57) Density symbol, in physics: RHO - I had -HH from my HOSE, so I was thinking lead pencil hardness, which could be HHH - although it is referred to as 3H

59) Party serving: TEA - not KEG

60) Dedicated work: ODE

Answer grid.

 Did not have the website to download the puzzle, and subsequently had no way to "properly" analyze it - sorry for any screw ups ~!

Splynter

61 comments:

Grammarist said...

since there are no other comments, you can delete this after you make the correction, but there is no period after the "ET" in et al. Good write-up, though.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.

Considering you did the write-up “by hand” without the cruciverb website, you did a heroic job! Yes, I wanted a “g” in ALINED, too!

“Heavy D, e.g” at 1A, should have given me a hint that I should quit right there. But that SE with YUTANG / TROUT / OLGA / KOENIG / BENITO nearly did me in. Thank goodness for perps, but it took a lot of WAGs to fill that area in, one letter at a time. It would be nice if some of these names would stick to the grey matter, but I know I will have to do the same thing next time!

Arabon, from last night – the LAT pays $85 for weekday puzzles, and $250 for a Sunday. And no, they don’t take out taxes.

Have a fun day – I’ll be rooting for team USA in the Ryder cup !

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Grammarist,
Thanks for the correction.

Lemonade et al.,
Thanks for the responses regarding the bottom ads yesterday.

Montana said...

I cannot get the puzzle on my iPad, and don't have access to a computer or printer.
I simply enjoyed Splynter's description of the puzzle and will read the blog at bedtime.

Have a good weekend, everyone,

Montana

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

This one was beyond me. Maybe it's because I spent the night trying to sleep with a mask pumping air in my face and got the opposite of the good night's sleep promised, or maybe this one was just hard...

I managed to deal with ALINE (defined by my dictionary as "a rare spelling of align." I managed to make it through the crossing of TROUT and YUTANG (after replacing SALUTE with SNAP TO). I even managed to guess that ACRE was some place in ISRael.

The NW corner, however, remained completely impenetrable to me. Did not know who (or what) Heavy D was and I'm not up on my San Francisco mayors or French naturalists. I have heard of POMONA, but couldn't associate it with that song. And I swear, all I could think of for 3D was UPPER CRUST for some unknown reason...

I finally Googled "Heavy D" to find out he was a RAPPER and the rest fell into place pretty quickly after that. Ah well...

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

In case you're keeping track, I tried Cruciverb last night about 10:00 Eastern with no success. No improvements since then. I hope this is not a sign that it's gone for good.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the humor and help when needed.

Yellowrocks said...

Ill be very busy today preparing for my DIL's birthday dinner. I had little time or patience for 14 or so names. I googled quite a bit. Like the Rolling Stones sang, I can't get no satisfaction from this puzzle.

Dudley said...

Still no Cruciverb, so I fired up an old laptop to access the puzzle another way.

Technical DNF today, had to turn on red letters just to get through. Too much unfamiliar stuff. I'd call this a hard puzzle.

Argyle said...

I confess; one look that it was a Saturday Silkie and I went with the red letters. Needed them, too.

desper-otto said...

Greetings, Saturday Soldiers!

This was a really tough one, but as so often happens, Barry gave me just enough toeholds to complete it...albeit with a number of WAGS.

Splynter, I was right with you on SALUTE, FIRE HOSE and KEG. My KTEL began life as TIME. I had to WAG the TROUT/YUTANG cross as well as TANTRA/AVS. What are AVS, anyway?

I remembered ZOLA from the Dreyfus Affair, but didn't know he was into naturalism. And I had no idea that Cristofori invented the PIANO. They both perped out OK, though.

On the other hand, seeing Lamb, I immediately penned in ESSAYS, and TVMA gave me EVE ARDEN. I remember her best as Our Miss Brooks.

We're getting some much needed rain today. I'll happily forego my 10-mile bike pedal.

PK said...

Hi Y'all, When I saw this was a Silkie, I almost went on to bed, but hope springs eternal. The word Silk on a puzzle is almost the same as a HAZMAT sign "Beware". I think my mind goes SEPTIC half through.

I got the NE 4 tiers all by myself and assorted other clues. Thanks for your help with much of the rest, Splynter!

Knew Eve Arden because of her famous line in "Grease" telling her students over the intercom to all be "good athletic supporters".

Love the music of Angel & Pepe ROMERO, but usually forget their last name. Got it today.

This was a learning day with my trusty old-timey Almanac in which I learned the inventor of the PIANO was what's-his-name, also about YUTANG & BENITO.

Lamb treats: I thought this was yummy breaded, deep fat Lamb Fries we sometimes had after our neighbor shepherd neutered the males.

desper-otto said...

PK, those lamb treats sound absolutely nuts!

C.C., Marti. You've really gotta love creating puzzles if that's the extent of the compensation for your hard work. You do get to see your name in print. But is it enough?

HeartRx said...

Desper-otto, I certainly don't do it for the pay (I haven't quit my day job yet...)

But the sense of satisfaction that comes from creating something that others enjoy: PRICELESS

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

After the first pass, I was ready to go back to bed and bury myself under the covers! Mr. Silk has the uncanny ability to instill doubt about your ability to solve one of his creations but, at the same time, making the challenge to do so irresistible.

I am happy to say that I finished without help but it was tough going. I needed lots of perps and a few WAG's
but it was all worth it. Hats off to Barry and to Splynter for his great expo. BTW, I didn't have any problem getting the puzzle with Cruciverb this morning.

Have a great Saturday.

TTP said...

This puzzle was an enigma for me. Easy East two thirds, north to south, and terribly tough west.

A tale of two puzzles. Woke up at 1 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Pulled up the puzzle around 2:30 AM. MARJORAM, MARINES and MAST along with JEN and RENO made filling in the NE pretty easy. TROUT, SNAPTO, TELE and BENITO got me going in the middle east and south east. Then 38D was easy with the S---KB--. Everything else then fell except the crossing G at OLGA YUTANG.

And then I sat and stared at what I had. The entire right side done, top to bottom except that eventual G. I knew the last letter of the San Fran mayor was O, but that's all I could remember. I had ANTRA. I had something VELOCITY. I had something ARDEN, but kept thinking JACKWARDEN. I had something THERS and something HORSE. So I had LATH, RHO, HEADERS, PEPPERS, INTENSE and ROE down. STEPHEN HAWKING was easy.

Also a tale two attempts. I thought OK, can't get any further because I'm too tired. The Sandra Dee and Bobby Darrin movie ended with both of them remaining virgins, and I managed to fall back to sleep. After breakfast, I thought I'd whip through the left third of this puzzle. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Turned on red letter help and had NO mistakes anywhere, but couldn't get any further.

Acquiesced, then hung my head in sorrow and came here.

Sfingi said...

11 Googles for a Barry Silk, not my worst. All proper nouns, 2 being sports.

Had TAoism before TANTRA, Salute before SNAPTO.

Knew ALIOTO because he was mayor during my honeymoon in San Francisco, and he's Sicilian. I'll never forget the names of restaurants there: Ginsberg's Irish Pub, Roosevelt Tamale,etc. They'd never get away with that back East.

God bless Bartolomeo Cristofori.

Sfingi said...

Oh - ALIOTO's Hofbrau House. Good grief!

momnature said...

d-otto @7:54--

'AVS' is the nickname for the Colorado Avalanche, our hockey team and is the only thing I was sure of in this puzzle!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

I usually like the Silkies, but this one was a bear. Too many obscure proper names although I was finally able to remember ALIOTO. The HTML corner was the easiest. Had Taos before RENO. Thought Acre was in Lebanon or Syria; did not think it was as far south as ISRael. Reset moment, I guess. I had 'turn to' before SNAP TO. It means to get busy. Too many red letters to make this a fun solve today. Just wanted to get the experience.

"A collision at sea can ruin an entire day"

TTP said...

I see I am not the only one. Splynter, thanks for the write up.

Desper-Otto, AV is the pluralized short form of Avalanche. Colorado NHL team. I'd never heard of then referred to that, but maybe they do in some part of Boulder or on one of the TV stations there. I knew the Avalanche, and had the AV, so...

Husker Gary, you may not have seen the blog post I left for you on Thursday afternoon around 5PM. About software for setting up a golf league.

desper-otto said...

Thanks, Momnature. I don't follow hockey, so I have to admit I've never heard of the Avalanche. It's a great name for a Colorado team, though.

Anonymous said...

Good morning, barely, everyone.

Barry G. I assume you are working on the device for sleep apnea. Keep working on it. My husband has learned to sleep well with it. ( And to put a pillow over his face so me doesn't blow cold air over my face.) Good luck. And don't give up! It's important.

Lucina said...

Hello, weekend warriors! And a salute to you, Splynter, for your double duty today.

I love Barry Silk's puzzles and this started easily with ALIOTO at whose restaurant I have enjoyed dinner then guessed RAPPER. I mean what else?

And like some of you, when I had the J in Jen, knew it had to be MARJORAM. And how nice to see the full ALOE VERA name.

After the top it was a hop, skip and jump around until STEPHEN HAWKING appeared although my island kingdom was SAMOA then saw it had to be TONGA.

BENITA was a pure WAG, googled TROUT though I now recall it's been there before.

And who could forget EVE ARDEN if you've seen GREASE?

At the SW I started getting really nervous because I have to go to the airport soon and just couldn't invest more time so I let Splynter finish for me.

Well, now, not only are there ads at the bottom but also on top and below the "Publish your comment" line!

Have an absolutely fine Saturday, everyone! I'll read you in ten days. Minnesota, here we come!

Argyle said...

FYI:

Heavy D died on November 8, 2011, in Los Angeles, from a pulmonary embolism.

CrossEyedDave said...

Saturday Silkie! I thought when Marjoram popped up (+ others) that i had a chance, but even with the "cheaters rule" of auto solve any proper name, i am deeply humbled!

All i can add is:

"empty spaces everywhere, and not a perp to link!"

Plus, i am really disappointed that YouTube does not have a clip of Eve Ardens' "Be an athletic supporter" speech.

MontanaHal said...

I found this puzzle to be a lot of fun and completed it nicely after logging on to the blog and getting one, ,,,, or two,,,, or three.,,,, or maybe four,,,,or five,,,,hints. Then it was a piece of cake!

Misty said...

I hate Saturday Silkies! I'm sorry, but I really do (not Mr. Silk, just his puzzles). I did get the NE corner, but as Irish Miss said, I get so intimidated that I end up not even getting the things that are in my wheelhouse (as we call it nowadays): like ZOLA and those stupid Lamb ESSAYS. Aaaaarrrrrggghhhhh.

Well, thank goodness for this blog or my Saturdays would start out totally frustrated. But Splynter's write-up helps a lot--so many thanks for that. And I am shocked at the lousy compensation for all your fabulous puzzles, gang. Maybe a strike . . . ? No, please no! We can't do with substitute constructors while you're out!

Anyway, have a great weekend, everybody. I have to miss my 50th high school reunion because I can't travel since my husband's stroke. But one of my wonderful classmates is going to arrange for me to chat with pals on Skype. Isn't technology--and friendship--wonderful!

Yellowrocks said...

Taking a breather. I made Caesar coleslaw (anchovies, freshly grated pasrmesan),mushrooms stuffed with sausage, and spinach dip. I sliced and pounded thin several pounds of chickem for Marsala, went to the A&P and the bank. Bought wine. Phew! I'm bushed.

I see many others also used hints or red letters, Googled, etc. I don't consider any puzzle a piece of cake if I need more than one hint or help. Using my Googles I zipped along, but it wasn't fun, just frustrating. Maybe I'm just in a big hurry today. Back to work. See ya later.

Anonymous said...

SAWHORSE = Bullshit.

ALINE = Bullshit.

HAZMAT = Bullshit.

PIZZACRUST = Total Bullshit.

MEOW = Complete and utter bullshit.

Bullshit puzzle.

To the creator of this puzzle: Fire yourself and get a job that involves wasting your OWN time.

Tinbeni said...

Splynter: Excellent write-up & links.

Saw it was a Silky and knew I was in trouble.
Then I entered 1-A,RAPPER; 1-D, RAH and thought: "Maybe I have a chance" ... NOT!

CED: I'm with you, "empty spaces everywhere and not a perp to link."

Then I got my NEW 'Red-Ink Pen' but was still in the weeds.

As such, epic DNF ... and not even a (red) Ink Blot.

BTW, TEA is not served at any parties I attend (and Pinch wouldn't fit!).

Anon @12:22 51-D,"Got milk?" = MEOW ... wouldn't that be "Complete and udder bullshit."

A 'toast' to all at Sunset.
Cheers!!!

Anonymous said...

Anon @12:22, hold on bro! Those were great clues That

I "got" on first pass, It's Saturday, they make perfect sense when used as clued if you think outside the box

I"m not sure I understand your BS statement

Anonymous said...

To Annonymous:

Don't waste OUR time with YOUR bs
Mr. Silkie, love your challenges!

Anonymous said...

ANON @12:22
Those you mentioned were all among my favorites,
Lamb treats, essays, was the best one.

Bill G. said...

I've never been a fan of themeless puzzles and always use red letters so I will be able to finish and contribute something to the comments. That being said, this didn't seem as difficult for me as it did for many of you. I guess some of the answers were just inside my sphere of knowledge.

Good day to everybody. Enjoyable writeup Splynter. Thanks for your effort and knowledge.

No ads for me on a Mac with Firefox.

I remember Our Miss Brooks from the radio. Eve Arden's voice was very distinctive. Also, I recall the fellow with the squeaky voice who played Walter Denton and the principal, Mr. Conklin. I always imagined what they looked like in my mind and was surprised when I saw them on television and they didn't look like I had imagined. It was the same with Arthur Godfrey.

chin said...

Very proud that I finished this one with no help. It took a looong time to get the first word but it all worked out. Had mantra instead of tantra for a while. I thought tantra had something to do with sex. 49A was a problem because my paper's font size makes modern look like modem.

Stick with the CPAP. I have used one since 1999 and cannot imagine life without it.

Husker Gary said...

Golf, football and a Silkie, life is good. Barry makes you work but entertains and instructs in the process!

Musings
-Yeah, ESCAPE VELOCITY was a gimme. For Earth you have to get to 7 miles per second (NY to Boston in 30 seconds) to go to the Moon or anywhere besides back to Earth.
-We had a dime-sized drop of mercury in our lab at school and the state of Nebraska closed down that part of the bldg for a week before they could get a guy with HAZMAT suit there.
-Peter Graves played Mr. PHELPS in MI and Jim in TV show FURY
-I had to ROTATE IN a lot of girls when I had 25 girls to get into a four quarter basketball game
-Mike TROUT is being called the next Mickey Mantle with his speed and power
-APE not kid, rib or jab. BAN not bar or dam. ESSAYS not kabobs. HESS not Tonka (too many letters)
-There were probably GTO’s in Peoria, Splynter ;-)
-How can you walk by a SNACK BAR with that popcorn aroma?
-There is concern about soccer head injuries from too many HEADERS
-TELE marketing is replaces now by political robocalls
-EVE ARDEN will always be Our Miss Brooks here
-I wonder if Anon drinks wine made of those sour grapes. Stay in the bush leagues if you can’t do big boy puzzles. Maybe he was one of those sub refs that was in over his head.

Husker Gary said...

TTP, Thanks for the golf link. Most of the guys I play with are in two other leagues and I only go with them on Thursdays. Half of them play for money and the rest of us play for fun and camaraderie. I am definitely not the lead dog on that sled!

Anonymous said...

Dang! I went with NEILL too. That gave me NEAP for a low, withdrawing, tide. And that left me with POMA, PA. (Singing song in my head...that could fit!) But my geography brain couldn't locate such a place.

HeartRx said...

Misty, don't give up on Saturday Silkies. He is one of the finest constructors out there when it comes to themeless puzzles.

But more importantly, if you make an attempt to do them every week, you will be surprised at how quickly you start to remember those obscure clues/ answers / names that make you want to tear your hair out at first. And just think how easy the rest of the week will be, when you can start filling in those Saturday monsters!!

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Gosh, I can truly say WSS (What Splynter Said) about my experience solving this terrific puzzle.

Misty said...

HeartRX 1:55--your kind support and encouragement gives me the heart to go on! I'll try my best to hang in there with the next Silkie--however scary it may be! Many thanks!

Pookie said...

Big name in music compilations...ASCAP, BMI, Hal Leonard? Opus numbers?
K-TEL?????? #!&^%!!
Stadium backing..Rah???
more !#%^*(!!!
Amen Anon @ 12:22 ROTFLMAO
Yellowrocks, I can bring baked macaroni, or scalloped potatoes, or garlic bread, or whatever you need, What time is dinner? LOL
Could not see rotate in for the life of me. Had "clam up" when the brass walks in and spelled Hocking instead of Hawking. Saw "got milk" before in another puzzle. Shoulda stood in bed.

Argyle said...

Little GTO...Ronny and The Daytonas with Lyrics(2:28)

Pomona, CA, is a drag strip and at one time, a road course.

GTO launch at Pomona.

Heavy D said...

I love it when people of a certain age talk about the good old days of music. Yeah, yeah, music was better then, wa wa, not like it is now, little GTO, little GTO. Wa, wa, yeah, yeah! Little GTO! Yeah. yeah, don't get me wrong. Wa, wa, I still liked it, yeah, yeah, little GTO!

Anonymous said...

Escape velocity is not thrust. It is the /speed/ at which the kinetic energy of a moving object equals the gravitational potential energy of the object.

aka Thelma said...

Have enjoyed the posts today much more than the puzzle. :) Tho I did give it try... and cannot even image constructing any of these puzzles.

Argle 3:58 I had a brother in law who ran AA fuelers at Pomona. Many fun hours spent at the race tracks up and down the west coast. Lots of years ago.

PK 8:35 I guess your lamb fries were akin to rockie mountain oysters during branding season at our place. My father in law said they were a delicacy. Couldn't prove it by me.

Thanx to you all for the smiles.

T

Anonymous said...

Challenging day, but learned a lot of new things. Only irony--"got milk?" was meow--since cats aren't supposed to drink milk, just water--though every book, tv show, etc. has people giving them milk. http://www.petstyle.com/cats/health/should-cats-drink-milk

PK said...

I was so amazed to learn that Heavy D referred to a rapper, of all things. I thought it was like "Hard G", a crossword term.

Hands up for thinking of TANTRA and dismissing it as sex. I think the term for a remedial sex class as seen on TV is "tantric". Sounds like a good basis for a religion to me--personal caring, you know.

CED: Loved your "not a perp to link".

61A: I would have needed "Tommy and Dickie" to get that. I tried "stifles" with two "F's".

As for remembering names in the puzzles: I quit at the newspaper in 1998 because after all my trauma, I couldn't remember names. I have a neighbor down the street here whose name I've been trying to think of for six months. I've known her nine years. Don't see her often, but....!

Barry, with a darling young son to raise, should persevere with the pesky mask.

My SIL, a nurse, tried to get me to go to a sleep specialist, thinking a CPAP might help me. I told him that at my age and with health conditions which prevent my doing what I want, I wasn't going to interfere with a condition that might let me die peacefully in my sleep. He just nodded, knowing what I've been through.

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 1811 Re: cats and milk.

They like it.. Trust me on this. BTW, I used to offer our cats such a treat many time while growing up on our dairy farm.

grams said...

Dnf.. Enjoyed comments, write up. Just didn't know enough of the fill.. Thanks for blog enjoyed it immensely.

Blue Iris said...

When I saw it was a Saturday Silkie, I knew I would probably be cheating to "finish" the puzzle. I got a few across and a few down. Then I used the computer to give the last letter to each fill. This would usually be enough to give me a leg up, but didn't fully work this time. Am I the only one that has tried this strange methodology just so I can enjoy and learn from the experience?

One of my daughters took 3 yrs of Russian in HS. She picked the Russian name OLGA. The teacher said it was the first time in 30+ years a student had picked that name. ( wiki-Olga of Kiev ). At her graduation party, he gifted her with a plastic skeleton ( named Lenin ) that hung in his classroom till he retired that year.

HG, we used to break thermometers, on purpose, to play with the mercury while in nursing school. In about 2000, we had to turn in all our mercury thermometer to prevent an HAZMAT suit incident. I was never able to get an accurate temp. with any other device.

Bea of Fargo said...

Thought I was pretty smart getting the NE corner, but. . .Once I googled the sports names it slowly filled in. Wanted some type of pie crust in the worst way, but ice cream/cool whip didn't fit as a topping.
Barry, stick to the CPAP. It does take time to get used to. My husband has used one for several years. He no longer snores and wakes up refreshed. If you don't like the mask, check on other styles. And he said to stick to the recommended cleaning regimen for best results. His provider works with him about any concerns. If you travel with your machine pack an extension cord. Best of all, I get a good night's sleep too!

windhover said...

Thelma,
Old drag racer here (AA Fuel). Who was your brother in law?

windhover said...

Sorry. NOT AA Fuel.

CrossEyedDave said...

My mothers cats used to drink "tea," (with lots of milk) but they were outdoor cats. Never give indoor cats milk if you know whats good for you! (& your carpeting!)
She also used to feed them raw hamburger meat once a week (circa early 60's), said it was good for their coats. I suppose if you fed them that today, it would kill them. My how things have changed...

My daughter found a cross eyed cat called "Spangles" on the internet, you may want to update your avatars...

aka Thelma said...

Windhover - probably too late for you... but hope you get my reply...

Dick Kalivoda - Seattle

Long time ago... :)

My other bro in law at the time was a crew chief for a guy out of Bremerton - Herm Peterson I believe if my memory doesn't fail me completely... Herm hit the wall in Orange County and if he raced after that it was nominal.. but I don't remember that exactly either :)

That all was in the mid to late 60s... may be too long ago for you... :)

My would be nephew also drove AA for awhile.... Brady Kalivoda...

All good times....

T

windhover said...

Thanks Thelma,
Not too late and not too long ago. I'm 66. I still have copies of Hot Rod Magazine from 1960, and almost all issues of HRM, Car Craft, PHR, and a few R & C from early sixties through mid-eighties. Pomona, Orange County, and others were Mecca for a kid from Kentucky crazy about cars. My favorites were the Gassers; Stone Woods Cook and Others. You're right, great times.
Thanks again.
L.

Abejo said...

Good Sunday morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce, for one tough puzzle. thank you, Splynter, for the swell review.

It is Sunday morning. I could not finish the puzzle and gave up. Could not get the NW corner. Main reason, I has DIAPER for Heavy D for 1A. As in a loaded diaper.

Did have POMONA for 4D. I worked in Pomona, CA, for four years. Familiar with the L A County fairgrounds.

Should have had PIZZACRUST for 3D, but did not due to the DIAPER.

I finally gave up.

See you Monday morning.

Abejo

Anonymous said...

Saw Horse???? No way. Barricades are used for crowd control. They are, in no way, saw horses.

And maybe this is a regional or generational thing, but I thought theaters had CONCESSION STANDS, not snack bars.

Got Milk? = MEOW Anonymous said it best!

Stadium Backer = RAH. Um... when I scream "rah" in a stadium, I'm not backing the stadium. There is "clever" and then there's trying too hard.

Sorry, not a Silkie fan. But clearly I'm in the minority here.

Argyle said...

Yes, very clearly.