google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, October 1, 2012 Gareth Bain

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Oct 1, 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: Vowel Progression - Adding, in order, a vowel to B_LLY and finding an appropriate phrase to begin with it.

16A. Big stink : BALLYHOO

20A. Amateurish dive : BELLY FLOP

37A. Bearded fairy tale trio : BILLY GOATS GRUFF

50A. Mumbai-based film industry : BOLLYWOOD. India

58A. Hired hoodlum : BULLYBOY

(rabbit, rabbit) Argyle here. A grid spanning entry and some overlapping of the other entries, neat. Two ten-letter downs. Decent fill, although the nitwit anon will complain.

Across:

1. Scottish hat : TAM

4. Cries out loud : SOBS

8. Dull sound : THUMP

13. Wharton's "The __ of Innocence" : AGE. Edith Wharton (1862 – 1937).

14. Summer Olympics event venue : POOL

15. Covering for "piggies" : BOOTIE

18. Stored in a database, say : ON FILE

19. Rural storage structure : SILO. Most farms are replacing the iconic tall cylinders for trench silos these days.
 
 

22. Opposite of a big star : NOBODY

25. "__ a trap!" : IT'S

26. "The Ballad of John and __" : YOKO

27. Men : HEs

28. Bearded flower : IRIS. Anyone we know?
 
 
32. Barely get, with "out" : EKE

34. Added a chip to the pot : ANTED

36. Maine college town : ORONO

40. Cartographer's book : ATLAS

41. Oven setting : BROIL

42. Word in most Commandments : NOT

43. Finger-on-hot-stove reaction : [YEOW!]

44. Sinister : BAD

45. Neuter, as a horse : GELD

47. Seasonal potable : NOG. The season approacheth!

48. Stand the test of time : ENDURE

55. Protected inlet : COVE

57. Camden Yards ballplayer : ORIOLE, Will they make it to the World Series?

61. Long-lasting resentment : RANCOR. A word that sounds like what it is. Is there a term for that?

62. Frozen drink brand : ICEE

63. Outlaw Clanton : IKE. He didn't like the Earps.

64. Gather a bit at a time : GLEAN

65. Student's book : TEXT

66. Composer Rorem : NED. He made an opera out of "Our Town". Wiki.

Down:

1. Settings for columned documents : TABS

2. From the top : AGAIN

3. Mountain Dew competitor : MELLO YELLO. 52.5mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can; Mountain Dew, 54mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can. If you were wondering, Tab has 46.5mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can. Source.

4. Undercover agent : SPY

5. "__ la la!" : OOH

6. Word with hatch or prize : BOOBY. Yes, he said, "BOOBY", now settle down.

7. Gin fizz fruit : SLOE

8. Broadway awards : TONYS. If the theater is off of Broadway, then it's the Obies.

9. "The Tao of Pooh" author Benjamin : HOFF. The book.

10. Either of two Monopoly sqs. : UTIL. (utility, either water works or electric company)

11. Venus de __ : MILO

12. Little chirp : PEEP

15. Makes a mad dash : BOLTS

17. Western wolf : LOBO

21. Wasn't honest with : LIED TO

23. Gives a thumbs-up : OKAYS

24. Second of two bell sounds : DONG

27. Caught wind of : HEARD

28. Outlet store abbr. : IRR. (irregular)

29. Tournament in which you play everyone else at least once : ROUND ROBIN

30. Facts, briefly : INFO

31. Tender-hearted : SOFT

32. Site for cyberbidders : eBAY

33. Flier on a string : KITE

35. Trinidad's partner : TOBAGO. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago lies just off the NE coast of Venezuela.

36. Made goo-goo eyes at : OGLED

38. Murphy's __ : LAW. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

39. Communicate with hand gestures : SIGN

44. Leafy hideaway : BOWER

46. Charlie Brown's tormentor : LUCY

47. Hosiery material : NYLON

48. Draw forth : EDUCE. The Latin root, ducere, means to lead.

49. Bring to mind : EVOKE

50. Tennis great Bjorn : BORG

51. Like some doctorate seekers' exams : ORAL

52. Queue : LINE

53. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA. If you don't remember it, far be it for me to remind you.

54. "In memoriam" write-up : OBIT

56. Viewed : EYED

59. Superman nemesis Luthor : LEX

60. Allow : LET


Argyle


60 comments:

  1. Hello Puzzlers -

    Pretty easy going, in true Monday fashion, but I tend to think that solid vowel progressions are pretty clever. This one is no exception!

    The only snag was Educe, a word I could sorta guess at but can't claim to know.

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  2. Morning, all!

    I found this one to be a bit on the crunchy side, personally, at least for a Monday.

    HOFF was a complete unknown and needed all the perps to get. BULLY BOY is not a term I'm familiar with, although it was certainly inferable. Similarly, BALLYHOO is not exactly what I would call a common word...

    It took me a long time to get BOOTIE, even though I understood what the clue was looking for right up front (I was thinking some variation of socks or shoes, but neither fit). Conversely, I had trouble figuring out what the clue, "Settings for columned documents" even meant for awhile.

    The biggest delay for me, though, was caused by putting in TRA instead of OOH at 5D. It seemed solid, but so did everything else and yet the entire section was nonsensical as a result.

    Thanks for the comparative caffeine data, Argyle! I had no idea that MELLO YELLO contained any caffeine whatsoever, so I was wondering whether it could really be considered a competitor to my beloved (diet) Mountain Dew...

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  3. Enjoyable Monday puzzle.
    I have a nit with BALLYHOO clued as a big stink. For a Monday it is not the most usual definition. BALLYHOO can refer to a noisy argument, but I think the conotation is more about the uproar than the argument.

    Synonyms: uproar, to-do, racket, hullabaloo, commotion, ruckus, shemozzle, kerfuffle.
    It is also common as over-hyped (advertisng.)

    I think the following is a more common usage.

    Come on along and listen to
    The Lullaby of Broadway
    The hip hooray and ballyhoo
    The Lullaby of Broadway

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  4. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a fun Monday run. It took me to BOLLYWOOD, however, to get the theme. BULLY BOY is no an expression I am familiar with, but I knew it was correct.

    GLEAN is a great word!

    Before I got the the clue for Opposite of Big Star (NOBODY), I had the first 4 letters filled in for 6-Down, and thought: No he wouldn't!

    Nice to see my undergraduate alma mater again. Mainaic, come back, we miss you!

    In honor of her 77th birthday, here is today's QOD: Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. ~ Julie Andrews

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  5. Good Monday morning to everyone,

    I WAGed wrong for BOOTIE AND HOFF, so after a speed run through this puzzle, it ended up a DNF.
    Didn't know Camden Field, but perps took care of that.

    Getting to know my 20-month old grandson's daily schedule. Enjoying New England, but still all green leaves here.
    Snow expected in my MT hometown, on Wednesday. Beautiful weather here.

    Montana

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  6. Thank You Gareth and Thank You Argyle. Took my time and enjoyed it. Needed a Monday morning victory after yesterday's maddening meltdown at Medinah. Old Mo-Men-Tum jumped on the Euro bandwagon.

    I thought this a well crafted and clued puzzle. You expertly captured the theme Argyle. I will have to look up Billy Goats Gruff because I am not familiar. The thought of 45A makes me go 43A.

    From 1968 for that one answer... EDUCE was new for me, and fit, so... Did not get the expected TA DA. Seems that BOOTIE is not spelled BOUTIE and I had no idea so HUFF instead of HOFF seemed ok there.

    Hatoolah, your "....I had the first 4 letters filled in for 6-Down, and thought: No he wouldn't!." I had the same think happen to me yesterday at 73A when I had PEN_S and thought, "That has to be a different letter than what I think it is."

    CC, did you have your Moon Cake ? Qing Feng and Hua Ao help celebrate the Mid Autumn festival Is Qing Feng calling TOUCHDOWN ! in Slide 1 ?

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  7. A good Monday puzzle. Hit a couple of snags. Bullyboy? Never heard of it. Had the same issue as Barry with Bootie. A good bit of fun to go with my morning cup of joe.

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  8. Howdy folks,

    Toughie for a Monday. Managed to make steady progress until I reached the South. Wasn't sure about RANCOR and LOCA was a ????. Glean was a semi wag too. On the SE side, EDUCE & EVOKE were entered without a lot of confidence & BULLYBOY was a WTF. Never have heard a hired hood called that.

    But I was up to the challenge today and got it done. Other then the aforementioned, it was a fun Monday puzzle.

    Got home from Albany in time to see our side implode at the Ryder Cup. What a kick in the butt.

    Lastly to Irish Miss; dined at the Barnsider Saturday evening. Food was superb. Service spot on.

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  9. All of us mothers and grandmas remember playing This Little Piggy with our infants and buying cute baby BOOTIEs.
    Link cute booties

    In the Iris picture Argle provided you can clearly see the hairy "beards" on the three downward drooping sepals, called falls.

    I suppose BULLYBOY is more commonly used in Englnad and New Zealand than in the U.S.but I have seen BULLYBOY tactics discussed in our news too. From BBC: Head teachers have accused England's chief inspector of schools of "bully boy tactics" against their profession.

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  10. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gareth Bain, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine review.

    Really enjoyed this puzzle. I had no problem with any of it.

    No write overs at all. Had to use the newspaper today as Cruciverb would not cough up the puzzle. I actually enjoy doing it in the paper, but sometimes I am up too early for the paper.

    Theme was great. Alphabetical vowels. Very good.

    Never heard of MELLO YELLO. Must be some kind of pop. About the only pop I drink is ginger ale and Sierra Mist, and not very often.

    Nice to see ORONO again. it's been a while.

    Never heard of the Ballad of John and YOKO. The answer was obvious.

    BELLYFLOPs can be painful. I am not much of a swimmer. Might have done one once in my life.

    Off to my day. Lots to do. Heading to Pennsylvania tomorrow evening.

    Abejo

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  11. BALLY…, BELLY…, Hey, even I caught on to this one and knew BOLLYWOOD was in my future. Even EDUCE and NED perpped in easily in this lovely Monday exercise.

    Musings
    -My BILLY GOATS were three before they were GRUFF
    -I’ve linked before, but it’s fun - IT’S A TRAP
    -BTW, TBBT debut was disappointing to me also. So many good sitcoms either run out of ideas with their original premise or “jump the shark” into unproductive waters.
    -The Huskers EKEd out a win Saturday night
    -Stephen King attended school at ORONO
    -Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ass. Get your own donkey.
    -Neutering commercial
    -We all bought college TEXT books and got back only 10% when we sold them back, didn’t we?
    -I use tables now instead of TABS.
    -Hudson is allowed Mountain Dew or Red Bull only before noon
    -Do you know another song with OOH LA LA as a lyric?
    -Speaking of BOLTs as mad dashes, how ‘bout Usain?
    -Have you ever LIED TO someone for a good reason? Me too.
    -Granddaughter played in a lot of VB tourneys that were ROUND ROBIN and interminable
    -I missed out on a 5 hybrid on eBay by $1
    -We are attending a funeral at 11 today for a friend whose has many accomplishments in his OBIT
    -TTP and Hondo, the Ryder Cup ain’t all that much to me but it was a big time collapse.

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  12. Happy Monday everybody. Thank you for the fun puzzle and write up. I have no complaints.

    I didn't know 35D: Trinidad's Partner, but it got filled in. I wanted YAM at 47A insted of NOG.

    GLEAN is a great word. I don't see it much outide maybe the Bible.

    Interesting set of words here:
    BOOBY, BOOTIE, DONG. YEOW! No wonder you PEEPed.

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  13. George Plimpton says BALLYHOO in one of my favorite movies.

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  14. Enjoyed being able to sail through this one. Thought the fill was suitable for Monday.

    Nice blogging, Argyle!

    Got hold of a Capital Times in Madison this weekend and am working the Sunday LAT for once. Not done yet though as not much time was available yesterday. But it is coming together.

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  15. Hi Y'all, Great enjoyable puzzle today! Thanks, Gareth! And thanks also, Argyle!

    Only two hiccups today: Had to wait for perps to tell me whether 8a was "thuds" or THUMP. I had BILLY GOAT GRUFFS for a wee bit.

    "Who's that tramping across my bridge?" children's tale had been on my mind recently. I had seen a shopping cart abandoned on the far side of the grocery store parking lot near a sidewalk crossing a creek bridge. I had also seen a little fierce-looking possibly homeless woman in the store. The other day I saw her wheeling a cart of groceries across the lot, grab several sacks and duck around the side and under the bridge. I watched a bit and sure enough she came back for the rest--apparently living under the bridge. Broke my heart! But she looks so fierce, I didn't invite her home with me.

    Barry, you are probably too young to have learned to use TABS in typing classes--on the typewriter. I typed up many a report using TABS in my first job for Independent Lock Co. in Massachusetts.

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  16. The Ryder Cup finals was the most exciting golf I'd seen in a while. However, I fell asleep when the last two pairs were on the 17th & 18th holes lining up their shots. I missed the upsets entirely. Couldn't believe it I did that.

    I was expecting Tiger to go down. I couldn't believe Davis Love thought he should anchor the team since he does poorly so often anymore.

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  17. Thank yo Gareth Bain, for a wonderful puzzle and Argyle for your always delightful commentary. I had a little problem with 'Tonys' and 'Obies', and the only (compound - ) Belle I knew, was Belle Epoch - which wouldn't fit. Thanks, Argyle, for clarifying the difference.

    I have the 'Tao of Pooh', on my bedside 'mountain pile', but I have read only half of it. Someday ....

    I have seen a video of the 'Bower' bird in Australia, who builds a 'bower', of sorts, to attract his mate. Prior to that, I always thought a bower was some Victorian thing, nubile girls 'collected' before they got hitched, or soon thereafter... or probably it was 'dower'.


    ALT QOD:- I would rather have my ignorance than another man's knowledge because I have so much of it. ~ Mark Twain.

    Have a good week, you all.

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  18. Happy October, All!

    Wow, five letters beginning with "E" -- I always have to look at the perps to decide if it's going to be EVOKE or EDUCE. And today we had both of 'em.

    Husker, are you telling me that commandment is referring to a donkey? D'oh! And what is a 5 hybrid? That must be some kind of golf thingy.

    Speaking of ORONO and Stephen King, I've asked before, have any of you read his 11/22/1963? I'm halfway through the 800+ pages. He's keeping my interest and, surprisingly, building suspense. Hope he doesn't let me down at the end.

    YR, that Lullaby of Broadway EVOKEs images of Doris Day. I guess we must have had her record when I was a kid.

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  19. Anony-Mouse @ 8:46 am: DH is always trying to get me to clean up my "bedside mountain pile". Little does he know, I've had a bedside mountain pile a lot longer than I've known him.

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  20. No worries today.

    (just watch out for those irritable vowels)

    (yes, i know it was a bad joke!)

    How often do you use the word "rancor?"

    The last time we had booby, i posted private snafus banned cartoon...

    A Sesame Street version of the Billy Goats Gruff,,, sort of,,, i just liked the end @1:40

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  21. Good morning all. Good informative write up, as usual, Argyle.

    On RANCOR, is 'onomatopoeic' the descriptor you were seeking, Argyle?

    Easy enough for a Monday. Got the theme early but had no idea what to name it. Liked the long downs. No nits. YR - I saw nothing wrong with 'big stink' as a clue for BALLYHOO. I use them interchangeably. 'Bjorn' is Norse for 'Bear', I believe. EDUCE and EVOKE are somewhat similar words. Merriam gives them as synonyms. The perps kept me straight here. Thanks, Gareth.

    Have a great day.

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  22. Thanks to Gareth Bain for a puzzle I enjoyed while zipping through it. Kudos for putting the vowels in order! and to Argyle for his wonderful write up and lovely pictures.

    Thanks also to Husker for the TBBT clip! Here's hoping the that rest of the season will be better than the opener.

    Funny how BOOTIES appeared the day after I had a conversation with my son about marriage and kids. Think it's an SIGN?

    I will have to try to find "The Tao of Pooh" for my reader.

    The only ICEE I like is the one made with Coke. Yum.

    Speaking of GELD, did anyone read the artlcle about Sandra Day O'Connor in yesteday's Parade magazine? Cute anecdote about her husband meeting his future father-in-law.

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  23. I use and hear the words RANCOR and rancorous quite often lately. It is very apropos to the tone of the political arguments this election season. They produce all heat (and resentment) and no light.

    I got BALLYHOO almost immediately. It had to be correct but I didn't like it. The tone of big stink seems too strong for Ballyhoo, certainly not like in the song, the BALLYHOO of Broadway. I guess it's just me. Isn’t it interesting how certain words have different emotional overtones to different people?
    .

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  24. Mari, Alas, my bedside mountain pile of books, has grown and grown, into other rooms, the loft, the sun room, the basement rooms, the guest bedrooms and bathrooms, the 3 attics and the garage .... and numerous assorted mini-piles under the bed,... now they are the foundations that hold my bed mattress 'extra' firm.

    I have pretty much given up on fiction, but I still borrow so many non-fiction books from the local libraries, my fines alone pay for a part-time aide.... I am also a big user of intra-library loans, from as far as central Oregon. ( Somebody, please help me. )

    Every time some Jehovah witness/ pollster/ community activist/ Mormon/ snow plow contractor/ landscape guy/ - comes to my door - I try to impress a book on them. No takers so far.

    It could be worse - I have never been inside of the local newly-opened casino. (chuckle).... nor do I play golf.

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  25. Hi gang, My wife and I finished everything (before she left for work) except for 15A, somehow I couldn't parse it and we were looking for a Bo_ Tie word.

    I'd never heard of a drink called Mello Yellow, but I remember the song: They call Me Mellow Yellow

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  26. Books are masters who instruct us, without rods or ferrules,
    without words of anger, without bread or money.

    If you approach them, they are not asleep;
    If you seek them, they do not hide;
    If you blunder, they do not scold;
    If you are ignorant, they do not laugh at you.

    The love of books, The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury.

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  27. Thanks all for kind words and for Argyle for those tidbits on Mello Yello and Mountain Dew. I learned the former from OPC (other people's crosswords); it isn't sold in SA. We have had Mountain Dew for the last five years or so. I too didn't know it had caffeine! Here's a song referencing "bully boy tactics" www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBJvy3mVCok

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  28. Gotta like a puzzle with BOOBY (probably being OGLED) in the grid.

    NOT a fan of SOFT, DONG and GELD.

    Learning moment, HOFF (all perps) but I knew how to spell BOOTIE.

    Congrats to the Yankees, Rangers and ORIOLEs who all clinched playoff spots yesterday.

    Today is the 80th anniversary of the famous (called?) Babe Ruth Home-Run in the 3rd game of the World Series.

    Husker: Ya should have bid $2 higher for that 5-Hybrid club.

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

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  29. Wonderful Monday puzzle, though certainly not a speed run. So, many thanks, Gareth! And you too, Argyle, for a clever write-up. As soon as I saw BALLY, BELLY, and BILLY, I knew the next ones had to be BOLLY and BULLY without even looking at the clues. I love a theme that's in alphabetical order! So this was a great way to start the week.

    I'm with Warren in never having heard of MELLO YELLO but loving the song MELLOW YELLOW. And Yellowrocks, (my goodness, I'm doing a lot of rhyming this morning)I don't at all mind having that mellow "Lullaby of Broadway" in my ear all day.

    Have a mellow week, everybody!

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  30. Monday, Monday... I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. I got the theme idea but missed the vowel progression.

    36D seemed a bit off to me. OGLED doesn't match 'Made goo-goo eyes at' in my mind. You?

    I found this article and video on MSNBC about a girl who was voted onto the Homecoming Court as a joke but she ended up coming out on top. Good for her. Homecoming success story.

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  31. Good afternoon:

    Whenever I see Gareth's name, I know I'm in for a treat. Today was no exception. Kudos, Mr. Bain, for a fun Monday romp. And thanks, Argyle, for your great expo.

    HondoH, I am glad you enjoyed your experience at the Barnsider. How was the card show?

    Desper-O @8:46 - Just so you won't think we're ignoring you, no, I haven't read SK' s 11/22/63. I don't care for Sci-Fi and, with a couple of exceptions, King is too far out for my taste. I still haven't gotten over "It" or "Insomnia.". Happy reading :).

    Have a great Monday.

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  32. Fun Monday,

    Thank you Gareth and Argyle. And thanks Tinbeni, for filling the void left without Lois to put together the sub-themes of the puzzle.

    I also was interested in the Caffeine link, and amazed how much Starbucks and Einsteins pack, and was especially surprised to see a cup of tea has more than a can of Coca Cola.

    The song was hair raising?

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  33. Good afternoon everyone.

    What fun to have a Monday puzzle, and I could do it. It didn't take too long, and didn't to ask DH for something like how to spell ––– or a sports figure (which he usually doesn't know either) or a baseball or football rule (he played both – former in college, latter in HS).

    Thanks Gareth and Argyle. What Kazie said.

    Cheers

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  34. Nice puzzle.

    Speaking of silos, the fastest growing type you see in Upstate NY is the Sukup (actual name) steel silos with conveyor belts. The fiberglass "Big Blue" seems to be going the way of the concrete silo. They're both still used,

    The problem with vertical bins is safety. Every so often someone gets trapped in one and suffocates. More common are respiratory illnesses (SFD - silo filler disease)caused by nitrogen dioxide and molds. Maybe the trench system will help.

    Glean, to be exact, means to gather what is left over from a harvesting. Check out Leviticus and Ruth. It's mean and tight-fisted to gather every last bit. Leave the gleanings for the poor.

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  35. 'Fraid Gareth's link didn't have audio so here is a different link.(3:46) This cut is reggae based but.... link to learn more about the band.

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  36. Musings 2
    -Just back from a funeral that featured a CD of Art Garfunkel’s soaring voice on Bridge Over Troubled Water.
    -Otto, my wife’s twin sister lives a half block from a donkey farm and so she can see a lot of asses from there and yes, that 5 Hybrid is a golf thingy.
    -To me Lullaby Of Broadway conjures up images of dilettantes in tuxes and evening gowns getting home as the now anachronistic milk man is coming around. This was a staple of some of the old TCM movies from the 30’s.
    -Qli, I think of Roseanne and M*A*S*H that may have overstayed their welcome once they had exhausted their original story lines. Jerry Seinfeld said he quit that show because he didn’t want to do just that.
    -Tin, I’m bidding on another 5 Hybrid and I’ll monitor it a little closer this time.
    -Gareth, we had a priest say mass from the RSA Sunday that was soliciting money for the many kids who are orphaned from the scourge of AIDS in that country. On a lighter note, your puzzle was wonderful today.

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  37. Hideoki YoshigaharaOctober 1, 2012 at 1:35 PM

    I just flew into LAX from Osaka on the All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Everything is so instanti-matic and full of reality.

    You push a button on the seat and out comes a 3-D TV screen.

    You push a button on the TV screen and out comes the stewardess.

    Push a button on the stewardess and out come your teeth.

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  38. Hi everyone. Finished at 3:00a.m.Couldn't sleep, but finally did and overslept. Yellowrocks, you're not alone. Ballyhoo is not a big stink. It is hype, hoopla, build-up, as in touting a show or product. Husker, thought of "C'est Magnifique" by Cole Porter, but it has an extra "la".
    When love comes in
    And takes you for a spin
    Ooh la la la
    C'est magnifique.
    Only time in Orono was when our jazz group did a concert there. Stayed in Perkin's Cove and had a dessert I'll never forget. Irish Moss Pudding, with Maine blueberry sauce on top. Mmmmmmm

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  39. Hola Everyone, After Ballyhoo and Bellyflop, I realized there would be a vowel progression. I went down to the other theme entries and filled those three in. The rest as they say is history.

    There were some unknowns: Author Hoff, Outlaw Ike and Composer Ned, but all of those filled in nicely with the perps. All in all an easy, fun Monday puzzle.

    Wow, Who knew all that caffeine hid in those drinks. We don't usually drink soft drinks, and now I know why. Coffee is our one caffeine indulgence and only in the morning. Decaf for me after noon otherwise I can't go to sleep at night.

    Thanks, Argyle for your writeup. I loved the pictures you put in, especially the iris.

    I hide my bedside mountain pile inside the nightstand. That way I don't feel quite so bad when I bring home another book before the current one or the ones in the pile have been read. LOL.

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  40. Hi gang -

    Got hung up on BOOTIE, and totally missed the theme. DO'H!

    My one nit is 6D, BOOBY, which, of course should be clued as one of a pair.

    IMBO.

    Cool regards!
    JzB had to go to "strict safe search" to get what I was looking for, and still also got this.

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  41. I don't buy as many books as I used to. However, I still have tons of books that I have not yet read. Decreasing the amount of books I purchase has not eased my book addiction one bit. I'm at the library almost every weekend!

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  42. Hello everybody. Nice Monday puzzle today. Unknowns, such as HOFF and MELLOYELLO, were easily gettable from the perps. Some good fill that made me smile include BOOBY, BALLYHOO, TOBAGO, and ROUNDROBIN. A pleasure, as always, Mr. Bain.

    I had to EKE out IKE, and then I remembered Mr. Clanton. We visited Tombstone and the OK Corral about 10 years ago. Man, what a dry, dusty, dirty, dismal place. Then we went to Bisbee and saw the huge man-made crater from the copper mine there. Man, what a mountainous, maudlin, massive mess. Okay, not maudlin. If it were raining (does it EVER rain there?) it would be muddy.

    As Etta James so soulfully sang, "AT LAS ..." I'm outta here. Best wishes to you all.

    P.S. If Enya were to do an abbreviated version of her popular Orinoco Flow song, would it ORONO Flow?

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  43. I guess it's a little late to say "rabbit, rabbit" huh? Anyway, Argyle took care of that already.

    Just wanted to stop by to congratulate Gareth on a really fun Monday puzzle. Tinbeni listed all my fav entries...it just doesn't get much better than that!

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  44. I liked the LINE in the middle of the grid:

    YEOW, BAD GELD.

    I guess if it isn't done correctly, it would get that reaction.

    Cheers !!! (it must be sunset, somewhere)

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  45. I just discovered that "Ballyhoo" could have also been clued as "baitfish."

    Note: the 1st 1:15 is interesting, the next 3:30 is just annoying because i didn't catch them. The short sidelinks can show you more techniques.

    ReplyDelete
  46. If I was a man I'd make my move

    If I was a blade I'd shave you smooth

    If I was a judge I'd break the law

    And if I was from Paris, I'd say

    Ooh la la

    By Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

    ReplyDelete
  47. Greetings!

    Fun puzzle, Gareth! Thanks to you and humorous Argyle!

    Favorite answers: BOOTIES, TAB.

    Had not heard of HOFF or BILLY GOATS GRUFF, but perps eventually took care of everything. A bit longer than the usual Monday offering.

    It's hotter than blazes here: 109ยบ.

    Do not think this remodeling project is finite!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  48. What does "rabbit, rabbit" mean ?

    ReplyDelete
  49. Bill G,

    BTW, I liked your "Cancelled" "Canceled" and the ensuing posts from other last evening.

    ReplyDelete
  50. PS I too did not think much of TBBT opening. The mother thing has really become annoying. Not surprised about Sheldon and Amy.

    Anyone watch Homeland or 666 Park Avenue? The Good Wife?

    ReplyDelete
  51. "Rabbit, rabbit" indicates first day of month.

    ReplyDelete
  52. fermatprime, I watched The Good Wife last night, but since I haven't been following it, what happened didn't mean much to me.

    Re: cancelled vs canceled, I have the same problem with labelled vs labeled.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Thank you fermatprime. I had no idea. That gave me enough to search on. Now I understand.

    Jayce, with so many possible errors one can make on their journey, a few misspellings here and there won't (hopefully) be life changers. Here's to labelled and cancelled !

    ReplyDelete
  54. Cheers! *Clink!*

    LW and I enjoyed a couple of moon cakes today as we refreshed our memories as to what and why the tradition is all about. Sort of a neat-o love story. (We like the black bean cakes the best.) Oh, our neighbors are Chinese, and they make sure LW and I are kept current with regard to celebrations, holidays, foods, etc.

    Double Ten Day (October 10) is coming up! In Taiwan this is a huge celebration, commemorating 10-10-1911 which marks the end of the last Dynasty (the Ching dynasty) and the beginning of the Republic of China. Sun Yat Sen would be proud.

    Best wishes to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Thank you for the rabbit rabbit info. I have been around for many many first days of the month and no where I have ever been have I heard this mentioned. I learn something new every day here. :)

    Thank you all for the many smiles.

    T

    ReplyDelete
  56. I am a big fan of "The Good Wife." However, my DVR has spoiled me. I record all the episodes and watch them when it suits me. I am just finishing the rerun of the last episode from last season and should be watching the season opener soon. I am looking forward to it. Kalinda is an enigma.

    Fermatprime, it's not nearly as hot here as where you are but still way too hot for me.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Could you hit a whiffle ball thrown by these guys?
    Whiffle ball 1.
    Whiffle ball 2.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Wiffle eh? You coulda fooled me. First I couldn't spell 'canceled'; now I mess up Wiffle. My world is crumbling down around me.

    My extra-sensitive toothpaste doesn't seem to like it when I try other toothpastes...

    ReplyDelete
  59. So Mr. Whiffle/Wiffle anon., could you hit the pitched Wiffle ball? In the second video, even a professional baseball player had serious trouble.

    ReplyDelete

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