Theme: "East Enders" - E (For East) is added to the end of each well-known phrase.
23A. Quit sugar cold turkey? : KICK THE CANE. Kick the can. "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag..." I'm amused by Katy Perry's "Fireworks".
25A. Small hawk that delivers papers? : PRESS KITE. Press kit.
47A. Water cooler gossip? : BUSINESS TRIPE. Business trip.
91A. Canadian hockey player's tantrum? : MAPLE LEAF RAGE. Maple Leaf Rag.
113A. Tree for Scotland Yard? : BOBBY PINE. Bobby pin. Kids nowadays are so lucky. So many cute bobby pins.
118A. Midlife issue for a big cat? : THE THIN MANE. The Thin Man. Won't happen to the cute Maru. The part when he jumps into and out of the big box was very familiar. Maybe Spitzboov or Bill G linked that one directly from Maru's own channel before.
37D. Luxury lodgings at the zoo? : GORILLA SUITE. Gorilla suit.
42D. Terse Dear John? : FORGET-ME NOTE. Forget-me-not.
Like
Steve last Sunday, you can be sure John has more funny theme
candidates. For Sunday puzzles, constructors always have a few extras,
just in case one or two of their submitted entries fail to amuse Rich.
Unlike
most of John's puzzles, today's grid is not a pangram. Gridding can be
challenging at times, so constructors shift their focus to get the
cleanest fill possible rather than put scrambly letters in.
Still, only 68 black squares, that's 10 fewer than our norms.
Across:
1. Portrait subject, maybe : SELF
5. Skewered servings : KABOBS. Plump shrimp & fresh pineapple. My favorite.
11. "Aida" segments : ACTS
15. Cell signal strength indicators : BARS
19. "Aida" segment : ARIA
20. Men or women, e.g. : PLURAL. Great clue.
21. Draped garment : SARI
22. Hardly happy : BLUE. Lemonade & Marti are always happy & cheerful. I wish I could be like them.
27. Best way to sing : IN KEY
28. "Stop right there!" : HOLD IT. Nice entries do not have to be long. This is a good example.
30. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI
31. __ facto : IPSO
33. Past things : BYGONES
36. Gold brick : INGOT
40. Ply with praise, possibly : SOFTEN UP
44. Salon sweepings : HAIR
45. Sweater wool : ANGORA
46. Hoopla : ADO
51. Flew the coop : RAN
52. Earthen embankment : BERM
54. One with convictions : FELON. Oh, that convictions.
55. Dweeb : TWERP
56. Rural, as a town : HICK
57. Stop a banking session, say : LOG OFF. Boomer handles all our money. I've never banked.
59. Balt. Sea country : LITH (Lithuania)
61. Giant star : IDOL
62. "Winnie __ Pu": Latin version of a Milne work : ILLE. Who wants to read a Latin version?
63. Año beginner : ENERO
64. Sheriff who killed Billy the Kid : GARRETT (Pat). New to me also.
66. Irritated : NETTLED
68. Man of the cloth? : TAILOR. Not PRIEST.
70. Shucker's unit : EAR
71. "You fell for it!" : GOTCHA
72. Some 101-Downs : SIMILES. And 101. Language learner's challenge : IDIOM. So true. I've been here for over 11 years, still struggling with idioms.
74. Big-billed bird : PELICAN. Here are two great photos John took.
He said:
"This is a Brown Pelican fishing in Key West. A Laughing Gull is perched
on top waiting to steal any fish the pelican catches. Such behavior is
called kleptoparisitism and is quite common throughout the animal kingdom.
Even humans do it, as when you swipe a french fry when your friend
isn't looking.
76. Fundamental : BASAL
79. Mideast's Gulf of __ : ADEN
80. Spanish 101 word : ESTA
82. Improvise vocally : SCAT
83. Cloyingly sweet : SYRUPY
84. __-deaf : TONE
85. Ranch rope : RIATA
87. Irving Berlin's "__ a Piano" : I LOVE. I mentioned before, both John & Rich are pianists.
89. Fred and Wilma's pet : DINO
90. __-Aztecan languages : UTO
94. Half a score : TEN. I learned the meaning of "score" from President Lincoln.
95. Bad moonshine : ROTGUT
97. Turow book set at Harvard : ONE L
98. Pod vegetables : SNAP PEAS. I like sugar peas more.
100. They're in the air at yuletide : NOELS. I went to Kohl's last Wednesday to buy a beanie hat, they were playing "Call Me Maybe".
101. As a substitute : INSTEAD
104. Rick's flame : ILSA. This is so good.
105. Signed off on : OK'ED
107. You might get it with a key card : ACCESS
109. Like days of yore : OLDEN
120. Lot measure : AREA
121. Like some excuses : POOR
122. Changed to yet another shade : RE-DYED
123. Parmenides' home : ELEA. Zeno's home also. Zeno of Elea.
124. Loaf or loafer part : HEEL. Fantastic clue.
125. Cocksure : SMUG
126. Do taxing work? : ASSESS. Works without ? also.
127. Topsoil : DIRT
Down:
1. "The Square Egg" author : SAKI. H.H. Munro.
2. Emerald Isle : ERIN
3. Canine kiss : LICK
4. Put on an act : FAKE IT
5. Alberta speed meas. : KPH. Kilometers per Hour.
6. Drafty establishment? : ALE HOUSE
7. Osso __ : BUCO
8. Reach rival : ORAL B
9. Toss about, as ideas : BANDY
10. Rides on runners : SLEIGHS
11. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" killer : ASP
12. Volt, for one : CAR
13. Safaris, e.g. : TREKS
14. Pedro's "Positively!" : SI, SI. In Chinese, it's "Shi, Shi". Cantonese is "Hai, Hai", same as Japanese.
15. "The Thrill Is Gone" singer : B B KING. Hello, Splynter, "The Thrill Is Gone!"
16. Model/actress Landry : ALI. The Doritos girl.
17. Boring routine : RUT
18. Date : SEE
24. Easygoing : TYPE B. I'm certainly not. You?
26. Mud wallowers : SWINE
29. "Here's mud in your eye!" is one : TOAST. New "toast" line to me. How strange. Mud.
32. Tobacco in a pinch : SNUFF
34. Dim bulb, so to speak : NITWIT
35. Bobbled the ball : ERRED
38. Delphic seer : ORACLE
39. Went belly up : TANKED
40. Fancy fur : SABLE. I scored a leopard make-up bag yesterday.
41. Classical theater : ODEON
43. Building support : PILLAR
45. Short program : APPLET
48. "The Maltese Falcon" film genre : NOIR
49. Jambalaya, e.g. : ENTREE. Never had Jambalaya.
50. Heat-sensitive patch : IRON ON
53. Glacial deposit : MORAINE. I bet Spitzboo filled it in without any hesitation.
56. Really have an impact : HIT HARD
58. Fencing weapon : FOIL. I'm so used to EPEE now.
60. Recovers : HEALS
64. Contents of some columns : GOSSIP. Like Bill G, MSNBC is my go-to page for news. I like their Entertainment section.
65. Nixon's older daughter : TRICIA
67. Beriyo smoothie maker : TCBY
69. Eye lasciviously : LEER AT
71. Everglades denizens : GATORS. We used to have a regular with a handle Gator Mom.
72. Second-largest planet : SATURN
73. "Same here" : I DO TOO
74. Communion plates : PATENS. I'm stealing Dave's picture.
75. Baby hippo : CALF
77. Sleep clinic concern : APNEA
78. Interpol headquarters : LYONS. Gimme.
81. Prey grabber : TALON
83. "Just Shoot Me" co-star : SEGAL (George)
86. Prince Arn's mom : ALETA. Her husband is Prince Valiant.
88. Disappears : VANISHES
91. Like some perfume : MUSKY
92. Euripides heroine : ELECTRA. Sister of Orestes, who was pursued by the Three Furies after he killed his mother Clytemnestra in this picture.
93. Maker of Stylus Pro printers : EPSON
96. Word with economy or warming : GLOBAL
99. Concealed, in a way : PALMED
102. Postgame assortment, maybe : ACHES
103. Owners' documents : DEEDS
106. "The Mod Squad" actor : EPPS (Omar). Only knew the TV. Not the movie.
108. Lid irritation : STYE
110. Painter of limp watches : DALI
111. Power dept. : ENER. Headed by Steve Chu. Spelled as Zhu in Chinese. Kind of like Chou/Zhou En-Lai.
112. Peachy-keen : NEAT
113. "Pshaw!" : BAH
114. Get a lode of this : ORE
115. Buzzer : BEE
116. __-turn : NO-U
117. Not much work? : ERG. Work unit. 0.0000001 joules.
119. Some card nos. : IDs
C.C.
Sunday, John Lampkin, and C.C. All is right with the world'
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteDelightful puzzle today. Got the theme early on, which helped immensely throughout, but there were still a few sticky parts.
I went with KEBAB instead of KABOB at 5A, which caused all sorts of weirdness up there until I changed it.
I also initially had LOSSES instead of GOSSIP at 64. Seeing as how I had no idea who GARRETT was at 64A and I went with the REATA spelling instead of RIATA at 85, it really seemed to fit. It was only when I figured out MAPLE LEAF RAGE that I knew something was wrong.
The SW corner was the last to fall. Even knowing the theme and having _____PINE, I couldn't think of BOBBY for awhile. It didn't help that I really wanted ACRE instead of the much more generic AREA for 120A, even though that wouldn't work with GLOBAL at 96D. Once the light went off with BOBBY PINE, however, it all fell into place.
Good Morning, C.C., and friends. What a fun and amusing Sunday puzzle. I loved the theme and picked up on it easily. PRESS KITE was my first theme fill.
ReplyDeleteLots and lots of misdirections, however. We've seen Epee so often in the puzzles, that I confidently wrote it down for the Fencing Weapon instead of FOIL.
I was sure a lot of excuses were Lame instead of POOR.
I also tried Nova for Giant Star (IDOL); Basic instead of BASAL for Fundamental; and Loan instead of DIRT for Topsoil.
Favorite clues included: One with Convictions = FELON; and Tobacco in a Pinch = SNUFF.
Some where in my brain was Pat GARRETT. Why I knew he had killed Billy the Kid is beyond me.
We had a PELICAN reference in Friday's puzzle. The pelican is the bird of Louisiana and is on the State flag. If you look closely, you can see three drops of blood on the mother pelican on the State's flag.
QOD: People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their talents. ~ Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 ~ August 11, 1919)
Okay, everyone raise your hand if you tried "epee" at first!
ReplyDeleteGood Sunday morning puzzle.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteMuch of What Barry Said.
I had trouble with Patens again. Shouldn't have - years ago I texted a very bright and very pretty young woman for assistance when stuck on that word in a puzzle. (She knew it right away) It really should be well affixed in my brain after that...
Hand up for Kebab.
Knew Moraine from a state park of that name north of Pittsburgh. Man-made Lake Arthur is there; it's one of the few good places for sailboats in western PA, as I recall.
Morning C.C. , I learned that meaning of score from President Lincoln too!
Thank you John and CC
ReplyDeleteGood morning, C.C. and gang.
ReplyDeleteHand up for KEBAB, BASIC, EPEE, LAME and NOVA. So many ways to go wrong...
I completed the puzzle, but wound up with a DNF. I had SAKO/ON KEY. I'm familiar with SAKI, but thought this one was somebody's surname.
I don't get the relevance of the cat at the typewriter photo. Anybody?
I also loved one with convictions/FELON.
ReplyDelete58D Having the O in ENERO set up FOIL instead of epee.
CC's moraine picture brought back fond memories of my hiking days.
I did fall for basic before BASAL.
X-words always use RIATA. In my experience lasso and lariat are more common.
Here's one explanation of "Here's mud in your eye." The explanation was new to me, but I knew the toast.
Link Toast
Good morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw John Lampkin’s name, I knew I was in for a fun Sunday morning, and I wasn’t disappointed. Nice expo, C.C. Mmmm – shrimp and pineapple KABOBS sound delicious!! And yes, I am rarely blue: “Life is too short!!”
Just a couple missteps, like “losses” instead of GOSSIP in my column, and “snow” PEAS instead of SNAP PEAS. Once I got PRESS KITE, I went back and almost filled in KICK THE CubE. Huh? What’s “kick the cub?” Oh – kick the can, you dummy!! But my favorite was FORGET-ME-NOTE. Cute!!!
I also liked the Aida clechos at 11-A and 19-A. And the deviously clever clues for TAILOR (“Man of the cloth”) and FELON (“One with convictions.”)
We’ll be decorating for the holidays, and to get us in a festive mood, I’ll be making glüwein later today – sweet, hot spiced wine with some Grand Marinier thrown in for a little extra kick. Cheers!
That was Part 2. Here is Part 1.
ReplyDeleteDelightful puzzle, John. I like the theme answers and your witty misdirections. CC, interesting blog. Your Casablanca clip brought back memories. I was a teen during the drive-in heyday.
I loved drafty establishment/ALEHOUSE. Knowing John's wit, that was my first guess. The A set up KABOB.
Morning, Marti! I loves me some Glühwein. It really does take the chill out of winter. I'll bet your place looks awesome at Christmas!
ReplyDeletedesper-otto said @8:02 AM
ReplyDelete"I don't get the relevance of the cat at the typewriter photo. Anybody?"
Blame Marti. She found a site that allows you to put your own captions on images.
CED and I played some golf on WGT last night and he sent that message out for me. :-)
Good morning, folks. Thank you, John Lampkin, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a great write-up.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this puzzle. Just the right amount of difficulty.
Dudley: Try going up to Erie. Lots of sailboats on the bay and lake.
Got started in the NW easily. No problem with KABOBS. Just had one in Buffalo on Friday. Juje Kabob. (chicken)
PLURAL for 20A took me a minute. Clever.
My first theme answer was KICK THE CANE. The E helped a lot with the rest of the puzzle.
Yes I put EPEE for 58D. Fixed that after a while to FOIL.
52A BERM, took me a while. I always think of that word as the side of the road.
Took me a while to get the East. Could not think of TCBY for a bit. HIT HARD eluded me and also SYRUPY. Finally TCBY appeared and the rest fell.
The SW was a little sticky, too. I had LAME for excuse at 121A. Could not remember Omar EPPS for the Mod Squad. That was an old show. I did not think he was old enough for that. Finally got all that and I was done.
My IPad worked for the puzzle and my phone worked for the answer grid to reference while I typed this blog report. I love this technology.
Still snowing in western PA. Temperature is 28 degrees.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
desper-otto said @8:02 AM
ReplyDelete"I don't get the relevance of the cat at the typewriter photo. Anybody?"
Maybe the cat is typing a "Dear Santa" Christmas letter...
I guess I'm dense. I get the relationship between "Santa" and Argyle. What I don't understand is the tie between that photo and a communion plate.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about that D-O but I can tell you about the relationship between FELON, laughing gull and Lemonade714.
ReplyDeletedesper-otto, I'm guessing maybe confusion between 'paten' and 'platen'.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle.
ReplyDelete"I went to Kohl's last Wednesday to buy a beanie hat, they were playing "Call Me Maybe."
That is laugh-out-loud funny.
Ahso...never thought of that. Thanks, Dennis.
ReplyDeleteDudley @ 8:37, you'll have to stop in soon and see for yourself!
ReplyDeleteTHE THIN MANE? Wow, what a pun way to spend a dull, gray Sunday morning on the plains! Thanks for the buggy ride, John. As C.C. said, clean fill and only 68 black squares were excellent. Loved the Pelican picture too.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Does your family let BYGONES be BYGONES on the holidays or keep dredging up the past?,
-Will we see ENERO? Isn’t the world going to end 12/21/12?
-When did Billy the Kid really die – 1881 or 1950?
-I was listening to Louis Prima sing SCAT on iTunes Radio as I filled in the word
-Yeah, C.C., I know very few Chinese IDIOMS. At last count it was zero!
-Ken Burn’s Dust Bowl on PBS showed how SOIL/DIRT was shifted after the prairie was broken and it didn’t rain
-Retirement can make you more TYPE B.
-My uncle Walter was nicknamed SNUFF and I never knew why
-A lot of players Bobbled the ball this past weekend after getting HIT HARD
-Post game assortment can also be POOR EXCUSES
-QOD corollary – He was the smartest guy in the unemployment line.
-Hard movie trivia – In what John Wayne movie does the barber sweep up Wayne’s character’s HAIR off the floor to sell just before John dies?
Good morning all. When I saw John Lampkin was the constructor, I knew it would be serious punnishment, and wasn't disappointed. Difficult, but solvable, with lots of clever cluing.
ReplyDeleteFor those not familiar with Pat Garrett, Sam Peckinpah made a movie in 73 that had a seasoned and eclectic cast, but never got much attention. It was Kris Kristoffersons acting debut, (and probably Bob Dylan's as well). Violent, as you'd expect from Peckinpah, but a purty good flick. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. It also yielded Dylan's Knockin on Heavens Door. Netflix has it, without a wait.
Kris Kristofferson sings odes for Sam Pekinpah.
ReplyDeleteI could waste all Sunday morning listening to Kris's songs.
Good Sunday Morning to Corner Cruciverbalists!
ReplyDeleteHad an idea this was going to be a speed run when I got the top row right away. So INSTEAD of my usual pattern of doing a first pass at all the acrosses then all the downs, I decided to take a stab at the first set of down clues. Press Kite immediately revealed the theme of a trailing “E”, and so off to the races!
Record low (for me) of less than 10 write-overs on a Sunday Xword (rattled for nettled, acre for area, lame for poor). However, still a technical DNF, so “Curses, FOILed again!”
Favorite clue = Loaf or loafer part….
Art the Barber had to sweep up my HAIR yesterday afternoon….
I’m very familiar with PATENS and cruets from my stint as an altar boy….
Congrats to the Florida GATORS on yesterday’s win….
C.C. Wonderful write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteJohn: Thank you for a FUN Sunday offering. Really enjoyed the theme.
Husker: The Shootist.
Yup, fell into the KABOBS, FOIL, Pat GARRETT, RIATA, AREA ... wait-a-sec, those were the correct answers.
Silly me ... that's right, I check the crosses before entering my letters IN INK. LOL !!!
Of course my fave today was NEAT (though not for the way it was clued!).
I know our Husker Gary sings IN-KEY and isn't TONE deaf.
(Wish he'd have Joann tape some more of his singing at church).
Have a Great Sunday.
A "toast" to all at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
HG, that would have to be one of my favorite John Wayne movies, (but there are too many) so i will leave it for some one else to guess...
ReplyDeleteKinda tee'd off today, (no reflection on you Santa) i was almost done with the puzzle, had about 10 words to go, took a break to help DW unload the groceries, & when i got back, my PC screen was filled with hash! Had to reboot, lost the whole puzzle. (rats!)
I too am a little confused at the connection between my cat pic & crossword entry, i was hoping you would use this one.
Manac? everything ok? i have no idea what the frack happened yesterday! ( but that is a normal condition for me...)
P.S. That yest Anon has me thinking my PC is possessed!
One of the pleasures of having your puzzle blogged by C.C. is that she knows the issues since she is a great constructor herself. She is right on about theme leftovers. Here are some you might find amusing. Happy holidays everyone and thank you for the kind comments.
ReplyDeleteGHOSTOFCHRISTMASPASTE Holiday spirit that sticks around?
KICKSSOMESERIOUSBUTTE Rock climbs, at the highest level?
CALLTOTHEBARE “Hey you two, put some clothes on!”, e.g.?
CHAMPATTHEBITE Hotdog eating contest winner?
CHILDPROOFCAPE Tamper-resistant Batman garb?
DOTHECANECANE Dance in the retirement village?
YELLOWRIBBONE Welcome back for a wayward dog?
ORIGINALSINE First wave?
GOFORASPINE Get to work like a chiropractor?
SUPERSTARE X-ray vision?
HOOVERDAME Vaccuum cleaner maven?
BATHMATE Partner in water conservation?
I'd like to have a Hoover dame for a bath mate!
ReplyDeleteHi All ~~
ReplyDeleteA very enjoyable Sunday puzzle ~ thanks, John Lampkin! Your write-up cleared up some of my foggy spots, C.C. ~ great info and links.
I caught the theme right away with KICK THE CANE ~ having the "East Enders" title was helpful. My favorite was FORGET ME NOTE.
Loved the cluing/answers for LOG OFF, IDOL and HEEL.
I had a lucky guess with the M at the crossing of BERM and MORAINE - both were unfamiliar. I had a few write-overs, including 'Icee' before TCBY, but overall it was pretty smooth sailing.
"Maple Leaf Rag" is my favorite Joplin piece. I took piano lessons (as an adult) for a while but it didn't go too well. I switched to a double keyboard organ and had much more success - and fun! I played this often and when I think back, I'm amazed I was able to do it. I haven't played in about 15 years - I've been thinking of trying to get back to it ... hmm - do I have enough musical brain cells left??
Enjoy the day ~~
JL - love the "leftovers!"
J. L. - Thanks for the puzzle and leftovers!
ReplyDeleteAbejo 8:53: good point, I didn't think of the really big lake at the time. During my short stay near Pittsburgh, I had a small day sailer on a trailer. Lake Arthur was a short enough drive away for casual sailing. Would like to try the Great Lakes some day!
Marti - Sold! I'll give fair warning so there's time to make Glühwein. Heh heh
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteI am very late to the dance due to a trip to the grocery store and then a lengthy on-again, off-again WiFi connection.
Terrific puzzle, JL, and thanks for stopping by and sharing your " leftovers.". And thanks, CC, for the great expo. Hand up for basic before basal but that was the only write- over. However, was a DNF because of Elea.
Have a nice Sunday.
John L., I was peeing my pants reading some of your "leftovers," but I have no idea how you could have left out BATH MATE. Guffaw!!
ReplyDeleteDudley, there's always time for glühwein!!
Thanks, you leftover lovers,
ReplyDeleteThe thing about leftover theme material in my experience is that it's good to have about 20 good THEME ENTRIES to choose from. Too many means that the theme isn't tight enough. Too few means that some less than stellar material will have to be used. This one had the right balance.
Hi Y'all, Always love a Lampkin to tickle my funnybone! Great commentary, C.C., enjoyed "Casablanca" song & scenery. Never heard of Bertie Higgins but like him.
ReplyDeleteHere in the wild west, we've heard of Pat Garrett.
I caught onto the theme with the first two which helped with the rest except for PINE. Especially liked PRESS KITE & MAPLE LEAF RAGE.
Ended up with 10 squares not filled. At 66a had raTTLED. Had STRIPE but for some reason couldn't come up with the last two letters for TWERP & IDOL.
I did this puzzle slowly while watching skiing and ice skating on TV. Actually helped to curb my TYPE A tendencies. I'd read a clue and mull it over while someone went downhill and I'd get a leg-up on the answer. Mostly I'm TYPE B these days, except for solving puzzles.
BillG: The Lakers did better last night than you were apparently expecting. Kobe as point guard...?
PK, I enjoyed the ice skating on TV this afternoon, too.
ReplyDeleteMy Type A tendencies have been curbed somewhat, not by retirement, but, in the last 2 years, by a post 70 years Type B body .
John L. I was thrilled to see your byline this AM and enjoyed your interesting puzzle and your "left overs", especially BATH MATE. Recently I saw a T-shirst which read "Conserve water. Shower with your love."
Long past sunset, I raise a glass of Merlot to all of you, saying, "Here's mud in your eye."
Could not resist a John Lampkin puzzle. Couple of hiccups but nothing major. I always thought this was where Mud in your eye! originated from.
ReplyDeleteI'm working with a new computer today, just setting up stuff and getting used to the new look of Windows 7 as well as the new hardware. While doing this, I've been listening to Pandora, with Randy Newman featured. So.....as sort of a test, but also for entertainment purposes.....Political Science
ReplyDeleteI don't "get" this shopping madness. I have a $ amount budgeted for gifts and decorations. I may exceed it somewhat if someone wants a slightly pricier gift, but not by much. Whether I shop on Black Friday or three weeks later, the retlailers get basically the same amount of money. I look for bargains which are avilable for weeks on line or in the store. All this whoop de doo doesn't work on me.
ReplyDeleteDennis, a man in Florida, owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back.
ReplyDeleteIt was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some orange and lime trees.
One evening the man decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over.
He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee.
As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond.
He made the women aware of his presence, and they all went to the deep end.
One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!"
Dennis frowned, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked."
Holding the bucket up Dennis said, "I'm here to feed the alligator."
Hi C.C., John and everybody. The puzzle took me a while but I enjoyed the process. I especially liked MAPLELEAFRAGE since I am a big fan of Scott Joplin's music.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I didn't know you had MSNBC for your homepage also. Did I steer you in that direction or did you gravitate to it on your own? Besides news, like you I enjoy their entertainment and sports coverage. I really like their features like Animal Tracks, Picture of the Week, etc. That's where I got started doing CW puzzles online.
Manac, in spite of your best efforts, Barbara is still speaking to me. We just got back from Coffee Bean.
Irish Miss, what makes a joke corny? I'm not sure but this one probably qualifies.
~ "Doc, I can't stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home."
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
"Is it common?"
"Well, It's Not Unusual."
Good Evening all.
ReplyDeleteSpent the last couple days near the land of the Argyles. Solved the cw a short while ago after returning home to 2" of snow.
I think Lemonade summed up my thoughts. Always enjoy a Lampkin puzzle. A few gentle misdirections ie. nova before IDOL, gave it some seriousness. C.C. - nice picture of a lateral MORAINE. Long Island is considered to be a terminal MORAINE.
Most of the other commentable points have already been commented on.
Hello, all. I missed the party today because our family made tamales. It's our annual event just before Christmas. We finished earlier than usual because we had plenty of help and of course that speeds things along the assembly line with plenty of extra hands for clean up etc.
ReplyDeleteLoved this puzzle by John Lampkin which I solved during some down time. Now I'll read what you all had to say about it.
I hope your Sunday was great!
Tin, I'll bring my guitar to Tampa and we'll sing together - hootenanny?
ReplyDeleteThe movie was The Shootist and was made just before the Duke did die of cancer like his character John Books. The barber swept up Mr. Books' HAIR and then shrugged his shoulders as if to say "What the hell?" and swept all the hair in the shop and sold it as Books' hair.
Your leftovers were better than the ones I ate yesterday John. Thanks for the puzzle and the bonus round!
Lucina, I would just love to get my hands on one of your tamales - I bet they are awesome!! I just made chicken enchiladas for the first time a couple weeks ago, and they were delicious. But for those new to the Corner, here is the tamale recipe you so kindly shared with us a couple years ago:
ReplyDeleteHerewith I present the Lopez Family Tamale Recipe (New Mexico style)
20 Lbs ground nixtamal (fresh masa)
2-3 Lbs John Morrell lard
1 cup salt (Mom said it must be Morton's)
4 Lbs. beef (flank, brisket or any cut)
4 Lbs. pork roast
1 Lb. New Mexico red chile pods (frozen red chile can be used if it is available)
3 Lbs. corn husks (very clean)
2 Lge cloves garlic and garlic poweder for added flavor
1 Lge yellow onion
2 cups flour
1 cup olive oil
1 box of butcher parchment paper
Day 1: Trim any fat from the meat and boil it with onions and salt to the point of shredding. A meat mallet will finish the job nicely.
Save the broth for the masa.
Split the red chile pods and clean the seeds off, remove the stems. Fill a large pan with water and add the chile pods and garlic; bring to a boil. Blend it or use the food processor until it is finely pureed.
In a large roaster/pan pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add 1/2 cup finely minced onions and 2 TBSP garlic; saute them until translucent. Slowly add 1/2 c flour, stir to keep from lumping. When this forms a gravy-like substance, add the shredded meat then the pureed red chile. Add salt to taste. Cool to room temp.
Refrigerate all overnight.
Day 2: Buy the masa freshly ground that day.
Soak the corn husks in warm water until they are soft and pliable. They must be totally free of cornsilk. When ready to use them, dab them dry with a soft towel.
Place the masa in a heavy duty mixer or lacking that, knead it with 1 Lb of lard and 1/2 C salt.
Slowly add a little broth, meanwhile kneading or mixing until the masa is fluffy. It is done when a small ball of masa floats in a glass of water. Continue mixing the masa and lard until it is all used, a little at a time, enough to fill the mixing bowl.
Have the cornhusks ready and spread one heaping serving spoon of masa mix onto the center of the husk and spread it evenly from the widest end toward the pointed end.
Next, place a heaping spoon of red chile on the widest part of the husk, then wrap the husk like a burrito, side over side, then bottom.
Wrap each tamal in a sheet of butcher parchment and bag one dozen at a time in ziplock baggies.
Tamales can be frozen for cooking later. To cook them, place as many as desired in a steamer and cook for one hour.
This is a labor intensive process and we form an assembly line so that many people are involved in the final process. It can be done by one person; my Mother used to make 150 dozen by herself during the holidays, but we gradually came together to help her and continue the tradition.
I thank my brother, Art, who quantified Mom's informal measurements into a usable form.
If you are so inclined, make them and enjoy them. They are delicious. We also make green chile and cheese tamales.
What exactly is Masa? I'm guessing it is some kind of corn meal, but does it come with other ingredients? "Make it fluffy" sounds like it has some kind of leavening ingredient.
ReplyDeleteA relative used to get authentic tamales when I lived in Texas many long years ago. They were terrific.
As I sometimes do, I was wandering around on YouTube when I came across these exceptional interpretations of two beautiful songs.
ReplyDeleteVincent with Chet Atkins.
Lara's Theme for C.C.
All is right in this world when
ReplyDeleteBill G. Still lives after that last fiasco of his!
PK
ReplyDeleteYes, masa is cornmeal that requires intense kneading to reach a good consistency. Only lard is added to help the process.
But for green corn tamales we also add blended corn into the masa for flavor.
Bill G @7:05 - To my sense of humor, a corny joke is one that is silly and simple but still makes me laugh.
ReplyDeleteHeartRx and Lucina @ 7:55 - Just reading the recipe made me tired. Sounds delicious, though.
Irish Miss:
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why we require a large group of people. Making tamales is labor intensive. We made 50 dozen today.
Marti
I forgot to thank you for posting the recipe and would gladly share some with you if EVER you were in the neighborhood.
Thanks for the recipe. Anyone want to come help me make tamales? I loved this puzzle but didn't start it till after my partner got home from work. Neither one of us knew MORAINE so that one went in my crossword notepad. I seem to recall HG had a list like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. for the enjoyable writeup of John's puzzle. I am thinking of getting a rescue dog. My younger lab, who is 10 yrs. old is missing her mother. Maybe a small mixed breed dog that tolerates cats. Thought maybe I might foster one and see how we all aclimate to one another. Haven't discussed with my mate yet. Sweet dreams all!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteHaving become a TYPE B after retirement, I did not work this puzzle until 36 minutes ago. Predicted that I could tough it out w/o cheats and would enjoy the experience! Indeed, that happened.
Thank you so much John Lampkin and CC!
Worked this both ways as usual and hence avoided some of the pitfalls mentioned above. Hand up for KeBaB, however.
I had a Persistence of Memory watch until someone stole it. It was my favorite.
Cheers!
D-Otto,
ReplyDeleteI cheated yesterday morning and got PATENS from my dog-eared Webster's Crossword dictionary. Boomer reads my posts. I was hinting at a new dictionary. Hence, Dave's "Dear Santa" picture. Smiled at Dennis' Paten/Platen connection.
Bill G,
Thanks for the beautiful "Lara's Theme" link. The "Vincent" one is nice too. MSNBC is an old friend. I used to watch "Hardball" every day.
Clue 112 across for today's crossword is WRONG. A tortilla in Cuba is not made of flour. That is a Mexican word. Cuban tortillas are omelets. If you are going to use a foreign work, please make sure that it is correct. We do make bread with flour!
ReplyDelete