google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, January 14, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

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Jan 14, 2013

Monday, January 14, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

 Theme: Oh Oh, It's W's This Time - The duo's last puzzle was two words that started with "O". This time it is three words that start with "W".

20A. "Just lookee here" : "WELL, WELL, WELL"

33A. "But it was working when I left!" : "WHAT WENT WRONG?"

40A. 2000 Mel Gibson film : "WHAT WOMEN WANT"

55. Information superhighway whose abbreviation inspired this puzzle's theme : WORLD WIDE WEB

Argyle here. Maybe this is a start of a wonderfully wacky week. Fifty blocks for the theme on a Monday.

Across:

1. Indian spiced tea : CHAI

5. Certain PC laptops : IBM's

9. Attack baked-on grease, say : SCRUB

14. Posterior : HIND

15. Ding-a-ling : KOOK

16. On the __: no charge : HOUSE

17. Hence : ERGO

18. World's longest river : NILE

19. "Shucks!" : "AW, GEE!"

23. Plank in a playground : SEESAW

24. "Exodus" actor Mineo : SAL

25. "__ you listening to me?" : ARE

28. Genie's offering : WISH

31. Blubbered : SOBBED

36. German eight : ACHT

38. "As I see it," in email : IMO. (in my opinion)

39. Like a pretentious museumgoer : ARTY

45. Transparent : LIMPID. "Those cool and LIMPID green eyes".


46. Clutter-free : NEAT

47. __-cone: shaved ice dessert : SNO

48. Christmas cupful : NOG. Hmm, an eggnog sno-cone.

50. 1980 Olivia Newton-John/ELO hit : XANADU. Ever watch the movie? IMDb

58. Comic Smirnoff : YAKOV. "What a country" Where is he now? He has been in Branson, MO. Site.

61. Lake bordering Ohio : ERIE

62. "__Cop": 1987 film : ROBO. Two sequels and a TV series, none as good as the original, imo.

63. Trim whiskers : SHAVE

64. Gullible types : SAPS

65. Gumbo veggie : OKRA. Pickled or deep fried?

66. Down the road : LATER

67. Manuscript editor's "Leave it in" : STET

68. You may be ushered to one : SEAT

Down:

1. Works on a licorice stick : CHEWS

2. New staffer : HIREE

3. Protractor measure : ANGLE

4. Fan favorites : IDOLS

5. "Told you so!" : "I KNEW IT!"

6. Swelter : BOIL

7. Gangland gal : MOLL

8. Depicts unfairly, as data : SKEWS

9. Like kiddie pools : SHALLOW. [NO DIVING]

10. Monk's hood : COWL. Cowlies?

11. Piece on one's head : RUG. Good one.

12. Take advantage of : USE

13. Blossom buzzer : BEE. Alliteration extended to the answer.

21. Electric guitar effect : WA-WA. Guide to Guitar - The Wawa pedal.

22. Oregon-to-New York direction : EAST

25. End abruptly : ABORT

26. Lessor's charge : RENT. "Dollars for quarters" - that was a good one.

27. On pins and needles : EDGY

29. Enjoy a dip : SWIM

30. Studly dudes : HE-MEN

32. Stuff in a muffin : BRAN

33. Hula Hoop manufacturer : WHAMO. And so much more.

34. Start of a 55-Across address : HTTP. (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

35. Sold-out amount : NONE. I got caught thinking how much was sold instead of how much was left.

36. Hole-making tools : AWLs. (Leather working)

37. Goatee's location : CHIN. A pointed tuftlike beard on the chin, so called from its resemblance to a male goat's chin hairs.

41. Persuade : WIN OVER

42. Sign of spoilage : ODOR

43. Most shiny, as a car : WAXIEST

44. Ever so slightly : A TAD

49. Sharon of "Cagney & Lacey" : GLESS. Let's see if I can get it right this time. Sharon Gless was Cagney and Tyne Daly was Lacey.


51. Pianist Peter and a fiddling emperor : NEROs. But they never played a duet.

52. Came to : AWOKE

53. Messing of "Will & Grace" : DEBRA. The show was just as much "Jack and Karen".


54. WWII attacker : U-BOAT. The U-boat was underwater and the E-boat was on the water. Both carried torpedos.

55. Used a loom : WOVE

56. "Phooey!" : "DRAT!"

57. Use a rag on : WIPE

58. Pricey handbag letters : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)

59. "Bingo!" : "A-HA!"

60. Kit __: candy bar : KAT. For breakfast?


Argyle



Notes from C.C.

1) Happy one year blog anniversary to dear Irish Miss (Agnes), a mysterious lady with 12 rings. Argyle met with Irish Miss twice and said she's just as kind and charming as she is on the blog. In fact, they're going to meet again this morning for coffee.



2) Happy Birthday to our beautiful JD, who has been with the blog since 2008. It's so much fun watching her family grow.

Here is a photo of JD's family in April 2008 when her daughter Shelby got married. Truman was just a tiny baby.


Here is a photo taken in 2012 when their family went to San Diego to celebrate JD's birthday.

Also great news: Cameron will be a big brother in July. Congratulations again, JD!



71 comments:

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Smooth sailing through this nicely crafted puzzle. Paused a bit at the Nile - knew it was a long river, but didn't know it was a competitor for the World's Longest title.

Morning Argyle, thanks for Debra Messing! I think she's just lovely. Enjoy your coffee.

Gail has been constructor two days in a row. I wonder whether that happens much.

Cheers All!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all (and happy birthday, JD)!

Paused briefly today at HIND (had REAR at first), but everything else was smooth today. Made tons of typos due to it being Monday morning, but can't blame the puzzle for that...

I recently looked up the origin of LIMPID and was surprised it derives from lymph fluid (produced by the lymph gland), which is supposedly a clear fluid. Not quite as romantic as I had imagined.

Anonymous said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Happy birthday, JD, and happy anniversary Irish Miss!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.

I sped through this one and didn't see a lot of the answers until I read your write-up, Argyle. I loved your "wonderfully wacky week" comment - touché!!

Did it bother anyone else to see the repeated WHAT in two theme entries? I think I would have tried to come up with a different phrase, like WILD WILD WEST, instead.

Other than that, I really enjoyed it. Some nice scrabbly fill like XANADU and YAKOV, along with WHAMO and WA WA kept it lively. That's not easy to get with a Monday puzzle!

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....the Anon @ 6:03 was me. Not sure how that happened, since I had my google account selected!

HeartRx

Anonymous said...

Now my 6:03 post disappeared completely! I think I'll go back to bed and start over...

HeartRx

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

Marti,
I just released them all. Sorry for the trouble. Blogger has a tendency to trap anonymous posts lately.

Dudley said...

HBTY JD!

Kit Kats are among my most favoritest chocolate bars. I seem to recall they were made in England first, then started to show up here in the late 70's or so.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a fun puzzle to start off the work week.

My favorite clue was Piece on One's Head = RUG.

Sold Out Amount = NONE was clever, too.

The SEE SAW in today's puzzle was much easier to find than the one in Friday's puzzle.

I like KIT KATs, but I will pass on having one for breakfast.

Happy Birthday, JD! Hope you have a great day with your family and all your beautiful grandsons.

More heavy rain again today. My state is about to float off into the Gulf!

QOD: In honor of his 75th birthday, here is some Allen Toussaint (Jan. 14, 1938).

Lemonade714 said...

HBDTY JD and many more to one the Cornerstones of the Corner. Two days in a row of Gsil G. is a treat. Lots of fun words even with do many theme letters. Nice ti see HIND a word I have not seen in a while. Thank you for your words as well. Argyle

Middletown Bomber said...

A nice Monday speed run for me pretty remarkable after an unplugged weekend in the Boston area.

Knew that Elo and Olivia Newton John did a song named "Xanadu" did not realize that they did it together I also sort of recall Rush recording a song named "Xanadu"

I Liked Kit Kats interesting fact In the USA Kit Kat is made by Hersheys but Nestle in the rest of the world. My father in law prefers the Nestle version over the USA version though he won't turn either down.

desper-otto said...

Wow, what a breakfast treat -- Bran, Okra and Kit Kat! Nice job, GB and BV.

On the LIMPID/lymph topic, I learned just this morning from A-Word-A-Day that there is more lymph than blood in the human body. Who knew?

Marti, I think it's a Java thing. If the ability to run Javascript is turned off, you become an anon.

desper-otto said...

Does anybody else remember when Kit-Kats were made by Rowntree of York? I remember something about "chocolatier to the queen" in their promo material. Long time ago.

In honor of today's puzzle: Well, Well Well 3:05.

thehondohurricane said...

Good morning everyone,

Not much of a problem today for someone who's a wee bit spent from a long weekend. I did need to rely on perps to give me a foothold for the theme answers.

Got a laugh over 11D Piece on ones head/RUG. As much as I have never liked the thinning on the dome, I would have been a lot more uncomfortable with a hairpiece.

Gff to face the day with yopu know what dragging.

Happy birthday JD. Irish Miss, sorry I could not offered you congrats in person Saturday evening at a favorite eatery in Albany.

Yellowrocks said...

Interesting clues for a Monday.
HBTY, JD.
Argyle, nice blog. You certainly "hit the nail on the top," as the deleted ANON said. I always asked for the ESL and limiterd English speaking students to be in my class. I usually could understand their garbled English, but this ANON was impossible.

DO @ 7:13, maybe that is why Firefox always makes me an ANON.

Mari said...

Hondo @ 7:29 am: I laughed about the "rug" too.

Easy puzzle today, such that it is a Monday. I didn't know comic YAKOV, but the rest went well.

I read STUD in a Muffin at 32D which had me scratching my head for a bit. Especially since the one right before it was Studly Dudes: HEMEN.

Oh! STUFF in a Muffin - Duh!

Congratulations and Happy Birthdays all around. I hope everybody has a wonderful week. I've got a lot of big bosses in tomorrow and Wednesday, which means a lot of meetings and a much dreaded late night dinner with the big wigs tomorrow night. Argh!

kazie said...

Nice doable Monday. My only write-over was HUNKS to HEMEN. Caught the theme early too, and that made it fun as well as easier.

Happy Birthday, JD!

And Irish Miss one down and hopefully many more to come.

Have a great day everyone!

Unknown said...

Good morning! I was up earlier than usual, so I thought I 'd drop in to the corner.
Thanks, Argyle, good stuff today.
Happy Birthday, JD! Have a fun-filled one.
It is rainy and gloomy outside here after a warm weekend. It was a good day to do the fun puzzle.

TTP said...

Sunday's Chicago Tribune Puzzle Island had a Bruce Venzke on one page and Gail on the other. They are together again. Counting the two yesterday, and this one today, I now have 3 in a row that I could not ace. Shucks !

Had Scour instead of SCRUB. Just filled in SCoUr, HOUSE and AWGEE when doing the crosses, and never checked 11 or 13 down. D'oh !

"WELL, WELL, WELL, must be nice cheering on team USA from the SHALLOW end." Adorable AT&T commercial that you wouldn't normally have seen unless you are in an area where they market U-Verse.

Isn't EDGY one of those words that sounds like it should have more letters ?

Argyle, 35D, yes, me too.

Time to go trim my whiskers and get ready for work.

Happy anniversary Irish Miss, and Happy Birthday JD. !

TTP said...

Mari, are you thinking about STUDMUFFINS in relation to the big wigs coming in today ?

Marti, if you altered your browser settings in response to Homeland Security's recommendation to disable Java, double check to make sure you didn't disable JavaScript (if you have a Java Script Add on.)

ie, turn off Java, not Java Script.

Javascript is needed on many webpages so they function correctly. This blogger page uses javascript for instance, as in when you press the "Publish Your Comment" button. Adobe uses javascript. In and of itself, it's not a "bad" thing.

The Java that needs to be disabled is the 'run time environment' on your PC or MAC. Some browser add-ons require JRE. So if you loaded any special add-ons, you may have loaded Java JRE. Some other tools found or offered on the web require client-side JRE. For instance, I believe the online web conferencing tool "Go To Meeting" requires JRE on the PC or MAC...

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Wonderful Write-up to start the Week.

Gail & Bruce: Thank you for a FUN Monday offering.

JD, Happy Birthday
Irish Miss, Happy Anniversary.

Can't wait until "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" so I can have some Pinch, NEAT !
Maybe I should ask my favorite bartender: "I'll have a Pinch, Clutter-free."

Cheers !

Lucina said...

Good morning!
Happy birthday, JD! I hope your will celebrate in a special way.

Congratulations, Irish Miss!

What a great way to start a puzzle with two things I love, CHAI tea and licorice! Thanks, Gail and Bruce.

Sashayed easily through this Well Wrought Web of a puzzle and really liked piece on one's head, RUG.

Did anyone else see Mel Gibson at the Golden Globes? He looked drugged and out of it.

So, Downton Abbey will be saved! But we knew it had to be, didn't we? Poor Edith. What will become of her?

Enjoy your Monday, everyone!

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

What a delightful way to start the week: a fun, easy offering from Gail and Bruce, a lovely shout out with such kind words from CC, the best wishes from my fellow bloggers, and coffee with Argyle who gave us a nice expo. (I don't drink coffee but had I met up with Hondo at that favorite Albany restaurant Saturday night, I would have had a Dewar's or two!)

Happy Birthday, JD, and best wishes for many more. It doesn't seem possible that I have been a part of this blog for a year. I can't tell you how much I have learned and how much I have enjoyed being a member of this special "family.".

Have a great Monday.

CrossEyedDave said...

Good morning puzzlers, i have been lurking of late.

I enjoyed todays puzzle, & look forward to Argyles hint of a possible wonderfully wacky week!

Todays puzzle was simple Monday fare, nothing to write on the Web about...
(wait a sec, isn't that what i am doing now?) Hmmm, maybe Gail & Bruce are more devious than i thought!

Well, i'm off, must find HBDY & Anniversary pics for Irish Miss & JD!

:)

HeartRx said...

d-otto and TTP, I did have Javascript enabled, but turned off Java because of the problems they are having with it. So I’ll see if this post makes it through the WORLD WIDE WEB…

HeartRx

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. thank you, Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke, for a swell Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.

Gail yesterday and Gail and Bruce today. I enjoy their puzzles.

Happy Birthday, JD. Many more.

Happy puzzle anniversary, Irish Miss. Enjoy your participation.

1A CHAI was easy, once I checked a couple Downs, just to make sure. That is what I do. Be extra careful. By the way, CHAI is the word for any tea in the country of Iran, and probably Afghanistan. The two countries are similar, language, etc.

NILE was easy for 18A. Have had that before in crosswords.

Took me a while to get the theme. WORLD WIDE WEB was first. WELL WELL WELL was next. then I had it. Never heard of the movie for 40A.

I think I ate one KIT KAT in my life. Was not impressed. I am not a big candy person, except for Snickers.

OKRA was easy for 65A. I believe we had that yesterday. I see Argyle repeated the clue from yesterday.

I believe Sharon GLESS is on that show called Burn Notice. That is a pretty good show. Am I correct? I do not see it very often.

My hometown lake again, ERIE. Glad to see it.

My little town in PA, Johnsonburg, had its bank robbed last week. Armed robber. Got away. Probably the first time ever for that town.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Dudley said...

D-Otto 7:24 - yes. As I recall the English Kit Kats made by Rowntree were the first ones available in the States. The Hershey licensed versions showed up soon after. For the short time that both were in stores, I zeroed in on the Rowntree ones, because they taste better. They used to have a paper sleeve over the foil that wrapped horizontally, while the Hershey version wrapped vertically. Easy to spot.

Lucina - I feel sorry for poor Edith. What a shock! I wonder whether or not it's better this way.

Anonymous said...

Ding-a-ling?? Well Well Well
Hemen What Women Want
Turns out to be World Wide Web Drat!!

Husker Gary said...

Musings

-I had linked to PPM’s WELL WELL WELL too but Otto beat me to it. It’s a personal fav!
-NFL games left Seattle and Denver asking, “WHAT WENT WRONG?” in the last minutes
-Genie wish for me – Knowing what I know now and being 21
-Is a SNO Cone really different from an ICEE - that we recently learned was invented in Kansas?
-Retired people and performers wind up in Branson. Very entertaining shows.
-Modern male IDOLS don’t SHAVE and women seem to like the look
-Olive Oyl wanted a Clean SHAVEN Man
-Elise’s SEAT at the Justin Bieber concert cost $149 on Stub Hub and now they’re $300. NONE were available at face value after 10 minutes.
-My math kids sometimes asked for a compass when they meant protractor
-Didn’t we just have HOKES for SKEWS?
-I regret that I never did learn how to SWIM. How much for lessons, Ferm?
-Sensual HULA HOOPING
-A colleague’s RUG was a running joke for years at school but I never saw him sans toupee. Gray eyebrows and black hair look ridiculous now.
-Congrats and HBD, JD. I have learned a lot from you on and off the blog!
-Happy Anny Irish!

Sfingi said...

By Licorice Stick, I thought they were suggesting a clarinet. Otherwise, smooth.

Anonymous said...

He Dudly, when i visited grandma in liverpool england in 1968 when I was 8 she gave me six pence. I put it in a kit kat machine. First time tasting it. When i got home in fall we didnt have any here in US. Kinda forgot about it. Then in my teens i think they began to appear, i think. Could have been longer.

Anonymous said...

Easy puzzle, but not without write-overs. CHIA not CHAI; SCOUR rather than SCRUB; REAR before HIND; and ITS NOT MY FAULT was my first theme answer, not WHAT WENT WRONG.

Anony Mouse said...

Thank you Gail and Bruce for a nice, easy and wonderful puzzle. Really, really enjoyed it. I opened up my laptop today, just as I started solving the puzzle and immediately got to the blog main page, and saw the first answer .... what a spoiler ! I turned aside, and solved the rest of the puzzle, without any help, thank you.

Thank you Argyle - what a great commentary. I have, by now, read at least a 100 of your blogs, and I feel I know you fairly well. I, for one, would have been delighted to pay, generously, for the privilege of having breakfast with you.

HBTY to JD and Irish Miss.

We've been scrambling around, trying to get a 'match' for our daughter, 30, in NY City. The problem is, the suitors are way too over-qualified - a Math Prof. at MIT, and then, a scion of a dot.com venture capitalist in the Bay area, and so on. I would just like a middle-class, ordinary guy, in NYC, with a decent head on his shoulders. It would have been even more preferable, if my honey just circulated a lil bit more and got her own husband.

Have a good week, you guys, and best wishes.

Anonymous said...

Decent Monday puzzle.

"Electric guitar effect : WA-WA"

Hmm.


"Most shiny, as a car : WAXIEST"

Hmm.


"Certain PC laptops : IBM's"

IBM hasn't made PCs since 2005 when it sold its PC division to Lenovo, a Chinese company.


"Did anyone else see Mel Gibson at the Golden Globes? He looked drugged and out of it."

QOD: When you point a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.

Anonymous said...

How about a heads up on Downton spoilers for those of us who DVR it and then watch during the week? I now know two things I wish I could have learned by watching this afternoon. Did you tell you people that Bob Newhart's life at the Vermont Inn was just a dream before they watched it in the VCR era?

River Doc said...

Abejo @9:33, yes that is Sharon Gless playing Michael Weston's mother in Burn Notice.

Vairnut said...

Easy romp today. Hand up for SCrUb instead of SCOUR. Enjoyable theme too. Learning moment was LIMPID- Ive heard of it, never knew what it meant. XANADU was one of my favorite Olivia Newton-John songs. Alas, back to work today.

Misty said...

Well, I rarely have trouble with a Monday puzzle, and love Gail and Bruce's when I've encountered them, but this one was a bit tough for me. The problem in the NW was that I had GNAWS instead of CHEWS for the longest time. And although I got the reveal and understood the theme, I had never heard of the Mel Gibson film and so put in WHOM WOMEN WANT. I guess that's what I get for being a grammar pedant! Of course, I should have gotten HTTP, since it's right there in front of me. You can tell that I pay a lot more attention to the content than to the form of my computer.Oh yes, and I also had HUNKS instead of HEMEN--trying to be hip rather than old-fashioned, I suppose. But having said all that, I still had a lot of fun, so thanks, Gail and Bruce. And Argyle, I loved the pic of CAGNEY AND LACEY!

LIMPID transparent? Who knew?

Marti, I read Anon 6:03 and thought, my, my, Anonymous has sure gotten much sweeter and friendlier! Should have known it was you!

I would love to vent about Edith, but will wait until everybody's hopefully have a chance to see Downton.

Finally, happy birthday JD--beautiful family. And gorgeous rings, Irish Miss! Where are the other four?

Have a great Monday, everybody!

CrossEyedDave said...

HBD JD

Happy Anniversary Irish Miss!

Yes, it is hard to find the right thing, but being Australian, this kind of struck a chord with me.

(P.S. my mothers maiden name is Leary!)

Lucina said...

Oh, my, I'm sorry to be the spoiler and I just hate it when others do it! I shall say no more about Downton Abbey and though you think you know, you really don't because it will still be a surprise maybe even a shock.

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

Thanks for all the nice thoughts today. We DID have our silly hat party last night where we tried to watch the Golden Globes while 3 little superheroes ran around swinging light sabers.
DH took me out for apricot French toast this morning.

Happy 1 year ann.,Irish Miss!

Wonderful Monday Puzzle. Changed scour to scrub, and teeter to seesaw(really JD??). And,I REALLY wondered just what hemen was.LOL! Thanks Argyle.Liked the Will/Grace clip too.

KitKat was the #1 candy bar years ago when we were in the UK. Quite a history.See Wiki.
"Use of the name "Kit Kat" or "Kit Cat" for a type of food goes back to the 18th Century, when mutton pies known as a Kit-Kat were served at meetings of the political Kit-Cat Club in London."

Lucina and Dudley, I do hope the script writers have something better for poor Edith THIS season. I did not miss seeing Shirley. Will she be returning?

Irish Miss said...

Misty @11:19 - Actually, I am wearing only 11 rings, with 4 on my left hand ring finger. (I'm glad you like them.)

CED @ 11:26 - Thanks for the video. I'm not sure which accent is harder to understand, Irish or Aussie.

thehondohurricane said...

Irish Miss,

A dewars or two ..... you would not feel out of place at our table.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone.
I can't believe all of you who are up and about in the middle of the night. I awake about 8:30 or nine, then read the Naples News, then DH makes a great breakfast, and then I get to the puzzle.
Had a couple of snags today: couldn't remember IB_S and spelled it Zanadu, which made WAzIEST, and that didn't make much sense. So I came here.

Cheers

Good write up, Argyle, as always. Thank you for all you do on this corner.

Happy Birthday,JD and good year to Irish Mist. I am sorry about your father, Splynter. Best thoughts are with you and your family.

It's another beautiful day in Naples. And I am having a great retirement.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

HBD, JD!

Fun puzzle - nice start to the week. Slow walk for me, I did it while eating lunch and am not a great multi-tasker.

For my money, WHAT WENT WRONG? apples to all the playoff games the weekend.

Dark chocolate Kit KATs are the best.

Tin man - I like your idea of a clutter-free drink.

Happy Monday, everyone.

Cool regards,
JzB

CanadianEh! said...

Nice Monday puzzle. I'm doing them online now since our local paper decided not to print the LA Times Crossword anymore. Dislike!!!
Hand up for scrub.
We're not far from Lake Erie.
Son will be living on the Nile soon for a year.

desper-otto said...

CanadianEh, what's that line from True Lies? Denial -- it's not just a river in Egypt anymore.

Happy Birthday, JD. Happy First Corner Anniversary, Irish Miss.

For those of you who care (I don't), Oracle promises a patch to fix the Java problem tomorrow.

PK said...

Hi Y'all, Well we're having a Gail-a week! Thanks to her and Bruce for a weally wonderful workout. Whew!

Thanks, Argyle for the expo and music links. Lots of good links today for our Gail-a. Very festive!

HBDTY JD!

No problems at all today with the puzzle--for once.

DO: Is having more lymph in the body than blood why I feel so limp all the time? I needs me some bloody energy, I does. That's WHAT this WOMaN WANTS!

PK said...

Late last night there was talk about the movie "Unforgiven". I had an unforgettable experience at that movie. I was alone in a strange town and decided to go to the movie I'd heard so much about on the radio driving there.

I got a SEAT on the aisle, back row. Seated next to me: an unkempt stubble-faced man about 50 with a much younger pleasingly-plump woman. I thought they were father-daughter until they went into passionate lip-lock half-way through the film.

I was embarrassed when he did the "digital mammogram" but ignored them. When his hand went to work under her skirt, I was so distracted I couldn't concentrate on the movie. When she gave a moan and unzipped his pants, I FLED! That was it! No more! I went out of there like a scalded dog.

Laughed all the way back to my motel. Didn't care how the movie came out.

chefwen said...

I've had the song "Magic" as an ear worm for the last two days, even woke up today humming it, and it pops up today in the musical XANADU. Weird!

Got the W thing with well, well, well, the rest was pretty much auto fill.

Another good one Gail G. and Bruce V.
Thanks

Irish Miss said...

The mystery of the 14 + gallon fill-up into a 13.2 gallon capacity gas tank, yet only a half-full reading gas gauge, has been solved. The 14 I saw was not gallons, but dollars. DOH!

Avg Joe said...

An enjoyable solve today. A bit crunchy for a Monday, but in the end no major stumbling blocks. Got the Dub-dub-dub theme with Well, Well, Well and wondered if that was the trick. Turned out it was.

I've no idea how many of you get the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine", but it was solemn and poignant today instead of the usual silliness. Worth seeing.

Pearls

lois said...

Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., A perfect Mon puzzle. Very cute and excellent write up, Santa Baby. You are outstanding!

Loved WHAT WOMEN WANT below ACHT and crossing HEMEN! Like that ANGLE a lot! 8 HEMEN! As long as at least one of 'em CHEWS the fat pretty well, there SNO SHALLOW minded KOOK, the RUG matches the carpet, and they can afford more than the just the RENT, WELL WELL WELL, ka-ching, WHAMO, woop woop, we got us a pARTY in honor of JD and Irish Miss. We'll keep all ACHT & WISH JD with her beautiful family a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and Irish Miss with the beautiful rings a HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Gotta get my HIND parts movin'. Don't wanna be tardy to the pARTY. Cheers!Gonna bring down the HOUSE.

Hahtoolah: thank you for the jazz link. I loved, loved, loved it! OMG that is a great sound! Allen Toussaint! Wow! I'm a fan! And he's already 75! HBD him too. I've been under a rock...or somethin'. Thank you.

Enjoy your night. WOOP WOOP!!!!


Lucina said...

Irish Miss:
Don't feel bad; I've had some royal blunders lately. I'm sorry to say it's all part of the aging process regardless of the age. It's a progression.

BTW, did anyone notice Michelle Dockery (aka Lady Mary) at the Golden Globes? She is even more gorgeous as her own self!

Marge said...

Hi all,
I enjoyed the puzzle today.

Happy Birthday JD and blog anniversry Irish Miss!

I hope you all have a good week!

Marge

lois said...

AvgJoe: that is sooo desperately sad and thoughtful. Thanks for sharing.

PK: hilarious Unforgiven story! Maybe they were forgiving each other...she gives for him, he gives for her. Geesh!

Misty said...

Avg Joe, I too was startled and very moved by the sweet tribute to the tragically lost children on "Pearls before Swine" this morning. We forget about tragedies so quickly, sometimes, I think Pastis wants to make sure we don't forget this one and remember the victims as cherished individuals.

Jazzbumpa said...

Speaking of ear worms - I flipped around channels during a commercial break in the Packers game, which was going down hill fast, and found Moneyball playing. This is a great movie, and the girl who plays Billy Beane's daughter is an amazing little actress. She sings this song to him, and I tracked down the original.

It's cute, bubbly, and a terrific pop song.

Cheers!
JzB

Qli said...

Hi everyone,

Nice puzzle today. Leave it to Argyle to come up with "wonderful wacky week"!

Yes, Lucina, I did see Michelle Dockery at the Globes, and I agree! Prettier with modern hair. Haven't watched any Downton yet this season; I'm saving up for when I have time to savor it. Weren't there some fabulous dresses on the red carpet?

Good to see the pictures at the bottom of the blog. It's fun to be able to put a face to a name.

Hand up for HUNK instead of HEMAN. Had to use perps for NONE. My Mom lloved CHAI. I still buy it every once in a while for old times' sake.

Dennis said...

Happy Birthday to one of our great long-time members, JD -- outstanding pictures as well. And congratulations, Irish Miss, for lasting a year with this motley crew. Your tolerance of us is to be admired.

PK, I'm so sorry about the movie theater incident -- I was doing some on-the-job training, and things got out of hand. Well, not exactly 'out of hand', but you get my point. Won't happen again -- I've gone back to the old popcorn box trick.

Hahtoolah said...

Lois: I am glad you liked the Allen Toussaint. I am fortunate to live in close proximity to him, so when he plays at various places around, I can go here him.

LaLaLinda said...

Hi All ~~

Didn't get to the puzzle until just a bit ago ~ lots of fun. Great write-up, Argyle ~ I, too, enjoyed your "wonderfully wacky week" - so clever!

Transparent / LIMPID - huh ~ had no idea - hope I'll remember it!

Happy Corner Anniversary, Irish Miss ~

Happy Birthday wishes to you, JD. I hope you've enjoyed your special day!

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, First a Very Happy Birthday to my coffee buddy, JD. May you have many, many more.

Other than putting in Mold for Odor denoting Sign of Spoilage, and a Z for an X in Xanadu, I had a great time filling in as fast as I could go. Those two errors came to light with the perps, so my pencil eraser had a bit of a workout today.

Happy Anniversary to Irish Miss. I love the rings.

Also, Sallie, I'm glad someone else is on the leisurly track for the mornings. Getting up at 5:30 for so many years while teaching makes me appreciate the fact that I can sleep in until 8:00, have a nice slow breakfast while solving the CW. That's what retirement is all about!!

Lucina, I knew there was something else we had in common: The love of licorice. LOL!

Have a great rest of the day, everyone.

JD said...

CED,loved the cupcakes.Thanks!! No birthday is complete without cake(and in our family, a hat).

PK, had a great laugh over your story.That one would be hard to top. Well, maybe Dennis could.

Bumpa, enjoyed that happy little ditty by Lenka. Did she write it?

Lois, you always make me snicker.I sure hope your "kids" appreciate you...if not now, when they realize what a great person they had for a teacher.

downtonabbey said...

HBTY JD. Enjoy it!

This puzzle was easy except for the cross of 33D and 36A. But eventually WAGGED it. Thanks for blogging the puzzle today. Liked having the word ERGO in the mix.

Evening!

Lemonade714 said...

PK I am not sure the phrase, "came out" was your best choice for ending your story. In fact it seemed too many things were coming...out.
Next time sit in the front, it is safer. I think.

IM , happy one year. Five year CC anniversary coming up. I would hope every reader, old and new and every lurker would give C.C. props when that day arrives, soon.

Java Mama said...

Good evening, everyone. An easy-breezy Monday solve. Thanks Gail and Bruce for a fun puzzle. Liked Persuade = WIN OVER. Great expo, Argyle – noticed Sharon GLESS is wearing a COWL-neck sweater in that photo. Ties in nicely with the Will & Grace fashion quips video (Honey, we talked about that sweater …).

Happy Birthday, JD, and Happy Corner-versary to Irish Miss!

Did other Downton Abbey fans here feel like they were on an emotional SEESAW last night? Up and down, up and down, yeesh! Great fun. Glad we DVR it, because I sometimes get so distracted by the beautiful clothes that I miss part of the dialog and have to run it back.

Have a great week, all!

Blue Iris said...

Thanks Gail and Bruce for a doable Monday puzzle that had a few twist for me. Argyle, I enjoyed "Green Eyes" link. Hope it will help me remember LIMPID.

Scour, then back and finally HIND.
Mold before ODOR.
Learned that a MOLL is a gangland gal and a COWL is a monk's hood.

Hahtoolah, A. Toussaint link was a nice break. Couldn't help remind me of calling a student's former school, in Louisiana, all week to get vaccine records. When the phone was finally answered the secretary said, "Well, it's Mardi Gras," very indignantly.

Yakov Smirnoff had to change quite a bit of his act, in Branson, when the cold war ended.

Thanks D. Otto for P,P M link.One of my favorites.

Happy Birthday JD!

Irish Miss, I must have joined the blog shortly after you. Many, many, many learning moments since coming here.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Happy birthday, JD, warm wishes to you, and glad you've been with us a year now, Irish Miss.

A wonderful Gail Grabowski puzzle today, and thank you also to Bruce Venzke. It was a fun solve.

Been busily spending company money today, which is why I have joined the party so late.

Interesting comments, all of you. And thank you, Argyle, for showing us your wry wit.

Cowlie indeed. Funny :)

Irish Miss said...

Thank you for all of the kind words of camaraderie. The spirit of community is what makes this blog so special. Thank you, CC, and thanks to the daily bloggers who devote so much time and effort to explain, inform, and entertain us.

Manac said...

JzB and JD, The name Lenka brought back some very fond memories. Long ago our neighbor had an exchange student by that that name. She spent more time at our home than her host's. She would walk in after school, raid the fridge, and sit down to do her homework. Then would help my kids with theirs afterwards. She was always welcome anytime. She loved sports and really embarrassed the boys at soccer and tennis. No one could beat her.

PK said...

Dennis, honey, on your worst day you weren't as homely as that old dude. I bet your technique is a lot better too.