google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday Jan 27, 2013 Elizabeth C. Gorski

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Jan 27, 2013

Sunday Jan 27, 2013 Elizabeth C. Gorski

Theme: "That's a Wrap" - THATS bookend (wrap) each theme answer.

23A. Husky features : THICK COATS



38A. Disney film featuring Berlioz, Toulouse, Marie and their mom Duchess : THE ARISTOCATS

71A. Tom yum soup servers : THAI RESTAURANTS. I've yet to try Tom yum soup. Looks spicy.

 

102A. Packages from recent guests, perhaps : THANK YOU GIFTS

123A. The Chicago Bulls had two in the '90s : THREEE PEATS

14A. Trademark caps for Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake : TRUCKER HATS.


71A. Household regulators : THERMOSTATS. The only one-word entry.

LIZ (60A. First name in fashion) gave us a few nice variations: TH*ATS, THA*TS, T*HATS.

Sometimes I get theme of as soon as I see the puzzle title. Sometimes I get it after one or two theme entries appear. Often I get it half-way through solving.

Today I had to study all the theme entries afterwards to grok the gimmick. How about you?

Across:

1. Actress Birch : THORA. She's in "American Beauty".

6. Trattoria glassful : VINO

10. Many a GE product : APPL. GE stock is undervalued.

14. Ruse : TRAP

18. Have lunch at home : EAT IN

19. Pressing need? : IRON. We've seen this clue a few times.

20. Set of beliefs : CREED

22. Tear down, in Tottenham : RASE. Clue alliteration.

25. Line at a rodeo? : REATA

26. "QB VII" author : URIS (Leon)

27. "$40 a Day" chef Ray : RACHAEL. Like Marti, She's always bubbly. She coined EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

28. __ facto : IPSO

30. Librarian's reminder : SHH

31. Players : CAST

32. Grafton's "__ for Lawless" : L IS

34. Scottish tongue : ERSE

36. Supermodel Wek : ALEK. Hasn't been active the past few years. From Sudan.



44. Nontraditional performance genre : LIVE ART. Like what?

48. Carpet cleaning tool : RUG BEATER

49. Poses : SITS

51. Route to the lungs : AIRWAY

52. Swashbuckler Flynn : ERROL

53. Arise (from) : STEM

55. Codger : COOT

57. High-speed scene : CHASE. Still have not caught the little mouse. I just saw him in our computer room a few minutes ago. He's super fast & clever. He just ignored the 2 traps we have. Maybe we need more traps.

58. Bledel of "Gilmore Girls" : ALEXIS. She has the most beautiful eyes.


62. Fruity treats : PLUM TARTS


64. It ends in Nov. : DST

65. Ready for aromatherapy, say : STRESSED. You've got to watch this cat link Dave found last night. Big stress reliever.

69. Blood typing letters : ABO

70. Spot in front of the telly? : TEA. Clever clue.

74. "I'm not impressed" : MEH

76. "Was __ blame?" : I TO

77. Big Island volcano : MAUNA LOA. Literally, "long mountain".

78. Like a bunch-spoiling apple : BAD

81. Numskull : LAME BRAIN

84. NBC weekend staple : SNL

85. Old Athens enemy : SPARTA. I really like "300".

87. Astrologer to the rich and famous : OMARR (Sydney). Learned from constructing puzzles.

88. One who's not striking : SCAB. 1989 (Tiananmen Square protest) is a very confusing year for me. I don't remember we had any worker/student protest in China before.

90. It has its highs and lows : TIDE

93. Not as warm : ICIER

94. C.P.E. Bach's birthplace : WEIMAR. And 6D. Soloists in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 : VIOLISTS. Gimme for Jayce/Pas de Chat. Liz Gorski is a musician.

96. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM

98. Court plea : NO CONTEST

100. 2011 World Series champs : ST. LOUIS. Then Pujols left for the Angels during the off season. Money talks. Baseball listens.

104. Symbol of purity : SNOW

105. Time past : YORE

106. Sailor's direction : AFT

107. Clump : TUFT

110. Bread in a jar? : TIP. Look!


112. Gp. with forces : NATO

114. Lasagna cheese : RICOTTA

120. Madonna's "La __ Bonita" : ISLA

121. Call forth : EVOKE

125. Future doc's exam : MCAT

126. Lats' neighbors : DELTS


127. It's south of Vesuvius : ETNA. Volcano.

128. Like ballerinas, at times : ON TOE

129. Cake mix additions : EGGS

130. Late for a party, maybe : LOST

131. Berth place : DOCK.  Sweet clue.

132. Some aromatic cakes : SOAPS. Did you sense the "cake" trick immediately?

Down:

1. Four: Pref. : TETR. Or Tetra.

2. "Yuk yuk" : HA HA. Har Har for Splynter/Linda.

3. Of the ear : OTIC

4. Like chocolate truffle cake : RICH. At least CCC calories, I think.



5. "Diana" singer : ANKA

7. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA

8. Words of denial : NOT I

9. How freelancers may work : ON SPEC

10. Puzzle book offering : ACROSTIC

11. Teen leader? : PRE. Preteen.

12. Pod veggies : PEAS

13. "__ Weapon" : LETHAL

15. __ avis : RARA

16. Yard sale caveat : AS IS. I love neighborhood garage/yard sales.

17. Recurring pain? : PEST

21. Mexico's national flower : DAHLIA

24. "Drink to me only with thine eyes" dedicatee : CELIA. Never heard of this song.

29. Span. ladies : SRAs

33. Editor's "leave it" : STET

35. Legally bar : ESTOP

37. Kick out : EVICT

38. Gripping pattern : TREAD

39. Throws : HURLS

40. Everglades bird : EGRET

41. "... like __ of chocolates" : A BOX. "Forrest Gump".

42. Dog topper : RELISH. Do you put ketchup on your hotdog? Boomer does. He also over-cooks livers. He said livers have to be cooked thoroughly. 

43. Bully's words : OR ELSE
 
45. Mindful : AWARE

46. Dreaded Jamaican? : RASTA. Nailed it. Bob Marley visited a friend's Chinese herb shop ages ago.

47. Nautical ropes : TYES. Can anyone provide a picture?

50. Toyota Camry model : SOLARA
 
54. Midler's "Divine" nickname : MISS M

56. Friend of Shylock : TUBAL. Don't recall this character.  

59. Way up : STAIR

61. Z's overseas : ZETAS. Greek.

63. Old hi-fis : MONOS

66. Coolidge and Hayworth : RITAs

67. Symphony that includes a funeral march : EROICA. The second movement is a funeral march.

68. Intimidate : DAUNT

72. Disconnect : UNLINK

73. Recording : TAPING

74. "The Cryptogram" playwright : MAMET (David). Never heard of "The Cryptogram".


75. Online message : EMAIL

78. Lawyer's document : BRIEF

79. "This is only __" : A TEST

80. Bar fliers : DARTS

81. Valleys : LOWS

82. Big name in coffee makers : BRAUN. Part of P&G now.

83. Smartly dressed : NATTY. Nothing natty. But this is the best jorts picture I've seen.



86. Theater opening : ACT I

89. "Don't play games with me" : BE HONEST. Nice long entry.

91. 1977 ELO hit : DO YA

92. Environmental extremist : ECO FREAK. So many go extreme on organic food too.

95. Reacted with outrage, as a mob : RIOTED

97. Rooney __, who played Salander in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" : MARA. Lots of talk about this movie in our blog when it's first released.

99. Navel type : OUTIE
 
101. Turn at the bar, perhaps : SWIVEL

103. Brought home : NETTED

107. Coach's call : TIME

108. "The Perfect Storm" rescue gp. : USCG (United States Coast Guard)

109. Penalty __ : FLAG. Thought of KICK first.

111. Game divided into chukkers : POLO. I googled "chukkers" before,, then I promptly forgot.

113. "__ Be in Love": Kate Bush song : OH TO. Here is the clip.

115. Naval noncoms : CPOs. Spitzboov was a Commander when he retired from the Navy Reserve.

116. Vintner's prefix : OENO. Oenophile.

117. "Later," in London : TA TA

118. Camaro roof option : T-TOP

119. Grieg's "__ Death" : ASE'S

122. Gold meas. : KTs (Karats)

124. GOP platform-promoting org. : RNC. They just elected a new Chairman on Friday. Same old one.

The Second Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on Feb 2, 2013. Click here for details. All the puzzles are made by locals or people with MN ties, including one by Don and me.

C.C.

71 comments:

  1. Good morning C.C. et al.

    Thank you so much for explaining the theme, C.C. I finished the puzzle in a speed run, and never thought to go back to look for it! Today I learned that a TYE is a rope used to raise or lower a yard, but darned if I could find a picture of one! I bet Spitz will show us later…

    Fun puzzle with some really nice entries. I never heard of the term ECO FREAK, but it fits some people I know. And I liked “Dog topper” for RELISH and “Dreaded Jamaican” for RASTA.

    Have a lovely day everyone!

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  2. Good Morning, C.C. and friends. This wasn't one of my favorite Sunday puzzles. I was tricked by the theme title. Seeing the word "wrap" made me think we were looking for an article of clothing. It didn't help that my first theme answer was THICK COATS. I recognized that most of the theme answers began with TH, which finally made me see the light.

    Much of Laurie Anderson's work is considered LIVE ART. I saw her in a 2-day concert years ago. It was fabulous.

    SOAP immediately popped into my head upon reading of the Aromatic Cake.

    Hurricane Season ends in November, but that wouldn't fit into the three spaces provided.

    Dreaded Jamaican = RASTA was my favorite clue.

    Jeane Dixon, Nancy Reagan's astrologer, was the only name I could think of. Unfortunately, her name fit into the spaces provided.

    QOD: No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business. ~ Mikhail Baryshnikov (Jan. 27, 1948)

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  3. Morning, all!

    Mostly a speed run for me this morning. Had no idea what the theme was until afterwords when I spent a few minutes trying to figure it out.

    Struggled a bit at the crossing of RACHAEL and CELIA. I thought they were both unknowns, because I assumed RAY was a first name. I have, of course, heard of Rachael Ray, although I didn't realize her first name included an A.

    TUBAL was the only other unknown today, if I remember correctly, but the perps were totally solid. I would have gotten it right off the bad had the clue mentioned ligation instead of Shylock...

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  4. In contrast to the sunrise temperature of 5°F here in the BMHV, this puzzle turned out to be a nice start to the day. The extreme NE corner filled first but then the top half proved resistant so it mostly was a bottom-to-top solution. Then it was another case of filled but no "TaDa!" so the search for "typos" began. Turns out I had MARY instead of MARE and NESTED instead of NETTED which gave me NYSO (?) instead of NATO (duh) which, fortunately, stood out like the sore thumb that it was. [23:41}

    Will tomorrow morning finally be our first morning above single digits? Will it finally make it above freezing today? Stay tuned. And stay warm.

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  5. Good morning, group!

    Theme? I was supposed to see a theme? Nope.

    Yes, I put ketchup on a hot dog. Mustard and onion too. But I don't relish relish.

    Thorax Birch also played Jack Ryan's (Harrison Ford's) daughter in Patriot Games.

    Good luck with that mouse, C.C.

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  6. Greetings!

    Nice, amusing puzzle and write-up, Elizabeth and CC!

    Forgot to look for theme. No cheats. Just lots of time.

    What the heck is a THREEPEAT? Some WAGS necessary.

    Stomach still acting up like mad. Have tried everything non-prescription, as those are not supposed to be good for you. (Gave up Nexium and have been in hell ever since, even after a few months.) Had been using Alka Seltzer not realizing that the ordinary version contains aspirin. Have switched to non-aspirin version recently.

    Could sure use some sleep!

    Have a wonderful day, all!

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  7. Good morning everyone,

    Considering this is my first attempt at a Sunday puzzle in a Month of Sundays, the stars must be aligned right today because I nailed it. The north was a speed run, the rest was a bit of a struggle, but I never felt like I was in serious trouble. The South gave me the most difficulty.

    I print the puzzle from the Chi Trib and it has never disclosed the theme, daily or Sunday.

    Lots of fun cluing by Elizabeth. Especially liked 70A Spot in front of the telly/TEA, 86D Theater opening/ACT I, & 110A bread in a jar/TIP.

    Biggest issues were Live act for 44A until I remembered RASTA and Outee for 99D until RICOTTA was sussed. Eraser was not in great demand today.

    Lovely, chilly day in CT today. Wishing there was an outside project I could tackle. Been warned to be on my best behavior tonight. Son's new lady friend must be really special. I'll do my best!

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  8. Hello Puzzlers -

    What Hahtoolah said. I was looking for outer garments in the theme answers.

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  9. Happy Sunday. and wees about cluing.

    Wrap, like start is one of the regular signals the word is effected by added letters.

    Thai food can be really spicey, but usually yummy. We had it last evening with my friend who is married to a Thai.

    There was a charity baseball game here yesterday, and for all my fellow New England readers, Oil Can Boyd and Bill "salesman" Lee pitched. Really fun and my ticket was for the front row right behind home plate. In all the years I never have had a better seat. I know Annette was also at the game.

    CED continues to link awesome footage.

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  10. Very clever theme.

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  11. Hi Everyone ~~

    I usually try to avoid the unifier and like to discover the theme on my own. But I think I would have enjoyed this puzzle a lot more if I had had an idea of what was going on. Everything just seemed unrelated. But I can't blame the constructor for that. After I finished it all, I studied it a bit and then saw the 'wrap' idea - ya fooled me good, Liz Gorski - thanks for the fun!

    ~ I worked along steadily with just a few WAGS and write-overs. On 31A - Players, I had 'Team' before CAST and on 131A - Deck / DOCK.
    ~ I always seem to put in 'Srts' before remembering it's SRAS.
    ~ I don't recall ever coming across DAUNT used in that form - always 'Daunting.'
    ~ I often have the same favorites as Hahtoolah - I, too, really liked the clue for RASTA and also 101D - Turn at the bar / SWIVEL and 110A - Bread in a jar / TIP.
    ~ I finished the SW corner last. It took a while to come up with TUFT for 'Clump' but that finished it.

    ~ C.C. ~ Even though my kitties are indoor cats, they are great mousers - wanna borrow one? =^..^=

    ~ Fermat ~ A THREEPEAT indicates a team's winning three consecutive championships - one more than a 'Repeat.'

    ~ Yellowrocks ~ I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. In time, I hope your good memories are a comfort to you.

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  12. DNF here.

    Had 85 % PDQ, and stalled. Went to Menards for bought some supplies. Tried again and got down to two missing letters.

    Never heard of THORA. MAMET/OMARR was a natick.

    Long time fixing the middle. My Toyota Camry model was a Sonata, and was confident. Finally fixed that after a break.

    I didn't know Latvians had neighbors that were DELTS, but eventually the perps told me so.

    Only reason I got Grieg's ASE'S was due to ONTOE. Took forever to get the intersecting W at WEIMAR and LOWS.

    Thank you CC and thank you Elizabeth Gorski.

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  13. Good day, super solvers. Loved your review, C.C.!

    I looked for the theme but those "wraps" elude me every time. However, the puzzle itself was a slow and easy sashay with only a few WAGS.

    Loved the clueing for TEA, TIP, TIDE

    And I absolutely love, love Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. I keep them in the car and play them often.

    This was a perfect puzzle for Sunday. Thank you, ELIZabeth Gorski and I noticed you sneaked your name into it. Clever!

    Have a super Sunday, everyone! January birthday party for family members today.

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  14. Pretty quick solve today, missed the theme altogether, not unusual for me, only get the V-8 moment when I come here. HOW?? you do it??? Never heard of Tubal, no relish, no mustard, no onions, NO hotdog! Start of a beautiful sunny day here in California, sending warm thoughts to all.

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  15. Good morning:

    A nice Sunday offering from Ms. Gorski, with just enough bite. I, too, was expecting an item of clothing, especially starting off with coats. After finishing, it took about two minutes to see the "wrap."

    Liked the clues for tea, soap, darts, and especially pest. Thanks, CC, for your great expo. Have you tried putting some peanut butter on the trap? That worked for my sister.

    I woke up convinced it was Monday; don't know why. But when I opened my newspaper box and saw the size of the paper, I realized it was Sunday. Funny how our minds work sometimes. (Or don't work.)

    Have a great day.

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  16. Has it turned cold in California? I see Jill is blue now.

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  17. Gary,your "but foodway" was accepting liquids? Isn't that an enema?

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  18. Good morning everyone.

    Enjoyable puzzle today. There were plenty of perps, like others have said, to move the solve along. WAGs like ISLA and WEIMAR helped. Think RACHAEL Ray got her start in upstate NY in the Lake George area.

    Counted at least 5 nautical words: AFT, TIDE, DOCK, CPO, and TYES. Having good CPO's is a real plus to a command. Marti, TYE is a new word for me. (I served in the Engineering Department and our DD had no sails:-).) I found a few descriptions of 'tye' but no clear picture. Maybe our wiz linker CED would have better luck.

    Have a great day.

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  19. Re: NATTY

    I always think of Natty Bumppo (of Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales) and then I immediately recall an old joke having something to do with him being well-dressed. Well, thanks to the magic of Google, I tracked it back to 1972 and Mary Ann Madden's wonderful competition at the back of New York Magazine. Readers were asked to submit actual names from a "Dictionary of Fractured Names" and one of the examples provided was, "Well-dressed Indian suffering from hives -- Natty Bumppo". Unfortunately, Natty (Nathaniel, aka "Hawkeye") wasn't an Indian (though he was raised as one).

    For those keeping score at home, that's a nearly 40-year-old memory.

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  20. To Lemonade
    Bill Lee was the "space man" not the "salesman".

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  21. Annette/Lemonade, just my luck: I read this morning that this Old Timers' game, which was the 25th, is also the last, due to the deteriorating condition of the stadium. Damned shame.

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  22. Happy Sunday everyone!

    It took a bit of slogging, but even after finishing the puzzle I didn’t see the theme – thank you C.C.! The east came slowly, as I was GUILTY of wanting NOT GUILTY instead of NO CONTEST (which crossed with A TEST!). Similar problems for EARNED for NETTED, LEAS for LOWS, CREDO for CREED, DIXON for OMARR, etc.

    Anybody recall the particularly nasty root of the phrase “In Like (ERROL) Flynn?”

    My Firebird has a T-TOP, but I refuse to drive like The Bandit….

    HG, do you think the Unleash The Beef guy is just a little too STRESSED out? Agree w/ your dog toppings and foil WRAPpings comments.

    I’m off to London next week, so maybe I’ll have a spot o’ TEA and play some DARTS….TA-TA!

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  23. Argyle-I don't have Facebook account, don't do Twitter-feeling pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to be "blue." All because of this great Corner!!!

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  24. Hi Y'all, Fun puzzle although I ran out of patience because of unfamiliar names and finally came here for C.C.'s great help. Thanks Liz & C.C. Hands up for not getting RACHAEL tho I should have. Didn't get ANKA either and knew him. THORA's fault. Wanted "quad" for four (1d).

    Didn't know OMARR, WEIMAR or BRAUN. TUFT was another no show for me. SOAPS? Who knew. We just had ASE'S Death recently but it went in one eye and out in space apparently.

    C.C., I send my sympathy for having a mouse. Nothing creeps me out like a mouse in my house.

    Hondo: Good luck with your behavior when you meet your son's girlfriend. I had to chuckle. When I was to meet my daughter's guy many years ago, she said, "Now don't say anything!" So I didn't say a word. Then she was upset because I didn't talk to him. Well, they eventually got married despite me. My advice is just BE YOURSELF. If she sticks around, she's going to figure you out sooner or later.

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  25. Enjoyable puzzle, reassuring when CC said she had to look over the puzzle after is was done to figure the theme--same here.
    After the apple clue had this earworm :
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjfT1D1lg-E I can never remember if this is sung by the Osmonds or the Jackson 5. I just think of rollerskating to it.
    CC --we had a mouse problem too--replaced the bait on the mouse trap with peanut butter/oatmeal glob and they were nailed. Don't know what tempts your mouse's palate.

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  26. I missed the theme (Wrap/COAT?), had 3 bad cells and I’m trying to decide whether to tell Joann I put MICHAEL for _ _ CH AEL instead of the woman who’s on her and grandchildren’s TV so much of the time. Yikes!

    Musings
    -THORA? TYES? oMarr/maMet crossing (I got it but…), never heard of TRUCKER HATS but often wear BALL CAPS
    -Do you know why in 1925, a HUSKY named BALTO became a national hero?
    -Oldest daughter’s new boyfriend has his boys write THANK YOU notes and so now she does too
    -Our kitchen is all GE Profile APPL’s
    -Is LIVE ART the same as improv or street performances?
    -The flu left my AIRWAY sore but usable; my but foodway was only (barely) accepting liquids
    -Our peanut butter baited traps emptied our garage of mice in two days and then I got the door fixed
    -Does DST save energy?. I don’t like it!
    -Meh T-Shirt
    -We have bloggers from Kauai and Maui but not the Big Island. Sandy said EGGS are over $3/doz on Maui.
    -IMHO Jay Pharoah has very little talent and makes a bad Obama on SNL.
    -Why didn’t OMARR warn Eddie Murphy not to make The Adventures of Pluto Nash - it lost $146,000,000
    -NO CONTEST – I did it but I ain’t admittin’ it!
    -“I want my money back on this 50¢ shirt!” Really, didn’t you see the AS IS sign?
    -Gotta be mustard, RELISH and onions on a hot dog ;-). Don’t cha hate opening those foil packages at games!
    -I can live without seeing Lemon’s BRIEFS!
    -BE HONEST, do these ____ make my ____ look ____? Tread lightly, they ain’t lookin’ for candor!
    -I helped my sister move years ago after she got EVICTED while the seething landlord watched. She had made some bad choices at 25 years old.

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  27. -Dennis, I meant the North end of the foodway was bothersome. The south end was functioning just fine. TMI? Yeah, probably. Semper fi.
    -Vegas, et al, sorry about the text on the Meh T-shirt girl site I posted earlier. I did not read it and have reposted a sanitized version. Thanks for the heads up.
    -Yes, I do recall the sad tales of Errol Flynn (in like Flynn) and Fatty Arbuckle
    -I do remember Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, Al “The Mad Hungarian” Hrabosky and Dick “The Monster” Raddatz
    -Peanut butter seems to be the bait du jour for your rodent invaders, CC. We even gave them the good stuff – Skippy Extra Chunky
    -Homily at church today referred to palimpsests (which my spell check just accepted) found at St. Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mr. Sinai and if you know this word, I doff my TRUCKER HAT to you. If you don’t, here ya go palimpsest
    -Still no guesses on what Balto the HUSKY did in 1925 that made him the toast of the entire USA? Here’s the answer.

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  28. Happy Sunday everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle. I didn't figure out the theme and wasn't really excited by it even after CC explained it. Still, a pleasant Sunday puzzle.

    I went to Cruciverb to download the Cox/Rathvon/Hook Sunday puzzle and got the error message (that I often get there) that said "Sorry, the page you were looking for cannot be found." What's up with that?

    My hotdogs have Grey Poupon mustard, relish and sometimes ketchup if I'm in the mood but never raw onions because I can taste/smell them for hours afterward.

    TTP, I couldn't tell if you were joking or not but LATS refer to the Latissimus Dorsi muscles located in the back underneath the arms, therefore neighboring the Deltoid muscles on the top of the shoulder.

    I don't much like the word "Meh." It goes along with my dislike of "Whatever."

    Here's a link featuring some very bad (and funny) lip reading in the NFL. Bad lip reading.

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  29. HG - no offense taken. I thought "meh"be the guy was just trying to out-rant Dennis Miller....

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  30. I've got a little magic trick for you. Pick any group of nine cards out of an ordinary deck. Arrange them in any order you want to. Hold the nine cards in a small pack with the faces down (back side up) and note the third card from the top. (For purposes of explaining this trick, I'll assume the card in my pack is the five of spades but you should memorize whatever card is third from the top in your stack.) Spell out the name of your card by counting the cards onto a table in front of you, one card per letter. So for my card, I would start with "F" (put the first card on the table), then "I" (put it on the table on top of the first card), then "V" (put it next on top of the pile on the table), then "E" (again on the top of the pile) and then place the remaining cards on the top of the pile on the table. Since the name of my card and your card has the word OF as in "five OF spades," now spell out "OF" in the same fashion, one letter at a time, putting the remaining seven cards on the top of the pile. Then spell out the suit of your card in the same fashion (I would spell out "SPADES" one letter at a time) and place the remaining cards on top. Last, spell out BILL in the same fashion one letter at a time. The next card on top in your hand should be your card. Yes? I hope so. If everything worked OK, it should be fun to try on your spouse, your kids or grandkids, etc. Now, help me figure out why it works?

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  31. Enjoyed this puzzle but didn't get the theme until coming here. Nice misdirection with Dreaded Jamaican and Aromatic Cakes. Was looking for Zee for Overseas Z's but wouldn't fit. Didn't know Eroica so must add that to clues to remember!
    This Canadian knew Paul Anka was an Ottawa native (and we had Niagara yesterday)
    I never know whether to use REATA or RIATA :(
    Thermostat has been turned up here for the last week.

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  32. This was an enjoyable solve. None too easy, but doable. Like several others, I wanted coats and such for the wraps, but after finding only one, I gave up on the theme. Dreaded Jamaican was also my favorite clue.

    Hot dog toppings? Mustard for sure. Onions, relish, even horseradish are fine. But catsup? NO. That's heresy.

    PK, from last night. I took a 10' dive into a basement and broke L 2-5 along with 11 other bones. Had to warm the bench for a while after that. But a little titanium and an L 2 through S 1 fusion works wonders.

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  33. Husker Gary - we knew the original would never have been intentional. And, extra chunky - LOL.

    Bill G, yes I was kidding. I taught preannouncement training on a product during a four month temp assignment back in the 80s. # 3 student critique was "Can't tell when he's joking and when he's serious. #2 was that I spoke to the whiteboard too much. # 1 was that I was monotone. The temp ended early when I threw a dry board eraser at a student that was sleeping. Probably would have been okay if I was still in the Army.

    Just performed respiration surgery on this laptop. The replacement fan came in yesterday. Internet videos showed the steps. Only issue was that I dropped a teeny tiny screw onto the motherboard during reassembly. Good thing DW has better eyes than I do. Part of the replacement procedure was to apply thermal grease to the top of the CPU so that it contacted the copper heat sink that had venting channels back to the fan. Thermal grease. Good thing it came with the replacement fan. Might have had a hard time finding that locally !

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  34. Avg Joe, I forgot to say that the human interest news story you mentioned about the young girl in Colorado was on the CBS morning show again this morning. Tried to get her last name so I could search and post it, but could not. Heartwarming story.

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  35. HG,

    Going back into my time, there was Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Virgil "Fire" Trucks, & Bob "Rapid Robert" Feller.

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  36. Never got the theme til I came here.
    Nice chilly morning to stay inside and do the puzzle.

    Joe, OUCH! Saw that happen once on a job, He was not a happy person but was lucky because the floor was not poured yet.

    Clint says it best Hotdog

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  37. Thank you!!! C.C. for the theme explanation.
    Got THANK YOU GIFTS first and thought it would be ways to wrap presents.
    Thanks for the shout-out, C.C.
    Know "Drink to me..." played it when I was a kid, but Celia was an unknown.
    How 'bout Celia Cruz instead?
    Really short on time today.
    Have a great day,all.

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  38. I finished the puzzle early this am, but then had to do chores. (weekly shopping) DW is on her way to Australia on business, & i am left here holding down the fort. I asked her to bring me back a new Kangaroo Skin Hat. (The kids want Uggs, go figure...)

    Before i left for shopping, i tried to find a pic of "tye" for you, but only came up with a magic rope trick. Never did get the theme...

    Anyway, later this afternoon, i continued to read the comments, (HG@1:17 "Balto was stuffed?" NNooooo!!!) & tried to find Tye for you.

    Tye

    (oops, thats not tye, that was Alexis Bledel. You can see i got a little sidetracked...)

    Let me try Tye again.

    (Yikes! i have a one track mind!)

    Oh forget it, if you must see a tye, just know it is one of these things up here!

    Maybe i should have stuck with the rope trick.

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  39. Thanks to all for the many condolences. Your understanding helps. I seem to be buying more sympathy cards than birthday cards this year.

    The top half of today's puzzle went Whizz Bang! The bottom slowed me down. I had spelled gold measure CTS and so wrote EDUCE. I said my ABC's to get the V in SWIVEL which changed EDUCE to EVOKE and TA DA, I was finished. Lotsa fun!

    STEM is another of those words that can have almost opposite meanings. Your bad grades STEM (originate) from your lack of studying. You can STEM (stop) the further dropping of your GPA by studying more.

    I was rushing out the door this AM, so with the minor hold ups in the south, I didn't take time to look for the theme.

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  40. P.S.

    To see the reveal on the rope trick, click on the video link in the lower left "before" the 1st video ends.

    Also, i only just noticed, that he is constantly hoping he will not embarrass himself, but at the end of the video, there is toilet paper hanging out of his pants!

    I accidentally left this video running when i went shopping, & his playlist was still running when i came back! Something about kayaking down a beautiful river, & then he takes underwater video! (i just do not have that much time to check it out...)

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  41. Hello everybody. Enjoyable puzzle today, and pretty hard in some places. I, too, thought "wrap" had something to do with COATS and HATS. Spent a lot of time looking for jackets and mittens and the like.

    Yep, VIOLISTS was a gimme. Ya gotta have at few gimmes, don'tcha know.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  42. thehondohurricane - I, too, print out the puzzle from the Chicago Tribune site. When you get to the part where is asks you to Choose Your Skill Level, look up above to the constructors name and will show "The Theme" next to the name. It doesn't print out on the puzzle though.

    Hand up for looking for outer wear, especially after shaggy coat, bet she did that on purpose, tricky Liz, but figured out the theme when I got to The Aristocats. It helped me out a lot through the rest of the puzzle.

    If someone were to tie Rachael Ray's hands behind her back would she be able to talk?

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  43. Husker: Doggone, I knew the dog had done a life saving run in the cold north, but was trying to remember what was the disease. While I was letting that ruminate, I forgot to answer. Ol'timers has done set in!

    AvgJoe: Oh groan! How long were you laid up with that? I can't imagine having all that damage and walking again. The hardest thing for me was the fact that they didn't think I had anything broken so didn't give me any kind of brace or anything. After my chiropractor nephew realigned the thing, I wrapped a long tea towel around my waist and tied it tightly to hold it in place. Nothing like a little old wife's remedy in the modern age of medicine.

    Many month's later, I took the MRI, that showed clearly the break, back to the MD who said nothing was broken. He really stuttered and hem hawed and apologized. He'd all but called me a bawl baby when I went in with the injury.

    Some guy heard me talking to the Dr. when I took the MRI in. He followed me out to the parking lot to ask me what I did about my break. He had the same thing and the Dr. hadn't given him any brace either. I should have sold him my Tea towel.

    YR: losing friends is harder sometimes than relatives. I got homesick for my hometown last year, but realized that most of the friends I was close to have died. No one to go back to really.

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  44. Gary, I knew what you meant -- I just thought the mistake created and interesting juxtaposition of words.

    CED, loved the rope trick.

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  45. Pick your brand and year. What was you first car ?

    New Car Brochures

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  46. '57 Pontiac Star Chief convertible.

    Got orders overseas two months after I bought it. Sold it for half of what I paid for it.

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  47. Re: The meeting of the Boyfriend/Girlfriend. It took me a while to warm up to my oldest daughter's beau but I did. Very bright lad. He's earning his Master's Degree now. I've told him several times to call me by my first name but he still addresses me as Mr.

    Calling me Mr. is akin to putting a Tuxedo on a goat.


    It's still a goat! :-)

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  48. PK, I spent 9 1/2 months warming the bench. More or less had to learn to walk again and when my surgeon and his PA looked at my MRI pre-fusion their immediate comment was that they couldn't believe I was walking. To say the least, it was an interesting period in life.

    I'd very much enjoy continuing this conversation privately, but don't want to bore the audience, or...quite frankly...don't want to seem like I'm complaining to deaf ears. Drop me an email if you are inclined. My address is in my profile.

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  49. Young lady from colorado news story from CBS evening news: Link

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  50. ist car .... '46 Plymouth coupe, standard of course, and color an ugly gray.

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  51. My first car; a used 1950 Ford representing the most memorable Christmas present ever. Second in memorable Christmas presents was a 3.5 inch reflecting telescope, an important step in my continuing enjoyment of astronomy.

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  52. First car: 1949 Chrysler something. Engine blew up. Then 1951 Chevy sedan for 10 years.

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  53. First car: 1961 used VW Bug. The last year without a gas guage.

    I got about 2/3 of the puzzle on my own. Better than most Sundays. Thanks to Liz and C.C. for the enjoyable experience.

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  54. -Manac, loved the Dirty Harry quote about catsup on hot dogs! A friend of mine had a rule that no condiment used on meat can be the same color as the meat which supported Clint!
    -PK, that Husky was the lead dog on the original Iditarod, the race against time to get diphtheria serum to Nome. He became an incredible celebrity.
    -Dennis, gotcha! Ain’t language great?
    -Dave, I’ve done that trick for years with my middle school kids. It amazed them and amused me.
    -When I met my daughter’s current boyfriend I made conversation when he was silent. He told Missy that “Your dad sure is talkative.” Hmm… would he have said, “Gee your Dad sure was quiet. Did I offend him?” if I was silent? You’re right, be yourself and let the chips fall where they may. He and I are fine now.
    -Off to watch Downton!

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  55. First car was a 10 year old 1965 Mustang 2 + 2 fastback. I'll never forget my mom asking me why I bought such a piece of junk.

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  56. Dennis:
    That '57 Indian is a classic now.
    My 1st car (after I totaled my Dad's '55 Buick Special) was a '54 Bel Aire, Seamist Green. Next a '56 VW convertible, a real beater. Then a '56 Chevy, my first (but not last) black car. Then the one I want back, but won't get, a '66 GTO convertible that is in CC's picture archive. All downhill from there.

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  57. Downton Abbey fans: are you in shock? I certainly am!!

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  58. Lucinda - All I can say is "Great Googly Moogly!"

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  59. I meant Lucina, sorry, I think I put the extra D in there previously as well

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  60. First car was a badly rusted '62 Mercedes 220, a real oil burner with a weirdly mismatched set of tires. I thought I could make it better. I was wrong.

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  61. Dudley,
    Watch out where those Huskies go.
    And don't you eat that yellow snow:-)

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  62. It seems as if most people worry about 'spoilers.' I had a friend who was going to see a new mystery movie and I mentioned that it was based on the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, "Dial M for Murder." He got really upset feeling like I had spoiled it for him. I'm just not that way. I often feel that I enjoy something better when I know a little something about it ahead of time. It gives me a framework to process the new show. Otherwise, I sometimes feel as if I need to watch it again because I missed some stuff and didn't understand everything. Often, when I watch a movie more than once, I notice some important clues early on that I couldn't make sense of the first time through. I know your mileage may differ.

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  63. Oh, hell. Just tried to access the Monday puzzle from Cruciverb and it's not there. Again.

    Lucina - I hope the pompous, socially superior doctor learned a lesson from his more modest Scottish counterpart. We are still mourning that lovely soul...Meanwhile, we can't figure out whether O'Brien is up to some mischief or truly trying to assist the new footman. I wondered whether Thomas' proclivity would reappear.

    Manac - you've got it!

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  64. Dudley,
    Memory Slipping :-)
    You are the one that outed me.
    listening to some now as typing.

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  65. Trying to go blue....lets see....

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  66. Posted that link about car brochures, had sustenance just a bit later, and decided to lay down for a few minutes. It was raining ice, nothing on TV really interested me, and my eyes were growing heavy. Good night Irene.

    CED, thanks for the rope trick link. Kinda like how a dog's choker chain works, right ?
    YR, sorry for your loss.
    Avg Joe, OUCH !
    Anon at 6:43, thank you. That was the story.

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  67. Yellowrocks,
    I'm so sorry to hear the sad news about Carol.

    Jill & 61Rampy,
    Good job on turning blue!

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  68. Bill,
    Now you need to pay to get the Cox/Rathvon/Hook Sunday puzzles.

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  69. Good morning, folks, Monday morning. Thank you, Elizabeth Gorski, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, C.C. for the swell write-up. Enjoyed it.

    Well, I never finished this until Monday morning. I was busy all weekend at a gun raffle in PA.

    I did not catch the theme. My first theme answer was THICK COATS. Therefore, I thought the theme would be some kind of WRAP, like a coat. So, I missed it. Did get all the answers, though.

    THAI RESTAURANTS was not easy. I did not know the Tom Yum thing. I do not eat in Thai restaurants.

    Did not know OMARR. Guess I am not in that group.

    See you later today, after I register for the gun I won.

    Abejo

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