google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, January 3, 2013 Donna S. Levin

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Jan 3, 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013 Donna S. Levin

Theme: "Critical Reviews"

20. Critic's complaint about the new restaurant "Godot"? : ENDLESS WAITS. Refers to the book titled "Waiting for Godot." No one likes to wait for service.

28. Critic's complaint about the new restaurant "Charley Horse"? : CRAMPED SPACE. Leg cramps are a common football injury. Is the etymology the same as for confined spaces?

43. Critic's complaint about the new restaurant "Moon"? : NO ATMOSPHERE. Well, I guess the restaurant would have to have air, otherwise the soufflé wouldn't puff up! But the atmosphere in a restaurant is the ambiance.

52. Critic's complaint about the new restaurant "Double Fault"? : INEPT SERVICE. I just had a mental picture of a waiter flinging the food orders to the tables using a tennis racket! That would really be inept!

Marti here to clear up, or in some cases - obfuscate - otherwise perfectly reasonable clues and answers!

Across:

1. Old Italian capital : LIRA.

5. "See ya!" : CIAO.

9. Head lights : HALOS. Were you fooled by this clue?

14. Land with a red, white and green flag : IRAN. And a clecho with 16-Across. One whose land has a red, white and green flag : OMANI.

15. Monroe of the NBA : EARL. National Basketball Association's Vernon EARL Monroe, known for his flamboyant dribbling. He scored over 1,000 points in nine of his thirteen professional seasons!

17. King whose true height is the subject of much discussion : KONG. It ranges from 18 to 60 feet, depending on the setting.

18. Urban hazard : SMOG.

19. Watch from hiding : SPY ON.

23. Clooney/Damon film about the oil industry : SYRIANA. No idea. Generally positive reviews, though.

24. Like some German nouns : NEUTER.  Interesting GIF showing the differences among language groups. But, take it with a grain of salt as there seems to be some dispute about its accuracy.

31. Druid or Wiccan : PAGAN.

34. Baseball stats : RBISRun Batted In(s).

35. Ad trailer? : HOC. Not a commercial teaser, but a word that comes after ("trails") the word "ad." Ad hoc committees are typically designated for one purpose only. Latin for "to this" (purpose.)  All clear now? Or just obfuscated?

36. Like two, say : EVEN.

37. Biblical queendom : SHEBA.

39. Cuba libre ingredient : COLA. I think the "l" in "libre" should be capitalized in the name of the drink.  But maybe that's just a...

40. Tiny gripe : NIT.

41. Seaman's saint : ELMO. AKA "Saint Erasmus."

42. Censor : BLEEP. I hope C.C. doesn't have to BLEEP anything I have written here!

47. Snare : ENTRAP.

48. The Beatles' Rigby : ELEANOR. Now for a musical interlude. 2:07

55. Buccaneers' home : TAMPA. Josh Freeman is their first 4,000 yard passer, but he is still questionable as next year's QB because of his erratic performance.

58. Univ. drilling gp. : ROTCReserve Officers' Training Corps.

59. Pre-deal request : ANTE.

60. Glorify : EXALT.

61. "___ Plenty o' Nuttin": Gershwin song : I GOT. From the American opera "Porgy and Bess." 2:40

62. Nerd : GEEK.

63. Conical abode : TEPEE.

64. Ages : EONS.

65. They aren't exact: Abbr. : ESTS. Estimates.

Down:

1. Approves, on Facebook : LIKES.

2. Swift strength : IRONY. Jonathan Swift's best-known work, "Gulliver's Travels," is more satirical than ironic, IMHO.

3. Time off, briefly : R AND RRest and Recreation.

4. The Archbishop of Canterbury, e.g. : ANGLICAN.

5. Big name in small planes : CESSNA. I learned the other day that they are also a big name in jets...

6. First line of a Seuss classic : I AM SAM.

7. "... maids all in ___" : A ROW.

8. Contemporary of Nadia : OLGA. Nadia Comaneci and OLGA Korbut, who won hearts in the '70s with their sparkling gymnastics routines during the summer olympics.

9. Bankrupt baker : HOSTESS. Don't worry, any remaining Twinkies on store shelves will still be good into the next century.

10. Increases a few notches : AMPS UP.

11. Nonexpert : LAY. Not only a religious connotation.  It also refers to anyone who is not schooled in the technicalities of a specific field.

12. 2011 Hiroshima Art Prize winner : ONO. A Thursday-level clue for a Monday-level entry.

13. Go astray : SIN.

21. Work for : EARN.

22. Taj Mahal locale : INDIA. More specifically, Agra.

25. Chevy SUV : TAHOE.

26. Place to learn in Lyons : ECOLE. French for "school."

27. Postgame staple : RECAP. Like putting their kneecaps back on after a rough football game?

29. Prepping place : PRE-OP. For re-capping knees?

30. Wane : EBB.

31. Pasta often served alla vodka : PENNE. Yummm. I could eat pasta every night of the week!


32. Air France fleet member : AVION. French for "aircraft."

33. Imply : GET AT.

37. Incline : SLOPE. I'll be hitting the slopes this weekend!

38. Pinafore opening : HMS. Cute clue for the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

39. Décolletage revelation : CLEAVAGEUgly dress. Does the cleavage make up for it, guys?

41. Spring (from) : EMANATE.

42. Uncle Remus title : BR'ER. Short for "brother."

44. Rare hit for most catchers : TRIPLE.

45. "Ben-Hur" Oscar winner : HESTON. Charlton. More décolletage, but this time for the ladies.

46. Votes in : ELECTS.

49. Dressing extreme? : NINES. Did everyone dress to the nines for New Year's Eve?

50. Two trios and a duo : OCTET.

51. Stinks : REEKS.

53. ___-dieu : PRIE. French for "Pray [to] God."

54. Ghana's neighbor to the east : TOGO. They have great take-out, I understand...

55. Vietnamese celebration : TET.

56. Tool that's swung : AXE.

57. Navigator's guide : MAP. I rely on Siri to guide me.

See you all next week!

Marti



77 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Fine puzzle, Donna; swell expo, Marti!

Enjoyed seeing OCTET instead of OCTad for a change. Nothing difficult here. Great, because I have to go to sleep and visit derm tomorrow. Will find out about arm, I hope. (This derm is very slow. Other one could test for cancers in the office while one waited, after removal. He is away for 2 months.)

Cheers!

fermatprime said...

Looked at late post. Am pretty sure answer is 35, Bill. (One sixth of 5 x 6 x 7. But I did integrate it just to make sure I still could!) This is assuming that the correct intercepts were 5, 6 and 7.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Another smooth and enjoyable solve today. So far, so good for this year...

Didn't know EARL, but the perps came to the rescue. Also had trouble parsing the clue for TRIPLE ("Rare hit for most catchers"), but after a few perps it was obvious what it had to be. Other than that, I don't have a single NIT to pick.

Best of luck with your arm, Fermatprime!

And in other news, BRRRRR!!!

Al Cyone said...

A brisk 1°F here in pre-dawn Ulster County. The dogs go home on Sunday and I'm staying in bed 'til noon on Monday!

Fun, clever theme clues today. [10:42]

Thanks to all for the feedback on how you pronounce 2013. I heard so many on the radio saying "two thousand thirteen" that I started to wonder if it had become the new normal. I guess not. Maybe they were just trying to fill time.

My pet peeve of the day: referring to wind turbines as "windmills".

thehondohurricane said...

Good morning everyone,

Was sure my completed puzzle had an error or two, but it was not to be. Thought SYRIANA was wrong, but the perps all looked okay so I l;eft it alone.

ELEANOR was another concern, but there I felt better about the perps. My first entry for the clue was ELANORE, but BRER & CLEAVAGE got me on track.

Bankrupt baker/HOSTESS had me going for awhile, but an AHA moment appeared.

Needed lots of perp help for the theme clues. They certainly were not in my wheelhouse.

That's it from frigid CT.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Marti and friends. The new year rolls on with a wonderful offering by Donna Levin. I loved the " issues" with each of the themed restaurants.

Nice TAMPA shout-out to Tinbini.

Yellowrocks said...

I loved the clever theme here. It certainly helped with the long answers Using a letter or two from perps in many cases, I sashayed through most of it without a stop. I had a very slight pause for IRAN and HOSTESS, but they came quickly and were the keys to the two northern corners.

My favorite was Swift strength=irony.

Here are some tips about gender in German. My father told me that in a few instances colloquially there are variations in the gender used.
Link German gender
As the article suggests we were taught to memorize the definite article indicating gender along with the noun.

Anony Mouse said...

Thank you Donna Levin for a challenging, but doable, puzzzle. Really enjoyed it, Thank you.

Thank you Marti for a witty and charming commentary. I saw`'Syriana' but forgot the plot. Not a very good movie, IMHO.

I was on Donna's wavelength, hence could solve a Thursday puzzle. I had a lot of trouble with 'HALOS' - I had 'IDEAS'. I also was in the blank about "OMANI' and 'Hostess' .... but it all worked out.

We don't 'eat out', very much - maybe once a year, so all I have learnt about restaurants, I learnt from reading books, and on this blog.

Have a great rest of the week, and the weekend, you all.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yes, Marti, I did have trouble with HALOS. That was my first guess, but I was pretty sure "Go astray" would be ERR. Nope, SIN. Back to HALOS.

One of my favorite mottos (mottoes?) is "Eschew Obfuscation."

I guess the Taj Mahal is just part of the Agra culture.

As a general rule, CLEAVAGE is good. But not from plumbers or Kardashians. Dressed to the nines? Only if my "dress" jeans could be considered ninish. They're "dress" because they haven't fully faded.

Mari said...

Good Morning All, Great puzzle today. A few head scratchers with a lot of nice fill. I liked:
- 9A: Head lights: HALOS
- 58A: Univ. Drilling Gp.: ROTC
- 49D Dressing extreme? NINES

After I perped RANDR (3D) I couldn't figure out what this was an abbreviation for. Oh! R and R! (duh!)

Have a wonderful day and try to stay warm.

PS: Kim Kardashian's cleavage crashed my computer. Must be a really hot link!

Tinbeni said...

Marti: Thank you for a nice write-up & links.
I'm with you on Swift's strength being satire. IRONY makes me think of O'Henry.
As for 3-A,"Head-lights" being HALOS ... I was in DF Land thinkin' breasts ...

Donna: I enjoyed your themes very much, Thank you for a FUN Thursday.

Hahtoolah: Without your daily QOD I'm at a loss for what to contemplate ... I guess it's navel time.
(BTW, TAMPA was my first entry. Go figure!)

Barry: Most baseball catchers are rather slow baserunners ... so TRIPLE was a gimmie for any baseball fan.

Mari: The Kim K. CLEAVAGE link wasn't "hot" ... just trashy (as usual).

NIT of the day: A Cuba-Libre is just a 'Rum-and-Coke' with a Slice-of-Lime (damn powerful lime IMHO!).
So I waited for my perps to get COLA. (But I really wanted that lime).

A "toast" to all at my 70°F Sunset. (geez, Florida weather gets monotonous).
Cheers !!!

Spitzboov said...

Good Morning Marti and all.

I haven't seen one of Donna's puzzles in a little while, but when I do, LIKE today, I start to salivate. Challenging but doable, with cleverness like today's theme and delicious clueing like that for CLEAVAGE.. No lookups were needed, but I was hard aground in the NW before finally WAGging SYRIANA/IRONY successfully. PENNE pasta gave me PAGAN before considering 'vegan' for a while. No NITS today. No searches were needed. I trusted Donna to ultimately provide just the right crosses and clueing to yield the solve and she did not disappoint.

Awesome People and Amazing Animals

Hahtoolah said...

Tinbini: as someone noted earlier this week, time is skewed during the weeks of Christmas and New Years. Maybe I will be back on schedule next week.

Anony mouse : I will get back to you next week with some suggestions.

kazie said...

Got stuck on HALOS, and didn't know whose flag was red, white and green other than Italy. So that corner was a miss, since I also had no idea about HOSTESS. I did WAG ONO since she's the only Japanese artist I know of.

Fermatprime,
Good luck with your arm!

German genders are largely a matter of the word's ending, function or logic. The diminutive endings are all neuter, certain other endings are feminine, and many -er ones are masculine if they indicate doing a verb action. e.g. Messer = cutter (=knife) because when you cut off something you are measuring its length (messen = to measure). Müller = miller (of grain), Bäcker = baker. Single syllable words are a toss up--often either masculine or neuter, but there are a few feminine ones too just to confuse the uninitiated.

YR,
I found that gender link annoying, since it kept changing too fast for me to take in what it was showing, and from what I could see, it wasn't too accurate either for French or German. Trees are all masculine in French, but in German they can be anything. So grouping them in one area for all languages seemed weird.

Tinbeni said...

Hahtoolah: OK, I'll pitch-hit for you on the QOD.

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."
Mark Twain

Seems appropriate with the 113th Congress being sworn in at noon today.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Donna Levin, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Marti,for a swell write-up.

39D. Yes. If the Kardashians' father were alive, I believe we would not see their antics.

For 4D I wanted ENGLISH something, but eventually fixed that to ANGLICAN.

Theme was swell. Very clever.

The NE had me fooled for a while. I wanted ERR for 13D, but held off. Finally all came together. LAY, HALOS, ONO, etc.

Liked SHEBA. That was a gimme.

Off to my an surgeon for a minor test on the end of my tongue. I am sure I will pass, but just following my dentist's orders. I am now a believer in doctors.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Argyle said...

Sub-zero here, must go Trinidad, drink rum and coca-cola (3:06).

Maybe read "Tom Swift", source of Swifties, some of which were ironic.

Alex Jaloway said...

Tough puzzle for me today and I needed to cheat a little bit. The theme was wonderful and clever. I loved it!

Also, I loved the clues for OLGA, BLEEP and ANTE. Very enjoyable.

HeartRx said...

Tinbeni @ 8:21, I thought of O’Henry for IRONY as well!

Spitz- great awesome people and animals video. Was that a gecko trying to eat the computer bugs?

Argyle @ 9:10, LOL. “I’ll have a martini,” said Marti dryly…

Avg Joe said...

An earlier post didn't show up. If a repeat, sorry.

The puzzle was pretty easy today. Not sure if it was Thursday level, but it was a fun romp.

Cannot let the opportunity pass to link All In a Row

Anonymous said...

Are ANTEs negotiable? Perhaps Aunt Bee, but not poker dealers.

I also paused filling in HOSTESS. Tried to remember when they filed for bankruptcy and how much lead time there is for constructors.

Originally had HILOS for head lights and didn't like the answer. Besides, who IMPS UP the music?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

I've come to think of Donna Levin puzzles as elegant, and this one did not disappoint.

Morning Marti! It would take more than décolletage to make Kim Kardashian appealing to me. Just not my type. Michelle Pfeiffer is more like it.

Of the big three legacy manufacturers of small aircraft - Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft - only Cessna evolved into a maker of jets. Piper proposed a one-of-a-kind single engine personal jet that never went into production. Beechcraft bought an existing design from Mitsubishi, and later another from the old Hawker-Siddeley, and recently went bankrupt under the weight of selling and supporting those antiquated designs.

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Thanks, Donna, for a clever Thursday challenge. Northeast was tricky; had err before sin and Irani before Omani. Also had Coke before Cola. Marti, your visual of Inept Service made me laugh out loud; thanks for the super expo.

Tinbeni, I notice you use the term pitch-hit; I always thought it was pinch-hit. Yes? No? Maybe? (-:

The thought of six more months of daily pronouncements re KK and KW and their future bundle of joy gives me a worse headache than all of Bill G's math puzzles combined!

Have a great Thursday.

Lucina said...

Good day, puzzlers! Always enjoy your expo, Marti.

WEES. Donna Levin's puzzles are usually elegant as was this one. I have wondered why we hadn't seen hers in a while.

It was fun sashaying through most of this until the NE corner where ERR was stuck then changed it to SIN and all fell in place.

Clever theme. I also had IGLOO before TEPEE but TET soon changed that.

Fermat:
Good luck with your arm.

You all have a wonderful Thursday!

Tinbeni said...

Irish Miss: YES, it should have been pinch-hitting! (oops...)

You know that when I think of PINCH-hitting ...
That is something I'm doing, with Avatar, when "toasting" y'all at Sunset. lol

Mari said...

Tin @ 8:53 am: Great quote.

I have a NIT with BLEEP - but not with this puzzle. Last night DH was watching some commedian on TV and every time the commedian swore the TV BLEEPed very loudly. And this guy swore A LOT!

A simple suggestion if I may.
1. Quit cher cussin'. Is it really necessary to swear so munch in order to be funny?

2. Networks, just let the words be broadcasted. Everybody knows what the moron is saying anyway.

3. DH, would you puh-leeeez change the channel? (I can't wait until all my shows come back from their winter hiatus!)

Misty said...

I always love Donna Levin puzzles and this was no exception. Very clever!And I almost got the whole thing with just a little cheating in the NE corner. Had ERR, like some of you, and as a result HALOS eluded me. What with ANGLICAN and PAGAN I should have suspected a bit of a spiritual theme. And Marti, thanks for your reassurance about Twinkies! LOL

My first date in high school was to see the movie "Ben Hur." I've had a soft spot for it ever since.

Abejo and Fermatprime, I wish you good doctor's visits today.

Have a great Thursday, everybody!

Mari said...

PS: if you can't tell what it is, I've changed my avatar to a Christmas tree made out of books.

Santa must be an avid reader, because I made out pretty well in the Christmas gift department :)

Irish Miss said...

Mari @11:01 and 11:03 - Rejoice. New episodes of TBBT and Person of Interest and Elementary begin tonight. Love your new avatar. Did you actually create that tree?

Tin @ 10:46 - You just keep on Pinch-hitting at sunset! (-:

Husker Gary said...

Just back from that most intimate of diagnostic procedures and enjoyed Donna’s lovely Thursday offering! This NASA guy enjoyed NO ATMOSPHERE immensely! NE corner took some effort but when I realized the bankrupt entity was a baker and not a baNker and HALOS not LAMPS…

Musings
-We have walked out on a few restaurants after long waits – both before and after ordering
-Except for EDO, old capital ain’t gettin’ me
-1933 Puppet Animation King Kong wasn’t all that tall
-Much fewer words are BLEEPED these days
-ELEANOR Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name. Fabulous but sad lyric.
-The Husker’s killed Josh Freeman at KSU before he became a Buccaneer in Tin’s town.
-TEPEE/TEEPEE, TEHEE/TEEHEE?
-RANDR? RANDR? RANDR? Oh, now I get it.
-Daughter contemplated not going to mass two Sundays ago, but 7 yr old granddaughter said, “Mommy, that would be a sin.” Oops!
-American excess? A 95 lb housewife in a huge TAHOE in a mall parking lot.
-I don’t watch 10 seconds of Pregame or RECAP programming for TV games.
-I’d hit the SLOPES too Marti, but they’d hit back
-Kim is displaying her CLEAVAGE assets as long as she can. Ya gotta play the cards you’re dealt but I’ve never seen her other “talents”.

Yellowrocks said...

Marti, your image of stapling a kneecap back on was hilarious.

Kazie, my link had no French and did not move fast. Perhaps you are thinking of another link which I had the same reaction to. My link was only German and it was for beginners who might not understand how the moon, or a tree, or a pencil could have gender.

IRONY fromfreedictionary.com:
The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

A great example of Swift's use of IRONY is his A Modest Proposal. The narrator proposed that the Irish poor sell their many children to the rich as food, or to be resold as food for others. With this income and no children to feed, the poor would be better off. This would eliminate beggar children in the streets. And the rich could reap a profit.

Of course, Swift was not advocating cannibalism or infanticide. Quite the opposite of it s literal meaning, his story engendered sympathy for the plight of the Irish poor and opprobrium for the hardhearted, inhumane narrator. Thus IRONY.

Mari said...

Irish Miss: I can't wait for Shelly and Mr. Reese!

PS: The tree was at my library ;)

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. I, too, think Donna Levin's works are elegant, much like I think Barry Silk's are. I very much enjoyed solving today's. I liked the them, and enjoyed most of the fill and the clues. Rich sure has a well-stocked "stable" of terrific constructors.

I should have guessed that 16A wouldn't be IRANI, but I pencilled it in anyway, thinking it would be really cool if it was.

I saw Syriana and don't remember any of it.

I think the song Eleanor Rigby is very original and well-written.

25 degrees outside this morning!

I hope Sheldon is portrayed as less totally selfish and utterly unpleasant than he has been the last couple of years. I've gotten to see him as nothing but annoying and not funny at all any more. I sure as heck wouldn't continue to be his housemate or friend; he'd drive me away quickly.

On the other hand, I like how Sherlock's and Joan's characters are developing. He's actually becoming more likable.

Kim's cleavage? God no. Uglier than the dress. Her butt, too. Actually, maybe that dress on somebody else might look good.

Lucina said...

Mari
I love that Book tree! What an inspired idea.

Abejo
Wishing you well, too.

My new year's resolution is to clean my office. It has become a catch-all and am determined to throw out anything I no longer use.

At the end of the semester I submitted my resignation and am now completely retired, ergo, all school materials are destined for the trash or the recycling bin.

desper-otto said...

Lucina, congrats on your full retirement. I eased into retirement a couple of years ago. But when I became fully retired, what a stress-reducer! They asked me to come back for some part-time projects, but I found it easy to say no.

Pookie said...

Hi Kids,
Went pretty quickly, I think mostly because the clues were
straight-forward.
SLant instead of SLOPE.
Read headlights instead of head lights.
Liked the theme a lot.
Thanks, Marti! I'll have a martini también.
LEMONADE, Don't forget!
"I promise ladies, next week's write up will be for you, but this week to honor Dennis and his first puzzle, the links lean to the male side."
And no Puh-leeze, No Chippendales.

Lucina said...

Thank you, DO.
I do feel relief after 55 years of teaching. I loved it, but now I'm done. So I know how you feel.

Dennis said...

Good afternoon, Marti, C.C. and gang - I love Donna's puzzles; as others have said, they're always elegant and clever. AND, how could I not like a puzzle involving both headlights and cleavage? (But please, no more KK pics -- those are not at all attractive.)

I ran through both SNIPE and STALK before settling on SPY ON for 19A. Everything else fell into place nicely and R AND R was a no brainer for me -- an experience that at once probably saved my life and almost took it. Nice shout out to Tin with TAMPA and to me with HALOS.

As with our aforementioned Tampa denizen, the weather here has been nothing short of spectacular -- temps in the 80s, bright sunshine.......I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I am truly carpe-ing each diem. In the pool this morning, driving range after that, an alfresco lunch on the intercoastal, then soliciting for my side (front) business. As my English teach used to say, it don't get no better.

Lucina, congratulations on the full retirement - fifty-five years is pretty amazing.

Spitzboov, loved the clip, especially the bear; cracked me up.

Have a great day - do something fun!



Lucina said...

Spitzboov
That is an incredible video.

Thank you, Dennis. I started teaching the year Sputnik went up.

Bill G. said...

Good morning. I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. I got stuck in the upper-right but eventually got everything worked out. Marti, I'm all in favor of cleavage, but as you surmised, I think it's a pretty ugly dress. I would much rather enjoy looking at Sofia Vergara or Sophia Loren in (or out of) most any dress.

Mari, I wonder if your husband was watching The Late Late show with Craig Ferguson? I think he is very funny and I love his Scottish accent. He is doing his show from Scotland this week. I really enjoy seeing the homeland again.

Lucina, congratulations!

Bill G. said...

Fermatprime (if you are still around) or anybody else who is interested, here is my answer to the tetrahedron puzzle. (Irish Miss - better take a couple of Advils.) Triangle ABC, with sides of 5, 6 and 7 has one vertex on the positive x axis, one on the positive y axis and one on the positive z axis. Let O be the origin. What is the volume of tetrahedron OABC?

I figured that I would use the formula for the area of a pyramid; that is, A = Bh/3 where B is the area of the base. First I needed to find x, y and z. I used the Theorem of Pythagoras three times which yielded:
x^2 + z^2 = 36
x^2 + y^2 = 49
y^2 + z^2 = 25

Solving three equations with three variables gave me x = sqrt30, y = sqrt19 and z = sqrt6. The area of the base, B, equals xy/2 or (sqrt30)(sqrt19)/2 or B = (sqrt570)/2. Then the volume equals Bh/3 or [(sqrt570)/2 x sqrt6]/3 = (sqrt3420)/6 = (sqrt36)(sqrt95)/6 = sqrt95 or approximately 9.75.
(Good job Desper-otto!)

PK said...

Hi Y'all, Yay! A Thursday I could do--with patience & a good eraser. Thank you, Donna! Thanks also, Marti, for a great expo and some hearty chuckles.

Nit: Only clue that CIAO was foreign was LIRA.

Kim's dress won't fit well much longer. Kanye West's baby while still married to Kris Humphries! I heard one of the reasons the divorce stalled is she won't give back the ring that cost over a million. Wonder if he owes on that? What is she thinking?

HOSTESS a gimmee. Their bakery near here was shut down after employees went on strike because the company was trying to reduce pay & benefits to avoid bankruptcy. What were they thinking?

Marti: hope you don't have to RECAP your knee after skiing. I have one that moves around and has to be readjusted periodically.

Lucina: 55 years of teaching! Remarkable! You certainly have EARNed some R AND R! Enjoy!

Fermatprime & Abejo: Fingers crossed for good reports!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Terrific theme from Donna today.

Besides Italy, Hungry also has a red, white and green flag - each is perp to the other. But my first thought was Ireland - oops - that's orange, not red.

We mourn the loss of HOSTESS - for the rye bread. [sob]

Googled most triples by a catcher and found that it's 13 in a season by Johnny King of the 1903 Cubs and Tim McCarver of the 1966 St. Louis Cardinals.

More triples trivia here.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_trip1.shtml

Worst Tom Swiftie ever: I didn't mean to hit you in the teeth with my wood chopper, Tom said, accidentally.

Cool Regards!
JzB (Ironically never liked his first or middle name)

Irish Miss said...

Bill G @ 2:55 - A couple of Advils? How about the entire bottle?!

Congratulations, Lucina; this will allow more tamale-making time! (-:

Misty said...

Lucina, fifty-five years of teaching! That's amazing, and it means there are a lot of lucky kids and grown-ups out there! Congratulations, and enjoy the free time.

Tinbeni said...

Lucina, Congratulations !!!
(Time to update your profile occupation to "Retired Teacher" lol).

You earned the first Sunset "toast" tonight.
Cheers !!!

Anonymous said...

Hello to All, I am an old crossword fan, but I am new to the technical terms and stuff. Please answer: what is a perp? Thanks

Anonymous said...

anon@3:55, read C.C.'s excellent 'Note to Solvers' on the first page for all the definitions.

Lucina said...

Aw, Tinbeni
Thank you!

And thank you,everyone for your lovely sentiments. Misty, I hope you are right about that. I know I enjoyed them. Helping students reach their "aha" moments has been the driving force for me.

fermatprime said...

Bill G: I misremembered the problem. Assumed triangle has vertices at (5,0,0), (0,6,0) and (0,0,7). Should have gone back to read it! (My answer is correct under my assumptions.)

Anonymous said...

"My answer is correct under my assumptions."

hilarious line. do you mind if i use that one. so many uses...

well officer, my answer is correct under my assumptions.

yes mrs. goddard, but my answer is correct under my assumptions.

you're right honey but if you listen, my answer is correct under my assumptions.

i see your point, your honor, but if may explain, my answer is correct under my assumptions.

it works for everything!

HeartRx said...

Lucina, wow....I am in awe of all you teachers on this blog. But 55 years of dedicated service? At an average of 30 students per class, do you realize how many lives you have affected? Even I can solve that math puzzle!!

And as far as the KK CLEAVAGE pic goes...I personally find her incredibly distasteful, but knew that all (the guys) would be expecting some kind of titillating link. So, to make up for that bad taste in your mouth, here's
Sofia Vergara
or
Sophia Loren.

(Am I forgiven?)

Ken Jennings said...

lol

Before we move on, Mr. Trebek, I'll argue that my answer was correct under my assumptions.

Dennis said...

BREASTAGES!!

Manac said...

Evening boys and girls.
Thought this going to be a DNF but then I remembered "Endeavor to Persevere" and then Tada! What the heck, it was only in the single digits this AM so I was in no hurry to go outside.
My one and only NIT was Marti's Sucker Punch was with the KK link!
Someone, please, seriously, Who are these people and what is, are, was their claim to (sorry for this term) fame? I'd rather look at Bill's Sofia Viagra interest. (Sorry Bill, couldn't resist).

Jayce said...

Lucina, congratulations! We support you all the way.

kazie said...

YR,
Sorry--I was, and am, in too much of a hurry today. I must have looked back quickly to see who had linked that, and just thought it was you when I saw yours. I had actually looked at yours too and found it to be what you say--explanations for beginners.

Today has been crazy, baking bread, making soup, and trying to find time to knit for the new granddaughter due this month.

Avg Joe said...

Congratulations Lucina on pulling the plug.

My most vivid memory on that topic is a visit by my favorite uncle a month after he'd retired. In the course of our conversation, I asked him what time it was. He looked at his wrist (which had nothing on it) and said: "I think it's October."

I hope to have that luxury, as well as that attitude, before the bastards completely grind me down.

Bill G. said...

I feel the same way as Lucina. I enjoyed almost every minute of teaching. Getting up in the morning was enjoyable. However, I wouldn't go back now at twice the salary. I enjoy the less-stressful retired life doing crossword puzzles and contributing to Irish Miss's headaches.

Pookie said...

Spitz,Great video!
Argyle @ 9:10 I LOVED the Andrews Sisters.
I still have the 78 of Rum and Coca-Cola that I played to death as a kid.
Marti @ 9:23 It took me a long time to find this video that a friend sent me.
"Revenge of the Frog"

Ouch!
Lucina, What a feat! I remember my favorite teacher and I'll bet they ALL remember you.

Bill G and fermatprime:
HUH?

Pookie said...

And I almost forgot,
KK and KW DESERVE each other.
I can't think of two more repulsive egomaniacs.

I give it a month.

Java Mama said...

Good evening, everyone! Lovely puzzle, Donna, with just the right amount of spice for a Thursday. The restaurant theme was lots of fun. Thanks for the shiny write-up, Marti. I can’t imagine C.C. ever having to BLEEP any of your comments. Even when this crowd gets a bit DF, it never crosses over into BLEEP territory.

Was not fooled by Old Italian Capital or Swift Strength. Favorite clue / answer was Dressing Extreme? / NINES. Our Christmas tree is adorned with a chain DH and his sister made from silver HOSTESS Ho-Ho wrappers when they were kids. Think it’ll become a collectors’ item now that the company went under? (Is that a “Har-Har” I hear from Splynter?)

Hope you get good news at your appointment tomorrow, Fermatprime. Congrats on your retirement, Lucina! Enjoy your well-deserved leisure time. I have a feeling you’ll find plenty to do.

SIL has a couple of interviews lined up which could mean a move closer to where we live. Keep your fingers crossed!

HeartRx said...

Avg. Joe @ 5:35, "Illegitimi non carborundum"

Pas de Chat @ 6:05, is that for real?? LOL!!!

Avg Joe said...

Marti: U2

Some days it's easy. Others....not so much.

Irish Miss said...

My first laugh-out-loud moment today was reading Marti's mental image for Inept Service, I.e., food being flung via a tennis racket.

My second laugh-out-loud moment was reading Bill G's (5:56) retirement "pleasures." (-:

Argyle said...

I hope Friday feels like Friday because I'm still flummoxed.

Pookie said...

Marti @ 7:02
Guess so....Doesn't look like it isn't, and I'm not gullible with a lot of things sent to me. LOL ditto
Argyle@ 7:54
I Didn't Know What time it Was

Yellowrocks said...

Happy retirement Lucina, after 55 years you deserve it. The best part is there are so many fewer "I ought"s and so many more "I'd like to"s. You are so much more the captain of your own life and you can choose what you will do and what you will not do.You go girl! Do what you please and enjoy.

However, here is one instance where I can't do what I please. Any advice would be appreciated. I'd like to post on FireFox because it has spell check, but it doesn't give me a way to post under my Google account and it doesn't show your avatrars, just blank boxes, unless I click on your screen names. I have to cut and paste to WORD in order to spell check.

Bill G. said...

Pas, if you were here, I could translate the math for you. It's stuff you probably learned in high school. Also, I completely agree with you about KK and KW. I wonder what's going to happen to the poor little person who is the result of their dalliance?

YR, I hope somebody else can help you. I'm using Firefox on a Mac with none of those troubles.

There's a bright Iridium flare in a few minutes in our neighborhood. It's when a particular communications satellite passes overhead and the solar panels happen to be tilted exactly right to reflect the sunlight. If you're looking in the right area of the sky at exactly the right time, it's like a star just flares extra-brightly for about 15 seconds. Very cool!

CrossEyedDave said...

Having a rough day, either i have that stomach bug people have been talking about, or i should not have eaten that 2 week old deli ham for lunch...

Funny restaurant gag that uses no bad words...

Iridium Flare

Loved seeing Cessna, but if you want to know what it is link to fly heavy, check this out!

Bill G. said...

CED, funny video. It reminded me of Steve Martin's The Great Flydini.

I've never seen a video of an Iridium flare before. Thanks. Bright ones are even more impressive in person. Have you ever seen one?

JD said...

Greetings Marti, C.C. et al,

Donna never lets us down..always a elegant and clever, but always a real challenge for me. Like Mari, I could not "get" randr..doh! Had coke for cola, and all the same pitfalls as everyone, but loved it anyway.

Spitzboov, hilarious link.

Lucina, welcome to our wonderful world where there is never enough time to do all the things on the "to do" list. Could it be that our time on task is a tad longer? heh,heh.Like you and Bill, I loved going to work everyday, and hopefully made a difference to a few each year. One never knows. I ran into an old(21?) student today while taking "my" boys to see Monsters Inc. 3D.She says she is going back to college..hope so.I think I have weaned myself from subbing for my friends.. the mood has changed in my school district and it's hard to see so many unhappy. It's hard to keep spirits up with the banter of bad education.

Java Mama, fingers crossed-good to have family close (in most cases)

JD said...

Did anyone else misread "bankrupt baker" as banker? Obviously had to rely on perps.Loss of Hostess also affected the delivery of other breads to our local stores. I had no idea that several bakeries team up, until I asked why my favorite French bread from Santa Cruz(over the hill)was not on the shelves.

Pookie said...

Bill G
By the time I was a junior in HS, the math eluded me.
I was busy copying alto, tenor and trumpet parts (on the sly)
during math class. (Early a.m.)
Alto sax up a 6th, Tenor up a 9th, Trumpet (up a 2nd)and these were arrangements I made up after making a record copy of Buddy Rich and/or Gerald Wilson arrangements.
I guess we all have a passion, and
after I got to Algebra 2, I ran out of gas.
But... music and math have much in common,so I'll keep on trying your problems.. just don't be surprised if there is a quiz on substitute dominants with the same tri-tone.

Sfingi said...

DNF in SW.

Had Truli instead of TEPEE.

SLant before SLOPE.

Nice puzzle.

Bill G. said...

Pas, you can help me with the circle of fifths and I'll help you with quadratic equations. How's that?

Pookie said...

OK Tomorrow , tommorow,,,etc.