google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Gareth Bain

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Jan 15, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Gareth Bain

 Theme: Tonsorial Items - Things related to that almost bygone place, the barbershop.

17A. *Wanted poster picture, usually : MUG SHOT. Shaving mug.


21A. *Well-positioned driver at Indy : POLE SITTER


35A. *Sailboat built for speed : CLIPPER SHIP. I was thinking catamaran.


45A. *Board meeting VIP : CHAIRPERSON.


58A. With 65-Across, a cappella group, and what the starts of the answers to starred clues comprise : BARBERSHOP

65A. See 58-Across : QUARTET


Argyle here. First: tonsorial. link Word of the Day. Second: 35-Across normally is plural in form but for the sake of consistency, I highlighted the items as singular. And while the theme is fine for a Tuesday, some entries were difficult.

I'm looking forward to your opinions. ♪♩♬♫•*¨*•.•*¨*•♫♪♫♪.

Across:

1. Gun barrel cleaners : RAMRODS

8. Be audibly sad : [SOB!]

11. Poetic planet : ORB. Or moon. "Cold hearted orb that rules the night"

14. Steel foundry input : IRON ORE

15. Grounded flier since 2001 : TWA. (Trans World Airlines) It was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001, so not exactly grounded.

16. British lav : LOO. (toilet)

18. Traces of gunpowder, e.g. : RESIDUE. Old cop show stand-by. The new CSI's hardly mention it anymore.

20. Big bird : EMU

23. Crib part : SLAT

26. Volleyball divider : NET

27. Biol. or geol. : SCI.

28. Five-term sen., say : POL. (politician)

30. Coolers in windows, briefly : AC's

32. Med. care providers : HMO's

40. Before, in poems : ERE

41. Uriah was one : HITTITE. Uriah the Hittite was the ill-fated soldier in King David's army in the Books of Samuel but what he is doing in a Tuesday puzzle is the real question.

42. Female political refugee : EMIGREE

44. Cycle starter : UNI. (unicycle)

47. Rowdy bunch : GANG

49. Trains above the road : ELs

50. Fr. holy woman : STE.

51. Jug handle : EAR

53. Addams family cousin : ITT

55. Indian tourist destination : AGRA. Home of the Taj Mahal.

62. Hosp. areas : OR's

64. Behind the eightball : IN A SPOT

68. Chocolate shape : BAR

69. Kimono closer : OBI. and 60D. Kimono cousin : ROBE

70. Set free : UNLOOSE

71. Barnyard enclosure : STY

72. 1/60 of a min. : SEC.

73. Tweezer target : EYEBROW

Down:

1. "The __ of the Ancient Mariner" : RIME. Earlier word for rhyme.

2. South African lilies : ARUMS. 13D. Dutch South African : BOER. Gareth Bain is a South African. And he knows about 59D. Vet sch. course : ANAT. Animals have anatomies, too.

3. Powerful person : MOGUL

4. BP takers, often : RNS

5. "Look at that!" : OOH

6. Let fall : DROP

7. Determined to have : SET ON

8. Emergency gear : STRETCHER

9. Has obligations : OWES

10. On a need-to-know __ : BASIS

11. Whippersnappers' opposites : OLD TIMERS

12. Lecherous sort : ROUE

19. Calamine target : ITCH

22. Pastoral places : LEAs

24. Meeting with an atty. : APPT. (appointment with an attorney.)

25. Something to talk about : TOPIC

29. River in Hades : LETHE. Also known as the river of unmindfulness, it was one of the five rivers of Hades.

31. Dimwits : SIMPS. PC?

33. Popular dunker : OREO

34. Caught in the act : SEEN

35. Train engine sound : CHUG. Steam engines, at least.

36. Filmmaker Wertmüller : LINA. She is Italian. Wiki link.

37. Planned travel route : ITINERARY

38. Down-to-earth : REALISTIC

39. Michelangelo statue : PIETA

43. Golfer Norman : GREG



46. Connecting strip of land: Abbr. : ISTH. (isthmus, like Panama)

48. Yaks and yaks : GABS

52. Bank takebacks, for short : REPOs

54. Chef's headgear : TOQUE



56. Chopper blade : ROTOR. (helicoptor)

57. "Am not!" rejoinder : "ARE SO!"

58. Tops of overalls : BIBS

61. Unimposing : PUNY

63. Crock-Pot dinner : STEW

66. Brewpub brew : ALE

67. Burgle : ROB. Bilbo Baggins was hired to burgle.




Argyle


76 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Another fun puzzle with a great theme. Got through most of it easily enough, but ran aground for awhile in the West in the UNI/HITTITE/LINA region. Tried TRI instead of UNI, was thinking Uriah Heap instead of the Biblical Uriah, and really wanted LENA instead of LINA.

I finally remembered HITTITE, though, and that got me back to smooth sailing again...

Argyle said...

The Golden State Quartet singing Sweet Adeline (1938)(2:27)

thehondohurricane said...

Good morning everyone,

Until I read Argyles write up I wasn't sure if I was successful or not today. Surprisingly, I was. There were a lot of "not too sure of" fills and one or two wags.

RIME of the Ancient Mariner was solved because I had the across fills correct. I wanted Styx for the river in Hades, had completely forgotten LETHE. Didn't know EMIGREE was only feminine. Wasn't sure of LINA (wanted Lena), but I felt confident about HITTITE.

Other then the above, the rest of the puzzle came together, but again like yesterday, with a heavy reliance on perps.

Overall, a pleasant challenge for Tuesday.

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you Gareth and thank you Argyle.

What day is it ? I enjoyed the puzzle. Totally guessed at Uriah was one H_TTI_E. Uriah (Heep) makes me think of the band and David Copperfield, so I was off in left field. I was heading for two naticks with filmmaker Wirtmueller and and river in Hades. Knew that wasn't Styx. Knew it wasn't HoTTImE. Finally threw in the I and the T because that was as good of a guess as I could come up with.

"Removes the colors from our sight"

Tonsorial refers to tonsils. ;>}

Anonymous said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Wow, what a fun Tuesday. Cool write-up, Argyle. Loved the barbershop links! Gareth had me going all over the place trying to get footholds, and I kept asking myself if I had skipped a day or two.

WBS about UNI/HITTITE/LINA. I also tried "tri" first!

It was nice to see the long downs, especially OLD TIMERS. But I had OLD fogies at first, so more minutes added to get that one fixed. But in the end, I was able to get it done and all was well with the world.

Have a fun day, everyone!

Anonymous said...

grrr...another anon post @ 6:14 that is really me...

HeartRx.

Argyle said...

I think 42A. Female political refugee : EMIGREE, is a little misdirection. It may be male OR female. Gareth doesn't say exclusively female. Here is Wiki's explanation of Émigré.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. At first this puzzle looked a bit intimidating, but in the end, it all worked out. There is still a Barber Shop near my house with the Red-and-White Striped POLE out front.

I hesitated briefly over SOB or Cry and STY or Pen.

Uriah first made me think of Dicken's Uriah Heep. The Biblical Uriah was a military officer and husband of Bathsheba, who was having an affair with King David. Bathsheba was pregnant with David's baby, so David sent Uriah into battle, knowing that he would killed, so he (David) could continue his relationship with Bathsheba. And who said that the Biblical stories aren’t racy!

BP Taker also gave me pause. I was initially thinking of British Petroleum because we are still experience the effects of the 2010 oil spill. When the RNs appeared, I realized that BP stood for Blood Pressure.

Continued heavy rain again today.

QOD: Sometimes all you need is just for somebody to believe in you in order to be able to accomplish maybe what you never thought you could. ~ Drew Brees (Jan. 15, 1979)

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Nice puzzle, Gareth, but somewhat chewy for a Tuesday. Fun write-up, Argyle!

Missed blogging yesterday (see below). A belated happy birthday to JD and belated anniversary to Irish Miss!

Maybe there is a local Y that has swimming lessons, Husker! Fortunately, I learned at a country club (on the better side of the tracks from my folks) when I was 8.

Wish friend Chris would get to feeling better! Really feel sorry for her and, of course, miss swimming very much.

Couldn't get to sleep until 8:30 AM this morn. Woke up at 10 AM and decided to call about missing $100,000. Unbelievable. Told them I had both sides of cancelled check in computer and certified mail receipt. All of a sudden they found the record of the check (that they cashed Dec. 6) and said I would receive a revised statement in a few days. (Must have hoped that I had just fallen off the turnip truck.)

Tried to take care of other business with no success. Helper managed to heat bathroom and I had a much needed shower in (horrible) walk in tub. Fell asleep and read the blog at 12 AM. Figured I'd wait and comment on Tuesday puzzle, so here I am!

Cheers!

fermatprime said...


SPOILER ALERT: I still think Matthew is a dork. Edith was originally an unpleasant character, but one does feel sorry for her (reformed) character. Don't you think that evil Thomas looks pasty and fat?

Love Sharon Gless on Burn Notice but can't help but feel sorry for her lungs!

fermatprime said...

What is a POLE SITTER?

TTP said...

Fermat, in the context of today's puzzle, a Pole Sitter is the driver that has qualified to be in position number 1 when the race starts.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

If it hadn't been for the perps, HITTITE would have been a Heep of trouble. My scripture knowledge is pretty meager.

Why should UNLOOSE mean Set Free? LOOSE would, UNLOOSE would seem to mean the opposite. Mine started as UNLEASH and only grudgingly changed to UNLOOSE.

It's another gray, clammy, sprinkly day in our neck of the woods...a good day to do something indoors.

Anonymous said...

three-letter words feast.

Mari said...

"Red is grey and yellow white."

Good morning everybody. I have to agree with ANON at 7:41 am: Three Letter Word Fest.

Like others I wannted TRI instead of UNI and wanted STYX, as I didn't know there were so many rivers in Hades.

I liked seeing RESIDUE, EMIGREE, ITINERARY, and REALISTIC among the 3 word alphabet soup.

Have a great day!

Avg Joe said...

"But we decide which is right."

In this case, what vowel fits in the natick crossing of Hittite and Lina.

"And which is an illusion."

creature said...

Want to wish JD a belated Happy Birthday ! and Irish Miss you're such a neat addition to the blog, I can't imagine it without you.

Really enjoying the puzzles and comments, but groggy from meds for sinus infection. All's well.

Have a great day everyone.

Anony Mouse said...

I thought a 'Pole Sitter' was a Pole dancer, who merely got tired .... or an adult supervisor for a pole dancer who isn't mature enough to take care of herself.

Hahtoolah, .... 'The Biblical Uriah was a military officer and husband of Bathsheba, who was having an affair with King David'. So, people came out of the closet, even in the Bible ? .... and what with the pregnancy and all, it seems like a true 'menage a trois'.

BTW, I am still waiting for some important communications. I would be very grateful, if you can drop me a hint, either way.

Thank you, Gareth Bain, for a challenging but very interesting puzzle. Really enjoyed it. The Cleveland Plain Dealer headlines,'Constructed by Gareth Bain Burnikel' ( !! ). Without reading anything more into this, I would guess our fearless leader, will make her appearance again tomorrow. I am rather sad, that editors have such a low opinion of the puzzles page, that they don't even bother to proof read, what they merely reprint.

Thank you Argyle, for a wonderful commentary. Really enjoyed your comments, and the barber shop quartet - including the Ph.D. emcee.

I had trouble with 'hittite' ( HEEP ?) , Lethe (STYX ?), and Lina. Made some lucky guesses, to complete it.

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

Anonymous said...

Nice Tuesday walk in the park. Thanks.

"QOD: Sometimes all you need is just for somebody to believe in you in order to be able to accomplish maybe what you never thought you could."

ALT QOD. Sometimes all you need is for somebody NOT to believe in you to motivate you to accomplish what they believe you can't.

Abejo said...

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

Really enjoyed today's puzzle. Clicked right along. Some easy, some not-so-easy.

Got RYME right off the bat, only I spelled it wrong. First write-over. RIME

Enjoyed the theme. have always liked BARBERSHOP QUARTETS.

Uriah the HITTITE was not too hard once I had a couple letters. His death, and the treachery around him, was the reason King David was not allowed to build the temple in Jerusalem. It fell to Solomon.

I own a TOQUE. Just not sure where it is.

Off to my day. It is 14 degrees here in DuPage County, IL.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

kazie said...

My only wrote-over today was REAMERS/ RAMRODS, but that was mainly because after that I didn't over think too many clues and just went with what perps confirmed in several places before writing anything in.

On the spelling of émigré/émigrée, Gareth was correct in saying it was feminine. In French, many words have an extra 'e' added to change from masculine to feminine, but then for some reason, when adopted into English, confusion sets in.

e.g. fiancé/fiancée--I don't know how many times I've seen in print that a woman's fiancé seemed to have undergone a sex change to fiancée. In French the adjective naïve is the feminine, with naïf being the masculine. In fact, many such words are known in English only in their formerly French feminine versions.

Hahtoolah said...

Anony Mouse, you are too funny!

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Excellent Write-up & links.
Gareth: Thank you for a FUN, and more challenging, Tuesday puzzle.

Thought the Hades River of Forgetfulness, LETHE, was appropriate since I am going to forget LINA Wertmuller by no later than noon today.

Now if I can just get some of INA'S POT, the day won't be a total loss.

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

CanadianEh! said...

Nice Tuesday puzzle.
I was misdirected by EMERGENCY GEAR and had hubby racking his brain for automobile parts!
Didn't know CHEF'S HAT was called a toque. We Canadians think of woollen toques to keep head warm.
Also liked eyebrow clue to go with the theme because some men need barbers to trim them too!!

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C.,and all,

Did a lot of head scratching on this one.Had way too many write overs (release to unloose, side to slat,spinnakers to clipper ship, seat belt to stretcher).My plan of action was all wrong..should do both up and downs together.C.C. asked us years ago how we did our solving.There was a great variety at the time. I said the downs were easier because I had already filled the acrosses that I knew.Still a rookie, but hopeful.

Never filled Hittite and a few others in the west.Loved the challenge, but didn't expect it on a Tues.

Again, thanks for all of yesterday's birthday wishes. Today I will take in less calories, and alas, the wine won't be as good.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Lots of unknowns for a Tuesday. Needed perps to get out of a few tight spots. Learning moment of the day: Hades has more than just the river Styx. Who knew?

Gareth's puzzles always make me think the guy is pretty darn smart.

Morning Argyle, thanks for the Barbershop links. As the Corner already knows, I loves me some a capella.

Fermat - I quite agree, Thomas must have put on a few pounds after the war! Edith certainly was catty in the beginning, but in my view she redeemed herself and stayed nice during/after the war. She deserves her moment in the spotlight.

Husker Gary said...

I love BARBERSHOP music especially the Buffalo Bills in Music Man. I was a top tenor, lead, baritone and finally a bass as my hormones and I progressed through high school. Fun puzzle with just enough zip, not BOERING!

Musings
-Firing an unrifled musket that required a RAMROD and a lot of time to reload while being charged by large force might have enhanced the art of the retreat. Yikes.
-UNL had decided to start a sand VB team. The Husker bulletin board wonders what the uniforms will be like
-The impasse over the debt ceiling threatens SS, Medicare, etc but no mention is made of cutting the salaries of POLS, their staff, benefits, travel, pet projects, ad nauseum
-Grandfather Johannes sister Nina was an EMIGREE from Switzerland
-Can a cute RN elevate your BP in the OR?
-This SET ON You is a fun song!
-I am on a need to know BASIS on our finances around here
-We have a great ITINERARY for our tour of NC, SC, GA, and TN this spring
-We’ve never had anything REPOed as we always found ways to pay what we OWEd.
-Is it really necessary to duck under the ROTORs (M*A*S*H opening) of a helicopter or is it just a reflex?
-Otto - Haven’t we all sang, “He has LOOSED (not UN) the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword”?
-What SNL character got verklempt and then gave the audience a TOPIC to discuss amongst themselves?

Anony Mouse said...

To the Anon at 8:18

A corollary would be:

Behind every successful man is a successful, (supportive ) woman ....

.... and an incredulous, flabbergasted mother in law.

Further to Hahtoolah's, story of Uriah, the Hittite, I would like to point out an analogy to Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal, built in Agra, which appears today, obliquely, as a clue.

Shah Jahan, then known as Prince Khurram, happened to chance upon Arjumand Banu Begum, and promptly fell in love with her. Inconveniently, perhaps, she happened to have an impediment of being already married. So he sent her erstwhile hubby on many campaigns and trials, hoping to remove him from the scene. When that did not work, he brazenly offered him, a poisoned Paan ( betel nut concoction -) in his court. Since, being offered a Paan, by the Emperor, was such a great honor, the hubby was obliged to take it, and eat it immediately. So he died, poisoned in clear daylight, literally in open court. Shah Jahan, 'Emperor of the Universe', as he titled himself, named his 5th (?) wife, Mumtaz Mahal,'Chosen one of the Palace'. She died literally during labor, on her Fourteenth delivery. (statistics, of the danger of childbirth, had caught up with her.) The Taj Mahal, took 24 years to complete, and cost an estimated 280 million $. Lets just say, he had plenty of money, plenty of 'free' labor and plenty of time on his hands. So, the next time, if any of you are lucky enough to go and see this magnificent edifice, as with any other magnificent monument, like the Pyramids, please spend a moment to ruminate about the contributions of millions of hapless souls who were forced into labor, to bring that about.... but who have no written records in history.

Anonymous said...

Hated todays puzzle cause of all the abbrevs. Wtf. Its tuesday right??? 10 abbrevs with 2 for shorts. But at least there was only 1 french abbrev. No spanish?? Loved Polesitter. Unloose took awhile. Whatched 12 Angry Men yesterday and a murder took place where a witness supposedly saw it through a L-train, (ELS 49A) so that helped. Going to eat 63D. See ya's. Its cccccold here on the left coast.

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Whenever I see Gareth's byline, I know I'm in for a treat and today was no exception. Great theme and good fill, despite the " terrible threes.". I, too, had old fogies before old timers and also had SST before TWA. Thanks, Gareth, for a Tuesday with some bite and thanks, Argyle, for the usual super expo.

Thanks, Fermatprime, for your best wishes and thank you, Creature, for your gracious compliments.

We are due for some snow later in the day and some colder weather. So far, though, relatively little snow and no extreme temps, so no complaints.

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Yellowrocks said...

Kazie, Your discussion of masculine and feminine was interesting. English is not consistent. The dictionary says fiancé is masculine and fiancée is feminine, but it says that both émigré and émigrée can be either. Until this morning I thought they followed the fiancé/fiancée pattern.

More inconsistency: Loose and unloose are synonyms which are both correct. Both dust and undust mean to free from dust. Undust is a proper, but seldom used word, spellcheck not withstanding. Look it up. Dust also means to apply dust to, instead of remove dust. Dust the crops. Dust one's buns with powdered sugar or talc. HAHA. Iterate and reiterate are also synonyms. Logic has nothing to do with it.

I always do across and down together to confirm each entry, so this was a cakewalk. There were no hangups. I thought of Uriah Heep, but it was too short and I already had HIT-IT-The only write over was CHUG for CHOO. I enjoyed your commentary and links, Argyle.
Yellowrocks from Kathy

Qli said...

Hi everyone,

This was an enjoyable puzzle for me. Some days you just guess right!

Husker, was that SNL character Rosann Rosannadanna?

hand up for tri instead of UNI. WEES about UNLOOSE, EMIGREE, and the Hades river.

I need to get going and accomplish something else today, but you folks are so entertaining! Thanks for getting my day off off to a good start.

Lucina said...

Hello, cyber buddies. Yowza! What a great puzzle from Gareth Bain early in the week and well analyzed by Argyle. Thank you, both.

RIME was a good start though had to skip around to slowly fill here and there but with a few picket fences set in, the words began to take shape.

NE filled quickly with old familiars, ORB, LOO, etc. and eventually got POLESITTER. Had no idea what that meant. Thanks, Argyle.

Started with DAVID before PIETA and hand up for forgetting LETHE and wanting STYX though it didn't fit.

I, too, was surprised to see HITTITE but with Mr. Bain you never know what he'll throw into the mix. It's always fun.

In the book Queenmaker, India Edgewood, writes beautifully about David and Bathsheba.

Have a fantastic Tuesday, everyone!

Qli said...

"Dust one's buns" ,YellowRocks? hahaha!

windhover said...

Anony-mouse,
My son, who is married to a woman who is a native of India, recently sent me a picture of his family posed in front of the Taj Mahal. Somehow I doubt the details you relate are divulged in the tour guide.
Related:
In the middle nineties, I visited the Cathedral at Chartres, where we learned that it was built in the 1300's (going from memory here) and took 110 years to build. My thought at the time was that 4 or 5 generations of the locals funded and worked on that project. Of course, I guess One could view it as job security or an early version of the WPA.
If the various Bible stories teach anything, it's that human nature is enduring and basically unchanged.
Channeling Justin, Joe?

windhover said...

One more, then off to the dentist:
The Congressman from the district just South of here, one Hal Rogers, procured the money to build a large civic building in Somerset, Ky. The locals call it the Taj Ma-Hal.

Misty said...

I love Gareth Bain puzzles, and today was no exception. After a rough puzzle week last week and a not easy yesterday, today's felt like a Monday puzzle to me. Hurray! And thanks, Gareth, and you too, Argyle, for putting BARBERSHOP QUARTET tunes in my head!

Hahtoolah, I was with you on BP and although I got it, I still didn't "get" in until you explained it was Blood Pressure. Thanks.

Here's my Edith vent. I was furious with her folks for assuming hers was a bad match just because the fellow was older. My sweetie is older than I am, but the 14 years before his stroke were the happiest of my life, and the 4 years since his stroke have been the most precious, because he's still at home with his mind in great shape. Love is love, whatever the age.

Finally, Tinbeni, I hope INA doesn't let you down.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2

-Wind, another Modern Taj Mahal - a absolutely useless monument built by POLS with tax money on Omaha’s waterfront.
-Sorry Qli, here is the SNL skit with a Mike Meyers’s character getting verklemp (at 5:30) and offering a TOPIC while he/she recovers. Madonna, Roseanne and a surprise participant at the end make for a classic episode.

CrossEyedDave said...

Quite a learning experience for me today, Lina, hittite & lethe + pieta/emigree were total WAGs. I can't believe i guessed right! (kind of an unsatisfying way to finish a puzzle though...)

Very disappointed to learn about King David, kind of gives the name a black eye! I guess they only told me the good things about David when i was growing up... (Ah, ignorance "was" bliss!)

I think this Quartet may have been linked before, but it's worth a rerun. skip to 2:00 if you just want to hear the song. (5:28 total)

Anonymous said...

My train went CHOO (choo), not CHUG (a lug).

Not certain I can follow fermatprime's time table, as there seems to be a time warp involved.

Avg Joe said...

I was just playing along Windy. Argyle started with his comment on 11A, TTP picked up the next line, Mari the 3rd and I finished feeling fortunate that it tied in with my Natick.

Jayce said...

Unloose the Kraken!

HeartRx said...

CED @ 11:38, very funny quartet - I was rolling on the floor by the end of it!!

Mari said...

Anonymous @ 8:18 AM: I like your quotes. A great cure for the "Moody Blues" ;)

River Doc said...

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Fun puzzle today. I “got” all the barbershop theme references except for the first one – shaving mug – thanks for the explanation Argyle!

I found an actual barber shop when I first moved here 12 years ago. After your haircut they apply hot lather to your neck and use a straight edge razor to cut. Art the Barber, as he calls himself, is a great guy who encourages his regular patrons to stop by and chat even if they don’t need a haircut. I think it’s the closest I’ll ever get to having the Mayberry Floyd the Barber experience….

Re: Old Timers, one of my favorite Little Feat songs, Old Folks Boogie,
has this lyric: Well you know that you’re over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can’t fill.

Husker Gary @9:40, I just watched Martin Scorsese’s three and a half-hour ( ! ) documentary on the life of George Harrison titled Living in the Material World. It’s comprised of interviews, concert footage, personal videos, etc., and held me spellbound the whole time. What an incredible human being who, unfortunately, died of lung cancer at the age of 58 – Sharon Gless take note.

Husker Gary said...

One more BARBERSHOP story before I head to the Y.

I got a certificate for a free “The Works” haircut at a mall in west Omaha. The barber was a barely post-adolescent young girl who was about as interested in me as she was in a snow pile in the parking lot. This was another example of young people looking past/through us OLD TIMERS as illustrated in the Doonesbury cartoon of a month ago to which I linked. The ultimate indignity was when she was administering a neck massage with a hand vibrator, I saw her in the mirror intently watching TV as she was supposed to be attending to me. Now if I had been a 22 year-old stud muffin with a two-day-old growth of beard… You figure out what it did to her tip.

Uh, it was not enough to lure me away from my long time barber who is a contemporary and I pay him $20 for a $15 haircut.

Vegas, I saw that documentary too and found it fascinating. Did you see the one on John Lennon on American Masters? It was great and here I thought he was British.

River Doc said...

HG @12:55, yes I did see the Lennon documentary as well. It still blows me away that such accomplished musicians all grew up together in the same town. I'm off to London in a month for an extended business trip - maybe I'll take a side trip one weekend....

Anonymous said...

Loved the Uriah reference. How often does that one fit into a puzzle! Thanks for a nice Tuesday puzzle,just challenging enough with my bagel abd coffee this morning.

downtonabbey said...

Not much more to add other than to thank Argyle for such a fine write up of the puzzle today. I pretty much had a Dudley finish. HITTITE,I may remember but probably not LINA or LETHE. Parts of the puzzle felt a bit "forced" as though it were edited from a harder to easier or vice versa version. As the young folks put it, 'just sayin'.

U.S.D.A. Inspector said...

A note of trivia has it that the swirling red and blue sign in front of a barber shop actually indicates 'blood and flesh'. At one time, in 12th century, jolly olde England - butchers, barbers and those who 'performed' surgery, all used that sign of 'blood and guts'.

Even in 19th century England, surgeons were often 'butchers', and just as ruthless and carefree. They were considered a big degree below physicians, and were only considered semi-professional.

As late as, 1920's, in England, a student who passed his MBBS ( Bachelor in Med. and Bach. in Surgery )or BMBS, MBChB, MDCM, etc. - was called a 'Doctor'.

However, once a 'doctor', went through a 5 yr. residency, and then passed his/her post-doctoral degree, like a FRCS - Fellow of the Royal college of Surgeons - to become a 'Consultant', and have his offices at Harley Street, the doctor is then extended a courtesy title of 'Mister' !

There were 2 reasons, for this, so called 'down grading',

1. Surgeons, who were traditionally butchers, were generally not doctors.

But, more importantly,

2. A physician/doctor was considered a 'guild worker' or at best, a skilled tradesman. By passing the FRCS or an MRCP, a doctor was elevated to the lower ranks of nobility, hence, he was considered a 'gentleman', and therefore entitled to be regarded, as such - much like 'Esquire'. Ths his title of 'Mister'.

TTP said...

Here's the local Taj Mahal

It's actually a Hindu Temple. Quite impressive.

The website is worth exploring. I like the construction details about the limestone, marble and stone... quarried in Turkey and Italy, transported to India, carved, shipped to Virginia, trained to Chicago etc. Great pictures.

downtonabbey said...

TTP, that is an impressive building. Anony-mouse, thanks for the info on the original Taj Mahal.

PK said...

Hi Y'all, Great puzzle, Gareth! Great expo, Argyle!

WEES! Is 11D Whippersnapper Gareth's shout-out to us who are the over-the-hill GANG aka OLD TIMERS?

Hahtoolah, I wish you could blow some of your rain north to some of us who are drought-ridden. I keep thinking of Aaron Neville's poignant "Louisiana".

Misty, my husband was 10 years older and we were together 33 yrs. before he dropped (really) dead. When I married him, I was attracted because he was a mature man whereas males my age were very immature and I wasn't. My sister's husband was 25 years older and was disabled for a number of years before he died. My best friend's husband is 15 years older and now disabled. I think this age difference is pretty common.

Lucina said...

Misty and PK:
Interesting factoids about age differences. My grandfather was 54 (we think) and my grandmother, 16 when they married in the early 1900s. His first wife had died of cancer and they had five children. My grandmother bore five live children. Two others didn't survive.

With Edith and Sir Anthony, I believe the author is deliberately pushing our buttons as viewers and succeeding very well. I, too, feel enraged whenever the subject is discussed among the relatives especially her father and grandmother.

As JD noted, Edith redeemed herself by working with the sick and dying soldiers where she exhibited great sympathy and kindness toward them. Remember Patrick? She was the only one who championed him even if she misjudged him.

Qli said...

Husker, thanks for the very funny SNL clip. I don't mind being wrong if it means being entertained like that! LMAO

Interesting history on the blog today. Now I know why docs in some English books were called Mr.

George Harrison was my favorite Beatle. I'll have to look up that documentary.

Bill G. said...

I don't watch either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Never have. But apparently they set a record this week for using the word "Amazing." Clothes were amazing, people looked amazing, everything was amazing. It seems to have replaced "Awesome", at least temporarily. There seems to be a need to overstate and overemphasize everything. Nothing is 'affected' anymore but 'impacted' instead. Everybody on Ellen gets a standing ovation even though their accomplishments may be meager.

I did an old puzzle yesterday on Cruciverb by Henry Hook. He seems like a very professional and competent constructor. A good theme with no weak fill. I assume he has a good reputation among constructors?

Susan said...

I've just been lurking for months and months, but I wanted to comment today. But first thank you to our constructor and Argyle--fun puzzle and explanation.

All this barbershop talk brought many nice childhood memories. My grandfather owned a little one chair barbershop in a tiny little Idaho town. He had one big chair by a window where he would sit, read, and wait for customers. As he got older so did the men who would come in and gab. He would sing while he cut hair and the story was that the longer the hymn, the shorter the hair.

I used to love to go there and play on the big chair and his brass cash register was fun. Towards the end of his life, he was the oldest practicing licensed barber in Idaho--92. He would walk the five
blocks from the house to the shop.

His shop was on main street right across from a bank. One day he actually witnessed Butch Cassidy rob the bank. The sheriff really did set off after them on a bicycle like in the movie.

Grampa's chair, cash register, and pole are in the local museum along with lots of pictures and the newspaper account of the bank robbery.

Grampa was very careless about crossing the street--he was from such an older time that he didn't understand the danger of cars, I guess. One really cold winter morning as he was walking to work a young man hit him because he had only scrapped the ice off just a peep hole in his window. He was 92; the whole town mourned Eddie.

Thank you all for your writings bringing all my memories to me.

Susan

JJM said...

Lots of words you wouldn't normally find in a Tues puzzle. That's OK, it made me think a little more.

Yellowrocks said...

Susan, so sorry above your grandfather. Those peepholes in the ice in the windshield are so dangerous. Our local police are now stopping drivers who do that. Snow piled high of vehicle roofs, especially trucks and vans,is also dangerous.

I am tasked with giving the go ahead or canceling our dance tonight. I am letting it go on with misgivings. Snow and/or sleet are slated to come in between 10:00 and midnight. It was 20 degrees colder this afternoon than yesterday afternoon.

I am enjoying all the old time barber shop stories. I take my son to one like that. The guys come to hang out and "chew the fat." While waiting for him I catch up on all the local doings

We have had LINA and LETHE here quite a few times , it seems to me. LAT is where I learned the spelling of LINA.

I’ll let you know later whether my car and I returned in one piece tonight.
Yellowrocks from Kathy

Marge said...

Hi all,
I enjoyed this puzzle but it took me awhile. Of course thats all I have right now,is time. I do get around now and am using the walker more and the pain is less.

I thought Uriah was Heep also but it didn't fit. I am embarrassed to say it took me awhile to get Hittite. I know the story well. And CED, it's just one of stories in that era. Remember how in the old testament men could have as many wives and concubines as they wanted? Women could only have one husband. Oh well!

This is a nice sunny day and the snow is mostly gone but it is still cold.

I knew BP of cource, being an old rusty nurse.

Have a great evening, all!
Marge

Steady 80 said...

The kids love this one:
A rabbit hops into a barbership and asks, "Do you have any lettuce?" "No" said the barber, "This is a barbershop; go to market down the block."
Next day, the rabbit returns and asks "Do you have any lettuce?" "No" "I told you yesterday to go to the market." The next day, the rabbit asks again. The barber, infuriated, says "If you come in one more day, I'm going to nail your ears to the floor."
Next day, the rabbit comes in and asks "Do you have any nails?"

Bill G. said...

Humphrey has gotten a summer job as a census worker. He goes to his first house and knocks on the door. A woman answers. He politely introduces himself and asks her how many children she has. She politely tells him she has three children. He asks her how old they are. She says she won’t tell him, but she will give him some hints. She says that the product of their ages is 36 and the sum of their ages is one more than the number of the house across the street (pointing to the house). Humphrey thinks to himself, “She is not being very cooperative. This sounds like one of those Problems of the Week I used to have in math class. But I am a smart guy and I am sure I can figure this out.” So he thanks the woman and leaves.

He comes back an hour later, apologizes for bothering her again, and tells her that he still can’t figure out the ages of her three children. She is very apologetic and says, “I’m really sorry. I forgot to tell you that the oldest child likes peanut butter and anchovy sandwiches.”

Humphrey says, “Great! Now I know the ages of your kids.” If Humphrey can figure this out, so can you! Get to work! No guesses, all logic.

PK said...

Susan, good to see you back! Great story about your grandfather.

Hahtoolah said...

PK: we are hearing about the drought along the Mississippi River in the northern states and how it is affecting barge travel and commerce, yet here, the Mississippi is nearly overflowing the banks.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi Rowdy bunch -

Struggled a bit today. Lots of wrong first guesses. Close shave, bit I finally got it.

Nicely constructed puzzle,

Had trouble in the west central region until I figured out CLIPPER SHIP.

Didn't even notice the 3's and abrvs.

Cool regards,
JzB

Lucina said...

Susan, welcome back! I loved the story about your grandfather and felt sad at the end. You have wonderful memories.

Fun to know about the bank robbery!

Misty said...

Susan, I too loved your grandpa story. It evokes a whole other era, doesn't it?

And PK and Lucina, many thanks for your own stories about age differences in marriages.

Lucina, I've come to like Edith much more as the seasons go by, which is why I found the sabotage of her wedding plans so upsetting and sad. But I suspect you're right, that the writers are trying to provoke us with her fate. I can live with that.

JD said...


Susan, welcome back! What wonderful memories to have of your late grandpa. Great story.

JJM, oh my, your daughter is every bit as cute (and more lovely) than her darling brother.

Bill, I think Britney Spears has the trophy for using the word AMAZING.

windhover said...

Misty, et al,
I am 21 years older than the Irish. While we are both aware that this will likely not end well, I am in much better shape and more active than the old boyfriend I won her away from in 1991, when she was 24 and I 45. He is still part of one of our social groups and we get along well, but at the time I'm pretty sure he thought I was a passing fancy. I may be, but I haven't "passed" yet.
We have a lot in common; we love the farm life, we like music and dancing, and we stay active in a lot of ways. I plan to do that until I can't.
I enjoyed reading of your good fortune in a mate.
PS:
I've told her that when I do check out of here, she should reverse the age difference with her next guy. I believe she might. :-)

Anony Mouse said...

Bill.G. much to my aversion, only because I'm kinda busy - I, never- the- less, decided to try and solve your quiz. If not me, then whom ? If not now, then when ? Actually, it was really quite easy.

BTW, we had a census 'taker' come to our house, last spring. He was a polished, well dressed, black guy. He was better dressed than I was. I was so relieved that he was not an FBI, IRS, DEA, etc. agent that I would have offered him dinner ! He was heavily perfumed with Brut - which is also my favorite after shave. He was very polite and very apologetic, and when he found me cooperative, he hesitantly kept making up more and more questions. I kept making up more and more answers. In the end, I got a framed certificate from the Dept. of Commerce, which looked as if it had been run off at a Kinko's copy center. Glad to do my bit for the country. I just hope they don't take the data too seriously. From my point of view, even the IRS previous year's tax return income and summary data is also a bit of a joke.

Anyway, to solve your problem, the combinations for a product of 36, and their equivalent sigma ( sum) are:


1 x 2 x 18 ..... Sigma = 21

1 x 3 x 12 ..... Sigma = 16

1 x 4 x 9 ..... Sigma = 14

1 x 6 x 6 ..... Sigma = 13

2 x 2 x 9 ..... Sigma = 13

2 x 3 x 6 ..... Sigma = 11

3 x 3 x 4 ..... Sigma = 10

Since, the guy could not confirm the combination immediately, the sigma has to be repeated more than once. Hence Sigma = 13, so either 1x6x6 or 2x2x9, and since there is only one eldest, who likes anchovies, it has to be the latter, viz. 2x2x9.

I am waaay over the post-line limit - but hopefully the last post for the day. My profuse apologies to C.C. and Argyle and the Wednesday blog meister.

HeartRx said...

Bill G. @ 4:20, 2, 2 and 9? or, they could be 1, 6 and 6 - still 9 months apart and both be 6 y.o.??? Arrrrgh!!

Anony Mouse said...

As Lemonade would have said - Divine Miss. M. - are you getting ready for tomorrow's blog ?

I hope it's not too difficult .....

Too tough crosswords give ME a headache....

G'night....and don't work too hard.

(It's noon, Light Zero Thirty, in India.)

hutch2@gmail.com said...

Hutch here! A point of interest. I also like a shave of my neck and sideburns after the haircut. It is now rare in Washington to get a barber to do it. You have to have a special license and training to qualify. Few women barbers Qualify. I pray my 82 year old barber doesn't retire!

Misty said...

Windhover, I love your story! How lucky you both are. It confirms exactly what I was thinking. As for the future, it has to be sad, one way or another, given mortality, for every person. But it's the life that was lived that matters, doesn't it? At least that's how I look at it. And stories like yours show how good that life can be, and make me happy.

PK said...

Speaking of census takers and giving questionable info: when I was doing genealogy, I read a lot of old censuses (?). These families had rafts of kids and the ages of the kids sometimes were several years off from one census to the next ten years later. About the only time they were accurate was within a year of their birth.

In one family line the mother couldn't read or write, so I wondered how they kept track of such things if they did. Then I found a distant relative who had the family Bible that had pioneered with them from Ohio to Indiana to Iowa to northern California. Apparently the father was literate and wrote things in the Bible.

Vairnut said...

For people who read this tomorrow, maybe you will enjoy THIS barber:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xToPCaNxaow

Sorry, I dont know how to link things....