google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday March 29, 2013 Jack McInturff

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Mar 29, 2013

Friday March 29, 2013 Jack McInturff

(Note from C.C.: Today's blog is a collaborative effort between Lemonade & Boomer, who had another 300 on Monday. Five perfect games this season! Lemonade had set up the whole clue/answer list, analyzed the theme & wrote a few comments, but did not feel well enough to continue. He was sick the week before, then last week's trip to Colorado and cold weather did not help. Get well soon, Lemonade!)


Theme: What the H?

Jack is back and he has given a tricky letter(s) substitution, where the letters "TR" are removed from the start of the final word of four common phrases and replaced with "H" to create a new and humorous answer. There is also a unifier, of sorts.

16A. Hide cyberspace crimes? : COVER ONE'S (TR)HACKS. (13). I have no idea how hackers hack, but I know how trackers track.

27A. Amsterdam cops? : DUTCH (TR)HEAT (9). I am not one for going Dutch on a date; if she can afford it I am man enough to let her pay.

35A. Objects of poolside ogling? : SWIMMING (TR)HUNKS.(13).

47A. Hayseed that doesn't tip? : CHEAP (TR)HICK.

57A. NBA military appreciation initiative, and a hint to this puzzle's theme : HOOPS FOR TROOPS.

Across:

1. Beginning to bat? : ACRO.  A tricky beginning  ACROBAT, not a baseball reference.                       
5. Styptic stuff : ALUM. Since they made the razors better, I have not seen one in years but they still work, I imagine. LINK.

9. Leapfrog : FLIT. Jack will have to explain this one, as I do not see the connection, and I do not want to start a war of unPC definitions.

13. Cleaver kid : BEAV. Wally always called his little brother this. Another answer, I must skate around and hope we get some of Lois' perfect edgy style.

14. Collaborative website : WIKI.

15. Actress Anderson : LONI. Poor Burt is going down the tubes. (Starting Boomer... Beautiful Loni was from Highland Park Minnesota.

19. Macbeth or Hamlet : ROLE. Did any of our band ever play one of these?

20. Most cozy : HOMIEST.  Where Joe Mauer and Buster Posey play.

22. "Where ___": 1996 Beck hit : IT'S AT.

25. Mr. ___: Dr Pepper rival : PIBB.

26. Bemoan : RUE.  Also one of the Golden Girls.

30. "Barnaby Jones" star : EBSEN.  Buddy was originally cast as the tin man in "Wizard of Oz", but was allergic to the silver makeup.

32. Editor's mark : STET.  Add a "SON" and you have cologne.

33. Strong-legged bird : EMU.

34. Pendleton Act pres. : CAA. Chester A. Arthur.


40. Writer Marilyn ___ Savant : VOS ?!

41. Chambéry shout : CRI.  That's four three letter "words" in a row that are a bit vague.

42. Olive, for one : TREE.  If this were three letters, I would guess OYL.

44. Parting word : ADIEU.  "My best of friends ADIEU.  I can no longer stay with you.  I'll hang my heart on the weeping willow tree, and may the world go well with thee!"

49. Push for payment : DUN. 

50. Peppy : SPRY.

52. Malága to Cádiz dirección : OESTE (West).  One language is tough enough.

53. Like the L.A. Times Building : ART DECO.  I have never seen the building.  I thought Art Deco was the guy who played Santa Claus at the office Christmas party.  Or maybe that was Art VanDelay.

55. Nitwit : BOOB. I know a different clue for this word.

62. Broadway governess : ANNA."The King and I"?

63. The Supremes or Cream : TRIO.  Kingston and Chad Mitchell are my favorites.

64. Remote button : MUTE.  I use this frequently on Bert Blyleven Twins telecasts.

65. Honey drink : MEAD.

66. Realizes : SEES.

67. Victim of spoilage? : BRAT.  My son's name is Bret.  I named him correctly but I spelled it wrong. 

Down:

1. "Shark Tank" airer : ABC

2. Corp. leader : CEO

3. ___ 4: Toyota SUV : RAV

4. Like some imaginations : OVER-ACTIVE.  I'll never admit it though.

5. MP's concern : AWOL.  "Where to get donuts" didn't fit.

6. Pickup opener : LINE.  Joey on Friends used "How you doin'",  But I think you also need to be rich and look like him.

7. Ho's instrument : UKE.  The Uke was invented in Portugal, not Hawaii. But the Hawaiians figured out what to do with it.

8. Cause of a big slice : MISHIT.  I can slice even when I hit it well. Careful how you say this word.


9. Mardi Gras torch : FLAMBEAU.  Never heard of this.  What do they call the shiny beads?

10. Focal points : LOCI

11. Cartoonists, at times : INKERS.  Okay, and other times as an ST on the front.

12. Offer to one who's been recently blessed? : TISSUE.  Or peeled an onion.

17. "Goodbye, Columbus" author : ROTH (Philip). My clue would be Hall of Fame PBA bowler Mark.  Now recovering from a stroke at a young age. 

18. Fireside shelf : HOB

21. Common base : TEN.  OR - the pin that's most common to leave.

22. Points a finger at : IDS.  The IDS Tower is still the tallest building in Minneapolis.

23. Sounds of disdain : TUTS.

24. Difficult spot : STEW.  The beef kind tastes the best.


25. Potbellied : PAUNCHY.  Middle age dilemma.  Eat your vegetables.

28. Clothes lines : HEMS

29. Brt. recording heavyweight : EMI

31. Peace rally slogan : BAN THE BOMB.  In the 60s, folks were building shelters.  Thank God we never had to use them.  But I often wondered why someone would stay underground and eat thirty days worth of food, only to return above ground to find that all of the Target stores and bowling centers were gone. 

34. Hairy "pet" : CHIA.  This replaced the pet rock as a Christmas present for in-laws.

36. Clicking site : MOUSE PAD.  Also the place where the mouse lives.  My garage was a mouse pad this winter.  I got them though.  They should have built a shelter.

37. Ph.D. seeker's exam : GRE

38. Brooklyn Nets forward Humphries : KRIS.  Originally from my home town, Hopkins, Minnesota.  55343

39. Dissenting group : SECT. 

43. Barely earn, with "out" : EKE

44. Oklahoma city : ADA.  Also a city in Northern MN.

45. Duke's home : DURHAM.  Also home of the minor league Bulls. Great Movie, remember Crash Davis?

46. Chant : INTONE

47. Seals's partner : CROFTS.  Originally Darrell, aka Dash.  Summer Breeze makes me feel fine.  Still waiting this year.

48. In need : POOR

51. Mac alternatives : PCs

54. Spanish address : DONA.  On a wagon, Bound for market, There's a calf with a mournful eye.

55. Creamy spread : BRIE

56. Early Nebraskans : OTOS - This is a great Band of Native Americans.  They were known as Southern Sioux, and settled near what is now the SD / NE border on the Missouri River.  Brule, South Dakota is the small town there, with a nine hole golf course and some of the best fishing in the Midwest. 

58. Pay dirt : ORE

59. Word of sharing : OUR

60. Class-conscious org.? : PTA - Harper Valley had an issue with theirs.

61. Prepared : SET - Three games of bowling is now called a set. We used to call it series. I guess either works for me.

Lemonade & Boomer 


53 comments:

  1. Hello Puzzlers -

    Jack Mac is back, with another clever grid. Must have been on the right wavelength today - no major mysteries. Today's theme hint seems particularly crafty.

    Had to wait for perps to figure out which president (CAA), and to correct Dunham, an early guess. I remember Marilyn Vos Savant from her newspaper column, in which she was billed as having the highest IQ. Had trouble remembering Mr. Pibb, a brand I've rarely seen.

    Hob is an interesting word, still very much in use in England.

    Morning, Boomer, nice to see you today!

    Cheers All

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  2. Morning, all!

    Congrats to Boomer, and kind thoughts to Lemonade.

    I blew through most of this puzzle like a sneeze through cheap tissue, but there were a few awkward spots that temporarily stopped me in my tracks. STEW is a "difficult spot"? FLAMBEAU? HOB? CAA? ROTH?

    The theme was very enjoyable. I thought it was just random punning at first, but was pleased to discover there was a method to the madness when I got to the reveal at 57A.

    [gyadanc]

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  3. Good morning Boomer, C.C. et al.

    I hope Lemony is OK soon!

    Congratulations, Boomer, on another 300!! I have to agree with you about the whole leapfrog/FLIT thing. It was even more difficult with the FLAMBEAU/LOCI/INKERS perps. Thank goodness I was able to get TISSUE, or I would never have gotten a toehold in that NE corner. PIBB was another glitch in that area. Never heard of it!

    Like Dudley, I remember VOS Savant from her “Parade” column, but mostly from the controversy over her answer to the “Monty Hall” problem.

    I was looking for the raison d’ȇtre for the puns, and thought the HOOPS FOR TROOPS provided the perfect rationale. Great end of the week puzzle!

    TGIF!

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  4. Good morning--had hod for hob and don't understand "flit". Other than that it was fun. Haven't we had "chia" recently?

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  5. Good morning!

    I really flew through this one, and even got the theme with TRACKS/HACKS. My only misstep: seeing CA_ I initially guessed CAL rather than CAA. BEAV and BOOB kept things interesting.

    Congrats on the 300, Boomer. I agree with you on Kingston and Chad Mitchell. I could hear Chad's version of Dona Dona Dona in my head from your DONA quote. And that beef stew looked delicious.

    Marti, thanks for the Monty Hall link. I'd seen the explanation before, but didn't remember the outcome.

    Since Hahtoolah won't be here today, here's a quote from today's AWAD: Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. -William Arthur Ward, college administrator, writer (1921-1994)

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  6. Hi everybody. Great puzzle today. It took a little thinking to figure out the missing "H"s, but everything fell nicely into place once I got COVER ONES HACKS.

    I liked seeing 13A Cleaver Kid: BEAV, because I kept reading it as "Clever Kid".

    Other good clues were:
    - 67A: Victim of Spoilage? BRAT
    - 12D: Offer to one who's been recently blessed? TISSUE
    - 58D: Pay dirt: ORE

    I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and to those who celebrate, a Blessed Easter.

    Lemony: I hope you are up and about in no time.

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  7. Jeremiah (the Bullfrog)March 29, 2013 at 7:58 AM

    If one leapfrogs around, he jumps about or moves about or FLITS about. Don't thing of Leapfrog as a noun, but rather as a verb.

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  8. It felt pretty good to breeze through this today! Only nit I had was with CRI and GRE. For once I WAGGED it correctly.
    When you are in a STEW, you are in a difficult spot. Mr PIBB was Coca-Cola's answer to Dr Pepper. I always enjoyed Marilyn VOS Savant in Parade, until our newspaper replaced it with the useless USA Weekend.
    Wondering what the Saturday puzzle holds??

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  9. Feel better soon, Lemony. Thanks for filling in, Boomer. Congrats on your 300.
    Clever puzzle and clever expo. Many delightful puns.
    I liked CRI. Chambery is a French city and CRI is French for shout.
    I read Marilyn VOS Savant’s column every week.
    FLIT may be a bit of a stretch for leapfrog, but I can dig it. When one FLITs from place to place, one passes by many spots without alighting. When one LEAPFROGs, one jumps over intermediate places.
    I have company coming tomorrow. Gotta run.

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  10. Jeremiah, i see you beat me to it. Great minds....

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  11. Good morning everyone. Good intro on a tough puzzle, Boomer and Lemonade. I hope Lemonade gets well soon.

    I've come to like Jack's puzzles and I liked this one. Other than not having heard of PIBB and not having heard of HOB; , which created a Natick (I had 'hod'); most of the puzzle was delightful, even with the misdirecting clues. To wit: the cluing for DURHAM and BRAT. Liked the 10 letter downs, too. Great theme, great stuff.

    OESTE - We used to have a poster here - somebody Del OESTE (from New Mexico?)so that helped. Knew it had to have a westward component because Cadiz is on the Atlantic coast.

    Congrats to Boomer on his 300's. BZ

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  12. Good Morning:

    A nice Friday offering with just the right amount of crunch. Thanks, Mr. McInturff, for your challenge and thanks to Boomer and Lemony for an informative expo.

    Congrats, Boomer, on your most recent 300, and best wishes to Lemon; hope you feel better soon.

    I have a feeling that we are due for a Silkie tomorrow.

    Have a great Friday.

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  13. Cool puzzle today; got the theme with CHEAPHICKS, and then the rest of the theme answers fell. Some of the small fill was trickier; HOB, EMI, FLIT. You always read about someone "putting the kettle on the hob", but I've never known what it actually meant.

    We still get Marilyn VOS Savant's column in our Parade. Amazing thinker. Got AWOL after I quit thinking of MP as Member of Parlaiment. You'd think I would have thought of Military Police first, having an Air Force Base so close, but you'd be wrong.

    Mr PIBB was pretty popular around here for awhile, but haven't seen it much lately.

    Found a wonderful-sounding recipe for baked BRIE in a crust with dried fruit. I'll have to try it when I go to MPLS to visit my sister, who appreciates fine cheese!

    Hope Lemony feels better soon. Glad Boomer could step in. Who knew that he could tie so much in this puzzle into bowling or geographical information?? That bomb shelter/mouse pad bit was hilarious! Those mice probably ate bits of BRIE , washed down with MEAD or PIBB.

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  14. A fairly easy Friday with a fun theme after our SOUTHERN (TR)HIP (Savannah pelvis?). Fine write-up Boomer; my 300’s were all SETS. Congrats! What kind of ball do you use? I assume you throw a big hook (hooker;-)?)

    Musings
    -Did the Cleavers ever really exist?
    -I remember this Where IT’S AT
    -For all of Buddy’s work, he’ll be remembered for being “a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed”
    -An olive has a fruit that is not eaten right off the TREE
    -Isn’t SPRY reserved to describe people of a certain age? Surely older than all of us.
    -I don’t watch enough commercial TV to name current shows like Shark Tank, whatever that is
    -My OVER ACTIVE imagination too often generates uneasiness over what never does actually happen
    -Warren Buffet plays a UKE and is a native Nebraskan but not an OTO
    -If you MISHIT that dimpled ball, it can go most anywhere. I played 36 holes yesterday and I know.
    -Somebody nails that TEN pin to the alley when I bowl
    -Is there no love for PAUNCHY hunks at the pool?
    -The Kingston TRIO is all over my iPhone! Scotch and Soda neat, Tin?
    -Bull DURHAM is one of my fav baseball movies but I like Costner’s Field of Dreams better
    -What movie had a lead character crusading for communists in the first part of the movie and for BANning THE BOMB at the end?

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  15. Good morning, everyone! Thanks, Jack, for a fine Friday offering – challenging enough to be fun without being frustrating. Hope you’re feeling in the pink soon, Lemony. Always great to hear from Boomer – congrats on the perfect game.

    ACRO started things off with a nice bit of misdirection. FLIT reminded me of these clever ads. Favorite theme fill was SWIMMING HUNKS -- maybe CED will provide the ladies with a fine specimen or two? ;) Learning moment was Mardis Gras Torch = FLAMBEAU.

    Have a lovely Easter Weekend, all!

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  16. Thank you Boomer and Lemonade, for your respective contributions. I come in on Fridays only for the commentary.

    Boomer, congratulations on your singular bowling sports success.

    Lemonade, hope you feel better soon - imbibe plenty of fluids, of the aqueous kind, try to relax and get plenty of rest.

    Whats a Lemonade Boomer - or a Boomer Lemonade ?

    Ouzo with a lemon Fizzy tablet ?

    Mike's Hard Lemonade with a teaspoon of baking soda ?

    Tequila with a Lime twist, .... and a Whopee cushion ?

    Either way, I enjoyed your comments, some of which I did not get - so will have to read it again.

    You asked, - if a Mardi Gras torch is a Flambeau, what do they call the shiny beads ? .... how about Mon Dieu ?

    I did not understand 12 D - Offer to one who's been recently blessed ? Tissue .

    Have a good Friday, and good weekend, and Happy Blessed Easter.

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  17. Anony-Mouse: Achoo! Bless you. Here, have a tissue.

    Lac du FLAMBEAU is an Indian reservation in Wisconsin.

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  18. Well, I just did the across & downs twice, & I am only about 50% done. Now comes the fun part, but unfortunately I must pick up a daughter coming home from College who got on the wrong train. (This may take a while...)

    So I leave you with what another daughter left me until I can get back & "try" to finish the puzzle.

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  19. Lemon: Get well soon.
    Boomer: Congrats on another 300!!!

    A grid with BEAV & BOOB must be a GOOD FRIDAY ...

    Cheers!!!

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  20. It was nice to go to bed early and sleep in, as C.C. said, between a cold and travelling added to a major changeover in our local court system whereby all filings must be done electronically left me beat. I am semi-recovered; thank you all for the kind wishes.

    In the meantime, I liked the same clues as Mari and the one for HEM, but I think my OVER-ACTIVE imagination might not have been able to rein in my comments on BOOB. BEAV and HO's.

    I guess everybody else remembers, but I had forgotten the Pendleton Act was the government attempt to eliminate buying of civil service jobs with big campaign donations.

    Nice reference to this SONG Boomer.

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  21. Thank you Desper-Otto for the explanation. Now, I get it. Tricky.

    C.E. D. many thanks for the beautiful places .... I've seen only one, the lake at Yellowstone Natl. Park. I think the colors come not only from the bacteria, but also concentrations of minerals, which dissolve or are suspended in the boiling hot water. Since it is scalding hot, and stinks of sulfur and other obnoxious fumes, it not only looks pretty, but also pretty frightening.

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  22. Lemonade, what a relief to hear from you. Take good care of yourself. And thanks for filling in, Boomer.

    And a huge thanks to Jack Mac, for a Friday puzzle I was actually able to get! Mind you, the M for ALUM and MISHOT was a pure guess, but a guess is as good as a got, as far as I'm concerned. So, yay!

    What Qli said about HOB. Heard of it, but never knew it was a shelf.

    Never heard of MR. PIBB, but that's probably because I haven't drunk a soda in three decades.

    Love the Kingston trio and the "Beverly Hillbillies," so thanks for the memories, Jack.

    My back has gone out, so it's going to be a veeerrryyy slow-moving day.

    Have a great good Friday, everybody!

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  23. Husker: The Pinch would be neat. (Hold the soda!)

    "The Way We Were" ... Barbra Streisand's character Katie.

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  24. For your information, stolen from Amy Renaldo's Crossword Fiend . Maybe some will want to try.


    Marbles Crossword Tournaments, April 20 and 21
    Posted on March 28, 2013 by Amy Reynaldo
    I’m pleased to announce that Marbles: The Brain Store is hosting amateur crossword tournaments in five locations in a few weeks:

    Saturday, April 20

    King of Prussia, PA: King of Prussia Mall Center Court
    Columbia, MD: Columbia Mall, Center Court
    San Francisco, CA: Stonestown Galleria Center Court
    Sherman Oaks, CA: Fashion Square Center Court
    Sunday, April 21

    Chicago, IL: Lincoln Square store, 4745 N. Lincoln Ave.

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  25. And a Good Friday to all!

    I hope you continue to feel well, Lemonade. I missed you today.

    However, Boomer, you do an outstanding job as sub. Also congratulations on your bowling accomplishments!

    Jack Mac gave us a dilly today and I managed most of it but the NE which gave me fits. I was convinced the 12D was KISS ME and simply could not reconcile 26A. Ah, me, it was a DNF.

    But this was fun and the theme was clever as we've come to expect from Mr. McInturff.

    For 52A I really thought AL SUR was right but then POOR made me change it. KRIS was a pure WAG.

    CED:
    Those photos are spectacular. I have seen only the Yellowstone one which Anonymouse explained. It's really an amazing phenomenon to see.

    Have a great good Friday, everyone!

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  26. Spitzboov:
    I believe you are thinking of Carlos del Oeste who was a regular poster for a long while. He is a professional photographer in New Mexico.

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  27. Well, I THOUGHT I was doing OK, but got stumped with FLAMBEAU.
    Really dislike MISHIT.
    Thought "pickup opener" was
    LIvE (around here?)
    That gave me COVEROvEr.
    I may be the only one here who disliked this theme. Substituting H for TR was a bit far out in my book.
    And the reveal(57A) really didn't tell me anything. Meh.
    Thanks, Boomer and get better Lemonade.

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  28. Lemony! Glad to see you're up and about.

    CED, thanks for those beautiful photographs. Breathtaking.

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  29. Lucina - Thanks. I remembered Carlos after I posted.

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  30. CED, those are some great photos. I remember reading about Lake Baikal. It's the largest lake in the world by volume. Also the deepest. Also probably the oldest - 20-25 million years. It contains about 1/5 of the unfrozen fresh water in the world. Over half of the nearly 1700 species found there are unique to the lake.

    The only HOBS I've heard of are the HOBS of hell, which are reputedly very hard. Haven't been there yet, so I can't verify that.

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  31. After Googling 11 clues, it went fast. The usual.

    I told Hubster, "Remember KRIS Hurmphries, cuz I won't.

    I got the theme, and it was good.

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  32. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Jack McInturff, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade and Boomer, for a great review.

    Not sure if anyone noticed, but Jack used all five vowels following the "H."

    Congrats, Boomer, on the 300 game. Only five this year? Man, you are slipping!

    Hope you are feeling better Lemonade. Traveling can get you. Different bugs.

    Puzzle was tough. Took me several hours, but I got it.

    I had COVER OVER HOCKS for a while. Finally got LINE for 6D. Later got FLAMBEAU, after a couple hours using my expertise in French. Then I had COVER ONES HACKS. Phew!

    At the South end I had HOOP SHOOT xxxxx for a while. With some perps I eventually got HOOPS FOR TROOPS.

    In the middle I had SWIMMING GIRLS for a while. With few perps SWIMMING HUNKS became the answer.

    I agree with others about FLIT for 9A. INKERS made it obvious but not sure about the definition.

    All the rest were not easy either. Just slogged it out and lucked out. Took me hours. This seemed more like a Saturday puzzle. Felt good when it was completed.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (oyalid)





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  33. Hi Y'all, I got the theme on the second one which helped me with HICKs & the unifier. I watch enough basketball, I should have rapidly written in the unifier but didn't. Great puzzle! Jack Mac.

    Boomer, you were bowling 300 with this commentary!

    Lemony, take care of yourself. Charlotte needs to enjoy her grandpa for many years.

    I couldn't make DURHAM fit Duke in my mind last night. This morning: Aha! University! Duh!

    Never heard of Marilyn VOS Savant. Perped it.

    I wasn't SPRY even when I was young. Fast, maybe...

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  34. C.E.D.: Great photos.

    Abejo

    (thisksna)

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  35. I'm in a little STEW over something which is not my OVER ACTIVE imagination. One night when it had snowed I looked out around 3 a.m. and saw what looked like foot prints coming up from the bottom of the hill in my backyard and crossing my patio slab within two feet of my door. Yep, big man-sized hoofers in waffle-stomper-tread boots! Long-legged stride with no hesitation to mill around and look in windows. No stop to read the electric meter.

    There are only other yards and no public access from the direction the steps came. I didn't sleep the rest of the night. Snow all melted. Next snow, here was another single set of tracks up onto my patio and around the house to the street in front.

    Last night it rained. At 4 a.m. I looked out and there was a nice deep set of waffle-stomper tracks in the mud over the new sewer line and imprinted on the patio. The patio is lighted every night so this seems like a bold invasion of privacy. Forget sleep.

    I hope it is just a neighbor who can't sleep and takes walks with no malice aforethought. Wish Big Foot would walk somewhere else.

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  36. Abejo:
    Yes, I noticed the vowel progression and that helped me with HACKS. Good use of satire there with your French. LOL!

    FLAMBEAU was new for me. I guess it's related to flambe in cooking.

    For 28D my first fill was SEAM as we've seen that before, but HEMS fits the pun, too.

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  37. I keep thinking it is Saturday because everyone is home, so I thought I was working on a Saturday Stumper of a puzzle. Imagine my surprise when I got home to find that my neighbor had borrowed my PC to print out resumes for her kid, & deleted my 50% done puzzle that I had paused... (It's a good thing it's not a Saturday Stumper, just a "flippin Friday")... Oh well, nothing to get in a stew over. I got "flit" ok, even though I agree "leapfrog" is a bit of a stretch. But 24D Difficult Spot = Stew,,, no, I don't like it. I have heard of a lot of things being a difficult spot, but not a stew. Being in a stew has a completely different connotation for me, I mean,, (Oh dear, I am getting in a stew over it...)

    Calm down,,, breathe,,, OMMMM...

    Well, anyway, this puzzle put me in a very difficult spot. To give you an idea, for 47A, Hayseed that doesn't tip, I had CHEAP-ick, & like "Cleaver" looking like "clever," I could only see an "R" & not an "H".

    Java Mama? You want me to find you pics of hunks? Wasn't Martis Thursday post enough? Well, it's not something I usually look at, so here, take you pick of pics. (but I really think this is something you should learn to do on your own:)

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  38. PK:

    I would call the cops and let them render and opinion.

    Abejo

    (ernereg)

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  39. PK: That's scary!
    Can you tell how far the tracks go and where they stop?
    I would call a few neighbors and ask if they've seen anything like you have.
    Maybe a No-Trespassing sign or motion light would help.
    I would also call the non-emergency number for the police and ask them to patrol in the early morning or investigate the prints.
    Do you have a dog?
    I'm concerned for you.

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  40. CED, I loved your beautiful photos. It took me three tries to get them to appear, but I surely was worth the effort.

    In novels about the pioneer days in the U.S. and those of a similar era in England HOB as a shelf near the fireplace is common. In modern novels of British life, like the one I am reading now, I find, "The makeshift kitchen had two HOBs on which she could cook." They are burner units like those on a kitchen range. English and Irish authors are a good resource for British words and phrases found in crosswords.

    Just now I've come up for air, exhausted. Having been inactive for more than 3 weeks, I find my stamina is low but the pain is gone. I hope to get up enough energy to dye Easter eggs with my son later. Then tomorrow I will cook most of the day. My younger sister will come at lunch time and help me. I really enjoy her company and her help. Of all my family she is the most comfortable with whom to cook, travel , or go camping .

    PK, we had a lot of traffic through our back yard years ago, even though at the back of our lot there was a fence which they either climbed or slipped through a break. They didn't bother us other than tripping over the boys' tent and pulling it down. These days we could have been sued. A runner cutting through a back yard near here tripped over the supporting wires for a young sapling and successfully sued. He should have been sued for trespassing.

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  41. Overall we enjoyed this puzzle , my son answered the mr pibb clue; his first crossword answer , lol. Always read Marilyn Savant column, lately it seems to be condensed for some reason. We just finished making Italian ham pie , easier than spelling the real name . It's an Irish girl's best attempt to keep family tradition going for my son!

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  42. Happy Friday! I managed to figure out the theme and it helped a bit. I thought "Offer to one who's been recently blessed?" was very clever. Leapfrog didn't make sense to me either. Otherwise, WEES.

    As I remember, my mother used to make lamb stew. I think I must like stew in any form. Meatloaf too.

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  43. I'll have to feel a bit more threatened than I do now to call the cops. I've had cops out for two other things and was nicely told I was a nervous old lady who shouldn't bother them when they had more important things like gang shootings going on.

    The one incident was two boys lighting hair spray emissions at an unoccupied house. They had run home before the cop came two hours later. She didn't even knock on the door and talk to the parents.

    I'd like to think that my raving beauty was driving one of my single neighbors wild, but he chickens out before he works up enough nerve to knock. However, I'm not senile enough yet to believe that.

    I probably could just stay up and watch out my window and see who it is. One problem is there are new people in that part of the block that I've never seen. I only have a phone number for one next-door neighbor.

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  44. Here's something interesting. It's not a puzzle and it's not difficult; just something to enjoy and ponder. It's not new so it's possible some of you have seen it before. It's a very unusual way of multiplying. It's not useful or worthwhile, it's just interesting and crazy.

    Try to follow along with these easy directions. Maybe paper and a pencil would be helpful.

    Let's multiply 26 times 8 in a very unusual way. Form two columns headed by 26 on the left and 8 on the right. Take half of the number in the left column (13) and double the number in the right column (16) giving 26 and 13 on the left with 8 and 16 on the right. Continue this process. On the left, half of 13 is 6.5 but just ignore any fractions or decimals. On the right, doubling 16 gives 32. Continuing until the left column gets to one, you have 26, 13, 6, 3 and 1 on the left and 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 on the right.

    26----8
    13---16
    6-----32
    3-----64
    1----128

    If a number in the left column is even, get rid of the corresponding number in the right column. (Since 26 and 6 are even, get rid of 8 and 32.) Add up the remaining numbers in the right column. (16 + 64 + 128 = 208) That's the answer to the original multiplication problem; 26 x 8 = 208.

    Agreed, this is not a good or useful way to multiply but I find it fascinating that this crazy process always works. I hope you enjoy it.

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  45. Despite the above praise, I didn't care much for this one. Too many clues were over-general, leading to no pleasure when solved. MISHIT is an example-- seems generic, unless of course it is a technical choice within a given sport. Is it?
    HOOPS FOR TROOPS would have been a similar misfire. I thought this use of HOOPS was a fiction, and it threw me until the end. I only went with it because I had no other choice. I found later that there is indeed such an NBA activity, so I learned something. I guess it's my own sour mood that made me unhappy with it.
    I wish there had been more like DURHAM where a traditional misdirection led me to a neat "Aha!" moment.

    ~ Kf

    PS. I am NOT a robot, but I don't know why the words I must type need to be so *#@! obscured!

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  46. Dave -- thanks for the SWIMMING HUNKS pics! I did go looking, but what I found wasn't appropriate for "sharing" ... mind you, I didn't give up the search too easily :)

    Also enjoyed the "beautiful places" photos.

    PK - hope your nocturnal visitor clears off and lets you get some peace of mind. Stay safe.

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  47. Ree: @ 3:04
    Did you make

    Pizza Rustica?

    (Scroll down to see the inside)

    I've been toying with the idea of making one tomorrow. I never have made one, but had a piece that was made by the woman who owned a restaurant where I used to play piano.
    It was so good!
    Keith @ 4:08
    Glad I'm not the only one who didn't care for the puzzle.
    captcha:
    legnato (musically slow for dyslexics)

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  48. Evening, All!

    Glad it wasn't just me that had a lack of brainpower for a bit, but once I finally caught on it went quickly. Didn't like the Leapfrog clue, but knew Flambeau (Thank You, Young Frankenstein).

    Might try making Easter Pie tomorrow. Sounds straightforward, but I'm lacking in my rolling pin skills!

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  49. Pas de chat , yes I did ! We call it pizzagaine & it's delicious ! Once a year we forget its full of cholesterol ! Eggs , ham , basket cheese , abruzze sausage in a dough! Have never seen it presented like in your link , but it sounded similar ! Hope you make it , it is worth the effort!

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  50. Hola Everyone, Late to the party today, but I wanted to tell Lemonade to get better very soon. Also, congratulations to Boomer on another perfect game. Way to go!

    Thanks also, for filling in for Lemonade. It is so wonderful to have great commenters who can step in at a moment's notice.

    I did finish the puzzle, but in fits and starts. I had to go in for a routine fasting blood test this morning, so no breakfast, no crossword until I got back. Then I had all of my Friday errands to run. We have Easter dinner at our house, so shopping took precedence over my wanting to sit and do the puzzle.

    Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate this holiday.

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  51. Thank you. 9A HAS to be a foul. NO WAY does "leapfrog" equate with FLIT.

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  52. Good night all.

    I just am stopping by to thank Lemonade and Boomer. I did manage to get 18 correct answers, but was doing the puzzle while at two Dr. appointments after a colonoscopy yesterday. What fun! And congratulations Boomer on the 300. Hope you get to feeling better soon, Lemonade.

    Cheers

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  53. I was in the little coffee shop I frequent and the music had a familiar sound to it. It was Pandora and when another song came on that sounded familiar too, I asked if it was a 'Carl Perkins' genre. It turns out to have been a very good guess. So, when I got home, I added Carl Perkins to my Pandora stations. For you Pandora fans, I would recommend setting up a 'Carl Perkins' station. I love that old rock-a-billy genre.

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