google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, June 14, 2013, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

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Jun 14, 2013

Friday, June 14, 2013, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: B all you can be, but silently.

Well while marti is off in Italy I sit with the pleasure of presenting another Friday Frolic. This a combination of add a letter and a sound alike punny theme. with a B added the end of the first word of the first and fourth theme answer, and to the end of the last word of the middle two. Each B is added after an M and is silent in the new phrase, so it sounds exactly like the old one but with a twisted and amusing meaning. Lots of proper names, some hard clues and lots of new stuff to go along with some standard 4 letter fill. Let's see what our traveler has left us.

18A. Like a door with three people squeezing through it together? : JAMB PACKED.(10). I think the phrase jam packed comes from the roaring 20's when people would cram into phone booths. CED, I wasted 15 minutes looking for a good clown car video, but I gave up.

33A. Where to find wool? : ON THE LAMB.(9).Once again an Old Norse word, LEMJA, which mean to beat, is credited as being the origin of 'on the lam' to mean to "beat it."

45A. Out-of-control carpenter's tool? : WILD PLUMB. (9).If you watch the US Open golf this weekend you will see many plumb bob the line of the their putts. Splynter can explain the real use of the tool.

63A. Title for Shakespeare? : IAMB LEGEND.(10). The funniest and the one that is different because it takes two words and crunches them together with the B to make the new word. Will loved his Iambic Pentameter, so this is a very witty way to change the Will Smith movie.

Across:

1. Go like heck : ZOOM. An onomatopoeic word.

5. Code name : MORSE. The man who created one, Samuel. (1)

10. Lose on purpose : DIET. Misdirection, but this should not have fooled anyone.

14. Upper hand : EDGE.

15. Hodgepodges : OLIOS. A favorite word of the Corner.

16. Lincoln who was the first screen Tarzan : ELMO. In the silent movie days; the full hour is available LINK. (2)

17. D.C. dealers : POLS. miss m. should know better, NO Politics!

20. Maker of Dex-Cool antifreeze/coolant : PRESTONE.(3)

22. End of a conductor's shout : ABOARD. All aboarddddddddddddddddddddddd.

23. "Cotton Comes to Harlem" director Davis : OSSIE.(4)


24. Alice's restaurant : DINER. The Beer and Pizza joint my youngest works at in Denver was on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

26. Biol. branch : ANATomy to go with ogy.

29. Temperaments : NATURES. Do many of you have bad tempers? Or is life good and you...

37. Great way to have it : MADE.

38. Milne joey : ROO. Kanga's little one from Winnie the Pooh's world. (5)

39. Helpers of the ill-suited? : TAILORS. Love the phrasing of this clue. My grandfather was a tailor.

42. Long-nosed fish : GAR. Arg, not another Gar!

43. Expressionist Nolde : EMIL. Never heard of this PAINTER. (6)

47. Rauch who plays Bernadette on "The Big Bang Theory" : MELISSA. TBBT, and the little Mrs. (7) Howard, with the big...bangs.



50. Depression : DALE. Not mental but in the field.

51. Name that means "cool breeze" in Hawaiian : KEANU. Another learning moment for me; where is Mr. Reeves these days, anyone NEO? (8)

53. Like the columns in the Jefferson Memorial : IONIC.I will never forget, Ionic, Doric or Corinthian. (9)

57. Lava rock : BASALT. Do we have any geologists in our midst to explain this ROCK.

60. Nickname for Mendelssohn's Third Symphony : SCOTTISH. Not in my wheelhouse. A SAMPLE.(8:09) (10)

65. Troubling spots : ACNE.

66. Chanteur Jacques : BREL. A male singer and crossword favorite.(11).

67. Dropped the ball : ERRED.

68. Fraternity letters : RHOS.

69. WWI German vice admiral : SPEE. He was actually born in Denmark. READ. (12)

70. Hornet homes : NESTS.

71. P.D. ranks : DETS. Police Department has detectives.

Down:

1. Marx Brothers straight man : ZEPPO. The youngest of the brothers and the handsome ONE.(2:56).(13) He married Frank Sinatra's ex.

2. Stinks : ODORS.

3. Looks lustfully at : OGLES. Like looking at long legs in sheer nylons, hmm.

4. Delivery man? : MESSIAH. Really difficult cluing; and another taboo topic.

5. "Got My ___ Working": 1957 Muddy Waters song : MOJO. This SONG. (14)

6. Buck heroine : OLAN. From her Pulitzer Prize winning The Good Earth. (15).

7. Covered with frost : RIMED. I wish I had a quip that rhymed.

8. __ sister : SOB. From the old days when women journalists could only write puff. HISTORY.

9. Andorra neighbor, locally : ESPANA. Spanish for Spain. (16).

10. Propriety : DECORUM. We had to write an essay in 7th grade about how to maintain decorum and Peter Wylie said, you need to water it, and use good dirt.

11. "Now, Voyager" actress Chase : ILKA. She was the daughter of the editor of Vogue. (17)

12. Hosp. area : EMERgency.

13. Broadway barber : TODD. Sweeny, the play about the butcher barber.(18)

19. Support in a swindle : ABET. Aiding and...

21. Belief : TENET.

25. Shown so you can't miss it : IN BOLD. Just like every answer in the write ups.

27. In the manner of : A LA. From the French.

28. LPGA golfer Yani Tseng's homeland : TAIWAN. She was number 1 in the world of ladies golf last year, but has slipped.(19)

30. Prego rival : RAGU. (20).

31. Netherlands export : EDAM. One of marti's cheesy fill.( I will let this one slide).

32. Certain Slav : SERB. They have their own version of religion, Serbian Orthodox, similar to Greek and Russian.(21).

33. Utah Valley University city : OREM. A repeat performance for this little city.(22).

34. Iditarod terminus : NOME. It means clear waters and begin in Anchorage and takes a couple of weeks with 16 dogs as the average team.(various sources). (23).

35. Exhausting effort : TOIL. Boil and Bubble.

36. 11th-century date : MLI. 1051, so?

40. Nutritionist's no. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

41. Take a hike : SPLIT. Like go on the lam?

44. Charming : LIKABLE.

46. Suit in a circus : LEOTARD.Suit?

48. Peddle : SELL. Not your bicycle, but your wares.

49. Bed sheet material : SATEEN. Not to be confused with Satin.

52. Manipulators : USERS.

54. Specialized market segment : NICHE. I keep looking for mine.

55. Isn't expanded? : IS NOT. I love this simple deception.

56. Mating game : CHESS. Wonderful misdirection clue,.

57. Strained-carrot holders : BIBS. I should be seeing Charlotte in a few weeks.

58. Group with many boomers : AARP. They gave up as an acronym and this is the official name now. (24).

59. Fictional pirate : SMEE .He's back and number 25.

61. Tech news website : CNET. (26).

62. Track figures : ODDS. I bet you all got this right, even if you did not have any of the triple crown winners.

64. MBA hopeful's test : GRE. Graduate Records Examination. Whew.

Did this feel like taking a test in college? Really proper name intensive, lots of misdirection and marti mayhem. I hope she is enjoying herself, and it was nice of her to leave us a present. Speaking of presents, I am presently tired, so see you all next time.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Happy 44th wedding anniversary to dear JD and Bob!



60 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    *whew*

    Quite the mental workout today, but I did manage to get 'er done [mostly] unassisted in the end. I thought I had the theme figured out early on, except that I thought that each theme answer would have B added to the end of the phrase which made me wonder about ____PACKED for awhile at 18A.

    Second hardest section was the SE, where I started out thinking that 65A was going to end in an S due to the plural clue and was staring at _HSSS for awhile at 56D. Also, while I love the clue for IS NOT, I resisted it for a long time thinking it couldn't possibly be right since that would mean the clue and answer were basically the exact same letters except for the apostrophe. I also wanted IVIED instead of IONIC.

    The hardest spot was the NE corner. ELMO and ILKA were complete unknowns, and their crossing was cruel. ILKA doesn't even look like a real name. The real problem, though, was that I had D_ET at 10A and could only think that DEET was some unknown slang term for purposely losing a sports game. When I didn't get the *TADA* with DEET/ERKA, a few seconds of reflection caused the light bulb to go off.

    [roditus]

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  2. Good Friday morning all !

    Liked so many clues such as 'Delivery man' = MESSIAH, 'Lose on purpose' = DIET, 'Great way to have it' = MADE, 'Helpers of the ill-suited' = TAILORS, 'Strained carrot holders' = BIBS (haha).

    Best of all, 'Isn't expanded' = IS NOT. I was all over the place on that one, and one point settled on TERSE for a few moments, but could only come up with fluTy for the Jefferson memorial columns using that T, and that didn't sound correct. What was the name of the quarterback that threw the Hail Mary pass ? Fluty ? At any rate, that corner was my last to fill. 1 hour, 32 minutes, 7 seconds. Guess I'm still not ready for the ACPT. :0) In fact, I would have to be plumb crazy to try anytime soon. I'm not that dum.

    Time to go read Lemonade. I am sure it will be a witty and entertaining review.

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  3. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends.

    Happy FLAG Day!

    I was soooo on Marti's wavelength today. I zipped through today's puzzle and had some of the answers filled in before I even go to the clue.

    ON THE LAMB was my first theme fill and really made me laugh.

    I initially tried Alias for Code Name before realizing that we were really looking for Samuel MORSE.

    EMIL Nolde's depiction of Paradise is not a place I would want to go.

    Happy Anniversary, JD and Bob!

    QOD: The beauty of the past belongs to the past. ~ Margaret Bourke-White (June 14, 1906 ~ Aug. 27, 1971)

    [ndstuwa]

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  4. Hello everyone,

    Similar to yesterday, started off quickly in the North and got stymied in the South. Unlike yesterday, I did manage to get thru it although i wasn't sure until I checked the completed puzzle.

    Lots to like in this puzzle. TTP & I share the same favorites, so i won't be redundant. Only addition would be Lion Suit/LEOTARD.

    Rain finally letting up, weekend supposed to be OK.

    [yourcRg]


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  5. Happy Friday, all!

    I ZOOMed through this one in typical Tuesday time. The plethora of names didn't throw me, even though a few of them were unknown.

    My only memory of ILKA Chase is as a panelist on a TV game show, but I can't tell you which one.

    Four-letter city in Utah? Let's try OREM, it's the only one I know.

    "Isn't expanded" could have been AREN'T, but the columns said I was being a DORIC about that.

    I looked up the year 1051 -- not much happened.

    Nice job, Marti and Lemonade.

    Happy anniversary, JD!

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  6. Thank you Marti and thank you Lemonade. Great stuff from both of you !

    I was momentarily fooled by 'Lose on purpose.' My first thought was ditch. Remember playing that game ? Losing someone on purpose... ditching. We used to play it all the time. My friends and I would go to the county fair or the carnival or town fests, and soon after we were there, I would lose all of them. I must have been pretty good at it, because they never could find me until it was time to go back home, and then they found me tout de suite. Ah, the good old days.

    Happy Anniversary JD !

    From yesterday, can anyone tell me if this enunciation is specific to a geography Is it Canadian ? Or maybe from Maine or Vermont ? Or is it not a regional accent at all ? PSA So that's it. "Oh, and tell the zombies they're blocked too."

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  7. WBS for the most part--except for IONIC--I remarked once before, that if you remember them in order of ornamentation, from the simplest to the most ornate, they spell DIC.

    I also had trouble coming up with PLUMB, strangely enough. When we lived on our farmette, a wild plum grew itself beside our long driveway halfway down. We called it "thing" since at first we had no idea what it was. But we got some great jam from those plums.

    Our granddaughter and her parents will arrive here this Sunday to stay for over three weeks, but she's not on solid food yet, so no carrots for her.

    Have a great weekend everyone!

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  8. DNF because of Natick at last theme clue IAMBLEGEND crosses CNET.
    Got the IAMB part - the pun, but never heard of CNET.

    Googled for SCOTTISH, which wasn't bad for me on Friday, esp. after hopeless Thurs.

    For me, it was IONIC vs DOrIC, until NICHE - which I pronounce "neesh."

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  9. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Marti, for the excellent puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for the fine review.

    Lemonade: What do those numbers mean at the ends of your comments, in parentheses?

    This puzzle seemed easier than most Fridays.

    Theme came easily. JAMB PACKED was my first to get.

    Liked DIET. Very clever. Took me a while to get that.

    MORSE was easy. Just read a book that he was a part of. "A Nation Rising". He was heavily involved in politics and some major controversies in the 19th century. Authored articles in many publications against the catholics. "What hath God wrought!" was his first message via the telegraph.

    My toughest one was IAMB LEGEND and BREL in the SW. Fortunately SPEE was easy once I had a couple letters.

    More gardening today.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (fshorta)

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  10. Two brain busting DNF's in a row for me. Egad! I must be losing my edge. I do like a good challenge, though.

    I never would have got IAMBLEGEND in a million years! And it didn't help that I wanted SCRAM for SPLIT at 41D (Take a Hike).

    I liked 55D: Isn't expanded? IS NOT (very clever). And NICHE - what a great word!

    Does anybody plan to see the newest Superman movie that comes out this weekend?

    Happy early Fathers Day to all the great dads out there!

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  11. Hi Y'all! Marti probably chuckled all the way to Europe after gifting us with this amusing but difficult puzzle. Finally got it all, but had lots of red letters first.

    Lemonade: enjoyed your comments & links. I was a bit shocked when Sir Roger appeared in Chinese silk pajamas conducting Mendolsohn's Scottish Symphony. But he looked so at ease who am I to play fashion police. I'd probably show up in sweats.

    The Groucho link was good too. He sounded like a few modern politicians who will remain nameless.

    Maybe 10A shouldn't fool anyone, but alas it did yours truly. I wanted to "throw" the game at first.

    IS NOT filled in with perps and I didn't even see the clue until coming here. So no angst over it.

    Alas, I've lived deprived: no SATEEN sheets. I tried "cotton", "linen", "poplin" and "satin" which was close enough to get onto the answer. I only slept on satin sheets once when I was in high school and stayed all night with a wealthy girlfriend. I didn't sleep much for sliding around on them. I decided luxury wasn't for me.

    Happy Anniversary, JD & Bob. May you have many more.

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  12. Marvelous puzzle, Marti, great punny theme answers. Lemonade, as usual, great info and witty style. Happy anniversary, JD.
    As a Bette Davis fan I saw Now Voyager multiple times. It features Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. I didn't remember ILKA, but --KA made it easy.
    Delivery man made me think of NBA's Karl Malone, nicknamed the mailman because he delivers.
    5D is the sense I always associate with MOJO. Only in crosswords and dictionaries have I seen it in the sense of charm or amulet.

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  13. Hello Puzzlers -

    What PK said: Marti was probably much amused to go jetting out of the country while knowing what a workout she'd left behind! So it was for me, anyway. Started out in the pre-coffee period, and it was like painting a barn with an artist's brush. Once the caffeine took hold, however, the brush got a lot wider.

    Lots of clever clues! My favorite has to be "isn't expanded". And yes, I probably fell for every misdirection, such as "lose on purpose".

    Irish Miss from Wednesday - I noted your tugboat comment. It's been so busy I haven't posted much lately. Similarly, D Otto said something really funny, but now I can't even remember what it was.

    Cheers All

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  14. Hey word-worshipper, they're called homophones, or in this case heterographs.

    "Homophones are often used to create puns and to deceive the reader (as in crossword puzzles)" - wiki

    Good job mentioning the Carpenter(Marti) clue. Perfect opportunity to imagine an "out of control" Marti wielding her favorite tool, be it a pen, pencil or gardening implement!

    You flat out busted the 47a explanation though. Good job on that one.

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  15. Nice Puzzle ( no, not in France -) , but beyond my ken. Nice blog Lemonade.

    In honor of Marti, a small nit: 64 D - MBA's hopeful test ? - GRE.

    GRE is a specialised test for graduate advanced study in the field you studied for your BS (major - ) like Engg., Chem., Phy., Mathematics etc. - but not for MBA's.

    An MBA requires general analytical skills across several fields, so there is no GRE for MBA's. The prospective MBA would sit for the GMAT ( precursor of the ATGSB).

    TGIF - Thank G?d its Friday - Monday cannot be far behind.

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  16. Ack! Friday,,, my busiest work day, & it's a Marti puzzle! (I am going to be sneaking away from work all day to do bits & pieces of this puzzle in ink on paper...)

    I just snuck out to Google Mendelssohn's 3rd, Dirty pool Marti, definitely a sneaky clue!

    & I am also very jealous of Marti being in Italy! how do I get to have a VK? (maybe I can drop in on Java mama...)

    Anywho, Marti, look at what your missing back here at home! (6:12)

    I know Marti is going to check in from Italy, & I can't read the Blog until I finish this puzzler on my busiest day! Rats! Where else can you find a bird in a bag tap dancing? (0:19)

    I may not get back to the Blog till Saturday, because after this, I have to build my cat a tent. (Note: as silly as I may be, I DO NOT recommend the fastest way to eat corn on the cob at the end of the video...)

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  17. Abejo: I think the numbers in the expo were counting the proper names. I don't know what the average range is for a puzzle (or a Friday puzzle), but it certainly felt heavy today.

    SW corner was tough: Iamb didn't come easy; Bibs was tricky; Brel & Spee were unknowns; &, I struggle with Snee v. Smee (dagger v. pirate).

    Same thought as Barry G. when I read "Insn't expanded."

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  18. Happy Friday, all! Fun, fun, fun puzzle from the Divine Miss M today. The theme answers had me chuckling all the way, especially the devilish IAM LEGEND. Great write-up Lemonade; will have to go back and enjoy all the links later. (Abejo @ 8:16 – I think Lemon’s numbers were counting up the proper names in the puzzle.)

    Lots to like today – my favorites include Delivery Man? = MESSIAH and Mating Game = CHESS. Really wanted IN YOUR FACE for 25D, but couldn’t squeeze it in. Hand up for thinking DITCH before DIET for 10A, but again size mattered. Filled in SCOTTISH totally with perps, but don’t “get” it; will have to look it up.

    Happy Anniversary, JD – sweet picture of you and your DH. Kazie, hope you have a wonderful visit with your family.

    Ten-hour road trip back home tomorrow (sorry, Dave, we were going to wait for you but the boss-man has other ideas). Have a great weekend, everyone!

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  19. Happy Anniversary JD and many more.

    The numbers in parentheses are the Proper Names in the fill.

    So many choices in the cluing in this one, Lincoln instead of Sesame Street, chanteur instead of French singer, and a definition rather than a movie reference for Keanu.

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  20. Point of order, thanks I thought the picture really emphasized Melissa's lovely and big ....bangs.

    I should have know I have to type faster to answer questions.

    H. interesting that you had this one cold, as it was a struggle for me, though I recall Ilka somewhere from childhood as well.

    I refer to the clues as being sound alike, for fear of being accused to be a homophonic blogger.

    It takes a goodguy to mention Carpenter and our constructor's name.

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  21. Good Morning:

    Another sparkling gem from our Marvelous Marti! Very clever theme, devilish (but fun) misdirection, and some classy clues; fav's were mating game, delivery man, helpers of the ill-suited, and isn't expanded.

    Brava, Marti, for a terrific Friday challenge, and Bravo, Lemoncello, for a cheerful, witty write-up.

    Happy Anniversary to JD and Bob.

    The sun is shining. For how long is another story.

    Have a good day.

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  22. Happy Anniversary, JD & Bob!

    Loved this one, even though I had the first letter wrong! BOOM/BEPPO seemed OK (I'm not a Marx Brothers movie expert, so I know the names but not their cast-type.)

    Fave was IAMB LEGEND.

    Nice one Marti!

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  23. I love to see a Marti on a Friday morning: challenging but doable. And totally SPARKLY! I had some of the same problems as Barry, and the same favorites as TTP and more. I only hope that Marti can look up Lemonade's great expo and everyone's cool comments. A great way to look forward to a fun weekend.

    Desper-otto, could ILKA Chase have been on "What's My Line"? I too thought of her as being on a game show, as soon as I saw the clue.

    JD and Bob: 44 years! Wow! Congratulations! I love hearing about these long and happy marriages!

    Have a great Friday, everybody!

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  24. Hello, Lemonade and word warriors. You never disappoint me, Lemon, with your witty and elucidating comments.

    Happy anniversary, JD and Bob and many more!

    What a great, fun to work crossword from our prolific puzzler who managed to insert her last name in a clue and mine in the solve. Yay!

    Like others, I ZOOMed through most of this, chuckling as I found the themes. It's really tricky to use all those silent Bs and Miss M wove them as beautifully as a fine tapestry.

    I loved all the great misdirection, especially:

    helpers of the ill-suited, TAILORS
    lose on purpose, DIET
    troubling spots, ACNE
    isn't expanded, IS NOT, was brilliant!

    As an English major, I loved IAMB LEGEND.

    One of my friends introduced me to CNET some time ago, so it wasn't foreign to me.

    It was fun to see SMEE crossing SPEE, too.

    Well, I must SPLIT for another birthday lunch. You all have a fantastic Friday!

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  25. Barry:
    One of my neighbors is named ILKA. It's a real name.

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  26. Haven't seen such an easy one for Friday since can't-remember-when.

    The clues were fun. I enjoyed "Delivery man" for MESSIAH, my first fill. "Isn't expanded" for IS NOT was fine, as were all the theme answers.

    Reading others' notes, I see some had more difficulty. Maybe it is a generational thing. I see where not everyone is as familiar as this ol' codger with names like ILKA, ELMO, and even BREL. I didn't need to think twice.

    Ya had to been there....

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  27. I breezed throught this one--not what I generally do on a Friday! One correction: About 1 across answer Zeppo: In your blog you say Zeppo was married to Sinatra's ex-wife. Just the opposite: Sinatra married Zeppo's ex-wife Barbara.

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  28. Happy anniversary, JD and Bob! Hope you can celebrate together with family!

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  29. Similar to yesterday, when several of you said that you breezed through the puzzle while I hated it, today's Marti puzz was so easy for me. Of course, there were a few WAGS, like MELISSA and BREL, but mostly everything just sorta got filled in. Well, OK, two exceptions: I wanted DIve for DIET, and I had Dent for DALE.
    A fun, easy Friday puzzle today!!

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  30. Hello everybody. Wowie zowie I loved this puzzle! Cute'n'clever clues, fabulous fill, lots of sparkle, and an abundance of Marti's devilish wit! Well done! Best wishes to you all.

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  31. Misty@11:59 -- I guess we must have faulty memories. From what I can find digging around online, Ilka Chase was a TV panelist exactly 6 times -- Masquerade Party (4) (don't remember ever watching that show), To Tell The Truth (1) and What's My Line?(1). I would have sworn she was a regular panelist on some show. I'm getting better and better at remembering things that never happened.

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  32. Great puzzle, great write-up.
    Great misdirection in clues.
    Only a couple of searches, too tempting with my new smartphone at hand!
    Delivery Man?,Lose on purpose, Isn't expanded, all made me laugh when I got them.
    Searched 60A, 11D, then things fell into place.
    Good day to all

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  33. I was having trouble getting my links to work here so I tested it. The ivy picture by ANON was mine. The clue the other day about flowering ivy intrigued me so I looked it up..

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  34. Hi all.
    Larry@12:12 beat me to the Barbara
    Marx/Sinatra error.
    WAG for SCOTTISH,MELISSA,SPEE,KEANU.
    Had -ASALT had to Google, which gave me BIB. Only clue I didn't care for.
    Strained carrot holder would be a JAR, or something like it.
    The carrots are just a stain or residue on a BIB.
    No problem with LEOTARD as "suit in circus". Invented by this

    FRENCH ACROBAT

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  35. Sorry about the Sinatra fact mix up, I was working from memory and was certain they had shared a wife, but Barbara was Frank's widow, and I was wrong. I am wrong often and it is amazing how we have such a variety of information from our Corner.

    They were predicting 16 under or lower in the US Open this week, but like all predictors...they also said Wade was done.

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  36. Is our substantial Massachusetts/Connecticut contingent excited about the Bruins and the Red Sox?

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  37. Lemon, since you were working from memory, in your write-up ...
    At 19-down, where you wrote:
    "Support in a swindle : ABET. Aiding and..."
    Shouldn't that have been: "Aid and ..." ?

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  38. C.E.D. - your videos were absolutely wonderful !!!

    I loved the Russian with the cat tent video - he's funnier than Yakov Smirnoff and Borat, --combined. I was just wondering - what if you stitched the T-shirt openings shut, after the critter got inside - but I dare not mention it - the legions of feline lovers here would tar, feather and cat straight me.

    CED - you are a 'reel' asset to this blog - you are definitely indispensable - would you consider a permanent, long term, no layoffs contract ? Maybe we could headline you as a co-star - our own resident videographer.

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  39. Hi gang -

    Marti got me today. I didn't lose on purpose, but did take a DIVE in the NE corner. That plus the ILKA-ELMO Natick gave me a DNF. Plus, couldn't come up with TODD.

    Can't say I totally sussed the them in all its nuances, either.

    Lots of sparkle here, but the surfeit of proper names and the Roman date knock it down a notch.

    Do not get MESSIAH as delivery man.

    I'll just slink off and lick my wounds.

    Cool Regards!
    JzB

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  40. @jazzbumpa at 3:14 -- messiah is supposed to come to deliver his people. So went from deliverer to cute delivery man clue.

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  41. Actually, POO, grammatically you are correct, but my reference was to the statute which is 'aiding and abetting'; I should have presented it more clearly.

    I agree, CED is a researcher's dream; btw did you find a clown car link that actually showed the clowns jam packed?

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  42. Click on the first bib here. The pocket certainly could hold loads of strained (and spit out) carrots. LOL
    Link Strained carrot holder

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  43. Hola Everyone, I finished Marti's CW today, but not without the help of Google. I didn't know several of the names--Emil, Brel, and Elmo. Keanu was also an unknown.
    I did like the new clueing for Elmo(Lincoln who was the first screen Tarzan) even though I didn't know who it was. Technically It was a DNF for me today.

    Even though I didn't finish without help, I learned a few new things, like Spee and Elmo. Now if I can only remember them the next time they come up in a crossword.
    Ilka chase is a name which comes up in crosswords quite a bit. I learned that name by doing CW's. That's one bit of trivia that has stuck.

    My favorites today were Mating game/Chess, Helpers of the I'll-suited/Tailors, and Lose on purpose/Diet. I liked the misdirections.

    I'm finding some interesting things spell check doesn't like. Misdirections is one. My dictionary says it is quite legitimate!

    Happy Anniversary JD and Bob. Congratulations.

    My first post disappeared, so I'll try again.

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  44. Sorry for the delay Lemonade, (you can blame Marti.) Like Jzb, I thought it was take a "dive" also, & I had doric before ionic. But i could suss out those. What finally did me in, after many breaks, was the SW corner. I could not get "jars" out of my mind as "strained carrot holders," & could not ink it in which left me staring at "spee" & "smee." I did not have "likeable, AARP or Brel," & i knew there was no lava that started with a J. But the real kicker was Iamblegend??? (WTF?) & I have to say, this is the 1st time the Blog failed me! I still did not understand it until I saw this video.

    Lemonade, this was the 2nd clip I found, & u r right, seems kind of lackluster. That's when I realized the best clown car scenes are in classic cartoons...

    But the clown car that intrigued me the most was the 1st one I saw...

    Happy Anniversary JD & Bob!

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  45. Kazie from Leah (Chickie). Enjoy your visit with your Lea and her parents. When you don't see the little ones for several months, they change and grow too fast.

    Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Father's day on Sunday to all the Dads and Grand dads on the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi All ~~

    Great Friday puzzle from Marti today ~ just enough of a challenge in a few places and overall fun! I really liked the misdirection and did manage to get them all - with a smile. Luckily I knew most of the names but did rely on perps for a few. Such a clever theme!

    ~ All my favorites have already been mentioned - more than once - but I'll repeat them anyway. :-D The clues for TAILORS, IS NOT, and DIET were super!

    ~ I always enjoy your write-ups, Lemonade. I loved the info today and your entertaining comments. And to answer your question ~ after two disastrous seasons, the Red Sox are fun to watch again - most of the time! The team has great chemistry this year and the manager is well-liked.

    ~ TTP ~ Regarding your question of the enunciation/regional accent in that PSA - I don't know what it means, but I don't hear anything out of the ordinary. So... I've always lived in Connecticut - does that give you any indication?

    ~ Happy Anniversary to JD and Bob ~ hope you're having a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Good afternoon Lemonade, Marti, C.C., and all,

    Great clues- great write up. Unfortunately, even with help, this was a DNF for me. Even going thru the ABC's to finish SO_ sister did not help; also JAM_PACKED, I was B deficient!Other unknowns that didn't perp: Keanu, spee, Scottish, Ilka, leotard (very cute!)

    Always enjoy the ride.

    Thanks for the ann. shout out. Every year seems shorter... not a good thing, but each one has been filled with so many blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Desper-otto, many thanks for checking out the ILKA Chase game show appearances. Maybe we saw her on enough of the shows where she made occasional appearances, that she just felt like a regular on one of them! Anyway, I miss her.

    ReplyDelete
  49. TTP re: the PSA, I just think she has a slight problem with her "S"s
    Marti, forgot to say I really enjoyed solving your puzzle!
    Happy anniversary,JD and Bob!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Marti, I really enjoyed the clues in this one. Were all of them yours or did Rich contribute some? Very clever stuff.

    Happy anniversary JD and Bob! Barbara and I've got you by about four years.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Good evening, folks. Just a quick note from Johnsonburg. The Johnsonburg High School Rams won the Class A Baseball Championship for all of Pennsylvania today, defeating Canton, PA, with a score of 5 to nothing. Not bad for a little town of less than 3,000.

    Abejo

    (nlfrnet)
    (eirnshe)

    ReplyDelete
  52. Lemonade, I forgot to thank you for linking that article that explained Sob Sisters. I had a vague concept of that expression that was close but incorrect.

    LaLaLinda and pas de chat,

    Thank you. I guess what I was asking was if that way of speaking is a regional accent or is it just the way that woman speaks.

    When she says, "So that's it" it sounds as if she stretches the 'it' into two syllables.

    I just thought maybe someone recognized the accent and could say what region of the country speaks that way.

    Maybe it's just an anomaly. Never heard anyone speak like Katherine Hepburn either...

    ReplyDelete
  53. I found the SOB sister write-up interesting. I could identify with the fact that most quit writing after four years because of the demands of the job. Two years were about all I could take as a news reporter before I needed a "burn out" extended vacation of at least six months. Then they'd call me begging and I'd go back and work some more. Full-time usually meant 60 hrs. a week. Part-time was 20-40 hrs. depending on what was going on that the populous thought we should be attending.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Hi, all!

    Fast Friday puzzle for this oldster! Loved the misdirections mentioned by others. Marti is so much fun! Swell expo, Lemonade!

    Happy anniversary, JD and Bob!

    Went to retina specialist today. About 3 hours later I still can barely see. But my macular degeneration has cleared up! Anybody else have it? Have a bunch of crud in my left eye which has to be removed by surgery. Yecch!

    Am enjoying Burn Notice. The ultimate season. Any one else watching?

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  55. I realized that I have forgotten most of the calculus I learned at Cornell For some unknown reason, I got the idea to get out my old calculus text and see how much of it I could relearn. I don't know how far I will get with this project. I think calculus is very interesting and I want to try to reabsorb some of its beauty. We'll see...

    ReplyDelete
  56. fermatprime, to get up to speed, I bought the last two episodes of last season and first one of this season's Burn Notice from Amazon last night, watched them, then fell asleep before last night's episode. Sheesh!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Well, I tried this puzzle after work, without much luck. then we went to supper at our local authentic Mexican restaurant, where I had a margarona (a frozen margarita with a Corona upended in it- fabulous!) It must have inspired me, because I came home and zipped through the rest of the puzzle. Great cluing, Marti! and Lemony, I think you have found a good NICHE right here, doing commentaries!

    Loved "strained-carrot holders" and "delivery man".

    Happy anniversary, JD and Bob. Glad your eyes are getting better so you can enjoy "Burn Notice" Fermat.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Fermat Burn Nontice is filmed here in South Florida. Some of my son's friends
    Worked on the show this season. We are all happy about all the new shows being
    filmed here. The first Hollywood.

    Dennis I hope you did not get caught again. Another sunshine rainy day.

    ReplyDelete

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