google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, Jun 15th, 2013, Brad Wilber

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Jun 15, 2013

Saturday, Jun 15th, 2013, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing V,W,X)

Blocks: 33

   Thought I was doomed on this one, with almost nothing in the Mid-North and NE corners - then one quick change and a solid W.A.G. got me enough to fill the grid - but alas, with two bad entries.  Seemed like a continuation of yesterday's proper names run, too (I count 18+ "*"), and yet another deceptive layout offering just two double stacked 11's inside the edges again, and two vertical 9's;

21. Barbecue sauce additive : LIQUID SMOKE - JACK DANIELS fit, too

25*. "Hard Times" chronicler : STUDS TERKEL - never heard of this guy, and crossing 8D., was one of my bad entries

46. They're often discounted : FLOOR MODELS - I'm all for floor models and demo units - I can live with something being 'Scratched and Dented" before I get it; it adds character, and there's none of the anxiety of being the dumb-ass who does ding it first....

51. Skipped nothing : RAN THE GAMUT - RAN THROUGH fits if I skip something

6. Capricious : ARBITRARY - I thought arbitrary meant "bearer's' discretion"; that's def. #1; turns out that def #4 is this one, meaning "unreasonable"

32. Folk instruments named for a Greek god : PAN FLUTES

T-minus 56hrs 9mins onward~!

ACROSS:

1. Philip II's force : ARMADA - I did not fill this in immediately; I was thinking of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II; you have to understand, my parents were born and raised in England, so the royal family gets a lot of attention

7*. Gaelic name for Scotland : ALBA

11. "Top Gun" fighter : MIG - ah, not "ACE", and once this changed, 11D. revealed itself

14. On-call accessory : BEEPER

15. Saturnine : DOUR

16. Plug extension? : OLA - Plugola - new to me; it's essentially a payment to get one's product prominently mentioned in TV and films

17. Egyptian symbol used as a logo by the band Journey : SCARAB - Cool album cover

 

18*. "__ and the Paycock": O'Casey play : JUNO

19*. Garfield's veterinarian : LIZ - and I believe Jon's occasional date, too

 

20. West end? : ERN - WestERN

24. Rejections : NOs - for those keeping track, I had to scrub the Home Depot mission TWICE because a certain girl was not there two days in a row; I have been holding off on getting a custom paint color made so I have a reason to go back, but it's holding up the completion of the job....

26*. Wizard revealer : TOTO - Toto, the dog, yanks the curtain in the Wizard of Oz

28*. University of Latvia locale : RIGA

29. Whiz : SAIL - As in "I whizzed through that test"

30*. Rockefeller's successor : MONDALE

32. Civil : POLITE

34. Powerful seniors' lobby : AARP - getting awful popular in CWs lately

35*. Mandlikova of tennis : HANA - I remembered her name as ANNA first

36. What a shrug may indicate : APATHY

39*. CIA director before Petraeus : PANETTA

42*. Lagoon of Venice resort : LIDO - Travel tips for those interested

43*. Random House co-founder : CERF

44*. Sam's twin in "Lord of the Flies" : ERIC

50. Miss the mark : ERR

52. Sushi staple : AHI

53. Two after epsilon : ETA

54. Sistine Chapel ceiling depiction : EDEN - not ADAM, not EROS; one place I would like to see in my time

55. Vestiges : TRACES

57. Agnus __ : DEI

58. Graduation party rental : TENT

59. Deerstalker feature : EAR LAP - this hat, of Sherlock Holmes fame

60. WWII spy gp. : OSS

61. Needlework in a parlor : TATS - tattoo parlor, that is

62. Brisk : SPEEDY

DOWN:

1. Cutting, maybe : ABSENT - from school

2. Family game night site : REC ROOM

3. Will, barring obstacles : MEANS TO

4. National Poetry Mo. : APRil

5. Gives everyone a hand : DEALS - card games

7. Deem : ADJUDGE - D'oh~! I put in assuage, and knew that was wrong

8*. Mrs. John Quincy Adams : LOUISA

9. Cake pan trademark : BUNDT

10. Materialized : AROSE

11*. Hawaiian island once used as a quarantine site : MOLOKAI

12. "Thumbs up!" : "I LIKE IT~!"

13. Epitome of grace : GAZELLE

22*. "The Old Curiosity Shop" villain : QUILP - no clue, all perps, the Wiki

23*. Prehistoric toon boss : MR. SLATE - Fred's boss; I confuse him with Mr. Spacely sometimes

27. Partying it up : ON A TOOT - DAH~! not "on a TEAR"

31. Morse code unit : DAH - hey, wait, that's my word~!

33. A : ONE - there are a few ways 'one' could explain this; or is that "a" blogger?

35*. Scheherazade's milieu : HAREM - Learning moment for me

36. Ristorante sauce : ALFREDO

37*. Eponymous workout creator Joseph : PILATES

38*. Keats, in a Shelley title : ADONAIS

39. Hairsplitting types : PEDANTS

40. Cloying sentimentality : TREACLE

41. Space cadet : AIRHEAD

43. Well-expressed : COGENT

45. Like fried wontons : CRISPY

47*. Fictional blockade runner Butler : RHETT

48*. Argonauts' helper : MEDEA

49. Narrow band : STRAP - I tried STRIP first

56. Is for more than one? : ARE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy 48th wedding anniversary to Bill G and his wife Barbara!


Barbara & Bill

Bill & Barbara

Left to Right: Bill's daughter, grandson Jordan, Bill & Barbara




54 comments:

  1. WOW! 62A describes my experience this AM, SPEEDY like a Wednesday puzzle. Mostly my first thought PANned out, starting with ARMADA. (Fifth grade history class.)
    Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf were regulars on What's My Line.
    I had PANpipes on the brain. PANF--TES took a while.
    I saw "JUNO and the Paycock" when I "ushed" at a little theater.
    I have two lovely SCARAB bracelets. I'll have to start wearing them again.
    QUILP. all peprs, was the only unknown.
    Having finihed this early I will get a lot of work done today.

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  2. Morning, all!

    Well, I finally managed to finish this one unassisted, but I gotta say that NE section was pretty brutal. I finished the rest of the puzzle and still had a sea of white up there until I started making some educated, semi-educated and completely wild-@$$ guesses.

    ALBA, JUNO, LOUISA, QUILP and OLA were completely foreign to me. Like Splynter, I tried ACE at 11A. Unlike Splynter, changing it to MIG didn't reveal anything to me. MOLOKAI is vaguely familiar, but at least it looked Hawaiian when I started filling in the perps.

    STUDS TERKEL was also vaguely familiar, although I first tried spelling it as TURKEL. Had no idea BUNDT was a trademark, but at least I've heard of BUNDT cakes.

    LIQUID SMOKE was nice once I finally thought of it. Ditto for I LIKE IT (which I do) and GAZELLE. SAIL, on the other hand, just didn't go over too well with my brain. I was looking for a noun and it was hard to shift mental gears.

    ADJUDGE? Sure, why not...

    [oculnesd]

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  3. New here. What do W.A.G. and perps mean. Thanks

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  4. Bill V., read "Comments Section Abbrevs." on the blog's main page. It lists all of them.

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  5. Good morning, weekend warriors!

    Splynter, my experience was a lot like yours, and not at all like YR's. This one took the full time allotment, and Wisconsin/Michigan remained snow-covered for the longest time. STUDS TERKEL, whom I dredged up from my memory of Chicago radio, was the "key" to that section.

    Hand up for ACE before MIG. And, yes, QUILP was all perps. Had I really looked at that one, I probably would have been tempted to change something.

    In the late 50's PLUGOLA (called PAYOLA) was a big scandal when it was revealed that broadcasters were accepting bribes from the record companies for playing certain songs. I remember a DJ at KOMA (in Oklahoma) locking himself in the control room, playing Teen Angel over and over for about 18 hours.

    APRil was a WAG. I figured maybe that's why it's the "cruelest month."

    Time for that bike ride...

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  6. Yah, I remember PAYOLA, but not PLUGOLA.

    @ Bill V.: WAG is short for Wild-@$$ Guess. Perp is short for perpendicular and refers to answers that cross the answer you're trying to get and whose letters help you get that answer.

    Hope that helps!

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  7. Faint heart neuer wonne faire Lady. Hey I can be esoteric on a Saturday and I thought our literary cadre would like this tribute to diligence! Brad’s lovely puzzle was a wonderful Saturday test after, like Splynter, I conquered the mid north. Splynter, see first sentence for advice on Home Depot girl ;-)

    Musings
    -Weather this spring has RuN THE GAMUT across the country
    -Several friends have sent me this lovely PAN FLUTE piece this month
    -Saturnine _ _ U _? Not BLUE or SOUR.
    -Warning - Very creepy SCARAB scene from The Mummy (1:30)
    -In 1984 MONDALE said, “I will raise your taxes”. Result.. Political courage and candor can be disastrous.
    -Bennett CERF was a staple on old TV panel shows like ILKA on Marti’s puzzle yesterday.
    -Sherlock has an EAR LAP and he had an EAR FLAP
    -I like my ALFREDO alfresco
    -The Hallmark Channel is the home of TREACLY music
    -RHETT’s job? Frankly, I don’t give a damn ;-)
    -Happy anniversary Bill and Barbara!
    -What Disco hit contained, “That’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, I LIKE IT…”?
    -What hilarious movie had a character named Dr. BEEPER?

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  8. Good Morning:

    Well, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but I did finish w/o help thanks to perps. Nice job, Mr. Wilbur, and nice expo, Splynter. I hope you meet up with Lily soon; good luck.

    Netflix sent me a replacement for the defective DVD, The Late Quartet. Decided to watch it last night and guess what? Another defective copy. Just to make sure it wasn't my player's problem, I tried another DVD and it worked fine. Oh well, they say the third time is a charm. But then again, they also say three strikes and you're out!

    Have a super Saturday.

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  9. Splynter: 56 Hours 9 Minutes? Is that date time with that special girl from Home Depot?

    Marcia Rogers@8:57 -- Yesterday Lemonade numbered all the proper names in Marti's puzzle. Today Splynter is marking them with an asterisk -- not sure why he missed LIZ, though.

    Husker, that's not much of a question. I believe the name of that song was That's The Way (I Like It).

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  10. Oops, forgot! Happy Anniversary to Bill and Barbara. June was a most popular month for weddings.

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  11. -Dang! When you’re right, you’re right Otto! I should have asked what group sang this ear worm!. I should wait until the caffeine kicks in to post!

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  12. Oops! I forgot as well. Congrats, Bill G. Have you got something special planned? How is Barbara coping with the new knee? Was it the right choice?



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  13. Happy Anniversary Bill and Barbara.
    Irish Miss, I've had one or two irretrievably defective Netlix DVDs, but I was able to save many by washing them with dish soap and water. See the directions on the sleeve. Hope that helps.

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  14. Hi again~!

    Hello, Marcia~! - yes, I added the asterisks for sake of counting the proper names, and Oops~! I did miss LIZ...gotta go back and fix that.

    D-Otto, that's the earliest I can get back to Home Depot; BBQ today, gravesite tomorrow - but then I remembered I have to chair the meeting Monday, too, so now it's bumped to 80hrs 9mins....oh well.

    Splynter

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  15. and -

    Happy Anniversary Bill G. & Barbara~!

    Splynter

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  16. Hah! Just found a repeat of Burn Notice on right now.

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  17. Hello Puzzlers -

    WBS. Exactly.

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  18. Hi Everyone ~~

    I really struggled today. After spending waaaay too much time trying to finish unassisted, I finally gave in. I just could not break through that NE/north central section. I see others had the same problem.

    I looked up two (STUDS TERKEL and QUILP) and then was able to finish - but finished it wrong! Splynter showed me the error of my ways - I had 'I made it' instead of I LIKE IT and thus several wrong squares. Your write-up provided much needed info today!

    ~ I forgot - I also had to look up Saturnine - I had no idea.

    ~ Write-over - Graduation party rental - Limo/TENT. Also, MANY guesses and perps needed today.

    ~ Really liked the misdirection of 61a - Needlework in a parlor - TATS. Of course I was thinking of pillows, afghans, etc.

    ~ I remember some "flap" on the Corner regarding EAR LAP vs Ear flap.

    ~ Splynter ~ I think the completion of YOUR job is more important on any other job. Hope the 70+ hours go quickly!

    ~ Happy Anniversary, Bill & Barbara - hope you have a wonderful day!

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  19. Happy Anniversary Bill.

    Luckily Studs was very popular while I was in school and is there any fill with more different clues than ALBA?

    Maybe EDEN (54) needs an * as well.

    Enjoy all

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  20. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Brad Wilber! It is so totally rare for me to actually finish a whole Saturday puzzle, that I'm on Cloud 9! Yay! You've made my weekend!

    Mind you, I too found the NE a bit tough. But I lucked out with so many of the names--JUNO, MEDEA, CERF, MONDALE, PANETTA, for a start. That helped a lot. I wanted to put ABIGAIL for Mrs. Adams--wrong Adams, I guess. And I too wanted PAN PIPES at first. But what fun! I just loved doing this puzzle this morning.

    Thanks for the fun expo, Splynter, and for reminding us about the regulars on "What's My Line?", Yellowrocks.

    Welcome to the Corner, Bill V. and Marcia Rogers.

    And happy, happy Anniversary, Bill G. and Barbara! 48 years! What incredible role models you are for the rest of us. (Of course, my husband and I would have to make it to our second century to be married that long, but that's what you get when you wait until middle age to stroll down the aisle).

    Have a great weekend, everybody!

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  21. OK, I'll be the one to ask. Even after looking at the pictures twice, I'm not sure what is the distinction between ear laps and ear flaps?

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  22. Hello, Splynter and Group.

    Happy anniversary Bill and Barbara! I hope Barbara is in good enough shape from the surgery to celebrate.

    Yowza! Yowza! Yowza! I can't believe how fast I solved this. Thank you, Brad Wilber. I was on your wave length almost immediately. It helped that I have visited MOLOKAI and VENICE, I am also an admirer of Damien who cared for the lepers. However, I did have to look up LOUISA.

    I can't recall another Saturday when my solve was less than 45 minutes!

    Great clues I liked:

    gives everyone a hand, DEALS
    is for more than one, ARE

    Wonderful misdirection on TATS and really liked seeing COGENT and PEDANTS.

    Good luck with Lily, Splynter.

    Have yourselves a splendid Saturday, everyone!

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  23. 45D: "crispy" is not a word, except in advertising ("marketing"). The word is "crisp." (Yes, I know that "crispy" is in the dictionary. It shouldn't be.)

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  24. YR-I did wash the first bad disk with no luck. I'll give the second one a try, but I doubt it'll make any difference. I was so disappointed as I was really looking forward to watching this movie. )-: Thanks for being helpful.

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  25. Happy Saturday everybody!

    DNF for Da Doc toDay, thanx to the SE (roughly LA to Phoenix). Found myself at the same stumbling blocks as Splynter. As well as wanting BEES for TATS.

    I worked in a central kitchen in college, and so am familiar with Liquid Smoke. I managed the storeroom, and it seemed like every time I took inventory, there was the same amount of LS on the shelves....

    The ARE answer reminded me of the IS NOT answer earlier this week....

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  26. Hello,

    For 61A, I entered tats thinking of ladies sitting in a parlor tatting like quilting bees (I initially tossed"bees" in my mind but crossings wouldn't allow). Tattoo parlor never entered my mind!

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  27. The word CRISPY is frequently found in recipes and articles about food, even in the New York Times. I trust the scholarship and authority of the dictionary producers. When people protest clues they haven't heard before, this quote always comes to mind."There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
    Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Wm. Shakespeare.

    I believe EARLAP and earflap are synonyms.

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  28. DNF and 7 Googles. So many names!

    Got STUDS, JUNO, ARMADA, MOLOKAI but had PANspipES before PANFLUTES and wanted Tux. The rest thru crosses. Kept trying to figure out who the governor was before Rockefeller. Wrong office.

    TATS still aren't part of my world. Some people will be sorry at 70, I suspect.

    Read up on CERF. Quite a guy. I only knew him from the game show.

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  29. earlap, dewlap, lapstrake ...

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  30. Hello everybody. Great puzzle today. I had a lot of fun solving it, and didn't have to look anything up, which I usually have to do on Saturdays.

    Also wanted PANpipes. What Barry said about BUNDT. Didn't like PLUGOLA. Leon PANETTA is a son of Monterey, CA, and is much loved and admired here. I had forgotten he had been the Director of the CIA as well as Secretary of Defense.

    Happy anniversary, Bill and Barbara G. Good luck, Splynter. And best wishes to you all.

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  31. Sfingi@ 12:39
    "Some people will be sorry at 70, I suspect." This is for you

    SNL TATTOO REMOVER

    Hppy Anniversary, Bill and Barbara!!

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  32. Oh, I did make a silly mistake that caused me all kinds of trouble. I filled in RHETT at the 48D position (one column to the right of where it should have been). What a mess. Even after discovering and fixing the misplacement, it still did not allow LIMO for 58A. Whew.

    Many long years ago my cousin worked in the film industry under the pseudonym Crisp E. Critter.

    WBS re ADJUDGE.

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  33. Two easy ones in a row--Friday and Saturday. Are the makers giving them away in honor of the nicer weather? ARMADA was the first up and the first fill; SCARAB was next, and the rest, well, a short history.

    Could it be, by gum, that I am getting SHmarter? Na-ah....

    Still, nothing was difficult today, tho' I admit I did take a peek to get LIZ, to open up the NE corner--only because it would have caused me to pause a couple of seconds. (On a roll, I hate to pause.)

    And I did wonder at SAIL?! The mental switch from a presumed noun to verb made me doubt the answer, which still feels clunky.

    I enjoyed learning why PILATES is so named, and I liked seeing STUDS TERKEL being honored. Overall, though, the clues today lacked the cleverness we enjoyed yesterday. Yesterday's was a good example of how even a not-so-challenging puzzle can still be entertaining.

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  34. Good morning everyone. Nothing new to add. The puzzle was twisty and turny, might even say crispy.

    Leon Panetta, as Jayce mentioned, is from around here, and happens to be the speaker at this mornings graduation at Santa Clara University.

    Boy, I've missed a lot of birthdays and anniversaries the last few weeks. Belated best wishes to you-all...you know who your are. LOL

    JD, we will have to celebrate your anniversary with the Coven next week. I'll buy lunch. HA! FREE LUNCH ON DODO!!!!!

    A Sunny Saturday and Father's Day to all.

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  35. My usual struggle with a Saturday puzzle.

    I seem to have forgotten the significance of the Home Depot Girl. Splynter, remind me please. And good luck whoever she is.

    Thanks for the anniversary wishes. June 15 used to always be a hard date to celebrate; right in the middle of report cards. Now, not so much. Actually, this time around is not so convenient either. Barbara can't do too much with her new knee and a teaching friend is having a retirement party this afternoon. Maybe we should choose a new anniversary date. :>)

    Barbara's new knee is getting better day by day. She can drive herself to the physical therapy appointment. She still isn't sleeping well but most everything else is going pretty well. Thanks for asking.

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  36. I believe that adjudged is a more specific term than judged. It means determined or decided by judicial procedure. Judged could be used in its place,but adjudged clearly indicates that the determination was official.
    The clue was "deemed" with no indication of a judicial procedure. Technically I believe that judged fits the clue more accurately than adjudged, but I tend to allow constructors some latitude, sort of like poetic license.
    Kleenex is to facial tissues as Bundt is to fluted tube pan. The brand name Bundt has commonly come to be used to refer to any pan of that shape. The shape is inspired by a traditional European fruit cake known as Gugelhupf, but Bundt cakes are not generally associated with any single recipe.

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  37. Very nice photos, Bill. Barbara is a beautiful woman. I'm glad that her recovery is going well.

    Today at the nail salon the same husband and wife came in for pedicures. I think they must be regulars on Saturday. My regular day is Thursday, but too busy for that this week.

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  38. Bill & Barbara,,, Happy Anniversary.

    Sorry if the image is a bit large, but it is a big day!

    The puzzle? (I cheated my way thru it,,, I don't want to talk about it...)

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  39. Studs Terkel not an issue here. He's oft quoted and referenced by local media in these environs.

    I know of adjudicate and judge, but never heard adjudge. WYRS.

    This was perhaps my worst showing since I started doing the puzzle on a daily basis about a year ago.

    Bill and Barbara, Happy Anniversary.

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  40. Good evening, gang - helluva struggle for me today; I needed all the perp help I could get, and still screwed up.

    As with Barry, the NE gave me fits. Even knowing MIG, and then getting GAZELLE, I still couldn't see anything that made sense. Thought 12D was I'LL DO IT for some reason, and it took staring at LIQUID SMODE for me to see I LIKE IT. And really, is Garfield's vet something that most people readily know?

    I also had ON A TEAR for 27D, and couldn't remember what 'Saturnine' meant. Thought it might mean 'fat as a planet' , but 'obese' wouldn't fit. Still, a fun puzzle and a great challenge, for me, anyway.

    Belated Happy Anniversary to JD and Bob, and Happy Anniversary to Bill G. and Barbara; many, many more. Also, I hope everyone remembered Flag Day yesterday.

    Have a great rest-of-the-weekend.

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  41. Super saturday! Worked in Thursday time w/o cheats! What a surprise! Thanks, Brad. (Will read you later, Splynter.)

    Happy anniversary, Bill and Barbara! Nice pictures!

    Cheers!

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  42. Hi Y'all! I really liked this puzzle. Finished in 31 minutes but with red-letter redirection. What really struck me most when looking back over the puzzle were the number of words beginning with "A"--12 in all if I counted right. I liked the descenders, like earrings, off of other "A" words.

    Good expo, Splinter! Take the plunge, man, ask her to coffee or something. Courage!

    Argyle, thanks for the PANFLUTE link. Love that music.

    I could see Bennett CERF's big smile, but couldn't remember his name until the "C" perped up.

    Happy Anniversary, Bill & Barbara!

    I'm so late here because after another sleepless night, I slept from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Man! I didn't even see today. Bummer!

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  43. Today is a special day for the daughter our friends. Quinceañera.

    Perhaps some of you have heard of Quinceañera or attended one.

    I had no idea of the significance or symbolism of this event to our friends until this evening. I would have stayed longer but I turn into a pumpkin much earlier than most. My DW will no doubt let me know how much fun I missed.

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  44. Hola Everyone, I haven't had a chance to finish the puzzle yet, but I wanted to wish Bill G. and Barbara a very happy anniversary. I loved the pictures of the family.

    Leon Panetta gave the graduation speech at his alma mater, Santa Clara U. today. He and his wife, also a graduate, both received honorary doctorates.
    (Should have read all the blog before posting this. Garlic Gal had posted the same fact).

    Have a great weekend everyone.

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  45. Good evening, folks. Thank you, Brad Wilber, for a very good puzzle. Thank you, Splynter, for he fin review.

    Well, my easiest answer today was MOLOKA'I. I just finished the book about two weeks ago. Excellent story of the leper colony on that island and the lives of the people involved. There were many sad parts, bur also happy parts of the book.

    LIDO at 42A was a lucky wag. I stayed at the LIDO Motel in Franklin Park, IL, many years ago. I will never forget the place. Pretty rough and ready.

    Wanted SPHINX for 17A, but eventually thought of SCARAB, with a couple perps.

    Got LIQUID SMOKE. I like real smoke with mesquite chips thrown in. Can't beat it.

    Got my garden fence all fixed up today. Lots of work. We will see what grows.

    TTP: What is that long word you used? What does it mean?

    Happy Anniversary Bill G. And Barbara. Many more.

    Off to Illinois tomorrow. See you then.

    Abejo

    (lowsonat)

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  46. Thanks again for all the thoughtful anniversary wishes.

    I wish you all could have joined us. We had a tiny appetizer with white beans, arulula and cheese, a small Caesar salad (with anchovies), lobster bisque, two entrees including short ribs and sea scallops, crushed potatoes, vegetables and a passion fruit creme brulee (with plenty for leftovers). It's probably one of the classiest little restaurants I know in this immediate area without going into LA or Beverly Hills or...?

    ~ Bill

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  47. Pas, I loved the tat removal video.

    Lucina, I thought of you when I had a pedicure this week. I can't really bend over to do it easily myself. Money well spent say I.

    I enjoyed this video of Ellen giving a commencement address at Tulane a couple of years ago. ELLEN

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  48. Bill:
    I am so glad you enjoyed your pedicure! Money well spent, indeed. I hope that means it will be a habit with you.

    Abejo:
    I don't know if TTP will tell you about a quincenears (I can't make the tilde). It is a girl's 15th birthday and in the Mexican culture particularly, it is celebrated like a debutante's gala. It signifies coming of age and most of the time it is as lavish as a wedding, with attendants, a dance and a great feast.

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  49. Happy Anniversary Bill and Barbara! I love that you described all the details to your dinner... and you DID get your scallops like Bob! Your creme brulee was a bit fancier than ours... vanilla. Enjoyed seeing the pictures.

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  50. Lucina et al., I've always had bad feelings about spending small fortunes on things like quinceñeras, sweet 16 parties, bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings, especially where the folks involved can scarcely afford it but it seems like a social obligation. When Bonnie got married, we gave her and her husband-to-be a small wad of money and told them they could spend it however they chose and they could keep whatever was left over. It worked well. We didn't have to argue about how much they were spending and on what and they got started in married life with a little money in the bank.

    So many girls grow up hoping for a super-special lavish wedding when a small, more personal ceremony would do just as well and would allow them to start married life with a little money available for important things. Of course, that's just my opinion and it's probably worth what you had to pay for it.

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