google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday October 6, 2013 Paul Hunsberger

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Oct 6, 2013

Sunday October 6, 2013 Paul Hunsberger

Theme:  "Epicenters" - All 10 theme entries have odd-numbered letters so EPI falls exactly in the very center of each theme answer, hence perfect symmetry for the 10 EPI's.

34A. Bearded impressionist : CAMILLE PISSARRO


49A. Near East product : RICE PILAF. This looks like fried rice. What do you call that spoon?


65A. It may be a sign of chilling : GOOSE PIMPLE. I call them "Goose bumps".

82A. Swatch, e.g. : TIMEPIECE

98A. "Call me" : LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH

9D. Peter Sellers film that began production after his death : TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER

11D. Figure skate feature : TOE PICK. New term to me.

24D. "Capisce?" : GET THE PICTURE?

48D. TV prototypes : PILOT EPISODES
 
86D. Rock bottom : THE PITS

This  puzzle  reminded me of the "Middle Child" puzzle I did a while ago, where TOT falls exactly in the middle. It made me appreciate Paul's puzzle that much more.

Plus, his 10-themer grid design is beyond brilliant. Every theme answer intersects at least one more theme answer. And the middle Down intersects 3 Across theme entries. Notice how two EPI are located in the exact middle of the grid? And all the 10 EPI's are in perfect symmetry.

Across:

1. Band booster : AMP

4. Fig. that rarely exceeds 4 : GPA

7. "Drive for show, __ for dough": golf adage : PUTT. So true. A long drive is good for men's ego.

11. Steam whistle sound : TOOT

15. FĂștbol cheer : OLE

18. Rapper Big __ : BOI. Of OutKast.

19. Sinuous swimmer : EEL

20. Cross letters : INRI

21. They may be even or long : ODDS

22. 106-Across rival, for short : UAL. 106. Atlanta-based airline : DELTA

23. Italian dressing herb : OREGANO

25. ESPN datum : STAT

26. James Joyce accessory : EYE PATCHOur Misty wrote a couple books about James Joyce.


28. Nearly 40 inches : METER. I'm 5'4'' or 1.63 meters.

29. Masseur's bottleful : HOT OIL. Has anyone had hot oil massage?

31. End-of-missive extras, for short : PSS

32. Scope opening? : PERI. Periscope.

33. Fly, in fly-fishing : BAIT

37. "The Art of War" author : SUN TZU. Just spelled Sun Zi in Mandarin.

39. Montreal-based shoe retailer : ALDO

40. Mountaineer's tool : ICE AX

41. Mogul-dodging path : ESS. Everyone who reads this blog on Thursdays should nail it.

43. Brutal : HARSH

45. Evil-smelling : FUNKY

47. "Not interested" : I PASS

53. Poetic monogram : TSE. T. S. Eliot.

54. Evening affair : SOIREE

55. Sound-activated infomercial gadget : CLAPPER


56. It's a real knockout : ETHER. We've seen similar clues before.

58. Webmaster's code : HTML

59. __ circus : MEDIA

60. "__ Shoes": 2005 Cameron Diaz film : IN HER. Liked the movie.

61. Abstains from : LAYS OFF

64. Monet subject : PARC. Tricky crossing with RCMP (49D. Law gp. in red serge tunics). 


68. O'Hara home : TARA

70. Construction site sights : DETOURS

72. Moon-related phenomena : TIDES

73. Postgame postmortem : RECAP. Tiny dupe with the clue in SUM (83D. "To recap ..." )

74. Gorbachev's land: Abbr. : USSR

75. Perfume, as at High Mass : CENSE

76. Parts of some baby splits : TWO PINS.  3-10 (or 2- 7 for lefties).


78. Laundry supply : STARCH

81. 2012 Stanley Cup champs, initially : LA K. LA Kings. Do they use LAK in scoreboards, Splyner?

84. Port of Crete : CANEA. Total stranger to me.

85. It can be used in dating : STAMP. Great clue.

87. Baseball teams : NINES. Boomer at our backyard yesterday. The Morneau shirt is sold by his fan club. I'm not sure it's legit for them to produce these shirts, TTP.


88. Ducked down, say : HID

89. Some IRAs : ROTHs

91. Some hieroglyphic squiggles : ASPS

94. Top parts : CROWNS

102. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" singer : DION (CĂ©line)

103. Grimm menace : OGRE

104. Maple yield : SAP

105. Plays guitar chords, in a way : STRUMS. For Bill G. Don't miss this cute clip he linked a few days ago.

107. Sandwich order : PASTRAMI

109. Flimsy : THIN

110. Biweekly stub, perhaps : PAYSLIP

112. Somme summer : ETE

113. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT

114. Let use for now : LEND

115. Fruity quencher : ADE. Hello Charlotte!


116. Post-op stop : ICU

117. Retreat : DEN

118. Welcome center offerings : MAPS

119. Work measures : ERGs

120. Go-ahead : NOD

121. Talk Like a Pirate Day mo. : SEP

Down:

1. Los Alamos test subjects, informally : A-BOMBS

2. Wells' island doctor : MOREAU. Dr. Moreau.

3. Baker's container : PIE TIN

4. Transmission selection : GEAR

5. Pocket protector insert : PEN

6. Tropical hi : ALOHA

7. Flower part : PISTIL

8. Not yet shared : UNTOLD

10. Spine line : TITLE
12. Epic with a trip home to Ithaca : ODYSSEY

13. Texas oil city : ODESSA

14. Kitchen meas. : TSP

15. Where to catch the sound of music? : OUTER EAR. Got me.

16. Game with meshed sticks : LACROSSE

17. Pre-coll. : EL-HI. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not a good fill. Compromises are made in every  puzzle.

27. Busy time for a CPA : APR

30. __ Steaks : OMAHA

34. Nobelist of 1903 and 1911 : CURIE

35. Missing person? : PINER. I like this clue also.

36. Universally accepted principles : AXIOMS

38. "Valley Girl" co-songwriter Frank or Moon : ZAPPA

42. Toronto-to-D.C. dir. : SSE

44. 35mm shooter : SLR

46. They're often email addresses : USER IDS

50. "The Life __": "Mary Poppins" tune : I LEAD

51. Leadership nucleus : CADRE

52. Swamps : FENS

54. Cause of eyelid redness : STYE

57. What one may be taken for? : THE TEAM. Take one for the team.

58. "I'm sorry, Dave" speaker of sci-fi : HAL

60. Moths with colorful eyespots on their hind wings : IOS. I wonder if those Apple guys are aware of these moths.


61. CD precursors : LPs

62. Prima __ case : FACIE. I got it. But I don't know what it means, Hahtoola/Lemonade.

63. Euro forerunner : FRANC

65. Spout : GUSH

66. Boston Garden legend : ORR (Bobby)

67. Convene : MEET

69. Cathedral part : APSE

71. Nominees for them are announced in January : OSCARs

73. Rodeo performer : ROPER. I wanted RIDER.

75. Brooch fastener : CLASP

76. Texter's "Don't go there!" : TMI (Too Much Information)

77. Barmaid, to the Bard : WENCH

78. Learning ctr. : SCH

79. Pickup feature : TAILGATE

80. Guam Air Force base : ANDERSEN. Named after General Andersen who died in a aircraft accident in 1945, says Wiki.

85. Anger : STEAM UP

90. 1994 Olympic gold medalist skater Baiul : OKSANA. Got via crossings. Sounds Japanese.

92. Piano part : STRING

93. Hits with force : POUNDS

95. Award-winning sci-fi writer Connie : WILLIS. Wiki said "She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works —more "major awards" than any other writer". I feel bad not knowing her.



96. Perceive : NOTICE

97. Buy quickly : SNAP UP

99. Vietnamese holiday : TET

100. Basketry fiber : ISTLE. Classic crosswordese.

101. Place to follow politics : C-SPAN

103. Page with sentiments : OP-ED

106. Applied henna, e.g. : DYED

108. Colorado State athlete : RAM

111. Bustle : ADO



C.C.

PS: Check out Splynter (Left) in this YouTube clip.

52 comments:

  1. Very interesting puzzle! Thanks to Paul and CC!

    Took quite a bit longer than he usual Sunday. No cheats.

    Had never heard of a TOEPICK. Did not understand STAMP. Hadn't heard of WILLIS, Big BOI, CAMILLE PISSARRO, ALDO. Had stamen instead of PISTIL and taus instead of INRI, until I got wise and deleted them. Whew!

    Cheers!

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  2. Hello Puzzlers -

    As I worked my way around the grid, it occurred to me that I hadn't been on the lookout for a theme. Re-reading the title made it obvious, and then I noticed how Epi was centered in each theme fill. Brilliant! Nicely done, Paul.

    The theme helped with the P in Pissarro, somebody I never heard of.

    Morning, C.C., I don't recall Istle from past puzzles...must have been asleep those days! No, never had a hot oil massage, it sounds like a real treat.

    Cheers All

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  3. On TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER, Clouseau
    Knew his quarry was close, it was so.
    The case was so simple
    He raised a GOOSE PIMPLE.
    (Only one, he's not given to show.)

    The painter, CAMILLE PISSARRO,
    Engendered a good bit of sorrow.
    He'd say LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH,
    As friend's paint tubes he clutched,
    But he'd never return what he'd borrow.

    On Twitter, sometimes you must laugh
    At folk's tweets and pictures of chaff.
    A snap of a TIME PIECE,
    Photo of a baby niece,
    Or lunch, a nice hot RICE PILAF.

    Our tummies are made ill-at-ease,
    By discussions of things like toe cheese.
    (You can remove it quite quick
    By means of a TOE PICK).
    Under arms, it's THE PITS that displease.

    On the set, the tension explodes.
    Star and writer are at antipodes.
    "The scripts are like scripture!"
    "You don't GET THE PICTURE,
    These are only raw PILOT EPISODES!"

    Not too bad, certainly better than Friday's monster. I'm in awe of the composer's placement of EPI at the exact center of all theme entries! E's and I's are always common, but I count 25 P's in this grid, which I'm sure is exceptional.

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  4. I heartily recommend that you work Merl's offering! One tricky square is repeated. (We don't get such things in LAT anymore.) A real effort to admire! Merl.

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  5. Owen: you are incredibly talented!

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  6. Morning, all!

    Late to the party this morning, I see.. ^_^

    Fun puzzle today with a great theme (once I got it, that is). I had trouble grokking the theme at first due entirely to CAMILLEPISSARRO, whom I've never heard of and whose spelling looked so odd I was sure there had to be some sort of trick going on with the answers. After actually reading the title of the puzzle, however (which I don't normally do on a Sunday), all became clear and knowing about EPI in the center actually helped get some of the other theme answers.

    Ran into trouble at the crossings of CANEA/ANDERSEN and DION/WILLIS. All were unknown to me (as clued, at least -- I've heard of CANEA but had no idea it was in Crete). Fumbled around for a bit (tried ADDERSEN at first) but eventually got the job done.

    Up in the NE I was also momentarily flummoxed by TOEPICK (didn't know it and it crossed PISSARRO, which I wasn't sure of) and EYEPATCH (which I had no idea was worn by James Joyce). It didn't help matters that I misspelled ODYSSEY as ODESSEY at first (probably due to the proximity of ODESSA).

    Hmmm... Oh, yeah -- I also initially had GET THE MESSAGE at 24 before getting the theme, which messed up a large swatch of land in the West. Once I got the theme, however, it was easy to fix.

    [runessam]

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  7. Good morning, Sunday solvers!

    Theme? There was a theme? No, I didn't get it. I was forced to solve on my tablet this morning, and you have to ask for "info" in order to see the puzzle title. I forgot to ask. I came close to a DNF in Kansas. I had trouble figuring out IN HER, IOS and THE TEAM. Finally the lightbulb came on.

    When I saw D_ON, I immediately entered the I, thinking of DION and the Belmonts. D'oh!

    I spent 18 months on Guam, so ANDERSEN AFB was a gimme. That island's only 40 miles long and 8 across at the widest point. ANDERSEN takes up a goodly chunk of it.

    C.C., if I'm remembering correctly, OKSANA Baiul is Russian, not Japanese.

    I'm afraid the day I've been dreading has finally arrived. I think my twelve year old PC has finally died. Any suggestions as to what I should buy to replace it?

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  8. OK, the PC finally stirred to life, and I looked up OKSANA. She's Ukranian.

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  9. Good Morning, C.C., and friends. Fun Sunday puzzle that gave me a bit of a challenge. The theme answers came easier than some of the other clues.

    I wanted Lily instead of PARC because I confused Monet with Manet.

    There was a TV show called Due South, which was about a Canadian Canadian Mounted Police officer who helped solve crime in Chicago.

    Swamps = FENS, hence Fenway Park. Go Red Sox!

    Marie CURIE was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to date to have two such prizes in two fields ~ Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911).

    It looks like we dodged a bullet with Tropical Storm Karen. Lots of rain, though.

    QOD: The home should be the treasure chest of living. ~ Le Corbusier (Oct. 6, 1887 ~ Aug. 27, 1965)

    [andtit]

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  10. Toe pick scene: LINK "The Cutting Edge"

    Oksana making good use of the toe pick. LINK

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  11. Hi Y'all! My mind is "foggy" this morning but I waded through this with some difficulty. Thanks, Paul. Thanks, C. C.

    I didn't read the title until I was done, but don't think it would have helped in solving because I wasn't sure which words were "theme" until I spyed the EPIs.

    Fermat: The office person who receives and opens mail will use a time STAMP to show when it was received. This is a little device with moveable rubber months, days & date numbers.

    How is "swatch" a TIME piece? CENSE? Always heard it called inCENSE. STARCH? Does anyone use it anymore. I just wear knits which I don't want stiff.
    Didn't know BOI. Not a rap fan.

    GOOSE PIMPLES are what my neighbors' guests must have had yakking in the backyard until 2 a.m. in 49 degree weather. I went to sleep at 9 p.m. about 30 ft. from them and just heard them a few times.

    Being an ROTC mom, I should know CADRE which is what they call their officer/teachers.

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  12. Excuse my bursting in to the comments for Sunday, but I have a question about Friday's puzzle which someone can answer, perhaps. I enjoyed Friday's offering and thought it was really clever and fun, though a challenge, to solve. But my question concerns the "Xerox insert: Abbr." clue, which was answered ORIG. I just don't get that. I was looking for something like CART, for ink cartridge. Where does the "original" come from?

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  13. Anon@9:03 -- You insert an ORIGinal document to make a copy of it.

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  14. Oh, for goodness sakes. Of course! What a dope I am. Isn't that just what we love about crosswords, that our brains go in one direction and (sometimes) (often) the answers, another? Thank you.

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  15. Hi there~!

    Thanks, C.C., for the "TWO PINS" comment - I thought a "baby split" was some sort of toddler clothing - can you tell I've not had kids?

    I do sometimes see "LAK" as an abbr. for the L.A. Kings, mostly in apps. I put in CHI, because Chicago won "last year", but we're still in 2013....

    I knew about the first "toe pick", Argyle, but thank you very much for the second one~!" ( oh, those Russian girls )

    And for TAILGATE, check out this link to my buddy Mike's outdoor game that he invented and is having produced as we speak - and check out the good looking guy in the video, too~!

    ( it's the Saturday Stud )

    SplynTer

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  16. OwenKL,
    You are amazing! 26 P's by the way.

    D-Otto,
    I like my Gateway. Maybe you should wait for Windows to releases its 8.1?

    Splynter,
    Very cool! I'm the 22nd viewer right now. Let's see what the stats are by the end of today.

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  17. Good morning C.C. et al.

    Hmmm, I was stuck on the "Mogul-dodging path," mainly because I never dodge them. I just ski over them. ESS finally appeared, for a real V-8 moment.

    I wasn't that impressed with the theme until I read your write-up, C.C. EPI seemed to be fairly common letters, but the symmetry and placement of the theme entries was amazing, after I took time to study them.

    S. - really neat football game! I was #34.

    Have a lovely day, everyone!

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  18. But for the title, the theme might have escaped me on this puzzle that I went through like Sherman’s march from DELTA’s hub to where the Moon affects TIDES. Ya gotta admire finding those symmetrical fills!

    Musings
    -I was about as likely to know PISSARRO as some of you would know the Yankee shortstop in 1962
    -Is that spoon a two-tined SPORK?
    -LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH. Never seems to happen.
    -I outdrive my friend by a lot but he’s pretty consistent on the green
    -I learned what INRI means here after seeing it all my life
    -I had an 8th grader who was 2.01 METERS (6’ 6”)
    -P.S. Musical Interlude
    -My neighbor calls sushi BAIT
    -Everybody’s favorite RCMP (:23)
    -Use of these CROWNS can get you ejected
    -In one M*A*S*H episode Charles couldn’t see the value of a SHMOO, a hula hoop or a PIE TIN as a frisbee
    -OMAHA, been there done that
    -Some MLBer’s specialize in “taking one for the team” i.e. getting hit by a pitch
    -Gotta run to go, well you know where…
    -CAPICE – What wonderful movie had an Irish gangster that said instead, “Ya folla?” (You follow?)

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  19. Good Morning:

    Got the theme early on but didn't notice (or appreciate) the placement and symmetry until reading CC's most concise and informative expo. A FIW due to ESE instead of SSE.

    Thanks, Paul, for a Sunday challenge and thanks, CC, for just being CC!

    Misty, what is the story behind Joyce's eyepatch?

    Watched the second episode of The Blacklist last night. It's over the top but James Spader's presence makes it worth watching. Between the tension and action in it and Hostages, I'm on the edge of my chair. Tonight's The Good Wife should be interesting.

    Have a relaxing day.

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  20. Good morning all.

    As usual, didn't pay attention to the theme, but didn't need the use of EPI to solve either. Not much else to comment on. Don't know my AF bases in Guam, so got ANDERSEN from the perps. Same with CANEA.
    Note that CANEA is the Venetian spelling of CHANIA, the Greek spelling under whose aegis it exists and how it is depicted in modern day maps.
    Did not know PISSARRO either but perps helped.

    Enjoy the day.

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  21. Fun puzzle! I latched onto the theme right away though I didn't notice the symmetry. Thanks Paul and CC.

    I didn't know BOI or Post of Crete and I thought a bearded impressionist was about somebody like Rich Little. Silly me!

    Gary, that would be The Sting, wouldn't it?

    Go Dodgers!

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  22. I started with band booster being FAN, instead of AMP which gave me F BOMB. Uh oh
    A Swatch is a btand of sports watch.
    CENSE and PERFUME are a verbs in this case.

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  23. Thanks for pointing out the symmetry, C.C. - I totally missed that - very impressive! BTW, that's a shashogh there with the rice pilaf. Food!

    D-Otto - I use a Dell laptop for work and I have a Lenovo for personal use. I like the Lenovo and it was very good value.

    Off to swim training - have a great day everyone.

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  24. Great, but easy theme. Impressionists are my favorite group of artists, so I always end up in that section when I visit new museums. Pissarro gets a bit of the short shrift in the fame department after Monet and Renoir, but his work is also wonderful.

    D-otto- I'm not up in that dept, but my son is a comp. sci major at one of the military academies and he rec. a Lenovo (company that took over IBMs laptop business) for my husband as a laptop and HP pavilion for a recent desktop acquistion.

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  25. -Cornhusker weather? this in the east AND this in the west on the same day from today’s OMAHA World Herald
    -Yes, Doctorbak, Guys and Dolls did have The Oldest Established Floating CRAP Game(2:56).
    -…and yes, Bill, Doyle Lonnegan was the Irish hood and victim of The Sting. great pre-sting poker game (2:13)
    -Marie Curie’s ill-fated death caused by her award winning work with radioactivity is worthy of an O. HENRY story with a TWIST
    -Steve, are you training to swim the Channel?

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  26. Thank you Paul Hunsburger, and thank you CC.

    I never did get the theme. Nor did I get the TADA ! 3 letters with a solid NATICK. The natick was "Port of Crete" crossing with Guam AFB. And, also missed the D in OPED/DEN and the N in DEN and that same AFB. I turned on red letter assistance hoping for an error, but had none.

    Almost had a natick at the intersection of PISSARIO and PINER. Recited the alphabet until I got that P for PINER. Once I got it, I loved the "Missing Person" clue. Also, "End of missive extras" = PSS, and even though I missed it, "Page with sentiments" = OPED.

    So that's where I failed, but I thought it was going to be much worse.

    Walked away and left the puzzle couple of times. The center just wasn't coming. Had a hard time getting IN HER, THE TEAM, FENS, and ETHER. Then finally got the grid spanner. Not a Pink Panther fan, so that was a guess that fit.

    "Drive for show..." I've had a couple of drives over 300 yards. Cart paths can add a lot of distance.

    "Baby splits" = TWO PINS. (I thought of Boomer.) The easiest of the splits to pick up. 7-10 is rarely made. I'd rather have the 6-7-10 so I can send the messenger to pick up the 7. The 7-9 and 8-10 splits are less frequent. I blame those on bad wood. :>)

    Speaking of Boomer, Nice Shirt ! Probably not quite close enough to the team original to draw the wrath and ire of MLB. Game time 3:30 central today ! Hope # 66 and other Bucs have a big day. Ex Twin and lefty Francisco Liriano will be on the mound for the home team at PNC. Redbirds counter with sophomore righty Joe Kelly, who beat the hoisters of the Jolly Roger in consecutive starts. Should be a good game.

    Husker Gary, to wit "taking one for the team", I offer: Starling Marte

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  27. Happy Sunday everybody!

    Haven’t had the time to do crosswords lately, let alone post comments. Too busy getting used to the new job, looking for a place to live, etc. That being said, Ta-Da!

    Like others, did not notice the exact centering of the EPIs until visiting The Corner, thanks C.C.!

    Just a few write-overs today: PITON for ICE AX, FETID for FUNKY, ADDERSEN for ANDERSEN, ON HER for IN HER, PAY STUB for PAY SLIP, and LURE for BAIT. Hands up for thinking of BAIT when seeing sushi on the menu….

    TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER – complete waste of celluloid, imho. Just a cheesy attempt to make a buck off the late, great Peter Sellers….

    I wonder if James Joyce would’ve enjoyed Speak Like A Pirate day…?

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  28. After a wild week of struggles with the crosswords, I almost didn't even try this one. I am glad I did-I got it all done pretty painlessly! Didn't catch the theme though, until I read the expo. How do you constructors think of those ideas? cool!

    Got TOE PICK after ICE AX. We used to skate with figure skates on a frozen slough; darn toe picks would catch on grass sticking through the ice. Then back to the house to warm up with hot chocolate.

    I had TINY PIECE at first, thinking of a fabric swatch. TMI fixed that mistake, then I realized it was a brand name of TIME PIECE.

    Thanks for the Dudley Do-Right clip, Husker!

    Good luck selling that game; will you get royalties from the commercial, Splynter?

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  29. Fermatprime, at your recommendation I worked the Merl puzzle and enjoyed it. Are his puzzles usually rather difficult?

    Vegas Doc, given James Joyce's love of the language and his immense talent in using it, I bet he would love to sink his teeth into talking like a pirate.

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  30. Jayce: I think so! (It is best to take a break before solving Merl's, I think) But this one was unusually tricky!

    Desper: If you get a Mac of some sort, you will have fewer problems!

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  31. Lucina, I thought Emmy-winning Sunday Morning was good today. Lots of enjoyable human interest segments as always. A huge corn maze, the incident behind "Captain Phillips," a friendly debt collection agency, toilet seat art, Janis Joplin, Tom Clancy, Cumberland Island, etc. If I had to pick between Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes, I would be frustrated at having to choose but I would pick Sunday Morning.

    It's very hot and dry here today; 88 degrees and 15 percent humidity. I don't like it much but cooler weather is due tomorrow.

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  32. Desperotto, hands up with Fermatprime for the Mac! I was a dyed-in-the-wool Windows user, until DH turned me on to Apple products. So easy! No hassle! What was I thinking with Windows???

    You can get used ones online, that are cheaper by half, but have the same guarantees as new ones...look into it! (Please.)

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  33. Fermatprime.... thanx so much for the link to the puzzle site... I got a real chuckle out of one of the clues... I lived in pahrump :) never thought I would see it in a puzzle... :) and have not done one of these puzzles since I left that town..

    Thanx again...

    thelma

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  34. aka Thelma: I had never heard of Pahrump until I read an article about their city fathers turning down a pie-in-the-sky amusement park. Unfortunately, the "improvement district" where I live decided that park was just too good to pass up. Six plus years on and no land has been cleared and nothing has been built. The taxpayers of the district are on the hook for about $10 million that has mysteriously disappeared, and the honchos at the improvement district are under investigation by the FBI. Harumph, I say!

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  35. D-Otto - I join with Fermat and Heart Rx in recommending the IMac. So much more robust than windows, virtually no crashes. Have not needed AV in over 4 years.
    Good luck on getting a suitable replacement!

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  36. Good evening, folks. Thank you, Paul Hunsberger, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the fine review.

    Got started this morning for a short while in Edinboro, PA. Went to breakfast with my good friend who just had open heart surgery. He is recovering just fine.

    Worked on it some more in Erie, PA, while shopping with my wife's cousin.

    Finished while heading to Johnsonburg, PA. Quite a puzzle.

    Spotted the theme and it did help with some answers. I did not catch all ten that had EPI.

    MOREAU was unknown and fell to perps.

    INRI was easy. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Common term used in my fraternity.

    Never heard of a HOT OIL massage. I don't get out much.

    Had FUMEY instead of FUNKY for quite a while. Fixed it eventually.

    ISTLE for 100D. Do not remember ever seeing that word in a puzzle at all. But, who knows. I don't get out much.

    Never heard of that long 9D answer. But I remember the original Pink Panther, so that helped.

    We have recently had some OMAHA steak products. Will say they are very good, High quality.

    OKSANA was easy. Six perps and it was mine.

    D-O. My wife, daughter , and I are all Mac people. We do have a PC on the side, just in case we need it. Some programs are not written for Macs. I found that writing Documents on the Mac and then attaching them to an email to others did not work. They could not read the Pages Doc. So I convert them to PDF and send them. There are some drawbacks, but I feel the apple computers certainly have a lot to offer. There are still functions that I am more familiar with on a PC, but I am learning.

    So, I am now back in Johnsonburg. Did not do Saturday's puzzle due to being involved in Keggs and Eggs in Edinboro, but I hope to work on it tomorrow.

    OwenKL. Great poem today. Thank you!

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (hohnomi)

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  37. My first computer was an Apple II+ way back in the day. I learned to write programs in Basic; not sophisticated by geek standards but I was proud of them.

    My neighbor worked for IBM and lent me an early PC that used MS DOS. I didn't care for it much. Microsoft quickly adapted to the Apple graphical approach of menus and drop-down windows and Microsoft Windows is pretty similar to a Mac user interface.

    Being in education, I stayed with Macs when they were introduced and ever since. I too recommend them but like anything else, you like what you get used to. If you have been using a PC for years, you might not feel comfortable with a Mac at first. They cost more but I've always thought they were worth the difference in price.

    The Dodgers game is ready to start. Go Dodgers!

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  38. D-otto...

    I am truly sorry to hear about the problems with the amusement park project... I can't tell you exactly what went on in pahrump of course... but I was one of the people that thought they had lost their minds to even consider it... :) :)

    It went back and forth for quite awhile... what exacty happened I don't know... I can find out tho if you are interested....

    Ya gotta know pahrump to love it... :) and I did like it... :) love would be pushing it... :) :)

    thelma

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  39. Good evening C.C. and all,

    This was a very impressive theme today.Learned a lot from both the puzzle and your write up.

    Argyle, thanks for the movie clip.Knew toepick from that film, although I didn't recall the name.

    Owen, a plethora of playful poems.. such fun!

    Enjoyed Splynter's You Tube!

    New picture is youngest grandson, 8 week old Dylan

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  40. DO, I heartily recommend an IMAC. Once you use one you don't wanta go back. Very user friendly.

    Splynter, enjoyed the video and seeing you in action.

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  41. Well, the Dodgers are looking pretty good at the moment.

    The first segment of 60 Minutes was excellent but depressing. I hate to think there are that many doctors, lawyers and citizens involved in Social Security disability fraud.

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  42. Late to the party, playing with Charlotte Thanks for the shout out. IF really awesome Dylan.

    Prima facie is from the Latin meaning on fist look. For example, to move forward with any case.either civil or criminal you have to show enough to show a basis, on first examination. If you do it is a pf case.if not the case is over.

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  43. Since the word you chose for the notched spoon is Farsi, are all spoons made that way there

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  44. Argyle, thanks for the ice skating, reminds me of dear Clear Ages.

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  45. D-Otto, I was really impressed with the IMAC when shopping for a computer with my daughter. I have my daughter's old PC Laptop. I hope it last a long time. It's on my kitchen table and takes a lot of abuse.
    My son was also stationed at Andersen AFB in Guam for 2 years, as his first duty station. He was glad to leave the island, but told us that some military retirees make it their last base so they can stay there.

    Argyle, after I went to your skating link,I started watching a little girl, Gia Kokotasis, at age 7 thru 11 yrs old, on Youtube. WOW!
    You may all want to watch if you have time. Future Olympian!

    The last 3 days of crosswords have put my ego in check. Not sure I'm ready to talk about it. I will only say I learned bunches.

    HG, we missed your terrible weather, but did have to turn the heat on for the first time last night.

    I've been thinking and praying for your husband and you, Chickie.

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  46. Lemon: Clear Ayes? Latin meaning on fist look? I suppose looking at a fist could keep a few disagreements from going to court.

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  47. HG - I'm training to swim out of LA when the big quake hits and my house ends up in the Pacific. Can't be over-prepared :)

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  48. OwenKL, Clear Ayes is correct. She was a beloved member of this blog, sadly departed. Her profile.

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  49. Hi,All: I found this to be a decent puzzle, not that much fun. Epi is ok. Sad day for me, husband of a cousin died today, pancreatic cancer, only 47 yrs old, wife 47, 3lovely daughters. I'm sick over this. Horrible news all the time,hate that motorcycle group who terrorized that family, extremely unhappy with our government...Daughters boyfriend and my son (both West Point grads) being deployed in May/June to Afghanistan (thought that was over)

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  50. Hello!
    This is such an amazing blog! Informative and fun at the same time. I love doing the crossword that comes in Times of India (by Julian Lim) - possibly taken from LA Times. But a lot of times, the clues are pretty cryptic for me. So i fall back on your blog for some enlightenment :) What a fabulous community :)

    Cheers!

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