google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 David Steinberg

Gary's Blog Map

Oct 29, 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 David Steinberg

Theme: Fonetic Progression - FL followed by a phonetic long vowel sound progressing through a, e, i, o, u.

17A. Food Network's "Throwdown!" host : BOBBY FLAY

24A. '60s song about an insect who "hid / Inside a doggie from Madrid" : SPANISH FLEA. Clip with lyrics, not the Herb Alpert instrumental version.

41A. 1996 R. Kelly hit : "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY"

51A. Difference between money coming in and money being spent : NET CASH FLOW

66A. Contagious dog malady : CANINE FLU

Argyle here. Very similar grid to Monday including the middle grid spanner. A Tuesday feel to the puzzle though. Thanks, David, we needed this.

Across:

1. Tom, Ma or Pa, in "The Grapes of Wrath" : JOAD. Okies.

5. Ballpark judges : UMPS

9. Greek i's : IOTAs

14. Doing nothing : IDLE

15. Put a stop to : HALT

16. Russian currency : RUBLE

19. Actor's platform : STAGE

20. Remove pencil marks : ERASE

21. Vinyl flooring piece : TILE

23. Skin care brand : OLAY

27. Palsy-walsy : CHUMMY

                               Chumlee

31. Mongrel : CUR

32. Villainous Norse god in the 2012 film "The Avengers" : LOKI

                                 LINK

33. Musical pause : REST

37. Guffaw : LAUGH

44. Baffling question : POSER

45. Sesame Street giggler : ELMO

46. Increase, as prices : GO UP

47. Singer Sumac : YMA. "Peruvian songbird" has been with us for years now.

49. Deceives : LIES TO

57. Grand Ole __ : OPRY

58. Beverage nut : KOLA

59. Newton with laws : ISAAC

64. Squirrel away : HOARD

68. Take place : OCCUR

69. SOS responder : USCG. (United States Coast Guard)

70. Fast horse : ARAB

71. Bridge predecessor : WHIST. The 16th century game you can now play online.

72. Stadium that hosted a 1965 Beatles concert : SHEA

73. Muscle firmness : TONE

Down:

1. Be in sync (with) : JIBE

2. Febreze target : ODOR

3. "Fantastic Four" actress Jessica : ALBA
4. Society newbies : DEBs. (debutante)

5. Frequency between 300 and 3,000 MHz : UHF. Ultra High Frequency, VHF, 30 MHz to 300 MHz : Very High Frequency. Television before cable and satellite.

6. Island nation near Sicily : MALTA. Située dans La mer Méditerranée. (How did I do?)

7. __ Jane : PLAIN

8. Touchscreen-touching tools : STYLI. Plural of stylus.

9. Org. that's the target of April glowers : IRS

10. Not close enough : OUT OF RANGE

11. Game for young batters : T-BALL

12. Aquarium buildup : ALGAE

13. "I'm outta here!" : "SEE YA!"

18. Polite rural assent : YES'M

22. PC bailout key : ESC

25. Pile that aptly rhymes with fire : PYRE

26. Hawaiian dance : HULA. 29D. 26-Down instruments : UKEs

27. Film excerpt : CLIP

28. Vagabond : HOBO. Yes, yes. Got it right this time.

30. Hannah Montana portrayer : MILEY CYRUS. Not what she is famous for now!

34. Eden outcast : EVE and Adam.

35. Poivre companion : SEL. French 'pepper' compadre, 'salt'.

36. Duncan of the NBA's Spurs : TIM. Not a very well known TIM. His Wiki page.

38. Usually fuzzy tabloid pics : UFOs

39. Market surfeit : GLUT

40. Doc's shot provider : HYPO. (hypodermic syringe)

42. Culinary maven Rombauer : IRMA. "The Joy of Cooking" author.

43. Denver's st. : COLOrado

48. Inquire of : ASK

50. Victor's cry : I WIN

51. "Never in a million years!" : "NO HOW!"

52. Pleistocene, e.g. : EPOCH

53. "Baywatch" actress Bingham : TRACI. Not a very well known TRACI. Her Google images.

54. Magician's opening : HOCUS - Pocus, often followed by a flash.

55. Word with drive or memory : FLASH

56. Cavalry weapon : LANCE. The lance is longer, stouter and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing.

60. "Save me a __!" : SEAT

61. Bushy do : AFRO

62. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN. Father of Adam Arkin.

63. Sugar bowl unit : CUBE

65. 2000 Richard Gere role : DR. T. "Dr. T & the Women"

67. Red-and-white supermarket logo : IGA. (Independent Grocers Alliance) Holy cow! Check out the coverage.


Argyle


Note from C.C.:

Happy 88th Birthday to dear Dodo, who used to be very active on the blog. Are you still reading us daily, Dodo?


(L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal; Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo. 

Picture taken on June 23, 2011

54 comments:

  1. Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Dodo, wherever you are)!

    Fun theme today, although I have to admit I was not familiar with most of the theme answers. SPANISH FLEA has words? I had no idea. There's something called the CANINE FLU? News to me. BOBBY FLAY? Sorry, don't watch the Food Network.

    Fortunately, most of the crosses were easy enough, and sadly I do know who MILEY CYRUS is....

    Go SOX!!!

    [uminHow]

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  2. How can I compete with the incomparable Ogden Nash on this one:

    A flea and a fly in a flue
    Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
    Said the fly, "let us flee!"
    "Let us fly!" said the flea.
    So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
    --Ogden Nash

    And innumerable variations on this by that esteemed poet, Anonymous (not one of ours). Maybe I could follow Jack up the beanstalk:

    FLAY, FLEA, FLY, FLOW, FLUm,
    I smell the blood of a crossword bum!
    Be he across or be he down
    I'll twist his clues and verb his noun!

    FLU, FLOW, FLY, FLEA, FLAY,
    Who reads the Times out in L.A.?
    Be it print or be on line
    Sussing the puzzle fills the time!

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  3. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Back in my comfort zone! This was a fun Tuesday puzzle. I quickly got BOBBY FLAY even though I have never seen the show, I had heard of the name. After the first pass through the puzzle, I had several blanks, but looking at Bobby Flay and having FLU made me see how todays theme worked. It helped me finish the puzzle.

    Newton with Laws = ISAAC was my favorite clue.

    I wanted Hike for Increase, as Prices. The perps, however, gave me GOUP. What sort of word is that? Oh, it's two word! GO UP!

    Happy Birthday, DODO. We miss you.

    QOD: Wrong is for other people. ~ Fanny Brice (Oct. 29, 1891 ~ May 29, 1951)

    [toomitme]

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  4. Greetings!

    Happy Birthday, Dodo! We miss you!

    Fun puzzle, David! Swell review, Argyle! Theme was sussed afterwards. No problems, except a few typos that were corrected.

    Had a good swim yesterday. It is great to have friend Chris back. Harvey's blood pressure is getting better. We watched Homeland together Sunday. Am really sick of the daughter! Let's get back to Damian Lewis!

    Enjoyed Castle!

    Cheers!

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  5. Good morning!

    This would have been a speed run if I'd only written the answers in the right spaces. It turned out just right for a Tuesday. Argyle, do the Maltese speak French?

    Back when I lived in Houston my nextdoor neighbor was in a chili Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

    Happy birthday, Dodo!

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  6. Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Steinberg, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the excellent review.

    Got through this without the theme and forgot to look for it when I had finished. Enjoyed it very much.

    JOAD was easy for 1A. I have read that book a couple times. Enjoyed it. While in California and traveling by Bakersfield many times I often thought of The Grapes of Wrath.

    Never heard of BOBBY FLAY. Perped it.

    SPANISH FLEA came easily. Had enough letters that the answer fell. Same for 41 A and 51A.

    ALAN came easily once I had the Arkin. Saw the movie. Excellent.

    Yes, MILEY CYRUS is a household word now.

    I have not checked in in a few days. Did all the puzzles except I have not finished Saturday yet. It was something else. Have not had time to check in until now. Too busy in PA. I'll be back home sometime today.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (ncodscr)



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  7. IRMA,. YMA, WHIST and DR. T were unknowns.

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  8. The easiest puzzle of the week and I had a careless error! I WAG(ged) the O in TOM and forgot to change it to I when I wrote I BELIEVE O CAN FLY .

    SPANISH FLEA brought SPANISH FLY to mind. Wiki gives interesting facts on historical figures who used it.
    Link Spanish fly

    Great pic, ladies. ls that lovely bag a Vera Bradley, Lucina? I love her bags. My DIL gave me quite a few of them. My favorite print is the one with the now discontinued elephants.

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  9. Good morning everyone.

    Happy Birthday Dodo!

    Top to bottom progression. Uneventful solve. No searches, no strikethroughs. Cute theme that was helpful in ratifying some of the S entries.

    DRT - In CIC (Combat Information Center) we had a plotting table called a DRT (dead reckoning tracer). It consisted of a cross-hair light projection onto a table consisting of the analog of ship's track based on course and speed. It allowed the ship to be vectored back to a point of interest.

    Have a great day.

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  10. Thank you David Steinberg !

    What a great and fun definition: ESC = PC bailout key. That's my favorite of the day.

    So correct Argyle ! We needed this today. Well, I know I did. I was on an embarrassing 0'fer run. True, an accurate clue for HOBO today. One small correction. There is no article in "Joy of Cooking", but given the number of times it is added... I never saw the theme, but appreciate the creativity of David's puzzle even more since you have pointed it out. Thank you !

    Desper-otto, we are fans of certain Food Channel programs. One is BOBBY FLAY's Throwdown: 21:07 Are you in the background in this episode ? Recognize anyone ? Bobby Flay says at ~ 18:30, "God it's hot in Houston!" Uh, yea, yes it is. :>) I did note that the throwdown was at the Elk's Lodge in Stafford. Just a few miles from where I used to live near S Dairy Ashford and Bissonnet.

    Happy Birthday Dodo !

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  11. Musings
    -No one seems to care an IOTA about America’s NET CASH FLOW so I guess I won’t
    -The 2013 World Series UMPS have been in the spotlight with some odd situations
    -“You oughta be on the STAGE! There’s one leaving in 10 minutes.”
    -POSER = Wannabe in today’s lexicon
    -Gas didn’t GO UP, it’s $2.89 here
    -My uncles loved the Grand Ole Opry from the Ryman Auditorium. I’m not sure what they’d think of today’s version.
    -Jessica, was that you from behind in Manac’s bowling picture?
    -Christmas advertising is OUT OF RANGE until October 1
    -My grandson’s baseball league refuses to use a TBALL setup even when the max of 5 runs/inning only score when there are 8 walks
    -Of course I use SEL on my French fries
    -TIM is a fabulous player and person with 4 NBA championship rings who plays in the back waters of the NBA. No POSER he.
    -Don’t you hate saving SEATS?
    -HBD Dodo. Come on back in, the water’s fine.

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  12. G'Morning All:

    0-2 for the week. The SW did me in. NOsir @51d, didn't know the definiation of 52d, and 53d was unknown. @64a had stoRe (fit w/ NOsir!), 68a was insUe and 71a was way-out of my wheelhouse.

    But, a very fun puzzle overall. Thanks David. And thanks Argyle for the write-up.

    As the new kid on the blog, I don't know Dodo. If you all like her, she must be nice, so HB Dodo!

    Gotta run.

    Cheers, -T

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  13. Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

    Happy birthday Dodo! I do hope it is the best ever!!
    ¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

    Thanks for the Frankie Randall clip, Argyle - they don't make songs like that any more, do they? I wonder how the rap version of it might go...

    I knew BOBBY FLAY immediately - he is DH's grilling god. But I was a little slow on the uptake this morning, so didn't catch on to the theme until I filled in NET CASH FLOW.

    I like puzzles that speak to me, so enjoyed all the cute phrases like
    SEE YA!
    YES'M
    NO HOW!
    HOCUS pocus
    Save me a SEAT

    And who knew about the widespread reach of IGA markets? Thanks for linking the map on that one, Argyle.

    Have a great day, everybody!

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  14. Sallie, if you have a chance to peek at the blog today, I hope you are doing OK after your final chemo treatment. You go, girl - time to celebrate!

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  15. I just got snoogled because I was asked for my password when I tried to post. I didn't know the password was for a google account--I was giving my blog one, which apparently counts for nothing now.

    We met someone from Malta in Spain last year who had learned at least five languages in school. I had added research on languages in Malta in addition to my comment, but now all I have time for is to offer that again from Wiki:

    100% of the population speak Maltese. Also, 88% of the population speak English, 66% speak Italian, and 17% speak French.[113] This widespread knowledge of second languages makes Malta one of the most multi-lingual countries in the European Union. A study collecting public opinion on what language was "preferred" discovered that 86% of the population express a preference for Maltese, 12% for English, and 2% for Italian.

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  16. Good day, all!

    A very happy birthday, Dodo, our summer lunch hostess and all around nice person.

    Aha, David Steinberg strikes again with some progressive fun. Once I had FLAY and FLEA the jig was up and I knew what was needed.

    The sashay was even more rewarding today because of yesterday's FLAYing.

    TRACI was unknown to me and I learned that WHIST preceded bridge. I imagine spitzboov, the bridge player, knew that.

    Do you suppose that Steinbeck used JOAD because it rhymed with road? I just wonder what inspired the name.

    Refs or UMPS? It's always a toss up for me. UHF to the rescue.

    Well, much to do today. My family is coming to dinner.

    You all have a just wonderful Tuesday!

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  17. A little easier than yesterday, thank goodness, though I still had one goof-up with WHISK for WHIST because I didn't know what DR. letter Richard Gere might have played. But still a fun puzzle, thank you, David--and you, too, for the fun expo, Argyle.

    Got JOAD right away because "Grapes of Wrath" is one of my favorite novels. I used to attend a kind of hippie Presbyterian church in Tulsa many years ago, that would ask members to give an occasional sermon. I was asked at a time there was a strike by lettuce harvesters--so my sermon was on "The Grapes of Wrath," of course.

    Loved the Ogden Nash verse, Owen, plus your own theme variations.

    Sallie, hope you're feeling okay after your chemo. And have a wonderful birthday, Dodo.

    Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

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  18. SW gave me agita... Hoard/Whist/Traci/NoHow took a while to straighten out, I still think "No How" should be "No Way", & I almost erased "Shea" when I came across 56D because cavalry weapon has been "Saber" in every CW I have ever done...

    Very puzzling... :)

    One reason I love to read the Blog is because "something" always attracts my curiosity. Spitzboov@8:52, Dead Reckoning Tracer? You made me dig deeper& now I am trying to figure out this 18:40 video.

    Also puzzling was what brought it to mind? (I guess it must have been 65D...)

    Also, How to play Whist.
    (what am I doing,,, I need to learn how to play Bridge first...)

    & HG@10:03, I loved Opryland, but one thing the pictures do not tell you is that it is all enclosed, in mid summer it can be 100 degrees outside, but it is so big you feel like your outside but still have air conditioning. (I highly recommend it!)

    (Also, there was a terrific thunderstorm in the middle of the night, & we could walk around under it without getting wet!)

    Awesome!

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  19. Happy Tuesday, all!

    Thanks to OwenKL for the Nash Nosh, a tasty morsel indeed.

    I wouldn't have known FLAY, except for the theme guidance.

    I enjoyed the gentle misdirection at 63D. I wanted to enter CANE, but realized that the clue was not just to a "Sugar" unit but to a "Sugar Bowl unit." That set me in search of a football answer for a while, instead of to a literal "Sugar bowl." This was being too smart, as they say, for one's own britches.

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  20. I spoke to Dodo to give her my birthday wishes. We had a nice chat and she sounds as robust and positive as always. Her computer troubles keep her from the blog but she will try to pop in today.

    YR:
    Right on about the bag.

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  21. Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, David! Great expo, Argyle!

    Easier than yesterday. Some POSERs but doable. Thought the theme was fun.

    Argyle, from last night. No, my husband was saying DIDOs about cutting kitties in the snow. I know about dAdos from studying carpentry how-to books when I was remodeling and helping my son with 4-H woodworking projects.

    TIM Duncan is a gimmee for an NBA fan. He's never flashy or a grandstander. He rarely smiles, just quietly goes about getting the job done very well. A mainstay for Coach Pat Riley. One of the sweetest, nicest guys in sports. Always apologizes to an opponent if they get knocked down because of him.

    I knew FLAY only because of TV ads. Can't watch cooking shows. They make me fat.

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  22. CED @ 1214 - Excellent pix of DRT's. The upper left cutaway view is typical. In the 2nd link, using the Maddox trace, the presenter explains reasonably well how the DRT would have been used there. Nice work searching out the links.

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  23. Dear CC, How sweet of you to remember my birthday, and even which one! I never thought I'd get this old.

    Yes I do sometimes read the blog, and I always do the crossword! I'm having a hard time getting to like my new computer. It's a McBook and I just can't seem to get used to it. I'm never sure if my email gets where it's supposed to and I know I don't get all that's sent to me. But I'm still here at dodo1029@Gmail.com, and would love to hear from you.

    My love to all my old and new friends. I miss you. Dodo

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  24. Enjoyable puzzle for a Tuesday. Had a nice theme; nothing too crunchy; and, a couple of unknowns (WBGS) I'd score it an A.

    Tim Duncan, who plays for Coach Popovich, is considered by some as the best power forward in the history of the NBA, and possibly the best player of his generation (him or Kobe Bryant). He is a classy athlete -- a rarity.

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  25. Argyle: Excellent write-up & links.
    David: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday offering.

    Put in (@10-D) 'Out-of-reach' before correcting to OUT-OF-RANGE.
    (The Pinch bottle could be the former but not the latter).

    Misty: I also fell into the DR-K trap before correcting to DR-T.
    (Remembered Phileas Fogg, in Around the World in 80 Days, liked to play WHIST).

    Dodo: Happy Birthday! Today's first "toast" at Sunset is to you.
    Cheers!!!

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  26. TTP@9:36 -- No, I'm not in any shots of that show. But I did catch some hell for lighting off my lawn mower. I wasn't aware that they were taping a TV interview in the house next-door, and my mower spoiled the sound track. According to Cindy, Bobby Flay is just as nice in person as he seems to be on his show.

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  27. I also was confounded by the word "goup" and laughed when I realized that it was "go up." Happy birthday to everyone who was born today. Why would someone name their child "Dodo." It's as bad as me naming one of my pets children "Harpo." I hope it is a nickname....

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  28. Well what do you know...

    (There really is a Dodo.)

    (I was beginning to think you were pulling a "Dido" on me...)

    In that case... HBD Dodo!

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  29. Anon @ 1:51: you are right, TIM Duncan does play for Greg Popovich. Bounce some sense into my feeble brain with a basketball! I knew that. My son even knew Popovich when he was stationed down there.

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  30. I enjoyed the puzzle very much. The theme made me smile. Thanks David and Argyle. Best wishes for Sallie. Hi Dodo! It's good to see you back again. I hope you get used to your new computer so we can enjoy your company more often.

    Lucina, I know what you mean about refs vs umps. In this case, I think 'ballpark' made me lean toward umps because ballpark sounds like baseball. I've never heard a football or soccer stadium called a ballpark.

    I just say a reminder about moving our clocks back this Sunday. Rats!

    "Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you." I wonder who this quote is from?

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  31. Bill G.
    “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him."

    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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  32. C. E. D. -

    --- while I am absolutely flabbergasted on how you get all your birthday cakes .... With such personal names and messages .....

    All I get on google is naked wimmen jumping out of them .


    I must be doing something wrong.

    You are a genius. Or you must have your own personal dedicated, trainer, search engine. ( maybe your daughter ?).

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  33. Good Afternoon:

    Better late than never. Have been on the go all day, just did the puzzle, and here I am! Nice job, David, an easy solve and fun to do. Good expo, Argyle.

    Happy Birthday, Dodo. Hope you enjoy your special day.

    My sister, Eileen, is here for dinner which will be little neck clams in a spicy marinara sauce with crusty bread for SOPping up. Yum!

    Enjoy the rest of the day.

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  34. Irish Miss, can I eat over? Yum!

    Happy Birthday, Dodo.
    Good to hear from you.

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  35. Happy Birthday Dodo! Good things happen in October. (I have an oct b/d). Did Bobby Flay put beans in his chili? DH goes nuts bout beans in chili. Native Texans don't do that. Oh me!

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  36. HOla Everyone, I'm late to the party today, as the Calif. Coven had coffee this morning at our Los Gatos Starbucks. We've already had a Terrific Tuesday.

    Lucina, I'm so glad you got through to Dodo. I've been trying all afternoon to reach her and her line is busy. Do you suppose she left her phone off the hook? Maybe so.

    Anyhow, Happy Birthday, Dodo. We do miss your wit and wisdom on the blog.

    Hands up for No Sir instead of No Way. That left the whole SW corner in a jumble. Especially since I didn't know Traci. Finally Whist came to mind and helped clear up that corner.

    Liked the word cur under the entry, Spanish Flea!

    CED, Whist is the forerunner to Bridge--learn that first, then Bridge should come easily--just saying.

    After yesterday, today's puzzle was a breeze.

    Have a great rest of the day, everyone.

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  37. Today is my third Daughter's Birthday, too. I should be able to remember Dodo's birthday from now on. They were almost Halloween Babies.

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  38. Birthday suit @ 4:06

    or like my neighbor says:

    "Somebody" has a lot of time on their hands...

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  39. I didn't find it that hard to learn to play bridge (in college) but like chess, it's really hard to learn to play well.

    So many people sing the National Anthem at sporting events in ways that I don't care for. I really enjoyed this group's interpretation. The National Anthem

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  40. Thanks for the write-up, Argyle, and for all the nice comments, everyone! (And Happy Birthday, Dodo!)

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  41. My pleasure, David.

    Did you know Chumlee?

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  42. Desper-otto at 2:06, shame on you for inconsiderately mowing your lawn while they were filming next door !

    Speaking of reality film shoots, I'm hoping to see Marti and Alan on one of those renovation shows in the near future on HGTV or the DIY channel as they renovate the house next door !

    Bill G, great quote. Knew it, but forgot that it was Goethe. Thanks Tinbeni.

    Irish Miss, can we make it a foursome ? I'm roasting a chicken (again).

    Grams, true ! No beans in Chili. Heresy in Texas ! DW thinks it's an ingredient in Chili. She's from Illinois. There are plenty of places for beans, and I'll be one of the first to feature them, but there's no place for them in chili !

    Chickie at 4:56, I agree, "After yesterday, today's..."

    PK, I knew you knew it was Popovich !

    Yep HG, Tim Duncan is a class act.

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  43. Good evening everybody,
    Thought this was going to be a Tuesday DNF! Texted my daughter as to what or who a Hannah Montana was.
    Didn't know she could curse like that :) But that was the game saver. I don't call that cheating, do you?

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  44. Manac, I don't call any of it cheating. I call it finishing an enjoyable puzzle. If it was a contest with rules and a prize, it probably would be cheating. Otherwise, it's an assist from your daughter to finish a fun activity.

    I was in the coffee shop a couple of hours ago. Outside, was a disheveled woman with a shaved head and a shopping cart full of stuff. She came in uncertainly, headed straight for me and asked if I could spare some money. I said I could and handed her a five. I don't know what the pros and cons of that situation were but it felt like the right thing to do.

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  45. Several years ago, when I was in college, a comely young lass came to our graduate apartments, and I was standing in our doorway, and she ,asked me for some money, because she said she was all out of funds.

    . I gave her $ 5 for meals for the next day. It was probably worth $ 20 bucks today.

    She took the bill, and then said, ' for another five bucks, I will gladly and willingly give you a quickie'.

    I looked at her, And thought, I wonder if it's too late to ask her to return my original five bucks....

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  46. Poster at 2:17:
    Why would anyone name their child anonymous? Oh wait, they didn't, you just adopted it. As it happens, Dodo is a portmanteau of our friend's first and last names. It would be cool if you just asked in a more gentle way.

    BillG - the operative idea is that you could spare it, so why not? I'm much less judgmental about such things than I used to be. They might spend it on alcohol? So what? Maybe that's what they need.
    A few years ago I was in Washington, DC, and walking with a group back to our hotel (from a bar) at 2:00 AM. A guy sitting on the sidewalk hit me up for a $1. Next night, same time, same place, same guy hit me up again. I said, "I gave you a $1 last night." He said, "Man, I've got to eat every day." Impeccable logic, I gave again. And if he did spend it on booze? We'd been drinking for four hours, what was the difference between him and us, except that, like you, we/I could spare it. Good for you.

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  47. YM @ 4:18- you're welcome anytime! Dinner was delicious.

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  48. G'd evening all,

    Had much more fun with today's puzzle, but ended up with a DNF only because I refused to guess that last letter.Had lots of write overs: Eva to Yma, saber to lance, no way to no how, AND had ferry for whist. Ha! Ha! I'm a Canasta gal.

    Argyle, enjoyed your write up as I didn't get the theme, and laughed at Chumlee. That is a strange group.

    Owen you rock!

    I have emailed Dodo, but like she said, I don't know if her mail is being delivered. Will try again to call her.We just love our visits with her!

    Hopefully more of our CA group can meet next time in Morgan Hill.Big group, small group, we always have a good time.

    oh Fermat, I so wish I got Showtime so I could be watching Homeland. I will watch the whole season when it is over.

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  49. Bill, I like your take on solving cross words, C.C. recently answered my ? as to what constructors use as references to make these works of art.
    I still like to try to use only what is in my grey matter but a little help never hurts.

    And if you could spare it I don't see the harm, it could be a meal.

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  50. So, for the last few days I've been sitting out where the people walk by.

    If I show up clean shaven and chipper they scoff at me.

    Let it go for a few days and I feel the sympathy.

    Give up all hope and start to drink is when they really start to give.

    And the donkey follows the carrot.

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  51. Background music for above opus.

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  52. TTP - does DW also start the chili with suet?

    I've learned not to invite my TX friends over for my IL chili and keep the beens for me. I will likely make chili for Halloween - then the ghastly noises will be part of the fun!

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

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