google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, November 28, 2013 David W. Cromer

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Nov 28, 2013

Thursday, November 28, 2013 David W. Cromer

Theme:"Yeah, riiiiiight!"


17A. Wright : WILBUR OR ORVILLE.

27A. Rite : CHURCH CEREMONY.

43A. Right : STARBOARD AT SEA.

57A. Write : EMULATE AN AUTHOR.

This is a variation on a definition-type theme, where the theme clues are all homophones of each other. The theme entries were quite straight-forward, but oh my! The rest of the puzzle was chock full of misdirections and fun clues!

Across:

1. Nature photographer's lens : MACRO. Shout out to John Lampkin!

6. __ facie : PRIMA.

11. Dells, at times : PCs. When is a Dell not a PC? (When it's a tablet!)

14. Steer clear of : AVOID.

15. Charged : RAN AT. RANAT sounds like a Jewish month, doesn't it?

16. Impressed reaction : OOH. I had "awe" at first.

20. "Far out!" : RAD.(ical)

21. Begins : OPENS.

22. Soothing application : ALOE.

23. Dupes : CONS.

26. One getting a share : AGENT.

33. North Carolina's __ Banks : OUTER.

34. "America" soloist in "West Side Story" : ANITA. (Rita Moreno) Great song.

35. Hardy heroine : "TESS...of the d'Ubervilles: A pure Woman Faithfully Presented."

36. They may be dusted : CROPS. Furniture didn't even enter my mind.

37. Indication of freshness? : SLAP. It used to be that when someone got fresh, they'd get a SLAP in the face. Now, they are more likely to get slapped with a lawsuit.

41. Weasel relative : SABLE.

42. Feudal lord : LIEGE.

47. Theater sweepings : STUBS.

48. Drops from the staff : AXES.

49. Like most pets : TAME.

50. Showy neckwear : ASCOT.

54. Actress Carrere : TIA. She played hottie Cassandra Wong in "Wayne's World."
61. End of a texter's amusing comment, perhaps : LOL.

62. Paramount output : MOVIE.

63. Mazda two-seater : MIATA. They don't do well in snow. Mine got T-boned two months after I bought it.

64. Cornerstone abbr. : EST.ablished...

65. Comets, long ago : OMENS.

66. With 12-Down, exile site : PENAL. and 12-Down. See 66-Across : COLONY.

Down:

1. Bryn __ College : MAWR.

2. Reebok rival : AVIA.

3. Ham at a party, say : COLD CUTS. Another great misdirection.  I was thinking of the guy with the lampshade hat...

4. Tease : RIB.

5. Norfolk, Va., campus : ODU. I'm sure glad this one was filled before I got to the down clues. Old Dominion University.

6. Phone in a play, e.g. : PROP.

7. Uncommon : RARE.

8. Privy to : IN ON.

9. Rover's turf : MARS. Another great misdirection.  Not the kind of 49-Across, but the Mars ROVER:

10. Four-wheeler, briefly : ATVAll Terrain Vehicle.

11. Common allergen : POLLEN.

13. Sleep on it : SHEET. I was getting hit with misdirection from all sides today! (I must be thinking about that turkey...) And then I got hit with a clecho at 27-Down. Sleep on it : COT.

18. __ Hashanah : ROSH.

19. "Othello" villain : IAGO.

24. Metal bearers : ORES.

25. Big name in ATMs : NCRNational Cash Register Company, in business since 1884.

26. Doc bloc : AMAAmerican Medical Association.

28. Peach or plum : HUE.

29. __-loading : CARBO. Here's how.

30. Name on a historic bomber : ENOLA. Gay.

31. Closer to being harvested : RIPER.

32. Little green men : ETs.

36. "Cash __": TV game show : CAB. I miss Ben Bailey.

37. Set of Web pages : SITE.

38. Under : LESS THAN.

39. Scotch bottle datum : AGE. Hi, Tinbeni!

40. Soup veggie : PEA.

41. Many AARP members: Abbr. : SRs. Seniors. (Who, moi?)

42. Loose : LAX.

43. John of "Necessary Roughness" : STAMOS. I remember him from "Full House."
44. Turbulence : TUMULT.

45. 52-Down victim : ABEL. And 52-Down. Slayer of 45-Down : CAIN.

46. Computer input : DATA.

47. Stone marker : STELE.

50. Bit that can be split : ATOM.

51. Cantabria-born golfer, familiarly : SEVE. Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota.  An incredibly talented golfer who died young of a brain tumor. So sad.

53. Till fill : ONES.

55. Kappa preceder : IOTA.

56. Shrinking sea : ARAL.

58. Latin trio word : AMO...amas, amat

59. Worker at home : UMP. Home plate, that is.

60. Haberdashery item : TIE.


Today we have an extra treat thanks to George Barany and Friends.  Click here to solve a once-in-a-lifetime puzzle.

Have a wonderful Turkey Day, and a Happy Hanukkah as well!
From the ever-thankful that I found this corner of friends,
Marti


Notes from C.C.:

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have so much to be thankful this year:

To Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor), who works hard behind the scenes and gently guides and helps constructors to make the best puzzle possible. Many of the clever clues we rave about are Rich's.

Rich Norris & his wife Kim, ACPT, 2008
To Rich's patient assistant Patti Varol, who has the hard job of telling constructors why a puzzle is rejected (or accepted). Her emails are always clear & thoughtful. Thanks also to Rich's test solvers and all LA Times constructors for giving us so many great puzzles to enjoy.



My eternal thanks to my dedicated blogging team, who never complain when things go wrong. And things did go wrong a few times last year. They just soldiered through.

Dear Santa Argyle, who has blogged 442 puzzles for us the past few years, is always there for me, on and off the blog.



The beautiful Melissa, who is going through some of life's toughest patches at the moment. She's missed and she'll be back.


The foodie Steve, who's blogged for us from different parts of the world. He was in Rio last week, but it was raining the whole time. Too bad, I was expecting this.


Our economist Jazzbumpa (Ron), who puts lots of time into his each post and never fails to make me smile with his jokes and whimsical comments.


The wickedly talented & adventurous Marti, who coheres us in so many ways. She's always upbeat, no matter what life throws at her.

Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

The caring Lemonade, our perfect guide for Friday puzzles. He wouldn't have missed last Sunday's theme as I did. He's much more knowledgeable about complicated theme gimmicks.

Lemonade & John Lampkins

The coolest UPS guy Splynter, who has never missed a Saturday write-up since May 21, 2011. He's super efficient and hard-working. 


I also want to thank our regular commenters. Thanks for your poems, quotes, funny links, travel experiences, life observations, recipes, nitpicking about crosswords, advice about computer glitches, etc. You've enriched my life.

Thank you!


43 comments:

OwenKL said...

Skybound

Mankind has long dreamed of flight,
To see the world spread out of sight.
From wings made with wax
To gyro-copter hacks,
But at last, Mankind got it WRIGHT!

We proved what could be done with our mind.
No longer would man be confined!
We soared up on high
And conquered the sky;
Then "...one giant leap for mankind!"

To challenge are humans inclined;
We explore, and claim what we find.
When we conquer by might
We plant flags as a RITE,
We conquered the Moon for Mankind!

What we can do we've brought into light,
Flown the sky, then to space, black as night.
We'll soon go to Mars
On our way to the stars,
Our destiny we'll claim as our RIGHT!

Some day, on some distant shore,
When our days will be called days of yore,
Will bards then still WRITE
That with hope, we were bright,
As to heavens we opened the door?

(I got carried away on that second verse, and so had to rewrite what I'd intended to say as the third; but the first try was so good I decided to keep it in anyway, even if it didn't fit the theme. I felt it was the RIGHT thing to do.)

Barry G. said...

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Of the many things I have to be thankful for in my life, I most certainly have to include this blog and all the wonderful folks responsible for creating it, maintaining it, and keeping it a fun and lively place each and every day.

Have a healthy and happy one!

Martin said...

TIA was a gimme (as in "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"). I then wanted ACT LIKE AN AUTHOR for EMULATE AN AUTHOR which turned out to be a good start because the perps set me straight. Similarly, COT, HUE, ORES, ROSH, ENOLA, RIPER, ETA, AMA, IAGO and POLLEN were enough to give me CHURCH CEREMONY. I wanted AUTHOR OF A SCRIPT for "Wright" but when the perps didn't behave I reinterpreted "Wright" as the name of WILBUR and ORVILLE and that turned out to be correct. The rest of the puzzle was a slow fill with the last letter that went into place being the M in PRIMA and MARS. Ooh! I wanted YARD for MARS at first because I thought Rover was a dog!

Hahtoolah said...

Good morning C.C. and Marti. Fun puzzle. I like the Right Stuff of this theme.

My favorite clues were Sleep on It = Sheet and Cot.

Thanks to everyone who provides the commentary on this blog. The commentary adds so much to my enjoyment to the crossword.

I hope you all have a pleasant Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.

Lemonade714 said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Another amazing year coming to an end highlighted by the continued emergence of C.C. who has not only created this wonderful Corner for us to gather but now has in collaboration and alone published 78 LAT. puzzles and 6 NYT. I also must commend marti and her 41 LAT and NYT publication.

I also want to thank the amazing people who were here before I joined like Kazie Spitzboov,JD and of course Argyzle. Then all the stream of newbies who become indelible parts of this daily as well as all those who have come and gone. Also all those who blog even through the challenges we had this year.

Enjoy the turkey and thank you all.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I liked this puzzle, even though the theme was so obvious that even I got it. My only write-over was putting ISLAND where COLONY should have been. Quickly fixed.

It's freezing here this morning. First time this fall, and this in a location which sometimes goes an entire winter without a freeze. Doesn't bode well for the rest of the season.

Thanks to all the daily bloggers who explain my DNF's, and to the commenters who always come up with something new and or witty. And most of all, thanks to C.C. for "building" this home away from home. Have a great day, everyone.

Al Cyone said...

A fun Thursday puzzle (though, as usual, the theme eluded me). I was pretty sure of SNAP as an "indication of freshness" (like snap peas?) so LESSTHAN was my last fill.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. It looks like the big balloons will take to the air.

[8:56]

Anonymous said...

I look forward to your blog every day! Thanks for taking the time and for making the effort.
Happy Thanksgiving.

TTP said...

Good morning all.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving. Among many things, I'm thankful for this site and the work C.C. and her Band of Brothers and Sisters have accomplished here.

Agree with Marti about misdirections and fun clues. Otherwise, fairly easy for a Thursday, and no strikethroughs or searches needed.

Lemon, I recall you being a regular here when I came aboard about 4 yrs ago.

Have a great day.

Splynter said...

Hi there~!

Thanks for the kind words, C.C., and to those who do the write-ups, fix the glitches, and everyone who stops in to comment.

Funy puzzle today, and ironically, the one mistake I had was WilbEr and Orville - because I get a lot of Brad WilbEr's puzzles on Saturday~!

Happy Thanksgiving (or what today's special puzzle is calling it) to all ~!

Splynter

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Cromer, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the fine review.

Happy Thanksgiving, to all my friends here. The puzzle and this blog are the high points of most days.

As I sit here in Springboro, OH, a few hundred yards from the Wright Brothers airport, I was able to get 17A very easily. WILBUR OR ORVILLE. The local paper here, the Dayton Daily Times, has the L A Times puzzle. Did not find that out until I finished on the IPad. Tomorrow I will use the paper.

The other three themes were easily obtained.

Somehow I was trying for ELBA, or some variation, to fit into PENAL COLONY. PENAL COLONY won out.

OMENS was clever. Took a little while to grasp that.

Love COLD CUTS, especially ham.

About to sign off. Just finishing my fourth cup of Earl Grey tea. I brought some with me because I have learned that most people do not use it. Not sure why, it is delicious!

Will have a great dinner in a few hours with my wife, daughters, grandchildren, son in law, ex-wife, and her family. Will be fun!

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(befting)

I found this easier than most Thursdays.

Dennis said...

Good morning, gang, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - we've all got so much to be thankful for.

I liked the homophone theme and enjoyed the puzzle, but I kept waiting for some Thanksgiving-related theme to emerge. CARBO-loading was as close as it got. Fun solve anyway.

Been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog, as I've continued to discover new things to do down here. Biking is just outstanding and I've been on several multi-day trips exploring both coasts. I've also become addicted to Kiteboarding, which is one of the coolest sports I've ever done. If you're not familiar with it, Here's what it looks like; it's pretty easy to do, and you can really move when the wind's right. Even when you wipe out, the wind usually pulls you right back up again.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi -- I've missed the blog and you guys (although you'd never know it, I do feel like I played a small part in its success) and hope to get more time for it down the road. Enjoy the turkey, enjoy the day, and do something fun--the clock's running!!

buckeye bob said...

Good morning!

I was flying through this puzzle, except the center area. Puzzled over that a while. Ended up a little longer than yesterday, but easier than many Thursdays. Lots of misdirection, so a good challenge!

Among many things, I am thankful for C.C. for starting this blog, and sticking with it. You have created a special place for us.

Thanks to the constructors and Rich Norris for the fun, challenging, and often educational puzzles you bring us every day.

Thanks to the commenters for your diligent daily expos. Sometimes I don't "get" an answer, and more often don't a theme. Your expos help me understand the puzzles better.

And thanks to the bloggers who take the time to share your knowledge, your experience, and insight every day.

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Hannukah!

Husker Gary said...

Unlike our poor cwd friends who are SOMALIS driven by hunger to piracy or live in squalor outside the magnificent walls of the Taj Mahal in AGRA or were TAGALOG speakers who got hurt in the recent huge super storm, I agree with ANITA that “I like to be in America” and am thankful that I do

Musings
-A no muss, no fuss just right Thursday from David as so ably summarized by Marti
-Controversy exists whether the WRIGHTS, BELL, COLUMBUS, et al were really first
-This Dell was not a LEA, _ E _ _ _ COLONY ain’t LEPER. It was the verb for dupe not the DUPEE.
-How many took a RUN AT extracting Excalibur from the stone
-Arod’s AGENT is fighting for his 10%
-Your pit bull may seem TAME to you but…
-Yeah, Cassandra Wong would fall for an unemployed loser who lives in his mother’s basement. AS IF
-Would you quit “Ling” so “OL” so I can concentrate?
- Here’s protection from that OMEN for all the DUPES
-Every bully has his “I was just teasing” excuse
-Only Bernie Madoff was IN ON what was really happening
-I can CARBO load with the best. The unloading? Not so much.
-On The Price is Right your guess has to be LESS THAN the MSRP
-Thanks from this NASA guy for the wonderful, spacey limericks today, Owen.
-Great pix of our merry band of puzzlers for whom we are all thankful.

CanadianEh! said...

I didn't fare too badly today for a Thursday puzzle. Just some problems in the Mid-East because I smugly entered LAIRD instead of LIEGE.

Hand up for AWE and I had never heard of ODU so thank goodness for perps.

Small nit to pick as SLEEP ON IT seems to imply a verb answer to me NOT a noun. Anybody else agree??

Another AHA moment was DROPS FROM THE STAFF= AXES. Usually we have HIRE!

Nice misdirection with UMP and new cluing for IOTA. I wanted MATS for Rover until I figured out that it wasn't a dog. LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Happy Thanksgiving, All! Thanks C.C. for all you do, and thanks to the whole team. This is a nice community in an otherwise noisy Internet.

Off to a feast!

Lucina said...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my crossword puzzle friends!

At the moment I'm thankful this puzzle was unusually easy for a Thursday and except for some stumbles on a few clues, WOW/OOH, HAT/TIE, BETA/IOTA, the rest was quickly wrapped up.

Loved the sleep on it clue: SHEET, COT

CanadianEh:
I believe the "it" implies a noun; sleep on the COT, sleep on the SHEET

I am so deeply grateful, C.C., for you, your blog, all the helpful analysts and of course, the posters here. It all enriches my life and is a highlight of my day.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving festivities, everyone! I hope you are all surrounded by loving family and friends.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a nice, Thursday-level offering, with enough bite to make it a satisfying solve. Than you, David Cromer, and thank you, Marti, for your lucid expo.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hannukah. I hope everyone is surrounded by family and friends on this special day. I'm going to my sister Peggy's, along with 20+ other family members.

I, like others, have much to be thankful for, starting with this blog. I thank CC for creating it and making it such a special place for all of us to share our thoughts, woes (large and small), experiences, joys, and whatever else we wish to comment on.

Many thanks to Argyle, Steve, Melissa Bee (hurry back), JazzB, Marti, Lemonade and, of course, CC, for the time and effort you each expend in making even the most difficult solve crystal clear.

And thanks to my fellow posters for the jokes, funny and interesting links (CED, take a bow!), musings, poems, and just the ordinary, but unique, experiences we share here on the Corner.

Have a wonderful day and don't each too much turkey. On second thought, eat as much as you want-Thanksgiving only comes once a year!

HeartRx said...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am so thankful to C.C. for giving us a place to call home and share our thoughts, ideas and inspirations with virtual friends!

Dennis, nice to see you today. Loved the videos - wow, you sure can nail those flips on that kite board!

HG, I hope you were referring to shedding the pounds after CARBO loading, and not the fact that you get constipated?!?!?!

Gotta go check the turkey (the one in the oven, not the one doing the dishes…) (^0^)

Misty said...

I too want to add my Thanksgiving thanks to wonderful dear C.C., and to all of our daily commentators for making this blog such a joy to wake up to every morning! You've given us a delightful community that offers intellectual stimulation, friendship, humor, solace and support, and so much more. Thank you, all.

As for this morning's puzzle, many thanks to David and Marti, for a fun puzzle and a fun write-up. Not a speed run, but doable. My only goof was OTV (Off-track vehicle, I thought) instead of ATV. I must have been thinking of OTB (off-track betting). Used to love to go to the track (Santa Anita, Del Mar) in my single days, lots of fun.

Impressive grid-spanners, now that I look at it again.

Off to warm up the turkey dinner--not cook it. I can buy a whole Thanksgiving feast for 8 at Gelson's supermarket for $129 (a steal). Already cooked, I just have to warm it all up. And I can play with grandson instead of slaving over a hot stove all day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everybody!

Irish Miss said...

My deepest apologies, Splynter, for omitting you from my thank you list of bloggers. I don't know where my mind was. Mea Culpa!

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for being here!

CrossEyedDave said...

.
Wright

Rite

Right

Write

& a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Montana said...

Please reread buckeye Bob's post at 9:11 am.
That is exactly how I feel and I cannot say it better!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from sunny, beautiful Colorado!

Montana

Sam said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

MJ said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate!

Thank you C.C. for creating this wonderful blog and for your dedication over the years to keeping it going! Thank you, as well, to all of you who faithfully assist with the blogging, as well as to those who occasionally pinch-hit (Hi, Boomer!).

Although I rarely post anymore, I read the blog every day, and as many of the comments as time allows. So thank you also to regular posters for sharing your insights, humor, and links.

Enjoy the day!

Anonymous said...

Thanks to all who make reading this blog a highlight of my day.

Irish Miss said...

CED @ 11:38 - all of your links are great but the canine/feline wins First Prize!

willow said...

Good morning from the sunny Pacific Northwest, & happy Thanksgiving to all!

Tinbeni said...

OK, I wanted a Holiday theme ... but this was a FUN Thursday offering.

Fave today (of course) was 39-D, Scotch bottle datum, AGE.
Dimple Pinch is 15 years old.
Probably the only "teenager" I actually know. lol

Happy Thanksgiving and a 'toast' to you ALL at ... NOW!
Cheers!!!

Bill G. said...

This puzzle seemed to be unusually easy until I got near the bottom where a few answers that I was pretty sure of (like snap instead of SLAP) turned out to be wrong. But I got it done.

Thanks to everybody who contributes their effort and cleverness to this fine blog. Happy Thanksgiving!

GarlicGal said...

I agree...what Buckeye Bob said!

My thanks to everyone - constructors, contributors, bloggers, editors, and especially CC! There wouldn't be a "California Coven" without you.

Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Hanukkah.

HeartRx said...

Irish Miss @ 12:16, hands up for voting the first prize to canine/feline thanksgiving!

CanadianEh! said...

Thanks Lucina for clarifying. My mind was in the "think on it=ruminate, sleep on it=dream?" mode. One of the reasons I love this blog is getting help in figuring out the clues.

I agree also with Buckeye Bob!

Lemonade714 said...

MJ and Dennis, it is great to know you all still look in on this place and glad you are doing well. My warm regards to all the people who have passed through and shared a little with us. Come see us sometime.

Dennis said...

Lemonade, thanks.

Marti, I wish I could say I've done one, but not yet. Lots of air, but all right-side-up.

We decided to run up to Target tonight; we've been looking for a TV for out back, and they were advertising 50" HDTVs for $229. They were opening at 8, so we went up around 7. I suppose you can guess what we found. Yep, the line had to be over 100 yards long. Ah well, it was a nice night for a drive anyway.

Hope everybody's fat and happy this evening.

Lemonade714 said...

That tv sounds too good to be true, I wonder

Anonymous T said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and we got missed-so-far by a comet (good OMEN*) day!

What buckeye bob said re: blog. CC, Marti, Splynter, LEM, Steve, JzB, Argyle, et.al. you make each day fun. As do the regulars I've come to "know:" CED, Bill G. IM, OwenKL, Spitz, Lucina, HG, C,eh!, GG, YR, Misti & TTP for all the wit, insight, links, and just getting 9d today! Thanks to all.**

I'm also so lucky and thankful for my wonderful family. 1st, my 2 healthy girls... well now one would believe me if I said how pretty, smart, empathetic, and non-materialistic they are. My wife, the same (that's were the girls get it, I suspect). My entire family (even extended) is a blessing.

OK, the puzzle: Shoot! A DNF. 9d would never come to me because 6a wouldn't participate. Also, I wanted Peach and Plum pies (mmm, pie - we had 5 at the feast) at 28d so no CHURCH was attended.

Don't get me un-RIGHT, I did enjoy the definition puzzle as I made deviled-eggs and stuffing...

Fav was the CAIN & ABEL pair. Just fun when V8 SLAPed me. (hand up for SnAP at first). UMP was cute too as I had bees and ants on the mind (telecommuter didn't fit - and believe you me, I tried).

17a) If two wrongs don't make a RIGHT, what do to WRIGHTs make? An Airplane! OK, 4th grade joke, but there it is.

Cheers, -T
*Anyone ever read Terry Pratchet's Good OMENS?
** I know I left out folks - sorry, it's late and I'm full of tryptophan and wine. Friday Snark, just because it's a holiday, I'll say hi - hope you had a good day too.

Anonymous T said...

Oops, even after a 3x read, I missed "now _no_ one would believe me..."

Don't imbibe and blog.... :-) -T

Dudley said...

What a fabulous Thanksgiving this has been. My sister excels at making large groups feel right at home. We had lots of good food, drink, and laughs - I hope everyone at the Corner has had a similarly merry day!

C U tomorrow.

Bill G. said...

Rats! It looks as if the comet of the century may end up being a no-show. I have seen a couple of comets. One was semi-spectacular against a black sky while we were on a local camping trip a number of years ago. A different time, we saw a really good meteor shower against a black sky while in one of the California National Parks. As much as I like Manhattan Beach, we don't get black skies around here. We would need to drive at least an hour north up to Frasier Park or Mt. Pinos.

Irish Miss said...

Dudley @ 11:58 - I second your tribute to your sister as mine did the same for a huge family gathering. I am always in awe of her ability to feed the hordes with everything made from scratch, including apple, pumpkin, banana cream, and chocolate cream pies.