google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

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Nov 27, 2013

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme:  Mr. Mostel, or Dash it all, or Nothing, really.


17A. Line on an envelope : CITY STATE AND ZIP.  Part of an address, but not Mr. Lincoln's at Gettysburg.

 23A. Pago Pago's land : AMERICAN SAMOA.  City on an island; also the Capital.

 40A. Paul Hogan role : CROCODILE DUNDEE.  Australian adventure movie.

 52A. Classic cartoon shout : YABBA-DABBA-DOO.  Fred Flintstone.

And the unifier --  62A. Zero in Morse code, any part of which will finish the title of the Oscar-winning song found at the ends of 17-, 23-, 40- and 52-Across : DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH.  If you think of Morse Code in terms of dots and dashes, DAH is the dash.

Hi gang, JzB here, totally in awe of this seemingly nothing theme, and its execution; from our own dear Heart, Marti.  Until the unifier, I was clueless.

Here is today's theme song, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, from the 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South.




Across:

1. One-on-one contest : DUEL.  It's a dual confrontation.

5. Pub orders : ALES

9. Creator : MAKER.  Often met by the loser of 1A.

14. Sicilian smoker : ETNA.  The most popular X-word volcano.

15. Shout to a storeful of customers : NEXT.  Many stores are refusing to open tomorrow.  I'm NEXT to applaud them.

16. Elegant headgear : TIARA.  Hat for a princess

20. Noel beginning : O COME.  Christmas is less than a month away, now.

21. Current to avoid : RIP.  Ocean current, lest you earn an R.I.P. and meet A9.

22. Gives the nod : OK'S.  I give the nod to Marti's fine puzzle.

28. Dudley Do-Right's gal : NELL

29. Green prefix : ECO-.  Environmentalism.

30. Golfer Woosnam : IAN.  Don't know him

33. Down __: Maine region : EAST.  Regional slang.  In the Detroit area, it's down river.

36. "Gotta run!" : LATER.  Later, later; must push on for now.

44. Side of the 1860s : UNION.  Civil War, of course.

45. __ Lisa Vito: "My Cousin Vinny" role : MONA.  Played brilliantly by Marisa Tomai. Excellent movie.

46. Cold-sounding commercial prefix : SNO-.  SNO-cone, SNO-Caps, SNO-cat.  Sno-others?

47. "I'm not impressed" : MEH.  Homer.

49. '60s White House daughter : LUCI Baines Johnson.  Everyone in the family was LBJ.

58. NYSE overseer : SECSecurities Exchange Commision

59. Green roll : SOD.  Lawn order.

60. Tropical trees : PALMS.  Will you be my frond?

67. Stopped lying? : AROSE.  Woke up, got up, and that's the truth!

68. MBA seeker's first hurdle : GMATGraduate Management Admission Test.

69. Napa prefix : OENO.  Wine related.

70. Array for a Boy Scout : KNOTS.  Do you know the difference between a square knot and a granny?

71. Comes to a stop : ENDS.  Some of them are loose.

72. Quick cut : SNIP.

Down:

1. Rectilinear art form : DECO.  There are plenty of curves in art deco, but I won't quibble.




2. City east of Syracuse : UTICA.  Also a city north-east of Detroit.

3. Sci. of insects : ENTOMology

4. Nonprofessionals : LAY MEN.

5. Pantry pest : ANT.  What about a formica counter top?

6. Green expanse : LEA.

7. Cast-of-thousands member : EXTRA.  I read all about it.

8. Pub order : STEIN.  Clecho!

9. High-elev. spot : MTN.  One place to get high, briefly.

10. A leg up : AID.

11. Sung-into instrument : KAZOO,

12. Slezak of "One Life to Live" : ERIKA.  Never watched it.

13. Shoots the breeze : RAPS.  Retro definition.  In the 60's we had RAP sessions.

18. Plagued by drought : SERE.

19. Church recess : APSE.

24. "Where Is the Life That Late __?": Cole Porter song : I LED.





25. Forty-niner's stake : CLAIM.  Last night they CLAIMED a big win over the Washington team.

26. Rights gp. : ACLUAmerican Civil Liberties Union.

27. Ghostly sound : MOAN.   Ghost walks into a bar.  Bartender gives him a quizzical look.  "What," the ghost says, "You don't serve spirits here?"

30. Post-ER area : I.C.U.  Intensive Care Unit.  Bet Marti knows all about it.

31. Son of Prince Valiant : ARN.

32. "There's __ in 'team'" : NO I.  George Carlin's response: "Maybe not. But there is an "I" in independence, individuality and integrity.'"

34. __-mo : SLO.  Slow motion camera trick.  Rhymes with SNO-.

35. Potato sack wt., perhaps : TEN LB.  Mash 'em up.

37. B. Favre's career 508 : TDSTouch Downs.  American football.

38. Velvet finish? : EEN.  Velveteen. Silly Wabbit.

39. Collectible car : R. E. O.  Speedwagon, by Ransom Eli Olds.

41. Search everywhere in : COMB.

42. Front row seat : ONE B.  First class?

43. Apply amateurishly : DAUB.

48. It may be slung at a diner : HASH.

50. Matador's cloak : CAPA.  Spanish for cape.

51. Oft-baked veggies : IDAHOS.  P'daydahs.  Yes, a tuber is a vegetable.

52. Long (for) : YEARN.  Always reminds me of this, from the Maxims section of the 9th Century Exeter Book; doubly appropriate during Thanksgiving week.

Longað þonne þy læs þe him con leoþa worn,
oþþe mid hondum con hearpan gretan;
hafaþ him his gliwes giefe, þe him god sealde.

He longs less who knows many songs
Or can touch the harp with his hands
He has his gleeful gift that God gave him.

Be thankful for what you have. [sermon]

53. Blessed outburst? : ACHOO.  Gesundheit.

54. Evade : DODGE, as a bullet.

55. Butler's last words : A DAMN.  From a man who wouldn't give. Rhett Butler.

56. Of yore : OLDEN.  Back in the day.

57. Muscat native : OMANI.

58. Where to find Pierre: Abbr. : South DAKota. Unlike Waldo, it's on the map.

61. Class with tools : SHOP. Machine or wood.

63. Mar.-Nov. hours : D.S.T.  Daylight Saving Time. I save time in a bottle.





64. Two-time loser to DDE : AES  Dwight David Eisenhower and Adlai Ewing Stevenson

65. Owned : HAD.  Possession having been 9 points of the law.

66. Boozer's syndrome : DT'SDelerium Tremens.  I had this last month in C.C.'s puzzle; Latin for shaking frenzy, a symptom of withdrawal from alcohol or other sedative hypnotics.  Can be fatal if not treated.

But there's nothing fatal about Marti's terrific puzzle.  A few abbrvs, but no zeros.  Hope you enjoyed it all as much as I did.

Cool [but not wintery] regards,
JzB 

69 comments:

OwenKL said...

ZIP-A DE DOO-DOO
(to the tune of -- I don't really need to tell you, do I?)

ZIP-A DE DOO-DOO, into the pouch,
That's what happens when you let the dogs out!
Perfectly normal, that's what dogs doo,
Keeping things cleaned up, that's up to you!

Mr. Bluebird look at Rover,
It's the truth, it's factual
Dumping anywhere is natural!
ZIP-A DE DOO-DOO, take it away,
Responsible owners treat dogs this way!

Scooping the pooping, done every day
Keeps the grass clean so the kiddies can play!
It has to be done, but, with plastic don't grouch,
Just ZIP-A DE DOO-DOO, into the pouch!

[A nice easy run today.
This earworm tribute to George H.W. Bush is brought to you by a company I pass every time I take a main drag downtown, Doody Calls! Several variations on the lyrics can be found at Disney Wiki. A list of covers of the song and some trivia about it at Wikipedia. Full disclosure: I'm totally a cat-person. Never had a dog, never wanted one, even though they adore me.]

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Delightful Wednesday puzzle from our own dear Marti. Overall, pretty easy since the theme answers all stood on their own without needing to know the actual theme, and I was able to enter all of them straight away based solely on the clues with no perp help whatsoever. The theme, once I got it, provided a nice *AHA* moment.

Wasn't crazy about some of the cluing, but as always I will blame that on Rich. I understand the strong urge to have "clechos", but does anybody actually order a STEIN in a pub. MEH, maybe they do. I don't get out to pubs very often. Also didn't care for IDAHOS being clued as a generic type of "veggies". And I always hum into my KAZOO...

Safe travel to all those on the road today!

[MeanDi]

Lemonade714 said...

This may be my favorite Marti puzzle of all time. Finding all the long theme fill which lined up to yield zip-a-Dee-doo-dah was great. Having dahdahdahdahdahdah as fill was inspired. All on a Wednesday and a really fair puzzle. Enjoy the turkey day prep and the lighting of the candles.Thanks JzB, loved the inspiration

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Jazzbumpa and friends. Getting the theme answers was easy; putting them together to get the theme was more of a challenge.

Some great clue today. I especially liked Where to Find Pierre = S. DAK. I initially thought the clue was part of our French lesson for the day.

What's with all the IDHAO potatoes? Maine also has delicious potatoes. For a taste of the DOWN EAST accent, listen to Bert and I.

Happy Thanksgivukkah to all who celebrate. We won't be able to celebrate these holidays on the same day for another 79,000 years!

QOD: The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of love is Hello, Goodbye. ~ Jimi Hendrix (Nov. 27, 1942 ~ Sept. 18, 1970)

[omadind]

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Wow, C.C. and Marti in the same week once again -- the prolific partners of puzzling!

Jzb, enjoyed your ghost joke. Sorry to hear that you had the DT's last month. :)

Hahtoolah, I heard that yesterday on The Chew. Can it really be true? 79,000 years? Who's going to volunteer to wait around and check that out?

Husker Gary said...

This was as much fun as I’ve had for a while, Marti. Grid spanners and cleverness and a fun theme, oh my! How this was done at a Wed. level boggles my mind!

Musings
-I read that Abe wrote out 5 copies of that Address
-Favorite CROCODILE DUNDEE line
-You’re NEXT if you’re holding the next tab
-RIP tides, sharks and jellyfish made me keep kids close to shore at Cocoa Beach
-Who NELL really loved
-Marisa got an Oscar for playing movie’s most beautiful mechanic
-Square KNOT – left over right, right over left
-SNIP, SNIP my fertile days were over
-Instead of EXTRAS, Ronnie Howard used CGI to make crowds in his green screen St. Peter’s set built in a parking lot
-They need a LEG UP
-I dug her RAP! (:04) from funniest movie ever
-Everybody hates the ACLU until they stand up for you
-The commandments tell us not to YEARN for our neighbor’s ass

Montana said...

What a great puzzle! Loved it!
I ZIPped across the top third, then came to an abrupt stop. ZIPped through the bottom third, then went back to the middle, clue by clue, one or two letters at a time. I got the theme at ZIP-A-DEE, but still struggled in the middle. I did finish.
Loved the TEN LB clue.

Have a good pre-Thanksgiving Day,

Montana

Montana said...

If you don't use an iPad to read the blog, help please?
I guessed what links must be in the first two white spaces, but not the third. What is linked there?

Thanks,

Montana

Argyle said...

More Down East but don't start
if you can't sit through the whole thing, Bert.

LINK(6:36)

Qli said...

Great puzzle, Marti! I especially liked the cluing for ACHOO! I had AMENS at first, which made things hairy in that corner for awhile.

JazzB, thanks for the fabulous link to that Cole Porter song. I'd never heard the song, but it gave me a laugh.

Didn't Marisa Tomei win an Oscar for her role in
"My Cousin Vinny"?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Husker Gary said...

Thank s for all the M & M suggestions yesterday. Here was my original list before I added your great suggestions, I couldn't make some of them appropriate for kiddos but I enjoyed all of them.
M&M'S
African tribal doctor
Blonde actress from the 50's
Broadway play with ABBA songs
Cartoon character from space
Company that makes OJ
Curds-and-whey eater
Donald Duck's pal
Elkhorn religious school
Famous blond actress
Freaky rock and roll singer
Highest Alaskan peak
Ice Cream Parlor in Omaha
Leslie Nielson cartoon character
Mr. Evils small friend
Newspapers, TV, radio, etc.
Noted Yankee slugger
Parking ticket writer
Revolutionary soldier
Robin Hood's love
Rodent Super Hero
Villain in Halloween movies
He starred in Austin Powers and Wayne's Wld
Bkfst sandwich
Halloween dance

TTP said...

Good morning all,

A fine puzzle to start the day. Had good solid entries in the first jaunt of this two passer, including grid spanner CROCODILE DUNDEE. Was Paul Hogan in any other movies ? Movie Maker.

Had a few self inflicted wounds. At 44A, decided that I'd go with NORTH over SOUTH for 1860's side.

On the first vertical pass, had 8D ST--- for Pub order, so entered STOUT and moved on without looking any deeper. It fit.

Then when I got to 30, 31 and 32 D, and the answers were ICU, ARN and NO I respectively, NORTH came out and UNION went in. Then entered DABS where DAUB belonged.

My biggest tripper-upper was keying in SEC at 59A instead of 58A. Somehow sped right over the Green roll clue. That made solving the south a bit more difficult and added a couple of minutes until I realized the error.

Wonderful puzzle Marti. Great theme that even I could resolve. Thanks!

You too JzB. Thanks for the new (for me) joke at 27D.

49A, Everyone in the family was LBJ, except his dogs. Remember the uproar when he picked up one of his Beagles by the ears ?

Hahtoolah, too funny ! Had to listen to it twice to understand it though.

Time to get back to work. Have a good day all.

Qli said...

PS, thanks for letting us know about Doody Calls, Owen. Too funny! but useful, I suppose.

Anonymous said...

25D I'll bet the reference is to the Gold Rush, not a ball game!

Argyle said...

Real life Dundee moment:

LINK

CanadianEh! said...

What a wonderful day!!! This was a fun one. Thanks Marti and JazzB. So many clues to love today but especially the classic Rhett Butler line, and we were taken to the WOOD SHOP again.

We had about 4 inches of snow overnight and it looks so beautiful - all stuck to the trees! Helps to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

No Canadian holiday tomorrow and all our stores are open. Many are opening early with Canadian Black Friday from Thursday to Sunday to try to keep people from crossing the border to shop for bargains.

Martin said...

OMANI + OENO = unhappy solver :(

Lucina said...

Greetings, compadres! Loved the bar joke, Jazzbumpa. It's nothing to MOAN about.

Great puzzle about nothing, Marti! What a treat to have both Marti and C.C. again this week. Both were full of ZIP. It's definitely something for which to be grateful.

It wasn't necessary to COMB for long to fill the long theme answers. They were filled before the rest of the grid then I sashayed all around them. Since I don't know Morse Code, that one was a surprise but easily sussed!

Though we see ETNA often, Sicilian smoker was clever. And if that is crossword's favorite volcano, AES must be it's favorite also ran politico.

79,000 years? Imagine what the world will be like then!!

Have a fun-filled Wednesday, everyone! And happy Hanukkah to all who observe it.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

All I can say is Wow! Marti, your creative themes and construction craftsmanship continue to astound me. Brava! JazzB, you did good, too!

Seeing "achoo" reminds me of my sister, Eileen, who sneezes very loudly and "achums" instead of achoos!

Hope all those who are traveling arrive safe and sound and on time.

Have a great day.

HeartRx said...

Good morning all!

Thanks for the fun write-up, JazzB. I especially loved the ghost joke!

I remember struggling with this one for several weeks. I needed words that ended with the exact syllables in the song: ZIP - A - DEE - DOO - DAH. So I couldn't use words like AB / RA / CA / DA / BRA for the second syllable, for example. And the only thing I could think of for DAH was "Kingdom of Ju / dah."

When I finally hit on the Morse code for zero (and it happened to have a symmetrical 15 letters!) I was ecstatic.

Now it's off to start turkey day preps (pumpkin swirl cheesecake and cranberry chutney...)

Ol' Man Keith said...

A wonderful Weds pzl, beautifully explicated by Jazzbumpa!

This had several neat clues, from "Stopped lying" to "Napa prefix," but the pay-off was how the tribute to "Song of the South" just sorta snuck up on me.

And I really appreciated the Old English!

Wes þú hál!

Kf

Tinbeni said...

Jazz: I enjoyed your write-up almost as much as I enjoyed Marti's puzzle.

Caught on to the ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH theme early.
Learned that a zero in Morse Code is 5 DAH's.

Faves today (of course) were ALES crossing into a STEIN.
I don't fear ever getting the DT'S ... I'd have to stop consuming something ... and that's not gonna happen.

Read 35-D as Potato sNack wt. and thought TEN LB of chips would be a bit much.
Like the clecko with IDAHOS.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

A "toast" to all at Sunset.
Cheers!!!

Unknown said...

Simple fill for me today; hardly used any Down clues. Loved CITYSTATEANDZIP---VERY Clever! :)

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Thanks JzB for a great intro.

Fun puzzle, Marti. Thank you. Lacking turducken, tho. No hiccups, but I did have 'stout' before STEIN. Almost wrote 'cape' but all the DAH's convinced me to insert CAPA.
Nice shoutout to UTICA. Years ago we lived about a mile from the KAZOO factory in Western NY.

Have a great day.

JD said...

Good morning all,

Love,love,loved this one! Thanks Marti.I got the song right away even tho I was confused by Samoa.. I wanted a pa...like in zip pa dee... so lame sometimes.Even lamer was the fact that I wrote in dah, dee, dah, dee, dah for the theme. Cape looked fine, but I didn't notice that I had hase instead of hash.And I wouldn't have known what AES without you, Bumpa. Thanks.

Can't tell you how many times I read that unfinished line of Cole Porters to make some sense.

Happy Hanukkah to all that celebrate, and blessings to you all on Thanksgiving.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Clever, clever grid today. Nice work, Marti! Very inventive. The reveal was certainly fun, I didn't see it coming

Morning, JzB, glad you're "on the air" again.

Spitz - I learned of that kazoo company when I needed to buy a whole box of 'em for my wife's choir (for a gag). What a treat to find a little, old American company still making something fun.

Bill G from yesterday - not to excuse the non-flushing rude guy, I have noticed a rising expectation of automatic flushing equipment. Some folks appear not to notice when they are confronted with the old do-it-yourself type.

Spitzboov said...

Heart Rx - re: DAH

There aren't many but

intifadah
verandah
Haggadah
purdah

are a few.

Misty said...

The only thing more wonderful than a Tuesday C.C. puzzle is having it followed by a wonderful Marti Wednesday puzzle! Yay! And this one was so much fun, but by no means a speed run. Needed the unifier to confirm the song, even though I sort of expected it. And I loved your expo, JazzB, especially the Ghost joke and the explanation of what REO means. Great to learn this, after all this time.

Favorite clues: BLESSED OUTBURST (I thought AMENS, of course) and STOPPED LYING (clearly TOLD THE TRUTH wasn't going to work).

Had a moment of trouble spelling LUCI as LUCY.

How sad that Jim Croce died so young and before he ever got to enjoy the payback for his hard work.

Family began to arrive last night and served them a home-made dinner. Thanksgiving dinner will come ready-made from Gelsen's grocery store. Lets me visit and play games with grandson rather than cooking all day.

Happy Hanukkah, and wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, everybody!

john28man said...

I got all messed up by trying to put in DASHDASHDASHSASHDASH nad would up with almost all the thing done amd being stymied into DNF.

It sure was nice to have our CC and Marti in one week. Ididn't notice it had happened before.

Mari said...

Hello Everybody! I'm a little late today - had a busy morning at work.

I think just about everything that needs to be said has been said, but here are some of my favorite clues:

15A: Shout to a sotreful of customers: NEXT
55D: Butler's last words: A DAMN
58D: Where to find Pierre: SDAK

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Great fun puzzle today.

Otto - you got me.

Gary - you are in rare form today.

I have to admit, the ghost joke is a JzB original. It occurred to me just a few days ago.

Here's a different version of NEXT. Don;t follow the link if you have delicate sensibilities.

Cool regards!
JzB

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

I haven't felt up to posting comments lately but hopefully that will change sometime soon.

I wanted to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving/Hanukkah filled with good food, family and friends. ~ Blessings to all!

dodo said...

Wonderful puzzle, Marti and JzB, as always a fine expose'. The talent in this group is amazing.

Just time to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving/Hannakuh, as the case may be. This year marks an expansion of our family circle as we join that of second grandson's fiancee', Leeanne. We'll gather at her sister's home.

Must now search for the references in your comments, i.e. your "ghost joke" and a "bar joke", JzB and one of yours, Hahtoolah.

Love, dodo

Thanksgiving sprite said...

Actual real life answers to some of the clues today;

Shout to a store full of customers ; DONT SHOPLIFT !
or ...... STOP PUSHING !

Butler's last words ..... I DIDN'T DO IT. !

Finally,

Where to find Pierre .... UNDER SAULT STE MARIE

Happy Thanksgiving.

CrossEyedDave said...

WBS,

I zipped thru the theme, but had enough trouble in the NW,NE, & SE to keep me puzzled for a while. Luckily I was able to perp it out.

Oeno was a learning experience, but I have never seen it used. Does anyone have an example?

Know your knots...

And there "is" an "I" in "Team."

Give thanks said...

Examples if oeno being used. ....


Oeno, Meeno, , mynah, moe ......

You're oeno big mess.

Oeno island

( I'm oeno ver my head ....)

Lucina said...

CED:
OENOphile: wine lover

Tinbeni said...

Jazz, how original ...
In the "old joke files" it is the Bartender who normally has the line:
"Sorry, we don't serve spirits here!"



Yellowrocks said...

I am late to the party. I have been cooking all day. Time to sit down and take a breather.
Clever puzzle, Mari. I can't listen to ZIP A DEE DO DAH without feeling incredibly happy.
JzB,thanks for a fun blog. I love your title. Just be sure those pests don't build their formicary on your Formica counter.

Something in each puzzle, or the posts for it, piques my curiosity. Yesterday it was ATONAL. Today it was ART DECO. I like art deco. Lemonade led me to wonder why it is described in several articles and definitions as rectilinear when it has circles, etc. I never did learn why, but I enjoyed the search. Wiki gives these attributes:
Deco emphasizes geometric forms: spheres, polygons, rectangles, trapezoids, zigzags, chevrons, and sunburst motifs. Elements are often arranged in symmetrical patterns. Modern materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, Bakelite, chrome, and plastics are frequently used. Stained glass, inlays, and lacquer are also common. Colors tend to be vivid and high-contrast.

On the corner I share the results of my curiosity with those who have similar questions and I hope others will share with me the places their curiosity leads them. Learning from each other is fun.
If you don't share this urge, feel free to skip to the next post.

Giving thanks said...

YellowRocks, on your trip to Israel,

you may have gone through White City, the suburb of Tel Aviv , which is an Art Deco UNESCO designated historical site.

Link White City UNESCO Site

Also another city known , and famous for, for the Art Deco style is Riga, Latvia.

Also, on a personal note, Please, please please quit trying to justify your presence on the blog. Happy holidays.

buckeye bob said...

Happy Thanksgiving Day and Happy Hannukah everyone!

Husker Gary said...

-Thanks for the kind words, Jazz. You must have missed my note to you last week where I told you a 7th grade trombone player had never heard of 76 Trombones. However, when I showed him the band marching out of the school in the last scene of The Music Man he was mesmerized.
-Addition to my posting of “Ease his pain” phrase from Field of Dreams. The pain he was really easing was his own as he got to reconnect with his dad in the last scene of the movie. Does anyone else wish they had that opportunity?
-Dave, what kind of KNOTS are these?
-Happy Bird Day to all!

Burrito34 said...

OwenKL:

"I'm totally a cat-person. "

What you said; I've also always liked cats much more than dogs. Although I'm not opposed to owning a dog, I need to get my backyard fences in shape to properly contain one. Until then, I'll just be content with my two cats.

Favorite clue, 53 down, "blessed outburst". ACHOO.

Abejo said...

God afternoon, folks. Thank you, Marti, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, JZB, for the fine review.

Could not get much up North. A couple gimmies, but that was it.

Headed South. YABBADABBADOO came easily. 62A appeared, bunch of DAHs.

Misspelled CROCODILE. Had an A for the second O. Fixed it.

A DAMN was easy. We have had that before.

Liked 51D, IDAHOS. Good one.

We learned a lot of KNOTS as Boy Scouts. And yes, I know the difference between a square knot and a granny.

Headed back North to finish that. I had ATICA instead of UTICA. DUEL helped.

Did not know ERIKA for 12D. Perps.

I agree, you hum into a KAZOO.

We are now in Indiana nearing Indianapolis.

See you tomorrow from Springboro, OH?

Liked your spirits joke, JZB.

Abejo

(brassaf)

desper-otto said...

Husker your "KNOTS are these?" takes me to a picture (well, acgtually half a picture) of a woman. I'm guessing that's a thou-shalt-knot.

Magazine sent me a renewal notice. Got a paper cut opening it. Think I re-upped?

Beginning tomorrow I begin my self-imposed embargo of retail establishments until after the New Year.

LaLaLinda -- good to see you back. Drop in more often, wontcha?

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle a lot. Thanks for creating it, Marti. Best wishes.

Yellowrocks said...

Giving thanks @3:53, thank you for the info on White City of Tel Aviv. Very interesting. Mostly we just drove through modern Tel Aviv on the way to more ancient sites. I was sort of surprised at its modernity .Lovely.
Have you lived there or just visited?
There is always the question on my mind whether it is better to join a tour or be independent. My son and DIL vote for independence. I like tours because you have a guide who knows the language, gets you through check points,cuts red tape,, and provides so much background info that you would not find on your own. But you cannot see things you read about or that were recommended by friends unless they are on the itinerary. Maybe I am not as adventurous as I was
years ago.
Friends ask why I would return to a country a second time. Can you really experience a country in 10 days, or even 4 week?

CrossEyedDave said...

HG, what knots?

I hit Ctrl & + to enlarge the picture to full screen & still didn't see any knots!

(Hubba, Hubba,,,;)

Yellowrocks, I would never skip over one of your posts! They are too informative! Besides, you must know we love you! But maybe your right, I haven't kept up my side of the conversation lately, you know, this 5 post, 20 line restriction has me tied up in Granny knots. (Maybe square knots, Hmm, I am knot sure....) Anyway, I decided to look up Art Deco so we could discuss it.

&%&^%$ keyboard is stuck on funny.

Ack! Sorry Yellowrocks. Keep posting, I need all the knowledge I can get...

(But the Gecko thing did lead me to this Eono reference)

Tracer said...

Why should you be surprised that Tel Aviv is a modern city? Perhaps your tour guide skipped over the history of the city. Or perhaps you thought all of Israel should still be living in biblical times. So sad.

Steve said...

Wow, JzB - nice Sherlock Holmes work with the theme! I had nada, nothing, no clue!

Nice go, Marti!

Sgt. Sumner said...

Great puzzle marti!

This one's for you: De DAH DAH DAH

*Hey, there is even our old friend, TBAR, in the video.

Yellowrocks said...

We went to Israel to study the ancient sites of Judaism and Christianity. Compared to that Tel Aviv was not only modern, but post modern.
It is, of course, of very recent origin, built on the remains of ancient cities.
Tel Aviv was founded by the Jewish community on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa in 1909. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. It is very new, even in comparison to most American cities. Tel Aviv's White City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings.
In the 1960s, some of the older buildings were demolished, making way for the country's first high-rises. Shalom Meir Tower was Israel's tallest building until 1999.
I experienced the same surprise (culture shock?) when we toured the U.S. Western National Parks. After two weeks of nature's marvels at places like Grand Canyon and Bryce we arrived in Las Vagas. Although I knew what Las Vegas was like and had seen film and photos, it came as a garish surprise after the wonders of nature of the previous weeks.

Giving Thanks said...

YellowRocks, just wanted to answer your question, before the clock strikes 12 and all subjects, if not the posts, disappear. ..

I have not gone to Israel but intend to do so very soon. But I am very much aware that Israel has one of the highest per capita incomes in the Middle East, despite having no oil! and it is a first world nation. Tel aviv, cpbased on the pics! is a very modern city. And it's hotel rates are higher than those in many European capitals.

It is very adavanced country ... More than Italy.

Anonymous T said...

G'Eve All!

Well, I didn't get Bill G.'s clue last night (went right over my head) and so was pleasantly suprised to see Marti in the puzzle this morning! Marti, thanks for stopping by and giving the back story. JzB - wonderful writeup.

My play mirrored Montana's. Top done, bottom done, and nible until Croc(a|o)diledundee became apparent. Oh, that's who Paul is!

Lot's of fun sparkle everywhere - too much to call out. I'll just say 14a Sicillian smoker - Me? :-)

HG - Shiiiii (Goly!) Airplane is funny,,,

Lucina - I too heard 79,000 years... I bet I still won't have my flying car by then...

OK, time to starve of the DTS with some MAKERs Mark (another M & M!)

Cheers, -T

Spitzboov said...

You might like to see this:

Fox hunting under snow in an incredible way Link

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Have been really tired lately, so entertaining puzzles by CC and Marti took longer than expected. But enjoyed them very much. Also enjoyed write-ups by Argyle and Jazz!

After 6 months finally had hair done for Thanksgiving dinner. All one color again.

New electric scooter arrived but Harv could not get it working before hairdresser. Resulted in a disaster with my non-electric chair, which Harv cannot lift into our cars. Lucked out with some unexpected help in the end, but my nerves are shot.

Have a happy Thanksgiving/Hannakuh, all!

Bill G. said...

AnonT and everybody else; there really wasn't supposed to be a clue last night. I know I'm too sensitive to criticism and too needy for approval (I like responses to my post.) I know that stuff is true about myself and I try to keep it mostly under wraps.

A few weeks back, I made a comment about a CC puzzle coming up the next day. (I get them at 10 pm local time, 12 midnight central time on the Mensa site.) I got a couple of mild complaints; one from my snarky anon buddy and another, as I remember, from a blue regular. I was a little surprised by the offense I had given. I would have expected some folks to be upset if some clues had been previewed or the theme had been given away but I wasn't expecting people to be upset at learning who the constructor was. But OK. I took the criticism in stride and made up my mind not to do it again. Last night I made a comment which read:
"Rich must wake up every day and thank his lucky stars for CC and Marti. I wonder if they are the most prolific LAT constructors these days? I think it used to be Dan Naddor. Quantity and quality, a great combination."
I was surprised to find that post generated any negative feedback, any more than somebody opining that we're due for a Silkie on Saturday.

But it did apparently. So I think the thing for me to do is not to post anything after 10 pm local time when I can start on the next day's puzzle. No big deal since even though I know some folks read the previous day's late posts regularly, they almost never get commented on and I always enjoy people's feedback about my links or wacky opinions about something.

So catch you later. I really enjoyed today's puzzle. Great theme! Thanks Marti and JzB. WEES. Gary, I enjoyed your knots more than I expected to. Sorry about the longer-than-usual post. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bill G. said...

The always enjoyable Animal Tracks Slide Show

Anonymous said...

There, ladies and gentlemen, is the classic example of passive-aggressiveness.

Anonymous T said...

Before this gets out of hand :-) Bill G. I personally don't care if you tell me who's coming up - but I read it as intended. I think C.C. thought you spilled the beans too soon after the complaints and provided a polite reminder. I see it as no harm no foul. As for @9:15: NEXT!

Cheers, -T

Lemonade714 said...

La la Linda great to see you. Best holiday regards to all

Dudley said...

Bill G / others: I'm having trouble understanding what the trouble was. Is it that the name of the next day's constructor was mentioned in a late post? If so, how does that affect anyone's enjoyment?

I ask this in all seriousness because once or twice in the past I did exactly that, only I don't recall any blowback.

CrossEyedDave said...

Bill G @9:01

You win some, you lose some...

Just remember, these Anons have had lots of practice...

Just be yourself.

Because...

Bill G. said...

Dudley, yes, that was it. I gave away the fact that CC was the next day's constructor a couple of weeks ago. I didn't see it as a problem but some folks objected. I didn't intend to give anything away in yesterday's late post. Anyway, I've seen the error of my ways and no more posts for me after the next day's puzzle comes out.

CED, I enjoyed your links.

aka thelma said...

CED... priceless... you amaze me

Bill G... take CED'S advice :)

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday

thelma

Lucina said...

Ced:
Those are some funny links!

Anonymous T said...

CED - Spot on.

LaLaLinda - WEES it is good to have you back.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Bill G,
Read Anon T's 8:04pm comment again. He was ".. so was pleasantly surprised to see Marti in the puzzle this morning".

Some other solvers want to be surprised too. Opening the morning newspapers & glancing at the constructors' name is just part of their solving routine.

Just drop down your notes on that particular constructor and post on the next day when his/her puzzle is published.

Simple solution.

Also, you've known me for a long time. Don't be too sensitive and over-read what I say. I just have a blog to run.

Anonymous said...

C.C., I think you are heavy handed with BillG yet handle lemonade with kid gloves. I remember not too long ago when lemonade714 used to post on thur. nights who the fri. constructor was going to be. You never dressed him down publicly. Maybe a discreet, polite email would have been more appropriate here. I think you are the one who is being overly sensitive. Just my two cents...