google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, April 18, 2014, Peter Koetters

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Apr 18, 2014

Friday, April 18, 2014, Peter Koetters

Theme: How would you like your puzzle? Over-easy? No I will have it scrambled.

Another Friday where we mix up some letters and get new fill. Peter has done a few puzzles here, I blogged his first LAT back about three years ago, and this is his first for 2014. Really a mostly straightforward Friday with a classic mix up letters theme. There are some difficult proper names; you need to know some mythology, some old-time baseball, some Gilbert & Sullivan, some rock  roll, some history and some literature. A nice bundle, as a Friday should be. So let us see how the letters arrange themselves.


17A. Fish-derived supplement : COD LIVER OIL  This is one of those oddities where a scrambled version of a word can be built from either direction. Having to down a tablespoon of this supplement was one of the fears of childhood in my youth.

24A. Prince Charles' closetful : SAVILE ROW SUITS. The London street where the Tailors toil. Steve any comments?

 

37A. Leaving the jurisdiction, perhaps : PAROLE VIOLATION. The legal system has gone away from Parole to a new type of supervised release.

48A. 1982 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts hit : I LOVE ROCK'N ROLL.



59A. Literary orphan ... and what 17-, 24-, 37- and 48-Across each contains? : OLIVER TWIST,

  
The rest.

Across:

1. Famiglia nickname : MAMMA. Italian for family.

6. Celtic language : WELSH. One of 4 which remain spoken. I wonder why the basketball team was never pronounced the "keltics.'

11. Base enforcers, briefly : MPS. Military Police. Interesting because it is a plural but no place to put the S.

14. Menu listings : ITEMS.

15. Muse with a lyre : ERATO. She appears so often I am no longer amused.

16. Bugler in a forest : ELK.

19. Behold : SEE.

20. Diners Club competitor : AMEX. I think American Express would debate this clue.

21. Binding promise : I DO. And you will.

22. Tool that's not for crosscuts : RIP SAW.  I hope you have SEEN all the types of saws. Maybe Splynter will come by and give more personal information on sawing.

27. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 film : TED.  More from the mind of Seth MacFarlane. TRAILER. (2:07)

28. Valley where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA. The first of his labors. LINK. More myth, 3D. Vengeful sorceress of myth : MEDEA. A little shout out to me, as she was married to Jason.

29. Site of the Alaska Purchase transfer ceremony : SITKA. Back in 1867 we bought Alaska from the Russians, and the ceremony took place in this southeastern city. With a population of 8,881 in 2010, Sitka is the fourth-largest city by population in Alaska. By land, it is the largest in the United States. (per wiki and others).

33. Blues home: Abbr. : STL. The hockey franchise.

34. Cellular messengers : RNAS.

41. Brest pals : AMIS. I think it works better with milk.

42. Most soldiers : MEN.

43. Hall of Fame umpire Conlan : JOCKO. Those of us who love baseball and study the game know this MAN, but I cannot imagine many here know the name.

44. App writer : CODER. My meh of the day.

46. "... against a __ of troubles": Hamlet : SEA. Take arms...

54. Luxury watch : BULOVA. Luxury?

55. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG. American International Group, Inc. The STORY.

56. Mislead : FOOL. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

58. "The Prague Cemetery" novelist : ECO. I think we recently had this PHILOSOPHER , for a different book (Foucault's Pendulum) back in January.

62. It may be fresh or stale : AIR.

63. Milk source : UDDER. Would you drink human milk as an adult?

64. Sculled : OARED. A word I also do not like, also 50D. Underground worker : CAVER.

65. House and Howser : MDS. Medical Doctors.

66. Bygone monarchs : TSARS.

67. Winemaking tool : PRESS.

Down:

1. Mineral found in sheets : MICA.

2. Basic matter : ATOMS.

4. Appomattox bicentennial year : MMLXV. 2065.

5. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : AS I. A novel often regarded as one of the best by an American author. Link.

6. Did lawn work : WEEDED.

7. Proofer's find : ERROR.

8. Thai native : LAO. I find the history of the countries and the designation confusing, so maybe you can READ and explain it to me.

9. Last words in a drink recipe, perhaps : STIR WELL.

10. "Total patient" treatment : HOLISM. Holistic medicine does not mean natural medicine, but the two are intertwined.

11. Like one expected to deliver? : MESSIANIC. I really do not get this fill at all, as my knowledge of the word relates to a Messiah.

12. Fabric fold : PLEAT.

13. Slants : SKEWS.

18. Revolting : VILE.

23. __ Rico : PUERTO.

25. Angled ltrs. : ITALics.

26. Not misled by : ON TO.

29. Where to get wraps and scrubs : SPA.

30. "Are you going?" response : I AM. Insane?

31. French and Italian flags : TRICOLORS. Many nations have three colors on the flag including the US; do you all watch the show on flags?

32. Disputed Balkan republic : KOSOVO.  As with many an interesting story of CONLICT.

33. Vice principle : SIN.

35. Hunky-dory : A-OK. A word coined by our astronauts.

36. __-cone : SNO.

38. Taurus birthstones, perhaps : EMERALDS. Since many born under the sign of the Bull are born in May, they get the gleaming green gem.

39. Florida's __ Beach : VERO. One of the many small beach town along the Atlantic coast.

40. Out of a jamb? : AJAR. har de har har, har.

45. Pious : DEVOUT.

46. They're often on a slippery slope : SKIERS. Hopefully...

47. MIT grad, often : ENGR. Engineer.

48. Construction girder : I-BEAM. The I from the song made this easy.

49. Understandable : LUCID.

51. Sun Tzu's "The Art __" : OF WAR.

52. Longest river in France : LOIRE. A common clue/fill.

53. Gets knocked off : LOSES.

57. Old Fords : LTDS. Limiteds.

60. Gilbert and Sullivan princess : IDA. I know some G & S but not this one.

61. Part of an inning : TOP. When the visitors bat.

Another Friday done, and for those of you observing best wishes for today and Easter. I am off to rest up from the cold weather. Lemonade out.



Note from C.C.:

Here are  a few lovely pictures from the Australia trip Kazie  her husband Barry took a couple of weeks ago. Click here for more. Kay was born and grew up in Australia.

 
  Barry and Kay on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

 

  Another friend laying down the law to some pet llamas

 

Rainbow lorikeets feeding 

80 comments:

OwenKL said...

It was Ollie the pretty girl kissed,
Though Stan had tried first and had missed.
Stan said, "With my soul
I LOVE ROCK'N'ROLL!"
But he couldn't match OLIVER's TWIST!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Fun puzzle overall. Some Friday bumpiness, but that's to be expected. Didn't know JOCKO, thought LAO only referred to natives of LAOS, tried to fit ILOVEROCKANDROLL into too few spaces, and had trouble thinking of CAVERS as "workers". All of those bumps were smoothed over by the perps, however.

OwenKL said...

The things that can hide in a word
Can be profound or absurd.
There is something that's VILE
In a SAVILE ROW style,
While VERO of LIVER OIL is a sherd.

thehondohurricane said...

Good day all,

Typical Friday for me, filled in all the squares but a couple were incorrect. Could not remember NEMEA and had Necen. So, Messennic & Holisc were both wrong too. Wags aren't alway correct!

JOCKO was a given. Matter of fact, just sold his '55 Bowman baseball card to a collector last weekend.

My reaction to the Bulova clue same as Lemon's.

Didn't really try to understand the theme, but the individual clues, with perp assistance, were not much of an issue.

Yankees had a good game last evening vs the Rays, including a Triple Play (which I did not see). But, I know someone who was at the game and he must have seen it.

For those of you who observe Easter, hope your baskets are filled with eggs, candy, etc.

Al Cyone said...

Pretty straightforward though I filled it in my usual haphazard (i.e. not top to bottom) way. The only complete unknowns were NEMEA and JOCKO. I wish I could remember all twelve of Hercules' labors. It's the kind of obscure (i.e. pretentious) thing I like to know.

This just in: last night the STL Blues played the longest game in team history.

[7:11]

Anonymous said...

Nonsensical theme. Yawn. Otherwise somewhat easy for a Friday.

TTP said...

Good morning all.

Didn't get it all. Prince Charles' closetful was SO VILE RAW SUITS (???) and I read Total patient w/o the attached 'treatment', so I had HOLIST. D'OH ! Oh yeah, and I had the author as ERO so that made my 49D LURID rather than LUCID.

Shout out to D-O and his pre-taxing career at 44A.

Never heard of JOCKO. My vote for Owen's Law clue would be Appomattox bicentennial year.

Thank you Lemonade and thank you Peter Koetters.

Kazie, great pictures. Thanks for sharing. Looks like you and your husband had a wonderful time.

Mari said...

Good morning everybody, and Happy Friday!

Good puzzle today. 90% of the fill seemed easier than a usual Friday puzzle to me. It was the rest that had me stumped: JOCKO, MEDEA, SITKA, NEMEA.

I liked the clue for 40D: Out of a jamb? AJAR

For some reason I wanted the word vacation at the end of PAROLE VIOLATION. But VIOLATION won.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

This wasn't too tough for a Friday, but I still managed to go wrong in a couple of places: MINER/CAVER, DRS/MDS. With only the "M" I tried to fit AMETHYST where EMERALDS were supposed to be. I don't know my birthstones.

Lemon, were you referring to Sheldon's Fun With Flags? I never hear the Ford LTD referred to as "Limited" -- only initially as L-T-D.

TTP, we never called ourselves CODERs. Ours was a very small shop, so a single individual met with the users to develop the specs, designed the application, wrote it, oversaw the beta-testing, and finally (ugh!) had to document it.

Hand up for not getting the MESSIANIC clue. I got the answer, because PREGNANT and ORATOR were too short.

Anonymous said...

"Mamma" is "Italian for family"?

Anonymous said...

If Bulova is luxury, so is Timex.

Big Easy said...

Clever but easy puzzle for a Friday. The only time I ever heard MESSIANIC was in describing a crazy person. The few unknowns JOCKO MEDEA NEMEA LAO were easily solved by perps.

To us poor people in the 60s, BULOVA was a luxury brand.i think they advertised 17 jewel movement.

Desper-otto. I think the LTD was previously a Galaxy Limited and then they changed the name to LTD.

Husker Gary said...

This went down easier than yesterday and had a nice TWIST at the end.

Musings
-Another recently deceased movie star, Mickey Rooney, had a scene in Captains Courageous where he was extracting COD LIVER OIL on board a ship. Talk about yer obscure movie references!
-SAVILE ROW or Kohl’s sale rack? Hmmm… decisions, decisions
-Those I DO’s have about a 50% survival rate today.
-Wanna get soaked? Ride Dudley Do-Right’s RIPSAW Falls in Orlando.
-I knew JOCKO! It is also the pet name my neighbor’s wife Millie has for her Bohemian husband Joe.
-Yeah, I’m selling my Rolex to get me one of those BULOVA’s
-Have you ever had to share the stale AIR in a car with a smoker?
-Everybody’s favorite wine PRESS
-Wilmer McClean owned the farm where one of the first battles of the civil war, The Battle of Bull Run, took place and so he moved to, you guessed it, Appomattox Court House. It can be said that war started in his backyard and ended in his parlor. Thank you, Ken Burns.
-A vice-principal around here recently got fired because of a SIN
-A little DEVOUT goes a long way with me. You work your side of the street and I’ll work mine.
-Great pix Kazie! Is it Bris bayne or Bris bun?
-Easy one – Of what destination did Paul Simon ask in song, “Are you going?”

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Kazie - Nice pictures; thanks for sharing.

Today's puzzle seemed remarkably easy. A little bumpy getting started, but rappelled down the E side filling as I went. TWIST fell early, and the bottom filled easily. The rest of the theme fill was facilitated by accounting for the 6 OLIVER letters. And with a little coaxing, the top revealed itself. I liked the cluing for AJAR and PAROLE VIOLATION.
MP - Military Police. One Military Police person would be termed an MP. Several would be "MPS". I think the clue is correct.
MMLXV - I'm not fond of Roman numeral/arithmetic clues although they're usually easy. Seems too 'artificial'.

kazie said...

At first I thought this would be a DNF like yesterday, but I battled on to the finish with no errors and no lookups.

Lemony,
I was stumped for a long time by MESSIANIC too, but I think it just refers to the expectation of great things to be delivered by someone like the hoped for coming of the Messiah.

Thanks C.C. for posting some of the photos. A lot of what we took were of friends and family, but the native birds are the real stars. Many are so tame and so beautiful to see up close.

No-Vice worder said...

Maybe it's because I'm new to X-words but I thought twisting Oliver into 4 other answers was wicked smart. My first Friday attempt and only a couple of mistakes, I'm stoked. Didn't know Nemea and it took a while to realize that Rolex wouldn't fit. Bulova, really?

kazie said...

Husker,
It's Bris-bun. Just like Melbourne is Mel-bun.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else think there should have been some indication that 20A was an abbreviation? Also agree with Lemon on Bulova. Rolex was my first thought but it didn't fit. Had Movado for a long time until the perps killed it.

buckeye bob said...

Anon @7:54 --

No, "famiglia" is "Italian for family".

We've had it before.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I had fun with this easy Friday "Twisted" puzzle. I immediately wrote down COD LIVER OIL, and was a big fan of Joan Jett, so knew I LOVE ROCK'N ROLL. Then getting OLIVER TWIST helped with the other two theme clues.

I initially Mislead and wanted FOIL instead of FOOL. Hey, three of the letters were in the right place!

When is a door not a door? When its AJAR! That corny joke always makes me smile.

MESSIANIC didn't bother me and seemed appropriate for the current holiday season for both Jews and Christians, although each sees this in a different light.

I in the group that doesn't consider a BULOVA a luxury watch, but it is a mid-level timepiece.

QOD: When all else fails there’s always delusion. ~ Conan O’Brien (Apr. 18, 1963)

C6D6 Peg said...

Like everyone else, some Friday "chunks", but did complete. However, I didn't get the theme until Lemonade explained it.

Thanks Peter & Lemonade.

Husker Gary said...

For no particular reason
-Unintentional FOOL – I went to Wal-Mart to buy some golf balls on Monday and on the way in I saw about 100 Easter lilies on display. I love plants and thought it would be cool to buy one because it was spring and all. When I got home I took them into the den where Joann was on the computer and she shrieked and thanked and hugged me for bringing her such a nice present. That, of course, is not the reason I bought the plant. What would you do, tell her that I bought it because I liked it or go along with her idea that I bought the plant for her? You gotta know what I did!
-Off to sub for a half day.

Magilla Go-Rilla said...

They once were, way before Rolex and all the other upscale signature watches. I have a wind up Bulova from 1953. It's my grammar school graduation gift. Still keeps perfect time.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Although I finished w/o help, this was definitely a Thumper for me.

Thanks for the informative write-up, Lemony.

Nice pictures, Kazie.

Have a great day.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.

Great write-up, Lemony. I couldn’t agree with you more about JOCKO Conlan. I had the _OCKO from perps, and still needed AJAR to get the first letter!!!

Fun theme – with a TWIST! I noticed that the first and second theme entries both contained LIVER, but wondered how scrambled liver would play into it, LOL! I finally noticed the O in the third one, but it still wasn’t smooth sailing.

I put DRs instead of MDS at 65-A and “clear” instead of LUCID at 49-D. I finally remembered Joan Jett’s I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL and managed to finish the clean-up in aisle three…

Kazie, loved the pictures. It looks like it was a great trip!

Misty said...

After a day of squealing in pain, Dusty is better this morning and so I was able to enjoy this delightful puzzle. Loved the OLIVER TWIST twists--many thanks for a clever one, Peter. And fun write-up, Lemonade. Also thanks for posting Kazie's great pics, C.C.

Dusty and I really appreciated all the good wishes yesterday. Many thanks, Anonymous T, Pat, Tinbeni, and his special friend, Irish Miss. You all helped me get through my tough day.

Have a great Friday, everybody!

Irish Miss said...

Misty - So happy to hear that Dusty is feeling better. Hope he's getting lots of T-rubs. (Little Misty, too!)

Lemonade714 said...

great pics Kazie, it is fun to travel the world from the comfort of the Corner.

My problem with the Famiglia clue was not relating to Italians calling their mother by a nickname, it was to me, when the double M is used (or the double P) it is spelled MOMMA (POPPA). As a child and young adult, I used to live going to NYC to eat at MAMA LEONE's.

I also agree the many ways constructors 'tell' the solvers it is an anagram puzzle (TWIST,SCATTER etc.) is very creative.

Steve said...

Nice Friday! MESSI_NI_ took me five minutes to stare it down before dawn broke.

Lemony - Savile Row bespoke tailored suits were for the posh folk. I got mine from the off-the-peg places for about a twentieth of the price.

No-vice worder - congratulations on your first Friday attempt!

I didn't have a problem with Bulova being a luxury watch - they must have some good advertising because in my mind they live in the same world as Rolex and Tag Heuer.

Lucina said...

Good day, super solvers! Thank you, Lemonade, for unscrambling this one.

I had noticed the scrambled letters but they didn't make sense until OLIVER TWIST came into view. Very smart, Peter Koetters, thank you.

This seemed easier than many a Friday and so it filled quickly and I agree with Kazie and Hahtoolah on the meaning of MESSIANIC, apt word for Good Friday if one is a Christian.

WEES about BULOVA.

And if we have deCODER why not just CODER? CAVER not so much.

Favorite clues:

Brest pals, AMIS
where to get wraps and scrubs, SPA

Wonderful photos, Kazie, thank you for sharing.

Have a restful Friday, everyone!

Ol' Man Keith said...

I enjoyed this. It seemed easy for a Friday pzl, but I
realized this was because it brought more foggy memories back into focus - like NEMEA and SITKA - things I would normally not know but have in fact touched upon in some earlier phase of life. And perps helped a lot to fill in enough letters of the longest answers that I could grok the rest.
Nice photos, C.C.! I jiss gots ta get me one athem SAVILE ROW SUITS. Me n' Prince Charlie! Oy!

Ol' Man Keith said...

Oh, and a Happy Good Friday everyone! No longer a theist here, but I'm all for replaying and honoring a grand story. Hard to surpass this one for a martyr's epic - human tragedy and splendid redemption.
On second thought, I don't suppose "Happy" is the right greeting for Good Friday. But then, we do persist in calling it "Good"...

Unknown said...

I thought this puzzle was easier than a typical Friday puzzle. WEES about Bulova.

Kazie: Loved your pictures, especially the beautiful birds.

Glad to hear Dusty is feeling better Misty.

Nancy

john28man said...

I agree this was easier than n usual Friday offering. I saw that there were a lot of repeat letters in the entries but even after I got OLIVER TWIST I must have dense today because the TWIST didn't register.

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Peter Koetters, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.

My first word was MMLXV. That got me started in the NW.

Jumped around and got many words, but not all.

Got COD LIVER OIL first, and then OLIVER TWIST. Now I had the theme. It helped with the others.

I had MESSENGER for 11D at first. That worked well until I got to the bottom letters of that word. SAVILE ROW SUITS is what fixed it for me. MESSIANIC appeared.

TRI COLORS was clever. There are lots of them.

NEMEA was unknown. Perped it.

JOCKO was unknown. Perped it.

I had STIR SLOW for a while, then STIR WELL became the word.

Used my IPad this morning. It worked.

Nice trip, Kazie. Looks like you had a swell time.

Misty: Glad Dusty is well. I missed it yesterday. I think I was in too early.

Lots to do today. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(521 9545364)

Yellowrocks said...

Easier than usual for a Friday. I saw all the V's and thought that LIVE was scrambled until I got to I LOVE ROCK N ROLL. Right after that I got OLIVER TWIST which explained it, but all the theme answers were done.
Cave explorers really are called CAVERS, no stretch here.
Wiki
In 1985, Steve Knutson (editor of the National Speleological Society (NSS) publication American Caving Accidents) made the following distinction:
…Note that I use the term 'spelunker' to denote someone untrained and unknowledgeable in current exploration techniques, and 'caver' for those who are.
This sentiment is exemplified by bumper stickers and t-shirts displayed by many cavers: "Cavers rescue spelunkers". Nevertheless, outside the caving community, "spelunking" and "spelunkers" predominately remain neutral terms referring to the practice and practitioners, without any respect to skill level.

Great pics, Kazie. Glas you enjoyed your trip.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Hands up for thinking this was easier than many Fridays. Clever, Peter! TWIST & chuckle. Thanks, Lemon.

I wanted Erse & Gaelic before WELSH, but neither are on the linked chart.

All perps for SITKA, NEMEA, JOCKO & LOIRE (Seine & Rhone turned red).

Wraps & scrubs: I was thinking hospital related. Wraps for sprains, etc. Scrubs before surgery and as wearing apparel. I completely missed the clue for MDS until the expo. Never been to a spa. Never will go.

KOSOVO: tried Crimea, then Ukraine. Hey, I'm up to date on the news. I had a colleague with a dent in her camera. She said it fell out of a helicopter in Kosovo where she was a military reporter. I was impressed.

MESSIANIC: I thought the Messiah was to deliver the Jews from servitude under the dictatorship of Romans or whoever had his boot on their neck. No problem with the clue for me.

Happy Easter, spring, being alive -- whatever you celebrate!

HG: If Joanne thought it was a gift, count yourself lucky and go with it. You shared it with her. You're lucky she's not allergic to the smell.

Tinbeni said...

Lemon: Nice write-up and links.

A GOOD FRIDAY since I finished ... but MESSIANIC (my last fill) earned a WTF????

Didn't think there was much of a "TWIST" to cOdLIVERoil ... just a 'D' in the name.
This made me think it was an "add-a-letter" Friday at first.

STIR-WELL was my fave today (since it related to 'drinks').

Hondo, enjoyed the Triple-Play, 3-Home Runs, etc.
Jeter received a nice welcome when he came up 'To-Bat'. (He does live in Tampa).
Yup, a fun game, to attend, all-the-way around!!! (Except the $9 beers).

Cheers!!!

Yellowrocks said...

I liked Kazie's thoughts on MESSANIC, She wrote," I think it just refers to the expectation of great things to be delivered by someone like the hoped for coming of the Messiah."
From Merriam Webster - MESSIANIC definition- marked by idealism and an aggressive crusading spirit
"In remarks quoted in Israeli reports on Tuesday, Yaalon criticized the U.S. for not leading a campaign against Iran. He has been previously quoted as saying Kerry is "obsessive" and "MESSIANIC" about Middle East peace."

I have had a mid-priced BULOVA for about three years. I still get many compliments on it. It looks like new. I find cheaper Timex watches don't wear that well.

desper-otto said...

Husker, Scarborough Fair.

Here's a math problem for you:

Seven
5

Ten
3

Eleven
6

Seventy
7

Four
4

Fourteen
?

Based on the relationship shown in the first five examples, what number should appear below the "Fourteen?"

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi Gang -

A bit easier than yesterday. Not my favorite kind of theme, but well executed.

ST L Blues took down the Black Hawks early this morning, 26 seconds into the 3rd O/T. I took it to bed middle of the 2nd. Happy to see the Hawks lose, and hope the Blues take them down.

I knew JOCKO Conlan right away, from back in my 'ute, but wonder why, since he was an NL umpire.

We had a nice VERO vacation a few years back. Many little purple jellyfish on the beach.

I BEAM at my grandchildren.

Wings in Boston tonight. Should be exciting.

Cool regards!
JzB

Spitzboov said...

D'Otto - 8

Anonymous said...

1st time here. What does "perp" (and for that matter, some of the other xword specific terms) refer to?

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. I found this puzzle to be much easier for me than yesterday's. Didn't know JOCKO but got it from the perps. I thought of STL as a home of blues music ("The St. Louis Blues") rather than of a sports team. Wasn't the Messiah also called the Deliverer? Coder, caver, oarer, loser, skier, lover ...

miss Beckley said...

Tinbeni -- I think it's codLIVEROil.

Desper-Otto Fourteen
8

kazie said...

anon @1:12pm,
Check out the "Comments Section Abbreviations link in the Olio section at the right side of the main page. Most are explained at the top of the new page that pops up.

Thanks to all for the photo comments. The only difficulty with sharing is deciding which are worthiest. At least this time I only had Barry's and my camera to go through. When we're with the kids we get all of theirs too!

K-Dub said...

I agree with Spitzboov - 8. Simpler than I thought and less a math puzzle.

H-G: He also said: I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee". 1987 Album of the Year.

We also use the term Code Chucker.

desper-otto said...

Good work, Spitz, miss Beckley and Karl. My calling it a math problem was a red herring.

Bumppo said...

Did anyone else notice the one stray V (not contained in an OLIVER, twisted or straight)? See 54A (the luxury watch for the hoi polloi) and 45D. . . .

Anon @9:03 asked if anyone else thought the 20A clue for AMEX should have indicated an abbreviation. What about the 65A clue for MDS?

john28man said...

Anonymous....

PERPS are the crossing letters in an entry.

CLECHO is where one entry echoes another one.

Directions such as NE,NW, etc. refer to the layout of the puzzle looking at it like a map.

Fills are entry that are not related to the theme but fill the rest of the puzzle.

There may be more.

Lucina said...

Partial nit on MAMMA although I don't know Italian but believe it would be like Spanish, MAMA, as I've seen on some of their products. And as Lemonade commented, MOMMA would be English.

River Doc said...

Happy Friday everybody!

Have to agree that this was an easier than usual Friday puzzle. Must've been, since I got it without a lookup...!

D-O, nice math puzzle...!

I seem to recall that James Bond's tailor was on Savile Row as well....

Hands up for thinking Rolex and Tag Heuer as luxury watches....

Yellowrocks said...

It is MAMMA in these Italian lyrics. Any excuse to link Pavarotti.
Link text

Also it is the title of a movie, MAMMA Mia.

Kevin said...

Hi all,

Thanks for the write-up Lemonade. I wholeheartedly agree with you about ERATO becoming unamusedly over-used. Perhaps that fill needs to start being disguised, something like "An overmused crossword clue."

Once again, I cringed at the sight of Roman Numerals (4D). Typically the perps help, but in this case SAVILE ROW was new to me.

Have a good Friday everyone!

HeartRx said...

Anonymous @ 1:12, as Kazie noted, the "shorthand" for this Corner is explained in the link in the OLIO section. Sorry for correcting john28man, but a "clecho" is a clue which echos another clue in the puzzle (not an answer entry). For example:
X-Across "Place to get wraps" as a clue for SPA
and
Y-Across "Place to get wraps" as a clue for SUBWAY

I just finished catching up on last night's comments. I don't use sandpaper at all. When I am mudding, I smooth the joint with a damp sponge, rinsing it often in a bucket of water. It also takes a gentle hand to get the edges right. Then when it is dry, I use a damp sponge again to remove any leftover roughness. Then a final coat in places that need it, damp sponge and done. Much less messy than sanding.

We went to see "The Grand Budapest Hotel" last night. A slightly whacky, but thoroughly enjoyable movie. Has anyone else seen it?

Lemonade714 said...

YR, I am aware of MAMMA MIA which is from a Swedish band; it was growing up and interacting with many NY, NJ and Connecticut Italian families and never seeing anyone use the second M that made me think there was a problem. Though obviously your link shows I was wrong. Do we have any Italians here at the Corner?

Steve, nice to see you on a Friday and I imagine the Savile Row is not for any but the very well heeled.

I still think the clue for MESSIANIC sounds more like it is asking for either a UPS guy, or Derek Jeter.

Argyle said...

"House" (also known as "House, M.D.") and "Doogie Howser, M.D."

No nit.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, With a few Google lookups, I finished all of this puzzle. Too many unknowns to finish on my own.

I don't usually try Friday's but had some time today, so did better than I expected.

Ajar was the best answer of all today. I also thought that the Vice Principle clue was good. Another great way to clue Sin. the Vice Principal is the one on campus that works with the sinners at school.

Kazie, Wonderful pictures from your trip. To have colorful birds like that at your backyard feeder would be spectacular.

Hatoolah, yes, BULOVA to me is not a luxury watch.

I saw the word vile in the first three theme entries, but the "I Love Rock and Roll" answer broke the rule, so then I didn't know what to think. Thanks, for explaining things Lemonade.

Have a great day, everyone.

Hahtoolah said...

HeartRx: we saw the Grand Budapest Hotel. It was okay, but all of Wes Anderson films seem the same style. He also directed The Royal Tenenbaums, which I liked, and Moonrise Kingdom, which bored me to death. His style can be a bit grating, in my opinion.

kazie said...

HeartRx,
That movie was highly recommended by my Honolulu cousins, and I want to see it too! Just haven't had time yet.

Blue Iris said...

Ol Man Keith, Christians call this day "Good" Friday because they believe Jesus died for all sin and ended sacrifices. I'm sure it seems odd to celebrate the bloody sacrifice of a man.
CC, please e-mail me if I have stepped into religious territory and I will gladly apologize.

HG, I just watched "Despicable Me II" last night. I couldn't help laughing at the minions being used as a Wine PRESSers with one dressed like Carmen Miranda(sp?).

Kazie, I so enjoyed your pictures. I can't imagine having a wallaby in my backyard. I would love seeing more bird photos.

I had some difficulty with fills that have already been mentioned. Lemony, Thanks for explaining the theme because I didn't figure it out until coming here.

My daughter is here and cooking Easter dinner. I think I have finally given in to the fact that I can no longer stand long enough to finish the job. I started making "orange coconut treats" to send to daughter in Florida and daughter at home had to finish them. One of my favorite activities has always been cooking and baking. I'm going to sit at the table to frost sugar cookies now. Hope I can finish because treats are being sent late as it is.

Everyone have a good weekend!

Anonymous said...

Eleventyseven
13

Tin, I know you don't like Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but even you can't not appreciate these pictures.

Then again, the headline says it all...

Kanpai!

buckeye bob said...

Lemonade –

Mamma appears in the online Italian dictionary at WordReference.com. Mama does not.

The name of a local Italian restaurant is Mamma DiSalvo’s.

I agree it seems odd to us, but apparently Mama is English and not Italian.

Inanehiker said...

amazing speed run for a Friday, "are you already done?" my spouse said as I walked into the kitchen.

@old man Keith - humorous explanation for Good Friday:
http://www.christianfunnypictures.com/2012/04/why-is-good-friday-called-good-friday.html

@Heart Rx - enjoyed the quirkiness and total experience of the Grand Budapest hotel. My son pointed out that Wes Anderson loves to film movies with everything exactly centered if possible:
http://vimeo.com/89302848

OwenKL said...

YR: the problem with CAVERS isn't the underground part. Except for a smattering of park rangers and geologists, CAVERS are exploring for the fun of it, not for a paycheck. So "underground worker" is the quibble.

Jayce: I also equated STL with blues music, after NOL wouldn't work.

MAMMA is onomatopoetic, so Mama, Momma, MAMMA, or maybe even Mommy should all be fine in any language.

I remembered it was the Nemean lion, but wasn't sure that meant the valley was spelt NEMEA.

Agree that AmEx and MDs should have been flagged as abbreviations. I can see the justification on M.D.s, but it was dotted as abbreviations in the show titles, so still should have been so considered in the puzzle.

Yellowrocks said...

I am so surprised at those who thought of Mama Mia. We have many eateries named Mamma Mia and the Broadway show and the movie named Mamma Mia are very popular.
Although we have many Asians, especially Indians and Chinese, I don't look Asian. so my students always asked me whether I was Catholic or Jewish. The predominate ethnicity was Italian. Mama Mia? Unheard of.
The Latina waitresses, bank tellers and sales people call me Mama. It feels respectful. Do they mean Momma?
In my youth we addressed my mother as Mama, changed to Mom as we matured.

Yellowrocks said...

Owen from Wiki and other sources, "Physical or biological science is also an important goal for some cavers, while others are engaged in cave photography."

Misty said...

More sweet notes about Dusty from Abejo, Nancy, and Irish Miss. Thank you all again! It's beginning to feel a lot like Easter!

Bill G. said...

D-O, 8. I see others figured it out already.

I have been slow posting because of a very difficult few days. Barbara was having a bleeding issue, went to the doctor, he sent her to Urgent Care. They were concerned about Diverticulosis and sent her to the hospital for a colonoscopy. All of that took five times longer than necessary. Meanwhile, I was really stressed out. It turned out to be nothing serious and I finally brought her home a couple of hours ago. Whew...

On a totally different matter, do you know of Leon Redbone? If you like old-fashioned music, you might really love him. He is really laid back while crooning very enjoyable old classics; sort of dixieland, sort of bluesy with a little tasteful yodeling thrown in. I feel like I'm listening to old 78s with the scratches included. I think it's worth buying a CD of his or downloading some songs from iTunes. I created a Pandora station with his name and it's my favorite at the moment.

Argyle said...

Favorite Leon Redbone:

Seduced(2:43)

Argyle said...

Huh!?! The name Lois just came to me. I wonder why?

PK said...

BillG: Glad to hear Barbara's problem isn't serious. But the period before the tests come in is certainly very stressful for you.

Chickie said...

Bill G.
I'm so glad to hear that Barbara is recovering and that her tests proved nothing serious. The hardest part is waiting for results.

For those of you who celebrate on Sunday, have a lovely Easter.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Swell puzzle, Peter! Great expo, Lemon!

As some of you have mentioned, easy for a Friday. Took less time than Thursday, too! Liked the theme!

Glad to hear Dusty is better.

Terrific pics, Kazie!

Swimming pool repaired! Quite pricey. Had a great swim today.

Got a 9728 on THREES yesterday. Love it when the confetti comes down.

Cheers!

Lucina said...

As I said, I don't know Italian and though I love the movie, MAMMA MIA and have seen it many times, the fact it was sung by a Swedish band colored my perception.

I'm glad to know the facts. Thanks, Yellowrocks.

Misty:
I had been meaning to send good wishes for Dusty and I'm glad to know he is now better. There is nothing like having your pets in comfort and good health.

BillG:
I'm sorry to hear about Barbara and hope that she will be well. Prayers for her and you.

Irish Miss said...

Bill G - Best wishes to Barbara; I hope she is feeling better.

Abejo said...

Lemonade:

I still think the clue for MESSIANIC sounds more like it is asking for either a UPS guy, or Derek Jeter.

Remember, the Clue had a question mark. That kind of eliminates the UPS guy.

Abejo

(92 85265998)

Anonymous T said...

WEES said. I got most of the pzl, but a big fat DNF for me.

Blues called for CHI, Wraps & Scrubs for ERs. Oh, well.

Misty, glad to hear Dusty's better. Bill G. sorry you stressed over Barbara's tests for too long. Happy to hear it was for naught.

I enjoyed the write-up (thanks LEM), the theme, and only came to add Olive or Twist, a book I have on my shelf. Tin, this should be up your alley (and it's less than a ballpark beer!)

Cheers, -T

Lemonade714 said...

ABEJO, I was thinking of Splynter so I said UPS guy

Magilla Go-Rilla said...

But now she knows!!