google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, April 7, 2014 Jack McInturff

Gary's Blog Map

Apr 7, 2014

Monday, April 7, 2014 Jack McInturff

Theme: Classic Focus - Two word entries with the same beginning initials except that's not enough these days so the second letter of the second entry is also identical.

17A. Takeout option : CHINESE FOOD

27A. Subject for a meteorologist : CLOUD FORMATION

37A. Look after : CARE FOR

47A. Bill Gates or Paul Allen, vis-à-vis Microsoft : COMPANY FOUNDER

62A. Summoned up : CALLED FORTH

68A. Exec. moneyman, and a hint to 17-, 27-, 37-, 47- and 62-Across : CFO

Argyle here. So this gave me a hard time which in retrospect, was my over-thinking the answers. A lot of "D'oh" moments. Very un-Scrabbley, missing: {BJKQVXZ}, not important but interesting. The unifier wasn't really necessary but does tighten up the theme. Two answers are verb phrases and the other three are "noun as adjective" noun phrases.

Across:

1. Theater attractions : SHOWS

6. Big fusses : TO-DOs

11. Gallery display : ART

14. Taxpayer's worry : AUDIT. Hush!

15. Real estate offering : HOUSE

16. Sinking ship signal : S-O-S

19. Wash. neighbor : IDA. (Idaho)

20. Personal IDs : SSNs

21. Ambulance destinations, for short : ERs. (emergency room)

22. Comfy shoe : LOAFER

24. Biblical pronoun : THEE

26. Bic products : PENS

33. Ross of the Supremes : DIANA

34. "__ won't be afraid": "Stand By Me" lyric : NO, I.  couldn't find the song sung by Miss Ross unfortunately.

35. French lady friend : AMIE

36. Jerusalem's land: Abbr. : ISRael

41. Chicken __ king : À LA

42. Swindle : SCAM

44. Prefix with classical : NEO

45. Bernese Alps peak : EIGER. The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland.


51. Those, to Tomás : ESOS

52. On an ocean liner, say : ASEA

53. All for __: to no avail : NAUGHT. Beware the dreadnaught if asea.

56. Co. that merged into Verizon : GTE. Formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation.

57. Gas company with toy trucks : HESS

61. Egyptian snake : ASP

65. Curtain support : ROD

66. Shed __: cry : A TEAR

67. Muhammad Ali's boxing daughter : LAILA

69. Requirements : NEEDS

70. Aggravate : ANNOY

Down:

1. Animal pouches : SACS

2. Comments from the confused : [HUHs]

3. Supreme Norse god : ODIN

4. __-Salem, N.C. : WINSTON

5. Fr. holy woman : STE.

6. 1994 Denis Leary film about a crook who acts as an arbiter : "THE REF"



7. Gut-punch reactions : [OOFs]

8. Batman and Robin, e.g. : DUO

9. Italian tenor standard : 'O SOLE MIO

10. Spiritual Arizona resort : SEDONA. Chamber of Commerce

11. "Keep dreaming" : "AS IF"

12. Came by horse : RODE

13. Old Russian royal : TSAR

18. Flower starter : SEED

23. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA

25. Former Congressional gp. concerned with Communist infiltration : HUAC. (House Un-American Activities Committee)

26. Univ. teacher : PROF.

27. "The __ Kid": '50s TV Western : CISCO. Dig the old ad.



28. Former Calif. NFLer : LA RAM
 
29. __ a kind: unique : ONE OF

30. Mental picture : IMAGE

31. Persian Gulf ship : OILER

32. Pretty close : NEAR

33. Checker, e.g. : DISC. The board game.

38. Provide critical comments for : ANNOTATE

39. Curious George creators Margret and Hans : REYS

40. Actress Russo : RENE

43. Video file format : MPEG. M(oving) P(icture) E(xperts) G(roup)

46. Boise resident : IDAHOAN

48. Trash bin : ASH CAN

49. Old cowboy movies : OATERs

50. Previously owned : USED

53. Drug cop : NARC

54. Dating from : AS OF

55. High hairstyle : UP-DO

56. Happy : GLAD

58. Emerald Isle : ERIN

59. Normandy battleground : ST. LÔ

60. One-horse carriage : SHAY

63. Dixie general : LEE. Robert E.

64. St. Pete's state : FLA. (St. Petersburg / Florida)


Argyle


63 comments:

  1. Good morning, everybody!
    Thanks, Argyle and Jack.
    I got the theme right away. That's rare for me, even on a Monday. I had to WAG a couple squares. Both were S, but finished fairly quickly. I wouldn't want a week of Monday puzzles, but I sure like to start the week with one.

    Four hour drive to airport today,
    Montana

    Captcha is PROBLEM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, all!

    Typical Monday solve for me. Maybe a skosh slower than normal, but no real speed bumps I can recall along the way. The theme seemed a bit strained to me (two word phrases where the first word starts with "O" and the second words starts with "FO"), but that didn't affect the solve at all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought the reveal, CFO, made this a very well done effort. I had no idea who created Curious George but the rest was fine.

    Have a safe flight Montana, on your way back to Connecticut?

    Enjoy the week all

    ReplyDelete
  4. There once was a pirate from IDAHO
    Who plundered the oceanic cash flow.
    He raised an embargo
    On multinational's cargo;
    He was known as the Corporate Sea Foe!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Two Idaho answers.

    Lazy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yawn. Weak gimmick, no particularly interesting theme entries. Strange that two entries were forms of IDAHO. If you're gonna do that, they should at least have had clues that tied them together, like "short spud st." and "spud st. resident". Or tied the ship clues together in a mini-theme: "ship in distress", "ship in its milieu", "ship in Persian Gulf". Argyle's comment suggests "aft of dread ship"; 12d could have been "what ship did to waves."

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree Owen.

    Also the lyrics from "Stand By Me" could be a clecho:

    34a NO I won't be afraid.

    66a no I won't SHED a tear

    ReplyDelete
  8. Would've liked; 7D Bad punch lines?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Owen said it all. Didn't get the theme and when Argyle explained it I got a headache. One more thing. If I see asif one more time in a puzzle I'll scream. Where did that come from? I've never heard anyone use it in my company.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good Morning Everybody!

    Easy puzzle today with a few hiccups. I PERPED EIGER, EOS, HUAC, SHAY and REYS.

    It took me a minute to figure out LARAM. I was thinking that was some football player's last name. Oh! L.A. RAM. I see!

    I've never said "As if", and hope I never do.

    Have a great week everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good morning!

    This was a nice romp, and not a speed run like most Monday puzzles.

    Don't know that I'd call SEDONA "spiritual", but it sure is a pretty place. Even this colorblind guy could see the red rocks.

    I was wondering just who this LARAM guy was. Thanx, Argyle.

    Husker, I didn't see anybody answer your question yesterday. It was Johnny, the joker, who was the Bird Dog.

    The CISCO Kid was ahead of its time. It was filmed in color, so it survived well in syndication once color TV became popular. Each episode ended with the familiar, "Oh, Cisco!" "Oh, Pancho!" You just knew they were going to get married.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jack McInturff, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    Good start for the week. Got through the puzzle easily. Enjoyed the fill

    No problem here with two Idahos. Not a big deal for me on a Monday.

    GTE was a good answer. They used to own the company I worked for, then sold us to ATT. After that we went caput. Of course, the entire industry was changing so it was not entirely ATT's fault.

    Used to watch the Cisco Kid as a youth. Good show.

    Did not know REYS. Perped it.

    Theme was fine. I am not a chinese food nut, but my wife and daughter are. They eat it quite often.

    I have been to SEDONA, Arizona. Nice place. A little cooler than Phoenix.

    Lots of yard work this morning before it rains. See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (3 8525888)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Usual Monday.
    In the late 40's and early 50's the HUAC created the famous (infamous) Hollywood Blacklist which damaged many careers.
    Riding the cable car up Mt. Eiger in Switzerland we viewed spectacular scenery.
    I can't begin to guess how many Curious George books by the REYS I read with my grandson, some multiple times.
    I have heard AS IF used many times by teens. It was popularized by the movie, Clueless, in 1995. In these last years I don't have as much contact with teens, except for my grandson. I don't know whether it is still popular.

    Mom used to read the 101 Famous Poems to us. One of my favorites was The Deacon’s Masterpiece by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

    Have you heard of the wonderful one-hoss shay,
    That was built in such a logical way
    It ran a hundred years to a day,
    And then, of a sudden, it — ah, but stay,
    I'll tell you what happened without delay,
    Scaring the parson into fits,
    Frightening people out of their wits, —
    Have you ever heard of that, I say?

    LinkEntire poem

    Link One-Hoss Shay in Wiki

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Everyone ~~

    A Monday speed run and as others have said, nothing really stands out - except for me, the theme. I glanced at the answers as I was working and noticed the C _ F _ and that was it. Not until the unifier did I see the CFO ~ duh.

    Thanks for the write-up, Argyle. I liked your title incorporating the theme - "Classic FOcus."

    Another UCONN win last night ~ both men's and women's teams now in the National Championship games, tonight and tomorrow night!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good day everyone,

    "Oh Pancho...Si Cisco" was the end of another 1/2 hour romp between the two amigos and a fun OATER from my early TV western viewing. Heck, I never met a western I didn't like.

    Not much to carp about today except I could not decide if it was Annatate or ANNOTATE/ Esas or ESOS. Must be my lucky day because I wagged the O.

    No issues about the theme today because back in the day I was a CFO.

    Two UConn games of "somewhat importance" over the next two evenings, both starting after 9:00 PM. Have to figure out how the heck I'm going to stay awake.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Musings
    -Why do I think what we call CHINESE FOOD wouldn’t taste like that in Xi'An?
    -I have friends north of 65 who have to CARE FOR their elderly parents and/or grandchildren
    -We ate in a chichi restaurant Saturday where a pipe covered in aluminum foil was ART
    -Although NEAR, the USS Californian didn’t hear Titanic’s S-O-S because their radio operator had gone to bed and didn’t see their light signals because of the cold air around the iceberg refracted the light
    -Every teacher’s desk is covered in PENS and markers but not one darn pencil
    -Stand By Me is one of those movies that spoke to all of us boys of a, uh, certain age
    -Three religions of peace can’t seem to find any in ISR
    -My goal in the 50’s was simply to ANNOY my sister. However, yesterday I fixed her computer, so…
    -Fascinating onstage comparison of Elvis singing It’s Now Or Never and his backup singer doing O Sole Mio (4:00)
    -Yeah right, a woman who looks like RENE Russo would fall for a man who looks like this
    -I’m sure all our historians here know what happened to Robert E LEE’s home during the civil war
    -I was surprised to see two Idaho references. Lupino who was Farmer’s Daughter?
    -AS IF was very common in middle school as part of the valley girl lexicon
    -Right, Otto. Ear worm du jour! (2:15) that could have been in Stand By Me

    ReplyDelete
  17. There was something at the end of that cable car ride I wanted to check out:

    But this wasn't what I expected...

    Ah, here we go! (These people are just plain nuts!)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good morning everyone. Always like your intro, Argyle. Intro to the intro gave me a chuckle.

    This puzzle didn't come to NAUGHT. Usually like Jack's puzzles and I liked today's. Didn't need the unifier but it allowed me to drop in a couple o's at FORTH and FOUNDER. Didn't know REYS and THE REF but perps were ample.
    Here is a SHAY Geared Locomotive typical of which were USED on logging railroads.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good Morning:

    Easy, breezy offering from Jack Mac, except for the esos/Reys crossing which was a wag for me. Otherwise, smooth sailing.

    Thanks, Jack, and thanks, Argyle, for the expo.

    Rooting for UConn in the big dance.

    Cloudy and gloomy here with heavy rains expected later.

    BTW, HG, that Elvis performance was 6 months before he died.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Enjoyed this Monday level puzzle even with clechos of IDAHOAN and IDA. Also noticed AS IF and AS OF. Mondays always encourage me in my crossword solving ability!

    I didn't know LAILA and didn't understand LA RAM (thanks Argyle) but perps filled in anyway.

    I heard O SOLE MIO just last week performed by Canadian tenor Ken Lavigne at a concert. Wonderful!

    One of my best travel memories is having picnic lunch on a park bench in Interlaken Switzerland with Mt.EIGER, Monch, and Jungfrau in view. Then we took a scenic trip to a small village near Grindelwald - you could hear the cowbells as we took a carriage ride and saw the cheese shop. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  21. CanadianEh, your post brought back pleasant memories. I had those same experiences in Switzerland. Also we went to a delightful village in the Alps where auto traffic was forbidden.
    CED I had viewed the same exact cable car video early this AM. Gret minds.....

    ReplyDelete
  22. Well, after the tough Friday and Saturday we had last week, I was hoping for a Monday speed run. This wasn't it as I struggled with the top middle for a little while and ended without knowing how _SOS was supposed to begin. But I guessed ESOS and Tada! I did get the whole puzzle. Whew! What a relief! I was beginning to worry about my little grey cells, as Poirot would say.

    So, thanks, Jack, and you too, Argyle, for the fun expo.

    Have a great week, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Good day, puzzlers!

    Thank you, Jack McInturff. Since I have much to do today, this was a very quick walk in the park.

    A long pause, however at 51A because my newspaper had Those, to Tom's but I finally sussed it must be Tomas and therefore ESOS since I'm familiar with MPEG. whew!

    All else was easy and I wondered why no cross cluing for 19A and 46D not that I'm a fan of that style.

    desper-o:
    Many spiritualists flock to SEDONA because it's believed that a powerful vortex converges there and provides a strong spiritual force.

    Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That was a pleasant Monday diversion. Thanks Jack and Argyle.

    CED, that was some monorail coaster ride. Wow!

    I just downloaded "The Pillars of the Earth." I'm looking forward to it.

    I'm familiar with 'As if', 'My bad', 'Whatever' though they aren't part of my speaking vocabulary. The more pervasive one though is 'Like' as in "Like, she was all 'Whatever dude' and I was like 'As if!' You should, like, be so lucky. D'oh!"

    [314159265359]

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi gang -

    OK puzzle for a Monday. Not much to add.

    Not exactly ANNOTATE, but if any GoT fans who watched last night's season opener are interested in a scene by scene analysis, it can be found here.

    Cool regards!
    JzB

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello everybody. Nice puzzle with which to start a Monday.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Y'all! Fast & fun puzzle, Jack Mc! Thanks, Argyle! I didn't even see several of the clues until I read your expo.

    Took awhile to remember HUAC & ESOS. Didn't know REYS or HESS or MPEG, but eventually they filled themselves.

    I was speeding along so fast, I didn't get the theme until the reveal. Liked it, as an old "bean counter".

    Parasail-skiing down that mountain was enough excitement to last me awhile. Maybe I'll look at the monorail later if my courage returns.

    ReplyDelete
  28. It took a little more time than most Monday pzls, but it was a pleasant
    enough start to the week.

    Husker and HeartRX, et al.,,
    Thanks for your comments on Saturday re. my avatar. Yes, it is the female demon, and, yes, its flexibility amazes me.
    I first became intrigued by the Noh convention of relating a story via the ghost of a departed character when a small touring group from Japan visited Williams College and demonstrated how Hamlet would be presented in their tradition. It all began with a long haunted narration by--who else but Ophelia?

    Of the various Nohs I have seen since then, my favorite was by a group touring in LA's Little Tokyo. Their particular tradition was to perform the old plays outdoors at night by torches. You can probably imagine the fantastic visions we had seeing those masks lit by flickering firelight.
    The demon masks were rarely used, probably because their garishness benefits when they appear only sparingly. Strangely, the masks that seemed to gain the most flexibility in the glow of torches were the bland female faces, such as this Young Woman.

    ReplyDelete
  29. OMKeith:
    Do you watch DVD movies? You might be interested in The King of Masks (in Chinese with subtitles). It is a profound story which gave me some insight into the use of masks although it doesn't delve deeply into their meaning or use which you likely know more about anyway. But it's a wonderful story.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lucina,
    I think I saw it a while back- if it's the one where the boy adopted to learn his art turns out to be a girl? The traditional Japanese performance arts were handed on from parent /masters to their often-adopted children. And most were exclusively male.
    As strange as it may seem to westerners, we remember the same convention in Shakespeare's theater.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Although no masks with Shakespeare...
    (Except when they were actually performing the musical dance plays called "masques.")

    ReplyDelete
  32. Quote: "Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is." - Francis Bacon.

    I don't care what anyone says, I still prefer to look at Keith's handsome face rather than a demon. However, he has the right to appear anyway he determines.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Good afternoon,

    Thank you Jack McInturff and Argyle. Another easy Monday (which I greatly appreciated after last Friday's and Saturday's puzzles).

    Didn't know who LARAM was until I read Argyle's expo. Got Reys from perps.

    I've been to Sedona a couple of times. Beautiful! It's also a great place to find art galleries.

    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  34. Too late to comment – it has all been said!

    CED, I thoroughly enjoyed both of the videos @ 8:52. I did ride one of those alpine coasters in Interlaken, but I always wanted to para-ski like the first one. Thanks for the vicarious thrills!

    Bill G. @ 12:03, you totally sound like a real Valley Girl!!

    PK @ 3:31, I agree that Keith’s handsome face is much more pleasant to look at, but I do like learning more about a piece of Noh theatre that I otherwise would have missed.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Good day all,

    I caught up on yesterday's posts. I see that I missed two birthdays on Saturday. Irish Miss and Abejo. A belatedly Happy Birthday to both of you ! Abejo, let's get together for a beer. Also, congratulations on completing your Master Gardner's class.

    Thank you Jack McInturff. I enjoyed the puzzle today.

    Argyle, thank you for explaining board game Checker = DISC. My original thought was Checker taxi, and even though I quickly disproved taxi, it was lodged in my mind like the splinter that lodged in my finger the other day. Wouldn't come out.

    As I meandered aimlessly around the grid, my high hairstyle was at first AFRO and I ended up with UFDO when I failed to enter the P in ASP. Ergo, my grid was filled but no TADA.

    Speaking of CHINESE FOOD, I ordered Empress Chicken last week. You order it from mild to hot. I ordered medium. It was so hot I shed more than A TEAR. I do not know whether Empress Chicken is Hunan or Szechuan, but medium was hot.

    ReplyDelete
  36. From whence?
    (All from the same source.)
    =====

    It's terribly small, tiny little country. Rhode Island could beat the crap out of it in a war. THAT'S how small it is.

    =====

    Thrilling to meet you, Gloria.

    Hi.

    You obviously have a wonderful economy with words, Gloria. I look forward to your next syllable with great eagerness.

    =====

    I think I'll take a bath.

    I'll alert the media...


    [314159265359]

    ReplyDelete
  37. PK,
    I love the quote from Francis Bacon.
    Reminds me of a scene from an old German movie released not long after the war. Set it the Hitler bunker as the Russians are closing in-- not exactly a time for humor. A couple of drunken SS generals are listening to maudlin music and getting even more blotto when one says to the other:
    "Suppose there is a god after all?"
    The other breaks into near hysterical laughter. He can barely calm himself enough to say, "Don't be silly! If there were a god... there wouldn't be us."

    ReplyDelete
  38. Aww, Bill G. that one is just too easy - one of my favorite movies with Dudley Moore!! (To this day, whenever DH announces something mundane that he is going to do, I respond with, "I'll alert the media.")

    ReplyDelete
  39. Lovely puzzle. Did pretty well--never heard of HESS and as many times as I have read Curious George to my kids, could not remember the author! I can relate, Misty, to concerns about the little grey cells. Thanks for making me look at LARAM again, Argyle. I was expecting a given name, not a team name.
    My big smile for the day came with Cisco and Pancho. I loved that show when I was younger... Thanks for the clip!

    ReplyDelete
  40. OMKeith:
    Yes, that's the story. I love it, own it and like to see it every so often. Maybe tonight.

    BillG:
    You're funny, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Back to an easy puzzle to make me think I'm a good solver. Thank you, Jack McInturff. Loved the expo, Argyle.

    WEES. No problems with this one.

    Happy (belated) Birthday to Irish Miss and Abejo! I hope you have a wonderful year.

    Congratulation, Lemonade, on your debut puzzle! I finished about 2/3 of it and ran out of patience. I do that with Sunday's puzzles.

    Have a good rest of your Monday.

    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi all!

    Even in an earlier time-zone I'm too late to add much...

    Off the bat - Happy Belated Birthdays to IM and Abejo!

    A DNF, AS-IF! The SE held me up for a while (IREN?) I can never recall all the different spellings. IM, can you fill me in? SHAY was just a WAG that gave me HESS, so I changed the Emerald Isle.

    Bill G. - Is that your new watch in the Avatar?

    I'm in Boston this week, so much TODO - training during the day and my day-job an night. Ya' can't call me a LOAFER...

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  43. PK@3:31: "I don't care what anyone says, I still prefer to look at Keith's handsome face rather than a demon. However, he has the right to appear anyway he determines."

    Until you (or I) go blue, we really don't have the right to tell someone what they should be using as their avatar.

    As it so happens, I like it. I just think it needs a little more color.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'll add my vote in support of Keith's choice of an avatar. It seemed a bit macabre at first glance, sure, but with an explanation, there's nothing terribly odd about it. In context, it makes perfect sense. Bravo!!

    Say's the guy who has a horses ass as an avatar :-)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anon T @ 6:21 - Thanks for the birthday wishes. Usually in crosswords, any Ireland-related clue has either Erin or Eire as the answer. And then, there are the Aran Islands.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hola Everyone,A fairly quick solve today. Two unknowns were Hess and HUAC, but they were solved with the perps. This was a typical Monday puzzle, with four theme answers. It was probably harder to construct than is was to solve.

    Curious George authors, "Reys", was a given as these great little books have been read over and over to my children.

    Busy Monday morning with an eye appointment in the afternoon. My eyes are still very fuzzy from the dilation drops. The good news is that the small cataract hasn't changed much in a year. That makes me a non-candidate for surgery--at least for a while.

    I'm leaving at the end of the week to visit grandchildren in Tacoma, WA and to attend a baby shower for my Granddaughter-in-law. With a Downton Abbey theme we are to come in 1920's costume. Since when have baby showers been themed other than a baby theme? This is a first for me.

    Have a great day, everyone.;

    ReplyDelete
  47. IM - Thanks. Really, only two? My dyslexic brain had me convinced there were at least 5 or 6 variations of vowels. :-)

    Now I know better, thanks!

    Re - Keith. Creepy mask? Sure, but what is art if it doesn't make us stop and make us take note. It would be for NAUGHT.

    Ave Joe - LOL!

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  48. Al Cyone,

    You may be right about the color. The mask I have is plain wood, but you remind me of how much enrichment color can bring. I like your selection, but I will look around before switching yet again.

    ReplyDelete
  49. AnonT, yep, that's my new (old) pocket watch. There is absolutely no reason for my buying it. I just wanted it. It's about 90 years old, made by Hamilton and was used by railroad conductors. As such, they wanted a watch that kept good time. So they made it hard to set so the train guys wouldn't keep screwing with it and mess up the time keeping. You have to unscrew the front bezel, move a tiny little lever and then moving the stem will set the watch rather than wind it. The face has a distinctive font, don't you think?

    Marti said: I respond with, "I'll alert the media."
    Me too, probably about once a week.

    Here are a couple more quotes; good, but not quite as memorable.

    Arthur: You're a hooker? Jesus, I forgot! I just thought I was doing GREAT with you!

    Arthur: [to the mounted moosehead in Burt's den] This must be awfully embarrassing for you.

    Arthur: Oh, stay with me, Hobson. You know I hate to be alone.
    Hobson: Yes, bathing is a lonely business.
    Arthur: Except for fish.
    Hobson: I beg your pardon? Did you say "except for fish"?
    Arthur: Yes... fish all bathe together. Although they do tend to eat one another. I often think... fish must get awfully tired of seafood. What are you thoughts, Hobson?
    Hobson: Pardon me...

    ReplyDelete
  50. During my fellowship in Japan we were treated to Noh in Tokyo. My Japanese DIL who happened to be in Tokyo at that time on business joined me at the theater. My colleagues from America gathered round as DIL explained what was happening. Having studied some Japanese, I was dismayed at not picking up any of the language. DIL told us it was very old Japanese. The language is difficult and generally not understandable to a contemporary audience of Japanese people. DIL understood much of it.
    Wiki:
    Noh plays are divided by theme into the following five categories. Not all are ghost and demons.
    1.Kami mono (神物) or waki nō (脇能) typically feature the shite in the role of a human in the first act and a deity in the second and tell the mythic story of a shrine or praise a particular spirit.
    2.Shura mono (修羅物) or ashura nō (阿修羅能, warrior plays) have the shite often appearing as a ghost in the first act and a warrior in full battle regalia in the second, re-enacting the scene of his death.

    ReplyDelete
  51. 3,Katsura mono (鬘物, wig plays) or onna mono (女物, woman plays) depict the shite in a female role and feature some of the most refined songs and dances in all of Noh.
    4.There are about 94 "miscellaneous" plays, including kyōran mono (狂乱物) or madness plays, onryō mono (怨霊物) or vengeful ghost plays, and genzai mono (現在物), plays which depict the present time, and which do not fit into the other categories.
    5.Kiri nō (切り能, final plays) or oni mono (鬼物, demon plays) usually feature the shite in the role of monsters, goblins, or demons, and are often selected for their bright colors and fast-paced, tense finale movements. Probably Keith's type?

    Masks are worn when the actors do not look like the roles they are playing. Actors are all males and use masks to play females, old people, ghosts, devils, etc. The plays are solemn and stylized.

    ReplyDelete
  52. For old Oaters (and many other older series) ask your tv provider for METV...originally out of Chi Town but available in many markets now. (Rifleman, Big Valley, Bonanza Gun Smoke to name a few)
    SO wanted "knot" for 53a (Yankee!) and was frustrated when it wouldn`t fit!
    With all the flapdoodle (put THAT in a xword!) about avatars, AV Joe wins the prize IMHO.
    I fully expect to see a puzzle with odd words (such as mentioned) from Marti or CC fairly soon!
    Lemonade: better get familiar with Curious George (and Frances the Hedgehog and "Good Night Moon") for that granddaughter.
    CC,
    Is there news from or about Dummy?

    ReplyDelete
  53. I haven't seen The Cisco Kid in like forever. I do catch some old videos on cable including Andy Griffith and Gunsmoke.

    Here are some cool videos from today's Ellen show. They include a baby waking up to music, a guy getting scared and a very patient cat putting up with a puppy.

    Cool videos

    [314159265359]

    ReplyDelete


  54. Ol Man Keith's avatar is a mask ...

    some bloggers took him to task ...


    They complained hi and lo

    But he insisted on Noh


    It's his choice ... why bother to ask ?




    BTW CED, absolutely LOVED your links - just fantastic. Made my day.


    ReplyDelete

  55. Bill. G. ----
    Also LOVED your link on the baby Elk that was stopped by the barbed wire, in the herd. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  56. BillG etal: Well I thought I wouldn't comment, but then I see references to my favorite movie and can't help myself.

    Also in the bathing scene was (I'm paraphrasing here)...Bathing is such a lonely task, wouldn't you say Hobson to which Hobson replies, I supposed you want me to wash your d... you little s...?
    And the 'you're a hooker', is classic.

    And what are you doing later (Hobson to Liza) going to knock off a bowling alley?

    And the piano scene where he's singing 'If you knew Susan like I knew Susan, oh, oh I NEED A DRINK! I often say "I NEED A DRINK" which makes my kids laugh as they know I hardly ever drink any more but that I'm referring to a stressful situation.

    And finally, when we describe something SMALL, we often quote the Rhode Island lines...we're talking SMALL!

    Loved Cisco Kid as a kid.

    When I resided in NYS, GTE was my phone company in the mid-'90s.

    My 17 yr old grandson is named Winston.

    My son owned a towing company in Atlanta area and each year they collected the HESS trucks so that was a gimme.

    That's it for me unless I recall more Arthur lines. I must have watched it 25 times and I'm somebody who usually only wants to see a movie or read a book or do a jigsaw puzzle once.

    ReplyDelete
  57. OMK (as opposed to OMG) - forgot to mention your Avatar. At first I thought it was creepy, however, as time has passed and with all the informative discussion, it's begun to grow on me. Very learning experience for me and I think we should all be entitled to our choice of representation.

    ReplyDelete
  58. kjikc and Marti: Wow! You guys have the best parts of Arthur memorized! I love it too. I found it on a cable station I had never heard of, tonight at 10:30 so I'm recording it. I'm sure I will be laughing tomorrow and thinking of you guys laughing too.

    On those Ellen videos earlier, were you impressed with those two boys and their trick golf shot? I had to watch it three times to figure out what was going on.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Bill G: I watched the videos and first let me say, the dogs reminded of the clown trick where 25 clowns pile out of a VW...

    I'm not sure if I understood what the golf trick was. Is it the first guy hits it, then the second hits the same ball? I have an almost 10 yr old computer and it kept buffering through a lot of it and it was hard to keep track.

    In re the computer, I now have a red icon and when I mouse over it it states: PC status At Risk due to my running MS XP. I really don't want to make an investment in a new computer but I also don't want to leave myself open to hackers as I pay almost everything online and do a lot of online shopping as it's not easy for me to get to the store to shop anymore. And besides the expense, there's the task of transferring everything over to a new one, reset router, reload printer, etc. etc. Enough whining for one night, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  60. kjinkc: Yes, that was the tricky golf shot. The first boy hit a little short chip shot right where the second boy would hit a ball off the tee. I would guess they had to try it many times to get one good shot.

    I always worry about getting new stuff too and then getting it to work the way I want it to. I have to say that the last time I got a new iMac, it was mostly plugging the old computer into the new one and waiting about a hour or two. Easy peasy with some few adjustments and tweaks. I don't know what's involved in setting up a new PC. I'll bet a kid, friend, neighbor, coworker could help you with it. Good luck whatever you do.

    ReplyDelete
  61. ARBAON,
    I'm not in contact with him (or Jimbo).

    ReplyDelete

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

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.