google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday Apr 22, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

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Apr 22, 2014

Tuesday Apr 22, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Save the LAST word for me! Bruce and Gale's Tuesday offering was fun to do and to blog for this Husker coming in from the computer bullpen.


20A. Fictional legal secretary : DELLA STREET. She too was instrumental in foiling Hamilton Berger

34A. The 1969 Mets, e.g. : CINDERELLA STORY. Every golfer knows Carl's from Caddyshack





 43A. Cheesy appetizer : MOZZARELLA STICK

And the reveal (also how toy Tonka trucks were built)

58A. Constructed for endurance, and a hint for the word hidden in 20-, 34- and 43-Across : BUILT TO LAST

Let's trek onward to see what slightly LATE Easter eggs Gail and Bruce left for us. 


Across:

1. "Battlestar Galactica" genre : SCI-FI. I put 2001 A Space Odyssey at the top of my list. 

6. Rejuvenation destination : SPA

9. Thyroid, e.g. : GLAND. How my doctor found out I had hypo-active thyroid gland



14. Couldn't stomach : HATED. Middle school kids either HATE something or find it AWESOME. Surely their phones have a thesaurus!

15. Weather report backdrop : MAP

16. Bro : HOMIE.

17. Colgate rival : ORAL B

18. Catering dispenser : URN. A staple in every church basement

19. Put on a pedestal : EXALT

23. __-pitch softball : SLO. I've seen a SLEW of friends rack up bad injuries in this game. Check your birth certificate boys!

24. Hubbub : ADO

25. Charlie Parker's instrument : ALTO SAX. Professional muscian who is marrying my daughter named his son Parker in honor of Charlie.

27. Fed. benefits issuer : SSA

30. Chatters : GABS

33. Caseworker's coll. major, perhaps : SOC (Sohsh)

40. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO ...and then split

41. Mormon sch. : BYU

42. Director Kazan : ELIA

48. Historic time : ERA. Is Tiger Woods' over?

49. Arizona county or its seat : YUMA

50. Gives a thumbs-up : OKS. That corral was in Tombstone, not Yuma

51. Prom accessory : CORSAGE. You might want to let her mom pin that on!

55. Menu words : ALA

57. __ Dhabi : ABU

64. Exodus mount : SINAI

66. __ Fring, "Breaking Bad" drug kingpin : GUS. #3 in TV Guide's nastiest villains of all time

67. Elementary seed : OVULE

68. Colorful aquarium fish : TETRA

69. Broom rider : HAG

70. Evenings, on marquees : NITES. Correct spelling if English made sense

71. German industrial city : ESSEN

72. Sound of annoyance : TUT

73. Hemingway's "The __ of Kilimanjaro" : SNOWS

Down:

1. Not barefoot : SHOD. Back to flip flops now!

2. Part of TLC : CARE

3. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL

4. Guy : FELLA. I remember singing Standing on the Corner from The Most Happy Fella in high school boy's glee or was it in boy's OCTET?

5. Govt. security pass : ID BADGE. My guide mishandled an id badge going through a door in a nuclear power plant and a lady with a machine gun appeared post haste!

6. Lewd material : SMUT. Is this an anachronism today?

7. Henry VIII's last wife Catherine : PARR. Hey, another LAST thrown in. She just outlived him.

8. Breathing trouble during sleep : APNEA. Does snoring = apnea?

9. Inner city areas : GHETTOS. It's now an adjective, as in, "That is so ghetto!"

10. Bagel topping : LOX

11. Stock up on : AMASS

12. Nabisco cookie named for its flavor : NILLA. Gotta love 'em.


13. Rehab program : DETOX. It was painful, but one saved dad. Not my brother.

21. Use an updraft, say : SOAR. Soarin' is a very popular ride at EPCOT



22. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA. Born Free, my dad's an obstetrician

26. Large wedding band : OCTET

27. Bathtub buildup : SCUM. Tut, tut

28. __-Japanese War : SINO

29. 1998 animated film with soldiers, workers and a queen : ANTZ

31. Actress Neuwirth : BEBE. Who could have done Lilith better?

32. In a sneaky way : SLYLY

35. Sleeps lightly : DOZES. I can do a refreshing 5 min. doze. You?

36. Humdinger : LULU. If you're hip, you've heard of this Lulu.



37. Mishmash : OLIO. CC's usual email subject line

38. "Jessie's Girl" singer Springfield : RICK

39. Chatters : YAKS. YAKety Sax was Benny Hill's theme song but I don't think Charlie Parker ever played it.

44. High-spirited horse : ARABIAN. Much preferred to ARAB alone.

45. Sauce brand with "Robusto!" flavors : RAGU. LaVerne and Shirley had the Big RAGU

46. "I __ my wit's end!" : AM AT

47. Oater hangouts : SALOONS. Was Miss Kitty's the most famous?

51. Social stratum : CASTE

52. Big Apple stage honors : OBIES

53. Pipsqueaks : RUNTS

54. Highest unstriped ball : EIGHT. Eight ball was the game of choice in my Uncle's SALOON for us kids

56. Trouble-making chipmunk : ALVIN

59. Tropical party : LUAU

60. USAF rank : TSGT

61. Caddy or Jag : AUTO

62. Large quantity : SLEW.

63. Hardy's "Pure Woman" : TESS

65. "Just the Way You __": Bruno Mars hit : ARE. I'll take the Lettermen's version.

Off to golf league on a beautiful spring day. I hope we aren't, uh, LAST!

Husker

42 comments:

OwenKL said...

The Shadow's girlfriend is Margo Lane,
Clark Kent's co-worker is Lois Lane,
Perry Mason is sweet
On his girl DELLA STREET --
Would they all be "roadies" in the fiction domain?

An engineer was invited to sup
By a mathematician, and over a cup
They argued a decision
On pi's needed precision
3.1415 is heading for the LAST round-up!

- - - A CINDERELLA STORY - - -
There was an old lady who lived in a flat,
Because high-heeled boots are a thing of the past.
It held all her children
(They seemed like a zillion).
It was specially cobbled, so it was BUILT TO LAST!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Didn't know GUS, but the perps took care of it for me. Everything else today was like butter and I posted one of my fastest time in memory. Of course, given the state of my memory lately, that's not saying too much...

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Fun offering, Gail and Bruce! Swell expo, Husker!

No problems, as with yesterday. Worked these tonight. I have been laid up after long car rides and sitting in a chair for some time at Easter dinner. The first time this has happened in many years (going out, I mean). Could not attempt puzzles due to excruciating back ache. Maybe I'll get to Sunday's puzzle tomorrow.

I really like The Bletchly Circle.

Cheers!

buckeye bob said...

Thank you for the puzzle, Gail & Bruce. Excellent review, Husker Gary! Thanks for subbing!

Another easy puzzle, as it should be on a Tuesday.

I wanted Miracle Mets or Amazin’ Mets at 34A, but waited for a few perps and got CINDERELLA STORY.

Hand up for didn’t know GUS Fring, but the perps took care of it.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce and Gail, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review. Is this your first time reviewing?

Got through pretty easily. Took me about a half hour. That is fast for me.

GUS was easy for 66A. I have been watching Breaking Bad since our daughter caught on to it. I saw the show where Gus got his.

Liked the theme. DELLA STREET was easy. I think I read all the Perry Mason books as a youth. Like MOZZARELLA STICKs.

EIGHT was easy. I was a pool aficionado as a younger person.

SALOONS reminded me of the old westerns I miss.

Just had ARABIAN the other day.

Lots to do. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(94365565 37)

Lemonade714 said...

Congratulations HG on your return to the pinch hitting world.

inanehiker said...

Smooth Tuesday. I thought the theme was going to have to do with ELLA as all the long answers contained that name, but it didn't span between the 2 words in the answer.

As to HG question about snoring/apnea in 8D: there are many reasons for snoring, not just obstructive sleep apnea. But almost everyone who has apnea will snore.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Wow, Husker, you'll sub at anything! Nice job. I chuckled my way through your writeup. Apparnetly Argyle is still monitoring the situation. Argyle, have you considered going to see Alice?

If unfamiliar Gus was #3, who came in first and second?

If it wasn't Miss Kitty's SALOON, maybe it was Rosa's Cantina.

This puzzle just begs for this song 2:46

Off to see the gum doctor...

Mari said...

Good morning everybody. I saw DELLA STREET and hoped the theme would have to do with Perry Mason. I've read over 100 books by Erle Stanley Gardner, and would read more if I could find them. I've tapped out all of the libraries in my area.

I was looking for the MIiracle Mets - didn't see CINDERELLA STORY coming.

After hearing so much hype about the last season of Breaking Bad I picked up the first season on DVD. It contained 3 disks, and I got through the first one. I'd like to see more, but it's very time consuming.

I hope you all have a great day!

thehondohurricane said...

Hello everyone,

Slow start today, but picked up quickly for a speedy (for me) finish. Began with the down clues in the North and led to a ?????. 18A was jan until I realized Catherine's last name was spelled PARR, not Paar.

I didn't then, nor do I today, think of the '69 Mets as a CINDERELLA TEAM. They simply played their best baseball of the season at the right time.

HG, congrats. Thoroughly enjoyed the write up. You are indeed a Super Sub.

thehondohurricane said...


I hate my key board! 18a should read jan, not jan.

thehondohurricane said...

Damn, damn damn, I did it again. It should read uan, not jan.

Qli said...

WooHoo! My speediest speed run to date! Thanks, Gail and Bruce; I was really on your wavelength today! I even picked up on theme right away.

But l guess I am not hip, since I have no idea what Hiusker's logo for LULU means. Does that mean I am in the NERD camp? or lower CASTE?

Great limericks today, Owen. Living in a (ballet) flat must be like sleeping under the stars for most of those zillion kids!

Hope your back feels better soon, fermatprime. I think my 97 year old MIL was at our house for the last time on Easter Sunday. Going up and down all the stairs in this split foyer home was just excruciating for her.

JD said...

Good morning Husker and all,

Always fun to see a Gail/Bruce CW, and a surprise to see you too, Gary! This was a quick run, although I had to WAG the last S to fill SSA/Sino. Saloon didn't come easily either.

I'm fighting off some annoying virus that is in my sinuses and throat...may have to go back to sleep.

Magilla Go-Rilla said...

65D - Another manufactured pop-singer we can forget about. Is this the Billy Joel song? I liked Joel's version especially for the Phil Woods alto solo.

Middletown Bomber said...

This was a speed run for me. It was Monday difficulty but it would have been a Monday speed run as well. I had no difficulty with any clue I looked at and each clue helped with the words to the next clue I guess this is what it feels like when you are on the same wavelength as the constructor.

Lucina said...

Hello, Puzzlers! What a surprise to see you, Husker. Excellent job subbing.

Thanks to Gail and Bruce for a lovely speed run today. No coffee needed. I liked FELLA rhyming with DELLA.

At first I thought the theme might involve ELLA since it appeared in all three reveals.

I hope Argyle's computer will recover soon from whatever ails it.

Have a marvelous Tuesday, everyone!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Thanks, Gail and Bruce, for a quick, fun Monday solve. And thanks to our sub, Husker Gary, nice job.

Gray and gloomy with rain coming later in the day. Typical April roller coaster weather.

Haircut appointment today, then picking up pizza for lunch with one of my best friends who is recovering from hip replacement surgery. (She has had both hips and both knees replaced. In light of her physical challenges, I consider myself very fortunate and try not to complain about any health issues.)

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Tinbeni said...

Husker: Great job subbing today. Fore!!!
Bruce & Gail: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle.

Hmmm, GHETTOS crossing HOMIE ... mini-theme?

My fave today, of course, was 47-D, Oater hangout, SALOONS ... go figure.

When I do the "Pinch-hitting" at my Sunset toast I say ...
Cheers!!!

Argyle said...

I had another monitor by noon Monday but I'm not one who would deny HG a sub job!

Bill G. said...

Super job Gary! How much training is needed to fill in like that? Thanks Gail and Bruce for a fine Tuesday puzzle.

I thought ELLA was somehow going to be the theme word before I got to the reveal. Odd that is precedes LAST in all of the theme words. (Damn! Lucina, I think we may share the same DNA somehow.) :>)

Ellen had on the sweetest little boy and his mother yesterday. He was born with half a heart. He has just gotten on the transplant list and should have an operation soon. He thinks Ellen is his girl friend. She gave his mom a check from Shutterfly to help with his medical expenses. I wish them well. I remember tearing up the first time he was on her show. It happened again yesterday and yet again just now when I replayed it for Barbara. Geez...

Misty said...

Yay! A Tuesday Gail and Bruce speed run and a total delight of a puzzle--many thanks! And thanks to you, Husker, for subbing.

Like inanehiker and Lucina, I was sure that ELLA was going to be the theme. Took me a minute to find the real theme word at LAST.

I thought wedding band referred to jewelry, and stared at OCTET, wondering, until I finally heard the music.

Hope you feel better soon, fermatprime.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Hand up for needing perps for Gus. I've never seen Breaking Bad. Maybe that would be a good thing to pass the time next winter, between Downton Abbey episodes.

Morning, Husker! Nicely done. By the way, I looked at the simplified golf concepts from yesterday - I have no opinion about that part, but I can well imagine that America no longer has the attention span to play a slow and unrewarding game.

GarlicGal said...

Good morning Folks. WEES. Easy-peasy.

Qli, the only reason you would know LuluLemon is if you were crazy enough to spend $75. on a little t-shirt or maybe $150. for a pair of yoga pants. I don't get it either...

Husker Gary - play through...keep your head down and your elbow straight. Or is it keep your head straight and your elbow down?

Whatever...

Lucina said...

BillB:
Same DNA? If only I had your math genes. Would a transplant be possible? In the family, only one of my sisters and I didn't inherit the math gene.

I didn't watch Breaking Bad either (too violent and twisted) so GUS was perped.

JD:
I hope you feel better soon. Fermatprime, you, too.

CrossEyedDave said...

No trouble with the puzzle other than (wees) Della Street, & Gus were unknowns, but perpable.

I was pleasantly surprised that HG did the write up, (Miss you Argyle...) & was wondering how to respond when Desper-otto gave me a hearty LOL with "Wow, Husker, you'll sub at anything! Nice job."
(I can't beat that...)

But then TheHondoHurricane had me LMAO @8:21. (& 8:23) )(& 8:25...)

Speaking of last,,, I would like to take this moment to remember Ringo...

Last Words?

I am intrigued by this painting, entitled Last Look.

But before I post one last image, HG's mention @ 21D of Soarin' made me think you might enjoy this Disney experience.

Note:

If you want the full Disney experience, pls watch in full screen.

While the clip is 10:56 long, the ride starts @ 6:00. However, if you want the full Disney experience, you should watch from the beginning.

Note the feet hanging in front of you... for the full Disney experience, I recommend hanging an old sock over your computer screen....

&, if I know Disney, & their copyright policies, THIS MAY BE MY LAST POST...

Bill G. said...

Lucina, I'd be happy to trade you some math genes for some of your good genes. Let me know which ones you are willing to part with. :>)

CED, I enjoyed all of your links. I always do. So what is that Disney ride? An IMAX movie? 3-D? It looks like a lot of hype for just a movie. It looks like most (all?) of the shots were from California: The Golden Gate bridge, Big Sur, Yosemite, Disneyland, etc.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! I can't believe our Gail & Bruce actually did something this easy. Surely the constructor names are wrong. I enjoyed it though. Thanks, Gary for all your wit and responsible help (definitely not irresponsible like yesterday).

Gus? Gus? Was there a GUS in this puzzle. I flew by that clue entirely, thinking there were no unknowns for me in the puzzle. Glad I didn't read it.

SHOD: My 6-yr-old autistic grandson shows up in all the Easter pictures his mom sent unSHOD. At Christmas he came running outside to meet me unSHOD then told me, "That cold wind makes big boogers in my nose." I haven't asked if they can get shoes on him to go to school. DIL only fights the battles she can win, bless her heart.

QLI: I'm no where near 97, but I had a doozie of a time going up & down the stairs in my daughter's split level house on Easter. No hand rail. SIL's parents gave up going there several years ago. What architect thought those types of houses were a good idea?

Lucina said...

PK:
I didn't know you had an autistic grandson and I'm just astonished at how much autism exists.

Last night on the news a feature story was about a man in FLA who opened a car wash so his autistic son could work there and he hires only autistic people. Did anyone else see that? It was truly impressive.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Cinderella dances the tarantella while eating mozzarella. Ah, la dolce bella!

Cool puzzle. Good to see you at the sub-helm, Husker.

Didn't know GUS. Did know DELLA. Great new way to clue AMAT. We drove through YUMA a few times. Man oh man it's hot there; hotter than Phoenix.

Best wishes to you all.

Husker Gary said...

Post Game MUSINGS
-I’m home from the golf wars and played pretty well, thanks for asking. ;-)
-I appreciated the nice comments. This site is like the movie ANTZ that we see mentioned here occasionally. We have a Queen and some Drones. Any guesses on what CC’s and my roles were? ;-) I was glad to help out after she guided me through the maze! Dang details!
-Ya gotta love Otto’s comment, “Wow, Husker, you'll sub at anything!” Hey, where’s my $135?
-Yeah, I know where Rosa’s cantina is. Wicked Felina dances there.
-You have to be built like this to shop at LULULEMONS or to look decent in that stuff.
-Bill, the training is supplied by the Queen and the template is there from all the real bloggers. I’m glad Argyle let me have the day.
-Dudley, if the difficulty of getting a tee time around here is any indication, golf is doing very nicely.
-Garlic – I had something down and something straight today but I can’t remember what either were
-Dave, I enjoyed the Soarin’ video. Since I started going to EPCOT, there has been a hot, new ride everyone ran to when the gates open. Soarin’ is that ride now. Disney Imagineer who designed the ride started with this simple model.

CrossEyedDave said...

Bill G @1:53,

You are correct on all counts.

I remember just standing at an Imax movie, & being unable not to move and sway with the images. Imagine a ride that does the moving & swaying for you.

a little behind the scenes...

PK said...

Lucina, Yes we have an autistic grandson. Luckily, his mother is an amazing woman who trained as an elementary school teacher and has helped him make good progress. She thinks he could be classified as having Asberger's. When I say amazing, it is no exaggeration. This is the gal who has four boys that she managed during her AF husband's deployment.

Our little guy is mainstreamed in first grade with a full time aide (who he loves) riding herd on his tendency to walk incessantly. He reads on a level with his class or higher, but his math skills aren't as well developed.

By coincidence, my brother is a medical researcher who had launched some of his grad students into looking at possible causes of autism before we knew about my grandson. One area he thinks is most promising is a flu virus infecting the mother in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Personally, I did some newspaper stories with two women whose children were noticeably impaired after having DPT shots before a year old. One family happened to have before & after home movies that helped them get a large settlement from a drug company. My feeling is that there are probably more than one cause, given the wide spectrum of the disabilities.

In the small school system I attended as a child, I could name about six kids who probably would be classified as autistic today. People just thought they were dumb or odd. I had two in my class that I was forever having to save from bullying by older kids. They were brother and sister and had four brilliant siblings.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Great job, Husker Gary!
A good Tuesday pzl, no surprises, no re-writes. Nothing seems far afield for me, and only ELIA fell into my corner of the garden -- oh, and I guess BEBE too.
I wasn't sure why an OCTET qualifies as a "large wedding band" when there are all those Nonets and Dectets floating around out there. From a soloist's perspective, maybe... It gave me no problem, although I would call it a lrge/med chamber group.

Anonymous said...

Billy Joel sings JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

You're welcome.

JD said...

CE Dave, a very enjoyable trip! Too bad the dog couldn't soar with us instead.

PK, what a blessing for your grandson that your DIL is a teacher, because every teacher he has will need her incite. Autism spectrum disorder has grown in leaps and bounds since I retired 5 years ago.1 in every 68 children born today are now on the spectrum.I remember being flummoxed with the students who were dyslexic...so many different types. How do we prepare these new teachers? Every child is unique, and these little guys are usually very gifted.

TTP said...

I always love Gail and Bruce's puzzles. They are so clean.

Husker Gary, as I read the 14A comment, I thought, "That sounds just like Husker Gary." As I read on, it became obvious that it was you. As obvious as reading "prolly" and knowing it came from your state mate. Great job ! You were AWESOME !

Avg Joe said...

I've had a seriously busy day, so late to the party. An easy puzzle, but still had to rely on the perps.

Great job stepping in, Gary. But DO usurped the best punch line, so there's nothing to add to that:-)

Bill G. said...

PK, my wife talked us into having wrought-iron rails installed on our front steps leading into the house. They look good and they sure make it easier, especially when I'm carrying in groceries.

I just finished tutoring a new 6th grade student. He didn't need help in the usual sense. He has been taking online courses through Johns Hopkins and Stanford. He came with his dad and my job was just to assess where he was and help him with any questions. The boy had a list of a few questions; things he had heard about but didn't really understand. So I just took off and began to fill in some blanks for him. He is really bright and a delight to work with. It was a fun hour for both of us. I hope to see him again.

I was just watching Ellen. I really enjoy both her and her show, but uh-oh, she pronounced realtor as real-a-tor. I need to write her a letter...

Splynter said...

Hi there~!

Well done Husker ~!

I, too, have been a success story post-DETOX and rehab; glad to hear about your dad, sorry for your brother, HG....

Splynter

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

HG - so nice to see you doing the expo to Gail & Bruce's puzzle (how's that done, do both G&B get a 's or just the last? YR?).

Nice Tuesday puzzle that could be done durring a boring vendor presentation.

Anon @7a - watch closely and things you perp early in the week show up later. See if you learned. If you're a better puzzler, just don't do 'em. I enjoy learning things I don't know. Hand up for 66a GUS today.

Re 38d: In HS I had tix to a RICK Springfield concert. Front row, between 5!!! college girls. Alas, it overlapped Boy Scout Summer Camp (and dad wouldn't get me a day early!?!).

Fav today was TETRA 'cuz I finally remembered the fish w/o a Perp. SCIFI was a close second.

Tin - HOMIE / GHETTOS crossing was funny. D-O, "sub" joke too.

Cheers,
-T

OwenKL said...

Misty: A bit of trivia I just looked up: "Women's rings typically range from size 3 to 9. Size 6 is the most popular ring size. Men's rings typically range from size 8 to 14." So maybe an OCTET is a large [women's size 8] wedding band? c.f.