google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, June 13, 2014, Gareth Bain

Advertisements

Jun 13, 2014

Friday, June 13, 2014, Gareth Bain

Theme: How did the ANT get in here?

A week where ants showed up all over the place, and now they are at the heart of this Friday from Gareth. I am not expert on gridding, but this grid with the five theme answers set up as here, is to me the most common layout, and we all know add a letter, or a few letters or a word is a common theme convention. It is visually very pleasing with three ANTs added to the end of the second word, 2 added to the end of the first word (one at the central row). Overall, with many 3 or 4 letter fill this did not feel like a Friday, though there were some challenges like BELLOWS,  BUGABOO,  MINIBUS, ORIGAMI, SHAKEUP. HOSANNAS and the very difficult for me EUSTACIA. Well let's see the latest from across the Atlantic.

18A. Roadside sign for sticklers? : PEDANT XING. (10). Ped Xing (pedestrian crossing brings out the Pedant who often stops by to correct us all.

30A. Lower-class bovine? : COW PEASANT. (10). Cow PEAS show how much I do not know, as I have learned all about black-eyed peas (married an Alabama girl) and field peas. Anyway, you know GB will get animals in his grids one way or another.

36A. "Tarzan" character at an Imax? : GIANT JANE.(9). The Demi Moore character gets blown up on the big screen. LINK.(1:44). If you have never been to an IMAX theater, you should go, the experience of 3D movies is great.

46A. Coat waterproofing application? : FUR SEALANT.(10). I was a bit reluctant to accept fur seal because to me all seals have fur, but as this LINK shows more of what I do not know;  he is a veterinarian and will know these things.

57A. Spiders' talent show? : WEB PAGEANT. (10). Great visual, Gareth puts a nice spin on this clue; also timely as we have begun Pageant time with the Miss USA last weekend.
And the rather difficult reveal:

56D. Classic 1954 horror film whose title creatures have invaded this puzzle : THEM. I wonder how many of you ever have seen or heard of this movie? I grew up watching these creations. In addition to big stars, James Whitmore, Edmuns Gwenn, and James Arness, pre- Gunsmoke, the movies has Fess Parker and  Leonard Nimoy and William Schallert in uncredited appearances.


Across:

1. Album with the hit "Mamma Mia" : ABBA. I like an easy 1A fill.

5. They won't last : FADS. Nice simple clue.

9. Little bits : ATOMS.

14. Combat with seconds : DUEL. I could not find any good duels on June 13, with the July 11 Burr/Hamilton duel the closest. Maybe there is a crossword puzzle theme buried in there.

15. Sashimi fish : OPAH. Unlike Sushi, Sashimi does refer to the raw fish.

16. Shinto temple gateway : TORII. Along with baseball player Hunter, we see this fill yearly.

17. Look like a wolf : OGLE. I think this one should be "as" a wolf.

20. Bar round : ALES. Yay, Tin, booze clecho. 23A. Bar staple : GIN

22. One may be restricted : AREA. Never a good idea to ignore this sign when you are in a movie. See above.

24. Blood-typing letters : ABO.

25. Priest in 1 Samuel : ELI. This is another biblical story of a barren woman who is blessed with a child (Samuel) and the role of the priest of Shiloh. Meanwhile, the name ELI mean to ascend to G-d, with the Greek equivalent HELI, from which we get helicopter etc.

28. Yacht club hanging : OAR.

29. Homer's father, on "The Simpsons" : ABE.

33. Blue stuff : SMUT. Interesting word BLUE, it can mean off-color, like smut or blue humor, or it can mean rigidly moral as in the Blue Laws of Puritan New England (and my childhood).

34. Church cheers : HOSANNAS. More religious cluing, and a very nice alliterative clue.

35. "Respect" songwriter Redding : OTIS. Really popularized by ARETHA (2:30).

39. Jazzy style : SCAT.

41. "The Return of the Native" heroine __ Vye : EUSTACIA. A book by THOMAS HARDYthe latest Martha Grimes which I am now reading is set in "Hardy" country.

45. Comparative word : THAN.

48. Macklemore's genre : RAP. You all can listen on your own.

49. Bernina Range peak : ALP. marti, tell us more. please.


50. Bojangles' art : TAP. So many great links.


51. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE. French for Saint.

52. Blotter letters : AKAAlso Known As. The police blotter.

53. Boxy transports : VANS.

55. Fix permanently : ETCH. I know etching is a permanent process, but fix?

61. Mata __ : HARI.

63. Lollapaloozas : LULUS.

64. Present day, for short : XMAS. A cute way to clue the holiday with some misdirection.

65. Land west of Nod, in Genesis : EDEN. Ruled no doubt by Wynken, Blynken. For crossword fans, the poem was written by Eugene Field who perhaps is most famous because his father represented Dred Scott before the Supreme Court, or maybe that is just a law school fact.

66. Tuckered out : SPENT. Such connotations....

67. Vacation sub : TEMP. Temporary employee.

68. Like a doormat : MEEK. Still waiting to inherit the earth.

Down:

1. Fuss : ADO. Along with ALEE, ASEA, APE, EDEN, ATE, ELI, AREA some very common fill used in this effort.

2. Cause of worry : BUGABOO. On the other hand this may the first appearance of this fill in the LAT.

3. Air delivery method? : BELLOWS. Am I the only one thinking about FedEx and Amazon's new drone service? You just don't see many blacksmiths any more.

4. On the quieter side : ALEE.

5. Fashion plate : FOP. Not a compliment,  the dictionary suggests it comes from the German foppen "jeer at, make a fool of." I defer to our many German experts.

6. Mimic : APE.

7. Opening word? : DADA. My first said DADA as his first word, my youngest was 'Pizza Hut'...go figure.

8. Rose of __ : SHARON. A nice CSO to our dear ARBAON. Another biblical reference in the puzzle from the Song of Solomon. The flower is actually an Hibiscus, which are common in So.Fla. Paired with a mini-clecho 9. Rose oil : ATTAR, which I know only from puzzle solving.

10. __ screen: medical test : TOX. Same derivation as inTOXicants and TOXic.

11. Art requiring a folder : ORIGAMI. Oh, one who folds...

12. Airport transport : MINIBUS.

13. Ring seal : SIGNET. Signet rings are not too popular anymore, and I thought the clue would make more sense as Seal ring, but it was still obvious.

19. Unlike Oscar Madison : NEAT. Are you Walter Matthau or Jack Klugman fans?

21. "Already caught that film!" : SEEN IT. Another English teacher's nightmare.

24. Weimar word of woe : ACH. I again defer to our German speakers, I recall there was some controversy.

26. Turner on a screen : LANA. Beautiful girl....


27. "Winning ... __ all-the-time thing": Lombardi : IS AN.Vince of Packer fame

31. Missionary's concern : PAGAN.This clue seems off as well, as Pagan rites, or beliefs might be a concern.

32. Starlike flower : ASTER.

33. Bargain : STEAL. Man, Jimmy Choo's for $500.00. What a steal!

35. Recorded, in a way : ON TAPE. An old way.

37. A moment ago : JUST. We just had that fill...

38. Like Phileas Fogg during much of his journey : ASEA.

39. Overhaul : SHAKE UP. I liked what this SONG (2:47) did.

40. Fit : CAPABLE.

42. Dishwasher brand : CASCADE. I wonder if Gareth gets a placement fee from them. Hmm, maybe we could start a new trend here to get constructors more money for their efforts.

43. Trisected : IN THREE. Often what happens to a pizza at my house.

44. Bolted : ATE. See more food.

45. Fishes, in a way : TRAWLS. I always associate this word with single people...

46. A ref may throw one : FLAG.

47. "Right after this show ..." : UP NEXT.

49. Captain's order : AVAST. A much misunderstood term. So I asked a GEEK.

54. "__ here" : SAME.

58. Many a bon mot : PUN. Where would we be without PUNS! How wonderful for John Lampkin to stop by and say hello.

59. '60s arena : NAM. Abbreviated clue begets abbreviated answer.

60. 1/48 cup: Abbr. : TSP. How many knew that there were 48 TSP in a cup of sugar?

62. Cartridge contents : INK. Well, my brain is running out of INK, so I guess it is time to say, do not be afraid, Friday the 13th is just another Friday of a great week where we had a puzzle from an old friend Jerome, one from our own discovery C.C. and Don G.. George Barany, John Lampkin and Mary Lou Guizzo stopping by and now finishing with GB. Happy Father's Day to all of us.

71 comments:

OwenKL said...

Once there was a fellow named Lance
Who invited Eustance to a dance,
And to his surprise
He won the grand prize,
Because Eustance put ANTS in his pants!

Re -T's comment yesterday: "Known fact: Computers run on smoke. If you let it out, no workie."

You know your computer is broke
When is looses its internal smoke.
When it makes like a cigar
You may swear like a tar,
But your machine is still gonna croak!

It's a shame the alchemist's ambition
Was for gold, and not nuclear fission.
Had they then succeeded
We'd have all power needed,
To run computers on smoke from phlogiston!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Fun puzzle today. I figured out what was going on fairly early on and was able to throw down WEBPAGEANT based solely on the clue. And yes, I grew up watching THEM and other similar movies every Saturday from 12:00-4:00 on "Creature Double Feature." Channel 56, I believe.

EUSTACIA was a complete unknown that required every perp, but everything else was pretty smooth sailing.

TTP said...

Good morning all.

When I saw Gareth on a Friday, I figured I'd better bring my A game, and be ready to really stretch to the boundaries on the clues.

So I did, right off the bat, at 14A "Combat with seconds." No thank you. I'm waging a war against seconds. I'm on a DIET. Shouldn't have over thought-it. It was quickly disproved. And I was going to enter it as a favorite for clue of the year.

Then I got to "Fashion plate" at 5D. Quickly headed east after entering OPAH, APE and SHARON in that section. It was only much, much later that FADS came to me and that let me to the abbreviation of Friends Of Peter for fashion plate. I JUST now looked that phrase up and learned something new... "a person who dresses very fashionably."

My MINIBUS was at first a SHUTTLE, until I came to 35A "Respect songwriter Redding." I can listen to Aretha singing that song over and over again. I was always amused with the way he worked in "take care, TCB followed by sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me..."

There was something fun and tough in every section. In the end a fail. The too obvious answer of ANTS in the SE was entered, removed, reentered, and finally left. It turned bright red when I changed the game. Didn't take long once I got rid of that boo-boo.

31D, Lemonade, I read "Missionary's concern" as one would read missionary's charge, so PAGAN came easily, especially with -AG--.

EUSTACIA ?

OK, time to get to work. See y'all later.

Al Cyone said...

A very enjoyable Friday puzzle. In the end, I had to change SHAPEUP to SHAKEUP (which, of course, made sense out of "blotter letters").

If I had to pick a nit it would be describing CASCADE (a dishwashing detergent) as a "dishwasher brand".

And, in the write-up, not all IMAX movies are 3-D. I saw my one and only IMAX movie, "To Fly!", in 1982 in, of all places, Hutchinson, Kansas (in the middle of a cross-country bicycle ride).

[15:12]

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I just loved this "invading" puzzle! I never heard of the movie THEM, but had no trouble finding the ANTs.

Lots of fun clues. I especially liked the Present Day = XMAS, and Art Requiring a Folder = ORIGAMI.

OTIS Redding is best know for this song.

QOD: In marriage, compromise nurtures the relationship. ~ Tim Allen (June 13, 1953)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I got through this one OK, though I didn't like JUST, but it had to be.

While in Japan many years ago I visited a park which had a winding path enclosed by thousands of TORII gates. A guide explained that the gate was made to resemble a bird perch, because of the belief that souls are reincarnated as birds; it gives them a place to sit. Outside the park there were food stands with entrees like sparrow. So much for ancestor worship...

I thought the Bernina range was a stove made by a sewing machine company.

We've got a street in our town that was supposed to be named DaVinci, but was misspelled as Da Vince, as in Lombardi.

Lemon, if it is ETCHed in memory, it could be "fixed" there.

Oh, and hand up for watching Them in my ute.

HeartRx said...

Good morning everyone,

And happy Friday the 13th! Is that a BUGABOO for anyone?

Fun write-up Lemony. And yes, I have been to the Bernina Alps. The Bernina Pass has one of the most spectacular views in the Alps at more that 7,600 feet. The Bernina Alps are also the home of St. Moritz. I have never skied there - just drove through on the way to Zurich. Beautiful area. d-otto, funny comment about the Bernina stove!

I did see the theme early on, but struggled a bit to figure out where to put all the ANTs. Then in the NE, I wondered if it would be PEDANT zone, but wasn't getting anywhere with that answer. XING soon appeared after TOX screen popped into my head.

Hands up for loving the ORIGAMI clue! I also thought "Present day, for short" for XMAS was really clever. Especially since I had finally figured out JUST at 37D, and my mind was still on the "time" zone.

Thanks for the fun, Gareth and Lemony. TGIF!!

Mari said...

Good morning everybody. Happy Friday!

I was a bit surprised that I was able to finish a Friday puzzle. I quickly saw that ANT was a theme, even though I wasn't familiar with the movie THEM.

I liked these clues:

- 3D: Air delivery method? BALOONS
- 64A: Present day for short: XMAS

I had to PERP ATTAR and EUSTACIA.

Have a great day!

Avg Joe said...

Tough offering today. But ultimately doable. I haven't seen Them (but do remember the title) and had no idea how it tied in with ants, but the theme itself became evident after a couple of answers, so that was helpful.

Bojangles? Jerry Jeff

Big Easy said...

Good Morning. Well unfortunately today was a DNF due to the NE. I have never heard of a TOX screen or SIGNET, except for CYGNET. Rose of SHARON? EUSTACIA? THEM? Macklemore and Homer Simpson's father? These complete unknowns were solved by perps. The theme came as soon as I solved COWPEASANT but I doubt very few fellow snipers out there ever saw or heard of this movie.

Speaking of RESPECT, I saw OTIS Redding and the Bar-Kays in a concert in the late 60s at a small auditorium. I remember it because they did two shows that night; first show was a 6 pm and the second was at 10pm. That was in the era before megaproductions and huge venues.

Jerome said...

Evangelists have always dealt face to face with paganism. It's a common missionary position.

Husker Gary said...

I saw the ANT after two fills but had never heard of COW PEAS. I am not above learning and everything worked out fine on this apt Friday puzzle even though the movie wasn’t ANTS

Musings
-I better recall Mama Mia being the ABBA album itself
-Kids in the seventies thought pet rocks and mood rings weren’t FADS
-DUEL resolution after you realize what might really happen
-This TORII gate in Omaha’s Lauritsen Gardens was a gift from her Japanese sister city of Shizuoka
-Most famous song with a jigger of GIN lyric (3:13) and a great back story
-I remember when the back of a plane was the Smoking AREA. Yeah, that was effective.
- One man’s SMUT…
-Shirley with Bill Robinson and Jerry Jeff are fine but this is my Bojangles (6:01)
-“I never said that!” “Oh, you have it ON TAPE?”
-JUST a moment ago, Emma was born. Yesterday we saw her senior pictures…
-You can SHAKE UP a teacher’s lounge if you sit in someone’s usual lunch seat
-Being UP NEXT after Cheers helped Seinfeld find an audience
-Who lovely song mused, “I’d rather be a hammer THAN a nail”

Big Easy said...

I was referring to the movie THEM.

Big Easy said...

Jerome- that's why missionaries "loved" going to the south sea islands. That's where the term originated.

desper-otto said...

Husker, I always thought it was Nick Reynold's voice on the 1958 Scotch and Soda. Now, of course, Bob Shane is the sole surviving member of the original trio. And that line is from El Condor Pasa from the Bridge Over Troubled Waters album.

Good one, Jerome!

thehondohurricane said...


HG,

Sung by Simon & Garfunkel. Not sure if that was the question though.

Lemonade714 said...

Jerome, now I remember why I miss hearing from you, thanks.

BE, fellow "snipers?"

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Gareth got me today. DNF, and didn't quite suss the theme. Saw the ANTs, but missed the root theme words.

Great puzzle. Alas I LOSE.

Having lunch with some former work colleagues today. IMBO.

Cool regards!
JzB

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

As usual, Gareth made me work for the TADA but with patience and perps, I got it w/o help. I knew of the movie, Them, although I never saw it. Fav clues were for Xmas, duel, and bellows. The Irish in me wanted Tralee before Sharon, but I held off till the perps said Sharon.

Thanks, GB, for a challenging Friday offering and thanks to Lemony for an informative expo.

It's raining CEDs and Manacs here with t-storms coming later in the day. Wish we could send some to California and other drought-plagued areas.

Tin from yesterday: never heard of Mellot nor Melott, only Mel Ott! :-)

Have a great day.

Jazzbumpa said...

Never saw the movie THEM, but I recall seeing previews for it when I was a young'n.

Jerome - brilliant!

Cheers!
JzB

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Every time I do a Gareth Bain puzzle, I come away with the feeling the guy must be smart and well informed. This time was no exception. Just a few unknowns, but these got perped; Attar is one. We've certainly had that before, but I find it hard to remember.

Avg. Joe from yesterday - I got thinking about it afterwards, and it's possible there are no A-4's in service anymore. You may recall that they were featured in Top Gun as the aggressor squadron, as stand-ins for certain MiGs. As for E-4's, I've seen a few of those around. Their arrival usually coincides with irritating airspace closures, because of security for VIPs.

kazie said...

Al Cyone,
I agree about CASCADE.

I struggled everywhere today. The order of completion was SW, NW, SE, Mideast, and lastly NE, only after cheating to get TORII and OPAH, which opened up the rest for me. I guess technically a DNF even though it was all completed in the end.

I have to admit never having heard of FOPPEN before, but it's in my dictionary meaning to make a fool of someone. As to ACH, I don't hear it much either, but the dictionary lists it as an interjection and gives the examples ACH NEE! = really! and MIT ACH UND KRACH = by the skin of one's teeth.

NEE is increasingly used as a lazy substitute for NEIN, but Lea's mom prefers not to use it in front of her, and so Lea's word of the moment is NEIN! (accompanied with vigorous head shaking). Aren't they supposed to get to saying "No!" to everything at two? She's only 17 months old!

John Lampkin said...

See John, pounding his fists into the floor, wishing he had thought of this theme first. Watch out, Gareth, I'll try to one-up you by adding "cockroach" to a bunch of entries and see how far I get!

Bill G. said...

Happy Friday! I haven't read the writeup or any of the comments yet but I wanted to jump in earlier than usual to say how much I enjoyed this puzzle. I liked the theme and I thought the cluing was especially fresh and clever. This was probably in the group of the most enjoyable puzzles of the year so far. Well done Gareth!

C6D6 Peg said...

I really liked Gareth's offering today, even though I had never heard of "THEM". The cluing was clever and fresh, especially liked "Art requiring a folder" and "Present Day".

Lemonade, thanks for the enjoyable write-up, as well!

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

I enjoyed this fun puzzle from Gareth Bain and the always erudite expo from Lemonade. Thank you both.

Fresh cluing and clever misdirection made this an exceptional grid. It was easy to overthink some of the fill but Rose of TRALEE gave way to SHARON and I wasn't sure about TORII so had to verify it.

I loved the clueing for XMAS and BELLOWS.

A very satisfying solve today though I don't recall the movie, THEM but saw ANTS scurrying throughout the puzzle. Ditto on CASCADE, it's a detergent.

And now I know that a cup = 48 TSPS.

Jerome, you've still got it!

Have a terrific Friday, everyone!

Misty said...

I only got about 1/3 of this puzzle on my first try today--not a great way to start a Friday. But after some exercises and some more coffee, I gave it a second try, and Voila! I almost got the whole thing--except for a few small and stupid goof-ups. So I feel much better, especially since I like Gareth Bain puzzles and didn't want to start being grumpy about them. Nice write-up, as always, Lemonade.

Kazie, thank you for mentioning "MIT ACH UND KRACH"--my Austrian grandmother's favorite expression. I was actually thinking of it as I barely finished the puzzle this morning--that I had finally gotten it MIT ACH UND KRACH!

Have a great Friday everybody!

Lemonade714 said...

Irish Miss, I love the raining CEDs and Manacs!!!!

For those of you questioning the cluing of CASCADE, it is on Rich.
If you go to CROSSWORD FIEND you get to read Gareth's review of his own puzzle where he disavows any knowledge of the product.

Anonymous said...

I generally dislike the puzzles by Mr. Bain because they are epitome of being "crunchy" or, simply, not fun. For some reason, most of the regulars on the Corner seem to enjoy his offerings. But, I enjoyed this one, and Present day = xmas was clever.

OwenKL said...

I changed EUSTACIA to Eustance in my limerick to improve the assonance of the poem, without realizing Eustance is a male name, not female. But between Gay relationships and "bromances", I decided to stick with it.

Uh, Mari, 3d: Air delivery method? was BELLOWS, not BALOONS (sic, or BALLOONS). Method of delivery of air, not by air.

Big Easy, I must not be a "sniper". I love sci-fi, but not horror; so knew of THEM, but don't believe I ever saw it. If you've never heard of TOX screen, I guess you never watch TV police shows, either. But I was expecting MRI or CAT-scan until the X showed up. TOX screens in detective shows are usually part of the autopsy, so not sure if that counts as "medical".

John L.: John Hancock, Hitchcock, cockade, cockaleekie, cockalorum, weathercocked, approach, reproach, broached, cockamamie poppycock!

Ol' Man Keith said...

I admit this was a tough one -- 98% for me because I had to Google for 45D. I had TROLLS, and that wasn't letting me use AKA, the obvious response for 52A.
That said, I managed all the rest on my own. I was willing to settle for LEG PAGEANT (to use my 2nd "L" from TROLLS), reckoning that LEG is a pretty spidery thing. Admittedly, though, WEB PAGEANT is a great improvement.

john28man said...

I thought the West was easier than the East. Maybe its because I got that part pretty quickly.

CanadianEh! said...

A nice Friday the 13th, full moon challenge today.

Loved some of the fresh cluing - even EDEN was different. We went from O POS to ABO today. Police blotter yesterday sent me in the right direction for AKA today.

Don't you just love the word BUGABOO! Also smiled at clues for ORIGAMI, DADA, XMAS and BELLOWS. Wanted SPAY before ETCH for fix permanently.

I remember seeing North of Superior in IMAX and almost having to leave due to feeling of motion sickness. Too realistic!

We took a short train ride on the Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Pontresina. Beautiful scenery. Stayed in St. Moritz but not skiing season.

Qli said...

This was a good one! Like Al Cyone, I was a little puzzled by CASCADE's cluing, since it is a dishwasher detergent,not the actual dishwasher. Just call me a PEDANT.

We do a TOX screen on most mental health patients when they are admitted, to see if they are taking the stuff they should be, as well as what stuff they are taking when they shouldn't be!

Anonymous said...

It could have been "brand used in dishwasher/ CASCADE."

Spitzboov said...

Hello everyone.

Got the top ok but the rest was a slog with many misdirections; all valid. Ultimately surprised myself and finished a Friday in ball point without using white-out.
Finally understood the theme - ANT add-on to an existing word/phrase. Knew Bernina was a Swiss sewing machine so got ALP easily. Once I spelt SCAT without a 'K', I got the SE.
One of my Captains was the only sailor I know who used the word AVAST; mainly in docking the vessel. It didn't do much good.
Liked BELLOWS. Thought of forges, organs.
CASCADE eluded me for awhile. Thinking of Kenmore, Asko, Maytag, etc. D'uh, It's the dishwasher soap we use.
Thanks Lemon for a good write-up and to Gareth for the mental gymnastics.

Argyle said...

Friday the 13th and a full moon; Lois retires today. Alert the authorities.

CrossEyedDave said...

Busy day,

DNF due to lack of time.
(If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you...)

One nit was opening word? = Dada?

My eldest 1st word was also read, we were driving to the Mall & she was in her car seat. As we approached she looked up at the big white building with the giant red letters on it, and exclaimed:

MACYS!

(You can't make this stuff up...)

Let's see if I can find some funny ant videos playing to the Pink Panther Theme...

Lemonade714 said...

CED thank you for making me feel better about my son and his 'Pizza Hut. exclamation.

Lois retiring, cool, maybe she will return to entertaining all of us.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! I got the theme early which helped with this infestation. Thought it was difficult but fun, thanks, Gareth. Thanks, Lemon, especially for the Bojangles dance.

The last to fill for me was the top middle block. For shushimi I tried "ahi" and "mahi" then let it ride for perps, of which I had none for a while.

The only Macklemore I know was a basketball player at Kansas U. and now is with Sacramento Kings (I think). That didn't fit.

"SHAKE UP"? My husband overhauled engines so I tried "rebuild" which fit but turned a nasty red.

No horror movies for me. Too prone to night mares. Don't remember hearing of "THEM".

My youngest's first word was "hat" at 5 mos. every time we put one on him. He also said, "Hi" every time a new face appeared. Shocked the doctor when he walked in and was greeted. He quit saying them about a month later.

Owen, you sure were getting pretty cocky at 12:27. LOL!

PK said...

CED: my oldest recognized logos from TV too. Once when she about 18 mos old, she was riding with my mother & her friend, both avid teetotalers. A Budweiser truck went by, and my baby sang out loud and clear, "Buuudweiser, the beer that won the west."
Mother was horrified.

Tinbeni said...

Gareth: Thank you for a FUN Friday the 13th puzzle.

My first entry was THEM ... I watched it recently on TCM.

Faves today, of course, were ALES & GIN ... go figure.
BUT ... 19-d, s/h/b clued: "The proper was to drink scotch!" ... NEAT

Power was out for over 14 hours (last night thru this morning).
You know there is a "Real Problem" when you have 5 (count'em ... FIVE!) Power Company Trucks on your street.

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

Lucina said...

CEDave:
As a toddler, my daughter read a similar name, but it was KMart as we rode by and saw the big sign with red letters. She was about 4 I believe. It really startled me.

CrossEyedDave said...

Yes, you can find anything on the internet...


Pedant, dead ant... (rimshot...)

Here are some thought provoking pictures.

Unknown said...

This was a fun puzzle. Saw the ants right away, and although I've never seen THEM, I've heard of it.

Finished the puzzle with no write-overs, but EUSTACIA was all perps. I agree about CASCADE. It's a detergent. My favorite clue was for ORIGAMI.

J. Finney said...

To: John L @ 10:15

Here's a theme for you: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

You can remove/"snatch" body parts (leg, arm, eye, etc) from theme entries, and insert/"invade" them into other theme entries. Hilarity ensues...

It should probably be a Sunday puzzle, due to the scope of the theme.

Good luck!

Jayce said...

I wonder if a tunnel through which Eustacia was traveling would be a Eustacian Tube...

Bill G. said...

We were coming home from a long trip in the car (with a travel trailer hitched behind) with our first son in the back seat. We were trying to make it home without stopping and were driving through Las Vegas late at night. Our son woke up, opened his eyes and yelled out 'Yights!,' his version of Lights!

Jayce said...

LW and I really enjoyed sitting together out in our back yard last night looking at the honey moon. It was really quite honey-colored and pretty.

SwampCat said...

Bill G and all the other proud gran-papas and -mamas....my oldest's first word was also "light". Not sure why...nothing like a logo to inspire him. But Mama and Papa came waaaay later.

And, Owen, I must say...Wow! And thanks.

And thanks also to Gareth and Lemon. It was fun!

Avg Joe said...

Since we're waltzing out comment by our scion that weren't necessarily debuts, the one that strikes me most was by our daughter. She was not yet 2, but I can't narrow it down further. I asked a question that I can't remember, but her response was "Not particularly."

I knew we were in trouble at that moment. It proved to be true.

SwampCat said...

Did anyone mention that tonight is not only Friday the 13th, but also a full moon? Are you worried?? Hehehehehe

Manac said...

First, Nice write up lemon, But.....
Could you or anyone else please explain the 14A cluing/Answer Combat with Seconds/Duel or should I just wait for that 32 ounce V8 can to splain it to me?

Now on to business

We all know there is a full moon tonight, But has anyone actually Seen It ?

SwampCat said...

Manac, the men in a duel always had "seconds" to help them...load the pistols, unsheath the swords....hold their coats....whatever.

I always wondered if the seconds were supposed to fight if their principals got shot and killed!

And yes, I did see the full moon. Beautiful. Nothing scary about it!

Lemonade714 said...

Are you a 'black' cat Swamp Cat?

SwampCat said...

Ooooooh. Lemonade! How perceptive of you! As an ole shanty Irishman I'm fair complected..but I do have a broom, and on a dark night....well.... Who knows what happens out here in the swamp? Of course with a full moon, there will be no shenanigans tonight! LOL

Bill G. said...

Eustacian Tube... Good one! Rats! Why didn't I think of that too?

Right. The seconds in a duel are like the assistants, maybe to carry you home if you lose.

Manac said...

Thanks for enlightening me SwampCat.
Didn't know about Seconds. Although I would think that someone in a duel would
want to load their own pistols, you know, just to be sure, rather than leave it to some flunky ;~)

SwampCat said...

Oh ! Bill G! Never thought of that! Of course, if you lose , someone has to carry you home. Maybe that's really, what the seconds were about?

And Manac.....I agree...I'd really want to load my own gun.

Look for the full moon.....

Avg Joe said...

We've got a nice clear sky tonight, so the moon is putting on a good show. Got a couple of decent shots....the best as the temporary avatar.

We just finished watching Philomena. WOW!! What a movie! REM's review

Lucina said...

Sometimes you guys just crack me up!

It should be said...

Sometimes, we have a pretty bright group amongst our lot.

And, sometimes, not so much...

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

ACH - The north central and NW were my foil. I enjoyed the theme once I caught on. Thanks Gareth - when I can fully complete your pzl, a Silkie is next.

Too many write-overs to 'spain. The funniest (to me) was MOOPEAS-ANT. MOOPEAS? Yes, I had the same BALLOON issue as Mari. I eventually convinced myself that AM does not begin a 3 letter word of woe.

WEES re: XMAS - fav c/a.

Thanks for the write-up LEM.

I just got back from a 'Stros loss, but it was my win. Eldest sang the National Anthem with the choir behind second base before 1st pitch.

Owen - glad to play the muse on #s 2 & 3. Funny stuff.

Spitz - I had the same Duh moment with CASCADE. I ran through every manufacturer I could think of.

CED - you need another hobby :-) PEDANT & Dead ANT was too funny.

I had idEA as 1st word. It could have worked, maybe. Youngest's 1st word? "Damn!" as in the "Damn that sun is bright" as she sat in her pumpkin seat in the back of the VAN.

Both kids loved the "Nationwide is on your Side" jingle and would sing it every time the commercial came on.

I had 3 auto accidents on 3 successive Friday 13's.* I guess it's over and I can enjoy yet another Friday 13. Enjoy the last 26 minutes (CDT).

Cheers, -T
*15+ years ago.

Anonymous T said...

Oops - North Central and NE... NW was done off the bat and I thought I'd get my 4th Friday. C, -T

Bill G. said...

I am not a big hockey enthusiast but I did watch some of the ice hockey Stanley Cup championship matches, mostly the goals. It made me think of EddyB, a really big fan as I remember.

PK said...

Thanks for the heads up about the moon. Last night was too cloudy. Tonight I ventured out and had to duck around some trees to view its low-hanging splendor. Always a thrill!

fermatprime said...

(Wrote this at 12 midnight last night. Thought I had gotten around to posting it. Instead, worked THREES after my breakfast. Caregiver too sick to show up yesterday. Fortunately Harvey was able to come so that I did not have to fast the entire day. She came for a few moments today. Hope that she has not managed to give me her horrible fever. Did not take pills and vitamins the past few days due to stomach ache.)

Thanks for the amusing, though lengthy effort, Gareth! Thanks for detailed expo, Lemon!

I struggled with this one with no cheats or typos. Really took lots of thought for FOP. Never heard of EUSTACIA, (What a name!) Was looking for a dishwasher rather than a soap, at first. Started out with (rose of) Tralee father than SHARON. Present day (XMAS) was cute!

Thought THEM was a cool movie way back when. Certainly was a fun theme!

(Let me know if anyone reads this!)

Cheers!

Anonymous T said...

F-Prime - I read it.

Like you, I needed every perp to get EUSTACIA. FOP never showed JUST as 7d, 9d, 10d, 12d, and 13d all lacked letters. Tip o' Me Hat to you!

THEM was pulled from somewhere - maybe a much latter day (80's era) Amazing Stories episode that made me think of it.*

We all like you, so please, get some good nutrition - you must Eat Ludvig!** My father-in-law (a Korean War era Marine) even considered some Mary JANE to help him eat when suffering pancreatic cancer.***

Absent weed, a handful of nuts maybe?

Cheers, -T
*it was ANT-thingies from Mars that made the guy their god. Anyone recall that?
**sorry for poor quality - it's late.
***His sister in CA was gonna send it :-)

Bill G. said...

Fermatprime, I read it. Did you read this?

OwenKL said...

-T: I remember the ant TV show. Beau Bridges was the scientist. Found it! The Sandkings, a 1995 episode of Outer Limits.

Yes, Fermat', some people still read this late.

Lemonade714 said...

Fermatrime people read at different times but they are read. Statistics show as many as 1000 New reads the following day