google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, June 6, 2014, Frank Virzi

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Jun 6, 2014

Friday, June 6, 2014, Frank Virzi

Theme: Beware of rip currents!

Well after you zipped through yesterday's puzzle and marti's fun write up, we have a more normal Friday with smaller word count, but with a visual theme. The reveal is in the middle of the grid, across, and the three theme answers in the Down clues, This requires the solver to read the hidden word from bottom to top, as TIDE is hidden in each of the three theme answers, and the letters are 'rising.'  We have had bottom to top theme answers before, so I do not expect this to be as polarizing a puzzle as last week, especially as the puzzle has so many 7,8 and 9 letter fill. ANILINE, ARIANNA, ARMADAS, DIETARY, VIRGINS, YES MA'AM, AVOIDINGINNATELY, PILSNERS, REMNANTS, ANNAPOLIS and DANDELION, three of which are new to the LA Times. Comparatively light on proper names, you all should have some fun here. This is Maryland's Frank VIRZI's third LAT, I blogged his first back in 2010, but he is obviously very prolific.

35A. Boat lifters found in this puzzle's three longest answers : RISING TIDES.(11).I like the definition of 'boat lifter' to be the rising tide; Alabama under Nick Satan was a rising tide, now we will see if they will ebb.

4D. Bank offerings : CREDIT LINES.(11). Many years ago these loans were unsecured, not any more. Picture reading from right to left and the TIDE emerges.

7D. Journalism bigwigs : MANAGING EDITORS. (15). I know our learned audience will help me understand the dynamic of the Managing Editor and the Publisher in a working newspaper.

26D. Journeys of discovery : EXPEDITIONS. (11). Another nice definition which required perp help, but as it was down, it was there.

Across:

1. Gush forth, as chimney smoke : BELCH. Really, how PC. As a child we had 24 hour smoke billowing  from the textile mill furnaces, I have read about smoke being belched out, but never seen it.  We lost our factories, the air was better but there were no jobs.

6. Coldplay gear : AMPS. bye bye, Gwyneth.  LISTEN.

10. Fix, in a way : SPAY. Never understood this euphemism; I certainly would not feel fixed, and would...

14. Foil : AVERT. any such plan, as it would ruin my...

15. Pace : GAIT. No desire to be an Unsullied, no thank you.

16. Old Milano moola : LIRE. Personally, being paid in Milano cookies sounds appealing.

17. Shakes, as a tail : LOSES. These days, with drones and tracking devices and gps in your phone, a detective's life sounds easier. It reminds me how with the advent of caller ID, television mysteries had to resort to the 'burner' phones to explain why they did not catch the bad guy when he called.

18. Capital on Chesapeake Bay : ANNAPOLIS, One of the new fill, and odd that no mention of the capital of Maryland, or the home of the Naval Academy ever appeared in a LA Times puzzle. How many love  the Maryland crabs from the bay?

20. Lost traction : SLID.

21. Drug initially studied for use in treating angina : VIAGRA. After hanging their clip boards of data gingerly for a while, it occurred to the Pharma that the other use might be profitable. Is it me, or was pairing with 21D. Vestal __: Roman flame tenders : VIRGINS a Freudian gesture from Mr. Virzi? More virgins? 33A. Carmelite, e.g. : NUN. The mountain from which they were founded. LINK.

22. To whom Ilsa said "I'll hum it for you" : SAM. She was so beautiful. (4:05).

23. Shying away from : AVOIDING.

25. Natural dye : HENNA. I was thinking about getting a Henna tattoo to freak my kids out, what with father's day coming up and all.

27. Advise : MENTOR. A favorite word and a lost art.

28. Nest egg item, for short : IRAIndividual Retirement Account.

31. Spinoff of TV's "Hercules" : XENA. Lucy Lawless, what a great name!

32. Place for a cast : LEG. Not at the end of the movie.

34. Buckingham buggy : PRAM. The benefit of all the British mystery fiction is knowing what Steve grew up learning in person. A new Martha Grimes hit the stands yesterday. Welcome back Richard Jury.

38. Port near the Red Sea : ADEN.

40. Alumni directory word : NEE. Is this fair, or should it have said ALUMNAE directory word?

41. Chap : LAD.

42. Winter coat : RIME. Not related to:

43. Nursery supply : SOD. Not Desitin, or talcum powder.

44. Reply to "No, you couldn't have!" : I DID SO.

48. It was founded in Oxford in 1946 : MENSA. I did not know this, do I have to give up my membership?

50. From the start : INNATELY.

52. One-time connection : AT A. Not a connection that has been lost, but one that connects one and time.

53. White terrier, for short : WESTIE. They look odd. LINK.(2:48).

56. California's Mission Santa __ : INES. Not up on my California Missions but have been to many really old ones in Florida.

57. Aster relative : DANDELION. I did not know this. Wild Flower or WEED?

59. Schubert's "Eine kleine Trauermusik," e.g. : NONET. From the Latin meaning 9, as they require 9 instruments. Otherwise, JzB, please HELP!

60. Martial __ : ARTS.

61. French 101 infinitive : ETRE. être ou ne pas être.

62. Make nasty comments : SNIPE. The kind that hurt people. Clecho: 64A. Make nasty comments : CUSS. The kind where the words are unacceptable, but not necessarily mean.

63. GPS part: Abbr. : SYSTem. Global Positioning System.

65. From Nineveh: Abbr. : ASSYR. Eeeeek. Is this an abbreviation of Assyrian? Am I an Americ?  Assyria is now known as Iraq.

Down:

1. Fragrant fir : BALSAM. A common choice for Christmas TREE.

2. Develop gradually : EVOLVE.Like the various Corner blogging styles.

3. Sore spot : LESION. I like this clue/fill a lot and I am not sure why

5. Abbr. after Cleveland or Brooklyn : HTS. In my schools they came from Shaker Heights.

6. "Come __?" : AGAIN? I did not hear you.

8. Sign of engine trouble, perhaps : PING.

9. One billed higher than the rest : STAR. In my world they are called senior partners.

10. Traffic warning : SLO. Is it really worth removing the 'W?" Two days in  a roW?

11. Pale lagers : PILSNERS. My beer brewing sons would be very unhappy with this clue/fill. All Beer is either Lager (cold bottom fermentation) or Ale (warm top fermentation). Pilsners (named after the city in Czechoslovakia  where the style was created) are a form of lager, though most are golden in color. They are pale compared to the more robust lagers. Your basic Beck's, Heineken and the like are pilsners.

12. Author Huffington : ARIANNA. Her Huffington Post was bought by AOL for $315 Million; if interested you go to this LINK.

13. Polite assent : YES MA'AM. Many women under 35 find this greeting very offensive.

19. Tuba note : PAH. And its friend OOM.

24. Executes : DOES.

29. Track : RUT.

30. Dye-making compound : ANILINE.

35. Leftovers : REMNANTS. Hi honey, let's have some remnants for supper.

36D. Natal opening : NEOnatal.

37. Word from a crib : DADA. Or the now familiar TV staple, "get off my turf, mofo."

38. Seagoing forces : ARMADAS. The tale of the defeat of the SPANISH ARMADA in 1588 was a riveting one when I was in grammar school.

39. Like many supplements : DIETARY.

45. Hall of Fame pitcher Eckersley : DENNIS. Eck who went from being a successful starter to being a great reliever when he was traded to Oakland and manager Tony LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan. STATS. He started with Cleveland but was traded when his wife had an affair with another Cleveland player. He also was traded from the RedSox to the Cubs in the deal that brought Bill Buckner to Boston.

46. Nodding : SLEEPY. Which makes me want to go to bed, but then...

47. Bed denizen : OYSTER. if ever I wake up and find an oyster in my bed I am going to be livid.

49. Leave dumbstruck : AWE.

51. Dressing extreme? : NINES. Origin per askville: "Dressed to the nines, or dressed up to the nines are merely a version of the phrase that is applied to clothing. That is first cited in John C. Hotten's A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words, 1859 as: 'DRESSED UP TO THE NINES', in a showy 'recherché' manner."

54. Monthly pmt. : ELECtricity. This is an extruded clue/fill as you do not pay your Elec, you pay the bill.

55. As found, with "in" : SITU. Latin, and familiar to all from the TV CSI type shows.

58. Source of addl. evening light : DSTDaylight Savings Time.

59. Surveillance org. : NSA. National Security Agency  A timely fill that keeps coming up in the puzzles and the news.

June is here, soon it will be summer and the days will start getting shorter again; in the meantime I hope you enjoyed this puzzle and have a pleasant week end. Father's Day is coming

Lemonade out.
  

Notes from C.C.:

1) The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22, 2014  at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here for more information. Now they have a short bio of each constructor.
 
2) JD emailed me these two wonderful pictures. She said:

"Yesterday (June 4 Wednesday) the coven had our yearly trek over to Dodo's, and had a lovely time. Dodo was in good spirits and seeing Lucina makes this trip extra special. We could have spent the whole afternoon, after a delicious lunch, chatting, but unfortunately the drive takes us 2 1/2 hours if we get on the road before the commuters.

BTW, Garlic Gal did a spectacular job of weaving thru the truck traffic and the back seat in her car was most comfortable. Couldn't even tell it was 92 outside with the AC."

L to R: Chickie, Lucina, Garlic Gal, JD, and Dodo.

 Dodo, who will be 89 years old this coming Oct

69 comments:

  1. A rising tide may float all boats,
    At least, that is, all boats afloat.

    Sorry I don't have more than a couplet today. My mind keeps going back to a recording I vaguely recall hearing years ago of Longfellow himself reading his poem "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls". I'm sure Yellowrock will have the complete poem, so I'll not steal her thunder.

    So instead, a trivia question: Which President is identified with lifting boats?

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  2. Morning, all!

    Fun puzzle today, but definitely a bit of a challenge. I had MANAGING EDITORS and EXPEDITIONS by the time I got to the theme reveal 35A. I didn't have any idea what a "boat lifter" was (some sort of hoist or crane?), but the clue told me to look for similarities in the theme answers. And sure enough, I noticed that both of the ones I had so far had EDIT in them...

    Once I finally got enough perps to get RISING TIDE, I was able to quickly fill in some missing letters in CREDIT LINES which broke open the entire NW corner for me. I almost turfed it on the cluing for LOSES, however, since I couldn't stop thinking of a dog wagging its tail.

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  3. Getting on to the end of the week for sure. Several false starts, like CHECK ACCNTS>CREDIT CARDS>CREDIT LINES & EXPLORATION>EXPEDITIONS. Got it filled, but no tada. Finally had to cry uncle red. Two letters wrong, both in the same Latin word. Changed LIEU>SITU and was done.

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  4. This was probably the easiest Friday puzzle in a while until I reaches the SE. I knew DID was somewhere in 44A but there were tossups between NSA and CIA, OYSTER or FLOWER,SLEEPY or ASLEEP,and ASSYR, INES and NONET were all perps.

    Speaking of VIAGRA, did anybody else read that the maker of CIALIS is applying to the FDA to make it over the counter? That will be a big seller.

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  5. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. This was a Friday work-out, but not insurmountable. I liked all the long fills.

    I wanted Snow for the Winter Coat.

    Rising Tide is a fascinating look at the flood of 1927 in Louisiana. (Although technically, the flood is not a Tide). I read the book after Hurricane Katrina, but not much had changed in the intervening 80 years.

    QOD: If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. ~ Pearl S. Buck (June 6, 1892 ~ Mar. 6, 1973)

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  6. Good morning!

    This was a fun Friday frolic with only a couple stumbles. Quick, too.

    NUN shoulda been a gimme; there's a Carmelite Monastery just a block from my house. So what did I enter? ORE.

    We see a little WESTIE on our daily "march" through the 'hood. He's a friendly guy named Hercules.

    Hmmm. The boat lifter wasn't a davit, dangit.

    Lemon, you say summer is coming? It's already here: daily highs of 92-94, overnite lows of 73-74 for the foreseeable future. BTW, I don't understand why your sons would have a problem with the PILSNERS clue. As you explained, it's a lager, and it's pale. So what's the problem with "Pale lagers?"

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  7. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Frank Virzi, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, lemonade, for a fine review.

    Well, I got started last night, via the IPad and cruciverb, on the way back from Iowa. Finished this morning.

    This puzzle was easier than most Fridays, IMHO.

    Got a sprinkling of words as I progressed through the puzzle. Each word would help with another as a few more letters appeared.

    I had no idea on AMPS. I guess that Coldplay is a group, from Lemonade's link. Got it with perps.

    Got ANNAPOLIS after I had a few letters to set the pace.

    Interesting story on VIAGRA.

    Put inn ARM for 32A. Fixed that later to LEG.

    Interesting history of MENSA. Founded the year I was born. I wonder. . . . . .

    Did not know that detail about DANDELIONs.

    ASSYR was easy. However, that corner was my last to fill. I had I DID IT. I had DONALD instead of DENNIS for a while. Was not thinking of OYSTER. But, when all was said, I got it all. Using the IPad saved a big inkblot in that corner. INNATELY was tough, but a typical Friday word.

    Theme was a good one. Vertical words, Rising. Very good.

    Nice shot of the California Coven.

    Have to run. Meeting at 8:15 and then Farmers Market at noon.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (148)

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  8. Good morning everybody, and Happy Friday!

    I liked this puzzle, but the theme got me. I didn't like the "rising" part (vertical). I can never figure odd themes out.

    So many clever clues resulted in my DNF, but I enjoyed the ride.

    Have a great day!

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  9. Owen, thank you, but I would not have minded if you posted this.

    The Tide Rises, the tide Falls
    Henry W. Longfellow
    The tide rises, the tide falls,
    The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
    Along the sea-sands damp and brown
    The traveler hastens toward the town,
    And the tide rises, the tide falls.
    Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
    But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
    The little waves, with their soft, white hands
    Efface the footprints in the sands,
    And the tide rises, the tide falls.
    The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
    Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
    The day returns, but nevermore
    Returns the traveler to the shore.
    And the tide rises, the tide falls.

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  10. Good morning!

    I agree this puzzle was easier than a typical Friday. I finished in more like Thursday time. I got 2 theme answers before the unifier, but it helped me get the third one. It seemed like I had a lot of missteps and unknowns, but the perps helped a lot.

    Hand up for SNOW before RIME. I also had LIRA before LIRE, I DID IT before I DID SO, INEZ before INES, OPERA before NONET, but the perps saved me.

    I am not a beer expert, but I agree with desper-otto. I do not see a problem with 11D Pale lagers: PILSNERS. They may be golden, but they are pale compared to dark beers, and pilsners are a type of lager, so it seems they fit the description.

    I know what “extruded” means in manufacturing, but I am not sure what an “extruded” clue / answer is. I am OK with 54D Monthly pmt.: ELEC. I pay the ELECtric company. I pay the ELECtric bill. I have a monthly payment for ELECtricity.

    Thanks for the pictures, JD. I’m glad you guys were able to get together, and that you had a good time.

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  11. Good morning all.

    Thank you Frank Virzi and thank you Lemonade. Running late today. Didn't quite get through the writeup and have yet to read the comments, but wanted to post before I sign into work.

    Immediately stalled in the NW, but gained some traction due north with AGAIN, GAIT, STAR, and ANNAPOLIS in that order. That OLIS, along with SPAY and LIRE, made the NE a quick and enjoyable fill.

    EXPEDITIONS then came easily enough, but then the SE didn't want to fall, despite the no-brainer (for me) DENNIS (Eckersley). After that, the SW and Center fell easily enough, especially after recovering from having an initial misread of "Jerusalem bigwigs" on the grid spanner. D'OH !

    RISING TIDES then led me to CREDIT LINES, but the NE and SE continued to thwart any further progress. And it was thwart that had entered my mind for 14A clue "Foil" and would not leave. I kept thinking of Bugs thwarting Elmer and the Roadrunner thwarting Wilee.

    Finally thought of BALSAM, and that led to the NW completion. But that SE was still tough. Finally changed I DIDNT to I DID SO, and that led to SLEEPY and OYSTER.

    No world records today. 1 hour, 1 minute, 38 seconds. Most of that seemed to be in the NW and SE.

    My friend had two Dobes and a Westie. The Westie was the one you had to be careful around.

    BTW, do you know why small dogs can be so fearless, especially when going up against much larger beings ?

    OK, have to run for now, but will check for the correct answer later.


    Roll Tide.

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  12. Good Friday morning, everyone! I haven't finished today's puzzle yet, (and probably won't be able to), but I'd like to share an experience that relates to yesterday's puzzle. I was at the animal shelter last night and volunteers were working with the dogs, getting them up a ramp into the work van, and getting them into a crate. At the end of the evening another volunteer and I were putting the ramp and crate away. I was carrying the ramp and one side of the crate. She was concerned that carrying both was too heavy for me because "You're just a little FLIBBERTIGIBBET"! I cracked up! I've never heard anyone use the term before.

    It's time to get on with my day. Have a good one!

    Pat

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  13. Good morning everyone!

    Thanks for posting the wonderful pictures of the CA Coven, C.C.! It is so nice that the ladies can get together like that, and sounds like a fun time was had by all.

    Fun write-up, Lemony. I filled in AMPS, and immediately thought of "Magic". We listen to WXPN (U-Penn) during the day, and it has been playing a lot on that station. I never realized that it might be about his breakup with Gwyneth, though. So thanks for shedding the light!

    I also got a chuckle out of the crossing of VIAGRA and VIRGINS...I doubt that was unintentional!

    Have a nice day, and TGIF!

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  14. Musings
    -Except for incorrect CREDIT LImits and I DID it the puzzle went fast. MANAGING EDITORS (like our Rich) was a big boost
    -Getting MIL a home equity CREDIT LINE and not a reverse mortgage was a good move
    -Our 3rd kitty would have to be fixed and declawed. They get over it.
    -The Carmelite nuns (Sisters By The Sea) in Carmel, CA have some nice digs!
    -I can’t stand conversations where everyone is AVOIDING the main topic. “Gary, you didn‘t really say that!” “I DID SO. Somebody had to!”
    -When I took my last teaching job at 56 years old with 36 years of experience, my assigned “MENTOR” was 29 with 7 years experience. He thanked me profusely for all the help I gave him. He did show me where the copier and bathrooms were.
    -NEE? A woman changing her name for marriage seems anachronistic to me
    -Apollo 13 dialog for Gene Kranz amid chaos, “One AT A time, people, let’s solve the problem”
    -Harder to find? – White ball in cotton wood seeds or yellow ball in DANDELIONS
    -Recipe and pix for making DANDELION wine? Ever imbibed?
    -Vintage b/w commercial (1:21) with the word BALSAM
    -Would you go out of your way to see these RUTS?
    -On Wednesday, the streets of Blair, NE were littered with REMNANTS of houses and trees
    -JD, what a lovely quintet! Who’s the center on the basketball team? ;-)

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  15. So nice to see the Coven all looking so fit. While I know many do not care for any gimmicks in puzzles e.g. rebus, backward word answers etc., perceiving that maybe they are a shortcut to putting together a puzzle, the designing of those grids really impress me. I really liked the grid spanning central theme answer MANAGING EDITORS and the fact it is perfectly perpendicular to the reveal. I try to imagine how real constructors go from a theme idea to that wonderful presentation. It is reminiscent of watching a band collaborate to make a song written by one member into a completed work, with layers all just fitting in the end.

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  16. 41 A Chap :: lad

    BTW, (per another blog - ) the word 'chap' derives from 'chapman', an obsolete word meaning 'purchaser' or 'trader'. I faintly recollect reading this name somewhere ....

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  17. Pale Lager by its very nature IS a PILSNER.

    I don't think the clue could be any more straightforward.

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  18. Whoa!

    Haven't done the puzzle yet, but had to say I just checked last nites late comments & found CED Admirers wild bike ride!

    OMG! That's insane!

    I just watched it in full screen, & I think I am going to be sick!

    I gotta get some dramamine to watch the other links,,,but 1st i gotta see that clip again!

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  19. I thought I was going to have a record time for a Friday but alas I was stopped in the NE and had to resort to Google and red letters to complete. Oh well, it was fun.

    Hand up for ARM before LEG. Didn't understand SHAKE TAIL =LOSES until I came here. I must memorize NSA!

    Good to see the California Coven. Have a great day all.

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  20. MY PILSNER comment related to the fact my children would want to launch into an hour long discussion of the various forms of Lager and discuss the original Pilsners (pilsner uruquell)which was golden and whether it is fair to characterize them all as pale. I did not mean to suggest the clue was unfair, just people who speak beer, incomplete.
    I am encouraged at the knowledge of craft beers at the Corner.

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  21. C.E.D. Admirer from late last night --

    Wow! Great video! Thanks!

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  22. Good Morning:

    Enjoyed this very much ( except for Assyr). No real hang-ups, so smooth sailing to the TADA.

    Nice pictures of the Coven. Sounds like everyone had a grand old time. Lucina, have you changed your hair style? Somehow, you look different from other pictures or maybe I'm just mixed up.

    CSO to our own (rarely heard from) Dennis. Thanks, Mr. Virzi, for a fine Friday outing and thanks to Lemony for the informative expo.

    A salute and thank you to all those service members, past and present, as we observe this most important
    day of remembrance and reflection.

    Have a fun Friday.

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  23. Hi Y'all! Enjoyed this Friday wordfest, Frank! I didn't get the them until Lemonade explained it. I saw the "edit" in each word, but didn't get the rising part. Duh! I kept looking for "neap" and "high" and wondered what other words were about TIDE.

    Publisher usually means someone in charge of the whole newspaper production. The ones I worked under were also owners. Managing editor may mean the person who oversees the daily printed content along with overseeing costs. I was the news editor a couple of times, but not the managing editor. However, on the death of the bookkeeper, I did that for awhile too.

    OYSTER: One fun day I had in Washington State was watching people removing OYSTER colonies from a boat ramp. The sharp shells were slicing people's legs & feet when they jumped out of their boats. One guy was opening the oysters and grilling them over a fire for delicious fresh smoked oysters. Pretty good experience for a middle-state landlocked person.

    I thought Coldplay was a ski-wear manufacturer.

    Never have seen a BALSAM used for a Christmas tree. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen a BALSAM around these parts.

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  24. Hello Puzzlers -

    Flew through this puppy in record time for a Friday. This is a good thing, because life right now is as busy as Marti's was in late winter. Our prior house is due to sell on Monday, and while the buyers are quite nice and accommodating, they want the place empty - go figure! We've been hurrying to gather up the loose stuff that occupies the corners of life. And dust.

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  25. Good morning everyone.

    A rising tide lifts all boats I believe was said by Kennedy to make some political point.

    Like the way the TIDEs went 'up'. Cool theme.
    Mainly easy for a Friday. My main 'bump' in the road was @44a, I DID __. Had 'it' for a while, but changed to SO and got OYSTER, SLEEPY. CUSS and SNIPE needed some chewing at, too, because of the numerous possibilities.
    Lemon, I didn't care for the ELEC clue/fill either, but perps were adequate.

    Have a good day.

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  26. Spitz, good eye.

    The rest of the story...

    "In Ted Sorensen's memoir, Counselor: A Life At The Edge Of History, he reveals that the phrase was not one of his or the president's own fashioning. It was in his first year working for Kennedy (during JFK's tenure in the Senate), when Mr. Sorensen was trying to tackle economic problems in New England, that he happened upon the phrase. He writes that he noticed that "the regional chamber of commerce, the New England Council, had a thoughtful slogan: 'A rising tide lifts all the boats.'" From then on, JFK would borrow the slogan often. Sorensen highlights this as an example of quotes mistakenly attributed to President Kennedy.[5]"

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  27. Fun puzzle. Didn't get the theme until the reveal, but didn't need it to complete anything. The biggest slow down was the crossing of Ines and Dennis. Didn't know either, but there weren't any other real choices.

    Looks like the Coven had a good time!

    Kennedy may be given credit for the rising tide comment, but Charlie Munger said "When the tide goes out you see who's been swimming naked."

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  28. I don't get it? Yesterday's puzzle was so hard for me, and yet today's was (is) a breeze. It's like I just know every answer to every clue...

    Now, I have not read the write up yet, or the comments, & would not normally be here at all on a Friday except this was so darn easy... It makes me want to read others opinions to see if my brain is in tune with others, or askew...

    Anywho, I breezed thru this up to one line needing to be filled, 7D currently reads: -anagi-g-dito-s

    I thought if I wrote it horizontally it would make more sense...

    Journalism bigwigs? = -angi-g-dito-s? (Oh Crap! I have no idea, & my lunch break is over. I have 5 hours of work to do before I can start sussing the perps!)

    See ya l8r!

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  29. Imho, I think, "a rising tide lifts all boats" has been around as long as there has been boats and tides.

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  30. Nice write up, Lemonade. And I too liked this puz's "up"side.

    But what's your beef with the U. of Alabama? Sure, they win a lot of games, vie regularly for national championship, but is that any reason to call their coach the devil? Or did you just have the "CA Coven" in mind and your typing finger slipped and wrote something along the same lines? If intentional, I like the reference to "Old Nick" next to the name. But for the record, the U. of Alabama Crimson Tide football team's coach is named Nick SaBan!

    Gave me an extra chuckle right out of the gate.

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  31. Lemon: Nice write-up.
    Coven: Great picture! Glad to hear you had a wonderful time.

    VIRGINS & NUN in the same grid seemed appropriate.

    Come AGAIN? crossing VIAGRA ... seems like a good night. Just sayin'...

    I do not see a problem with 11-d Pale lagers, PILSNERS as clued.
    Especially since it was my favorite answer today. (go figure!)

    Off to the 50 Craft Libations on Tap Pub.
    Cheers!!!

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  32. Hi everybody. I very much enjoyed this challenging puzzle and its theme. Thanks Frank and Lemon.

    Wow! That's a great photo of Dodo and her gang. What did you guys have for lunch?

    My mother (in Virginia) used to always like balsam Christmas trees. I seem to remember their fragrance. I would love to get them here (southern California) but they aren't available. Our substitute tree of choice is a noble fir. It's a very nice-shaped tree but doesn't have much fragrance.

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  33. Fun Friday puzzle and I got the WHOLE THING--even the theme! Yay! Many thanks, Frank, and you too, Lemonade, for the fun write-up.

    What a great picture of the Coven! You all look wonderful and it's clear you had a great time!

    Pat, I loved your "Flibbertigibbet" (spelling?) story!

    Interesting Longfellow poem. Not sure how I feel about the lines "The little waves, with their soft, white hands/ Efface the footprints in the sands"
    Sweet, but maybe a little sentimental?

    Have a great day, everybody!

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  34. Add a little detergent, & you have an all natural washing machine...

    (just check out what happens between 2:00 & 2:38...)

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  35. Musings 2
    -YR, the lovely Longfellow poem reminds me of Tevye’s wisdom expressed in Sunrise, Sunset. No matter what we do, life moves on
    -JFK’s famous “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” line was the perfect phrase for his inauguration. It originated with his head master at Choate, George St. John and upset some of his fellow alums who resented that he claimed it as his own, when they had heard St. John use the phrase on many occasions. Personally, don’t know, don’t care – It worked.
    -Natural washing machine – On Modern Family the other night, Gloria’s sister from her old Columbian village was going to do some laundry and asked her wealthy sibling, “Where’s the river?”
    -Avg Joe lives very near this site SW of Lincoln that boasts wagon ruts also.
    -Oops, the alert I set on my iPhone two days ago about getting my oil changed, just went off. I love that phone. Oh, and the low fuel light in the Acadia had to remind me I was low on gas on Wednesday so maybe I can beat this forgetful stuff.
    -Now, where did I put the pickup keys?

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  36. I used to be a fan of Nick Saban from his Michigan State days, and i know his winning at Alabama is a product of good coaching and good recruiting. Two things have set me against the man (1) his brief and deceitful performance as coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he refused to take credit for any problems, whined about everything, swore up and down he was not going to leave to coach Alabama and proceeded to leave and left the Dolphins in the lurch worse off than when he arrived: (2) now when he does lose, he always has an excuse and does not credit the other teams. Lou Saban would never have behaved liked that. You can see the evil in his facial expressions

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  37. 100% with only one lookup - to match DENNIS to Eckersley. The rest were strictly from memory or from perps.

    The hardest was making the mental switch to LOSES at 17A. I just couldn't see how a happy little pup wagging his or her tail could be seen as a loser, that is, well, until I realized this had nothing to do with puppies but just with old private eye or maybe spy movies.

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  38. Hey lemony!

    I read this in my paper on wednesday and thought of you.

    Do you know him?

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  39. Quibble quibble quibble -- "mentor" as a verb? Sigh. I've just about given up. Just remember it's protege (or maybe telemachus) not mentee.

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  40. It's been a while since we had a math puzzle: Farmer Humphrey has his old horse Dobbin, out in his verdant pasture, tied to a metal post with a 25-yard rope. Dobbin can munch on all the grass in a circle with a 25-yard radius. But Farmer Humphrey wants to diversify and start raising chickens. He decides to build a chicken coop in the pasture. He figures than he can save a little money if he uses the metal post for one of the corners of the chicken coop. (Notice how cleverly I try to justify the peculiar constraints of this problem.) The dimensions of the chicken coop are 20 yards by 10 yards. (So you've got a 10-yd x 20-yd rectangle with a 25-yard rope tied to one corner.)
    Obviously Dobbin is upset because the chicken coop takes up part of his former grazing space. Question: In what fractional part of the original circular area can Dobbin still graze?

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  41. Argyle, thanks for expressing your Humble Opinion on rising tides. As an old salt and a history buff, I have heard of the lifting of all boats forever. I think it is one of those old sayings that gets attributed to whoever says it last...or perhaps, best!

    Great puzzle today, and great write up. Thanks!

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  42. Nice expo, Lemonade!

    Santa INES got me for a while - I had YNEZ - oddly, the mission Ines and the town Ynez are within a couple of miles of each other. I'm taking a trip up there next week for some wine-tasting and food-indulging in Santa Ynez, Palo Alto and San Francisco.

    @Northwest Runner - I'm fine with "mentor" as a verb - I'm curious, how would you describe the activity? Alternate clue for "Put a runner out" - "Use MENTOR as a verb" :)

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  43. Lemonade, on your recollection on students in your school (college - ) from Shaker Hts, OH, I just wanted to provide an update.

    Both Cleveland Hts. and Shaker Hts. were planned communities - meant to be strictly for the upper classes and with strict building codes, extravagant mansions and expensive zoning and a pleasant bus/train/carriage ride to the center of town. At that time, their schools were the best around. Cleveland Hts has had 5 Nobel prize winning alumni. But that was 60, 70, 80 years ago. Now, most rich folks and the well heeled have moved farther east and these suburbs are suffering. Their schools don't rank in the top 25% in NE Ohio. The mansions still exist but the rest of the cities have gone to h--- in a hand basket. Like the tides the shoals of movers and shakers have drained out, perhaps forever.

    Dandelions are not only weeds - when young and tender they are edible, with a slight bitter taste. I've eaten dandelion sausages and dandelion fritters. They are a special delicacy in Italian cooking.

    CED, I think the Bay of Fundy (sp?) has the largest movements of tides in the world. I may be wrong.

    Link North America, Bay of Fundy.

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  44. Good puzzle. I did have one write-over: MAMA before DADA.

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  45. Hello my wandering twin Vidwan; thank you for the update. I have been in Florida so long I have little sense of what goes on in the north

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  46. @Vidwan827 - don't overdo the dandelion-eating.

    The French call them "pisse-en-lit" due to their alleged efficacy as a diuretic.

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  47. The 40A clue coulda said "Alumnae" instead of "Alumni," if not shoulda, and woulda been cleverer and maybe a little harder; but "Alumni" is not wrong, since it might include eds and co-eds both.

    A more accurate clue for INNATELY (50A) than "From the start," and maybe a little cleverer and a little harder, woulda been "From birth" (or "By birth").

    A more accurate clue for in SITU (55D) than "As found" woulda been "Where found." But that woulda been easier.

    And one little "r" woulda cured the 27A clue to MENTOR.

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  48. Spitz (and others): I think this puzzle is a little bit harder than it seems at first. The trick is to draw the right diagram. The rope is attached at one corner of the rectangular coop and wraps around the two opposite corners of the chicken coop creating three partial circles. There is a big 3/4 circular area, a smaller 1/4 circular area (sector) and a smaller still 1/4 sector.

    I received an e-mail from D-O.

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  49. Some fellow without conviction
    Enjoys a life without confliction
    Did abscond with the money
    In the land of the sunny
    Then got away without affliction

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  50. HG@12:46

    Your post reminded me of a song I posted long ago, I had forgotten...

    Sorry, but I cannot post funny things about rising tides on D-Day...

    Remember....

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  51. Nice story on the News tonight.

    A Sarasota Restaurant was offering free lunch to WWII Vets today.

    They were expecting 12 ...
    84 showed up!

    My "First Toast" tonight is to those of "The Greatest Generation."
    Cheers!!!

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  52. Bill, FWIW, the second I saw your quiz I drew a mental diagram of your problem. And I even gave a little thought to how it would be calculated. And in keeping with your embellishments, I imagined a disgruntled look on Dobbin's long face as he made his way around all the corners, swinging partial circles.

    But then, I realized that I'm still in the world of the actively employed, had an appointment to get to, and said to hell with it.... It's something in the vicinity of 13/16 or 7/8. This is the price one pays when not yet living a life of leisure.

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  53. Original Circle area for Dobbin = (3.14)(25)(25) = 1962.5 yd²
    Area of new shed = 200 yd²
    ¾ of original with unencumbered access = 1471.85 yd²
    ¼ circle around the 10 yd side of shed (15 yd radius) = (3.14)(15)(15)/4 = 176.25 yd²
    ¼ circle around the 20 yd side of shed (5 yd radius) = (3.14)(5)(5)/4 = 19.625 yd² =
    Sum of new accessible area = 1471.85 yd² + 176.25 yd² + 19.625 yd² = 1667.75 yd²
    % of original = 1667.75 yd²/ 1962.5 yd² = 84.98%

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  54. Gary, I got the same answer that you and D-O did. I left pi in the expressions instead of approximating it as 3.14. Then when I did the division at the end, the pi's cancelled leaving 17/20 or exactly 85 percent.

    Avg. Joe's answer makes sense too. :>)

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  55. Finally, finally got off work, got to read the rest of Lemonades's excellent write up, and all of the great posts.

    You all are so witty and clever.

    Looks and sounds like it was a great luncheon and get together for the California Coven ! Nice pics. Somehow though, I get the impression that I'd have a hard time keeping up on the highway.

    BTW, anyone else pulling for California Chrome tomorrow ?

    OK, one last question. I asked earlier, but no one offered an answer.

    Do you know why small dogs can be so fearless, especially when going up against much larger beings ?

    I promise, the answer is much easier than Bill's math tests...

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  56. TTP, yes, consider me a California Chrome fan. Thoroughbreds, quarter horses, etc. are such beautiful animals. Clydesdales too. I don't care much about horse racing in general though I always enjoy thinking about my memories of Silky Sullivan (who I've linked before).

    Little fearless yippy dogs??? I would have to guess that they are always held or kept on the end of a taut leash so that they've never had to be responsible for their own actions. Sort of like the little kids who are nasty to the other kids but whose parents always bail them out of the tough spots they might get themselves into.
    Now that I've typed all of this, I'm sure it's nothing like the answer you had in mind.

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  57. TTP: TELL US WHY? I know it's true. Our dachshund-rat terrier cross attacked a huge malemute and almost lost his life. Then we saw him attack a big German Shepherd who had growled at his boy. He came out badly there too, but survived. Had to have IV's both times.

    The last guy I dated in 2000 had been a 17 yr. old farm boy (who'd lied about his age) marching across Europe in the second wave after the Normandy invasion. Very gentle guy who'd been to hell and survived. He had a bum leg before he signed up but it didn't slow him down. He's since died but I always think of him on VE Day.

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  58. I loved the guesses about fearless little yippy dogs. My own guess would be simply...chutzpah! Please, TTP, tell us!

    I had a big dog who was scared to death of little dogs! When he died I got a ...small....cairn terrier who would take on the world.

    Tell us, please!

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  59. I've been out mowing an acre and a half of verdancy. Thus, I haven't had time to calculate a fractional answer to the math problem. Evidently that hasn't been a pressing issue for anyone else?

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  60. Yes I too want to say thank you to all who served and saved our world.

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  61. Yes, thank you from me too.

    Avg. Joe, math puzzles? Crossword puzzles? Sudoku? Jigsaw puzzles? They are each a trivial contest pitting your brain against an enigma for fun. I'm retired, have a small lawn and my tutoring is winding down. I've got time on my hands. I'm sorry you are so busy today.

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  62. Hi all, back from a late evening supper.

    How can a small dog be so fearless, especially when going up against much larger beings ?

    The answer is that they don't know how big they are... or are not.

    For the same reason, larger breeds like a dobe or Great Dane will sometimes try to cuddle on your lap. They simply don't know.

    See you all tomorrow ! Have a great evening.





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  63. Bill, if you've misunderstood my question, I apologize. I was simply looking for the fractional answer rather than the percentage. I was not trying to demean your interest or your pursuit. And I haven't had to calculate a fraction to that extent in nearly 40 years, so I'm not inclined to try. But that doesn't mean I don't care to know the answer.

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  64. Re the little dog vs big dog discussion: Our Bichon Frise faced off against a BIG Rottweiler, just by barking and running around like a whirling Dervish! Yet, she was spooked if the wind blew a few leaves around. Go figure!

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  65. Dog psychology and horse trigonometry, and no one commented on my question about a "lifting boats" president. I don't know if the discussion of Kennedy was an incorrect response or just an unrelated discussion about today's theme. Guess that'll teach me not to include a link.
    BTW, Leonard Slye's horse was smart -- he knew Triggernometry!

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  66. Owen, I looked at the link and was surprised that Lincoln had done this. Looking at the diagram, I couldn't see if it was workable or not. I guess when the civil war started, investment money went elsewhere.

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