google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, June 26, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

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Jun 26, 2014

Thursday, June 26, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: HelloHelloHello

17-Across. Last words of the Parable of the Marriage Feast : BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.

28-Across. Nocturnal bird with a harsh cry : SCREECH OWL. Listen here.

43-Across. Dojo move : KARATE CHOP. HAI-yah!

56-Across. Add one's voice : JOIN IN THE CHORUS. Let's hear your comments!

And the reveal:
34. Radio studio feature, and what each of this puzzle's four other longest answers literally is : ECHO CHAMBER. Each answer is a container for the word ECHO.  Pretty clever!

Another fun puzzle from our fearless leader.  I found the fill in this one to be especially smooth for a Thursday, and almost finished in my typical Monday time. But I got hung up in the SW by entering a wrong answer at 34-Down. Oh well, that's the way the HO HO crumbles!

Across

1. Condo coolers : ACs.

4. Link between God and you? : BLESS. Gesundheit!

9. Hostess snack cakes : HO HOs.

14. Clog part : TOE. The only other parts of a clog are the heel and the sole. I can count. Both of those were too long.

15. Hair-raising : EERIE.

16. Like bighorns : OVINE. Sheep:ovine.

20. Introductory studio class : ART I. Art thou?

21. Rebecca's firstborn : ESAU. If you don't know your biblical genealogy by now, you'r better get cracking!

22. Braying beast : ASS. Donkey:Asinine.

23. Woodstock style : TIE DYEJohn Sebastian comes to mind. 3:23

26. Triceps locale : ARM.

27. "Am __ believe ..." : I TO.

31. Banned orchard spray : ALAR. I never know how to pronounce it. I just found out it sounds like EY-lahr.

32. On the job : AT IT. Parse it however you like.

33. Not for the squeamish : GORY. I just can't watch movies like "Saw." Heck, I can't even watch the trailers!!

39. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH.

41. Eternally : EVER.

42. It may be sticky : NOTE. This seems to be popping up a lot lately.

49. MD workplaces : ORs.

50. Zip : PEP. Hands up for thinking "nil"??

51. Goddess who turned Medusa's hair to snakes : ATHENA. So that's the goddess who gives me bad hair days!

52. Subj. of a '90s CIA search : WMDWeapons of Mass Destruction (Iraq.)

53. Behind : REAR.

55. Some govt. prosecutors : ADAsAssistant District Attorneys.

61. When rights may not be denied? : ON RED. Is "right turn on red" allowed in your state?

62. King of Judea : HEROD.

63. Dijon season : ETE. French summer.

64. Self-titled 2000 pop album : BETTE. The Divine Miss M.

65. Links measures : YARDS. What's your longest drive, HG?

66. Go-ahead : NOD. "He gave us the nod."


Down

1. Plate appearances : AT BATS. Bat:pteropine. Baseball:C.C.

2. "Katie" host : COURIC.

3. Volleyball position : SETTER.  It's like the QB in football.


4. Drone, e.g. : BEE. Bee:apian.

5. Treasury Secretary Jack : LEW.

6. Chunk of history : ERA.

7. Stable stud : SIRE. Horse:equine

8. Vacillate : SEESAW.

9. Dull : HO-HUM.

10. Ab __: from the start : OVO. Literally. Latin for "from the egg."

11. Alluring dockside greeting : HI SAILOR. Loved this fill!

12. Poor Yelp rating : ONE STAR. Beware of fake reviews on their site.

13. Kind of overload : SENSORY.

18. Bona __ : FIDE. Gen-you-ine.

19. Baseball's Yastrzemski : CARL. My late father's favorite Red Sox player.

24. Word accompanying a fist pump : YEAH. I hear Tiger is returning this weekend after back surgery in March.

25. Outer: Pref. : ECTO.

29. Poppin' Pink Lemonade brand : HI C.

30. Questionnaire catchall : OTHER.

31. Sit in a barrel, maybe : AGE. Because "go over Niagara Falls" wouldn't fit.

34. Dines on humble pie : EATS DIRT. I had EATS "crow" at first. Slowed down my time until I got it all sorted out.

35. 2008 Benicio del Toro title role : CHE. Guevara.

36. Co-star of Burt in "The Killers" : AVA. Lancaster (thanks, Lemony!) and Gardner in a classic 1946 film noir.

37. Data lead-in : META.

38. Author Harte : BRET.

39. Calculated flattery : SNOW JOB. More great fill!

40. Insulin, e.g. : HORMONE. "How do you make a hormone? (Tell her a bad joke!)"

43. Sharp : KEEN.

44. "Why bother?" attitude : APATHY.

45. Secretary of Labor under Bush : CHAO.

46. "Marnie" star : HEDREN. Tippie.  I remember her from "The Birds."

47. Working by itself : ON AUTO. Some mornings I feel like I'm ON AUTO pilot.

48. Avoided flunking : PASSED.

50. It's hard to swallow : PRIDE. Lion:leonine.

54. Ostrich kin : RHEA. Ostrich:ratite.

57. Monarch catcher : NET. Butterfly:pierine. I always leave a few milkweed plants in my garden to attract them.

*From C.C.: Here is Marti's milkweed pod arrangement we put on the blog last year. She said:
  
"This is one of my favorite flower arrangements, I make at least one every year, when the milkweed pods are ripe. Doesn't it look like a bunch of parakeets sitting around a garden?"



58. Go amiss : ERR.

59. Dried fish in lutefisk : COD. Fish:piscine. This was a staple on Christmas Eve in our house.

60. Most TVs, now : HDsHigh Definitions.

And that wraps it up for this week. Thanks, C.C., for all the fun!

Marti


Notes from C.C.

Happy 49th wedding anniversary to Spitzboov and his lovely wife Betty! I've never heard Al complain about anything, despite what he and Betty went through the past few years. He's always there sharing with us his knowledge on word etymology (esp German & any nautical-related terms) & fun video clips. Do you see Max regularly, Al?


 US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT,
 August 2012

49 comments:

OwenKL said...

I tend to get economics, coded ECO,
Confused with ecology, also ECO.
One says "save the forest!"
One says "profits for us!"
If prices fall in a forest, do they ECHO?

Can you parse this Cryptic clue for an answer in today's puzzle?
Confused envoi is found in a baabaa shop

This limerick's dedicated to APATHY,
That boredom with all things SENSORY,
When everything is HO HUM,
And you're feeling too glum
To finish anyth

Barry G. said...

Morning, all (and Happy Anniversary to Spitzboov and Betty)!

I found this to be a bit on the crunchy side, personally. No unknowns, but the cluing had me scratching my head in spots. Well, CHAO was actually unknown, now that I think of it, but that was it.

I had the most trouble figuring out ON RED from the clue. We have "no right on red" signs all over the place here in Massachusetts...

HeartRx said...

Happy Anniversary, Al and Betty! I really enjoy and learn something all the time from reading your comments, Spitzboov!! This week I learned the meaning of BITTER END and that RMS actually means "Royal Mail Ship" (I always thought it was Royal Majesty Ship!!) After all you went through last year, I hope you find joy and happiness celebrating today's milestone with your lovely wife.
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

OwenKL, I chuckled at your last limeri

Al Cyone said...

This seemed a tad sticky for Thursday. Or maybe it was just right. The SW was the last to fill thanks to two of "the usual suspects": short fills with even shorter words: SNOW JOB and ON RED (though the clue for the latter was one of my favorites).

Except where posted, right on red is permitted in NYS (but not NYC) though sometimes the sign saying you can't is on the right side of the street and goes unnoticed. It's better when it's hung next to the light.

Ethical dilemma: How long would you wait at a red light before deciding it was broken and driving through it?

[10:00]

Lemonade714 said...

Happy Anniversary SB, and many more.

Another Thursday thriller from our team of C.C. creating and marite explicating. Fun down here in the sun.

I love when a unifier really makes sense and is a simple phrase twisted into the puzzle theme. and ECHO CHAMBER really fits that bill. I would join in the chorus of singing this puzzles' praises but I sing like a screech owl.

Thanks for the Woodstock link marti, see me there in thew 18th row middle? I am very allergic to milk weed, almost as bad as golden rod, so no parakeets for me...

Mari said...

Good morning everybody.

Great puzzle CC! Not too easy, but not too hard. I liked the theme, and you had some great clues in here.

I liked:
- 61A When rights may not be denied? ON RED (very clever!)
- 31 D Sit in a barrel, maybe: AGE

19D Threw me off because with a last name like Yastrzemski I didn't expect an easy first name like CARL!

I also liked seeing "God BLESS You." God Bless you too, CC!

HeartRx said...

Al Cyone, regarding your ethical dilemma: I would only wait as long as it takes me to be sure there are no cops around…(^0^)

Lemony - glad you enjoyed the John Sebastian link. I went back and looked at the audience to find you. (What's that thing you are passing to your neighbor on the left??)

VirginiaSycamore said...

Thanks for the great puzzle C.C.

And ditto to Happy Anniversary for Spitzboov and Betty! A restaurant in Cleveland Heights used to have the waiters sing Happy Anniversary over and over to the William Tell Overture ["Hi Ho Silver Music].

Our area has automatic right on red unless there is a sign. My pet peeves:
- Drivers following that honk when I am NOT turning red but going straight.
- Conditional No Right on Red during .... signs where the forbidden hours are too small to read so I just wait.

Ab OVO was one of those pesky Latin noun endings. I knew ovum is one egg, ova are eggs. I had to red letter and try all the vowels to get the correct OVO.

Raise your hand if you are going to watch soccer at noon as USA plays Germany. Even if we lose, we could still advance depending how Portugal and Ghana do. One trivia I discovered is that all the members of the same group play on the same day for this 3rd round-robin game.

Lemonade714 said...

A pencil to get autographs, of course marti.

Avg Joe said...

Fun puzzle. Not an easy one for me, but managed to get it done. Thanks CC and Marti

OK, here's a puzzle for you: What part of the anatomy was most often mentioned by the audience at Woodstock?

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

What a wonderful puzzle, C.C. ~ I really enjoyed it! I moved through this quickly with only a couple of pauses and I loved the clever cluing in so many spots. As always, Marti, your write-up was informative and entertaining.

As I avoided the unifier, I wasn't successful in picking up the theme on my own because I was looking at complete words in the longest answers. And then I saw the "hidden" echos ~ so clever!

My favorite, of course, would have to be 19D - I've always loved YAZ!

Happy Anniversary to Spitz & Betty and to those whose special days I've recently missed.

Husker Gary said...

Like Marti, trying to EAT CROW (DIRT) in the ER (OR) slowed me, but man I had a good time. When I got the reveal in the middle and had BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN I was looking for more phrases that meant the same but…

Musings
-She used a Pork Chop instead of a KARATE CHOP
-How’d we ever survive childhood sans AC‘S?
-Silly 50’s song - I saw ESAU sittin’ on a SEE SAW
-Am I TO believe this constructor was born and raised in China?
-It’s amazing that the SHAH, Hussein, et al kept the lid on all that sectarian and tribal hatred as long as they did
-When I hear ADA, I think of this woman and her main opponent
-Marti and I both love JC Superstar and know King HEROD’s song (3:09)
-Marti, I hit a 260 YARD drive once and won a sleeve of golf balls for it. Wind? What wind?
-A SETTER can have an issue if she has 3 prima donna hitters. Eenie, meenie…
-The PGA sans Tiger = no butts in the seats.
-The NSA isn’t listening, they’re just collecting METADATA
-I heard the punchline as “Ask her for credit”, Marti ;-)
-Is modern farming killing Monarch butterflies? They were in full bloom on the 3rd tee box yesterday and smelled wonderful.
-Congrats Al and Betty.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Finished the puzzle early, but then went on our march to avoid the showers expected later this morning. Four deer munching grass about 10 yds from the road just watched as we walked by.

Nice puzzle, C.C. My only write-over was MEGA/META. And I even got the theme for a change.

Marti, your hormone comment reminds me of Dorothy Parker's horticulture comment. Hand up for wanting NIL. Tippi HEDREN was just one of Hitch's many icy blondes.

HI SAILOR evokes memories of Olongapo. "Hey sailor boy, wanna go short time?"

I remember reading somewhere that right turn on red is permitted in all U.S. states, except where there's a sign specifically prohibiting it.

Looks like Tiger could have injured his back doing that fist pump.

Avg Joe, I'm guessin' that body part was a "joint." STONED was my first thought for the TIE DYE answer.

Happy anniversary Spitz and Betty!

Avg Joe said...

You're on the right track, DO. But the answer is ear.....as in what Lemon would say to that guy on the left as he handed him the pencil: "Ear!!"

And Happy Anniversary to Al and Betty!

Spitzboov said...

"HI SAILOR" - Hi everyone.

Great puzzle today from C.C. Almost thought I was doing a Saturday Silkie for a while. Much fresh fill - - bright as a shiny penny.
Got the reveal easily enough and eventually the 'long' fill. After I had them all, I saw the embedded ECHOs and the reverberative theme for what it was. BZ.
Only white-out was I had eats crow before EATS DIRT. So I guess I ate dirt there.

Thank you C,C. and others for the kind words noting our anniversary today.
Max moved to the Buffalo area with his Dad in January. He is thriving and has made many new friends. We saw him 8 weeks ago and hope to see him again in August.

HeartRx said...

OwenKL @ 5:30, OVINE?

JJM said...

Happy Anniversary Spitzboov! I liked the first answer "AT BAT". Always love the Baseball refs. ( I got home yesterday just in time to see the last inning of Lincecum's No-Hitter! Exciting!)
I breezed thru this except for the SW. I have to wonder about EATS DIRT. Never heard that before. EATS CROW, yes but not that.

oc4beach said...

Really nice puzzle C.C. Just right for a Thursday.

I didn't get the theme until it was 'splained by Marti. Like others I got hung up in the SW because I was absolutely, positively sure that 34D was "EATSCROW". Once I started erasing sure things, the puzzle came into focus.

Al Cyone: Sitting at a Stuck Red Light becomes less of an ethical dilemma the longer it goes. Especially if there is no traffic. About 3 minutes is the limit of my patience. If there is some traffic, one could make a right turn on red and then go by another route. My better half accuses me of driving miles out of my way just to keep moving. She's probably right.

Marti: Here is a good website that will give you the pronunciation of many words. howJsay. There are also a few good dictionary apps for the IPhone that work pretty well.

I hope everyone has a great day.

C6D6 Peg said...

Great job, C.C., as usual. Nice, workable puzzle for a Thursday, and really enjoyed the theme.

Marti, you crack me up with your witty comments!

Thanks to all!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Challenging, but I thought I had made it through this one; however, on reading Marti's excellent exposition, discovered I had left the CHAO-ADAS natick undenaticized.

Alas.

Also had to swallow my PRIDE on EATS CROW.

I'll JOIN IN THE CHORUS congratulating Spitz and Betty!

We have lot's of "No turn on red" signs here in MI.

And, remembering yesterday's theme ----

With today's poem from Owen,
I wondered "Now, where is this goin'?"
I read it with care,
But it flew off somewhere;
Out there where the cold wind was

Cool [not cold] regards!
JzB

HeartRx said...

OC4beach, thanks for the HowJSay link. I find that the guy has a slight British accent on that site, though. And if you enter "park" or "car" it is downright Bostonian!!! PAHK - CAH.

I like to use the Cambridge online dictionary - that site gives both the UK and US pronunciations.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

CC continues to amaze me with her clever themes, clever construction, and devilish cluing! I had numerous write-overs: eats crow/dirt, mega/meta, ERs/ORs, nil/pep, etc. It took longer to complete than usual, but it was worth the time and effort. Job well done, CC, and sparkling expo, Ms. Marti, as always!

Happy Anniversary to Spitz and Bette. Hope you have a wonderful celebration!

Just read yesterday's later posts and YR, I am sorry to hear about your ongoing fears and concern regarding Alan's condition. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.

We have a gloomy day, on and off rain, and very high humidity. We had very heavy downpours yesterday afternoon and evening. I was wishing I could send some to you California folks.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Sorry, that should be Spitz and Betty.

Lucina said...

Greetings, super puzzlers! Oh, Marti, you are in good form today! I appreciated the species info though doubt I'll remember it.

And, C.C., what can I say? You've aced another one with really fresh and clever clues.

A/CS seemed too easy to start so I scanned the grid to fill whatever came to mind easily and, hey, ACS was right! However, AT BATS held me up because of course I was thinking of the dining experience until the Biblical verse sent me to baseball.

It was all quite doable with only a few letters here and there to complete the picket fence, as Lois (R.I.P.) used to say.

Though I had CHAO in there, I thought I'd better check to make sure and Tipi HEDREN came easily to mind. Count me in for EATS CROW until WMD nullified it. Same for ER/OR.

Here in Arizona turn ON RED is allowed unless otherwise noted.

Amusing to see KEEN/APATHY side by side.

Congratulations, Spitz & Betty! I also appreciate that you share your vast knowledge with us and learn from it.

Have a happy Thursday, everyone!


CanadianEh! said...

I got the theme early and it helped me fill in SCREECH OWL and KARATE CHOP. Enjoyed this puzzle and write-up. Thanks C.C. and Marti.

Hand up for EATS CROW and that ERRor held up the SW corner. I also had ERs before ORs. Didn't understand what WMD stood for until I came here.

Smiled when I figured out the misdirection for ON RED. We can turn right on a red light in Canada (even Quebec where it was previously banned now allow it).

I love the parakeet bouquet Marti.
Happy Anniversary to Spitzboov & Betty!
We celebrate tomorrow.

Bill G. said...

Happy anniversary Spitz and Betty! I always enjoy your input here.

Yes, I forgot yesterday. So for YR, best wishes for your son, for you and the rest of your concerned family. I hope things work out well.

Thanks CC and Marti. I enjoyed both of your contributions as always.

Fun puzzle as I was expecting. A few thoughts:

I've never heard EAT DIRT except in crossword puzzles. Eat crow instead. Same number of vowels. Why dirt instead of crow? Or, is 'eat crow' just an idiosyncrasy of my upbringing?

ON RED. I moved to California in 1963 and was delighted to find I was allowed to turn right on red. Not back in Virginia and not in New York. Then, other states made the change. Was California the first? (BTW, I think all left-turn lights should have a green arrow to guarantee an interval when it's safe to turn left and then just a green light to allow you to turn left if there is no oncoming traffic.

Al, two cycles on a broken traffic light. Then it's look quickly for policemen and then, I'M OFF!

Yes, I'm skeptical of fake reviews on Yelp. Angie's List too.

I never liked Tippie Hedren. To me, she was woodenly pretty with no sex appeal.

Re. apathy, a joke. A baseball manager was yelling at his overpaid rookie who had just missed a sign and earlier, had overthrown the cutoff man. The manager yelled, "You know what's wrong with you? You're ignorant and apathetic. Do you even know what that means?" The rookie sighed and replied, "I don't know and I don't care..."

Misty said...

I always get excited when I see a C.C. puzzle, and this being Thursday I expected a toughie. It was, but also lots of fun with some fun misdirection. Kept thinking of a platter or dining plate for 1D, of course totally forgetting C.C.'s love of baseball. Took me forever to switch over to that other plate. And a C.S./Marti combo is really special! So even though I goofed on a few things, this was a great way to start the morning.

Can you believe I put SNOB JOB instead of SNOW JOB? I just live in a sheltered world, I guess. And like many others I had EATS CROW before getting EATS DIRT. I also had GOO for the Clog clue for the longest time. Totally forgot that a Clog was a type of shoe.

Congratulations on your anniversary, Spitzboov! Almost half a century--wow!

Yellowrocks, I'll start including Alan in my daily prayer. And send my best thoughts.

I have to say the Monarch catcher made me a little sad. On the advice of a friend who campaigns to save Monarch butterflies from extinction, we acquired a milkweed plant this year. I was thrilled to see four caterpillars on it yesterday, suggesting that the Monarchs are reproducing. Wonderful! So please put away your NETs, everybody. We need to help these beautiful creatures survive!

Have a great Thursday, everybody!

OwenKL said...

Hand up for eating crow. People with pica are the ones who EAT DIRT. People who eat 'UMBLE PIE are the ones who eat crow.

Marti: Nice comment, & correct on the cryptic!
Confused envoi is found in a baabaa shop
[Anagram of] [ENVOI] is [OVINE]

Jazz: If I ever retire, you seem qualified to take my place, even if today's was "blowin' " it! And speaking of yesterday's HORN IN ON..

Yellowrocks said...

Thanks to all of you for your concern about my son and me. I am thankful that, at least, he is not becoming worse. There is still a fighting chance of avoiding anything dire.

Happy Anniversary, Spitz and Betty. Spitz, i always enjoy your posts.

I thought of EATS CROW at first, but wrote EATS and waited. I soon had the D and knew it was DIRT, IMO, a common enough expression.It seems more sneering than EATS CROW.
Wiki-
Eating crow is of a family of idioms having to do with eating and being proved incorrect, such as to "eat dirt" and to "eat your hat" (or shoe), all probably originating from "to eat one's words", which first appears in print in 1571 in one of John Calvin's tracts, on Psalm 62: “God eateth not his words when he hath once spoken”.


CrossEyedDave said...

I got totally stuck several times on this puzzle, but I got it done in ink eventually only after looking up some names:

Chao
Hedren
Lew
& Bette

One at a time,
In that order.

Bette made my crow eat dirt...

All in All, a fun puzzle. (But I don't think the Swiss will like it...)

Happy Sailing Spitz & Betty!

Here in New Jersey, they let you turn on red. (But then they take your picture & send you a $75- fine for not coming to a complete stop...) I am sure they would let you go through a red light if they could figure out a way to make money from it...

Tinbeni said...

Happy 49th Anniversary, Spitz and Betty!

Marti: Wonderful, informative write-up & links.

Fave today, of course, was AGE because that's what they do with Scotch in barrels. The longer/the better. Pinch is 15yo.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Futbol game.
YEAH, we (the USA) lost the match 1-0 with Germany but won the war as we move through to "Knock-Out Round."
(Next Tuesday at 4:00 pm ... probably against Belgium).

My "First-Toast" tonight at Sunset is to Spitz and His Bride ... I've already Toasted Team USA.
Cheers!!!

One time futbol enthusiast said...

Great puzzle kinda difficult at spots. Very nice blog, Marti. I wish I had been at Woodstock. I hear the reefer joints were 5 cents each.

OwenKL I too, had 'Ovine' - but Marti posted first.

Nothing on the Wurld cup ?? Sadly, USA lost today, 0-1, to Germany. Probably the end of the road for us. At least we'll still have the biting incident to remember. Luis Suarez added glory to himself, his team and his country. (Now, what country was that ?).

I've eaten dirt and I've eaten crow, and my thoughts are, in small quantities, they both tasted like overcooked rabbit. Earthy and gamey. A little salt always helps on the side. And lots of black pepper.

Dennis said...

Congratulations, Al and Betty; just a tremendous accomplishment.

Great news about Max, too; I hope he continues to thrive.

HeartRx said...

One time futbol enthusiast - I wasn't sure about OVINE, because I spell the person as "envoy." Owen, is there another spelling?

Ironically, ENVOI is a poet's comment or short explanatory verse at the end of his poem - something Owen does on occasion!

Lucina said...

YR:
I, too, have offered my prayers for Alan to be in some way relieved of his suffering. As a believer, I have faith that the concerted prayers of many effect a positive outcome.

OwenKL said...

An Old Boy Envoi
Found Outside A Shearing Shop

Alas for my hair,
It's no longer there.
But joy!
The envoi:
If it's no longer here,
I've no need to shear!

TTP said...

Good afternoon everyone.
Good afternoon everyone.
Good afternoon everyone.

Is there an ECHO in here ?

OK, I had the same problems in the Southwest with EATS crow versus EATS DIRT.

But I'm willing to bet that no one else first entered HORNY for 16A clue "Like bighorns". I know, same word or root in the clue and answer is disallowed, but it was before I had my coffee and their horns are a dominant feature!

Ahem. Moving on...

I especially liked both SNOW JOB and ON RED.

Left turn on red can also be legal. I know it is is in Texas and some other states. Generally, you have to be in the leftmost lane of a one way street and turning into the leftmost lane on a one way street.

CC, thank you for the fun and challenging puzzle. And Marti, thank you for the wonderful writeup, explanations and links.

Congratulations to Spitzboov and Betty !

Unknown said...

This was a perfect Thursday puzzle. Thank you C.C. My only write-over was SERVER before SETTER.

Happy anniversary Spitz and Betty.

Bill G. and Anonymous @4:15 from yesterday, I live in the California Gold Country (Sierra Nevada foothills).

SwampCat said...

Thanks, CC for a wonderful puzzle. And Marti, thanks for all the funny things you say and the links!

Owen, Owen ...what can I say? Even "unfinished" your rhymes are so much fun!

Interesting coincidence: a few days ago we had a CW with the theme, "Runner." Today, a film crew appeared in my apartment building shoot a movie with Nicholas Cage ...the title of the movie is "Runner". Who'd -a-thunk it ?

Yellowrocks said...

Last night I won an Oscar for best actress, not having had to act at all. Our square dance club hosts an annual A Night at the Movies, during which many members and guests dress as characters from the movies, whether stars, animal stars or toons from any era. We walk down the red carpet and are judged on the verisimilitude and creativity of our costumes and "presence," rather than as actors. I was Cho Cho San from the movie Madame Butterfly, based on the opera. I wore an authentic yukata (sorta like an informal kimono), carried a parasol and shyly hid my face behind a Japanese fan. Our emcee is a fabulous entertainer who sang lovely songs from movies while wearing delightful costumes. We had delicious treats and square danced to popular movie songs. What a ball! It is the best attended dance of the year in a full to bursting hall.
I considered Memoirs of a Geisha,but the geisha costume is harder to come up with.

Bill G. said...

Thanks to Desper-Otto, I got off my tush and subscribed to the NYT crossword site. My impression is that the quality and style are similar to the LAT with the NYT puzzles being a bit harder. (I haven't tried Friday or Saturday yet. I'm guessing I will find them to be impossible for me.)

Since we have several constructors here, I was wondering what your impressions are about the differences in dealing with the two editors? Obviously they are both very good.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks CC and Marti terific work!

Falling asleep again. Had brunch after late swim.

No problems.

Had crow first also.

Happy Anniversary, Spitz and Betty!

Cheers!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Very Clever, C.C.! Really great expo, Marti!

I got the theme early enough to help on the last two.

I didn't understand the "on red" clue until Marti 'splained it. DUH! Here we have left turn on the green arrow from the left-hand lane only. At one of the busiest intersections in the city, I got stuck with a malfunctioning arrow that did not turn green. I sat there for 15 minutes in very heavy traffic which did not let me swing over to the middle lane. Finally some nice lady stopped well back in the middle lane, honked and waved me over so I could go. I figured she had got stuck there earlier. The light wasn't fixed for several days.

Didn't know LEW or CHAO. HEDRON only came to mind after Novak & one other turned red.

When my "crow" turned into a red bird, I tried "EAT worms". ("Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I'm goin' out and EAT worms.")

Lucina, why did you add "R.I.P." to Lois? I thought she just retired. Do you know something worse?

Happy Anniversary, Spitz & Betty!

Argyle said...

That Lois was Clear Ayes.

PK said...

Thanks, Argyle! I'd forgotten Clear Ayes real name.

Blue Iris said...

Happy Anniversary to Dennis and Linda! (be-lately)
Happy Anniversary to TTP and his sweety! (be-lately)
Happy Anniversary to Spitz and Betty!
Nice to know so many have found the person they were meant to share life with... Many more wonderful years!

Argyle, I noticed you reached 500+ post. Thanks for all your hard work and good s'plain for our edification.

CC, your puzzle constructions are getting better and better! Your mastery of the English language is mind-boggling.

YR, Sorry to hear about Alan's one step back again. Praying for him to regain his optimum health and happiness.

Monarch butterfly clue made me realize that I don't see them anymore as in my youth? Can you find milkweed in a nursery or do you have to find a place were it is growing wild?

Blue Iris said...

I have been reading a book that includes the death of HEROD. Scientist now think he died of Kidney Disease and Fournier's Disease. ( look up on Wiki if you want to be grossed out) Causes ulcerated entrails and horrible gangrene that causes the genitals to rot and become infested with maggots. Also suffered with great edema to his feet, had to set upright to breath, incessant itching, convulsions,and stench to his breath. I imagine his breath wasn't the only thing that stunk. It was called HEROD's Evil at the time. They think he lived like this for two years and was still killing everyone around him to keep the thrown.

BTW, sweet dreams!

Lucina said...

Argyle:
Thank you for answering the question about Lois, AKA, Clear Ayes.

Barbara Kingsolver's most recent book, Flight Behavior, concerns the problem of disappearing Monarch butterflies, in case anyone is interested.

Abejo said...

Good Friday morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for a fine review.

Well, I did this after I did the Friday puzzle. Zipped through it pretty easily.

Like the marriage feast quote, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN. Did not see the theme until I got it all done. ECHO is in all of them.

I tried EATS CROW at first. Thought I nailed that one. Fixed it later to EATS DIRT.

Happy #49 Spitzboov and Betty. That kind of explains your trip to Mass.

Anyhow, we are getting ready to head to Massachusetts for a wedding. See you tomorrow (Saturday) from there.

Abejo

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