google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, July 24, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

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Jul 24, 2014

Thursday, July 24, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Birds of a Feather"

20. Adjustable light source : GOOSENECK LAMP.

38. Donald Sutherland film role : HAWKEYE PIERCE.

55. Carpentry connection : DOVETAIL JOINT.

I have blogged several of Jeffrey's Thursday puzzles now, and love to see his often pun-ny offerings.  I'm not sure how this one ended up on a Thursday, because I finished it in my usual Monday time. The theme seemed pretty Monday-friendly, too. Straightforward compound words at the beginnings of each entry, involving: 1.) A type of bird and 2.) A part of the anatomy. So maybe the fill dictated a more difficult level? Let's check it out...

Across

1. Hit with force : RAM. Nope, still Monday.

4. Group on a dais : PANEL. Not this one, either.

9. Egyptian Peace Nobelist : SADAT. Maybe a little hesitation here between Anwar and SADAT?

14. "Take heed, __ summer comes ...": Shakespeare : ERE. Anyone worth their Shakespeare knows that three letters usually = ERE. Of course, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is probably in Ol' Man Keith's repertoire.

15. "Just like me" : AS I DO. Maybe a little tricky to parse between "As do I" or AS I DO.

16. Last Olds model : ALERO. We have seen this so many times it almost falls into the "crosswordese" category.

17. Require medication : AIL. I'm just going to skip all the easy ones.

18. Britney Spears hit with the lyric "A guy like you should wear a warning" : TOXIC. I just can't do it...don't make me link it, please??

Call me...

19. Old-fashioned : FUSTY. To echo Tuesday's MUSTY.

23. His face is seen with Powell and Loy on many film posters : ASTA. This seems like a fresh clue for another crossword staple.

24. Rodeo wrestling match participant : STEER.

25. Dedicatory opus : ODE.

28. "Hold your horses!" : NOT YET.

31. Pot holder shape : MITTEN.

33. Medieval slavery : SERFDOM.

37. Gallery array : OILS.

41. Fed. org. researching neuropsychiatry : NIMHNational Institute of Mental Health. I'll give this one to Thursday, but easy enough to suss.

42. Solemn conclusion? : SILENT N.

43. Just about : ALMOST.

45. Got ready, with "up" : GEARED.

49. Classic Pontiac : GTO. Along with the ALERO, it makes frequent appearances in crosswords.

50. Misleading name : ALIAS.

54. Concave landform : DALE.

59. Golfer Davies, seven-time Ladies European Tour Order of Merit awardee : LAURA. Classy lady with an incredible career record.

61. TV comic Kovacs : ERNIE. I can picture him and his ever-present cigar, but for the life of me, I can't remember any of his films or TV shows.


62. Golfer's concern : LIE. They're always afraid that someone will call them a liar for putting a 3 on the scorecard when it was really a 5... (...just kidding!!)

63. Certain campaign managers : AD MEN.

64. Complaints : MOANS.

65. Solution: Abbr. : ANS.

66. Amtrak structure : DEPOT.

67. Tizzies : SNITS.

68. Big Bird fan : TOT.

Well, not too much trouble with the Across-clues.  Did anyone solve by just doing the Downs?


Down

1. "Trust, but verify" president : REAGAN. It was his catchphrase during negotiations with Russia about eliminating intermediate-range missiles. Ironically, it comes from an old Russian proverb.

2. Melodic : ARIOSO. We've seen this often enough, but only once on a Monday. So Thursday scores another one.

3. Giant with power : MEL OTT. Old crossword friend. Nice to see the full name, though.

4. Cracker topper : PÂ.

5. "And she shall bring forth __": Matthew : A SON.

6. Gives a thumbs-down : NIXES.

7. Official order : EDICT.

8. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE. Bacon also fits, but this was already filled in by the perps for me.

9. Exotic vacation : SAFARI.

10. One at a reunion : ALUM.

11. Totalitarian : DESPOTIC.

12. Objet d'__ : ART.

13. Happy Meal bonus : TOY.

21. Skeptic's comeback : SAYS WHO?

22. Migratory rodent : LEMMING.

26. Expunge from a manuscript : DELE.

27. USN rank : ENS.ign.

29. Terrified cry : EEK!!! A LEMMING!!!

30. Bridge framework : TRESTLE.

32. Phenomenon measured by the Fujita scale : TORNADO. Thursday level clue to ramp up an ordinary (and too commonplace this year) word.

34. Forwarder's abbr. : F.Y.IFor Your Information.

35. Atl. state : DEL.aware

36. Ajar, in poems : OPE.

38. Maximum degree : HILT.

39. Military storage facility : AMMO DUMP. Another tricky little entry, but "missile silo" wouldn't fit.

40. Juillet's season : ÉTÉ. French: July / summer. (Did anyone else read this clue as "Juliet"?)

41. Henpeck : NAG.

44. Erudite person : SAVANT. Nice chewy Thursday word. I count 3 so far.

46. Scold harshly : RAIL AT.

47. Ocean-warming phenomenon : EL NINO.

48. Find intolerable : DETEST.

51. Agenda fodder : ITEMS.

52. "Fanfare for the Common Man" composer Copland : AARON. Written in response to a request by conductor Goossens for songs to commemorate America's entry into WWII, it was meant as a stirring and patriotic piece. The conductor wanted him to title it "Fanfare for Soldiers," but Copland ended up choosing this title instead. Here, Copland conducts it himself (with an introduction by the late great Leonard Bernstein). 9:46

53. Exodus mount : SINAI.

56. Cookies n' Creme cookie maker : OREO.

57. Dryer detritus : LINT.

58. Zooey's "New Girl" role : JESS. The show hits the 18-49 demographic. Way below mine. Unless you are 18-49, give it 1/2 point for Thursday.

59. Youngster : LAD.

60. Sweet drink : ADE.

So, only 3 1/2 sticking points for me. How did you fare on this one?

Marti, out!


52 comments:

  1. BIRDS, they say, were once dinosaurs.
    Instead of chirps, they once had roars.
    They were feared in the jungle,
    Each step caused a rumble;
    Now they're feared for deposits on car windows and doors!

    The DOVES and the HAWKS did not get along.
    When they met, they'd go at it, hammer and tongs.
    Some well-meaning GEESE
    Tried to help them make peace --
    HAWKS and DOVES both dined on GOOSE a l'orange!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The Born Loser, 7/17. Great cast and settings, lousy plot.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A Cryptic clue for a word in today's puzzle.
    Dislike discarding results? (6)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, all!

    I zipped through this one pretty quickly, only slowing down when I got to the SW corner. Didn't know LAURA and it took some crosses before I thought of ADMEN and DEPOT.

    Up in the NE I easily put in MUSTY for 19A, but I wondered what the heck SAMARI was. Some South Seas island, perhaps? When I didn't get the *TADA* at the end of the puzzle, I knew exactly where to look. So I took out the M and changed it to the much more obvious DUSTY. Which, of course, gave me SADARI. Still no joy. The light bulb finally went on and I stuck in SAFARI for the win. I think I've heard of FUSTY before, but it's certainly not what I would consider a common term.

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  3. Good morning!

    Zip, zip, done. My only sidestep was AS AM I/AS I DO. All of the theme answers came to me with just a perp or two.

    I'm not sure ERNIE Kovacs ever appeared in a movie, but he did have a popular TV comedy show. He was sponsored by Dutch Masters cigars, so he's almost always photographed with a cigar. He was married to Edie Adams.

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  4. Good morning all.

    Thank you Jeffrey and Marti.

    Yes, pretty quick solve this AM, but enjoyable.

    Marti, Golfer's concern... LIE. The lie of the ball. Uphill, downhill, side hill. In a divot. Against a twig or pebble. Behind a tree, and many more. In last night's league play, I had a few bad tee shots that left me with lies that required a punch out just to get the ball back into the fairway.

    Trust but verify. Have a sympathetic ear and a skeptical mind.

    Thursdays are always calendar packed for me, so without further ado, I bid you all a fare well for the day.

    See all y'all later n'at.

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  5. D-O you are right about Ernie Kovaks and his wife who became the spokesmodel for Muriel cigars, singing "spend a little dime with me." He also featured the Nairobi Trio, musicians in ape costumes.

    Another fun puzzle from JW and an insightful interview by C.C. Which also links to an interview JW did with David Steinberg. Interesting stuff.

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  6. TTP, I was being "tongue-in-cheek" with my golfing comment. I am a golfer myself, and used to have a 6 handicap in my heyday. So yes, the lie is very important in preparing a golf shot.

    OwenKL, loved your first limerick!

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  7. Adult Children.

    Oops. The avian theme was so easy to spot that I missed the anatomy theme until I read Marti's write-up!

    Ernie Kovacs was in several movies.

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  8. Good morning everybody.

    I'm glad you all found this one easy, because I had a hard time with it. It probably would have been easier if not for all of my mis-directing write overs.

    I didn't get LOCKE, ARISO, DAVIES or MELOTT (aka MEL OTT).

    I liked the clue for 42A: Solemn conclusion: SILENT N.

    Have a great day!

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  9. OwenKL, thanks for the Kovacs link - I have seen all four of the movies on the IMDb, and that must be how I remember him.

    d-otto, the thing I remember about Edie Adams was her commercials for Muriel cigars. ("Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?") 0:59

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  10. Marti,

    I wasn't pickin' up what you were puttin' down. Went right over my head. Like an errant tee shot from an adjacent fairway.

    Did you ever think that pro golfers would occasionally have worse scores if they didn't have the galleries around the fairways and greens that often prevent the errant shot from bounding away ?

    Turning out to be a beautiful day here in Chicago. The high is expected to be in the mid 70s, and my first meeting of the day was cancelled. I love it when I hear or read, "We're (or I'm) going to give you some time back on your calendar." Music to my ears...

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  11. The puzzle was rather difficult, but cute and entertaining. The interview was very illuminating. The blog was very charming and enchanting.

    I've been told that golf makes for more lies than any other sport but fishing. Personally, I'd rather go fishing, but for the availability of cheap fish at my local supermarket. To each, their own joys. Live, and let live. Have a happy weekend, all.

    Is the cryptic answer -E-E-- ?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Musings
    -Greetings from the airport in C.C.’s hometown on our way to Seattle
    -Isn’t a peace award in the Mideast an oxymoron?
    -The first ODE that comes to my mind was sung by Bobbie Gentry
    --Golfer’s credo – Play it where it LIES
    -The Disney SAFARI is enough for me!
    -Of our 28 ALUMS, 15 showed up for our 50th
    -Our golf buddy died in an Enhanced Fujita 4 (EF4) tornado in June
    -There was a M*A*S*H episode where HAWKEYE was trying to help the enemy blow up an AMMO DUMP
    -Battery running down, must sign off.
    -I remember Ernie only for his hot wife. Can you name this movie?

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  13. Casually Curious @ 8:47, too soon to be giving Cryptic hints and answers. Please give others a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Y'all! Unlike Marti, this was definitely a Thursday for me. Don't know if it was the puzzle or my brain, but I couldn't come up with RAM. The NW corner was blank for me except for AIL & the theme which I did get. The NE & bottom half went better. Liked the theme, Jeffrey, partly since all those entries came easily.

    I thought there was an "E" in COPLAND. Knew his first name. Yay!

    Didn't know any B.Spears song titles or lyrics.

    That STEER wasn't roped in by me until the end. I had ER and tried ropER. Then racked my feeble brain for something that meant cowboy. How dumb is that for someone whose husband raised prime beef?

    GIANT with power wasn't a "titan" or ConEds. When I perped in MELOTT, I thought it was one word. HUH?

    Has anyone here ever seen a LEMMING? I haven't. Maybe they're all gone over the hill.

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  15. Interesting puzzle. I had a little problem in the North Central until I wagged an X and got toXic. It took all the perps to finish.

    Also, WBGS about FUSTY.

    Ernie Kovacs had a short but varied career in the movies and TV. He excelled in both comedy and drama in movies like "Operation Madball" and "Bell Book and Candle." His career was cut short by his death at age 42 just short of his 43rd birthday. Too bad, I liked his acting.

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  16. Good morning everyone.

    Nice to see Dennis yesterday.

    I can kinda see where Marti is coming from. The theme fill was easy enough and made many of the downs easier where there was mis-direction.
    Although REAGAN was easy, 2d, ARIOSO, was not; for me. I was slow on the uptake with DEPOT and ADMEN. LAURA seemed right.
    I would term the puzzle an easy Thursday rather than a crunchy Monday. JMO.
    ERNIE Kovacs appeared in "It Happened to Jane". He played a railroad mogul who refused to carry her perishable goods to market. Also starred Jack Lemmon and Doris Day.

    Have a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Blogger Lemonade714 said...

    I wonder if JW included Ernie Kovacs in the puzzle because one of his regular characters was Percy Dovetonsils a name which fits the theme perfectly?

    The TRIO I mentioned earlier.

    Sorry marti, did not read yours...

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  18. C.C., HELP! We have a minimum four-hour delay in your fair city! Couldn’t you at least buy us a drink? ;-) It seems there is a problem with an engine on the plane. What a minor detail. Also, all the other flights to Seattle are at least full and most are overbooked. Do you have a cot, C.C.?

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  19. Good Morning:

    I agree with Marti that this was a very Un-Thursday offering, but I enjoyed solving it. Thought of Splynter at dove tail joint. Only write-overs were as am I/as I do and par/lie.

    Thanks, Jeffrey W. and thanks, Marti, for your always sparkling expo.

    We have a beautiful day, temps in the low 80's, breezy, and low humidity. The t-storms yesterday were not as severe as predicted but there was one clap of thunder that was truly nerve-wracking.

    Have a great day.

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  20. Fun puzzle. Enjoyable writeup and interview. Thanks to all.

    I didn't know ARIOSO. FUSTY was buried at the bottom of my brain under a bunch of other musty stuff. I must try to work it into a sentence this week.

    Hot weather for this area. It will be in the mid 80s at least all week, probably 15 degrees hotter for Lucina.

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  21. Well, I found this a crunchy but delightful Thursday offering--many thanks, Jeffrey, and you too, Marti, for your always funny expo. And I almost got the whole thing except for a silly mistake on my part. Put ASIDE for "Just like me"--thinking of a comment in a play and then kept thinking that I've never heard of a philosopher named LECKE. Well, of course not, dummy. I've got to learn that when a clue doesn't make sense, I've made a mistake somewhere that needs fixing. I also got MELOTT without getting it, even though OTT has been the answer in about a trillion puzzles and even as a non-sportie, I should have figured this one out.

    But loved the clue for ASTA and loved seeing ERNIE KOVACS in a puzzle. And the interview with Jeffrey was illuminating.

    Have a great Thursday, everybody!

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  22. Hello, friends! What a great Jeffrey & Marti show today.

    BillG: try 25/35 degrees hotter than you.

    Yes, Marti, I found this similar to early week and finished in good time for a Thursday and for a Wechsler. I saw all the birds so that alleviated the long drawn out musings and also thought of
    Splynter at DOVETAIL JOINT.

    CSO to me in there though it began as DUNE!

    During ERNIE Kovacs & Edie's era of fame I was deeply sheltered and saw none of their fame. Heard of it later in life.

    Oh, and I didn't know LEMMINGS were nomadic rodents. Never followed them.

    However, I knew John LOCKE but was firmly convinced that 15A was A SIDE and LECKE someone I'd never heard of. Same with FUSTY. FUSSY/ARS seemed fine.

    But a fun time thanks to you both.
    I'll be waiting for the washing machine repairman don't you know.

    Have a fantastic Thursday, everyone!

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  23. Misty:
    It appears we are both LOCKEd in at the Age of Reason!

    At the moment the temperature is 105 degs, and forecast to be 111.

    ReplyDelete
  24. C.C. Thank you for the Jeffrey Wechster interview.
    Marti: Enjoyed your write-up & links. Very informative.
    J.W. I really liked this FUN Thursday puzzle. (On a Thursday-Level for me).

    Only needed "every-single-perp" to get ARIOSO, the B.Spears song, TOXIC, and the "New Girl" role JESS.
    Always thought "OPE" was an abbr. in poems for "Hope" ... not ajar.

    Cookies n'Cream cookie maker, OREO ... shouldn't that really be Nabisco?

    Seems appropriate that today's Cryptic clue ANS is DETEST. lol

    Rain is passing, I look forward to a beautiful Florida Sunset.
    Cheers!!!

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  25. This one from JW was not as tough as most Thursday puzzles, but it wasn't a "slam dunk" for me, either. I got the "theme" fairly quickly and filled in the longest across answers, and then filled in those I knew, and WAG'd and PERP'd from there on.

    Random thoughts: MELOTT - using both names - was clever. Don't recall ever seeing any answer other than "OTT" for him; 19A - FUSTY - is a word with which I am not familiar, but all of the perps made it fit; I, too started with ROPER for 24A but STEER made more sense. Question: are bulls only for riding, calves only for roping, and steers only for wrestling at a rodeo?

    Husker Gary @ 8:51 - I think the Golfer's Credo is "Play it AS it lies", but I could be mistaken.

    Marti @ 7:14 - 6 handicap? Nice! In my prime golfing years I played to that same number, but it's been too long since I broke 80, despite living in FL year round

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  26. A Cryptic clue for a word in today's puzzle:

    Herve Villechaize's lament as the teacher passed out papers? (6)

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  27. Checking in later than usual today due to a long bike ride and shopping for a bike for my grandson. I see we have many proper names today: Britney Sutherland Kovacs Copland Davies Fujita ZOOEY? Well I actually knew 'em all but Zooey, who I had never heard of. Got him/her with perps.

    Britney- I think she is the one who is TOXIC according to the press. When I pass through her hometown, Kentwood (2010 population 2100) I always stop at this Exxon convenience store and ask if she has been there lately since she has plenty of relatives in the area. She doesn't. I remember her dad pulled a gun on a bunch of girls a few years back who were tromping through his yard looking for her.

    Golf anybody? This past Monday I shot a 94 on a course I had never seen, 42-52 for the nines. After eight holes, everything went south.

    For a Thursday I found this puzzle surprisingly easy with my last fill being SILENT N.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Somewhat faster solve than the usual Thursday for a fun puzzle.

    I had to move my TOT to 68A and put in LAD at 59D. AS I AM before AS I DO, and TEE before LIE.

    Our real SAFARI in Kenya was wonderful. You would love it HG!

    Good to see Canadian actor, Donald Sutherland. Apparently he got into acting at University of Toronto (of which I am an ALUM) and went into acting (not his original engineering)

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  29. C'mon, you are all thinking it,, even the Anons are afraid to say it...

    THIS PUZZLE WAS FOR THE BIRDS!

    Maybe I'm just cranky because it was a BIG DNF for me. The clues for panel, As I do, Toxic, pate, ason, nixes, edict, & locke left me with a big white hole.

    Kudos Jeffrey!

    (The only way I can get even is by admitting I am easy to beat...)

    Rats!

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  30. Lucina, big relief that I wasn't alone with the LOCKE/LECKE problem!

    ReplyDelete
  31. This puzzle, be it a Monday or Thursday, just wasn't fun.
    I'm sure you are droll and quite the wit with your high society friends. However I am an average man with a desire to do fun crosswords, that itch was not scratched today, nor most days anymore with the LA times crossword.

    Have fun at the Cotillion.

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  32. This was an enjoyable but easy Thursday puzzle. Solved it with no write-overs. ARIOSO was solved by all perps. I knew JESS because I watch "New Girl" (even though I'm well past 49).

    Liked your first limerick, Owen.

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  33. Greetings!

    Thanks, Jeffrey, for an easier than usual Thursday! Thanks Marti for a great review! (However, it was easier for you than for me!) Thanks for the Copland, too. Thanks, CC, for interesting interview!

    Got JESS and TOXIC from perps. REAGAN from a few perps.

    Swimming friend taking the day off. (Darn!) She can't seem to do four days in a row.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I was never sure why "Trust, but verify" became anybody's "signature." Do we now count contradiction as a clever device? I doubt we'd be so taken in by "Pray, but sin" or "Hope, but despair."
    Maybe Reagan's reading gave it more legs than it deserved--a credit to his acting ability rather than his writers.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Minnie Apple-opis residentJuly 24, 2014 at 4:12 PM

    C.C. Beware - A dangerous LEMMING-like critter from the cornfields of Nebraska has been detected at our fair MSP airport. ( Better call the cops - this one's got thru TSA ). If any out-of-town visitors turn up at your home, keep your 00.45 handy. ( He knows all sorts of math. )

    Keep all NASA rockets, ready to fire - he knows them only too well. If he manages to get in, give him the SILENT n treatment and keep the door LOCKEd. He's wearing some funny tassels. Watch out for his swinging golf clubs.

    Casual Curious - WTF ? Dammn you. You ruined my crypticc for the day. AAAwww. Now, I want another septic, er, craptic er, another steptic. I want another one riiight nowww.

    Todays puzzle was a big goose. Thats my liberal opinion. I am in a Blue state - thats my face not my area.
    CED's so mad, his links got disjointed. Enough with all this politeness lets hang the constructor.

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  36. Anonymous @ 3:23, maybe you need to subscribe to "Highlights" magazine?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hola Everyone, Ah! The posting box is at the top of the blog today. I didn't like the fact that you had to scroll all the way down to find the box, but the preview was at the top, then down again to publish and find the "Robot" numbers. This is much nicer.

    As for the puzzle, Wees. I had a couple of missteps--Kid for Lad and Learned and Wise would not fit for Savant.

    Hands up for Juliet. My glasses need changing and the print in our newspaper is getting smaller and smaller--at least to me.

    My favorite today was the clue for Asta. Very clever. I also had a pause when I had an N next to a T in Silent N. I knew that the clue for Solemn was something unusual because of the ?. But I wasn't familiar with the Fujita scale. Tornado was totally perped.

    My freezer is all clean and lovely, and everything is back in and now I'm ready for all the baking and apple things to go in. Our apple tree is ready--Sigh, I'm not, but I don't have a choice, except to let them go and I can't bear to do that.

    Have a lovely rest of the day, everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Owen, You must live near an area where gulls fly over. Those deposits from the birds are on our cars all the time. We have Seagulls flying right over our house on their way to the local dump which is up in the hills about 3 miles away. Those gulls come in in droves every morning.

    Thanks for the bird limericks today. Fun.

    MelOtt is an old standby. My sister's married name is Melott, so this always comes easily.

    I hope Seattle is a vacation spot for you. Enjoy the Space Needle, the views of the mountains, and, of course, Starbucks coffee.

    Oh Dear Husker! Just read about your delay! I hope you are not on the plane, but at least in the terminal. Our daughter spent 3 hours in the terminal, then 2 more sitting in the plane in Italy this past week. Not fun.


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  39. Bill G...

    114º on my deck @ 2:45 PM

    thelma :)

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  40. Thelma and Lucina, wow! Our only A/C is table fans to keep the air circulating. It helps. If this kind of weather is going to be the new normal, I may as well bite the bullet and start checking into having central A/C installed.

    Chickie, I find that the location of the 'posting box' depends on the width of my computer screen. When I make the screen window narrower, the box moves to the bottom of the posts. Maybe your screen width got inadvertently changed?

    Our middle school is a little over a mile from the shore. Seagulls would be perched on the buildings waiting to swoop down for scraps left by the kids after lunchtime. They were clever enough not to bother coming over weekends or during the summer.

    To control the seagulls, bird control experts installed a grid of wires between the building roofs spaced about eight feet apart. The seagulls felt insecure about being able to fly through the wires even though they could have done so easily. Problem solved!

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  41. I agree that the clue for 23A was fun, granting ASTA provisional personhood with "His face..."
    I also enjoyed "Giant with power," "Cracker topper," and "Solemn ending" as smart clues-- at least with unusual wording.

    The temperature here today (SoCal) is supposed to hit the 90s, a peak in our so-called "Mediterranean" climate. It was pleasant this morning, but now the dogs are sticking.
    We gave in yesterday and powered up the A/C, first time in weeks.
    "I blow cold air; hear me Ro-aar!"

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  42. Chickie - Further to what Bill G said. Mine moves to top or bottom depending on Font size in use. Its the inverse of changing screen size.

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  43. Argyle @ 2:00, hilarious! (And sooooo true!)

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  44. Dislike | discarding results|? (6)
    [DETEST] = [DE-TEST] [pun]

    Casually Curious: You were correct, and IMHO your hint was fine. Hints are okay as long as they don't blurt out the entire answer, and your method of just the vowels actually fits well with a crossword clue, where perps normally give letters one at a time!
    Tin: I should post solutions around the meridian, but after 20-some years working graveyard shifts, I still prefer to sleep from morning to afternoon.
    Ricardo :-)

    MELOTT: As a non-wine drinker, my first thought was that this was a variation on MERLOT until I parsed it correctly.
    ARIOSO (ä’rē-ō’sō, -zō) Music. n., pl. a·ri·o·sos. 1.a. A declamatory style used in opera and oratorio, similar to recitative but having greater melodic variation. b. A passage rendered in this style. 2. A short vocal solo having the melodic style but not the form of an aria. -- adv. -- adj. In a melodic style like that of an aria. Used chiefly as a direction. [Italian, from aria, ARIA.]
    No one else got these confused? LOCKE: Age of Reason, PAINE: Common Sense?

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  45. Oh dear, I wouldn't want anyone to get out of joint...

    Here's some links:

    Hawk

    Dove


    & you thought stepping on Goose droppings was bad?

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  46. Bill G. Nothing at all has changed with my screen. I was surprised that it was at the bottom of the post for several months, now it is back up at the top.

    Bill G. The seagulls also swooped down for their lunch at my school as soon as the children left the tables in the play yard. Our principal, who monitored the lunch bunch, was hit a couple of times to the delight of the children.

    We had to put in a new furnace about 10 years ago. We had A/C installed at the same time. We don't use it very often, but when we are in the 90's and 100's it is really a godsend.

    Owen K. Thank you for the Arioso tutorial. Now it makes much more sense.

    ReplyDelete
  47. In many countries especially in the far east of Asia, if a bird poops on you, ( especially, on your head - ! ), it is considered very good luck and lots of happiness for the family and peace for the disgraced, er, departed relatives.

    Actually, the situation is the same, no matter how you look at it, but now, you just put a good 'angle and spin' and a hopeful beginning and a happy phase on the what is a s----y disaster.

    In southern Europe and the near and middle east Asia, if a bird poops on you - it just means that you have not (yet) been able to shoot / bring down / trap all those d--- birds to extinction.

    Here are some photos of The Massacre

    and The Annihilation .

    They are VERY GRAPHIC. Strictly for Adults.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Argyle,

    That "Golfer's Credo" was the funniest thing I think I've read in a few years. I've passed it on. As well, I could put names on just about every one of those.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Owen, I LOVED both poems!! Ive been missing them lately.

    I got through today's puzzle with little trouble, and enjoyed the explanation very much. Such fun for a Thursday. Favorites were Giant with Power and Solemn ending.

    ReplyDelete
  50. -We finally got out of Minneapolis 4 hours late. Our original plane was pronounce “not a good plane” and so they brought in a smaller plane with 60 fewer seats and gave out $1,300 travel vouchers until the rest of it made it through. At least we were in the terminal and not sitting in that aluminum tube.
    -Never heard from C.C. Minnie Apple-opsis;-)
    -We coulda taken the vouchers and stayed with her and Boomer! Or not ;-)
    -57° and downright chilly in Seattle, Bill
    -I loved the Golfers Credo Argyle. No truer words were ever spoken

    ReplyDelete
  51. Gary,
    Sorry for the delay. I normally read comments the next morning. Next time this happens, please email me directly. See you soon.

    ReplyDelete

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