google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 C.W. Stewart

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Jul 15, 2014

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Animal Punnies

17A. Store where Yogi shops? : BEAR MARKET

27A. Hangout for Mickey? : MOUSE PAD

44A. Language that Porky studies? : PIG LATIN

57A. Corn for Bugs? : RABBIT EARS

11D. Trash in Sylvester's room? : CAT LITTER

34D. Ping-Pong tool for Goofy? : DOG PADDLE

Argyle here. This one had me laughing from the get-go.

Across:

1. Unwanted email : SPAM

5. "Star Trek" genre : SCI-FI

10. Con job : SCAM

14. Actress Jessica : ALBA

15. Falcon's weapon : TALON

16. It's filled and folded : TACO

19. Mediterranean volcano : ETNA


20. Resin used in varnish : LAC

21. Visual aids : EYEs

22. It's folded and filled : OMELET

24. Some Alaska natives : ESKIMOs

26. Funny Cheri : OTERI. Echo from yesterday.

29. Bygone airline letters : TWA

32. Small piece of gossip : TIDBIT

35. Abbr. on a business card : TEL.

36. Big name : STAR

37. French love : AMOUR

38. Degree for many a prof : PHD

39. At the ready : ALERT

40. See 26-Down : PAGE

41. Poor grade : DEE

42. Braininess : SMARTS

43. Sound booster : AMP

46. Precincts : AREAs

48. Bureaucratic tangle : RED TAPE

52. Trying to avoid detection : HIDING

54. Works on the road : TARS

55. Afternoon party : TEA

56. Track figures : ODDS

60. __ Decor: home fashion mag : ELLE

61. Be useful to : AVAIL

62. Party wheel : BRIE

63. Understands : SEES

64. Choreographer Cunningham : MERCE. Unknown to me.



65. Something to settle up : BILL

Down:

1. Luxurious fur : SABLE

2. Answers in court : PLEAs

3. Startling way to be taken : ABACK

4. Scuff or scratch : MAR

5. Sign on a moping teen's door : STAY OUT!

6. Loving touch : CARESS

7. Varieties : ILKS

8. One opposed : FOE

9. All together : IN TOTAL

10. Take the wheel : STEER

12. Complexion woe : ACNE

13. Castle security : MOAT

18. Personal record : MEMOIR

23. __ school : MED

25. Suffuse, as with color : IMBUE

26. With 40-Across, place to see views : OP ED

28. Lucy's sidekick : ETHEL

30. Target of Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away : WART

31. Partner of letters : ARTS

32. Spanish hors d'oeuvre : TAPA. Usually, tapas.

33. Muslim leader : IMAM

36. Lean one way or another : SLANT

38. Places to hang hats : PEGS

39. Surrounded by : AMIDST

41. How-to book feature : DIAGRAM

42. More than just clean : STERILE

44. Farm enclosure : PEN

45. Middle East language : ARABIC

47. Goes up : RISES

49. Video game pioneer : ATARI

50. Problem for Pauline : PERIL. The early version of "Fast and Furious"?



51. Prop for a painter : EASEL

52. Goes after weeds : HOES

53. Like some chatter : IDLE

54. Lift up the slope : T-BAR

58. "__ Maria" : AVE

59. Outward flow : EBB


Argyle


69 comments:

OwenKL said...

There once was a BEAR from Jellystone
Who decided to California to roam.
He found a nude beach,
On the sand took a seat,
'Cause there the bare BEAR felt at home!

Bugs is a RABBIT, alert and perky,
He eats EARS of corn, he doesn't eat jerky.
He was caught by his EARS
Burrowing into DeBeers,
"Wrong carats! It was that turn in Albuquerque!"

MICKEY held a party at his new MOUSE PAD;
The noise and carousing got really bad!
When Gonzales, Speedy,
Was found bedding Tweety,
Tweety tweeted, "I tat I taw a mousy nad!"

There isn't a doubt that SYLVESTER's a CAT;
GOOFY's a DOG, I didn't realize that.
It's okay, really, fine.
A cartoon's just a line.
(Is it true, out of costume, PORKY PIG is a bat?)

OwenKL said...

Thought the theme was going to be cartoon character's last names: Yogi BEAR (Hanna-Barbera), Micky MOUSE (Disney), Porky PIG (Warner Bros.), but the last three broke that mold: Bugs (Bunny) RABBIT (Warner Bros.), Sylvester (Pussycat [also The Cat]) CAT (Warner Bros.), Goofy (Goof [or others, including Dawg]) DOG (Disney). I didn't realize Goofy was a dog when I was a kid. I thought he was just a goofy-generic anthropomorphized animal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's Cryptic clue for one of the words in this puzzle:
Hors d'oeuvre for outriders in tidal orbit (6)

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Got the theme early on and enjoyed it all the way to the end.

A few minor speed bumps along the way (didn't know MERCE, have never seen an actual "wheel" of BRIE at a party before), but nothing too bad. I've never heard of ELLE Fashion, but I've certainly heard of ELLE and could guess it after getting a perp or two.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Smooth sailing all the way, though I've heard IN TOTO more often than IN TOTAL. Enjoyed the puzzle, C.W., and the writeup, Argyle.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

Cute theme, and I also chuckled as I figured out each answer. I liked seeing SPAM and SCAM mirroring each other in the top row. Oh, and “It’s folded and filled” for TACO, and then “It’s filled and folded” for OMELET were both fun, too.

I think Mercier “MERCE” Cunningham is as well known as Martha Graham in the field of dance, but darned if I could remember his first name without perps!

I was surprised to see ESKIMO in today’s puzzle. On the collaboration I did with Lemony, we had that word in the grid, and Rich asked us to remove it. It seems that the term is offensive to some.

More rain today – our lawn looks like the Gobi desert, so we sure can use it. Have a great day, everyone!

thehondohurricane said...

Good day everyone,

This went along easily today with nary a slow down. MERCE was the only fill I was concerned about, but the perps were all solid. I too enjoyed the theme fills and had quite a few chuckles.

I'm shaking my head over Marti's revelation about Eskimo.

Mari said...

Good morning everybody!

I think Barry G summed up my thoughts pretty well, so I'll leave this as "WBS".

Hae a great day!

kazie said...

Like Mari, WBS for me too, along with the theme inspired chuckles of several of you.

We skyped again Sunday and Lea is looking pretty much herself, if a little more subdued than usual. I certainly hope PK's brother is continuing to improve. it was certainly great to hear his good news.

Meetings and outings coming all this week, so not sure when I'll be back here. Have a good one, all of you!

Qli said...

WBS and WMS about this fun puzzle.

What a GOOFY offering today, Owen! "mousy nad"
hit my funny bone!

I recently watched a Netflix documentary on what ETNA did to Pompei. Horrible, yet interesting.

I keep waiting for "abbr. on a busniess card" to be fax instead of TEL.

Good to be home after a visit to beautiful CT to see our son and his fiancee. He found out that he has a benign tumor on his auditory nerve called an acoustic neuroma that will have to come out soon. They are getting married in a few months, and the recovery time can be kind of long. Any prayers and/or positive thoughts will be appreciated.

TTP said...


Good morning all.

Argyle, I agree. This puzzle had me chuckling at BEAR MARKET, and made me want more.

ELLE Decor and MERCE Cunningham were the only unknowns, but neither was difficult given the perps.

I did a double take on "folded and filled." Thought I had already entered the answer for that one. Nope.

I did enter MEMOry before MEMOIR. Either way, I'm intrigued by hypermythesia. And synesthesia as well.

Gotta run. Make it a great day !

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.W. Stewart, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine review and your many comments, all three of them. (Ha Ha)

Zipped right through this puzzle. Did not know MERCE, but he appeared with 5 perps.

Liked the theme.

Not sure what the flap about ESKIMO is. Name I have used all my life and what the entire world has used, I am sure. I suppose Igloo is wrong too?

Tried to fit TREKI into 5A, but no cigar. Settled for SCIFI.

Temperature in the 50's here. Better than the 90's.

Qli: Hope your son's surgery is simple.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(471)

Montana said...

Most puzzles are enjoyable. This one was downright fun!

Prayers for your son, Qli.

Montana

Anonymous said...

Very enjoyable Tues. puzzle, but I would like an explanation of 31D. Partner of letters : ARTS

I misread "braininess" as "brainless" -- says something about me, I suppose.

Thanks.

HeartRx said...

Qli, good thoughts going out to your son. Will he have the surgery before the wedding?

TTP, did you mean hyperthymesia? Sheldon on TBBT claims he can remember every detail of his life since his mother stopped breastfeeding him. ("It was a drizzly Tuesday...")

Abejo, I'm with you about ESKIMO. It is perfectly acceptable in the USA, but if you go to Canada or Greenland, the preferred word would be "Inuit."

TTP said...

Marti, I did. Thank you. I saw Marilu Henner in a movie with Michael Keaton last night, and it made me think of her.

And yesterday's "It made Leary bleary" clue caused me to look up synesthesia.

oc4beach said...

Neat puzzle. I was able to go through it quickly. Although there were a few recently overused words/names like Oteri, Alba and Elle, the puzzle was very fresh and fun to do.

I assume the taco was a soft one, because a crispy one is folded before it is filled. Either way I like them. Omelets too.

It's cooler than usual (high 60s) and rainy in Central PA today, but I'm not complaining, because it's not 14 degrees below zero with a few feet of snow on the ground.

Have a great day everyone.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Truly enjoyed this animal-filled offering. CED got to empty the "cat litter" while Manac got to do the "dog paddle.". I, like Marti, liked the spam/scam positioning.

Well done, Mr. Stewart, and good expo, Argyle. (Would have been appropos had there been a horse in the puzzle as the Saratoga track opens on Friday.)

Just found out that my favorite farm stand has local sweet corn. Guess where I'll be headed later?

We're expecting very heavy t-storms today and tonight, then clearing and sunny and mild.

Have a good one.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Fun easy theme and fill. Nothing to add to what others said.
I agree with Abejo on Eskimo. Don't know what the flap is about.
Love BRIE. Some of the best I've tasted was in a Hydro Quebec cafeteria in Radisson, QUE in the far North of the Province. Those Quebeckers know how to live!

Have a great day.

Native, of some place, and some sort, said...

The 'designation' of the word Eskimo as a pejorative, is not as easily simple as it seems. As Marti's link explains the origins of the word, Eskimo, itself, are clouded, meaning either 'wearer of netted snowshoes' or 'eats raw meat', neither of which are normally considered derogatory.

What happens in such cases, is that a 'Council of Elders', get together, and decide what 'they' would preferred to be called, irrespective of historical use and convention - and expect the rest of the world to roll over, and obey.

Eskimo is not like N-----, which was a derogatory term by the white man, to begin with. Plus, as Marti points out, and so does the article, the word Eskimo is perfectly acceptable and "The Preferred" term by Alaskan natives to describe themselves. So, what is correct, (?), ---- a PC, newly connoted designation, OR a conventional and historical term, meant in a respectful manner, that the west coast Alaskans are very comfortable with ?

Next, as a pro-American, I would like to be referred to as a Bisonhunterus Wigwambuilder ??? A simple term American is too derogatory for me. I don't care about being banded as one of Vespucci's relatives. I am not Italian, and I don't even like pasta. ;-x)

HeartRx said...

Native @ 9:58, very funny! (^0^)

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Wonderful write-up & links.
C.W. Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle.

After reading HeartRx ESKIMOS link and what "Native of some place" said about it being pejorative ... it got me thinking ... when are we going to see Redskins in our grid?

Oh well, nothing to drink. Puzzle Prohibition has returned.
tears ...

Lime Rickey said...

Please stop the limerick madness. Must we now scroll down through FOUR? When will it end?

Chairman Moe said...

I saw Star Trek clue for 5A and entered "Space"; which screwed me up at 9D when I tried putting "En Masse" in again (for the third time in recent puzzles) - but as I worked the rest of that section it became obvious that "space" was incorrect. Once SCIFI fit the rest of the puzzle was pretty easy to solve. Liked the theme. WEES, Merce in 64A was someone I'd not heard of. Liked the 26A/40A combo and thought 50A was cute.

Owen, I guess you and I were sort of thinking on the same wavelength today with the 5-line rhyme . . . here are 2 I came up with:

There once was a RABBIT named ELLE
Who discovered she was STERILE;
Her mate, not a quitter,
Said, "you must have a LITTER,
But they kept trying, to no AVAIL!

(bit of poetic license above, don't know if rabbits have litters or not!)

A CAT with a MED school degree,
Brought the MOUSE a big wheel of BRIE.
The MOUSE, (who preferred SPAM)
Knew the gift was a SCAM,
So he refused, and just drank his TEA!

Moe

Bill G. said...

That was a very pleasant puzzle. I finished it last night after the tedious Home Run Derby. TIDBIT seemed fun. Thanks C. W. and Argyle.

I just recently started doing NYT puzzles. What do you see as the main difference? They seem a little bit harder. Some of the clues are trickier in a way that doesn't always seem fair.

I just started watching Dr. Who. Very interesting. I know it's been around forever but I had never given it a look until recently.

What's up with Longmire? I had never heard of it until yesterday. I looked it up on the cable guide and it seems to be Pay For View.

I have a very talented brother-in-law. He writes and performs old-fashioned country music after being a retired pediatrician. Here's a sample of his most recent song. I like it. I'm From the Old School

Lucina said...

Good day, all!

WEES. I had a fun time with this puzzle. Others have mentioned the humorous TACO/OMELET connection as well as SPAM/SCAM positioning. Visual aids, EYES, also made me laugh and of course the theme entries themselves.

I'm aware of ESKIMO being considered derogatory along with some other terms. Here in Arizona we were forced to change the name of SQUAW Peak, a popular hiking spot, for the same reason. It is now known as Piestawa Peak.

MERCE was a complete unknown to me as was ELLE Décor.

Hand up for MEMORY before MEMOIR.

Thank you, C.W. Stewart for an amusing grid and Argyle, too.

Have a delightful Tuesday, everyone!

HeartRx said...

Bill G., I especially enjoyed today's NYT from C.C. Talk about talented!

BTW, Buck Ford looks really young to be a retired pediatrician! But after a little searching, I realized you must be talking about Dean Dobbins, who co-wrote the song. I usually hate C&W, but found myself tapping my toes to that one!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Fun & fast! Cute animal theme with the cartoon characters, C.W. Thanks, Argyle!

Never heard of MERCE, but it was filled before I got to the clue, as were PAGE, AMP, LAC and all of the last two rows of words. I was doing downs. No red letters anywhere while filling. No PERILS here.

QLI, I have had two friends who had acoustic neuromas removed and both did well. The second is the daughter of an old classmate who had the surgery this spring. She has some residual facial paralysis which is improving all the time. What problems she has now is mild compared to before surgery when she was very dizzy and unbalanced. Prayers for your son!

Bill, I liked the Buck Ford song. How old is your brother-in-law. Is he Buck Ford or one of the other noted writers?

PK said...

Longmire: I haven't seen the television series, but I read all the Longmire books by Craig Johnson and liked them. I started to watch one episode on TV and got interrupted. The casting didn't fit my mental picture.

oc4beach said...

PK: about Longmire. I agree, the cast does not match the mental images we have about books we have read. Some of the examples that don't match my preconceived images are Robert Urich as Spencer, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, and Katheryn Heigl as Stephanie Plum, among others.

However, even though he doesn't match the image I have, Robert Taylor is good in the role. The problem I have is listening to him speak in his natural Australian tongue in other venues. This also goes for the Mentalist's Simon Baker who normally speaks with an Australian accent. I think it is amazing that they can turn the accent on and off so effectively.

desper-otto said...

I enjoy the Longmire episodes. I never read the books, so I had no pre-conceived notions as to how the characters should look/act. I think the casting is excellent; even Lou Diamond Phillips is believable as Henry Standingbear.. The show's on A&E -- that's not pay-per-view for me. Season 1 is also available on Netflix, if you've got that.

Qli, hope the surgery turns out well. I do think, though, that you've got your European volcanoes confused.

Ol' Man Keith said...

With today's Xwd based on animals, I reckon it is time to change my critter. Please say Hello to my new avatar, the Fowler Owl.

Lucina said...

If my MEMORY of history serves me right, Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii in 79 A.D.

Qli said...

oh yeah, Vesuvius- haul out the V-8 can :-)

Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words about my son's AN. I will keep you all posted...

OwenKL said...

TTP: tried to look up hypermythesia, but couldn't find it. Instead Dictionary.com suggested a word relating to memory:--
hypermnesia: (psychol.) an unusually good ability to remember, found in some mental disorders and possibly in hypnosis.

Wikipedia suggested a word related to synesthesia :--
Hyperesthesia (or hyperaesthesia) is a condition that involves an abnormal increase in sensitivity to stimuli of the sense.

Native: Good complaint about PC! I'm with you. To expand a bit, Braves and Redskins fans used the names as a compliment, not a pejorative, so I don't know why there are complaints about it. I'm half Scandinavian, but I don't complain about Vikings!

Lime: limericks = 5 lines, plus a blank line between. The requested maximum line count is 20, which will accommodate 3 lims, 4 if blank lines are ignored, so that's what I try to limit myself to. But Erato is poor at math, so with a really good subject, inspiration ignores limerick limits, Limey.

BillG.: Two main differences I see with NYT are 1) ☟ it starts out at about the same difficulty as LAT on Monday, but gets more difficult than LAT as the week goes on, and 2) ☝ themes include "rebus" puzzles forbidden in LAT, and more frequent "circled letters". 3?) ☟ I think NYT has 2 themeless days a week, instead of just one, but not sure of that, since the late-week puzzles are beyond me.

Longmire is the closest to a Western on TV today. It's on a cable channel, but one that's included in basic in this area. BTW, although it takes place in Wyoming, most of the filming is here in New Mexico.
PK: reverse of you. I tried reading the Longmire books, but they were so different from the TV show I only read 2 or 3.

Misty said...

I too found this puzzle very cute--well, I love animals and cartoons, so it was a given. Many thanks, C.W., and you too, Argyle, for your always fun expo.

WMS--what Marti said about many of the items. I actually knew MERCE but just wasn't sure how to spell it at first. Thought it was funny that that poor grade of DEE came right under PHD. However I wanted OPEN instead of OP ED and so had trouble understanding how it worked with PAGE. Finally got it, thank goodness.

Qli, best wishes for your son.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

Bill G. said...

Qli, best wishes for your son and all concerned!

Yes, as several of you figured out, Buck Ford is performing the song written by Barbara's brother whose stage name is Dean Dobbins. Dean is a singer/songwriter/retired pediatrician. He could have sung the song just as well but this performance is by Buck Ford (who I don't know). I'm glad some of you enjoyed it.

Unknown said...

This was a really cute puzzle for an animal lover like me. I did have one write-over: Tia before AVE. I didn't pay attention to the quotes in that clue.

Bill G. Your brother-in-law is very talented. It was refreshing to hear a country and western song in the old style, and I like his sentiment about cell phones. It drives me crazy that so many people are tied to their cell phones 24/7. My thoughts are "get a life." I agree with others who said Longmire is on A&E, which is a basic cable station and not pay for view.

Best wishes for your son, Qli.

CrossEyedDave said...

(I really should just say "what Lucina said...")

But I must offer my prayers & positive thoughts for Qlis son.

Also, the reversal of filled/folded vs folded/filled totally escaped me until I read HeartRx's comment. My initial reaction at finding a duplicate clue was "Oh Crap! I gotta change Taco?" until I read the letter count.

Anon @ 9:02, I too queried partner of letters when from some deep recess of my mind I automatically inked in "Arts." When I tried to examine that dark recess, the only thing that came up was Benny Hill saying Arts & Farces, & always getting the first letters mixed up....

Chairman Moe, excellent link on the origin of Spam! Also baby rabbits are called kits, why I don't know, my cat always tried to eat them.

Bill G, You will find Dr Who an interesting journey. People will disagree over who was the best doctor (no pun intended ), & I cringed when I recently watched an older episode when (Tom Baker) slowly turning into an alien was actually green spray painted bubble wrap! Anyone who has fond memories of the 1st Dr Who must see An Adventure In Space And Time, a poignant retrospect of William Hartnell that will bring tears to your eyes...

CrossEyedDave said...

I thought that funny pics of the answers would be to easy today, so I tried finding things of interest about the clues.

It started off ok with a CSO to Tinbeni that hopefully negated this dry puzzle...

Mickeys pad was Ho Hum, but I thought I would save it until something better came along.

Things went downhill at Porkies Pig Latin, nothing funny at all! 100 nuts & a squirrel, indeed!

Yes, it bottomed out at Corn for Bugs. At least maybe some of your kids can have fun coloring... (Manac, can you help me out here?)

This resulted in a serious loss of attention at "trash in Sylvesters room." (I got sidetracked...)

& ended up with a plain old dogpaddle, with a catchy tune....

Tinbeni said...

CED,
Mission accomplished. (You negated this dry puzzle...)

Yeah, I know TEA was in the grid ... but really!!!

I hope Misty watches the DOG PADDLE link. Though I think those pooches do enjoy the water.

Lemonade714 said...

Qli, more prayers and good thoguhts....PK also.

I am amazed the ho hum reaction we now have to C.C. having a NYT published, as marti pointed out, today was another.

NYT does have themeless on Friday and Saturday, but that is not the major issue, as with most who began doing puzzles in the 50s and 60s, themes were not always around. There are days when a theme really opens up a grid, and there are many days when the grid open up the theme. I find the NYT requires a more diverse knowledge base including some areas where I do not know the subject matter well. The cluing from Thursday on in the NYT is often a stretch for anyone looking for a simple answer. I seldom finish a Saturday NYT, but still try.

OwenKL said...

My friend and sometimes co-constructor David Fagerland tried his hand at some cryptics. The answers to these are words that were given cryptic clues by either me or Nice Cuppa on July 10 & 11. He uses some interesting words to signal anagrams.

Bridle part, indeed, charged as a minus (7)

Puzzling picture regarding Greyhound (5)

Proficient but carelessly taped (5)

Daringly kidnaps rubber stamp's accessory (7)

Strange if clerk to burn unsteadily (7)

Anonymous said...

So NOW we have to put up with "craptic clues" from someone not on the Blog?
From days ago?

This blog takeover is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Not to mention that he's still over-posting. Another six yesterday.

Misty said...

Tinbeni, I must have missed the DOG PADDLE link. Let me know where I can find it, and I'll certainly check it out!

Tinbeni said...

Misty
It was posted by CrossEyedDave (CED) at 2:58 PM
It was his last link "with a catchy tune" ...

One of the dogs looks like one of your dogs.

CED ... and I still have that earworm in my head. lol

CrossEyedDave said...

OwenKL, todays Cryptic is driving me nuts!

I thought I should know it, with Hors d'oeuvre & tidal orbit, but when I couldn't find it I went back to your guide link & discovered I was going about it all wrong.

There is not that many 6 letter words in todays puzzle, I thought I just went thru all of them & still can't find it!

A little help pls?

CIA Encoder said...

CED, I don't know what link you've been looking at, but when I clicked on the link it told me to first, and immediately, take all my clothes off. Huh ?

How's looking at me own private part, er, TIDBIT, going to help me solve the clue ?

Maybe, I'm missing something, you think ?

I think this whole Cryptic idea was started by Monty Python and his circus, just to get x rated material onto Youtube.

Anyway, that's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Here robot, here robot, let me thru.

Misty said...

My goodness, those doxies are adorable. But they didn't look too thrilled by the water, did they? I'll have to show this to Dusty and Misty, Jr., and see what they think.

Thank you, Tinbeni, and CED for this fun link.

Chairman Moe said...

@CrossEyedDave

Thanks - found the SPAM link by accident. I liked that one 'cause it had one of my all-time favorite Monty Python videos with their skit about SPAM. Hope you had a chance to watch it. If not - or for those who don't want to go backward in the comments - here's a link to the Monty Python SPAM video: Monty Python SPAM

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

WEES - my only complaint about C.W.'s pzl was it was over too quickly.

I think Rich is trying to get me - yesterday I mention I'm poor at homonyms and bam! That SMARTS.

Thanks Argyle for the write-up and everyone else for extending the puzzle's fun.

Fav - PhD for DW.

Native @9:58 - you don't like pasta?!? I love it. Some stereotypes do apply (lets just say my last name ends in a vowel too).

CED - First thought at Micky link - Disney's going to sue the moon...

Kazie - Great news on Lea. Qli - you and son are in our thoughts.

Re: SPAM:
Fact: Computer Geeks love Monty Python.
Fact: Computer Geeks repeat their favorite parts of movies incessantly.
Fact: It makes other Computer Geeks laugh
Fact: So we do it again
Fact: When crap shows up in usenet feeds or email, Computer Geeks say in a fake English accent (unless they were in fact English) "But I don't like SPAM!"
Fact: Everyone laughs again.
Fact: Normals now say SPAM
Conclusion: The Bible is correct: The Geeks have inherited the Earth!

Cheers, -T

Avg Joe said...

T.....What? No love for "Shruberry?!"

CrossEyedDave said...

I can see tidbit as a Hors d'oeuvre, & it does look a little like tidal orbit, but what does outriders have to do with it?

Hmm, if I take away tid, & bit, I am left with alor?

Nope,,, I'm lost...

Anonymous T said...

Ave Joe: I will restrain myself to just one mashup of the Knights who say Ni.

BTW - I caught my typo after posting. I should always sing the song... M-I-C-K-E-Y (M-O-U-S-E). C, -T

Avg Joe said...

In keeping with my avatar, I'm gonna talk about the pachyderm in the parlor....and potentially invite being kicked off the island. But it needs to be said.

Owen. Have a seat. You've had any number of gentle suggestions. From Anons and from regulars. But it's only girded your loins. While you've had some obvious encouragement, an Anon post yesterday put things in perspective quite nicely. With 7 respondents at the upper end and a median of 3 or 4 people that are interested in the cryptics (or for that matter, the unrelenting limericks), it's time you toned it down. Use your inside voice. Otherwise, this blog will change for the worse, if it hasn't already.

Rant over. Flame at your will.

OwenKL said...

Sorry I forgot to post the solution earlier in the day. To avoid further backlash, here's they are without further comments.

Hors d'oeuvre | for | outriders in | tidal orbit (6)
[TIDBIT] [=] [outside letters of] [TIDal orBIT]

Bridle part, | in|deed, | charged as a minus (7)
[BIT] [in] [DEED] = [DEBITED]

Puzzling picture | regarding | Greyhound (5)
[REBUS] = [RE:] [BUS]

Proficient | but | carelessly | taped (5)
[ADEPT] [=] [anagram of] [TAPED]

Daringly | kidnaps | rubber stamp's accessory (7)
[anagram of] [KIDNAPS] = [INKPADS]

Strange | if clerk | to burn unsteadily (7)
[anagram of] [IFCLERK] = [FLICKER]

Bill G. said...

Avg Joe, well said I thought. Moderation, that's the ticket. It's been often absent lately, cryptically and limerickly speaking that is.

I'm watching the All Star game. Barbara's a Yankee fan having been brought up in Long Island. Not me. Still, I have great respect for Derek Jeter, a class act.

Using technology to annoy a frog.
Pissed off froggie

Lover of other people's animals said...

Bill G.

Thats a hearty har har.

Thanks for the most delightful 15 seconds in a VERY long time. I hope the froggy got to taste some real human blood, for a change.

Despite the theories of Pavlov's dog etc., it does pay to persevere. I have found in life, that if animals ( after all, we are animals, too - ) persevere, even if some of us are too stupid to realise that we are being fooled - we will be successful. Eventually. I would rate perseverance as a greater ability than even brilliance.

You do come up with some of the most interesting cases of animal behavior. You must be a passionate animal lover. Thanks again.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, C. W. for the most amusing puzzle in ages! Thanks also to dear Santa!

WTTPS (what TTP said).

Qli: hope the best for your son!

Got a score of 25,734 on THREES! last night. So was very up (and couldn't go to sleep). Should have worked the crossword!

Rabbits do indeed have litters. Some like to eat them, as mentioned above.

Cheers!

TTP said...

Owen,

See 9:04 and 9:16 posts. Or look up Marilu Henner. Autobiographic recall. Amazing.

Manac said...

Avg Joe

Anonymous said...

Geezus, avg joe. If we get rid of all the megalomaniacs and histrionic personalities on the blog, there would only be BillG left! Ha, ha, just kidding. There would only be Jayce. Goodbye CED, Husker, Tin, You, Jzb, certainly LemonAde, Otto, and wait...I'm naming all the men? I guess it would be a all female blog. Wait... Maybe that's a good idea! Nevermind. Carry on...

Anonymous T said...

TTP - Now that you mention it, I do recall Marilu Henner. She was on Taxi and I heard a TIDBIT with her on Diane Rehm
re: Autobiographic recall. I believe it was April 30th 2012, a Monday, on my way to a client... It was partly cloudy... (OK, I made that up)*

Bill G. That was one high-scoring Frog! I think he spent more time with ATARI than I. I forwarded the link to my dad - he'll get a kick out of it too.

Cheers, -T
*4/30/12 was a Monday - I looked it up :-)

Anonymous said...

AvgJoe, your post had me searching for yesterday's anon post.

I think I found it from the blog on July 13,2014 at 10:17PM. That just goes to show ya that nobody cares what is posted after 3pm edt. (Sorry BillG.)

If you use the logic of the anon genius, then you should eliminate your tuneagement links. I mean, how many people really care about your mellow rocky, alternative country musical links? I would say that It seems to show that there is a universe of a maximum of 7 people on this blog who even listen to your musical links, with a mean, mode and median of just 3 people and a std. deviation of one person.

Anonymous said...

Basically, Joe, I would say you are jealous. Don't feel bad, however, BillG has been acting out also. Practically begging for a response to his posts. Lemony starts planting his seeds on Thursdays and is downright annoying on Friday afternoons. This blog, as most of the internet, is a place for a person to seek attention and fulfill certain insecurities. Some people just hide it better than others.

Anonymous T said...

Hurrumph - I second Lucina...

We moderate ourselves. C. Moe was told about line count and he complied. I'm sure Owen will tone it down (or, if @10:44's theory is correct, not get +1 and go away).

So you don't like the blog, go somewhere else. See, The Internet is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to the Internet, listen...*

A quick google will take you other LAT blogs. And for folks who want to pursue other things - daily puzzles based on the LAT, they can create another side-street to the blog - LA Times Crossword Cafe comes to mind.

I do like keeping this PAGE LAT oriented, but an occasional side puzzle can be fun - a math puzzle every few weeks or one good cryptic / limerick a day. Ya' say Bluegrass not your thing, maybe Splynter's rock link is. I can enjoy or skip - see, I control the MOUSE.

Personally, I find all Blues here (and PK!) nice smart people who care about each other and from whom I can learn something. I only hope I give something back.

Avg Joe - How're those asbestos drawers holding up? :-)

Cheers, -T
*Apologies to Douglas Adams

Anonymous said...

Lucina!

What happened to the voice of reason? You had posted a well thought out comment on tonight's happenings. Now it's disappeared. Please don't be afraid of voicing your opinion. I look forward to it!

Lucina said...

I really thought it was not my place to comment on the content of this Blog which I love and to which I am devoted.

It's main purpose is Crossword Puzzles with an occasional foray into other areas such as math puzzles, a few limericks, recipes, etc. That and the comraderie found here are all the reasons we gravitate to the Blog Corner. But the main and sole purpose is Crossword Puzzles.

boudreaux said...

Hands up for brainless , I had merce also and I was starting to put Trekie for Sci fi when I put r in and I read ahead and seen it wouldn't fit. Elle was a good wag since I seen that once. But was a did finish except for one mispelled letter lol.