google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Steve Blais

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Sep 30, 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Steve Blais

Theme: You can keep your shirt on - Themes start with things you might lose.

17A. Reminder to be polite : MIND YOUR MANNERS. Lose your mind.

23A. Assets-and-liabilities statement : BALANCE SHEET. Lose your balance.

40A. "Congratulations!" : "WAY TO GO!". Lose your way.

51A. 1993 film about a novice Olympic bobsled team : "COOL RUNNINGS" (They were from Jamaica.). Lose your cool.

62A. What risktakers have ... and what the starts of 17-, 23-, 40- and 51-Across can be? : SOMETHING TO LOSE

Argyle here. A lot of names again but fewer abbreviations. (I didn't count them.) Two spanners also. All in all, quite like Monday.

Across:

1. Cross in some hieroglyphics : ANKH

5. Guinness of "Star Wars" : ALEC. and 14A. "Star Wars" princess : LEIA

9. Most of its panhandle is in the Pacific Time Zone : IDAHO. Note some of (update) Oregon is Mountain Time Zone.

15. "Hawaii Five-O" nickname : DANO. "Book 'em, Dano!"

16. At lunch, say : NOT IN

20. Pond growth : ALGAE

21. Churn up : ROIL

22. "__-haw!" : YEE. YEE or HEE, gotta wait on the perp.

27. Judge at a base : UMPIRE

30. Flower pot filler : SOIL

31. Something to brag about : FEAT

32. Perform perfectly : NAIL

36. Dance movements : STEPS

39. Rower's blade : OAR

42. Be a contender : VIE

43. Word with whisper or fright : STAGE

45. It's a gas in Canada : ESSO

46. Copper-plated coin : CENT

47. Without ice : NEAT. Finally, right Tin?

49. Millionaire's accumulation : WEALTH

56. Incoming flight info: Abbr. : ARR. (arrivals)

57. Any minute now : SOON

58. Hop out of bed : GET UP

66. Nursery rhyme tart taker : KNAVE. Who knew?

67. Large cross : ROOD

68. Blessing ender : AMEN

69. Repaired, as a shoe : SOLED. From a bygone era.

70. Approximate figs. : ESTs

71. Ties the knot : WEDS

Down:

1. __ mater : ALMA

2. Astronaut Armstrong : NEIL

3. Checkmate victim : KING

4. Tasted, with "of" : HAD A BIT

5. "And now, without further __ ..." : ADO

6. 2000s first lady Bush : LAURA

7. 2001 bankruptcy filer : ENRON

8. Stand-up individual? : COMIC

9. Road trip stopover : INN

10. Crime family boss : DON

11. Right in front of one's face : AT EYE LEVEL

12. New recruit : HIREE

13. Beginning : ONSET

18. Magazine subscription period : YEAR

19. Many microbrews : ALEs

24. "Stormy Weather" singer Horne : LENA



25. "Nothing special" : "SO-SO"

26. Bit of Google success : HIT. Easier on your teeth than Bit-O-Honey.

27. Sci-fi transports : UFOs

28. Veggie platter's lack : MEAT

29. Like "The X-Files" cases : PARANORMAL

33. Thumbs-up vote : AYE

34. For what __ worth : IT'S

35. Part of LAPD : LOS. (Los Angeles Police Department)

37. Ice cream buy : PINT. It still could be Edy's.

38. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane : SETH

40. Wash-and-__ : WEAR

41. Prom attire : GOWN

44. Hair goo : GEL

46. Source of legal precedents : CASE LAW

48. Rear end : TUSH. I still LOL at the end of the clip.



50. "Thick & Fluffy" breakfast brand : EGGO

51. Big barrels : CASKS

52. Maine campus town : ORONO

53. Bete __ : NOIRE

54. Verboten things : NO-NOs

55. Weighty gold bar : INGOT

59. Weighty work : TOME

60. Pre-owned : USED

61. Rollerballs, e.g. : PENS

63. First lady? : EVE

64. Actor Danson : TED. He has gone from Cheers to CSI.

65. QB's scores : TDs


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Pje (Pat), the milk man's daughter :-). You can read more about Pat here. She's been a quiet influence in our blog, always offering comfort when someone needs help.






38 comments:

  1. HBDTY PJE and many more. A solid Tuesday puzzle from one of our regular constructors. I liked the theme and really appreciated AT EYE LEVEL and PARANORMAL.

    Enjoy all

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  2. Morning, all (and Happy Birthday Pje)!

    Very smooth and enjoyable solve today. No nits to pick, although I did learn a few things. I lived in Southern IDAHO for a couple of years a few decades ago and never knew the panhandle was in a different time zone. I also never knew that a ROOD was specifically a "large" cross (I always just thought of it as a crude cross of any size). And finally, all my life I've thought it was the JACK of Hearts who stole those tarts. Go figure...

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  3. What's Lost Is Over-rated

    Age, grey old age, is catching up,
    No longer am I the wunderkind.
    I'd worry about dementia, except
    I think that I've already LOST MY MIND!

    My body is going, I no longer can do
    The things I could once with nonchalance.
    "Help, I've fallen, and can't get up!"
    That's what happened when I LOST MY BALANCE!

    Things were so great when I was a youth,
    It seems like a succession of success every day.
    But now all I do is sit here and brood,
    Where, in those years, did I LOSE MY WAY?

    But no use to mope, there's still things I can do
    To fashion a legacy, and show I'm no fool.
    Instead of a curmudgeon, I can be an ideal
    Of a cuddly old coot, if I don't LOSE MY COOL!

    Ink Pen and Frazz.

    CCW has nothing today, but one some people didn't like yesterday was in ST today.
    LAT 71a. Wield : EXERT
    ST 32d. Apply, as force : EXERT
    And Argyle mentions EDY'S, which was in today's ST clued as "Ben & Jerry's alternative".

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  4. Good morning!

    Happy, Happy Birthday, Pat! I hope your day is filled with good surprises!
    ¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

    Fun puzzle from Steve today. We just had COOL RUNNINGS as a theme entry two weeks ago, so it was strange to see it again today.

    Argyle, I thought of Bit-O-Honey when I looked at 4-down, so I did a double take when I saw the picture you posted!

    I chuckled when I filled in NEAT, and thought "Tin will surely approve of this puzzle!"

    Have a good day, everyone.

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  5. Good morning!

    My foot was almost injured on this one. I immediately inked in HEE and had trouble seeing my way out of ATE HEL EVEL.

    My first thought for PINT was CONE. There's no Edys here, so that doesn't pop to mind.

    "Tarts" conjured up some images, but KNAVE waasn't one of them. After Barry's comments I remembered that Dad always called the Jack the KNAVE.

    Happy Birthday, Pat!

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  6. Hi Y'all! Cool puzzle, Steve! I've lost all of those things and can't find them. YEE gads, that's just the way I ROIL these days.

    The definition of ROOD is new to me, but I'm glad to know it. I keep getting it in a word game I play and wondered what it meant. Not enough to get out of the recliner and look it up.

    Also new to me was SETH.

    11D When I was done and looking over the puzzle, I had a moment of "ATE what?" Oh, AT EYE LEVEL.

    I didn't post yesterday because my Safari browser quit. (I see my copycat filled the void.) My email & Kindle still worked, so I surmised it wasn't the internet provider. I started exploring various things and thought I'd lost everything at one point. Finally, let that pesky update thing do its work and VOILA, everything came back. Phew! By that time it was bedtime, but I could sleep better.

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  7. Good morning,

    Fun puzzle today with one or two fills that had me scratching the "dome" and validating there's still a Helluva lot I don't know.

    YEE Haw? Filled in Hee Haw and kept trying to figure out what AT EhE LEVEL was. YEE is a new expression for me.

    Then there was HAD A BIT. I've Had A Bite along the way which makes more sense to me then BIT. Can't say it's an expression I've ever used, heard or read.

    Happy birthday PJE. Have a terrific day and enjoy yourself.



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  8. Fun outing. Liked Neat and At Eye Level.

    If ever a puzzle needed a theme song, it's this one: Randy Newman

    Happy Birthday Pat!!

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  9. Hello Puzzlers -

    Super easy today, other than that Hee before Yee thing. I remember the S on Cool Runnings from the prior puzzle; can't recall the movie enough to know why it's plural.

    HBTY, PJE!

    Morning Argyle, hand up for thinking Bit o Honey.

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  10. This should have been the Monday puzzle. Zoomed right through. YEE before HEE. I've often heard it said, but I don't use it myself.

    Indiana also has two time zones, disconcerting when driving Rte. 80 through to Chicago.

    The KNAVE of Hearts is a well known nursery rhyme for me. When I was a preteen I looked up KNAVE (life long habit) and found it was the playing card we usually call Jack.

    4D The clue could have been smoother with TASTEd as a verb without the OF. Hondo, I think that bit here means a small amount, not BITE.

    Having visited many cathedrals I have seen ROODs that are extremely ornate/costly and lovely. They are usually large.

    Happy birthday, Pat. Enjoy your day.

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  11. 9. Most of its panhandle is in the Pacific Time Zone : IDAHO. Note some of Washington is Mountain Time Zone.

    --Isn't it Oregon? Or, are my eyes worse than I thought.

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  12. Another quick fun solve. Thanks Steve & Argyle.

    HBD to pje.

    Hand up for HEE before YEE. I had ETA before ARR, DIRT before SOIL, ARISE before GET UP but perps soon corrected them.

    Smiled at 47A CSO to Tin.

    Yes we still have ESSO gas in Canada but we no longer have the CENT. All cash transactions get rounded up or down. Change purses are lighter (but sometimes the loonies and toonies make more weight!).

    I'm off to the outdoors to enjoy our beautiful warm weather. Leaves are turning colour.

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  13. Good morning, gang - outside of making the same mistake others had made with HEE instead of YEE, this was a very smooth Tuesday solve. I had no idea what the theme could be until I got to the unifier, which is the way it should be. Marti, I had the same deja vu reaction upon seeing COOL RUNNINGS; wouldn't expect something that obscure to show up twice in such a short period.

    Happy Birthday, Pat -- hope it's a great one for you.

    Thanks for all the birthday wishes Friday; sorry I didn't answer sooner, but I was again 'kidnapped'. I thought for sure Linda would be whipped when she got in Friday morning, after the 14-hour flight from India followed by a 3-hour flight from Newark to Ft. Lauderdale, but she had booked a long weekend for us in South Beach, complete with limo service round-trip. We stayed at one of the great art deco (love that style) hotels on Ocean Drive and had a great (albeit low-key) four days. I'm a very lucky man.

    Lois, thanks so much for stopping by Friday -- you've been sorely missed. Hope to see more of you. (Don't I always!)

    Thanks again for all the nice comments Friday; means a lot coming from such a great group of people.

    Have an outstanding day!

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  14. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Steve Blais, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    Zipped through this pretty easily. Got the first word right off the top of my head, ANKH. Two crosses today. ROOD, as well. I have come across Commanderies in my fraternity named HOLY ROOD Commandery. None in Illinois, though.

    Happy Birthday, Pje, and many more. Nice photo.

    Got all the theme answers before I got down to the 62A SOMETHING TO LOSE.

    For 56A wrote in ETA, then ARR became the answer after a couple perps. My only inkblot.

    KNAVE makes sense.

    Not familiar with the X Files. PARANORMAL appeared after most crosses were filled.

    ESSO again. I think that means Eastern States Standard Oil.

    Well, I have to go to the doctor today. My blood pressure pills ran out and the pharmacy had to get approval from my doctor to refill the prescription. My doctor's office then called me and reminded me I had not been in for a whole year. This all happened yesterday, so I am going in today for a checkup. Time flies.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    (231)

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  15. Good morning everyone.

    HBDY to PJE. Belated HBDY to Dennis. (Off the grid for a few days so, sorry, Dennis)

    Easy solve today. Did it counterclockwise to be a little different. No nits, write-overs or searches.
    Argyle, thanks for the time zone map. I think you meant to say Oregon vs. Washington?

    Have a good day.

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  16. Easy and fun today with only some misreadings to slow me down. I took forever to figure out that 21A wasn't CHUM UP, but rather CHURN UP. Likewise 24D: HOME/HORNE. I either need new glasses or my newspaper should use a different font to make it easier!

    Happy birthday, Pat!

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  17. Thank you Steve and Argyle. First pass rewarded me with the most low hanging fruit I've seen in a long time. But even with that, there was just enough crunch to make it worthy of a Tuesday.

    I have a job interview this afternoon. It's not exactly what I'm looking for, but a fairly good match. Thursday I have an exquisitely rare phone interview with the University. Those jobs are uber competitive.

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  18. Good Morning:

    Breezed through this pretty easily, except for hee/yee. Needed the unifier to get the theme. Quite enjoyable solve, Steve, and fun expo, Argyle. CSO to Tin, at last, without any _ _ _, except in the clue, of course!

    Happy Birthday, Pat, hope it's full of fun and surprises.

    Yes, Dennis, you are a lucky man. What a fantastic way to celebrate your birthday.

    Dudley from yesterday: I'm glad your relationship with your sister improved as you both matured. I guess that happens to all of us, if we're lucky. (Lost fingertips and all, CC!)

    Have a great day.

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  19. My "puzzling thoughts":

    CSO to Tin with my first limerick of the day:

    CPA looked at the firm's BALANCE SHEET,
    And he knew, that in order to complete
    This Scotch maker's books,
    Would require more looks;
    Wants to be sure that he serves his work "NEAT"!

    Second limerick is a bit out there, just saying:

    Nympho Atheist liked being nude,
    As she sidled upon her big ROOD;
    She used a large ANKH
    When she wants to wank;
    Doubt that she's read a Beatitude!

    Good puzzle for a Tuesday; nailed everything from the top working down until I got to 48D, which I filled in before seeing 51A. TAIL became TUSH once a few perps appeared. AT EYE LEVEL didn't register right away; again, filled with perps.

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  20. Wees, eta/arr hee/yee arise/get up, & I wanted loam before soil (but I didn't ink it...)

    Rood was a toughie, especially crossed with Bete Noire (which I think requires further explanation.) But the WAG of an R seemed the only possible alternative.

    Happy Birthday Pat! I liked the look of this cake even though it does not have your name on it. There was one I liked even better, but I think I will keep it for myself...

    The theme? I dunno. I just don't feel in a funny mood today...

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  21. A second speed run, after yesterday's--Yay! If this keeps up I'll have my best week ever! Many thanks, Steve, and you too, Argyle, as always.

    No problems at all on this one except for the HEE/YEE, so that was fine. Liked being reminded of DANO. No change anymore, Canadian Eh? Is it just pennies that get rounded or dimes and nickels too?

    Happy, happy birthday, Pat--hope you have a wonderful day!

    Ergo, good luck with the job interview--let us know how it goes.

    Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

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  22. Hello, puzzle people!

    Happy birthday, Pat. I hope your day is very special.

    I sashayed right down the grid on this puzzle though had the same write over at HEE/YEE then finally saw AT EYE LEVEL.

    COOL RUNNINGS was not surprising since it often happens that fill is repeated, sometimes in the same week. It certainly helps in recalling it.

    KNAVE was an easy one since my mother recited or read nursery rhymes to us and I in turn did so for my daughter.

    How nice to see UMPIRE instead of its abbreviation and WEES on NEAT.

    Thank you, Steve Blais and Argyle for a fun ride today.

    Have a better than NORMAL Tuesday, everyone!

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  23. A smooth and entertaining Tuesday puzzle. Thanks Steve and Argyle.
    I have to agree with Barry G.'s definition of ROOD. I'm sure that is how our Eng. Lit. professor defined it when we studied The Venerable Bede, i. e. a crude cross of any size fashioned of untreated limbs, etc. rather than timbers. Of course, that was when dinosaurs walked the earth, and I have trouble some days remembering what I had for breakfast.

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  24. Are you confusing ROOD with RUDE?
    According to WIKI and my experience, ROOD is not a crude cross. In addition to visiting and reading about many cathedrals and seeing ROODs there I have read medieval novels that contained the word.
    Link Rood
    ROOD can also refer to the "True Cross," the actual cross on which Jesus was crucified.

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  25. Good afternoon everyone.

    Happy birthday pje. Hope you do something that is fun.

    Nice to be able to finish a puzzle.
    WES about YEE vs. hee.

    Cheers

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  26. I think this was a speed run that I finished wrong! hEE for YEE and I couldn't figure out what 11D was. Still, it was fun. Thanks Steve. Enjoyed the write-up Argyle; thank you.

    Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I'm having a good day. DH has coupons for 2 free buffets at the local racino so that's what we'll do for dinner. It's his birthday today also.

    I liked 47A not iced/NEAT.

    Enjoy your day!

    Pat

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  27. Argyle: Nice write-up. Especially enjoyed the TUSH video.

    pje/Pat Happy Birthday!

    It has rained, then the Sun came out, then rained, Sun came out, rained/Sun/rained/Sun/rained/Sun ...

    As such, I'm not waiting for Sunset ...
    Cheers!!! With something NEAT ...

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  28. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote this poem, which was sung as a hymn at a July 4, 1837 ceremony to mark the completion of the Concord Monument, to immortalize the resistance of American Minutemen to British forces on April 19, 1775.It has been rattling around in my head all day.
    CONCORD HYMN
    By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
    Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
    Here once the embattled farmers stood,
    And fired the shot heard round the world.
    The foe long since in silence slept;
    Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
    And Time the ruined bridge has swept
    Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
    On this green bank, by this soft stream,
    We set to-day a votive stone;
    That memory may their deed redeem,
    When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
    Spirit, that made those heroes dare
    To die, and leave their children free,
    Bid Time and Nature gently spare
    The shaft we raise to them and thee.

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  29. Wow, Pje. I've never heard of any other couple who shared a birthday. There are plenty of folks who have identical birthdays within the same family; I shared a birthday with my father. But a couple with the same birthday is a first for me. Same year, too?

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  30. The first time I fell in love was with a girl born on my first birthday. We had one great year but it was complicated and she married another.

    We are still friends, both long divorced.

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  31. D-O@5:26 We know another couple who were both born on Sept. 30th, the same year. Yes, DH and I were born on the same day; I was born in the morning and he waited until late afternoon to make his appearance. At least I know he'll never forget my birthday.

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  32. Misty @ 11:25
    Just to clarify, we still have nickels and dimes. It was just the cent that was discontinued. So the rounding is just to the nearest 5 or 0. Yes we still see the ads for 99 cents but everyone knows it is really a dollar!

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  33. Happy birthday pje! I hope you two had a great dinner!

    Speaking of having birthdays on the same day, imagine my classroom before I retired with 30 or so eager math students. What do you suppose is the probability that two of them share the same birthday? Would you wager for or against? Maybe you'd find it surprising that there is about a 70-percent chance of two of the students with the same birthday. The 50-50 point is about 23 students. If there are 50 people or more, bet the house. It's almost a sure thing. If you're like me, you probably find it counter-intuitive.

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  34. Bill G. - Your alma mater named its first woman president today. She was formerly provost at USC and I believe her husband is going to teach at Cornell.

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  35. Irish Miss, thanks for the heads up. I'll see what I can find out about her. Cornell was one of the first universities to admit women and it was the first Ivy League school to do so.

    I'm guessing you will agree. Here are a few stunningly beautiful bird/nature photographs. PHOTOS. I'm especially fond of the cardinal in the snow.
    Below, in one of his other albums, are some really nice astronomical photographs too.

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