google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Michael Dewey

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Sep 9, 2014

Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Michael Dewey

Theme: Who let you in? - Unwanted groups.

20A. Uninvited guests : PARTY CRASHERS

27A. Gold rush bad guys : CLAIM JUMPERS

49A. Thieves in the tombs of the pharaohs, say : GRAVE ROBBERS

58A. Early arcade game with pixelated aliens, and, in a way, what 20-, 27- and 49-Across all are : SPACE INVADERS



Argyle here. Just a Q short of a pangram. Everything worked out nicely; no strain to get words to pffft. A little step up from Monday.

Across:

1. Rhubarb desserts : PIES

5. Blue cartoon critter : SMURF

10. Spoiled one : BRAT

14. Mount of Greek myth : OSSA. A real mountain.

15. Old Testament prophet : HOSEA

16. Move like slime : OOZE

17. St. Bernard's bark : [WOOF!]

18. German WWII threat : U-BOAT. The submarine one.

19. Cowboy boot attachment : SPUR

23. '70s-'80s Olympic skier Phil : MAHRE. Remember?

25. Suffix with glob : ULE

26. "Just as I predicted!" : "SEE!"

32. Irish dance : JIG

33. Right triangle ratio : SINE

34. Minor quarrels : TIFFS

38. Egg cell : OVUM

40. "May the __ be with you" : FORCE

43. Fizzy drink : COLA

44. Hemmed in : BESET

46. Pop's Lady __ : GAGA

48. Flashlight output : RAY

53. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. (English as a Second Language)

56. Miss Teen __ : USA

57. "John Brown's Body" poet : BENÉT. Stephen Vincent Benét

63. 1974 Peace Nobelist from Japan : SATŌ. Eisaku Satō was the 39th Prime Minister of Japan and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Seán MacBride in 1974.

 
64. Hersey's bell town : ADANO

65. Athletic equipment giant that sponsors golfer Rory McIlroy : NIKE

68. This, in Tijuana : ESTO

69. Twangy : NASAL

70. Like summer tea : ICED

71. Marvel Comics mutants : X-MEN

72. Succumbed to the sandman : SLEPT

73. Jacob's twin : ESAU

Down:

1. "Wham!" : "POW!"

2. Prefix with metric : ISO

3. Gullet : ESOPHAGUS. Whoa! Not a common word for any day of the week(but common enough for TV ads).

4. Jungle journey : SAFARI

5. Boarded up : SHUT

6. "__-Dick" : MOBY

7. Biennial games org. : USOC. (United States Olympic Committee)

8. Rise on hind legs, as a horse : REAR UP

9. Femme __ : FATALE

10. "Fiddlesticks!" : "BOSH!"

11. What rookies are shown, with "the" : ROPES

12. Sky shade : AZURE

13. To the point : TERSE

21. Radiation measures : REMS. Straight from the NRC Library, meaning.

22. Rockefeller Center muralist José María : SERT

23. Low-paying employment, slangily : McJOB

24. Partner of kicking : ALIVE

28. Peter Pan rival : JIF. Peanut butter.(#1 brand Jif)

29. Numero __ : UNO

30. Road sign with a double-tailed arrow : MERGE

31. Attack command word : SIC

35. "CSI" science : FORENSICS

36. Distress signal : FLARE

37. Speak, biblical-style : SAY'ST. "Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all." - Ode on a Grecian Urn - John Keats

39. Ryan of "When Harry Met Sally..." : MEG

41. Bronco or Mustang : CAR

42. Self-regard : EGO

45. Factual : TRUE

47. French cleric : ABBÉ

50. Chinese and Thai, e.g. : ASIANS

51. Property destroyer : VANDAL

52. Elton John collaborator Taupin : BERNIE



53. County near London : ESSEX

54. Twitch : SPASM

55. Drink with steamed milk : LATTE

59. Maine __ cat : COON. Aww!

60. Flower holder : VASE

61. Take __: doze : A NAP

62. Simpleton : DOLT

66. Hawaii's Mauna __ : KEA

67. College URL ending : .EDU


Argyle


55 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Very smooth solve for the most part today. Almost too easy, in fact. And then, of course, I got down to the bottom and ran into the trio of unknown names SATO, BENET and BERNIE. The crossing of BENET and BERNIE was redeemed by the fact that BERNIE is at least a common name and on a Tuesday it wasn't likely to be, say, something strange like BYRNIE or BIRNIE. As for SATO, it was all perps, but the perps were solid.

HeartRx said...

Good morning!

I sure do remember Phil MAHRE, Argyle! He was a World Cup winning machine. But like BarryG, SATO was not in my wheelhouse – perps all the way! Oh, and really cute pic of those Maine Coon kittens. One of my friends in Vienna has a Maine Coon cat that weighs over 20 lbs. She sent me a picture of herself holding it one time, but I can’t find it now. That cat is huge!

The first few clues started me off on the right track. Usually by the end of the week, I am second-guessing my entries and checking the perps for each one. Today I just went with the flow, and it was pretty smooth sailing.

I liked the crossing of VANDAL and GRAVE ROBBERS. ESOPHAGUS, FORENSICS and REM were gimmes. But I wanted SAith at first. RAY pointed me in the right direction and SAYST won the battle.

Have a lover-ly day, everyone!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

This was a little tougher than yesterday, but required no heavy lifting. Shot myself in the foot, though, when I read the "Blue cartoon critter" for 5a and inked in NERF for 5d. Ah, dyslexia!

We've got a Maine coon cat who looks huge, but is mostly hair. She talks mean, and she is. She hasn't drawn blood since, let me see, about 11 pm.

Last year McDonalds accidentally admitted that you can't survive on a MCJOB.

Yellowrocks said...

Even easier than yesterday. I needed very few perps. I recalled SATO after 3 perps. Both BERNIE and BENET were filled in except for the first E, by the time I got to them.
I question SAYST. I doubt it is in the Bible, which uses SAITH. I was raised using the King James Bible. Thanks Argyle for finding a better quote.
Cute kittens.

inanehiker said...

Generally smooth solving today, slight hiccup when I put alarm in for flare. None of the perps worked for other words and once I made the substitution it sailed from then on.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Kids still like the simplicity of Space Invaders, Pac Man, etc
-I love the tartness of Rhubarb desserts
-Most BRATS are made not born
-This RAY’s despicable act is all over the sports world this week. Google the video at your own peril if you haven’t seen it.
-Rory’s a great golfer, but the sport needs another Tiger
-I always thought my Uncle’s fav music sounded NASAL and twangy
-When you’re talking and eating, what you intend for your ESOPHAGUS can wind up in your trachea
-Remember when this SAFARI was a game show theme song?
-McJobs are in the news today!
-It’s a VAYSE and not a VAHZE around here
-Gotta run

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Cool theme - easy enough. Straightforward solve.
ICED - No comment.
SPACE INVADERS of ESSEX, Sussex, Wessex, were Saxons from today's Niedersachsen.

Anonymous said...

Morning all! This is the puzzle my paper printed on Saturday, which gave me a Saturday speed run! Now you can see why I had such an easy time. I don't remember if/where I had problems.

Have a great Tuesday.

Pat

Qli said...

When our son was a college freshman, I sent him off to NDSU (go Bison!) with some great blue plaid sheets. After several nights, the blue started rubbing off onto his skin. One morning, his roommate looked over and said "Dude, you're a SMURF"! Had to send new sheets ASAP. (Hope I haven't told you that story before; I am BESET with forgetfulness these days).

Needed perps for SERT, SATO, and MAHRE. I remembered Phil's name but the spelling tripped me up.

I sometimes tell people "May the FORCE be with you" instead of "good luck". Can't help it, I'm a geek....

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Michael Dewey, for fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

Zipped through this pretty easily. Theme answers all appeared. SPACE INVADERS took me a couple crosswords to see the light.

I wrote in GRAM for 46A, thinking too quickly. After a minute, and restudying the clue, I saw GAGA. I was not thinking of Pop's as music. Oh well.

SAYST looks OK to me. I might check that out. I do own about 6 King James Version bibles. That is another story.

ADANO was easy. Crosswordese.

Where is Hahtoolah lately?

Off to my busy day. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(564)

Abejo said...

For, "Sayst" try Romans 2:22 or Job 22:13. Even though the bible I used spelled the word "Sayest." The two words are probably variations of each other.

Abejo

kazie said...

Good Tuesday workout, although I needed perps for most of the names. I actually had a natick at the MAHRE and REMS crossing.

oc4beach said...

WBGS. It was an easy solve with perps needed for the few names I didn't know or remember.

The only issue I have is the word BOSH. I don't use it and don't know anyone who uses it or FIDDLESTICKS for that matter, although it shows up in a lot of crossword puzzles. There are a number of definitions for it including nonsense or empty talk. But to me just plain B___ S___ works.

Have a great day, everyone.

Chairman Moe said...

There once was an overweight platypus,
Whose penchant for eating was obvious;
His stomach would fill,
'Cause he had a big bill,
And a rather elastic ESOPHAGUS!

There was once an old ROBBER named Dave,
Who retired in an underground cave;
His memoirs he wrote down,
But an earthquake hit town,
And with that, he took those to his GRAVE!

"Puzzling thoughts" . . .

**This was more like a Monday puzzle; I literally flew through it, with no mistakes or write-overs, until . . .

**The last two clues, 59D and 68A, became my undoing; even a WAG didn't come up with COON and ESTO. I had ESTA and the C for COON, but somehow, a COON CAT was not in the cards. Been to Maine several times, but never took notice of their felines . . .

**Some of my favorite clues/solves were, of course, ESOPHAGUS, and also, FORENSICS, FATALE, and the clue used to get NIKE. Being a golfer and golf fan, that was a "gimme"!

CanadianEh! said...

A few pauses today with MAHRE, BERNIE, SATO but Perps to the rescue.

Of course I tried ETNA before OSSA and I had to pull ADANO from my CW memory.

Our SAFARI was an amazing experience!!

I say VAHSE but TOM8TO & POTA8O. DIL says EHpricot and I say apricot. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to usage of long A versus short A.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Fun and clever offering from Mr. Dewey. One write-over with spats before tiffs. Mr. Tin probably shuddered at his nemesis in the form of _ _ _ d, AND nothing to drink except Cola!

Nicely done, Michael and good expo, Argyle.

Another glorious late summer day, with a slight touch of fall in the air.

Have a great day.

Yellowrocks said...

Abejo, now that you mention it,I have seen SAYEST in the KJV Bible, but not SAYST. Although SAYST is a legitimate archaic word, it is not a Bible word.
I have heard FIDDLESTICKS used in everyday speech and encountered BOSH in novels and on TV shows. Although bosh, fiddlesticks, baloney and nonsense are not exactly polite, they are not crude like BS. They can be said in front of little children.

In addition to redoing the hall bathroom I am going to have to redo my other bathroom. There is water getting behind the tub/shower surround. It has been thoroughly caulked everywhere for now, but to really see what is behind that surround it has to be pulled down. I need a new tub anyway.

No end of snafus.

CrossEyedDave said...

Oh well, I got hung up on a crossing of Natick names.

As long as I am ranting...

My newspaper, The Newark Star ledger, in an attempt to increase readership dropped some of my favorite columns today. What makes it glaringly obvious that they need to put down their tablets & pick up their paper to see what makes it readable, is that the changed font size, making the LA Times crossword, once easily folded onto a quarter page for inking in on the train to work, is now a challenge in origami...

Must calm down... Maine Coons will definitely help.

A little Space Invaders history lesson. (again, font size is a problem. CTRL plus +/- can help make it readable, unless you have an Ipad,,, then you are screwed...)

On a lighter note, yesterdays paper had an interesting thought for the day, but I lost the source in the recycling bin. It went something like this:

"A fool acts on imagination without knowledge, a pedant acts on knowledge without imagination..."

Todays TFT was:

"To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot & love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot & not try to understand her at all." - Helen Rowland, American Writer, journalist & humorist. (1876-1950)

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Easier for me than yesterday. Thanks, Michael! Thanks, Argyle! Loved the "Panis Angelicus" yesterday.

I never did see the theme yesterday until Argyle 'splained it. Duh! No circles and somehow missed the reveal clue. So I looked harder today and got the theme.

YR: Where was the picture taken for your avatar? Lovely scene. Good luck with your bathrooms. Always something when you own a home, isn't there?

I have an unusual looking cat who visits my cat's dinner bowl. She is long-haired black with tufted ears and extra tufts on her cheeks. Her bushy tail is only about half as long as my cat's tail. I tried looking at the other cats listed at the bottom of the Maine Coon link, but I can't figure out what she is. I thought she might be a Maine Coon, but she's too small & delicate boned. Pretty cat but a loud-mouth who always announces her presence.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

What a snappy, quick puzzle today from Micheal Dewey. I love rhubarb PIES so that started wonderfully well and I was off and running.

I had a chuckle at ULE because in the book I'm reading, Moloka'i, it is referred to as a Hawaiian word meaning penis.

Great to SEE ESOPHAGUS and OVUM on a Tuesday but I hesitated at EST/O,-A until COON came along.

MAHRE/REMS was a complete NATICK and I chose RAMS because REMS are sleep letters, so a dreaded DNF!

Still, it was fun, thank you Mr. Dewey and Argyle.

Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!

Bill G. said...

I too had alarm for FLARE. I also had trouble with SAYST. I would have been OK with sayeth or sayest. Overall, I thought this puzzle had some of the best cluing I've noticed in a while. Very enjoyable for me. Thank you Michael and Argyle.

==========

Flagstaff to Phoenix
Pete in Phoenix and Fred in Flagstaff have arranged to meet. Each drives his car at different but constant speeds.
Unfortunately they have the arrangements mixed up. Pete leaves Phoenix in his car expecting to meet Fred in Flagstaff at the same time that Fred leaves Flagstaff expecting to meet Pete in Phoenix.
When Pete has driven 60 miles they pass one another but neither realizes his mistake until arriving in the other city when they immediately start to drive back again. This time after Pete has driven 40 miles from Flagstaff they meet again.
How far is it from Phoenix to Flagstaff?

Yellowrocks said...

PK, my avatar was snapped at the tiny fishing village of Elgol on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. My friends and I took tiny boats like this across the loch to remote Loch Cruisk in the Scottish Highlands. It is accessible only by boat or treacherous hike. Beautiful scenery.

Thanks for the encouragement, PK. Hopefully after my knee replacement surgery and improving mobility in January, my outlook on other snafus will be more sanguine. In another two weeks i may have the verdict on Alan's health problems.

Chairman Moe said...

Bill G @ 11:31 - according to Google Maps, it's about 145 miles. But I like your story!! ;^)

Misty said...


Darn! Didn't know MAHRE or MC JOB and so a rare Tuesday DNF for me today. I guess I should be thankful that the last MC JOB I had was working at the Kresge soda fountain when I was in high school. But I loved the theme of this puzzle and some of the great words like ESOPHAGUS, so, thanks after all, Michael. And you too, Argyle, for the always fun expo.

Love those SMURFs and your delightful SMURF story, Qli!

Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

PK said...

YR: You certainly have a lot of issues up in the air right now and I'll be thinking of you, hoping for good outcomes on all of them. Alan's problems are certainly of great concern. Hang in there, girl!

Thanks for your answer. I wondered if those rugged mountains in the avatar were somewhere along the Jersey Shore. I didn't think so. I remember what I saw of New Jersey in 1985 as being relatively flat.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Michael and Argyle!

A bit tough for a Tuesday, what with MAHRE and SATO. Scratched my head at SAYST. But, no cheats.

Wishing the best for Alan, YR!

Cheers!

Lucina said...

YR:
I, too, am wishing the best for both you and Alan with prayers.

At the moment there is a washer repairman working on my less than one week old washer/dryer combo. The one it replaced was a 20 year old Kenmore that never had a problem until it gave out. Is that progress?

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Love the cute theme and the long downs

Never heard of a Main COON cat. So that, with SATO is a natick. Throw in ESTA and it's a bad corner.

Can't say I'm delighted with the ABBE / BENET cross, which I rendered as ABEE / EENET, 'cuz French [grrrr] and who knew?

BENET could certainly have had a more Tuesday-like clue.

Lions game was amazing. And two Detroit teams won on the same day. HISTORY!

Cheers!
JzB

Jazzbumpa said...

It's been 50 years this autumn since I was marching band, but I remember it well enough to be in awe of this performance.

VT won the game but OSU won the half-time.

Note the horse REAR UP near the end.

Cheers!
JzB

Irish Miss said...

JzB - I'm still shaking my head after watching that unbelievable performance. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Thanks for sharing.

Lemonade714 said...

YR,
with your experience in the Highlands, have you ever read M.C. Beason's books about Hamish Macbeth?
Also, best wishes to Alan/

I think say'st is just an abbreviation of sayest...

I may be all wrong, but BOSH has been around in literature for a very long time, and I believe its earliest use may have been by Edward Lear in his Book of Nonsense. Lear as you remember is credited with creating the first limerick.

Qli, you smurf story is cute, it reminds me of a young associate I had when I first had my own office. (cont.)

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

Well, SMURF me backwards. Spanish! - the only class I got a D in.* I had ESTa and COaN looked OK (what do I know about cats?)

Fun puzzle and theme Michael! Thanks for the link to BERNIE interview article Argyle. I always thought his name was changed in Bennie and the Jets to accommodate rhythm and/or protect the innocent.

Hand up w/ SAYeT? 49a being plural fixed that. Anyone have sOdA before COLA?

SPACE INVADERS at the ice rink was a fun distraction between falling on my bum. Neither was a good was to attract girls.

My dear mother has CLAIMs in Alaska. She has to visit at least once a year to make sure they're not JUMPEd.

Bill G. I think I know, but won't spoil before 6p. I'm thinking speed has nothing to do w/ it.

Cheers, -T
*except for the weed-out Physics class, but I made that one up 'cuz it was a pre-req for EE.

Lemonade714 said...

One day he came to me in a panic because when he was having relations with his wife, his semen was pink. We solved the mystery...without any hospital stay.


He drank 7 or 8 Coca Colas per work day, and the sugar and caffeine finally got to him, and to please his wife he agreed to quit and took up drinking cranberry juice. he drank so much juice the red colored his semen. I guess blueberries might not have been as scary

Lucina said...

jzb:
Thank you for posting the marching band! They are spectacular!

Ol' Man Keith said...

JzB - The great horse Silver Rampant!
Now that was a piece of marching band history. Thanks for linking us to it. Ohio is w/o doubt the true home of marching bands.
I guess for many high school and college kids, a marching band is how they come to be part of something greater than themselves.

Chairman Moe said...

JzB @ 12:57 - no doubt that the Ohio State Marching Band owns the halftime with their script Ohio. And WEES, the state of Ohio is well-known for having superior high school marching bands. Both of my kids were in the marching band at their (OH) high school, which, BTW, has twice within the past 12 years, been invited to participate at the Rose Parade

But as far as Pre-Game bands go, I know of none better than that of the LSU Tigers. I looked for several links to those that had actual game footage, but the large crowds' noise drowned out the band! This footage shows a rehearsal . . .

And, FWIW, in recent history, LSU defeated the Buckeyes in the National Championship Game on January 7, 2008 . . . Geaux Tigers!

Misty said...

Sorry to hear about your washer/dryer problem, Lucina. I too have had Kenmore appliances that lasted practically forever!

Husker Gary said...

Wow! The OSU band performance is unlike anything I have ever seen! To perform all those formations, with animations no less, and maintain the wonderful musicality is amazing! I can’t imagine they got everyone from Point A to Point B to Point C to… Did I say Wow? The M*A*S*H helicopter and Silver REARING UP were my favs!

Husker Chuck (a.k.a. Ergo) said...



Yes, thank you for the Ohio State band link JzB. I had seen the horse gallup/rear up once before. I think it's become such a fan favorite that they find a way to include it in each show.

Other Ohio State halftime favorites include the tribute to Disney, a video games theme, and even a Michael Jackson remembrance that has the entire band construct a colossus Michael that moonwalks across the field. You can find all of these gems on Youtube.

Yellowrocks said...

Wonderful marching band performance. Thanks for sharing.

Good luck with your washer/dryer, Lucina. How disappointing. My dryer acted up the first week, but has been fine ever since.

Lemonade, I have never read any of the Hamish Macbeth series. I'll have to look it up. I am nearly finished with Brennert's Honolulu. Wonderful book.

Pk, NJ has it all, beaches, mountains, rolling hills, farmland, lakes, open suburbs, city like suburbs. It is lovely here, unless your only knowledge of it is the tank farms on the Turnpike.

Alan got lost in Wildwood last week. Every morning for more than 15 years we've crossed the street in front of our motel and gone half way around the block to a diner for breakfast, crossing no more streets. Every afternoon Alan went there alone for a cola. One afternoon this year he crossed multiple streets instead and became lost. When he didn't return I called the police. After an hour of wandering around he arrived at the diner, where the police finally found him hanging out. He had my cell phone number in his pocket but didn't ask the waitress to call. He didn't stop to think I would worry. He was safe, but this is another scary symptom of decline.

Dudley said...

JzB, all I can say is cowabunga! That OSU marching show is top shelf. What discipline!

Husker Gary said...

C’mon, ya know you wanna play!

CrossEyedDave said...

HG, 40 years of whacking at that fire button, & now I find out all I had to do was hold it down?

Sheesh, I could have saved myself from Carpal Tunnel...

Well, maybe not, because Asteriods Deluxe took al my quarters anyway...

Boo LuQuette AKA Boudreaux in Eunice, La. said...

Hi all, hands up for alarm. Did crosses then downs again today, then finished with the crosses once more. Who here does it like that ? I vary from day to day sometimes filling corner sections at a time. I had a Maine Coon cat years ago they have the prettiest faces of all the breeds. Sayst had me for a sec but remembered thus sayest/sayeth the lord, so it is a variant. Hey Chairman Meaux how you like Dem Tigers ?? Bon Mardi from Cajun Country !!!

Unknown said...

CED - Thank you for the Maine Coon video. I started watching all the other Maine Coon videos and probably spent about an hour doing it. I finally made myself stop so I could get some other things done. I've always wanted to own a Maine Coon, and now I'm more determined than ever to get one.

CrossEyedDave said...

Nancy Murphy@5:49 Your Welcome, but Argyle started it with his cute pic.

I also love the look of the Maine Coon, & would love to have one. But one word of caution. I have had many cats in my time, & it is so much more rewarding when they adopt you.

So take your time, make many friends, & you may find one who wants you more than you thought you wanted them...

Avg Joe said...

A pretty Tuesday like pzl for me. The unknowns were filled by perps, so no stumbling blocks. I'm very surprised by the lack of recognition for the Maine Coon. It's shown up several times in past puzzles.

Confession time. We're watching Men In Black since there's nothing else on. Never seen it before. Quite good actually. Now I'll be in on the joke.

Chairman Moe said...

Boo @ 5:47

Geaux Tigers! Been awhile since I've been to the Red Stick, but saw quite a few games at Tiger Stadium when my daughter was there. They had a nice comeback win over Wisc, and have another breather game before playing the cow bells.

Lemonade714 said...

YR let me know what you think of Ms. Beaton' s version of the Highlands.

Bill G. said...

After seeing a segment on jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux on CBS's Sunday Morning, I added her to my Pandora stations. I enjoy her singing, a little reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Really nice.

Bill G. said...

Arizona driving from earlier:
Pete in Phoenix and Fred in Flagstaff have arranged to meet. Each drives his car at different but constant speeds.
Unfortunately they have the arrangements mixed up. Pete leaves Phoenix in his car expecting to meet Fred in Flagstaff at the same time that Fred leaves Flagstaff expecting to meet Pete in Phoenix.
When Pete has driven 60 miles they pass one another but neither realizes his mistake until arriving in the other city when they immediately start to drive back again. This time after Pete has driven 40 miles from Flagstaff they meet again. How far is it from Phoenix to Flagstaff?
Here is the solution from an Internet friend who loves ratios and proportions and came up with a much more clever approach than I did. It hinges on the fact that Pete and Fred drive at constant speeds so that the total combined distance traveled at any time is divided between them in constant proportions.
When they first passed one another they had driven a combined distance equal to the distance (d) between the two cities.
When they finally met they had driven a combined distance equal to three times the distance between the two cities.
Since these distances are apportioned equally between them, when they finally meet both must have driven three times the distance that they had traveled when they first passed each other. So for Pete, 3 x 60 = d + 40 from which d = 140 miles.

Anonymous T said...

Bill G. - that's a much more elegant solution than I had.

JzB - Wow! OSU (not the Cowboys) were awesome. I tried to find something I saw years ago from Prairie-View A&M to top you, but even w/ all the funk, it doesn't do the trick. Bravo.

Lucina - No, not progress. Cheap crud has replaced the "durable goods" we used to get. Pop got a Bosch dishwasher and SubZero fridge - both have been "repaired" at least 2x in the first 2 years.

Manufacturers please SEE here, most of us will spend the extra bucks for quality! Made in the USA is quality but we can't find the label on consumer goods.

Cheers, -T

Lucina said...

AnonT:
You're so right and it absolutely saddens me that quality in which the U.S. had once taken so much pride is now almost non-existent.

The old Kenmore washer/dryer had been manufactured here and was built like a tank, solid and reliable. I don't even want to think about having to replace any other of my aging appliances. I fear it will be a repeat of this one.

PK said...

YR: My brother was living in Harrisburg, PA in 1985 and my daughter & I flew there as her high school graduation gift. We drove from there to Asbury Park so she could see the Atlantic Ocean. A.P. was then a nice quiet resort in May and we enjoyed several days on the sunny shore, eating seafood, and walking on the boardwalk. Also had adventures getting lost driving around seeing big homes. It was a lovely time.

Bill G. said...

I have to shine a little favorable light on modern appliances. We have had anywhere from average luck to very good luck with all of our appliances. We had a refrigerator 15 years ago that made odd noises during it's cooling cycle but otherwise...

Washer, drier, refrigerator, iMac, flat screen TV, water heater, furnace, etc. They've all been as reliable as I have a right to expect. I hope our newly-installed solar panels perform well.