google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, Oct 18th, 2014, Julian Lim

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Oct 18, 2014

Saturday, Oct 18th, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z, two weeks in a row)

Blocks: 32

  I saw Julian's name in the constructor's line, thought "oh, boy", and despite the deceptive appearance of the grid, I was right - just 4 gimme answers on the first pass across (AIM, VEGAN, WIIs and NEE ).  Down was not much better until I got to the SW, and nailed the two 9-letter fills there.  That gave me hope, and I fought my way through some of the vague clues to an 'almost' finish - Frawnche got me, perped with a proper name.  Ugh.  Anyway, double 9-letter corners and two 11-letter climbers;

8. Be flexible : PLAY IT BY EAR - Started with "STAY----" and that wasn't working.  "Wanna go bowling after work? - Let's play it by ear."  Musically, I have gotten better on the guitar, but I was never quite so good as to "play it by ear"

23. TV cooking show? : BREAKING BAD - The "?" let me know it was not going to be "HELL'S KITCHEN" ( and it wasn't going to fit anyway ).  The 'cooking' in this particular drama was Crystal Meth, if I'm not mistaken - it's on the list of DVD shows to watch for me

ooh~! ooh~! OnWARD~! (see 53a.)

ACROSS:

1. Its General Test consists of six sections: Abbr. : GRE - yeah, not SAT; this is the Graduate Record Examinations

4. "NYPD Blue" Emmy winner Gordon : CLAPP - all perps

9. Senseless : DAFT - I like Daft Punk myself

13. Tone-deaf, say : NON-MUSICAL

16. Topic preceder : IN RE

17. Its airport is in the subcity of Bole : ADDIS ABABA - no clue, but with just a few letters in place, there weren't many places to choose from at that point

18. Rafts : A TON - meh

19. Houdini's birth name : WEISS - Erik Weisz, then Ehrich Weiss

20. Annual milestone, briefly : B-DAY - I always abbr. Birthday in my journal this way

21. "Raise Your Glass" singer : PINK - link away~!

22. Auction giant : SOTHEBY'S - ah - I learned there's no "U"

24. Ham-handed : INEPT

26. Lake Biel feeder : AAR - my first thought, but I hesitated

27. Mil. installation named for a 4-Down general : Ft. BRAGG - I needed 4D to get it; 
4D. Lee side: Abbr. : CSA - Confederate States of America - and one of it's Mil. generals

29. "Nothing to it" : SIMPLE AS ABC

34. Phone bill encl. : SAE - Self-Addressed Envelope; I don't remit payment this way for anything anymore

35. "London Fields" writer : AMIS - DAH~!!  No clue - first name Martin; published in 1989

36. Like some self-appointed critics : ARTSY

37. Encouraging start? : ATTA - as in "Atta boy/girl~!!"

38. Out of action, perhaps : ILL

39. Dog named for an island : SKYE TERRIER

41. Sunny spots : SOLARIA - because lanais and atria and window sills didn't fit - however, veranda was a possibility

43. Marksman's asset : AIM - I hope so

44. Likely Meatout supporter : VEGAN - Meatout?  Really?

45. Video game series set mostly on Azeroth : WARCRAFT - World of Warcraft; I watched my one-time step-son play this; not as fascinating as Final Fantasy, IMHO

50. __ nut : PINE - had to wait on perps

51. Object : GOAL - object, as in the noun, and more like 'objective'

53. "What have we here?" : HELLO - Well, we have a new blue-eyed girl that has caught my attention - and this one is much more my speed, I think; for one thing, she's in the program, and over a year, too - so she's my new "51a".  Don't know her name yet, but I do know who to ask to find out - and this time I am not screwing it up, C.C. - I will say "Hello"....should I wear my suit~? (gratuitous self-image, but C.C. did request I post it )


54. MMXIV and others : ANNI - Get your Roman calculators out; this is 2014, and the Latin for 'years'

55. Vet's souvenir : BATTLE SCAR

57. Super Mario Galaxy systems : Wiis

58. Initially : AT THE START

59. "Tout de suite!" : STAT - more Frawnche

60. Oreck competitor : DYSON

61. Once called : NEE

DOWN:

1. Vexes, with "at" : GNAWS

2. Ballet with a hoedown : RODEO - um, yeah, I can see that

3. Go no further : END IT - like relationships

5. Cheney chief of staff Scooter __ : LIBBY - couldn't remember the name until --BBY

6. Specialized schools: Abbr. : ACADemys

7. Out-of-favor sunscreen compound : PABA - Learning moment; the Wiki

9. It's often disposable : DIAPER - I hate when these things come thru the UPS system - the perfumes in them really irritate my nose

10. Aperitivi followers : ANTIPASTI

11. Private community entrance : FRONT GATE

12. Prep for a marathon : TEN-K - I don't run, but my buddy Ed does; he's finished marathons, and I won't even start to THINK about one

14. "Oops" elicitors : MISHAPS

15. Dollar bill depiction, familiarly : US SEAL

25. It has six of the seven rainbow colors in its logo : NBC - OK, so which part of ROY G. BIV is missing....


27. __ food : FAST - could have been a circum-referential clue to 30d

28. Drive, e.g. : GEAR

29. Je ne __ quoi : SAIS - ARGH~!!!!; 'nuf said

30. McDonald's slogan : I'M LOVIN' IT - it's getting dated, if you ask me; Justin Timberlake recorded the actual song in 2003

31. Eon parts : MILLENNIA

32. "Game of Thrones" girl __ Stark : ARYA - Don't have HBO/Starz, but I have caught some moments of this show and "Black Sails" when I have been over at my buddy Mike's house

33. __-Foy, Quebec : STE - Ugh, and still more

37. Theatergoers often share one : ARMREST

39. Málaga Mrs. : SRA

40. Lucre : RICHES

42. One hostile to seniors : AGEIST

45. Juice amounts? : WATTS - Juice as in electricity - cute. 

46. E'en if : ALTHO

47. Highway covered in "The Milepost" : ALCAN - the Alaska Highway, or the Alaska-Canadian Highway, and its website

48. Solar __ : FLARE - massive












49. Patisserie product : TORTE - I did drafting for a pastry shop when I worked for the architect, so I knew this term

50. Cat's catchers : PAWS

52. Like some high-fiber cereal : OATY

56. College basketball TV analyst Elmore : LEN

Splynter

45 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Man, I really didn't think I was going to finish this one. The NE corner remained completely blank throughout until I finally guessed that the type of GATE referred to was FRONT. After that, I was able to throw down INRE and A TON and make reasonable guesses for DAFT, PINK, TENK and DIAPER.

Elsewhere, I struggled with the names, as usual. WEISS, CLAPP, ARYE, FTBRAGG, AMIS, etc. All enedd serious perp help, but at elast they all made sense once filled in. Except ARYE, of course. That one I just prayed was right.

Interesting note -- apparently they are no longer using ROY G BIV in school and are instead teaching kids that there are only 6 colors to the rainbow, which means the clue is incorrect since the NBC logo correctly omits indigo. Apparently, Isaac Newton was the one who specified the 7 colors, and he only added Indigo because 7 was a special number from a religious standpoint and he felt there should be 7 colors. Today, however, I guess people realize there's really no separate color between blue and purple in the rainbow.

First Pluto, now indigo. *sigh*

Montana said...

Thumper says it all for me today!

Splynter, all my young grandson's diapers have been delivered by UPS.

Have a great weekend, everyone,

Montana

HeartRx said...

Good morning everyone!

Thanks for explaining the TV "cooking" show, Splynter. I had filled it in after a few perps, and stared at it for the longest time to try to figure out what it meant. Huh. Crack. Yep, makes sense (now!)

I had "income" for the disposable thing and "one K" for the marathon prep. Bzzzzt!! I finally remembered PINK, which made me re-think that whole corner.

In the NW, I had "Skinner's" for the auction house. They are big in Boston, but I guess SOTHEBYS is much bigger. RODEO got me past that mistake. Many of the dance moves in "Oklahoma!" are based on ones from that ballet.

So the solve ended up being a "Hokey Pokey" for me: put it in, take it out, put a different one in, take it out!!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Now that's more like it. This one filled much faster than yesterday's, plus I actually got this one right.

WEISS was a gimme. He grew up in Appleton, WI -- just a few miles from where I grew up -- and I read his bio in grade school.

Splynter, good luck with your new blue-eyed program pal. I only use an SAE to pay my property taxes. (For some reason you aren't allowed to use the bank's payment service for that.) My ADDIS ABABA experience was exactly like yours. And Splynter, I sure hope that "perfume" you mentioned is coming from unused diapers.

Barry, you know what dey say -- indicome, indigo.

Big Easy said...

For the second day in a row, it's a DNF due to one missing letter, the crossing of ARYA and ARTSY. A self apppointed critic could be ANTSY and ANYA is a name I know those words but they would be wrong.

The west side filled in first and the NE was the last to fall (because I wanted INCOME instead of DIAPER), with the exception of the dead center missing the 'R' at the cross of 32D & 36A. BREAKING BAD fell into place as did MILLENNIA. I knew 29A would either be SIMPlE (or Y) AS either PIE or ABC. The dog would be NEWFOUNDLAND, LABRADOR, OR SKYE. After getting BAB then ADDIS ABABA was solved.

Having never seen NYPD Blue CLAPP was all perps, along with PINK, ALCAN, SAIS, AMIS. The video game WARCRAFT came to me from their commercials.

On my first pass the only ones I knew AT THE START were WEISS SOTHEBYS NEE LIBBY ANNI VEGAN and ANTIPASTI. The I got in GEAR and started guessing. 60A could have been SHARK instead of DYSON ( way over priced). ALTHO was a WAG. Remeber when 30 was old; I guess those people were AGEISTs ( sound like a made up word, although it is a real word).

Beautiful day for a long bike ride before going to a grandchild's school fair at noon and then taking my mother-in-law out for her 94th birthday.

Big Easy said...

Desper-otto

Government will not let you pay taxes except by check or credit card ( and they add 2 or 3 percent). I charge the small bills and write a paper check for the big ones.

Dan said...

Not too bad for a Saturday. But vague clueing did me in. Also one French reference is bad enough but this was way too many.

Lemonade714 said...

Watch out blue-eyed girl! Looking mighty fine Splynter.

Oddly this was the best I have done with a Julian Lim themeless as the interlocking pieces took me all the way to the finish. CLAPP was my only unknown and the peeps were solid.

Marti, your comment is sweet, crystal meth and crack are very different recreational drugs.

Nice pick up on the link to General Braxton Bragg who did much to help the Union while CSA General.

BLUEHEN sorry I missed your birthday, COOP from yesterday thanks for the flood story, Ronko13, one of the fun things of the Corner is sharing interests and information and Sweets had become an important part of chemistry. Ron Diego, how long ago was your last visit?
Enjoy the weekend

HeartRx said...

Lemony, huh. I wouldn't know the difference...

desper-otto said...

Big Easy, the Feds will draft your bank account. Just supply the routing and account numbers on your return, and **whoosh**. You get to choose the whoosh date. You can do the same thing with your quarterly estimated payments via EFTPS.com -- I've done it that way for years. It's the local government entities that require me to write a paper check.

Husker Gary said...

I call ‘em Easter eggs – “gettable” clues that are hidden and this one had I’M LOVIN IT, BATTLE SCARS, SOTHEBYS, etc. ARYE/SOLARIE instead of ARYA/SOLARIA made for a one-letter DNFC

Musings
-I have teacher retirement and don’t cook meth
-I took the GRE so long ago I think it involved granite and a chisel
-This HOUDINI left me cold and I bailed
-Ham-handed (thumbed) – typing on my iPhone
-A reward for good teaching from a school isn’t monetary; it’s an occasional ATTA BOY!
-I do this puzzle everyday in my SOLARIum (okay, sunroom) while new kitty is in a sunny spot
-The WOPR had this as a GOAL which would mean WWIII
-I don’t like power cords, I wonder if this DYSON product is any good
-Very funny scene with END IT (:42)
-Splynter, Like Otto, I think it’s better that you’re involved AT THE START of that DIAPER transaction
-Not many ARM REST problems here
-Our kitty’s PAWS are more like batters than catchers

Bluehen said...

Like Splynter, I looked at the constructor's name and thought "Oh, no". Sure enough, the self-fulfilling prophecy came true. I was having so much trouble that at 15 minutes in, I turned on red letter help. Some help! At 45 minutes I gave up and turned on "solve". A DNF with red letter help. Embarrassing.
If there is an excuse for me being so off of my game it would be that spirits are rather gloomy around here. DW of nearly 44 years just found out yesterday that her bad hip is so bad that there is no recourse but total replacement. We are trying to put on a brave front around friends and family, but we are both very concerned. We know quite a few friends and fellow tailgaters who have had this procedure in the past and none of them liked it. All had serious problems with pain, not DW's long suit.
Ah well, Homecoming today. (I'm writing this from my laptop from our assigned parking spot.) A win will lift our spirits. Go Hens!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This started out very slowly but gradually things fell into place, ending with the final TADA. The French terms don't bother me in the least because, surprisingly, I still remember much of what I learned in high school.

Fav clue was TV cooking show=Breaking Bad. Also, seeing non-musical and play be ear was interesting. Thanks, Julian Lim and thanks, Splynter. (Good luck with Miss Blue Eyes!)

Dennis and Bill G - Are you enjoying Gracepoint?

Have a great day.

Nothing in Particular said...

In Re: Tax payments. Most govt. entities will accept tax payments provided they get the whole amount ( as per law) without deduction for fees or transaction charges. The IRS will accept credit cards provided the entire bill is paid, and the fees are charged back / added on, to you.

Splynter, I was fascinated by the colorful magnets on your fridge .. ^^00^^

Good luck with the blue eyed one in your program. Even better, if you are on the same page.

Be glad, UPS does not have to ship diapers after they've been on the baby. They do smell different. ^^-0-^^

Thanks for the good job on the blog.

There are in fact more than 15,000 colors in the rainbow. But humans have only 10 fingers and a long term memory for 8 items at the most. (( It all depends on which wavelength you're on. ))

Meth is meth-amphetamine and Crack is free base cocaine. Although the latter is much easier to 'cook', the supplies for the former are more readily 'available'. Wiki gives detailed recipes for preparing both (!), and also mentions that Breaking Bad is about manufacturing Meth. FYI, for whatever its worth.

desper-otto said...

Bluehen, that reminds me... At jury duty on Monday the judge explained that the trial was likely to last all week, and did anybody have "special" plans that just couldn't be rescheduled. One guy said he had a special trip planned. "Well, couldn't you just take it later?" "Not really." "Non-refundable air fare?" "No. OK, I'll admit it. I've got tickets to the Aggies/Bama game and I'm driving." The judge wouldn't excuse him, but the attorneys gave him a pass.

Nice Cuppa said...

Straightforward Saturday

Clues were often more complex than the answers.

French was the required "First foreign language" at my Brit High School. Our second foreign language requirement offeres a choice of German, Russian or Ancient Greek. Latin had just been removed from the list of requirements for the top Universities, so we had a choice between Latin and Chemistry after the first year of High School (!) So at the age of 12 I made the life-directing choices of Russian and Chemistry.

I often admire the broad education available in the US system. Occasionally I rue the lack of focus and depth. Hard to have it both ways I guess.

NC

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling thoughts"

Lemony, cute limerick/poem yesterday regarding the Mohel thread

Regarding 21A - I had to look it up and found this link to P!nk. After watching the video and listening to the song, it seemed familiar, but honestly, I am clueless to the music of the MILLENNIAL generation. Anyone else feel the same?

Regarding the puzzle, I finished the NE/NC sections first, once I realized it was GRE and not SAT; CLAPP was a gimme as I watched NYPD Blue a lot back when it first aired; had GUARD GATE before FRONT GATE; had to look up a few clues and got some needed help from my S/O, Miss Ellie, as she knew WATTS and IM LOVIN IT.

Today's limerick:

"Themeless" Saturday puzzles are tough,
They will sometimes make me very gruff;
Using more misdirection
Gives me little affection,
And I scream that enough is enough!

Avg Joe said...

This one was a serious slog. First pass netted only Libby and Nee. I found a few other gimme's as I went through with greater attention. But the inauspicious start had me fearing a DNF.

As the patchwork filled, even some of the (almost) proper guesses caused me fits. Had SothObys and AntipastO most notably. Those errors made it tough to see US Seal and Terrier. Oh, and End At didn't help with Weiss, but I did remember that with most of it in place.

At any rate, victory was declared and all's well that ends.

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody. I liked this puzzle a little more than I usually like Saturday puzzles. I was pleased with myself for getting PLAY IT BY EAR as a stab in the dark though I needed red letters for a few other clues.

Irish Miss, I'm one episode behind in Gracepoint. I like it OK but it doesn't fulfill my requirement for a good TV show or movie; that is, characters that I enjoy and care about. Even David Tenant isn't likeable though he may be hiding an interesting past.

I'm OK with leaving indigo (bluish purple) out of the spectrum. If you include it, why not yellowish orange or bluish green?

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh...

Ol' Man Keith said...

You know you've been at the teaching game for quite a while when one of your former students leads off your Xwd answers on a Saturday morning. I taught young Gordon CLAPP at Williams - Lo! those many years ago. He's done well for himself, although I see he is remembered here for a series (NYPD Blue) he concluded several years ago. Back in the day I cast him to play the Young Monk in our staging of Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun. He was doing terrific work even way back then...

Lucina said...

Greetings, Word Warriors!
Splynter, you are a breath of fresh air. Thank you for explicating the obscurities of this puzzle.

WEES about seeing Julian Lim's name and knowing it would be rough and it was. I bounced around quite a bit having only SRA,LIBBY, SOTHEBY and CSA to start.

One slog at a time finally gave me more to work with though I had to research some names. Popular culture is my nemesis and though I am familiar with PINK, don't know her repertoire, no idea about ARYA, LEN, AMIS, and WIIS. It perped.

Not enough French in my vocabulary to help with SAIS.

It was finally done but felt like I ran a TENK. Also had WEISZ and failed to change the second S.

Great challenge, Julian.

I have joined the 21st century with regard to paying without SAE. The credit union I belong to does it all.

Have a fantastic Saturday, everyone! The days here have been gorgeous.

Lucina said...

OMK:
That has to be a wondrous feeling for you to see one of your former students in a crossword puzzle not to mention in a high powered drama such as NYPD Blue. Congratulations!

This is weird. After my post appeared in the comments my writing was still in the window! Very strange.

Spitzboov said...

Good afternoon everyone.

I didn't think I would complete this either, but eventually it came together.

Couple gimmes like CSA, NEE and LIBBY weren't enough to get good anchorage, so had to rely on WAGs like SOTHEBYS, AAR, SAIS VEGAN and FT BRAGG to make initial headway. At 17a, started to see a bunch of a's and a b, so ADDIS ABABA seemed about right to go with Bole, a place I had never heard of. At 39a, had the S so was thinking Shetland something, but finally the K in BREAK- let me come up with SKYE TERRIER.
I guess my solve could be summed up by PLAY IT BY EAR, an apt fill.

Have a great day.

PK said...

HELLO! Really hard one & slow to get started. A clue like "Lee side" = CSA or "Juice amts" = WATTS really GNAWS at one. Thanks anyway, Julian. But I'm not going to CLAPP very hard for this puzzle. I must be DAFT to keep trying Saturday's. I'm so INEPT. Too many unknowns. I filled it with several red-letter alphabet runs.

As often as we hear the McDonald's slogan, it took me six perps to fill it. Guess I'M not "LOVIN' IT".

I learned there is an "E" in Sotheby's.

BREAKING BAD sorta cracked me up.

Thanks, Splynter, looking good! Might want to get a more colorful tie so the blue-eyes don't think you're a G-man. Good luck!

Thanks to all who extended sympathy to me on my worries about my brothers. Being the oldest, I was little mother to them all their lives.

Tuesday Weld said...

Gordon CLAPP reminded me of some of the best television actor's names. I remember Gordon Jump and Norman Fell.

Dan said...

D-O, re your juror pool-mate; they got a name for the winners in the world, I want a name when I lose. They call Alabama The Crimson Tide, call him Aggie Blues.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Just heard that Tim Hauser, founder and lead singer for Manhattan Transfer, just died of heart attack at 72. I hope this doesn't break up the group, but even if not, it won't sound the same and may not have the same direction without him. I really liked that group and will miss them greatly. Links, anyone?

Avg Joe said...

Here you go gentlemen.

For Dan: Deacon Blues

And Anon at 3:59: Birdland

Avg Joe said...

Whoops. Sorry Anon. Forgot to reload.

Retry: Birdland

Bill G. said...

Oh wow, I'm sure sorry to hear about Tim Hauser of the Manhattan Transfer. I've loved that group for years, especially their older stuff. Here is one of my favorites. Operator

Anonymous said...

AJ, thanks for the links. One of MH's best and, after listening to SD on hi-def audio on my laptop (instead of on a scratchy record player through a smoky haze), there is a shoutout to the Crimson Tide. hoo noo?

Anonymous said...

Bill G., Thank you so much for that link. That brings back so many memories. In my 'ute, summer TV sucked and my family was usually content to sit outside in the cooling dusk air and plan tomorrow or whatever. One evening early in the season it was raining so I was inside and saw that a program was to be "Manhattan Transfer". Expecting a drama, I was surprised to find this vocal quartet opening their summer replacement series with "Operator". Even at that tender age I was HOOKED. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.

Dan said...

C'mom anon, you can't be serious that you've never heard that Crimson Tide reference before. Whether or not if there was no static at all, that lyric is clear as day and probably the most famous Steely Dan lyric.

OwenKL said...

Does CCW have anything notable today?
LAT 21a. "Raise Your Glass" singer : PINK
ST 48a. Use a two-digit confirmation code? : PINKY SWEAR

Anonymous said...

Sorry that I am so deaf or dumb. I plead chemical imbalance.

HeartRx said...

Splynter, you might need a stylist to pull together that "Oh so suave" look before that "blue-eyed girl" date. So, here are my (totally unsolicited and totally tongue-in-cheek) suggestions for a tie to pull "the look" together:

Maybe something dashing?

Something with a little flair?

Or, more conservative...

OR, maybe forget the tie altogether???

Whatever you wear, I am sure you will rock it!!

Avg Joe said...

Spoiler alert!

We just finished watching Northwestern v Nebraska. Nebraska wins as the clock expires. Hail Mary wins it.




Oh wait........That might have been a rerun of last years game. As you were......

Jayce said...

Wow, a hard one today. I had pretty much the same trepidations and experiences many of you did. Ended up FIW: I put in ANTEPASTI which gave me PENK for the singer, which I did not realize was wrong. I spelled it antepasti because I thought ante means before, before the pasta, while anti means against. Now I have to relearn and to erase decades of spelling it wrong.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Even though Julian Lim x Saturday = Usually Hard Puzzle, this one gave up without much fight. A few well placed guesses sped things along.

Good Luck Splynter! One of my brothers has been in the program for years, and he once told me that the womenfolk he met there tended to be of the no-bullsh@t variety. Sounded positive to me...

I'm sorry to hear that Tim Hauser has died. Last spring there was a Manhattan Transfer concert nearby; I wanted to go but the ticket price was out of my league, due to the intimate venue (a small, beautifully restored music hall). I was afraid that it might be the last chance, because the sassy soprano Cheryl Bentyne has been very ill. Rest in peace, Tim.

Anonymous said...

Joe, thanks for pointing out the UN/NU game. Watching it and the ND/FSU game has my remote smoking. With apologies to HuskerGary, the atmospheres at these two games are AWESOME.

Amy said...

Fun puzzle but a bit challenging which is always fun! Great photo. Nice suit, very handsome!

Anonymous said...

Amy, you blue eyed girl...

Amy said...

Anonymous, definitely not blue eyed!

KariSeattle said...

I had to google a few things; play it by ear, Addis Ababa.
But fun and challenging! Stryker, you look marvelous! The blue eyed gal should like you!

Ziggy said...

Music with ADDIS ABABA