google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, November 13, 2014 Jerome Gunderson

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Nov 13, 2014

Thursday, November 13, 2014 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: "G-Rated"

Jerome treats us to a GR-r-reat puzzle today.

20-Across. Place for a nagging passenger? : GRUMBLE SEAT. Did you ever ride in a rumble seat? If you did, you would not wonder why they call it that!

38-Across. Prohibition against Confederate soldiers? : GRAY BAN. Ray Ban, the "cool" sunglasses of the '60s.

54-Across. Soup with a prayer? : GRACE COURSE. We have an annual book club meeting at the Saratoga race course.

11-Down. Tribute to a sourpuss? : GRUMP ROAST. Rump roast is a tough cut of meat, but works well for beef stew.

28-Down. Farmer's harvest tradition? : GRAIN DANCE. He also might need to do a rain dance to insure that his crops ripen.


Across

1. Radical diet : FAST.

5. Balkan native : SERB.

9. Old West trail sight : WAGON.

14. Arabian prince : EMIR.

15. Court material, perhaps : CLAY. Hmmm...not "suit."

16. Country-rock artist Steve : EARLE. I don't know his music at all. Any good?

17. You may get one from a doctor : NOTE.
And we have a mini theme going here:
23-Across. Small dose? : MED. "Small" meaning the shortened version of the word medicine.
and
24-Across. Doctor's order : BEDREST. Plus some MEDs.
and
41-Across. Aleve and Advil : PAIN PILLS. Those MEDs will probably help with what ails you, and you don't even need a Rx.

18. Exclude : OMIT.

19. Goody-goody : PRUDE.

25. Peppy : SPRY.

26. Secret motives : ANGLES.

29. Rouse : STIR.

31. Trim (down) : PARE.

32. Its maker traditionally buys the drinks : HOLE IN ONE. Yep, been there.  It was witnessed on the 8th green by one of the members of the Senior league who were playing that day.  A round for 30+ guys? Priceless!

37. Pay back? : OLA. Payola.

40. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG. American International Group.

43. Movie role played by Skippy : ASTA.

44. Tide table term : NEAP.

45. Played on a green : PUTTED. But not if you get a 32-Across!

47. Weary from overuse : JADE. Your viewpoint can become jaded, if something jades you.

49. Apparent : EVIDENT.

53. In the style of : A LA.

58. Sal of "Rebel Without a Cause" : MINEO. Actor Sal.

60. South American rodent : PACA.

61. Scruff : NAPE.

62. Word from the Latin for "little grandfather" : UNCLE. Nice bit of trivia. Grandfather is "avus" in Latin. The diminutive is "avunculus."

63. Algerian port : ORAN.

64. Bad to the bone : EVIL.  Like George Thorogood?

65. Sneaks a look : PEEKS.

66. Zebras that don't fear Lions? : REFS. REFerees as called "zebras" because of their striped uniforms.

67. Shoot down : DENY.


Down

1. __ shui : FENG.

2. Eros counterpart : AMOR. Greek & Latin lovers?

3. In __: as found : SITU.

4. Shake : TREMBLE.

5. Rebukes : SCOLDS.

6. Funny Fudd : ELMER. Wascally wabbit hunter.


7. Worker's reward : RAISE. Usually, just more work.

8. Units of memory : BYTES.

9. Let it all out, in a way : WEPT.

10. Rhine tributary : AAR.

12. More familiar, joke-wise : OLDER.

13. Poor : NEEDY.

21. Dragonfly prey : BEE. Cool insects, dragonflies. They can change direction in mid-air, hover for up to a minute and even fly backwards!

22. On the briny : AT SEA.

25. Moral lapse : SIN.

26. Per person : A POP.

27. Simba's mate : NALA. From "The Lion King." Nala is on the right.


30. English can : TIN. Not "loo."

32. Kubrick's computer : HAL. "2001: A Space Odyssey."

33. Olive often rescued : OYL. Funny cartoon.


34. Dumbbell abbr. : LBS.

35. Nick at __ : NITE.

36. Quaint expression of surprise : EGAD!

38. Student's fig. : GPAGrade Point Average.

39. More apt to be picked : RIPER.

42. Word between some last names : NEE. Hilary Clinton née Rodham.

43. Brought into harmony with, with "to" : ATTUNED.

45. Praline nuts : PECANSAunt Sally's in New Orleans are the best!

46. Low número : UNO. I thought it was the top number?

47. Traffic congestion : JAM UP. Remember this one?

48. Dress with a flare : A-LINE. Well, I guess supermodel Aline does "dress with a flair."

50. Mist : VAPOR.

51. Comforting words : "I CARE."

52. Joltless joe? : DECAF. HaHa. Cute pun on "Jolting Joe Dimaggio."

54. Takes off : GOES.

55. Talk excitedly : RAVE.

56. __ doctor : SPIN.

57. Hard to hang on to : EELY.

59. Bugling beast : ELK. Wow, ear-splitting!

That's it for this week!
Marti





53 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks for swell puzzle, Jerome, and great expo, Marti! Got the cute theme right away! Especially liked GRUMP ROAST.

No problems. Time for bed.

Watched the triple Chicago Fire, L&O SVU, Chicago PD story. Couldn't stop. Very tired.

Anybody see Castle this week? Very pleasing.

Cheers!

Lemonade714 said...

How fun to see Jerome again with a tight pinwheel puzzle that filled quickly.

Never heard of Steve Earle, glad my brain recalled AAR, like GRUMBLE SEAT best but wonder if young people even know what a rumble seat is.

Hope you all are not snowed in, -11 in Denver, Montana what is your temp? 24 inches in Minnesota? Be careful.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Mostly smooth (and enjoyable) solve today with a fun theme that I got early on and definitely needed in order to solve the puzzle.

I say "mostly" because I almost turfed it completely in the NE corner. I went with VENT instead of WEPT (not realizing that "let" was in the past tense, obviously) and things went downhill from there. I didn't know Steve EARLE, couldn't think of AAR, and nothing else fit with VENT. Even after guessing at OLDER and PRUDE, I was still looking at N_UDE at 19A and scratching my head.

I did eventually try taking out VENT and that let me see WAGON, which got me to WEPT. After that, the crossing of EARLE and AAR seemed reasonable enough (I've seen AAR before, but didn't know it was a tributary of the RHine).

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Marti and friends. The North East corner gave me a bit of trouble, but other than that it was smooth sailing.

When we were kids, a neighbor had an old car with a Rumble Seat. Once he too my sister and I, along with his young daughter, out for a ride in the Rumble Seat. He took a sharp turn, and the daughter fell out of the Rumble Seat. Although we tried to call-out to him, he couldn't hear us. It wasn't until he returned home (about a block away) that he realized what had happened. Fortunately, the daughter was not injured.

I love George Thorogood, especially Bad to the Bond.

I tried Bin instead of Tin for the British Can. I guess I was thinking of the Garbage Can instead of the cans of food.

After upgrading my iPhone and iPad, neither work properly. My iPad is totally unusable. Anyone else have problems with the upgrades?

Stay warm, everyone.

QOD: The most important political office is that of the private citizen. ~ Louis D. Brandeis (Nov. 13, 1856 ~ Oct. 9, 1941)

HeartRx said...

Hahtoolah, I'm running iOS 8.1 on both iPhone and iPad, and don't have any problems. What version do you have?

TTP said...

Good morning all !

35 minutes with 15 minutes in that northeast section alone. Had the G. Wanted BAWL for "Let it all out," but already had the irrefutable T from RUMBLE SEAT. Then popular crossword feeder AAR came to mind after I started the coffee. At that point, WAGON, WEPT, GRUMP, PRUDE all fell in a minute. Then a another minute to complete it with NEEDY for "poor' and OLDER for "more familiar, joke-wise." I guess I was expecting something totally different for that one. Recognized the name Steve EARLE after it perped in...

Had a first pass error with IBUPROFEN for ALEVE and ADVIL.

Doesn't Elmer Fudd look like such a happy character ?.

Thanks Jerome and Marti !

CC, the Trader Joe's pot stickers were a hit. We each liked both, but she preferred the shrimp and I liked the veggie.

JCJ said...

NE corner gave momentary pause, otherwise straightforward. Got the theme with grumbleseat right away.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Smooth solve today, no speed bumps, but that Earle guy was a complete unknown. Can never remember European rivers without a hint or two.

Hahtoolah - my iPad is running 8.0.2, and I've had problems with it. It works especially poorly with Blogger. Occasionally it freezes. I'm tempted to load 8.1 in hope of better behavior.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Knowing that this was a Jerome creation, I got GRUMBLE SEAT with only the G in place. Hand up for LOO. Otherwise, no inkblots this morning.

Mrs. Robinson was deemed inappropriate for American Forces Radio. Plastic Saddle, on the other hand, was OK. Go figure.

Learning moment: Dragonflies attack BEEs.

In Bavaria they have a bugling "hirsch" -- don't know if it's an elk, though. Spitz?

Avg Joe said...

I enjoyed the theme, and it came easily. In fact the whole puzzle was a little on the easy side for a Thursday, IMO. But it was still fun.

I'm a Steve Earle fan. He's called Alt country, but he's got a very diverse range of styles. From Bluegrass to Irish/Celtic. He can even pull off reggae, which is a tall order. He's done a lot of soundtrack work, prolly most notably for The Horse Whisperer with Me and the Eagle and for Dead Man Walking with Ellis Unit One

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Another great puzzle from Jerome. Thank you.

A little gritty today but but the theme fill flowed smoothly. Particularly liked GRAY BAN.
AAR was a WAG in the NE but with G in the lead at 11d, WAGON became quickly obvious.
TIN - Marti, I was thinking Loo, too, but perps didn't 'click'.

ELK - D-O re: bugling Hirsch. In standard German, Hirsch means deer or stag. The German word for elk is Elch. I'm not familiar with the Bavarian patois; very difficult to understand for a N. German. I doubt their Hirsch is an actual elk. There may be other deer species that bugle - Wiki seems to suggest that European Red Deer bugle.

Lucina said...

Greetings, friends!

Jeepers, Jerome! What a lovely puzzle. WEES. It started FAST and GRUMBLE SEAT gave me the theme. Loved GRAINDANCE.

Joltless Joe and dress with a flare were my favorite clues.

LOO before TIN and hand up for the NE slowing me as EARLE was completely unknown. Finally, WAGON/WEPT opened it up and I had ROAST then GRUMPY emerged.

Thank you, Jerome and Marti.

Have a happy Thursday, everyone!

Bluehen said...

A very enjoyable puzzle, thanks Jerome. Fun theme, clever cluing, and very "do-able". WEES re: the NE corner. Entertaining expo as always, Marti. Thanks for the link to "Bad to the Bone". I've always had a soft spot for George Thoroughgood and the (Delaware) Destroyers.

Husker Gary said...

A fun theme on Jerome’s puzzle that took some real effort, esp. the NE corner por moi.

Musings
-The west coast could use a GRAIN or RAIN DANCE ASAP
-Joann’s mother does not notice her MEDS have run out until the day there are none and then calls us
-Aleve and Omeprazole greatly expand my activity and eating options
-It’s what you OMIT (2:24)that worries me
-At my age, is being called SPRY code for “at least he can walk upright”?
-The recent low voter turnout indicates a JADED electorate
-Kansas TREMBLED yesterday with a 4.8 quake
-This pay schedule shows that good and mediocre teachers get the same RAISE each year (Steps)
-My old Apple IIe had 64 kiloBYTES of memory
-Did you grow up poor (NEEDY) like me and not realize it?
-My colleague bragged to his kids that he had a 4.0 GPA at UNL in the 60’s. Of course he may have OMITTED that that was when UNL was on a 9 point scale
-Do Spanish teams chant, “Ci é il numero UNO”?
-EGAD, I don’t know what letter ALINE is wearing it’d make me RAVE!
-Gotta go teach!

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts"

Morning, all - today's puzzle went swimmingly (for the most part) with a few write-overs, but no huge ink blots. I had LOO for 30D until TIN filled in; I couldn't remember Sal MINEO but perps finally allowed me to save face in the SW Corner.

I thought "Joltless Joe" clue for DECAF was my favorite of all.

Great recap Marti; I, too, am in the HOLE-IN-ONE club (3 total) with the latest being made here

This week's limerick "challenge" from another blog I visit was to come up with a lim that uses a pun. One that I submitted that has a vague reference to the clue for 54A is:

We were painting the church steeple gray,
When a thief took our brushes away;
We asked, of the Pastor,
"What of this disaster?"
Which he calmly replied, "Let us spray!"

Enjoy your Thursday!

Chairman Moe said...

One other thought . . .

I don't know if others here are aware, but this month has a portmanteau which promotes men's health, and fittingly is called Movember!

I wish that I, as the Chairman, could take credit for calling it as such, but I'll offer the link above to encourage those who, if they've not done so already, should follow the preventive suggestions for various "man" issues. Growing the "stache" is just another way to show support. Of course MY "moe-stache" has been a permanent fixture for many, many years . . .

desper-otto said...

I also had a hole-in-one. It went over the little bridge, through the little windmill, caromed off the curb and somehow went into the hole. I was amazed.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

JEROME!!!!

Nice going, buddy. Love the theme.

NE corner did me in. Not knowing EARLE nor AAR was the key to my failure.

Pretty smooth otherwise.

Zebras and Lions are in my fav clue.

Cool regards!
JzB

Yellowrocks said...

Great puzzle, Jerome. I zipped through all but the extreme NE corner which I got after pausing to think. I didn't care much for OLDER. Jokes can be old without being familiar. In fact, I notice that some old sayings and words are not very familiar to those on the blog.
I knew RUMBLE SEAT from movies and from hearing Mom's stories. The only ones I ever saw outside of movies and TV were at antique car shows. America stopped making cars with rumble seats in 1938-1939. The British didn't stop until 1949.
HG, I grew up poor too, but never NEEDY. We didn't even realize we were poor because we were very self sufficient. We were rich in family, friends, community and education.
I was insulted when my grad school waived my 2.85 GPA due to my successful Miller's Analogy score. My GPA was based on a perfect score was 3.0. Statistics can be misleading.
Chairman Moe, fun limerick.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jerome Gunderson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for a fine review.

Started in the dead North today with ELMER. Almost wrote in LETT, but beheld off for SERB. Avoided the inkblot there. Chicago's most famous Serb is now living in Colorado. Milorod Blagoyevich.

The rest of that section fell together easily.

UNCLE was interesting. Appreciate the definition from Marti. I always enjoy Latin stuff, as opposed to French.

Theme was very good. enjoyed it.

Steve EARLE is a very popular country, and other stuff, singer.

NE corner was easy, except for FENG. With 4 perps it was mine.

Well, got my furnace fixed yesterday. It was the draft motor. Under warranty, thank goodness. I have to pay the labor.

Low 20's today. A few flakes of snow here and there.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

(1249)




CanadianEh! said...

Fun puzzle. I got the theme early and except for WEES in the NE, I plodded through.

I did get TIN but had Bug before BEE, each before APOP, and golfed before PUTTED.

Smiled at your limerick, Chairman Moe. My son grew moustache for Movember for several years but DIL and granddaughter didn't like it, so not this year. Oh well, I will donate to the cause anyway!

Snow flurries today. EGAD!

CanadianEh! said...

I also thought origin of UNCLE was interesting. Learned from DIL that Hindi has different words for grandparents, aunts, uncles on maternal and paternal side of the family. That creates more words for a child to learn but clearly differentiates each person in the family tree.

Ergo said...



This was just what the doctor ordered. In fact, there were a fair number of Dr. references today. GRUMBLESEAT opened up the world, providing hints that helped resolve that pesky NE section.

OLDER was my favorite discovery.

Thank you Marti and Jerome.

----> C.C. your last post from yesterday. What exactly is "sauce sauce?"

Misty said...


Woohoo! This was a rare Thursday speed run for me--many thanks, Jerome! Got the theme with GRUMBLESEAT and it helped to be able to put all the Gs in before I even solved the theme answers. Marti, great explanation of where the word UNCLE comes from--a learning moment for me.

Yes, it was great to finally see Castle and Beckett do it on "Castle." Lovely ending setting.

Have a great day, everybody!

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Ergo (and TTP),
I make mistakes all the time. Hopeless! I meant "soy sauce". You can also add a few drops of sesame oil or a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes. I normally replace garlic with green onions like this since garlic is too strong for my taste.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Yeah, "Joltless Joe" was funny. We San Franciscans grew up knowing all about Joltin' Joe, so I'm surprised this is the first time I have seen this spin-off gag.
Today's pzl was a cakewalk until I came back to the NE corner. I never followed country western artists until TV's Nashville, so that means I can't tell the fictive ones from the real (Neal) McCoy! I confess I had to Google EARLE before I could finish--mea culpa!

Tinbeni said...

Marti: Wonderful, informative write-up & links.
(Thanks for the WD-40 cleaning tip. Alas I have "White" kitchen appliances).
Fall-Cleaning has gone "over-the-top" ... it is just not right that the floor under the Fridge is SOOOO clean you could eat off it ... LOL

Jerome, GREAT PUZZLE ... my all-time favorite solve of a puzzle you constructed!

Learning moments, yup there were two!
1) Dragonflies attack BEEs (though the bees areound here might attck them).
2) The origin of the word UNCLE ... This I won't forget since I am a "Great Uncle," five times over ... the closest I'll ever get to having kids.

Fave today was A-POP ... I've been known to have a few to those.

A "toast" to ALL at my 78 degree Sunset walk on the beach.
Cheers!


PS NOW ... I have to read yesterdays write-up and comments of that wonderful Wednesday C.C. puzzle.
(Yeah, this cleaning is SOOOO "over-the-top" I never got on the computer yesterday ... Not Once!!!
It was "True-Bliss!!!"

Lemonade714 said...

First I forgot to mention what a great write up marti; where did you find the Olive Oyl cartoon, and why did you find it?

Moe, I can understand you pushing MOvEmber, but your existing facial hair must be removed and something new grown to participate. I am not ready to make that MOvE.

Well, I was going to invite you to play gold next time you were on this coast, but 3 hole in ones is a bit intimidating. While I have one closest top the pin trophies (before I got old and in car accidents) never a hole in one. 2" once where you could not see the hole at Deer Creek was my closest. Or maybe I should say Hirsch Bach. (See how much German you all know!)

CrossEyedDave said...

Wees, re: learning moments.

Working backwards (as always) the theme revealed itself with Gracecourse. From there I just added G's.

But I do have nits, lots of nits...

47A weary from overuse = Jade?
I have heard of jaded, but jade? doesn't overuse imply "past tense."
No, don't like it, don't like it at all...

2D Eros counterpart
Eros is a God, Amor is not...

38A I put "grayba"r" leaving me with an english "tir"??? (N just never occurred to me... Rats!)

42D Word between some last names? Nee? This word crops up all the time. Some day I must research it because it makes no sense to me at all...

Mr. Gunderson, "G"reat puzzle, in future I will try to be...

modgma said...

I was hoping to get an explanation for 54A. What does a race course have to do with soup? The "prayer" part I get. BTW, I'm waiting to upgrade my iPad Air iOS until they get the bugs worked out.

JD said...

G'morning all,

Jerome, delightful creation. Marti,as always, a terrific write up .
Favorite fills: egad, eely and a pop.
Found myself going thru the alphabet to finish up more than one entry in the NE.I'm in awe of those of you who remember answers like oran and Aar.

Happened onto a Castle episode last summer when nothing else was on. It makes me laugh, so I tried valiantly to see 6 seasons before this new season. I can see why the program is not in any award category, but it sure makes me smile.

CrossEyedDave said...

Modgma@12:46

Race course has nothing to do with soup, however I suppose soup, or a salad could be a first course that might accompany "Grace."

If you want to stretch it even further, just imagine the old nag that comes in last on that race course might end up as soup, (or glue) & then, ergo, Grace might be in order. But it's trying to rationalize some of these puzzles that makes me CrossEyed...

CrossEyedDave said...

I just looked up "nee." I guess its usage makes sense, but I should have known its origin is Frawnch...

Tinbeni said...

I was golfing in the "Pro-Am" at Walt Disney World in 1985, playing the Magnolia Course, when my buddy Ray Wolf made a Hole-In-One ...
At the next hole, he turned to the "Pro" in our group and said:
"I guess that ONE gives me the honor ..."


Dang, I still haven't gotten to yesterdays write-up, etc.

Need to stop cleaning and relax ... probably should follow this songs advice ...

Joe's Simple Song (1:21)

River Doc said...

Happy Thursday everybody!

FASTer than usual result for a late week puzzle....

Really enjoyed the CSOs littered through the cluing. Marti, please add 56D to the mini theme list...! Also, Tinbeni I'd have thought your fav would be 30D...?

Finally, I'm more of a rock and jazz fan, but I have listened to and enjoy Steve EARLE....

Lucina said...

I just finished Tuesday's puzzle by Pam Amick Klawitter. Fun to be in the ZONE. Now I'll read the Blog for it.

JD:
I'm glad you are enjoying Castle. I find it amusing, too, and really liked that they finally tied the knot.

SwenglishMom said...

In Swedish too! But my mother didn't want to be mormor; she stuck with Nana.

Puzzle went too quick! I haven't finished Friday puzzles of late though so I'm probably in for it tomorrow. Sorry to hear about the snow especially since my youngest is craving it.

SwenglishMom

Jerome said...

modgma- RACE COURSE has nothing to do with soup. It's simply a common phrase that can be made punny or funny by adding a G in the front, making it the GRACE COURSE that might be served after saying a prayer before eating. Soup could be the first course after saying grace.
These kind of puzzles aren't intended to be sensible. The theme phrases are whacky, silly, and have no context in the real world. It's word play that's intended to evoke a smile or two. It's that simple.

That said, the theme does need structure and consistency. This is why all the base theme phrases start with the letter R, and are altered by always placing a G in the front. If this were not the case Rich would surely reject the puzzle for just being a random set of goofy phrases.

Crosseyed- You can't rationalize the ridiculous. It's why I really hope science never figures out what Dark Matter is. To me, there's great joy in the absurdity of life... or sometimes, a crossword puzzle.

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

Very late to the dance due to errands, grocery shopping, etc. Am I the only one who goes into a market with a list of 5-6 items and then has to pony up $85.00 at checkout?

Anyway, no grumbles about this treat from Jerome. Fav was grump roast and Joltless Joe clue. Thanks, Jerome, and thanks to Marti for the expo.

Lucina, one of those items on my list was pot stickers but my store had only one brand and only chicken with vegetables. I was looking for pork. I'll check availability at another market.

Have a great day, what's left of it, anyway.

Lucina said...

I want to extend a belated thank you to all VETS who have served as well as to all who are serving in the Armed Forces since I wasn't here Tuesday.

Yellowrocks:
In the Blog from 11/11 you mentioned that Catalan is the dominant language of Barcelona but Spanish is the main one since it is the national language. Yes, the signage is in Catalan, but everyone speaks Spanish, at least anyone I ever spoke with in the hotels, restaurants and ordinary people. I have visited twice.

HGary@9:18:
I believe Spanish teams would cheer "somos numero uno".

CrossEyedDave said...

Jerome! Thank you for your input.

The 2nd letter R totally escaped me...
(I always thought these themes were a collection of goofy phrases) Wow! that does really make it harder to construct, (& now easier for me to solve... I didn't have a clue...)

P.S., I would never try to rationalize the ridiculous, but I do find magic in silliness...

Donkey Kong said...

I can think of one Lion that zebras prolly fear.

I doubt the macho men of the NFL fear him, but they obviously don't respect him. I haven't seen much of Suh's antics lately so maybe he has matured a little or learned to control his rage.

Blue Iris said...

We had a respite from eel but EELY is back.

Wiki says that South America is researching if PACAs can be used as an edible protein source.

D-Otto, After reading your post @9:47AM, I realized that I have had a HOLE IN ONE in the past, too. Grandparents treated everyone to cokes and peanuts since my 25 cent allowance didn't stretch very far.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the bar tab was for Kim Jong il when he scored 11 holes in one in only 18 holes of golf?

Onion Heel said...

In honor of today's constructor I figured out that an anagram of HOLE IN ONE is ONLINE HOE. Apropos?

Lemonade714 said...

Jerome:

Good to see you and your work. You always makes us at least smile, and quite often laugh.

CED The root French word of NÉE
is NAITRE, from which we also get renaissance, rebirth.

Anonymous said...

lemony, you're posts always makes me laughs to.

Laura McGowan said...

Fun puzzle -- the puns made me smile. I was also delighted to find Steve Earle in a puzzle! He's kinda alt/country -- another talented Texas guitar player and song writer. Most of his songs never get played on mainstream radio, although you may have heard his most well-known song, Copperhead Road.

HeartRx said...

Lemony @ 11:58, I was looking for a situation where Olive Oyl needed rescuing, and thought that was a perfect situation: “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

Riverdoc @ 2:09, HA!!! I totally missed that one at 56D for the “mini theme.” Good catch!

Laura McGowan, I had never heard of Steve Earle, and after listening to Avg. Joe's links, I am sure I never want to hear him again. Yuck! But, "Chacun à son goût"

Bill G. said...

I never could get seriously into Castle. The few times I watched it, I enjoyed it OK but less so than the other shows I watch regularly and so I couldn't justify adding more television shows to my DVR list of stuff to record. I do like the female lead though. I'm guessing the marriage will result in less tension between the two lead actors and may signal the slow demise of the show. I always felt that happened to Frasier when Daphne and Niles got married.

I've always liked cows and would enjoy having one around when I felt the need for a big pet. So I feel bad about how much I enjoy eating beef; rib eye steaks and prime rib especially. We haven't been to Costco lately so I picked up a good-looking piece of meat from the supermarket. I grilled it just now. I usually don't think sauces add anything to good beef but I came across some really good BBQ sauce from Jeff Foxworthy. I put a really thin film on the steak while I was cooking it. A really mouth-watering result!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Well, I cant DENY I'd like to RAVE how FAST this went, but unlike WEES it was a slog through wet CLAY for me. When I finally PUTTED out, though, it was worth it.

Thanks Jerome (and for stopping by). And thanks to Marti for confirming that every WAG (many, of COURSE) worked out.

Hang ups vEnT, FuNG shui, get REST, oilY at 57 (thought it was cute with OYL in the pzl) and finally 47a tirE led to a tieUP at 47d. Theme EVIDENTally fixed it and I happy-DANCED.

My fave was ASTA - in addition to WEES re: learning moments, I always thought s/he was playing itself. Other learning moment just for me - bugling, not bug-ling :-)

CC - I was going to look up sauce-sauce this weekend and try it. Thanks for the clarification and saving me precious Google time

Marti - Oh yeah, Aunt Sally's.

To make up the puzzle-prohibition Thorogood just for TIN.

Cheers, -T

modgma said...

Thanks, Jerome and Cross-eyed Dave! I was thinking horses, not dinner when I filled in GRACECOURSE. I did catch on to the GR construction in the puzzle and found this to be an easy Thursday theme.

Anonymous said...

The problem with WEPT (9D) is that weeping is not "letting it all out." That would be SOBBING.

And AT SEA (22D) is not "on the briny"; it's "confused." "On the briny" is ASEA.