google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Kevin Christian

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Dec 9, 2014

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Kevin Christian

Theme: Easy as ABC..D - If you happen to be Greek.

20. Star system closest to the solar system : ALPHA CENTAURI

28. Software development phase : BETA TEST

45. Bit of electromagnetic radiation : GAMMA RAY

53. Atlanta-based carrier : DELTA AIRLINES

Argyle here. A 'J' short of a pangram. No reveal. Straightforward grid. Eclectic fill.

Across:

1. Palm reader, e.g. : SEER

5. Implied with a nod, say : TACIT

10. Music-playing Apple : iPOD

14. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI

15. Solo : ALONE

16. Taboo : NO-NO

17. Six-time French Open champ Bjorn : BORG

18. "I speak for the trees" Seuss character : LORAX

19. TV series with many choreographed numbers : "GLEE"

23. Snuggles : NESTLES

24. Wallops : SMACKS

27. Long in the tooth : OLD

30. Good, in the Galápagos : BUENO. Hang out for our own Sally.

33. Melody : TUNE

34. Prefix with morph : ECTO


35. Attorneys' org. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

36. Week-long year-end celebration : KWANZAA. "first fruits of the harvest" December 26 to January 1

39. River to the Rhine : AAR

40. Words of denial : "NOT I"

42. "Deal __ Deal" : OR NO

43. Stick around : TARRY

47. __ au vin : COQ. One of Julia Child's signature dishes.

48. Stonewall : STYMIE. Originally from golfing's old rule that a ball could block another ball from the hole.



49. Appraise : VALUATE. Yes, you can drop the 'E'.

56. Use a Taser on : STUN

58. "Steppenwolf" author : HESSE. (Hermann Hesse)

59. Official proclamation : FIAT

60. Show of affection : KISS

61. Steaming mad : IRATE

62. Raison d'__ : ETRE. Mine is to be here and blog this puzzle.

63. Pay to play : ANTE

64. Lacking face value, as stock : NO-PAR

65. Comical Martha : RAYE. She became a spokeswoman for Polident.


Down:

1. Crimson Tide coach Nick : SABAN. (Alabama football coach, Nick Saban)

2. School, to Yvette : ÉCOLE

3. Old West brothers : EARPS

4. "Amen, brother!" : "RIGHT ON!". Can you see Wyatt saying that to his brother Virgil?

5. Sprinkled with baby powder : TALCED. But not recommended for babies.

6. Medicinal plants : ALOEs

7. Iowa crop : CORN. Cornstarch-based powder is safer for baby than talc.

8. "For those listening __ home ..." : IN AT. Phrasing from vintage radio shows.

9. Oil, informally : TEXAS TEA

10. Unappreciative sort : INGRATE

11. Precinct wheels : POLICE CAR

12. United : ONE

13. Deer girl : DOE

21. "No problem here" : "ALL OK"

22. Actress Thurman : UMA

25. Relatively cool heavenly body : K STAR. Or the above.

26. Building level : STORY

28. Ski slope beginner : BUNNY. They can get pretty icy from over-use.

29. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO

30. Forehead-covering hair : BANGS

31. WWII sea threat : U-BOAT

32. "Try and catch me!" : "EAT MY DUST!", said Enzo.

33. "Gone With the Wind" estate : TARA

37. Became harder to deal with : WORE THIN

38. Coral ring : ATOLL

41. Ginormous : IMMENSE

44. Ground water source : AQUIFER

46. Feel poorly : AIL

47. Life's work : CAREER

49. Panoramic view : VISTA

50. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

51. Emotional : TEARY

52. Perfumer Lauder : ESTÉE

54. Aviation prefix : AERO

55. PDQ kin : ASAP

56. Reggae cousin : SKA. Top 10 Ska Bands(8:26)



57. Cookie holder : TIN


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Hahtoola, who joined this blog shortly after I started. She always comes to the blog with an inspiring quote related to a certain entry in the blog. Like Dave's links, it's easy to delight the crowd with one or two quotes, but doing so day after day takes time and effort. Thanks, Hahtoola!

The Corn Poppy

75 comments:

Lemonade714 said...

Happy birthday Susan and many more.

A really good Tuesday with many nice intermediate fill, POLICE CAR, RIGHT ON, EAT MY DUST, WORE THIN.

Thanks Kevin and Argyle

Barry G. said...

Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Hahtoola)!

Got off to a slow start today thanks to the unknown SABAN, and then had to endure stuff like TALCED [Spell check does not like that], ALL OK [Does anybody actually say this?] and KSTAR [If you say so...], but overall the puzzle was smooth and enjoyable. I know my Greek alphabet, so the theme was fun. And it was nice to see stuff like ALPHA CENTAURI in the grid.

Oh -- I also initially went with KWAANZA instead of KWANZAA, which slowed me down in the middle. Perps to the rescue, though!

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This puzzle was not Greek to me. I caught onto the Alphabetic theme early on.

I liked seeing Snuggle = NESTLE and Show Of Affection = KISS in the same puzzle.

My favorite clue was TV Series with Many Choreographed Numbers = GLEE. I watched the show for the first season or two.

Deer Girl = DOE made me laugh.

Herman HESSE (1877 ~ 1962) was the recipient of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Long in the Tooth = OLD. Hmm ... Not the clue I want to see today. LOL!

QOD: A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. ~ Grace Hopper (Dec. 9, 1906 ~ Jan. 1, 1992)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Lotsa science in this one. That made it a breeze. The other day it was two ZZ's that fouled us up. Today, for me, it was that last A in KWANZAA. No, didn't notice the theme until Argyle laid it bare.

"You can drop the 'E'." But that would give you "valuat." Oh, that "E" -- D'oh!

Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah. I remember Grace Hopper. She used to walk around with a piece of wire to demonstrate the distance light could travel in one nanosecond. She was a character.

TTP said...


Good morning all.

Happy birthday Hahtoolah !

Thank you Kevin Christian and thank you Argyle.

I've had some pretty poor excuses for Coq Au Vin. I finally quit trying to make it.

- T, Funny Weird Al video last night.

Abejo, good to hear you are finally starting to get some relief.

thehondohurricane said...



Good day everyone,

However i cut it today, this puzzle was a bear for me. Somehow, I managed to suss it out, but in the process I must have used every curse word I know at least twice.

Not being a science or techie guy, KSTAR, ALPHACENTAURI. & BETA TEST were some of the causes for my bad thoughts. VALUATE & ENZO were additional ??????'s. And of course a standard delaying three letter word for me......... is it UMA or Uta.

AQUFER took a little time too.

In the end, I got it right, but it sure was;t easy. Can't wait to see what the rest of the week is going to be like.

Hahtoola, happy birthday. Enjoy the day.

Lucina said...

Good day, friends!

Happy birthday, Hahtoolah! I'm sure you will celebrate in style.

I was on Kevin's wave length almost immediately though thankful for five perps on SABAN. Saw the Greek alphabet and knew, for once, all the names, HESSE, BORG, RAYE, LORAX, and ENZO. That one because of having read The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Thank you, Kevin Christian and Argyle. Today was a walk in the park.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!

NESTLES and KISS made me chuckle.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Thought this had a bit of a bite for a Tuesday but all fell into place. The theme was obvious, even without a unifier.

Nice job, Kevin, and ditto to Argyle.

Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah, and many more.

We are in for some nasty weather today and tomorrow but, so far, nothing is going on. I think yesterday was our coldest day yet; I thought my ears would fall off!

Have a great day.

CrossEyedDave said...

I don't know why 37d was last to fall, the clue/answer just feels "off" to me...

A birthday quote for Hatoolah.


Alpha

(I couldnot find anything funny for Beta...)

Gamma Radiation! So that explains his hairdo...

Delta (or what really happened to your luggage...)

Special, one day only, Bonus Delta Image!

Anonymous said...

Lucina - Didn't you just love The Art of Racing In The Rain? I also enjoyed The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night, The Dogs of Babel, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and, of course, the tear-jerker, Marley And Me.

Irish Miss said...

Anonymous to Lucina is Irish Miss. No clue why this happens.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I don’t know anything about these GAMMA RAYS
-Some say to hold your putter along the Lifeline of your left PALM.
-Argyle, your write-up was great as always, but the niblick shot over the STYMIE was amazing!!
-I don’t need that iPod anymore
-The Galapagos Islands have 40,000 residents on 3% of the land area
-An ABA org. with one Doctor
-Biggest Deal OR NO Deal failure ever! You can guess what happened.
-Like Martha, even this icon did a commercial
-Famous POLICE CAR of our ute
-Our TIN ain’t usually holdin’ no cookie!
-My patience WORE THIN with a freshman in P.E. last week
-HBD Hahtoolah! I hope you take your ship out of port today and use it well!

Lemonade714 said...

Irish Miss:

When you go to the comment page, you should see your google name below in the choose an identity section.

If it does not show your IRISH MISS, you have to sign in or it will default to anonymous for your post.

Yellowrocks said...

First, not firstly, let me comment on last night's late posts. Anonymous T, I enjoyed your Weird Al clip. One of my bugbears is hearing,"You look well in blue." Do you look sick in pink? Or, "That dress looks well on you." Things sound good and taste good. In the same vein, things look good. This mistake is so common it soon will be accepted by the literati, as well.
Blue Iris, your grit is an inspiration when I feel discouraged. I believe you will be climbing those stairs eventually.

On to today's puzzle... I had no problems, except for inserting the correct answers in the wrong cells. When I straightened that out, it was a breeze.
Argyle, thanks for the origin of STYMIE. I can't find the funny bit about Lucy playing golf where she misuses STYMIE.
Happy birthday to Hahtoola.
On my scholarship visit to educators in Japan I realized that for most of us American visitors a CAREER is not for a lifetime, which astounded our hosts. We frequently reinvent ourselves. We, in turn, were astounded that they were locked for a lifetime into a career chosen in their preteens or teens.
Irish Miss, I loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and read it twice.

Ergo said...

Thanks Kevin and Argyle and happy birthday Hahtoola.

The puzzle was a breeze with the exception of cookie JAR instead of TIN. Perps set me straight in nimble order.

carol said...

Morning all,
This was harder for me than most
Tuesday puzzles.
I didn't see the theme, but then I seldom do. Not as intellectual as most of you. :)

Martha Raye:That's going back a long way. Not one of my parents favorites. She had such a huge mouth, perfect for denture commercials...LOL

30D "Forehead-covering hair" - all I could think of was Donald Trump. Then the V-8 can smashed MY forehead and I got it!!

A very happy birthday Hahtoola!!
Do something fun!!

oc4beach said...

Nice puzzle today. No real stumbling blocks, but the eraser did come in handy. Like PATROLCAR ahead of POLICECAR, and the spelling of KWANZAA.

Also, is the Deer Girl's first name Jane?

Happy birthday Hahtoolah. Over 30 years ago I had the pleasure of sitting next to Grace Hopper on a cross country flight. She was a gem. One of the take-aways that I got from her was "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission." I spent a good part of my career doing just that.

I hope everyone has a good day. Today has started out with sleet, snow and some freezing rain in PA, but it is getting better.

Maro said...

I've noticed that sometimes words or single letters have a background different than normal (white). It may be gray, yellow, red, etc. What does the background color signify?

Ergo said...


--> Husker Gary @9:08. Thanks for the niblick reference. It took me back many years ago to an annual golf tournament at the Gibbon SAND GREENS golf club. The aging niblick was passed along year-to-year to the last place finisher.

Gibbon has since converted to grass greens. Don't know if there are any sand greens courses left in the state.

Anonymous said...

Alt QOD: A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business. ~ A.A. Milne (Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956)

Lord Peter Wimsey said...

I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking.

JD said...

Good morning all,

Got the same message again"Whoops, that's an error" Grrrr

Happy Happy birthday Hahtoolah! Maybe taking a day off from work?

At first I thought the puzzle was a breeze, but then came words like tarry, stymie aquifer, ingrate which made it most enjoyable.Never saw the theme. In fact, I was trying to decipher betatest after it filled. What a strange word I thought. LOL!

Is the Aar as beautiful as the Moselle? Only know this word thru our CW's.

Lois, so great that you made a visit. Are you trying to nestle up to Santa? I thought so.

Thanks Kevin and Argyle.

CrossEyedDave said...

Yellowrocks, yes that late nite Weird Al clip was well worth watching. But unfortunately I take a seat of the pants approach to language, it has to feel right, which does not always serve me well in the Americas as I spent my formative years in Australia.

There is only one thing that really grates on me, & that is when people double up words unnecessarily. Off of is one, but when some one says "they do do it" it really bugs me. To me Do Do is just something stinky...

HG (& Argyle) You had me stymied with the golf clips/references, so I had to look around, & must share some of what I found.

1) What the hell was he aiming at???

2) Leaf Stymies? I thought you could pick up litter in front of your ball?)

3) Bad video, but amazing shot!

& a better view. But why did they not use a wedge...?

kazie said...

Happy Birthday Hahtoolah!

Had a fun time filling this today. No problems at all after I changed JAR to TIN.

Yellowrocks,
I hear you on the "well" issue. another one that I am sick of already is people talking "around" things. I know "about" means the same thing if you take it literally, but that's been accepted in the language for centuries, why do they suddenly have to come up with another expression just to sound cute?

CED,
You'd BETA give up it then, if you can't improve on it!

CrossEyedDave said...

Maro @ 9:52

Sounds like the color you are referring to may just be a highlight to emphesise something. Can you give an example?

Usually links are in Blue, try clicking (or ipad = tapping) the colored word to see if it takes you somewhere else.

P.S. Is anyone else getting mixed prove your a robot prompts, lately sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. (but I never do do...)

Irish Miss said...

Lemon @ 9:17 - My name was there on the first post and I made the second post without doing a thing. This happened once before, a week or two ago. Thanks for your help.

YR @ 9:26 - TSOES is a book I could read again, also. I loved it but a lot of people hated it; what they found boring, I found fascinating. Just another example of how interest and taste vary. One man's treasure........, as they say.

Inquiring minds said...

I've noticed that Husker Gary seems to have developed a 'thing' for tinbeni. That's 'nice'.

Lime Rickey said...

Maro @ 9:52 may be referring to the colored squares in the image of the solved crossword puzzle in the write-ups. The writer-upper (?) will typically highlight the theme answers. Further, the last word and/or letter that the cursor was on is usually highlighted by default.

CrossEyedDave said...

Inquiring minds at 10:36

You may think it's "nice," but I think it's "neat."

The Baker said...

I think FIAT owns ENZO Ferrari's company(Maserati too).

This owns this??

I find that odd. Sorta like if Michael Jackson owned the Beatles. Oh wait...

Julie said...

Fun puzzle today.
Barry @5:52. If someone asks me if it's OK, I might reply "It's all OK"

Misty said...


I too thought this was a little crunchy for a Tuesday, but still a lot of fun--thanks, Kevin--and you too, Argyle, for your expo.

Didn't know either ACAI or SABAN, so held my breath hoping they were right. Whew, a relief that they were. TALCED? Really? TEXAS TEA always reminds me of the "Beverly Hillbillies" and makes me smile.

My husband Rowland used to make a fabulous COQ AU VIN. I should have thought to try his recipe for his birthday yesterday--Darn.

Have a wonderful birthday, Hahtoola! Always love your quotes.

And have a great day, everybody!

Yellowrocks said...

I am packing all my empty Christmas decoration boxes back into a tiny closet, like the horde of circus clowns fitting into that wee car. Is everything in order? Soon I hope to be able to say, "Yes, it's all okay. It all fits."
Misty, would it be too much trouble to share Rowland's recipe, if you please?

Anonymous said...

I wonder what goes through lemony's head when he reads the clue for 35a.

Lime Rickey said...

I think Barry G. was questioning the phrase, "ALL OK", not, "It's all okay".

Yellowrocks said...

ALL OK is just a shortened substitute for the answer,It's all okay, just as you might say, ALL SET instead of I'm all set or it's all set.

john28man said...

I sure enjoyed the amazing golf shots. BTW the Paul Runyon tape was from the 1938 PGA Championship. Can't remember it but then I was only two.

BV Ahlers said...

Not only is talc NOT recommended for babies, it has been illegal to use talc in baby powders for years. Talc is powdered rock (soapstone) which, if inhaled in infants, can cause lung troubles. All baby powders should be starch-based, an organic substance that can be absorbed by the body.

BV Ahlers said...

VALUATE is to put a monetary value on an item while Evaluate assesses whether something may be correct, legal or have other options that do not necessarily carry a monetary value. FWIW!

BV Ahlers said...

Hahtoola, always appreciate your QOD! Happy birthday.
Birthdays are a good thing. The more you have, the longer you live!

Lime Rickey said...

I'll say "all set" long before I'll ever say "all ok".

But it's just a nit (and not even my nit), not the end of the world.

Spitzboov said...

Good afternoon everyone.

Α Β Γ Δ
Late to the party; was out getting GAMMA RAYed. Bone scan. Tc⁹⁹ tracer was used. Half life about 6 hours. Keeping fingers crossed.
No issues in the solve. WAGged HESSE and LORAX, but perps were ample.

Starting to hunker down for the nor'easter passing through.

Lucina said...

IrishMiss:
Yes, I really loved The Art of Racing in the Rain and read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, too. Can't say I loved it, thought it was too long and was ready to quit half way through it. I'm not familiar with the other two, I'll have to check.

Our current book club selection is The Orphan Train.

lois said...

Good afternoon Santa Baby, CC:
Excellent write up, SB. LOL'd several times. Very cute. And loved the shout out to Sally. Excellent 'catch'.

Theme? I'm just glad I'm not the only one who has trouble w/that. Today I went all across then all down. Right out of the chute, 1A down=SABAN!!! My oh my, he is a handsome man, notoriously so! Loved Sandra Bullock's comment about him in Blind Side. Almost fell off my chair in the theater but here all I could think about was his 'Enzo'ne and how I'd like to jump for 'glee' in it. I know. They'd take me away in a 'police car'. But All 'Anita' is 'one' little autograph. For that I'd suffer the 'kiss' of death..JK..
'no no', 'not I', not 'Atoll'.
'I-rate' him A-1 all right but I gotta Texas 'Delta Airlines' ticket I have to use before I get too 'old'. I needed the 'Earps' a few wks ago tho. Delta's Allianz insurance Smacks'of a 'ska'm! I did talk to corporate. Doubt if they will'tarry' long enough to get the 'story' straight. If not, they can 'eat my dust'. Hello Southwest! This 'bunny' will have Texas tea, Okla gold w/out Delta.

Lois

lois said...

Forgot: Happy Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah. Wish you many, many more.

Bill G: Va is cold. Be glad you're not here.

T: thank you. Good to almost see you too.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Nice, speedy puzzle, Kevin, and swell expo, Santa! Thanks!

No problems or nits.

Happy birthday, Hahtoolah, and many more!

Cheers!

Big Easy said...

As soon as I wrote ALPHA, I filled in
BETA, GAMMA, & DELTA. I've done too many crosswords.

My only unknown was K-STAR.

57A-cookie holder-TIN- if you want stale cookies. Put mine in a Zip-Lock bag.

36A Made up week-long year end celebration-KWANZAA. If that isn't phony, I don't what is.

49A- VALUATE- I have always seen it as E-VALUATE; VALUATion is the value of something.

Hahtoolah- I waited for you at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel Bar Friday night but all I saw was an Ugly Christmas Sweater party. Then I went to Sullivan's Restaurant, but you weren't there either. Where were you?

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

HBD Hatoolah!

Nice puzzle. Not much to add.

Cool regards!
JzB

Lucina said...

Lois:
It's good to see you! You always bring so much fun to the Blog.

Manac said...

Re:11D, 29D and 32D

Steve said...

Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah!

@TTP - if you can be bothered to try making it again, my tips are -

1) Use a big chicken, but not a capon as some recipes call for - the capon is going to be too tough. Small chickens cook too quickly and tend to dry out.

2) Don't leave out the bacon

3) Use a quality red wine. My cooking rule is don't put any wine in a recipe that you wouldn't put in a glass and drink.

JD said...

Speaking of good novels, I enjoyed The Rent Tent a few years ago. Did anyone watch it on TV Sun. and Monday? They did a good job, but the book was better, of course.
I just finished Me Before You which was lovely...lots of emotion.

Anonymous said...

Watch it, Big E (@ 3:26)! You're treading in some dangerous waters...
Being from Voodoo-country, I would think you'd know better.

Perhaps you're thinking of Festivus?

Avg Joe said...

Happy happy birthday, Hahtoolah! I always look forward to your QODs.

The puzzle was Tuesday level for me, but the theme was elusive until it was completed. I tried to fit Kwanzaa in as a theme entry. No go. Once filled, it was obvious.

In addition to Steve's comment on wine, I'd add these to the Coq a Vin suggestions. Don't skimp on the shallots. A half pound is probably not too much. And use good cognac, not cheap brandy.

Avg Joe said...

One more suggestion. Grasshopper Pie is an excellent dessert to serve after Coq a Vin. Why quit with booze laced recipes when your just getting warmed up.

CrossEyedDave said...

Well... I looked up Kwanzaa, which was interesting, & then I looked up Festivus, which was very entertaining!

The Festivus

& then I had to look at another clip to explain the 1st clip:

Festivus explained

Hmm, I should really watch this episode...

Hmm, Hmm, an undecorated aluminum pole,,, this holiday has potential....

P.P.S. (it did not ask me if I am a robot,, does it know???)

Sallie said...

Good evening everyone.

Happy birthday Hahtoola. Hope you have a great celebration.

Yellowrocks: I so agree with your bugbears. And I would add that many seem to ignore the "to" and write "and" instead. "For just a few small conservation gains, these bad provisions would exchange national forest land (to)
and allow a mining corporation to exploit an Apache sacred site.

Cheers

Robot Robot Robot said...

Just testing -

Am I a robot robot robot robo

Kevin Christian said...

Hi, this is KevinC, glad you all enjoyed today's puzzle.

I tried for the pangram but it just wasn't worth forcing a J in there, it would have compromised the fill too much.

I got the idea for this puzzle from the song "Air on 'A' Tape Loop" on the Sweet album "Level Headed." You can check it out here: http://www.allmusic.com/album/level-headed-mw0000319413

See ya! - KevinC

Rainman said...

Every day is an education. Today I learned (or relearned) the old stymie golf rule, and that Alpha Centauri is a group system... I had always thought Centauri was the system and Alpha, Beta and Proxima were individually named... but found they are also named A, B, and C when included as a suffix after Alpha Centauri. I do remember as a fourth grader getting down on the floor with a pencil and Big Chief tablet and multiplying the hard way to find how many miles in a light year, starting with four point something light years to Alpha Centauri. Took a LOT of paper! (Yes, I should have been doing a crossword puzzle.) But think what it would be like to live on a planet around one of those stars and have two other stars nearby... probably not a significantly bright situation.

Arthur C. Clark wrote once about Jupiter suddenly but gradually turning into a sun and how the people on earth flourished because they now had so much light and sunshine and it was such a positive thing worldwide. Can't recall the name of the book but it was a novel based partly on a true story, as I recall, fictionalized only because of the liability involved, and I can't recall the details... sorry. But this time of year, I could use a bit more Vitamin D.
Today's puzzle was crafted well... an enjoyable quickie. Great writeup and links, Argyle. Made me think and appreciate this site. Thanks to all of you. And thanks to many of you who welcome the newbies to your fold so graciously.

Lucina said...

JD:
Since The Red Tent is one of my favorite books I did watch the Lifetime special on Sunday and Monday. It caught the spirit of the story quite well though the book of course is rich in many details that can't be included in a movie. I enjoyed the acting and stark beauty as they were portrayed.

carol said...

I have read The Red Tent twice. I just loved it! I love books of that period.

I tried to order Me Before You at the library (which is where I get all my books) but all they had was a E-book. Pooh.

Robot at 6:10 Really???

Abejo said...

Good evening, folks. Thank you, Kevin Christian, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

First: Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah, and many more. Always enjoy your QODs.

Second: Thank you, TTP, for the kind wishes.

To the puzzle. Liked it. A little tough for a Tuesday, but that is OK.

ACAI was easy. We seem to get that a lot.

LORAX was not easy. Perps.

I have heard of KWANZAA in recent decades, but never knew what it was. I learned.

AAR, sometimes AARE.

COQ au vin? Sorry.

Have not seen Martha RAYE in a long time. Is she still around?

I think I went to Santa ANITA once when I lived in the LA area. Long time ago.

See you tomorrow, folks.

Abejo

(1536)

Big Easy said...

I stand by my statement.

KWANZAA is a phony made up holiday season. I clicked on the link to FESTIVUS and it has just as much credibility.

Spitzboov said...

Forgot to wish Hahtoolah a very Happy Birthday. Hope your day was special.

Hahtoolah said...

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. It really made my day. Glad to learn that some of you here had actually met Grace Hopper.

Big Easy: Did you check Commander's Palace? Where were you!!!

Irish Miss: I read and enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. The latter is now a play.

A Little Uneasy said...

It's time to add racist comments to the list of forbidden topics. Evidently some people need everything spelled out.

Irish Miss said...

Hahtoolah @ 8:33 - Yes, I was aware that CIOTDITN was a play but have not read any reviews of it. Did enjoy the book, though.

TTP said...

Hi all,

Winding down after an exhausting day. Again.

Steve, good points. Thanks. May try again in the coming weeks. It has been years.

You too Joe. Thanks. I don't think I ever used shallots though.


Hahtoolah, I'm giving us an unofficial 50 % grade on being able to correctly spell your nom de plume.


Way past my bed time. Good night all.

TTP said...


Steve, BTW, I know for a fact that I did try to use one of those "Red Cooking Wine" products in a recipe one time. Yuck !

Yellowrocks said...

Hand up for being another Red Tent fan. I read that one twice, too.

Lucina said...

Red Tent fans:
If you haven't read them already you might enjoy Queenmaker & Solomon's Daughter by India Edghill.

Bill G. said...

Happy birthday Hahtoola! I'll volunteer to help you eat the leftover cake crumbs.

Maro said...

@Lime Rickey - thanks! While highlighting the themed answers seemed apparent, the occasional 'red letter' through me, so I thought I was missing something. Thank for the explanation!

Argyle said...

Yes, akimbo is the Word of the Day. You will be quizzed on asperse at a later date.