google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, January 19, 2015 Gareth Bain

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Jan 19, 2015

Monday, January 19, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Top Brass - A bringing together of diverse Generals.

17A. Military bed-making features : HOSPITAL CORNERS. General Hospital, long time running TV soap opera.

28A. Classic jazz vocal group originally composed of four siblings, with "The" : MILLS BROTHERS. General Mills, founded in 1866! (Wiki)
 

 
46A. "Special" lobbying faction : INTEREST GROUP. General Interest, like CBS Sunday Morning.

61A. UN organ ... or what the first words of 17-, 28- and 46-Across comprise? : GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Argyle here. Marvelous Monday...and we need it. I worried needlessly when I saw Gareth's name. Two grid spanners, strong corners, good fill with a little crunch to keep it interesting. And I liked the wide range of entries.

Across:

1. Pod used to thicken gumbo : OKRA

5. Moonshine containers : JUGS. I stuck in JARS first.

9. "24" superagent Jack : BAUER

14. __-chef : SOUS. Second-in-command in the kitchen. Not a general yet.

15. Jacob's twin : ESAU

16. Happen next : ENSUE

20. Rose pest : APHID

21. Pimply breakout : ACNE

22. On the __: precisely : DOT

23. Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

26. Chancellor von Bismarck : OTTO

33. Financial claim : LIEN

35. Sport __: versatile wheels : UTE. (utility)

36. OB/GYN test : AMNIO. Shortening of amniocentesis.

37. Goof : ERR

38. Comic strip with Snoopy : PEANUTS

41. Md. neighbor : DEL. Maryland/Delaware

42. Pierre's "There it is!" : "VOILA!"

44. Bigheadedness : EGO

45. "Should __ acquaintance ..." : AULD

50. Mideast strip : GAZA

51. In the mail : SENT

52. Magazine fillers : ADS

55. Intravenous process : DRIP

57. Ride without pedaling : COAST

65. San Antonio battle site : ALAMO

66. Cookie added to a McFlurry : OREO

67. Banned fruit spray : ALAR

68. Make into confetti : RIP UP

69. Enjoy a Kindle, e.g. : READ

70. Printed goof : TYPO

Down:

1. Fed. workplace monitor : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

2. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP. Another General.

3. Make haste : RUSH

4. Pain-relieving pill : ASPIRIN

5. Jumbo __ : JET

6. Stars and Stripes land: Abbr. : USA

7. Black-tie party : GALA

8. Relief : SUCCOR

9. Italian pistols : BERETTAS

10. Cape NNW of Cod : ANN. Boston is in between them.

11. Second-hand : USED

12. Franc replacement : EURO

13. What's leftover, with "the" : REST

18. Revered star : IDOL

19. Not hoodwinked by : ON TO

24. Revolve on an axis : SLUE

25. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA

27. Electrical unit : OHM

28. Be worthy of : MERIT

29. Poet Stephen Vincent __ : BENÉT

30. Turn out to be : END UP

31. Cambodian currency : RIEL

32. Happy sign for a Realtor : [SOLD]

33. Jeans maker Strauss : LEVI

34. Crease remover : IRON

38. Send down using chutes, as supplies : PARADROP. Or some really big stuff.



39. Fleecy footwear brand : UGGS

40. Injured, as a ligament : TORE

43. Table support : LEG

45. Quaint coin-op eatery : AUTOMAT

47. Poet Pound : EZRA

48. Crew member : SAILOR

49. A single time : ONCE

52. Lab gel : AGAR

53. Pastrami purveyor : DELI. Cute alliteration.

54. Lose it : SNAP

56. Remove, as a peel : PARE

58. With skill : ABLY

59. High-five, e.g. : SLAP

60. Rookie : TYRO

62. Outback bird : EMU

63. Mediterranean __ : SEA

64. Clump of turf : SOD


Argyle


66 comments:

George Barany said...

It was good to spend a leisurely 6 minutes or so this morning working through Gareth Bain's nicely crafted puzzle, followed by the same amount of time appreciating Argyle''s thoughtful analysis. I thought the puzzle hid the theme very well, and it's not that often for the "reveal" to span the entire width of the grid. Wonder whether KOOP as a "bonus" theme entry was intentional or not.

If you're in a mood for another GB puzzle (different GB though), have a go at NoTHing to See Here, constructed with Marcia Brott for the Wall Street Journal, and expertly edited by Mike Shenk. And if you're up for a movie, I would recommend on this Martin Luther King Day the Academy Award Best Picture nominee Selma.

OwenKL said...

Monday easy, though I couldn't figure out the theme until I got to the reveal. Only stumble was BINET instead of BENET, and UTI seemed as good a short-form as UTE for UTIlity. Had to find that error on my own when I didn't get the ta-da, but I did it without red letters.

The stomach flu and ills alimental
May have repercussions regimental.
It will make soldiers ail,
And non-coms grow pale,
But for the brass, it's not bad, in GENERAL!

With automatons we want to stay friendly,
Robot warriors would make us all trembly.
If things aren't satisfactory
At the robotic factory
They might start on a robo-GENERAL ASSEMBLY!

Crossword puzzles are GENERAL INTEREST,
They contribute to spry mental fitness.
In our brain is an index
Of all, stars to insects,
It's hard to work puzzles when you're listless!

Rainman said...

Speed run today. Agree with George that the puzzle is nicely crafted. Good job, Gareth.

Yes, an AUTOMAT would be "quaint" indeed, and if you see one, please advise. I never did.

Not familiar with 34D, whatizzit? Crease remover, IRON? Whatzzat? Waymint, seems my mom had one...

Thanks for the write-up, Argyle. Enjoyed watching the tank slam down on the earth with the narrator saying the pallet absorbed the impact. You think? Might jolt and I'd wonder if the tank would run after that. The C-130 always interested me... very versatile aircraft, along with many others, of course.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Brain is really fried this morning due to a poor night's sleep, so I was hoping for an easy Monday puzzle today. Mostly got what I wanted, except that I didn't know who the MILLS BROTHERS were, didn't know who Mr. BENET was, and never heard of PARADROP before.

Perps came handily to the rescue in each case, but it was weird seeing so much unknown stuff on a Monday. Unless, of course, it's just a matter of me not remembering this stuff because, you know, my brain is fried...

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Zipped through this one in good time. I did find SUCCOR and TYRO to be unusual Monday words. And I remember the MILLS BROTHERS as a pop group, not a "Classic Jazz" group with songs like Glow Worm, Cab Driver and Yellow Bird.

There was lots I could relate to in this puzzle: OTTO, of course. BAUER was my grandmother's maiden name. I had a brief stint as a SAILOR. I did many crazy things in my UTE. And I've admired many JUGS.

I understand the SOLD sign in front of a property. But what does 'COMING SOON' mean in front of a residential property? Not just a lot -- a house.

HeartRx said...

Good morning,

I was really surprised to see the clue "Surgeon general...," especially since GENERAL ASSEMBLY was the theme reveal. Also surprised to see BAUER in a Monday grid. So, some surprises, but in general a quick solve with no major hiccups.

John Lampkin said...

Congrats to Gareth and thanks General Argyle.
Good observation from George Barany about the spanner revealer.
George is modest. Click on his blue name to see his marvelous set of puzzles and friends.
My guess is that the gratuitous general in the KOOP def was an editorial lapse since it would have been easy to avoid it.

Madame Defarge said...

Thanks Mr. Bain for a smooth Monday. Quite a relief after last week--especially Friday.

I also used jars for JUGS; I immediately thought of the current trend, in some spots, of serving drinks in Mason jars. I had to correct that pretty fast.

I was thinking "nurses' caps" for bed corners, but I guess hospital has the same context and the correct number of spaces.

I am not clear on TYRO for rookie. What am I missing there?

Rainman: I laughed at your comment on IRON. None of my children knows how to use one!!!! I love ironing. It's like mowing the lawn or knitting: there's simple, quiet comfort in the repetition. A bit of Zen.

Thanks, Argyle for the run through.

Hope it's a sunny day wherever you are.

kazie said...

Mostly WBS except that in addition I didn't get the theme until I was here. I wondered about the acute accent on the Name Benét, since it would be totally unnecessary in French. On googling to check, I decided it must have been adopted by an earlier relative in order to maintain the correct French pronunciation in this English speaking world. Needless to say, I'd never heard of him before.

Nice easy Monday to start the week.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Easy puzzle to start this holiday. Nice to see Rosa Parks on this date.

Hand up for Jars before JUGS. I also wanted Spin in lieu of SLUE. Other than that (and the PARADROP, which the perps filled in) it was smooth sailing.

I'm with you, Rainman, on the Iron. I think I have one stored in my utility closet. Can't tell you when it was last used, though.

QOD: Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. ~ Janis Joplin (Jan. 19, 1943 ~ Oct. 4, 1970)

Madame Defarge said...

Hatoolah:

I really like the QOD. Thanks.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gareth Bain, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine eview.

This is the first day Ina while I have been able to get a puzzle from cruciverb. Have been in Pennsylvania. I rely on cruciverb when traveling. Oh well, will be home today.

Liked your poem, OwenKL. Keep 'em coming!

Zipped through this quickly. Liked the theme.

For OKRA easily for 1A. I do not mind OKRA in stews, etc. Cannot stand it boiled or steamed. Too slimy.

My dog friend ASTA again. Enjoy seeing it in puzzles.

I even got VOILA. Amazing. My French is improving.

DELI reminds me of the price of cold cuts recently. I bought some a couple weeks ago for our Commandery meeting and really got sticker shock. Some meats were over $10 a pound. I walked out of the store shy $80.

See you tomorrow. I will have my newspaper then, so cruciverb will not be as crucial as it was this weekend.

Abejo

( )

thehondohurricane said...

Buenas Dias,

Got it done, but it was a little more effort then I expected for a Monday. The crossing I for 36A & 31D was a big wag. Neither Amnio or Riel were in my wheelhouse.

As far as the theme, had no idea until Argyle explained it.

Never knew who Pres Reagan's Surgeon General was until today. Maybe I'll remember him into the afternoon.

Not looking forward to all the chatter over the next two weeks about the Super Bowl. Another sporting event that TV has completely screwed up........ IMHO.

Anonymous said...

The REST (13D) is "what's left_over" (space underscored). "What's leftover" would be an ORT.

Yellowrocks said...

Good puzzle. I understood the theme from the reveal. Argyle, fun write-up. Your coffee maker reminded me that the waitresses threaten to give Alan intravenous coffee, because he drinks so much. They are also going to keep a cow outside because he uses so much milk in all that coffee.
Owen, you would never want a painful UTI in place of a UTE. (Urinary tract infection)
Rainman, I used to love to go to the AUTOMAT with my grandmother. You put in coins and opened a little door to get your food.Some portions were just there for the pick-up. Other times there was a lady behind the door, handing me a dish. It kinda reminded me of a wall of post office boxes, but you could see the food through the glass in the doors. Fascinating for a country girl. Another thrill was the ice cream truck, which we didn't have at home.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling thoughts":

Hand up for SPIN before SLUE; also had TORN b4 TORE and ABLE b4 ABLY, so the paper copy has a few ink blots and write-overs

I, too look forward to Gareth Bain puzzles; they're fair and have enough challenge to make them enjoyable. Liked the "new" solves, such as AUTOMAT, SUCCOR, and KOOP. Liked the starting corner (NW) right-angle of OKRA/OSHA

Watched both games yesterday; the Packers' collapse will be discussed ad nauseum. I'm no fan of theirs but I am still in a bit of disbelief as to how they lost. I truly despise the Patriots (sorry, all of your Corner-ites who hail from NE), but I think they'll find some way to cheat out a win. Rumor has it they (the Patriots) did not properly inflate the footballs used in last night's game. NE primarily ran the ball; the Colts are a passing team. Oh well - now a two-week buildup to what's been lately an anti-climactic game. Hope the commercials are better this year!!

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Poem" (aka, my limerick of the day):

A third baseman who calls himself Bud,
Was becoming a bit of a dud.
He's found his new career,
Making jewelry, I hear,
Now he's finally a real diamond stud!

Gareth Bain said...

This puzzle was inspired by making a mix CD of 30s to 50s music for my mother. One of her first requests was this platter: Daddy's Little Girl.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I thought this had a little bite for a Monday but sailed through to the TADA! However, I needed Argyle's fine expo to tie the theme together.

Thanks Gareth and Argyle for starting the week off on the right foot!

Have a great day.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Argyle’s succinct summary paragraph works for me
-It’s nice to see The MILLS BROTHERS and ROSA Parks in the puzzle on this MLK day.
-Alternate JUGS picture
-Oh, you must have thought…
-This family tree yields a lotta Crossword fruit
-I am almost always early but if not, I’m there on the DOT
-Maybe a UTE is a familiar vehicle appellation in your area
-This AMNIO instrument looks forbidding
-Harry’s tiresome parsing of AULD Land Syne (:27) What an EGO!
-GAZA’s population density of 9,713/sq mi is sixth most in the world
-Thet TYPO wurd seams vary ode ta mi
-KOOP became a household name saying he wanted the USA to be a “smoke free society” by 2000
-Jacob Davis invented using copper rivets on jeans stress points, LEVI got the idea patented. How’d that work out? We ain’t wearin’ Jacob Jeans
-Our city had one of the 5 best high school girl basketball players in the country and then last month she TORE her ACL
-Do you remember the Doris Day/Cary Grant movie with this scene in an AUTOMAT? (6:39)

Yellowrocks said...

I remember that scene. It is a great illustration of the Automat. However, in real life it was the original fast food place. Someone behind you often was impatiently pushing his tray along stewing that he was being held up by you. You couldn't carry on a long conversation like Doris did.

Ergo said...


I just finished the Sunday puzzle. That is, if you allow for half-a-dozen random obscurities. Still, it was a moral victory that kept my mind active for several hours.

Ironically, one of my last fills was SEATTLE. A city that has had more media exposure in the past 24 hours than you can shake an underinflated football at.

Sakes...

CanadianEh! said...

Happy Monday (and MLK Day to my American friends)! Enjoyed this puzzle with just a little more bite than usual for a Monday. Thanks Gareth & Argyle.

I had KEGS before JUGS and VOICI before VOILA but perps soon straightened me out.

Noted RIP UP and END UP. Not familiar with PARADROP but it makes sense.

ASPIRIN is no longer recommended for pain relief due to the high incidence of GI upset and bleeding. Heart/stroke protection is its major use now.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2 - OBOE questions
-What Sonny and Cher smash hit featured an OBOE playing four pairs of notes between their singing of the title in the chorus?
-What animal is represented by the OBOE in Peter And The Wolf? Hmmm… Have we ever seen OBOE clued as “It represents the ____ in Peter And The Wolf?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzles -

Holy Hardware, Batman!!! I had no idea you could yank a tank outta the back of a C-130 in flight and live to tell about it. I would have guessed it couldn't be done, because of the big disturbance of center of gravity. Thanks, Argyle!

Really enjoyed today's puzzle, nicely crafted as it was. No speed bumps, easy to solve using just Across clues.

I recall being impressed with Dr. Koop back in the day. He came across as a man who would tell it like it is - no need for euphemisms.

Abejo 7:57 - Thanks, I didn't know Cruciverb was back in business. That must have happened during the wee hours, because it was still toast around midnight when I did this puzzle.

Misty said...


A huge relief to find a wonderfully doable Gareth Bain puzzle on a Monday morning--many thanks! I especially liked seeing two poets--EZRA Pound and Steven Vincent BENET. Never heard of BERETTAS, but then I'm not into guns. But still got it, thanks to the across words.

Made a decision after my end-of-the week solving disaster last week. I'm just going to accept that I will need to cheat on Saturdays and probably on Fridays as well, and there's no use getting upset about it. If I know that's how it's going to be, I think I'll be able to enjoy the puzzles and not fret any more. How's that for a belated crossword puzzle New Year's resolution?

Have a great week, everybody!

Bill G. said...

Gary, isn't it the duck?

I enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. Thanks Gareth and Argyle.

I love the Mills Brothers. I have a CD in my car and a Pandora station with their name on it. I agree with D-O that they were a pop group and not jazz so much. Their Cab Driver is a really simple, catchy song.

Grandson Jordan likes Pillsbury biscuits. He is off from school today and I am hoping to make homemade buttermilk biscuits with him. I'll report back later.

Dudley said...

Husker -

You're right, that long amnio needle looks scary, particularly to lifelong needlephobe like me.

I never thought there existed any chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in that movie.

"I Got You, Babe" for the Sonny & Cher. I can't recall the Peter and the Wolf, haven't heard it since the seventh grade.

Lime Rickey said...

Since the Surgeon General gets to wear a uniform*, I think the Postmaster General and the Attorney General should wear uniforms too. I'm always amused when they're addressed as "General".

*Oddly enough, the Surgeon General holds the rank of Vice Admiral.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Nice puzzle by Graeth - yes, well crafted indeed.

That's all I've got.

Cool regards!
JzB

Lime Rickey said...

Come to think of it, since smoking is a vice (and a nasty one at that), Vice Admiral is a pretty appropriate rank for the Surgeon General.

coneyro said...

Very easy puzzle today. Owen's lyrics always are amazing.
Speaking of automats, being from NY, the best of all, IMO, was the Horn & Hardart on Broadway, in Manhattan. I loved to feed coins into the slots and open the glass doors to get my food. The beef stew was terrific, and their pies were yummy! It is a shame that good restaurants of inexpensive but high quality food have been replaced with fast food (if you can really call it such) which is neither inexpensive or healthy. Wasn't it great when we enjoyed food without analizing what was in it. Nowadays we may be healthier but are we happier?
Have a great day all!











desper-otto said...

If the SG has a naval rank, why isn't he/she called the Surgeon Admiral?

Husker, late coming back to the party, but I agree with I Got You, Babe and the duck.

Mme Defarge, guess nobody's answered you. Dictionary definition of a TYRO is a beginner. Ergo, a newbie, a rookie, etc.

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, I enjoyed skipping through this puzzle with little or no problems. I even remembered Koop which was dredged up from somewhere in my past.

The theme didn't help with the fill, and it was only after I filled in General Assembly that the long theme answers made any sense.

The Mills Brothers were big when I was a teenager. That shows how old I am. (I'm young at heart).

Thanks Argyle for your writeup of Gareth's puzzle. Just right for Monday.

Have a great day, everyone.

Chairman Moe said...

Misty @ 11:26

I am with you, sister! I, too, have been resorting to looking up clue answers on Google to keep from giving up totally on puzzles; especially those on Friday/Saturday

I used to have a Crossword Puzzle dictionary (paperback) but those are kinda like Encyclopedias and most other forms of real resource books; essentially out-of-date the moment they're issued.

Lemonade714 said...

Never heard of paradrop but it made sense; always enjoy Gareth's puzzles. I was surprised by the General dupe, but it is a work day so TTFN

Chairman Moe said...

Gary @ 11:12

I Got You, Babe is what comes to mind with the OBOE part you describe; without looking it up, of course!!

Misty said...


Chairman Moe, thanks so much for encouraging my resolution! So nice to have a brother on the blog!

Yellowrocks said...

Misty, I, too, look up those answers that seem impossible for me to get on my own. Then I declare a DNF. I prefer doing that to not completing the puzzle or red lettering. I don't go to the crossword answer sites but to more substantive ones. I study up on what I missed so that hopefully I will remember it next time.
Sometimes I end up with egg on my face when "I shoulda known" the answer, but, even if I'm off my game, it is still better than a blank.
Misty, I'm with you, girl.

Bill G. said...

This will probably sound silly but here goes anyway. I just had a really good time with 10-year-old Jordan. We made homemade buttermilk biscuits. The fresh buttermilk fills the house with its aroma. Jordan likes the Pillsbury biscuits that come in a can OK but he liked these better. He especially seemed to enjoy the process of making these with buttermilk, baking soda, other stuff, a rolling pin, a cookie sheet, a pre-heated oven, etc. I'm even looking forward to having them cold as a snack with morning coffee.

Madame Defarge said...

Thanks Desper-otto for the clarification. Not a word I think I've ever heard. I'll check out the origin. Thanks.

Madame Defarge said...

Dudley,

Holy Hardware is right. I don't understand the science behind dropping such weight. Neither do I understand how the Americans sent tanks and Jeeps into Normandy in gliders. They lost quite a few, but that any arrived is remarkable. Of course, then they had to outfit the tanks with hardware to cut through the hedgerows.

Dudley said...

Madame - in the Normandy instance, the gliders were disposable. Therefore they could be landed in ways that killed off forward speed even if it meant crunching up the gliders' structure. Whatever payload they carried had the opportunity to decelerate with the whole glider; given a large enough landing field, this could be a reasonably gentle process. Of course, Normandy did not always offer huge landing sites! Those pilots were bold.

Tinbeni said...

Thank you Gareth and Argyle for a FUN Monday puzzle and write-up.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day.

Hondo: I had USF and 43 points ... lol

Liked the CSO to desper-OTTO.

WOW! What a beautiful Sunset.
Cheers!

Betty C. said...

I just read Anon-t's recipe from last night.

A couple questions:

What is an emulsion blender?

I guess for efficiency sakes you could ladle this directly into your bowel, but why would you want to bypass your taste buds?

Barry G. said...

Meh.

I assumed the reason I was feeling so bad this morning was because I didn't sleep well last night. Turns out I got it backwards -- I didn't sleep well because I'm actually sick. As the day progressed and I felt worse and worse, I finally got around to taking my temperature. I'm not dying, but 101F will certainly explain the body aches, headache, chills, etc.

I had a flu shot, so hopefully this is just a 24-hour bug...

Rainman said...

Bill G, teaching a 10-year-old to do pastries is the most phenomenal idea. Good on you for being the mentor and having a curious protégé. Devious suggestion to consider: teach him to make pizzas. He'll be so proud. He'll never forget the process. And his results can be so much more tasty and healthy! If I can help, let me know. It'd be a privilege. (I had a pizza restaurant.)

Rainman said...

BarryG, maybe your alcohol level got too low. Yikes!

Any event, thanx for the update and heal quickly.

CrossEyedDave said...

Betty C @ 5:34

emulsion Blender

Or you could just toss the whole mess in your food processor...

Easy puzzle (thankfully) after the last three days, but finding funny pics,,, not so much. (I was almost tempted to link an alt pic of HG's Jugs...)

CrossEyedDave said...

Just because I am between a rock, & a hard place finding links for this puzzle, you might find this NY Times link to the free climb of El Capitan interesting...

Misty said...


Thank you, Yellowrocks. You're right, that looking up answers also teaches us things and is therefore a productive process. I'll keep that in mind as the positive thing about "cheating," as I call it.

Betty said...

Thanks CED. I thought that is what he probably was referring to. When I tried to search 'emulsion blender', google kept auto-correcting it to 'immersion blender'.

Cuisinart seems to call them stick blenders.

TTP said...

Misty,

If I may...

A secret to my solving success, if there is one, is that I'll often re-solve puzzles that escaped me on earlier efforts.

To wit, this last Friday, Saturday and Sunday were pretty tough.

I do puzzles online, and will stubbornly refuse to give in, until I can make no further progress.

Abejo and I met and we talked about this. Sometimes, standing up and staring at the puzzle from a different vantage point helps, and sometimes just walking away from it for awhile helps.

When all else fails, I'll turn on red letters. I don't Google or consult any other reference material. Sometimes it's just the fact that a letter or two changes to red is all that I need.

It is humbling when the absolute certainty of an answer is proven to be so incorrect. And there is nothing wrong, in my opinion, if a solver wants to consult their personal reference or Google or Encyclopedia Britannica.

There are some clues and answers that are simply out of my realm, but in the crossworld world of crosswordese, I like to think I'm gaining ground. Some of the French clues and music clues that used to stump me are pretty mundane now. At least a few of them are. Nice is a place in France... Oboe is vowel and crossword friendly, as is Erie.

So, towards the end of this week, I will re-solve last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, fully knowing that some of the clues and answers will come purely because we just had them, but some of the "toughies" will make me think about them again, and why I missed them, and whether or not they should be clues and answers that should be remembered for future solves.

Sometimes I think that there are those that are "keeping score", and have a certain disdain for those of us that do the puzzle online. To me, that's a shame. I think it's all good fun, and I like to keep it that way, as best I can.

Just have fun solving !

Madame Defarge said...

Dudley at 4:43
Thanks so much for your aeronautical insight. Physics aside, I still find the task daunting and heroic. The whole Invasion was a remarkably outrageous plan. Perhaps miraculous is the word I'm looking for. Thanks.

luxor said...

Cruciverb is back, thank goodness.

TTP said...


Madame Defarge, et alia,

My neighbor sent me this. I think it's pretty neat.

As you scroll through the photos, left-click and hold on each photo. Then drag your mouse gently from left to right on the original photograph... Before and after kind of effects...

Then and Now

Madame Defarge said...

TTP: your discussion on working through solves, even perhaps a second time, was very enlightening. Walking away often works for me. For example, Friday I left to go to the window to watch workers cut down a tree. When I returned to the puzzle, Goliath jumped off the page, whereas I saw nothing before that. As Hercule Poirot would say, my little grey cells needed a rest!

Thanks for the insight.

Madame Defarge said...

TTP: amazing!! My brain did a little of that when I visited Normandy in 2012. . . . Thanks.

TTP said...

Madame Defarge,

I know, right ? Isn't that neat ?

I saw great sights in Europe, such as the Cologne (Köln) Cathedral, and couldn't help but think of what it might have looked like during the war.

CrossEyedDave said...

TTP @ 9:11

Then & Now...

Oh Wow! That is positively eerie...

Bill G. said...

TTP, I LOVED your then and now photographs. That's my favorite era of history and those pictures made it seem to come more alive for me. Thanks.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

VOILA! Finished this fun Bain (a Monday Bain!) and then came here for the rest o' the fun. Thanks Argyle for the write-up. A buddy in LA Nat. Guard was a tanker and he told me about C130s dropping tanks.

The them was fun, but took the reveal to finally get 28a - MIL_S BROTHERS just hung there. L was the WAG, but 61a solidified it.

Some fun fill with JUGS before JarS, AGAR and ALAR and ACNE before DOT...

Misty - Puzzles are fun. If you need a cheat to break up a corner (or often in my case, how to spell) take it, note it and move on. MIL & I use a check-mark for lookups so we know. Once I get more than 4 or 5 though (see Sat), it becomes not so much fun and I TITT.

Bill G. Nothing more fun that teaching kids to cook. Eldest will go into the fridge and invent stuff and we all build pizza together from scratch. Rainman - I'm always open to try a new sauce or dough recipe.

CED - Thanks for the emulsion-blender pick. I saw Betty C's immersion post, Googled it, and thought "I've had it wrong this whole time!?!"

TTP - I second CED - wow, eerie.

Betty C. - I caught the TYPO when C.C. said she'd posted it. Please enjoy it from a bowl. I need a SOUS to ensure I don't ERR like that again.

Cheers, -T

Rainman said...

AnonymousT,

I sent the recipe to CC. She'll no doubt post it.

Hope you make the best shells ever!!

Raymond (Rainman)

Rainman said...

Wasn't it Carl Sagan who dryly pointed out that if you want to make a pizza (or anything) from scratch, first you must create the Cosmos?

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

Rainman,
Pizza Dough is now archived. Thanks.

TTP said...

Anon-T,

I think we have a regular that likes to post under fictitious names. I would guess that since the subject matter was recipe related, Betty C. at 5:34 is Betty Crocker.

Behind the cloak of anonymity, I think he/she was making fun because you called it an emulsion blender rather than an immersion blender.