google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday, January 4, 2015 Marilyn Lieb

Gary's Blog Map

Jan 4, 2015

Sunday, January 4, 2015 Marilyn Lieb

Theme: "Single-Minded" - Short vowel in each *ING-ending word is changed into a long vowel, hence one of double consonants is dropped. (Added later: Barry G is correct. The gimmick is simply dropping one of the double letters.  50A has the same vowel before and after).
 
23A. Manicurist's work area? : FILING STATION. Filling station.
 
27A. Jilted "dear" lover who hasn't given up? : HOPING JOHN. Hopping John. The first and last Across theme answers have an impressive 5-letter overlap.

50A. Grand Canal? : POLING PLACE. Polling place.

66A. Providing extra digital support? : TOE TAPING. Toe-tapping.

84A. Finding a home for an Anaheim team? : SITING DUCKS. Sitting duck.

105A. Making hay when the sun doesn't shine? : SNOW BALING. Snowballing.

112A. Furniture-weaving facility? : CANING FACTORY. Canning factory.

31D. Regally dressing aristocrats? : ROBING THE RICH. Robbing the rich.

35D. Making a patio out of a garden? : TILING THE SOIL. Tilling the soil. Both Downs have 3-words. Consistent.

Looks like another debut! We only have a John Lieb in our blog labels.

It's challenging to start with a 13-letter theme entry, as this results in a stacked 7's on the right immediately. The constructor can further break those  7's into two 3's, but then she'd exceed Rich's 144 word limit.

The top 8/3 break can be changed into  6/6 or 5/7 or 7/5, all posing a challenge to fill in cleanly.

Across:

1. Military competition : ARMS RACE. This puzzle has eight 8-letter entries.

9. "Excuse me ..." : AHEM

13. Tab : BAR BILL

20. Visit briefly, as a sick friend : LOOK IN ON

21. In __ land : LA LA. Hello to our sweet LaLaLinda. Hope her health improves in 2015.

22. Frightened : ALARMED

25. Still puzzled : NO WISER

26. Beaut : GEM

29. Like some bird calls : SHRILL

33. Tie securely : LASH

34. Kachina doll maker : HOPI. I see Kachina dolls at flea market from time to time. They kind of look scary.

35. Parlor design, perhaps : TAT. Tattoo parlor.

38. "Cupid" singer Sam : COOKE

39. Belittle : DIS

40. Place to get refreshed : OASIS

43. How deadpan humor is delivered : DRILY

45. Dispute settlers : ARBITERS

47. "Put your money away" : ON ME. Crossing ONSET (47D. First stage). Dupe of ON.

48. Reiki practitioner : HEALER. Have any of you had Reiki treatments?


49. Surprise attack : RAID


54. Board game staples : DICE

55. Smoker's buy: Abbr. : CTN. I was astonished to find out that every casino in Las Vegas allows smoking.

56. Shoe parts : UPPERS

57. Cyberguffaw : LOL

58. Flowers in pens? : INKS. OK, Flow-er. Ink flows.

59. Figures on a rink : EIGHTS

61. Understanding : KEN. Beyond my ken.

63. Purse : HANDBAG. I used to be very good judging fake designer bags. 

65. Platte River tribe : OTOE

69. Tiny colonists : ANTS

71. Conserve : HUSBAND

73. Marine eagle : ERN

74. Book read during the Jewish holiday Purim : ESTHER. Gimme for Hahtoola/Lemonade.

76. Dog follower : SLED. Dog sled. Great clue.

78. Yale alum : ELI

79. Milk sources : UDDERS

82. Lac filler : EAU

83. Dean's "Lois & Clark" co-star : TERI (Hatcher). Dean Cain.

88. Grounded fleet : SSTS

89. Joins the debate : OPINES

91. Bit of sneakiness : RUSE

92. Hole starters : TEE SHOTS

94. Rhodes with a scholarship : CECIL

95. Words to strike up the band : HIT IT

97. French possessive : SES. TES also.

98. Scenically patterned fabric : TOILE

99. Utility co. unit : KWH

100. College town east of Greensboro : ELON. Got via crosses. Anything Musk related will be a gimme.

102. Destruction : RUIN

104. Oval-shaped dose : CAPLET

108. Asian-American actor Philip known for war movie roles : AHN. Of Korean root. I mentioned before that his Ahn is the same as Chinese Ang (Ang Lee).



109. Labor dispute tactic : LOCKOUT

118. London locale : ONTARIO

119. Bilko's mil. rank : MSGT (Master sergeant).

120. Enter carefully : EASE INTO

121. Features of Lincoln and Uncle Sam : GOATEES

122. Online crafts store : ETSY. Lots of neat stuff there.

123. Sin : TRESPASS

Down:

1. '80s sitcom puppet : ALF

2. Palais resident : ROI

3. Gretchen of "Boardwalk Empire" : MOL. Not familiar with this lady. Does MOL pronounce the same as Mole?


4. __ mask : SKI

5. Hairstyle curl : RINGLET

6. 2014 A.L. MVP Mike Trout, for one : ANGEL. Big gimme.

7. Micro- ending : COSM

8. Dr.'s specialty : ENT

9. Choral parts : ALTOS. And BASS (64D. Choral part).

10. Vietnamese port : HAIPHONG. No idea about this port city. Click on this map, can you see Hong Kong? Wiki said "The city's name means "coastal defense" and it is nicknamed the Flamboyant City because of the many Delonix regia planted throughout it." Gosh, I did not know what "Delonix regia" is either. Pretty red.



11. They "had decayed to a mere beautiful futility": Wells : ELOI

12. "Buddenbrooks" author : MANN (Thomas)

13. Duelers in a 1973 hit : BANJOS. This refers to the banjos in "Deliverance", right?

14. Thrown for __ : A LOOP

15. Untanned animal skin : RAWHIDE

16. Google co-founder Sergey : BRIN

17. Web chat exchange : IMs

18. Director Spike : LEE

19. Pres. or gov. : LDR (Leader)

24. Enlightened cries : AHAs

28. Letters seen next to a 4 : GHI. On your phone.

29. Seldom seen : SCARCE

30. "Good night, sweet prince" speaker : HORATIO

32. "Not serious" : I KID

33. Hosiery thread : LISLE

36. Smart __ : ALECK

37. Spares in boots : TYRES. They call trunks "boots".

39. Go down : DROP

41. Band booster : AMP

42. Poivre companion : SEL

44. Glowing : RADIANT

46. Omar of "House" : EPPS

48. Had in one's portfolio : HELD. And 76D. Portfolio component : STOCK

51. Displeased : IRKED

52. Oscar-winning composer Menken : ALAN. What I called Marti's husband the first time. Then I called him Allan. Then Allen. Then Allan again. Hopeless!

53. Capitol Hill gp. : CONG. OK, congress.

56. One of the teams that made the Pac-10 the Pac-12 : UTES. Got via crosses also.

60. Budapest-born magician : HOUDINI

62. "Sorry, laddie" : NAE

63. Vishnu worshiper : HINDU

66. Tibiae supporters : TALI

67. Doing the job : ON IT.  AT IT as well.

68. Very proper sort : PRUDE

70. Mariners' home : SEATTLE

72. First lady after Eleanor : BESS

74. Skye writing : ERSE

75. Potato often used for fries : RUSSET

77. Romantic skunk : LE PEW

80. It made its last commercial flight in February 2014 : DC-TEN.  Gimme for Dudley,  Rainman (Yay! You made it!) and maybe Dave. I was unwary of this trivia. Did you ever fly your own plane, Dave? 

81. Squeezes (out) : EKES

85. NYC subway : IRT

86. Rapa __ : NUI

87. D neighbors on most guitars : G-STRINGS. Got via crosses as well. One of two entries that cross 3 theme answers.

88. Store : SHOP

90. Title girl in a 1968 Turtles hit : ELENORE

93. Batting postures : STANCES

95. Manuals, e.g. : HOW-TOS

96. Liszt's "Piano Sonata __ Minor" : IN B

97. Indication : SIGN. HINT won't work.

101. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE

103. Cohesion : UNITY

104. Dramatic movie scene : CHASE

105. 32-card game : SKAT

106. Pinnacle : ACME

107. Tenth of ten, say : LAST

108. Miles away : AFAR

109. Keep a record of : LOG

110. John Lennon's middle name : ONO

111. Windy City "L" runner : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)

113. Become ill with : GET. I sure don't want to get flu again. What an ordeal!

114. Advice from a pro : TIP

115. Words with hunch or bet : ON A

116. Some NFL linemen : RTs (Right Tackles)

117. Howdies : YOs


I set up a Blog Recipes post under Olio on the blog front page. Several regulars have shared their cherished family recipes over the years on the blog (Ham & Pea soup, e.g.), but I failed to locate them accurately. Would you mind copying and pasting the recipes on the blog again? Or just send me an email. I will put them in the Blog Recipes folder. Thanks.

C.C.

54 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks for a really chewy Sunday, Marilyn! Swell review, CC!

    Won't tell you how long this took! But, finally done with no cheats! Whew!

    Got INKS right away. That flow-er wasn't going to get me again!

    Tried all vowels in BR_N in my head to try to get cross word.

    Boy. Now is it ever late for bed. (Was up with Harv watching never before seen Midsomer Murders.)

    Enuf for now!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, all!

    Got the theme early on, which helped a lot. I have to disagree with C.C., though, on the description of the theme, since I think it's just about removing a double letter without necessarily changing the vowel sound. POLING and POLLING have the same vowel.

    Speaking of the theme, I found most of the theme answers relatively easy to suss out, but HOPING JOHN was the very last thing in the grid to fall for me since HOPPING JOHN means exactly nothing to me.

    I had a minor nit with the clue for 121A, since I really don't think the two men in the clue have the same type of beard, but I'm probably wrong.

    I had a bigger nit with the clue/answer for 48A, but if I explained the nit I'd no doubt offend somebody here who actually believes its possible to be a HEALER by waving your hands over somebody and manipulating their "energy field."

    Unknowns today included HAIPHONG and ELENORE, but the perps took care of them. And no, I didn't get fooled by the INK clue, either...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning!

    I got the theme with FILING STATION. Then figured I'd missed it with HOPING JOHN -- never heard of a hopping john, just people hopping in a long line to a john. Had to Google it after finishing the pzl. I think Ms Lieb could have come up with a zestier clue for GSTRING. Perhaps, she did, and Rich toned it down.

    Five-letter ball player. GIANT? Nope, ANGEL. Not a WALKOUT, but a LOCKOUT.

    You know, C.C., I thought the ALLAN spelling looked off the other day, but I knew you wouldn't get it wrong! Sorry, Marti. And C.C., yes "Dueling Banjos" was a hit single from Deliverance.

    Bye-bye DC-10. Doors falling off in mid-flight wasn't particularly good advertising. L-1011 also gone last year. It left commercial service in '01, but was used by the RAF until last year. Thus endeth the saga of the trijet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. WEES. Finishing it took 2 tries plus red letters to find out why I didn't get a ta-da. 23a I had FINGER STATION, then got HANDBAG and thought I had the theme. Couldn't see how others fit in. Fortunately had sussed it out by the time I got TOE TAPING. Even when I got the theme for the rest, I still didn't see how FIngER/FIRE STATION fit in to it!

    Still don't know what HOPPING JOHN is. And 4GHI, I know that 4G phones stand for 4th Generation, but couldn't recall why HI were appended, so thanks CC for explaining that one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Week in Review:

    M 4:43 T 5:52 W 9:40 T 11:59 F 19:40 S 20:08 S 25:17

    Well, the week started off with a near-record (for me) speed-run but the new year threatened to start off with a DNF. I took one look at all those cross-references ("See 58-Across") and almost gave up right away. But I put on my Saturday hat and persevered. The next two puzzles were also challenging (for reasons I'm afraid I've already forgotten).

    Today's puzzle was typical for a Sunday; nice and meaty with just enough spice (e.g. GHI). I'm surprised if anyone who lived through the Vietnam War era doesn't remember the mining of Haiphong harbor. It was a pretty big deal.

    Nasty weather here in the mid-Hudson valley with bitter cold in the forecast.

    See y'all next weekend. If I survive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Big Easy could probably explain this better than I can, but I will give it a shot. Hoppin' John is a traditional New Years Day dish served in the Southeastern states. I particularly associate it with New Orleans, for some reason. It is made with black-eyed peas, rice, bacon and onion, though I have heard of field peas being substituted. MIL made it the first time we celebrated the Holidays in DW's home state of TN. The sides were corn bread and collard greens. I was unimpressed, though I didn't let on. The next day I was told the meal was to be Skippin' Jenny. Imagine my chagrin at finding out that Skippin' Jenny is leftover Hoppin' John, collards and cornbread.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Caught on to the theme quickly and had little trouble. The perps helped a lot. I agree with Barry about the theme description. I'm never as fast as Al Cyone, but I came in successfully under my own Sunday time.
    Last to fall: COOKE was all perps. I needed almost all perps for ONTARIO. I was thinking of London, England.
    Since ONSET has nothing to do with ON , as in ON ME, does that still count as a dupe?
    I tasted HOPPING JOHN one New Year's Eve, made by a southern belle. So-so.
    REIKI is practiced to effect healing. Whether it does or not may be debatable, but REIKI is thought of by some as a healing art.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The change to hopping from hoppin' would never work in the states where this dish is served. DW 1 was raised in Alabama

    Overall a very fun puzzle, welcome Marilyn. Thanks C.C.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning!

    I was wondering if this was a debut puzzle, so thanks for confirming that C.C. I had to chuckle at your puzzlement over the spelling of Allen’s name. It is a tough one, since there are so many variations in the US. He also goes by the name “Al,” so maybe that would be easier to remember?

    Oh, and yes: I have had exactly one reiki treatment, and it did absolutely nothing for me. I remember having to stifle a laugh during the treatment, because it seemed so ludicrous.

    I agree with Barry G. that POLING PLACE seems like an outlier, since both the base phrase and the theme entry have a long “O” sound. “Oh” well…at least I finished the puzzle in typical Sunday time.

    But at first, it seemed like it was going to be a disaster, since I confidently entered “war games” at 1A. The light finally dawned when I remembered ALF for 1D. UTES crossing OTOE was fun, as well as HOPI immediately below HOPING JOHN.

    Have a great day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I’m still without a dead tree puzzle and so I went to the LA Times website and did the puzzle they offered online. It turns out it was the NY Times puzzle by Merl Reagle and was a fun take on Hawaiian words but not our puzzle. Oh well, I’ll get a paper and do the LA Times puzzle later today.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Made several of the mistakes already mentioned like War Games and Walkout. But did come up with a new one as well. for 18d I confidently filled in Ang, completely ignoring the fact that it's Ang Lee and Spike Lee, but that Spike has not one thing to do with Ang. That's what erasers are for, I guess. Also tried to spell Drily with 2 y's, but Tiling set that straight.

    Took a while for the theme to emerge, but when it did it was very helpful. Agree with Lemon that Hoppin' John is never spelled with a G, but that's a pretty minor nit, and the dish is known widely enough that it's not overly obscure, even for Sunday.

    Depending on region, I'd guess Hoppin' John is as traditional as roast pork for bringing good luck on New Years Day. I'm not that impressed with the dish, but do cover my bases by serving roast pork with blackeyes every year. I only wish we could get fresh blackeyes in the middle of winter here in flyover country. Oh well....

    Bitter cold here today. Started out at 0...and it's still there.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well I got the UPPERS, (NW, MID, & NE) and got the UDDERS (SW, MID, & SE). Solved the east, solved the west and surrounded the center. But it was the dreaded DNF due to the fact that I put UTEP instead of UTES and had no idea what was supporting the tibiae ( shin bones). The TALUS is a bone that I just don't remember from anatomy. HUPB_ND with any vowel just wouldn't get it and HUSBAND never crossed my mind or the down clues.

    The theme was easy as soon as I filled HOPING JOHN. The crosses filled in for all the unknowns- Reiki, Purim, Buddenbrooks, Poivre, Menken with HEALER, TERI, ELON, AHN, MOL, and the always fill ins for subway lines and keys of songs.

    Who had Hopping John on new years day? My wife can't eat any beans or black-eyed peas without rice.

    I was expecting a picture of a G-STRING but none showed up.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good Morning:

    Although the theme was easy to suss out, I enjoyed some of the clever cluing and fill. Had Eleanor/Elenore and tablet/caplet. CSO to La La Linda; hope you are feeling better.

    Congrats to Marilyn on a Sunday debut-well done, and thanks to CC for the spot on summary.

    YR, is your surgery this week? Best of luck; I'll be thinking of you and remembering you in my prayers.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Blue Hen- As far as I know, HOPPING JOHN is not a Southern dish. I never heard of it until about 5 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Ms. Lieb, a fun run after the first MISING letter baffled me. Thanks C.C. for the review.

    Seriously, I missed 58A and I write with fountains pens! Loved it though, along with SLED at 76A. On 14D I was thrown for a loss. Must still have the Bears in mind.

    I never flew a DC-10 again after 5-25-79. I heard the screaming sirens and knew something devastatingly catastrophic had occurred that afternoon.

    I have had a Reiki treatments from a good friend. Maybe I think they work because she takes me to such a peaceful place. I suppose I could simply try clearing my head on my own. But then it wouldn't be filled with all the "stuff" that makes crosswords so much fun. ;-)

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Big Easy: Have you checked Wikipedia?

    "Hoppin' John is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States."

    And I will never understand people who, while on the computer, will say something like, "Still don't know what HOPPING JOHN is". Try Googling. It works.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good morning everyone.

    Easy theme but chewy rest of it. Eventually got it all without look-ups.
    118 a - Scratched my head and then went O O ONTARIO. Utterly flat out there.
    Liked 74 d - Skye writing.

    Enjoy the day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Avg Joe, what was the result of placing the can of she-crab soup on the table?
    Do we have a string of Southern dishes goin'?

    ReplyDelete
  19. There once was a blogger named OwenKL
    Whose blog comments often were limericks as well
    When his muse took vacation
    His verse incurred deprecation
    And the rest of us suffered great withdraw-L.

    Happy Sunday. Drive safely on the fourth so you can forth on the fifth.

    Gretchen Mol? I always heard it pronounced 'maul' or 'moll.'

    Reiki treatment? I personally never heard of it but that means little.... there are so many things out there.

    Another nice puzzle today. Thanks, C.C. and thanks, Marilyn. Keep them coming. Today was no slam dunk, no speed run, but I smugly raced toward the end until I hit a temporary wall in a few places near the finish line, like NOWISER. And I really wanted TOPHATS in place of GOATEES. (I dislike goatees... I just don't geddit, why some men wear them... do their wives like them?)

    You're welcome, C.C., and thanks to all who helped me with the linking task... now to think of something worthy and entertaining to copy. I did think it was unusual to have a music group (person?) named She Crab Soup, and the song she sang, Don't Dance So Fast, or something, was not half bad.

    Fave today: Spares in boot = TYRES. (Opposite of boot? Bonnet.)

    The limerick above was written back when OwenKL's muse had apparently gone on vacation. Now that it's back, please disregard.

    Astoundingly gorgeous day out here on the Left Coast. Another night to view a near-full moon, and I understand Venus and Mercury are nearing a conjunction in the SW at twilight in a few days. No link for that, however.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Argyle, I had to give her a lot of hints to get surrounding fill, and when she finally had all but a letter or two she kind of blurted it out: "She Crab soup?......Never heard of it!" And there I stood......just drumming my fingers on the top of the can. The look on her face was priceless.

    ReplyDelete
  21. "Elenore" was meant to be a parody but became a hit for "The Turtles". Background The song Link(2:39).

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good Sunday morning to you! It's cool and clear here.

    I loved the cluing in this puzzle. Thanks to Marilyn and Rich in varying degrees I'm guessing. Also, thanks to CC for the always excellent writeup.

    I saw Gretchen Mol in a movie called "The Notorious Bettie Page." I liked it even though I had to slog through many scenes of poor Gretchen with no clothes to keep her warm. :>) She was also in a TV series that I enjoyed called "Life on Mars." I think she is very appealing.

    Count me with the people who don't see any value in New Age healing. Maybe it does some good for those who believe it works.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I must have been on a different wavelength today, I found most of the clues incomprehensible until I read the Blog. Too tired to fight with this puzzle. (nasty head cold )

    HG, re: dead tree puzzle alternative.

    I am stuck using the LA Times site for the puzzle because DW's iPad does not support flash needed for the Mensa site. Todays Sunday puzzle can be found if you access it via the "daily puzzle", however if you click "Sunday puzzle," you always get something different. (confusing, ain't it...)

    The Chicago DC10 crash was caused by maintenance workers using a forklift to remove the engine. A one hour documentary pointed out that they started removing the engine, had a shift change, and the next shift workers continued maintenance from the wrong point. It can be found on YouTube under "aircraft investigation - Americas deadliest / falling to pieces" . A fascinating look at a series of minor mistakes that added up to disaster.

    CC, I am strictly an armchair pilot, ( simulations ) but I do have it on my bucket list!

    the proper use of a G string...

    ReplyDelete
  24. P.s., I do not know why this stupid iPad will not let me link today ( it worked yesterday) but the g string link was just a pic of a dollar stuffed under a cello string...

    ReplyDelete
  25. This M*A*S*H-ophile loved the HOT LIPS fill. Fun, fun, fun where the wind-chill is -20˚F.

    Musings
    -Other digits worth TAPING
    -Royals make more news when accused of DISROBING
    -Most farmers today don’t till or tile the soil
    -The SHRILL starlings are not welcome at our feeders but seem to only be here in the early spring
    -Rooster Cogburn proudly said he was one of Quantrill’s RAIDers
    -The HANDBAG hawkers along Venice’s GRAND CANAL had a seller and a lookout.
    -Will Teri ever be clued as, “She told Jerry ‘They’re real and spectacular’”
    -PRUDES probably ain’t so keen on G-STRINGS
    -Don Rickles would say “I KID” after DISSING someone
    -Will our homes get kWh from these someday?
    -Owners call it a strike, players call it a LOCKOUT
    Baseball SIGNS explained? (1:01)
    -The best DRY humorist (10:00)
    -Do you remember this movie where a man is LASHED to the mast?

    ReplyDelete
  26. RE 3A: YouTube has a pronunciation for Mol as sounding like moll, not mole.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Many of us of Germanic background, including the PA Dutch, grew up with the tradition of pork roast and sauerkraut for New Year's Day. I have heard that pork is appropriate because a pig roots forward. In addition, pork fat symbolizing richness.
    I learned that pork and sauerkraut for New year's is a southern tradition, as well. During the past year I have been surprised to learn that many southern cooking traditions mirror the PA Dutch.
    This following article is interesting, although it doesn't have the best recipe.
    Link tradition
    I usually don’t make roasts for just the two of us since Alan doesn’t care for them, so I have sort of abandoned this tradition.

    Irish Miss, I sent you an email.

    ReplyDelete
  28. -Addendum: Is there anywhere I can get a .pdf of the puzzle everyday I can print out so I can quit doing them online until I get right with the Omaha paper.
    Dang Dave, I was looking forward to that G-STRING!

    -NYT spoiler alert!!
    NYT spoiler alert!!
    NYT spoiler alert!!
    NYT spoiler alert!!


    -Merl’s Sunday puzzle had APERCU, NEPLUS, OBEAH, HARUM, SEMANA and other little GEMS today. I didn’t know ‘em but I got ‘em.

    ReplyDelete
  29. HG: Go to the Mensa site, open the puzzle, and select "Print". Though why anyone would want to do that escapes me. If you're already online, solve it online. You'll be surprised by how much your crossword skills improve.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lime Rickey, NOT! I have tried it quite frequently. It only helps when I have a tremendous inkblot on paper and can't read my writing. To each his (her) own best method.

    ReplyDelete
  31. LIMEY- I'll copy a quote from the Times-Picayune Newspaper about 'hopping john'.

    'Hopping John is the dish known elsewhere in the South that combines black-eyed peas, also known as cow peas, with rice. In New Orleans, where the long-standing rule is to serve rice with every dish, this would just be called "black-eyed peas"'. Dec. 24, 2014 nola.com

    The key word is 'ELSEWHERE' and as I wrote earlier, they serve rice with everything down here, except maybe chili.

    And where is that G-STRING?

    ReplyDelete
  32. A nit on the spelling of DRILY. It should be clued with obsolete, archaic or little used. But since the perp wasn't clued with a British version of TYLING, we had to go with the I.

    The SW corner took a while to suss out, largely due to the variant (improper) spelling of ELENORE. All of them in my family use ELEANOR, a name which had fallen out of favor but has enjoyed a resurgence. http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Elenore

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Lime! Thanks for the link! However, I think I would chip in to get you this T-shirt. ;-)

    I, and others here, really do not like the online experience as it is not as satisfying as seeing all the clues and cells at one time. Also, I would never think to judge other’s methods in how they work the puzzles, let alone criticize the constructors or Rich.

    BTW, Of course we could Google something but admitting it is new to us usually spawns some lively conversations here amidst our diverse little clan. Reading that others didn’t know something is as much fun as others telling how they did. Witness what was posted by Yellowrocks, Lemon, Joe, Blue Hen and Big Easy today about HOPPIN(G) JOHN which was foreign to me.

    Each of us here has a certain style and I always look forward to your posts to see what you might OPINE on a given day. So damn the nits and full speed ahead, my friend!!

    Happy New Year!

    Gary

    ReplyDelete
  34. This has been linked here before, but it's worthy of an encore. Even if the song title is a misnomoer. From the movie Dueling Banjos

    ReplyDelete
  35. Neither DRYLY or DRILY are obsolete are incorrect. Here are both in up- to-the-minute respected publications.
    “Financial penalties set at the right level can be an effective way of punishing criminals and deterring them from further offending,” the minister stated drily. Forbes Dec 29, 2014
    Hank also alludes to Lee’s lawyer hero when he drily notes, “Everybody wants Atticus Finch until there’s a dead hooker in the hot tub.” Time Oct 8, 2014

    As dryly eccentric as the show sounds, Lord and Miller says they are aiming for something big, not a cult favorite. Los Angeles Times Jan 3, 2015
    Asked whether any of them could become president, he dryly replied, “Of what?” New York Times Dec 9, 2014

    The title girl in the Turtles hit is indeed ELENORE. How ever the writer, or the parent for that matter, spells the name, that is the actual name.
    Although TYLE is in the dictionary, it is rather unusual. Even in the UK, TILE is used. From the company in the UK founded in 1947: Tiles UK are proud to be amongst the leading suppliers in the country.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Re 13D, the 1973 hit, taken from the 1972 film Deliverance, was a duel between a guitar and a banjo, not BANJOS. The original recording, circa 1955, featured two banjos and was titled "Feudin' Banjos" (not "Dueling Banjos" as was the 1973 recording).

    ReplyDelete
  37. Fun puzzle. Thanks for creating it, Marilyn Lieb. I had to look up the name of The Turtles' song to finish it. Loved the "Dog follower" clue!

    I don't consider Lincoln's beard to be a goatee, but maybe he did sport one before he grew the fuller beard. And yes, I'm going to look it up now.

    I like Dueling Banjos but I think it takes too long to get to the meat of it.

    I miss having a newspaper.

    Best wishes to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks Owen, yes that was the pic!

    I don't know why I called it a cello, because then it would have been a C. Hmm, viola, also a C, but an octave higher. Ah, violin! Tuned G D A E.(as opposed to a banjo, which could be tuned to almost anything.)

    Boy, I must be really bored today. Hmm, maybe I should try the puzzle again...

    Hey wait a sec! How come the links are working again? Before I was getting an error msg that the link could not start with http, but the above does and it went thru fine?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Here to agree with HG at 1:33. I came out of Lurkerdom last month because I so enjoy the banter. Words are so much fun. Cheers to all!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hoppin John is traditional for New Years in the South. It can be prepared with field peas or black eyed peas, rice, probably bacon, and diced tomatoes. There are a number of variations but NEVER canned. It is traditionally served as a side with greens and pork.

    She Crab Soup originated in Charleston but has found false originating claimants in Georgia and North Carolina. It is made with female crab meat, cream, sherry and a sprinkle of crab roe on top. Again, it is available canned but NEVER accept it.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Husker Gary, if you put SPOILER ALERT (even three times in bold) without saying what the alert pertains to, almost all people will still read it. Thanks for ruining my Sunday night Merle challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Chin, you're harshing our supper plans.

    On your first point, I've had, and have made, Hoppin' John properly, but wasn't overly impressed. I much prefer simple "peas" with onions and bacon. And if those peas are green, the pleasure is doubled. But since we live approx 150 miles from the geographic center of the U.S., we're at least 1,000 miles from any reliable source for the real deal. Therefore, the only way I can get my fix of fresh peas is by growing them. Which I do. But it's January, so that option is out, and there are no local sources for same that I'm aware of.

    On your second point, we've never had She-Crab Soup, but as fate would have it, my LW was given a canned version by a co-worker as a Holiday gift this year. Since this is a condensed version, one serving suggestion is to use it as a pasta sauce without thinning. That was our intention for this evening.

    However, since I now know that we should never accept the canned version, we're faced with a quandary. First, an alternate meal might be difficult, given the short notice. Second, I can't help but believe that returning this gift to the giver will be an extremely awkward moment. And third, we don't own a private jet and simply don't have the resources to fly in fresh crabs from the coast, let alone set the criteria that these crabs must be female. I'm ashamed to admit that publicly, but it's the unfortunate truth.

    I'm at a complete loss. And we're getting hungry. What would you advise?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Good evening, folks. Thank you, Marilyn Lieb, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.

    Well, I started this morning before church and finished about 10 minutes ago at 7:45 PM. Of course I did npot work on it all day. Only took me about 3 hours.

    Yellowrocks: I am a pork and sauerkraut officianado as well. We had it New year's Day and I have eaten that all my, which started in Pennsylvania. Love it.

    Theme was fine. Got it early and it did help with the puzzle.

    Tried WALK OUT for 109A. LOCK OUT won the battle.

    I think Abe Lincoln might have had a GOATEE for a while before he grew his trademark beard.

    My toughest part was the NW corner. EXERCISE for 1A. That goofed me up forever. Finally with perps I scratched in ARMS RACE. That whole corner cost me about an hour.

    Enjoyed the puzzle. See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ( )

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jayce, I wondered about Lincoln's goatee, too. I can find no evidence of it in word or picture. Could you?
    Abejo, could you?

    ReplyDelete
  45. Gary, I appreciated the way you stated your opinions. I wish I could always do as well.

    The NYT puzzle has a clue today: The "1" of 1/4. The answer was JAN. I didn't understand it.

    AHA! It popped into my brain just as I was typing that last sentence.

    ReplyDelete
  46. The fault of the goatee lies in our perception of what a goatee is.

    Goatee

    ReplyDelete
  47. Argyle: Thanks for the link to Goatee. The history section describing Christians adopting Pan's for Satan clicked - that's why Evil Spock had one!

    I didn't puzzle play today, but most of the decorations are down, cabinets are re-organized, and What If?, by Munroe (I misspelled it yesterday) is nearly finished.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  48. I was pleased to see Lara Logan back again on "60 Minutes." I know she made a mistake but she admitted her mistake and apologized. At that point, I felt the problem was resolved but, I think, her bosses over-reacted and she's been off the air for quite a while now.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful day. I finished the puzzle but was busy then went to see the movie "Wild". Excellent story and acting especially by Laura Dern.

    Good puzzle. Thank you, Ms. Lieb and thank you, C.C.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hi all.

    Just got back from Texas after a couple of weeks. 5° here in the western suburbs. Big diff.

    Pork Roast, Sauerkraut and Kielbasa are the tradition here.

    Roast the bone-in pork roast in the oven in your Granite Ware oven roaster at 325° for a couple of hours first, and then put it on the stove top burner. Add your sauerkraut, a quarter to a half cup of brown sugar to take some of the "bite" out of the sauerkraut, a can or two of non-lite beer for the yeast (the alcohol will cook off), the then cover, and let it simmer for a couple of hours.

    I know black eyed peas as described by Big Easy. With rice. Didn't know it had a special name of Hoppin John.

    ReplyDelete
  51. TTP: Yum - post that in C.C.'s new Olio section for posterity.

    I was going to email you, but your profile doesn't provide even a fake addr, so this will be redundant to most: I posted yesterday re: Munroe's new book What If? and recommended the book to you Bill G, and HG. Munroe is the xkcd web-comic guy. Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete

For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

Her book "Sip & Solve Easy Mini Crosswords" is available on Amazon.

Please click on Comments Section Abbrs for some blog-specific terms.

Please limit your posts to 5 per day and cap each post length at about 20 lines in Preview mode.

No politics, no religion and no personal attacks.