google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, February 16, 2015 Garry Morse

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Feb 16, 2015

Monday, February 16, 2015 Garry Morse

Theme: Huh? I must have dozed off - which might be excused because of all the Z's.(9)

17A. Teen's budding facial hair, informally : PEACH FUZZ

56A. Speculation leading up to a February 22 awards extravaganza : OSCAR BUZZ

11D. Semi-autobiographical 1979 Fosse film : "ALL THAT JAZZ"

25D. Bubbly plum-flavored drink : SLOE GIN FIZZ

Argyle [yawn] here. Garry returns after his debut back in July last year. That was a Sunday but now he tackles the always tough Monday. Two 3-word 11's in the verticals and two 2-word 9's in the horizontals. I do wonder if the timely reference to the Oscars was the seed entry or just Rich's reason to publish it now.

Across:

1. Ray Charles' genre : R AND B. (rhythm and blues)

6. "Thank God" day: Abbr. : FRI.

9. Swedish autos : SAABs

14. Borden mascot : ELSIE



15. Cereal grain : OAT

16. Come from behind : RALLY

19. Place for a perm : SALON

20. One of many in a Lipton bag : TEA LEAF

22. Home buyer's debt: Abbr. : MTGE. (Mortgage)

23. Ceases : DESISTS. Cease and Desist partners; stop what you're doing and don't try it again.

26. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Rachel and Leah were two sisters who married the same man - Jacob. Their father, Laban, was Jacob's uncle.

28. Distributes by shares : ALLOTS

29. Group nickname for Ringwald, Sheedy, Lowe, Estevez et al. : BRAT PACK

33. "Let's go!" : "C'MON!". "What do I have to do? Goose you?"

34. Name of 18 French kings : LOUIS

35. "Toto, __?": Dorothy : TOO

36. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

37. Country-drive view : SCENERY

39. Jam holder : JAR

40. Nonprofit URL ending : .ORG (organization)

41. Carpentry bit : AUGER. Type of drill.

42. Uncommon : RARE

43. Next-door resident : NEIGHBOR

45. Gabor with an echoic name : ZSA ZSA

47. Florida State player, for short : NOLE. (Seminoles)

48. Native : CITIZEN

49. Living room piece : SOFA

51. "No chance of that happening!" : "DREAM ON!"

54. Relax, in slang : CHILL

60. Open, as a jacket : UNZIP

61. Tex. clock setting : CST

62. Theater offering : MOVIE

63. Takes a nap : DOZES

64. Fancy carp : KOI

65. Former Steeler star Lynn __, who ran for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006 : SWANN. Swann ran as a Republican against the Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell. He lost by almost 850,000 votes.

Down:

1. Sales agent : REP. (Representative)

2. Bass brew : ALE

3. Govt. intel org. : NSA. [no such agency]

4. Style of wording : DICTION

5. Command : BEHEST. It would behoove you to remember this word.

6. Hoops ref's calls : FOULS Hoops=basketball

7. Demolish, as a building : RAZE

8. Chichén __ : ITZÁ

9. Yearbook sect. : SRs

10. Road travel org. freebie : AAA MAP

12. Opinion website : BLOG

13. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

18. Pool legend Minnesota __ : FATS

21. Natural aptitude : FLAIR

23. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic : DACRON

24. Author Leonard : ELMORE. Elmore John Leonard, Jr.
    Raylan - Get Shorty - Three-Ten to Yuma - Mr. Majestyk

27. Online market for handmade crafts : ETSY. Link

29. Dumb mistake : BONER

30. Penitent sort : RUER

31. Like a woodworker's rasp : COARSE

32. Seoul native : KOREAN

34. Toy block brand : LEGO

37. Humorist Mort who wrote jokes for Kennedy : SAHL

38. To the third power : CUBED

42. Colorful post-cloudburst phenomenon : RAINBOW
44. Hockey mask wearer : GOALIE

45. Alcopop brand : ZIMA

 46. Hurricanes, e.g. : STORMS

48. Spiny desert plants : CACTI

49. Gulf War missile : SCUD

50. "Don't tell me!" : "OH NO!"

52. Relax on a porch chair, perhaps : ROCK

53. Standard Oil brand : ESSO

55. Hi-fi platters : LPs

57. Charlottesville sch. : UVA. (University of Virginia)

58. Red or blush wine, familiarly : ZIN

59. Buddhist sect : ZEN
How many CSO's did you count?


Argyle


57 comments:

  1. A bit crunchy for the start of a week. I got it without shortcuts, but not without stumbles. Right off the bat, R-AND-B threw me. Terms like that are supposed to be shortenings, so when the ampersand (or 'n') gets lengthened instead, it becomes counter-intuitive. And while 4&5d are correct, I think of DICTION first as enunciation, and BEHEST as a request on behalf of another, so neither seemed right. Add in some colloquialisms C'MON, DREAM ON, BLOG, BUZZ, BRAT PACK, PEACH FUZZ, and it made for a more challenging mix than the usual Monday sashay. My last fill -- trying to remember the horror movie baddie at 44d where it crossed a sports team I didn't know.

    There once were some busy, buzzy bees
    Who tried their Ponzi queen to please,
    Till she stole their money
    And ran off with her honey --
    Now they just laze and catch up on their ZZZs.

    It's a sad, sad story so old it would wheeze
    Of the woman who falls in love with a sleaze.
    Then that lowlife scuzz
    To escape from the fuzz
    Takes off with the dough and is gone with the breeze!

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  2. I'm disappointed in myself for not knowing ETSY and the clue Alcopop. Interesting how ETSY got its nonsensical name.

    Today's offering I liked, and I don't always like Monday puzzles. Very intricate and precise, IMO. Slightly difficult, at least it made me think.

    As far as OSCARBUZZ, will J. K. Simmons finally win one? Seems like a sure bet. Eventually. What a great actor!

    Which was more attractive, ZSAZSA or Eva?

    I must cease and DESIST. See you around the Corner. Thanks, Garry and Argyle. Waytogo!

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  3. Morning, all!

    I kept thinking there had to be more to the theme than just phrases ending in "ZZ." But I guess that's all it was.

    As with Own, I got hung up right out of the gate with R AND B. I couldn't believe I couldn't get the first word on a Monday puzzle, so I hung around trying to get it for way too long before finally admitting defeat and moving on to the rest of the puzzle. I did eventually go back and get it with lots of perp help.

    Elsewhere, I got a bit stuck when I went with FORTE instead of FLAIR, but the perps eventually took care of that mistake as well.

    The snow finally stopped, but we still have high winds blowing it all over the place and it's currently -4F around here...

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  4. Sorry, make that Owen, not Own. Sorry about that...

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  5. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Fun Monday puzzle. Took a Nap = DOZE is a little "bonus" to the theme.

    Are SAABs still manufactured? I have a friend who thought these were the only cars to have, only to purchase a lemon around the time it was no longer possible to easily find a dealership around.

    ZSA ZSA just celebrated her 98th birthday 10 days ago.

    BRAT PACK because Breakfast Club wouldn't fit.

    Stay Warm and be careful digging out from under the snow.

    QOD: This taught me a lesson, but I’m not quite sure what it is. ~ John McEnroe (b. Feb. 16, 1959)

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  6. Hahtoolah,

    John McEnroe could have been voted into the BRATPACK easily when he was younger.

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  7. Good morning!

    Yup. Stumbled through to victory. I was pretty sure NOLE was wrong -- didn't hear any bells ringing. My CITIZEN started life as a DENIZEN, but SNORMS looked funny.

    In my ute Dad referred to that thingie as a brace and bit rather than an AUGER. Now I see that maybe the bit was the AUGER.

    We keep missing phone calls from a young lady from Stony Brook University who claims she's doing a study on regional variations in pronunciation. Don't know if she's for real, or just on a phishing expedition. Wonder what she'd make of my Wisconsin/California/Iowa/Illinois/Texas accent. Any of you getting calls?

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  8. Hello there,

    Thanks Garry for a good Monday run. Enough to think about but with the ease I needed today. Never got to yesterday's puzzle. Grand kids are good exercise.

    Thanks Argyle for taking us through today.

    Stay cozy!

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  9. I have to agree with Barry and Owen. This puzzle started out with a non-Monday clue because the answer and clue were not in sync with each other. The Clue requested the full words not the initials. Otherwise a decent puzzle. Saw the theme and knew what I needed to do. Did not like the clue for Sloe Gin Fizz as Sloe tastes like Sloe and not Plum. Though I get the confusion because the fruit can be confused for plum.

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  10. Slow start with 1 down and 1 across being abbreviations but not clued that way. After that it was smooth sailing.

    Thought the theme ZZs may have to do with it being PResident's Day since the schoolkids, fed, and state workers can sleep in. I however have to head to work shortly, so have a good day! Thanks for the write-up Argyle

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  11. Lots of unknowns, making it feel very un-Monday-like, but I got through it with perps and wags. Like Barry G., "I got hung up right out of the gate with R AND B. I couldn't believe I couldn't get the first word on a Monday puzzle."

    Once I caught the first couple of ZZ's, I was looking for a vowel progression, but that didn't come.

    Is is just me, or are the puzzles just getting more difficult in general?

    To me, DICTION seems more related to pronunciation and intonation than style of wording, which I associate more with composition.

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  12. Good morning everyone.

    WEES. We've been through the abbr. kerfuffle before. I think 1a and 1d are frequently used that way and without a dot to signify an abbreviation. In any event, the perps were easy and ample, and one shouldn't have missed his/her stride there. JMO. Too hasty and had denizen before CITIZEN, but CACTI and STORMS were obvious.

    SAAB auto went into bankruptcy a few years ago, but I think they're trying to get manufacturing restarted.

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  13. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Garry Morse, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    As others, I did not get R AND B initially. Came back and perped it.

    Theme was fine. A little different, but that is OK. Variety is the spice of life.

    20A was easy for me. I am a tea maven (Earl Grey, of course).

    Of course I spelled COARSE wrong for 31D. COURSE gave me JUG, which did not look right. Then I saw the light! COARSE prevailed.

    Did not know ZSA ZSA was still kicking. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for that bit.

    OSCAR BUZZ is not a big thing for me. I am not a movie-ite.

    ETSY is a new word.

    Well, I did not finish Sunday's puzzle yet. Almost done, but I gave up last night. I will try to get it done this morning.

    Abejo

    ( )

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  14. I’m not used to this much Monday labor and a completely unknown fill – ETSY.

    Musings
    -The Imitation Game is our only OSCAR BUZZ MOVIE
    -R AND B is now a word, I guess
    -The Royals did RALLY twice last September
    -Is “Cease and DESIST” heard in Fifty Shades of Gray?
    -He didn’t have many lines, but Jackie Gleason WAS Minnesota Fats
    -Is C.C. Minnesota Slim?
    -The BRAT PACK now
    -Did someone JAR this aJAR JAR?
    -The country scenery this time of year – ZZZZZZ
    -With the moratorium on wells here, some AUGERS sit idle
    -Lynn SWANN caught the most TD’s from Terry Bradshaw. I would never have guessed next four
    -I don’t have to fold my iPhone’s GPS map
    -What’s your opinion on these CUBED veggies?
    -Splynter, would you play GOALIE with this paucity of equipment

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  15. I struggled with this one...is this Monday?...but once I finished I liked it.

    Not getting 1a or1d was a bad way to start! Perps and WAGs took care of the rest, but some of the clues seemed off to me. 4 and 5 down have been mentioned, but is "Toto______" a fair Monday clue? Could have been anything.

    And, I, too, have wondered if the puzzles are getting harder overall, or am I just getting older!?

    Thanks Garry and Argyle, for a satisfying struggle and an explanation of all I didnt understand!

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  16. Good morning Argyle and all,

    What Kazie said, and I do think the puzzles have raised their level of difficulty in the last few years.I kept looking at behest and wondering what was wrong. Luckily Nole filled itself. Is Toto, too? A famous line? I can't watch that movie; the witch still gives me nightmares.

    No giggles today . Nice shout out to Chickie, AKA Leah. Hope you have a roof in place.

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  17. Good morning everyone!

    Thanks for the write-up, Argyle. I am not sure which Corner shoutouts you saw. But I thought of Abejo at TEA LEAF, of course. And Splynter with the carpentry bit and GOALIE. A big shoutout to many of us with SRs and BLOG. And maybe ZIN was mine?

    WEES about R AND B, but perps eventually got it. I didn't immediately see NOLE and also had denIZEN before CITIZEN. Everything finally fell into place, though. Tough to get all those ZZs packed into a Monday-Friendly grid, so I thought it was a really good job overall.

    Time to go fix the #$&^%#$&^# snowblower that died in the middle of clearing the driveway yesterday. Brrrrr, I am not looking forward to facing the bitter cold, but it would be at least a week before the repair shop could get to it.

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  18. Happy Mardi Gras tomorrow, for all of you who care about such things.

    When I hear people here complain about all the parades paralyzingly N'Awlins, and they do, I worry about you who are snow-clogged and have no option. It won't make you feel any warmer, but our forecast tomorrow is for cold, rainy, windy, horrible weather! The parades, and the party, will go on, of course. The excess which is the Fat in Fat Tuesday will be just as great no matter what the weather!

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  19. Dorothy: Is that right?
    Glinda: That's all it is!
    Dorothy: But that's so easy!
    Scarecrow: I should have thought of it for you.
    Tin Man: I should have felt it in my heart.
    Glinda: No. She had to find it out for herself. Now those magic slippers will take you home in two seconds!
    Dorothy: Toto, too?
    Glinda: Toto, too.
    Dorothy: Now?
    Glinda: Whenever you wish.
    Dorothy: Oh, dear, that's too wonderful to be true!

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  20. Dear Oz,
    Thanks for the dialog. But I'm still not convinced Toto, too? is a famous line! LOL

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  21. Good Morning:

    This was a little on the crunchy side for a Monday, IMO. Hand up for denizen before citizen and never heard of Chichen Itza so that needed perps. Was disappointed in the lack of a real theme.

    Nice job, Garry, and ditto to Argyle.

    Hard to believe that Lent begins on Wednesday.

    Rainman, from what I've read, J.K. Simmons is a shoo-in for the Oscar. I have always enjoyed his work. The other (supposed) sure bet is Julianne Moore for Still Alice. I read that book years ago and am looking forward to seeing the movie.

    Stay warm and have a great day.

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  22. Great puzzle, not so puzzling, but just enough crunch to make it interesting.
    I'm becoming accustomed to the & being replaced by AND in crosswords: R&B, R and B. Johnson and Johnson is always written J&J, but J and J doesn't fool me nowadays.
    DICTION can mean pronunciation or intonation. There is another equally valid and well used meaning. From Dictionary.com, "Diction usually implies a high level of usage; it refers chiefly to the choice of words, their arrangement, and the force, accuracy, and distinction with which they are used."
    Sometimes SLOE is called SLOE PLUM because it is a type of wild plum, not tasting like the ones we buy. But the gin in sloe gin fizz is not true gin, but gin infused with fruit and sugar to make a liqueur.
    I learned ETSY from crosswords.
    Our country scenery here is very lovely like a Christmas card, it just is not very liveable.

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  23. BTW – movies referenced yesterday
    -1960 movie where ILKA Chase played Cesar Romero’s fiancé and Peter Lawford’s mother
    -1990 movie where Ray Liotta played mobster Henry Hill to whom the FBI did GRANT IMMUNITY

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  24. Good morning everyone,

    First, let me express my appreciation for the birthday wishes. In spite of the weather, it was a fun day and the first day I've felt decent in a couple of weeks. Wonder if my one taste of Jameson's had something to do with that!

    Another first in a while today..........took a shot at the puzzle and managed to muddle through. I enjoyed Garry's offering, lots of fun clues and as others have mentioned, a few unknowns. Nothing that dragged me down though.

    ZIMA used to be popular, but haven't noticed it lately. Is it still on the market?

    And finally, to CC from yesterday. Still doing the card shows.....mostly local. Traffic not what it was in days gone by, but keeps me from finding trouble. And I have made some solid friendships.

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  25. Thank you Gary and Argyle.

    WEES 1A and 1D.

    My oldest son bought a used car (private party) a few days ago. Now it sits, with what appears to be a cracked engine block, 30 miles from home. We're towing it here today to assess our options.

    (sakes...)

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  26. A little dicey for a Monday. Like everyone else, 1A wasn't coming to me. I did get 1D right away, and even after having 1A filled in, RANDB looked wrong until the AHA moment. ETSY, ZIMA, ITZA and ELMORE were unknowns.

    Got the theme right away, so the ZZ answers were easy.

    Speaking of J.K. Simmons. It is about time that this fine actor gets the recognition he deserves. I loved his character, Pope, on The Closer. Sadly, though, it took me a long time for me to get over his
    Nazi persona in the prison series Oz. But that is because he was so believable. Hope he wins.

    Who else watched the SNL 40 special? Can't believe it's been that many years. The show doesn't do it for me anymore, though the younger generation are fans, and my 37 year old son loves it. The original cast members were the best IMO.

    Well, on with the day.

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  27. A relief to hear others struggled a bit with this Monday puzzle too. Had the same problem with R AND B as others, and even after I got it, I thought RAND B? what the deuce is that? But I figured out the ZZ theme early on, and don't quite understand why having words end in ZZ doesn't constitute a theme? Anyway, after I finally got it all, I found this a fun puzzle--so, many thanks, Garry. And you too, Argyle.

    Oz, many thanks for explaining TOTO, TOO?

    Have a great week, everybody!

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  28. As others, I did not get R AND B initially

    Initially? Too funny, Abejo!

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  29. If you noticed "A AND E" isn't clued as an abbreviation either.

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  30. I mean in other puzzles. It's not in this one.

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  31. I love all the Z's! Terrific fill! My compliments and thanks to the constructor.

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  32. Good Afternoon -
    You said "NSA [No such agency]"

    Try https://www.nsa.gov/
    and you will see National Security Agency

    Dave

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  33. 20 below here in Upstate NY. Ink in my pen running thick and slow. Why did I think a Saab was German car? 54 across I'm definitely "CHILL!!"

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  34. Coneyro, we don't watch SNL, but we did watch the anniversary show. I thought the Jeopardy categories were very funny -- Jerome-ish, even.

    WHO READS? -- I'll take "Whore Ads" for $200, Alex.
    THERAPIST -- OK, let's switch to "The Rapist."

    Avg Joe turned me on to the 40th anniversary of Austin City Limits, which also aired this past weekend. Willlie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, et alii. Good stuff!

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  35. Didn't help that I put TSA for NSA, left me staring at RATDB till I was cross-eyed. Doh!

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  36. Nice puzzle and write up and many pithy and witty comments so far; thank you all.

    I recorded the SNL, too much to take at one sitting. They really have gone through some very successful people. It also is a sad reminder of all associated with the show who have died in the 40 short years: John Belushi, Andt Kaufman, Gilda Ratner, Danitra Vance, Michael O’Donoghue, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Charles Rocket, Tom Davis, Jan Hooks....thanks for all the laughs.

    I think TOTOTOO is great fill.

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  37. Fun for a Monday - took me longer than usual (and longer than the NYT which is very unusual).

    ETSY is a timely entry in the grid - the company is coming in for a lot of flak this morning regarding their upcoming IPO - the founders are being accused of "selling out for a quick buck". Seems a little odd as it's their company and their idea.

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  38. Hi all!

    WEES re: 1a. Blues fit, but 1d had to be REP. It wasn't until Argyle put the spaces in R AND B did I "get it" (the command is DB RuN, but wait, what is the clue? :-))

    I'm still trying to figure out what dish Chicken ITZA is. Sounds delicious.

    I liked the puZZle and the write-up. Thanks Garry & Argyle.

    Fav - 38d. Wait until they toss us CUBEDroot in Roman Numerals - XXVII ^ - I/III...

    SNL original cast is the best, but so many talents came though Lorn's factory that I'm more impressed with him. How does he pick 'em?

    Gotta run, I'll catch up later. Cheers, -T

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  39. Here is an article that may be of interest. Any idea of how to get the clue list for the puzzle cited? It's not included in the .pdf link.

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  40. CommissionerDave @ 11:33, I believe Argyle was pulling our leg. NSA is supposedly so secret, that people joke that there is "No Such Agency."

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  41. Commish - Yep, Argyle and Marti are right. None Such Agency is an old joke back when the NSA wasn't officially recognized by the US gov't. It was only us tin-foil-hatters that "knew it existed." Out of the blue one day, "Oh yeah, the NSA, sure..."

    I even noticed this sign on my ride from Baltimore to DC. C, -T

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  42. I thought 1a was easy--BLUES. Why don't any downs fit? Ack! What a way to start a puzzle and the week. From there it improved and finished quickly. Thanks, Garry and Argyle.

    Belated birthday wishes, Hondo. May you celebrate many more.

    We've gotten about 4" and it's still lightly snowing and cold but I'm not going to complain. It could be a lot worse, as the northeast can confirm.

    Enjoy your day!

    Pst

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  43. Hola Everyone, Some unknowns for me. Elmore and Zima for two. A little bit zesty for a Monday puzzle. I wanted Jazz for the very first entry and that wouldn't fit. Then Diction and Behest were the long answers for R and B. Whew tougher than usual Monday words.

    I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only one who thought this was a bit hard for a Monday.

    Etsy was a given as I often use that site to price items that come into the Thrift shop. We look up some of our better donations on E-bay and Etsy and a few other sites so we can price them accordingly.

    Lots of z's today. That really didn't help with the fill, but was fun to see.

    Thanks for the shout out JD. I did see Leah come up in one of the answers. And we do have our roof on--I can no longer see the sky through our bedroom ceiling. Thank Goodness!

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  44. Wow, it seems as if New York City has had a big week. They have had Fashion Week, the NBA All-Star weekend and the SNL 40th anniversary gala. Some people may not like it though. I've heard they think its just a lot of spoiled bitches prancing around and showing off to their devoted admirers. Some even possibly committing vile bodily acts right out in plain view.

    Oh yeah, and the Westminster Dog Show is there also. bah, da, boom...

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  45. In looking around for a book to read, I decided to try "Get Shorty" by Elmore Leonard. Mistake! For me at least, it was a big waste of time with no payoff.

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  46. Bill G., I'm reading "Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science (Great Discoveries,") by Lawrence Krauss. Very fascinating!!

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  47. D-Otto mentioned the 40th Anniversary of Austin City Limits. I can't find the entire show in a single clip, but it's worth watching. They featured SRV heavily, with the original living members of Double Trouble and with Kenny Wayne playing lead on one song (can't remember the other lead player, but he's good.) Even had Buddy Guy on, and that was fantastic. At any rate, here's one with Willie, Lyle and (sigh) Emmylou. Pancho and Lefty

    Note to Marti: CW ahead. Do not click lest ye render a yuck.

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  48. Willie's version of "Pancho and Lefty" is classic but let's not forget the late, great, Townes Van Zandt, who wrote the song.

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  49. Here ya go, Avg. Joe....

    Austin City Limits Hall Of Fame Special.

    Love me some Whiskey River. Always gets me into Double Trouble.

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  50. Thanks for the assist, guys. It takes a village.

    While we're plugging Townes, I'd like to plug "Be Here to Love Me". It's a documentary, more or less, but for a fan of Townes and his music, it's well worth the time spent.

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  51. Avg Joe @ 4:25, ya just had to throw down the gauntlet, eh? (....YUCK!!)

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  52. As most of you have said, a little crunchier than most Mondays. It took me 10 mins. which is longer than usual for the first of the week.

    Not sure why but RANDB jumped out at me. BEHEST, not so much.

    I watched about 15 minutes of the SNL show. I quit watching it about 25 yrs. ago. I don't find many of the skits very funny and it always seems they go on way too long, well past being cleaver. Just not my style of humor. It's just as easy to watch clips on YouTube if someone mentions a particularly funny bit. (Like Fey/Poehler - Palin/Clinton).

    NOW, how did I miss the Austin City Limits special??!! I'm sure it will be on again, though.

    My laptop was just released from the Betty Ford Rehab Center for Corrupted PCs. Seems to be happy, but we'll take it one day at a time...

    Adios from 75 degree Nor Cal.

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  53. Greetings!

    Nice offerings, Garry and Argyle! Loved all of the ZZs. WEES about RANDB. Toto TOO was unknown. Perps filled everything in.

    Really enjoy Grantchester!

    Cheers!

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  54. I'm with Marti--in music, I don't care for country or western. Give me the 50's, 60's, and 70's.

    Oz: thanks for the dialog. Now it makes sense.

    Pat

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  55. Bill G. I will agree w/ Marti - anything on Feynman is fascinating. Surely your Joking Mr. Feynman is a great, mostly 1st person, autobiography.

    I also recently finished The Organized Mind. Eldest has a fascination w/ the brain, so she has it now.

    Austin City Limits some time has ROCK, but usually they gotboth kinds, Country and Western

    Garry - I really like the Fin with ZIN & ZEN as NEIGHBORs. Nice FLAIR. Cheers, -T

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  56. OwenKL - I just finished the link on the min-max x-word theory. I'm not sure one could find the fill-words, but if I encountered a grid similar to any in Figure 4, I'd peg the paper-boy in the head w/ it :-o Thanks for the link.

    To those on the east coast... Wow. They had picture in the paper of a shoveler in shoulder-high snow. When I was 3 in Detroit, I remember it that high - but I was a lot shorter then. Stay warm and don't over-exert yourselves with the shovel.

    Cheers, -T

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