google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, February 17, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

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Feb 17, 2015

Tuesday, February 17, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Tao - As Steven Tyler sang, "Walk This WAY".

18A. Particularly welcome casino visitor : HIGH ROLLER. Highway.

23A. Court case that generates a media frenzy, say : CAUSE CÉLÈBRE. Causeway.

52A. Abe Lincoln nickname : RAIL SPLITTER. Railway.

60A. Irritate to the breaking point : DRIVE CRAZY. Driveway.

39A. "Nice job!" ... and, in another sense, a hint about the first words of 18-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across : WAY TO GO

Argyle here. What with the golf clues, I thought I'd find a fairway but like my drives, nope. The reveal was right in the middle though. Still a little crunch to 1-Across but Gail and Bruce's offering seems a tad easier than Monday's.

Across:

1. Command from a bailiff : "OYEZ"

5. Circle calculation : AREA

9. They smell : NOSES. lol

14. Like Mini Coopers : BOXY. The new BMW version and the old Austin Mini.

15. Pond croaker : TOAD. "Ribbit!"

16. Swine squeals : OINKS

17. Gave the once-over : EYED

20. Alpine song : YODEL

22. Ear-splitting : LOUD

30. Handsome god : APOLLO. 47A. Handsome god : ADONIS. Greeks.

32. Get really angry : SEE RED

33. Granada gold : ORO

34. Irritate : ANNOY

37. "CSI" facilities : LABS

38. Tee sizes, for short : SML. (small, medium, large)

42. Geese formation : VEE

43. Leafy veggie baked for chips : KALE

45. Bitten by bees : STUNG

46. Angled pipe fitting : ELL

50. __ Raiders: consumer advocates : NADER'S. (Ralph Nader)

55. Principal role : LEAD

56. Diet food phrase : [NO FAT]

66. Shredded : TORE

67. Construction beam fastener : RIVET

68. Former South Korean leader Syngman __ : RHEE

69. Golf club used for chipping : IRON. 7D. One below birdie : EAGLE. 57D. Warning from a driver? : "FORE!"

70. Blissful settings : EDENS

71. Jedi guru : YODA

72. Small change : CENT

Down:

1. Do as directed : OBEY

2. Toy with a spool : YOYO

3. Deleted, with "out" : EXed

4. Louisiana music style : ZYDECO

5. Olympics fig. : ATH. (athlete)

6. French monarch : ROI

8. Specialized, committee-wise : AD HOC

9. Bit of pasta : NOODLE

10. Frying liquid : OIL

11. NBC show since 1975, briefly : SNL

12. Barely manage, with "out" : EKE

13. Ukr. or Lith., once : SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

19. Feels remorse over : RUEs

21. Bochco legal series : "L.A. LAW"

24. Forearm bone : ULNA

25. Some DVD players : SONYs

26. Sinuous swimmer : EEL

27. Less cowardly : BRAVER

28. Insurgent group : REBELS

29. '50s four-wheeled flop : EDSEL

30. 16th-century Spanish fleet : ARMADA

31. Hoi __: the masses : POLLOI

33. Heroic Schindler : OSKAR. He had a list.

35. Giants Hall of Famer Mel : OTT

36. Brewers Hall of Famer Robin : YOUNT. Shortstop and center fielder.

40. Pest in a swarm : GNAT

41. Utah city near the Golden Spike : OGDEN. The "Golden Spike" at Promontory Summit, north-west of Ogden, is where the ceremonial final spike joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869.

44. Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL. (enlargement)

48. Sea spots? : ISLETs

49. Blueprint detail, for short : SPEC. (specification)

51. Sexy : EROTIC

53. Cable Guy of comedy : LARRY

54. The Gem State : IDAHO. It is the "Gem State" because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found there.

58. Elvis __ Presley : ARON

59. No-frills shelter : TENT. Thrown up by a pitcher.

60. Hip-hop Dr. : DRE

61. Free (of) : RID

62. "__ changed my mind" : I'VE

63. Caracas' country, to the IOC : VEN. (Venezuela)

64. Athens : omega :: London : __ : ZED. The end of the alphabet in Greek and English.

65. Assenting vote : YEA


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Chairman Moe, who has been quiet lately. What's up, pal?


57 comments:

Bluehen said...

I always enjoy this couples puzzles and this one was a delightful speed run. Thank you Gail and Bruce, and thank you Argyle for an educational expo. I didn't suss the theme until Argyle "splained it, but that is par for the course for me. Except for an occasional glance at the perps to confirm me across fills, I didn't need the down clues.

Will somebody please explain to me why "OYEZ" is an order from the bailiff? I've always assumed that it was a way to call the court to attention. "All rise" would be an order.

Bluehen said...

My, not me across fills

Lemonade714 said...

Moe, happy birthday, hope all is well.

FROG and RIVET golf, baseball and APOLLO and ADONIS gives us a filled day. Adonis is a derivative of the Hebrew Adonai, meaning Lord.

I must go on my Way...

Lemonade714 said...

OYEZ meaning 'Hear ye' is still used to open courts, especially in GB. In the U S, the Supreme Court still uses it. It is said three times.

HeartRx said...

Good morning everyone!

Happy Birthday, Chairman Moe! I know work has been keeping you from the blog lately, but I hope you get to take some time off, and do something special for yourself today!
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

I love to see puzzles from Bruce and Gail - they are always entertaining. After I finished, I was trying to figure out GO HIGH? GO CAUSE? D'uh. I finally figured out it was HIGH WAY CAUSE WAY etc before I came here. Phew!

I had entered OYEr at 1-A, but knew ZYDECO, so that was quickly fixed. Bluehen, I thinkthe bailiff uses OYEZ as a "command" for silence and attention in the court, before making an announcement.

Snowblower is all fixed - it just needed a new belt, so we are ready for the next round!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning,

Thanks for the Tuesday run Gail and Bruce. I liked NOSES and FORE: fun misdirection. Wanted lo fat before NO FAT. Didn't like Olympics fig. as ATH. I went to stats, times, speed and ice skating for an answer. Duh. Thanks for taking us through, Argyle.

Lemonade, of course, is spot on re" OYEZ. Comes from Anglo French.

Wanted ADONIS first but knew APOLLO was also a looker. Adonis, to me, always recalls Willy Loman when, as evidence of his tragic flaw, he says, "...I thank God you're both built like Adonises." to his sons.

Rainman said...

Got the theme early on but still needed perps and wags to get through the misdirectional clues. I initially had RISE instead of OYEZ, ROTINI instead of NOODLE, and others. Fortunately, I knew ARON and OSKAR (spellings) and zipped through it... but not without some slow places.

LARRY, the cable guy, was one of the amateur golfers last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and I was hoping he'd emerge from character... but alas, he's pretty much Larry all the time, I guess.

Had to go way back for Robin YOUNT, but the perps filled it in, as they did DRIVE CRAZY, which for me is luckily a short drive.

Happy Birthday, Moe. Hope all is well with you.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all (and Happy Birthday to the Chairman)!

Minor missteps here and there today, but nothing major. Couldn't remember how to spell CAUSE CÉLÈBRE, so I had to wait for some perp help to get the job finished. Also, with YOUN_ in place, I incorrectly guessed at YOUNG and would have left it there had I not finally noticed that RAIL SPLIGTER didn't look quite right...

Hand up for RISE before OYEZ, but that really didn't last very long since I wanted OBEY at 1D.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I went wrong where I could this morning with BIG SPENDER, CAPITAL {something), and SEETHE. But the perps saved the day. I've got to learn to read the entire clue. I saw "Nice job!", inked in WAY TO GO, and moved on. Never realized it was the reveal.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Chairman.

Busy day. Gotta go.

OwenKL said...

As Rupert traveled over life's HIGHWAY
His ruthlessness was a CAUSE CÉLÈBRE.
Now he might be forgiven
For being so driven,
Till he drove the hearse on his own funeral day!

And then there was lost Bertha Faye
She worried about finding her way.
Her options were waning
So she went off for "training",
Now she's an engineer on the Santa Fe RAILWAY!

The moral you need to OBEY,
Is don't worry what other folk say.
Fold that triple-A map,
Fold your hands in your lap
And you'll never get beyond your own DRIVEWAY!

thehondohurricane said...

Hello everyone,

Happy birthday Moe, hope all is well.

Well, from the start this was a FIW./ The crossing Z for OYEz and ZYDECO did me in. Instead of Z i entered an R.

Everything else was Ok and I did enjoy the puzzle. Favorite clue was Warning from the driver/FORE. I issued that warning a few times when I played, how about you HG? Also covered up often when I heard it shouted in my direction.

The one thing I am sure of after todays failure is if I ever run into La music style again, ZYDELCO will be long gone from my memory.

Avg Joe said...

Good morning, and Happy Birthday Moe.

No major hangups today. Had to get Ath from perps and thought it might be roses that smelled. Took several seconds to get the reveal since rail is one way to go, but that light dawned pretty quickly.

I'm such a poor golfer that I've been known to yell "fore" on the green. Rainman, Dan Whitney (aka Larry TCG) lives in Lincoln. A friend golfs with him occasionally. I'm told he's very eloquent. Also, he has a charitable foundation, and when he makes local TV announcements about something new being funded, he typically is out of character for most of the interview. I had to laugh on Sunday when they commented that this was likely the first time there's been a sleeveless shirt on Pebble Beach.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I loved this speed-run Tuesday puzzle. I easily found my WAY to complete the puzzle.

The Lake Pontchartrain CAUSEWAY is the longest bridge in the world over a body of water.

Another Louisiana references for this Mardi Gras is the ZYDECO music. Maybe also the No FAT.

Ralph NADER's 81st birthday is a week from Friday, February 27.

Happy Birthday, Chairman Moe. Hope you stay warm and have a great day.

QOD: Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. ~ Michael Jordan (b. Feb. 17, 1963)

Big Easy said...

Happy frigid Mardi Gras with other people shivering to watch parades today. The theme 'tao' escapes me; I just don't get it.

The puzzle was solved very fast with my only hesitation being CELELBRE which I have only vaguely seen before but never had to write down. Just looks strange, an unfinished word.

ADONIS- handsome. APOLLO- never heard a woman refer to their heartthrob as an APOLLO.

The only unknown clue was 21D- 'Bochco legal series'. Never heard of him or hero or it, but LA LAW is in so many puzzles it was an easy fill.

MINI Cooper- back in 67, a friend had an Austin, which had to be the most underpowered car I had ever ridden in. We were going uphill and when he stopped to let a another friend in, it couldn't continue going uphill with 5 teenage boys in the car. Too much weight.

inanehiker said...

Fairly smooth run-- I remember OYEZ from other crosswords and just like the word ZYDECO. I'm with Marti as far as first thinking GO HIGH and GO CAUSE before the lightbulb came on. Always know it will be an enjoyable puzzle with Gail and Bruce.

Thanks Argyle, HB Chairman Moe!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Happy Birthday to Chairman Moe.

Had to skip OYEZ at the start, but YOYO and ZYDECO made it clear. Had Adonis before APOLLO, but then at 47a, I had already thought it out at 30a, so I didn't have to rethink it. After filling in the reveal and top three theme fills, DRIVE WAY was easy. Good puzzle from Gail and Bruce.

OYEZ reminds me that TMC had "Anatomy of a Murder" on last night. Great cast: Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, a young George C. Scott, and many others; directed by Otto Preminger.

Anonymous said...

Why is it that we park on driveways yet drive on parkways?

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Can you New Englanders see your DRIVEWAYS?
-The LEMcould be BOXY because there’s no air on the Moon (see the black sky)
-Oh, it’s SEE RED not SEERED
-NO FAT (:54)
-A unique CENT use
-REBEL?
-Robert McNamara was right about introducing a four-seat Thunderbird that sold well and was right in opposing the EDSEL that got built anyway
-Backing up Avg Joe, Pawnee City, NE’s Dan Whitney (aka LARRY the Cable Guy) has given back hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities through his foundation.
-Skip, sometimes, by the time I yell/hear FORE, it’s too late.
-HBD, Moe!

kazie said...

Happy Birthday Chairman Moe, hope you're just enjoying a long celebration!

Gail and Bruce did right by me today--no hitches, and easier than yesterday's.

I'm not overly impressed with kale chips, but I love it in salads. It's a bit like zucchini in that it is hard to keep up with in the garden. Those giant stalks are as big as rhubarb, and they last forever, right up until snow season. For that reason I can never figure why it's as expensive as it is in stores.

Have a great day everyone!

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts"

1st, thanks to all for the HBD wishes. I hadn't recalled providing anyone my natal day info, so imagine my surprise when I saw the greetings today! And a bit of a coincidence that today's puzzle had the solve LARRY of Larry the Cable Guy, who also shares a birthday with Chairman Moe!

2nd, as Marti indicated, I have been extremely busy with my work (I sell to restaurants and shops in S Florida, and this is the busiest time of the year), so my time on the Corner is limited to a few moments, here and there

And as luck would have it, just as I am sending this reply, an account called wanting me to respond to an emergency! Ahh, well. Gotta make hay while the sun shines!!

Thanks again, for all the well wishes for my BD.

JD said...

C.C......before I forget

1 bunch kale
1 T. olive oil
1 t. seasoned salt or nutmeg

Oven 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment
Remove leaves and tear into bite size pieces. Wash & dry. Drizzle with oil & seasonings.
Bake 10- 20 minutes

WAY TO GO!!
LOVED Gail and Bruce's puzzle! Their clues make me smile.When zydeco showed up, I had to check it out. Had seethed, but the perps said red. I read it as all one word and scratched my head until reading Argyle's write up.

This week is Feb break and boys(3 out of 4) are out of school. Guess what Grandma is doing? I made up a new game for them...bowling using plastic Starbucks cups. They love the competition...BOYS!!

Hahtoolah said...

For the first time in over 30 years, I am without a cat. My 21-year old (and very tiny) cat got out of the house yesterday afternoon, when the door was inadvertently left open. She had shown no desire to go outside for over 10 years. My husband stayed up all night calling to her and keeping eye on the door. She has not returned. Unfortunately, it was very cold and rainy last night. I fear she was too frail to survive the cold and wet night.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

It's always a treat to see Gail and Bruce as constructors because you know the puzzle is going to be clever, well-clued and a satisfying solve. Today's is proof positive. Like others had rise/oyes, seethe/see red and island/islets. Needed the reveal to figure out the theme.

Thanks, Gail and Bruce, for never disappointing one of your biggest fans and thanks, Argyle, you ain't too shabby, either! ��

Happy Birthday, Moe, hope you get to do something special.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Corrections: "Like others, I had rise/oyez,". Auto-correct is a pain! Also, I don't know what those 2 empty squares are supposed to be; I entered a smiley face.

Husker Gary said...

Postscript
-When my lovely bride appeared in the kitchen this morning, it occurred to me that today is our 48th wedding anniversary. I’m so glad I remembered first. A lovely dinner out and a girl’s basketball game tonight. Don’t tell me I’m not a romantic.

SwampCat said...

Fun puzzle today. I knew Oyez, didn't like ATH for Olympic fig. Yes, it fit but seemed off. Noses, on the other hand, was a laugh-out-loud delight.

Loved the theme, which I got with CAUSE (way) having gotten the reveal as I skipped around.

Great limericks, Owen! And HB to Moe.

Mardi Gras awaits!

oc4beach said...


I really enjoyed the puzzle even though I didn't get the theme while working on it. Like others, I wanted RISE vs OYEZ, FROG vs TOAD and ODORS vs NOSES. But with perps the answers fell into place.

I liked ZYDECO. If I could only move like this dancing couple, but the old body isn't as flexible as it was 50 years ago. Of course I couldn't do it back then either.

HG: The LEM was a structural designers dream because we didn't have to worry about aerodynamics dictating the shape of the vehicle. The earlier design concepts of the LEM were rounder and more spherical than the final design which was primarily based on functionality. It wasn't a total dream though. There were a lot of other nightmarish issues driving the design.

Let's hope that spring comes soon. The cold and snow is really getting annoying. Stay safe everyone.

oc4beach said...


HG: A basketball game is hard to top, but I hope you also get your bride some roses or jewelry.

Yellowrocks said...

I had HIGH ROLLER and OYEZ right off the bat. WAY TO GO soon followed and the theme was set and very helpful.
OYEZ/Hear ye!/Listen up! The town criers used to say it, too, before their pronouncements.
Happy birthday Chairman Mao. Glad you stopped by.
HG, in summer, especially for the section near the shore resorts, we call the Garden State Parkway, the Garden State Parking Lot. Since retiring we avoid traveling it during the prime summer weekend hours.
Hahtoolah, so sorry you lost your cat. We lost one like that, too. We searched for weeks to no avail.
Many pup tent are no frills. On the other hand $600+ family camping tents have plenty of rills, but not enough for some of my delicate hot house flower friends. I am wondering whether my new knees will allow me to resume tent camping in 2016.

Yellowrocks said...

FRILLS, not RILLS. We certainly don't want any rills running through our tents.

Nice Cuppa said...

An enjoyable puzzle

Just one gripe: BEES DON'T BITE.

Female (worker) bees (and wasps) use a modified sex organ in their abdomens to inject poisons. That's why the males (drones) don't sting, since they retain their sex organ for that once in a lifetime chance…..

Mosquitos, etc., "bite" using modified mouthpieces.


Brought to you by:

Pendants Inc.
CA 93000

JD said...

Hahtoolah, so sorry about your cat. Our daughter lost her 12 year old cat the same way except we don't have the extreme cold here. I looked for weeks; cats are almost impossible to find. Sigh.

Happy Birthday Chairman Moe, and Happy 48th (impressive) Gary!!

Bill G. said...

Fun puzzle. Difficult in spots, mostly just right. Thanks Gail, Bruce and Argyle.

That zydeco dancing couple is about as close as you can get to having safe sex in public.

Hahtoolah, best wishes and good luck for you and your little kitty.

I have been watching Barbara's DVD recording of the SNL 40th anniversary special. I agree with whoever said it earlier; their old stuff can be brilliant, clever and really funny; much more so IMHO than their present-day attempts at humor.

Happy anniversary Gary! I hope you two have a great day.

I've eaten kale for years; before it got trendy. If you like it as a cooked vegetable, try beet tops too. They are my favorite.

Ergo said...

Thank you Gail, Bruce and Argyle.

Happy belly-button day Chairman Moe.

HG - good catch on SEE RED. I too was reading it as SEERED. Happy 48th!

Steve said...

Happy Birthday Moe!

Jayce said...

Fun puzzle today. I like Gail and Bruce's work. I also actually like zydeco music. Thanks for correctly parsing SEERED, which I couldn't figure out. Happy birthday Chairman Moe, happy anniversary Husker Gary, and best wishes to you all this fine fat Tuesday.

CrossEyedDave said...

I have never seen The Cable Guy, but I knew it was Jim Carey. Unfortunately it made a "railspcitter", which I could not leave in ink. Besides, Rhee looked better than some Korean guy named "Ehee?"

Did any else get slowed down by this?

Doesn't matter, because at the junction of 1A & 4D I crammed 3 possible letters into that 1 box, none of which was a "Z."

Sorry, but we have to go this way...

Well somebody has to link it... HBD Chairman Moe!

Moe, forgive my curiosity, but just what do you sell to restaurants? (or, consider this your segue into a sales pitch. Happy Birthday!)

HG! You are not sneeking by without a cake! Happy Anniversary!

CrossEyedDave said...

Side question to YellowRocks: "Am I losing my mind?"

For some reason, I have more trouble communicating with Daughter#3 than I ever had with the other 2. We seem to associate different meanings to everyday common English words. This morning was a good example.

Due to snow, there was a delayed school opening. Just at the point I had calculated to be 90 minutes behind schedule, Daughter#3 said "don't worry if we are late, because they hold attendance..."

Now, to me, to hold attendance is to call out each name & wait for a response. However, after much consternation, I discovered that to Daughter #3, "hold attendance" means to skip attendance. (a different meaning of the word hold)

In fact, she says when they announce this over the PA system, the exact wording is "hold for attendance," which to me is not English at all!

Forgive this old Aussie, but is this some Americanism of the English language?

Bluehen said...

HBD, Chairman Moe, and many happy returns.

Happy 48th, HG. That is an impressive number. Time to start planning for the big 50?

So sorry about the pet, Hahtoolah. Such a hard way to go.

Nice cuppa, thanks for pointing out that bees don't bite. I debated whether or not to repost and make that point, but hesitated in case I went over my nit allowance.

OwenKL said...

Argyle: The Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Point, not Promontory Summit. Summit? Imagine how silly that would be, linking the rails from east and west at the top of a mountain! Promontory Point is at the tip of a long, narrow peninsula stretching south into the middle of the Great Salt Lake. A much more logical place for a railway!

Marti-- your problem reminded me of one I heard this week
"Did you get anything for your wife for Valentine's Day?"
"Yeah, I bought her a new belt and bag."
"She should like that."
"Yeah, the vacuum cleaner should work a lot better now."
The divorce hearing is scheduled for next week.

Hand up for thinking first of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" at the reveal: DRIVE, SPLITTING, ROLLING, but CéLèBRE? Was that a car model maybe?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Promontory Point brings back memories - I used to do business with the two rocket motor makers out in that lonely part of Utah, Hercules and Morton Thiokol. During one January stay I chose to take my rented Subaru out the the railroad museum at Promontory, and not surprisingly for that time of year, I was the only visitor for days. Sometime during that voyage I got the car well and truly stuck in a snow filled ditch, miles from anywhere. If it hadn't been for the chance encounter with a local rancher, I might well have had to spend the night in that ditch. Brrr!

Argyle said...

Owen, you tell the National Park Service they got it wrong; I'm not gonna.

Big Easy, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

Tao, Chinese, literally: path, way

HeartRx said...

Happy Anniversary, HG! Let's hope your wife is a big basketball fan?!?

Hahtoolah, sorry to hear you lost your cat. But maybe she only suffered the same fate as our LC did. She just wandered off and was rescued by some loving family who couldn't find her owner? Yep, that's what I would think.

coneyro said...

RE: AnonymousT@ 1:30PM yesterday. Where you making a "funny" when you asked about the "CHICKEN ITZA" dish? In case you weren't and just misread, it's CHICHÉN ITZA. An ancient Mayan city in the Yucatán state of Mexico. Nowadays it's one of their most visited archaelogical sites.

Last night I watched the tribute to Stevie Wonder. Singers representing several genres performed their take on his songs. Even the amazing Andrea Bocelli sang. Stevie's beautiful daughter, Aisha, did a special rendition of "Isn't She Lovely" with lyrics expressing her love for her father. It was a very entertaining and enjoyable show.

As far as the puzzle was concerned, it was a fairly speed run. Got the theme quickly. For 30A I did put ADONIS in without checking neighboring letters first. Then added SEETHE at 32A. When I got to 47A, I knew two answers couldn't be the same, so I had to fix it. Never heard of RAILSPLITTER.

Today my husband left the door ajar so that my three cats could run in and out. Alas, a strong wind blew it so hard against outside wall, that it was knocked off its top hinge. And then it started to RAIN! What a wet mess.

That's it for me today.

Anonymous said...

Hahtoolah--when our indoor cat inadvertently got out we continued calling to her the next day and then the next day and finally she answered, and then, very frightened, she came to the door. So don't stop calling just yet.

Phyllis

Casey Jones said...

Promontory Summit (the Golden Spike place)

Promontory Point (not the Golden Spike place)

Misty said...


Fun puzzle this morning, although I've never heard of ZYDECO and so prayed that OYEZ was correct. Yay! Thanks,Gail and Bruce, and you too, Argyle.

Happy Birthday, Moe, and thanks for checking in. Happy Anniversary, Husker Gary!

I'm heartbroken for you and your husband, Hahtoolah, and will just pray with everyone that your sweet kitty finds her way back home again.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody!

oc4beach said...

Hahtoolah: We had an indoor/outdoor cat that disappeared one day. We figured that she had been hit by a car or some wild predator had gotten her. We looked and called for her for days before giving up.

Then about 2 months later as I was coming in the front door, a grey streak flew by me into the house. She had a homemade collar on and was a few pounds lighter than she had been. It appears that someone had her locked inside their house or more likely some kind of pen or cage from which she ultimately escaped.

After that she was very reluctant to go outside and rarely went outside of our yard when she did go outside.

Anonymous said...

thanks, Gail and Bruce, for the pleasing puzzle today. Argyle, I needed your expo to see SEE RED instead of SEERED. That made no sense.

Hand up for rise/OYEZ, seethe/SEERED, YOUNg/YOUNT which left me with a RAILSPLIgTER. Rats, a FIW.

Happiest of birthdays to you, Chairman Moe!

Happy Anniversary, Husker Gary!

Hahtoolah, I hope your little girl comes home soon.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Pat

Yellowrocks said...

Dave @ 12:52 It seems an awkward phrase, at best. Probably the school administration meant “hold the attendance” in the sense of the following usages. The post office HOLDS my mail during my vacation. Burger King offers to “HOLD the pickles, HOLD the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset us.”
The officials aren’t actually “holding” the attendance, either by taking it or by keeping the results until later. It would have been clearer and less ambiguous if they had said, “Hold the attendance cards (slips, records, whatever) until ___ o’clock, to give every student an opportunity to arrive.”
In defense of your daughter, I believe she is only repeating what she hears said at school.
Happy anniversary HG and Joanne. Enjoy your day.

Tinbeni said...

Happy Birthday Chairman Moe !!!

Argyle: Wonderful write-up!

And THE MOVE is OVER ... Everything unpacked!!!
Solving Yesterday's and Today's puzzle a total joy!!!

Especially liked the FORE clue. Hmmm, a CSO to Husker???

Looking forward (pun intended) ... a "toast" to ALL at Sunset.
Cheers!!!

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, format fine review.

HBD to Chairman Moe and yesterday to Hondo. I missed that.

Puzzle and theme were fine.

I never heard of ZYDECO.

Tried ROSES before NOSES.

Never heard of CAUSE CÉLÈBRE. Smells of French to me.

On the way to Waukegan tonight.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Great work, Gail and Bruce! Santa, too!

Had ADONIS in first place first. Never heard of YOUNT, but it had to be. Otherwise no problems.

Happy Birthday, Moe!

Happy Anniversary, Gary and Joanne!

Loved Castle 2-parter.

Cheers!

JD said...

ferma, glad to hear you liked PART 2... I'll watch it tonight.

So glad I wasn't the only one who could not decipher the seered pronunciation.
Wii has been wonderful for a cold foggy day. the boys were golfing for awhile, but now they are jumping up and down. what a hoot! bicycle riding, they say.

LaLaLinda said...

Happy Birthday, Chairman Moe ~ hope it was a good day!

Happy 48th Anniversary to Gary & Joann!

Hahtoolah ~ I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. I'm hoping for the best possible outcome ~ my thoughts are with you.

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

Gail, Bruce, nor Argyle disappointed as is par FORE the course...

WEES on misdirections and near-overwrites. I did ink SEETHE, but the T easily morphs into an R, so the only inkblot is the H becoming an E.

HIGH ROLLER - I'm not. I'd take $100 to the table and each time I got a nicely colored chip, in my pocket it would go. My buddy called me a squirrel hiding my acorns.

Are all YODELS LOUD?

If we go w/ vernacular, I've heard many folks call 'em bites (don't let that bee bite you) before you get STUNG.

Fav - RAIL SPLITTER. I grew up in SPI and saw all the Lincoln stuff, even New Salem about 100 times. Nice cleo w/ CENT.

Hahtoola - Friend lived in Metairie, been over the 24-mile CAUSE WAY many a time. Your only wish is you don't break down. Also, so sorry to hear about kitty. If she doesn't come back just assume she's mousing the city. Happy thoughts.

Corneyro - just a joke, though I did read it as Chicken at 1st - that why it was funny (at least to me :-)

HBD C. Moe! Busy season == $$ == no time. See ya soon.

Oh, S*** -- Thanks HG!!! My 26th (church wedding) is Thurs which means her HBD is tomorrow. Hope you and yours had a great time.

Cheers, -T
To my NOLA neighbors: Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Bill G. said...

Two factory workers are talking. The woman says, "I'm going to make the boss give me the day off." The man replies, "How are you going to manage that?" The woman say, "Just watch me" and then she hangs upside down from the ceiling.

The boss comes in and demands, "What's going on?" She replies, "I'm a light bulb."

The boss pauses and says, "You've been working so much you've had a breakdown. I think you need to take the day off." She gets down and starts to leave.

Her male coworker starts to follow her. The boss says, "Where do you think you are going?

The man says, "I'm going home too. I can't work in the dark!"