google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 John Lampkin

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Apr 21, 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 John Lampkin

Theme: Voyeurism - Cruciverbally watching someone take a shower.

18A. Controversial coal-extraction process : STRIP MINING

27A. Buy lots of presents for : SHOWER WITH GIFTS

47A. Wry wit : DRY SENSE OF HUMOR

59A. Opera house section : DRESS CIRCLE. Diagram

57D. Appropriate room for the sequence comprised of the starts of 18-, 27-, 47- and 59-Across : BATH

Peeping Argyle here. Did you need John's unifier? Two spanners again today and a touch of tomfoolery. Well done.

Across:

1. Stick (out) : JUT

4. Chocolate syrup choice : BOSCO. Perhaps oc4beach said it best. "When I was a kid I believed the Bosco commercials and pestered my mother until she bought a jar for me. After one glass of it I realized it was terrible Brown Sludge. To teach me a lesson, my mother made me drink a glass every day until it was gone. I didn't pester her as much about buying stuff after that."

9. Call to mind : EVOKE

14. Self-image : EGO

15. Chipmunk's morsel : ACORN

16. "America by Heart" author Sarah : PALIN

17. Good name for a tree-lined street : ELM

20. Long gun : RIFLE

22. Really mad : BOILING

23. __-Loompa: fictional chocolate factory worker : OOMPA. No Bosco here.

26. Bagpiper, often : SCOT

33. "2001" computer : HAL

34. Cinematic shootout time : NOON

35. Monica of tennis : SELES

36. Allowed to ripen, as cheddar : AGED

38. Kind of card or drive : FLASH. It seems there is a large online market for flash cards.

41. Senate slot : SEAT

42. Rose (up) on hind legs, to a cowhand : RARED

44. Beat to a froth : WHIP

46. Doctor's org. : AMA

51. "¿Qué __?" : PASA. "What's up?"

52. Jazz singer Krall : DIANA



53. Curse-inflicting stare : EVIL-EYE

56. Some Balkanites : SERBS

62. Kit __: candy bar : KAT

63. Everglades wader : EGRET

64. Pro basketball player, briefly : NBAer. Member of the National Basketball Association

65. H-like letter : ETA

66. "Think again!" : "NOT SO!". "Au contraire, mon frère"

67. Decent chaps : GENTS

68. "Give __ thoughts no tongue": "Hamlet" : THY. Mum's the word.

Down:

1. Bit of heckling : JEER

2. Aptly named fruit : UGLI

3. Horseplay : TOMFOOLERY

4. Infielders : BASEMEN. What about the shortstop?

5. Autumn mo. : OCT.

6. Fraternity counterpart: Abbr. : SOR. (sorority)

7. Nursery bed : CRIB. Time to think about garden nurseries. Just heard my first thunder for the year.

8. Like some military housing : ON POST

9. Literary postscripts : EPILOGS

10. Makeup tables : VANITIES

11. "Chocolat" actress Lena : OLIN

12. Royal flush card : KING

13. Second lang., for some : ENG. (English)

19. Wisc. neighbor : MICH.

21. Stuck-in-the-mud gear : LOW. Just when it was drying up, we get a week of rain. Would like to send it to those of you that need it.

24. University VIP : PROF. (professor)

25. AFB truant : AWOL. (AFB-Air Force Base)

27. Broken pottery piece : SHARD

28. Helga's Viking husband, in comics : HAGAR. Not a shower man.

29. Extremely impressed : IN AWE

30. Bargain hunter's mecca : FLEA MARKET. Look for C.C. there.

31. Spanish "I love you" : "TE AMO"

32. Astronomical red giant : S-STAR

37. More than dislikes : DESPISES. Snarky anons.

39. Not barefoot : SHOD

40. Old audio system : HI-FI

43. Includes in the poker game : DEALS TO

45. Sci-fi weapons : PHASERS

48. Tiny fraction of a min. : NSEC. One billionth (10-9) of a second.

49. Adage : SAYING

50. One in Paris : UNE

53. Therefore : ERGO

54. Opposite of hor. : VERT. Could be a perp in either direction.

55. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE

58. Legal suspension : STAY

59. Family room : DEN

60. Soda container : CAN

61. Do-over on the court : LET. Tennis court.


Argyle


50 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Got through this one without too much fuss and bother, although I didn't grok the theme until after the solve.

DRESS CIRCLE was a complete and utter unknown that I just had to take on faith that it was a real thing. DIANE Krall was another unknown, but at least DIANE is a familiar name in general and not too hard to guess with a little perp help.

But RARED? Seriously? Is that some sort of slang pronunciation of REARED? I wonder if that's where we get the expression "Raring to go"...

Argyle said...

Ya never know when some little nit will rare up and bite ya on the ass.

Argyle said...

RARE (3) Verb: "rise up," 1833, dialectal variant of rear (verb). Sense of "eager" (in raring to go) first recorded 1909. Related: Rared ; raring.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Got the theme early on, though it wasn't needed for the solve. I enjoyed the TOMFOOLERY -- the best kind of foolery. I looked sideways at RARED, but "to a cowhand" told me to let it ride.

John did send me to the Wite-Out bottle in the upper midwest. "Really mad" morphed from BANANAS to BONKERS before BOILING showed up. ON POST began life ON BASE and MINN got moved to MICH. Blot!!!

Down south I was destesting DESPISES until I found it to be too short. And I decided to DEAL IN that new player. But it all came out in the wash....er....shower.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a speed-run Tuesday.

BOSCO appeared recently in a puzzle. I had never heard of the chocolate syrup until it appeared in a Seinfeld episode.

My only erasures was to want On Base instead of PN POST and NO WAY in lieu of NOT SO.

TOMFOOLERY is a fun word.

QOD: The power of imagination makes us infinite. ~ John Muir (Apr. 21, 1838 ~ Dec. 24, 1914)

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Pretty good Tuesday solve; thanks John. I, too, stopped at RARED and wanted Minn, but I immediately thought of the UP--and I needed the C in MICH for SCOT. That reminds me to thank Argyle for the expo. Love TOMFOOLERY. It makes me think of little boys, but I know big boys are not immune.

The passing of Doug Buffone is a great loss to Chicago Bears football. He was an outstanding player. I'll miss his passionate radio work and his storyteller's SENSE OF HUMOR. :(

thehondohurricane said...


BG,

DIANE may be a familiar name, but Ms Krall goes by DIANA. So that makes FLEA MeRKET FLEA MARKET.

I'm assuming your goof was only in the post & was correct in your puzzle?

thehondohurricane said...

Found this a little testy for a Tuesday, but eventually got through it. However, my Pentel pencil needs a new eraser.

I'm a chocolate fan, but never liked BOSCO and can never remember it either. I wanted DEALS in also, but TO eventually appeared.Tried Dean before PROF. I was right, but the clue was wrong!

Me too. Never heard of DRESS CIRCLE.

Oh well, enough gibberish for today.

CrossEyedDave said...

Ist thought:

A John Lampkin puzzle! This is going to be fun.

2nd thought:

Hmm, Knowing John, there are bound to be a few bugs in this puzzle... But try as I might, I could not find any insects...

My 1st & 2nd inkblots were wanting 8d to be on base, & 43d to be deals in.

My final inkblot was that in trying to embrace the theme, the paper got wet, & the ink ran....

CrossEyedDave said...

Thank you Anon-T,

You can speak for me anytime.

What really ticked me off about that Gentleman, (sic) was the quandary that he could be so cold & heartless, & yet at the same time racist.

Barry G. said...

I'm assuming your goof was only in the post & was correct in your puzzle?

You mean it's not FLEA MERKET??? ^_^

Avg Joe said...

Enjoyed this outing. Had the same issues with on base and deals in, but it all got corrected. Suspected the theme after the first two filled and expected the third to be towel....but dry works fine. And never heard of dress circle, but the perps were solid.

kazie said...

I didn't know S-STAR or SELES, so guessed the wrong ending for her name. I'd never heard of BOSCO until last week when DH helped me get it, so I remembered it today. I wondered if it was the same stuff as what in Oz was called Ovaltine? I hated that too.

One other temporary hang-up was having THUS for ERGO and DEALS IN for DEALS TO in the SW, so after perps denied THUS, ERGO fell in easily and that was cured.

Only got the theme after reading the 57D clue. DRESS CIRCLE is well known to me. The theaters (theatres) in Sydney all had one, and the old Tivoli, where as a kid I was in several pantomimes as part of a dance troupe during the Christmas (i.e. summer) vacations of my elementary school years, there was also an upper circle which was called the "gods".

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Nice write-up. Especially enjoyed the DIANA Krall Wallflower link.

John: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle and theme.

A bit cloudy today ... But April Showers do bring May Flowers.

A "Toast to ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!

Lemonade714 said...

Lampkin did sneak a bug in the fill in FLEA Market, but it otherwise was a suprisingly insect free offerring.

Diana Krall is an extremely talented singer.

Ah the nit world reared its head again.

Thanks all for the Tuesday trip

Anonymous said...


32A Astronomical Red Giant - S-STAR
Could that be a star with a lisp ?
Is this considered merely a wit or am I considered insensitive to the orally handicapped ?

Race and Sex are two of the most common factors in actuarially determined insurance mortality predictions, because that is how 'actuarially fair' tables are SOLELY determined and calculated. That does not make Actuaries and insurance underwriters, (either or both), sexist and racist. Or perhaps I have overestimated the knowledge of a rational person on this blog.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Condolences to the family and friends of Dodo. I just learned of her passing last evening. It was good to have her in our midst.

Nice Lampkin puzzle today, with its usual whimsical overlay. The unifier explained the theme to me.
No issues in the solve.
VANITIES - Most have a farding mirror.
DRESS CIRCLE - New learning

Busybody said...

Mr. Actuary, the defining phrase you seem to have missed, is '... Mentally I am closer to 12 ...'.
That should have been fair warning.

tawnya said...

morning all -

great puzzle, John! i always get excited to see one of his and today didn't disappoint. we are starting the week off with my list of favorites! C.C. yesterday, John today - who's up tomorrow? Marti? Jerome?

easy run and i thought i did really well time-wise until i realized it was only tuesday...

as always, thanks for keeping the blog going. i learn something everyday.

i'm off to follow today's theme (hopefully no voyeurs). big test in Anatomy and Physiology today. being the old lady in college classes has been interesting - i honed my partying skills while getting my BS 20 years ago. of course, no need for all that this time around and i'm doing exceptionally well in three classes. the kids do not appreciate me ruining the curve every test. although the teachers seem to enjoy having at least one person grade well...

have a wonderful day everyone!

tawnya

desper-otto said...

Spitz, just what kind of mirror was that?

Tanya, good luck on your exams.

Dodo, we miss ya.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

JL's puzzles are always a delight, bugs or not! Only w/o was deals in/deals to. Saw the theme before the reveal-cute. Thanks, John, for a Tuesdat treat and thanks to "raring" to go Argyle.

Enjoyed two pleasant surprise last night: Tea Leoni was a guest on the Charlie Rose show. Charlie read one of the critic's review of her role in Madame Secretary and it was almost verbatim to what I said last week: "spot on" and "casting genius." She is witty, intelligent, and articulate, not to mention stunning, IMO. Interestingly, one of her passions is fly-fishing.

The second surprise was the announcement that Stalker is returning with three new episodes, starting next Monday at 9:00 on CBS. Anyone who watched this show knows it abruptly disappeared several weeks ago, with no explanation and no resolution to the story arc. I doubt there will be a second season, but, at least, the first one will be resolved.

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Sorry: Tuesday and surprises.

Tawnya, go get 'em!

Irish Miss said...

Anon @ 10:42 is Irish Miss.

C6D6 Peg said...

Thank you, John, for a fun puzzle. Loved the Tom Foolery and Evil Eye, especially.

Argyle, loved your "snarky" anon comment for despises.

JJM said...

I'm sorry, but I think that if Diana Krall weren't married to Elvis Costello her career would never have gotten off the ground. I don't see the big deal about her at all.
Wanna see a girl that can sing, go to this video or this video
This girl has talent!


RIP Dog Buffone…. we'll miss you.

CrossEyedDave said...

Ack! I missed flea! (I knew there had to be a bug in there somewhere...)

Learning moment: Farding.

Anon@9:47

How can you call someone "not quite white," & expect not to be taken as racist? A less "rational" & more compassionate person could have said:

"We should enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow Bloggers in the time we have left."

Instead of: "I wonder who croaks by Halloween?"

kazie said...

So sorry to hear of Dodo's passing. She seemed like a real sweetie. My habitual weekend absence must be why I hadn't heard of it earlier.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Every lucky shot on a golf course EVOKES this saying
-Off Kilter was a rock and roll group featuring a bagpipe at the Canada Pavilion at EPCOT
-Online flash cards are very good for rote learning
-EVIL EYES, et al (:32)
-Our radishes, spinach and onions are up in our nursery bed
-The EPILOG for final show of The Fugitive
-VANITIES is a great play about three women progressing from high school to adulthood
-ON POST housing for the Manhattan Project was pretty grim
--Want to teach English in C.C.’s Guangzhou? Here’s how!
-I remember the HOR. And VERT. buttons on our tube TV’s

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

I wanted MICH to be MINN; PROF to be PRES; DEALS TO to be DEALS IN. Other than that the puzzle was clean

Thanks to John Lampkin and Argyle for today's crossword and recap

Nice reveal as I was trying to come up with a theme after completing the spanned answers; did not read the clue for the reveal as I was doing the horizontals first. Saw BA in the start of 57d and thought, BARE??! Then I read the clue ...

Been keeping this limerick in the vault until I saw one of the crosswords - my apology to anyone who does not like them; you may quit reading this post now ...

A sniper in Paris did stifle,
His AK Four Seven - type RIFLE;
He was clearly insane,
To sit high o'er the Seine,
But from there he got quite an "Eiffel"!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

What Chairman Moe said, except for Minn.

I find I generally like these sequential type puzzles, and this was a good example. Thanks John!

Anon -T from yesterday: I'm not fluent in l33t. Does "yummy" transliterated somehow in l33t, or were you talking about the General yumminess of quality brew?

Dudley said...

I have only one Diana Krall release, the Japanese edition of her first Christmas compilation (because the U.S. edition was only half as much material). It's superb overall, and it highlights her strong jazz piano and intimate style of voice recording. The voice isn't strong but she manages to make it work.

Misty said...

Big computer problems today, aaarrgggh. Hope this posts. The puzzle was great and got the morning off to a great start before the disaster. So thanks, John and Argyle.

coneyro said...

Well, another fast and easy Tuesday offering. First pass filled in 90%. The only unknown, DIANA; perps to the rescue. Got theme quickly after reading 57D.

The DRESS CIRCLE is the first four rows above the orchestra in an opera house. They are considered prime seating.

KAZIE: BOSCO and OVALTINE are different products. The first is in syrup form, the second granular. Ovaltine is touted as being "healthier" as vitamin and mineral inclusion is part of its selling point.

Thank you for informing me about additional "Stalker" episodes. The show may be dark, but I find it compelling. I also adore Dylan McDermott. Since being on the Practice, he has yet to be on a series that isn't cancelled. Unfortunately, he'll need to keep looking, as this one seems to be going bye bye.

I've been enjoying the limericks, brain teasers and such from fellow bloggers. Though I am not a crossword constructor, I've been trying to make up witty punlike answers that could be used. I'm not aware if any have been used before, but if they have, my appolgies. Didn't intend to steal anyone's work.
Here goes...

1)INTELLIGENT NACRES?-14 ltrs.
2)SPRING CLEANING AT THE FARM FIELD?-11 ltrs.
3)CHIQUITA LEAVES TOWN?-12 ltrs. (Easy, but cute)

If you solve them, please indicate, but don't give it away. Will post answers tomorrow. Hope my effort was an enjoyable contribution.

Catch you all tomorrow....

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Great one, John & Argyle!

RARED may be colloquial. We have always used it out here in the boonies. A Kindle word game I play often doesn't recognize it as a word.

I always thought "actuary" was a misnomer because they deal in statistical theory not what "actually happens. The problem with his post IMO is that no one likes to be reminded of ones own mortality.

desper-otto said...

Coneyro, I've figured out 2 and 3, but 1 still eludes me.

I'm a LarryS said...

Excellent bit of TOMFOOLERY in the theme and reveal. About as revealing as can be.
BOSCO is still out there, I guess. The ingredient list is revealing:
"High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, natural cocoa, sugar, cultured sugar, malt extract, natural vanilla flavor, xanthan gum, citric acid, salt, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCI), vitamin B2 (riboflavin)."
Two tablespoons basically double the calories of a cup of milk--almost entirely sugar. Ugh.

SwampCat said...

Perfect Tuesday bit of Tomfoolery! Loved the theme, didn't even look for the reveal, and when it appeared in a down clue I had to laugh!

Thanks, John, and Argyle for adding to the fun.

And, yes, I did know Dress Circle!

Anonymous said...

I just think CED got his 12-year old brain in a twist. The post wasn't insulting at all.

Maybe its time we start a corner death pool? They have one every year here in the Twin Cities.

I'll start. I've got Tinbeni!*

Anonymous said...

*Just kidding!

I thought that the Tinman was one of the thicker skinned regulars around here and could take the joke better than any other.

I'd probably actually take _ _ _ _ _.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks for fun puzzle and swell recap, John and Santa! Liked the theme.

Great limerick, Moe!

So sad about Dodo. Does anyone know how old she was?

Scratched head at RARED.

Cold here today.

Cheers!

Chairman Moe said...

fermatprime @ 3:31

Glad you liked the limerick!

I think I recall some of the posters who knew Dodo saying she was 89 when she passed.

I wasn't too crazy about "RARED" either, but I've heard the colloquialism used before

Yellowrocks said...

These posts on "who or how many are the next bloggers to die" are ghoulish, as well as misleading. Enough already.
They say “figures lie and liars figure.” Go figure this. There are many variables concerning longevity. I believe the average regular blogger here has a statistical jump on the standard actuarial figures. Thinking of just one of many measures, I am sure the average educational level of the regulars is quite a bit above the common crowd. Statistically those with more education tend to live longer.Link text
Also, as we bloggers age, we use crosswords and many other devices to keep are minds young and healthy, just to mention another variable. Many of us exercise more than most. Most of us seek medical advice when needed. We all take a keen interest in a variety of subjects to name another life enhancing variable.
AWAD’s Thought for Today is ” I have lived in this world just long enough to look carefully the second time into things that I am most certain of the first time.” -Josh Billings

JD said...

Good afternoon all,

Thanks for a fun CW, John, and always a thanks to Argyle for clearing up some of my "Why?" thoughts.
Easily filled bath before seeing most of the theme clues... probably a first. Have never heard of dress circle, but thanks to many of you, I am now well informed.

Easily filled in evil eye, but thought of stink eye first.LOL!

I enjoy it when novels have an epilog , but many newer released books have added book talk questions and parts of the book for discussions. I also enjoy reading the preface and/or acknowledgements because we find out about real historical events or people that have been included in the novel.

Had to laugh at seeing Bosco again. Never had it in our home, but I was very familiar with the jingle. As corny as it was you would remember the product when the ad was over. Whereas many ads today, although creative and clever, leave us wondering what they were selling.

Avatar said...

Anon @ 2:36 pm
You can't have Tinbeni in the "Death Pool" ...
I've already got him. lol

And he has left ALL the Scotch in the Liquor Cabinet to me!

Anonymous said...

Yellowrocks, I think your assumptions assume death by natural causes. However, death comes in many disguises. For instance, possible headlines:

"California man killed at local pizza shop when disgruntled employee reacts poorly to demand for free extra cheese."

"New Jersey woman accidentally dies when dance partner mistakenly do-si-dos her through second story window at local dance hall."

Nebraska man suffers cruel death when he attempts to de-tassel former cornhusker, Lawrence Phillips."

"Michigan trombonist suffocates when violinist seated in front of him shoves her bow down his throat for 'constantly' Bumping the back of her head with his instrument."

"Benevolent Shriner is among dead from train that jumped tracks and landed upside down in nearby body of water. Eerie."

Jayce said...

A John Lampkin puzzle on a Tuesday? Yep, and a fine one it is indeed. I had a slight hesitation at DEALS IN/TO and picked TO because the word "in" was in the clue.
Have sometimes had seats in the DRESS CIRCLE at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. They are damn good seats.
I often am RARIN' to go when my colleagues are still thinking about every possible contingency. Drives 'em crazy.
Keep on warping that curve, tawnya.
JD, we've seen many ads like that. LW and I look at each other. smile and shrug, and wonder just what product or service they were selling.
BOSCO sounds outright dangerous.
Best wishes to you all.

John Lampkin said...

Thanks Argyle and all for the fun comments. Gee, I didn't think anyone would notice that I called in a bug exterminator this time!

Once I saw STRIP MINING in an article somewhere I knew I had a puzzle. I like verb progressions like this because they have movement and change built so it starts out as a lively idea.

Madame Defarge said...

Tawnya,

Go Girl!!! I received two back to back Master's degrees LATER, and I hear what you are saying. Love it. You are great!!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

JK's puzzles are never a jk! Thought there was much I didn't know (hand up on DRESS CIRCLE (I guess I'm not a GENT)) and 16a xing 11d - ACD run. I got to "L" and re-read the clue and the V-8 WHIP'd down. Doh!

WEES re: write-overs. Did anyone else try to stuff an extra U in HUMOR?

Fav's OOMPA (I can't get get the song out of my head now), EVIL EYE, and of course Mr. TOM FOOLERY - the KING of fun.

Only wish - NOON to mOON would have made the imagery complete. We did get a FLASHer though so I can get BOILING mad. Thanks John and Argyle.

RARED never cause an issue for me - dyslexia has it's plusses! Anon @ 9:47 - I find it funny (peculiar and haha) they name things after what people can't do. It takes me 3x to get dyslexia spelled correctly.

Tawanay - so you're going Back to School? Awesome. I wanna get my PhD so it's not Dr. & Mr Anon -T on the envelopes :-) Go girl!

Dudley - Yummy for brew.

Who's going to croak by 31 OCT? Whoever brings it up again - I'm a professional hacker and my brother is an Army sniper. LET it STAY if you want to be AGE'D.

Cheers, -T

JD said...

interesting how not only do we have different speech patterns and pronunciations in our country, but there are so many phrases that are common in some parts, and unheard of in most other places. I'll never forget visiting my sister's family in the Boston area, and the word wicked or wicked good was the thing to say. California had not heard that term. Either my mom or dad used the word rared enough for me to remember the meaning. It seemed that someone had "rared their ugly head" about something. lol