google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, July 27, 2015 C.W. Stewart

Advertisements

Jul 27, 2015

Monday, July 27, 2015 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Let your light shine- You will find what you need at the end of the theme entries.

17A. Dutch bloom-to-be : TULIP BULB

23A. Supply for a knotting craft : MACRAME CORD

36A. Reading aids, whose parts include the ends of 17-, 23-, 45- and 57- Across : LAMPS

45A. Blind alternative : WINDOW SHADE

57A. Pelvic opening : HIP SOCKET

Argyle here. What? No foreign words! Just some common crossword words that shouldn't prove too tough. Very few abbreviated words either. But still a neat Monday puzzle.

Across:

1. Lickety-split : FAST

5. Highlander : SCOT

9. They may be split by quibblers : HAIRS

14. Purim month : ADAR

15. Opera highlight : ARIA

16. Let in : ADMIT

19. Stage of development : PHASE

20. Carried by the tides : SEABORNE

21. Orbital high point : APOGEE

22. From the past : OLD

25. Fit together nicely : MESH

26. Venial or mortal lapse : SIN

27. Assumed name : ALIAS

30. Pilot light site : GAS STOVE

35. Ballpoints : PENS

38. Thinker's output : IDEA

39. Travel document : PASSPORT

41. Passover feast : SEDER

42. TiVo button : REC. (record)

43. Complete collections : SETS

50. PIN requester : ATM

53. Takes weapons from : UNARMS

54. High repute : EMINENCE

56. Pie chart dividers : RADII

58. Cuts with scissors : SNIPS

59. Nobel Peace Prize city : OSLO

60. Spanish stewpot : OLLA

61. To the point : TERSE

62. WWII submachine gun : STEN

63. Dudley Do-Right's gal : NELL

Down:

1. 1980 Dom DeLuise film : "FATSO"

2. "I challenge you to __!" : A DUEL

3. Veggies and such from a bar : SALAD

4. Chicago paper, familiarly : TRIB. Chicago Tribune

5. Native Israelis : SABRAS

6. Pretzel-eating sound : CRUNCH

7. Persian Gulf ship : OILER

8. File folder projection : TAB

9. "It just so __ that ... " : HAPPENS

10. Formed for a specific purpose : AD HOC

11. Insect stage : IMAGO

12. Early __: morning person : RISER

13. High-spirited mount : STEED

18. Pears, e.g. : POMES. Fleshy fruits.

21. Slightly off : AMISS

24. "Stat!" relative : "ASAP!". As Soon As Possible

25. Eucharist celebration : MASS

27. iPhone download : APP

28. Grazing land : LEA

29. State Farm business: Abbr. : INSurance

30. Prime meridian hrs. : GMT. (Greenwich Mean Time)

31. Knotted neckwear : TIES

32. Like a single sock : ODD

33. Churchillian sign : VEE

34. Place for a stud or hoop : EAR

36. Longtime theater chain : LOEWS

37. Circle segments : ARCS

40. "Cross your heart?" : "PROMISE?"

41. Dictation taker : STENO

43. Freebie from a sales rep : SAMPLE

44. Prolific inventor : EDISON

45. Sausage served with kraut : WURST

46. Absurd : INANE

47. Low point : NADIR

48. Faucet woes : DRIPS

49. Event in a caper movie : HEIST

50. Spot for a concealed holster : ANKLE

51. Immune system agent : T-CELL

52. Heavy __: music genre : METAL

55. Supply-and-demand subj. : ECONomy

57. Sounds from Santa : HO's

Turn off the light; the party's over.

Argyle


54 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Well, except for the fact that I've never heard of MACRAME CORD before and could only think of YARN, this was an easy-peasy Monday romp. And the perps took care of CORD for me, so even that didn't hold me up much. The only other hesitation was trying to decide wither 30D was GMT or GST, but the theme reveal took care of that in short order as well.

Lemonade714 said...

A nice Monday, not too easy SEABORNE PASSPORT and EMINENCE nice fill and we have both APOGEE and NADIR was good.

Argyle, thank you and I enjoyed your NYT collaboration with C.C., go solve it everyone

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

No problems with this one, no HAIRS to split, Wite-Out unnecessary. Why do you suppose it's a Chicago paper rather than L.A.?

LOEWS theaters turned into a New York holding company. At one time they owned CBS. When I retired from the awl patch, LOEWS owned 50+% of that company -- still does. Their stock hits a new 5-year low almost every month. Who knew that my retirement would have such a devastating effect? :>)

Off to do the NYT...

OwenKL said...

Typical easy Monday. I do dislike when I get the reveal before I've had a chance to sniff out the theme on my own.

APOGEE across near the top, and NADIR running down to the bottom - nice placement.

Three Hebrew words, ADAR, SABRAS, & SEDER.

UNARMS is a disgrace against the English language! Even my spellchecker doesn't like it!

Bronx Boy said...

I graduated from junior high school at the Loew's American movie theater in 1965 and from high school at the Lowe's Paradise in 1968. Sadly, the former was later sliced and diced into a multiplex before it eventually closed for good and the latter is now a church (of sorts).

The apostrophe was dropped in 1969.

Bronx Boy said...

Darn it. I mis-spelled "Loew's" in the second instance.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I found this puzzle to be a bit of a challenge for a Monday. SOCKET two days in a row!

The theme reminds me of an old light-BULB joke. How many mothers does it take to change a lightBULB? Answer: None. I'll just sit here in the dark! My mother wasn't amused when I told her this joke.

A bit of a mini time with ADAR, SEDER and SABRAS. A SABRA is a prickly pear, and Israelis are often described as being prickly on the outside, but sweet on the inside, just like the cactus.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in OSLO, but the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm.

As Owen noted, it was interesting to see the APOGEE and NADIR placed appropriately in the grid.

Another hot one predicted. It hit 100F yesterday.

QOD: I never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes. ~ Leo Durocher (July 27, 1905 ~ 1991)

CanadianEh! said...

I'm an early RISER today and found this puzzle to be fun with just a little crunch for a Monday.

Hand up for GMT. I had HOist before HEIST and that gave me Ominence before EMINENCE which held me up.

I smiled to see SOCKET again today.

Have a good day. Beautiful weather here.

HeartRx said...

Not much to say about this that hasn't already been noted. So I'll just reserve my comment for the fun puzzle that C.C. and Argyle made for today's NYT. Very clever, you two!!

George Barany said...

Seconding @HeartRx -- congratulations to @C.C. and @Argyle for today's (Monday, July 27, 2015) New York Times crossword puzzle!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Indeed, a fun Monday run. Smooth, but interesting fill. Thanks, C.W. I thought the SOCKET may have fallen out of yesterday's puzzle. ;=) I wonder if today's steno takes Pitman or Gregg shorthand. Maybe a Dictaphone! ha!! Actually, my son's assistant takes shorthand--I was surprised to learn that.

Thanks, Argyle and congrats to you and C.C. on the NYT. I'm not sure how to access it, and I'm pretty sure I can't complete it. ;-)

Have a good day!

Northwest Runner said...

I'm with Owen. Unarms calls for a strong scolding, especially in a Monday puzzle. Barry, solvers of a certain age will remember macrame cord as a craft merchandise from their misspent youth.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

WEES. Easy enough and yet, interesting, like Argyle said.
59a - OSLO - We were told by a guide in Stockholm, that when Norway gained independence in 1905, the Swedes ceded one Nobel Prize, the Peace Prize, to be given out by the Norwegians, whom they considered to be argumentative.

Tinbeni said...

When I finally "saw the light" ... I enjoyed the Monday puzzle.

No HAIRS to quibble over. Just a FUN romp.

Only had 12 inches of rain since Friday.
Wish I could send some to my brother in Burbank, CA.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

To the commentator on Saturday who posted about Xenon surviving a challenge in Scrabble: I don't understand why Xenon isn't considered a proper noun? You even capitalized it in your sentence, which I view as a red flag for Scrabble. But, I realize that some (all?) elements aren't capitalized. What's the rule?

Husker Gary said...

When I saw C. I thought C.C. was up to bat on this Monday but C.W.’s puzzle was fun too. I wonder if our constructor C.W. has ever heard of this C.W. (ALIAS for Omaha adman Bill Fries)

Musings
-MACRAME was big when C.W. McCall had a hit with Convoy
-Yup, I too remember SOCKET PUPPET visited us yesterday
-No splitting HAIRS here. Yeah, right! ☺ Now about UNARM…
-The 2024 APOGEE of Halley’s Comet. It’ll be back here in 2061. Party at my house!
-I prefer “You were my former teacher”, not “my OLD teacher”
-Our C.C. has many SETS of baseball cards
-Remember the recent redundant theme with PIN number?
-We all know NELL really loved Dudley’s STEED. (:23)
-You know, there’s a reason they call those shields SALAD BAR sneeze guards
-I wouldn’t call MASS at our church a celebration!
-My daughter is flying to 110 ˚F Phoenix to train people for State Farm INS this week
-EDISON stole credit for some inventions. You
-ANKLE excitement! Hubba! Hubba!
-Anyone know for whom 15-year-old Bobby VEE and his band, The Shadows, substituted in Feb. 1959 in Morehead, MN?

Yellowrocks said...

Although, not as universally popular as it was in the 70's, macrame is seen today in jewelry and purses, especially among the young. I frequently see them wearing bracelets like these. Link macrame bracelets From Wiki How: "Macramé (MAC-ruh-may) is the art/craft of tying cordage into knots in such a way that they form a useful or decorative shape. This was a very popular craft in the 1970s in the USA that is now being revived in the form of jute jewelry and knotted purses."
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVjbeQLZVCZwAWdYnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEwOGU1NmxvBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNyZWwtYm90?p=macrame+bracelets&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-004&hspart=mozilla&fr2=rs-bottom&fr=yhs-mozilla-004

Mr. Google said...

Capitalization of elements.

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 0935 - For your reference: The names of chemical compounds and chemical elements when written out, are common nouns in English, rather than proper nouns. They are not capitalized.

Beach Bum said...

For me, this Monday puzzle was a little trickier than usual. I've never heard of SABRAS, ADAR, IMAGO or POMES, but the perps took care of those.

Count me in with those who think UNARM is awful.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Easy, breezy Monday romp. Only w/o was allow/admit. I, like Owen, am always disappointed when the reveal shows up before you get to fill in all of the theme answers. Anyway, it was an enjoyable start to what promises to be a very hot week.

Thanks, C. .W. Stewart, for an "enlightening" experience and thanks, Argyle, for adding more brightness!

Congrats to CC and Argyle for their NYT collaboration.

This was in our local paper yesterday: On this date in ...1915-Frank Alden, who gave his residence as Newark, NJ, was committed to the Marshall Sanitorium for medical observation after he walked into the detective headquarters in Troy and requested Chief Flannagan send a detective to Vincent's Hotel on Congress Street where he had murdered four bugs. (My townhouse development sits on the property once occupied by Marshall Sanitorium.)

Have a great day and stay cool.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Speed run today, completely overlooked the theme. Really held my nose at Unarm, even though I understand how these things happen.

Husker - Party at your place in 2061? Excellent! I'll start marinating some steaks.

Morning, Argyle! Glad the theme didn't elude you.

Bluehen said...

Pretty much WEES. A fun, fast speed romp. Only true unknown was ADAR. Had to dredge up IMAGO from the deep dark recesses of my memory, probably from college Zoology. Groaned at UNARM, but was sure that was the correct fill because there weren't enough spaces for "disarm". I wish we could do away with that word. It conjures up Monty Pythonesque mental pictures of knights with no arms running around trying to do battle.

Now that I have planted that mental picture, I'm leaving.

Cya!

Mr. Google said...

The history of the Marshall Sanitarium is pretty interesting. I'll leave it to others to decide whether it should be "sanitorium" (as in the Times-Union) or "sanitarium". Though the spellings seem to be interchangeable there surely must have been an official name.

SwampCat said...

Thanks for an easy Monday romp and an enLIGHTening expo.

Only unknowns (imago, and pomes) were filled by perps before I got to them. I might have remembered pomes, but didn't need to.

Husker and Dudley, the party sounds great. I'll start polishing my dancing shoes!

JD said...

good morning all,

had a few write overs (chase to heist and ago to old but nothing to rock the boat. Oops...yes, eminence didn't fill right away.

just think of those hanging plants we had all over and you'll remember macrame. And wasn't every gift we got either avocado green or orange?

this morning I am being educated about the different sets of Pokemon cards. if they have an EX at the top, they are very special.

have a lovely week

coneyro said...

A pleasant Monday to all.

The puzzle, for me, was a little crunchy to start off. IMAGO and APOGEE slowed me down in the NE, but crossfills to the rescue. After that, no problems.

I also got the reveal early, which made subsequent entries easy to figure out. Basic answers, with no foreign, hoity toity or sports references. Just as I prefer it.

The LOEWS theater in Coney Island, N.Y. was a beautiful movie house when I was growing up. Very large capacity for a single presentation venue, and quite ornate. Remember watching the Beatles' movie "Help" with my boyfriend. We teens used to sit and make out up in the balcony. A cool, air conditioned paradise where we feasted on bon bons, popcorn, and franks. A good time was had by all.

I agree about the word UNARM, but for my own bizarre reason. I envision someone chopping off upper limbs. It's just a creepy word for me.

In this electronic world, are businesses still using a STENO? I learned one type in H.S. in the 60's, but we didn't have the dictation devices we have now. I don't think it would be cost effective to pay a salary to a person, when a machine is more efficient and cheaper. A sad commentary on modern times, I know. But facts are facts.

I used to love making MACRAME plant hangers. They were so colorful and attractive in front of my windows.

And it's pouring again. This is getting tiresome. Too bad we can't collect some, and send it to areas of draught. There's plenty to spare after several days of this. Rain, rain go away...Please!

Stay dry everyone and have a productive week.

Jayce said...

Nice puzzle. I liked that there were very few abbreviations and plenty of 5-letter and longer words and phrases.

What happened when the woman backed into a rotating propeller? Unassed her.

Misty said...

I love a Monday speed run, and even more when it has a few toughie clues. So, many thanks, C. W., and Argyle.

Have a great week, everybody.

Anonymous said...

Thanks C.W. and Argyle. If this weren't a speed run it was close to it. A very enjoyable start to the week.

WEES, so I won't add anything of interest to the discussion.

Another week of heat and high humdity. I am not a fan.

Have a great week.

Pat

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

Argyle - you just started the party! And w/ an NYT (I'll run to the corner store later to get it), you're kickin' it!

Almost a FAST fill, but I'll ADMIT there was some ODD (to me anyway) clueing and I got hung up at 5&18d xing 20a. I PEN'd SABaAs (Israelis seem to like double-A's me thinks - see Aaron). So that was one of three WOs.

Other WOs - chaSe b/f HEIST and braut (sp?) b/f WURST (hey look, a triple-U!).

Thanks CWS for a fun Monday puzzle.

Anon @9:35 - Xenon was in the dictionary, ergo - Points! Don't ask me about the rules of English if Carlin can't get it, I've only mastered artificial languages. YR & DW (w/ a PhD in Lit) seem to get it though.

To me LAMP == Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl/PHP (for those that like indents) stack.

Hahtoolah - I almost missed your post (:-)) - what's the new Avatar of?

HG - It's on - 2024 baby!

Q. How many EEs does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Only one, but s/he has to do it in the frequency domain.

hey, Hahtoolah started lightBULB jokes...

Cheers, -T

Nice Cuppa said...

Thnaks CWS & Argyle

A surprisingly strong Monday.

1. HIGHLANDER=SCOT? Better check with the LOWLAND SCOTS, who are in the vast majority.
2. SABRAS. I have many friends and colleagues born in Israel, the Palestine Mandate, or thereabouts. On balance, I think I would describe them as soft on the outside, and prickly on the inside….in the nicest possible way.
3. I agree that UNARM is a poor substitute for DISARM. UNARM sounds more like removing someones (bodily) arms. Monty Python-esque.

NC

Chickie said...

Hello Everyone, A quick, easy solve for me today. WEES for Nadir and Apogee. Both were learned from doing crosswords. Unarm didn't come readily for me, either. Disarm wouldn't fit, so I had to wait for some other fill to get Unarm. This was an un attractive word.

I'm already hot under the collar, but not from the weather. I've been on the phone for over 30 minutes with the cable company trying to find out why one window on my bill shows one price, and the second window a different price. (Gone up from last month). One person said it was a scam--not-- as I went directly to their website from the e-mail window, then the second person wanted to know how they could make my day awesome? I wish I could have thought of an AWESOME comeback!

The weather is supposed to be hot here again--into the triple digits for about three days. Not looking forward to this.

Have a great day, everyone.

CrossEyedDave said...

I am embarrassed to say the NW corner took the longest, not knowing Adar & Fatso, & thinking 22A from the past, was ago. 1A lickety-split, That's easy, ASAP! (No it's already in the puzzle.) I Know! Stat! (^%%$#^)

( Somehow it's just not right, lickety-split should be something more than just fast...)

21D slightly off? ASKEW?
Unarms, hmm, turns out to be legit, but seems slightly amiss, like a gray colour...
57D SOunds from Santa (Hos?) again, perfectly legit, (just sounds wrong...)


Learning moment: Churchillian is a word!
. (I had heard Nadir b/4, but did not know:) from Arabic nazīr as-samt, literally: opposite the zenith
Macrame is an artform?

How many mice does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Only two, but the hard part is getting them into the light bulb.

Star Ledger Thought for Today: "The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority." - Ralph W. Sockman, American clergyman (1889-1970)

CrossEyedDave said...

Thanks Anonymous T for the Carlin clip!
Ya had me YouTube surfing again!

This is a test post of using Video URL at Current Time
(I just thought the content seemed appropriate...)

Oxymoron?

Yellowrocks said...

DISARM is much more common than UNARM, but why split hairs? It is a legitimate word and I believe legitimate words in puzzles are not worth a nit. They just make it more interesting. I recognized that UNARM is not used much and is probably archaic, so I just moved on. Interestingly, UNARMED is a very common adjective.

Anonymous T said...

Chickie - don't click on / follow emil links. Call your company directly on the number listed on you last statement and see what's up. There's a number of scams out there that want "immediate action."

Q. How many Boston Blue Bloods does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Two. One to stir the martinis, the other to call the electrician.

Q. How many (insert dumb ethnic here) does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Three. One to holld the BULB, two to turn the ladder.

Q. How many Italians does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Fugettaboutit.
Acceptable A. - I can sees good enoughs.

C, -T

Anonymous said...

CED: The mice/light bulb joke is pretty funny (and new to me) though I think I might tweak it by changing "into" to "inside". Chacun à son goût (as they say in . . . wait for it . . . French).

Yellowrocks said...

CE DAVE, thanks for OXYMORON. I am still ROTFL

Anonymous T said...

CED - the Carlin-clip timing worked on my iPad. HOw'd you do that? Tell us in our own words.. nickflat burrry flun furd doesn't help :-)

Mice light BULB joke is so side-ways it took a second reading. It HAPPENS to be quite funny.

Did no one else notice C.W. Stweart had EDISON in the LAMP puzzle or did I miss someone's comment?

Cheers, -T

SwampCat said...


Oh no! How did I miss the Edison/Light connection!? Too delicious!

SwampCat said...

.....ops ...I meant Lamp...and thought I had typed it. Dumb auto correct!

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, C.W. Stawart, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review. And, thank you to Linda, my wife, for doing the puzzle while I was finishing the Sunday puzzle. I looked up and it was done. Oh well.

As I look at the completed puzzle, it looks fine. Quite easy, but it is a Monday.

I checked the theme, LAMPS, to see if my wife got it right. She did.

I knew SABRAS, and so did my wife. She got it with no write-over.

PASSPORT reminds me that both my wife's and my PASSPORTs are expired. I suppose we should renew them in case we want to go to Canada sometime.

I am surprised my wife got STEN so easily. However, with HOS, HEIST, SAMPLE, and EDISON she could not miss.. Good job, Linda.

I just hope I never have to have my HIP SOCKET replaced. Sounds painful, even though many people have hip surgery.

My wife's answer to 17A, TULIP BULB, reminds me that I was able to obtain three bags of them from the bulb sale in nearby Schaumburg, IL, for almost nothing. I will plant them this fall, here and in Pennsylvania.

Now I have to exit this page and enter in my comments from Sunday's puzzle.

Congrats to C.C. and Argyle for their Sunday puzzle in the NY Times. I do not get that paper, but I am sure it was a good one.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

CrossEyedDave said...

Uh, Argyle...

I always read the previous late night posts the next morning,
but how will I know when Abejo time travels?..

CC & Argyle, Congrats on the NY TIMES puzzle!
A well done, difficult to do theme, in an easy puzzle
Quite an accomplishment.

(I also spent $2.50 to buy the NY Times,
which is very high praise, as I am cheaper than Jack Benny...)

How many does it take... Do you have to count the spotter?

The best way to wrap an extension cord! (Note, does not work with Xmas lights.)

Ah yes, The shade...

The hardest part of changing a bulb appears to be dealing with the socket.

Funny lamps? Waaay to many to choose from...

Bill G. said...

Wow! Too much humor to compete with today...

I didn't have the time to drive my grandson to SeaWorld so I took him to the fish market and said, "Shhh..., they're sleeping."

Avg Joe said...

It's all been said, but I'll agree. Fun puzzle with no hangups, but enough to make you think about it.

I also begged upon LW's good graces and had her bring home the NYT from work, so it was a double header. A similar experience there. Congrats Scott and C.C. on another publication.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, CW and Santa!

Fun puzzle. Went quickly!

No nits or problems. Have seen UNARM in another puzzle recently.

Cheers!

billocohoes said...

How many opera divas does it take to change a light bulb?

Just one, she holds the bulb and expects the world to revolve around her.

(from my daughter's singing claaa)

billocohoes said...

class

fermatprime said...

Thanks, CC and Santa, for fun NYT puzzle! Always love anything with palindromes.

Blue Iris said...

CED, I think that guy did MACRAME with that extension CORD???

How many chiropractors does it take to screw in a light BULB?
Just one, but he/she has to go back 20 times.

Anonymous T said...

Argyle & C.C. - I spent the $2.50 for the NYT and your puzzle was worth every nickel. With all the 32a(s) in there I didn't think I stood a chance. Nailed it. Last to fall was 53d.

All - don't click if you plan to do the NYT later homage / spoiler to our puzzle-pals' puzzle.

Back to C.W.'s wonderful LAT...

Q. How many math tutors does it take to change a light bulb?
A. None - that's an exercise left for the reader.

C'mon Bill G., you saw that comin' :-)

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Q. How many physicists does it take to change a light BULB?
A. It's intuitively obvious to the casual observer.

Q. How many actors does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Today, or not today, that is the question. Whether it noble'r...

Q. How many Nuns does it take to change a light BULB?
A. I just told you - Nun.

Q. How many pedantics does it take to change a light BULB?
A. Pedantics is not a word.

To eldest*...
Q. Do you know any light BULB jokes?
A. I don't know a watt about them.

She's awesome - she did that off the cuff. I've corrupted her well.

C, -T
*really, that just happened

Bill G. said...

I'm sure you have a very clever family. I enjoy the verbal back-and-forth between you and the eldest.

Q: What is meant by volts times amps?
A: Exactly!