google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wedneday, November 4, 2015 Kurt Krauss

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Nov 4, 2015

Wedneday, November 4, 2015 Kurt Krauss

Theme:  DUPES.  The first word of each theme answer is a synonym for some kind of easily targeted victim.  

16 A. *Sneaky blow : SUCKER PUNCH.  A SUCKER is a gullible or easily deceived person.  The related PUNCH is a cowardly hit, often from behind, delivered to an unsuspecting opponent.  

55 A. *Peanuts : CHUMP CHANGE.  A CHUMP is a foolish or easily deceived person.  CHUMP CHANGE, aka peanuts, is an insignificant amount of money.  But, insignificant to whom?  YMMV.

10 D. *Place for brooding : PIGEON COOP.  Nice word play.  Brooding is the hatching of birds' eggs, and, in another context, thinking deeply about some troublesome matter.  A PIGEON is someone easily swindled, or the victim of a con man.  Cf Bernie Madoff.

26 D. *"Walkin' After Midnight" singer : PATSY CLINE. Ms Cline provides our theme song.  



A PATSY is someone taken advantage of, either by cheating or taking the blame for something. Again, YMMV, but for my money this is the only theme answer that really closely corresponds to the unifier fill.

35 A. Easy mark ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : FALL GUY.   A scapegoat.   I don't really see a FALL GUY as an easy mark for a swindle - though all the other theme entries do fit that description.  So the whole thing seems a bit askew to me.  Or am I being too persnickety?

Hi Gang - JzB here, taking the FALL on another Wednesday.   My nits aside, this is a nicely constructed puzzle, with a pinwheel theme arrangement and the unifier in the middle.   Let's take a spin and see what else we can uncover.

Across

1. See-through kitchen supply : SARAN. Polyvinylidene chloride [PVDC] was discovered accidentally in 1933.  It makes a great kitchen wrap because of it's low permeability, even in a thin layer.  So it preserves freshness by keeping flavor in and moisture and oxygen out

6. Mythical king of the Huns : ATLI.  This guy, also known as Atilla, was a very real leader of the Huns in the mid-5th century.  He does appear as ATLI in Norse mythology hundreds of years later.

10. Kitchen spray : PAM.   Comes in 8 varieties.



13. Flared dress : A-LINE.



14. Ancient Greek theater : ODEUM.  I thought it was ODEON.  Needed perp help.

15. Land in l'ocĂ©an : ILE.  A French island.

18. Some kitchen appliances : GEs.  General Electric products.

19. Did a slow burn : SMOLDERED.

20. Passengers in flight, often : USERS.  I haven't flown in many years.  Can you use your electronic devices in the air?

22. Cyberspace marketplace : EBAY.

23. Snobbish : SNOOTY.   Said of those who look down their noses.

24. Chopper : COPTER.   



27. Mount Hood's state : OREGON.



29. Prominent periods : ERAs.  History.

30. Keep the censor busy : SWEAR.  Use bleepable language.

31. The NBA's Kevin Love, e.g. : CAV.  I recognize the name, but not being up on NBA players didn't know if he was a CAValier or a MAVerick.

34. Alternative to dis? : DAT.  For this and THAT.  Pretty lame entry.

37. Dressing ingredient : OIL.  From olives, vegetables or seeds.

38. High rails : ELs.  ELevated trains, as in Chicago.

39. Bassoon cousins : OBOES.   Both are double reed instruments.

40. Vending machine buy : SODA.  

41. "Absolutely!" : YOU BET.   For sure!

43. Kicked off the flight : BUMPED.   So your seat can be given to someone more important.  Another reason not to fly.

45. Well-protected : SECURE.

47. Sweater outlet? : PORE.  Not a discount clothing store.  The opening in your skin from which perspiration exudes. 

48. Island nation near Sicily : MALTA.   Not YALTA, on the mainland of Crimea.

49. Get in the game : SEE ACTION.  Players who are not starters often get to SEE ACTION at some point in the game.

54. Form 1040 calc. : AGI.  Adjusted Gross Income.

57. Nickelodeon pooch : REN.  Along with Stimpy, who is alleged to be a cat.



58. Spine-tingling : EERIE.  We should be safe now that we're past Halloween.

59. Hawaii or Alaska, on many a map : INSET.

60. Number before quattro : TRE.  French? Italian?  Why is "number" in English?

61. Editor's "Let it stand" : STET.   Ignore any correction or alteration.

62. Hoopster Archibald and rapper Dogg : NATES.  I'll admit I don't know these guys.  I had NATE Silver last Wednesday and resisted the urge to link to the song I composed and arranged for my grandson of the same name.  This time I'm FALLing for it.


Schoolcraft Jazz Band Chicago Tour - Spring, 2011

Down

1. Back talk : SASS. Rude and impudent.

2. Homecoming guest : ALUM.   One who graduated from the place of interest.

3. Affluent, in Andalusia : RICO.    Rich in Spanish.

4. Low socks : ANKLETS.
5. (If) required : NEED BE.

6. Together, musically : A DUE.  Literally, for two, from the Italian.  Taken to mean all the players with a given part, such as the first violins.  They often sit two to a stand, but that might just be a coincidence.

7. Watch over : TEND.   As livestock, children or a bar.

8. Director Jean-__ Godard : LUC.  Of whom I know nothing.  With the mythic ATLI, the cross became my natick.  Misspelling ODEON didn't help, either.  

9. "Can't wait to eat!" : I’M HUNGRY.

11. Watchful : ALERT.

12. Embarrassing, as a situation : MESSY.  

14. Nashville attraction : OPRY.   It's grand.  And old.

17. Bring up : REAR.   As children.

21. Great Lakes' __ Canals : SOO.  Located along the St. Mary's river between the upper peninsula of Michigan and Ontario, Canada, the canals connect Lakes Superior and Huron.
23. 10-time All-Pro linebacker Junior : SEAU.

24. Hand over : CEDE. As territory, to a superior force.

25. Taken by mouth : ORAL.  As medication.

27. Young hooter : OWLET.   An owl hatchling.  What were you thinking?

28. Rules, briefly : REGS.   Regulations.

30. __ gin fizz : SLOE.   The SLOE is the drupe of the blackthorn bush.   SLOE gin is made by soaking the drupe either in actual gin or cheaper grain neutral spirits.  Sugar is added to aid in the extraction, or corn syrup to get really cheap [and vile.]  The fizz is a drink made with this concoction,  plus lemon juice and carbonated water.  

32. Trusted underling : AIDE.   A good one might make you a nice cocktail.

33. Prince who inspired Dracula : VLAD.  Posthumously named "The Impaler."

35. Loser only to a straight flush : FOUR ACES.   Poker hands.


Or these guys

36. Calais cleric : ABBE.   French abbot

40. "The Bartered Bride" composer : SMETANA.



42. Away : OUT.  As in OUT of the office, or OUT of town.

43. Former U.K. carrier : BOAC.   British Overseas Airways Corporation, formed in 1940 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Limited.  In 1974 it was combined with British European Airways to form British Airways.

44. Mischievous boy : URCHIN.   Or girl.

45. Snazzy-looking : SMART.  Sharply dressed.

46. Ready and willing : EAGER.  Let's go!

47. Love-crazy Le Pew : PEPE.  Possibly the most DF cartoon character.



49. "Absolutely!" : SURE.

50. Give out : EMIT.  As the sun's rays or a skunk's odor.

51. Scientific acad. : INST.  Academy and Institute.

52. Architectural S-curve : OGEE.   Commonly an S curve, but more generally, any profile with a reverse bend.


53. Fishing gear : NETS.  Rods, reel, bait, pole, hook, lure  .  .  .

56. Riled (up) : HET.   Past tense of heat, in dialect.  First known use was in 1909.

Well, that wraps it up.  I had a nit or two, but overall, a pretty good outing.

I learned while doing the Boston Globe puzzle on Sunday that the British term for a sucker is a LOLLY.  So - would someone who silences a dupe in London be a LOLLY GAGGER?   No - wait - that's the other kind of sucker - hard candy on a stick.  So, never mind.

I'll just show myself the door.

Cool regards!
JzB


57 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

A few bumps along the road for me today, but nothing to get HET up about...

I started off badly in the NW by entering SIEVE instead of SARAN. I thought it was a bit odd since the holes in a SIEVE are awfully small to see through, but SARAN didn't even occur to me since I only ever think of it as SARAN WRAP and never just as SARAN. The perps eventually came to my rescue, though.

In the NE, I shot myself in the foot by going with SNOTTY instead of SNOOTY, which kept PIGEON COOP from view for awhile. Once I got the theme reveal, however, it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on.

Down in the SE, the whole BOAC/URCHIN/BUMPED/PORE clump did not come very easily. Great clue on PORE, but it took a bit to get. I thought an URCHIN just referred to a homeless kid, not necessarily a mischievous one, but I'm probably wrong. And I keep telling myself that next time I'll remember BOAC, but I never do. I did finally manage to put it all together, though.

George Barany said...

Nice puzzle, @Kurt Krauss, and amusing writeup, @JzB. Now I'll be humming PATSY_CLINE all day!

FALL_GUY indeed ... allowing me to segue to the Fall Classic that just ended. Completing a (world) series of baseball-inspired themes, my website proudly presents Mighty KC and Snowed Grass, constructed with @Alex Vratsanos and @Charles Flaster, respectively. Please don't drop the ball on either of these "bonus" puzzles ... and congratulations to the resilient champions from the midwest who bested the team from Gotham!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Monday arrived on Wednesday this week. Zip, zip, zip. My only misstep was SMEE for AIDE. That made the NBAer a CSV -- dyslexic pharmacist? Quickly fixed. This seems to be the week of HET -- did you get HET up over yesterday's election? In my town a newcomer unseated ALINE Peeples for city council.

Yes, Jzb, you can use your electronics in the air. In fact, it's encouraged. That way the airline can charge you a WiFi fee.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, JazzB and friends. This was a speed run for me today. We also had a little mini-theme going with all the kitchen brand names ~ SARAN, PAM and GEs.

The Sweater outlet = PORE was a bit gross for breakfast puzzling solving. I knew the "sweater" referred to one who sweats, but was thinking along the lines of Spas, but couldn't immediately thing of a four letter word that had that meaning.

NATE "Tiny" Archibald (b. 1984) played for the Celtics in the 1980s. We lived in Boston back then and used to go to as many Celtic games that we could afford. Wow! That seems like back in the dark ages now!

BedrĂŻch Smetana (1824 ~ 1884) is a new name for me.

My only nit is that a mischievous boy is defined as an URCHIN. I think of URCHIN as being more of a Charles Dickensian street waif or homeless child.

QOD: The perils of duck hunting are great ~ especially for the duck. ~ Walter Cronkite (Nov. 4, 1916 ~ July 17, 2009)

thehondohurricane said...


Agree with D-O, Monday was two days late in arriving this week. No nits, no complaint's of any kind, just a fun puzzle with some interesting cluing.

47A, Sweater outlet a clever misdirection. Took awhile to get PORE.

Wanted I'm Starved for 9D, but it wouldn't fit. 14A, 8D...Is it ODEaM or ODEUM,LaC or LUC? Wagged the U.

SMETANA all perps. Never heard of him.

Instead of CHUMP CHANGE, I usually use "Right Hand Side Of The Petty Cash Drawer"

As far as I'm concerned Snotty would often work as well as SNOOTY.

Happy Hump Day all. It's going to be another terrific fall day.

Yellowrocks said...

The top and bottom were solved easily, 1,2,3. I saw that sucker, chump, pigeon, and patsy were all related, but I needed to wait for FOUR ACES to see FALL GUY. I read somewhere that there are first order synonyms which are almost exact, then second order and third order synonyms. FALL GUY seems to be a third order synonym to the theme answers. IMO, not too far off.
Hand up for having a question about URCHIN, but it seems that an urchin often is both mischievous and raggedy. Dictionary: "a mischievous young child, especially one who is poorly or raggedly dressed synonyms: ragamuffin, waif, stray, imp, rascal."
At first I wanted ODEON, but ODEUM is okay, too.
One of my favorite pieces of music is SMETANA's Moldau. I can hear the stream starting as a little rill and building and building to a large majestic river. I love the theme.
Link The Moldau, 10:22

Hahtoolah said...

Oops! Number transposition. Tiny Archibald was born in 1948, not 1984. He was "only" 6 foot 1 inch, hence his nickname.

Big Easy said...

JzB- The cross of LUC and ODEUM was my last fill and I just made a lucky guess. Other than those two, and SMETANA ( all perps) it was a speed run this morning. Nate Archibald- NBA Hall of Fame player back in the 70s but Kevin Love's team was initially a MAV before he CAV on my fill.

"56. Riled (up) : HET. Past tense of heat, in dialect. First known use was in 1909." Two days in a row for HET, which I have never seen except in X-word puzzles.

Tinbeni said...

Jazz: Thank You for another outstanding write-up & musical links. Great Job !!!

Kurt: I really enjoyed solving your FUN Wednesday puzzle.

OK, I needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get the composer SMETANA. Learning moment and a nice listen to the link.

Fave today, of course, was that SLOE gin fizz.
(If it is booze ... it is always my favorite!)

Stuck with another perfect beach day here in the Tampa Bay Area.

Looking forward to an outstanding Sunset ... "Toasts" (probably many!) will be made!
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

A PORE is a sweat outlet, not a sweater outlet. A sweater outlet would be a GYM or a SWIM.

"Passengers in flight, often" = USERS is a lame entry any way you look at it. Multiple meaning clue with multiple meaning answer.

thehondohurricane said...


Big Easy, I believe Kevin Love was a Timberwolves before being traded to the Cavaliers. He never played in Dallas.

kazie said...

I agree with Hahtoolah: "My only nit is that a mischievous boy is defined as an URCHIN. I think of URCHIN as being more of a Charles Dickensian street waif or homeless child."

Otherwise, my only hitch was the name SMETANA, along with not being on the right wavelength for BUMPED.

Sometimes I'm also surprised at how long I take to get certain things that rely on a certain cultural experience. For example, I don't think I've ever purchased anything from a vending machine other than a metro ticket in Paris, so SODA took quite a while. (I was waiting to see if the perp would be COOP or COTE.) I know, I lead a sheltered existence!

Thanks to Coneyro, Irish Miss and Lucina for your kind remarks on my new grandkid photo yesterday. I didn't come back to look again until late last night, so didn't see them until then.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

Thank you, Kurt Krauss and JazzB! Nice puzzle, great review.

This was a quick sashay and of course, my immediate fill on reading the clue was ODEON. That's what I know. But INHUNGRY was obviously wrong, so changed it. However, LUC was unknown so I didn't change the O. Drat!

Then kicked off the flight brought DUMPED to mind, and did not recall BOAC. So two DIW. I saw the theme, however.

Obviously I need to get into puzzle mode.

Have a lovely day, everyone!

VirginiaSycamore said...

Thanks for the crunchy Wednesday puzzle Kurt and the excellent write-up JzB.

I flubbed ATLI because I put TEND for MEND on the perp. Smetana came out after I had enough perps. I first guessed SNOOP for NATES because SNOOP Dogg was the only Dogg I knew.

34a. IMHO “Altenative to dis” is a better clue for DAT than “slurred pronoun” of the other day.

57a. I passed the first time on REN because I thought the show was too naughty for Nickelodeon. It was, but with much fighting over content. WIKI
I also thought Stimpy was a dog for quite a while until they got into the Kitty Litter jokes.
I recall waiting in line at an amusement park singing the Happy Happy Joy Joy song with my boys FULL_PG_VERSION .

"47. Love-crazy Le Pew : PEPE. Possibly the most DF cartoon character."
Jazz, what do you mean by DF? Urban dictionary says it is a contraction of a very nasty acronym.

Well, Ohio voted against legalizing pot, which was pushed by cartel of growers who would have had a monopoly.

VS

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Kurt and Jazz.

SMETANA was my favorite answer. Love him.

A few things perped, but otherwise pretty fast.

Feel better today. (Yesterday almost couldn't breathe.)

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi Gang -

VirginiaS - DF is Corner vernacular for dysfunctional, which we take to mean suggestive or sexually oriented.

YR - you beat me to the Moldau Link Wonderful piece of music that I have had the great joy of playing.

Amazingly beautiful weather here this week. Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Cool regards!
JzB

CrossEyedDave said...

Oh well, FIW...

I thought it was"odium", Which made 7D watch over look like "mind."
(OK, I'll mind the kids...)
Amli/Atli, what do I know, I can't tell one Hun from another...

I always thought it was Patsy ClYne!

Nites instead of Nates
(Smetani/Smetana, Tomato/Tomarto...)

Passengers in flight,,, I can think of a lot of better answers than "users."

Oh well, I guess I am the Fall Guy today.
Good thing I have caring support...

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a very easy romp for a Wednesday. Had snotty before snooty and, like others, associate an urchin as poor and needy rather than mischievous. We learn something new every day.

Thanks, KK and JzB for a pleasant and fun mid-week excursion.

FYI Elementary fans, our dear Sherlock and Watson return tomorrow night for the new season. Does anyone watch the new show, Code Black? I like it a lot but sometimes I have to close my eyes against the very graphic and gruesome maladies. Marcia Gay Harden is excellent and the whole ensemble supports her quite convincingly.

Have a great day.

Nice Cuppa said...

Not a lot to add. We still have not surpassed Crunchy Crunchy Monday in terms of difficulty (or style, of course, O beloved leader!)

• 14A clue for ODEUM is WRONG. Odeum is the LATIN form of the word. ODEON is the GREEK form.
• I see we have HET (well met), yet again. It's Scots or Northern English dialect for "heated", or "hot", mid-19th century according to my MacDict. – so, earlier than JBs estimate, and about the same time that SASS appeared (I would have hyphenated that clue though to "Back-talk")
• Yet another clue for the evergreen OBOE, JB. Have you been collecting them? - the clues, that is.

• Barry G. - how to remember BOAC - just (learn and) recite the first verse/line of the Beatles' BACK IN THE USSR. You need to spell it out one letter at a time to get the correct meter.

Oh, flew in from Miami Beach, B.O.A.C.
Didn't get to bed last night
On the way the paper bag was on my knee
Man I had a dreadful flight
I'm back in the U.S.S.R., boy
Don't know how lucky you are boy
Back in the U.S.S.R.


I guess they were paper bag USERS (and only later Paperback Writers).

McCarthy (d. 1957) would doubtless have denounced McCartney et al. as Commies, had he still been alive

C6D6 Peg said...

Like D-O and others, this was a Monday speed run. Perps helped fill in SMETANA. Thanks, Kurt, for an easy Wednesday.

Nice write-up, JzB. Lots of musical links, but wouldn't expect anything else from you!

Nice Cuppa said...

P.S. Yellowrocks - thanks for the links to ENGLISH yesterday. That settles it then - ORIGIN UNCERTAIN.

[And no, the English do not use the word English in this sense - they just say side-spin, top-spin, etc.]

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Kurt's puzzles can be cranky, but this one was a breeze. SMETANA made the SE easy. Ditto, MALTA, SUCKER PUNCH and OREGON. No lookups or erasures were needed.
OGEE - A frequent visitor a few years back; seems less so recently. Ogee is the cross-sectional shape of many spillways in dams.

Lucina said...

NiceCuppa:
That was my thought on ODEON v. ODEUM, Greek and Latin.

Nice Cuppa said...

P.P.S. Talking of the English, their major FALL GUY will be celebrated tomorrow with fireworks, bonfires, mulled wine, etc., in every back yard (garden) - GUY FAWKES NIGHT! He got caught, and was then "hung, drawn and quartered", before being burned while still (barely) alive. It's a curious celebration - was he a folk-hero anarchist, or a Catholic conspirator who deserved what he got? Something of both I suspect. Those of you who have seen "V for Vendetta" will have experienced a flavor of that.

THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.

Misty said...

I thought the theme of this puzzle was a hoot, though as a whole it was a bit crunchy for me--especially in the upper East. But still a lot of fun, thanks, Kurt. And JazzB, your pics are always wonderful--many thanks.

Had the same problem with URCHIN as others. Like Irish Miss, I love SMETANA's Moldau.

Fermatprime, so glad you're feeling a bit better.

Had good news a few weeks ago, that I could put off cataract surgery for a while if I got new glasses. So off to the optometrist yesterday to get new regular glasses, sunglasses, and reading glasses. While I sat there without any glasses for a few minutes I realized how blessed we are to have glasses at all to give us normal vision like this. My belated thanks to whoever invented them.

Have a great day, everybody!

Bill G. said...

Yes, the area with ATLI and ODEUM gave me problems too, almost a little too tricky for a Wednesday. Plus, shouldn't ALUM be hinted at as an abbreviation for Alumnus or Alumni? And I agree regarding URCHIN. Still, a pleasant, fun Wednesday puzzle. Thanks Kurt and JzB.

Around here, it's gone from too hot to very pleasant, crisp fall weather. Better for sleeping.

Barbara is visiting her brother and his wife in Asilomar, a resort area on the northern California coast. They are going to visit the Monterey aquarium today. It's quiet and lonely around here.

AnonymousPVX said...

Only write overs were 7D where I had MIND before TEND, but 14A ODExx fixed that. 5D I had NEED BY before NEED BE. We always say "needs be".
Otherwise a Monday puzzle doing double duty.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Another fun one from Kurt & JzB! I'm so glad to be back doing the LAT puzzle on line where I can enlarge it that I enjoy it more than I used to.

ATLI? Who DAT Mongol? Thought he was an English statesman. Or is that Attlee?

Unknowns: SMETANA and NATE Archibald (I didn't start watching basketball until 2005 when I got cable.)

Rascal before URCHIN. Hand up for thinking "homeless" only.

I had a tape of PATSY CLINE's greatest hits that I used to play a lot. Loved the movie. Saw a stage presentation of her hits once as a birthday gift from my daughter. Didn't know PATSY's name when she was alive. I missed the fact that PATSY was part of the theme until JzB enlightened us. PIGEON also escaped my comprehension as theme -- flew the COOP, so to speak.

Kevin Love went to the CAVs to play with LeBron James. I watched them the other night. Could I remember which team they now play for? Nope! Senility is a cruel thing. Of course, so many players have switched teams & the colors they wear, I am now more confused than ever.

I wanted a "coke" out of the machine before SODA.

Jayce said...

Calimari, yum! I love those little SUCKERs.

Jazzb, awesome write-up. Thank you. Is your grandson's full name Nathaniel? Our grandson's name is Nathaniel, and he has been called Nattie all his life.

For some reason, Jean-LUC immediately popped into my mind, even though I am unfamiliar with the director. I think it's a common name, much like Jean Marc.

Best wishes to you all.

Husker Gary said...

I tawt I taw a Natick with a atLa/Luc but it’s all good.

Musings
-A SUCKER PUNCH that cost an executive his job
-PI… brood made me think it was going to be buncha PIGS
-Was he?
-WiFi USER fee in the air
-Do you remember the old TV show with these COPTER pilots?
-Mt Hood seen from the Portland International Rose Garden is fabulous
-Me too on URCHIN
-Do you remember these SODA vending machines?
-We have never been a BUMPER or a BUMPEE on a flight
-For some reason Snoop Dog is a bleeping media hero
-It’s so easy to tell Siri to set an ALERT (Alarm) on my phone
-The original home of the Grand Ole Opry
is old but not the new one

Jerome said...

Mischievous is central to the definition of the word urchin. But that's only true if we bother to look it up, as did the constructor and editor... and Yellowrocks.

Jazzbumpa said...

Jayce --

Nate's full name is Nathaniel Joseph.

When he was a tiny tyke my daughter worked at a facility with aged residents. One of the gentlemen there always called him Nattie Joe.

Cheers!
JzB

Bill G. said...

The more I think about it, I think ALUM isn't an abbreviation for Alumnus these days but has become a word, sort of like Lab instead of Laboratory. So, no harm, no foul. I was being too nitty.

My wife likes calamari too. I don't see (taste) the appeal. Their taste seems to come from being breaded and fried. Otherwise, they just seem tasteless and chewy. But that's just me. Like escargot. What would they be without garlic butter?

Avg Joe said...

My favorite Lou Grant quote of all time:

"Me speak French? I ordered escargot once and all I got was a plate full of snails!"

The puzzle? WEES. Odeon Odeum.

Lemonade714 said...

JzB I lo ed the pot plant socks as a visual for the Ohio vote.
Late to the dance so I will just sip the Punch

thanks guys

Argyle said...

UR'CHIN, n. : Webster's 1828 Dictionary. 1. A name given to the hedgehog.
2. A name of slight anger given to a child; as, the little urchin cried

Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition
UR"CHIN

Yellowrocks said...

Although URCHIN can be used for a poor, raggedly dressed child, it more often has the connotation of mischievous or worse.
If you think about it, street urchins have long been associated with crime, or at least petty crime. In Oliver Twist the urchins participated in petty crime. In Les Miserables, likewise. Children living on the streets often come from poverty and a normal childhood is replaced by violence and crime. The street children who are pickpockets in Paris today can be called urchins. These days we seldom use that term for merely poor, raggedy children. URCHIN is most often used in urban settings. The Okie migrant children were not called urchins.

Jayce said...

I love sea URCHINS. So prickly! Them anemones am amenable, though. No suckers, they! I'll clam up now.

Tinbeni said...

Irish Miss @10:33
I'm glad that "one-of-your-favorite" shows, Elementary is returning tomorrow night.

My personal favorite "new-show" is Drunk History on Comedy Central on Tuesday night ... I "DVR" it every week.
Though Jay Leno's Garage on CNBC at 10:00 pm on Wednesday night is a close second.

Jayce said...

Jazzb, I love your lollygagger comment.

Okay folks, kwitcher lollygaggin now! I'm URCHIN you all to move along.

Chickie said...

Hello Everybody, A day when I had time to do the puzzle with my morning coffee. I didn't whiz through, but it wasn't a terrible slog--yesterday's offering was harder for me.

The sweater opening--my answer, neck, didn't go very far in getting the answers around that word. Pepe (Le-Pew) fixed that error. This was my favorite mis-direct today. I did get the theme, for once, so those areas filled in to help with the surrounding answers.

I had a very nice visit with Wolf Mom today. For those of you who remember her on the blog she is a very talented artist who has been painting (and selling her work) for some years now. She ordered caramel for her Christmas baking, but couldn't use all 5 lbs. of it, so I offered to go in half with her. She brought me my half this morning and I invited JD to come have coffee with us. We talked non-stop in trying to catch up with all the latest news. The blog has brought me some lovely friends.

Have a great day, everyone.

CanadianEh! said...

Late to the party because the Corner would not completely open on my iPad this morning. WEES about HET, ODEUM, USERS, URCHIN. Smiled at the Dis and DAT clue.

I tried Uppity before SNOOTY (before I had many perps) and I toyed with Cutter before COPTER. Yes Spitzboov, I remember learning OGEE many years ago while doing crosswords.
This Canadian did not know Form 1040 AGI and needed ESP.

We had a great turnout of ALUMs to our 40th reunion in September.

SOO is the English pronunciation of SAULT (Ste. Marie) where the canals are located.

Beautiful day here. Wish it would stay this way until Christmas!

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Kurt Krauss, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, fore a fine review.

Got through this pretty easily. Theme made sense. No inkblots today.

Looked up ODEUM in my dictionary after I saw the comments. It is a theater of ancient Rome and Greece, per Webster.

Got ILE easily. Who says I don't know French.

PATSY CLINE is an all time favorite of mine.

Stayed up to 2:00 AM last night preparing golabki. Cooked it today. Will will have it tonight at the Commandery Conclave.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Yellowrocks said...

Misty, Irish Miss, and JzB, thank you for seconding my enthusiasm for The Moldau. Every time it appears on NPR I appreciate it more.

Jerome said...

Argyle- Just curious... What did you have to pay for that dictionary back in 1828?

TTP said...


Thank you Kurt and JzB.

SARAN to start the day. SARAN wrap and I don't get along. I usually end up with a piece that's unusable. Never seems to rip across that serrated edge correctly.

Had NEEDed before NEED BE, but it was a momentary glitch. Sweater opening was neck for a half minute.

Yeah, SMETANA perped in.

Loved the Patsy Cline link and love that song. LeAnn Rimes covers Patsy Cline very well. LeAnn got my interest after hearing Blue the first time. If you listed to Blue, the next song will be "I Fall To Pieces."

URCHIN was easily filled, and I immediately thought of Dickens, and had no other issue with it.

Jayce, I know some consider Sea Urchins a delicacy. You've had them ?

Abejo, congratulations on your French ! But I think you give yourself to little credit...

TTP said...

Too. Not to.

TTP said...

Listen. Not listed. I give up.

Bill G. said...

I wish all of you could have gone with me on my short bike ride today. The weather was cool, clear and crisp with a dark blue ocean, bright blue skies and a few white puffy clouds (unusual for this area). I hope I never start taking that scenic view for granted.

I saw a sign outside an establishment on my way back from the bike ride. It read in part, "Please be courteous of our neighbors..." It didn't look right to me. Shouldn't it have been, "Please be considerate of our neighbors..." or "Please be courteous toward our neighbors..." What do you think?

SwampCat said...

Is it only my iPad that has rewritten the blog?? I can hardly read it!

SwampCat said...

The new format wouldn't let me say anything more! Maybe that's a good thing.....

Someone explain ATLI as a substitute for Atilla. Perps filled it in but I never heard of that.

Loved seeing Jr. Seau. Not a fan, but he is impressive.

Barry, I thought of SIEVE before SARAN,too.

And it was fun to see HET for the second time in one week. Never use it, myself.

Fun romp, Kurt, and great expo, JzB.

Jayce said...

TTP, I think I have eaten sea urchin, but I'm not sure. It was on sushi, and I recall not liking it very much.

Hand up as another person who loves The Moldau by Smetana.

Bill G, I agree it should be "Please be considerate of our neighbors..." or "Please be courteous toward our neighbors..." So many bad spellings and grammar these days. It speaks to the crappy quality of education in this country for the last 40 years.

Best wishes.


TTP said...

Jayce,

I asked my wife and she thought we saw a Food TV Iron Chef, or Chopped program where one of the ingredients was Sea Urchins.

Argyle said...

Jerome, Hardy Har Har

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

After reading everyone, I guess this pzl just wasn't in my wheelhouse. For me it was a perp/WAG fest. I was happy that everything was right in the end... Well, except for BootED and its xings. Sorry, getting BUMPED is a bummer, but getting Kicked off the flight (for being belligerent) is getting BOOTED. (Moi? No, never). DNF.

I was so sure of BOOTED too 'cuz it crossed 10d's Cote (thanks Kazie!), spelt COOt.

YOU BET SARAN was slow in coming. COPTER was tough too 'cuz of ANKLErS(?). I wrote in PEPE confidently at 43d (Doh!) and then crossed it w/ neck (not PORE).

SURE, here's more fun you can make of me: I took forever to finally see G.E. S. I kept wanting GaS appliances and trying to CHANGE ALERT to A?A?T. Also, I SWEAR there was a d in PIGEON.

Oh, well, it was fun. Thanks Kurt and thanks JzB for hosting the after-party. I love your style.

Does anyone remember The FALL GUY w/ Lee Majors?

Jayce @3:41 - LOL! BTW, I have had URCHIN once at a local joint. It looked like a brain sitting on my plate and I poked a bit out w/ the chopstick. Not my cuppa...

Barry G. - NC beat me to how I remember BOAC. NC provided the lyrics, here's the tune.

TTP - No worries (I didn't even notice). I just live w/ my tyops and just let everyone think I'm an illiterate CHUMP; I'm SECURE in my other abilities :-)

Cheers, -T

PK said...

Anon T: I think we just had the name Walter Pidgeon that did have a "D" in it. Or am I hallucinating.

CrossEyedDave said...

Argyle,

I am posting this via time travel, a day late & a dollar short,
in the hope that nobody reads it.

Re: TTP @ 5:11

IMHO,,,

That "Blue" link reminds me of the song that killed the martians...

Also,
to add insult to injury,
I clicked on Anon-T's BOAC link to settle my nerves,
I it was preceded by a 14 second commercial for some kind of RAP music...

Ouch!