google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

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Dec 1, 2015

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Tribute - to Woody Allen

1A. With 69-Across, filmmaker born 12/1/1935 who directed and wrote five films in this puzzle : WOODY and so 69-Across. See 1-Across : ALLEN

18A. With 59-Across, 1980 film by 1-/69-Across : STARDUST and so 59-Across. See 18-Across : MEMORIES

27A. 2011 film by 1-/69-Across : MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

33A. 1971 film by 1-/69-Across : BANANAS

36A. 1973 film by 1-/69-Across : SLEEPER

45A. 1995 film by 1-/69-Across : MIGHTY APHRODITE

Rabbit, rabbit! Argyle here with a rare Tuesday appearance by Jeffrey Wechsler. Woody is 80 years old today. I won't even try to list all of his accomplishments.



Across:

6. Apparel : GARB

10. Sacramento's state, briefly : CAL. (California)

13. "Most certainly!" : "INDEED!"

15. Language that gave us "khaki" : URDU. Urdu is historically associated Hindustan.

16. Spanish she-bear : OSA. (el oso(m))

17. Look that way : SEEM TO

20. Suffers from : HAS

21. Sneaky tactic : RUSE

23. Kosher : LEGIT

24. Diagnostic machine : IMAGER. But not the operator?

26. Make __ for: argue in favor of : A CASE

31. Being kept cold : ON ICE

32. Sardinian six : SEI


42. Junio, por ejemplo : MES. Spanish month of June.

44. Low voice : BASSO

52. Like a softly blowing fan : ON LOW

53. Nincompoops : MORONS

54. Windy City airport : O'HARE

55. One of the deadly sins : LUST

56. Camp bed : COT

61. Camden Yards ballplayer : ORIOLE. Baltimore, MD.

64. Spanish gold : ORO

65. Sit for an artist : POSE

66. Have a place to call home : RESIDE. A place to hang your hat.

67. "__ the ramparts ... " : O'ER. "O, Say" yesterday. Any more and we will have to stand up.

68. Figure (out) : SUSS

Down:

1. Genie's offer : WISH. Three wishes is standard.

2. Most fit for service : ONE A

3. Keats works : ODEs

4. __ Bums: Brooklyn Dodgers nickname : DEM. (them)

5. "Despite that ... " : "YET ... ". (and yet...)

6. Tailor's inserts : GUSSETS

7. Major thoroughfares : ARTERIES

8. Nutritional meas. : RDA. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

9. Sack material : BURLAP

10. Mountain lion : COUGAR

11. Birthplace of St. Francis : ASSISI. Assisi is a town and comune of Italy in the province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. Now you know.

12. Coffee drinks with steamed milk : LATTES

14. Hip-hop headgear : DO-RAG

19. Prefix meaning "ten" : DECA

22. "That's awful!" : "UGH!"

24. Ancient Peruvian : INCA

25. Personal bearing : MIEN

27. Unruly group : MOB

28. Words before flash or jiffy : IN A

29. Cacophony : DIN

30. Zip, in soccer scores : NIL

34. Novelist Tan : AMY. Her best-known work is The Joy Luck Club.

35. Smooth, as a transition : SEAMLESS

37. Black, to a bard : EBON

38. "CSI" actor George : EADS

39. Tire pressure meas. : PSI. (pound per square inch)

40. S.C. clock setting : EST. (Eastern Standard Time)

41. Fish eggs : ROE

43. Husbands and wives : SPOUSES

45. Cow sound in "Old MacDonald" : MOO MOO here and a moo moo there.

46. Response from another room : "IN HERE"

47. Supermodel's allure: Var. : GLAMOR

48. Prefix with scope : HORO. (horoscope)

49. Annoying types : TWERPS

50. Info on a store door: Abbr. : HRS. (hours)

51. Helicopter component : ROTOR

56. Slinky shape : COIL. Ah, the things we learn on the blog.

57. Merrie __ England : OLDE

58. High schooler, typically : TEEN

60. Letters that promise payback : IOU

62. Stephen of "The Crying Game" : REA

63. Alcatraz, e.g: Abbr. : ISL. (island)

Argyle


57 comments:

OwenKL said...

"White rabbit, white rabbit" is a Cornerite habit,
A token for good luck to all those who nab it!
Said in the manner
Of a magical GLAMOR,
Or tradition, or just fun to say "rabbit, rabbit!"

Not too difficult, but I wish the theme clues had been worded differently.
1a.First name of -
27a.2011 film by -
etc., to
69a.Last name of -, born 12/1/1935, who wrote and directed the films in this puzzle.

Having the reveal at 1a is just a bummer. And after yesterday's ski report, I note the upper-left corner of all three west-coast regions have IN intersecting ON.

As EBON night shakes its STARDUST O'ER every SLEEPER
The dreams of the dreamers SEEM TO go ever deeper.
The visions are SEAMLESS
To the IMAGER in sweet rest,
And the COT becomes a carpet to fly off into the ether!

OwenKL said...

For Irish Miss,
. . . .It Really Is A World-Wide Web!

The e-mail looked totally LEGIT and official
And the offer it made sure would be beneficial!
It could be a RUSE,
Some spammy abuse,
But a Nigerian prince wouldn't do that on principle!

The e-mail was welcome, the timing was great.
To erectile dysfunction I could readily relate!
Should I try to SUSS
How they knew of my LUST,
Or just order Canadian drugs by the crate?

The telegram IN AN e-mail came from Western Union,
And was addressed straight to me, so there was no confusion!
Some TWERPS may have doubted
The way it was routed,
But winning the Irish Sweepstakes was not an illusion!

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Swell puzzle, Jeffrey! Great theme! Super expo, Santa!

No problems.

Cute, Owen!

Cheers!

Lemonade714 said...

White Rabbit, white rabbit. Wow the year is almost over and we have a JW tribute puzzle with 70 letters of theme! It is an impressive grid with such fun symmetry. The rest was SEAMLESS

Thanks Jeffrey and Scott and Winter is Coming

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Blew through this one like a hot knife through oleo. Or is that olio?

I got the theme off the first letter of 1A and knew every one of the movies featured enough to SUSS them out after getting a few letters, so this really was a quick solve. I think my only hangup was waiting for IMAGER to appear.

TTP said...


Good morning all.

Thank you Jeffrey and Argyle. Jeffrey, what are you doing here on Tuesday ? Shouldn't you be hanging around the other end of the week ?

I'll phone it in today. Pretty much WBS.

Big Easy said...

I knew I would be in trouble after filling the 1A by perps, going to the SE and then filling 69A by perps because I didn't know of any WOODY ALLEN movies other than ANNIE HALL. But luckily they were easy to SUSS with the exception of MIGHTY APHRODITE. I had SIMPLY for MIGHTY, PERISCOPE for HOROSCOPE, tried DWEEBS for TWERPS, T'M HERE for IN HERE, and TWOSOME for SPOUSES.

I'd heard the word GUSSET before but had no idea it was used in clothing; looked it up after solving the puzzle. The SEAMs in BURLAP sack dress SEEM TO be well hidden in the example.

I always wondered why the INCA empire was referred to as ancient. They built their empire starting in the 12th century A.D., which I would classify as the Middle Ages for Europe.
DO-RAG- I put one on my bald head when I wear the bicycle helmet.
LUST- why is that a sin? Maybe because a jealous SPOUSE will make it deadly for YOU.

Unknowns this morning- EADS and five movies.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Hunh? How did it come to be December already? Great puzzle. I agree with Lemonade; it was pretty SEAMLESS. Lots of fun! Great theme. I didn't realize today was WOODY ALLEN'S birthday. Pretty smooth and what wasn't came with the perps. Had not idea who the CSI guy was, but EADS-gads, he's a handsome fellow.

Thanks Jeffrey and Argyle for a smooth start to a busy day: decorating, and knitting. I have 15 mini-stocking ornaments to knit. Oh dear, Madame Defarge, what were you thinking when you committed to that??!!

desper-otto said...

The DO-RAG is not eponymous.

Tinbeni said...

Pinch, Pinch ...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

D N F ... self imposed due to a certain 3-letter word ...
My Scotch is kept cold enough to consume as poured ... NEAT !!!

Liked the mini-baseball theme with DEM-Bums and the Camden yard ORIOLE.

Nice how LUST crossed SPOUSES.

A "toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!!!

HowardW said...

Total speed run today, as I'm a big fan of WOODY ALLEN, so it didn't take too many perps to guess the theme entries. Only unknown was George EADS. [I'm more familiar with EADS as the eponym of this St. Louis bridge.] Love the symmetry of where the theme entries were placed in the grid, especially the split answers 1A/69A & 18A/59A.

Thanks Jeff for the tribute to WOODY ALLEN, and to Argyle -- nice sack dress!

Oh, and bunny! bunny! to all.

thehondohurricane said...


Not being a Woody Allen fan, this was a tough solve with heavy reliance on perps. Never have seen any of the theme movies. No intentions to see any either.

Started with creeps for annoying types until TWERPS forced its way in. To me a TWERP as an undersized being. That made the SW corner more difficult then it should have been.

Took a while for Kosher to get LEGIT. Was thinking of a type of dietary something or other for the fill.

Happy with the solve, this was the kind of puzzle where a spelling error or two usually results in a FIW.

UConn ladies looking really sharp so far and they haven't played any cupcakes. Saturday versus Notre Dame could be a classic contest. A loss to them would be hard to swallow.

Dudley said...

Rabbit Rabbit

And WBS.

Jerome said...

Grace Slick... Grace Slick

SwampCat said...


Rabbit rabbit.

Not a fan of Woody so this was less enjoyable for me than for others. I did appreciate the clever construction, however, and it all filled itself in. The write up was great.

Owen, you cheered me up considerably with your verses...all of them!

Happy December to all.

Husker Gary said...

Of all of Woody’s films I’ve seen, I haven’t seen any of these. Jason Alexander said his early George Costanza was just him doing neurotic Woody.

Musings
-KHAKI = خاکی in Urdu
-A very famous literary RUSE
-I think my body has seen every IMAGER possible this year
-Johnny Cochrane really knew how to make A CASE
-I only know these GUSSETS.
-MLB teams keep champagne ON ICE for this celebratory activity (note the eyewear)
-_ES/A_Y was a 6 for me on the Natick scale
-We need white noise like a fan ON LOW to sleep. You?
-Talk about your MORONS!
-ONE-A was dreaded in the 60’s
-How we got up the hill in ASSISI
-DECA variation – Tri(3)skaiDEKA(10)phobia(fear)
-Not SEAMLESS – Golf on one day, snow the next!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Nice of Jeff to commemorate Woody's birthday. Enjoyed the puzzle a lot. Favorite fill was DEM Bums. Brought on a chuckle.

BURLAP was ubiquitous on our farm. We would invert a corner of an empty sack to make a rain hood to ward off summer showers while cow-herding. Empty sacks would be stockpiled for months to be ready for threshing season.
SEI reminds me of a kind of whale.
While having lunch on a business trip in the mid 80's, in the Russian Tea Room in NYC, we noticed Woody and Mia Farrow a few tables over.

Abejo - Deepest sympathy on the loss of your Mom

Yellowrocks said...

Interesting puzzle. I haven't seen any of these movies, but have heard of them all.
Owen, great verses.
I have read quite a few Amy Tan novels. I enjoy reading about the immigrant experience in America and the meeting of different cultures.
HG, "Get A BRAIN MORANS" LOL
We often say, "That is not kosher," to mean that is not LEGIT, no Jewish dietary laws called upon.
I used to hate to try to sleep when someone had the TV on. Now I have fallen asleep during commercials so often that the sound of the TV is white noise to me.
I think we hear, "You little TWERP," quite frequently in movies, but there are big twerps, too.
I think of ANCIENT as relative. Sometimes it refers to the earliest times of civilization or pre-civilization, sometimes it refers to long ago, as in several hundred years, and sometimes it just means quite old, for example, those trees are ancient. I have heard seniors speak of their ancient bones or of feeling ancient. My bones are feeling much less ancient these days since i can dance again.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

WooWoo! I love WOODY ALLEN movies. He is a genius! So, of course this was quick and easy. Mira Sorvino won an Oscar for MIGHTY APHRODITE. Too bad Blue Jasmine wasn't in the puzzle. That was classic with Cate Blanchett. Still, it's impressive to have those five titles worked into the grid.

Thank you, Jeffrey! Normally you beat me up. And thanks to Argyle for your humor.

OwenKL:
You are so droll! Very funny.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Lucina said...

Yr:
I agree about the relative meaning of ancient.

You might enjoy Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell (2001) on the immigrant experience. I've become addicted to his writing.

Husker Gary said...

Am I the world’s worst dad?
1. I love coffee and make it everyday
2. My daughter knows this and gave me a very pricey Keurig coffee maker last Christmas
3. The Keurig she gave me is horrible. The packets are relatively expensive, I can’t set the machine to start automatically, you have to start all over again to make two cups and it takes up a lot of space
4. Sunday I bought a $9.72 coffee maker with a carafe and timer and very pleased to be back where I can have coffee ready when I get up and make 12 cups if I like
5. We have the Keurig stored on top of the washing machine and will get it out only when she and her family visit

Bluehen said...

Rabbit, rabbit. What Hondo said. I'm going to take a Thumper on this one. I didn't like Woody Allen even before he proved what a low-life he is by dating his step-daughter. The man just isn't funny, IMHO.

Man, there is nothing like a clear, crisp, cool Fall day and today is nothing like one either. Cold, dark, rainy and miserable. As long as I am stuck inside, I've put my time to good use. Made two fruitcakes curing in the pantry, five bottles of glogg aging and mellowing in a vat in the pantry (Dudley, I may have hit on a solution for the evaporation problem. I'll let you know if it works.), and a gallon of eggnog mellowing in the basement refrigerator. All for our annual Christmas party.

Also made a batch of mojito base and manhattans for our annual migration to the Outer Banks next week. You know, maybe DW and I should do a quality check on those manhattans. A toast to all at sunset! (I know I've read that somewhere.)

Abejo, my deepest sympathies on your loss.

Owen, way to go.

Cya!

Lucina said...

HG:
My experience with the Keurig is similar to yours. It was given to me by a friend and I just don't care for it. Although it has a mini cup to use my own coffee, it isn't as strong as I normally like coffee. Fortunately, my daughter liked it and coffee helps assuage her migraine headaches so I gave it to her. Problem solved.

My friend doesn't often visit and anyway the coffee pot has it's own covered nook so nothing to worry about.

Bluehen said...

Hands up for both the white noise and the Keurig.

Bill G. said...

Hello everybody! Rabbits all around for those who believe and celebrate...

I'm a big Woody Allen fan going all the way back to his stand up routines and appearances on late-night television. His earlier movies really struck my funny bone; movies like Sleeper and Take the Money and Run. Then some of his later movies like Annie Hall were classics of a more stylish genre. I didn't care for his serious movies like Hannah and Her Sisters and Interiors. I enjoyed some of his later movies like Midnight in Paris and Magic in the Moonlight. Plus he's a pretty good dixieland clarinet player. (Lucina, I'll have to look for Blue Jasmine.)

Good stuff Owen!

White noise is fine for me but not necessary. It helps mask the mower and blower of a couple of the neighbor's gardeners.

I hope everybody's health concerns improve. Best wishes to all.

Yellowrocks said...

Gary, Lucina, Bluehen, I had researched a simple Kuerig with a small footprint, using any brand of coffee and other good features. It had a 4+ star rating. For Christmas my generous son and DIL decided to give me a big very expensive Kuerig which takes up a lot of space, uses only special coffee packets and has fewer stars. I don't care for it and never use it. Among many complaints the coffee is too weak. I was kicking myself for not returning it for my own choice. Son and DIL would not have minded. But, now I find other people's Kuerigs, after several months of use, make coffee that tastes stale. The water that remains inside the machine can't be dumped out. I am thinking of doing away with the machine. I still love my 15 year old coffee pot. What a costly, but well intentioned waste.

Anonymous said...

Thank you BlueHen for stating the obvious re: Woody Allen. He and the recently in the news Roman Polansky, both have a special place waiting for them in karmaland.

Jayce said...

After seeing one or two Woody Allen movies (I forget which ones) I concluded he and his works are not my cup of tea. I have heard of Mighty Aphrodite, and from the few clips I have seen of it I understand why Mira Sorvino won an Academy Award. The names of the other movies are not familiar to me.

Man oh man, there sure were a lot of 3-letter answers in this puzzle. 24 of 'em if I counted right, many of which are foreign words and abbreviations. To me, this gives this puzzle a "meh" rating of 8 out of 10. Fill such as GUSSETS and SPOUSES and other down entries saved it from being 10 out of 10.

Bill G, will you be going for a bike ride and a couple of LATTES today? Actually, I know you usually get a machiatto, not a latte.

Best wishes to you all.

Misty said...

I got WOODY right away, so that got me off to a good start, and although I haven't seen all the movies, the titles were familiar to me. So this was a lot of fun--many thanks, Jeffrey. Only I can't believe I goofed in SEI/NIL. Had SES and since I don't know sports figured NSL was some sort of initial for a league or something. Too bad, because otherwise this would have been a perfect Tuesday morning for me.

Sad to say goodbye to Dad and brother last night--they go home today. But wonderful to have had such a nice family Thanksgiving. Now on to the Christmas holiday season.

Have a great day, everybody.

Dudley said...

Both hands up for thinking the Keurig is a poor coffee maker. Single cup convenience is its only virtue, and the extra waste it generates is just criminal.

OwenKL said...

Does no one like the Keurig? My LW wants one for our next coffee-maker, because we've seen and used them in waiting rooms. We currently have a percolator we sought out a few years ago because I was nostalgic for the music they make. Alas, my hearing was so far gone I can't hear it except by touching the pot -- not a recommended action! She leaves it plugged in 24/7, and it's still working fine. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but discovered that coffee-infused hot water is still fine for bullion, hot chocolate, or instant oatmeal!

Lucina said...

BillG:
If you haven't seen Midnight in Paris, I highly recommend it. Woody always has a superb cast and this one is no exception. Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Owen Wilson are all the stars that shine in this movie.

Yes, Woody is a flawed human being but that doesn't overshadow his genius IMHO.

Dudly@12:29
Amen!

Lucina said...

I forgot Kathy Bates.

Anonymous said...

A tribute to Woody Allen?!?! Sorry Rich, this doesn't pass my breakfast test. As a matter of fact, I stopped solving and threw the paper in the trash.

What's next? A tribute to Bill Cosby? Another comedic genius with flaws that have never been proven.

Imagine the uproar if the liberal rag that is the LAT published a tribute to George W.Bush, Sarah Palin or [gasp] Donald Trump. Whoopee, that'd be a feisty day here on the blog. : )

Anonymous said...

Part 2 of rant

I guess what really bothers me about men like woody, bill and the other bill is when women or children accuse powerful men of heinous crimes they are mostly dismissed and themselves accused of ulterior motives. Power and money, I guess. Sad. I know of an innocent Northern California blue collar man accused of such by a scheming ex and he is serving time in prison because of a lack of a powerful lawyer. Life isn't fair sometimes.

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

A little late to the dance as I had to pick up my car (inspection), shopping for a new purse, and getting a much-needed hair cut, and then reading a slew of comments.

While I have heard of all of the theme movies, the only one I've seen is Midnight In Paris which, along with Lucina, I loved. Someone mentioned Interiors, which was an intense family-in-conflict drama and, I believe his first non-comedic film. One of the stars was Maureen Stapleton, a Troy native.

I enjoyed the puzzle and had no problems except deci before deca. If only that darn _ _ _ would melt away so Tin could avoid the self-imposed DNF!

Thanks, JW, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Argyle, for several chuckles at your amusing summary!

Owen, thanks for the CSO and the always witty limericks.

PK from yesterday: Cranky you're not, but have some Snickers anyway!

Have a great day. We're having the same type of day as Bluehen weather-wise but no fruitcakes, glogg, or nog-making on my agenda. (Auto-correct changed glogg to Google!)

Stoic Reader said...

Thank you Jeffrey Wechsler for a wonderfu puzzle and Argyle for a stimulating commentary. IMHO, the puzzle was appropriate for a Tuesday.

Re: Woody Allen and Bill Cosby and others .... we take the good and wish away the bad and unsavory. That is upto Karma and the hereafter. Having had the option to experience Woody and Bill, is better than not having had the choice to meet people like them, at all - had they not existed. Man is fallible, period - get used to the idea.

As for the politics, there are ten thousand other blogs, why come here.

Leporidae, Leporidae for the new month.

Bill G. said...

Hey Jayce. I thought I would just get a plain espresso yesterday. I ordered at my regular coffee emporium. I sat down, started reading and then I heard my name called. I went to pick up my order and it was my usual macchiato. I asked what had happened. The barista saw me come in and made my usual order without looking to see what I had actually ordered. No problem...

I don't want to start an argument but I don't understand the animosity toward Woody Allen. He married somebody he fell in love with. She was not a blood relative. She apparently loved him. I've never heard anyone say that she felt she had been taken advantage of. The heart wants what the heart wants. If they both are happy, I'm OK with it. He was accused of molesting Mia Farrow's seven-year old daughter, Dylan. "Investigators with the New York Department of Social Services closed their own 14-month investigation after their similar conclusion, that "No credible evidence was found that the child named in this report has been abused or maltreated." I think Mia Farrow hated him so much by then that she would be happy to accuse him of anything.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. That's a lot different from Bill Cosby who has 55 accusers by now. Just my two-cents worth. Your mileage may differ...

Lucina, thanks for the input. I think I saw Midnight in Paris on cable and enjoyed it. (I love Rachel McAdams.) I don't know much about Blue Jasmine though.

Yellowrocks said...

Stoic @1:49, I agree. I hope my own blindness and mistakes do not negate the good I have done and the love I have given and received. Robert Louis Stevenson said, "There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of
us, that it behooves all of us not to talk about the rest of us."
I agree with Lucina, "Yes, Woody is a flawed human being but that doesn't overshadow his genius IMHO." IMO Bill Cosby has been a great influence for good in many ways and his contribution to our culture is solid in spite of his reprehensible flaws. Although I am very disappointed in him and turned off by his actions, forgiveness and forbearance are virtues in my credo. Snarky ANON, please note.

Owen KL, think about how turned off many of us are on Keurig before you buy. Maybe you should show DW our reviews. There are many similar on line.

CrossEyedDave said...

WOS (what OwenKL said) re: Woody@ 1A (Although I didn't fill it in til the downs...)

Fairly easy puzzle with a couple of hiccups,
(HG, that Amy/Mes crossing was an 8 on the Natick scale for me...)
I almost fell into the 17A look that way = seemed trap,
&5D "despite that Yee" did not seem too out of place,
but had to correct it when 14D DDrag appeared...

Re: White Noise,
I have discovered that it is dangerous to wake DW when she falls asleep
in front of the TV, as my shaking her always creates a shocked response.
However,if I turn off the TV, & walk away, just walk away,,,
she will gradually wake up peacefully within 60 seconds...

HG@10:58 I hear you re: the stupid coffee maker!
But what is a poor daughter to get for a Dad that has everything?

Re: Woody Allen, I have seen, & enjoyed many clips of his movies.
But for some reason I cannot explain, I have never seen one of his
movies all the way through... (lack of interest?)

Every time I sit on The Throne,
I cannot help but think of a quote (that I) attribute to Woody Allen,
Although there is no proof he said it. (& I can understand why...)
But it is as follows:

I know God has a sense of humor,
because wiping my ass, makes my nose itch...



HowardW said...

I'm with Bill G. (2:15) re Woody Allen. It's certainly an unusual relationship, but I've seen no information indicating that the relationship is/was non-consensual or involving an underage (presumed to be unable to consent) person.

Lemonade714 said...

I am the only coffee drinker in my house hold and i love my Keurig, which allows me to make the coffee as strong as I wish. If you have trouble with weak coffee, buy Starbucks, they are often on sale.

Stoic reader, please visit us and comment more often.

Comedians are not politicians

Bill G. said...

Re. Keurugs. Barbara wanted to buy one for me but I talked her out of it. It seems to work really well for my CPA that we visit in his office usually once a year. They can make a customer a cup of coffee, an espresso, a cup of tea, or a hot chocolate, etc. Very convenient but wasteful and expensive just for me. I enjoy using my bottom-of-the-line Mr. Coffee.

CED, re. waking up: There was an Estonian fellow I lived with at Cornell (in a co-op; a little like a fraternity for us poorer students.) It was dangerous to wake him up. If you needed to for some reason, call out his name or give him a poke but stand back! He would awaken suddenly, leaping out of bed and flailing his arms as if he was being threatened. Very interesting but possibly leading to some bodily harm.

A FEW WOODY ALLEN WITTICISMS:

~ Basically my wife was immature. I'd be at home in the bath and she'd come in and sink my boats.

~ I'm very proud of my gold pocket watch. My grandfather, on his deathbed, sold it to me.

~ Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go, it's pretty damn good.

~ I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.

Maci45 said...

Never have been a Woody Allen fan, his humor never appealed to me, though other friends found him hilarious. Funnyness comes from all directions, I guess. So didn't know some of the movies, but got through. IMAGER was a puzzling clue, EADS I didn know, though I used to watch the show.

I turned down the Kurig. I stick with what I know works for me.

TTP said...


Ran my errands. One was to stop by Costco for coffee. Bought two of those 48 oz containers (380 cups) of Folgers Classic for our Bunn coffee maker. No Keurig for us. We make 8 cups a day so that should have us running out again sometime in late Feb or early March...

My sister's Kerig sits unplugged and unused at the far end of her counter.

Hotels seem to be replacing the common little two cup coffee makers in the rooms with the single-serve "pod" or "k-cup" style coffee makers. We've had the pod style in 4 of the last 5 hotel "stays."

Owen, you could probably test the waters with an inexpensive brand from a Kohls type of store. As CR summarized, "These are more expensive to buy and operate than other types because you must also buy special coffee refills."

Many people gave or received bread making machines a few years ago. Probably a lot of those collecting dust too, but I'll bet there are also plenty of people that fell in loaf with theirs.

Garlic Gal from yesterday... So many TV channels here with old 50s and 60s programs, and some 70s. So no QVC or HSN for me so far. My mother collected Hummels and sold her collection in the early 80s while prices on highly prized pieces were still hot. She'd been collecting them since the early 60s. My SIL was collecting Precious Moments, but no more.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! I thought I was in trouble when I saw the movie director clue at 1a but it all perped in well and was fun. I'm not a Woody Allen fan and had never seen any of the films or even heard of most of them. Bananas? Really? Thanks, Jeffrey.

Didn't know EADS but no red-letter runs today.

They were right about Marilyn Monroe. She does look good even in a burlap bag. Thanks, Argyle for all you do.

DO RAG: I bent over trying to prop up my mum one day, saying bad words aloud because the little fence would not stay in the hard ground. I straightened up and was immediately terrified because a black gangbanger was standing between me and my open front door. He spoke and I recognized my next-door neighbor. I'd never seen him in a DO-RAG and mirrored glasses before. He helped me prop up my mums. Can't judge a man by his DO-RAG.

Gary, loved the English wording on the stairway sign! Something was lost in translation.

Rabbit Schmabbit: I don't even want to think about ANY rodents. I just spent $90 on stuff to feed or repel my unwanted guest and any of his relatives who might wander in. Have any of you used the sonic repellers you plug into a wall socket. My son had a mouse on his desk at work. He got several sonic repellers for his and nearby cubicals & thinks they work.

What amazes me about the Bill Crosby thing is that all those women want to tell about it. I grew up in an age where women didn't want anybody to know they ever had sex.

TTP said...

Count me in the corner with Argyle, and Mary Keller. His humor and acting never appealed to me.

Someone convinced me years and years ago to go see a movie where he was supposed to be really really funny. I did. He was playing a neurotic talking sperm or something. I thought the whole thing was stupid and walked out early. Don't even know if that was one of his movies or not.

I went to another later because a girl I was dating wanted to see it. It was one of the movies with Diane Keaton, but I don't recall which one. Again, more goofy neurosis. I've always thought, why doesn't that guy just grow up and grow a pair ?

I simply didn't care for his humor and persona. He's just like Bruce Dern in that I would rather change the channel or turn the TV off rather than watch him.

But, he obliviously appealed to a lot of people because he kept showing up in movies, so to each his own.

Then I chanced upon Midnight in Paris on one of the movie channels, and enjoyed it enough to have watched it a couple of more times since then. Didn't know he directed it.

Anonymous said...

For Barry G at 5:44 AM:

In regards to the OLEO/OLIO conundrum, I always remember it this way:

The E in OLEO pertains to the E in BUTTER.

The I in OLIO pertains to the I in MISC.

Hope this helps.

GarlicGal said...

I'll weigh in. I do enjoy some Woody Allen movies. So far no one has mentioned "Everyone Says I Love You".It's quirky, funny, singing, dancing, Paris - Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore.

When I was filling in WOOD_, I thought for a minute...oh boy...It's going to be an Ed Woods puzzle. He directed and wrote so many really great bad movies; Plan 9 From Outer Space, Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster. (Work on that, Constructors.)

Lucina from last night - I'm pictured holding a loaf of Portuguese Sweet Bread. Check last night's comments.

Sunny day in NorCal...ho hummm

thehondohurricane said...



To Bill G @ 2:15 PM and other Woody fans,

You arte certainly entitled to your own opinions, but regarding Mr Allen:

He is certainly a respected film producer with followers who appreciates his humor. I am not among "youse". To mr he is nothing more then a freaking A..hole who may have been a child molester. Too many moons have come and gone for mr to remember specifics, but I do know I can't stand the little TWERP.

Hondo

Chickie said...

I'm really late to the party today, but I finished the puzzle with no glitches. Woody Allen isn't one of my favorite director/writers. Mighty Aphrodite was the only Allen movie I've seen. It was very good and Mira Sorvino was great in the role.

I've run errands, and done Christmas Shopping for the better part of the day. I just missed a hit and run by, about 5 minutes, a shooting by police right where I was shopping. A fellow fled from the police, hit about 5 cars before the police shot at his car. He ran into a TOYS R US store--full of patrons. The police arrested him in the store and he was injured--not sure if by gunfire or car accident. The SUV was stolen.

My nephew lost his Truck to a thief just about 5 weeks ago. He had left it momentarily to deliver a package to a friend. His girlfriend was asleep in the back seat of the extended cab. The thief didn't know she was there until she started pounding on his back. He stopped and pulled her out, hitting her so hard that he gave her a concussion. You never know when something like this is going to happen. ALWAYS take your keys with you regardless of how long you are going to be.
Truck and Thief have not been found. The girlfriend is ok, but still shaken up.

Be careful, everyone. Have a great evening.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

I got WOODY ALLEN w/ one WISH, but wouldn't know what he directed. I've only seen one (TTP - Everything You've Always Wanted to Know about Sex, I think) and meh. So, this was an UGH! pzl for me; took a bit to SUSS. Fortunately, it was a Tues, so I came out OK.

Thank Jeffrey - I finally got one of you pzls w/ out a FIW or DNF :-)

Thanks Argyle for kickin'-off another after party.

W/os - LEGal b/f LEGIT and couplES b/f SPOUSES. ESPs - 6, 38, &62d and 32 & 42a.

DW wanted a Keurig for Christmas last year. I tried to talk her out if it (it's wasteful IMHO - every cup is another bit of plastic in a landfill. I'm w/ TTP on my Bunn-o-Matic). Her argument was @$0.85/cup is cheaper than Starbucks. I got it for her, but I still see >$100/mo at Starbucks on the bank card. It was a RUSE!

HG - I tell folks, unless I ask, get me nothing, please! Dad did surprise me one year with a pizza peel. It's easier to use than a cutting board... Loved the link - I had MuRONS and kept thinking... maybe?

YR - I can't stand commercial TV when trying to sleep; their volume increase keeps waking me. C-SPAN, OTOH, makes me a sound SLEEPER (Pro-tip: special sessions are best - they drone on for hours...)

Lem- but, politicians are the bread & butter of comedy :-) Oh, and don't forget Sen. Al Franken.

Cheers, -T

TX Ms said...

Anon-T, had to snicker (I'm sorry) about your comment re the credit card charges - Starbucks fans are hooked! I agree with you as does the Keurig inventor:
"I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it," John Sylvan told The Atlantic in an interview. Why? Because the K-Cups are bad for the environment--they are disposable and not recyclable.
What is a Bunno-Matic? Thanks for the enlightenment!

Anonymous said...

I think the point being missed here is editor Rich Norris failing his so called breakfast test. It's very obvious Woody Allen is a very polarizing character and should have NEVER been given a tribute puzzle in this forum.

Every one of the LAT puzzle blogs has members denouncing woody and even Amy over at the Fiend had a few choice words regarding Mr allen.

I look forward to relaxing mornings, sipping coffee and working a challenging yet benign puzzle. Rich failed me today as I got so worked up over such an undeserving(imo) person invading my personal morning routine that I didn't even finish the puzzle, leaving me without my normal satisfying start to my day.

I think I'll send Rich an email telling him such. And please don't approve any puzzles honoring Joe Paterno, Bill Cosby, O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, Roman Polanski or any other polarizing people.

Anonymous T said...

TX Ms: Bunn-o-Matic I have the BX model. These are (were?) made in my boyhood-town of SPI, IL and my family always had one. The older ones lasted 10+ years, the newer ones only 8 or so. There's a reservoir of hot water in the back tank that makes a pot of coffee in 3 min.

Chickie - OMG! I'm glad everyone is OK, if short a truck.

Cheers, -T

SwampCat said...


I have no trouble forgiving Woody his misbehavior. I just don't think he is funny. Everything I have seen of his just seems weird and creepy to me.

TTP said...


Anon-T, that sounds like it. And for the Bunn, I have the white one. DW guesses ours is now 12 years old. We've never used the warmer feature. On the second carafe. Broke the first one in the sink...

GG, you mentioned Morgan Hill yesterday, and I recalled that we stopped there to eat on our way back to San Jose from Carmel & Big Sur. It was a Mexican restaurant in town. It was a beautiful night and we ate outside in an enclosed area. Just asked my nephew. It was Sinaloa.

Chickie, 5 minutes is too close. Glad that you missed it.