google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

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Dec 22, 2015

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: I've got the crumpets - Can you find the TEA?

17A. "Calm down" : "TAKE IT EASY"

23A. BBC nature series with the episodes "Jungles" and "Mountains" : PLANET EARTH

37A. Adorable : AS CUTE AS A BUTTON

45A. Delayed flight, e.g. : LATE ARRIVAL

58A. Warm cupful ... and, literally, what's hidden in the answers to 17-, 23-, 37- and 45-Across : A SPOT OF TEA

Argyle here, old chap. Hello! Did you find the TEA hidden in the themes? Two x-xx and two xx-x. A grid spanner. Reveal in the lower right corner. I say, pretty ship-shape, eh wot?

Across:

1. Workers who cross picket lines : SCABS

6. Stare in disbelief : GAPE

10. Con game : SCAM

14. Kept from squeaking : OILED

15. "Yikes!" : "EGAD!"

16. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA

19. Salacious look : LEER

20. Bar in a bathtub : SOAP. Not cake this time.

21. Pint or pixel : UNIT

22. Former Russian rulers : TSARs

25. Starter's gun : PISTOL

29. CVS pickups : RXs. (prescriptions)

30. Inventor Howe : ELIAS. Invented a sewing machine with a lock-stitch. It required placing the eye of the needle at the point.

31. Ark measurement : CUBIT. What's a cubit? Go ask Noah.

34. "Dexter" network, briefly : SHO. (Showtime)

40. Chatter : YAK

41. Greek sandwiches : GYROS. The English spelling, ok?

42. Not throw out : REUSE

43. Rapper Dr. __ : DRE

44. Riviera film festival site : CANNES. The 69th Cannes Film Festival will take place 11-22 May 2016 if you plan on attending.

51. Dropped the ball : ERRED

52. "You're __ 30 seconds!": backstage warning : ON IN

53. Prefix with space : AERO

57. Trim, as a photo : CROP

60. Optimism : HOPE

61. Ancient France : GAUL

62. Film critic, at times : RATER

63. Pitcher with a flared spout : EWER

64. This, to Esteban : ESTA

65. Thin nails : BRADS

Down:

1. They're way more than social drinkers : SOTs

2. "Later, dahling!" : "CIAO!". Heard at Cannes.

3. __-Seltzer : ALKA

4. Driver's warning : [BEEP!]

5. 1980s missile prog. : SDI. (Strategic Defense Initiative)

6. Davis of "Commander in Chief" : GEENA. (on ABC)

7. Another time : AGAIN

8. Something to stick with? : PASTE

9. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

10. Dips for tortilla chips : SALSAs

11. Simple to understand : CLEAR. Conversely, 43D. Not as simple to understand : DEEPER

12. Sidestep : AVERT

13. Bog : MARSH

18. Rock's Jethro __ : TULL

22. Relating to roughness or smoothness, say : TEXTURAL

23. Ph.D. candidate, e.g. : POST GRAD. Postgraduate student.

24. Chicago daily, familiarly : TRIB

25. Austin __: Tennessee university : PEAY. Named in honor of Tenn. Gov. Austin Peay.

26. Ingrid's role in "Casablanca" : ILSA

27. Under the weather : SICK

28. Letter after sigma : TAU

31. Sleeping or slot follower : CAR

32. GI show sponsor : USO. (United Service Organizations)

33. __-relief : BAS. An old friend returns.

34. Shock : STUN

35. Garden spigot attachment : HOSE

36. Change for a five : ONEs

38. Spyglass user : EYER

39. Five-and-__ store : TEN. Now that's going way back.

44. "__ Buy Me Love": Beatles hit : CAN'T



45. Café lightener : LECHE. It's Spanish.

46. Traffic light symbol : ARROW

47. Figure of speech : TROPE. The figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.

48. Bouquet for a señorita : ROSAS. Deceptive. ROSAS is roses whereas a bouquet may be other flowers.

49. Computer fodder : INPUT

50. String quartet instrument : VIOLA

53. Many miles away : AFAR

54. "At Last" singer James : ETTA



55. Lakeside stalk : REED

56. Rowboat pair : OARS

58. Birthday number : AGE

59. Eye, poetically : ORB

Argyle




Note from C.C.:

Happy 71st Birthday to dear Misty! So pleased to hear your Christmas party went well. I'm raising my mug of tea to celebrate this special day, Misty!



62 comments:

OwenKL said...

TAKE IT EASY, it's just a trifle
When your parcel's a LATE ARRIVAL.
It's not as if
That singing fish
Is an essential for your survival!

Upon this ORB of PLANET EARTH
Of funny poems there is a dearth
The fault may lie
With the third Magi
Who was s'posed to bring a gift of mirth!

Join me now for A SPOT OF TEA
And let your cares and questions flee.
For a DEEPER puzzle
Your logic muzzle;
Let your id see CLEAR, subconsciously!

Little Willy was CUTE AS A BUTTON.
He dined on veal and English mutton.
As food he cherished
He grew quite pear-ish --
Now EGAD, does Big Willy have a butt on!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Total speed run today, except that I somehow ended up with PEAY at 25D--which couldn't possibly be right--and wasted a bit of time trying to track down my error. Which I couldn't do, of course. I finally just left it and finished the rest of the puzzle. Boy, was I surprised when I got the TADA!

Cute theme, but it was completely lost on me during the solve.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

WBS. Peay couldn't possibly be right, but there it is. Morning, Argyle!

Bill G from yesterday - there's something rewarding about daffodils after a snowy winter. I put in 50 bulbs yesterday.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Total speed run this morning. I guess the whole thing was a CSO to Nice Cuppa. Couldn't place PEAY, but recognized it when it perped in. Here's the other obvious puzzle-related song to Link (4:17).

Planet Earth was beautifully photographed. I've got the DVD set, and it's stunning.

thehondohurricane said...


Wasn't sure if I nailed this until I read Argyle's write up. We have the same question....What's a CUBIT? My other "not sure of" was TULL....never heard off him. Started out with Textures for 22D, but CANNES & LATE ARRIVAL corrected the error.

Christmas starts today here in the woods... we'll celebrate with youngest son and family. They leave for Hawaii on Christmas Eve. Other son and family arrive late Christmas day from his in-laws in NYC. Keep telling myself to be calm. Then I think, Fat chance of that!

desper-otto said...

Hondo, I recall reading that a "cubit" was the measurement from the elbow to the fingertips, or thereabouts. But what the heck was gopherwood? "Hey, Shem, be a pal and cut me a couple cubits of that there gopherwood."

Bill-G from last night: I was without dental insurance for the past 5 years. But after getting hit with a humongous multi-$k bill for an implant, I signed up for a policy. If I just get routine cleanings and checkups, it'll wind up being more expensive. But if I need some sort of repair..... I guess that's why they call it insurance.

Jerome said...

FIVE AND TEN store. Haven't seen one of them since I was about fifteen.

The magical musician pulled a VIOLA out of a hat and said, "VOILA!"

"So, you think I'm AS CUTE AS A BUTTON"
"NO, AS CUTE AS A BUTT"

Lemonade714 said...

I love the inclusion of TAU (Tt) in a puzzle with TEA the reveal.

Cubits were big in the Bible LINK my memory being of how tall GOLIATH was.

Thanks Jerry and ARGYLE

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Needed the reveal to catch the theme but sped right along with no bumps or nits. I was familiar with Peay so that filled in quickly.

Nice job, Jerry, and nice review, Santa. Since there is no snow, how are you going to deliver all those gifts Christmas Eve?

Barry, how are you today, pain-wise?

PK, that is very sad news about your nephew.

Have a great day.

Madame Defarge said...

Greetings!

Thanks Jerry. I was really on this today. Not sure why. My first mistake was ogle for GAPE, so my center top was quite a mess, but it perped out, and I was able to fly through this. I had enough of the theme answers to see what was going on when I came to the theme clue. Fun! Must have been that long winter's nap last night!

Thanks, Argyle for the interesting links in your explication. Nice.

Enjoy the day. Take a breath!

Montana said...

I was slowed a bit by same clues others have mentioned. Forgot to look for a theme. Still under the weather, but grandkids won't stay home until Thursday, so I have time to recuperate.

Have a great day,

Montana.

Barry T. said...

Got the theme right away, but didn't need it to solve. "PEAY" was an unknown, and needed perp help there. Latte? Leche! Otherwise smooth sailing. Have a great day, everyone!

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jerry Edelstein, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

Yes, a CUBIT is the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger extended. I recently wrote a paper on the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was 2 1/2 cubits in length, 1 1/2 cubits in width, and 1 1/2 cubits in height. A cubit is roughly 18 inches. It is all in the bible. In addition, when the Israelites were traveling with the Ark to the Promised Land, the 12 tribes camped with the Ark in the center of a hollow square, with three tribes on each side of the square, 2,000 cubits from the Ark. Moses and Aaron stayed near the Ark with the Levites.

The puzzle was very good. I think easier than Monday's. Theme was clever and I am drinking an Earl Grey tea right now. Love it!

Never heard of PEAY, but the perps were solid.

TROPE was not known to me. I keep learning new words here. That is OK. By the time I die I might be smart.

Love SALSAS!

My daughter and her family just left to go back to Ohio. Hope they have a safe trip.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )


SwampCat said...

Today was easier for me than yesterday . I didn't see the theme, but didn't need it. Only unknown was Peay, but it filled itself in when I wasn't looking. Thanks, Jerry, and Argyle, for a good start to an otherwise gray and overcast day. Is this really Christms week?

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Nice write-up. Especially enjoyed the musical links.

Jerry: Thank You for a FUN Tuesday puzzle.

Hmmm, fave today, of course, was the CSO to my friends, SOTS.
Yeah, It can be said: "We don't trust people who don't imbibe."

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

Husker Gary said...

I agree, Argyle. Jerry’s puzzle was ship-shape but TEA hid from this TEAcher until the reveal. Dang trees and forest!

Musings
-A great place to TAKE IT EASY
-Saints coach Sean Payton was a SCAB NFL player in the 1987 strike year but like most of them didn’t play afterwards
-Ivory SOAP floats because P & G has whipped air into it since 1863
-CVS is trying mightily to get into our town since we have Walgreens
-Now disgraced Bill Cosby had a hilarious Noah/CUBIT bit
-Caen to CANNES options
-ERRED – Seems to rhyme with “paired” here but with “purred” across the pond
-I loved The Da Vinci Code but the RATERS definitely didn’t
-At home you’re using your EWER
-We ate at a lovely Guatemalan café here in town yesterday but I resisted using the few Spanish words I know. All right, I did say “dos aguas” but felt bad about it.
-Our waiter took us over to a table to pick our SALSA - from mild to muy caliente!
-Yes I did!
-Austin PEAY takes one FB shellacking per year for big money. It was Ole Miss’s turn this year

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Split tea?

Easy one today. Got the long acrosses without thinking much about the tea spot. Flummoxed by PEAY and TROPE, but perps were solid. I only know alloTROPE, differing forms of the same element:
O₂ and O₃ (ozone) are allotropes of oxygen.
Diamond and graphite are allotropes of carbon.
There are others.

Have a good day, this 1st full day of Winter.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

Thank you, Jerry, for a great grid. It hit the spot and I nailed all of it. WEES about PEAY but it emerged so I didn't question it.

And thank you, Santa Argyle, for an excellent review.

Santa Claus arrived early at my house and left a snazzy new wireless printer and a tuner with amplifier and speakers. All of mine had been suffering from old AGE and needed replacing.

Have a wonderful winter's day, everyone!

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Hello everyone,
I forgot to add the note this morning. Today is dear Misty's 71st birthday.

I need to be punished, no pickle today!

Irish Miss said...

Best wishes to our dear Misty for a very Happy Birthday! 🎂🎈🎉🎁 I hope you enjoy your special day in a special way!

Yellowrocks said...

Fun early week puzzle. Great expo.
Much catching up to do with you all.
Congrats on your weight loss, Lucinda.
Happy birthday, Misty. I'm glad your party was a success. I'm glad you could look on it a a tribute to Rowland. He would be proud.
Barry, I hope your dental pain is lessening.
In re dental insurance, for more than a dozen years I have had none. It didn't pay for quarterly cleanings which is all I needed. However, last month I had an implant. Ouch to the purse and to the mouth! I can sympathize, DO.
Montana, what a time to feel ill! I hope you recover quickly.
PK, so sorry to hear the news about your nephew.
Abejo, I was thinking your ark was too small. Then I realized it was the Ark of the Covenant, not Noah's ark.
I didn't care for The Da Vinci Code because it purported to be scholarly and was full of factual errors. It erred in my fields.
For me erred does not rhyme with paired or purred. It begins with EH, like Canadian EH, not air or ur. I also pronounce error beginning with EH.

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody -- and a special birthday greeting for our Misty! I hope your day is special.

It starting raining yesterday afternoon so I turned back away from my planned short bike ride and got my Nook to read at the local coffee emporium. The rain was coming down in drops so small as to be invisible; almost a mist instead of a rain; maybe a drizzle. The wind has been blowing ever since. I don't mind the wind so much anymore. We used to have a HUGE Monterrey pine tree in our front yard. After a cold front passed by with the accompanying wind, everything would be inundated with pine needles about three inches deep. No more pine tree. It got a bark beetle infestation about four years ago and died. Watching the tree guys take it out was impressive. No more pine needles.

JD said...

Happy birthday Misty, and happy Tuesday to the rest of you,
Tull, trope and Peay were my unknowns today. I put gawk instead of gape until I remembered Edy. It's not a CA brand...Dreyers here. cubit was mentioned in the hilarious story of Noah's ark as told by Bill Cosby years ago. It was funny then...not so sure you'd enjoy me posting it now.
Enjoyed the puzzle, Mr. edelstein, and thank you Santa for the write up today
We are loving our California rain...pretty much sprinkles and showers. Did I mention that a raccoon family has been here 3x's digging up our new lawn? Keeping a light on and a radio that comes on every 15 minutes has kept them from digging for the last 3 nights.sigh

Big Easy said...

After a couple of days out of town, starting with this 'easier than a Monday' puzzle was a very fast speed run. And that was on top of three tv shows that I had never heard of, PLANET EARTH, Commander In Chief, and Dexter; I might of heard of them from another puzzle but haven't seen them, but the perps filled the squares. The TEA was easy to spot before I looked at the 58A clue after 'A SPOT OF TEA' was completely filled by perps.

TEXTURAL is a new word to me but it was either 'IC' or 'AL' and CANNES took care of that.
I know the sign says 5&10 but most oof the people where I grew up just called them 'DIME stores'.

Jethro TULL ( the band named after an 17th-18th century inventor) songs- 'Aqualung', 'Thick as a Brick', 'Bungle in the Jungle'.

Joe Lunardi said...

Austin PEAY a gimme for this NCAA Final Four junkie. Have noticed their name on my bracket a few times over the years. Usually an automatic bid for winning their conference and rewarded to play a #1 seed. Never have picked them to win, though.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-Happy Birthday Misty!
-Our dental insurance has paid for itself many times
-YR, when I watched The Martian last week I saw many factual/scientific errors but enjoyed it as a story. Same goes with The Da Vinci Code
-Santa left me a new Bluetooth Speaker and Golf Bag
-Yesterday we had 9h 11m of daylight here. By the 27th we will have 9h 12m. The corresponding times for Fairbanks, Alaska are 3h 43m and 3h 47m.
-Get that data for where you live

Barry G. said...

Did I forget Misty's birthday? AAAAARGHHH!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MISTY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

[And my tooth is feeling much better this morning, thank you. I'm just very tired because the pain kept me up last night.]

Yellowrocks said...

Maybe I am pronouncing Canadian EH improperly. Canadians to the rescue, please! I'm thinking of the E in better.
Gary, I enjoy many novels and docudramas as just stories, however schlocky or specious. The ones that pretend to real scholarship turn me off. For instance, many episodes on the History Channel feel pretentious when I am expecting real history. I find many viewers believe everything they see (or read).
I love well researched historical novels. Many of the best authors write an afterword to explain how and why they deviated from the record. After suffering through pure memorization of names and dates with little meaning in high school history classes, I have come to love real history. The best historical novels send me searching books and the Internet for what really happened.

CanadianEh! said...

Breezed through this puzzle in Monday time. Glad to see that it wasn't because I'm Canadian that I didn't know PEAY. Textures changed to TEXURAL with perps. Same for latte to LECHE.

YR, I love your use of EH for erred! I pronounce it with the "air" sound.

Five and TEN stores have changed to dollar stores.

I started with POT OF TEA until I realized I had an extra letter to fill. Oh, the English expression "spot of"! Four of us enjoyed afternoon TEA at the Prince of Wales in Niagara-on-the-Lake last month.

OwenKL: loved the last verse

HBD Misty.

CanadianEh! said...

YR, I say EH with the long A as in day but with the question tag.

CanadianLanguageTips

Husker Gary said...

Musings 3
-YR, me too on historical novels. I did a lot of research after reading The Agony And The Ecstasy, Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, The Da Vinci Code and others.
-I appreciate your take on ERR’s pronunciation but of course just used the words I chose for the sense of the ending sound
-I just finished George Barany’s puzzle Back-and-Forth in Omaha and of course enjoyed it.
-The puzzle and the event included these four schools and terms in that game. The Husker women won it all.
-A 1931 hit with 39 Down in the title (3:07)

Jayce said...

Now I know where Irish Miss's reference yesterday to LECHE came from.

Happy birthday, dear Misty.

No pickles for C.C. today.

I can't hear any difference between the "e" sound in ERR and the "ai" sound in AIR, which I pronounce the same. Yellowrocks, do you say "ayer" for "air" and "payer" for "pair"? That would explain, at least to me, why you say they don't rhyme.

PEAY was unknown to me. No disrespect intended, but I'll probably forget it in a week.

Santa gave me a new iPad yesterday, which I have been having fun getting familiar with. Since I have had an iPhone for several years, it was not hard, as the way they work is very similar. I love seeing things on the bigger screen; the iPhone screen is pretty doggone small. Santa also configured it with several apps he knew I would like, not the least of which is the Amazon Kindle app. Now I can read my Kindle books on the iPad. And just in time, too, because the battery charging circuit in my Kindle won't charge the battery; the Kindle works fine but won't charge and eventually the battery will deplete. I'm sure the timing of its demise is completely coincidental.

Best wishes to you all.

Boo LuQuette AKA Boudreaux in Eunice, La. said...

I thought the puzzle was easier than yesterday also. I also wandered about Irish Miss comment about LECHE yesterday.

BON FETE Misty ~!~!

Jethro Tull was big when I was a teen. He was called the Rockin Flute player. He played flute, clarinet, and guitar that I know of. Here's a link to Bungle in the Jungle. One of his hits.

https://youtu.be/tGltpPVLoL4

Bon Apres Midi from Cajun Country ~!~!

Freond said...

Jethro Tull have sold over 60 million albums worldwide, with 11 gold and five platinum albums among them. They have been described by Rolling Stone as "one of the most commercially successful and eccentric progressive rock bands". Started 1967. Now no longet active.Last tour 2011, now hi. I know their work much better than Dr. Dre's. What artists one knows or doesn't has more to do with age than most other things.

C6D6 Peg said...

Late today..... but it was a nice puzzle, Jerry. Thought it, too, was easier than Monday.

Thanks, Argyle, again for your great expo.

desper-otto said...

LECHE reminds me of an incident at the radio station back in the early 70's. Like most small town stations, we had a "Community Calendar" -- you know, the kind that announces that the Daughters of the Knights of Pythias will be holding a bake sale. Well, this one was an announcement for the La LECHE League. The announcer (not me, thankfully) pronounced it as "Leaky" and the members as "Leakers." Laugh, I thought my pants would never dry! In his defense, he didn't know any Spanish, and he had no idea what the La Leche League was about.

Happy Birthday, Misty. I guess I missed the earlier announcement.

Yellowrocks said...

Sorry, my mistake. I do not pronounce ERR like AIR or the Canadian EH. After I wrote that I got to remembering a Canadian dorm mate at college. She said "AY?" So, that is not the sound I meant. I pronounce ERR and ERROR with a short E, as in met, end, bed and etc. I also do not say Mary Christmas but use a short E. To me Mary, marry, merry, and Murray all have different vowel sounds. I read that if you did not grow up with these distinctions it is almost impossible for you to hear them.
Some time ago the Corner posted an exercise to determine where you live based on your choice of various pronunciations. I came within 30 miles of here, even though I was raised in PA. I guess I have been acclimated to NJ. ( Not Joisey. I hate that sound. Sorry for coming on so strong. Does that make me haughty.)

Jayce said...

Sorry Yellowrocks, I still don't understand how you pronounce AIR. All you said was you don't pronounce ERR like AIR (or what is the same, AIR like ERR.) So how do you pronounce AIR? Sorry to keep asking, but I would like to know. Thanks.

Tinbeni said...

Husker @11:58
Thanks for that daylight table.
Today, and the next 2 days, I have 10h 21m here in Tarpon Springs.
On Christmas I get 10h 22m


MISTY, Happy Birthday ... that first Sunset Toast is to YOU!
Cheers!

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Nice puzzle, Jerry! Great expo, Santa!

Whipped through this one.

WES about PEAY. We called it the "Five and Dime."

Lots of rain here. Certainly can rejoice. But would be nice if it temporarily cleared up on my birthday, Christmas, to get rid of the SAD!

Happy, happy birthday, Misty! Have some chocolate cake for me. (I'm gluten free.)

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

Fun romp w/ only a hiccup or two. Thanks Jerry, I enjoy'd the Earl Grey. Argyle, you had a fine writeup and really got into the Brit spirit. [I'm sure Steve is thinking, "EGAD, we don't talk like that" - Yes, yes you do :-)]

I see we had SOAP instead of cake in the shower today and RXS again (If only I could get a script for GYROS...)

W/OS - 45d: cream b/f latte b/f LECHE (?) One WAG @ xing of 25d (perps) and 30a.

Near fav: CUBIT - The 'Coz's routine came to mind.

I liked GAPE over EGAD.

I also liked keeping w/ the Brit theme: A BBC programme (PLANET EARTH), a Beatles' tune, AVERT'd EYERs, and, of course...

Fav - TULL. What other rock band has a flautist?

HBD Misty! 77 is just a UNIT of AGE - you blog young :-)

Get your pickle C.C. The note was posted by the time I got here. TAKE IT EASY on yourself.

Cheers, -T

Yellowrocks said...

Jayce, I pronounce AIR like the A in MAY with an R added on. I pronounce ERR like the E in END with an R added on. For MERRY I start to say MET, but drop the T and replace it with an R. If you hear ERR and AIR as sounding alike, you most likely will not hear the distinction. There are Japanese sounds that I think I am pronouncing just like a native, but they are not really it according to a native speaker.
The following M words all have a different vowel sound to my ear.
When MARY MARRIES MURRAY will will all make MERRY.

Anonymous T said...

YR - I have different sounds for your final sentence too - I always assumed it was the Midwest accent that I grew up w/ (and Carson & Letterman share).

DW, who says oole for oyel (oil), told me it's my mid-transatlantic accent that is universally accepted. Donno., But she had 2 semesters of diction to rid her of a N. Louisiana accent in RTVF b/f switching to Eng. / Post-Colonal Lit. These hosers taught me Canadian, Eh (pronounced with a rising eA). C, -T

CrossEyedDave said...

Peay?

Learning moment:
I got Elias, but I had to look up lock stitch.

Spot of tea? Don't forget the biscuit!

Happy Birthday Misty!

TeaTime!

Avg Joe said...

I don't intend to speak for the room....but I'm totally lost on all these minor distinctions in diction. Let's argue about the Oxford comma, please!

Happy Birthday Misty. It's wonderful you are keeping the tradition of the party.

WEES about the puzzle. Needed the reveal to get the theme, but not to solve it.

I'll depart with a "for lease Navidad" :-)

Misty said...

My goodness, a delightful Tuesday speed run, and a host of lovely birthday greetings from my blog friends--it doesn't get any better than this. And even a rendition of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" from Barry, and a first toast from Tinbeni! Now that's a great birthday party! Thank you all!

Anonymous said...

YR@2:53 Well, um...er...yes.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Fast & fun today. Four minutes faster than Monday. Thanks, Jerry. Great links, Santa!

Hand up for knowing Austin Peay from the NCAA final four. I think they pronounce it PEEE which struck me as very funny the first time I heard it. I'd make good grades at PEEE college. My attendance is extraordinary.

TROPE comes up often in a Kindle word game I play. I broke down and looked it up the other day, thus being prepared for todays puzzle.

Thank you all for your concern over my nephew. Really has thrown all our family into a tizzy. He is the next to youngest of that generation.

Back when I was a member of La Leche League after my last baby, the organizer pronounced it "Lay Lashay" as if it were French. When I questioned her, saying I thought it was Spanish, she became so irate that most of us just never called it anything except "nursing mother's club". One needs to remain mellow so as not to curdle the Leche.

Happy Birthday, Misty! Sounds like your had your party early.

SwampCat said...

Ave Joe, I'm with you! We in N'Awlins are fortunate to have MANY dialects, languages, pronunciations, and backgrounds. Cajun, creole, uptown, downtown, French, Spanish, and now all these wonderful new people from Asia and who knows where!

Even the name of our town has so many different different pronunciations, there is no "right" way to say it. I write it as N'Awlins as a joke, although that's not how I say it!

But we all understand each other and NO ONE would ever consider correcting anyone else's pronunciation! As long as we can communicate, does it matter?

Now about that comma.....


OwenKL said...

All these comments about not knowing TROPE?!? Have you folks never heard of TV TROPES, possibly the most distracting website on the Net? (Don't touch either of those links unless you've got at least 3 hours to spare!)

Lucina said...

Happy birthday, Misty! I hope you are having a lovely day though I know it's difficult without Rowland but kudos to you for your successful party. Life does go on!

Jayce said...

Yellowrocks, thanks for your answer to my question.

gespenst said...

I read every day but never post. Jethro Tull brought me out of my lurker role ... my favorite band! Ian Anderson is the lead singer and flautist, an amazing musician. I've seen them in concert upwards of 15 times, most memorably in Rostock on the Baltic Sea in eastern Germany in 1991. The band was named after a 19th century agronomist, whose life story was (loosely) featured in Jethro Tull the rock opera, which I saw last month.

I'm also patting myself on the back for knowing Austin Peay ... I guess being a (Duke) basketball fan, that was more of a gimme for me than the average bear.

Thanks for letting me jump in :)

Spencer in balmy CT

Jerome said...

Husker- Glad you mentioned Gore Vidal. Fabulous writer. Have you read "Julian"? In my opinion, his best historical novel.

Yellowrocks said...

Swamp Cat, Yes!! I find our regionalisms fascinating. And, never the less, we understand one another here in the USA. I find some dialects in Scotland and England difficult to understand. In the smaller European countries there are many differences in pronunciation. We seem quite homogeneous compared to that. Isn't English wonderful?

Anonymous T said...

Well, I'm taking my iPad's life into my own hands connecting to the pub's WiFi, but WTH, I don't shop on this thing.

Eldest is singing at the Houston Ballet tonight and I got road duty. What to do....? Steve here at the Maple Leaf is a good barkeep.

On the way into town, Eldest & I were listening to Market Place (KQED) and found out Chip Davis, who's behind the fictional (?) Convoy guy (C.W. McCall) is the same artist behind Mannheim Steamroller.

Who knew?

Welcome to the Corner Gespenst! I assume you liked the flute solo I link'd :-)

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Swamp - What gets me is how the folks from the 9th ward sound like they're from the Bronx or are Boston Southies. Cracks me up to hear Creole one minute and Bronx the next in the Qu'aarter. C, -T

Bill G. said...

I was leaving the coffee shop and saw my homeless acquaintance. I gave him a few dollars. He thanked me and wished me a Merry Christmas. I mentioned the cool, windy, rainy weather and I asked him if he had found a good place to spend last night. He said he had been under his usual bush and that he had gotten just a little wet. Geez...

Husker Gary said...

-Jerome, no I haven't read that book. I'm off to the library tomorrow to get it on your say so!
-AnonT - Chip Davis lives right behind my neighbor in a gated mansion in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska
-YR - it sounds so affected when Mary is pronounced in a way that sounds like Mehty in old movies by the same people who say Dahling.

gespenst said...

Thanks for that link, Anonymous T! Ian does put on an incredible show!

Big Easy said...

Anon T, those 'nint wawrders' moved out in the 70s along with the Irish Channel speakers from uptown. The lower 9th looked as bad before Katrina hit it and the Irish Channel became too expensive to live in.

'Earl' for oil; they sounded like Jersey boys. You don't hear it any longer except from the ones over 75 years old.

And being from N. Louisiana, 'what accent are you talking about?' Just a little drawl.

Anonymous T said...

1. Misty - sorry I misread C.C. & tacked on 6 years. Happy 71!

2. HG - No way... Way? Way Cool. If you run into him, tell Chip thanks from someone who's enjoyed both genres.

3. Gespenst - yep incredible. I looked & looked for TULL at Rolling Stone's Rock Circus I saw on PBS but couldn't find a live version. I was only +/-2yro back when they formed but the music speaks to me.

4. Big E - My step-mom was so taken (as in how sweet) w/ DW's drawl that I got her (and subsequently Pop's) blessing (it was too late, DW & I were hitched months earlier...). And yes, N. Louisianians have an accent to my ear. 'Course, the longer I've lived in Texas, the more my folks say I have a drawl.... Aw, hush, no I don' - 'ell you're jus' fooln' wit me.

Cheers, -T