google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Michael Dewey

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Dec 30, 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Michael Dewey

Theme: Having a go at it -  or - disappointing Yoda.  The last word of multi-word in-the-language phrases are all synonyms for striving to achieve something.



17 A. It may lead to an acquisition : TAKE OVER ATTEMPT.  One corporation ATTEMPTS to take over another.

28 A. Coalition : JOINT ENDEAVOR.  Working together for a common goal.  Rather a different shade of meaning, as compared to ATTEMPT.

48 A. With "the," one's best shot : OLD COLLEGE TRY.  This is a wild and desperate ATTEMPT to achieve something, perhaps with a bit of showboating along the way.

62. Sincere intention to be fair : GOOD FAITH EFFORT.  This is actually a legal term, relating to "what a reasonable person would determine is a diligent and honest EFFORT under the same set of facts or circumstances." Troutt v. City of Lawrence, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61641 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 8, 2008)

As I see it, all except JOINT ENDEAVOR carry some implication of failure, realized after the fact. Does that seem right?

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  Nicely constructed theme, with a couple of grid-spanners.  The rest of the puzzle lies before us.  Shall we do or not do?

Across

1. Coors "malternative" : ZIMA.  A kinda-sorta quasi-beer-like fluid from a company that makes other beer-like fluids.

5. NFL ball carriers : RBS.  Running Backs.   Who will be the first to take this DF?

8. Silently understood : TACIT.  That's one sense of it.  Another is simply remaining silent.  I have several segments of The Nutcracker marked TACIT.

13. National Air and Space Museum movie format : IMAX.    Large screen movie presentations.

14. Culturally affected : ARTY.   

16. Shrine to remember : ALAMO.   As the phrase "Remember the ALAMO" reminds us.

20. Bucket filler : ICE.   One of many possibilities.

21. Cooking oil brand : MAZOLA.   Corn oil.

22. Sport with masks : EPEE.   Fencing.

23. Nag's comment? : NEIGH.  Just horsing around - not emulating the Bickersons.

25. Binding words : I DO.   Marriage.

27. Stately tree : ELM.  Once upon a time.

32. SeaWorld swimmer : ORCA.  Shamu the killer whale.

33. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER.  The knight of the Roses.   DER is the nominative singular masculine definite article in German.

34. Source of ultraviolet rays : SUN.  And infra-red, and visible light, and even a small amount of X-Rays.  The solar spectrum actually peaks in the visible light region.  I'm not delighted with this clue.

35. Evidently is : SEEMS.  Appears to be.

37. Enthusiasm : VIM.   Usually travels with vigor.

39. The Masters or The Open : MAJOR.   Golf tournaments.

43. Aurora's Greek counterpart : EOS.   Goddess of the dawn.

45. Beat a hasty retreat : LAM.   Here a verb - not it's most common usage.

47. Yawner : BORE.   Uninteresting performance or presentation.

51. Dashboard meas. : MPH.  Miles Per Hour.

53. __ Jose : SAN.   California city.   Do you know the way?


54. Race paces : TROTS.   Well this interesting and brings out the pedant in me.  In harness racing, there are two varieties of races, for TROTTERS and PACERS.  They have distinctly different gaits, and breaking stride can lead to disqualification from a race.  In other races, where you sit down right on the horse, running is done at a full gallop.  So I'm not sure what this clue is getting at. 

55. Met showstopper : ARIA.  Opera song

57. "We can do it, team!" : LET’S GO.   Closely related to the theme, but not in an appropriate location.

59. Belittle : DIS.  Disrespect, in street talk.

65. Maneuver around : EVADE.   Or avoid.  I'm never sure.

66. Jordanian queen dowager : NOOR.  Lisa Najib Halaby [b. 1951, Washington D. C.] is an American woman who became the 4th and final wife of King Hussein [d. 1999] of Jordan.   She works on behalf of several international organizations.

67. Vacationing, perhaps : AWAY.   Perhaps on a business trip, the lam, or playing hooky.  Several possibilities.

68. Know without knowing why : SENSE.  Oh, what a feeling.

69. Second afterthought: Abbr. : PPS.  Post Post Script.  For when your thoughts are really untimely or disorganized.

70. Daughter of Elizabeth II : ANNE.  Born Aug 15, 1950.  She had two marriages and survived a kidnapping attempt.  She also has a criminal record, having violated both the speed limit and the Dangerous Dogs Act.  She is not to be confused with anther royal Anne who was the eponym for a common weed, a furniture design, and a neckline with a raised back and open front.   Oh, yeah - the earlier ANNE was also Queen of Great Britain from 1702 until her death from a stroke in 1714.

Down

1. Pasta choice : ZITI.   Medium sized pasta tubes.

2. All-in-one Apple : i-MAC.    Desktop computer system.

3. Act in a conciliatory way : MAKE NICE.   Whether you want to or not.

4. Log splitter : AXE.   Log splitter's tool.

5. Plundered : RAVAGED.   Plunder is the violent and dishonest acquisition of property.  Ravage is damage severely.   Not at all the same thing.

6. Khrushchev's successor : BREZHNEV.  Leonid, born 1906, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982.

7. Texas ALer : STRO.   Astros, an American League baseball team, inexplicably named after George Jetson's dog.

8. What Tweety tawt he taw : TAT.   Like this.


9. Out of the wind : ALEE.  Gimmee shelter.

10. Pitcher in the woods : CAMPER.   Tent pitcher.

11. Spur on : IMPEL.  Basically the same meaning as propel.   The use of "IMPEL" has been steadily declining for 200 years.

12. Tribal symbol : TOTEM.   A spirit being, sacred object or symbol that serves as emblm for a clan or tribe.

15. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer : YALIE.    Student or graduate of Yale University.  These people are also know as Elis.

18. Fail to say : OMIT.   Leave out.

19. "VoilĂ !" cries : TADAS.   "There you are," or "I did it."

24. Glossy coating : ENAMEL.   Paint or the natural covering layer on your teeth.

26. Egg cell : OVUM.  Female reproductive cell in humans and animals.

28. "__ Boys": Alcott sequel : JO'S.   A Sequal to "Little Men," occurring 10 years later.

29. Rock to refine : ORE.   Pay dirt.

30. Practice exercise : DRILL.   A method of training and discipline.

31. How money might be lost : ON A BET.  One of many ways.

36. Fixes the fairway, say : SODS.   Here, a verb, meaning to install sod.

38. Soda jerk's workplace : MALT SHOP.

40. Makes a note of : JOTS DOWN.

41. Boston Garden hockey immortal : ORR.  Bobby.   YouTube has several long video compilations of his highlight moments.  Here is just one, and perhaps the most famous.



42. Spanish king : REY.  

44. Milan's Teatro alla __ : SCALA.   Opera house since 1778, one of the world's leading venues for opera and ballet.

46. Business deals : MERGERS.   The joining of two companies to make a new, bigger entity.  The opposite of what I had the last time I blogged.

48. John Glenn, for one : OHIOAN.   Do you know any others?

49. Words often starting a long shot : ONE IN . . .  Often followed by . . .  a million.

50. Blunder : GOOF.  All GOOFs [in this sense] are mistakes.  A blunder is a stupid or careless one.

51. Dungeons & Dragons spellcasters : MAGES.   D & D has several categories of characters, each with its own unique powers, potentials and vulnerabilities.

52. Demonstrate as true : PROVE.  Provide convincing evidence.

56. Tacks on : ADDS.  Emends.

58. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.   Removable roof panels make a vehicle so equipped into an almost-but-not-quite convertible.  



60. Farsi-speaking land : IRAN.   Across the gulf from Saudi Arabia, and contiguous with several other countries.



61. Eye sore : STYE.   An inflammation of a sebaceous gland in the eyelid, generally caused by a staph infection. I opted not to show any pictures.

63. Membership cost : FEE.   AKA Dues.

64. LAX overseer : FAA.   Federal Aviation Administration.   Are they lax?   I haven't flown in years.  You can enlighten me in comments.

Did you get the TADA, or did you not do?  That is the question.

That's all, folks.

Cool regards!
JzB



51 comments:

Lemonade714 said...

If you look at synonyms for TRY the dictionary lists ATTEMPT ENDEAVOR EFORT.


Other than dredging up MAZOLW, this was an easy Wednesday as we get ready for the year end.

Princess ANNE is best known for her hosting around.

Thanks JzB and Michael

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Didn't notice the theme while solving and (fortunately) didn't need it. After the solve I briefly thought I was missing some circles, but then I noticed the final word of each theme answer and understood what was going on.

Struggled a bit with BREZHNEV because I went with RES (right ends?) instead of RBS to start with. That had me looking at EREZ____ for awhile and scratching my head until the light bulb went on.

ONEIN also held me up a bit until every perp fell into place and I had my *AHA* moment.

Everything else was pretty straightforward today.

Hungry Mother said...

This old soda jerk worked in a drug store.

Lemonade714 said...

Oh autocorrect! I obviously meant Horsing around.

RBS - I wonder where JzB' s mind wandered into DF country?

Looking forward to the Force Awakening at the local IMAX

Not From Ohio, but Know of Ohioans said...

Very easy Wednesday puzzle. Interesting to see RBs, since that was yesterday's theme.

Affluenza teen Ethan Couch and his mother were on the LAM. Glad they go caught yesterday.

Other famous OHIOANs include Orville Wright (the airplane guy), Zane Grey (the western novelist), Toni Morrison (novelist), Wes Craven (film director), and PJ O'Rourke who was from Toledo.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

BREZHNEV should have been a gimme, but it was slow to appear for me, too. Not because of RBS, but due to my CANOLA oil. Fixed.

This STRAUSS is not Johann, the Waltz King, but Richard. He's the guy who wrote the fanfare from 2001, A Space Odyssey.

When a golfer creates a divot, does he shout to the rest of his party, "Sod off!"?

TROTS are not just "race paces," but can also cause mad dashes.

Hungry Mother, I, too, worked in a drug store in my ute. Alas, my very first chore was to dismantle the soda fountain. Never got to jerk even a single soda.

desper-otto said...

There were also a few presidents from Ohio: Grant, Hayes, both Harrisons, Garfield, McKinley, Taft and Harding. Not a particularly illustrious bunch, in restrospect.

Anonymous said...

It's DISS, not DIS. You can look it up.

Jerome said...

MAZOLA- Informal name for Emile's mother

desper-otto said...

I did look it up.

Argyle said...

JzB, are you being facetious about FAA and LAX?

Big Easy said...

Well, JzB I see that you don't like Coors. ZIMA- how's it made. Get a bucket of wheat, oats, & hops, feed it to a horse, wait an hour, and put the bucket under the horse. Voila! ZIMA is the result. Just another fortified malt liquor.

I got the theme after ATTEMPT & ENDEAVOR and it was a speed run with MAGES and ON IN being the only unknowns filled by crosses. I kept looking at ONE IN and didn't get it until I read the blog. I loved ANNE's crimes- speeding and 'dangerous dog'. Let's have a hand up for all those 'not guilty' of speeding.

Happy New Years' Eve's Eve.

Tinbeni said...

D N F ... self-imposed due to 20-a, Bucket filler ... and a certain 3-letter word. SH*T Happens!

Jazz: Good Job on another outstanding write-up. Thanks for the Tweety link.

Cheers!

Big Easy said...

Anan@ 7:12- I do believe it's short for DIS-respect. Either way, certain people feel that you must 'respect' them, although I always thought one had to earn respect, as song Otis Redding wrote (betcha didn't know that) and Aretha Franklin sang.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Pretty much WBS. JzB, I'm with you about Coors. It's an uninteresting beer style.

Lemon, until your post above, I had no idea the new Star Wars was available in IMAX format.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Michael Dewey, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.

Really could not get a good foothold in the NE soI headed way South and worked my way up.

My saving grace were the theme answers. They were all quite easy once I had a couple letters. That really filled in the puzzle. Then the small words just filled in.

Could not remember how to spell BREZHNEV. 23A NEIGH helped. First inkblot.

Tried RAN for 45A. lAM soon replaced it. Second inkblot. And, that is it!

IRAN was easy for 60D. The other country that speaks Farsi is Afghanistan. Those two, I believe, were the former Persia, way back when.

Never had a ZIMA, but I agree with others that Coors is not much of a beer. The only time I drink it is when it is free.

Well, all our wet rain and sleet from the other day is now frozen solid. Took me over a day to shovel my driveway. HEAVY! It is now snowing.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Madame Defarge said...

Good morning.

Michael, that was a fun Wednesday run. Lots of long fill that came slowly but steadily. I spelled BREZHNEV correctly which made for smooth sailing after Wesson oil. I only use olive, safflower and organic canola--too many GMO issues otherwise. My favorite clue was Pitcher in the woods. CAMPER, ha! Baseball has so much fabulous jargon, I just assumed I missed something along the way! Fun gotcha for me.

Way to go D-Otto and Big Easy! I am not patient with Knot-it-all Anons who haven't done their research. DISrespect, indeed!

Thanks for the tour, JazzB. AND thanks for the informative music lesson Monday.

Snowing in Chicagoland. Not complainin'--it's winter, after all. Have a fine day.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Pretty straightforward Wednesday offering. Only stumble was spelling Brezhnev wrong but that was corrected quickly. Took me a minute or so to see the theme, once I was finished. Seeing that dreaded three-letter word reminds me that my _ _ _ maker is not working properly. Unlike Tin, I need _ _ _ almost as much as I need air.

Thanks, Mr. Dewey, for a mid-week treat and thanks, JzB, for your excellent endeavor explaining it all.

The best news I've heard was the arrest of that weasel, Ethan Couch, and his enabling, abetting "Mother."

Have a great day.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, MIchael and Jazz!

Theme.almost filled itself in, as noted above.

Took awhile due to extreme tiredness.

Cheers1

Dudley said...

Irish Miss - you're so right! That Ethan Couch is one sorry sack of $h@t, and evidently he learned his brand of incivility at his momma's knee.

thehondohurricane said...


Not a good omen, but a FIW. Spelled BREZHNEV Breshnov. MAZOLA/Masola, who new? Ditto 33a DER/DoR. Was really thinking Das for 33A, but quickly realized it was not to be.

Other then messing up the solve due to my lack of knowing Russian, everything else was OK. Started with Ran for 45A, but perps came to the rescue.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi Gang -

Argyle - of course. Whenever that question presents itself, default to yes.

desper-otto - well played, sir.

Jerome - ditto.

Lemonade - I was remembering an old joke about Jaques Strapp - the best ball carrier in Canadian football.

Tin Man - to vindicate the ICE in the bucket, think of it as something that keeps the beer cold - real beer, not that watery imposter from Colorado.

Also from Toledo - Singers Helen O'Connell, Anita Baker and Theresa Brewer, Jazz pianist Art Tatum, Gloria Steinem, Danny Thomas, old time comedian Joe E. Brown and cartoon voice Daws Butler. Novelist Christopher Moore was born in Toledo, but his family moved away when he was very young. His books are hilarious. And, of course Jamie Farr.

Regarding P.J. O'Rourke, I'll take a hint form Thumper.

Cool regards!
JzB

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Other than maGes requiring Good…, a piece ‘o cake.
-A marriage that is not a JOINT ENDEAVOR is dicey at best
-He’s giving it the OLD COLLEGE TRY in a snow storm even though this is all that showed up at his event
-Fans who pay big bucks for a seat expect a GOOD FAITH EFFORT from millionaire athletes
-RBS – yesterday’s theme and lunch revisited
-TACIT?
-This format would have been worth driving another 10 min. but I didn’t
-The Masters is the first golf MAJOR and is a true harbinger of spring
-Walking by classrooms where a BORE is in charge is disheartening
-A DIS in certain neighborhoods can get you killed
-I miss being AWAY in Orlando for 23 yrs in January
-Kidnapper – “Get out of the car!” ANNE – “Not bloody likely!”
-4th grade TOTEMS
-Practice adage. I had that slice down pat!
-Like Otto, I’ll name eight other OHIOANS

Yellowrocks said...

A sashay in the park, today. I did this while waiting for Alan to have his medical procedure. Plenty of perps and easy wags.
I agree with Lemon that the all the ends of the theme answers are synonyms, not necessarily the whole phrase.
I have replaced a washing machine pump impeller. The part was not too expensive, but the labor cost was high.
URGE is a second level synonym for IMPEL. Second level synonyms are frequently used in cross words. The thesaurus lists RAVAGE and PLUNDER as first level synonyms. It helps to realize that each of these words has many nuances and one set of nuances jibes.
For me GOOF is not a simple mistake, but a stupid or careless one.
Some sites consider LAM used as a verb to be slang. Another slang word for LAM is booking. I saw a teen run from the court house after being released from a court hearing. The staff said,"She's booking."
We lucked out on yesterday' early morning storm. There was sleet followed by warming and rain. So by 7:00 AM or so the roads were wet, but not icy. Today it is still very foggy at 11:20 AM.

SwampCat said...

Very interesting puzzle for me today. I jumped all around, doing the easy words first, and suddenly there were no more to fill in. I didn't find the puzzle easy. Struggled with some of the clues, and fell for most of the misdirections. I guess I was just enjoying it and didn't realize when I finished. Thanks, Michael.

Loved your very thorough write-up, JzB! I needed lots of those explanations!

As for disrespect, I know answering the misinformed Anons just encourages them, but I did so much enjoy D.O. and Big Easy clearing the air!! Thanks, guys!

desper-otto said...

Ive just gotta share this. You can no longer just read a magazine when it shows up in your mailbox -- you're supposed to prep for it, per this email that I received this morning:

ATTENTION: Your next issue of [magazine to which I subscribe], February 2016 is on its way to you. Click below for "not to be missed" articles and features. Print out this Table of Contents, circle articles of interest, and keep handy so you're ready to read when your issue arrives.

As if I didn't have enough crap in my email inbox.

oc4beach said...

Did the puzzle on the MENSA site, so no need for an eraser. However, as usual I didn't get the theme or even look for it. Perps helped a lot.

Loved your write-up Jazz and the Tweety Toon.

WRT Zima, there is an old joke that goes:

Three Brewers were in a bar together, Adolf Coors, Adolphus Busch and David Yuengling.
They decided to order a drink, so Coors ordered a Coors Light, Busch ordered a Bud Light and Yuengling ordered a glass of water.
The water order surprised the first two who asked Yuengling why he had ordered water.
Yuengling responded that if the first two weren't going to have a beer, he wasn't going to either.

Oh well, not much of a joke, but most mass produced beers are.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Anonymous said...

Irish Miss and Dudley:

Another "affluenza" per may soon be brought to justice. Bill Cosby has been charged for using lemony's favorite pill(lemmon714) to take advantage of fawning unsuspecting women. What a creep!

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody.

We had a smallish earthquake yesterday. It was medium-size but was centered about 60 miles away so we didn't feel it much.

I'm still enjoying the plethora of re-runs of Friday Night Lights, Boston Legal, Downton Abbey and maybe a few others. As you can see, I prefer high-quality older shows to iffy new ones. I like most of the NOVA shows too. What good newer shows am I missing?

I watched the first part of The Kennedy Center Honors last night. It's always a good show.

inanehiker said...

Enjoyed the puzzle today and write-up today. Thanks JazzB and Michael!
Know JB you are more of a music person than I, but I thought the music term for not playing/singing was TACET instead of TACIT, I may be wrong on that though.

Always enjoyed Dionne Warwick - so thanks for that musical interlude.
Brought me back to last night's awesome Kennedy Center Honors, when Aretha
Franklin honored Carole King by singing and playing her (You make me feel
like)A Natural Woman. What a showstopper!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RIgeu-6Jcs

Misty said...

Darn, I almost had this Wednesday toughie when I got ZIMA (never hear of it) and ZITI. But I unfortunately missed the Z in BREZHNEV and so didn't get MAZOLA (though I should have known that one), so a DNF for me today. But I liked the theme, and thanks for the always fun write-up, JazzB (more Zs here).

Have a great day, everybody!

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

Whew, made it through the SW and guessed the xing of 43a & 44d properly... Thanks for the confirmation (and Tweety) JzB. Thanks too to Michael for a fun Wed. DIStraction. Thanks also to HG - loved the links.

SW - RPM b/f MPH; aVoid b/f EVADE; duE b/f FEE. I was so confused, my GOOD SENSE wasn't working. Otherwise, no MAJOR problems (though I almost put in AbE for 4d).

I DO like c/a's for 23a and 64d.

MIL said she didn't know 1a - she's lucky :-)

Python:
Bruce 1: American beer is like making love in a canoe.
Bruce 2: How's that Bruce?
Bruce 1: It's f***ing close to water.

Cheers, -T

Dudley said...

Oc4 - good example!

Relatedly, an English woman lives nearby, having married an American man some 20 years ago. She visits her folks in England once a year or so; on a recent visit, she noticed a few bottles of Budweiser in the family fridge. She assumed her mother had put them there for her benefit, now that she lives in America and therefore must be fond of Bud (she isn't). She thanked her mom for the gesture, but was soon corrected: "Oh, no, dear, those are for your father, for when he doesn't feel like having a beer." Makes me smile every time!

Steve said...

D-otto - I'd cancel my subscription and take great pleasure telling the customer service rep why I was doing so.

Nice puzzle, thanks for the expo, JzB. The FAA do a pretty good job; just look at the safety record of major American carriers over the last 15 years.

Anonymous T said...

It SEEMS nothing takes away the winter blahs more than the arrival of seed catalogs. Burpee's & Johnny's just came today... Spring can't be too far AWAY! C, -T

CanadianEh! said...

Wow, lots of comments already today. Yes TADAS again.
WBS re ONEIN. I had it divided as ON EIN and thought it was a new German phrase.

Like Abejo and Irish Miss, I had to wait for perps to get proper spelling of BREZHNEV.

My vacation was a cruise and I had Asea before AWAY (and liked it with ALEE).

I'm not familiar with ZIMA and MAGES; perps to the rescue again.

Bucket filler reminded me of the ICE bucket challenge for ALS that was so popular last year.

Jayce said...

Nice enjoyable puzzle today, but not totally smooth; I hit a few bumps along the way.

Big Easy, I loved your description of putting the bucket under the horse.

I'll stay away from debating what are close synonyms and what are not so much, for fear of encouraging even more pedantics.

Agree the end of the Kennedy Center Awards show was extremely rousing, what with Aretha Franklin's and others' singing and Carole Kane's ebullient music. Rita Moreno is a classy woman.

Best wishes to you all.

Anonymous said...

Actually, speeding, like overstaying a foreigner overstaying a visit in the USA, is not a crime, but a misdemeanor. Don't know if the Couch's stay in Mexico was similarly treated?

Jazzbumpa said...

To be clear, I was not intending to DIS the FAA. Just making what passes for a joke in my part of the world.

inanhiker - Spelling - not my strong suit, alas. And to my inept fingers all vowels are interchangeable.

This is something most of you will probably enjoy.

Cheers!
JzB

SwampCat said...

Thanks, JazzB, for the Mental Floss!! Made me smile!

Big Easy said...

D-O, I never renew magazines until AFTER the subscription lapses. There's always a better price.

Jayce- not my joke. I just tweaked it a little. Her's the original:

"Oh, come on, I thought everybody knew how light beer was made. All you need is a bucket of regular beer, a thirsty horse, and an empty bucket."

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1809/is-light-beer-made-by-watering-it-down


oc4beach- British beer joke- ready?

How are American beers and making love on the beach similar?......... They're both F***ing near water. C.C.- leave my joke alone- no dirty words, just dirty minds.




I once read up on the history of 'lite beer' and that was one of the comments. BTW, 'lite' beer is a process that was developed where all the dextrins were fermented- " All the starch in a beer can then be converted to alcohol, producing a slightly more alcoholic beer (about 1% higher than standard beer). In addition, because there are no dextrins left, the alcohol is absorbed more rapidly into the bloodstream. Tasteless beer that gets you drunk pronto? Sounds like a frat boy's dream. "

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Tuesday & Wednesday puzzles were easier than Monday's, I thought. Thanks, Michael & JzB. Both GOOD FAITH EFFORTS.

Unknown: MAGES & ZIMA. I'm not into Beer but I lived in Colorado three summers, including the one when a Coors heir was murdered up in the mountains and not found until the snow melted in the spring. Since Coors brews with "pure mountain spring water" some wags in my circle wondered if there were some extra flavor in the beer after that.

Forgot which Russian was in power when. Not Malenkov or Gorbachev but B-z-v. Oh, Breshnev.

Pitcher in the woods gave me fits. Even perped in it didn't make sense. Later it dawned on me.

Former AF pilot son now works for an FAA contractor doing something associated with safety reviews. Hope he is successful at it for all our sakes.

I bawled during Aretha Franklin's song and most of Carole King's music. Don't have a clue why. Maybe I just needed a good release. Magnificent songs that stood the test of time. And King was so delighted by the presentations which were done with utmost emotion. I missed the first hour of the show because I forgot it. Darn!

Queen ANNE brought a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch to colonize the new world from the war torn Palatinate along the Germany/France border. A number of my ancestors were among them in 1710.

Anonymous T said...

JzB - I like P.J. O'Rourke. I don't agree w/ his politics, but I think he's pretty funny. I've got a couple of his books and listen for him on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

D-O - None of my magazines do that to me (that I know of). I've got Foreign Affairs, CR, and Family Handyman. I suppose SPAM in addition to all the AD[d]s would push me AWAY too.

PK - I'm a bit jealous of folks that can trace their lineage back that far. I've got when Great Gramps came to America ~1908 and nothin' more. Hell, my dad's house goes back further than that (it was built in 1878(?)).

FWIW - MAGES rolls 1d12 (IIRC) to cast or thwart a spell. I played them once once or twice, but I liked Elven Rangers better. [yes, I'm out of my mom's basement...]

I've been to the ALAMO a few times and never saw the basement. However, this woman says a lower level does exist (and has more fun facts.

What I like about light beer: You can have one for breakfast and continue all day before it's nap time at 4:30... Well, would you look at the time... :-)

Cheers, -T

desper-otto said...

Me, too, PK. My paternal ancestors lived in the Palatine settlements of what's now upstate New York back in the early-mid 1700's. Not sure exactly where they started from, though. Rowdy bunch, I gather.

Bill G. said...

I was watching a recording of Colbert's The Late Show from last night. He had on popular historian Doris Sterns Goodwin. Geez, she's impressive. Her intelligence, knowledge, wit, personality, etc. The whole package.

JzB, I enjoyed the contronyms. Very clever.

Speaking of beer, upstate New York where I went to college had a variety of local beers such as Utica, Genesee and others. All pretty bad. The worst was a cheap beer found in some southern California supermarkets when I first got out here in the 60s called Brew 102. Dreadful stuff but nevertheless, I drank it from time to time.

The best-tasting beer was the beer that used to be served on tours of the Budweiser brewery and surrounding park located north of here in the San Fernando Valley. You could get free glasses of Bud, Bud Lite and Michelob. It was great tasting because it was so fresh. Alas, they don't do that any longer.

Stone said...

Once again, the anti-anything American attitude from some here on the blog rears its ugly head. I remember when many oenophiles looked down their upturned noses at California wines. What ever happened to that idea? Turning to beer, right now there is no better beer movement in the world than whats going on with American beer, specifically "craft beer". Craft beer has exploded on the scene. Beer lovers from around the world have taken notice and are clamoring for American beer. They claim, "in a lot of the older countries there’s an old-school mentality that has left pretty generic guidelines for what beermakers are making. The craft beer scene in America has let us be free and make whatever the heck we want." The excited brewers have begun to flock to America to join in the fun. I was speaking with one such brewer from England a few weeks ago and he was telling me of the respect his fellow countrymen have for our innovative breweries. It was a 2-IPA, hour long conversation. Fascinating. One thing he told me that shocked me: Even though he is not a fan of the mass produced beers such as Budweiser, he has much admiration how they brew such massive quantities with such clarity and consistency. Never thought of it that way but apparently its not such an easy feat. Give the people what they want, I say. Some want low calorie beer over tasty beer. Some want the cheapest product available for a quick and easy buzz. Others want big, bold, hoppy beers that turn your face in something seen in a funhouse mirror. To each their own.

Stone said...

BillG, upstate New York huh? Well, one of the tastiest beers I've ever had come from there. Lake George area, I believe. I scooped the last bottle available around here about a week ago. If you ever get the chance try either of these. Sooooo goooood!

P.S. It is a heated convo as to witch is better, but my vote goes to Warlock.

P.P.S. However, after a hot day in the yard, I enjoy an ice cold Bud out of the garage fridge. Nothing wrong with that!

Argyle said...

Lake Chautauqua, southern tier, due east of Erie, PA.

CrossEyedDave said...

I enjoyed all the beer posts,

But you forgot one...

Sometimes it's all about what you can afford...

JD said...

Definitely not one of my favorites today...too many WAGS for me...and yet when I read your summation, Bumpa, it all made perfect sense! Well, except epee. I thought it was just a fencing sword.

Thanks for giving us a Dionne treat. I found my way to San Jose in 1964 because SJS had one of the better teaching programs at that time. San Jose has always had many venues for entertainment, and when the "Shark Tank" was built, it opened up even more of a variety.On the other hand, there is no shopping.For a few years S.J. held a Grand Prix race around the streets which was pretty insane. To do this they had to move HUGE palm trees, and there was not enough viewing areas.

If you live in N. CA or up north, there is a chance to see the Northern Lights tonight. I'm going to take a peek between 2 and 6 am just in case!

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

Well, another walk to the Chevron station to get a Palm Beach Post so I could have my crossword fix; gonna miss that walk when the subscription starts ...

Not too tough although I did make a few boo boos; too late to quantify but I didn't have to cheat

Loved CED's BEER RUN link

Thought of another OHIOAN - ME! Yup, Chairman Moe was born in Lakewood OH sometime back when Eisenhower was President, but I still call Pennsylvania home as my dad was transferred there during Ike's second term. Also lived there in the mid '90's until I moved to FL in 2010. Only OH team I kinda root for is the Cleve Indians, but not holding my breath that they'll ever make the World Series again; too little $ to spend on free agents