google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, April 20, 2016 Clive Probert

Advertisements

Apr 20, 2016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 Clive Probert

Theme: Since FDR is in the grid: CIVIL CONSERVATION CORPS -  or - Do you C the C's I C?  Or, 1.5 x our gracious hostess.  Near as I can tell, that's it. Three-word themers, all with the initial letter C.  Though the middle one is a grid spanner, and the other two fall only one letter short, seems like a rather thin theme concept.

20. Part of the Three Little Pigs' chant : CHINNY CHIN CHIN.  As in, not by the hair of.  Here it is, if you have a spare 8 1/2 minutes.



37. The "Original Formula," soda-wise : COCA COLA CLASSIC.  New COKE fizzed.  No extra charge for the additional 2 C's.

54. Provincetown rental : CAPE COD COTTAGE.  Ours is on the south-west shore of Black Lake.

Not sure what else can be said about it.  Let's proCede and C what we can C.

Across

1. Jellied garnish : ASPIC.  Natural gelatin derived from meat stock, aka glop.

6. Northwestern pear : BOSC.  European variety grown in the NW U.S.



10. Farm youngster : CALF.  Or COLT or LAMB.

14. Good, in Granada : BUENO.   Spanish. Foreign language fill is often indicated by alliteration.

15. Chorus syllables : LA-LA.   Tra followers.

16. Give __ to: approve : A NOD.

17. Trader for whom a northwest Oregon city was named : ASTOR.  John Jacob.

18. __ impasse : AT AN.  I've been there

19. Texas flag symbol : STAR.  



23. Baby beaver : KIT.
24. Mouse-spotter's shriek : EEK.

25. Extremely well-pitched : NO HIT.  Baseball!

26. Gray shade : ASH.
27. Multilayered, as cakes : TIERED.  Or theater seating.

30. Clean Air Act administrative gp. : Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970.

33. Heads, in slang : NOBS.   

Up Jack got, and off did trot 
as fast as he could caper; 
to old Dame Dob, 
who patched his NOB
with vinegar and brown paper.

36. Persian Gulf cargo : CRUDE.  Oil

41. "__ go!" : GOTTA.  I'm outa here - but not for a while.  My work here is not yet done.

42. French 101 verb : ETRE.   To be.

43. Pot contents : TEA.  We have a cup of TEA mid-afternoon most days.

44. Bakes, as 50-Acrosses : SHIRRS.   Word derived form the name of the flat bottomed dish in which EGGS were traditionally baked.



46. "Star Wars" staples : ETs.  Many varieties of Extra-Terrestrials in those movies.

48. Exit poll target : VOTER.  We'll just do a grand jeté around the politics, and move right along.


50. Breakfast food : EGG.  Cereal doesn't fit.  I'm SHIRR.

51. "Pow!" : BAM.  Bat Man or Emeril - your choice.

57. Roast, in Rouen : ROTI.

58. Antelope Island state : UTAH.  The bee hive state.

59. Lesson at the end : MORAL.  As in Aesop's fables.

60. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN.   Probably handles some of that CRUDE.

61. Went by skateboard : RODE.   Why skateboard?  Car, bus, SUV, moped, trained mule, Conestoga wagon  .  .  .

62. Take in : ADOPT.  As an orphan.

63. Get one's feet wet : WADE.


64. Mesozoic and Paleozoic : ERAS.  Geological time spans.

65. Slangy craving : JONES.  Gotta have it.

Down

1. One way to be taken : ABACK.

2. Japanese finger food : SUSHI.   Items of vinegar-flavored, cold cooked rice that accompany raw fish, vegetables or EGGS.  SHIRR enough!

3. __ four: teacake : PETIT.  Meaning "small oven," since that's where they were often made, next to the main oven.

4. Privy to : IN ON.  Knowledgeable of.

5. Eye part : CORNEA.   The transparent layer covering the front of the eye.

6. Subject for Stephen Hawking : BLACK HOLE.  Astronomy.

7. Promise : OATH.  

8. Killed, as a dragon : SLAIN.


9. Is unable to : CAN NOT.  Killing dragons is hard!

10. Supermarket employees : CASHIERS.   Ring 'em up!

11. Like the Sherman Act : ANTI-TRUST.   Anti-monopoly legislation designed to promote competition in industry, passed into law in 1890.

12. Deal with interest : LOAN.  Most bankers find loans to be quite interesting.

13. New Deal pres. : FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president.  

21. Basic question type : YES / NO.

22. Spanish girl : CHICA.

28. Falco of "Oz" : EDIE.   And "The Sopranos,"and "Nurse Jackie."

29. Prefix with pod : DECA-.  Denoting 10-legged critters, an order of crustaceans that includes crayfish, crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.   What - no love for squids?!?

30. They record beats per min. : ECGs.  Electrocardiogramcheck the electrical activity of the heart.

31. Friend of Tigger : POOH.   


32. Switched on : ACTIVATED.

34. Compete in a box : BAT.   Batter's box, the designated place to stand while batting - more baseball.



35. Braking sounds : SCREECHES.   Indicating the linings are worn.

38. Medication used for dilating pupils : ATROPINE.   Also a toxic alkaloid found in nightshade, mandrake and jimson weed.

39. Bistro offering : CARTE.   A French menu.

40. "Unhand me!" : LET GO.  

45. Tie tightly : SECURE.

47. High-ranking NCO : SGT MAJ.  Sargent major, the highest NCO rank in the U.S. Army or Marines, above master sargent and below warrant officer.  

49. Turbine blade : ROTOR.   They go round and round.

51. Industry honcho : BARON.

52. Wide open : AGAPE.

53. Runs down the mountain, maybe : MELTS.  As snow in the Spring.

54. Musical finale : CODA.   From the Italian word for tail.  Often it is an addendum to a formal musical structure containing different but similar and compatible musical content.  



55. Man Ray genre : DADA.   Man Ray [1890- 1976] was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in France.



56. Commotion : TO DO.  As in hockey playoffs.

57. Wet behind the ears : RAW.    Expressions indicating someone lacking experience.

OK. All done.  I SHIRR had a BUENO time.  How about you?

Cool regards!
JzB



58 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Clive and Jazz!

Fun puzzle.

Fred Piscop has offerings in NetWord and USA Today for Wednesday. Another prolific composer!

Am currently reading books by "Lucy Arlington" (actually a pair of writers). Extremely literary. (Female sleuth mysteries.) I heartily recommend these books!

Have a great day!

Hungry Mother said...

On the easy side except for SHIRRS, which I remembered as SHEARS for some reason, but the perps made it right.

OwenKL said...

Double natick did me in today. The misspelling of ATROPeNE collided with the unknown ROTi, and CArTE (which was unfair!) crossing the unknown SHIRrS.

Last Thursday, some glitch erased a bunch of my customized settings on Firefox, so I decided since I was going to have to redo a bunch, it was finally time to bite the bullet and move from Windows 7 to 10. (Actually Windows 10, version 1511, OS build 10586.104, which I think means this is the 104th minor tweak of the 10,586th larger tweak of the 1,511th major revision of the originally released software. Glad I waited.) And this time I vowed to stay there. I won't bore you with the ensuing horror story beyond saying I'm finally back online, and a blank verse poem:

Windows ten I hate thee for thy arrogance.
Windows ten I hate thee for thy pushiness.
Windows ten I hate thee for thy slowness.
Windows ten I hate thee for thy secretiveness.
Windows ten I hate thee for thy scatteredness.
Microsoft, you've got me by the short hairs.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

This one played very easy for me, except for the parts that were inexplicably difficult. Finally remembered ROTI from past puzzles and actually knew both SHIRRS and ATROPINE, so I figured this was going to be a total walk in the park. But then I hit a wall at 39D. I was thinking "Bistro" was an Italian restaurant, not French, and thought the clue was looking for a type of food, so CARTE just didn't occur to me. Fortunately, as I mentioned, I did know SHIRRS (although I always want to spell it SHIRES), so the perps eventually got me to CARTE.

I hit another, more solid, wall at the crossing of NOB and BAT. I simply didn't know NOB (I actually tried NOG at first, thinking it was perhaps an abbreviation of NOGGIN) and couldn't parse the clue for BAT to save my life. After staring at the blank square for awhile, I finally just started running the alphabet in my head. Fortunately, it didn't take too long to get to "B", at which point the light bulb went on for BAT. Oy!

thehondohurricane said...


Morning,

On the easy side today, but an enjoyable offering from Clive, making for a nice beginning to Hump day. Unlike Monday (I think it was Monday), no issues with the cluing or fill for 25A.

Hard to believe, buy I actually picked up on the theme today after filling in CHINNYCHINCHIN making 37A & 54A gimmes.

In my world, Tigger is a friend of Casey's. He's a one year old+ Border Collie and they met in puppy school. They get together once a week. After three hours or so of romping, two families enjoy a pleasant evening as their Hell raising pups are deep into the land of Nod.

Getting back to 25A, former MLB pitcher Milt Pappas died yesterday. In the early 70's Milt missed a perfect game because the 27th hitter to face him walked on a three ball two strike count. Milt went on to get the NoHitter, but always vehemently insisted that ball four was a strike.



desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Had to change NEW to RAW, but that was the only misstep this morning. Otherwise it was a smooth slide from top to bottom. Thanks, Clive.

Jzb, looks like you've got a serious drive to get to the lake cottage. Not someplace you're going to drop by for an afternoon swim.

I vaguely remember something about ATROPINE from boot camp. I think it came in a tube with an attached hypodermic needle. Supposed to reduce the effects of poison gas? Dunno.

Is CHICA a polite term? I thought it was slangy. But I've been wrong before.

Barry, Bilbo and Frodo also spell it SHIRE.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Clive Probert, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.

Jazz: Our trombone player in our church brass quartet is moving to Texas. Do you want the slot?

Puzzle was a good Wednesday level. Not too easy, not too hard.

All the themes appears with a few perps each. However, I did not get the theme right away.

Knew ASTOR easily, the fur trader. His son died on the Titanic.

ETRE took me a while. I got three letters via perps so I wagged the fourth. On the other hand, CARTE came easily. Go figure.

Never heard of JONES for 65A. New one on me.

Off to my day. Potluck lunch and then a meeting in Des Plaines. York Rite tonight.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

kazie said...

I also don't know of JONES other than as a name. That, along with DADA and ATROPINE did me in because I didn't have the consonants needed to recognize CAPE COD. Of course, not knowing where Provincetown is didn't help either. Frequently if it weren't for the French clues,I'd be even worse off.

Big Easy said...

It started fast, and the CCC was easy to notice after the Coke. I'm glad BAT was a fill because I was guessing NOGS for noggins, as NOBS is an unfamiliar term; only heard of it as Hobnobbing or Nob Hill in SF. ROTI and DADA were both perped because my Frawnch is tres limited and I never heard of Man Ray. CHICA is another new one but seems logical for a feminine Spanish ending.

ECG-EKG- had to wait for the cross.
JONES- only heard the term 'JONESES' (plural Jones) when referring to heroin addicts can't get a fix.

We have a C.C.C. over the Mississippi River- the two downtown bridges are now called The Crescent City Connection. Everybody over 50 calls them the GNO- Greater New Orleans.

Barry- once again, you and I don't know the same thing.
Owen-Windows-10 has two browsers-Edge and Explorer, but I use Google Chrome because it's faster. But once you get used to it, Win-10 is great. I've uploaded all my files(except Google Drive) to the 'One Cloud'. Super secure back up available from any device.

Magilla Go-Rilla said...

56D: Speaking of hockey:

"I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out," - Rodney Dangerfield

Barry T. said...

OWEN: I upgraded to Windows 10, used it (or, more specifically, tried to...) for a day or two, and then reverted to Windows 7. As far as I know, all Windows 10 upgrades provide an option to roll-back to one's earlier Windows version, should you wish to.

I had thought that "CANNOT" is correct, while "CAN NOT" is incorrect. But, per Oxford Dictionaries: "Both cannot and can not are acceptable spellings, but the first is much more usual. You would use can not when the ‘not’ forms part of another construction such as ‘not only’. For example: These green industries can not only create more jobs, but also promote sustainable development of the land." Live and learn - that must be my "learn something new every day", today.

"I'm jonesin' for a cold drink" is familiar to me; but just "jones" in this usage not so much.

CHICA:
a)noun that means "girl"
(even though English speaking people think it's used to call a hot chick, its meaning has no connotations, so it can be used both for pretty or ugly girls)

b)adjective that means "small", "little"
(the male use is "chico")

a)Esta noche salgo con las chicas.
(Tonight I'm going out with the girls)
Ella es una chica y el es un chico.
(She's a girl and he's a boy)

b)Esa remera es demasiado chica, cambiala.
(that t-shirt is too small, change it.

Husker Gary said...

Clive’s fun puzzle brightens up a rainy hump day here in Huskerland. Our rain is very welcome and not devastating as it is for our Texas friends who are in our thoughts.

Musings
-Fun write-up Jazz. Who knew there was another verse to Jack and Jill
-Dang! ATROP_NE/ROT_ was an I not an E. It’s like Boomer getting a 299 in bowling. One pin short
-Starting pitchers are sometimes said to get “THE NOD” from the manager
-My golfing buddy just returned home wearing a hat with this TEXAS logo
-On July 1, 1990 the White Sox got NO HITS but beat the Yankees 4 – 0
-Our town will soon celebrate the 10th anniversary of a viaduct being delayed by the EPA
-A motley group can be described as “The ETS in the bar scene from Star Wars”
-An old SUSHI joke that works around here
=FDR did not let HST IN ON the Manhattan Project
-Most of us can remember CASHIERS running this now antique machine
-UMPS are supposed to keep batters IN that BOX between pitches

TTP said...

Good morning all. Thank you Clive and JzB.
Thinking of all our friends in Houston. Y'all stay safe.

Three days in a row with an open diagonal lane from the NW to the SE.
Pot contents was not THC. THC was the answer for a similar clue in a different venue.
Yeah, a mini baseball and mini Texas theme. Light sweet CRUDE (WTI) futures rose by 3.3% yesterday and ended at $41.10 per barrel.
Heard on the morning news that Trevor Story hit his 8th round-tripper. I'd hate to hear later he was on the juice.
Hondo, good notes on Milt Pappas. Yesterday, all the local news outlets covered his passing and mentioned that game. He was the last Cubs pitcher to throw a no hitter at Wrigley.
Desper-otto, I remember ATROPINE was part of the NBC training we ground-pounders received. After donning our gas masks, we entered the gas mask chamber and had to take them off.
I remember the song Love Jones, and then Cheech and Chong's parody with Basketball Jones.
Big Easy yep, in the drug counterculture, Jonesin' (or Jonesing) for a drug or "fix."
The Alaska Department of Corrections decided Wednesday that Alaskan Bush People father Billy Brown and his son Joshua (BAM BAM) can serve their 30 day sentence by wearing ankle monitors.

Tinbeni said...

Jazz: Excellent write-up and informative links. Good Job!

Clive: Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle with a cute theme.

Needed ESP to get SHIRRS ... also a "learning moment," always a plus.

I often "Get my feet wet" ... but I seldom WADE when I walk on the shoreline.
Dang, I doubt I even get my ankles wet. lol

The number of the day, yesterday ... three ...
Goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning
Runs for the Tampa Bay Rays
Both winners last night!

Cheers!

TTP said...

OOPS ! Shoulda been tear gas chamber.

I was under the weather yesterday. Semi shout out to -T and his odometer idling ALFA. Never heard of FETTLE. Never saw the clues for MUMM and BMXER. Hahtoolah, best wishes for a speedy recovery. Moe, I envy you ! I was there a few years earlier.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Enjoyed this mid-week offering and had no problems. Cornea and atropine are sort of apropos as I am seeing my ophthalmologist at 11:20 this am. I hope the dreaded field-vision test is not on her agenda today, but it probably is! [sigh]

Thanks, Clive, for a fun run and thanks, JzB, for your usual wise and witty write-up.

Have a great day.

Jim in Norfolk said...

The good news is that Windows stops at 10. No more "upgrades"! A long time ago there was a song by Tyrone Shoelaces (really Cheech) titled "Basketball Jones" about a kid who was totally engrossed about basketball. Big hit with a lot of cameo contributions by big-name musicians.

I can't get the Merriam Webster version of the puzzle to print correctly. My wife and I like to work on the puzzle at the same time, and print copy works best. The left margin has suddenly disappeared, and with it some of the clue numbers and the left line of the puzzle box. It happens on two machines and two printers. Any suggestions? (I'm not a Mensa member - far from it, according to my wife.)

Avg Joe said...

Jim, you can print it from the link on the right side of the page on this site. You have to endure a short ad, and it's a bit clunky to print it out. But this is my source for a printed puzzle now that I don't get the print version of our paper. And as a bonus, it has circles when they are a part of the grid.

Fun outing today. The CCC theme became apparent early and helped. Thankfully I knew Shirrs, and Bat saved the day for Nob. But have to claim a FIW, as the A won out in Natick at the corner of ROTa and ATROPaNE.

Hand up for not knowing a second verse to Jack and Jill.

Thanks Jazz for a humorous report!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Mostly easy today. Agree with JzB's take on the theme. No erasures, but JONES was not in my wheelhouse. Perps were solid, though. Was not familiar with the 44a clue for SHIRRS. Great visual, JzB. Looks Hungarian with all the paprika splashed over it. I love paprika.
ATROPINE - Navy ABC school taught that ATROPINE was an antidote for SARIN (in the cw 4/16/16.)

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Tin - Lightning got 3 power play goals last night while the Wings are 1 for 21 in the series. That's that's whole in a nutshell. Two goals per game won't get you very far.

D-O. Black lake is a 4 hour drive from home. It's a beautiful lake, shallow for hundreds of yards from shore, and with a nice firm bottom. Suits our needs perfectly.

Abejo - as much as I would love to join the brass choir at your church, the 300 mile commute is a bit off putting.

Gary - seems like I've always known the 2nd verse of J&J. Not sure what therapeutic value the vinegar and brown paper has, though.

Spitz - I'll put paprika on just about anything.

Cool regards!
JzB

CanadianEh! said...

Fun triple C theme today. Thanks Clive and JazzB.
Of course, we needed the C in ECG today not K.

I am not familiar with JONES (maybe it is regional) or SHIRRS. I wanted FOAL before CALF and hesitated at ASH because I think of Ash blonde not grey (or gray!).

Like Hondo I appreciated the improved cluing for No HIT.
Ajar was too short but the correct fill was still a dreaded A-word, AGAPE!

I was misdirected at 62A thinking of clothes to "take in" and filled with AdApt before ADOPT. BARON straightened that out. I was also misdirected at 53D with "runs down the mountain, maybe" and was thinking about a hiker/jogger not SNOW.

We have a pot of TEA and PETIT Fours today. Perhaps a trip to the Prince of Wales in Niagara-on-the-Lake for high tea would be suitable for this beautiful day.

TTP said...

Old Sage Jim in Norfolk Virginia,

I answered your same question on April 9th, but you must have missed it.

1) Try printing the puzzle from a different site such as the Merriam Webster puzzle site, or
2) Try using a different browser. If you are using Internet Explorer or Edge, try printing it from the Mensa site using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

Joe's suggestion today to try a different site is apt since you said you've tried it using different computers and printers. Good luck.

oc4beach said...


It was nice to C today's puzzle from Clive and the great write-up by JzB. The triple C's showed early and made the theme easy to figure out.

It was easy sailing with only a few hitches and the need for perp fill-ins. I remember the French word for roast (ROTI) from a puzzle a few weeks ago.

Since I had already filled in the COCACOLACLASSIC answer ECGS was the winner over EKGS. However when I recently spent a week in the hospital where I had many ECGS/EKGS taken, I asked the Techs which was correct. They said they both were, but they preferred EKG and their name-tags had EKG TECHS on them. They always seemed to show up at 4:00 or 5:00 AM after I had just gotten back to sleep after the 3:00 AM blood draw and the 2:00 AM Vital Signs check by the nursing staff. A hospital is no place to get any rest.

Have fun today.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling thoughts":

Yesterday's puzzle was "in the key of F"; today's was in the key of C. No sharps or flats that I could see! 😜

Great puzzle and write up; had MOGUL before BARON, but MORAL in the perp line soon changed that. I DID know JONES in the final "across" spot - in fact I immediately thought of this rendition by Cheech and Chong, which now is an earwig. Hard for me to believe that this was funny; guess the THC made it so! 😃 I recall many years ago watching or listening to an old Firesign Theater skit, which I'm sure cracked me up back in the early '70's when, as a college kid, I might have been known to "inhale" once or twice ...

Lemonade714 said...

Some wonderful musical and artistic links JzB to accompany a happy hump day from Clive. I had the pleasure back in 2010 of blogging his first LAT PUZZLE . Hard to believe almost 6 years have passed and so many of our posters have gone away. Hello to you all who are still reading.

IM I have been failing my field of vision tests for about a year now; they have no suggestions.

Chairman Moe said...

Speaking of THC, today (4/20) is National Weed Day. In a 4:20 long video clip, Yahoo has captured a few funny moments from TV shows that featured marijuana in the program.

The following link explains the significance of 4/20 as the reason for a National Weed Day . . .

And not to WADE into the political waters, but I often wonder, if when Bill Clinton "smoked" marijuana (without inhaling, of course), did his fiancee and current Democratic Party leading presidential candidate (nee, Hillary Rodham) smoke weed, too? There are times when I listen to her orate, that I think she could benefit from a little ganja . . .

Lucina said...

Thank you, Clive Probert, for a calculated challenge today. It was mostly a rapid romp but three terms did me in: BAT/NOBS, JONES & ROTINE/ROTI; actually that's five. I had left some blank cells thinking to return to them and then forgot. While Kazie finds the French easy, it sinks me though I'm always grateful for the Spanish. And I guess I missed something by not being in the armed forces since the men seem to be acquainted with ATROPINE through their service. And I'm completely unfamiliar with JONES as a craving though I understand the concept, just never heard it and was never a fan of Cheech and Chong.

CHICA used to be considered slang and unacceptable in polite society, but it is now widely used.

I'll take the CSO to my mother, LALA and also to LALALinda. I hope she's doing all right.

Be well, Hahtoolah. I'm thinking of you.

And thanks to JazzB for an always sparkly summation.

Have a delightful Wednesday, everyone!

Lucina said...

BTW, the MENSA site is free to access the puzzle. One doesn't have to be a member and it's easy to print it.

Irish Miss said...

Lemony @ 11:50 - I don't exactly fail the field test, but I don't ace it, either, especially with my left eye which has worse MD than the right. Today, I had to repeat the first test because I thought it had ended and it hadn't. I find the procedure nerve-wracking. I wanted to do some errands after the appointment but with the super bright sunshine on top of the dilation, I was almost blinded. Fortunately, my drive home is only 5 minutes. My vision is still blurry from the drops but, hopefully, not for too much longer. I sympathize with your vision problems.

Nice Cuppa said...

Interesting that the phrase "KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES" has a similar sense - an almost obsessive desire (not be be outdone esp. by one's "equals")...

....to JONES (U.S. informal) - a compulsive desire (originally for drugs). Which may also be pluralized to the ungainly JONESES; even verbalized to JONESING...

... but the etymologies are distinct . The first is British in origin - Jones being just a common British (esp. Welsh) name...

.... while the second is said to derive from Jones Alley in Manhattan, a place associated with drug addicts.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Piece of cake today. Thanks, JzB.

Lucina - I was hoping you would chime in about Chica today! It's helpful to have your reliable cultural perspective.

Irish Miss - I don't like taking that visual field test either. I tend to feel like I'm doing a crappy job of seeing weak points of light that are well within my field. Plus the machine is clunky.

AnonymousPVX said...

Yes "Basketball Jones" was a bit of a craze.

Went to the eye doctor a couple of weeks ago. How is it there's a drop to dilate but nada to undo dilation?

A fairly straightforward Wednesday puzzle. So far this week - my birthday week - they've all been doable. Let's keep that up.

Jayce said...

Fun puzzle. I had to turn on red letters to find the erroneous E crossing ROTe and ATROPeNE. I had a feeling it was wrong but forgot to go back and fix it.

I also recall being trained about injecting atropine into my thigh to counteract a gas attack.

From yesterday, my favorite Beatles album was Revolver. Had some good songs on it.

Jazzbumpa, thanks for your informative blog.

Nice Cuppa said...

And SHIRRED eggs was new to me - it is US usage only. They are simply "baked eggs" in the UK & Commonwealth.

It seems the the original meaning of SHIRR is the treatment of fabric with elastic to create the "gathered" front you see on some swimsuits, for example. Apparently, SHIRRED EGGS derives from the shape of the dish they were originally baked it, which has a similar "gathered" appearance.

I think that gets an Eff for Fascinating.

Anonymous said...

April 11, 2016 Clue DOWN: 24. __ de boeuf: French roast : RÔTI. (Roast beef)

Misty said...

I found this a perfect Wednesday puzzle--doable with just a bit of crunch here and there to give it a little challenge--and so I got the whole thing! Many thanks, Clive, and you too Jazz B for the cool Man Ray pic.

So sorry to hear about your tough eye-exam, Irish Miss. I often need a ride if I'm going to have my eyes dilated. Glad you made it home safely, and hope you feel better soon.

Have a great mid-week, everybody!

CrossEyedDave said...

WBS/e
(What Barry said,except...)

Four WAGs that were spot on! WooHoo! I finished the puzzle right without even knowing...

Except,

Oh Bother! I left the Nobs/Bat inkless & forgot to go back for a 5th WAG

(Rats!)

OwenKL, Windows 10? Wouldn't it be easier to get a hip replacement?

I tried to post a PSA about brake squeal, but after watching this video,
they never once mentioned the squeeler strip incorporated into brake pads
to tell you when it was time to replace them. But I post it anyway because
I did learn something. Have you ever replaced your brake fluid? (I never have...)

Gosh, it has been so long, I have forgotten the name of that guy that used to
fight cats and dogs with me... (Sigh,I miss old times...)
Anywho, This video is for you,

Anywho who(?) (Gosh, Yellowrocks is going to be mad at me for destroying the English language...)
I tried to find funny CCC pics, & even triple C pics, but nothing struck me as funny.
Except maybe this...

TTP said...

Dave, would that have been MANAC ?

Here's one for you: Scratch my back ! Right here !

And I thought my boy (my avatar) was spoiled rotten.

Don said...

Number 49 down "Turbine blade" is not a rotor. It is a vane, which is attached to a rotor, causing the rotor to spin.
Too much for an old GE engineer not to respond to.

Don

Jerome said...

Just thought it was interesting that SECURE is an anagram of RESCUE.

And the name Clive Probert is absolutely the coolest name ever.

Dudley said...

Don 2:21 - I agree. I let the perps fill in that one, then held my nose and moved to the next clue.

Tinbeni said...

Chairman Moe @ 11:58

RE: 4/20 being "National Weed Day" ...

At Villa Incognito the only comment would be ...
"Smoke'em If You Got'em" ...

Cheers!

Lucina said...

Somebody help: what is the significance of 4/20? I plead ignorance.

Spitzboov said...

What Don and Dudley said. Ditto. The turbine blade, be it a hydro turbine, wind turbine or steam turbine, is typically attached to a hub which drives a shaft which turns a ROTOR. In the case of the later two, the rotor is on the other side of a gear box.
Can't think of a real world application as inferred by the clue.

Lemonade714 said...

Lucy (in the sky with diamonds?) this is the STORY of 4/20

The ear piercing thingy the blonde girl has seems creepy

Lucina said...

Thank you, Lemonade. Unfortunately (or not) my knowledge of counterculture is severely limited.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Good to "C" ya! Fun puzzle, Clive! Fun expo, Jzb!

Referring to NOBS as slang threw me off. I think of it as more ancient than slang. I think of slang as a current expression before it becomes standard in the language.

JONES definitely wasn't in my vocabulary. Neither was SHIRRS. I've heard of SHIRRed eggs, but never ate them. Microwave is quicker.

I've been on Antelope Island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. There is so much salt in the air, it's like being in the middle of a pearl. The evening light is very shimmery. (And we didn't smoke a thing.)

That lemur was too cute. Reminded me of a cat I had that would grab my hand with his teeth to hold me if I quit patting him before he was ready. Usually had the reverse effect.

Good to see you back, Owen.

Magilla Go-Rilla said...

Occasionally I read a comment where I infer that the LA Times crossword puzzle can be done on line. If this is true will someone please provide the UR? Thank you.

Jerome said...

I'm certainly not an engineer. I have never taken even a basic engineering class. But, is it possible that we are defining ROTOR in a too narrow sense.

Rotor- "An assembly of rotating blades". "A rotating mechanical part" Is not a turbine blade a rotor then? Sure sounds like it.

The definitions above appear in numerous dictionaries.

Spitzboov said...

Jerome - The key is "assembly". In the sense cited, rotor is the whole rotating driver and not just one blade. ie; Rotor diameter is a factor in the power output in a wind turbine. But a blade alone is not a rotor.

Jerome said...

You're the engineer, Mr. Spitz, so I readily accept what you say. And thanks for a succinct and clear answer.

oc4beach said...


Magilla @ 5:06 PM: There are sseveral sites. I prefer to use the MENSA SITE.t

Also, here is the OFFICIAL LATIMES website.

There are a couple of others, but I don't have them bookmarked.

Enjoy

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thank you Clive for a fun puzzle. Got the theme which helped w/ CAPE COD. Thanks JzB for a fun write-up; top of your game w/ your self-referential expo quips.

Alas, neW stayed at 57d and thunk - DNF. On the plus side, SHIRRS (ESP) is a new word and a new way to play with EGGs (and paprika, BAM!)

ESPs (if they'd have worked) was 44a, 57a (I know we just had it, but I forgot), and 60a.

No WOs - I tread carefully around French...

Fav: BLACK HOLE. I loved Brief History of Time. Read it 3x... and still don't get it :-).

Runner up: STAR above CRUDE, er, Texas TEA. Could'a had 6d==BLACK goLd? :-). West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is up another $1.35 today. The BARON should be happy.

IM - Good luck w/ the eye-test. Sure you got CORNEA right today, but what are the other answers? :-). Seriously, good luck.

Lucina - If I can claim Alfa yesterday, LA LA is all for you (and Ms. Linda - where'd she run off to?)

TTP and other fellow Brothers (and Sisters [Python]) in Arms - We don't ever forget NBC training (even how to bend the ATROPINE needles in you breast pocket*) after a visit to the tear gas-chamber do we?

And how tear-gas can suddenly cure a cold.

Cheers, -T
*for civilians - that's so your buddy knows how many ATROPINE shots you already used when he finds you unconscious.

TX Ms said...

TTP: Loved the lemur video!! How did you find it? It was only posted yesterday.

TTP said...

PK, Tx Miss, I know, right ? Way too cute. I made note of the view count (35,017) when I first linked that video to the blog at 2:17 this afternoon. It now has over 102,000 views and is steadily climbing. I predict it will be picked up and will be the morning news programs in the morning, and on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and other content providers as well. That lemur has attitude. Good fun.

Anon-T, I forgot all about bending the needles. Our DI made guys go through the chamber twice if they didn't get the mask strapped on tight enough the first time. They were the ones gagging with their masks still on. I still have my basic training yearbook. Some of the pics of guys coming out are from my platoon.

BTW, I know you are a RUSH fan. How about STYX ? I am listening to the syndicated Nights With Alice Cooper show, and they played Rockin' The Paradise. The lyrics are in it under "Show More." You should modify them a wee bit for your white hat hacker responses.

We need long term, slow burn, getting it done
And some straight talking, hard working son of a gun.

That's 5 for me.

Anonymous T said...

TX Ms - re: how they do it. TTP and CED; They're professionals... ;-)

TTP - I like STYX. I still have my LP of Paradise Theater w/ the laser etchings on the back. Rockin' The Paradise starts just like The Best of Times. I was always disappointed when I'd hear the intro and then it was TBoT again (it got all the radio play). IIRC STYX is from outside of CHI.

//sigh - wish I'd gotten Kilroy Was Here and Grand Illusion on LP instead of cassette; I might still had 'em. My cassettes are crap but Eldest still listens to my (and Pop's!) old records. Born to Run is her current fav.

Keepin' it pzl relevant - the CODA to Paradise Theater.

I'll do it again (be Pzl relevant) w/ more music Jet (STG MAJ @1:13) from Wings. Sir Paul sounds good even in rehearsal.

Did you say DI? - You're a Marine?

Cheers, -T

Anonymous said...

Notes on using the official LA Times site:
- The grid has circles when there are circles in the grid. (I believe I've often read that the Mensa site does not.)
- When there are accented characters in the clues, the LA Times site faithfully reproduces the correct Unicode character. My iPad (Safari) browser follows suit. There's an electronic chain here that has to remain unbroken if you're going to get the right character on your screen. I don't remember how the Mensa site fared. (I did see some complaints from Cornerites about their printed material being garbled when it comes to accented characters: same chain, but this time the file got mishandled before it reached the printing press.)
- sometimes the site will seize up on me. I just close the browser window, and sit through another ad (okay, I leave it playing while I get another coffee). When the puzzle comes back, my work has been saved, and I just pick up from where I left off.
- I do wish they'd get some new advertisers. I'm with the Barkley twins on this one.

TTP said...

I'll sneak another one in. Just keep it on the down low.

Not a Marine. BCT was at Ft. Knox. You're right. S/B Drill Sergeant. But our platoon's DI (I mean Drill Sergeant ;>)) was an ex-Marine that changed branches of the service. Drill Sergeant Pecori (E-7). And Drill Sergeant Horton (E-6). Will never forget them. Nor the Company Commander. The CO and I had the same last name. My name didn't get shouted out very often. But I did make the mistake of calling my weapons cleaning kit a gun cleaning kit. Paid for that. Still earned a stripe in BCT, and another in AIT (class Honor Graduate). Came across my certificates and other ephemera when looking for my DD-214 in February. My Illinois drivers license now proudly displays Veteran.

OK, now I'm done for the day. TTYL.