google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 John Guzzetta

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May 11, 2016

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 John Guzzetta

Theme:  PHUN WITH FONICS.  Each two word answer has the initial consonant sound /f/ spelt two different ways, with the expected letter "F" and with the digraph "PH."  Without delving too deeply into it, or proposing a general rule, it seems that many words using the "PH" digraph are derived from Greek: philosophy,  phonetics and, for a double whammy, photograph.

17 A. Communication device also called a clamshell : FLIP PHONE.   A cell phone that folds shut and flips open.  This is now a retro design, but is still rather popular.

24 A. Verne's circumnavigator : PHILEAS FOGG.  The protagonist of Jules Vernes 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days.

53 A. Reunion memento : FAMILY PHOTO.   Here's one of Gloria and 8 of our 11 grandchildren, from her birthday last August.

Some of my favorite peeps

39 A. Gym teacher's concern : PHYSICAL FITNESS.   I've been working out this year to do something about my physical fatness.  Lost 9 lbs so far.

64. Ben & Jerry's flavor inspired by a Vermont rock band : PHISH FOOD.   "Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow Swirls, Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish."  In my opinion, they fudged on the spelling of Phish.  You can read about it - and listen - here.

Hi, gang.   Jazzbumpa here.   With 5 theme entries, one a grid spanner, this puzzle is pretty rich in themeage. Let's see what else we can phind.

Across

1. Choose : OPT.  I assume this derives from "option."

4. Metaphorical loss in a bad deal : SHIRT.   Presumably indicating the loss of all assets, even one's clothing.   Probably related to the expression "I'd give the shirt off my back" for something intensely craved.

9. Salon creations : COIFS.  Hair arrangements.



14. Column crosser : ROW.   In a spread sheet or crossword grid.

15. Palmer with an "army" : ARNIE.  Also a soft drink - tea mixed with lemonade.



16. "Strange to say ... " : ODDLY.  Believe it or not.  Once, back in the days when I used to frustrate myself by phlailing with golph clubs, I was playing at Bay Hill - Arnie's resort in FLA - when I hit a drive that never got above 6 inches off the ground, and hit a squirrel square in the head.  True story. That's how I became Bumpa the squirrel slayer.    

19. Unlock the door for : LET IN.   Allow to enter.


20. Match socially : FIX UP.  Arrange a date for someone.

21. Tater : SPUD.  Potato - suitable for mashing.

23. Anti-apartheid org. : ANC.  African National Congress.  The ruling social democratic party of the Union of South Africa.

28. "Rad!" : AWESOME.   Impressive.  Because the word "awful" changed meaning from "awe inspiring" to "horrible and repugnant."

31. Consider : DEEM.  It was deemed "awful and artificial."

32. All-Clad product : PAN.   Cook ware, not the Greek god who consorted with NYMPHS.

33. Yucatán year : ANO.  Spanish.  More appropriately rendered -- año.

35. Spooky : EERIE.  I grew up not far from the shore of Lake Spooky.

44. Done in by Buffy, say : SLAIN.   Buffy is the vampire slayer.  As far as I know, she did not use sporting equipment.



45. __ Pérignon : DOM.  Vintage champagne produced by Moët & Chandon.

46. Lunch letters : BLT.  Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich -- YUM!

47. Simile words : AS AN.   It's as ________ AS AN __________.  [Phill in the blanks]

50. Affluent London area : CHELSEA.  Along the north bank of the Thames, near CHELSEA bridge.

56. "Moulin Rouge!" director Luhrmann : BAZ.  No idea.

57. Most blue state electees: Abbr. : DEMS.  The DEMocratic Party is associated with the color blue, and the Republicans with the color red.  I will say no more.

58. Secret stash : CACHE.  I wish I had a CACHE of cash.

62. Piano exercise : ETUDE.  From the Frech word for "study," a [usually] short, technically difficult exercise designed to build skill.

67. More valuable to a collector : RARER.  A word rarely said, since it trips so awkwardly off the tongue.

68. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE.   A city in the South Holland province of The Netherlands, home to the U. N.'s International court of justice.

69. Holiday drink : NOG.   A drink made with eggs, sugar, milk and possibly some alcohol.  The origin of the word is uncertain.

70. Narrow valleys : GLENS.  A Scottish term for a deep valley in the highlands, 

71. Symbol of military power : SWORD.   The pen is alleged to be mightier.

72. __ blue : SKY.  The color of the SKY on a cloudless day.   SKY gray is common in the Great Lakes region.

Down

1. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF.  Carl.  Carmina Burana is a suite of 24 medieval poems, mostly in vulgar Latin, that ORFF set to music in 1937.  The topics include drinking, gambling, gluttony and lust.  Some are quite bawdy.  The entire suite takes over an hour to perform.  Everyone has heard O Fortuna a thousand time, but I can't find another section excerpted, and at least this version is a different sort of performance.


2. __ sci : POLI.  A social science discipline dealing with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and behavior.  More than that I will not say.

3. Mars candy bar : TWIX.  A biscuit covered with caramel and chocolate.

4. Lyric poet of Lesbos : SAPPHO.  [ca 620 - 570 B. C.]   Most of her poetry has been lost, and much that remains is in fragments.  One complete poem is her Hymn to Aphrodite.

5. Initials for William or Harry : HRH.  His Royal Highness, a style of address for British royalty.

6. Diminutive Italian suffix : -INO.

7. Dishwasher cycle : RINSE.

8. Starting point for Frisbee golfers : TEE PAD.   This is actually a thing - a concrete pad; preferred size is between 5x12 and 6x20 feet.

9. Loss of nerve : COLD FEET.   The origin of the phrase is uncertain.  It has been attributed to author Steven Crane, who added the phrase to the 2nd [1896] edition of his novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

10. Dedicated poem : ODE.  

11. Luggage label : I D TAG.

12. Affair : FLING.  A fling is of short duration.  An affair can go on for years.   Either way, it probably involves one or more trysts.

13. (In) agreement : SYNC.  Derived from being synchronized.

18. Baby sharks : PUPS.  I did not know that.

22. Take advantage of : USE.

25. Apple variety : I-MAC.  Computer, not fruit.

26. Singer Horne : LENA.  Genuinely great.


27. Crow, at times, in Hinduism : OMEN.   Lots of minutia here.

28. Mobile downloads : APPS.  Software APPlications.

29. Brand of beard trimmers : WAHL.

30. Singer who co-composed a song in Elvish for "The Lord of the Rings" : ENYA.  Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin is a frequent crossword visitor, especially when I am blogging.




34. Over the hill : OLD.   Let's not get personal.

36. CSA soldiers : REBS.  Confederate soldiers from the American civil war.

37. Archipelago part : ISLE.  One island in a group.

38. Spanish pronoun : ESTA.   Meaning "this" or "that."  Spanish pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they are referring to.  ESTA is feminine singular.

40. Broadway king's domain : SIAM.   From The King and I.

41. Ones with access : INSIDERS.  They are always LET IN.

42. Nina of "The Ten Commandments" : FOCH.   She played Bithiah, an Egyptian princess.

43. FWIW kin : IMHO.   For What It's Worth and In My Humble Opinion.

48. Tankard contents : ALE.  A roughly cylindrical drinking cup with a handle that may be filled with a variety of libations.

49. Mythological maidens : NYMPHS.   They consorted with PAN.  Chicks just dug that old goat.



51. Ingrained : ETCHED.

52. Just sit around : LOAF.   Like a couch potato, to continue the quasi-food reference.

53. Decisive, as a mistake : FATAL.  Causes an epic fail.

54. Blue shade : AZURE.  Like the SKY, perhaps.

55. "Poppycock!" : PSHAW.

56. Result of glacial calving : BERG.  When an iceberg breaks off from a glacier, that is known as "calving."

59. Deceives : CONS.  Probably derived from "confidence trick" or "- game," in which someone attempts to commit a fraud by first gaining the confidence of another person or group.

60. Hoops shot : HOOK.   A basketball shot now rarely seen in the age of slam dunks, so named for the shape of the arm motion.


61. Like envelope-pushing comedy : EDGY.   Or hair dos.

63. Hibernation spot : DEN.  Suitable for bears and couch potatoes.

65. "Can __ now?" : I GO.  The inverse of "Let me in."

66. Prefix with charge : SUR-.   From the French, indicating over, above, or in addition.  A surcharge is an additional charge levied for any of a variety of reasons.

OK.  We're phinally phinished.  I had a lot of phun, and hope you did too.

Cool regards!
JzB



Notes from C.C.:

1) Jazzbumpa (Ron) made his WSJ debut today. You can click here to print out the PDF file. Congratulations, Ron! Thanks for the inspiration and fun ride.

2) Here are three great pictures from JD's Mother's Day celebration. JD is with her two daughters and four grandkids in the second picture.





52 comments:

  1. J-B - loved your links - especially the flashmob clip! Carmina Burana is one of my favorites. Thanks for a great start to my day!

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  2. Greetings!

    Thanks, John, Jazz! An especially detailed expo! Cute theme!

    No problems!

    Really have grown to dislike the ORFF!

    Weather has been crummy here for more than a week. Too cool for vegetables to grow!

    Cheers!

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  3. To be a teen-ager is mean.
    They're caught be-TWIX and be-tween.
    They're socially fragile
    Yet expect to be agile
    It's a cruel joke of Karma, I DEEM!

    A world traveler was PHILIAS FOGG,
    By hot-air balloon or sled-dog;
    By hansom or hack,
    On a bald eagle's back --
    He wrote it all down in his log!

    The ghosts were both AWESOME and EERIE.
    When enraged, they could stir up a fury!
    But when they were nice,
    They could help in a trice,
    They could find your lost keys in a hurry!

    {B, B+, A-.}

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  4. Morning, all!

    Definitely some crunch to this one, what with the unknown BAZ and FOCH and the misremembered PHILEAS (I went with PHINEAS at first). Nothing the perps couldn't (eventually) take care of, though. The theme was fun.

    Today's learning moment was that PHISH was a Vermont band. I'm only vaguely aware of them, but for some reason I thought they were another grunge band from the Seattle area. Go figure.

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  5. Jazz: Outstanding, informative write-up. Good Job!

    Geez, this was a "down-clues/answers" perp workout.
    Can't believe that ORFF, at 1-d, was actually correct.
    Only needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get that ORFF & FOCH.

    And, at Villa Incognito the "Holiday drink" is Scotch ... wouldn't fit, so I went with NOG.

    TEE-PAD was a learning moment ... that I will probably forget by lunch ...

    Cheers!

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  6. Owen I enjoyed all three of your works today but the first is for me much the best.

    JzB today was clearly an A day for you. I am always learning and forced to think about what I do not know or remember.

    ORFF just goes not stick, though the perps made it easy. BAZ to me is a guy involved in redoing the Saxony hotel in South Beach. I just do not pay enough attention to directors.

    I really enjoyed Moulin Rouge and his Romeo and Juliet was fun. His vision of Gatsby left me cold.

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  7. Good morning!

    Cute theme which I actually understood. Thanks, John. Hand up for PHINEAS (Hi, Barry!). Remembered ORFF. Enjoyed the flash mob, JzB. Based on the credit at the end of the clip, I take it the performers were German.

    FLIP PHONE -- my portable phone of choice. I keep it in my truck for emergencies. I have to buy $100 of minutes to keep it active each year. No smart phone for me. Also, no IMAC for me.

    I have several ALL-CLAD stainless pots and pans -- they'll last forever. I'd never buy their non-stick, though; too expensive for something that's going to wear out.

    Don't think I've ever heard of BAZ. I've seen PSHAW in print, but don't recall hearing it spoken. Is the P pronounced?

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  8. Good morning all. Thank you John and JzB.

    SE to NW fill. Glad I didn't start in the NW with unknown but perped-in ORFF. BAZ also perped in, as did a few others, but no naticks, so a clean solve. PBJ before BLT, and tryst before FLING. Easily corrected.

    Other answers weren't known directly, such as Elvish co-composer singer, and affluent London area, but they also perped in and were easily recognized. Not a fast Wednesday, but challenging and enjoyable.

    And as seems to be the norm, I spent more time reading and exploring JzB's links than I did solving the puzzle. BTW, the instructions for that copper coif must have been run through google translate.

    Looking forward to the WSJ solve. Congratulations JzB.

    BTW, is that trick photography or is the wall behind Gloria and the grandchildren two different colors ?

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  9. Thought I got 'er done, then came here and while checking my fill discovered two empty squares, FiXup, so stuck with a DNF. Rats! Fun CW, though, thanx, John!! And over-the-top write-up, thanx, JzB!! Owen, A,A,B. All great, liked your first best!

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  10. Good Morning!

    Fun Puzzle today. Thanks, John, for a great start to my day. It took me a V-8 minute to get FLIP PHONE. Why ever I don't know as DH always opts for low tech and just got a new one.

    JzB, Congrats on the WSJ! AWESOME! Today's explication was spectacular. The links were so fine--especially the ORFF flashmob. Thanks so much.

    Have a good day, all.

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  11. PHortissimo-phf or fph?- Easily guessed theme after FLIP PHONE and PHILEAS FOGG. The only hang ups were ORFF, SAPPHO, and BAZ that were solved by perps, along with the band PHISH ( never heard of).

    As for golf FATALities, I managed to slay a mallard out of season with a worm-burner drive.

    JzB- I usually skip the daily WSJ puzzles and only work the Saturday one but I'll go do it now.

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  12. C.C.- what you graciously didn't mention was the YOU were also credited as the constructor in the C-S WSJ puzzle. No trouble completing it.

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  13. Hi gang -

    TTP - the wall in the pic is blue. A lamp off screen to the left cast that part of it in a yellow glow.

    Re: the WSJ puzzle - that was a quite silly theme idea I came up with. I always have to give C.C. major props for all she does, but this time it was over and above. After finishing the puzzle, she had to completely rework the grid to get the WSJ acceptance. That's the meat of the work, and she had to do it all twice. Thanks, C. C. - you are a gem.

    Excellent limericks today, Owen.

    We'll be performing this on Friday.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLMVB0B1_Ts

    Cool regards!
    JzB

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  14. Phun and phast enough! I had the same crunches as others have mentioned, but the perps were solid. Thanks, John for a clever theme. I chuckled more than once.

    JazzB, what can I say? You really did outdo yourself today. Took me forever to follow all the links!! Thanks!

    And, Owen, the rhymes were the icing on the cake! What a great morning here on the Corner.

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  15. Dude, that puzzle was like totally AWESOME!

    I really seriously considered TUBULAR or BITCHIN' or instead of AWESOME but I guess the '80s vernacular is limited. ;)

    PHISH FOOD is by far my favorite ice cream of all time. I don't get it very often but will definitely pick up a pint today and "toast" you all after dinner.

    Owen - I choose #3 as my favorite today. Well done :)

    Off to walk some dogs, run errands and study for my last final of the semester tomorrow!

    Enjoy your day,

    t.

    BTW - JazzB I enjoy your blogs so much, a comment for every clue must be difficult to accomplish! Thanks for all the links too!

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  16. Good morning everyone.

    Another easy run today. Pretty much drilled down the center and swirled back in left and right eddies. Enjoyed the interesting fill. JzB: the NYMPHS had alluring COIFS. Great intro as always.
    The HAGUE - Dutch: Den Haag. Named for the brambly hedges around the local Count's estate.
    PAN - BH has several All-Clad pans. A great product.

    RARER:
    And what is so rare as a day in June?
    Then, if ever, come perfect days;
    Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
    And over it softly her warm ear lays;
    Whether we look, or whether we listen,
    We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
    Every clod feels a stir of might,
    An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
    And, groping blindly above it for light,
    Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
    etc by Lowell

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  17. For some reason my mind wants it to be PHInEASFOGG but fortunately LENA set me straight on PHILEAS.

    This was a very phine ophering from John Guzzetta. Thank you. And aptly reviewed by JazzB. I'll do your puzzle later.

    Nina FOCH quickly emerged from my phoggy memory and I can recall her voice in my head. WAHL is unfamiliar to me and All-Clad only vaguely familiar so the A was a pure guess for PAN/WAHL. And though I know TWIX I stupidly wrote TrIX and knew ROR didn't make sense but didn't change it. Drat! Being over the hill is not fun.

    Have yourselves an AWESOME day, everyone!

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  18. Fun puzzle! Caught the theme with the second one, but it was slow going thhroughout. Also wanted Phineas like others. Is that P. T. Barnum's first name perhaps? Had not heard of PhishFood, but did know of Cherry Garcia, so it seemed appropriate.

    Enjoyed the expo, Ron. Especially the squirrel story:-) and congratulations on the WSJ puzzle along with C.C. It was an enjoyable solve as well.

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  19. A personal slog for various reasons. I thought it was PHINEAS FOGG, PERSONAL FITNESS, uh , fit, and generic PAN not PAM. One bad cell (I should have never given up ENYA!) and a great exercise works for me.

    Musings
    -An E-mail exchange with a great blogger here revealed their ownership of what they called a Luddite FLIP PHONE ☺
    -I wonder if gym still includes this torture
    -Let Me In is a great memory of my yute
    -I’ve been fixed but never FIXED UP
    -The most overused word today and 45 others that you may OPT for
    -I was born in 1946 so, “Este año voy a estar 70 años” (I will be 70 years old this year)
    -The most famous and unblockable HOOK of all time
    -Our kitty’s lineage is of SIAM and she is the queen here
    -Great family pix all around!
    -Thanks for the wonderful write-up and your publishing success, Jazz! BTW, if the squirrel was in the center of the fairway, he would have been pretty safe from me!

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  20. "Puzzling Thoughts":

    Phirst, I solved this phrom top to bottom, right to left. All of the double letters (ORFF, ODDLY, FOGG, SAPPHO, FEET) had me thinking of a diphpherent "theme", but as I phrolicked through the grid, I soon saw the revealing similarities, even though John G did not use a revealer. JzB - as always - very inphormative recap. As others said, reading your contribution is as enjoyable as the solve!

    A phew misteaks [sic]: PHINEAS; YMMV bephore IMHO; spelled PHISH wrong (PHYSH); CHELSEA was my last phil

    Not sure why or how this limerick came to mind but given the phlavor of the theme it seemed appropriate. (I know, the last word is not pronounced as it's spelled; and John Fishman is a band member of Phish - but YR, it scans!!!)

    The band PHISH played a gig in Tibet,
    An adventure they'd never forget.
    Next tour stop: Vietnam
    And then on to Siam,
    Where John Fishman exclaimed, "aw, Phuket"!

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  21. Gary -

    I had taken a multiple bogey on the previous hole and was teeing off last. As the others were hitting, i noticed the squirrel to the right side of the airway, maybe 75 to 100 yards out, about even with a large tree off to the left. I wasn't thinking about it when my turn finally came. By then he had wandered across the fairway. My drive went near the tree and took a very strange bounce. I thought I had hit an exposed tree root. The first two guys had gone back to their cart, but my cart mate started jumping up and down hollering, "He hit the [expletive delated] squirrel!"

    We drove up in our carts, and as I got there the poor squirrel gave one last twitch and passed on. It's head looked like a strawberry.

    The other guys took my picture, club in hand kneeling next to it, like a great hunter on safari, and blew it up into a poster.

    Squirrels have hated me ever since.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  22. Today's outings by John and JxB were Fabulous (no PH.) Just the right level of difficulty for a Wednesday. It didn't take too long to figure out the theme which helped with the rest of the puzzle.

    At first I thought about putting in CAPTAIN NEMO, but remembered PHILEAS FOGG. Luckily I knew WAHL and BAZ, so the solve moved along with some perp help.

    JzB: I enjoyed your flash mob video so much that I diverted to YouTube to search out others for a while. Here is a video that Steve and a few others may enjoy, or not. 100 Single Ladies Flash-Dance Piccadilly Circus

    Also, JzB, your WSJ puzzle was a nice Wednesday level puzzle. I did have to use my eraser a bit. Keep up the good work.

    Rain here today. Hope your weather is better. Have a good day.

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  23. Good Afternoon:

    This was an entertaing exercise even with a few crunchy areas, I.e., Orff, Baz, and Enya, as clued. I learned Phileas vs Phineas a long time ago. Phish appears every year at SPAC, I think for two night performances. There are usually extra security measures employed due to the huge crowds and numerous arrests for under-age drinking, drug use, etc. are not uncommon.

    Thanks, John, for a mid-week challenge and thanks, JazB, for the usual witty and wondrous write-up. Nice shot of Gloria and the "grands." Congrats on the WSJ publication and kudos to CC, as well.

    JD, the photos are sweet and that beach looks so inviting!

    Have a great day.

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  24. Gary:
    Vas a CUMPLIR 70 anos. Spanish uses cumplir instead of estar to express age.

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  25. My hand is up for "PHINEAS" and even though I knew it was LENA Horne I didn't change it because I just figured there was a NENA as well.

    My bad.

    A clever puzzle nonetheless.

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  26. A bit of a Wednesday toughie, I thought--especially the NW and SE corners. But many thanks, John, for a challenging puzzle, and thanks, JazzB, for the fun expo.

    Enjoyed today's limericks, Owen.

    Have a great day, everybody!

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  27. Musings 2
    -I am home because of tremendous rains here in Eastern Nebraska these past two days including this incredible May event early this morning!
    -Lucina, my translation is directly from freetranslation.com and just underscores how tenuous translations can be.
    -Does anyone here remember a PHINEAS (not PHILEAS) puppet character on VERY early TV?
    -Jazz, I have a picture of me with my hole-in-one on the course but none with maimed fauna! ☺
    -Yeah, I first saw Elvis and not Elvish. “The King” said he NEVER wrote a song in his life but Colonel Parker forced authors to give Elvis some song writing credit for Elvis to perform the song and to get a big chunk of the royalties.

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  28. HG: I remember the mayor on the Howdy Doody show, Phineas T. Bluster.

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  29. Hand up for PHINEAS until LENA came along.

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  30. Hello Everyone, Same glitches as almost everyone else. Phineas to be exact. Other than that this was a phun puzzle for all of us today.

    There were some iffy clues, but for the most part a great puzzle. Wahl isn't a brand I know, and Baz was something I had forgotten. Thanks John for an enjoyable time.

    Lucina I enjoyed the Ph words in your writeup and JD I always enjoy seeing your pictures of family outings. Beach day for Mother's Day has become a tradition, hasn't it?

    Have a great day, everyone.

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  31. HG---Forget 'AWESOME'; the word I hate is TRENDING. I have never and will never click on anything that states 'Trending Now'. Current-yes; popular-yes; trending- I don't care.

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  32. JD:
    Your grandchildren are growing up handsomely! Thank you for the pics.

    Yours, too, JzB, and I loved your puzzle! Such a clever theme. It didn't take long to solve either.

    Gary:
    I'm sorry to hear that's from an available translation. It seems that the computer simply uses the direct meaning of the word and doesn't allow for language differences though there are many!

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  33. Very phunny comments today, led by Jassbumpa's phine, sometimes phoolish reactions to Mr. Guzzetta's pzl.
    I see I'm not the only one who mis-remembered PHILEAS as PHINEAS. Now, how did that happen? Could it be because of the popularity of one Phineas Taylor Barnum?

    I'm slowly cooling down this morning from the warm glow I experienced last night. I went to a presentation on our campus of "Theater of War," readings from ancient Greek tragedies on the subject of combat--and its toll on military families. The translator/director is an ex student of mine, Bryan Doerries, who was my TA and whom I haven't seen in fifteen years.
    The lead role was read by another ex-student, David Strathairn--from FIFTY years ago (at Williams College)!
    The performance was intensely moving, and I was delighted to spend time before and after with my former students. There are few pleasures in this world that exceed that of a teacher meeting with old students who are making good.

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  34. Reposting after multiple typos...

    Thanks for clarifying JzB. Thought I might have missed out on one of the latest painting trends. Nice puzzle in the WP by you and CC.

    Husker Gary, all I can say is WOW ! Northwest Omaha got pelted. Don't recall ever seeing that much at once.

    Oh, and yesterday... Don't think I saw that anyone answered your query... Arthur Godfrey.

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  35. Smooth sailing until the end. Looked over my answers several times and didn't see any obvious errors. Ended up turning on red letters, only to see that PHINEAS was wrong. Even the awkward cross NENA didn't tip me off. Fun puzzle overall, with a good theme.

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  36. PSHAW was writer George Bernard's lesser known brother, Paul.

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  37. Hi Y'all! AWESOME puzzle, John! PHabulous expo, JzB! Brightened a PHOGGy, gloomy day. Congrats on another successful puzzle collaboration in the WSJ, JzB & C.C.!

    The NW corner was the last to fill. Natick requiring a red-letter run: didn't know ORFF or SAPPHO, PUPS or that TWIX was made by Mars. The rest filled fairly easily. I didn't know FOCH or BAZ but perps filled them.

    Can't believe I knew PHILEAS, when so many went with an "N". I typed it expecting the "L" to be wrong.

    Flip phone: I still use one and couldn't figure out to enter FLIP in the puzzle. Duh! I don't call it that, I guess.

    Thanks to a long-lived WAHL clipper, my husband never had a barbershop cut after our marriage. I also cut my two son's hair until their brides insisted on salon cuts before the weddings. Bless their hearts, they each came home griping that the professional didn't do it as well as I did. I couldn't see much difference, but appreciated their kind words. Saved a bundle of money all those years with WAHL.

    We had two storms go through last night with hard rain and hail. Part of the same storm system, but thank heavens, it didn't drop as much on us as it did on Omaha! Not much sleep happened though.

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  38. JzB @ 10:57 - Hilarious! I've never held a golf club in my life, but immediately after reading your post I thought, "Now I wonder how the golfing greats with all of their holes-in-one would have fared on that one shot?" Do you still have access to the poster - golf club in hand, kneeling, beside your "trophy"? If so, please share! PS, I'm not fond of birdseed-hogging squirrels, but at least he didn't suffer.

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  39. Had no trouble with the puzzle,
    but I did have a lot of trouble trying to find a funny pic
    for PH, or F, or Homophones, or alliteration, or phonetics...

    I suppose I could have posted something, but quite honestly,
    nothing seemed worthy of this puzzle.

    Instead, for Jazz, even the Pros have animal problems...

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  40. Hi all!

    Wow, that went phast. Only slowdown was in the SW.

    Thanks John for a phun puzzle and JzB for a phunny writeup. Congrats on the WSJ debut and your golf "trophy." //OK, that's enouf of that.

    WOs: Hand-up: PHInEAS at 1st; Dunk b/f HOOK; eRNIE b/f ARNIE.

    ESP: ORFF, WAHL, FOCH, & BAZ

    Fav: The theme! It was true & joyful language play. Nothing punny needed like substitution pzls.

    OKL: {A,A-,B+}

    HG - Hail in May? AWESOME, like, literally.

    I must be really good at my work. I attended a full day of seminars and only learned one thing. After a spell, I LOAF'd in the vendor area and caught-up w/ some of mine. I also discovered two new products that I may USE when WTI >$60. Got me a new SHIRT too :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  41. Hmmmmm? Thinking of an appropriate menu for this evening......

    How about pho????


    JazzB, I'd second the request for the trophy pic. I've never hit a critter on the course, but did witness another golfer kill a goose with a tee shot. Closest I've come to anything similar is trying to chase off a baby rabbit from my garden with a small rock. I only meant to scare it away, but my aim was too true. They do make an odd noise when fatally injured. :-(

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  42. Only "critter" I ever encountered when playing golf was an Alligator that was sunning itself on the Green.

    We decided to allow it to "warm-up" before he casually strolled over to the lake ...

    If I remember correctly ... I "3-putted" the hole ...
    Kinda had the "yips" after having a 10 foot gator slow down our play ... LOL

    Cheers!

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  43. CED, I enjoyed those videos of animals on a golf course.

    I spent an hour or so riding my bike to and shopping at a local Farmer's Market. I found some beautiful Better Boy tomatoes. I also espied some Ecuadorian pupusas. I brought one home for lunch. (I should have gotten two.) They also had empanadas. (Next time.)

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  44. Bill G:
    Mmmmmm. Pupusas are delicious! Lucky you.

    Here's my grocery shopping story today. While walking along the aisle with my cart in tow and minding my own business, another shopper approached me. She started talking, telling me how she and a friend were recently at a mall and when she espied two girls in very short shorts she made up a joke. Joke later. After I finished laughing she informed me that she also composes poetry and would I be interested in hearing one. She immediately recited it completely. I can't recall it so can't repeat it but it sounded good though not as good as Owen's. Then she continued and told me she also writes music and has actually composed music to one of her poems and would I listen. So right there, in the middle of the aisle in a crowded grocery store, with other background music playing, she sang her composition! The entire time I was completely astonished and only nodded my head a few times. It was an extraordinary encounter with someone whom I've never before seen. Here's the joke: What do you call two girls om very short shorts walking along together?
    Heinie kin

    I thought it was very funny and have never ever experienced such a meeting. She actually told me another joke but it's long and involved and I don't recall all the details.

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  45. Lucina,
    That's very interesting. I hope she finds the recognition she seeks and begins a successful career creating and selling her art. Thanks for telling us about that.

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  46. Lucina, you are very kind to provide that woman an audience. Was she high on something?

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  47. Lucina:

    You said the experience is ODD. Is it? DW has strangers walk up to her and discuss ODD-ball stuff, ask for assistance, buy her coffee, etc. These aren't just guys hitting on her either. She oft wonders "why are they telling me?" but OPTs to smile & nod. DW thinks she has a "talk to me" sign on her forehead.

    BTW, you missed the oprotunity to improve her joke. It should be sisters or TWIX-twins if they're kin :-)

    I forgot earlier to mention everyone's beautiful FAIMILY PHOTOs. Nice to see the next gen of x-word solvers :-)

    C, -T

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  48. Lucina, thanks for the compliment! I have a similar story. Back when I was doing storytelling, my favorite holiday was St.Patrick's. All my stories were either original or my own modifications of old ones. In particular, I wrote an original story about the shamrock. Once at a store I met a clerk with a strong Irish accent. I proceeded to tell him my entire story, maybe 10 minutes, in my fake Irish accent, and then asked his opinion of it! Bless his heart, he didn't say anything about the story, but talked to me a couple minutes about Irish accents before getting back to his work that I was interrupting!

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  49. PK:
    As far as I could tell, she didn't seem high but it occurred to me later that she might have been in the "manic" phase of a bipolar episode. I've known a few people who exhibit those traits. But it's only a guess.

    As for being an audience, yes, it was part politeness and a greater part of astonishment.

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  50. Wow, it didn't seem that long ago that there were little ones sitting on that couch, Bumpa. Loved the picture, and all the fun extras you add each time you blog. Lovely Enya piece...thanks.

    Lucina, what a nice person you were to listen to that lonely strange person....and you remembered her joke! The whole scenario gave me the giggles, not the joke. Owen, yours was a funny story too.

    Hand up for Phineas.loved the puzzle. Surprised myself for remembering Sappho.

    ReplyDelete

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