google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 Janice Luttrell

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Jul 20, 2016

Wednesday, July 20, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Theme - HIGH TIMES.   The first word of common two-word phrases can follow the word HIGH to make other recognizable, in-the-language phrases.

Lets start with the unifier --  24 D. Top-of-the-line, and what each of the four longest puzzle answers begins with? : HIGH END.   Indicating merchandise with a large price tag, presumably justified by comparable quality or some other mark of desirability.  Let's see how it fits with the theme entries

3 D. Contact skating sport : ROLLER DERBY.   A roller skating race on a track between two 5-member teams.   Each team has a designated jammer, who attempts to score points by lapping members of the other team.  The teams attempt to assist their own jammer while hindering the other teams jammer.  The result is mayhem.

A HIGH ROLLER is a big spender or one who places large bets.

9. Act too quickly : JUMP THE GUN.   An expression derived from racing events, where the start of the race is announced with a piston shot.  One who starts too soon acts too quickly and can be disqualified.

The HIGH JUMP is an athletic event in which competitors jump over a horizontal bar.

27. Kind of tackle made illegal in the NFL in 2005 : HORSE COLLAR.   A dangerous method of tacking consisting of grabbing inside the back of another player's collar or shoulder pads and dragging him backwards to the ground.

To be on one's HIGH HORSE is to act in an arrogant and disdainful manner.

31. Cartoon bird that first appeared in "Fast and Furry-ous" : ROAD RUNNER.  Here's a clip from the 1949 cartoon.




To take the HIGH ROAD is to behave in a morally superior manner, as for example, to avoid being drawn into acting negatively.   Probably not compatible with the previous theme entry.

Hi gang - JazzBumpa here to explore today's offering.  Janice Luttrell has given us a rather unusual grid with a couple horizontal 9-stacks.  But the theme answers are all vertical 10's and 11's.   This inevitably leads to a large number [25] of three-letter fill, due to grid constraints.  But the average word length is 4.92, solidly in the Wednesday pocket.  Why arrange it this way?  Each theme word that combines with the unifier is at the HIGH END of its fill.   So the theme not only works on its own; it also illustrates itself graphically.  Most elegant!

Let's see what other goodies we can uncover.

Across

1. Dropped the ball : ERRED.   Misplaying the ball is one way to make an ERROR in baseball.  Throwing inaccurately is another.

6. Pantry pest : ANT.   They bug me.

9. Puts in a cooler : JAILS.  American slang

14. Successor of Pope John X : LEO VI.   His term ran from ca. June, 928 until his death in ca. February 929.  

15. Like many indie films : LOW BUDGET.

17. "You Be __": 1986 Run-D.M.C. hit : ILLIN'.   Whateva'.

18. Dr. Brown's classic drink : CREAM SODA.   Rated good, not great.

19. Pasadena institute : CAL TECH.   The California Istitute of Technology, a private university specializing in science and engineering.

21. Mysterious power : ESP.   Extra-Sensory Perception.   The ability - if you believe that sort of thing - to acquire information without using the known physical senses, including such psychic phenomena as telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition.

22. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE.   Producer of frozen beverages under the ICEE and Slush Puppie brand names.

23. Little snicker : HEH.   Not to be confused with a small candy bar.

25. Cries out for calamine : ITCHES.   As from a bug bite or other skin irritation.

30. Three times, in an Rx : TER.

31. Notes after do : RE-MI.   In the English language version of solmization, these are among certain syllables assignment to musical scale steps.  

32. Prefix for "time" : CHRONO -.   From the Greek god CHRONOS, a personification of time.

33. __-wop music : DOO.  A pop music vocal style originating in the U.S. during the 50's characterized by close harmonies and often using nonsense syllables in the main line or the accompaniment.



35. Starting device: Abbr. : IGN.   Ignition, for internal combustion engine powered vehicles.

37. Belgian banknotes : EUROS.   All over Europe.

38. Speedmaster watchmaker : OMEGA.  This is a line of CHRONOGRAPH [time display plus stop watch] wrist watches.  They have been worn by U. S. astronauts during NASA's Gemini 4 and Apollo 11 missions.  It is the only watch qualified for extra-vehicular activity.

40. __ Na Na : SHA.  A retro doo-wap singing group, and also their TV show of the same name, that ran from 1977 to '81.   Their name is derived from this song, originally recorded by the Silhouettes in 1957.


Are you picking up some mini-themes?

41. Gypsum painting surface : GESSO.   A mixture of pigment, gypsum and/or chalk with a binder used a primer to prepare a wood of canvas painting surface.

42. Whittled : PARED.  Trimmed down, either literally or figuratively.

43. President pro __ : TEM.   The second highest ranking official in the U. S. Senate, typically the most senior member of the majority party.  According to the Constitution, the Vice president of the U. S. is the President of the Senate.   Theoretically, the President Pro Tem acts in his absence. In practice, though, neither person actually presides over the Senate.   This responsibility is rotated among junior senators of the majority party, to give them procedural experience - or, more likely, because the senior members foist it upon them..

44. Salt Lake City collegian : UTE.   One who matriculates at the University of Utah.

45. Remains in the fire? : EMBERS.  Last glowing bits that will soon be ashes.   Nice play on "remains."

47. Wolfgang's veto : NEIN.   No in Germany - or Austria.

49. Baseball uniform part : CAP.



52. Doesn't go for the green, in golf : LAYS UP.   Deliberately shoots short of the green, or to avoid a hazard, as a safety play, hoping to have a better opportunity on the next shot.

53. U.K. military award : DSO.   Distinguished Service Order, a military decoration awarded to officers for meritorious service in wartime.

54. Buckwheat noodle : SOBA.   From the Japanese word for buckwheat.



55. Earn after taxes : NET.   Take home pay.

57. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" autobiographer Maya : ANGELOU.  [1928-1914]  American poet, playwright and civil rights activist.

59. Writer of medical thrillers : ROBIN COOK. [b 1940] His novels, many of which have become best sellers, sometimes explore controversial topics.

64. Book with interstates : ATLAS.    Book of maps

65. Like California, to a Hawaiian : STATESIDE.   Referring to the continental U. S. from outside the country, or from the detached States.

66. Gape : STARE.   Specifically to do so open-mouthed, as from amazement.  Vide supra.

67. One in a cast : ACTOR.  It's traditional to tell an actor "break a leg" before the performance.  If taken literally, could lead to a double meaning.

68. WKRP's Nessman : LES.  portrayed by actor  Richard Sanders.


69. Pasture groups : HERDS.   Of cattle, presumably.

Down


1. Draw out : ELICIT.  To cause a reaction by one's own action.

2. Tighten, as sneakers : RELACE.  And retie.

4. Party-planning site : EVITE.   Check it out.

5. Use the good china, say : DINE.   As opposed to chowing down, which could just as easily involve paper plates and plasticware, or merely hovering over the sink.

6. Lead-into-gold practitioner : ALCHEMIST.  Using the BASIC principle of purification to achieve gnossis [mystical enlightenment,]  an ALCHEMIST strove to transmute base metals into noble metals, create panaceas, and achieve immortality,   Not sure any was ever successful.

7. Negative connector : NOR.   Neither's companion.

8. Overly cute, to a Brit : TWEE.  What would we say, STATESIDE?  Cutesy?

10. Source of much website revenue : ADS.   Annoyances, to my way of thinking.

11. "Need __ on?" : I GO.   Yes - tell me more!

12. Had no one to catch : LED.  As in a race of some sort.

13. BART stop, e.g. : STAtion.

16. Rudimentary : BASIC.   Or fundamental.

20. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE. [1928 - 1967] An Argentine Marxist revolutionary, diplomat and military theorist who became a major figure in the Cuban revolution. 

26. Dressing holder : CRUET.    A flat-bottomed vessel with a narrow neck, a stopper, and possibly an integral spout.

28. Hall of Famer Slaughter : ENOS. [1916-2002]   His career spanned 1938-1959, interrupted by military service from 1943-5.   He was a 10-time all star and played in the World Series 5 times.

29. Only fair : SOSO.  Mediocre.  

34. Fancy moldings : OGEES. S-shaped double curves.

36. Some first-born children : NAMESAKES.  They are named after ancestors or older relatives.

38. Volkswagen rival : OPEL.  A German auto company that is a subsidiary of GM, headquartered in Rüsselsheim.

39. Doll's cry : MAMA.

46. Short job details? : SPECS.   Here, it's the designation of the job details that is short, not the job itself.

48. Electrified particle : ION.   Hydrogen atom: "I seem to have lost my electron."  Chemist:  "Are you sure?"   Hydrogen atom: "I'm positive."

50. On the train : ABOARD.  On board, probably influenced by Old French.

51. Stops to think, say : PAUSES.  Causes a slight break in the action.

54. Luigi's lucky number? : SETTE.   Seven in Italian.

56. Work very hard : TOIL.  

58. Deep cut : GASH.

59. Zimbabwe neighbor: Abbr. : Republic of South Africa.

60. Non-Rx : Over The Counter.

61. Night flier : BAT.   Effective mosquito controller, too.

62. Olympics skater Midori : ITO.   The first female to complete the triple axel in competition in 1988.  It became her signature move.



63. Neruda wrote one to salt : ODE.   .  .  .  sprinkling vital light upon our food .  .  .

There you have it.   Very nicely done puzzle, with some extra treats inside.  I liked a lot.  Hope you did, too.

Cool Regards!
JzB



43 comments:

OwenKL said...

FIW. Only had one WAG I was really in doubt about, the natick where SOBA + SETTE, but that was correct. The problem turned out to be LEO XI + EX(c)ITE. I'd never heard of EVITE.com* as a website, just a type of e-mail. I knew there were a lot of LEOs, so 11 seemed reasonable (13 Leos, 23 Johns, though legend is that a lot of mideval ones were johns of a different sort).
BTW, in looking that up, Francis is the first pope to not have a number after his name (some added posthumusly) since Lando C̶a̶l̶r̶i̶s̶s̶i̶a̶n̶ in 913 ᴄᴇ, John X's immediate predecessor. And at 23, John is well ahead of the next most common, Gregory and Benedict, both maxed out at 16.

Bothered a bit about the reveal coming so early, but I needed it anyway, so absolution is granted. This time.

*If you're an entrepenuer, evite.org and exite.com are both unowned, and can be bought cheap through 1and1.com.

{B+, B}

A famous ALCHEMIST was Dr. John Dee,
In wizardly robes, he looked rather TWEE!
He couldn't transmute
Lead to gold loot,
But SODA to slush he invented ICEE!

OwenKL said...

A Science Fiction Poem

CHRONO-nauts patrol the time-lanes,
Guarding from anachronymic planes!
From OMEGA to Alpha,
Disdaining nostalgia,
They ensure that history steady remains!

When some time-traveler ITCHES
Forbidden secrets to ELICIT
The time patrol
Will take control
And infest his time machine with glitches!

They were the ones who made sure Rome fell,
They saved the Cold War from nuclear hell!
When time's out of place,
The strands they RELACE,
ABOARD their CHRONO-cars (made by OPEL).

Once I asked a CHRONO-technician,
How they worked, he said, "The IGN*."
"Electrical ION?
Extra-Sensory Psion?"
"No, they're fueled by IGuaNa rectal emission!"


*Pronounced "igǝn", to rhyme with "ignition".

TTP said...

Good morning all. Thank you Janice and JzB.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I love music, but I can't read it, barely know the names of the scale, and only now am finally starting to get familiar with some of the terms such as sotto, piano, and forte.

Couldn't help but start right smack dab in the middle of this one. The pattern called for it. SHA, TEM, ALCHEMIST, and NAMESAKES fell in seconds. Then NEIN, ION, RE ME, and CHE as I worked outward. ME ?

Most of the puzzle fell pretty quickly and the cluing seemed to be appropriate for the day. But HIGH END almost cost me. :>) Get it ?

Was pretty sure that HEH would be correct. Couldn't fit Bite-Sized in there. Besides, just needed the second H. Was also pretty sure that I needed a D to start DSO. Should have sussed the G for IGN. Those missing letters and having ME instead of MI almost caused a Wednesday fail. All's well that ends well.

Liked your astute Pro TEM observation JzB. As in, “Like it? Well I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?”

Had to verify that Justin and Kate are still an "item" after seeing your pic.

Yep. LAYS UP. Part of my forte. Key component of course management. LAYS UP must be derived from some Scottish saying.

What are the SPECS on that SPEC house ? A carpenter contractor golfing buddy of mine rolled the dice and built a HIGH END SPEC house. He offered it for sale just after the mortgage meltdown in '08. Put too many eggs in one basket. He's finally recovered from near ruin. All's well that ends well.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Got off to a bit of a weird start on this one. I put in ERRED at 1A right out of the gate, but then tried EDUCE for 1D (which was 1 letter short), RETIE for 2D (which was 1 letter short) and ROLLERBALL for 3D (which was 1 letter short). I thought that maybe there was something funky going on with the theme until I finally realized that ROLLERBALL was the movie about the sport ROLLER DERBY.

After that, things went pretty smoothly. LASYUP was unknown to me (in a golf context) and I needed the perps to get RSA, but that was about it.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, JazzB and friends. I just sped through this puzzle and quickly got all the long answers on the first pass. Ironically, it was the unifier that was the last fill for me in today's puzzle.

My favorite clue was Puts in the Cooler = JAILS.

When I drink soda, my first choice is CREAM SODA, which is usually and A&W.

We've been getting a lot more E-VITES recently.

QOD: When I was growing up, my parents told me, “Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.” I tell my daughters, “Finish you homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.” ~ Thomas Friedman (b. July 20, 1953)

Lemonade714 said...

A very smooth solve with my learning moment coming from JzB, solmization is a term i do not know. Then again, music is just something that makes me happy.

I liked the CSO to the Big Bang boys with CalTech, and the ending with a figure skater and famed poet Pablo Neruda brought back good memories of dear Clear Ayes.

Dr. Brown was famous for his Celery Tonic, the Cream Soda and Black Cherry came later. I really do not drink soda very often anymore, but as the reviewer said it is a good soda.

I liked the paired nines and the grid flowed for me.

Thanks J(anice) and J(zB)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Not an over-write in sight. My first thought was EDATE, but I figured there probably weren't 500 popes named Leo. Wasn't sure, though. Nicely done, Janice and JzB.

Back in my ute Get A Job was sung by the Silhouettes, and Silhouettes was sung by the Rays. Confusing to my teenaged mind.

Wasn't familiar with LAYS UP, but if someone was ill or injured, he might be laid up. Interesting how many different meanings "laid" can have.

unclefred said...

Thanx, Janice, for a perfect Wednesday CW!! Just crunchy enough! JzB you outdid yourself today, great links, terrific write-up, thanx!

Madame Defarge said...

Thanks, Janice and JzB for a Wednesday challenge. Stuck at ROBIN COOK and needed perps to start. Knew Coma, but couldn't find the author in my sleepy brain.

Nice puzzle. Delightful tour!

Stay cool.

Anonymous said...

Lame theme/24D clue. The four longest answers do not begin with HIGH END. They could take on HIGH at the beginning and eliminate afterwords for different answers.

Tinbeni said...

Jazz: Excellent write-up and informative links. (Did the babe have on a CAP???)

Janice: Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle. Enjoyed the HIGH-END theme.

Needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get ILL-IN ... guess I'm not a Run-D.M.C. fan.

ITO was a wag (wild-ass-guess) but ROBIN COOK, a favorite author, gave me the "I" ...

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

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Fun puzzle today and a treat to blog. Glad you enjoyed it.

Anon @ 8:15 -

Thank you for putting your poor judgment and lack of reading comprehension on display. They are awesome!

Cool regards!

JzB

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Nice intro from JzB

Enjoyed most of today's offering. Not only the long downs but also the theme schtick. But, like JzB said, it invites a plethora of 3 letter fill. Had same luck with WAGs as with finesses in Bridge. GESSO worked; EVITE did not; never heard of it - had exite.
There were 13 Pope Leos so Leo XI seemed as good a guess as Leo VI. Sic transit gloria.

Yellowrocks said...

JzB, thanks for the great review and the many enjoyable links. This puzzle was okay and solved easily. Although I scored very well on reading comprehension all through school, I,too, found the reveal awkward. I do "get" it, but.....
"Each theme word that combines with the unifier is at the HIGH END of its fill." Yes it is, but that is a fairly tortured gimmick. Maybe I am just cranky today.
The good/bad news is that Alan's tests yesterday had good results, but he is back to feeling terrible with no discernible reason after having had a fine Monday and Tuesday. I almost hoped the tests were somewhat abnormal so we could pin down the cause.
Delightful weather today. I bought some more corn just now. I am so jealous of you lucky stiffs who have sun-ripe local tomatoes. I can hardly wait. This is the first year I have not planted my own.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Janice Luttrell, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.

Worked through this easily while the three of us (wife, daughter, and myself) went to breakfast at the local Greek restaurant. I had my favorite, eggs benedict.

Liked ROLLER DERBY. As a youth I used to watch the San Francisco Bay Bombers all the time. Fun.

OGEES was easy. We just had the singular the other day.

Theme was fine. Good job.

Took me a few perps to get CREAM SODA. Not sure I have ever had one. I do not drink pop very often. I have had Genessee Cream Ale, however. From Rochester, NY.

ROAD RUNNER was easy. I remember when we lived in California a Road Runner ran through our back yard. Not sure why I remember that.

Liked LEO VI. For some reason I like the Popes' names in Crosswords. I am not even a catholic. Lutheran.

Well, have to run. I did yesterday's puzzle and never got it entered in the blog. I think I will do that right now. Monday's as well.

Heading to Pennsylvania tomorrow night. Be there a week.

Abejo

( )

oc4beach said...


Good Wednesday outing from Janice and an in-depth write-up by JzB. I was able to solve it without any help today other than a reliance on perps. Good clips by JzB.

Learned a few things today. Never knew about TWEE, GESSO and SOBA. Perps all the way.

I did have CHRICHTON before ROBINCOOK became evident. Perps again correcting the error of my ways.

Today is National Lollipop day which brings back memories of the Chordettes singing LOLLIPOP back in the '50's. Relive your childhood days and have a Tootsie Pop, Dum-Dum Pop, Rainbow Pop or a Charms today.

Hope you all enjoy your day.

C6D6 Peg said...

Thank you, Janice, for a fun Wednesday outing. Really enjoyed the HIGHEND reveal and placement of theme answers.

Nice write-up, JzB. Thanks for taking us on the tour!

Big Easy said...

Is the 'High Times' headline for our CO, AK, WA, & D.C. stoners? This wasn't a LOW BUDGET puzzle and maybe 'Royal Flush' would have been better than HIGH END because the the 'high' was describing the beginning, not the END (I know- they were on the 'top' of the fills)

I only had one write over- HEE to HEH- because the unknowns- ILLIN, CREAM SODA, ROBIN COOK, SOBA, LES, TWEE- were easily filled by the perps.

TTP-I usually only LAY UP on a golf course that I have never played before. It never seems to help when I do and golf balls are cheap.
Hahtoolah- My parents said' children in EUROPE are starving. I like you job comment.
Abejo- There's a local ROLLER DERBY team in New Orleans and a couple of weeks ago they had a 'running of the bulls' in the French Quarter where they were the bulls (cows?) and hit all the runners with foam bats. Big crowd.

I would like to see the following clue" "Name a Pope" because I always fill them by perps.

Nice write up JzB.

Nice Cuppa said...

Thanks JL, JzB and RN

• Are we experiencing a chrono-inversion? – the crosswords seem to be getting easier as the week elicits.

• Or maybe we are WATCHing a crazy Swiss connection - FYI, Dada was born 100 years ago today, in Zurich. OMEGA(d)! And to the SWISS countryside – DO-RE-MI – who can forget the young Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music? The EURO, however, is not SWISS CAPITAL (is that money to BERNE?), NOR Brit, Danish, or Norwegian. Not Russian either - that's the DOPE.

• JzB – thanks for a compendious write-up and for that old Chemist joke – an oldie but goldie (so don't tell it to the Alchemists)

• I had no issue with the theme - some people are so pedantic..... I would even have settled without "at the beginning". since the thematons [I just made that word up] are all vertical.

• FYI, the British TWEE* also has comparative and superlative forms - TWEER and TWEEST – now you don't get much CUTESIER than that.

* derived apparently from a childish pronunciation of "SWEET".

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

I thought this had a bit of a bite, even for a Wednesday but I did get through it with no real speed bumps. Again, the reveal was necessary to discern the theme but that's part of the fun.

Thanks, Janice and JzB, for a mid-week treat and treatise!

YR, sorry to hear that Alan is ailing again. It's been like a roller coaster ride for both of you, health wise. I hope he feels better soon.

Have a great day.

Anonymous T said...

Morning All!

Thank you Janice for a fun diversion while Bro & I wait to paint* (it's raining). Brother's not a regular solver but he had fun with his copy of the grid and extends his thanks. JzB, thanks for the fun writeup and HERDing us through the puzzle. Enjoyed the WKRP clip - have I mentioned how much I love that show?...

What OKL & Spitz said... I even convinced my brother ExITE must be a .com. We all ERRED there. FIW.

WOs: wED b/f LED. Me b/f MI

ESP: GESSO. My brother knew it - little wanker. I am glad he's finally STATE SIDE after years of deployment.

Fav: c/a for 9a; great misdirection -- Bro & I both wanted to ice-up(?) our beer.

Runner up: 32a - Our firm built a BASIC time-entry system for internal use; I named it CHRONOs. I learned that from Piers Anthony's Bearing an Hourglass in my UTE.

Except for our middle names, I'm Grandpa's (RIP) & Pop's NAME SAKE. We do, however, have the same middle init.

Bro didn't know SHA Na Na and wants to argue TER (he worked in a pharmacy when 18yro). I told him TER is right if not a bit archaic and the Corner has had that argument before. He's still sore about it and ITCHES for a fight.

{A, A}
Hahtoolah - I've read Friedman's books and love that quote. Makes one want to be a plumber - can't outsource that s*** :-)

YR - Your comment made me think of the guy on the slab w/ the winning lotto ticket in his breast-pocket... The coroner thought, "Lucky stiff."

Cheers, -T
*Old basketball backboard that we are going to spray-paint to look like an Italian flag. We have it looking pretty good so far and the rain just stopped.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

FIW as I failed at the Natick of SOBA and SETTE. Even doing an alphabet run failed. I thought correctly that the answer for 54d was some version of "7" but SETTE didn't come to mind.

Other than that, I was pretty good at using perps and maybe a WAG or two to get everything penned correctly. TWEE was a clear example of using ESP

Needed JzB's recap to 'xplain the reveal, etc

A lot to like with today's entry - thanks Janice and Jazz!

Will be MIA for a week

Abejo @ 10:22 - me, too! Where in PA are you going, if I may ask? If you want to take this off line please send me an email (it's in my "blue" profile).

Anonymous said...

Re:Hahtoolah' QOD

The "greatest American you've never heard of," Norman Borlaug, saved a billion people from starvation, won the Nobel Peace Prize 1970, championed The Green Revolution against the gloom-and-doom prophet of overpopulation, Stanford economist Paul Erlich (The Population Bomb, 1968) I find many Westerners cling to the myths of their childhood, and don't give Borlaug his due.

Jayce said...

Nice puzzle.

Longbeachlee said...

I'm with BigEasy here. Hee is a snicker, heh is not. End of story.

Misty said...

Super Wednesday puzzle, Janice--thank you so much! I got the whole thing pretty readily without any cheating or any problems--Yay! And nice expo, JazzB. I too think that having the HIGH END theme answers all be vertical was unusual and very clever.

Nice to see Maya ANGELOU in the puzzle.

Have a great day, everybody!

PK said...

HIGH Y'all! After today no one can say Janice doesn't concoct a HIGH END puzzle. Thanks! Thanks, Jazz!

I thought LOW BUDGET & CREAM SODA were also theme entries and went a little batty trying to make sense of HIGH LOW & HIGH CREAM, altho the CREAM does rise to the top in a milk bottle (boy, that dates me).

Last to fill was the "S" in the SOBA/SETTE cross natick. Big WAG.

32A prefix for "time" = CHRONO was ESP. Still don't get that. CHRONO - logical?

Tried "mainland" before STATE SIDE which seemed more logical to me.

A pro golfer sometimes LAYS UP if there are trees or other obstacles between the ball and the hole.

YR: Loved your video. I shall ever after have the vision of you in your cute costume paddling along beside the ancient mariner. Fun! On a less happy note, have you tried checking Alan with a glucose meter for low blood sugar on the days he gets up feeling terrible? I have this problem. It seems to happen if I have eaten less and expended more energy the preceding day. So maddening. The doctors never find it. I can empathize with Alan.

oc4beach said...


Abejo & CM: If you are heading to PA, the weather here in Central PA is nice and the forecast is for temps in the mid 90's this weekend.

Enjoy.

AnonymousPVX said...

So far this week is making me feel that I'm a much better solver than I really am. Last week was so tough, this week is a lot easier so far. That's not to say these are poor puzzles, rather they are well constructed and clued which makes them seem easier. IMHO.

Kate Upton - lovely to look at and all, but once I saw her interviewed I came to the conclusion that all she has to offer is her image.

desper-otto said...

PK, how 'bout a CHRONOmeter?

Husker Gary said...

110˚F heat index got my golf done by 9 am and lawn mowed by 10 am. My sister then texted me from her vacation to water her garden and so THEN I could finally do Janice’s lovely puzzle and read Jazz’s fun write-up

Musings
-At our 50th reunion I tolerated my arrogant, disdainful classmate. His wife is lovely!
-Pols that take the HIGH ROAD had better not have quit their day job
-A famous COOLER scene (2:42)
-Saying, “You be ILLIN’” might guarantee “You be unemployed”
-This fabulous movie shot on a LOW BUDGET of $770,000 turned a 9,000% profit
-Of course you all know the fabulous movie
where SHA NA NA’s Hand Jive was featured
-I remember GESSO from blogging a C.C./Don Gagliardo Sunday, March 13 puzzle this year
-Bobby Darin was CAST as the lead in The Hustler but dumped when Paul Newman became available
-Some have said that Newton as an ALCHEMIST did change lead into gold
-7 down - Neither snow, ___ rain, ___ heat, ___ gloom of night…
-My girls loved it when my dad brought them this cheap CREAM SODA . Was it in your area?
-If it takes my best drive of 250 yds to get over, hand me a 5 iron

MJ said...

Hello to all!

Thank you, Janice for a fine Wednesday puzzle. I really liked the vertical placement of the theme answers.

Great expo and links, Jazzbumpa. Thank you, and thanks also for the extra chuckle @ 8:46. (HEH, HEH!)

My first car was an OPEL. Stick shift, no frills, but served me well for many years.

Enjoy the day!

TTP said...

Big Easy, ProV1s are $48 to $60 a dozen here.

I used to grip it and rip it, and go for it on every shot, but found with experience that laying up can be a real stroke saver. Especially on the top 5 or so handicap holes, provided that none are par 3s.

I hate penalty strokes. Plus, we play for a little money just to keep it a bit more interesting. I've birdied the top three handicap holes at our regular course this year. Birdies pay double. I like $aving $troke$.


CrossEyedDave said...

Big DNF today, the whole mid right was blank due to 9D.
I had jumped the gun by inking "jump to soon..."
I had a feeling that 37A was Euros, but there were so many unknowns
in that area, I could not save it.

Soba/sette?

In my house, you better be a high roller...

High Jump?

I took the high road literally.

Who?Me?


& why I don't like shopping high end stores with DW...

Ol' Man Keith said...

TRULY an elegant Xwd today! Thank you, Jancie Luttrell!

And thanks to JzB for a fine and appreciative exegesis! Even though I have a hard time visualizing just how a runner may get ahead of a "piston shot," I am grateful for the detailed explanations.

Jerome said...

Well, Longbeach, it's light years from being the end of the story. Heh and snicker are defined as quiet, sly kinds of laughs or exclamations of suppressed amusement. Hee, on the other hand, isn't even a word. Perhaps you were thinking of tee-hee.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, J.L. and JzB for the entertainment. I had a couple write-overs, but nothing too severe. I got the theme but needed a bit of explanation for a couple sports-related answers.

YR, cute video. Glad you're back to dancin'. Hope Alan feels better soon.

Dinner's ready. Have a good evening.

Pat

Anonymous said...

Jump the gun, start to run begore the staryer's gun is fired. Illegal.



chefwen said...

PK, right you are. We don't say stateside, Hawaii is a state. Mainland it is!

TX Ms said...

Thank you, Chefwen, as a resident of Kauai, you would know. Love your avatar! - any story behind that?

Bill G. said...

I was on my way for a bike ride and trip to the local farmer's market. I had a little Velcro bag containing my billfold and with room for the tomatoes I was going to buy. I got to the market, got my bike -- but no bag. I figured I had set it on the trunk when loading my bike onto the bike rack. Panic set in. Credit cards, driver's license, money, etc. I guessed it had fallen off somewhere enroute. I began perspiring heavily. I retraced my route back to the house as worry began to mount. Nothing.

Oops! There it was in the middle of the street about a half block from my house. What a relief!

chefwen said...

TX Ms - that is a puzzle my husbands started and crumpled up mid-solve, Coco thought she'd finish it.

Wilbur Charles said...

I hastily put Audi and then had to remember if the car had the'E' or is it the Jewel. Dated a girl who drove one. Opel not Audi

Yeah. Don't hateto layup. I'm behind on blogs.

CALTECH. Is that where Sheldon et amis work. I liked that one with the MIT drama minor who played the Rehab junkie.

? Is Penny Capt Kirk's daughter. Myth?

Wasn't a watch once known as a CHRONometer?

Sorry so late. Owen, I agree with previous marks awarded.