google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday August 20, 2017 Adam T. Cobb

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Aug 20, 2017

Sunday August 20, 2017 Adam T. Cobb

Theme: "Music Exchange" - One word in each common phrase is replaced by a musical instrument.

30A. Janus-inspired stringed instrument? : TWO-FACED LYRE. Two-faced liar.

43A. Task for roadies? : LOAD THE BASSES. Load the bases.

65A. Bit of criticism from Ravi Shankar? : CLOSE BUT NO SITAR. Close but no cigar.

93A. Percussionist's answer to "When do you practice?"? : IN MY SNARE TIME. In my spare time.

110A. Hi-hat for high society? : STATUS CYMBAL. Status symbol.

5D. Instrument carved from the Tree of Knowledge? : FORBIDDEN FLUTE. Forbidden fruit.

51D. What Tubby brushes with? : TUBA TOOTHPASTE. Tube toothpaste.

No label for Adam in our blog, so this must be his LAT debut. Congratulations!

As I mentioned in our "Something's Fishy" pun theme two weeks ago, I just don't have grasp of this theme type. Some are homophones, some have added vowel sound, some have consonant change.

I love the grid design. Two of the Down themers intersect two other Across themers. Amazing.

Across:  

1. Spiced rice : PILAF.  I need to eat more spicy and salty food to increase my low blood pressure. Scary to feel dizzy.

6. Idle in sketches : ERIC. Eric Idle.

10. Popular tablet : iPAD

14. Potential replacement sites : HIPs. Hip replacement.

18. Mexican marinade : ADOBO

19. Former Cubs slugger : SOSA. Such drastic change, TTP!


20. "__ cloud in the sky, Got the sun in my eyes ... ": Carpenters lyric : NOT A

21. '50s pol Stevenson : ADLAI

23. Starting blocks user : RACER

24. Rejects : TURNS DOWN

26. Wikipedia policy : NO ADS

27. Chinese tea : CHA, Literally "tea". Does the Chinese character look soothing to you?


28. Author Harte : BRET

32. Tiny colony defender : SOLDIER. Ant colony.

34. Safari sight : LION

35. School interlude : RECESS

36. Pkg. payment methods : CODs

37. Used a dugout : CANOED. Dugout canoe.


39. Top note in a common triad : SOL. Stumped me.

40. Airer of old MGM films : TCM . Also 110. "I'm Dying Up Here" airer, for short : SHO

46. Cross : SORE

47. Text ender? : UAL. Textual.  We also have 22. Expert's conclusion? : ISE. Expertise. Also 96. Bar opening? : ISO. Isobar.

48. SEC Network owner : ESPN

49. Employs : HIRES

51. The Willis in Chicago, for one : TOWER

52. Contempt : SCORN

54. Discontinue : STOP

57. Spirit of Saint-Louis? : ANGE. I did not know the this French king was a saint. 

58. Join : UNITE

59. Deprived (of) : BEREFT

61. One of the U.S.'s 435 : REP. Eight are from Minnesota.


63. Radii, e.g. : ARM BONES

70. Have faith in : RELY UPON

73. Require treatment, perhaps : AIL

74. Britain's Penny Black and Two Penny Blue : STAMPS. Wiki says "The Two Penny Blue or The Two Pence Blue was the world's second official postage stamp, produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and issued after the Penny Black."


78. Legislate : ENACT

79. Voting coalition : BLOC

82. Quarter of a bushel : PECK

85. Red, yellow or white veggie : ONION. Also 34. Black or yellow pet : LAB

86. Like certain gases : NOBLE

87. Envisioned being : SAW AS. Yeah, Jayce, new contact lenses for this astigmatism.


89. Transient with a bindle : HOBO

91. PC dial-up upgrade : DSL

92. Skin product enhancement : ALOE

97. __ gibbon: zoo animal : LAR. Learning moment for me.


98. A.L. East squad : TOR (Toronto)

101. Delivery on deliverance : SERMON

102. "Now I get it!" : AH SO

103. Cold-weather wear : PARKAS. Ah, winter! Somehow the smooth ground of malls often trips Boomer, who can't get himself up without help. Asphalt ground is hard on his left hip. Thankfully we have many trails to choose in the summer. Boomer loves cushion-y soft trails.

106. Appearance : MIEN

107. Tariffed goods : IMPORTS

113. She, in Capri : ESSA. How is it different from ELLA?

114. "Science Guy" Bill : NYE

115. "The King and I" group : HAREM.

116. They have ideas : INVENTORS

118. "Cheese!" consequence : SMILE. Here is Boomer in front of the Mary Tyler Moore house, close to Lake of the Isle.


120. Not bottled : ON TAP

121. Dark genre : NOIR Also 33. Classic O'Brien 121-Across film : D.O.A.

122. Biblical brother : ESAU

123. In shape : TONED. Followed by 124. Places to get in shape : GYMS
 
125. Polish, in a way : EDIT

126. Gambit : RUSE

127. Some MIT grads : ENGRS
   
Down:
 
  1. __ nationaux: French tourist attractions : PARCS. Never heard of it. Looks pretty.



2. Pocatello locale : IDAHO

3. Regional asset : LOCAL COLOR. Lots of great long fill in this puzzle.

4. Face on a fiver : ABE

6. Glyceride, for one : ESTER

7. Force into ignominious retreat : ROUT

8. Mideast nation: Abbr. : ISR

9. Baja bar : CANTINA

10. World's largest island country : INDONESIA. Plenty of coconuts there. Aroy-D (Thailand) is the tastiest canned coconut brand I've found. So incredibly rich. But the cream does not rise to top as other canned coconuts do, even if I put them in fridge for a day or two. So odd. Must have some hidden emulsifier.


11. [It's gone!] : POOF

12. Clashing : AT WAR

13. End zone celebrations : DANCES

14. "Water Music" composer : HANDEL

15. Hollywood faves : IDOLS

16. Goes for the gold : PLAYS TO WIN. Another fantastic fill.

17. __ City, Iraq : SADR

25. "Just Do It" logo : SWOOSH

29. Breaks : RESTS

31. Novelist Umberto : ECO

37. Red coin? : CENT
 
38. Laura of "Jurassic Park" : DERN

41. Labyrinth site of myth : CRETE

42. Parisian parents : MERES. Mothers. Ma mere. Mon pere.

43. Tatting fabric : LACE

44. PC options : HPs

45. Genesis and Dreamcast : SEGAs

46. Arizona desert : SONORAN

47. Thumb drive port : USB

50. Pak of the LPGA : SE RI. Retired now. She opened the door for all the Korean golfers.


53. Get more out of : RECYCLE

55. Ball : ORB

56. Little, in Lille : PEU. "Un peu".

60. Finest : TOP

62. Harper Valley org. : PTA

64. Cascade components: Abbr. : MTs

66. Blubbers : SOBS

67. Zhou __ : ENLAI. Very faithful to Mao, even during Cultural Revolution. But his reputation was untarnished. He just quietly saved many lives from prosecution.

68. Bit from a bottle : NIP

69. Flamenco shout : OLE

70. Concerning kidneys : RENAL

71. __ Gay: WWII bomber : ENOLA

72. Group once led by Meir and Rabin : LABOR PARTY

75. When some late risers get started : MID-MORNING. Reveal of a puzzle Agnes and I made.

76. Model act : POSE

77. NBC skit show : SNL

80. Admits, with "up" : OWNS

81. Creamy French cheese : CAMEMBERT. Another great fill.

83. Actor/stuntman Jackie : CHAN. It's spelled CHEN in Taiwan and Mainland China. Same character.

84. "MASH" milieu: Abbr. : KOR (Korea). The life expectancy is so high there. The magic of fermented food.  

88. Damascus denizen : SYRIAN

90. Rays : BEAMS

94. Ore refinery : SMELTER

95. __ compos mentis : NON

98. Outdoes : TRUMPS

99. Approves : OKs

100. Wisconsin city on Lake Michigan : RACINE. See it? Were you born in Stevens Point, D-Otto?

104. Mr. T's troop : A-TEAM

105. Layer in ecclesiastical governance : SYNOD

107. Give out : ISSUE

108. Tenth American president : TYLER

109. Planted pips : SEEDS

111. Sharpness : TANG

112. XIX x LIII : MVII. Got via crosses. Too complicated to calculate.

113. Ballpark figs. : ERAS

117. The Beavers of the Pac-12 : OSU

119. Calendar abbr. : MON. Santa's Day.

 C.C.


40 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to Adam and C.C.!

    Due to musical background, I loved the theme!

    Stuff that needed perps, etc., was as follows: ADOBO (never heard of it), UAL, ESPN, ANGE, LAR, ESSA, DOA, LOCAL COLOR and SE RI. Got it all in the end, though. A little patience required.

    Hope to see you all tomorrow!

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  2. FIW¡ Had two naticks that were totally WAGs, and only got one right. LAr + LABOr I guessed right (LABOR seems obvious, but I was trying to think of the resistance movement with a Hebrew name [Got it: Likud]), ANGe + SeRI I guessed wrong (I figured ANGE was French for angel, but that didn't help).

    FLN: Right, July 12th it was! That far back? When you get old, time sure flies by! I would have sworn it was no earlier than Monday!


    There was a squad from RACINE
    Whose perfect win / loss was a dream!
    They weren't brawn or brain
    And they seldom would train,
    But no one else had a sack-racing team!

    Two musicians argued, each filled with SCORN!
    They decided it was time to even their score!
    They ended up, afterward
    In the E.R. trauma ward --
    One broke his ARMBONE, the other's trom bone was SORE!

    {B, C-.}

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  3. Good morning!

    Congrats on your debut, Adam. I found oh so many ways to WAG incorrectly on this one: miler/RACER, ile/UAL, inert/NOBLE, Abel/ESAU, to name just a few. Thought the "being" in "envisioned being" was a noun, and wondered what a SAWAS could be. ANGE was also a WAG, but a lucky one. It was my final fill. I had to work for this one, but ya gotta smile at a puzzle that has "non compos mentis" and TRUMPS in adjacent down clue/answers. Well done.

    I remember when a first-class US stamp was just 3 cents. Great was the furor when the gov't raised it to 4 cents. My uncle was the local postmaster and took the brunt of the ire.

    No, not Stevens Point, CC. I grew up in a little bitty town about an hour's drive northeast of there. Stevens Point was a big city by comparison. I listened to their radio station -- WSPT -- in my ute. We called it W-Spit.

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  4. Never heard of "it"? I don't know French, but doesn't "parcs nationaux" just mean "national parks"?

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  5. Good Morning:

    This was an enjoyable solve with some deceptive (but fair) cluing and, as CC pointed out, lots of sparkling fill. I, too, was a little curious about the various differences in the theme answers, with some being homophones and others only having a vowel or consonant change. I shared some of DO's w/o's and needed perps in some areas but no major stumbling blocks, so I got the Tada in normal Sunday time.

    Congratulations, Adam, on your delightful debut and thanks, CC, for your always appreciated commentary.

    Someone recently asked where TTP was; does anyone know? Also, Bluehen hasn't chimed in lately. I do hope we hear from Hondo with lots of tales of his trans-Atlantic voyage.

    Have a great day.

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  6. Musings
    -One bad cell on ang_/s_ri vowel speculation but I had fun!
    -Roadies probably found it harder to LOAD these early rock and roll BASSES
    -Mostly NOT A cloud in the sky is eclipse forecast for tomorrow. An Omaha store sold out 2,000 glasses in 2 hrs yesterday.
    -”I’ll show him that a Cadillac is not a car to SCORN” (3:17)
    -VB players RELY ON those RADII to make a “passing platform”
    -BLOCS block much ENACTING
    -10 disputed INVENTIONS and discoveries
    -I wonder if SE RI is even known north of the DMZ in KOR
    -There was one place on the Pacific Coast Hwy where we saw 3 Cascades from the bus
    -XIX (19) x LII (53) – I knew it had to end in VII (9x3)

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  7. FIR without help and fairly quickly (for me). Usually, on the rare occasion when I am able to "get" a Sunday puzzle, I have to lay it down and revisit it several times. I SO wanted salsa and SOSA to be next to each other, but the unknown ADOBO elbowed its way in. Also erased Nary for NOT A, army ant for SOLDIER, inert for NOBLE, NYY for TOR, i see for AH SO, hbO for SHO, and Ests for ERAS. DW thinks my gas is not NOBLE, and maybe not inert, either.

    D/O, I think I remember post card stamps being 3 cents and letters 4. I think that gasoline and cigarettes were about 20 cents, and haircuts were 75 cents. (I really wanted "potential replacement sites" to be scalps, but it was not to be. My HIPS are OK.)

    Harper Valley PTA was written by Tom T. Hall, who ate many a hamburger at my mom and dad's restaurant on his way to his DJ job at WMOR radio.

    AH SO sounds vaguely racist. I was teaching at a local community college and was firmly rebuked when I referred to an easel pad as a flip chart.

    My beloved KY Wildcats play on the SEC Network, but although ESPN may be their parent, aren't both networks owned by Disney? Can one buy shares in ESPN?

    Thanks Adam. I Really enjoyed today's solve. The baseball clues evoked CC's style. Thanks to CC as well for your (not surprising) fine tour through the grid.

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  8. I don't want to HARP on the subject or toot my own HORN but I completed the puzzle today after two days of DNF. And I'm not a LYRE. ADOBO, ANGE, and LAR gibbon are new words to me. No real problems and only changed SPAS to GYMS. Guess I can light up a SITAR today.

    SOL could have been 'GEE'- do (a female deer) re, mi, fa, SOL or cdef GEE
    Of the 435 REPs, how many 'really' represent you?

    AH SO- Jinx- I wouldn't call it racist; it just sounds like what Japanese were characterized as saying in old movies; way too many people are 'thin-skinned' these days. I've never heard anybody actually say it. It's either OH or AH without the SO following.

    C.O.D.- years ago my accountant friends were having trouble getting paid on time; my suggestion was to mail the tax returns to all the slow payers C.O.D.- problem solved. As with any business, 5% of the customers cause 95% of the problems. Once a slow payer, ALWAYS a slow payer. Speed 'em up or get rid of them.


    C.C.- I think you should have said 'persecution' instead of prosecution. It seems that the Chinese gov. is trying to do both to the people of Hong Kong.

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  9. What a nice, slow solve today. Thank you, Adam T. Cobb and congratulations if this is your debut!

    My first anchor was in the NE so it splayed out from there. I loved the theme fill once I had it all. No problems with ERIC Idle or SOSA as I've heard of them both. And ADOBO is a wonderfully tasty marinade for BBQ meat or carne asada.

    MIDMORNING accurately describes my waking routine. Usually I stay up until midnight reading. Without getting political I'll just mention that recently I read Al Franken's book, Giant of the Senate and am now reading Jeff Flake's, Conscience of a Conservative. So far I see in each book one recurring theme: Congress' main agenda is to get itself re-elected.

    Thank you, C.C., for an informative expo and BTW, ESSA and ella both mean she but one is Italian and the other Spanish.

    Have a wondrous day, everyone!

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  10. Fun puzzle today! Thanks, Adam, and congrats on your debut!

    Nice write-up, C.C. Your always informative spirit abounds.

    Parcs Nationaux does mean National Parks. They have quite a few, and a lot in the mountains, it appears!

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  11. I think the theme was merely puns for musical instruments. Puns are made in a variety of ways, so I didn't overthink how they were formed. Great fun!
    The lady in the Goya TV ad always has to adobo the chicken.
    With S--, the triad top had to be SOL. ANGE was easily wagged because it is a French spirit.
    I, too, thought the tourist attractions were just national parks.
    47A I wanted URL, but LACE changed it to UAL. I had many other second thoughts, but they all panned out with perps. We need a few gimmees, but I like when there are several possible answers before checking perps.
    I converted the Roman numerals to Arabic numerals to do the math, and them back to Roman numerals.
    Enjoy this lovely day.
    South Korea has a high life expectancy. North Korea, not.
    After using all perps for SE RI, I now remember seeing it before.
    TCM was the only totally unfamiliar fill. 24D, Is it the mamas or the papas? I chose MERES. Yay!

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  12. Delightful Sunday puzzle, Adam--many thanks! I nearly got the whole thing without a cheat, but didn't know ANGE or SERI so left that single letter blank. But that's still pretty good for a puzzle that had a lot of fun challenges and a clever theme. I'm so glad I know my Roman numerals--I'm not a math person, but it was really helpful to get that MVII. Question: what's a "bindle"? C.C. I always love your write-ups, and I found your explanation and pictures of those British stamps really interesting. So, thank you, everybody, for a wonderful way to start a Sunday!

    Ol'Man Keith, hope your ear didn't look too bad once you took the bandage off.

    Have a great day, everybody!

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  13. Wow, are people having trouble with the xword or out enjoying the summer. I'm working so I did half, drove to Sarasota and finished the second half. I worked all around coming back to the NW.

    ADOBO had to be perped in. Earlier I naturally had BOS before TOR. ERA, SOSA are two more bball answers. Anymore?.

    I thought Adam might be repeating an old trick so I had ICON as the Safari sight.
    And ---LINES for Radii. ARC? I doubted that?

    As Lucina said, a smooth solve.

    And, a CSO, however arcane, to Misty. Only she can explain. I know"TextUAL" has become a fav word in some circles eg NPR likes it.

    Speaking of NPR, their Saturday morning natural medicine show mentioned pickle juice for those pesky cramps.

    I had one while reading the blog and went to my fav: biteing down hard on my lower lip. This despite eating my bananas.

    And since I'm talking remedies my low BP suggestion would be exercise. Mild at first of course.

    Ha. Wilbur suggesting exercise. Which finally leads to "What does non compos mentis mean. I'm thinking mentis=LIE. As in Monsieur Renard to Maitre Corbeau
    *
    Sans MENTIR, si votre ramage se rapport a votre plumage
    Vous etes le Phenix des hotes de ces bois

    WC

    *If your voice is as good as your plumage then you're the Phoenix of these woods

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  14. Yesterday I wrote two long posts. Both disappeared into the ether, so I gave up. I thought that puzzle was not a walk in the park. I had trouble in the NE and had to red letter, but it surely was enjoyable. Not knowing all the answers IMO does not make the clues lame.

    Friday I attended a memorial service for a friend's 28 year old niece. She was murdered by an ex boyfriend who continued to harass her. After shooting her he committed suicide. As a Marine she survived a deployment in Afghanistan where she searched cars for bombs, only to die at home. How sad! What a wonderful young lady. She had a huge circle of friends who spoke eloquently of her thoughtfulness and kindness. She graduated summa cum laude, was an accomplished oboe player, and was about to be awarded her MBA.
    PK I was reminded of your friend's situation.

    BTW: Wiki says,"The Latin non compos mentis translates as "of unsound mind": nōn ("not") prefaces compos mentis, meaning "having control of one's mind".

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  15. Misty, a "bindle" is the bag that hobos carry, often at the end of a stick over the shoulder.

    WC, "non compos mentis" means not of sound mind.

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  16. GREENLAND is larger than INDONESIA in area.

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  17. I enjoyed this puzzle and smiled at the musical instrument puns. The TUBA TOOTHPASTE entry reminds me of one of my favorite Burma Shave slogans: "If it's harmony you crave, get a tuba --- Burma Shave."

    I love ADOBO. We had several colleagues at work who were from the Philippines and when they heated up their lunches the whole office smelled absolutely wonderful. I miss them.

    I have to admit the Chinese character chá doesn't LOOK soothing to me, but it sure recalls wonderful memories of my having had the privilege of experiencing some of the worlds finest teas when I was living in Taiwan.

    I see Hatch chiles are in season and plentiful in the grocery stores for a limited time. My wife bought several dozen of them and now neither of us has any idea how to use them. I've looked up recipes on the internet, but I was wondering if you, Owen, being a resident of New Mexico (the home of the Hatch chile) might have a favorite you'd like to share.

    So, who prefers CAMEMBERT over Brie or vice versa? (I prefer Brie but would not refuse Camembert.)

    My wife's brother's wife's maiden name is CHAN. She grew up in Vancouver, BC, but now lives in TORonto.

    Thanks to you all for your interesting comments, all of which I read, enjoy, and learn from.

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  18. Fun puzzle - enjoyed all the musical switches!
    Congrats Adam and thanks for the blog CC-

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  19. Hi Y'all! This was a very thought provoking puzzle, Adam. It took a lot of thought before filling and sometimes after filling to make sense of the clues with the words. Slower than most Sundays for me, but I liked the chuckle-worthy puns.

    "World's largest island country" tripped me up. "I" appeared so I tried Iceland which I knew wasn't right. Australia? Nope. When enough perps said INDONESIA and it didn't turn red, I was perplexed. Googled it and learned Indonesia has 18,000 counted islands and spans about 2 million square kilometers. Okay, in "island country" "island" then is an adjective modifying the noun "country". The country is large rather than the island. Learning moment.

    I struggled with most of the little three-letter add-ons and words. TextUAL is a word? LAR is a monkey? Don't subscribe to SHO so have no idea of the programing.

    Lucina, what ingredients are in ADOBO? New to me. When the ADOB appeared, I was a long time wondering how mud bricks could provide a marinade. I had to red-letter PILAF too. NON compos mentis today.

    Not to be political, but I thought having birds poop on all those Confederate general statues for a century might be revenge enough.

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  20. Forgot to thank our Chinese treasure C.C. for the great expo!

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  21. C.C. if smooth floors in the mall trip up Boomer, does he wear sneakers? I find the rubber treads on some sneakers sorta act like suction cups on smooth hard floors sometimes and my foot won't move like I expected. I tend to not pick up my feet as I should. Always something annoying.

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  22. WC, I can't think of many more enjoyable things than sitting in the shade at Mattison's downtown, DW and Zoe at my sides, working on this enjoyable puzzle. We winter in Silver Springs now, but used to do so in Sarasota. I just wish the RV park wasn't more than twice as expensive and less than half the size as the beautiful place we've found a little further north.

    YR - So sorry about your friend's loss. It's far too common. You didn't say if her cowardly ex was former combat military, but there is a very serious problem with suicide in their ranks. I don't pretend to understand how taking out an innocent fits with extreme mental illness, but it seems to.

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  23. Jayce:
    Some time ago I asked Owen about something in New Mexico cuisine and he responded that he didn't indulge in it since he was, in fact, from a different state but I'm sure he'll reply to you himself.

    As for what to do with green chiles, oh, my! Chile rellenos is a good choice. The recipe is readily available on line. With that quantity you might want to freeze some of them. Were they already roasted? If not, you can do it yourself in the oven. Spread them on a cookie sheet and roast some of them at a low temperature, 300 degrees, and turn them over at least once. Leave them until the skins are slightly singed. Store the roasted ones in baggies. Those can be used to season beef, beans, or even soup. In New Mexico they make a green chile stew that is out of this world. The recipe will be on my next post as it's long.

    PK:
    ADOBO is made with red chile pods, onions, beef stock, garlic (lots of garlic) and a dash of salt. It is particularly tasty with pork.

    Now I'm hungry!

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  24. Green chile stew:
    1 lb. beef cubed
    1 lb green New Mexico chiles, roasted, peeled, cleaned and deveined and finely chopped
    2 cups beef or chicken broth (using chicken broth mitigates the strong beef taste)
    1/3 cup flour (this can be more or less for thicker or thinner consistency)
    2 cloves (or more) finely minced garlic
    1/4 cup finely chopped onions
    olive oil to coat frying pan
    oregano to taste
    salt to taste

    Heat oil in a large frying pan or sauce pan. Saute the meat until browned on all sides. Remove the meat, retaining the oil and drippings then set the meat aside.

    In the same frying pan (add oil if needed) saute the onions until translucent, add garlic and saute for about one minute longer. Slowly add the flour while stirring vigorously until the flour incorporates into the oil and starts to brown. Add the meat and stir vigorously. Add the green chile and continue to stir. Slowly add the broth; stir continuously bringing to a boil. Lower to simmer or very slow boil and cook for 20 minutes.

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  25. Jinx, I was down Cortez almost to the water. I solve usually at the handiest McDonald's except blogger doesn't like McDonald's WiFis. Except I'm in one right now.

    YR, sorry you lost your posts. Saturday was certainly a great conversational workout. I thought someone would ask about SCROD

    Bostonians generally regard local caught haddock or cod as SCROD. The key is fresh

    WC

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  26. I often take a,quick glance at the sun. Why is this more dangerous during the eclipse?

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    Replies
    1. Difference is "glimpse" vs. "stare". People tend to look longer at the sun during an eclipse ... since there is something interesting going on!

      Delete
  27. So much going on today! I did work on the puzzle, but in spurts. Adam, it was great! And welcome.

    C.C. I always learn from you! Thanks.

    Wilbur Charles, I also use exercise to help my bouts with low blood pressure. They can be so scary with the dizziness and loss of control. But I find the best remedy is Gator Ade and salty snacks. I once raised my BP 10 points by pigging out on Gator Ade , potato chips and pretzels. Such a hardship! But the main solution was my doctor changing my medication.

    D-O, I remember 4 cent stamps and the furor over raising the price. Ah, the good ole days.

    But football season will soon be upon us and we can fight about important things like the value of a good RB as opposed to a WR. Now that's worth debating!! Hehehehe..

    Have a great day and don't get "burned" by the eclipse tomorrow.

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  28. Sunday Lurk Say...

    Thanks again C.C. for your expo allowing me to play vicariously. Congrats Adam on your LAT debut.

    If I were to pick a Fav today it would be the clue for ERIC Idle. Obligatory IDLE/Python Sketch Compilation.

    {A-, B}

    Lucina - thanks for the Hatch recipes. H-E-B, our local grocer, just started Hatch week. I picked up on to add to last night's taco meat. Roasting them in the oven or on the grill really brings out the flavor. I heard a Whole Foods commercial today for Hatch & Pimento Mac & Cheese. Yumm....

    Re: Giant of the Senate. I read Franken's book a few weeks ago and it's nice to see Al get his funny back. I LOL'd at certain passages and his use of USS to "Senatize" his language.

    YR - I think when you glimpse the Sun you look away quickly enough as to not do real damage (I'm sure an optometrist would disagree) but during eclipse you are staring at the the sun for a longer time. You can look at it during Totality but, before and after, you can burn little crescents in the back of your eye (as per some NPR program I heard).

    RIP Jerry Lewis & Dick Gregory. [PBS - 30m]

    Cheers, -T

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  29. Correction re: Hatch. - 'I picked up ONE to add..."

    OMK - I meant to ask... How Van Gogh-y is it? You doin' OK mate? -T

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  30. Jayce, Lucina is correct, I hail from the Pacific Northwest, where our concept of spicy is ketchup and/or maple syrup. The only Mexican foods I eat are from Taco Bell! One would think hot foods would be popular in cold climates, and vice versa. But no, humans have to be contrary!
    Even if I don't eat the stuff, one can't evade the chili culture down here. We just got new license plates -- black with a red and green chili in front of the number! Interesting story behind it -- a legislator proposed the special plate with the fee going to support a hospital in his district, and the bill passed. The Gov. has a real hate/hate relationship with the leg., so she vetoed it, but said the idea was so good people shouldn't have to pay extra for it, and told the DOT to make that our new standard plate! Meanwhile, the poor hospital...

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  31. Hi Everybody!!

    Late run on the puzzle today. Well done, Adam, and congrats on what seems to be your debut! I certainly enjoyed it.

    It took a minute to connect a dugout with CANOED. I got to spend some time in the dugout of Kauffman Stadium (home of the Royals) yesterday! My BFF and I went up to celebrate her birthday by taking a tour of the stadium, watching batting practice, and splurging on 3rd baseline seats. She loves baseball as much as I do so we have decided to visit every stadium. So far, we have knocked three off our list. Next season we are planning a trip to Chicago! (Here's hoping we can add a World Series trip to LA!) Life Goals

    My DH has a Chicken ADOBO recipe that his mother got from a Phillipina neighbor when they lived in Italy (he's a Navy brat, if that helps explain anything). It is similar to this one except he uses red wine vinegar. He also finishes the chicken under the broiler to get the skin nice and crispy before serving. And he reduces the sauce down to make it more gravy-like (sometimes he adds CC's pictured brand of coconut milk, too). Jayce is right - your coworkers will envy your lunch the next day. It's a relatively simple dish that tastes amazing.

    Lucina's recipe looks delicious of course! Thanks for sharing!

    @CC re: Boomer's shoes - I have some shoes that are just "grippy-er" than others and make me stumble for no apparent reason. Hoping he can find some supportive shoes with a little smoother tread to avoid the falls.

    Happy Sunday!!

    t.

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  32. Loved the instrument puns. 51-d is an old joke among us tuba players.
    57-a: didn't know a King Louis was a saint, so of course was thinking of the city; and even though I know some French didn't recognize ange as spirit. Not any kind of sports fan so never heard of 50-d Seri. Ergo, one blank cell. Also didn't know what 45-d names were, guessed they might be video games, so guessed the G.

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  33. Thank you, Desper-otto, and Wilbur.

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  34. Late to the party today as I spent the day in Pasadena visiting my mother and doing yard work. Thankfully I went early and it wasn't too hot until after noon.

    I thought this puzzle was a lot of fun, with CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR being my favorite theme answer. Thank you, Adam, and congratulations on your debut. Learning moment was that LAR gibbons are also called white-handed gibbons, the name I am familiar with. There is a small zoo here in Socal that has white-handed gibbons, although they are black colored rather than tan. I will have to look at the sign in front of their cage to see if it calls them LAR gibbons.

    YR--So sad to hear of the murder of your friend's niece. It sounds like the young woman had so much potential.

    Lucina--Now I am hungry too! I usually do chili verde with pork, but I will try the beef version.

    One question (nit?)--Why the hyphen in Saint-Louis at 57A?

    Thank you C.C., for another fine blog.

    As Fermatprime says, "Hope to see you tomorrow."

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  35. Tawnya - First, I hope it's going to Chi-town to see the Cubbies; Wrigley is most awesome. My brothers (and Sisters) and I have the same dream of hitting every Park.

    Whaaaa? LA for the Dodgers? Hop on over to Houston to see the 'Stros in the '17 Wolrd Series [let me dream...]

    Cheers, -T

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  36. Anon-T, surely you've been in H-Town long enough to know its moniker, "Choke City;" i.e. Oilers, Rockets (well, only two years the winners), and 'Stros. The Aeros (ICE? hockey in H-town?) did win the pennant for two years, but then quickly got out of Dodge. We bubbas couldn't understand the game, I guess, and attendance was pitiful. All kidding aside, I do hope our 'Stros make a come-back - they do have a lot of talent and are deserving. And yes, I'm dreaming about the new talent (for once!) on the Texans' team. Football season is here - yahoo - let the games begin!

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  37. I am sure more than one of us enjoys the hidden relationships of 37a.

    I have owned a few DUGOUTs. Self-contained and never need to worry about a canoe.

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  38. Dear MJ @ 8:34:

    Amazing! My home town is Pasadena -- born, bred, worked for Water & Power as a meter reader, so waiked almost every inch of it, and my brother lives a block below PCC.

    And, yes, it does get warm in the summer.

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  39. As with Jayce, I know ADOBO from the Philippines. Learning moment it is Mexican, too.

    KOReans are fit for the same reason PARCS Nationaux are popular in France. I have been in both countries and observed that hiking is popular in both places.

    Had no idea SE RI was a person. Thanks, CC!

    Thanks desper-otto for the TRUMPS observation.

    TCP/PERE seemed just as valid to me. Turner Classic Pictures. Unlike Yellowrocks I made that WAG and FIW. Seemed like an unfair Natick.

    Other than that it was an enjoyable and amusing theme!

    This will be the last of my catch-up puzzles after our eclipse adventure took us away!

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