google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 ~ Bruce Haight

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Aug 22, 2017

Tuesday, August 22, 2017 ~ Bruce Haight

Theme: No Reveal Tuesday - It's anagrams of  VILE.

17A. Tendency to explode in anger: VILE TEMPER

25A. Demons and such: EVIL SPIRITS

36A. Cover for mysterious doings: VEIL OF SECRECY

49A. Blue jeans pioneer: LEVI STRAUSS

59A. Real-time media transfer: LIVE STREAM

Argyle here. Nice puzzle, Bruce. I want to see what OwenKL does with it.

Across:

1. Bun or beehive: HAIRDO

7. Faux __: social goof: PAS. French: literally, false step.

10. Keep __: persevere: AT IT

14. Free from stress by heating, as metal: ANNEAL. I am a fan of "Forged in Fire".

15. Theater chain initials: AMC. (originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema)

16. Golfer's mulligan, e.g.: REDO

19. Banjo ridge: FRET

20. Surrounded by: AMID

21. Rushed toward: RAN AT

23. Genetic letters: RNA. (ribonucleic acid)

24. Scottish denial: NAE

28. Graduates: ALUMNI

30. Deem necessary: SEE FIT

31. Performing: ACTING

35. Issue a ticket to: CITE

40. Surprise "from the blue": BOLT



41. Sharpshooters' aiming devices: SCOPES

42. Top squads: A TEAMS

45. Media revenue source: AD SALE

53. Roman goddess of peace: PAX

54. Wash. neighbor: IDAWikipedia article about Idaho.

55. Needles: GOADS

56. Beaujolais or Burgundy: WINE. 39-Down. 56-Across choices: REDS

57. Red __: spicy candies: HOTS


62. "The Mammoth Hunters" novelist Jean: AUEL. I transposed the E/U but almost got it first time.

63. Dictator Amin: IDI

64. Rain or snow, briefly: PRECIP. (precipitation) The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, graupel and hail. The term graupel comes from the German for soft hail or snow pellets.

65. Wee: ITSY

66. Broadband option, briefly: DSL. (Digital Subscriber Line)

67. Most elegant: FINEST

Down:

1. "Our Man in __": Graham Greene novel set in Cuba: HAVANA

2. Creature: ANIMAL


3. Instead (of): IN LIEU

4. Film critic Rex: REED. "Until 2017 he wrote the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for The New York Observer." ~ Wiki.

5. "Who __?": New Orleans Saints fans' chant: DAT

6. Spanish cheer: ¡OLÉ!

7. Like a visit from the Bishop of Rome: PAPAL. The Bishop of Rome is the Pope.

8. Congregational replies: AMENS

9. Paper bits for collages: SCRAPS

10. Response to "Speak!": [ARF!]

11. Wonderful: TERRIFIC

12. Modern theft target: IDENTITY

13. How food may be seasoned: TO TASTE

18. Med. scan: MRI. (magnetic resonance imaging)

22. Even score: TIE

25. Ltr. insert: ENCL. (enclosed or enclosure)

26. Corleone family head: VITO. The Godfather.

27. School break: RECESS

29. Rum cocktail: MAI TAI

32. "No __, ands or buts!": IFS

33. White House foreign policy gp.: NSC. (National Security Council)

34. Old Prizm automaker: GEO


36. Removed from office via election: VOTED OUT

37. Lifts: ELEVATES

38. Taxpayer ID users: CPAs. (Certified Public Accountant)

40. Bloody Mary's solo: BALI HA'I



43. Chinese food additive: MSG. (monosodium glutamate)

44. Unemotional: STOLID. From the Latin word stolidus.

46. Separately: A PIECE

47. Island verandas: LANAIs

48. Not subject to jury duty, say: EXEMPT. Perhaps if you're aged.

50. Fridge forays: RAIDS

51. Analgesic brand: ADVIL

52. Put to work: USE

56. Birdhouse singer: WREN

58. Furtive: SLY

60. Sunscreen letters: SPF. (sun protection factor).

61. Prefix with cycle: TRI


Argyle

51 comments:

fermatprime said...

Hi everyone!

Thanks to Bruce and Santa!

Theme obvious. Cool!

Only a few things needed help: IDA, PRECIP, DAT and STOLID. Had dNA first. But, everything worked out fine!

Have a good day!

fermatprime said...

I posted yesterday, twice, but my posts did not appear today. What happened, Santa?

I hope today's is still there tomorrow (not that my posts are important).

OwenKL said...

LEVI was an EVIL man, with a VILE malicious TEMPER.
His car produced a VEIL of smoke, causing fender-BENDERS!
He could LIVE with smog controls,
Got no CITES from cop patrols --
His car was all electric so it couldn't be EXEMPTER!

An tobacco addict from HAVANA
Set fire to a Hindu's cabana!
He said he SAW FIT
Based on Vedic writ,
Because smoking a sitar was Nirvana!

ANNE/AL, who had a gender RE-DO
Washed with wet-naps IN LIEU of the loo!
Said, "This whole legal deal
Has helped to ANNEAL
My conviction re my merkin's HAIRDO!"

{A-, A-, A.}

Argyle said...

I don't know, fermatprime, I have no record of any posts from you for yesterday.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Had to swap STRIPS for SCRAPS, but otherwise this was a quick, one-pass dive to the bottom. Thanx, Bruce and Argyle.

I received a jury summons a couple of weeks ago, and elected to EXEMPT myself. It's a 60-mile round-trip to the courthouse. If it were nearer, I may have felt differently. They ticked me off last time, forcing me to tuck my polo shirt into my jeans for proper courtroom decorum. Jeez!

I've visited every state, except Alaska. IDAHO was a bit of a cheat; the plane made a stop in Boise before continuing on. I didn't get out.

When I was still working, my boss went on a house tour. Afterward, he raved about the faux PAS wall finishes. I almost suffered a hernia keeping a straight face.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Well, I RAN AT the puzzle today and found it mostly easy. Got the VEIL gimmick but saw no reveal; ergo Argyle's opening comment. Few unknowns like AUEL came from adequate perps. Favorie fill was BOLT. Never sure if it's RNA or DNA: fill in the NA and wait for the opening letter to drop. No searches or white-out were needed today.
WRENs may sing nicely but IMO they are a VILE-TEMPERED bird which does not get along well with other birds, whose eggs they steal and eat. Their nests of twigs are ugly, but I guess they can't help that. YMMV

inanehiker said...

Quick solve down this puzzle - kept thinking there might be a reveal clue but couldn't think of one that would work (never heard of mixed evil :) )

I've exempted people from jury duty - usually for orthopedic or urologic conditions where they wouldn't be able to sit for long periods of time or frailer elderly who couldn't hear or track with the arguments being presented.

Thanks Bruce and Argyle!
The Eclipse lived up to hype in the totality zone! We didn't start afternoon visits until 145 so our staff could go outside to watch it!

Lucina said...

The theme jumped out quickly right after VILE and EVIL then it was a swift sashay to the end. Thank you, Bruce Haight, you always entertain.

PAS and PAX amused me as well as PAPAL beside AMENS. And it was many decades ago that I read Man in HAVANA and other Graham Greene books. Hand up for DNA/RNA.

I am permanently EXEMPT from jury duty.

Thank you, Argyle. You rock!

Have a TERRIFIC day, everyone!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, Bruce! Great expo, Argyle!

Bloody Mary's solo had to be "BALI HAI" because "Happy Talk" didn't fit. Liked the Bali Hai link. I'd forgotten about Peggy Lee.

Only unknowns were VITO & PAX.

RIP Glen Campbell. I went to YouTube and played a bunch of his songs the other night. We used to watch his GC Goodtime Hour on TV. I'd forgotten he was such an accomplished guitar player.

Speaking of VILE, EVIL: With four US Navy vessels rammed by commercial ships in a few months in Asian waters, how long will it take the Navy to figure out they are doing it on purpose? What do you think, Spitzboov?

Yesterday was a strange day. Got dark at 1:03 p.m. here for the eclipse which I couldn't see for clouds. Then it got sunny. Then by 5 p.m. it got dark again. We had hard rain all night for an official 5.68 inches. Thunder boomers & over-flowing noisy eave troughs next door made for a sleepless night.

BunnyM said...

Good morning all!
TERRIFIC Tuesday puzzle from Bruce- liked the anagram offering and long fills.
Thanks, Argyle for guiding us along. I especially loved hearing BALIHAI. I didn't know Peggy Lee covered it; I only knew it from "South Pacific" which is one of my favorite musicals.

Only unknown was ANNEAL. W/O's - thought IDA was ORE(gon) and had Tiny/ITSY

I haven't seen REDHOTS in years but used to love them when I was a child.

Our Cincinnati Bengals fans have a similar chant to the Saints with "Who Dey"

I've been on RECESS from the blog for awhile- been so busy with appointments, car problems and moving our youngest daughter back home . She'll be living with us for awhile until she can find her own place. Along with her, we have a new ANIMAL in the house- her sweet cat. She's a tiny, adorable and still adjusting, especially to Albus. He likes her and so far the only problem has been him wanting TO TASTE her food ( he seems to prefer cat food over dog food; he's always tried to sneak and eat Mia's when he's outside)
The move has also PRECIPitated some major cleaning and organizing of our house. This is a good thing but with my back, is s long process. Have to get back AT IT after posting here.

We had about 91% totality for the eclipse. I used a colander and a piece of white poster board to view it which was pretty cool as were the crescent shadows from the trees. DH found a welder's mask at work so had a great view. I believe we will have 99% totality here in 2024- very exciting!

Hot and humid here with storms moving in later today. We can definitely use some rain as our trees are dropping a lot of brown leaves and the grass is dying in spots ( other than just where the moles are active)

Hope everyone has been well and has a wonderful day!

SwampCat said...

Loved loved loved this puzzle. Any time I get a WHO DAT I'm happy! The Saints broke one losing streak Sunday and are just itching to break another! (Okay....we celebrate the little victories down here in the swamp.) This is our year!

The puzzle was a great romp. No slowdowns, and certainly nothing VILE. I never realized LIVE was an anagram for EVIL. Is that a portent? Thanks, Bruce. Argyle, thanks for lifting the VEIL on the theme.

Owen, you are EVIL for playing with my emotions that way! My whole face hurts from laughing. All A+.


Spitzboov said...

PK - Interesting point about vessel incidents, but I don't think so. One was a grounding while anchoring, and one was a collision with a small S Korean fishing boat with no radio. The McCain incident just occurred and we await more detail. The Fitzgerald incident troubles me a lot because of apparent failure to perform at several levels. The CO, XO, and Command Master at Arms have already been relieved. Nothing yet on watchstanders. I only know what is in the papers. But if a destroyer cannot outmaneuver a large single screwed merchant ship, we are wasting our money.

Bruce Haight said...

Thanks Argyle!
This was not No Reveal Tuesday!!
The clue I submitted to Rich for LIVE STREAM was "Modern transmission, and a clue to letter groups in 17,25,36, and 49-Across". Get it? L-I-V-E stream?
He specifically asked me to come up with a phrase with LIVE in it that would act as a reveal but that VILE EVIL Rich decided it needed a VEIL OF SECRECY (the second reveal!) Hope you liked it. Bruce Haight

Argyle said...

Yes, Bruce, I got it but without the hint part, I decided I'd go with "No Reveal". It was pretty obvious anyway.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Nothing VILE or EVIL about this pleasant offering from BH. As Lucina said, the theme was obvious after the first two theme entries, but that didn't lessen the enjoyment of the solve in any way. No nits, no complaints, just smooth sailing all the way.

Thanks, Bruce, for a LIVEly Tuesday treat and thanks, Argyle, for guiding us along.

Expecting heavy rain and wind later today and then a sharp drop in temps and humidity. Hints of Fall are coming our way, much to my delight.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Oh, absent-minded me! I forgot to thank Bruce for stopping by; it's always a treat to hear from the constructors, so, than you, Bruce!

Also, I meant to ask if any of our resident communications experts can explain why I am still able to dial local calls without using the area code? The new 10 digit requirement went into effect on August 19 but I've made several calls sans area code. Just curious.

Irish Miss said...

Sorry, should be "thank" you.

Bruce Haight said...

None of the three websites that reviewed this puzzle thought it had a revealer, so I guess LIVE STREAM was pretty subtle!

SwampCat said...

Irish Miss, I wondered the same thing about the area code requirement. I'm still not using area codes, just out of laziness, and my local calls go through. Interesting. Anyone have an answer?

Spitzboov said...

IM - From the Verizon web site: "Beginning March 18, 2017, if you have a 518 area code, you should start entering the area code for all calls. There will be a grace period, so if you forget and enter just 7 digits during the grace period, your call will still be completed.

Beginning August 19, 2017, if you have a 518 area code, the new calling procedure will be required for all calls. On or after this date, if you don't use the new calling procedure, your call won't be completed and a recording will instruct you to hang up and dial again.

Beginning September 19, 2017, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the 838 area code. If you have an 838 area code, you must enter the area code and 7-digit phone number on all calls or the call won't be completed."

Maybe it's 'working' as is until they start assigning new AC's on Sept. 19. There's no ambiguity until then


tawnya said...

Good Morning!

I always enjoy your creations, Bruce, and you did not disappoint today! I sussed the them (even without the blatant reveal) but would have preferred your clue more. Thanks for the write up, Argyle, maybe next time I'll remember BALI HAI. (Unless there's the distractor - Bloody Mary. Then all I think of is BREAKFAST.)

RED HOTS remind me of the old Robert Johnson song, redone by the master Eric Clapton.

BOLT of blue - not sure where that phrase comes from, but hopefully YR can shed some light. Yesterday I learned I pronounce ague wrong (I said it like vague, but no V)! Thanks for the lessons, I always appreciate them! In the meantime, another ear worm, Anon-T

@MJ from Sunday/Monday - I was looking at SoCal house prices a few weeks ago, just out of curiosity (we left in 2007, at the height of the housing boom.) While the prices have not risen much over the years, they certainly did not drop. I don't know how people afford it.

@Anon-T: Of course we will be going to Texas! Don't know when, but I won't forget about you! BFF is an Aggie so looks like we need to attend a "real" college football game, too. And I wish your 'STROS well this season, but I'm hoping we go all the way this year. So I'm only wishing you a little luck, not too much ;)

Happy Tuesday!

t.

Unknown said...

I was looking for Liev Schreiber.

Misty said...

Delightful puzzle, Bruce--even with that EVIL theme. Thanks also for stopping by. And thanks, Argyle, for the always helpful write-up.

One question: Isn't BALI HAI a song in "South Pacific"? So who is Bloody Mary?

Off to the doctor to get skin cancer stitches checked.

Have a great day, everybody!

Argyle said...

. She sang Bali Ha'i.

Argyle said...

Bloody Mary

Yellowrocks said...

I have always surmised that a bolt out of the blue or a bolt from the blue was a metaphor for a bolt of lightening, which can appear suddenly out of a blue sky.

MJ said...

Good day to all!

Great puzzle. When I got the second theme answer I thought for sure there must be circles, but I was wrong. Thanks for today's entertainment, Bruce, and also for stopping by. It's always fun to hear from the constructors. And thanks for the expo, Argyle. Graupel was my learning moment of the day, even though spell check doesn't like it.

Enjoy the day!

Irish Miss said...

Spitz @ 11:03 ~ Thanks for your time and effort on the area code issue. Paragraph #2 is contradictory, to say the least, as evidenced by my not needing the 518 on my local calls. Oh well, maybe an explanation will pop up eventually. Argyle, what have you experienced?

desper-otto said...

Here in the hot, humid southland the weather prognosticators often talk of "virga" -- precip you can see falling from the clouds, but which evaporates before it reaches the ground. Do you suppose it's so named because there's no penetration?

Argyle said...

D-O GROAN!

IM, yup, same here except for my cell phone but I think that's an outlier.

Misty said...

Many thanks, Argyle! Beautiful to see that part of the film again, and I can't believe I remembered all the lyrics of "Bali Hai." Apparently, we don't forget song lyrics, even from our youth. I saw a clip on the news the other night, where a woman with Alzheimer's who was no longer able to speak, was given earphones to listen to some music she knew, and she began singing the lyrics. It was amazing.

AnonymousPVX said...

I didn't see, notice or need the theme, the best kind. Otherwise a nice Tuesday puzzle.

MJ said...

Misty--That is so true about remembering song lyrics. When our boys were young, they had a cassette tape on which one of the song's lyrics included the line "When we sing the words to music they become a part of us".

Michael said...

I always thought that the key to understanding area codes is a simple switch: if your first dialed digit is a "1", you are switched to the long distance network, and you then have to enter the full ten digits -- area code plus number -- to compete a call.

But if your first number is not a "1", then the first three numbers are just used as local routing numbers within your area code.

desper-otto said...

Michael, area codes are no longer geographic. Originally, all of Houston was 713. Today there are four over-lapping area codes for Houston: 713, 281, 832, 346. The result: all subscribers must dial all 10 digits to place a local call. That is becoming the "norm" in more and more areas around the country. We've been doing it for so long, that it'd feel weird to dial a 7-digit number. Gone are the days of my ute when our home phone number was 2443 on the Urban Telephone Company exchange.

Hungry Mother said...

Nice, easy theme. Very enjoyable solve.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Addendum to Eclipse musing yesterday. Some may remember I feel the most overused word in the language today is “Awesome” but the blackened out Sun at 1:03 pm surrounded by the its corona was, well, AWESOME!
-Beautiful day for golf and so…
-Bruce’s puzzle completed a lovely Tuesday
-My love for RED HOTS has been negated by my sudden sensitivity to cinnamon
-My “TO TASTE” seasoning now excludes added salt
-Have to take my kitty outside!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Peggy Lee singing BALI HAI reminded me of the time I saw Glen Campbell sing I Could Have Danced All Night on his show. I’ll take Fever and Wichita Lineman and leave the other two to Bloody Mary and Eliza Doolittle
-1912 technology makes you cut the Titanic some slack but what has happened recently to the most advanced navy in the world seems inexcusable

Wilbur Charles said...

I made a mistake and tried to do the long theme fills with no perps and somehow ended up with WIDE SCREAM. I like the write-up to surprise me with clues/fills I hadn't seen. Ah, vanity, vanity.

Re. The theme. I simply figured the letters V, I,L,E were forming words. After the top three I thought Bruce had run out and there was LIVE.

The original Bloody Mary was the queen who tried to restore Catholicism, that horse had left the barn. She was followed somewhere down the line by a "Good Queen" Mary.

Speaking of... This issue of mixing races is ignoring another horse that's left the barn if these troglodytes would get out once in awhile.

Owen, great imagination. Bruce nice Tuesday offering. Nice, cogent write-up

Another horse that's left the barn is Gender trans.

WC

What I was wondering was which Bloody Mary was the drink named after. And/or when did the mimosa replace it as a brunch drink

Tinbeni said...

Great job on the write-up Argyle.

Bruce: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle. Enjoyed the theme.

Fave today, of course, was the complete MAI-TAI ... if it is booze, it is a fave!

WC, I consider Scotch as a "brunch drink." LOL

Cheers!

Irish Miss said...

I just watched "Hidden Figures" which I really enjoyed. Also enjoyed "Lion" recently. The young man the movie depicted was on "60 Minutes" Sunday, recounting his amazing story.

WC, in my world, a Mimosa will never replace a Bloody Mary as a brunch drink. 🍹🍹🍹Cheers!

CanadianEh! said...

Late to the party again after taking visitors to Niagara Falls. It is always exciting to show it to people who have never seen it and are awestruck by its magnificence. We become jaded because we see it so often.

I got the theme with VILE and then EVIL, but I was thinking of a "See no EVIL" or "Lesser of 5 EVILs" theme. Thanks for the fun Bruce (and for dropping by) and Argyle.

I had Keep It Up before Keep AT IT and my Analgesic brand was Aleve before ADVIL.
BOLT clue was not about Usain.
I needed perps for AMC (We have had it before and I must remember that!) and AUEL.

I noted slight dupe of Red (HOTS) in a clue and REDS in an answer.
(Thought of Marti too.)

ITSY again and nobody has linked YellowPolkaDotBikini

Have a great evening.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thank you Bruce for an Anagramic Tuesday Puzzle. Yes, LIVE-STREAM was a bit subtle so thanks for stoppin' in to 'splain' it. I like it. Almost a DNF, but I WAG'd the A in AUEL [that still looks wrong as a string of letters] and wondered what Mary had to do with a Bloody Isle. Thanks Argyle for 'spainin' that and of course for kickin' off our Tuesday after-party [pic of ANIMAL made me giggle]

WO: LEVI STRoUSE.
ESPs: REED, AUEL, PAX
Fav: PAPAL next to AMEN; VOTED OUT juxtaposed with ELEVATES.

{A,B+,A-; apparently I'm in the minority :-)}

D-O: LOL Faux PAS wallpaper; groan (with a grin) H-Town PRECIP.
IM - D-O's right, once you go 10 you can't do 7 again. When I visit my folk in SPI I keep standing around waiting for them to finish phone#s. Oh, right, only 7-digits here. I've also gotten so accustomed to cell dialing that I get confused when I need to dial a 1 LD prefix.

YR - I'll add $0.02: a BOLT out of the blue connotes a sudden surprise. You don't expect lightning on a clear day.

Thanks Tawnya for the tunes - I like Clapton > New Order but enjoyed both.

Spitz - I thought 1 crash at sea was odd; 2 starts my tin-foil hat spinning. I know many "newer" vessels set sail with Windows aboard and I recall one ship needed a tow back to port during testing; could be early enemy testing of malware in the sonar/radar. [If 3 crashes, I'm calling for a CyberInvestigation].

Who else thought of The Dead Bishop [tattoo'd on the back of his neck (3m)] at 7d's clue?

Cheers, -T

Spitzboov said...

Anon -T The watch has eyeballs, binoculars; and the ships have running lights to see aspect. A good operator would notice if his surface radar was acting up. Were the radar contacts they were seeing agreeing with other situational info? (The ships not collided with?). No, I don't buy it.

Anonymous T said...

Damn, Spitz, you ruined a perfectly good conspiracy:-). Thanks for the info; as you can tell, I was Army not Navy. Cheers, -T

Yellowrocks said...

Anonymous T at 8:26, well put. I have been rushing around ever since my post. I realized as I drove that maybe some might not know that and maybe I took too much for granted. I had no chance to add to my post.Thanks a bunch for clarifying.

PK said...

Spitz and Tony: I keep think of that radar operator on Dec. 7, 1941, who thought all those radar blips couldn't possibly be what he hoped they weren't and didn't sound an alarm.

PK said...

Ooops, "thinkING".

Anonymous T said...

One last breathless nod to the puzzle's sparkle, no, Wit, NEA!, BILLIANCE... ACTING!

//Com'on you thought of Jon Levitz @31a, no?
//What'd ya think of that dialogue OMK? :-)

Cheers, -T
//Sorry Argyle, if third time ain't a charm, I'll SEE FIT for tossing DAT proverbial towel in.

Michael said...

D-O @ 2:42:

"Michael, area codes are no longer geographic."

Well, yours certainly aren't, so I can see the confusion. Where I live in California, there is one area code (707) from the Oregon border down to Dixon, and it is geographic, so what I wrote does apply here ... but not in L.A. or Houston.

Picard said...

Thanks for the fun puzzle, Bruce Haight, and thanks for stopping by and explaining the hidden reveal. Too bad that Rich would not let you make it explicit.

Unknowns: REED, DAT, VITO, AUEL but all had solid crosses.

Simulated ANNEALing is an optimization technique that I used in certain engineering applications. It has a life far beyond its original meaning with metals.