google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, March 5, 2018 ~ C.C. Burnikel

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Mar 5, 2018

Monday, March 5, 2018 ~ C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Them's the Breaks - Target word(DEAL) is split with some letters stating a theme answer and the remaining letters closing the theme answer. Also known as bookends.

16A. *Kaput: DEAD AS A DOORNAIL

19A. *Life in a breakfast bowl, say: DRY CEREAL

22D. *Oral health care network: DELTA DENTAL

25D. Negotiations killer ... or, in a way, what each answer to a starred clue is: DEAL BREAKER

Argyle here with our award-winning constructor. The puzzle has vertical symmetry and one spanner.

Across:

1. The Bounty, e.g.: SHIP. There was a mutiny of the Bounty.

5. Remote control targets: TVs

8. Landowner's document: DEED

12. Subtle glow: AURA

13. Spruce oneself up: PRIMP. To titivate.

15. Addresses with forward slashes: URLs. (Uniform Resource Locator)

20. Move like a crab: SIDLE. Walk especially sideways or obliquely.

23. Often-stubbed digit: TOE

24. Black Russian liquor: VODKA. It's just vodka and Kahlua.

28. Nivea competitor: AVEENO. Skin care products. 63-Across. Body covering: SKIN

30. Invalidate, as a law: REPEAL

31. Rapper __ Wayne: LIL

32. Disney's title lamp rubber: ALADDIN

36. Sailor's agreement: AYE

37. Stage designs: SETS

39. Emulate flowers on a hot day: DROOP

40. Source of linen: FLAX

41. "Dilbert" creator Scott: ADAMS


43. "Little Women" woman: MEG. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

44. Spongy cake laced with rum: BABKA


45. Scammer's targets: DUPEs

47. Step in a flight: STAIR

49. West Coast state: OREGON

51. Everglades waders: EGRETS

54. Layer of eggs: HEN

55. Target practice props: TIN CANS

59. "__ you awake?": ARE

60. Software test version: BETA

62. "M*A*S*H" actor Elliott: GOULD. From the movie. Trapper John.


64. Racetrack shape: OVAL

65. Homer Simpson's wife: MARGE. She of the blue hair.

66. Four-legged companions: PETS. Also known as our overlords.

67. Give a holler: YELL

68. In the future: AHEAD

69. Gratis: FREE

Down:

1. Pathetic: SAD

2. Tint: HUE

3. Nest egg acronym: IRA. (Individual Retirement Account)

4. Ping-Pong need: PADDLE



5. Piece of land: TRACT

6. Instagram upload: VIDEO

7. Messy campfire snack: S'MORE

8. Firestone competitor: DUNLOP

9. Pitching stat with a decimal point: ERA. In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. TMI?

10. Inventor Whitney: ELI.  Best known for inventing the cotton gin.

11. Broadband option, for short: DSL. (Digital Subscriber Line)

13. Maj. for a future shrink: PSY. Psychology.

14. "The 18-Down" poet: POE. 18-Down. "Nevermore" speaker: RAVEN

17. Structure with skyboxes: ARENA

20. Dip for chips: SALSA

21. Like the outfield walls at Wrigley Field: IVIED


26. Whitewater craft: KAYAK

27. Amazon Echo Dot's voice service: ALEXA

29. Well-worn: OLD

30. Harshly criticize: RIP. I had RAP crossing ALADAN. Oops.

33. Octopus' eight: ARMS

34. Deer mom: DOE

35. Dalmatians, e.g.: DOGS

38. Far from self-effacing: SMUG

40. Inside the foul line: FAIR

42. Dalmatian marking: SPOT

44. Hefty supplies?: BAGS. This could have been another baseball reference.

46. Hard puzzle: ENIGMA

48. Watched over: TENDED

49. "This could be a problem": "OH BOY"

50. Christopher of "Superman": REEVE

52. Done to death: TRITE

53. Sight or smell: SENSE

56. First matchmaker?: NOAH

57. Make better: CURE

58. Tiny pond growth: ALGA

61. "__ in favor, say 'aye'": ALL

63. Coppertone letters: SPF. (Sun Protection Factor)


Argyle

52 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to our Fearless Leader and to Santa!

    Pleasant offering!

    Finally got a working color printer with scanner, etc. Two Epsons would not work and the first HP I ordered was not an all-in-one. (Also, Harv mistakenly set the language to Hebrew. We couldn't change it to English but I was able to change it to Spanish! That was OK.

    Stopped raining here. Not enuf to make up for last year, but a start. (Rained several days.)

    Hope to see you all tomorrow!

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  2. No circles, never saw the theme but was easy enough without it.

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  3. For those who do not read late nite posts, C.C. was selected for a 2017 ORCA for the BEST FREESTYLE PUZZLE OF 2017: Untitled, by Zhouqin Burnikel (New York Times, June 16). For the complete write-up go HERE . Two LAT puzzles were mentioned, one by John Lampkin and one by Roger and Kathy Wienberg.

    Thank you for starting the week C.C. and Argyle.

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  4. Good morning!

    Yes, I saw the circles...then forgot about 'em. Tried VIRUS for the Instagram upload. No, I didn't get the theme. Yes, I failed to read the full reveal clue. Again. I'm hopeless. Thanx, C.C. and Argyle.

    DELTA DENTAL: They've provided my dental insurance for the past three years.

    C.C., congrats on that ORCA award.

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  5. In my family (and parish) BABKA is much more like bread than caken, and eaten that way.

    DEAD AS A DOORNAIL is older than Shakespeare (Henry IV), a 'dead' nail is one that's nailed thru two layers of wood and the point bent over so it can't be pulled out; nails in doors need to be dead because they endure a lot stress and repetitive motion.

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  6. Good morning you Cornerites,

    It seems that I have heard of today's constructor somewhere. OH BOY, I remember. She is our beloved C.C.. Thank you "dear" for this pleasant Monday masterpiece. I FIR in 25:53.

    Thank you Argyle for your excellent review.

    27D Amazon Echo Dot's voice service: ALEXA -- My caregiver Lynn got one/her for Christmas. She holds court in the living room, and can tell good Limericks, jokes, and stories. What can your household assistant do?

    Dave

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  7. Congrats to our constructors on the honors.

    I liked today's offering from CC. Challenging without being too challenging for Monday. Like Santa I misspelled ALADDIN, and I also erased "nan" for MEG and "adam" for NOAH. I really thought the snake was the first matchmaker.

    Charles Emerson Winchester III (aka David Ogden Stiers) died Saturday. One of my favorite M*A*S*H characters, along with officer Bill Gannon as Col. Potter.

    Capitalizing Ping-Pong put me off a little, so I LIU: that's the way Chicago Manual of Style shows it. Who knew. I also didn't know AVEENO, and only knew BABKA from the Corner.

    Thanks to CC and Santa for an agreeable start to the work week.

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  8. CC, nice puzzle. Congratulations on winning the ORCA award, you richly deserve it. I didn't read the whole paragraph because I hope to work the winning puzzle. Could someone please provide a link to it? Argyle, fine expo.
    TIN CANS reminded me of the old WWII Navy movies and our navy man, Spitz. Tin can was a nickname for ships called destroyers. In the 60's there were many reruns of these old movies on TV.
    Elliott Gould played Trapper John on MASH. David Ogden Stiers who played Winchester died this week. I loved MASH. It is still on TV in reruns and is as enjoyable as ever.
    Are you awake? Irritated reply: I am now!
    I worked the fine puzzle yesterday. I found it quite crunchy. I use red letters to point up several bad cells. Then I wagged the correct answers and finished it.

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  9. Good Morning.

    After a wonderful time in Dallas, and laundry, mail, errands, a dental crown, I am back to my morning crossword and puzzle routine. I couldn't use my iPad in Dallas. ??? It wouldn't connect to WiFi in the hotel. So be it, it was a very busy visit. I am learning to drive in Texas where the speed limit is a mere suggestion and the highways have interesting names like Dallas North Tollway South. I'm learning, but I still can't compete in the in-town expressway driving. First, I am not an Indy-licensed drive, and secondly, we didn't rent a car with a heat-shield for re-entry!! Great fun: Perot Museum, Dallas Art Museum, and some escape room game with three of the boys where we had to find clues and keys in an hour. At least I wasn't accused of bring the bad weather. It was about the same as Chicago--cold and rainy!

    I enjoyed this puzzle and the cluing. I didn't see the deal breaker either. Thanks, C.C.
    AND Congratulations on your great honor! Hooray!

    Thanks for the tour, Argyle, I always enjoy your links. Thanks for the IVIED reminder that spring is in the air. Strait away Center is 400 feet: that and the prevailing westerlies often provide for sweet HRs.

    My household assistant has been here for nearly a half century. He sits on the living room couch with a lap top and lots of emails and tasks provided by our HOA--he's the president. Sometimes, I just yell, "Hey, Could you help me. . . .?"

    Have a sunny day.

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  10. Good morning everyone.

    YR, thanx for the SO. I saw the TIN CAN - SHIP - AYE sub theme and was considering pointing it out. You beat me to it. Argyle dropping 'titivate' conjured up memories of the Bo's'n's titivating the quarterdeck in anticipation of an important personage's arrival on board. There is a Tin Can Sailor's Association - good web site with lots of pictures. My favorite destroyer movie is "The Enemy Below" with Robert Mitchum and Kurt Jurgens.

    Easy but somewhat choppy solution today. Got it all w/o searches. Had canoe before KAYAK. DEED was another palindrome.
    BABKA - BH bakes them before the holidays.
    RAVEN - the largest passerine.

    Congrats to C.C. on her recent award - well deserved.

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  11. Good Morning:

    I couldn't ask for a better way to start the week than seeing CC's byline on this rather gloomy Monday morning. Easy, peasy but fun and enjoyable. I liked to Deal Breaker reveal. I also like the use of vertical themers, maybe because they're not the norm. No hiccups or bumps, just a straightforward solve.

    Well done, CC, as usual and ditto to our chief cook and bottle washer, Argyle!

    billocohoes @ 7:40 ~ Thanks for the expo of dead as a door nail. I was going to ask Mr. G but you saved me the trouble.

    I was surprised that Laurie Metcalf was passed over for Best Supporting Actress as she was hyped all along as being a shoo in. I haven't seen any of the movies so I can't make any comparisons. I also think "The Shape of Water" was a surprise winner for Best Picture. I have lots to look forward to from Netflix.

    Welcome back, Madame Defarge, you were missed. I almost commented on your absence yesterday but then remembered your trip to Texas.

    Have a great day.

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  12. I think the snake was the dealbreaker. 😊

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    Replies
    1. This was intended to be a reply to Jinx regarding her snake comment, but somehow it didn’t go there. Oh, these SMARTphones!!

      Delete
  13. I liked THE Deal Breaker reveal. Sorry.

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  14. Yay baseball clues. Only 24 shopping days left until opening day.

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  15. Musings
    -A very nice C.C. Monday puzzle and Argyle summary. Bonus: DEALS were broken 3/1, 1/3 and 2/2. Everything she does is award-winning!
    -Hmmm… should I choose this option or return to the SHIP and SMUG Captain Bligh
    -Argyle, I’ll see your titivate and raise you a farding :-)
    -The REPEAL of the 18th amendment certainly showed legislating “morality” is difficult
    -I just rewatched Spielberg’s Lincoln that mainly dealt with Abe getting enough AYES to pass the 13th Amendment
    -A scene with a BABKA in a supporting role (:43)
    -Employees at my sporting goods store are required to use the STAIRS between the two escalators
    -“Dormez-vous?” asks the opposite question of “ARE you awake?”
    -ELI Whitney, Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Civil War - one created a need for more slaves and one showed what that life was like
    -My daughter once said of a prom date, “He was like an octopus”
    -So far my CPAP machine has CURED my sleep apnea and snoring and, YES, I am fully awake

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  16. HG - I tell people in my passenger seat they may use the farding mirror if they wish. Most really don't want to admit they don't know what it means, (But don't like the sound of it.).
    People untutored in German hear the word 'Fahrt' and they go bug s**t. Fahrt means trip or ride or travel. Very common word.
    L. German Fohrt doesn't sound quite so bad.

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  17. Thank you, C.C., for providing us with another gem, not an ENIGMA, as it solved smoothly and easily.

    I am unfamiliar with BABKA but it emerged nicely.

    Again, C.C., congratulations on your award. Goodness knows, you should receive more of them.

    I was not surprised about the Best Picture award; it was hyped for weeks but not my kind of movie and I doubt that I'll see it. I was pleased that best actor went to Churchill performer, Gary Oldman. Not too happy about any award for Three Billboards, though.

    Have a special day, everyone!

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  18. Spitz, I remember seeing the Einfahrt Verboten signs in Germany. I always figured Sweifahrt or Dreifahrt would be OK.

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  19. Nice write-up Argyle.

    C.C. Thank you for a FUN Monday puzzle. I enjoyed the theme,

    Also liked the CSO at 55-a, TIN CANS

    Fave today, of course, was 24-a, VODKA ... booze is always a fave!

    Cheers!

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  20. Congratulations, C.C. on your well deserved award. And thanks for the lovely Monday puzzle. After (finally) spelling ALADDIN right I had no problems. I always thought octopi had Legs not ARMS but it filled itself in.

    Argyle, the links were wonderful . Thanks.

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  21. Greetings!

    Thanks to C.C. for today's entertaining puzzle with its unusual grid layout/symmetry. it reminds me of a cute puppy dog. No circles, but didn't need them. Great expo, Argyle. Thanks for your on-going Monday/Tuesday faithfulness to the Corner.

    Congratulations on the well deserved 2017 ORCA award, C.C.. Brava!

    Enjoy the day!

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  22. How exciting to get a C.C. puzzle after just learning about her wonderful crossword award! Congratulations, and many thanks for a delightful experience this morning, C.C. This was a lot of fun and I got the theme early enough that it helped me get the 22 down. Of course, I was very thankful to have circles. Loved seeing references to both POE and to the RAVEN. But my favorite was NOAH for "First matchmaker" (I too actually thought of ADAM but then realized that didn't make sense). Had trouble with GOULD because I kept thinking of the MASH TV show, which I loved, and could hardly remember the movie. But great fun, thanks again, C.C. And cool pictures, as always, Argyle.

    Nice to have you back, Madame Defarge.

    Have a great week, everybody!

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  23. C.C., Congrats on your ORCA award!

    Dave

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  24. I didn't want to say it, but it has been a long stretch
    since we had a CC puzzle and I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms.
    (We had so many just a month or so ago...)

    Easy Peasy Monday, thank you.
    But it felt a little lopsided to me,
    I mean, only 3 theme fills and not balanced.
    2 across, and one down?
    Oh, V8 can!
    I answered my own question...
    The reveal is the fourth deal...

    So, what would be a deal breaker to CrossEyedDave?

    Obligatory cat pic...

    Hmm, the art of the deal, is he a mouse, or a rat?

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  25. Congratulations CC on your much-deserved award! A very quick, smooth, fun ride today!

    Did anyone else think of this Buddy Holly song when they saw OH BOY?

    I actually eat DRY CEREAL dry. I do not like milk. Anyone else?

    Here my PETS were featured in the newspaper.

    I had gotten tired of seeing an endless stream of the usual PETS and was glad mine got top billing!

    Here I was at Multnomah Falls in the OREGON Columbia River Gorge.

    OREGON is the next state north and I have many more photos there. This was from my first visit there.

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  26. Picard:
    What unusual pets you have! But then, I wouldn't expect anything else for some reason. And another spectacular photo, the Multnomah Falls. Thank you.

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  27. Congrats to C.C.

    A very slight bit of crunch today, but no issues.

    24 days til Opening Day means 24 days til my first hotdog of the year.

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  28. Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle, thanks, C.C. & Argyle.

    No circles. Why oh why can't Mensa do circle? Anyway, when I got DEALBREAKER, I decided DEAD & DRY could certainly be DEALBREAKERS in a relationship, but DELTA? Didn't have any V8 cans on hand, so thought of banging my head on the wall a couple times in exasperation. Duh! It was so simple.

    Preen before PRIMP. Also duh!

    GOULD perped in & surprised me. I couldn't remember him in M*A*S*H. Movie? Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember there was one.

    I watched about 5 minutes of the Oscars. Didn't know any of the actors. Haven't seen any of the movies and won't. I learned years ago not to rent any Oscar winning movies because I didn't like them. Now I just go to sleep. I need commercials so I can get up and walk during them to stay awake through what I want to see.

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  29. I once had a Beyond the Fringe* moment at Multnomah Falls. DW#1 and I were in Portland visiting her "Reedy" sister. The weather was wet and nasty and I managed to come down with a bug. Still, we made the short trip out of town to Multnomah Falls. While standing just about where Picard is standing in that photo, D-O suddenly and violently vomited. That's my only memory of the place.

    *Alan Bennett's Take A Pew.

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  30. D-O @ 1336 - I'm sure Picard will treasure that thought for a long time.

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  31. I want to add my congratulations to C.C. for receiving the ORCA award. And let me add a grateful Thank You for today's pleasant pzl. Her many accomplishments are most impressive!
    And thanks to you, Argyle for your fine exposition. And No, it is not TMI to share your expert knowledge with us: not at all!

    I may have set a personal time record in reaching my Ta- DA! today. I don't think I paused for a single instant. It was a relief after the tough endings of last week to just keep filling and filling - feeling good to be on C.C.'s wavelength.

    I started collecting model SHIPs last year, and HMS Bounty is one of my favorites. She was built in Hull UK as a small collier before being sold to the Royal Navy for scientific expeditions. She was styled in the English fashion, with a sleek low hull and diminished forecastle. Bounty would probably never have entered our historical memory if not for the infamous mutiny against Captain Wm. Bligh, led by first officer (Acting Lieutenant) Fletcher Christian.
    It may be worth noting that the mutiny was carried off without bloodshed. Maybe the single most impressive aspect of the "event" is that Bligh managed to navigate a longboat filled with loyal seamen to safety after nearly 50 days and over 6,500 km.


    ____________
    Diagonal Report: How curious! This is only the 2nd time there have been no diagonals. Not a one.
    The only other time was on Saturday.
    I wonder at the odds!

    .

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  32. I liked this well-constructed Monday puzzle. I also liked previous three puzzles, which I enjoyed solving but didn't have time to comment on. The LA Times has a terrific "stable" of talented constructors, including our ORCA winning one, all of whom I admire and appreciate. Congratulations and thank you.

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  33. Sweet pet pictures, Picard.

    Knew you'd like that VODKA, Tinbeni (not me, I'm a Merlot person).

    And great "Bounty" story, Ol'Man Keith!

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  34. This was a fun Monday experience! Thanks, C.C.! And congrats on your award! Thanks for the expo and links, Argyle. Well done!

    I haven't had a chance to read the comments yet but will enjoy that after dinner.

    My mistake was ALLADIN which gave me LEGS for the octopus. Wha? Perps to the rescue!

    billocohoes, thanks for the explanation of DEAD AS A DOOR NAIL.

    Here are a couple sunsets that kinda have a 12a Subtle Glow Sunset 1, Sunset 2

    Have a great evening, everyone!

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  35. Unlike others, I had a little crunch (and it wasn't DRY CEREAL) today. But not exactly an ENIGMA. Thanks for the fun C.C. (and congrats on your award) and Argyle.

    Let me count the ways I shot myself in the foot (but not DEAD AS A DOORNAIL).
    Wilt was too short and moved to DROOP, Noxema moved to AVEENO, crawl to SIDLE, Preen to PRIMP, Redact to REPEAL. My Instagram upload was a Photo before a VIDEO.
    Then I was on Mensa and had no circles although that was not a DEAL BREAKER.
    I thought of Rum Baba before BABKA (might be a Ukrainian vs. Polish word origin).

    This Canadian has no knowledge of DELTA DENTAL.

    Some Canadian content in Oscar winners as Shape of Water was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, by a Canadian producer, and Best Production Design was won by 3 Canadians. Not my personal choice of movies though.

    Enjoy the evening.

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  36. The Mind Boggles.

    I remember when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile. Sir Roger died a couple days ago at age 88. His obits took me back to 1954 when he "proved the impossible."
    The current record for the mile is held by Hicham El Guerrouj at 3:43:13, nearly 16-plus seconds faster.
    How can that be possible?

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  37. I'm way behind . I've got a start on Saturday and Sunday but I'll have to finish later.

    This was a true Monday xword . Good to see CC and her well deserved ORCA. BTW. Just how was NOAH a "Match Maker"?

    WC

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  38. I stayed up too late watching the oscars to get to the puzzle before work today.

    Fun treat from CC and congrats on your award!
    Thanks Argyle!

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  39. WC
    Didn't Noah choose mates when he loaded the Ark?
    (How did he handle same-sex coupling back then? How embarrassing was it when Jack and Jim Zebras showed up at the loading dock?
    Or are we to suppose Gays are strictly New Testament?)

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  40. Pat @ 4:15
    a couple of sunsets?
    OMG!, click on the right arrow and they go on forever!


    PK @ 12:56
    Why, Oh why, can't Mensa do circles?
    (they're not smart enough...)

    :)

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  41. Lucina: Thank you for the kind words about my amphibian PETs and about my Multnomah Falls, OREGON photo! And thank you for your comments earlier about the creative puppet makers and about our other creative events.

    PK: You are welcome to come to our city any time! Sorry you had such scary experiences that keep you incognito. Feel free to email me. My profile has my direct email address.

    Are you aware that you can get the puzzle in all its glory with circles here at the Los Angeles Times site?

    desper-otto: I am sorry you had such an unpleasant experience at Multnomah Falls. Perhaps sometime you can return to make a happier memory. Yes, Spitzboov, that was a memorable comment.

    Misty: Thank you for the kind words about my PETs, too!

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  42. Hi All!

    Thanks C.C. for this puzzle that was no big DEAL to solve; a perfect Monday. Congrats again on the ORCA.

    Thanks Argyle for kicking-off the after-party with a Dilbert comic and the beautiful image of Wrigley.

    WO: DUNLaP*
    ESPs: GOULD and the BABKA again...[at least I didn't balk at the letters this time]
    Fav: DEAD AS A DOORNAIL. Pop says that and, thanks to Bill-O, we both now know what that really means.

    D4 - I'll never put ALEXA or her ilk in my house... Too creepy bugging myself!

    Welcome back MDE Defarge and LOL TX freeways. With the long hauls in TX, you'd never get anywhere at 55mph - just move AHEAD the same as everyone else and your fine @80mph. And re: the names? I live near US59/I-69/Southwest Freeway (all names of the same road until you pass downtown going North, then it's the EastTex Freeway). It's aka Sen. Lloyd Benson Highway, too, but nobody calls it that. :-)

    Cheers, -T
    *I only buy Pirelli tire's.... They're Italian - Dego through water, Dego through mud, and when deys flat, Dego Wop, Wop, Wop ;-)

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  43. Thanks OMK, the matches were the pairs of animals. Duh, I guess .

    Well, I picked up Sunday before heading home and the cursing started . Gail G., How can you be so cruel. Turns out how can Wilbur be so dumb . I've got all the boxes filled .

    I was taking a fella down to IMG and innocently asked him about that MLS team in Washington. Was that cheating Misty, ol' pal?

    Sure came in handy .

    I'll let you know how I do on Saturday's xword

    WC

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  44. Good Evening, folks. Thank you, C.C., for fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    C.C.: Congratulations on your ORCA award. Well deserved! Now I will have to go on line and see what the particulars are.

    Welcome home, Madame DeFarge. I was in Evanston Saturday at the Masonic Temple on Maple Ave. Thought of you.

    Puzzle was fine. Got the theme part way through.

    I noticed this was an odd symmetry puzzle. Not the usual. That's OK with me.

    Never heard of DELTA DENTAL. Perps.

    FLAX was easy. I take a tablespoon full each day. (flax seed oil)

    ALEXA was neat to see. My wife got me one for Christmas, an AMAZON ECHO. I use it a lot to play old songs. All off the internet.

    I was an election judge today in DuPage County. Finished the Saturday puzzle while I was there. We only did 69 voters in 11 hours of being open. I will now go to that date and report in. Sunday's I have not finished yet.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ( )

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  45. AnonT:
    Good that you can self deprecate! It's a rare quality. Funny joke, too.

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  46. Anon -T - Why does the new Italian Navy have glass bottom boats?

    Ans, So they can see the old Italian Navy.

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  47. Picard: I love your pictures. Right now I have no email capacity and haven't been able to access LA TIMES puzzle for some time. My apps are old and my service provider "updated" and left me in the dust. I haven't felt up to the hassle of calling in the tech to see why I have no internet when it rains. Too much going on in my life right now. I'm just happy that I'm able to do the puzzle & access the blog.

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  48. Lucina - If I can't laugh at myself, I've lost all perspective. It's an old joke, not PC, but funny, so let's have fun with a stereotype/slur 'cuz no one takes umbrage anyway (The Godfather fixed that :-)).

    Spitz - Right. Both of them :-). I'm laughing x2 because, while I've taken tomorrow off to deal with contractors for the house, I'm also going to try to get the Alfa to the shop so they can replace the fuel-pump. I love this '86 ride, When it runs, it's BACON on a stick, but, even just sitting in the garage DEAD AS A DOOR NAIL, it is SEXY.

    Cheers, -T

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  49. Hi everybody. Not much time to comment. It's late and I'm about to start tomorrow's offering. I didn't see much need for circles in this puzzle.

    We've visited Multnomah Falls. It's pretty in your nice photo. It's even more spectacular in real life.

    Good jokes!

    I recorded the Oscars telecast and enjoyed parts of it very much. I like Jimmy Kimmel. Since it was recorded on the DVR, I could fast forward over some of the boring thank-you speeches.

    On to tomorrow's puzzle.

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  50. Winding down with the funnies says...

    ALEXA in love [Brewster Rockit]

    Nite, -T

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  51. Spitzboov said...
    "D-O @ 1336 - I'm sure Picard will treasure that thought for a long time."

    Oh. I think we ALL will....

    (Must be Italian Depreciation Day here at the Corner.)

    ReplyDelete

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