google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Gerry Wildenberg

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Dec 18, 2018

Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Gerry Wildenberg

"FIRE SIDES"

17. *Entrance protection from the elements: STORMDOORFirestorm and Fire door.

24. *Monopoly utility: WATER WORKS.  Firewater and Fireworks.

35. *Lotto America, since 1992: POWERBALL. Firepower and Fireball - Never heard of Lotto America, but am aware of Powerball. 

51. *Home security system: HOUSE ALARM. Firehouse and Fire Alarm

60. Warm, cozy places ... and a hint to what can precede both parts of the answers to starred clues: FIRESIDES.


Across:

1. Zsa Zsa's older sister: MAGDA.  Two of the three Gabor sisters.  The other of course was Eva.  "Between the three of them, they had 20 marriages, 19 husbands, and one child."    19 Husbands ?  Oh, Magda married one of Zsa Zsa's ex-husbands. 

6. NYC winter hours: EST.

9. Italian city known for its cheese: PARMA. We're getting our fill of PARMA lately. Husker Gary had Prosciutto di PARMA Saturday. Kraft and other dairy product makers create their own "Parmesan Cheese", but the real deal Parmesan is Parmigiano-Reggiano. Prosciutto di Parma, Parmesan, and Parmigiano-Reggiano are PDOs in Europe.

14. How French fries are fried: IN OIL.

15. Sgt., e.g.: NCO.

16. Knight's horse: STEED.

19. Moneyed group: HAVES.

20. "You're asking too much": IT'S A LOT.

21. Yankee or Oriole, for short: AL'ER. American League baseball player.

22. __-deucey: ACEY.

27. Metal fuel holder: GAS CAN.  I had to replace the gas tank on my 5 y.o. snowblower a few weeks ago.  It was leaking at the seam where the two halves are joined.  The cap on the new tank says no E-85 fuel.  Perhaps the corrosive action of the ethanol destroyed the seal.  IDK.

29. "Honestly!": I SWEAR.  Also, a pretty country song: John Michael Montgomery - I Swear

30. John at a piano: ELTON'Classically trained, but married to rock’n’roll"



31. Winter wear: COAT.  Winter coating: hoar.

34. Wall and 42nd, in NYC: STS. Streets.   Also a couple of movie titles.   42nd Street and Wall Street

39. Egyptian snake: ASP.

42. They're drawn in pubs: ALES.

43. Western law group: POSSE

47. Shallow sea areas: SHOALS.  Muscle Shoals is a city in Alabama on the Tennessee River.  Learned about it from lyrics in this song by Lynyrd Skynyrd, mentioned about 3 minutes in.


50. Trouser measure: INSEAM.

55. Furry "Star Wars" creature: EWOK.

56. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB une.

57. Pigged out: OVERATE.

59. Pierce, as an hors d'oeuvre: SPEAR.

63. Slowly, in music: LARGO.

64. Fla. neighbor: ALA.

65. Love, Italian-style: AMORE.  Love American Style


66. Director Welles: ORSON.

67. Light brown: TAN.

68. Cylindrical pasta with pointed ends: PENNE.   It's best with a good ragu or Bolognese and cheese.

Down:

1. Prefix with print: MIS. Misprint.

2. Hill crawler: ANT

3. Most sticky, as a sweet treat: GOOIEST.



4. Corrupt policeman: DIRTY COP.

5. Donation to the poor: ALMS.

6. WWII bomber __ Gay: ENOLA.

7. Dart: SCOOT.

8. Rich cake: TORTE.

9. Disbelieving cries: PSHAWS.

10. Having bottomed out, as prices: AT A LOW.

11. Worships: REVERES.

12. Kalahari mongoose: MEERKAT.

13. Much of the Sunday paper: ADS.

18. Rooster's wake-up time: DAWN.

22. Have more birthdays: AGE.

23. Berkeley sch.: CAL.

25. Actress Hayworth: RITA. The Love Goddess


26. H.S. grads-to-be: SRS.

28. Year, in Yucatán: ANO.

31. Disney collectible: CEL.

32. Iron source: ORE.

33. Tummy muscles: ABS.  The abdominal (and oblique) muscles. Abdominal Muscles Location and Function

36. Ice Cube's "It __ Good Day": WAS A

37. Hosp. staffer: LPNLicensed Practical Nurse

38. Get stuck in traffic, say: LOSE TIME.

39. Campfire residue: ASH.

40. Had a good day on the links: SHOT PAR.

41. Sommeliers, often: POURERS.
 A Master Sommelier Explains The Rationale Behind Each Component Of Wine Presentation

44. Attached by thread: SEWED ON.

45. __ Paulo: SAO.

46. Longtime Mass. senator's monogram: EMK. Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy

48. Italian cheese: ASIAGO.  More Italian cheese !  Asiago can range in texture from soft and creamy to dry and crumbly.  Here's a quick primer on Parmesan, Asiago and Romano.

49. James of the Lakers: LEBRON.  Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, and still active.

50. '50s Hungarian premier Nagy: IMRE.  Perps.

52. Diet-friendly: LO-FAT.

53. Hometown of St. Teresa: ÁVILA.  - "The City of Saints and Stones"  - A UNESCO World Heritage site.  Ávila de los Caballeros.
Where it's at:

54. Showed once more: RERAN.

58. On the double, in memos: ASAP.

59. __-mo: SLO.


61. Suffix with west: ERN.   You might have got a hint to this answer with the clue at 43A.

62. Set eyes on: SEE.





58 comments:

Lemonade714 said...

TTP, Muscle Shoals became known as the home for recording hit songs. Originally at FAME STUDIOS and later when some of their session musicians left to start MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND STUDIO the number hit recorded in the small Alabama town became epic.

My stint working with AXE and BLACKFOOT gave me a chance to get to know these places and the people. JIMMY JOHNSON was one of the founders of MSSS as well as an excellent guitarist and performer on so many albums. His son Jay Johnson toured with BLACKFOOT and others and started his own band SKINNY MOLLY

These are the hardest types of puzzles for me to suss the theme but there were no complete unknowns so it all got filled. I loved all of your GIF links T.

Thanks Gerry

Anonymous said...

Uhmmmmm, it's "Parmesan".

Lemonade714 said...

Anon 5:16, there are 62,100 Results when you type "PARMASEN". and while you are correct that PARMESAN has become the accepted name for the cheese, with all that was included in the puzzle and the write-up that you have something more to contribute than a silly nit. Since the cheese is from PARMA, the PARMASEN spelling makes more sense

TTP said...

I corrected it.

jerome said...

EWOK- Website that stocks Chinese pans

Few stage characters are as creepy AS IAGO

LEBRON can BE L RON Hubbard

Bill V said...

FARMER JOHN!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Never caught the theme, and once again failed to read the full reveal clue. Grrrr. No real problems with this one, though I thought Teresa hailed from Assisi (too long) and Lebron was an east-coaster (apparently not). Thanx for the exercise, Gerry. Enjoyed the cheesy tour, TTP. (I was all set to expound on Muscle Shoals, but Lemonade beat me to it.)

Lucina said...

d-o:
It's Francis who is from Assisi.

Thanks to Gerry W. for this really quick grid. I didn't stop to parse all the theme pairs but waited for TTP. Thank you. That was a lot of FIRE on the SIDE.

PSHAWS held me up for a while; I doubted it until the very end then gave in and the entire corner suddenly bloomed.

I've actually been on that tour of Spain though I don't think it was called that but all those cities were included. All are fascinating to visit especially Cordoba where a great university once flourished. It was staffed by Catholics, Moslems and Jews all working together. That was, I believe, in the 10th and 11th centuries.

The Gabor sisters were in their time famous for being famous. Though Zsa Zsa did act in a few films.

Again, thanks to Gerry Wildenberg and TTP for today's entertainment.

Have a joyful day, everyone!






Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but had to fix LOSt TIME.

Lucina, I also resisted PSHAWS until the perps forced it, then the entire Bangor region fell. I'm sure you remember Eva Gabor in Green Acres. My favorite Gabor quote is from Zsa Zsa: "I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house."

DW once had offices in Dallas, Miami and SAO Paulo. She flew a LOT. So where did I get to travel along? Caracas.

If you just add an "a', you can change a one of the best basketball players ever into a sedate sedan [LEBRON ---> LE BARON].

Thanks to Gerry for the fine puzzle. And thanks to TTP for the fine tour. Looks like it took a LOT of time to put together.

inanehiker said...

This was a fun run- thanks for all the fun pics and links TTP! I always am amazed when people come up with theme answers that connect with both parts - good job Gerry!

I liked watching some of the episodes on "Meerkat Manor" on Animal Planet - I don't know if that is even still running.

When I was growing up the Gabor sisters were like the Kardashians now - just famous for being famous and wearing fancy clothes and make-up. Even when they "acted" the parts were just them being themselves.

CartBoy said...

Ugh! Crosswordese overload...

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I'm not feeling well so this will be short and sweet. Needed the reveal to catch the theme, which is my preferred solving experience. I wasn't keen on Pourers but liked the inclusion of those cute-looking Meerkats. I was surprised to see Campfire in the clue for Ash.

Thanks, Gerry, for a the cozy imagery and thanks, TTP, for the always delightful summary.

Have a great day

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Another easy solve. Uneventful but fun to work on. Liked the theme.
IMRE was first fill in the south. (I remember those 1956 news images clearly. IMRE was executed afterwards.
WASA - Crispbread topped with half a baloney slice or hummus is my lunch since starting my diet. Has helped so far.
FIRESIDES - My destroyer was propelled by 4 marine type boilers delivering up to 60,000 HP. The boilers' FIRESIDES had to be cleaned every 600 hours of operation. Additionally, during operations, steam jets were "blown" against the steam generating tubes to remove soot, every 4 hours. This act was called "Blow tubes". (Once a watch, Main Control would phone the bridge and request permission to "dump, pump, and blow". Dump garbage, pump bilges and blow tubes.
The watersides were cleaned every 1800 hours as I recall. Lots of work for the boiler tenders.

Anonymous said...


Taking the cue from the Elton John clue, here's a Christmas commercial (yes, a commercial), that I strongly encourage you to watch. Even if you're not a fan of Sir Elton or his music, it's a touching video:

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

Since I only post once or twice a year, Merry Christmas to all.
And to all, a good night.

Yellowrocks said...

FIR, no probs or nits. I like when the theme fits both parts of the fill. Fine puzzle. Gerry. TTP, thanks for all your clips, lovely summary. Your fireside picture was so cozy. I am inspired to light my fireplace tonight.
Elton John is a favorite of mine.
I like LOFAT next to OVERATE.
IM, sorry to hear you feel ill. I hope it passes soon.
ACEY DEUCY is a square dance call. We had our holiday dance last night. Lots of fun. I confounded my partners by not raising my left hand higher than my waist, because it tingled and hurt. They kindly adapted.
PSHAW is old fashioned, but it common in period literature.

"Of imitative origin
Usage
In literature:
Oh, pshaw, we're out! "Tabitha's Vacation" by Ruth Alberta Brown
But, pshaw, that clock never keeps time. "Rosemary" by Josephine Lawrence
I might have escaped any day, but, pshaw! "Agatha's Husband A Novel" by Dinah Maria Craik
Oh, pshaw, it's nothing, anyway! "Patty's Social Season" by Carolyn Wells
One sailor cried out: 'Oh, pshaw! "World's War Events, Vol. I" by Various" and many more.

I am enjoying Grisham's The Reckoning. This one is not the usual boiler plate. It is new and fresh.
The Reckoning
Please click on read more for a synopsis.

SwampCat said...

No real problems today, but I was caught by some of the misdirections. Western law group? A law firm in California? I laughted when POSSE appeared.

I’m embarrassed that I knew ZsaZsa’s sister. Yes they were famous for being famous but that’s what we wanted when they appeared on screen. Just playing themselves.

I loved all the cheeses. If you’ve never had ASIAGO I recommend it. One of my favorites.

Thanks,Gerry, for a yummy start to my day.

TTP, thanks for the tour.

SwampCat said...

One other thing... we had STEED again for that knight to ride on. I’m no longer fooled by that in CWs but I’m not sure why they always ride STEEDs. Don’t they ever ride plain ole horses?

desper-otto said...

YR, I followed your Grisham link and was amazed that the book was only $1.99. Oh...it's not the Grisham book! The Reckoning is $14.99 -- $12 more than I'm willing to pony up for a Kindle book.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I’ve heard the POWER BALL described as “the poor man’s IRA”
-My repairman says “NO ethanol in my machines, ever!”
-I SWEAR I left those keys right here yesterday!
-No COATS necessary with our over 50˚F temps recently
-At least my INSEAM measurement is staying the same on my jeans
-If you are a Godfather fan, you know what happens to DIRTY COP McClosky in this scene
-Some FB runners are darts and some are bulldozers
-EMK lost the presidency and this happened on the same weekend
-C.C. might have referenced Cleveland Indian Bobby AVILA
-D-O, I thought of St. Clare of Assisi first too
-Well done, TTP!

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gerry Wildenberg, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review.

Got through the puzzle quickly. Theme appeared. Good one.

Got MAGDA easily. I do remember the Gabors.

PARMA reminded me that Tim Conway is from Parma, OH, I believe. Near Cleveland.

WATER WORKS was easy. I played Monopoly as a youth forever. Loved that game.

I do play POWERBALL. Never hit for a Billion yet.

LARGO might appear tonight. We are having our band Christmas Party. We do play a little for the ladies.

I almost finished Sunday, but could not quite get it. Monday I had no time to even look at it. So, here I am today.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, TTP and friends. I got this puzzle fairly quickly, but the north east corner was the last to fall into place.

The Isle of SHOALS was off shore not too far from where I grew up in New England. The islands are best known for the still unsolved murder that took place in the 1870s. This event was fictionalized in Anita Shreve's novel The Weight of Water.

Interesting to have a reference to Zsa Zsa Gabor in today's puzzle since today marks 2 year anniversary of her death at age 99.

QOD: A line is a dot that went for a walk. ~ Paul Klee (Dec. 18, 1879 ~ June 29, 1940)

Yellowrocks said...

DO, I have the dead tree version from the library. I seldom pay for ebooks or print books. My house is overstuffed with previous print books. I read books from Kindle prime and ebooks from our county's Cloud library. If I want something in particular I can't get free otherwise, I borrow the print version. This novel is very different from Grisham's other works.
Anonymous @9:37, thanks for the URL. very enjoyable. Please join us in commenting more often. Merry Christmas.

Tinbeni said...

TTP Great job with the write-up.

Gerry: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle. I enjoyed the FIRESIDES theme.

Needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get 48-d Italian Cheese, ASIAGO.
Never heard of it before ... a Learning Moment I will forget by noon.

Cheers!

Lucina said...

I'm familiar with PSHAW but for some reason I didn't think it would fit since I prescan the grid for possible fill. But as soon as it went in so did everything else. I was having trouble with ATLOW, too. But it all worked well.


Jinx:
Was that Eva Gabor in Green Gables? I was sure it was ZsaZsa but it was so long ago. And I agree, even when they were acting, they were acting as themselves. I can't deny they were intriguing having seen some of Zsa Zsa's movies from the early 40s.


I just LIU and found that she acted in over 40 movies! I'm very surprised.

billocohoes said...

Jinx, it was Eva, but in Green Acres with Eddie Albert, not Green Gables

ACEY-Deucey is a backgammon-like game that my father played in the Navy, I think.

SwampCat said...

Lucina, Eva Gabor was in the TV series, Green Acres, with Eddie Albert. They are a New Yorker couple who move to a country town. He wants to be a farmer and SHE can’t givenup her silks and satins. Silly spoof but she was funny ... as herself.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thank you, Gerry, for a fun & fast puzzle. My brain FIREd on enough cylinders today so I got the theme. Great expo, TTP. Thanks also to all ye contributors who add warmth & wisdom to our Corner.

How French Fries are fried: not "crisp" but IN OIL. Duh!

I had PENNE pasta with PARMESAN flavored Alfredo Sauce & broccoli yesterday for lunch. The brand was LOFAT Healthy Choice. Also LO-PARMESAN, methinks.

D-O: LEBRON moved from the East Coast to the LA Lakers just this year. He can't stand to not win the championship every year and keeps moving around. I think he is so good he is hard to play with and defeats his own purpose.

Hand up for Assisi before AVILA.

I read Grisham's "The Reckoning" on Kindle the day it came out. Since reading books comprises most of my "social life", I don't mind paying.

Misty said...

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well, Irish Miss. Hope you feel better soon.

Delightful puzzle, many thanks, Gerry. Filled in pretty easily, although I too found the northeast corner a little tough and had a hard time getting PSHAWS. Also am not familiar with MEERKAT, though to my relief it all filled in. I disagree with the remarks about the Gabor sisters because EVA GABOR was wonderful in the series "Green Acres." She played a delightful character for many seasons and I forgot all about her sisters and just enjoyed her role. Your write-up this morning had so much information and was terrific--many thanks, TTP.

Yellowrocks, hope your hand feels better soon.

Anonymous, a Merry Christmas to you too.

Have a great week, everybody.

Lemonade714 said...

First the ELTO JOHN LINK; well worth watching.

Next, you all are really piling n the Gabor sisters, two of who were working actresses, and should not be painted with the KARDASHIAN brush. While
MAGDA did not act here in the US, ZSA ZSA had an extensive carrer with some stage work. Likewise, EVA worked in many projects, not all of which had hr playing herself.

Also, many actors and actresses have had very successful careers despite being unable to act other than as the one person they have chosen to portray. OWEN WILSON comes to mind, as do so many more. You know them; your thoughts?

Picard said...

I found this to be a bit of a challenge for a Tuesday. I knew Eva and Zsa Zsa, but never heard of MAGDA. Learning moment. ACEY-Deucey another unknown learning moment. Thanks for the extensive write-up TTP.

Mistakenly put TMK instead of EMK. And LVN instead of LPN. Anyone else? That had me puzzled over what a VOSST was! Then I realized it was EMK and it all fell in place to FIR!

I enjoyed the FIREWORKS theme! Here was the finale from our little FIREWORKS show at the end of our boat parade of lights last week.

Odd spelling for Muscle SHOALS! We have a Mussel SHOALS near here!

On Sunday we experienced this lively performance by the Blind Boys of ALAbama.

Has anyone else seen them perform? They do traditional gospel, jazz and blues and this time they mixed in Christmas music.

I was a Physics student at CAL BERKELEY for one year in 1977-1978. Mostly an excuse to go to CALifornia for the first time. Which also gave my parents an excuse to come visit me. It was their first time in CALifornia since the 1950s.

Here are photos from that year I went to CAL BERKELEY including other adventures beyond.

We have MEERKATs at our little local zoo. I have some cute photos of them, too.

Wilbur Charles said...

FLN, I see GILEL died from a routine check-up (shudder)
The Bible of my 'ute was the Connie Mack Baseball Book. Mack was a great admirer of Speaker(and Cobb)and may have been the author of "triples.. die"
And... Picard just like for you Pacific=cold; same same for ATL. I suppose"Pacific" is a misnomer for Cali's.

Today was a Monday easy xword in that I did a lot of solving sans perps.

Lucina, get a Nero Wolfe mystery at random. You'll almost surely see one of his patented PSHAWS
I actually knew IMRE Nagy. I didn't know he was executed. Today Putin prefers secret assassination.
Besides a steed knights also rode Coursers

PK, although LEBRON is very much a team player, Kyrie Irving decided one ball was too few and bailed to Boston

WC

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Gerry for the warm puzzle on a dreary grey day. Not only is it chilly-wet outside, the plumber said the banging I hear after a shower is the heater in my WATER WORKS. I need a new heater (I presume to pay for his kids' Christmas(?)).

Sparkly expo! TTP; you're pushing the link-limit :-) I loved the MEERKAT gif & Tiny Dancer is what I'd sing/rock/dance my Girls to sleep with when they were so tiny... and they both ended up performing ballet.

WOs: ORSeN Wells, LighT (2/5ths right!) b/f LOFAT, SEWEnON, MEERcAT
ESPs: LARGO, IMEE, WAS A, MAGDA //M was last grid-square filled
Fav: I'll go w/ PARMA & ASIAGO on PENNE. Me AMORE! //Nothing LO FAT there PK :-)

{AWOL}

D-O: I'll confess, w/ the A sitting there I thought Assisi first but, like Lucina said, I know that's St. Frank.

Picard - I didn't comment on the Santa kayaker the other day - coupled w/ the FIRE WORKS, looks like y'all had fun!

Jerome - really(?). LOL eWOK [virtual Chinees cooking game; companion to Fruit Ninja].

IM - get some rest and well soon. Don't want to be under the weather for the Holidays.

Anon@9:37 - thank you for that (Lem beat me to href anchoring your URL). You're welcome to pop into The Corner any time.

Eva in Green Acres [theme - 1:43]

YR - And here I thought PSHAW was just "archaic" '60's slang...

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

Nice puzzle; I enjoyed solving it. Like many of you, I finished the northeast section last. I count 14 3-letter abbreviations and acronyms, and 9 3-letter words.

I think knights always ride steeds for the same reason bosoms are always ample.

Anonymous T said...

Jayce - LOL! //Tracts of land. -T

billocohoes said...

Besides STEEDs, chargers, and coursers, knights (and other nobility and the wealthy) rode Palfreys, lighter, more even-tempered horses, when not actually in battle

CrossEyedDave said...

Ist, I never heard of Magda. (although Perps say it's true...)
2nd, learning moment, I always thought it was Zsa Zsa in Green acres.
(I stand humbly corrected...)

3rd, It was not an LOL caused by Jerome @ 6:26,
more like an explosive Guffaw that cleared my sinuses
at Ewoks being an online Chinese pot seller...

(Does this mean that Etsy caters to dyslexic pigs?)

Anywho, the puzzle was very enjoyable in that it was not too taxing,
except for the Perp leading to the Theme. I thought 52d diet friendly was
light, before lofat... (leading to G_R_SIDES, who wants to warm themselves by that?)
But it all worked out in the end, with perpage leading to the infathomable "IMRE,"
and unknown Avila, crossed by (is it "reran" or "rerun...")

Ahh, Perpage... Food of the Crossword Solver...

Anywhowho, all this fireside chatting made me nostalgic, remembering
things long forgotten. (except Picard took pictures...)

"Case" in point, Acey Deucy. The only card game I ever won at...
(everyone hates it, but I love it, because it was the only thing I ever won at...)
It was a snowy January, & we were clustered at a ski house in the Catskills.
To pass the time until the slopes opened, we played Acey Deucy, & I WON!
I was so pleased with myself, that I walked a mile into to town in a raging snow storm
to buy a case of Becks beer with my winnings for the crew... (something to go with the pistachios.) It was about halfway back, trudging thru the the increasing volume of snowdrift, carrying a "case" of beer, that the thought occurred to me, that maybe they let me win...

Also, (you can't say anywhowhowho...)
(unless you are trying to start a fire...)
Spitz reminded me that childhood memories create lifetime passions...

(Sorry, overlong, see next post/...)

Ol' Man Keith said...

Ta ~DA!
A rapid-fill treat from Mr. Wildenberg. Fun, with no pressure.

PARMA?
I visited Parma once. For me, it was to see the glorious Teatro Farnese, an architectural wonder of the early 17th century, a golden beauty that gave the world the now-ubiquitous "proscenium arch."
I also knew it as the home of Parma Ham as well as the famous cheese. To my shame, I ate at the local McDonald's. (I guess I had arches on my mind....)

Irish Miss ~
Aw. Feel better soon. It's a bummer to be ill in the holidays. Your friends send you "get well" vibes.
Here's humming a carol in your honor!
~ OMK
____________
DR:
One diagonal on the mirror side (NE to SW).
In today's anagram, Puzzlemaker Wildenberg celebrates that rarest of human specimens...
"A WISE LOVER"!

CrossEyedDave said...

It wasn't till many years later, that I realized
that my affection for Destroyers was caused by watching as a young child, the movie,
In Which We Serve. (1942)
Note, the link is for reference purposes only. You do not have to watch...

But when Spitz mentioned Blowing tubes, I had to find more,
only to discover in was classified. (meaning, not on YouTube...)
This was the closest I could find.
Note, You don't have to watch this either, unless you are trying to find out
why you're hot under the collar without going to shrink...)

Any (oh crap, I am running out of euphemisms...) who, what, whatever...
In this Yuletide Season, may I recommend that you warm yourself
in the glow of this Oh I wish link

Anonymous T said...

OMK re: Diag Report - AMORE!

CED - you last link is a dupe...

BillO - Wish I'd have learned all that about horses while my plumber was still here [his wife breads them north of Houston]; we could have discussed that in addition to being fellow Italians (in Houston?), pizzelles (he liked the ones Youngest & I made last weekend), and classic autos [he restores old muscle cars - liked my '86 Alfa, he did].

The plumber is a native Houstonian. He knows the Italians of the old Galveston days [read: guys who knew Frankie and the Rat Pack]. We had fun talking and carrying-on -- though, I'm still stuck with his Journeyman's $400 bill and a WATER heater on the way :-)

Sadness - This just in... R.I.P. Penny Marshall. Damn, she was good.

C, -T

Misty said...

AnonT, have we really lost Penny Marshall? How sad, she wasn't that old, was she?
Thank you so much for posting the theme song for 'Green Acres' and for 'Happy Days' and 'Laverne and Shirley'--a wonderful stroll down memory lane. I forgot that Laverne and Shirley had jobs as factory workers. Do any of our current sitcoms have characters with that kind of background? Miss our old TV shows.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

-T, your plumber's wife breads horses? What does she do then, make Trigger Parmesan? (Bet it tastes like chicken.)

Inquiring minds said...

Anon-T, after she breads the horses, does she saute them lightly for 5 minutes on each side? We deserve to be told.

billocohoes said...

Misty, Penny Marshall was 75. The story I saw didn't give a cause of death, but she survived lung and brain cancer in 2009.

desper-otto said...

The story I read cited complications from diabetes.

Hahtoolah said...

Do the horses mind being breaded? Are they dipped in egg first to make the bread stick?

GJ said...

Thanks to all for the fun puzzle and write-up. The MEERKAT clip is hilarious.
I agree with Jayce, STEED=knight and horse=cowboy.
Mini themer @ 2D FIREANT, which we are very familiar with here in SWFL.

Lucina said...

The news reported what d-o stated: complication from diabetes. What a woman! She overcame many obstacles and accomplished so much. R.I.P. Penny Marshall. Age 75

Anonymous T said...

Jinx, Hahtoolah, & Anon - your build(s) on my typo/idiocy was nothing less than LOL! -T

Anonymous said...

CED 2:27 - That revenge video is top shelf!

Dudley (on an unfamiliar laptop - not logged in)

Ol' Man Keith said...

Anonymous T @2:31 ~
Good catch!
But I have a hunch AMORE, the true Italian brand, is the opposite of today's anagram.
"When the moon hits your eye
Like a big pizza pie
That's AMORE."

I'm guessing that when you're whacked by a lunar pizza, there ain't too much wisdom left in your ol' Cervello!

"When the stars make you drool
Just like a pasta e fazool ..."


What's left to say?
"ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling"
&
"tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay"....

~ OMK

Misty said...

Thank you, billycoh, desper-otto, and Lucina on the information about Penny Marshall. How sad.

TTP said...


We went mall and grocery shopping today (it's crazy out there !), so just now catching up. Thanks for all the comments.

Dash T, paisano, you bailed me out today with the way you spelt breeds ! You shoulda seen the way I spelled Parmesan ! (Lemonade rushed in to give me support and show that it's often spelled the way I originally did.) But you are going to get ribbed / ripped for that gaffe ! BTW, a new 40 gal gas water heater and labor to replace it runs right at $1000 here in the suburbs.

Picard, supposably, the spelling of muscles / mussels was not yet finalized at the time Muscle Shoals was named. It was named for the mussels in a bend in the river.

Lucina, when I was linking that map of the tour of Spain, I was thinking of you. I recalled that you had written very favorably of the places you had been to in your tout of Spain.

Irish Miss, sorry to hear that you are under the weather.

Just watched PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff (I miss the tandem with Gwen Ifill) and saw the piece on Penny Marshall. Didn't know Penny Marshall directed "Big" starring Tom Hanks. She was a funny lady.

Sandyanon said...

TTP, now I know to watch the PBS Newshour today when it starts here. I'd like to hear what they have to say about Penny Marshall. Thx.

SwampCat said...

Oh my goodness! Before we started breading horses for sautéing, someone mentioned all the horses knights might have ridden. I confess I had not heard of some of them.

Ah but tonight I am still reading about the Tudors. Margaret Tudor of Scotland and her son King James V ride into a castle. The lord of the castle rides out accompanied by his wife, Lady Whoever riding her PALFREY.

The coincidences in crossword land are almost frightening!!

CanadianEh! said...

Late to the party today. Thanks for the fun, Gerry and TTP.
I got the FIRESIDE theme and FIWed.

WEES by now.
Thanks for the ELTON ad link, Anonymous and Lemonade.
I remember MEERCATs from the Lion King.

Feel better soon Irish Miss.
YR, I am on a lengthy waiting list for The Reckoning on my library's book service. But I did manage to be first on the wIt list for Michelle Obama's Becoming. A good read for this Canadian. (And for anyone regardless of your politics!)

Wishing you all a good evening.

CrossEyedDave said...

Anonymous-T,

Yes, I duped!

However I deleted my post within 30 seconds of posting it when I caught my goof.
I then reposted from my saved files (before spelling corrections dagnabit...)

I hope you managed to catch my repost with the Porch Vandal revenge link.
(see "oh I wish" @ 2:27)

Anonymous T said...

TTP@7:02 - Happy to oblige :-)

CED - OMG! I saw glitter bomb linked on Twitter Trending but didn't click. I'm glad you posted it; Common criminal v. a Rocket Man @JPL. +1 OverEngineer-ers. [BTW, I thought it funny NordVPN was the sponsor considering the Corner's discussion (NO!) last week]

Timon for C, Eh!

OMK - No, the DR stands... Since right after H.S. & Basic, I've been married to the same beautiful woman for 30+ years - Amore [Spies Like Us clip] :-)

Cheers, -T

CanadianEh! said...

Thanks AnonT for the MEERCAT moment with Timon. My kids loved that move!