google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, January 30, Doug Peterson

Advertisements

Jan 30, 2019

Wednesday, January 30, Doug Peterson

Theme: Break Wind. The last word of each theme answer can precede "wind."

17. Blink of an eye: SPLIT SECOND. Second wind.

24. "The Life of Pablo" hip-hop artist: KANYE WEST. West wind.

38. Comb and scissors, to a stylist: TOOLS OF THE TRADE. Tradewind.

50. Tucked-in clothing part: SHIRT TAIL. Tailwind.

62. Musical ensemble ... or what the ends of 17-, 24-, 38- and 50-Across comprise: WIND QUARTET.

Melissa here.  Good morning, we made it to mid-week, greeted by another clever Doug Peterson puzzle.

Across:

1. Arrangement holder: VASE.

5. Pursues with bloodhounds: TRACKS.

11. Pampering, briefly: TLC. Tender loving care.

14. Mideast airline: ELAL.

15. Ace, in poker: BULLET. From www.poker-vibe.com: Making a bet in poker is often called "firing a bullet." Firing two bullets (leading on the flop and turn) when bluffing is a move that successful players make, but it is something that should only be done occasionally.

16. That lady: HER.

19. Poison __: villain in Batman comics: IVY.

20. Tip of a wingtip: TOE CAP

 21. Oprah's channel: OWN.

22. Quick cut: SNIP.

23. Former Soviet orbiter: MIR.

26. Half-brush partner: DUSTPAN.

29. Old AT&T rival: GTE.

30. '60s pigskin org.: AFL.

31. Grows faint: DIMS.

34. Hank with 755 homers: AARON.

42. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

43. In any way: EVER.

44. Bakery order: PIE.

45. Aunt, in Andalusia: TIA. Andalusia is in southern Spain.


47. Flat-lying volcanic flow: LAVA BED.

55. __ heartbeat: IN A.

56. Formally surrender: CEDE.

57. Did some laps: RAN.

58. Put into gear?: CLOTHE. All perps.

61. Liquid in a drum: OIL.

64. Lyrical tribute: ODE.

65. Periodic reviews: AUDITS.

66. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA. Hawkeye, ordering a martini:


67. "Deck the Halls" contraction: TIS.

68. Inky goofs: SMEARS.

69. Set in a purse: KEYS. Sneaky.

Down:

1. Suit piece: VEST.

2. Gravy Cravers pet food brand: ALPO. I saw Gary Cravers and couldn't figure out who he was and why he had his own pet food brand.

3. Stephen King novel featuring vampires: SALEM'S LOT.

4. Draw forth: ELICIT.

5. Butter amt.: TBSP.

6. Kick oneself for: RUE.

7. Major maker of can material: ALCOA.

8. Rodeo __: CLOWN.

9. Saxophonist with 17 Grammy nominations: KENNY G.

10. Normal: Abbr.: STD. Standard.

11. Your, old-style: THINE.

12. Wranglers competitor: LEVIS.

13. Chamber in a vampire movie: CRYPT.

18. Pool protector: TARP.

22. Get bleeped, maybe: SWEAR.

24. Item in a kitchen block: KNIFE.

25. Coup d'__: ETAT. French origin, literally 'blow of state.'

26. Pollster's collection: DATA.

27. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

28. Hurly-burly: ADO. Oscar Hammerstein's lyric for the song "Honey Bun" in South Pacific: "Her curls are hurly-burly." 


32. "Total Request Live" network: MTV.

33. Seaside souvenir: SHELL. It is increasingly common to see rules against collecting shells, due to "unintended environmental repercussions."

35. Competition where rhymes are exchanged: RAP BATTLE.

36. Garfield housemate: ODIE.

37. Have to have: NEED.

39. Petrol purchase: LITRE.

40. Tizzy: SNIT.

41. Cy Young Award winner's stat: ERA.

46. Naturally lit courtyard: ATRIUM.

48. Home improvement guru Bob: VILA.

49. Fur-lined jacket: ANORAK. Also, according to Wikipedia, "British slang which refers to a person who has a very strong interest, perhaps obsessive, in niche subjects."

50. Hurry along: SCOOT.

51. "America's Got Talent" judge Klum: HEIDI.

52. Lazes around: IDLES.

53. "Storage Wars" network: A AND E.

54. "The Jungle Book" setting: INDIA.

58. Get bleeped, maybe: CUSS.

59. Actress Lamarr: HEDY.

60. Flight sked info: ETAS.

62. "That __ close!": WAS.

63. NFL period: QTR. Quarter.



60 comments:

OwenKL said...

Still early enough in the week that FIR is nearly a given for me. But this type of theme is one I seldom get, so hooray for me, this one put the WIND in my sails! I seldom guess how the reveal will present itself, but this one was good when I got to it!

Here's XKCD on Crosswordese. If you're not familiar with XKCD, park your mouse over the drawing, and a tooltip will pop up with an extra punch-line.

The WIND-blown TRACKS were faint but sure.
The Mountie had found "Black"Jake McClure.
A BULLET whizzed by the Mountie's head
Fire was returned, and Jake took lead!
A crook was captured, and the North secure!

The mystery was the unlocked CRYPT,
And the new inscription in arcane script.
Inside were laid
TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
Spray cans to keep a graffitist equipped!

OwenKL said...

{A, A.}

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Loved your title, Melissa, though it didn't really describe the action. Zipped through this one error-free in about 8 minutes. Thanx, Doug for the easy breeze.

SHELL: I had no idea that shell-collecting could have environmental impacts.

LEVIS: I always keep a spare set of "dress" LEVIS in the closet. It's about time to break out the new pair.

Yellowrocks said...

FIR, but I needed the reveal to get the theme. Good one. More breakfast friendly is the title WINDBREAK. "A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion." Will a windbreak help with the below zero wind chills expected tonight?
Thanks for the South Pacific clip. Love it.
I never heard of a half-brush. LIU in Wikipedia under Dustpan.
half-brush
I know of a half round brush for hair.
Wow, a gold toe shoe! We have Gold Toe socks.
I liked 69A, set in a purse/keys, a gimme. I keep my keys in my purse at all times so I can find them.
The article says authoritatively that shell collecting has greatly diminished the amount of shells on beaches. It MAY impact the environment. An interesting thought that needs to be studied.
Just a few posts so far. I hope everyone is warm and safe.

Oas said...

Thanks Doug P for a doable Wednesday, and Melissa Bee for getting up early to furnish the review.
Most puzzling clue was PUT INTO GEAR? .
Today we need to be put into Winter Gear again.
Clear skies are nice but deceivingly icy cold.

FLN — YR You mentioning golden years yesterday reminded me of a handwritten poem I came across years ago . I can’t recall all of it but it started with something like this

“The Golden Years have come and lit -
Too tired to work , too poor to quit.

There were several observations of what the golden years bring
Maybe Owenkl can fill us in
Cheers

Anonymous said...

Too many proper nouns crossing each other made this frustrating, which was not offset at all by the theme as it didn't help. Also surprised nobody mentioned the rap sub-theme:

KANYE WEST
RAP BATTLE
SALEM'S LOT (Eminem's supposed trailer park while he was heavily involved in Detroit's underground RAP BATTLES)

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Well, I had a TAILwind all the way through the solve. Relatively easy and fun to do. Got the theme after the reveal. Had 'dirt' before DUST PAN; I agree that dust pan is the better answer and probably the more common usage. No look-ups and only the one change.

Sunny and bright and 4º here. WooHoo.

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you Doug Peterson and thank you Melissa.

Doug threw us a softball today. "Zip zip done", to quote D-O.

We have some seashells from Florida. Should I send them back ? I'd also like to rid the house of all those decorative candles I keep finding.

I needed the softball. Woke up at 1 AM and finally fell back asleep around 4 AM. Then back up a couple hours later to drive DW to work.

Thanks for all the nice comments yesterday. It was meet with the CPA for taxes day for me. I was bound and determined to get it done in one trip this year, so I was over prepared. But it went well and it's all but done.

SwampCat said...

Still can’t post . Loved this quick and quirky puzzle! Thanks Doug. Good write up, mb.

Owen, A+

SwampCat said...

Wow! It went through! Don’t know why. And I don’t know why my messages haven’t been posting for a while.


Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

As I've often said, I love a puzzle that keeps me in the dark until I fill in the reveal and, then, gives me a satisfying Aha! This was one of those offerings with the added bonus of a clever theme and just enough crunch to wake me up. My only write-over was Eleven before Bullett, thinking Blackjack instead of Poker. My trio of unknowns were: Kanye West, Rap Battle, and MTV, a sub-theme, as Anon @ 8:53 noted, but Salem's Lot is only known to me as a Stephen King book.

Thanks, Doug, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Melissa, for the entertaining review. Alan Alda was recently given a lifetime achievement award at the SAG awards. His Parkinson's tremors were quite noticeable but he stood tall and proud and gave a very sincere and poignant speech. My learning moment was the Brit slang meaning of Anorak.

FLN

HG, I hope Joann is not in too much discomfort after that fluke accident.

Have a great day and stay warm!

Anonymous said...

Whoo-hoo! No w/os, no look ups! Got the theme with the reveal. Thanks for the fun, Doug and Melissa!
Never heard of a RAP BATTLE or BULLET for an ace but perps filled them for me.
3*, wind chill is -25*, nothing important to leave home for. It's a good day to curl up with my dog and a book.
Hope you have a good day stay warm.

Tinbeni said...

Melissa bee: Nice write-up. Good job.

Doug: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday puzzle.

Wore Wing Tip shoes all during my "Professional Career" ...
Never ones with Toe Caps.

Hope y'all are staying warm.

Cheers!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A -15˚F WIND chill today cost me a sub job and $140
-Oh, Bob VILA is spelled with an I not an E. Bob’s your uncle and I’m good to go.
-Loved the title, Melissa Bee!
-When C.C. asked if I would blog Saturday puzzles, I said yes in a SPLIT SECOND or IN A heartbeat!
-Yes, there is a company devoted to shirt tails
-My ant has a vayse or my ahnt has a vahse? I’m in the former camp
-Learning – The whisk broom near Lily’s litter box is also called a half-brush
-Andalusia, Malaga and Costa del Sol were also learning for me in writing up last Saturday’s puzzle
-Door #1, #2 or #3 - Educe, elicit, evoke
-Our friend Nick Kaup prefers bull fighter to Rodeo CLOWN. He’s a cowboy lifesaver!
-What was Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the CRYPT Kickers only hit song?

Husker Gary said...

-IM, et al, thanks for asking. Joann is doing fine. Stitches come out in 10 days! Man, it looked ugly at first but if you examine that “web” from your thumb to your forefinger you can make a cut and not slice much but skin

CrossEyedDave said...

Fun puzzle,
Searching for silly links, not so much...

Honorable mention...


Rap Battle, Quartet?

Anorak?

Keep warm out there...

Lucina said...

What a wonderful Wednesday puzzle! Thank you, Doug Peterson.

I quickly made TRACKS on this one and learned quite a lot. A Stephen King title (one of my daughter's favorite authors), another meaning for BULLET, a KANYEWEST title, and Poison IVY is a character's name! Current popular culture along with sports is a big void in my knowledge base.

I loved the clue for CLOTHE! I hope you all have your winter gear at hand.

d-o:
LOL re: your "dress" LEVIS

HG:
Good to know Joann is doing well. It must have been painful!

CED:
LOL! I've really missed you and your silly links.

OwenKL:
Yes, both As.

Melissa:
Thank you for expanding on the theme and providing us with Alan ALDA. He quipped on his shaking, "If you like milkshakes, you've got it made."

Have a warm and cozy day, everyone!

OwenKL said...

Oas: I searched, and this is as close as I could come, a mash-up of 2 poems:

The golden years have come and lit --
Too tired to work, too poor to quit.
I cannot see; I cannot pee.
I cannot chew; I cannot screw.
My memory shrinks; my hearing stinks.
No sense of smell; I look like hell.
My body's drooping; now trouble pooping.
The golden years have come at last --
The golden years can kiss my ass.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks, Doug. When TOOLS OF THE TRADE seemed to work on first pass, I knew I was on my way. I agree with IM about the reveals. I don't think much about them while I'm working, but they add another level to my pleasure when I read the blog. As You know I don't always see them when I'm working.

Thanks, Melissa, for taking us on tour.

Low was -20 here this morning. It's already warmed up to -17. Predicted to get to -22 tomorrow am, but we're all set here. My project for this confinement is the linen closet. Now, I know that will be a lot of work, but I will feel great when it's finished. A lot like exercise with better results.

Stay cozy.

AnonymousPVX said...


As others have noted, this went rather quickly, almost Mondayish.

As proof....no markovers today.

And away I go.

Oas said...

OwenKl @ 10:57
I knew there was more to that poem . Thanks

Misty said...

Woohoo! I got a Wednesday Doug Peterson puzzle. Well, not entirely--discovered just now that I left one letter blank KENNY_, but I probably would have put in a G. Was puzzled by the bleep cues until I got CUSS--then figured the other one would probably be SWEAR! Yay! I don't bleep either one of those myself, but I've sure heard others do them. And I just watched "America's Got Talent" last night, and it reminded me how much I love HEIDI Klum. I gather she's engaged--hope it works out well for her. Anyway, lots of fun, Doug, and thank you for your always helpful write-up, Melissa.

Hope your wife's hand heals quickly, Husker Gary.

Always enjoy your poems, Owen--but that Golden Age one is a real downer.

Stay warm, everybody in cold weather. We're getting rain in a couple days, but can't complain about that.

Have a great day, everybody!

Husker Gary said...

Musings 3
-p.s. It is now 11:45am here in Eastern Nebraska and I just received notice that my 7:45am – 3:45pm sub job for today has been cancelled.

oc4beach said...


Thanks Doug and Melissa for an enjoyable puzzle and tour. I finished in usual Wednesday time with only a few hiccups.

I didn't know KANYE WEST did "The Life of Pablo" although I have heard of him. Of course I never heard of "The Life of Pablo". Perps filled it in and helped with a few other blank cells.

I didn't know POISON IVY was a villain in the Batman comics, but over the years I have had quite a few run-ins with the plant. Not happily though.

You know it's going to be a bad day when the Weather Channel has one of their meteorologists doing a remote broadcast from your neighborhood. Mike Seidel is in Chicago.

Stay indoors today. It's too cold and windy to be outside today.

Wilbur Charles said...

I'll go along with A"s today, Owen. I think there was a series on TV about Mounties, eh, C-eh
CED, you outdid yourself today. Lol*2
Gary, I was wondering if you or the school decided it was too cold.
I remember going to school in +-5 . I remember feeling like a wuss because I wore gloves. No hat though.

WC

Oas said...

desper-otto @ 6:41
I agree it was an interesting choice of theme.
It confirmed my mental picture of MB have a sly sense of humor.
Also reminded me of a fellow who worked for me years ago . He would not argue or even offer to many opinions on most subjects but would sometimes lift a knee , break wind and say “That’s what I think of that” and get up and leave us with the lingering reminder of his opinion.

I think i’ve got cabin fever already.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 4
-WC, I had my clothes laid out and lunch prepared. One of the few virtues I have is "I answer the bell" and I would have done just that
-I retired with well over 100 sick leave days
-Omaha TV stations posted that every school in western Iowa was closed for today by mid afternoon but the ones in Eastern Nebraska didn't start closing until around 6 pm
-The wind is still and the air temp is around 15 now and it's very tolerable. I even took a few swings with my five iron I keep out in the garage after giving our birds new food and water. The bird bath looked like a margarita in that that water near the edges was frozen white and the heater had kept the lower 70% liquid

Sigmund said...

A Freudian slip is when you say one thing, but mean your mother.

Wilbur Charles said...

That's what I thought Gary. I was subbing in NH for $70.00 in 2001-002.

WC

CanadianEh! said...

Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Doug and melissa bee.
I got the theme, but had to resort to Google to clarify Oprah's channel and KennyG. My error was the entry of Trails instead of TRACKS, giving me LennyG and ILO?N which made no sense.
The four WINDs theme was clever. However, I did wonder about the cross of QUARTET and QTR; gluey fill due to the same word origin and meaning (fourth) IMHO.

Hand up for loving "Put into gear?"=CLOTHE.
Thankfully perps gave me SALEM'S LOT.
I smiled at ETAS and ERA, and of course you all know that I was overjoyed with LITRE.
HG, this Canadian says "my ant has a vayse".

Thanks for the Mountie verse today, Owen.. . and for keeping the "North secure".
WC, you might have been thinking of Due South with Paul Gross as RCMP constable, Benton Fraser.

Stay warm everyone. We are -18C with wind chill of -31C. That's cold whether in Celsius or Fahrenheit! (They become equivalent at -40)

Northwest Runner said...

Sir Doug, thou hast mixedeth up thy personal pronouns. Your:Thy;Yours:Thine.

Florsheim said...

I've always liked my wing tips. Over the years many pair have been purchased. Early on I only had the classic black with with a perforated black leather TOE CAP but as years passed I also had brown ones and even a pair of golf wing tippers in black and white. My latest pair is a more subtle black pair with a solid cap toe.

In my googling I discovered that wing tip shoes technically have a pointed toe cap with perforations. Other styles include oxford, brogue, monk and ghillie.

I had a black pair of Cole Haans that were so well made that I just couldn't give them up. I had a half sole replacement before years later replacing the entire sole and heels. I finally gave them up when the uppers became worn. Speaking of which, is there a cobbler out there under 60? There is only one shoe repair around here and he will be retiring soon. I took my Danner hiking boots in to have him repair some stitching that was wearing thin. He said that I should get many more miles out of them and he will be long retired by the time the Vibram solsshneed replaced. He says many people dont think of shoe repair anymore and does more business fixing luggage and purses.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. Sort of started off on the wrong foot by blithely entering Rodeo DRIVE and ELEVEN (Hello, Irish Miss) for Ace. I loved the clue for CLOTHE. A good motto to follow is "To THINE OWN self be true." I think there was a song by The Coasters about Poison IVY; I liked it.

TTP said...

Husker Gary, sorry to hear about Joanne's hand.

oc4beach, so true. When Mike Seidel or Jim Cantore is in town...

From the National Weather Service:
...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST /1 PM EST/
THURSDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills. Wind chills as low as 45 to
55 below zero this morning, and 35 to 50 below this afternoon
through Thursday morning.


An image from my weather station taken at 7:21 this morning.
(The weather station says 8:21. It will be correct again when we spring forward...)


The NWS temps at 1:00 PM today were:
-17 °F ( -27 °C ) in my town
-14 °F in St Paul, MN
-13 °F In Evanston, IL.

As Madame said, "it's warmer by the lake."

Jayce said...

I kept thinking that Tuesday Weld had played a character called Poison Ivy but upon looking it up I see I did not remember correctly; she was in a movie called Pretty Poison which must have made a lasting (but inexact) impression on me.

Northwest Runner, thou makest a good point.

Spitzboov said...

Northwest Runner - I don't think so. "THINE eyes " por ejemplo.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! After two days of wind here, the puzzle theme was apt as well as fun. Thanks, Doug! Thanks, Melissa!

Don't follow Stephen King so I parsed it SALEM SLOT when perps filled it. Gambling?

Coup d'ETAT (I knew). Didn't know it meant "blow of state". Immediately thought of Monica Lewinsky.

Official temperature at midnight was 0*, the high today is now 4*. As long as the utilities continue to work, I'm inside & good for hibernation, wearing layers and a cap.

My govt. contractor employed son let me know he is back at work but won't get back pay. Nuff said.

Haiku Harry said...

When two carpenters
Swapped a saw for a wrench, that’s
Their TOOLS OF THE TRADE

OwenKL said...

Wilbur the show you're probably thinking of was Sargent Preston and his dog King. And why do I remember that when I can't remember any of my HS teachers' names?

C'eh If Due South was the one about a Mountie partnered for some obscure reason with a Chicago cop, I liked that one. Read about how hard they had to try to keep the Mountie funny while still respecting the Mounties.

Oas said...

Pk@ 2:40
Thanks for the chuckle . Thankfully I was inside when I cracked that smile. Outside facing the wind I’ld have been afraid of shattering my face and watching it fall in a heep at my feet

Spitzboov said...

TTP @ 1404 and others. Ice forming farther offshore so "warmer by the Lake" will be moderated . Lake Michigan Ice cover. Red on the map signifies 9/10's coverage or more.

Yellowrocks said...

Use THY before a word that starts with a consonant sound. Use THINE before a word that starts with a vowel sound.
THY face is very familiar. THY horse is handsome.
To THINE own self be true. Drink to me only with THINE eyes.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Ta ~DA!
A bit of a challenge today from Mr. Peterson, but nothing we couldn't handle. The real fun resides in the anagrams (See the Diagonal Report* below).

I'm rather surprised nobody challenged the clue for 50A. Nowadays we can hardly be sure a SHIRT TAIL will be a "Tucked-in clothing part."

Jayce ~
I like your choice of the motto, "To THINE own self be true." And I have great respect for Shakespeare's confidence in the whole saying, writing,
"... to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
"
But he puts these fine words into the mouth of the aging clown, Polonius, which leaves it up to us whether to trust in their veracity.
Ah, irony.
~ OMK
____________
*DR:
Well, today we have two perfect diagonals, one on each side. I have been trying to see how their anagrams fit together. I can almost sense an ulterior meaning behind them.
Maybe you can figure them out.
On the near side, we have a phrase that seems to refer to the custody of the offspring of a divorce. It is often the case that the children will live with the mother, while the father will periodically have ...
an “ALLOCATED VISIT.”
The far side anagram hits rather close to home, with an uncharacteristically blunt reference to ...
AGED TESTICLES.”
Now, what are we to make of this?

TTP said...

Thanks Spitzboov. There was some coverage of ice breakers on the Great Lakes on this morning's news, and there was a reporter standing in the middle of Lake St Clair near a USCG Cutter. I gathered that they're trying to keep the lanes open from Lake Huron to Lake Erie.

It's almost a given in Chicago weather coverage that at least once a week we'll hear "warmer by the lake" in the winter, and "cooler by the lake" in the summer. So in extreme weather, it's sort of an inside joke for Chicagoans.

Time to start getting ready to go pick up my wife at work. She normally drives, but in this weather it's better for me to take her in the morning and pick her up at the end of the day.

billocohoes said...

HG - Monster Mash

French COUP = blow, same usage as COUP de grace, blow of mercy

KENNY G and KANYE needed a few perps before they clicked.

I've heard the network described as Arts OR Entertainment, but it's changed a lot from its early days.

Terry said...

Beauty. I often quote the last two lines.

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Doug Peterson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for a fine review.

Well, I got to do yesterday's and today's puzzle via cruciverb. For the week prior to that it was out to lunch. Oh well. When I was in Pennsylvania over the weekend, I had hoped to use cruciverb, but no cigar.

Puzzle went fine. Theme popped up. Very good. I liked your theme title, Melissa.

I see my old company made then puzzle, GTE. That was the parent company of the company I actually worked for.

KEN NYG was unknown. Perps. Same for SALEM'S LOT. And KANYE WEST. ASTIN, as well. Anyhow, it all worked rather quickly.

HG: Hope your wife's hand will be fine.

When I got up today, 23 degrees below zero. Right now up to minus 14. Schools are closed for today and Thursday. The bank is closed for today. Amtrak cancelled all it's trains for today in Chicago. That is a lot of trains.

I stayed inside today and read a book from yesterday to today. "Two Kinds of Truth" by Michael Connelly. A great Harry Bosch detective novel.

See you tomorrow. Hopefully warmer.

Abejo

( )

Lucina said...

oc4Beach:
LOL! I've also had a few run ins with the plant, POISON IVY but failed to mention it earlier.

I just went to see ROMA, a movie which garnered 5 stars by our newspaper movie critic and many kudos on the internet. I know I'm not the brightest candle but I don't know what merited all that praise. Keith, if you ever see it perhaps you can enlighten me as to what I missed. It's in black and white which does give it a dramatic flair, in Spanish with subtitles; I can handle that, in both languages. The story is set in Mexico and follows the everyday activities of a family for about a year. I guess what I missed was passion. There was drama and trauma, but not great reaction which is what I would have expected. I don't know. Maybe it's just my expectations were too high. Pardon me for taking too much time here, my friends. But I needed to express this.

Lucina said...

I forgot to mention that yesterday I worked on C.C.'s marvelous puzzle, ALL PROS, in the WSJ. It is so clever and refreshing and will not soon be for-gotten.

Wilbur Charles said...

NWRunner, I thought that clue was funny but it perped(like the entire XW) so fast I missed the anomoly.*

Re. "AGED TESTICLES"
See Owen's poem, above

Re Monster Mash. I can practically sing the entire song but couldn't come up with the title

* Her limpid orbs are beautiful, as are thing


And as Bob Hope might say
Thanks for the anomolies ...

Ol' Man Keith said...

WC ~
Agreed! Owen's 3rd opus is A++.
But also saa-ad.
"But at my back I always hear
Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near...
"
~ OMK

Ol' Man Keith said...

oc4Beach ~
I streamed ROMA a couple of weeks ago. It's a good film, but very low key--esp. considering the dramatic events it covers, from street riots and police shootings to a drowning rescue. In its quiet, drained-of-color, way it is just not the "cup-o'-tea" preferred by most American moviegoers.
I understand how the Academy may prefer this over the usual noisy action blockbusters and fantastic superhero flicks. I found it a relief. There is a quiet but dominant directorial presence in its moodiness, in the way Alfonso Cuarón is able to blend the many disparate characters and actions in so hushed a manner.
And of course there is its politically potent message in its honoring of the native heritage of the domestics the director remembers from his own childhood. This, probably more than all the other factors, is what may make it an Oscar winner.

But I fully understand why it may not be a big box office hit. It may turn out to be like the popularity gap between LA LA LAND & MOONLIGHT.
~ OMK

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks for the puzzle Doug. WEES - zoom'd right through it [better not let Rich read that...]

I, for one, liked your theme title, mb :-) Thanks for the expo and link on the shells - that little tidbit should keep any more shells coming home from Galveston.

WO: KANYa WEST
ESP: BULLET as clued
Fav: Put into gear == CLOTHE was fun misdirection.

{A, A+} {LOL & A+}

HG - I'm still wincing for Joann. Oh, hand-up: ant has vayse.

Oc4 - LOL your observation on Weather Channel's meteorologist in your back yard ≠ good :-) I remember Harvey...
PK@2:40 - that was funny.
Funny DR OMK - hit's close to my Dad

FLN - WC: Right now, I'd eat Cigar-flavored ice cream...

Pop texted that it was -14F in SPI and the Lincoln wouldn't start until he pulled out the Jump Starter I got him for Christmas. He thanked me again for the gift.

Hope I get time tonight to play C.C.'s WSJ.

Cheers, -T

Ol' Man Keith said...

Anonymous T ~
LOL, whippersnapper.
Your Dad must hit close to me.
~ OMK

Lucina said...

OMK:
Thank you for that review. I did note all the elements you describe and to say it is so low key is an understatement. In The Wife, for example, I would call it low key as well, but the dynamics and tension were so intense and I guess that's what I missed in Roma.

PK said...

OAS & AnonT: glad to give you a chuckle.

My poor DIL that had the cervical disc implant is miserable from a weeping itchy rash all over her neck & chest. She has to have ice and a fan on it at night to sleep at all. She apparently is allergic to the glue & tape they used to close her under-chin incision. The doctors have given her a cortisone shot now and a different salve with a deadener in it. She thinks the implant is okay but can't tell because of the misery from the other. It's like a POISON IVY rash.

Keith: "AGED TESTICLES. Now what are we to make of this?" Well, not an infant, I would hope! Keep 'em covered and no one will notice.

Anonymous T said...

For anyone who's not played C.C.'s WSJ - Fun puzzle where, for me at least, if it weren't for the theme I'd not been able to crack the NW. Thanks C.C.!

OMK - I was alluding to "ALLOCATED VISIT" as he's on #3. But I guess The Far Side (remember Larson?) applies too :-)

Cheers, -T

Michael said...

Florsheim @ 1329 -- Too often, it is cheaper to buy new (shoes, or similar commodity), than it is to repair them. We have a slowly growing demographic crisis -- people born 1945-1960 are retiring -- and there are too few to replace the retiring people. Also, our national policy of favoring college over vocational training means that there are no apprentices: in this case, no more shoe repairers.

Anonymous T said...

OKL - I kept forgetting to ask - when / how did you get into / find XKCD? I've been reading that comic for years (I even have Munroe's What If book). I've been reading XKCD since the mid-aughts (at least). ./ is where I stumbled upon it (when slashdot was good #GetOffMyLawn).

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Coda - hover over "./" in my above post - it's a link to slashdot.org but not easy to spot (sorry WC)

Michael - for crap-shoes it may be cheaper to buy than to fix. My Johnson & Murphy's [a close approximation] will be headed to the Houston Shoe Hospital (again) soon.
//though I agree w/ you on the die'n' TRADEs...

Cheers, -T