google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, August 17, 2019, Michael Ashley

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Aug 17, 2019

Saturday, August 17, 2019, Michael Ashley

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Michael Ashley


August 17th has been designated  to celebrate one of my favorite things in the world: The #2 Pencil! Like all of you, I have done the puzzle online occasionally and have also been forced to use a, gasp, ink pen but the old Ticonderoga #2 is my fav. All right, I am partial to the Paper Mate Sharpwriter too because it has a good eraser!


Someday this math/physics teacher will understand why students always seem to have a plethora of ink pens, markers and even crayons but hardly ever a #2 wooden pencil. I bought many boxes of them over the years and handed them out daily - usually to the same kids!

Today's constructor is Michael Ashley and this is a reposting from my blog of his puzzle on 10/27/18: I lived nearly 20 years in Manhattan, New York, and have now lived with my wife and two children in Scottsdale, Arizona, since 1993. Besides being a maniacal online chess buff, in my spare time I dabble at another sport which, on my better days, strongly resembles golf. 



Irrespective of what implement or technology you employed to solve Michael's offering, let's review its content. For me it was a quite fast but pleasant experience with, as usual, the long fills opening the floodgates.

Across:

1. Cute but nerdy: ADORKABLE - Congrats if you knew this, uh, cute portmanteau (ADORABLE/DORK)

10. Praises highly: LAUDS.

15. Area adjoining a bridge: RADAR ROOM - This bridge is one from which the ship is commanded and the RADAR ROOM supplies data for its safe passage



16. Hall of fame: ANNIE A Woody Allen/Diane Keaton film

17. "Search me": I'VE NO IDEA

18. Service period: STINT - The hash marks on Command Master Chief Marilyn E. Kennard's sleeve indicate she has served many STINTS in the Navy



19. "Red Rocks" city: SEDONA, AZ from the air



20. Epic: BIG.

22. Vermont tourist destinations: INNS - Bob Newhart's TV Stratford INN in Vermont was really the Wayward Inn in Middlebury, VT



23. Animated queen: NALA - Disney's new live-action remake of The Lion King features Beyonce voicing NALA



25. Inc. relative: LLC - Limited Liability Corporation 

27. Match at the poker table: SEE.

28. Make a pick: OPT.

31. "My Way" singer, 1998: USHER Definitely not Sinatra nor my cuppa tea

33. Jimmy: PRY - Forgot your key? Derivation of the term



34. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - My first encounter with them


Ed Sullivan, Ann Meara, Jerry Stiller
37. Apart from the rest: TO ONE SIDE.

39. Title voice actor in "Puss in Boots" (2011): ANTONIO BANDERAS - Ok

41. "Feels like" weather calculation: HEAT INDEX - We had a week of HEAT INDICES near 115F and now it has turned very nice

42. Be a debtor of: OWE TO 

43. DOJ branch: ATF.


Moire Pattern
44. Wavelike pattern: MOIRE Wazzat?

45. Man cave, for some: DEN.

46. Bud: BRO.

47. Wrap up: END 

48. Very: SUCH.

52. Work to acquire: EARN.

54. Retract, as words: EAT -  Try to make your words very sweet, for you may have to EAT them!

56. '60s-'70s crime drama: THE FBI Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was the star

60. Dogpatch name: ABNER - It's a Li'l name

62. Common epidemic factor: CONTAGION.



64. Veil: CLOAK- A dagger can be an accessory

65. Fronded rainforest plants: TREE FERNS.

66. Conform with: HEW TO - Many politicians HEW TO the dictates of their party or else...

67. United Federation of Planets service: STAR FLEET - "To boldly go..."



Down:

1. Onassis and others: ARIS - Another might be Fleishner 

2. 1993 Kevin Kline title role: DAVE.



3. Had too much: ODED - My Netflix bingeing might qualify

4. Was loquacious: RAN ON - I have a SIL who does that. She never fails to talk for ten minutes when ten seconds would suffice. TMI!


5. Icelandic monetary unit: KRONA - A KRONA = $.0081

6. Easy-to-read font: ARIAL.

7. Hunk's pride: BOD - Redux from last week

8. "Firecracker" singer Lisa: LOEB Here ya go!

9. Online forgeries: EMAIL HOAXES - I'd be suspicious of EMAIL from that Nigerian Prince

10. Avila article: LAS - In Avila, Spain the plural of cockroaches would be
LAS cucarachas

11. Not a source of support for: ANTI.

12. Trite: UNINSPIRED - I suspect most editors say this of unsolicited manuscripts 

13. Start of many a romance: DINNER DATE 

14. Catches sight of: SETS EYES ON - A memorable moment for millions



21. Close in films: GLENN Her IMDB listings

24. Self-taught people: AUTODIDACTS - An interesting take here:



26. System of belief: CREDO.

28. D-Day hot spot: OMAHA BEACH - So many brave men died there 75 years ago

29. Porous: PENETRABLE - Bad football defenses can are often called porous 



30. Casual parting words: TATA FOR NOW - Way too cheesy for me

32. Not at all high: SOBER.

35. Go to seed: ROT - Dandelions breaking down and going to seed



36. "The Red Turtle" genre: ANIME.



38. Mend, in a way: SEW.

40. Words after all or hole: IN ONE - My first thought for all-in-one



49. Speak: UTTER.

50. Threshing remains: CHAFF - Wheat CHAFF dispensed out the back of this John Deere combine



51. German idealism pioneer: HEGEL Here 'ya go

53. Spruce: NEAT - I use it with "up" as in Spruce Up something 

55. Libel or slander: TORT.



This site says - 1 is a crime, 2 is a tort and 3 could be either one

57. Gift from Prometheus: FIRE.

58. Joint component: BONE - 82% of NFL career-ending injuries occur with an injury at this confluence of BONE joints



59. Research ctr.: INST - Like the Massachusetts INSTitute of Technology 

61. One of the Big Five in Hollywood's Golden Age: RKO.



63. Org. awarded a Special Tony in 2016: NEA The National Endowment For The Arts 

Perhaps in your comment, you can tell us what instrument you used to complete the puzzle.






63 comments:

OwenKL said...

FIWrong. RADAR ROOt + E-tAIL HOAXES. Bah.

I use a keyboard. Usually Across Lite, occasionally Mensa. I've heard Mensa has/will soon be changing their interface. I haven't seen any change yet.

RADAR O'Riley was an ADORKABLE lad.
Thru-out the unit, he made people feel glad.
His STINT came to an end,
He went home again,
And his departure left people sad.

The Romulans had a GOOD CLOAK
To hide from STARFLEET's space boat.
They never SET EYES ON
The pointy-eared guys on
The Warbirds that vanished like smoke!

{C+, C+.}

D4E4H said...

FIR in 73:32 min.

Good morning Corner Writers.

Thank you Michael Ashley for this crunchy Saturday CW.

Thank you Husker Gary for your excellent review.

Ðave

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Finished this one in good time with my Pilot G-2. There was a lot I didn't know, but the perps were kind. I liked the stacked 10s in opposite corners and stacked 9s in the other two corners. How do they do that? Thanx for the exercise, Michael (maybe he knows Lucina?) and for the tour, Husker (Today I learned that a derrick was named after a so-named hangman.)

OMAHA BEACH -- Isn't that a sand trap on Husker's golf course?

HEAT INDEX -- We had that same run of 100+ days around here, and I've got the electric bill to prove it. The latest one is exactly twice the previous one, and the first time I've ever had one over $300.

CHAFF -- My maternal grandfather had a threshing business every summer. The rest of the year he ran a sawmill. I barely knew him. He died when I was four.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Needed help with SUCH but I got everything else including MOIRE and AUTODIDACTS so I'm satisfied . Also had Sienna before SEDONA, pal before BRO, and Hesse before HEGEL. A challenging solve.
STINT - The 2 stars on CPO Kennard's left shoulder patch show she is a Master Chief (E9) as Husker said. She has over 24 years of service as shown by the 6 hashmarks. Her service has been free of disciplinary action because her hashmarks are gold.
RADAR ROOM - I knew what was meant but I didn't like the cluing: "area adjoining a bridge". On our DD, the areas adjoining the bridge were the Captain's sea cabin and the CIC. The Bridge had its own radar repeaters. CIC (Combat Information Center) had radar repeaters and operators, but it was called CIC; not RADAR ROOM. Merchant ships have radar repeaters on the (usually large) bridge near the conning officer's normal position, but would not be in a separate room.
The master radar equipment would be in a radar room but it probably would not be near the bridge, but could be several decks below.
I suppose the very early radars could have been in a separate 'room' because of lighting concerns; but as sailors gained experience with the technology, the radar repeaters became standard on the bridge itself.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIW, WAGging NeLl instead of NALA.

Agree with Spitz about the CIC, not RADAR ROOM, at least in US warships. Interesting that they still use paper charts, and take a sextant shot at least once per day. I was also told that the autopilot is used only when it needs to be proved that it works, otherwise the ship is steered by hand.

Like HG, I thought of Newhart when filling the Vermont INN. DNK it was a real one.

When I was an engineer at a PBS affiliate in WVA, we had to warn guests about the MOIRE effect. I've seen ties, shirts, jackets and dresses that look great in person kind of go crazy on camera. I've even seen our longtime weatherman wear clothes that don't work on TV because of MOIRE. (Don't see him any longer because of the dispute between DirecTV and Nexstar.)

Loquacious: I was warned about a particular instructor: "don't ask him what time it is - he'll tell you how to build a watch."

Thanks to Michael for the fun toughie, and to Gary for the interesting tour.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Oh yeah. My favorite pencil is the Pentel 0.9mm Twist Erase with HB lead.

Big Easy said...

Good morning. It took me 20 minutes to finish after learning new words, people, and movies. Start with ADORKABLE, MOIRE, and AUTODIDACTS- new to me. DAVE and 'The Red Turtle' were unknowns and ANIME was a WAG. The NW gave me the most trouble because I was thinking about a bridge over a river instead of one on a ship. Lisa LOEB and the song (listened to 2 minutes of the song)- unknowns. Never heard that song before.

KRONA-I knew it but wasn't certain of the last letter. Filling the KRONA and the unknowns- NALA and AUTODIDACTS completed the puzzle for me. USHER, & NEA were other unknowns filled by perps.

YOKUM or Lil ABNER. ORATE or UTTER. MGM or RKO. And after I SOBERed up on this puzzle I had to change ON ONE SIDE to TO ONE SIDE to allow the NALA, AUTO, & USHER area to be completed.

I'll HEW TO C.C.'s rules and will not call anybody here ADORKABLE- we're too old to be cute.
TATA FOR NOW. I couldn't resist that sign-off.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks, Michael. I enjoyed the challenge today. OMAHA BEACH opened the southwest nicely, so I began building from there. DAVE reminded me whilst I dislike fantasy, that film and The American President a two of my favorite "fantasies." Stiller and Meara were one of my favorite comedy teams. I loved their Little Blue Nun bit based on a long ago wine.

Gary, thank you for another well-prepared tour. I did today's puzzle with a black EraserMate pen. I also use a Retro 51 (Crossword themed no less) pencil as it has a 1.15 lead, which erases easier. I am also partial to Dixon Ticonderogas. That's all I've ever bought. Number 2's work, but I really prefer 2.5 because the point lasts longer. They are however very difficult to find. I bought 4 boxes the last time I saw them at Staples online. When I was teaching, I handed out the #2's like water, but I kept a stash of 2.5's just for me. ;-)

Thanks for the good wishes. We had dinner with the family, and I brought our very antique wedding book. CHORTLE would describe the grandkids responses! Lots of fun!!

Have a sunny day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Fairly easy Saturday....usually takes a while...finished in record time so now need to get to weekend chores..ugh.

Didn't know "adorkable" was an "official" word. Originally had "I dont know" for 17 across requiring multiple corrections so a rather inky mess... but completed

TTP said...



Good morning.

I loved ADORKABLE to start. It was so totes adorbs !

OK, now that I got that out of my system...

Really fun puzzle this morning. One of the best themeless puzzles I've solved. What I didn't know (eg DAVE) could be wagged, perped or sussed. The only type over was having to change KRONe to KRONA. Great job, Michael.

Loved the write up, Husker Gary !

Much to do today. See all y'all later n'at !

Anonymous said...

I always use black ink for filling in puzzles because it’s the easiest for me to see. My favorite pen is the Pilot G-2 07.

Today’s crossword was fun and very doable. Onward ho.

Yellowrocks said...

Incomplete, frustrating. For many of the clues I said, "I've no idea." So much white left me UNINSPIRED.
Usher?? Really?? Frank Sinatra
I knew adorkable. Loved Stiller and Meara. I know the fabric, moire,as having a wavy pattern. It has a watered effect.
I will not blame the puzzle or the constructor. I see many of you enjoyed it. I always say something for every taste and ability. I could not get on the constructor's wave length. If I get a running start the momentum will carry me through. Not today.
I couldn't even use red letter help. My Adobe flash player is out of date and blocked. The directions for correcting it, are not easy to follow.
Happy 50th, Madame D and DH. I hope you enjoyed your day.

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 1005 - Great minds think alike; I've been using the Pilot G-2 07 for about a year. I get refills from the Military Exchange. Black ink is easiest for me to see, too. Pen makes one think twice before entering a letter; I keep a small bottle of white-out handy JIC.

Alice said...

I loved this puzzle. Except for MOIRE and SUCH it was a straight march through it.
Personally I'm addicted to the PaperMate SharpWriter and can't solve without one!

desper-otto said...

Spitz, "refills?" I just throw it out when it runs empty and start with a new G-2 07. And my Wite-Out comes in a roll inside a plastic dispenser. It sees a lot of use.

Picard said...

I am home now from the hospital. It was nice to be greeted by so many well wishers at the Crossword Corner. Thanks CC for letting people know and thanks to everyone who reached out!

Some years ago I was hit by a car. One of the consequences was a large hiatal hernia. I have put off the surgery because I could deal with the occasional pain. But more recently I have been out of breath all the time. It made it hard to lead hikes. The lung doctor showed me a picture of the problem: Where my lungs should be was my entire stomach.

Huge thanks to modern technology and a highly skilled surgeon everything is back where it should be now. In the past such surgery was almost never attempted because the risks were so high and the benefits were marginal. It will be two weeks before I see the surgeon for a follow up. He will let me know then if I can start eating food again. For now it is just liquids.

Fortunately, I am not very hungry. I could stand to lose about ten pounds, so this could help!

JJM said...

SE gave me fits. Took me as long to do that as the other three corners combined.... but I got out the dictionary and sussed my way thru in 32:45.
Have a great weekend
BTW.... what's happening to my Cubs?? They can't win on the road to save their souls.

Picard said...

FIW with KRONe/NeLA which looked just as good. In Denmark our currency was the KRONe. Otherwise it was a typical fun Saturday solve.

MOIRE was a gimme for this math nerd. I loved these designs when I was a kid. Not sure if I was ADORKABLE as that is for others to decide.

Here are some of our SEDONA photos from last year.

I shared a few of those before.

And here we were at the real STARFLEET last year as well.

This is a sewage treatment plant in Van Nuys, near Los Angeles. It has been transformed into a beautiful Japanese garden. If you look at the photos in the second row you can see how they overlaid the Golden Gate Bridge to make STARFLEET Academy.

Cheapskate said...

I prefer using ink to solve, though I'm very flexible to use whatever is available to scribble. Just as long as I dont have to solve online!

As far as to which pen, I prefer the free ones. Currently, I am using a cheap one given to me while at my accountants office back in April. Still works fine and you cannot beat the price. I already have 2 more giveaways in the bullpen when the current one fails to perform.

Spitzboov said...

D-O @ 1044 - Tsk tsk. Such wastage. The refills are ~ half the cost of a new pen. I don't pay shipping or sales tax on BX orders. They swap out easily and work as well as if the pen were new.

i Icelandic krona = $0.008 US. Not all krona are alike. Sweden's krona is valued @ about $0.10, por exemplo.

desper-otto said...

Spitz, at Amazon a dozen pens cost $10.19. A dozen refills cost $11.70. Same story, though slightly different prices at Wally-World. I don't have access to a Military Exchange, so I have no idea what they'd cost there.

Spitzboov said...

D-O - - about 75¢ each at my front door. I mainly do it because it is the easiest for me.

Cheapskate said...

Forgot to add. I was trying to think the last time I actually bought a pen. Had to be last century. I know I haven't bought any since free pens have become the norm at accountants, banks and pharmacies. I can't tell you how many pena in my lap drawer have drug advertising on them.

I do, however, but my share of Sanford's Sharpies. Different colors and different tips, fine, ultra-fines, fat chisel tip, etc.. My new favorite is the black fine tip retractable. I never misplace the cap!

Thw grands love it when we have a barbecue and we break out the disposable cups. It's a laugh-fest to see what creative names they come up with to label their own cups but even funnier to see them label their parents cups.

Red SOLO Cup Let's have a party!!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! I'd guess Michael may be ADORKABLE and his puzzle was NOT UNINSPIRED, but it was definitely a challenge. So many long unrelated fills. Wow!

Gary, another great expo. Keep 'em coming. Ode to a pencil? I got new BIC Atlantis ballpoint pens this week which I'm liking. Since my old pens would not write on my new checks, I had to try something. Voila!

Hand up for "Frank" before USHER.

When I had ANTON, I tried Apollo Ohno. BZZT! Knew better.

Jimmy, I was thinking on the right track but it took two perps before I PRYed it out of the depths. I tried GMC for one. Well, haven't you heard of Jimmy pickups back in the day?

AUTODIDACTS is a new word to me, but I think I probably would be considered one. I learned a lot of things all on my own, often picking someone's brain & improving on the knowledge. Avid reading "learns" a person how to do a lot.

Big Easy, FLN Chuckled about the BUNDT cake. I remember that little scene.

oc4beach said...


Michael's offering today was mostly doable except I had to look up a couple of names. HG's tour was enjoyable as usual.

The names I didn't know were LOEB and HEGEL, but I did know ANNIE, MEARA and ANTONIO BANDARAS.

For many years I always carried a fountain pen and a PENTEL Drafting Pencil even after I moved on in my career from being a structural designer. Eventually I graduated to carrying a ZEBRA M-301 0.5mm lead pencil with H lead, a UniBall Micro 207 0.5mm Gel pen and a black Sharpie. These cover just about all of my writing and marking needs. I usually wait for Staples to put them on sale and then I buy them by the box (usually a 12 pack.) I did ditch the pocket protector early in my career because it was a little too ______. (You can fill in the blank)

When I was in elementary school we would get a tablet of paper (still had wood chips in it), a composition book and a fat pencil that felt like a log with no eraser (I guess we weren't supposed to make any mistakes) at the beginning of each 6-week grading period.

As far as doing crossword puzzles in ink, I'm not sure that would work. The Wite-Out would get pretty thick by the time I finished the puzzle. That's why a pencil and good eraser is necessary.

IM, I hope you get well soon.

Beautiful day here in Central PA. Hope it's nice where you are.

Cheapskate said...

Sorry for the previous fat-fingered post. Lots of autocorrect generated typos in that one. I'm posting from my barber's waiting area on this "smart" phone.

Misty said...

Well, Saturdays are always tough puzzle days for me, but this one was fun--thanks, Michael. I first got OWE TO and then SEW and then PRY and before long the northeast corner filled in. Took only a minute then to think of ANNIE as the 'Hall'. I actually got other A words too: ABNER, of course, but surprisingly ANTONIO BANDERAS also popped into mind even though I never saw the movie. Also got MEARA and HEGEL. Lots of fun all around, thanks again, Michael.

As for pencils, I use BIC MatiC grip 0.7mm (that's what it says in tiny letters on the black clip). It has an eraser and I don't have to do anything to keep it sharp.

So nice to hear of your delightful family dinner, Madame Defarge. And so glad that you're back home and doing okay after your complicated surgery, Picard. Take good care of yourself.

Jayce said...

This puzzle goes into my list of the top 20. Really well constructed and lots of fun to solve. As desper-otto said, "I liked the stacked 10s in opposite corners and stacked 9s in the other two corners. How do they do that?"

As for RADAR ROOM, I suspect Michael Ashley had it as fill and then had to figure out how to clue it. When I was in the Air Force I worked in what they called the CAC (Combat Alert Center).

I solve on line, at the admittedly very annoying LA Times Games website (powered by the Arkadium engine). For writing on paper I use pretty much any pencil that comes to hand. I don't know where my wife picks them up but we have a rather motley collection poking their eraser ends up from a coffee mug in which they reside. Looking at the pencil I currently have in front of me, I see it is an Empire "ARCO"® 88 #2.

Picard, I'm glad your operation went well. May you succeed in losing a few pounds. And thank for the photos. I love Sedona.

TTP, I'm glad you got that out of your system.

Good wishes to you all.

Misty said...

Ol'Man Keith, I saw your question about how Irish Miss is doing and e-mailed her last evening. She said to that she's "very appreciative of everyone's concern and well wishes and looking forward to getting back to the Corner soon." I'll let her know that it will be wonderful to have her back--I think we all miss her delightful daily postings.

Bill G said...

Hi everybody. Thanks for the puzzle and write up, both excellent, just as I've come to expect.

Best wishes for Picard.

I solve online, usually at the Mensa site. It's not that I prefer it, it's just the way I got started solving CWs.

I appreciate the help from several of you in finding the phone number of my old friend, Pete VZ. I got a call returned yesterday from a woman who identified herself as a nurse. She gave me the feared but not unexpected news that he had passed away a couple of months back. RIP.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Quirky and fun is how I like puzzles and thanks to Michael Ashley, this one fit the bill! Gary added to the entertainment so thank you for that.

I was on Michael's wave length and much of the fill was in my wheel house and so with my #2 Ticonderoga pencil I whipped right through it though some areas took a lot of thought and the eraser was needed in a few places.

TRY gave way to PRY and MUCH morphed into SUCH.

Like YR, I've SEWed fabric with a MOIRE pattern and have used MOIRE ribbon as well.

I loved seeing ANTONIO BANDERAS (YUM!) and GLENN Close crossing, both fine actors whom I admire.

My first DINNER DATE with my late DH was the start of a great romance and marriage.

Scottsdale is a large city so Michael and I do not know each other but it's comforting to know that he resides here.

Picard:
That is SUCH good news about your successful surgery! And I also thank you for the lovely photos of SEDONA, one of my favorite places in our state. Sadly it has become over populated and for me visiting there is not as enjoyable as it once was.

I hope you are having a really wonderful day, everyone!

Lucina said...

Bill G:
I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your friend.

Anonymous said...

I, too, love my #2 pencils. Ticonderoga, by the box. I do sample other pencils from the local independent art store. The latest was called Blackwing. Great pencil, but not a Big T. I also use my iMac to go on line, and a shared HP OfficeJet to print out crosswords. I save the finished crosswords and use the back for sketching, planning, notes, etc. With a #2 pencil, mostly. /s/ Lynn

AnonymousPVX said...


This Saturday puzzle was tough. First pass and it looked new.

Hunted and pecked to fill wherever I could. Still lots of blank spaces.

Finally got it finished. Whew, a workout.

I kept thinking of a bridge span instead of a ship...kept looking at what I had....” a radar trap?...no way”. Then the light went on.

Markovers...ABS/BOD, KRONE/KRONA, MUCH/SUCH, MGM/RKO.

PICARD....when I had my surgery I was food restricted as well....the ATKINS shakes are quite good, each one has 15-16 grams of protein. I drank 4 per day to keep the protein grams up. You will lose weight as I did. Best of luck.

Have a great weekend, see you Monday.

Madame Defarge said...

Thanks, YR and Misty. Glad to hear you are back in business, Picard. Do follow the doc's orders. Speedy recovery to you!

Hi, IM! I suspect you're reading if not writing. Be well.

Haiku Harry said...

GLENN showed up, not Bob;
Which spawned this celeb headline:
Close, but no Segar.

Sandyanon said...

👍

CartBoy said...

Raced through this. Didn't know "AUTODIDACTS" but trusted the crosses.

Bic medium point blue pen.

Sedona is not a city. Town or wide spot in the road, but as an Arizonan, I can absolutely confirm, no "CITY".

Wilbur Charles said...

Gasp, he uses an eraser on his pen! Yes, I made a mess today with permeable/PENETRABLE and dogma/CREDO plus bad handwriting on OMAHA which almost led to AIR TINDER. But, erasing is one step short of googling.

Well, 50 years ago today a tragic event for which all Bostonians over 60 remember well. Tony Conigliaro got beaned by Jack Hamilton of the LA Angels. More on that in a later post.
Here's a Link

I got the SE first with my WAG of HEGEL. Then came the NW once I RORSCHACTed ABS / BOD. Then NE thanks to bottom and middle perps.

I had OMAHABEACH but my H looked like an A. Knowing USHER was a miracle.

An FIR for which the outlook was bleak

WC

Tinbeni said...

Husker: Wonderful write-up & links. Good Job !!!

Well this was a "Perp Special" ... many unknowns but the crosses came to the rescue.

Least fave today, of course, was 32-d SOBER ... that's not allowed at Villa Incognito. LOL

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Cheers!

Ol' Man Keith said...

A challenging but doable pzl from Mr. Ashley!
Ta ~DA! Much appreciated.

Husker G calls TATA FOR NOW "cheesy." I call it "twee." I guess we mean the same.
As for pencils, I prefer a pen for solving Xwds, a trusty BiC Round Stic medium. I never met a pencil eraser that worked w/o smearing or tearing. With a pen I just write over my mistakes.
~ OMK

Ol' Man Keith said...

Misty ~
Thank you for relaying the word & news re. Irish Miss! We all look forward to her full recovery & return!
~ OMK

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Michael for the puzzle. Thanks HG for the expo and nudge in the NE corner [there's no E in Laude? So my IDEA fit :-)] Technical DNF.

Always ink (Pilot G2 05) on paper. I notice there's a few other Pilot fans...

WOs: RADioROOM, Lisa LObe [Dyslexia!], Pal -> Bud ->BRO, TO ONE Self b/f SIDE, HEp TO b/f HEW
ESPs: USHER, HEGEL, THE FBI
Fav: STAR FLEET & ADORKABLE (nailed both sans perps!) I've been called the latter...
Runner-up: AUTODIDACT - Once, DW called me that. I had to look up the meaning (was she being ugly?). I learned, so I guess she was right! :-)

{B+, A}
LOL Harry!

PSA: YR - uninstall Flash. Next time you need it, your browser will walk you though installing it from Adobe's site. Flash needs to die - it is so riddled with bugs that it's a favorite of HOAXErs. In fact, the latest vulnerability is currently being exploited with a banking trojan (at the moment, the exploit is only on Andriod)

Jinx! Thank you! I didn't know why I knew MOIRE (EE?) but your "can't wear that on camera" comment brought back that it was DW's STINT in RTVF (Radio Television & Film) where I learnt it.

MdF - I found a '70 Blue Nun w/ MEARA and Stiller. That the schtick?

Why did I know STAR FLEET would bring out Picard today? Good to see ya back from the surgery Cap'n.

Oc4 - I have a pocket protector that says "The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth". DW never let me wear it in her presence :-)

Misty - Thanks for the update on IrishMiss. Keep letting her know we miss her.

Pencils: In college I discovered these Skillcraft pencils. There's a 1" erase in the butt-end!

TTFN!, -T

GarlicGal said...

Is anybody competing at the Lollapuzzoola in New York? My daughter made it to the finals of the "local" division. She had to solve on stage on the whiteboard! Her comment was "the squares are SO big!"

Just had to share...okay, BRAG!

Anonymous T said...

Brag on GarlicGal! That's a fantastic feat. Let us know (and you can brag all you like) how the rest of the Lollapuzzoola goes for her. Cheers, -T

GarlicGal said...

Anonymous T, She just texted me...SHE WON!

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Yellowrocks, -T is right about flash, but I still use it because the NOAA RADAR sites use it. The newest version of Chrome blocks Flash, but you can override that by clicking on the leftmost of the address bar (where he padlock icon is on this site). Flash is going away forever sometime next year.

Picard, I never have known anyone that had their stomach where their lungs are supposed to be. I have, however, known several people who seem to have an anal-cranial inversion. I'm glad you have the advantage of modern medicine. Live long and prosper.

I don't mind giving up my pocket protector as long as I can keep my genuine leather K&E case strapped to my belt.

Anonymous T said...

GarlicGal - WOW! That has to fill your heart with joy. It did mine, even vicariously.

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

Hooray to GarlicGal's daughter!

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Michael Ashley, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.

Husker Gary: I clicked on the link A Woody Allen, Diane Keaton Film, and got portmanteau. FYI. No big deal.

Garlic Gal, Congratulations! I am not sure what all this is, but it sounds like it was worth winning.

Picard, best of luck to you. They can miracles nowadays.

Irish Miss. Hope you are feeling better.

JJM: I agree about the Cubs. Friday's game was the worst. However, they did win today.

Puzzle was a toughie today. Started last night. Went to bed. Got up and worked at it again. Then had to go to a funeral. Came home and worked at it again. Then went to Target with my wife. Took the iPad along and solved the puzzle at Target.

Got ADORKABLE towards the very end. Good word and clue.

Got RADAR ROOM at the very end. Was thinking of a bridge over a river, Duh!

Got SEDONA right off the bat. That is the only word I had in the NW corner for a long time.

OMAHA BEACH was easy after I had a couple letters. The other two long ones in that corner were not easy.

EMAIL HOAXES really helped me going down the middle. Took me a while to get it, though.

HEGEL was unknown. Perps, but only five.

We will see what Sunday's puzzle brings. Should be easier than today's.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Yellowrocks said...

Yes, hooray to Garlic Gal's daughter, a grand accomplishment.
Jinx and T, thanks. Is there any way to solve online without Flash?
I prefer erasable pen if one is handy. If not I grab any pen. I find pencil hard to see.

Lucina said...

Garlic Gal:
Congratulations to your very smart daughter! Like AnonT, I also was filled with joy for you and her.

I use eraser attachments on my pencils for a clean wipe.

Oops! Time to put the ribs in the oven.

SwampCat said...

Like YR, I just wasn’t on the wavelength. Too tired I guess. HG , thanks for ‘splaining the hard parts.

Owen, A’s

Like Cheapskate I get so many free pens I use anything. Most are marked with drug names or insurance companies. I once found one I’m my purse that read “Viagra”. No idea where that came from!

I’m definitely a pen on dead tree solver.

Garlic Gal, Hooray!! And congratulations.

IM, get well! We need you here!

Lemonade714 said...

So much going on today...wonderful news Garlic Gal; we are all very proud of your daughter! Picard, we are glad to hear your surgery went well. IM, glad you are on the mend.

LOLLAPUZZOOLA is the second biggest crossword tournament, I think.

I am late so all that is left is to show you how my mind works. I was reading HG's entertaining write-up and appreciated his Beyoncé NALA comment when I saw that his letter distribution chart feature no J or Z which seemed fun, since seldom see her without him around.

Thanks, Gary and Michael.

oc4beach said...


Anon-T: My DW would sympathize with yours.

Jinx: I still have my K+E slide rule, but my DW says my IPhone has replaced it on my belt. I always have it with me.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

YR, I print out the puzzle at the LA Times web site. Have to watch a 15 second commercial, but that's a small price to pay IMO.

Let's be careful talking about SEDONA not being a city. @CityofSedonaAZ might hear us. From their web site: "The mission of the City of Sedona government is to provide exemplary municipal services that are consistent with our values, history, culture and unique beauty."

Congrats to Garlic Gal's daughter.

Spitzboov said...

Jinx @ 1632 - The NOAA radar sites let you invoke Flash - either once, or at every session.


Congrats to Garlic Gal's daughter. Sounds like quite an accomplishment.

Picard said...

Misty, Jayce, Bill G, Lucina, AnonPVX, Madame Defarge, AnonT, Jinx, Abejo, Lemonade thanks for the good wishes and welcome back.

Jayce and Lucina glad you enjoyed my SEDONA photos. Yes, it certainly gets crowded.

AnonPVX thank you for the food restriction tips. A big challenge is getting enough liquid. It is hard for me now to swallow water which is my usual drink of choice. I had a few spoonfuls of pea soup today which felt good.

AnonT indeed it was a treat to be greeted by STARFLEET in today's puzzle!

Jinx yes, the stomach/lungs swap is probably not as bad as the cranial/anal swap!

Wilbur Charles said...

I forgot SOBER was a CSO to our former Saturday blogger and leg aficionado, Splynter. Et moi

Hold that FIR, I didn't proofread and missed HEt/W TO. I had OR NOT before ATF(had a friend in that outfit).

Yep, everybody gives away pens including the title company. I should use ink for legibility plus I'm more careful in my handwriting which is very sloppy. Perhaps a reaction to parochial school where Sister K believed the left hand was the tool of the devil.

So….

I'm reading John Dominic Crossan's tome on early Christianity and a baseball game breaks out

To prove a point on "truth" he dredges up a NYT interview of JH by a psychologist. This was too much for me. To get a handle on "truth" you have to know what your talking about.

Because… The Angels and Redsox had had a beanball war going back to 1964. Specifically, a washed up pitcher named Radatz had taken a particular dislike for one Bob Rodgers and vv .

Now we come to 8/17/1967. After the dust(ing) settled, who do you think was catching that day? Bob Rodgers. But….
As the late Paul Harvey was wont to say, here's the rest of the story

I was relating the above to a fellow Bostonian and he told me that he was selling Coca-Cola that day in the RF grandstand. And, Tony C had attempted a play near the railing and hit his head

So. Tony might have had a mild concussion and his reactions were just impaired enough to get him beaned

The moral of the story? Don't count out an ecclesiastic until the last frock is truck..

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Frock is fruck.

I tried a link of some of those dustings Radatz delivered to Rodgers head. I saw one at Fenway that quieted the crowd and found an LA Times article from 1964 that recounted Rodgers "dusting" himself off after one of Radatz's missiles and hitting a home run

WC

PK said...

Picard: your description of the stomach in the lung section gave me sympathetic chest pains. Hiatial hernia pain can be excruciating but that sounds beyond pain. The body sure does strange things. Glad you had a surgeon that knows how to correct that big one. Never heard of it before. Relax and heal, friend! Thinking of you.

Agnes: thinking of you and willing you to heal fast. Miss your humor and kind demeanor.

Garlic Gal: Congratulations to you on your daughter's cw prowess. Can't imagine being able to work a cw on a white board in front of an audience.

Yellowrocks said...

WC, I suspect your reading of Crossan is just a set up for your story. Or maybe not. I enjoyed several of Crossan's controversial books. I know only two or three people who said they have read any of his books. I was excited that I may have found a kindred spirit.

Picard, I enjoyed you Sedona pics. Brings back memories of a great trip with my sis and lovely scenery.

Wilbur Charles said...

YR, yes I read two of his books, the second, "The Birth of Christianity" is what's referred to. From one of the reviews on Amazon:
'He[Crossan] delves deeply, for example into the topic "memory and orality," to bolster his opinion about how poorly our memories operate and thus how unreliable oral transmission is.'

It was on that general topic that "the baseball game broke out". He did in fact incorporate a NYT Article about the "beaning" of Tony C.

As you can imagine I got all excited.

I posted a review but I can't find it now.

WC