google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Kurt Krauss

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Feb 12, 2020

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Kurt Krauss

Theme:  Throwing you a curve.  Here we have hidden words -- well, not so hidden if you got the circled letters.  And they all are completely different meanings of the word PITCH.  Each is split across two words of the theme fill, in each case with one separated letter. Lets have a look.

17 A. *Power outage standbys: GAS LANTERNS. Ours are battery powered, but to each his own.  Here,  PITCH means the SLANT, as of, frex, your roof.  This is also known as the SLOPE and is calculated as the rise divided by the run.

24 A. *"I don't care if you made plans, cancel them": GET OUT OF IT!  What? And give up a date with my lovely wife?  Not a chance!  Here we have an aggressive sales PITCH [which I am not buying] or, in verb form, to TOUT something, as an attempt to promote or convince

39 A. *Morally upright person: STRAIGHT ARROW.  One who lives according to rigidly proper or conventional standards.   The words PITCH and TAR are often used interchangeably, denoting a type of viscoelastic polymer extracted from petroleum, coal tar or by heating plant matter. It can be used as a marine caulk and for other types of water proofing.  PITCH is considered to be more solid, while TAR is more on the liquid side. The distinction seems a bit arbitrary.

53 A. *Stretch between two Bushes: CLINTON ERA.  You were probably thinking of a gap in the hedge row.  But, no.  This refers to the 41st, 42nd and 43rd presidents of the United Sates. The CLINTON era included most of the last decade of the most recent past century, and separated the terms of presidents Bush Sr. and Jr.  Here TONE describes a musical sound.  The clue relates it to the PITCH which is a vibrational frequency, relative to a standard reference, typically A = 442 Hz. This is close but not quite right. TONE refers to sound quality and timbral characteristics.  The TONE of a piano is different from the TONE of a trombone. And my TONE can vary daily based on any number of factors.  To complicate matters further, playing in tune, that is, at the proper PITCH, is called proper intonation.  Music terminology is not always rational.  Farther down that rabbit hole we shall not venture.

And, at last, the unifier -- 64 A. Ballpark brushback, perhaps ... and a hint to each set of circled letters: INSIDE PITCH.  This refers to a baseball thrown off the plate by the PITCHER, in or near the occupied batter's box, either accidentally or on purpose, possibly to make the batter uncomfortable.  MLB pitchers and catchers are reporting to their training camps this week, many of them today, so this theme is quite timely.  The other sense of the unifier is to describe the meaning of each target word HIDDEN in the theme fill entry.

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here to umpire today's game.  I might not get all the calls right, but I promise to be fair.  And, yes, I do need glasses.

Across:

1. Home on the range: RANCH.  A plot of land and associated structures, typically devoted to raising and grazing live stock.

6. Hardly wimpy: MACHO.  Showing aggressive pride in one's masculinity.

11. Film watcher's channel: TMC. Turner Movie Classics.

14. Take the honey and run: ELOPE.  Run away to get married, typically secretly and without parental consent. Clever clue.  Did you hear about the heart broken melons who found out they cantaloupe?

15. "Encore!": AGAIN.  Request from an audience to have another song played after the scheduled program.

16. Évian water: EAU.  Water in French

19. Digital readout, for short: LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

20. Up the creek: IN A SPOT.  Colloquially, in a bad situation.

21. "I, Claudius" star Jacobi: DEREK. [b 1938] British actor and stage director.

23. RSVP part: SIL. RSVP is short hand for Répondez s'il vous plaît, meaning "please respond." I can't parse the French, and Google translate renders s'il as "it."  So I'm not sure what the word [if it is a word and not a particle] actually means.

28. Airplane assignment: SEAT. Haven't been on a plane in years, but I will be next month.

31. Escape: LAM. In flight [not necessarily on a plane,] usually from law enforcement.  To be "on the lam" is late 19th century American slang of uncertain origin.

32. Man-to-man defense alternative: ZONE.  Ways of playing defensive schemes.  I'm thinking American football, but it probably applies to other sports as well.

33. Treat like a dog?: PET. Interesting and misdirecting word play.  To treat somebody like a dog means to be nasty to them.  But to give a dog a treat is to give the canine a nice reward.  This can be a food morsel or a show of physical affection.  Well played!

35. Place for a "ped" to cross: XING.  Abbreviated signage vocabulary indicating a pedestrian crossing at a roadway.

38. Bobbsey girl: NAN.  On of the famous twins from old time kiddie lit.

43. __-fi: SCI.  Abbrv. for science fiction, a genre of speculative literature.

44. Big rig: SEMI.  This is some blurry vocabulary.  The rig is the truck or tractor part of a tractor-trailer combination.   The SEMI is trailer without a front axle. Much of the trailers weight is supported by the tractor.  I doubt most people are this precise when speaking of these items.

45. Bandleader Lombardo: GUY. Of the Royal Canadiens, famous for playing Auld Lang Syne at the start of a new year.  His sugary saxophones played with vibrato about a minor third wide.  I hate that sound.  It was dated before I was born. /rant.

46. Beanery sign: EATS. Indicates an establishment unlikely to offer gourmet fare.

48. Ticker tape letters?: EKG.  The ticker being one's heart, and the tape being the paper graph readout of an electrocardiogram machine.  Clever!

50. Award adjective: BEST.  As in ___ Picture, ____ Actor, ____ In Show, etc.

57. "Huh!?": WHA?   Expressions of confusion or disbelief.

59. __ squash: ACORN.  A dark green winter squash that is roughly acorn shaped.

60. Language spoken by Jesus: ARAMAIC.

63. Bygone airline: TWATrans World Airlines, established in 1930 and acquired by American Airlines in 2001.

67. Rock's Fleetwood __: MAC.

68. Code name: MORSE.  Not a name in code, but the name of a code.

69. Driving instructor's urgent reminder: BRAKE.  The most important thing any vehicle can do is stop safely.

70. "Hometown Proud" supermarket chain: IGA.  Nope.  Not a chain.  The Independent Grocer's Alliance, founded in 1926, operates as a franchise with stores that are independently owned and operated, mostly as family businesses in small towns.

71. Weapon with a hilt: SWORD.  The hilt is the handle of a bladed weapon.

72. Fills completely: SATES.  Literal.

Down:

1. TV host Philbin: REGIS. Regis Francis Xavier Philbin [b 1931] is an American media personality who holds the Guinness world record for most time spent in front of a TV camera.

2. "Jagged Little Pill" co-songwriter Morissette: ALANIS.  [b1974] She is a Canadian singer, song writer, record producer and actress.

3. Old register key: NO SALE.  This opens the cash drawer in an instance when no transaction has occurred.

4. They report to sgts.: CPLS.  Sergeants and Corporals in the military.

5. Pile: HEAP.  Stuff thrown together in an unorganized way

6. Barbie's company: MATTEL.  True, but doesn't Ken keep her company? Barbie is a fashion doll introduced in 1959.  There have been many variants over the years since.

7. Get on in years: AGE.  This is what I do.

8. Aries or Taurus: CAR. A Plymouth and a Ford.  Any resemblance to signs of the zodiac is completely accidental.

9. Like many yoga practitioners: HINDU.  From the Indian subcontinent.

10. Beginning: ONSET.

11. Ringer in la casa: TELEFONO.  In a Spanish speaking home.

12. Wool coat that is often plaid: MACKINAW. Made of a heavy, water-resistant cloth.  They were originally made in the Straits of Mackinaw [or Mackinac, same pronunciation -it's a Michigan thing] region in the early 1800's, before Michigan was even a thing.

13. Something to chew: CUD.  If you are a cow.

18. Holiday quaff: NOG. A drink made from eggs, sugar and milk or cream, often alcoholic.

22. Cartoonist Chast: ROZ. [b 1954]  Staff cartoonist for the New Yorker, also publishes in Harvard Business Review and Scientific American.

25. Source of increased government revenue: TAX HIKE.  Yes - contrary to what you might have been told, this really is how it works.

26. Overlook: OMIT. Leave out.

27. Common base: TEN. Math?  Who said there would be math?

29. Auto financing abbr.: APRAnnual Percentage Rate.  And more math!

30. Afternoon affairs: TEAS.  Small meals where TEA is served with sandwiches some time in the afternoon, since dinner isn't until 8:00.  Wait --- what were you thinking?


Nope -- this is not ABBA

34. Even score: TIE.

36. Pester: NAG.

37. Pub __: casual fare: GRUB.  Ugly sounding word for simple food.

39. Rascal: SCALAWAG. Someone whose bad behavior is amusingly mischievous rather than evil. Or so I've been told. YMMV.

40. Bolivian border lake: TITICACA.  At an elevation of 12, 507 feet, it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.

41. Fed. agents: G-MEN. Government Men - federal law enforcement agents.

42. Deli choice: RYE. Bread for sandwiches.  Most delis don't serve whiskey.

43. Brief time: SEC.  An abbreviated second - so probably shorter than a normal second? 

47. __-Caps: candy: SNO.  Semi-sweet chocolate drops covered in white nonpareils.

49. Marked for the class: GRADED.  Did you get 100%?

51. Go after, as a fly: SWAT AT.  And usually miss.

52. "The Masked Singer" judge Robin: THICKE. [b 1977] An American singer, song writer and record producer.

54. Cuts back: TRIMS.

55. Currently airing: ON NOW.

56. "All bets __ off": ARE.

58. Flu symptoms: ACHES.

61. LAPD alerts: APBS. All Points Bulletins.  Broadcasts issued by a law enforcement agency to its personnel, or to other agencies, typically containing information about a wanted suspect.

62. Actress Sorvino: MIRA. [b1967] An American actress who has won Golden Globe and Academy awards.


63. Texter's "No more details!": Too Much Information.   Please -- tell me less.

65. Sellout letters: SRO. Standing Room Only

66. Leb. neighbor: ISRael.  Countries along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

So - the game is now over.  Hope you didn't have to many swings and misses.  And remember - they're all judgment calls.

Cool regards!
JzB







47 comments:

  1. Thanks for the write-up Jazz! The distinction between a semi and a rig was new to me, thanks for that.

    The literal translation of the French "s'il vous plait" is "if it pleases you," with "s'il" (a contraction of "si il") meaning "if it."

    Isn't TMC The Movie Channel, by the way? I think the more famous Turner channel is actually TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

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  2. No sweat, but didn’t get anything from the circled squares. As a math major, I learned to not square the circle.

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  3. Good morning!

    Whoa. Deja vu all over again! That Standard Vocal Band link was also in yesterday's post. Qwinky-Dink.

    Didn't go wrong on this one until 1a. TEPEE/RANCH. Then things went smoothly until 6a. MANLY/MACHO. Then I was in the groove until 11a. TCM/TMC. I think you get the idea. Got 'er done, but it took almost 10 minutes, which is long for a mid-week puzzle. Had the circles, and got the theme after the reveal -- which means I really didn't get the theme sans help. Thanx, Kurt and JzB. (I think ZONE vs man-to-man refers to basketball, but I've been wrong before.)

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  4. Good morning. Thank you, Kurt and JzB.

    Tepee before RACNCH. TCM before TMC. Manly before MACHO. Fat before CUD. It is possible to make puzzles a little tougher by not checking the perps as you fill. (Desper-otto, are you reading my notes ?)

    Didn't know ROZ. Didn't know DEREK either. Logic said they both needed an R. No problem.

    "Did you hear about the heart broken melons who found out they cantaloupe?" Sounds like their hopes were squashed. I hope to remember that one.

    Bought my wife a Barbie for our first Christmas together. She'd never had one. Thirty one years later it remains on display unopened on the top shelf of the etagere across the entry from the front door. I don't know why.

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  5. Hola!

    RANCH was cleverly clued! Thank you, Kurt Krauss. I tried ink AGAIN today and filled it with only one cell missing. I had a Natick at ROZ/ZONE, both unknowns. I wanted ROZ but left a blank.

    Circles did not help and until the reveal I had no idea where they were leading.

    ELOPE had a fresh, new clue. I, like others here in the Corner have GRADED many papers.

    SCALAWAG is just fun to say.

    MIRA Sorvino also speaks fluent Mandarin or so I have read.

    Thank you, JazzBumpa! I appreciate your detailed elucidations.

    My BEST wishes to everyone for a great day!


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  6. DNF, skipping _IRA and forgetting to come back for an alphabet run. I think I would have FIRed had I not been careless. But I didn't erase anything, so I got that goin' for me. (apologies to Carl).

    I knew TELEFONO (and how to pronounce it) from my work with CANTV, Venezuela's phone company.

    There is a three-way tie for first in the SEC between LSU, Auburn and Kentucky. All three prefer man-to-man defense over ZONE. ZONE protects players in foul trouble, but is prone to allowing offensive rebounds. TMI?

    There are two TAX rates that result in zero income to the government: 0% and 100%. TAX HIKEs from zero increase government revenues, as do TAX drops from 100%. There is a rate where revenue is maximized, and additional hikes or drops lower revenues. That rate should not be the government's objective, but it apparently is.

    FLN, Gary there are three automotive things I won't scrimp on: Tires, BRAKEs and wipers. You have a nice CUV, take care of it. Legally, you still have a little wear left, but new "shoes" will make the ride better, safer and quieter.

    Thanks to Kurt for the fun challenge today (except for WHA). And thanks to JzB for The fun review. At times it was Boomer-ish.

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  7. My new favorite clue is now "Take the Honey and Run!" I always like a good chuckle when starting a puzzle.

    Take your honey and run,
    Spend money, have fun.
    Have a drink
    Don't even blink,
    It's a short time in the sun.

    Thank you Kurt for the entertainment and Jazz for the tour.

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  8. Good Morning:

    This was a fun solve with a true Aha reveal. The circled words didn't foreshadow the theme, at least not to me. I, too, like the word, Scalawag but Wha, not so much. I liked the TMI ~ TMC, Sno ~ SRO, and Nag ~ Nog duos and the Mac/Macho/Mackinaw sequence. The clue for elope was my fav.

    Thanks, Kurt, for a mid-week treat and thanks, JazzB, for the wit and wisdom in your review.

    FLN

    Robin, thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts with us.

    Thanks for all the kind words and well wishes. I had another bad night with the incessant coughing. Better days are coming, I hope.

    Have a great day.

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  9. SabRe before SWORD.

    SCALAWAG was not amusing, but traitorous in the post-Civil War South.

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  10. Loved the clue for ELOPE! It appears often in crosswords, so a new clue like this is creative.

    Almost a themeless puzzle, aa the circles didn’t help me with the solve, but did clarify the reveal.

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  11. Musings
    -This seemed like a very unique puzzle and was fun to do. An “I, Claudius” star crossing an obscure cartoonist? DEREK Jeter not good enough in a puzzle with UMP and PITCH? :-)
    -ELOPEMENT in Alzheimer’s facilities necessitate locked doors at all times
    -I had to go back 19 years to find an Oscar winning BEST picture I paid money to see - A Beautiful Mind.
    -Math teacher has assignments in what she labelled as PILE 1, PILE 2, etc
    -The “new math” when I started teaching in 1968 wasted a full week on different base numbers
    -I wonder if she expects the quiz I am giving today to be GRADED?
    -Jinx, new tires go on Friday at 1 pm and “they ain’t cheap!”
    -Here comes 25 eighth graders! We're going work in Base TEN all day
    -Great write-up, Jazz!

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  12. Nice Wednesday puzzle but EAU the mistakes I made!

    FIW.

    Was looking for "Rob" "Ron" or some other male sounding name. Why NOT a female cartoonist? Plus I should have known ZONE but stopped my alphabet run before I got to Z.

    The only MACKINAW I could think of is the Michigan Island in Lake Huron. It fit, so in it went. The Beatles claim that in 《Penny Lane》 "the banker never wears a 'mac' in the pouring rain." (implying a raincoat which is usually not plaid)...."very strange"

    Highly recommend Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" concerning the ruining of careers and blacklisting of actresses like MIRA Sorvino.

    Liked the "honey" clue. The "wha" clue kind of lame.

    Happy Woden's day

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  13. Like the elope clue. Fun. Didn't get the reveal. Mackinaw beyond my southern roots. Overall, enjoyable puzzle.

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  14. Good morning everyone.

    I was going to respond to RSVP, but Anon @ 0540 already has. Thanks.

    I enjoy Kurt's Krosswords and that includes today's. Neat theme which JzB explained in great detail. Thanks. No problems with the solve but expended a little wite-out: had 'onair' befor ON NOW, and 'bug' before NAG. Several excellent clues; I especially liked 48a, 'ticker tape letters?' EKG. (as JzB pointed out.)
    TEA - During our annual Fall trips to Ottawa (on business), we would take time to savor High Tea at the Château Laurier. "Basking" doesn't begin to cover it.

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  15. FIR -- now I know what that means! -- but needed JazzBumpa to open my mind to the various tones of PITCH. Clever!

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  16. SAL "The Barber" Maglie of previous xword was a master of the INSIDE PITCH

    Well I see I blew the East. Never grok'ed the clue for ZONE. I wanted judo but misspelled MACiiNAW and TELEFONO. Arrgggghhh!!!!

    Great clue for EKG

    Details of my prostate exams are classic TMI material

    Gary, Winn Dixie had discounts and pasties with $ off. I was playing with the math in my head for best bargain calculation. Perfect for 8th grade

    WC

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  17. This would have been a delightful puzzle with a fun theme and clever cluing. But hand up RO_/_ONE is a total Natick. Even for a Saturday that clue is utterly impenetrable. I did endless alphabet runs.

    All of these were possible given the possible names RO_:
    BONE, DONE, GONE, NONE, XONE, YONE, ZONE. None made any sense to a normal person given that clue.

    Here I was at Lake TITICACA. Very beautiful place and beautiful, welcoming people.

    From Monday:
    Lemonade, CrossEyedDave and AnonT thanks for the comments on Bruce De PALMA and his "free energy machine". Lemonade: Sorry if I was not clear. It was not just a free association. They are brothers.

    Wilbur Charles yes, the name of the procedure to fix my ULCER indeed is long and complex. So was the procedure!

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  18. ZONE is basic vocabulary in basketball lingo. ROZ, not so much.

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  19. Picard, thanks for reinforcing the opinion of most of my friends: "That Jinx - he just ain't a normal person."

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  20. Some crunchy goodness in this Wednesday grid.

    Along with some...

    Write-overs....AMC/TMC (no one else?), TMEN/GMEN, ARAMEIC/ARAMAIC.

    Agree WHA is a bit of a reach. But no biggie.

    Happy Hump Day to all, see you tomorrow.

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  21. Did the puzzle early because I had to attend an Emeriti Board meeting this morning. Got lots of it, if not all, but enjoyed many of the clues--many thanks, Kurt. Like others, the one for ELOPE was my favorite. Did not know or remember that ARAMAIC was the language of Jesus--an illumination for me--though I guessed HINDU might be familiar to yoga experts. How did I ever manage to remember TITICACA? I have no idea. Helpful write-up, JazzB, many thanks for that too.

    Have a good day, everybody.

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  22. Worked it through with no regard for the circled letters. Easy enough. Didn't know ROZ, but easy enough to fill ZONE.

    ~ OMK

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  23. I liked this puzzle, especially the cluing for ELOPE and EKG. The clue for PET was pretty good, too. The last, literally, to fill was that Z crossing ROZ and ZONE. Only after reading Jazzb's fine writeup did I understand the clue for ZONE. There is also man-to-man vs zone coverage in soccer, which my wife used to avidly play and coach. Hand up for not liking WHA very much, but wha ya gonna do?

    Anonymous @ 5:40 AM, thanks for the clear explanation of s'il.

    We got two new tires, to replace the deteriorating 14-year-old original ones on our car, before making the drive to San Diego. (The other two tires had already been replaced only 4 years earlier, because a big-ass nail had ripped a big-ass hole in one of them.) The car really does drive better with new shoes. In the neighborhood of $375 each, if I recall. Worth it!

    Good wishes to you all.

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  24. DNF,

    The NE was too much for me...

    I get the feeling that this puzzle was for serious puzzlers,
    (& everyone knows I am not the least bit serious...)

    Also, it was a shock to learn that Jagged Little Pill was co-written!
    I mean, it was "pitched" as a solo work from the beginning...

    if you want an opinion from the mediocre puzzle solving crowd,
    I would say...

    But honestly,
    if i see this constructors name again...

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  25. One of my favoriter (more favoriter?) Wednesday puzzles over the last few years; thanks, Kurt! And to have the sermon be preached by JazzB—icing on the cake.

    Hand up for manly before MACHO and for really liking the clue that led to EKG. The MackinAW / MackinAC thing has never been a problem for this Illinois boy who has spent TONS of time in Michigan between loving to camp there and having a son who spent his undergrad years at Michigan State.

    I had no problem with ZONE; watching high school basketball tournaments over the years I have heard approximately 382 sportscasters explain the differences between the man-to-man and ZONE defenses.

    Starting to snow here again.

    Hope your day is tolerable. Bye.

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  26. In basketball, you either play man-to-man or ZONE defense, so it was a gimme for me. There are some things I’m not familiar with in a crossword puzzle with that others may know; that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

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  27. I liked this puzzle because I like that words like pitch have so many varying meanings. The circles helped, but the theme took a while to dawn on me. Clever puzzle.
    I see "Wha" in novels, meaning WHAT! It often expresses interest, excitement or consternation, such as, "Oh, really!" It is the opposite of MEH. No nit from me.
    I am not a big sports enthusiast but I knew zone.
    Interesting to see that semi refers only to the trailer. Around here many of us call the whole rig a semi. Will this finally change the meaning? The hoi polloi are the ones on the cutting edge of permanent language change, not the hoity toity.
    Picard, thanks for the pics of the famous Lake Titicaca.
    WC, around here the pasties are wrapped in foil and soft. In Scotland they were crisp like calzones. So yummy! Do you bake them in the oven before you eat them?
    I have almost 100,00 miles on my Sentra. Required 100,000 maintenance includes spark plugs and shocks, and more, for almost $2000. One shock is leaking. I plan to keep this car with an extended warranty from AAA, so I need to do the recommended maintenance to qualify.

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  28. "There are some things I’m not familiar with in a crossword puzzle with that others may know; that’s just the way it goes sometimes."

    What happens when both crosses are things that are unknown?

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  29. Anonymous - well, in that case, you don’t get that square right. It’s not the end of the world. My point was ZONE defense is a gimme for anyone that knows basketball, which is the second most popular sport in the world, so it’s not like it’s a total unknown. Certainly not a Natick.

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  30. ZONE defense is an important of many sports beyond football, including basketball as our Vermont friend pointed out, which used to make it illegal in the NBA. But the number one most watched sport, also employs it ZONE DEFENSE . Since it is a very common term both during games and during New sports recaps I am a bit surprised it is viewed as a Natick. Speaking of which, thank you Picard for the clarification. I had no idea they were brothers.

    Thanks, Kurt and JzB.

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  31. TTP: So I did the Fantasy Series puzzle by CC at USA Today at your suggestion. I finished it and enjoyed it. However, I'm embarrassed to say I can't suss out the theme. Help anyone?

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  32. Hi Bill,

    Insert fantasy before each of the last words of the theme answers.

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  33. YR, I misspoke re. "Pasties". I should have said paste-ons. Winn Dixie pastes yellow stickers with " $2.00 off" etc. These stickers are used by cashier after ringing. Also, they are in addition to any discount already applied.

    Although I love to work out math in my head I was puzzled as to % discount from retail price. I like to jump on double-discounts; but I'm leary of single discounts - whether pasted or other.

    Picard, I'm thoroughly aware of NBA and NFL defenses but I still have to read the clue. Mid-week, like others in here (TTP?) I tend to rush through not to speak of horrible handwriting and insistence on ink.

    I did spot wite-out at $-store and I'm thinking of taking the plunge.

    WC

    PS, those pasties of yours sound delish. I'd warm them up in the oven; crispier the better

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  34. Man's best friend is his dog. If you're not sure, lock your wife and your dog in the car trunk for an hour and see who'll be happy to see you when you open the trunk.

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  35. I’m amazed at the consternation over ZONE defense. Thanks Lemon for pointing out that it is a part of many sports including the just finished football.

    But surely even to non-sports people if you are not defending against a”man” you have to defend a part of whatever playing field... a ZONE.

    Thanks Kurt for the fresh fill like that Ticker Tape, and JzB for the always delightful walkthrough.

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  36. Hi Wilbur,

    The first time I ever had a pasty was in Dover on the return trip from London just before getting on the hovercraft to go back to Oostende, Belgium and boarding the TEE train "Saphir" back to Frankfurt, Germany. I got off in Brussels with a couple of Belgian girls I met on the train, and then did the tourista thing before later getting on another train to Frankfurt, and from there changing trains to head south to Karlsruhe.

    I'm sure my time in the military in Germany was quite a bit different than your time in the military in S.E. Asia.

    What I remember besides riding the two Belgian girls is how hungry I was waiting to board the hovercraft, and then deciding to take a chance on a meat pie in a vending machine near the Dover port. It was so good that I bought another.

    Then I had them in the U.P. of Michigan and brought them home. Here's a really good and easy recipe: Michigan Pasty (Meat Hand Pie)

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  37. You read my mind. I was getting jealous. A good chimchanga (sic) can hit the spot but they vary on a scale of 1-10.

    My next duty station was Parris Island. I left 'Nam in September, wasted 40 days, arrived at Parris and my Basic buddy net me with the words "What are you doing still in the Corps?"

    I had missed the early out offered. I jumped right on it.

    WC

    I find Boston clam chowder to have that kind of scale. I rarely partake in FLA. Maryland clam soup I do partake.

    WC

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  38. Pendantic PresidentsFebruary 12, 2020 at 9:07 PM

    Did anyone raise the possibility of questionable cluing for 53a? I mean I caught onto the twist fairly quickly but I thought it was a stretch of the rules of grammar to cause confusion to the silver. Fair? I dont know. I also am not aware if Bushes is the proper plural of Bush or should it be Bush's?

    I understand that ruins the misdirection but it seems like the editor has to play by the rules too. No?

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  39. TTP, I think you mean riding WITH the two Belgian girls.

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  40. Thanks TTP. I had thought of that but all of the phrases didn't make sense to me at first.

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  41. YR, lol. Not to speak of "pasties" in a completely different way.

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  42. PP @ 2107 - The plural of Bush is Bushes. ie: I have 2 bushes in my backyard. It seemed ok to me. There's no possessive involved.

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  43. I agree. The plural of bush is bushes. Why would that be in question, I wonder?

    As for ZONE, there is no way that a non-sports person would know that and certainly this non-sports person, moi.

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  44. Lucina, I agree regarding Bushes. For no good reason, some people get the rules for possessives mixed up with the rules for plurals. I don't remember any confusion when I was in school but those mistake's show up more and more these day's. :>)

    ReplyDelete
  45. I thought that proper nouns such as last names have different rules regarding maki5them plural. I guess I'm wrong. Mea culpa.

    Are Mr and Mrs Fox collectively know as the Foxes?

    Mr. and Mrs. Deer know as the Deer?

    ReplyDelete

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