google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 Michele Govier

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Nov 7, 2023

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 Michele Govier

Do Not Pass Go, and Do Not Collect $200.  Oh, wait!  Today we can pass Go and we can collect our $200.   Each theme answer is a different concept for something that one can pass.

19-Across. One known for clutch performances?: RACE CAR DRIVER.

31-Across. One who is sometimes a dummy?: BRIDGE PLAYER.

39-Across. One who is not on a roll?: D PLUS STUDENT.  As I was completing today's puzzle, I had DPL, and thought one of my perps must be wrong.  What kind of word begins with DPL.  I stuck with my perps, to give me the poor student who is barely earning a passing grade.  With grade inflation, this student is probably really totally failing the course.

And the unifier:

53-Across. "No, thank you," or something 19-, 31-, and 39-Across might say?: I THINK I'LL PASS.

Across:
1. Casual hellos: HIs.

4. Let in: ADMIT.
9. Ocular bump: STYE.  Eye problem.

13. Thin-strapped top: CAMI.  Short for Camisole.

14. "Psycho" star Janet: LEIGH.  Janet Leigh (née Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 ~ Oct. 3, 2004) was the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Nov. 22, 1958).  [Name # 1.]


15. Celebrity rodent of Punxsutawney: PHIL.  Everything you wanted to know about Punxsutawney Phil but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 2.]


16. River through Kazakhstan: URAL.  Everything you wanted to know about the URAL River but didn't know to ask.  The river is in both Europe and Asia.  At 1,509 miles long, the Ural River is the 3rd longest in Europe, followed by the Volga (2,194 miles) and Danube (1,777 miles).  It's the 18th longest river in Asia.


17. Italian salami city: GENOA.  Everything you wanted to know about Genoa Salami but didn't know to ask.


18. Tie: LINK.

22. Third-place medal: BRONZE.



23. Forward, as mail: SEND ON.

26. Nasal membranes: SEPTA.

27. Quick punch: JAB.

30. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.  I love this Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) song, but then I love all of her songs.  [Name # 3.]


34. Pack animal: ASS.

37. Tropical veranda: LANAI.  Lanai, Porch, Patio ... what's the difference?

38. That, in Spanish: ESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. Venmo transfer, e.g.: E-CASH.  I didn't realize the company had been around for so long.




45. Curvy shape: ESS.


46. Wear down: ERODE.

50. Certain Polynesian: SAMOAN.  Polynesia is made up a several islands including Samoa.


52. Hurt: PAINED.

57. Carson's successor: LENO.  Both Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; Oct. 23, 1925 ~ Jan. 23, 2005) and Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) hosted the Tonight Show.  Carson was the host for nearly 30 years.  [Names # 4 and 5.]

59. Sales rep's target: QUOTA.

60. NYC drama award: OBIE.  The Obie, or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are presented annual for outstanding achievement in plays performed off-Broadway.




61. "__, Brute?": ET TU.

62. Poet Ginsberg: ALLEN.  Allen Ginsberg (né Irwin Allen Ginsberg; June 3, 1926 ~ Apr. 4, 1997) was known as a Beat Poet and, along with William Burroughs (Feb. 5, 1914 ~ Aug. 2, 1997) and Jack Kerouac (Mar. 12, 1922 ~ Oct. 21, 1969), were at the heart of the Beat Generation.  [Name # 6.]

Allen Ginsberg

63. Lenovo competitor: DELL.  Both companies make personal computers.  Levono is a Chinese company and the name is a portmanteau of Le (for legend) and novo (Latin for new).  Dell is an American company, founded in 1984 by Michael Dell (né Michael Saul Dell; b. Feb. 23, 1965).  [Name adjacent.]

64. Fragrance: ODOR.  I think of a fragrance as being a pleasant smell, while an odor is more stinky.

65. Hold responsible: BLAME.

66. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU.  Diehard Simpsons fans known that his full name is Stuart Discothèque.  [Name # 7, fictional.]




Down:
1. Zimbabwe's capital: HARARE.  Hand up if you knew the name of this capital city without help from the perps.


2. Joe Friday's declaration in the classic "Dragnet" intro: I'M A COP.  Jack Webb (né John Randolph Webb; Apr. 2, 1920 ~ Dec. 23, 1982.  ) was the actor who portrayed Joe Friday on classic cop show, Dragnet.  [Name # 8, fictional.]


3. Subtle characteristic?: SILENT B.  Not really keen on this type of clue and answer.

4. Aquarium problem: ALGAE.

5. Forest animal with antlers: DEER.  //  And 12-Down. Large 5-Down: ELK.  All Elk are Deer, but not all Deer are Elk.

6. Pay attention to: MIND.

7. "Young Frankenstein" assistant with a shifting hump: IGOR.  [Name # 9, fictional.]


8. Bangkok natives: THAIs.  Hi, Lemonade and Oo!

9. Sweetener brand with sucralose: SPLENDA.  It's the sweetener in the yellow packaging.

Chemical compound of Sucralose,


10. Mystical source of perception beyond ordinary sight: THIRD EYE.



11. __ and yang: YIN.  Yin is also a form of Yoga.



13. Sidewalk edges: CURBS.



20. Captain of industry: CZAR.

21. Osso buco meat: VEAL.  Osso buco is an Italian speciality.  The name literally means bone with a hole, which refers to the bone marrow.  It's supposed to be good, but I have never tried it.


24. Cheers for a flamenco dancer: OLÉs.  More of today's Spanish lesson.



25. Rex Stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975) was American writer best known for his detective novels, which featured Nero Wolfe.  The Nero Wolfe series has been adapted for film, radio and television.  In 1981, a television show began based on Stout's characters in his Nero Wolfe series.  Nero Wolfe was portrayed by William Conrad (né John William Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).  There was a second adaptation of Nero Wolfe in the early 2000s, which starred Maury Chaykin (July 27, 1949 ~ July 27, 2010) as Nero Wolfe.  You can still listen to the radio adaptations.  [Names # 10 and 11, one real, one fictional.]


27. Matchmaking app for Jewish singles: JDATE.

28. __ Dei: lamb of God: AGNUS.  Hi, Irish Miss!

29. Abacus units: BEADS.

32. Plural French pronoun: ILS.  Today's French lesson.  It means They, and can be a group of males, or a mix of male and females, but not a group of females.  That would be Elles.

33. Pastry with a crust: PIE.  Yummers!  It's almost time for pumpkin and pecan pies.


34. Fruity summer drinks: ADES.  Hi, Lemonade.  Come visit us again!

35. Pet adoption org.: SPCA.  As in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

36. Hit with force: SLAM INTO.

40. Traveling show that entertains the troops: USO TOUR.

41. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.

42. "Arrow" and "Legends of Tomorrow" actor McDonough: NEAL.  [Name # 12.]

43. Camera stands: TRIPODS.

47. How some risks are taken: ON A BET.

48. Arnaz and Ball's production company: DESILU.  A portmanteau of the first names of Desi Arnaz (Mar. 2, 1917 ~ Dec. 2, 1986) and Lucile Ball (Aug.  6, 1911 ~ Apr. 26, 1989). [Names # 13 and 14.]


49. Short-lived Ford model: EDSEL.  It does rather look like it is sucking on a lemon.  Why the car may have failed.  [Name adjacent.]

51. Muslim face covering: NIQAB.


52. Place for cinematic snakes: PLANE.  I never saw the movie Snakes on a Plane.


54. __ and void: NULL.

55. Soft drink nut: KOLA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Kola Nut but didn't know to ask.  Not to be confused with the Koala Bear.


56. Article: ITEM.

57. Many an August baby, astrologically: LEO.  Hi Leo III.  Do come back!

58. Info posted in an airport lounge: ETD.  As in Estimated Time of Departure.

Here's the Grid:



חתולה



34 comments:

Subgenius said...

I had the same qualms about starting with “dpl” as Hahtoolah, but it soon made sense. The only other answer I really wasn’t familiar with was “niqab.” Other than that, it was a smooth solve, as befits a Tuesday. FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

No drama today, just smooth and steady solving, except for a TANK/CAMI hiccup. VENMO reminded me that the lawn guy came by last evening, and I needed to send him a payment -- Zelle, not VENMO. Yesterday the sign at the entrance to our little city wished a happy birthday to CharLEIGH. Thanx for a nice offering, Michele, and another always-interesting tour, Hahtoolah.

ET TU -- We have a BRUTUS in our town, just one block long between Gladiator Dr and Centurian [sic] Cir. No apartment buildings on it, so no A-2.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased cola for KOLA, acer for DELL, agnes for AGNUS, and hijab for NIQAB. Waited for tony/OBIE, and for the gender reveal for esa/ESO.

Today is:
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MEDICAL PHYSICS (stuff like MRI, CT scans, x-rays, and ultrasounds, as well as treatments)
NATIONAL CANINE LYMPHOMA AWARENESS DAY (give to CLEAR -Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research – if you are so inclined)
NATIONAL BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY (it has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate. I knew that. Suuurrre.)
INTERNATIONAL MERLOT DAY (I’m more of a cabernet sauvignon guy)
Today is election day in Virginia and 36 other states. All Senate and House of Delegates are up for grabs here. Unfortunately, my home has been gerrymandered into a single party area, leaving me virtually without a voice. Interesting (at least to me,) the Virginia House of Burgesses (now the House of Delegates) was the first elected legislative body in the New World. It has been meeting since 1619, more than 150 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Most Americans say gen-O-a. Sailors call an overlapping headsail a GEN-oa.

THIRD EYE Blind had a few hit back in the day, including Jumper, about suicide prevention and the recognition that everyone has something in their past that they wish they could change.

Ironically, I filed my mail forwarding order with the USPS yesterday. When I get to my southern thawing haven, the USPS will occasionally SEND ON some of my mail to Florida after letting it mellow for a week or two.

Thanks to Michele for the fun Tuesday puzzle, and to Ha2La for all the visual giggles.

Anonymous said...

Took 6:08 today for me to quarterback this one.

Clever theme.

Lamb (of God) & veal in the same puzzle.

I didn't know today's actor (Neal), poet (Allen), niqab, the capital city, or "Plural French pronoun", which is another strong contender for that worst clue of November award.

unclefred said...

Names: A: 14, 15, 16, 17, 30, 57, 63, 66; D: 1, 9, 25, 42, 48. In other words, tons of names again. Yet this CW was not as annoying as yesterday’s, and I did FIR in reasonable time, with no W/Os. Thanx, MG, for the entertainment. Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up. That’s all I have time for.

KS said...

FIR. I found this to be a little crunchy for a Tuesday.
The theme was clever. But I too was puzzled by the Dp start and second guessed SPCA for a while. The unifier resolved all my issues, and the rest fell into place nicely.

inanehiker said...

Enjoyed this clever theme by Michele

A few challenges along the way- I forget some of the other terms for Muslim women's coverings,
hijab and burqa come to mind before NIQAB, chador, and abaya (to name a few).
Here's a link to explaining some of them: https://rossingcenter.org/islams/headscarfs-in-islam/
The Rossing Center promotes education and understanding among all faiths and ethnicities

HARARE is a gimme as I have a friend who lives there.
Thanks Susan for another fun blog, I'm an ADELE fan too.

RosE said...

Good Morning! Mostly zipped through today’s puzzle, with a few "traffic jams" in the NW and central South, (LINK to funny toon at the recap conclusion)!! Thanks, Michele and Hah2lah, for a good start to the day. Nice theme, Michele, and your recap, Hah2lah, is the reward after the work is done.

Perps for HARARE and NEAL.

PIE: I use the Amer. Test Kitchen recipe for PIE crust which calls for adding vodka to the water – makes a great crust every time.

NERO: Maury Chaykin with Timoty Hutton as Archie Goodwin was the best, IMHO, and the shows are available on YouTube. I’ve watched them many times.

Lee said...

I let the perps bring out the spelling of NIQAB. FIR. Notice that "subtle" has two silent letters; b and e.

Theme was cute. Props to Michele and H2LH for a fine collaboration on today's offering.

Nothing is better than a friend in need.

B'bye

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I really like a puzzle (like today's) that keeps you guessing until the reveal clue brings a surprised Aha. No w/os but perps needed for Harare and Niqab. I thought the grid was very clean, with a modest (12) three letter word count. I knew Neal McDonough from, I believe, Suits, not the referenced shows. There was a certain worldwide sub-theme with Genoa, Harare, Samoan, Niqab, Lanai, Kola, Czar, Eso, Oles, Et tu, and Agnus.

Thanks, Michèle, for a fun solve and thanks, Hahtoolah, for an enjoyable commentary and many chuckles. Favorite comics were the "Downed" Abacus, the Pumpkin Pie, and the head-hugging Koala. The Webb/Carson skit was hilarious. Thanks for the CSO at Agnus. Believe me, my name has been morphed into Agnus, Angus, Anges, etc., many times over.

Jinx @ 6:52 ~ One of our usual waiters at our favorite Italian restaurant pronounced it Je NO uh. And I couldn't begin to parse how he pronounced Pasta e Fagioli.

Have a great day.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Now that was fun.
-I THINK I’LL PASS: We’ve had friends try to get us interested in Avon and Amway.
-I have Forwarded some great puns from here to my colleagues
-Paul Anka’s song ESO Beso (That Kiss) bails me out here every time
-Hawaiians and SAMOANS tell ethnic jokes about each other
-BLAME: Hey, the Titanic is sinking so let’s deal with that first
-“My name’s Friday, I’m a cop” eventually became “My name’s Friday, I carry a badge”
-Teachers develop a THIRD EYE
-When Lucy took charge of DESILU productions, she said she added an “S” to her last name
-68F today, FORE!

Monkey said...

Like Unclefred, I usually fuss about proper names in the CW, but I knew most of them this morning; just had to look up Zimbabwe’s capital.

So, lovely puzzle, clever clues. I laughed at the DPLUS STUDENT answer.

Hahtoolah came through again with a mix of serious info and funny cartoons.

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Michele and Hahtoolah (LOL re that highway sign).
I FIRed in good time with just a couple of inkblots.

Heed changed to MIND.
I too thought of Irish Miss and entered Agnes, but AGNUS is the Latin for Lamb.
I waited for perps to decide between ETA or ETD.
My hand is up for needing perps to spell HARARE.
Another hand up for questioning the DPL before DPLUS perped.
We have had NIQAB here before. It covers the face while a Hijab covers the neck and head and leaves the face revealed.

I noted ASS and ESS, plus ESO and ESS.
LENO crossing LEO
We had a BRONZE medal and a THIRD EYE.

Wishing you all a great day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...




Nice long theme answers provided lots of perpage.

Inkover: cola/KOLA (always make the same mistake 🙄)

Everytime I fill in the answer STYE my left eyelid starts to tingle 🫣

CURBS, (are those “kerbs” Canada Eh?). 🙋‍♂️ for the DPL start. CZAR? Isn’t it spelled TSAR?

Y knot divert the URAL river into our evaporating CW Aral Sea?

What is a jUOTA? ohhh it’s NIQAB.

“Subtle” SILENTB took a few knocks on the head, clever.

Chris Columbus was from “gen-O’-a” not GEN’-o-a? … Ital: “Genova”(GEN’-oh-vah) hence the last name “Genovese” … I have a renaissance map of the city where it’s titled “Genua”

Great toons as usual H2LH

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Crossword friends. Years ago we were in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort town on the Red Sea at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. The town attracts tourists from Europe and many Arab countries. The contrast between the European women who were barely covered in teeny tiny bikinis and the Arab women who were fully covered in Niqabs was quite startling.

QOD: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~ Albert Camus (Nov. 7, 1913 ~ Jan. 4, 1960), French existentialist philosopher

AnonymousPVX said...


I still cannot understand how anyone likes Pecan Pie…it’s just a ton of sugar, might as well drink some simple syrup.

Anonymous said...

Anon@11:08--as for pecan pie, I just bought a 3lb bag of pecans yesterday to make a couple for thanksgiving.

The puzzle was very easy, with niqab the only unknown solved by perps.

RosE said...

CSO to CC today for her USA Today puzzle.

Charlie Echo said...

Another easy Monday romp, with NIQAB the only unknown. Wait...It's Tuesday? D'oh! Great recap, Ha2la. Enjoyed the Roman's playing "Battleship", and I see from your QOD I share a birthday with a great philosopher. 75! And there once was a time I never thought I would make it to 23! HARARE, I knew. Once, folks traveled to Rhodesia to visit the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. Now, they travel to Zimbabwe to visit the ruins of Rhodesia.

Lucina said...

Hola!

WEES. You all have said it well. Thanks to Michele Govier and to Susan for today's fun.

USO TOUR always reminds me of Bob Hope who entertained the troops for many years.

I, naturally, had HIJAB as I had not heard of NIQAB. Perps soon revealed my error.

CSO to my cousin PHIL. If you live in the Sacramento area you might have heard his broadcast though I don't know what it was called.

DEER and ELK help to populate the grid today. And there is a lamb, too, AGNUS.

Have a joyous day, everyone!

Anonymous said...

When I first scanned over the puzzle it appeared quite difficult for a Tuesday but as I started my 🏃‍♂️run, a slow but steady jog thru the clues made for a satisfying workout. Lots of fresh fill, clever cluing, and fun theme. Thanks Michele for a fresh Tuesday 🏃‍♀️ run. Thanks Hahtoolah for a delightful recap…. kkFlorida

Picard said...

Hand up DPL caused me to pause. Hand up AGNES before AGNUS. Fun theme. FIR.

FLAMENCO is a big thing here in Santa Barbara.

Here a beautiful young woman performed FLAMENCO at our Old Spanish Days Fiesta festival.

From Yesterday:
Jayce and Vidwan Thank you for the kind words about my photos of our friend DARLA Bea. She is exceptionally photogenic with her colorful costumes and wigs and her striking poses. I am used to covering events, but I feel a bit of pressure when I am asked to do a special photo shoot like this. It took over an hour until she was happy with the shots.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

A-PVX said: "I still cannot understand how anyone likes Pecan Pie…it’s just a ton of sugar, might as well drink some simple syrup." Yeah, but ice cream doesn't taste nearly as good atop warm simple sugar. But I guess I should stick to more sophisticated tastes, like candy corn and cotton candy.

Ray-O, don't be silly. KERBS? Everyone knows our friends to the north call them COURBS!

CanadianEh! said...

Picard- beautiful flamenco dancing and video!

Ray-o and Jinx - LOL re Kerbs and COURBS. But I am happy with the U in CURBS.

I thought that I had a nit with the clue for Septa, and decided to double check I think of nasal membranes as the mucosa that lines the nasal cavity, and the septa as being cartilage that divides the nose into two chambers. But apparently the lower part of the septum (the most flexible part) is called the membranous septum.
I still think I have a nit with the clue.

TTP said...


Happy Birthday, Charlie Echo!

Lucina said...

Picard
Thank you for posting the wonderful flamenco dancer! It is a wondrous thing to see! My group and I were treated to a flamenco performance in Spain and the son of a family friend from our old neighborhood has become a professional flamenco dancer. We have attended his performances and have been duly impressed.

Jayce said...

I enjoyed solving this puzzle. I stand with those who dislike so many names, and usually after reading the clue and realizing the answer is a name, I THINK I'LL PASS and move on to the next clue. Eventually the names might get filled in or they might not. That's my way of not letting the names suck the fun out of the rest of the puzzle, which may or may not otherwise be a pretty good puzzle.

I have never heard Genoa pronounced gen-O-a. When Dean Martin sings the lyric "pasta fazool" in the song "That's Amore," it is, of course, referring to pasta e fagioli.

Many years ago my wife made a pecan pie and forgot to put any sugar in it. Our dinner guests that evening were very polite and barely wrinkled their noses after taking one, and only one, bite of it.

Speaking of D PLUS STUDENT, I actually got a big fat F from a teacher whose course I got bored with and stopped attending.

Loved your write-up, Hahtoolah, and enjoyed reading all of your comments too, folks.

CanadianEh! said...

Happy 75th Birthday, Charlie Echo.

Jayce said...

Speaking of flamenco music, that ever-so-popular (and deservedly so) song "America" in West Side Story is pure flamenco in its "nanana nanana na na na" rhythm.

Anonymous said...

I love pecan pie. It’s pumpkin pie I can’t stand.

TTP said...

Thank you, Michèle Govier, and thank you, Hahtoolah.

I liked the "I THINK I'LL PASS" theme, and my favorite theme answer was D PLUS STUDENT. That one made me laugh. Definitely someone that is not on the honor roll. Great clue.

Dragnet - I knew of and watched the late 60's show from time to time. What I didn't know until relatively recently was that there was a previous radio and television program in the 50s. The 50's TV version is being shown on LG Channels if you have an LG smart TV.

OC4beach lives closer to Gobbler's Knob and the local celebrity Punxsutawney PHIL than anybody that writes comments here. They have fun with it.

I really like my wife's pumpkin pie recipe. Looking forward to devouring copious amounts of it this month and next. I've also enjoyed slices of many pecan pies through the years. In general, I like pies. But there is one "pie" that I think is a charlatan. Boston Creme Pie. It is not a pie. It is a cake. It is ok I guess, but as far as I am concerned, it is nothing to write home about, and it is definitely not a pie.

Vidwan827 said...


Thank You Michelle Govier, for a very nice Tuesday puzzle. I solved it early this morning, but got caught up in some urgent business, and hence this late post.

On the D Plus Student, I had the -PLUS before I had the DPL, hence I was not confused... I too, have earned an F on one important course, and that fact will stalk me for the rest of my life... I would like to think that it had to do with my particular frame of mind, at that time ... more than 60 years ago.

Thank You Hahtoolah, for your cheerful and humorous cartoons and jokes. Truly, as someone else above said, ... its the icing on the pudding ... Thank You.

Thank You Picard, for the flamenco dance video ... IMHO the dance should be done on wooden floors ... which would highlight the rhythmic clapping and staccato chatter of the wooden hoofs on the shoes ... I am surprised the dance does not cause hip dysplasia as a job related injury ... or some sort of hip bone dislocation.

Lucina, I also thought of Bob Hope, when I came across USO TOUR. I have three (?) of his books, including 'I owe Russia $1200 ' (ha ! ) .... He lived and practiced in Cleveland Ohio for the first 20 years of his life. ( Hewas born in England ...). There is a Bob Hope bridge in downtown Cleveland.

Have a great Wednesday tomorrow, all you folks.

Lucina said...

sigh. I love any kind of pie much to my dismay since I have no self-control. My mother who was a wonderful cook could bake wonderful pies. However, I recently ordered a pecan pie from the Colin Street Bakery in Texas where I order fruit cakes and it was not edible. It was dry and had no taste, really terrible. I threw it away.

Vidwan
I did not know that Bob Hope had lived in Cleveland though I did know he was born in England. He often cracked jokes about Cleveland. When we drive to California, we pass BOB HOPE Way in Palm Springs.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thanks, Michele & for the puzzle and Hahtoolah for a great expo.

I could not get going in the NW corner and finally had to red-letter to fill it.

Many pies came out of my kitchen as a farm wife. Loved apricot & apple pies from family trees the best. Didn't grow pecans so never made any. The short time I lived in Texas I spent time with people who lived in a pecan grove so ate pecan pie with them. My secret to very good pie crust was to use milk instead of the prescribed amount of water.