tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post4504639721167552274..comments2024-03-29T06:22:32.405-05:00Comments on L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday September 28, 2010 Robert H. WolfeZhouqin (C.C.) Burnikelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12750267554729853785noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-59489187223143728622010-09-19T03:14:27.011-05:002010-09-19T03:14:27.011-05:00No time to catch up, except for (fer) to say, sorr...No time to catch up, except for (fer) to say, sorry folks, but I erred. Sub 'explanation point' for 'apostrophe' earlier.<br /><br />yep, it is ...<br />otis<br />the polar bearAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-76300366270821591192010-09-18T23:31:12.921-05:002010-09-18T23:31:12.921-05:00Lucina, apparently it's very closely related t...Lucina, apparently it's very closely related to strep throat but with a rash. Penicillin defeats the germs. So, as far as I know, no long-term effects. He still has a rash and is uncomfortable but everything should go away with time. Thanks for asking. <br /><br />I know he's had a tough time in the hospital, hooked up to an IV and unable to eat because of the problem with the gland in his throat. I remember being in a hospital as a kid, first for tonsils and later for appendix. I hated it, especially the anesthetic part.Bill G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04142837879175561312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-76312089140646328722010-09-18T23:19:43.259-05:002010-09-18T23:19:43.259-05:00Bill G:
That's great your little guy is improv...Bill G:<br />That's great your little guy is improving. Are any lasting effects expected from the scarlet fever? In the past there have been, but maybe medicine is more powerful now.Lucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16278649651081244724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-18636865593073111412010-09-18T20:47:12.698-05:002010-09-18T20:47:12.698-05:00Husker Gary, that sounds like the song lists from ...Husker Gary, that sounds like the song lists from a few CDs I have!Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02347232302896024104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-77000395981066713272010-09-18T20:47:06.667-05:002010-09-18T20:47:06.667-05:00Return to Sorrento. I couldn't think of the na...Return to Sorrento. I couldn't think of the name but I love that song. <br /><br />Jordan again. I guess they did an ultrasound on the infected gland in his neck. If it was filled with puss, they were going to have to operate to drain it. But that wasn't needed and he should be home tonight or tomorrow. I don't know how long he will be home from school because of the scarlet fever and mono.Bill G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04142837879175561312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-20993352105762467352010-09-18T20:29:25.956-05:002010-09-18T20:29:25.956-05:00On don't/doesn't, I have to agree with Nic...On don't/doesn't, I have to agree with Nice Cuppa. "That" refers to "words". "Cast" is only one of those words, but is not the antecedent of the dependent clause; "words" is. So "Cast is one of the words that DON'T..." is correct.kaziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761801803016465459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-66345210541859207582010-09-18T20:00:26.867-05:002010-09-18T20:00:26.867-05:00Can't resist this beautiful link to Pavarotti ...Can't resist this beautiful link to Pavarotti and, yes, Meatloaf. Enjoy a great voice and a decent effort.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk5xIZrmbZU&feature=related" rel="nofollow">Return to Sorrento</a> <br /><br />Yes! I hope to return.Husker Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630142978627240047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-85820301959432319942010-09-18T19:55:18.739-05:002010-09-18T19:55:18.739-05:00Bill, Yup!
Santa Lucia
O Sole Mio/It's Now or ...Bill, Yup!<br />Santa Lucia<br />O Sole Mio/It's Now or Never (Is that Elvis song familiar to you C.C.?)<br />Volare<br />Return to Me<br />That's Amore'<br />Come Back to Sorrento (My Fav!)<br />Arrividerci Roma<br />Feniculi Fenicula<br /><br />The minstrels try to make you think you are all compadres and should tip well!<br /><br />Any others?<br /><br />ps C.C. Question 2, is Elvis known in China?Husker Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630142978627240047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-52432641543321621552010-09-18T19:31:37.793-05:002010-09-18T19:31:37.793-05:00Husker Gary, I'm thinking Santa Lucia might be...Husker Gary, I'm thinking Santa Lucia might be one song that minstrels like to sing for tourists.<br /><br />Am I the only one who wishes the mint would stop minting pennies? I've just stopped using them. Parking meters won't take them. If there's a tip jar, I put them in (along with other money as appropriate). At the supermarket, there's a little plastic charity box for small change. Otherwise, I just tell the clerk that I don't want the pennies. They sometimes seem surprised.Bill G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04142837879175561312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-23312547498700845602010-09-18T19:25:46.596-05:002010-09-18T19:25:46.596-05:00RE "Doesn't" versus "Don'...RE "Doesn't" versus "Don't"<br /><br />My vote goes to "DON'T" in this sentence<br /><br />"Cast is one of those words that DON'T change the spelling to indicate tense."<br /><br />...as I read it, the clause beginning at "that" is dependent/adjectival, defining or restricting "words". <br /><br />The verb within the clause should therefore agree with what is being defined - hence plural form.<br /><br />NCNice Cuppahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670171231144871327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-35022087833960163192010-09-18T19:21:30.075-05:002010-09-18T19:21:30.075-05:00Hello, C.C. and gang.
Lovely blogging, C.C. and t...Hello, C.C. and gang.<br /><br />Lovely blogging, C.C. and thank you for the remnimbi clue, I'll save that.<br /><br />It's late but I just now got to the puzzle. Yowza! What a head scratcher. My first fill was STOOGE and that led to GETSTO, ERST and the grid spanner, ONSECOND THOUGHT. Very clever cluing. <br /><br />After that I jumped around, had many picket fences and really wanted MOOD___ for 23D, but soon GENT became apparent.<br /><br />LEEK has been seen before but I wanted LEAK for pen emission, so the eraser had a workout and in bits and pieces it all emerged.<br /><br />Very clever clues:<br /><br />little sucker, TICK<br />main call, AHOY<br />pen emission, OINK<br />old man of the sea, SALT, with a shoutout to Hemingway<br /><br />I did not know PAVEL, had PEVEL and KATERINA, so corrected that on the blog. Otherwise, a good Saturday conclusion.<br /><br />Great misdirection from Robert Wolfe, and isn't that what Saturday puzzles should be? I liked it.<br /><br />I hope your weekend is great!Lucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16278649651081244724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-16335557780806524852010-09-18T19:20:51.838-05:002010-09-18T19:20:51.838-05:00Hi again,
Part II of rejected post:
I don't...Hi again, <br /><br />Part II of rejected post:<br /><br />I don't have a problem with rocket. The song rocketed to the top of the charts. The song sped to the top of the charts.<br /><br />In this example, the former sounds better to me. But, maybe this is due to where I am from/live. Commentary on this blog often reveals regional differences in language. Take 'stang from yesterday. I, and others apparently, have heard this term enough for it to be familiar. Yet others were TESTY and said THAT'S NOT GOOD.<br /><br />On the other hand, I have a big problem with NAH for "No way!" No Way with an apostrophe indicates never, not on your life, forget about it, and so on. NAH around here is usually accompanied with a shrug and often followed with phrases such as "I don't think so" or "probably not". There is nothing emphatic about nah; it can even be somewhat noncommittal. <br /><br />Nope would have been a better clue, in my opinion. I had reluctantly penned in NOT for 2D, and this was one of the last wrong answers I THREW out (others were EPI for 33A, MUSLIM for 34A, and SKETCH for 58A). <br /><br />I’m out.Otishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14696561237875258174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-67738425341470689352010-09-18T19:19:55.013-05:002010-09-18T19:19:55.013-05:00Evening, folks.
Part I of rejected post:
Well,...Evening, folks.<br /><br />Part I of rejected post: <br /><br />Well, as is often the case, I am on a different wavelength than many here. On Fridays and Saturdays that I find impossible, many find them quite doable. And days like today, which I find quite enjoyable and mostly doable (with a lot of thought and putting the puzzle away for spells), others find impossible. I thought it was a bear, but that's what I think Saturdays should be, at least at my solving level.<br /><br />My first half hour with the puzzle generated a mere four words in 'firm' ink, and another half dozen lightly inked in. I thought I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE, and I ran errands for a few hours. Like Jayce, I'd fixated on certain answers, and I couldn't get them out of my brain. After picking up the puzzle again, five minutes in, and I was breezing along. OK, maybe not breezing, but another half hour, with a final three google name lookups, and I was nearly there. Doing the crossword in spells is often the only way I make significant progress on Fridays and Saturdays. That might be harder to do if you solve on-line, I guess.Otishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14696561237875258174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-25688500733861225522010-09-18T19:15:20.523-05:002010-09-18T19:15:20.523-05:00Evening, folks.
Well, as is often the case, I am ...Evening, folks.<br /><br />Well, as is often the case, I am on a different wavelength than many here. On Fridays and Saturdays that I find impossible, many find quite doable. And days like today, which I find quite enjoyable and mostly doable (with a lot of thought and putting the puzzle away for spells), others find impossible. I thought it was a bear, but that's what I think Saturdays should be, at least at my solving level.<br /><br />My first half hour with the puzzle generated a mere four words in 'firm' ink, and another half dozen lightly inked in. I thought I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE, and I ran errands for a few hours. Like Jayce, I'd fixated on certain answers, and I couldn't get them out of my brain. After picking up the puzzle again, five minutes in, and I was breezing along. OK, maybe not breezing, but another half hour, with a final three google name lookups, and I was nearly there. Doing the crossword in spells is often the only way I make significant progress on Fridays and Saturdays. That might be harder to do if you solve on-line, I guess.<br /><br />I don't have a problem with rocket. The song rocketed to the top of the charts. The song sped to the top of the charts. In this example, the former sounds better to me. But, maybe this is due to where I am from/live. Commentary on this blog often reveals regional differences in language. Take 'stang from yesterday. I, and others apparently, have heard this term enough for it to be familiar. Yet others were TESTY and said THAT'S NOT GOOD.<br /><br />On the other hand, I have a big problem with NAH for "No way!" No Way with an apostrophe indicates never, not on you life, no way Jose, forget about it, and so on. NAH, as it is said around these parts, is usually accompanied with a shrug and often followed with phrases such as "I don't think so" or "probably not". There is nothing emphatic about nah; it can even be somewhat noncommittal. <br /><br />Nope would have been a better clue, in my opinion. I had reluctantly penned in NOT for 2D, and this was one of the last wrong answers I THREW out (others were EPI for 33A, MUSLIM for 34A, and SKETCH for 58A). <br /><br />LEST my post go on too long, I'm out.Otishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14696561237875258174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-38502814486685059572010-09-18T18:55:29.266-05:002010-09-18T18:55:29.266-05:00Hi Guys, It's a good thing the Huskers kicked ...Hi Guys, It's a good thing the Huskers kicked Washington's butt today. This puzzle was fun in places but frustrating and oddly clued in lots of others. I did finish but Dr. G gave me plenty of injections.<br /><br />O Sole Mio ties Joann's and my last two trips together (Italy and Tennessee). It is a beautiful Italian song but Elvis made it into one of my two favorite E songs - It's Now Or Never! BTW, when you go into Italian restaurants, the wandering mistrels play about 6 songs over and over for the Americans to enhance their tips. O Sole Mio is certainly one of them, especially for those who think it originated with the King. <br /><br />Any thoughts on what the other "stock" songs Italian groups play to solicit American Euros?Husker Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630142978627240047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-65707285819428223032010-09-18T18:54:37.315-05:002010-09-18T18:54:37.315-05:00I had to smile in sympathy at C.C.'s frustrati...I had to smile in sympathy at C.C.'s frustration with Shakespearean quotes. Most native English speakers don't get his flowery Elizabethan verse either. He is definitely not an easy read.<br /><br />In the case of 32D, it is particularly confusing because a chunk of Juliet's lines was left out. <br /><i>"O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,<br />That monthly changes in her circled orb, <br />LEST that thy love prove likewise variable."</i> <br /><br />Pretty fancy talk for a 13 year old! But all she is saying is that since the moon waxes and wanes every month, it isn't a very good object to use to swear steadfast undying love.<br /><br />Have a good evening everyone.Clear Ayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14463641770718104835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-67217236332806684992010-09-18T17:44:16.700-05:002010-09-18T17:44:16.700-05:00Just back from a day away, so in thanks to C.C. fo...Just back from a day away, so in thanks to C.C. for her wonderful explanations, I have to say I only had 13 correct answers and gave up before leaving today. Simply couldn't get on the wavelength at all.<br />Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!kaziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761801803016465459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-43515962675530221582010-09-18T16:36:31.209-05:002010-09-18T16:36:31.209-05:00Never accept white powder in the mail. lolNever accept white powder in the mail. lolJaycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15906163232315177399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-24107581843198804282010-09-18T16:21:46.250-05:002010-09-18T16:21:46.250-05:00I'll try that second link again.
SPORESI'll try that second link again.<br /><br /><a href="http://bepast.org/docs/photos/anthrax_spores_cdc_high_mag.jpg" rel="nofollow">SPORES</a>Nice Cuppahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670171231144871327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-23044460156810488452010-09-18T16:13:56.211-05:002010-09-18T16:13:56.211-05:00Re BACTERIA
I should have mentioned yesterday tha...Re BACTERIA<br /><br />I should have mentioned yesterday that BOTOX is produced by a rod-shaped bacterium (Clostridium botulinum). An even more famous rod is Bacillus anthracis (links below), the causative agent of anthrax. The infective agents of course are the spores - those can be ground to make the infamous white powders. The spores germinate in your body to make the rods. If you find rods in your blood it may be too late. <br /><br />General advice: avoid white powders of all kinds.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lanl.gov/news/1663/images/anthrax/1lg.jpg" rel="nofollow">rods</a><br /><br /><a href="" rel="nofollow"> spores</a>Nice Cuppahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670171231144871327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-82746970416240064262010-09-18T15:39:32.206-05:002010-09-18T15:39:32.206-05:00C.C.- In days of yore "old salt" was a s...C.C.- In days of yore "old salt" was a sailor's term. It's just a neat bonus that the clue sounds like the Hemmingway title.<br /><br />I wonder if an old salt ever said<br />I ATE CRAB BACTERIA.<br /><br />In O SOLE MIO is the South Sea sequel to "Typee". "OMOO'S LEI"<br /><br />There's KARATE IN KATERINA.<br /><br />It's the naked truth. In the BIG BAND ERA the BARE GI BAND played the "Stars and Strips"<br /><br />Why didn't Don PUT ON A SHOW. HO WAS NOT UP.<br /><br />Mau Mau is an Au Pair... no?Jeromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06174332800591939009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-45341102992306899892010-09-18T15:13:39.792-05:002010-09-18T15:13:39.792-05:00Yep, I wanted TOLUENE and was unhappy that it was ...Yep, I wanted TOLUENE and was unhappy that it was TOLUOL, but I accept it.<br /><br />For the longest time I wanted something to do with SEX AND THE CITY for 36A. perhaps because I had EXT in for 33D. THE CITY finally gave way to THOUGHT, but I still was fixated on the SEX part, thinking (for too long) that ON SEX AND THOUGHT was the right answer. It sounded like the title of a thesis or book, and I liked it even though I couldn't see any connection with any of the several meanings of "reservation." Funny :)<br /><br />O SOLE MIO came rather easily, but only after I got the O (from STOOGE) and the LE_M_. A classic indeed!<br /><br />ROCKET makes me think of the skyrocketing over-use of the term "skyrocket" as a verb by the news media. What ever happened to "rose rapidly" or "increased greatly"? Easier to say, too. Try saying "skyrocketed" five times fast! LOL<br /><br />Ah, our evolving language.<br /><br />Very cool about the renminbi, C.C. You can believe I will now be able to nail it if it should ever appear in a future cw!<br /><br />BTW, I just made a big pot of cream of potato and leek soup last night, and have just enjoyed a bowl of it for lunch today. C'mon over! No, wait, ON SECOND THOUGHT it's all gone now.Jaycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15906163232315177399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-67327409539227690082010-09-18T15:00:25.158-05:002010-09-18T15:00:25.158-05:00@Doreen, your examples make no sense.@Doreen, your examples make no sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-46725724347279812282010-09-18T14:44:20.420-05:002010-09-18T14:44:20.420-05:00Hello everybody. Well, there were some annoying cl...Hello everybody. Well, there were some annoying clues and some pleasing clues in this one. Mostly annoying, though.<br /><br />Some entries could be looked up, such as PAVEL, KATARINA, INNES, IMUS, EISNER, "Tambo Colorado," and TAL. Once having filled those in (with much help from googoolala), I found it possible, barely, to fill in a little bit more, but not much. Too many clues that could mean <i><b>anything</b></i>.<br /><br />STAYSAIL, ROCKET, and TOLUOL, for example were total WTFs.<br /><br />TINES was pretty cute, but still unattainable to me except via the perps. I had _INES for quite a while before the T finally dawned on me.<br /><br />This is one of those puzzles that only reveals its cleverness, and over-cleverness, in hindsight, only after having filled it.<br /><br />I wanted SPINNAKER, of course, and I was going for something like BUCKYBALL just above it, even though I knew neither would fit. Even after I got B_C__ERIA I could get "bucky" out of my head. That's my problem, of course, not the puzzle's. Bit still, I feel there is no way anybody could fill in BACTERIA from the clue until <i>after</i> having first filled in some of the downs that cross it. I guess that's the name of the game, though.<br /><br />UNISEX??? I wanted SALONS. PETITE??? I wanted WEIGHT. And I never considered LEEKS to be a bulb, like onions and garlic obviously are. Again, that's my fault for not seeing a leek really to be a different kind of onion.<br /><br />Botton line: sigh! It was just too damn hard to be fun.<br /><br />Best wishes to you all.Jaycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15906163232315177399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-14774744526651979892010-09-18T14:39:00.821-05:002010-09-18T14:39:00.821-05:00Argyle: One more tip on whether to use "does...Argyle: One more tip on whether to use "doesn't: or "don't". Eliminate the negative portion of the word and your instinct should tell you which is correct.<br /><br />Example: cast does -or- cast do<br /><br /> one does - or one do<br /><br />That's what I used to teach my students. It was helpful to them. When I attempted the usual grammar lesson, their eyes would fog over. <br /><br />DoreenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com