tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post549385287129589386..comments2024-03-28T17:04:25.560-05:00Comments on L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - Adam T. CobbZhouqin (C.C.) Burnikelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12750267554729853785noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-82345592459496055932017-09-14T12:26:21.608-05:002017-09-14T12:26:21.608-05:00Learning moment that AHAB was a Quaker. Apparently...Learning moment that AHAB was a Quaker. Apparently, so were ship-owners Bildad and Peleg. As well as Chief Mate Starbuck. Wonder if he knew how to make a LATTE?<br /><br />Hand up for STUTTER confusing things before STAMMER fixed things. Vaguely remember TOFF only from these puzzles.<br /><br />You don't know what you are missing, Marc, by missing out on Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I read them several times starting as a young child. They were not written for children and have many layers of meaning. I recommend "Annotated Alice" by Martin Gardner as a way to read them and get some of those deeper layers.<br /><br />In any case, a fun puzzle!<br /><br />One more thing: To the person looking for a good sleep mask, I spent years in the search and found "Lewis N. Clark Comfort Eye Mask With Adjustable Straps" on Amazon to be far and away the best for comfort and light blocking:<br />https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKXRNOPicardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401317669146538447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-83950122133759789612017-09-14T00:27:15.730-05:002017-09-14T00:27:15.730-05:00Anon-T, I don't recall seeing the idiotic bike...Anon-T, I don't recall seeing the idiotic bikers' video on the news (published Nov. 2013) which I surely would have remembered. Maybe filmed in another city? Anyway, I enjoyed the comments more than the video, mostly from red-neck safety-conscious bikers. I should have been more specific about City Centre's locale - I-10W @ Beltway, not Town Centre, which I think is in your neck of the woods, somewhere down 59? Or is it "69" now? Never read the article about suddenly renaming a freeway that's been "59" for decades - really stupid idea, but then considering the intelligentsia down here @ TXDOT... (If any non-Texans are interested, acronym for Texas Department of Transportation) TX Msnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-33457587394066816852017-09-14T00:23:09.336-05:002017-09-14T00:23:09.336-05:00I don't think anyone's around except possi...I don't think anyone's around except possible Tony and Picard in the morning. I finally got to fill a xword but getting to and through the blog took awhile. <br /><br />Ludwig popped in late yesterday and said something like "Frabjous". And then, a double "Wocky" today. <br /><br />I moved through this one slowly but steadily. I misspelled SEATTLE". Having the circles gave me a head up on the theme. I stuttered at STAMMER and naturally thought of concertina wire.<br /><br />I remember in OCS crawling under the wire with blank rounds being shot at me. NOBIG<br /><br />But... When I got a prong stuck the DI* came running over singing "That's not regulation skivvies!". <br /><br />YR. Re. The music. I substituted in HS Excel and the teacher played movie theme music. I was skeptical until I noticed that the students got antsy when the CD ended. I learned to be quick about getting another going. <br /><br />So, I thought perhaps you could try that with Alan. <br /><br />Thanks Irish Miss and the rest of you for your caring and prayers. I came back to Sun City and we had no damage, just some water where our roof AC connected. <br /><br />WC<br /><br />* He was referred to as "Sergeant Instructor". In boot camp drill is "sung" by the DIs. I wonder if there are recordings of drill which illustrate the synchronicity of the sounds. Wilbur Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08905123297841127198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-54933335147074685652017-09-13T22:23:49.203-05:002017-09-13T22:23:49.203-05:00TxMs - I've seen a few "gangs" on Ho...TxMs - I've seen a few "gangs" on Hogs but they're tame compared to the packs of 6 or 8 on crotch-rockets; they're popin' wheelies and sh** down the freeway. <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JaBBaMGeXpE" rel="nofollow">This isn't typical, </a>but you get the idea. One day, I'm afraid, Karma will get them ala HG's link. <br /><br />Thank... the next time I'm at Town Centre I will seek out the Banh Mi Nazi :-). Cheers, -TAnonymous Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459563526290288425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-28083301737320807832017-09-13T22:09:09.119-05:002017-09-13T22:09:09.119-05:00Anon-T, while working at City Centre, there was a ...Anon-T, while working at City Centre, there was a sandwich shop there that made terrific banh mi sandwiches - addicting - had to have them at least twice a week, and best of all, cheap! Deli run kinda like the Soup Nazi's Kitchen on Seinfeld. And thanks for the heads-up on weaving hog-riders; they're all over the freeways, day and night, not only on weekends. TX Msnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-63053250797619818742017-09-13T21:52:14.182-05:002017-09-13T21:52:14.182-05:00I immediately thought of STUTTER, but since I solv...I immediately thought of STUTTER, but since I solve in pen (no Wite-Out in my house, D-O, can't stand the stuff being a former legal secy), I've learned to wait for perps to determine whatever choices. STAMMER it is, after PREMADE and MICROBREWERY made their appearances. Still wanted CONCERTINa, but perps were solid for -o- (I'm also musically-challenged in addition to computer-). <br /><br />HG - thanks (I think) for that scary cycle video. Such idiots - Harley rider zooms down my street four or five times a day, throttling loudly or whatever the dang term is, rattling windows - drives me crazy! <br /><br />C-E Dave @ 4:24 - nearly spluttered my wine @ your Top 10 Rules of Boozing. Hope Tinbeni chimes in with his opinions! <br /><br />Montana - thank you for your report - I didn't even think of the frightened wildlife interacting with wildfire fighters! I can't even imagine having to drive through a smoke blizzard while the fires rage on. Those fire-fighters are a breed apart, and so very brave. Winds can change so rapidly, entrapping them as what happened in the Yarnell Hill tragedy in June 2013 when 19 Prescott "Hotshots" were killed. I know you'll stay safe, Montana, but we all hope for rain/snow or whatever precipitation in your area! Please keep us posted.TX Msnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-45552299910227340322017-09-13T21:21:41.476-05:002017-09-13T21:21:41.476-05:00Oh, C.C. If you're reading, Thank You! - you ...Oh, C.C. If you're reading, Thank You! - you made me crave one... Your banh mi pic from Sunday gave me the perfect idea when a vendor invited me to lunch today. Pho Binh on Westheimer - Yum... TxMs - it's just a "little" outside The Loop at Foutntain View :-). -TAnonymous Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459563526290288425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-50134643759601774222017-09-13T19:44:39.015-05:002017-09-13T19:44:39.015-05:00Hi All!
I had the circles and it helped fix my WO...Hi All!<br /><br />I had the circles and it helped fix my WOs when I realized DRINKS go in their respective clues' ans. 38a & 49a where my 1st themers.<br /><br />Wow Adam, I admire the inspiration and, what must have been, sticktoitation that this puzzle took to execute. I can see you sitting there "OK, got MILK, SEATTLE's the inspiration, BEER's done.... ONLY ONE MORE TO GO. " :-). Thanks for a fun puzzle that puzzles me how you conceived & executed. There was some clunk but, for this grid, NO BIG.<br /><br />Thanks JzB for a wonderfully verbose expo. I can't believe INO is right and now I know what an ASTER is.<br /><br />WOs: Hand up for both Stutter and AfLAmE; Add insult, I had XX's for XLs @1st<br />ESPs: PERE, SPEE, INEZ (I was so worried there was and 'S' in ANALSE but I think that's UK.<br /><br /><b>Fav</b>: BON MOT all together after just MOT 2x in the last few weeks.<br />Honorable mentions - clue for STONY was cute; CLEAR UP xing CLOG (think traffic).<br /><br />{B, A, B-}<br /><br />Montana - I also didn't realize you're so close. Take CARE & Stay safe. I'll DRINK to snow for ya'. [Oh, and there's a thing as bear repellent?]<br /><br />Marc - yup, noticed the BIRDS dup too - slowed me in the SW, they did. <br />For those that never played, for $0.99 Angry Birds is a fun and funny game for the watercloset. <br />Here's some mellow <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T51nmyCODHQ" rel="nofollow">Byrds with Tweeters</a><br /><br />HG - There's a group of guys that WEAVE traffic on motorcycles on the Houston Freeways on the weekends. I don't know them and stay far back when I see them - I don't want to use one as a speed bump if they TOSS to the pavement. //shudder <br /><br />Cheers, -TAnonymous Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00459563526290288425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-31850542090693462432017-09-13T17:57:42.690-05:002017-09-13T17:57:42.690-05:00Ol'Man Keith, hope you eye is doing okay. And ...Ol'Man Keith, hope you eye is doing okay. And how interesting that you played Carroll on the road!Mistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17570695193695039956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-25387306522505917402017-09-13T16:41:10.165-05:002017-09-13T16:41:10.165-05:00I liked this puzzle okay. Theme was convoluted but...I liked this puzzle okay. Theme was convoluted but I got it. Hand up for STUTTER before STAMMER and ON FIRE before AFLAME before ABLAZE. Agree with Anonymous @ 1:21 PM about ship frame vs hull, with JazzBumpa about WAGE vs salary, and with Yellowrocks @ 8:01 AM about PERM. Good eye about BIRDS, Marc @ 11:42 AM. Interesting to have both SKEE and SPEE in the puzzle.<br /><br />I have played Angry Birds about twice, and have written NEAT-O here on occasion.<br /><br />I love <i>Jabberwocky</i>. We once spent several linguistics class hours analyzing "And the mome raths outgrabe."<br /><br />Best wishes to you all.Jaycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15906163232315177399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-79792376847793071452017-09-13T16:24:36.095-05:002017-09-13T16:24:36.095-05:00FIW, & I declare a foul!
Ok, I don't know...FIW, & I declare a foul!<br /><br />Ok, I don't know diddly about Horseshoes,<br />but 60d suffix with concert is definitely "INA."<br />& 61d big Tee sizes should be "XLG." (if I didn't miss the plural in "sizes.")<br />So, 66a, couldn't some kind of Horseshoe position be a "TAG?" (kind of leaner?)<br />I would really like to complain, except horseshoe turn="toss" is so bloody<br />obvious in retrospect...<br /><br />(I think this puzzle is going to drive me to drink!)<br /><br />This link made me think of Tinbeni! <a href="http://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/item-4-5.jpg" rel="nofollow">& never mix it with ice!</a><br /><br />One of the basic rules to drinking is <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2b/45/b3/2b45b36141b17053fd97bcfdfc373623.jpg" rel="nofollow">never mix drinks!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.coolfunnyquotes.com/images/quotes/told-my-wife-husband.jpg" rel="nofollow">& when I tried to explain it to my wife...</a>CrossEyedDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745913007262424048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-5095916712779757272017-09-13T16:11:50.667-05:002017-09-13T16:11:50.667-05:00Good Wednesday puzzle, very nice clueing and const...Good Wednesday puzzle, very nice clueing and construction. <br /><br />Didn't care about the circles - they were there - or the gimmick, as no need to know in order to solve, appreciated. AnonymousPVXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10078186298428497941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-6906752388894796752017-09-13T13:45:47.633-05:002017-09-13T13:45:47.633-05:00Argyle, Misty, & Anon T (from yesterday):
I...Argyle, Misty, & Anon T (from yesterday):<br /><br /> I found just the eye mask on Amazon and have ordered it! We'll see if it offers the right degree of comfort AND allows me to see at the same time. <br /><br />Today's pzl from Mr. Cobb gave me an interesting twist. Since I don't play Angry Birds and couldn't quite get a toehold in the NW corner, I reversed my usual solving pattern. Today I went directly from the NE corner down to the SW. It wasn't exactly a purist's solution (<i>i.e.</i>, not working from the first across-word to the last), but it gave me a mirror image of my customary diagonal. <br /><i>Ta- </i><b>DA!</b><br /><br />It helped greatly that my starting word was 'T'WAS, the "<i>Jabberwocky</i> opener." I still recall most of the Lewis Carroll poem by heart. It happens I did a show as Mr Carroll (more properly as the STAMMERing Rev. Charles Lutwidge "Do-do" Dodgson) for a year tour in Virginia - and later on I directed a team of young actors in a hiphop rendition of the poem. <br />(Try it yourself, and see how the rhythms work perfectly as a rap song!)<br /><br />"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"Ol' Man Keith https://www.blogger.com/profile/02073553138045178596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-41725409400721886122017-09-13T13:45:17.315-05:002017-09-13T13:45:17.315-05:00Fun Wednesday puzzle by Adam--many thanks! I love ...Fun Wednesday puzzle by Adam--many thanks! I love seeing circles in the morning, and although this wasn't a speed run, it filled in nicely in a way that made the theme apparent before too long. Looks like Adam is a Lewis Carroll fan with references to both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Jabberwocky"--thanks for giving us the texts, JazzB. Like Spitz, I too had AFLAME before ABLAZE. And thanks for the complicated and interesting explanation of UVEA, JazzB. <br /><br />Loved seeing a reference to SKEE ball. When my grandson visited last month he specifically asked that we go to Balboa Island so we could play SKEE ball at the Arcade there again. We did this years ago, when he was seven or eight, and he's never forgotten it. Sadly, this time only about three of the SKEEs were still working, and we then learned that the Arcade would be closing down soon, after being a source of delight to kids and parents for many decades. Made me sad.<br /><br />So sad to hear about Marvine GAYE's tragic ending.<br /><br />JD, my optometry guide too recommended finishing the dry eye hot compress by dipping the cloth into warm water with drops of baby shampoo, and giving the eyes a gentle rub. BunnyM, so sorry to hear Albus suffers from blindness. He's lucky to have such a caring mom.<br /><br />Have a great day, everybody!<br /><br /><br /><br />Mistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17570695193695039956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-29758033741755089512017-09-13T13:21:54.398-05:002017-09-13T13:21:54.398-05:00Unless I'm missing something (a common occurre...Unless I'm missing something (a common occurrence) 'hull' doesn't work as an answer for 'Ship frame'.<br /><br />https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_(nautical)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-72143157937881321652017-09-13T11:42:47.270-05:002017-09-13T11:42:47.270-05:00Angry Birds -- author should have used a different...Angry Birds -- author should have used a different clue, since Birds was the answer to 48 Down. I seem to be an expert in spotting duplicate clue/answer combinations.<br /><br />That clue didn't bother me as much as the Jaberwocky ones. Didn't read it in high school, not gonna now.Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00085229925507287706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-36135579297108919742017-09-13T11:39:34.658-05:002017-09-13T11:39:34.658-05:00Thanks Adam and JzB. That was fun. I was pleased w...Thanks Adam and JzB. That was fun. I was pleased with myself when I figured out the theme, even without circles. I did miss LATTE though and guessed TEA instead. <br /><br />Best wishes to all of you struggling with the aftermath of storms or the responsibility of caring for family members who need more and more of your support. Good wishes heading your way. <br /><br />Re. La La Land. I think I'll watch when it comes on cable, mainly because of very appealing Emma Stone. She's pretty and has a great personality. I think that's mainly what makes a TV or movie star popular. When you see any of them on a late night talk show, they come across as people who you would enjoy spending time with. They're usually attractive, bubbly, funny, reasonably intelligent, etc. The exception IMO was Harrison Ford. When I saw him with Letterman (about two years ago), he was grumpy, dull, cynical, humorless and just generally unappealing. I'm amazed he has been somewhat successful in movies.<br /><br />I hope you have good days, weeks and months coming up. Bill Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04495413609545426668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-57835727562749395372017-09-13T11:36:01.564-05:002017-09-13T11:36:01.564-05:00Nice puzzle today. Thank you Adam, for a bit of c...Nice puzzle today. Thank you Adam, for a bit of challenge, and great job!<br /><br />Thanks also to JzB for his completely great write-up.<br /><br />Glad to hear Tinbeni and others are doing fine in Florida. Now, it's just clean-up time. Hope you fare better than the Houston area.<br /><br />Also glad to hear from Montana and will pray for rain/snow.... whatever! Stay safe!C6D6 Pegnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-71570916874394461112017-09-13T11:10:40.854-05:002017-09-13T11:10:40.854-05:00Good Morning:
This was a very clever construction...Good Morning:<br /><br />This was a very clever construction, a theme within a theme, so to speak. Hand up for stutter/stammer, stores/troves, and on fire/ablaze. Alas, it was a DNF due to having xlg instead of xls and ina/ino. Confusing horseshoes turn with hairpin turns didn't help, so no Tada today.<br /><br />Nicely done, Adam, and nicely explained, JazzB. I watched the trailer for "La La Land" but I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to see it.<br /><br />Have a great day.<br /><br />Irish Misshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12527047622731333304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-62728860025194432902017-09-13T10:39:21.301-05:002017-09-13T10:39:21.301-05:00Montana: Hearing the firemen were having problems ...Montana: Hearing the firemen were having problems with bears was informative. I can imagine those bears are really confused and testy with their territory ABLAZE. A Montana lumberman came out and gave a talk at our state farmers' convention years ago when the Wildlife Service was introducing grizzlies to a populated part of Montana. Residents were not happy about having the bears so close to where children play. At a public meeting a Wildlife Ranger told them the children should wear bells on their clothes to scare away the bears. He also said if there was a "bad" bear, rangers would come and remove it. Someone asked, "How do you define a "bad bear". Someone in the crowd yelled, "They're the bears with bells in their poop."<br /><br />I didn't remember AHAB as a Quaker either. He sure didn't act like any of the Quakers I've known.<br /><br />Gary, prayers for you and your MIL. Always a trying time, when they get to a stage where it isn't good for them to be alone. PKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570575955563406341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-34108459853567994742017-09-13T10:27:34.302-05:002017-09-13T10:27:34.302-05:00Big Easy @ 0925.
Hand up for NEATO, but I;m not p...Big Easy @ 0925.<br /><br />Hand up for NEATO, but I;m not proud of it. You make a good point, but I don;t think it'll affect crosswords. Always a need to tweak the difficulty "just right".Spitzboovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448007368332133086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-30359609960481970442017-09-13T10:15:28.166-05:002017-09-13T10:15:28.166-05:00I just heard that my niece in Margate, FL is all r...I just heard that my niece in Margate, FL is all right. Her only damage was two minor leaks and a board ripped off her shed. She has few trees, so tree damage was not a problem, but her neighbors had a lot of downed trees and branches. She had no electricity for 36 hours starting Sunday morning.<br />Montana, I didn't realize that the fires are so close to your home. How very unnerving it must be for you. You are in my thoughts. How sad to lose all those acres of forests.<br />Gary, scary! I hate driving anywhere near motorcycles. Many of them are so unpredictable they give us no time to react.<br />I hear NEATO fairly often. I also hear NO BIGGIE fairly often. I have heard NO BIG, but rather infrequently. RAD is hippie talk from the 70's and was used constantly. <br />Alan has tear duct plugs for dry eye. They seem to work well.Yellowrockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09590216912123103432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-8044976568593013212017-09-13T09:58:02.484-05:002017-09-13T09:58:02.484-05:00Nice puzzle! Thank you, Adam T. Cobb. Any puzzle t...Nice puzzle! Thank you, Adam T. Cobb. Any puzzle that contains some Jabberwocky is fine with me.<br /><br />The theme was apparent with ROYALCROWN COLA. When we were growing up our COLA choices were limited so that one was a favorite.<br /><br />INEZ always reminds me of the movie, Don Juan DeMarco, with Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway. It's a brilliant satire with a good music track, too.<br /><br />Hand up for STUTTER before STAMMER. And I don't recall AHAB being a Quaker either.<br /><br />CSO to my late mother, LALA. R.I.P.<br /><br />Good to hear from you, Tin. Owen, wonderful! And many thanks to today's tour guide, JazzB for an outstanding commentary!<br /><br />Have a frabjous day, everyone!Lucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16278649651081244724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-86517949589153007062017-09-13T09:52:41.915-05:002017-09-13T09:52:41.915-05:00Belated Happy Birthday to Steve, and good day to a...Belated Happy Birthday to Steve, and good day to all!<br /><br />No circles, and even with the reveal, I didn't see all the theme answers. Hand up for STuttER before STAMMER, which made the NW corner the last to fill. Thanks for the thorough expo and links, JazzBumpa.<br /><br />Tinbeni--Nice to hear from you. Glad you survived Irma unscathed.<br /><br />Montana--Thank you for keeping us updated on the tragic fires in your beautiful state. The news I am seeing here in SoCal is focusing on the hurricanes and politics.<br /><br />Enjoy the day!MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17409431043640770889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995532066584316410.post-57009938490082258432017-09-13T09:47:00.674-05:002017-09-13T09:47:00.674-05:00Good morning all,
liked the theme, but this was n...Good morning all,<br /><br />liked the theme, but this was not a favorite today. I get stuck in the easiest places: one to go was delayed by the crossings of spee and no big... then throw in bon mot. Did have fun with the circles. just learned that my grands favorite lunch treats are those Milan cookies.I guess putting them in those little packages has upped their sales.<br /><br />I also have dry eye and take my drops everywhere.Cant read at night if I use that thick gel, but it really works. I also do hot compresses and massage (pressing) my eyelids. top off the ritual with baby shampoo...not fun.<br /><br />Today is odd...have both bookclubs on same day. Discussing The Other Einstein at one , and at the evening one we always have local writers who come 1/2 hour after we've discussed their book.JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789723171543457661noreply@blogger.com