L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday

Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts

May 22, 2009

Friday May 22, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: Miss Mid-ler's Favorite Things

20A: Social butterfly's flower pot?: MINGLER'S VASE (Ming Vase)

36A: Breakfast for a cuddly person?: NESTLER'S EGG (Nest Egg)

43A: Adam's tavern?: SANDLER'S BAR (Sandbar)

57A: Old West outlaw's accessory?: RUSTLER'S BELT (Rust Belt)

If you have a better theme title, please come to the Comments section.

I've never understood the western fascination with certain Ming vases. Some can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. NESTLER'S EGG is my favorite theme entry. I just learned the other day that water is also called "Adam's Ale", so I was thinking of the Biblical Adam. Adam SANDLER did not even come across my mind. RUSTLER as "cattle thief" is new to me.

Since I've been in a tie-in/pair-up/cross-referenced clues mood lately, the following clues caught my eyes immediately:

14A: End of a dash: TAPE. And KNEE (42A: End of a lap).

61A: Practice for the main event: SPAR. And ARENA (64A: Main event venue). Nice sequential order.

11D: Parisian Mrs.: MME (Madame). And SRA (61D: Arg. title).

37D: Some attys.' degrees: LLBS (Latin Legum Baccalaureus, Bachelor of Laws). And LSATS ( 51D: Hurdles for seekers of 37-Down). Both in plural form.

To me, the above clues are exhibitive of the constructor's complete awareness of all the answers he puts into his grid. And they show his effort in bringing a cohesiveness to several sets of his clues. I really like that.

I had better luck with Mike Peluso's "Galary" puzzle last time. Struggled today. Fell victim to his tricky clues.

Across:

1A: Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Look at the little guy under the leaf-hood. Can you believe he turns into a she after 2 years?

5A: __ nova: BOSSA. The dance in the 1960s.

10A: Like most radios: AM/FM

15A: Adidas founder Dassler: ADOLF. No idea. Wikipedia says both he and his brother Rudolf joined Nazi Party in the 1930s.

16A: Barrie pirate: SMEE. Of "Peter Pan". Often clued as "Captain Hook's cohort". Johnny Depp's "Finding Neverland" is about Barrie.

17A: Took too much: ODED

18A: Damage badly: TOTAL

19A: Gadgets used in drivers' education?: TEES. Golf. You can't fool me.

23A: Exodus landmark: SINAI

24A: Sacred Egyptian symbols: SCARABS. The sacred beetle, symbol of soul. I could only think of ASPS. They were sacred to the Egyptians also, right?

28A: Puzzle page feature: REBUS

32A: "A Man and a Woman" actress: AIMEE (Anouk). Have heard of the movie. Did not know who were the stars though.

33A: Accent in the pantry?: MSG. I don't understand the clue. Why "Accent"? Chinese dumplings are tastier with a tiny bit of MSG.

39A: Slurpee alternative: ICEE. Have never had either of them. Water & tea, that's all I drink.

41A: What matters: BE ALL. Can you give me an example? I've never heard of BE ALL.

46A: Bering, e.g.: Abbr.: STR (Strait). I wrote down SEA immediately. Totally oblivious of the Abbr. hint.

47A: Nobelist Root: ELIHU. He won 1912 Nobel Peace in 1912. Another ELIHU is the founder of Yale, ELIHU Yale.

48A: Keys: ISLES. Are they really the same?

50A: Manufacturers' headaches: RECALLS. Way overboard with those toy RECALLS.

53A: Copies, briefly: DUPES

65A: Aged wheel?: BRIE. The cheese is shaped like a wheel. Wicked clue.

66A: Mortgage holder's offer, for short: REFI (Refinance). Not a familiar abbreviation to me.

67A: Pick-me-up: TONIC

68A: Artist's pseudonym formed from the French pronunciation of his initials: ERTE. His original name is Romain de Rirtoff. ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials R.T.

69A: It follows the last Gospel: ACTS

70A: One in black suit: SPADE. The card. I was picturing a secret agent.

71A: Not natural: DYED. Oh, hair. Are these natural? I mean, her boobs.

Down:

1A: Energy sources: ATOMS

2D: Spokes, say: RADII

3D: Southernmost Ivy League sch.: UPENN. OK, of all the IVY Leagues schools, it's indeed the southernmost.

4D: Civil rights activist Evers: MEDGAR. No idea. Have never heard of this guy.

5D: Decrease: BATE. What's the difference between BATE and abate?

6D: It might be a clue: ODOR. I would have got the answer immediately if I were a dog.

7D: Frequent reelers: SOTS. They TOPE.

8D: Serbs and Croats: SLAVS

9D: Company with fowl-mouthed ads?: AFLAC

10D: Little star: ASTERISK. Want a nice little star in front of your record, Roger Clemens?

13D: Julio, por ejemplo: MES. Spanish for months. Julio is July, not Julio the singer or any guy's name.

21D: Bank holding: LIEN

22D: German coal region: SAAR. Lower left. I forgot. Could only think of RUHR.

25D: Answers from a flock: AMENS. Nice play on "flock".

26D: Sire: BEGET

27D: Rock Bob with the Silver Bullet band: SEGER. Oh, I did not know his band name. Somehow I thought he is the singer for the double entendres-filled "Sledgehammer".

31D: East German secret police: STASI. I just can't remember this secret STASI. Maybe I need to see "The Lives of Others", which is about the STASI (short for Staatssicherheit, German for "State Security").

33D: Philanthropist's antithesis: MISER. Really? Not recession?

34D: Do to do: SCALE. I like this clue.

35D: Photo finish?: GENIC. Photogenic. I want MATTE.

38D: Matmid Frequent Flyer Club airline: EL AL. Easy guess. Four letter airline, what else could it be? Matmid is "is a shortcut of the old name - "Hanose'aa Hamatmid- which means - the constant (or persistent) traveller. Matmid itself is a verb for persistent behaviour", according to this source.

40D: "Apollo 13" costar: ED HARRIS. Could only think of Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon. I did like ED HARRIS in "Stepmom".

44D: Corker: LULU. Did not know slangy meaning of "corker".

45D: Sommelier's array: REDS. Sommelier is new to me.

49D: Filled in: SUBBED

52D: Sharpen: STROP. I really liked the STROP clue ("Work on the cutting edge?) last time.

54D: Designer Ellis: PERRY

56D: Mount: STEED. By the way, can you call a woman a stud? Lance Armstrong described ex-wife as a stud in his biography.

58D: Yakutsk's river: LENA. No idea. It's in Siberia. See Yakutsk? It's to the right of SAKHA, along the LENA River.

59D: City west of Tulsa: ENID. What is ENID famous for?

60D: Beat fast: RACE. Hmm, I think red hot chili peppers can make some guy's heart "Beat fast". No? In case you wonder, the girl is Maggie Q (Quigley), a huge star in Asia.

62D: Chest muscle: PEC. I don't want chest muscle. Just want a smaller waist.

63D: Near the tail: AFT. Boat?

Answer grid.

C.C.

May 15, 2009

Friday May 15, 2009 Doug Peterson

Theme: Sit-COM

20A: Soothe Geronimo's people?: COMFORT APACHE (Fort Apache)

28A: Sherman tank, for one?: COMBAT MOBILE (Batmobile)

43A: "If Tarzan's bothering you, speak up!": COMPLAIN JANE (Plain Jane)

52A: Speak highly of enclosures?: COMMEND FENCES (Mend Fences)

Our local Star Tribune had a boringly incomprehensible article yesterday about a British scientist who has somehow proven that RNA is the key to the origin of life. There are two sentences that caught my eyes: "The author, John D. Sutherland, a chemist at the University of Manchester, likened his work to a crossword puzzle in which solving the first clues makes the others easier. "Whether we've done one across is an open question," he said. "Our worry is that it may not be right." You can read more here (third paragraph) in NY Time's website.

I was not familiar with John Wayne/Henry Fonda movie "Fort Apache". Did not know Batman's car the Batmobile either. But I got one across immediately today, and I got it right. Conquered the upper fairly quickly and got the COM theme early on. Struggled in the lower right corner though. Once again, several long & interesting words in the Down entries.

Just checked my blog archive and found out that most of the Doug Peterson puzzles have 4 theme entries. Some has 3. All of them are truly about synonyms, rhyming or some kind of wordplay, as he mentioned in his interview.

Across:

1A: Iraqi seaport: BASRA. Sigh. The Iraq War. Not worth the fight. Democracy should be fostered from within. BASRA is the second largest city in Iraq, after Baghdad.

10A: Dessert chain with Waffle Cone Wednesday: TCBY. Interesting, the first TCBY was opened in Clinton's Little Rock, AR (1981). I did not know that.

14A: Pigment of iron oxide: OCHER. Also spelled as OCHRE.

15A: Tolkien brutes: ORCS. And the Tolkien talking tree is ENT. Learned both from doing Xword.

16A: Anorak feature: HOOD. I forgot the meaning of anorak. It's the Eskimo parka.

19A: Lodge group: ELKS. Often clued as "Part of BPOE" (Benevolent and Protective Order of ELKS".

25A: Wedding setting: CHURCH. Nice rhyming clue.

31A: Bygone rulers: TSARS. The crossing letter S from STOOP (32D: Condescend) prevented me from thinking of CZARS or even SHAHS.

34A: Strong wagon: DRAY. Got it with the down help. I can never remember this wagon. It sure looks strong.

35A: Crow cousin: DAW. Alliterative clue again. I faintly remember seeing this bird somewhere before. OK. It's black. I guess it's indeed Crow's cousin then. Dictionary says it's "often nesting in church towers and ruins".

36A: DOJ employee: ATTY. Did not know DOJ is Department of Justice. ATTY was easy to obtain though.

37A: Spice often added to curries: CUMIN. No curry for me. Strange taste.

39A: Fiend: OGRE. I am used to the "Fairytale baddie" clue for OGRE.

40A: English site of a royal flush?: LOO. I got the answer and understood the "flush" part. But why "royal"?

41A: Hold one's own: COPE

42A: Massage: KNEAD

47A: Skillful pass: SPIRAL. No idea. Football term often stumps me.

48A: Ocean State sch.: URI (University of Rhode Island). Dr. Dad mentioned this abbreviation as a possible clue for URI when it's clued as "Swiss canton" in our old puzzle last time. But it did not register well in my brain. Wikipedia entry says CNN's Christiane Amanpour & John King both graduated from here.

49A: Doo-wop syllable: SHA. SHA is also the abbreviation for Shanghai.

56A: River through Kazakhstan: URAL

58A: Hippie's "Yeah, man!": I DIG

59A: Brag: VAUNT

60A: Star followers: MAGI. The three wise men. Good clue. I thought of GAZE first, you know, stargaze.

61A: Diamond complement: NINE. Another baseball answer is HOP (23A: Infield bounce).

62A: Money with hits: EDDIE. I knew immediately that the Money here is not the real money. But I had never heard of this rock singer. So, total blank here.

63A: Top: APEX

64A: Letters from Plato: ETAS. Alphabet letters. Lovely clue. Learned a lot about Sartre and his chasing (not just after girls) from reading Simone de Beauvoir's "A Translantic Love Affair: Letters to Nelson Algren".

65A: Printer acronym: LASER. Have never bothered to check what LASER stands for: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. TASER is short for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle.

Down:

1D: "The Garden of Earthly Delights" painter: BOSCH. His name revealed itself after I filled in the Across blanks. Here is the painting. All those people are naked.

2D: One may precede a blessing: ACHOO

3D: Oldest of Stooges: SHEMP. No idea. All I could think of is Moe, Larry and Curly.

5D: Gulches: ARROYOS. Nailed it this morning.

6D: Warm place to chill: HOT TUB. Nice clue.

7A: Subject matter: AREA. Got the answer. Do not understand the rationale.

8D: Ottawa-based law gp.: RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

9D: Derivative '80s game in which one ghost's name was changed from Clyde to Sue: MS. PAC-MAN. It's clued as "'80 arcade game" in an Allan E Parrish puzzle last Dec. Those ghost names mean nothing to me.

10D: Old Boston name: THE HUB. No idea. Only knew the "Beantown".

11D: "Kubla Khan" poet: COLERIDGE. This is the same picture of Kubla Khan we used in our history book. He's the founder of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Song, Yuan, Ming & Qing. The last four dynasties in China.

12D: With 22-Down, Asian cabbage: BOK. And CHOY (22D: See 12-Down). It's "Chinese cabbage" to be exact.

13D: Abbr. on a golf tee: YDS. PGA Championship 2009 will be played here in MN in August.

26D: Bow in pictures: CLARA. I got the answer immediately. She is "The it Girl".

27D: Cut down: HEWED. "Cut" is a very tricky word tense-wise.

29D: Campaign creators: AD MEN

30D: Half of sex-: TRI. Somehow this clear prefix mark - after sex (Latin for six) made me laugh. Why not "Half of sex?". Too DF?

31D: Easily scratched minerals: TALCS

33D: Era that began with a blast?: ATOMIC AGE. Holy cow! I had no idea that we still live in ATOMIC AGE.

37D: Montana resource site: COAL MINE. Is Montana famous for its COAL MINE like West Virginia? Doug Peterson is from Montana.

38D: Press initials: UPI

39D: Fused: ONE. Did you get this answer immediately?

41D: Casino delicacy?: CLAM. Big stumper. Not familiar with Clams Casino at all. What are those blackened stuff? Looks like they are burned.

42D: Either of two notable jumpers: KNIEVEL

44D: Long-winded: PROLIX. New word to me. I thought of PROSAIC.

45D: Story that tells the story of Samson: JUDGES. No idea. All I know about Samson is that he is a strong man and Samsonite is named after him.

46D: Strip yip: ARF. Oh, comic strip.

49D: Scoots along, as a cloud: SCUDS. Always have trouble remembering this cloud moving meaning of SCUD.

50D: "Thin Ice" star, 1937: HENIE. I am sure it's a gimme for Clear Ayes. Me? I forgot all about Sonja HENIE.

51D: Autumn blossom: ASTER. Greek for star. I just found out that disaster is actually rooted in ASTER. How surprising!

54D: Ricci of fashion: NINA. These NINA Ricci models all look like famished.

55D: Zilch: NADA. Would love to see ZILCH as answer some day.

56D: She played Emma in "The Avengers": UMA. Easy guess. It's either UMA or EVA (Longoria). I've never seen "The Avengers".

57D: Good thing to beat: RAP. "Beat the RAP" is a new slang to me.

Answer grid.

C.C.

May 8, 2009

Friday May 8, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: EY Drops

18A: One shivering atop Mount Arafat?: COLD TURK(ey)

19A: Tool in a Belfast bakery?: IRISH WHISK(ey)

33A: Desperate farmer's transaction?: FIELD HOCK(ey)

49A: Abbey resident in a rock 'n-roll musical?: GREASE MONK(ey)

53A: Serious Frisbee thrower?: DISC JOCK(ey)

Mount Arafat, where Noah's Ark landed, is in Turkey. I love the image IRISH WHISK evokes. Not familiar with the "pawn" meaning of HOCK. "Grease" is on my Netflix queue now. DISC JOCK tipped me off the theme. It was actually my first complete theme fill.

This grid has only 32 blocks & 70 words. Such a themeless clean look. So open in all the four corners. Dan Naddor mentioned that he always shoots for at least 20 entries of 6 letters or more in his puzzles. And in this grid, he has 21 alone in Across entries. And another 18 6-letter entries in the Down fills. So, total 39. Yesterday's puzzle, on the other hand, has lots lots of 4-letter entries (37 blocks & 78 words).

Several clever clues:

23A: Follower of Christ?: IAN. Christian. Nice change from IAN Fleming or IAN McKellen.

32A: The Boss's address?: E STREET. Bruce Springsteen's The E STREET Band. His nickname is "The Boss".

55D: Mo. named for the Roman god of doorways: JAN. Janus, the god who has 2 heads facing opposite direction. Very refreshing fill.

I had my normal Friday struggle. But I filled in lots of blanks and exceeded my expectation. So I am happy.

Across:

1A: ABCs: BASICS. Can't believe the first entry is so simple.

7A: Banter: REPARTEE

15A: Depth charge, slangily: ASHCAN. I did not know the meaning of "Depth charge". Is it somehow related to the ASHCAN school?

16A: Magnetite et al.: IRON ORES

17A: __ dream: optimist's philosophy: DARE TO. I was thinking of Cassandra's Dream.

21A: Vous, in Weimar.: SIE. No idea. I don't speak German. It's the formal "you". The informal one is Du (tu in French), How come there is no SIE or Du in "Ich liebe dich"?

22A: Pester for payment: DUN. Learned this word from my brother. He also calls potato "murphy".

26A: Polished: ELEGANT. I was thinking of a past tense verb.

31A: Houston team affiliated with the NHL's Minnesota Wild: AEROS. Have vaguely heard of this hockey team. Was unaware of the Wild connection though.

36A: Distant: FARAWAY

38A: Catcher with a pot: EELER. Ha ha, gimme. Dan Naddor clued EELS as "Fish caught in a pot" in his "Put a Lid on It" Sunday puzzle. But LAT website wrongly uploaded Merl Reagle's "TV shows I'd Like" that weekend.

42A: Actress Francis and others: ARLENES. Often clued as "Francis and Dahl".

43A: Military exercise: WAR GAME

45A: Sees: DATES. Oh, romantically. I thought of ESPY first.

48A: "Here __ Again" (Whitesnake #1 hit): I GO. All I remember about this video is Tawny Kitae. She was married to Chuck Finley for a few years.

57A: Dinner alternative: A LA CARTE. First time I saw a full A LA CARTE in a grid.

58A: Blush: REDDEN

59A: Allure: SEXINESS. Love the clue and the answer.

60A: Covers with crumbs: BREADS. These croquette are mouthwatering.

Down:

1D: "I wouldn't": BAD IDEA. Did not get it immedately.

2D: By and large: AS A RULE

3D: Red fez wearer: SHRINER. Why "red"? The guy on the right is wearing a black fez.

5D: Like the pope: Abbr.: CATH

6D: Strand at the chalet: SNOW IN

7D: Toxin found in castor beans: RICIN. I remember the castor oil plants my grandma had. Can't remember what she used the seeds for.

8D: Cupid's counterpart: EROS. Cupid's Greek counterpart, to be exact.

9D: President between Tyler and Taylor: POLK. His middle name is KNOX, which often appears in our crossword.

11D: Falderal: ROT. I did not know the meaning of "falderal".

12D: Bankruptcy court appointee: TRUSTEE. Love the clue, esp given the current economic situation. Aren't you curious about whom Bernie Madoff was trying to protect by being silent? Who is behind him?

14D: Glacial ridges: ESKERS. New word to me. Dictionary defines it as "a serpentine ridge of gravelly and sandy drift, believed to have been formed by streams under or in glacial ice." I think I will connect ESKER with ASKER.

20D: Monopoly token: HAT. No idea. I actually played Monopoly once. Don't remember the token HAT though.

24D: "Moon River" lyricist: MERCER (Johnny). Got his name from Across fills. Do you like "Breakfast at Tiffany's"?

25D: Pub container: ALE KEG

27D: Get off: GO FREE. Oh, not the DF slangy "Get off".

29D: Show to a seat, slangily: USH. If you say so.

30D: Pou __: vantage point: STO. Absolutely no idea. Dictionary says it's Greek for "where I may stand". And it's from the reputed saying of Archimedes, "Give me where I may stand and I will move the whole world with my steelyard." A place to stand upon; a locus standi; hence, a foundation or basis for operations.

32D: Big name in ice cream: EDY. Not EDY'S??

34D: Ram's ma'am: EWE. Lovely clue.

35D: Much of "Deck the Halls": LAS. The fa-la-la refrain. I drew a blank.

36D: Like some egos: FRAGILE. Thought of BLOATED, which has 7 letters also.

37D: Glazunov wrote a 1934 concerto for one: ALTO SAX. No idea. Have never heard of "Saxophone Concerto", Alexander Glazunov's last major work. He died soon after the premiere.

39D: The Dodgers retired his #2 in 1997: LASORDA. Tommy LASORDA is super-friendly in signing autographs. Somehow I thought #2 is Duke Snider, whose #4 jersey was retired by the Dodgers in 1980. I was way off.

41D: Figures: RECKONS

43D: "We Are Marshall" setting: Abbr.: W. VA. I confused "We Are Marshall" with Tommy "U.S. Marshals".

44D: Condense on a surface: ADSORB. Only knew ABSORB

46D: Rink fakes: DEKES. Learned this term from doing Xword.

49D: Bush battler: GORE (Al). Have you seen Kevin Spacey's "Recount"? Very fascinating to me, as I was not here when Bush battled GORE.

50D: IRS auditor's requests: RCTS. I am used to RCPT.

52D: Ancient Persian: MEDE. The area they lived in called Media/Medea.

54D: LXVII thrice: CCI. Roman 201.

Answer grid.

C.C.

May 1, 2009

Friday May 1, 2009 Gareth Bain

Theme: NIXON (Follower of Johnson, and a two-word hint to this crossword's theme) NIX ON → ON is nixed.

18A: Communist watering hole?: THE RED BAR(ON)

59A: Place for a paw?: LEG OF MUTT(ON)

3D: Plead with one's frontier buddy?: BEG YOUR PARD(ON)

26D: Adorable, bottomwise?: CUTE AS A BUTT(ON)

CUTE AS A BUTT tipped me off the theme. And it's also my favorite theme answer. I wonder if it's the constructor Gareth Bain's seed theme entry. ((Note: Gareth told me his seed entry is NIXON). He is a very young South African. I was thinking of FOOT OF MUTT rather than LEG OF MUTT for "Place of a paw?".

NIXON is the best unifying answer I've seen in a TMS or LAT puzzle. Very creative. Once again, I did not really need it to get the theme answers. Just a wonderful Aha revealing moment. Lots of clever wordplay in this puzzle. I got most. Still don't understand the clue for CASINO (29D: Strip tease?"). How so?

Last time when AYE SIR (47A: Ensign's affirmative) was clued as "Mate's response", both Barry G and Frank (he served in the Navy) mentioned that the sailors normally respond with two AYE's , always "AYE AYE SIR".

This might be our last eased-up Friday puzzle. Rich Norris said the puzzle will return to normal at the end of April/early May.

Across:

1A: Not loaded: SOBER. Just learned that "sauce" is a slang for alcohol too. Off the sauce = SOBER.

6A: Guy: CHAP. Used to think that CHAP only applies to young LAD, but it can refer to grown-up man too.

10A: Nuts' opposite: SOUP. "SOUP to nuts" is a new idiom to me. What is a typical "dessert of nuts"?

14A: Slide subject: AMEBA. Ah, lab slide.

15A: Tuna order: RARE. This ahi tuna looks delicious. Sesame seeds are very easy to get burned.

16A: Ballpark phrase: OR SO

20A: Prius automaker: TOYOTA. Do you know why they named their car Prius? Is it some god's name? Paris' father is Priam.

22A: Fishing for marlin, e.g.: AT SEA. I like this clue. Technically ASEA is also correct, isn't it?

23A: Long-tongued Congo critter: OKAPI. Oh, I did not know this trivia. The long prehensible tongue helps them to grip and pull leaves. I can only remember its unique striped legs.

26A: MV ÷ V: CCI. Roman 201.

29A: French vineyard: CRU. Reminded of Meg Ryan/Kevin Kline's "French Kiss". Luc has a beautiful vineyard in French countryside.

31A: "Turn Me Loose" singer, 1959: FABIAN. No idea. His lip movement does not match the lyrics.

33A: Use up: BURN. Did not come to me readily.

34A: Costs of getting high?: AIRFARES. Great clue.

36A: Some National Music Museum treasures: AMATIS. Another good clue. I've never heard of the National Music Museum though. Strange, it's located in South Dakota.

38A: Deep sleep: SOPOR. Ugh, stumped. Saw identical clue before.

39A: Gen - ___: XER. This time range is a bit confusing. But I am a Gen- XER, born in 1971.

42A: Stressed type: ITALIC. Nice clue.

44A: Blowup in a jam: ROAD RAGE. I remember seeing one scary movie about ROAD RAGE, but I can't think of the title now.

46A: Teen movie stereotype: NERD. Have you seen "Napoleon Dynamite"?

49A: Virgo's mo., maybe: SEP. Virgo (August 23 and September 22).

50A: Roulette bet: ODD. Wrote down RED immediately.

52A: Twin Cities suburb: EDINA. This clue reminds me of our fellow solver T.J. He lives in Osseo, another 5-letter "Twin Cities suburb". Tomorrow is his birthday.

54A: D-Day beach: OMAHA

56A: Defendants' spouses, sometimes: ALIBIS. I like this clue too.

63A: Show jubilation: EXULT. And OOZE (54A: Exhibit aplenty, as confidence). This puzzle has a very cheerful tone.

64A: All-inclusive: A TO Z

67A: Ford, for example: WADE. I actually knew the shallow water meaning of ford. But I still couldn't get President Ford out of my brain.

68A: Lo-cal: LITE

69A: Readily accessible: ON TAP

Down:

1D: It can be helpful in a pinch: SALT. Love this clue too.

2D: Melville South Seas novel: OMOO. "Typee" sequel, learned from doing Xword as well.

4D: Project Gutenberg offering: EBOOK. Oh well, I am definitely living under a rock. Have never heard of Project Gutenberg. It's founded in 1971, and it's the oldest digital libary, according to Wikipedia. I've never seen a Kindle in person either.

5D: Haile Selassie worshipers's movement: RASTAFARI. Ah, Bob Marley. Here is "Stir it Up" again.

6D: Monitor, for short: CRT

7D: "I get it, but ...": HA HA. I don't get it. How so?

8D: First name in soul: ARETHA. Queen of soul. I don't like her hat and I don't understand all the rage about that hat.

9D: Image: PERSONA. Contrasted with anima the inner personality.

10D: Shake alternative: SODA. COLA works too, right?

12D: Permanent U.N. Security Council member: USA. The other four members are: China, France, Russia and the UK.

13D: Neighbor of ESP, in the Olympics: POR. No idea. Why? Spain & Portugal in Spanish?

19D: Dark'ning time: EEN. Opposite morn.

24D: Goat with recurved horns: IBEX. "Recurved" is "curved upward". It's clued as "Alpine goat" last time. I used to confuse IBEX with ILEX, the "Holm oak" Allan Parrish used in his last puzzle.

27D: Cower: CRINGE

28D: Marching well: IN STEP

30D: Took to the streets: RIOTED. Thought of the youth RIOTS in France a few years ago.

32D: Department bordering Savoie: ISERE. No idea. OK, they are bordering each other. ISERE is 38, Savoie is 73. I am used to the Rhone river clue. Actually it's clued as "Grenoble's river" in our last puzzle.

35D: Choose not to call: FOLD. Oh, poker again. I thought it's phone call.

37D: Native of central Spain: MADRILENO. New word to me. It's "a native or inhabitant of Madrid, Spain". Madrid is in central Spain.

43D: Confection created by heating sugar: CARAMEL. Hmmm, crème brûlée, want some?

45D: Operative princess: AIDA. And the "Operative prince" is IGOR. And "Sarah McLachlan hit" is ADIA.

48D: Violinist Menuhin: YEHUDI. Literally, "Jew" in Hebrew. I got his name from across fills. According to Wikipedia, he is commonly considered one of the twentieth century's greatest violin virtuosi.

51D: Global currency org.: IMF (International Monetary Fund). How does its function differ from that of World Bank?

55D: Working hard: AT IT

57D: The "she" in "Of all the gin joints... she walks onto mine": ILSA. From "Casablanca". My favorite line is "We'll always have Paris".

59D: Mason's field: LAW. Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason.

60D: Letter from Athens: ETA. Greek H. Vowel though.

61D: Mars, for one: GOD. Mars is Roman God of War (Greek Ares). I was thinking of the planet Mars. Good morning, Spirit!

Answer grid.

C.C.

Apr 24, 2009

Friday April 24, 2009 Robert H. Wolfe

Theme: Short Paths

18A: Speed?: BURN UP THE RD (Road)

24A: Average Joe?: MAN ON THE ST (Street)

35A: Badly fluster?: DR (Drive) TO DISTRACTION

50A: Excessive charge?: HWY (Highway) ROBBERY

57A: Way out?: AVE (Avenue) OF ESCAPE

Maybe it's not structurally possible to position all the above street-type theme answers at the very end of the phrases. Or all in the beginning.

Dictionary says "man in the street" means "Average Joe", not "on the street". I found out that MAN ON THE STREET is a Bob Dylan song. Actually, several of the above theme entries are song titles.

I had huge trouble with this puzzle. I always do when I can't catch the theme earlier on. Lots of abbreviations in the grid. Robert H. Wolfe (the last one on the list) is another of Stan Newman's Newsday regular contributors. His bio says he is a veterinarian.

Across:

1A: Year in which Michelangelo began work on "David": MDI. I got M immediately from MAI (1D: Printemps month), which is French for May. Printemps is "spring". But I had trouble obtaining DI. The clue would have been a straightforward "Roman 1501" if it were a Monday/Tuesday puzzle.

4A: NCAA Mountain West Conf. team: UNLV. University of Neveda, Las Vegas. The Runnin' Rebels. Wikipedia says it's located in a Las Vegas suburb called Paradise. Here is a list of all Mountain West Conference members.

14A: Jordin Sparks duet: NO AIR. See this clip. Someone (Embien?) linked this song on the blog before. But I forgot all about it. Jordin Sparks is the winner of Season 6 of "American Idol".

16A: Place: STEAD. I was thinking of a verb.

17A: Doctrine: ISM

20A: Marching band wind: FIFE. Just learned that FIFE is rooted in German Pfeife, meaning " pipe". FIFE can be a verb also. Chinese dizi is a kind of flute too.

22A: Kept in the loop, for short: CCED. Trouble for me. I was not thinking of the email cc.

23A: Barbera d'__: Italian wine: ASTI. Easy guess, since ASTI is the wine region. I've never heard of this red wine.

26A: Center: CORE

27A: Exaggerate: OVERDO

28A: Sash insets: PANES. Oh window. I was picturing kimono obi. Obi is literally "sash" in Japanese.

29A: Jacket specification: LONG. Not large?

30A: Antique shop transaction: RESALE. Someone bought this first issue of Sports Illustrated at an antique shop for only $15. I've never had any luck there. How about you?

41A: Puts out: ISSUES. I did not know "Put out" can mean publish.

42A: "Getting to Know You" singer on Broadway: ANNA. From "The King and I". I've never heard of the song.

43A: Splendor: ECLAT. Ah, "Brilliant success". I often confuse this word with ECLAIR.

47A: In any way: SO EVER. I've never used SO EVER alone, always "What SO EVER".

49A: Collar: NAIL. Verb.

54A: "Power Lunch" airer: CNBC. I like Sue Herera. The guy on her right is Bill Griffeth. My husband watches "Power Lunch" every day.

55A: San __: REMO. Which one are we referring to here?

60A: One might be run before bedtime: TUB. Yep, every night, for me.

62A: Volley: SALVO

63A: Folded food: TACOS. Not a fan of Mexican food. Too hot.

64A: "Walking on Thin Ice" singer: ONO. I was not aware of this song. Wikipedia says Yoko Ono and John Lennon concluded the recording of this song on Dec 8, 1980. And it was upon their return from the recording studio to their home that Lennon was murdered.

65A: Colchester's county: ESSEX. Alliteration again. I guessed. I pen in ESSEX for all the 5-letter county clues. I had no idea where Colchester is. Wikipedia says it claims to be the oldest town in Britian.

66A: Ships, to sailors: SHES

67A: Dietary no.: RDA. Is it Recommended Daily Allowance or Recommended Dietary Allowance?

Down:

2D: The doghouse, so to speak: DISFAVOR. Would not have got the answer without the across fills.

3D: At hand: IMMINENT. Are they really interchangable? Can you give me an example? I thought "At hand" means "close by".

4D: Straighten: UNBEND. Mercy me! This is a real word. I thought the constructor made it up.

5D: __-turn: NO U. Boy, I felt stupid. The answer did not come to me readily at all. Need more time to adjust to multiple word fills.

6D: Tree with durable wood: LARCH. Wikipedia says it's waterproof too, hence it's used in building yachts and boats. Like teak, I suppose.

6D: Edwards who played Ben Casey: VINCE. New actor to me. Have never heard of the TV series "Ben Casey" either.

9D: Odysseus' kingdom: ITHACA. OK, here is Sean Connery's ITHACA again. Still can't believe Connery is a misogynist.

10D: "Rob Roy" actor: NEESON. Which is your favorite Liam NEESON movie? Dennis probably likes his "Les Misérables".

11D: "La Nausée" author: SARTRE. See the book cover. All SARTRE's love interests (except Simone de Beauvoir of course) seemed to be pretty but dumb. He declined the Nobel Prize. Probably mad that Camus got his first.

12D: Swirls: EDDIES

19D: Summer term at UCLA?: PDTS. PDT is Pacific Daylight Time. I outsmarted myself, thinking "summer" is a wordplay on one who sums up, so I wrote down ADD immediately.

21D: Pass up: FORGO. "Precede" is FOREGO.

24D: Form: MOLD

25D: Spelling et al: TORIS. I was trapped again, thinking of the spelling spelling, not Tori Spelling.

28D: Fan-shaped muscle: PEC. I suppose it's "Fan-shaped".

31D: Leader of Senegal?: ESS. Can't fool me! Senegal starts with letter S, hence "leader".

32D: Onetime Beatle Sutcliffe: STU. I know there was a 5th Beatle. Could not remember his name though. I am so happy that it's not clued as "Alphabet trio" again like RST (8D: Alphabet trio).

34D: Catch, oater-style: LASSO

36D: Code word: DIT

37D: Billy Blanks' fitness program: TAE BO. Portmanteau of TAE kwon do and Boxing.

38D: Market figure: INVESTOR. I was thing of the real number, not person. Good clue.

39D: 18 holes, say: ONE ROUND. More used to "A ROUND".

43D: Box up: ENCASE

44D: Boxing surface: CANVAS. Just learned this fact a few weeks ago.

45D: Risks a lawsuit, in a way: LIBELS. I often misspell this word as LIBLE.

46D: dining area, perhaps: ALCOVE

48D: Haunt: OBSESS. Wrote down HARASS, which is actually "Hound".

50D: Otto I was its first leader: Abbr.: HRE. Holy Roman Empire (800-1806). The last one is Francis II, who abdicted and dissolved the Empire during the Napolenic Wars, according to Wikipedia.

51D: Lincoln-to-Cheyenne direction: WEST. I like this clue.

52D: Character-building grps.: YMCAS

58D: Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. __": FOX. The answer revealed itself. I am not familiar with this book.

59D: "Annabel Lee" poet: POE. Nice clip.

61D: Squeezer: BOA. No idea. Is it because the snake squeezes?

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to our fellow solver Kazie!

C.C.

Apr 17, 2009

Friday April 17, 2009 Daniel A. Finan

(Note from C.C.: Something was amiss with the original post. This is a copy and paste the old post with Google cached commments.)

Friday April 17, 2009 Daniel A. Finan

Theme: IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S ME (56A: Classic breakup line, and a hint to the formation of this puzzle's theme answers) ME → U 16A: Step in a pizza recipe? MOMENT OF OLIVES (Mount of Olives) 20A: Simpson dad with a dozen donuts?: HAPPY HOMER (Happy Hour) 35A: Hook's mate in his formative years? A BOY NAMED SMEE (A Boy Named Sue) 49A: Headline about carpentry work for a financial institution? BANK FRAMED (Bank Fraud) I grokked the theme only after I got A BOY NAMED SMEE. SMEE is often clued as "Hook's mate". I like HAPPY HOMER the most, very evocative clue. MOMENT OF OLIVES and BANK FRAMED did not come to me easily. Do they sound natural to you? Lovely theme. I am really in awe of LAT constructors' creativity. I can't imagine going back to the familiar but drab TMS Daily. I think I commented "Good clue" probably once or twice a week then. But with the Rich Norris puzzles, I feel I am constantly entertained and challenged. My favorite clue today is ETE (12D: Quartier d'__: July/August Parisian festival). It's not flashy, no wordplay. And I've never heard of Quartier d'ETE before. But the months, the word quartier both point to the season ETE. I appreciate the constructor/editor's constant effort in coming up with new clues. Like yesterday's, today's grid also has 40 black squares (43 is the limit). Our old puzzle limit is 38. I guess that's because Williams does not allow cheater (helper) squares. Barry Silk says it makes constructing for TMS more difficult. Here is the defintion of cheater square: "Any black square which can be removed from a crossword diagram, along with its symmetrically opposite black square, without decreasing the total word count of the puzzle. A puzzle may be rejected if its diagram contains too many cheater black squares." In today's grid, the four cheater squares are (Fred, please correct me if I am wrong): the black square directly above PHI (18D: 21st Greek letter), the one directly under ADE (47D: Lime ending). They are symmetrical partners. And the one directly above MGM (39D: Vegas's __ Grand) and the one under XED (26D: Crossed (out). Another symmetrical pair. Most of the solvers are probably unaware and don't really care about the above information. I just want to share with you what I've learned. They can avoid obscure fills and make the grid smoother. A tough slog for me today. The lower left corner was too hard. Across: 1A: Butterfly units?: STROKES. Swimming. I was thinking of TWO TEES, as there are two letter T in butterfly. 8A: Home in the Alps: CHALET. Made of wood. 14A: "Again ...": I REPEAT 15A: Rock salt: HALITE. New word to me. Hal is a prefix for "salt". Wikipedia says it's used on the driveway to melt the ice. I thought this "Rock salt" is edible like Chinese rock sugar. 18A: Cotton plant originally from Peru: PIMA. Have never heard of PIMA cotton. It's "high-quality cotton Arizona Indian Pima cotton is named after the Pima Native Americans who first cultivated the plant in the US, but its origins date back to its cultivation in Peru." 19A: Tranquility: REPOSE. Somehow I always associate this word with death. 27A: November winners: INS. The election winners. I drew a blank. Since the 2009 World Series is scheduled to start on Oct 28, 2009, the "November winners" might be a baseball team. 28A: Suffix with Caesar: EAN. Caesarean. Straightforward clue. 29A: Touchy?: TACTILE. I knew it's a wordplay on "Touch-y" because of the question mark, but I was not capable of outsmarting this constructor/editor. 34A: Broadcast: AIRED. I adore the tense ambiguity in clues like broadcast, put & hit. 39A: Pooh pooh-bah: MILNE. I don't understand why "pooh-bah". I know "Winnie-the-Pooh" was written by A. A. MILNE. But "pooh-bah" has a negative connotation to me. Dictionary says Pooh-bah is a character in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado". He holds all of the high offices of state simultaneously and uses them for personal gain. 41A: Paul who played the principal in "The Breakfast Club": GLEASON. Which one is Paul GLEASON? I've never heard of him. The girl in pink looks pretty. I only know "Minnesota Fats" Jackie GLEASON. 52A: "Awakenings" Oscar nominee: DE NIRO. No idea. I've never seen this movie. Which is your favorite Robert DE NIRO movie? My husband never gets tired of "Casino". I like him in "New York, New York". 61A: Brunch fare: QUICHE. Here is some QUICHE for you. Not my "Brunch fare". I'd love to have this bento box. 62A: Actor whose birth name was Aristoteles: SALVALAS (Telly). Ha, gimmie. We had this Greek name discussion a while ago. See here. It says Telly means "Best" and is the diminutive of Aristotelis/Aristotle. Is Aristoteles and Aristotelis the same in Greek? 63A: Thermometer, e.g.: SENSOR 64A: Gold or silver: ELEMENT. Medal too. Down: 1D: One in Tarzan's family tree?: SIMIAN. I kept thinking ape something. 3D: Routs: TROMPS 4D: Cockney anticipation?: 'OPE. Hope. The sound "H" is dropped in Cockney accent. Kind of like French. 5D: Muscular doll: KEN. G.I. Joe is more muscular. 8D: "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" author: CHOPRA (Deepak). See the book cover . See him on TV occassonally. Don't know this book or any of the 50 books he has written. 10D: Father-daughter boxers: ALI. Muhammad ALI and Laila ALI. 11D: Dynamo: LIVE WIRE. The answer is new to me. Maria Bartiromo (CNBC) is a LIVE WIRE then. 13D: Some NFL receivers: TES (Tight Ends). A gimme for many of you I am sure. But I was stumped again. Who is the most famous TE in NFL history? 17D: Dogs in shoes?: FEET. I did not know dogs are slang for FEET. Good clue. 18D: 21st Greek letter: PHI. Had trouble obtaining this answer. Total 24 letters in Greek alphabet. I only know the exact order of the first three: Alpha, Beta and Gamma & the last two: Psi and Omega. Pi is the 16th. 21D: Enthusiastic agreement: YES YES 22D: Chemistry Nobelist Otto: HAHN. Nobel 1944. Regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry" and the "founder of the atomic age". Googled him last time when Williams clued an obscure answer HAHNIUM with a more obscure clue "Unnipentium". But I couldn't recall anything about him this morning. 23D: Fit for service: ONE A. See this complete list. 25D: Sailor's heading: ALEE. I don't get this. ALEE is an adverb, but the answer is asking for a noun. I wanted TACT, the term I just learned a week ago when SAILOR'S HEADING was clued as "Tact". 30D: City with a view of the Laramie Mountains: CASPER. See this map. I've never heard of this city. Don't know where the Laramie Mountains is. Wikipedia says Dick Cheney grew up here. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. 31D: Allen and Burton: TIMS 32D: Chaplin's last wife: OONA. And IDA (45A: Filmdom's Lupino). Both in Anne Bancroft's "Yma Dream" I linked yesterday. 36D: Assimilates: BLENDS IN. A habit I adopted from working for Pinkerton Investigations. Always BLEND IN, never stand out. 38D: German town: DORF. No idea. Maybe Kazie can explain to us in the Comments section. How is it different from Stadt? 39D: Vegas's __ Grand: MGM. Have you been there? 42D: __ dictum: passing remark: OBITER. Can you make a sentence for me? I've never heard of this Latin phrase before. 43D: Old-timey "not": NARY. Oh, I don't know it's "Old-timey". See "NARY a one" so often in the crossword that I thought it's a common phrase. 45D: Bo Diddley hit: I'M A MAN. See the clip. I got it from across fills. I've heard of "I'm Woman" though. It turns out there is also a song titled "I'm a Woman". 46D: Loathe: DETEST 50D: Western omen: NOOSE. Why? I thought NOOSE was the old lynching omen for black people. Golfweek fired their editor because of the NOOSE cover. 51D: Grocery section: AISLE 53D: Env. contents: ENCS (Enclosers). I wrote down SAES first. 54D: Manhattan area above Houston Street: NOHO. Stands for North of Houston Street. I wanted SOHO, which is South of Houston Street. 56D: Lex Luthor's 200, and others: IQS. Lex Luthor is the archenemy of Superman. I've never heard of him, so 200 meant nothing to me. Big stumper. 57D: Datebook abbr.: TUE. I need "Mon. follower" for the answer to be a gimme. 58D: Chi.-based flier: UAL (United Air Lines) 60D: Scot's topper: TAM. Made of wool. Answer grid. C.C.

80 comments:

DennisApril 17, 2009 at 5:31 AM
Good morning, C.C. and fellow head-scratchers - crashed and burned today. Problems all over the place. Finally got a bit of traction in the NE and then didn't know 'Chopra', and didn't see 'repose' as exactly synonymous with 'tranquility'. It didn't help that I couldn't pick up a theme as I went along.

I'm running late for the gym, so I'll post more later, but suffice to say this one was a real bear, and I still loved it.

Today is National Cheeseball Day AND National Blah Blah Blah Day. You can't make this stuff up.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "Go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize after something's been done than to get permission ahead of time." - Mathematician Grace Murray Hopper (a most remarkable lady)

Even more Fun Facts:

- Spam filters that catch the word 'cialis' will not allow many work-related emails through because that word is embedded inside the word 'specialist'.

- The average diameter of a raindrop is 1 to 2 millimeters, and they fall from the sky on average 21 feet per second.

6 and a wakeup.
Reply
C.C. BurnikelApril 17, 2009 at 5:53 AM
Dennis,
A BOY NAMED SMEE tipped me off the theme. I disagree with the quote today. It's prudent to think twice before you speak or act. What is the diameter of tears then?

Jeanne in PA,
Yes, Sunday LAT is of the same difficulty level as Thursday's.

Martin,
Both Japanese & Korean sentences end in verb, don't they?

Fred,
Regarding the 140 ELHI the other day, did you refer to Cruciverb's database or some other resources? Also, am I correct about today's four cheater squares?
Reply
C.C. BurnikelApril 17, 2009 at 6:00 AM
Nate & Treefrog,
Hey! Now let's hear more from you two.

Puzzled_in_pdx,
Thanks for GOG & AGOG. I've been enjoying your posts in the past few days. We get quite a few solvers from Oregon area.

Anonymous @9:38am,
Very interesting take on HARD G.

Anonymous @1:03pm,
Great link. Please do leave your name next time.
Reply
MartinApril 17, 2009 at 6:09 AM
Butterfly units?: STROKES.Doh! I thought of COCOONS but I didn't write that in because I was sure 5 DOWN was either (GI)JOE or KEN. (My brother had a GI Joe and my sister had a Ken doll. I'm sorry but Ken was a wimp compared to Joe so I think a "musculor doll" would be JOE and not KEN.)

Brunch fare: QUICHE.I had OMELET.

One in Tarzan's family tree?: SIMIAN. I kept thinking ape something.I had APE MAN.

Some NFL receivers: TES (Tight Ends).I'm not familiar with the baseball term "tight end". To me the term "tight end" would refer to something else entirely.

Sailor's heading: ALEE. I don't get this. ALEE is an adverb, but the answer is asking for a noun. I wanted TACTALEE is specifically a direction and you head in a direction. I don't understand why TACT would be an answer.

Old-timey "not": NARY. Oh, I don't know it's "Old-timey". See "NARY a one" so often in the crossword that I thought it's a common phrase.But you will NARY here it in modern usage. :)

I got HAPPY HOMER and IT'S NOT YOU: IT'S ME right away. All those hours watching The Simpons and Seinfeld weren't completely wasted. SAVALAS and ELEMENT were also gimmes but, alas, I was unable to take advantage of the good start and work my way up the grid.

Martin
Reply
C.C. BurnikelApril 17, 2009 at 6:10 AM
PromiseMe,
D'oh. I got TELLS by wrong reason. Thanks.

Wolfmom,
It's fun for me to share with others what I know. I am so happy that you enjoy my daily babbles.

Oberhasli,
Like Windhover, you sound like a very intriguing person. When will you go blue?

Kazie, Argyle, Elissa et al,
As always, thanks for the answers yesterday.
Reply
MartinApril 17, 2009 at 6:12 AM
Both Japanese & Korean sentences end in verb, don't they?I've been told that most Asian languages do. Chinese seems oddly familar to English speaking people because most Chinese sentences follow the subject(or topic)-verb-object pattern.

Martin
Reply
C.C. BurnikelApril 17, 2009 at 6:14 AM
Martin,
Really? Including Arabic?
Reply
BobApril 17, 2009 at 6:23 AM
Lex Luther's IQ is 200. That explains 56D. You have to be a real Superman buff to get that one.

I too had trouble with the theme clues: they just did not flow for me today.

Beautiful morning in SE Virginia. Sorry for the folks in the west central states --- hope the flooding is not bad.

I remember the Grace Hopper quote as "it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission." I met Adm. Hopper in NY in the 70's --- she was truly remarkable. The midwife of modern computing. She also rumored to have coined the use of "bug" to describe a computer glitch and "debugging" to describe the process of fixing bugs. The legend is there was a moth in the works causing problems and she remarked they had to debug the system.
Reply
BobApril 17, 2009 at 6:26 AM
Martin,

NFL is National Football League. Tight end is a football position, not baseball.
Reply
C.C. BurnikelApril 17, 2009 at 6:59 AM
Bob,
Hey! Is this your first time to visit the Comments section? What's the name of your newspaper? Interesting information on Grace Hopper & bugging/debugging.

Frank
Re: My brain kept saying, "Boy, there are a lot of gees in this puzzle", but the penny never dropped. What does "the penny never dropped" mean?
Reply
GaryApril 17, 2009 at 6:59 AM
One slight mistake,Deniro was spelled wrong which also changes obiter for 42 down.
Reply
Lemonade714April 17, 2009 at 7:06 AM
Good morning:

A fun 23 minutes or so; I loved the misdirection of "Butterfly" as swimming certainly did not pop immediately to mind. Other than the rash of OSHEA, another creative effort. The theme was too subtle to be helpful, as I had the words filled before I had my V8.

The girl in pink is MOLLY RINGWALD, PAUL GLEASON is not in the picture. He was a good actor, who did a fabulous job in Trading Places an Eddie Murphy, Dan Ackroyd comedy that is worth a watch.

DORF i believe is simply the German word for Village, which I guess is also a Town. Many of you may have heard of Düsseldorf.

Happy Friday.
Reply
Barry G.April 17, 2009 at 7:15 AM
Morning, all!

Today's puzzle was certainly not a romp in the park, at least not for me. After about 15 or so minutes I managed to get most of it done, but a couple of thorny spots just wouldn't work for me, so I took a break. When I came back to the puzzle 20 minutes later I was able to finish it up pretty quickly.

Part of the problem was that I didn't understand the theme right off the bat, even after getting the IT'S NOT YOU ITS ME answer. I was thinking that "you" needed to be replaced with "me" and it wasn't until I finally realized that it was "u" that needed to be replaced that things started to fall into place and I was able to get both MOMENT OF OLIVES and BANK FRAMED.

Another problem was caused by a minor typo -- I put TIME instead of TIMS for 31D, which totally obscured CROPS (and which, interned, kept me from getting CASPER and DORF). When I came back from my break, I saw my mistake right away and that really helped.

As for the rest of the puzzle, nothing terribly difficult for me, although nothing really came easily, either. Law school let me get OBITER Dicutum and I eventually remembered PIMA and HALITE from previous puzzles (possibly the NYT). I initially had SOHO instead of NOHO for 54D, so that held me up for awhile until I finally remembered that Robert DENIRO was in "Awakenings" (I didn't know he got an Oscar nomination for it, though). And before I erroneously had SOHO for 54D, I had OMELET instead of QUICHE for 61A. Oh -- and I also initially put SI SI SI instead of YES YES for 21D and was a bit peeved that the clue didn't include an indication that the answer was in Spanish...

NOOSE, REPOSE and SENSOR were all common words that were very hard for me to get due to the cluing. In fact, I never did figure out NOOSE and it eventually got filled in solely via the perps.

And I think the only totally unknown word for me today was HAHN. Fortunately, I was able to guess the final letter after getting HAH_, and that let me get 35A (which was key to me understanding the theme).

So, all in all, definitely a challenging puzzle, but fun and fair.
Reply
AlApril 17, 2009 at 7:24 AM
C.C. Funnny you should say the girl in pink is pretty. Did you do it on purpose?

With your love of the letter K, you meant tack (naut term) instead of tact, right?

The penny dropped
Reply
MainiacApril 17, 2009 at 7:55 AM
Good Morning All,

I went on my first bike ride of the season yesterday. Wow and ow! Its going to be a long road back this year. It was nice to get outside to work out.

I attempted yesterdays puzzle last night due to a busy work day and opting for the bike. I quickly threw it in the wood stove. I couldn't get the theme. It would be quicker to list the clues I got rather than the problematic ones, but I'd prefer not to recall the misery.

Today was a little better. I didn't get the theme and could only get parts of the answers. (Olives, Homer and Framed) That led to all sorts of problems so I came here. Thursday and Fridays continue to kick my ass.

Crystal clear today. Temps expected in the 60s. I've got to meet the DirectTV guy today to fix our satellite. Therefore I won't get a ride in today. That's probably a blessing. Between yesterday's ride and the puzzles, I'm too sore!!

Have a great weekend!
Reply
AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 8:43 AM
C.C. glad you enjoyed todays puzzle - us mere mortals hate it

Mel
Reply
DennisApril 17, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Bob, I think Grace Hopper said what's in the original quote, and it quickly became, as you said, 'It's better to ask forgiveness than permission.' Great words to live by. Also, she was famous for her visual aid in defining a nanosecond. She handed out 1-foot lengths of rope to show how far light traveled in a nanosecond. Good stuff about the 'bugging' and 'debugging' origins; I didn't know that, and I probably should have.

Mainiac, I can relate - with temps here in the 60s, I'm taking my first decently long bike ride today after spending the winter on stationary bikes, and I know that damn hard seat is gonna make a lasting impression.

Mel, hang in there - the more you do these, the better you'll be able to get through them.
Reply
Crockett1947April 17, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Good morning, everyone. This one was a bear, but I did get it finished with some G help and a few red letters to light the way. Even after getting ITS NOT YOU ITS ME I didn't grok the theme. Once again C.C. showed the way. I think of "pooh-bah" as the "head honcho," without any negative connotations.

Have a great Friday!!
Reply
kazieApril 17, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Good morning,
If Dennis can say he crashed and burned, I don't feel so bad. I started on paper, gave up and went to the regular skill level online. Used a lot of red hints and keyboard navigation to get it finished. Didn't figure out the theme until I got here, though a boy named smee sounded cute when I got it. it took 26:22 by the timer.

I think doing it that way is unsatisfying because you're just looking at letters instead of using your noggin as much as on paper. I didn't even figure out that butterfly was the swim stroke after it was in there--I was wondering is that a special word for a flock of butterflies?

Lemonade is right about Dorf. Technically it is a village. Düßeldorf is anything but, however. It's a sizable city, state capital of Nordrhein-Westfalen, on the edge of the famous industrial Ruhr Valley.
Of course, like all cities, it probably started as a village and must have been named early on.

These days, many villages are adjoined to larger towns as they've grown together and become suburbs. Also, because of the density of European populations, what we'd call a town, they still call a village. My town here has about 5,000 people and is the county seat. They'd still call it a village, like Susan Boyle's "village" of Blackburn.

Another non-village, Munich, is known in advertizing locally as the "Millionendorf"--village of millions, implying that while it's a big city, it still has the heart of a friendly village.

Re today's WoW, I like that attitude!
Reply
FredApril 17, 2009 at 9:12 AM
C.C.:
I don't consider those cheater squares. The removal or addition of a cheater square shouldn't change the puzzle in any fundamental way. The center theme answer is 13 squares so it has to have a black square on each end. remove them and that answer can't exist. The beginning and ending theme answers are 14 squares each so they need one black square to finish off the 15 square line. Remove that square and those answers can't exist. So those squares would fundamentally change the grid. a cheater square isn't necessary to the integrity of the puzzle and these squares are. You can add them or subtract them and the integrity of the grid isn't affected either way.I've used cheater squares on occasion,I try not to, but they didn't change the integrity of the grid. They just made my life a little easier.
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DennisApril 17, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Fred, great explanation - thanks.
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Jim in NorfolkApril 17, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Tough puzzle for me today. Didn't get the theme until I read it here. Admiral Hopper was featured on 60 Minutes years ago. She was fixin' to give a speech, and gave out "nanoseconds" to everyone. Her nanoseconds were short pieces of wire that were cut to the length that light travels in a nanosecond.

Alee in sailing is downwind. The helmsman calls "helm's alee" to let everyone know (s)he is tacking the boat. That means the tiller (helm) is going downwind, which pushes the bow of the boat upwind.

CC asked me how often I sail. If all goes well, in season I race every Wednesday and Thursday evening, and either Saturday or Sunday. Weekday races are mostly casual and are almost universally known as "beer can" races. Folks tend to get more serious about the weekend races. Most spend thousands (some tens of thousands) of dollars every year in pursuit of trophies that could be bought for $20. High tech stuff - carbon fiber, Kevlar, Technora and the like - abounds on a modern racing boat.
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 10:20 AM
C.C.

I believe I like the new LA Times puzzles. I like all of the sailing clews (thats a little joke, the clew is the point on the main sail that attaches to the aft end of the boom).

I enjoyed the picture of the flower that you attached for your review of yesterdays puzzle answer for Areola. Was that from your garden? I was surprised that I didn't see any risque comments from Clear Ayes about it.

Have a great day!

A.R.E.

P.S. Jeannie asked me a week or so ago what I sail. Its a 1970 Catalina-22. I enjoy racing it regularly during the sailing season, which starts next week and runs through October.
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ElissaApril 17, 2009 at 10:28 AM
C.C. The WoW quote does not mean you don't think twice, it just means you can't be too timid in acting.

I think Pooh-bah has come to mean the head man or person in charge without the negative connotation.

I knew that "dogs" were FEET, but I would have spelled it "dawgs" as in "My dawgs are killin' me."

OBITER DICTUM is a legal term and not one you are likely to see in a sentence. In our legal system court decisions create precedents for future legal decisions and important phrases in decisions are often quoted in later cases. But there are a lot of passing remarks that may or may not be precedential. Lawyers will dismiss them as merely 'dictum'.

I didn't like 'November winners' clue. Seems forced to me.
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melissa beeApril 17, 2009 at 10:28 AM
good morning c.c. and all,

i LOVED this puzzle - a good workout. like c.c., it was A BOY NAMED SMEE that clued me in to the theme - which i thought was kind of random until CLASSIC BREAKUP LINE .. ohhhh .. just brilliant. circled around alot, and needed red letter help for the H in HAHN/OSHEA. very satisfying finish.

got IQS with perps, seems terribly obscure to me.

still trying to grok cheater squares .. so are there any in today's puzzle?

hard to pick a favorite deniro film, but might go with a bronx tale.

i think i'll skip the cheeseball, but i may do something without permission.
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KittyBApril 17, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Good Morning, C.C. and all.

This was a challenge. I finished it, but I would never have gotten it all without the guidance of the red letters in the Regular on-line puzzle. On paper, I would either have a lot of places so erased that there was no paper left, or a lot of spaces empty.

The theme was so obscure that getting the one about Smee didn't help with the others, and MOMENT OF OLIVES really left me scratching my head.

Like Martin, I wanted Omelet for QUICHE, but it finally fell in place.

But....I FINISHED IT!

Jim in Norfolk, I'm married to a guy who sails two days a week (in season), but doesn't race. I bet he'd love to be on the coast where he'd have more options, but he sails Lake Michigan, for now.

I'm late, I'm late.... I hope you all have a great day!
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ElissaApril 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM
One more thing about Adm. Grace Hopper. She was the oldest woman in the Navy, retiring at age 80. She was the second oldest person. Adm. Hyman Rickover, father of the Nuclear Submarine, retired at 82. But Rickover was a nasty SOB and Grace Hopper was universally admired as a brilliant scientist and great teacher.
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FredApril 17, 2009 at 10:57 AM
C.C.:
Yes, I used cruciverb.com's database for ELHI. I also used another database, but I don't know if they want to go public yet. It's used mostly by constructors.

Today's puzzle was nicely hard. I did it in about 30 minutes. I didn't figure out the theme until A BOY NAMED SMEE, then everything fell into place. I had to look up OBITER,GLEASON, and DORF. all the other roadblocks I figured out thru the perps. I never heard of NOHO before. I put in soho.
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WarrenApril 17, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Hi C.C. & gang,

A very clever puzzle today. I had to use the online one again in red to make any progress.

My wife said that the Friday puzzle must be done by a real psycho and it's hard to grok that kind of thinking.

Re: Butterfly Units "STROKES"?

I immediately thought of
Michael Phelps record butterfly in the 2008 Olympics.
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g8rmomx2April 17, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Hi c.c. and all,

Well, tough puzzle for me today, but then it is a Friday. As KittyB said I didn't understand at all Moment of Olives. And, did not get the theme until I came here and c.c. once again explained it to me. Thanks c.c.!!!

I also had omelet as others did, but once I changed it then IQs and Sensor got filled in. Had to google Chopra, Hahn and Dorf. This puzzle kicked my butt, but yet I still enjoyed it, why is that?

Have a great day everyone, off to the gym!
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Lemonade714April 17, 2009 at 11:17 AM
I admit, I have never heard of Noho, though it makes sense. It was the home of Robert Mapplethorpe's studio, to keep all information intertwined.

I also earlier in the week noted the passing of Harry KALAS, the voice of NFL films, and the Philadelphia Phillies and Mark "the Bird" Fydrych. Today, we hear that John Madden is retiring the bus; and I, belatedly learned thatMARILYN CHAMBERS died on Sunday. As we have discussed, many of us were introduced to pornography by the DEEP THROAT, BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR double bill. While I was not moved by either film, the fact that Marilyn was the Ivory Snow mom, was interesting.
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 11:31 AM
Definitely more of a challenge today, but not impossible. I spent 21 minutes on it over breakfast, in permanent marker, offline. Got it all without outside help. I didn't fully understand the theme of replacing me's with u's until checking here. However, that didn't keep me from correctly completing the puzzle. Moment of olives and bank frames struck me as odd answers as well c.c., although I was on to the me's in each themed answer after figuring out the its not you its me clue.

I thought IQs fair enough, but I didn't catch on until it became clear brunch item was quiche rather than the usual omelet answer. The classic criminal mastermind there, old Lex. Wonder what Moriarty's IQ had been?
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AlApril 17, 2009 at 11:37 AM
If you're among the (seemingly growing) portion of loons here who happen to like the "tricky" clues, you might want to try googling for Cryptic Crosswords.

I first heard of them as "English" crosswords in Games Magazine. The squares are not as populated in as these "conventional" grids. They have many black squares closer to a sort of checkerboard pattern.

Here's a clue-answer pair, just for example:

Clue: Make money and set out to be serious

Answer: EARNEST

Explanation:
There are three parts to the clue.
Make Money = Earn (the first syllable)

Set Out--The word OUT means there is a scrambled word, so rearranging SET gives you EST, the second syllable of the answer.

The third part is a redefinition, To Be Serious = EARNEST

So, if you can figure out where to insert your own punctuation, it helps you read the clue:
Make money, + set out: to be serious

They aren't all exactly like that, though. Sometimes the answer is buried in the clue itself:

Clue: The way out of complexity
Answer: EXIT

"The way out", defines the answer.

Of complEXITy

The word OF means it is contained in the next phrase. Sometimes you have to go across multiple words and ignore the space in between.

Clue: A murder suspect one hears
Answer: EARDRUM

"A MURDER" is scrambled (SUSPECT) to make the word EARDRUM

There are also easier(?) double definitions:
This is truncated or the end's off: SHORTENED

They can be a lot of fun and you really feel like you've done something if you can get most of them. Not for the faint of heart, though. And you don't get a lot of help from the perps. Sometimes I get an answer, but I still don't know why it is correct...
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JeromeApril 17, 2009 at 11:43 AM
C.C.- Great group that you have here. I'm glad most are starting to realize how great the LAT puzzles are. For those that find the early week puzzles tough you'll find out in time that they're really not... just well-crafted.

Fred's right about cheater squares. But, some of us constructors prefer to think of them as "Helpers". I think that defines them a tad better. Unless, of course, you truly are trying to make the job of filling easier.
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UnknownApril 17, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Today's puzzle was hard for me - got the theme & some of the other theme lines - but the getting the theme didn't help me.

I just noticed that Naples Daily News is now testing a second crossword (NEA Daily Crossword) because "some readers haven't liked the new puzzles--they're too hard, they're confusing", & asking for reader responses.

Haven't botherd to do it yet -- spent all my time this AM in today's LAT challenge...but I like LAT for the fun of some of the clever clues, even when I give up & have to look up the answer.

I enjoy mind games and stretchers, and there are some good ones here. I would hate to see the local puzzle dumbed down! Besides, as an old lady, I need the, um, er, mental exercise?

Jeannette
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LindaApril 17, 2009 at 12:03 PM
CC: I`ll be "out of pocket" a few days...so I`m fine.
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JDApril 17, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Good morning CC and all,
This house is in mourning as the Sharks fell flat for the 1st play-off game.

Am not delighted with my lack of knowledge today. I couldn't complete the NW nor the SW corners.1,14,& 16A stumped me;also 56,61,& 63 A.Had the N for Noho, but have never heard of it and knew it couldn't be Soho.Stumped!I had chapel for chalet, and even though I filled in Milne, I hated the clue.Have never heard of obiter dictum, but I like it. Now if I could just pronounce it.
Clever puzzle, clever clues, but no "jump for joy" moments today.
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Clear AyesApril 17, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Good Morning All, Oh, Fabulous Friday! See, I'm trying very hard to have a positive outlook on Friday puzzles. My only "G" was for Deepak CHOPRA. I should have known his name. There were so many others I wouldn't have figured out without the perps, HALITE, PIMA, HAHN, DORF and NOHO.

As usual, I ALMOST got the theme. I had all the fills and saw the "ME", but it didn't occur to me to replace the "M" with a "U" to see the double meanings. I'll keep trying!

NOOSE as a Western omen. How about the cover art for Goin' South, G.A.H.'s favorite Jack Nicholson movie.

C.C. So many great DeNiro movies, it is difficult to pick a favorite. Raging Bull has to up there, as well as Taxi Driver and Godfather II.

WoW, I'm sure Grace Hopper is brilliant, but "It's much easier to apologize after something's been done than to get permission ahead of time." is too broad a statement. Easier, yes, but is it the right thing to do? It all depends on what you've done that requires an apology. There are a lot of things that people would never get permission to do, so that a apology is a moot point. It seems it would also be a good way to get yourself thoroughly disliked, by stepping on a lot of other people's toes. "Gosh, I really needed the day off work. Sorry I didn't show up." "Gee, my car broke down, so I borrowed yours...Sorry." People might forgive one or two transgressions, but it wouldn't take too long before the response would be "#@&* you!"
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loisApril 17, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Good afternoon CC et al., This puzzle made my 'halo' slide almost to a 90 degree slant! Like most of you, this one gave me a hard time. I enjoyed it though...no surprise...major personality flaw..something about hard things . Thought 45D'Im a man', 13D 'Tight Ends',& 1A 'strokes' were very exciting esp w/'tactile' and 'yes yes' nearby. I also liked how 'storm' (of activity) was nicely followed by tranquil
'repose'. It all adds a new spin to 'happy homer', doesn't it.

Loved the reference to MGM Grand since I was just there a few wks ago. And of course, I loved the name 'Ken' (my son) showing up.

SBKaren: VaB now. To answer your Q a while back - staying in Pungo- becoming a 'flat lander'.

Jeannie: I love VA...miss OK & those cowboys...but am very happy and comfortable here.

Enjoy your wkend.
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Al: Yes, I've looked at some of those heavy-on-wordplay puzzles in the past. Puzzitively diabolical!

With English crosswords, you have all those cross-the-pond cultural differences to contend with as you try to solve them too. I find those even more challenging than the regional differences between xword publications stateside.
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embienApril 17, 2009 at 12:51 PM
27:52 today. The SW corner defeated me. I didn't know Lex Luthor's IQ, the "datebook entry" could be almost anything, and I don't know Latin, so OBITER had trouble emerging. Not to mention putting in OMELET initially.

I never saw the theme--it was pretty well hidden, I thought. (MOUNT OF OLIVES means nothing to me, I suppose it's a biblical reference.) I initially had A BOSN AMED SMEE, thinking dear old SMEE was probably a BOSN. That tripped me up for a long time.

And all the names (not my forte), CHOPRA, HAHN, DE NIRO (well, that one I knew, as well as MILNE), GLEASON (never saw Breakfast Club), and ERIK Estrada (I think he was in CHPS, which I also never saw), IDA Lupino, the two TIMS. Whew!
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T. FrankApril 17, 2009 at 12:59 PM
C.C. @6:59,

The same as "I never saw the light" or "the bell never rang" or "I had no clue". Isn't English a great language!

I see the "penny" expression most used in British writing. I think it means you put a coin in the slot, but it never went all the way down.

I did not like the theme today. More NYT tomfoolery. Clever clue words: ins, feet, wax.

Martin, I think alee means in a direction away from the wind. Ask Linda, she is a sailor.

The Blue Angels are rehearsing for their performance this weekend in Corpus Christi. as I write this. I live about a mile from the NAS. Are they ever loud. One of the pilots learned how to fly in Corpus Christi a few years ago.
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SandbridgeKarenApril 17, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Contrary to my comment from last Friday, I decided to start todays xword and actually got moving after a couple of false starts and phone calls. Congratulated myself on getting way further than last week - I'll take my wins in small steps when I can get them. Felt the stress level rising so mowed the lawn, washed the Miata so I can put the top down later and cruise around then came back here to get help to finish. Never got the theme - how in the world CC does it is beyond me. Doh moment for me. Enjoyable puzzle though.

Dennis - one of my favorite expressions is "better to beg forgiveness than ask permission" - the short version of your WoW. Has stood me in good stead. If today is National Blah Blah Blah day is there a National Yada Yada Yada day - and I do wonder if you make them up (actually okay with me if you do - they are still funny as heck).

Great sunny day here at the beach with a gorgeous weekend predicted - life is good! Off to see what damage Lois does to beautiful downtown Pungo this weekend. Gotta warn the firemen and sailors.
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WMApril 17, 2009 at 1:20 PM
C.C. Sincerely meant, as I come here for my lesson of the day, especially when I have crash and burn days at the end of the week. Much of what I learn from you and others gets put into play on later puzzles...like OSHEA today...

I actually surprised myself at how much of this puzzle filled in with a lot of talking to myself, pencil chewing and head scratching. Had pretty much everything filled in with exception of the the bottom left as, like others I had put omelet. We just had Quiche for dinner last night, but could I think to put that in? Nope!

I did actually figure out that there was trade out of U for ME and the MOMENT OF OLIVES gave me the concept. I actually knew PIMA cotton and have been CASPER Wy.

The last of the themes to fall was the SMEE one, although I had very handily put SMEE in right away, I couldn't get the first part initially.

I am so enjoying these puzzles and as I am "practicing" with NYT puzzles from my mega book, I find a lot of similarities in the cluing style.

Dennis: re: last eve post...thank you.
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JDApril 17, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Have never stayed at the MGM in L.V., but it has a wonderful lion display. Funny story: some years ago our grammar school was planning a reunion of all the classes. I decided to look up old friends from the past.. not an easy task because I didn't go to H.S. with any of them. Got a phone call from an old crush(sigh) and he said he was working for MGM. Turns out he was their CEO until he retired last year. Unfortunately, in today's news it says MGM/Mirage and may be going bankrupt.What a catastrophe! That includes 7 big hotels!

@ noose- 1st thing that came to mind was the Clint Eastwood film,
Hang 'em High.

Our best friends live in Casper. It was at one time the largest city in WY,because of the "oil boom." When they stopped drilling people owed more on their homes than they were worth. Looks like it is going to happen all over again.I love visiting because of the deer and antelope everywhere.The town sits next to Casper Mt, beautiful in all seasons.
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WarrenApril 17, 2009 at 1:42 PM
MGM Grand?

I can remember a trip to there when I was still living in MN in the 1980's.

They had a pair of Lions to walk by but the one thing that sticks with me is witnessing a lightning strike start a forest fire on one of the nearby hills.

Just my 2 cents,

;-)
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Another hard one for me. I wanted Eyore for Pooh pooh-bah. Eyore always said such negative comments. I got stuck in the lower left corner with quiche (I like quiche) and the NoHo area. But, nice enough puzzle, never did click on the theme.

C.C. Go blue? I guess I will have to get help to figure out how to do that. I'm not very computer literate.

Oberhasli
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Hi JD,
My condolences.
I'm glad the ducks won even though I don't like them.
I figure we (canucks) have a better chance beating the ducks the SJ. Who knows, anything can happen, still early yet.
Good luck,
Geri
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ArgyleApril 17, 2009 at 2:41 PM
The classic Western omen to me was 'smoke'. Smoke was never a good sign to see on the horizon: a nester burned out, Indians sending signals, the prarie ablaze. And it is five letters but none were of any help to the puzzle, so I eliminated it early on.
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Can someone explain the answer for "November winners"? What does INS mean?
Thank you
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AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 3:02 PM
@C.C.: Awww shucks thanks! Your comment was very sweet.

On to the rock salt! I don't think it's as purified as table salt/sea salt, thus you're not supposed to eat it. Growing up in the midwest I'm more than familiar with it's regular use. We also used it when making ice cream with the hand crank. You put the rock salt on the ice so that you can do the ice cream at a lower temperature. At least that's what I remember.

Tough tough puzzle today, so I did it online like many others here. Red letters are my enemy! It makes me a little sad to see so many people complaining about the LA Times puzzles. Yes sometimes it's nice to finish a puzzle with little difficulty, but then really what have I learned? I'm enjoying the new clues and vocabulary I'm building. Later in the week I would never finish a puzzle without the online help, so I'm no pro solver. I guess I just like the challenge.

~puzzled_in_pdx
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AlApril 17, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Anon @3:02 November has Election Day in it. The "Ins" are the ones now "in office", IOW, the winners.

Forgot my favorite movie with DeNiro in it (not really a DeNiro movie) Stardust. He was hilarious.
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OberhasliApril 17, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Woo Hoo, I think I am finally blue. My husband showed me how to do it.:-)
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T. FrankApril 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Oberhasli,

Congratulations on going blue! I look forward to seeing more of your posts.
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Clear AyesApril 17, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Oberhasli, Welcome to "The Blue".

Argyle, Right you are! Smoke on the horizon, absolutely one of the worst omens. If it wasn't the Indians attacking the settlers, it was the cattlemen going after the sheep ranchers and sometimes just a psychotic drifter going after anybody who got in his way. Whatever the movie, it always showed John, Audie, Clint, or another hero coming into the burned out homestead too late to help. He and his sidekick buried the dead and said a terse prayer over the mounded stones and makeshift cross. Then with a clenched jaw (maybe that was why he was a man of few words), he vowed revenge and set off on his over-ridden horse to do just that. I loved them when I was a kid and still do.
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LolaApril 17, 2009 at 3:48 PM
Well, we can all put another notch our computers. Another Friday has come and gone leaving us wiser though somewhat more weary. Since The Oregonian is not going to carry the LA xword, I've started doing it online after 11:00 P.M. I had been printing it out, but will save the trees and do it online. This doesn't seem to bother me, since I can still work the morning puzzle on paper, over coffee.

Today's puzzle came together for me, but I don't quite understand why. Though I got the theme clue filled in correctly, it didn't help me to understand what I was doing. I was looking for some sort of object, subject relationship in the answers. Such as Happy Homer talking about himself rather than someone observing from the outside. I knew I was really stretching the point! The puzzle took me about 40 minutes, but no google, and all the boxes had the correct letters in them.

Twisting my brain into this particular pretzel shape is starting to feel normal. Ouch!

Feliz fin de semana a todos!
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JeannieApril 17, 2009 at 5:14 PM
I haven't looked at the puzzle today as it was much too nice a day to spend my day off inside. My boat is almost ready to go...now if the bouy would magically appear...Anyway...on this day, April 17th...

1492 Christopher Columbus received a commission from Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

Imagine sailing the ship he had!

1521 Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings.

1790 American statesman Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia at age 84.

His best invention? He had many.

1951 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.

Anyone have his rookie card? If so, what's it worth?

1964 The Ford Motor Co. unveiled the Mustang.

I owned a 1968. Anyone else out there?

1969 A jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

1970 The astronauts of Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, four days after a ruptured oxygen tank crippled their spacecraft.

I loved this movie. I also remember watching it in school at the time. It was a big deal to have a TV set in class.

1993 A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two former police officers of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King; two other officers were acquitted.

Where did Rodney King end up....yes, wrong at the time But...

1998 Linda McCartney, wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, died at age 55.

What was/is your favorite Paul McCartney tune (solo)? Mine is "Maybe I'm Amazed."
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KQApril 17, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Another Friday, and I couldn't complete the puzzle. I got about 3/4 of it, then went online to the regular version to finish. Strangely enough, I got some of the more obscure clues first. I immediately put in SIMIAN, and thought of KEN right away (like everyone else, felt GI JOE worked better, but certainly didn't fit). We had a gym teacher in high school that we used to call Ken Doll because of his resemblance. All the girls had a crush on him. I new DENIRO was in Awakenings so that filled in right away too. But I never did figure out the clue until coming here, and yet I was sure that MOMENT OF OLIVES was really supposed to be MOUNT OF OLIVES. We are just having some major brain farts these days.

Like everyone else, OMELET was put in instead of QUICHE. Somehow, I always think of Quiche as more of a lunch dish and strata as being for brunch. Don't know why. Like CC, I think of REPOSE as being something related to the dead. Here are the many definitions per dictionary.com:

–noun
1. the state of reposing or being at rest; rest; sleep.
2. peace; tranquillity; calm.
3. dignified calmness, as of manner; composure.
4. absence of movement, animation, etc.: When in repose, her face recalls the Mona Lisa.
–verb (used without object)
5. to lie or be at rest, as from work, activity, etc.
6. to lie dead: His body will repose in the chapel for two days.7. to be peacefully calm and quiet: The sea reposed under the tropical sun.
8. to lie or rest on something.
9. Archaic. to depend or rely on a person or thing.
–verb (used with object)
10. to lay to rest; rest; refresh by rest (often used reflexively).

WOW, so many uses for one word it can be confusing. CC - note #6

Despite not always finishing late week puzzles, I think they are fun to work on. I am hoping soon that I will begin to complete more of them. I didn't think the proper nouns were too unfair, I just wasn't quite coming up with some of them today.

Al, sounds like some interesting puzzle work. If I had more time I would take them up, but this blog sucks too much of my day as it is. When my husband asks what I did all day, it is too difficult to tell him that I was blogging about crossword puzzles. He thinks I am crazy already.

ClearAyes, you and I think alike about the apologize after something's been done vs. getting permission ahead of time. I think that is part of the problem with the rich and famous. They just do what they like and apologize later, and it begins to ring hollow pretty quickly. I think CC is correct in that it is prudent to think twice before you speak or act. I have been caught foot in mouth too many times, and those who are prudent generally gain more respect, something I highly value.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. We have been having phenomenal weather, have been exercising outdoors as of late and loving it. Hopefully we will see some raindrops though as it is quite dry.
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LolaApril 17, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Jeannie: I too owned a 1968 Mustang. It was a bright red-orange V-8, and I was 20 years old. Were those the good old days? Yes!!!!!! My favorite Paul McCartney(my favorite Beatle) song was "Yesterday". Thanks for the nostalgic side trip. TTFN
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JIMBOApril 17, 2009 at 6:08 PM
I like these LAT puzzles. Not that I'm good at them yet, but I'm beginning to use my imagination more and beginning to fill in more squares. I did fill in all the squares today, but had to google some and guess at some, so I had to erase some. I always feel good when I know the answer to some that most of you have trouble with.
On the other hand, you know a heck of a lot more answers than I do. Still, I think I'm gaining.
I'm really enjoying the ride and all the comments.

BTW, My bowling team just won its third "League Championship". (in a row).
New league starts June 1st.
Looking forward to a new season. I'm no "Boomer" yet, but after all, I'm 84 years (young). Don't expect too much. My average is about 160, but lately I've had some 200 games. Our leader has one 300 game and no handicap. He is consistently in the 220 to 250 range.
C.C., You're still my hero.
I admire you greatly.
VAYA COM DIOS
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Auntie NaomiApril 17, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,

Another brilliant puzzle. Once again, I was beginning to get concerned that I was not going to be able to finish this one. The SW corner was the last to fall and I was very pleased with myself for finally getting it. The key to getting it was to consider that the Lex Luthor clue might be asking for a plural answer. I was over-thinking it and thought that perhaps the answer was some kind of counter-part to the 'Justice League of America' or something. Once I decided to stick an 'S' in for the last letter SENSOR came to me which led to my being able to see QUICHE (I did not have 'omelet', I don't necessarily associate that with brunch) giving me IQS. I have to admit, though, that although I saw the common ME's in the theme answers it did not really help much and I never fully grokked the theme with YOU meaning 'u'. I wonder if Mr. Finan was thinking that 'OBITER Dictum' had something to do with an obituary. 'Quartier d'ETE' was a very refreshing way to clue ETE.

"today's grid also has 40 black squares (43 is the limit). Our old puzzle limit is 38. I guess that's because Williams does not allow cheater (helper) squares."
So each editor gets to make their own rules? Looks like I need to read a book or two about crosswords.

"Any black square which can be removed from a crossword diagram, along with its symmetrically opposite black square, without decreasing the total word count of the puzzle. A puzzle may be ..."
This is another mystery to me. If you remove a black square that leaves another empty one that needs a letter and, therefore, two new words. How can removing a black square ever reduce the word count?

"Most of the solvers are probably unaware and don't really care about the above information."
I am unaware, but I do care. I want to know so that I don't feel so stupid.
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Auntie NaomiApril 17, 2009 at 6:22 PM
I had never heard of PIMA, but I got it right by finally getting the very questionable cluing for INS. 'November winners' was, hands-down, my least favorite clue. It took me 54:54 to get this tough one done. I am impressed that you did it in 23 minutes, Lemonade. Do you do it on paper? Do you Google? I do it on paper and never use Google or other resources, so I am not too unhappy with my time. I am mostly just happy that I could get it done.

Every few years, my dive gloves wear out and I need to replace them. I continue to buy the same brand because I like their TACTILE quality.

C.C., I think 'pooh-bah' is used loosely. It seems that the constructor or editor used it only to refer to someone ultimately responsible. MILNE was ultimately responsible for Pooh's existence.

My favorite DENIRO movie is Flawless. Seeing that film told me a lot about DeNiro, the man. Since then, I have been a much bigger fan of his.

According to Wikipedia, SAVALAS' given name at birth was actually Aristotelis, which seems to be what his parents thought was a more proper translation of the name we know as Aristotle. Aristoteles appears to be the German translation of the name.

CHOPRA was a gimme for me. I read Ageless Body, Timeless Mind as well as Unconditional Life and Quantum Healing.

"Who is the most famous TE in NFL history?" Dick Buttkiss
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kazieApril 17, 2009 at 6:57 PM
If Dick Buttkiss' name has anything to do with his being (or having?) a tight end, maybe that's what we all need to get rid of our flab.

My favorite McCartney song is also "Yesterday".

My first Ford was a 1963 English Cortina I bought when I started teaching in 1967.

The verb "se reposer" in French means to rest too. The English version is probably one of those French words we got in spite of those we already had with the same meaning after the Norman conquest in 1066.
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ThomasApril 17, 2009 at 7:32 PM
jeannie,
Rodney King wound up an alcoholic working part time on a garbage truck. He's most recently been seen on the TV show, "Celebrity Rehab with Doctor Drew" and it's sequel, "Celebrity Rehab - Sober House". Looks like he's turning himself around. The show gave some interesting insights to his attack.

Had an '88 Mustang convertible. Just the thing to cruise the beach. But my favorite Ford was a '69 T-Bird... Tuck and roll upholstery, wrap around back seat, power everything, pop-away steering column, and a 429ci Thunderjet under the hood. What a car!
Did my first ever "Rockford" reversal in that thing, and have a lot of very good memories associated with it.

Apollo 13 is an awesome movie!

Agree with Argyle inre: smoke.

Girding up for tomorrow!

TJ in Osseo
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ThomasApril 17, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Oh yeah, favorite DeNiro flick(s), "Analyze That" and "Analyze This". The first one anyway, I can never remember which is which.

TJ
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Crockett1947April 17, 2009 at 7:58 PM
@pmt That Men in Football clip was a riot! Thanks for sharing!!
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MartinApril 17, 2009 at 8:18 PM
C.C.,

Punjabi, Hindi, Korean, Japanese all follow the Subject-Object-Verb pattern. Arabic follows the Verb-Subject-Object pattern. Tagalog (Filipino) follows the Verb-Object-Subject pattern. Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai, like Chinese and English, follow the Subject-Verb-Object pattern. Apparently German is also Subject-Object-Verb, which isn't a complete surprise because that pattern also appears often in French (as in "Je t'aime"). Oh and apparently Latin is/was SOV. Here's a link.

Anyway, it seems I was mistaken when I said that sentences in most Asian languages end with verbs but linguists do describe it as a common feature of Asian languages (as opposed to European languages) and this website implies that it is true for all Asian languages, which is clearly not true.

Martin
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kazieApril 17, 2009 at 8:39 PM
Martin,
German doesn't follow just one pattern--the verb at the end is just for dependent clauses.

Normally, the main verb must be second idea in a sentence. So if the dependent clause precedes the main clause, the main clause verb comes right after the dependent clause. If the main clause is first, you get normal word order in that clause. But there's a special order for adverbs and adverbial phrases too: Time then Manner then Place. So a sentence could go like this:

"I went yesterday with Hans to town, because I something to buy needed." or:
"Because I something to buy needed, went I yesterday with Hans to town."

As well as this, you can actually start a clause with the adverb, object or anything else, but the verb will still come after that first idea, with the subject trailing after it. In the second example above, that is actually what you have, since the dependent clause is one idea: an adverbial clause of reason.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? This is why students of German really know their grammar!
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kazieApril 17, 2009 at 8:42 PM
I forgot, French only puts objects before the verb if the objects are pronouns--not nouns.

Je t'aime, mais je n'aime pas ton ami.
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Auntie NaomiApril 17, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Crockett1947,
My pleasure. I remembered that shtick, but not exactly the one I linked. The way I recall it, the one says, "Dick Buttkiss...wuddn't he a tight en?" to which the other one replies, "He was ... now he a wide receiveh!"

Martin,
You are amazing. Keep it coming, please. You too, Kazie. I love the language talk.

"Western omen: NOOSE. Why?"
My stepfather's ancestor was the last person to be hung by the vigilantes prior to Montana becoming the 41st state. I am pretty sure that when he saw that noose, it was a bad omen.

Lois, does KENny ride during the winter or he is happy that the snow is finally gone?

"I initially had A BOSN AMED SMEE, thinking dear old SMEE was probably a BOSN. That tripped me up for a long time."
Embien, if BOSN had been part of the answer that would have tripped everyone up. Talk about obscure!

Geri, I didn't realize you are in Vancouver. Pretty place. Well, since I live in a hockey backwater, I guess I will wish both the Canucks and the Sharks good luck. I assume Dennis is a Flyers fan, so I will wish them luck, too. I think the Sabres are still smarting over trading Briere and Drury.

Maria, Boyd, SaminMiam ... don't be shy.
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Lemonade714April 17, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Hey: Thanks PMT, I do Wednesday through Saturday on paper, and I put the puzzle down and do something else rather than going to Google. I am on a pretty good streak, which by mentioning probably means a crash and burn tomorrow. Today was one of those days when things just fell like Dominos. I had DE NIRO, HALITE, QUICHE, KEN and others without much work, and then it was just a question of filling in the long ones. My grandfather was a tailor, so I knew PIMA, and the French clues help. I really did not get the theme until I was done, but I seldom do, though I have a sense of what is going on, like yesterdays G fest. I sometimes struggle more with the easy ones. When I am done, if it is before C.C. has posted, I will go online and see if it is happy with my answers, and even then it takes me more than 3 or 4 minutes to type the answers I already know.

Well I am finally feeling back to PAR; time to get back to tending the IRONS I have in the fire, and keep out of the WOODS, so I don't get the SHAFT. Driving to see my sons, who are CHIPS off the old block. I will PITCH them to come home for a while in the summer. Maybe we will PUTTER around together. Well, that's all I can WEDGE in for tonight. Not in your class for DF, but I am trying my comeback, Lo-li-ta.
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Auntie NaomiApril 17, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Ah piss! It looks like I screwed the pooch on that Danny Briere link. No biggie. It was just an old article speculating as to whether he might wind up back in Buffalo. It was, most likely, just wishful thinking on the part of the journalist. Apparently, the Flyers are down 2-to-1 in the first round series versus the Penguins. I'd like to see them win it (sorry Dick). Crosby showed his true colors a few months back when he jumped Panther's forward Brett McClean right off the face-off, without a word said. Apparently, there was a lot of talk about that on the Internet. We all make mistakes, but if he continues with that kind of behavior it will speak loads to his character.
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JDApril 17, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Oberhaski, a true blue welcome!

Geri, thanks, I think. And you too, Promiseme. Hopefully we'll see some good hockey.

Clear Ayes, I loved Audie Murphy in those cowboy and war movie days. Then along came the musicals! I'm so glad they are sort of coming back.

Jeannie, I had a blue 65 Mustang convertible with white interior.Our white shepherd looked so regal riding around in it.Unfortunately, I had to trade it in for a stationwagon when 1st baby came along.My husband got to keep his TR3 or4 or 6A, whatever.

I think I just lived up to the Blah Blah day.
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JeannieApril 17, 2009 at 11:50 PM
A.R.E. a 22' 1970 Catalina? I would love to be your jiber on her.

Lemonade, as I "approach the marker", with the "line of play" in sight; I will try not to "lie" as I might have "loose impediments" and "loft" a "lost ball". Okay, now I have a "lip out" and am causing a "lateral water hazzard." I might just have to "lay up".
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AnonymousApril 18, 2009 at 12:18 AM
Hi Jd and other hockey fans.
It is getting better all the time. Canucks won tonight. Now they will be off to St Louis for the next two games, they are a loud crowd there.
Good luck to all!
Geri
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AnonymousApril 18, 2009 at 12:24 AM
PMeThis
Thanks for rooting for us!
Geri
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Lemonade714April 18, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Damn, loose impediments; those hurt. And being laid up is not usually a good thing; you wonder about words and how much a little up changes things. George Carlin would have fun with that concept: laid = good; laid up = bad; laid down = neutral.

Which brought me to Lay Lady Lay.

Too bad everyone is sleeping....
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JohnApril 18, 2009 at 6:46 AM
As you said,pooh-bah is slang for the person in charge. AA Milne wrote the Pooh stories for his son,and they took place in the woods ,at the farm he owned.So Milne was the Pooh pooh bah.
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AnonymousApril 18, 2009 at 8:18 AM
CC,

Robert Deniro named was misspelled.
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C.C. BurnikelApril 18, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Thanks. I just corrected my mistake.
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