google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday October 15, 2010 Kelsey Blakley

Advertisements

Oct 15, 2010

Friday October 15, 2010 Kelsey Blakley

Theme: Get the L in Here! - Y is replaced by LY at the end of first word of each two-word familiar phrase.

17A. Mentioned with a yawn? :
DULLY NOTED. Base phrase is Duly Noted. Adv to Adv.

23A. Tightfistedness scale? :
MISERLY INDEX. Misery Index. Not a familiar economic term to me. A measurement of unemployment & inflation rate. Noun to Adj.

53A. Like a centaur? :
PARTLY ANIMAL. Party Animal. Centaur is part human & part horse. Noun to Adv.

64A. Old enough to know better? :
HARDLY BOYS. The Hardy Boys. Noun to Adv.

The first two theme answers experienced a vowel sound change after the transformation. Nothing happened to the last two.

Sometimes our Monday puzzles have more theme entries than Friday's, but the theme concept is definitely more complicated on Friday: Adding/Deleting/Replacing letter (or letter strings), or punny wordplay. Monday's theme tends to be more straightforward, so is Tuesday's. Then we progress to Wednesday & Thursday (often) with a unifier.

Across:

1. A popular one is modeled after the Winchester rifle :
BB GUN. Stumped immediately. Wiki says "One of the most famous BB guns is the Red Ryder BB Gun, modeled after the western Winchester rifle".

6. Three-time A.L. MVP :
A-ROD. Four letter, with abbr. hint in the clue, who else could it be?

10. Narcissist's obsession :
SELF

14. Oil source :
OLIVE

15. __ fide :
BONA

16. Gin flavoring :
SLOE

19. Inn group member
: MAID. Nice play on "In group".

20. __ trap :
SET A. Didn't emerge quickly.

21. Like jellybeans :
OVOID

22. Memo header :
IN RE. Latin for "in the matter of".

26. Swiffer WetJet, e.g. :
DAMP MOP. Have never heard of Swiffer WetJet.

29. Bereft :
LORN

30. Jupiter, for one :
ORB. Oh, God, I wanted GOD.

31. Allen contemporary :
PAAR (Jack). Steve Allen. I was at a loss.

33. Lollipop-licking cop :
KOJAK. Played by Telly Savalas.

37. Ristorante staple :
VEAL

39. Explore deeply :
PROBE

42. Derelict, perhaps :
WINO. "Perhaps" yes.

43. Contest entry
: ESSAY

45. Factor opening :
BENE. Opening for the word benefactor. I don't think I would have gotten the answer even with a question mark in the clue.

47. Bucko :
MAC

48. Goofs (around) :
BUMS

51. Battle preparation place, in metaphor :
WAR PATH

57. Actress Falco :
EDIE

58. Oarlock pin :
THOLE. Used to throw me off.

59. Vanishing points :
ENDS

63. Outfits :
RIGS. New definition of "rig" to me.

66. Send out :
EMIT

67. End of a lover's ultimatum :
OR ME. I penned in ELSE.

68. Designated :
MEANT

69. Aussie sleep sounds? :
ZEDS. Z is Zed in Australia.

70. European coal region :
SAAR. No idea. Where is it?

71. Fire proof? :
ASHES. We've seen similar clue before.

Down:

1. Mr. Olympia contestants' obsessions :
BODS. The only Mr. Olympia I know is Arnold.

2. Risqué :
BLUE. In China, yellow means risqué. By the way, this is for Jayce. Just omit the bamboo shoots. No such ingredient in authentic Chinese dumplings.

3. Thin ornamental layer :
GILT

4. Black light, briefly :
UV LAMP. Not familiar with the term. What is it used for? Why "black light"?

5. Marshal under Napoleon :
NEY. Napoleon called him "bravest of the brave".

6. Good, except on the links :
ABOVE PAR. Always happy with a double bogey round.

7. Eggbeater feature :
ROTOR

8. Tip of Massachusetts :
O'NEILL. Tip O'Neill. From Massachusetts. Former Speaker of the House. Great clue.

9. Beatnik's address :
DADDY-O. Unknown to me. Like today's "dude". Doesn't sound cool at all.

10. Gilligan's shipwrecked ship :
S. S. MINNOW. The insane SSM* start made me doubt my crossing entries.

11. Savanna grazer :
ELAND

12. River through Tours :
LOIRE

13. Fly-by-night co.? :
FEDEX. Nice clue too.

18. "It'll never wash!" :
NO SOAP. Another new slang for me.

24. Little cut-up :
IMP. "Cut-up" = Prankster. Followed by IRK (25. Bug like a 24-Down).

26. Went off the deep end :
DOVE. Great idiom play.

27. God wounded by Diomedes in the "Iliad" :
ARES. Greek war god. Was ignorant of the wound he suffered in "Iliad".

28. Wheels of Fortune? :
MBAS. Tricky clue.

32. Knock over :
ROB

34. "Sands of Iwo __": 1949 film :
JIMA

35. Med school subj. :
ANAT

36. "Mayor" author :
KOCH (Ed). Needed crossing help.

38. Doctor's orders, often :
LAB TESTS

40. Stump :
BEWILDER

41. Plaque holder? :
ENAMEL. The question mark should point you at the teeth direction.

44. James's "Westworld" costar :
YUL (Brynner). No idea. Not familiar with the movie. James Brolin.

46. Time slice :
ERA

49. Aristotle's first element of tragedy :
MYTHOS. See here. It consists of 6 parts, a la Aristotle. Another learning moment.

50. Home to many Berbers :
SAHARA. Berbers are those North African tribesmen.

52. Annapolis newbies :
PLEBES

53. Two-time Venezuelan president Carlos :
PEREZ. Alien to me.

54. Turn on __ :
A DIME

55. Intolerant :
RIGID

56. "__ Rae" :
NORMA

60. Early animal handler :
NOAH. OK, Noah handled those paired animals in his Ark.

61. Bit of force :
DYNE

62. Ret. fliers :
SSTS

65. Sumac from Peru :
YMA. Classic crossword name.

Answer grid.

C.C.

71 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - this was a tough puzzle for me; took three slow trips around the puzzle to finally finish it, but it was a well-done challenge.

My first pass across the top yielded only 'Ney', 'ARod', 'Bona' and 'Sloe', so I knew I was in for a slog. When I got down to 49D, I confidently put in 'Pathos' which screwed up that area. When I finally realized what 9D was, I still misspelled it as 'Daddio'. At least the theme was easy once the first one was revealed. Needed perp help for Carlos Perez and didn't know Yul Brynner was in Westworld. Favorite clue was 'Fly-by-night co.?'. And you know you've been doing crosswords for a while when the clue 'Bereft' immediately brings 'lorn' to mind, and looking at 20A, 'seta' makes you think of stiff bristles.

C.C., thanks for the Red Ryder ad; that rifle is one of the few things I still have from my childhood.

Off to the gym.

Today is White Cane Safety Day.

Did You Know?:

- Seven thousand new insect species are discovered every year.

- In 1920, Detroit became the first city in the United States to put in a stoplight.

- Two percent of Americans have an extra nipple somewhere on their body.

windhover said...

Hey, Hutch,
To answer your question from last night:
Most everyone here has a certain and consistent style with which they post.
That's Bob's.
WE care.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, CC. I always admire how you notice the parts of speech in the clues/responses. I never notice when the responses switch from verb to noun, etc.

I had a rough start with this puzzle. The east side filled in quickly, but I had trouble with the western half. Strangely, I knew Marshal Ney. It must come from Louisiana's Napoleonic tradition.

How could I have forgotten Tip O'Neill? He had such a presence. That was such a great clue. I was trying to figure out how to fit Cape Cod into too few spaces!

Are reruns of Kojak ever shown? Who loves ya, Baby?

Other favorite clues included:
Fly-by-night org? = FEDEX

Fire Proof? = ASHES.

I am not keen on Factor Opening = BENE.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

QOD: The richer your friends, the more they will cost you. ~ Elisabeth Marbury.

Dilbert said...

Hi all.

@Hahtool. There are many sources to watch old episodes of Kojac. Try
Hulu/Kojac (Google).

Wish I still had my Red Ryder.

Having a bad reaction to testerday's flu shot.

Take care.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning CC and All,

Another tough one today but I was a little quicker than yesterday. Started with some footing in the SW with Perez, Edie and A Dime. Picked and poked up towards the NE. Partly Animal and Dully Noted were the first themes to fall. I slapped my head when I finally got Miserly Index and the theme. Good workout!

Blowin' like stink here today. 25-30 with gusts to 50 mph. Hang onto your hats.

TGIF

Lemonade714 said...

Happy Friday all,

This was tricky one, but clearly skewed to our age group, and really tricky for C.C. and others not growing up here. I doubt there are many boys from 50-70 who did own a Red Ryder, or BUG their parents to buy one; Maynard G. Krebs was a Daddy-O proponent, Jack PAAR and KOJAK also on our memory banks. I like having ABOVE PAR, PAAR and SAAR in the same puzzle. I also liked the mis-direction of:Fly-by-night co.? : FEDEX, Tip of Massachusetts : O'NEILL, Plaque holder? : ENAMEL

Lemonade714 said...

BTW, I loved your theme GET THE L IN HERE, very clever.

The use of ultra violet BLACK LIGHT to skew reality, along with day glo paint, was also part of my generation's experience. I am surprised it was not on C.C.'s radar, as bowling alleys use the UV and the strobe light for their late night events. Anything white, like pins, glows in the uv rays. THe bulbs are such a dark color, they appear black

Tinbeni said...

C.C. Excellent write-up.

You know how on some days you are on the constructor's wavelength?

Well other than that SS MINNOW, today I missed the boat completely.

Thought it was cute that DADDY-O, said by Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver) on Dobie Gillis, was next to that boat where he played Gilligan.

Intolerant is RIGID. I was thinking of a word that started with 'R' but I'll leave out the politics.

Also liked that we had BUMS and WINO's. Was that
a mini-theme?

Finally, it ended with ASHES.
How appropriate as I crashed and burned.

thehondohurricane said...

A tough grind today , but I eventually muddled through without outside assistance. North was tough. Couldn't come to grips with ovoid, having begun with ovate. Dully noted was one of the last to fall as I refused to believe dully was a correct spelling.

Favorite clue was Kojak, an all-time favorite show. I met Kevin Dobson (Bobby Crocker) a couple of years ago at a Baseball game in Norwich, Ct. He was there to see his son Pat play for the Defender's. I've been told Kevin was a real good player himself.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Windhover,
Amen! Everyone has his/her posting style.

Lemonade,
Cleverness belongs to Dennis. I originally had "What the L!".

fermatprime said...

Hello all,

I must visit orthopod this afternoon, so naturally I got no sleep. Decided to bleary-eyedly (no doubt a made up phrase) slog through the puzzle. One letter wrong.

Clever puzzle, Kelsey; great write up, CC.

JAYCE-- Do not deserve the kudos! But many thanks!

Wish me luck! (As I mentioned, doc was not at all happy with state of leg on Monday.)

Vidwan827 said...

C.C. - very nice writeup - I'm glad I came here to 'learn' something new. I had a tough time today - only 50% complete - oh well, a miss is as good as a mile.

'Misery' Index - that I can remember was in 1979-80-81 when the Republicans were criticzn Jimmy Carter and the Dmocs... It was the sum of Unemployment Index (9%) + Inflation Rate (11%) + Interest Rates ( 13%). The election campaign worked at that time, because the Repubs won the WHouse ( Reagan) and the House and the Senate.... Now, in 2010, altho unemp;oyment is almost 10 %, inflation and Interest rates are close to Zero...


'Black light' refers to the fact that it is pretty much out of the visible light spectrum range - and yet you can ( barely ) see it - good for florescence, phosphorescence and floro-scopy...

On the other end of the spectrum is 'Red' light - Infra red - which you can barely see, ( but still, see well enough .... to work with, in the 'dark' room ... ) but would not affect the photography film negative, which was being 'developed' in the dark room.

Have a good weekend all.

creature said...

Good Morning C.C. and all,

Well, today was slow going, but doable. I lost some patience because I would be on a 'break through' and I'd have to take the dog for a walk. After she settled in, I got back in the groove.

My favs were the creative clues like,Wheels of Fortune", and all the others that have already been mentioned.

I got 'Paar' right away, which I loved. Saw him walk off and never return- to my heartbreak.

The theme was fun and easy to work out. Thank you, Kelsey. A real sense of accomplishment!

C.C., thank you for the good write-up.

Barry, so glad things seem to be better. Have a nice day everyone.

melissa bee said...

good morning c.c. and all,

wow, tough puzzle, and stellar blogging, cc.

i think the only words i didn't know were LOIRE and NEY, but even so it was a slog. some great misdirections, i wanted VINO instead of VEAL for ristorante staple, and tip of massachusetts was just brilliant. also did not know berber as an ethnic group.

fermatprime: so sorry to hear about your accident, hope you mend quickly.

tournament is in full swing (snort) at the resort. tv cameras and cables everywhere, crazy security, everything going pretty smoothly though. although one guy did steal a golf cart yesterday, got tired of waiting for a ride to his car.

i massaged an olympic gold medalist yesterday, who is there announcing some of the tee-offs. i can honestly say, she is ripped.

Bob said...

Like yesterday's puzzle, this one wasn't very difficult but took some patience. The solutions weren't always obvious from the clues. Last part to be solved for me was the SE corner. A fun exercise. (32 minutes)

HeartRx said...

Good Morning C.C. et al.

Thanks for the write-up C.C. - hand up for admiring your acute perception when it comes to parts of speech. I am reading "Little Bee" by Chris Clive, and it starts out with a Nigerian girl in the UK, who has to learn "proper" English. She has a difficult time understanding the nuances of English, but I think in the end she speaks much better than most natives. I thought of you as I was reading it!

Loved the clues:
"Good, except on the links" for ABOVE PAR
"Tip of Massachusetts" For O'NEILL (like Hahtool, I wanted "Cape" something or other)
"It'll never wash" for NO SOAP (Why do we say that??)
and finally
"Plaque holder?" for ENAMEL

I'm starting to learn all the "MVPS" out there, so the NW filled in. Then a few in the NE , SW and SE. But alas, the entire middle was pretty blank except for "PAAR".

Lemonade, I agree that this puzzle seemed skewed to "a certain" age group. Which suited me just fine, because eventually I was able to solve the entire thing without any lookups.

BarryG, good luck with you dad. I'll be thinking of you.

Have a wonderful day everyone - TGIF !!

Splynter said...

Hi-O All~!

Today's puzzle for me was blank down the center, which is an odd sight, and left me with no clue about the theme. I think ABOVE PAR and ROTOR gave me just enough to see DULLY NOTED, and I WAG-ed the LY as the theme; since I don't know MISERY INDEX, I was still left guessing.

I also knew that "Plaque Holder" was going to be a TEETH thing, but it didn't fit...

Stared blankly at a full puzzle, but no solution, because I had DIGS for RIGS, perp with a proper name...DIGS can be Outfits, especially in CW puzzles !!!

Short on the Q for a pangram...

Favorite clue - stump, for BEWILDER

Yeah, we're getting the Nor'Easter here on LI, too.

Ah, the weekend is here!!

Splynter

Empress68 said...

Even though I was never a real fan of "Gilligan," I can remember the name of the boat because...it was named for Newton Minow, the man who -- accurately -- described television as a "vast wasteland."

Tinbeni said...

Forgot to mention, I really liked that ABOVE PAR crossed PAAR.

Whenever I see NOAH I think to myself: "Should I get back to work on that Ark?"

Melissa Bee
Is that the LPGA tournament at your resort?
Brittany Linicome of Seminole (a local girl near here) shot 61 yesterday.
I shoot 61 everytime I golf ... then I finish the last 5 holes.

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang, a tough one for Friday like usual. I think that my wife and I only got ~30% done before she left for work.
I never picked up the theme until I came here.

I'm surprised no one posted the theme song from Gilligan's Island?

Here's the original theme song that got complaints from "the rest" of the cast not included.

Here's the updated version including the missing cast.

kazie said...

I had to cheat right royally today. Couldn't get started firmly anywhere, so finally just came here for the theme answers and felt my way from there, staying just ahead (mostly) of the blog explanations.

Names and vague references, and one of the "familiar" expressions (misery index) was a total unknown. Couldn't remember how NEY is spelled and just had too many unknowns in general.

Some nice clever new words such as BEWILDER, but I guess I'm too distracted by all of what I'm doing otherwise to spend long enough on it today.

Good luck Fermatprime!
I hope the leg is better than the Dr. thought at first.
Hahtool,
I always think about the parts of speech too, and find it very helpful in deciding on endings.

Thanks to all who commiserated with my seemingly minor annoyances yesterday. I have at least found it's my document and not the PDF writer that's at fault, but haven't figured what the problem is yet.

Spitzboov said...

Hello everyone. Nice write-up. C.C.

Not particularly hard for a Friday, except for the NW. But once BB GUN and OLIVE were entered, the theme word DULLY NOTED became clear. SS MINNOW was a WAG. Marshal NEY was a gimme. Liked the clueing for ONEILL and ASHES.

I believe the SAARland is the smallest of the German Länder (Federal states) not counting the city states. It forms part of the border with France and has been fought over through the centuries

melissa bee said...

tinbeni, it's the frys.com open.

Husker Gary said...

C.C. et al, your write-up was great as always but I was wondering what you were referring to when you linked Risque to something that may or may not involve bamboo shoots! The mind boggles.

I thought ALOU for ball player. The beatnik address I had for a while was FAROUT, I had VINO for a Ristorante staple and NAMED for designated. Eventually got them all right but I'm just sayin...

I think of Jack Paar as being a successor to Steve Allen but contemporary works too.

For Tip of Mass. I thought Provincetown (Ptown) first. If you have never been there, it is a great place. It was there my wife first saw men walking hand in hand and kissing in public. Horizons were expanded!

The IT cops here have granted me access to the blog and so I can get on when I am subbing now. The best thing about subbing is I go home at 3:15 and don't have to go to the worthless meetings!!

Nice Cuppa said...

Thanks CC

IN RE the land of ZEDS, the Ozzies (Kazie has one too I notice) must be sleeping soundly after winning the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, which finished yesterday. This is a major event competed for by a large fraction of the world, but since you guys opted out a couple hundred years back it's not much covered here.

But the real triumph was INDIA, who by all accounts were magnificent hosts, despite some early problems. And they performed magnificently (well ABOVE PAR) on the field and track too, pipping England into 2nd place on the Gold Medal count.

So hats off (mad or otherwise) to the world's largest democracy.

NC

NC

Dennis said...

All due respect to Brandi Chastain, I'd much rather see a picture of the massager than the massagee.

kazie said...

NC,
Thanks for the heads-up about the Commonwealth Games. I've become so isolated fro the Commonwealth, that I wasn't even aware of it going on now.

When DH and I were hitch-hiking through NZ on our way here in 1974, the couple we met in the South Island, who gave us rides for a week and invited us to stay with them on their North Island farm when we got that far, had been in the south to act as officials for the Commonwealth Games which had been held in Christchurch that year.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Slow, tough solve, but mostly enjoyable, with a terrific theme. SET A was a trap I couldn't OVOID.
O'NEILL was a real Aha! moment. This puzzle is like a soft, fluffy pillow - lots of high quality down fill.

How do you wound the god of war?!?

Maybe shoot his eye out.

That's what my mother told me. Seriously!

I asked the LW what a Swiffer WetJet is, and she pulled ours out of the closet.

YAH on BENE!

On Friday, a literal clue, like "Went off the deep end" becomes tricky.

Unlike an apple plus an orange, the MISERY INDEX is the addition of 2 bitter fruits. It was devised by Arthur Okun (not the razor guy) in the late 60's. I associate it with Ford and his WIN (whip inflation now) buttons. It was high throughout the 70's, and did peak under Carter.

Moderate inflation isn't miserable at all. Low inflation is, and deflation is most of all.

Cheers!
JzB the BLUE trombonist (Yikes - this guy is GOOD!)

Lucina said...

Hello, C.C. and all puzzlers.

It's always great to have you blogging, C.C.

Well, if this is geared toward a certain age group, count me in! I was on Kelsey's wave length for most of it, especially the eastern corner where I started and quickly filled it. How can anyone who lived here in the 70s forget the SSMINNOW?

And as was mentioned, bereft immediately yielded LORN.

My eraser did have a workout as I, too, wanted GOD for Jupiter, but DOVE, clever clueing on went off the deep end, canceled it.

In fact, this was rich with clever clues:

wheels of fortune, MBAS
tip of Massachusetts, ONEILL
time slice, ERA
fire proof, ASHES
bit of force, DYNE

I really hesitated on YUL, although it could not be anyone else; just didn't know but wanted PATHOS so all that was the last to fall.

BBGUN emerged slowly, but once it did, the entire corner fell. Not knowing the technicality, that it was modeled after the Winchester was a big disadvantage.

Last Christmas I have my s-i-l my late DH's Re Ryder BBgun for Christmas. He loves the movie, A Christmas Story, which features just that. he loved it.

Thanks to Kelsey Blakley for an entertaining Friday morning.

I hope you are having a wonderful one!

Lucina said...

Oops! I gave my son-in-law the Red Ryder, not have.

windhover said...

Dennis @ 11:44,
Moi aussi!
Without a doubt.

creature said...

Took the time to study the avatars in the early a.m.

First of all, Lucina all the 'raving' about your granddaughter is warranted-such a doll-and that dress is so special. I used my magnifying glass to see
it.

Carol,your Halloween decor is 'something else'- did you really make that head of your guy?
I would be very upset to see that broken.

Fermatprime, hope your doctor says better things about your leg today.
Your spirits sound a little better.

Dilbert, sorry about your shot reaction- could it be serious?

HeartRx, I too take Arimidex. I've been on it for over 5 yrs,having just switched to generic ,3 mos ago.
My youngest is also on it. But, we both have to take a D supplement from time to time.Different drs.
I never had Tamoxifin and glad of it.How long have you been on it?
My original was in '82, with removal and chemo being all I had
for 23 yrs.
A recurrance 5 yrs ago ,inoperable because of location,was treated with radiation and there are no signs of it in pics, at least. So far, I get good reports.Obviously slow growing.
I forgot when yours was originally.
I feel mine is a success story for all the research that's ongoing.

HeartRx said...

@ Creature,
I had the surgery/chemo/radiation in 2001, and was on Arimidex for 6 years. Now I am DONE - yippee!! And so far, a clean bill of health. Sorry to hear about your recurrence. I hope the newest research will keep it in check!

I have problems with my back and have had some fractured ribs as a result of the loss of Vitamin D. No amount will ever be enough, if you don't also take it along with Vitamin K.

But now I am also on a regimen of jogging, strength exercises ("weight lifting") and yoga. The slight "jarring" of the vertebrae while jogging actually helps to strengthen the bone. But, I have to do it on a "soft" treadmill, not on the street, because too much running on hard surfaces will harm the knees. It's a delicate balance, but seems to be working for me.

Spitzboov said...

How do you think NOAH would have handled these two?

Dilbert said...

Hi.

Hope that this is not TMI but, was sitting in the bathroom from 2AM untill 4Am when I decided to join the blog.
Developed an all over rash and had to rub on some Fluocinonide (Topical Steroid).
Loved the puzzle BTW

Take care.

JD said...

Good morning C.C. and all,

Fun stuff today-daddy o, warpath, no soap,plaque holder, and my fav= oil source/olive.Had trouble filling the bin rob and the b in bums. How dim is that?
And, to Lucins's shagrin, I actually looked up SS Minnow, never having watched Gilligan.I thought it was too silly.
I was hoping for something a little more fun for "like a centaur", but partly animal works.

LOTS of new learning for me today.I thought berber was a type of carpet.

JzB- C'mas is not complete without The Christmas Story.Thanks for linking.

Tinbeni @ 10:31...funny!

and, btw anon, we DO care about each and everyone on this blog , no matter how much or how little they share.

Melissa, it was hard to see Brandi retire last month.She was a great mentor to my daughter at SCU.BTW, is your daughter still working for the Sharks? We're going to the opener on Sat.

Chickie, congrats to your grandson. You must be sooo proud! I had never heard of sereer.

Dennis, loved yesterday's questions/answers.I'm still pondering that nipple thingie today.Many people are born with a partial tail also. Yazooks!

Dennis said...

Spitzboov, that's a great video -- thanks for sharing.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, I pulled up this puzzle last night after chorus practice. I finished it, but the theme cleverness eluded me until this morning.

Last night I looked at the themes and just saw them as written. I was definitely in a "D'uh" mode. After reading C.C.'s explanations, I felt much more like an "Aha!".

It took me a while to convince myself that (37A) "Ristorante staple" wasn't VINO. I had the V and it just made sense.
"
(8D) Tip of Massachusetts" for O'NEILL was my favorite and most hard won fill.

Creature and HeartRx, no tamoxifen for me either. ER-negative tumors, are unlikely to respond to tamoxifen. Right now, I've got 3 weeks of no chemo, so I am feeling better every day....just in time for that New Zealand vacation.

Chickie, congratulations to your grandson. The "grand-apple" didn't fall far from the tree. You and your family are always thinking of the welfare of others.

Anonymous said...

JD: Would that I were so lucky! I got all my tail, and 2 1/2 of some other people`s!!!

Jerome said...

Caught on quick. 7 minutes. Loved PARTLY ANIMALS.

In solidarity with Bob.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody, and warm Friday greetings. Well, this was a DNF puzzle for me today, but I'm happy I managed to solve all but the NW corner with no "cheating."

Thanks for the enlightening writeup, C.C., and thanks for the link to the recipe. It's very close to how I was already making them, and yes without bamboo shoots. I think I just need more sesame oil and green onion.

Interestingly, I remembered Yul Brynner was in Westworld (we never saw the movie, just the posters) but forgot, or never knew in the first place, that James Brolin was in it too.

I never really did get the theme; all I figured out was that there was an LY somewhere in each, which helped me get them all except DULLY. I think it's because I was looking at it as adding LY to what was otherwise a regular word: MISER+LY, PART+LY, and HARD+LY. I very much wanted some form of DULY but DU+LY or even DUL+LY didn't work in my mind the way the other 3 entrees did. So even thought I got OLIVE, I couldn't solve the NW corner.

Like many of you, I wanted GOD for "Jupiter, for one" and VINO for "Ristorante staple." ORB eluded me because I couldn't think of a term that began with MB (28 down.) I also had MOTOR for 7 down, and therefore couldn't figure out in the heck AMOD was.

Gimmes included KOJAK, BONA, SLOE, EDIE, JIMA, and the aforementioned YUL. And of course it is the gimmes that get me started.

I was very amused and pleased with "Tip of Massachusetts," "Fly-by-night co," and "Went off the deep end." Good stuff.

Overall a satisfying puzzle. Thank you Kelsey Blakley.

The discussions of Arimidex reflect exactly the treatment my wife is in the midst of. She is also doing Yoga (and trying to suck me into doing it with her.)

Speaking of celebrities, San Jose hosted Sarah Palin and Michael Moore yesterday, and the Dalai Lama is also in town giving lectures and lessons.

My colleague is submitting a technical paper today, one that he has been working on for over three months. The good thing is that we know it will be accepted for publication because the journal requested it. I feel it will give our work on earthquake research a nice boost of credibility in the scientific community.

This post is getting too long. Best wishes to you all.

creature said...

Actually,it was luck that I caught the recurrence. I tripped over my daughter's dog and had X rays done for fractures.My doc decided to have full pics done and there was the spot. The worst part was when it was biopsied, the surgeon knicked my 'diaphram nerve' and now it is always pushing on my lung. I Still huff and puff from time to time, but I've learned to manage it over time. I nhave ttal confidence and glad I caught it.

CA- Its amaziong how quickly we can bounce back from chemo- know you will love your trip. Can't wait to hear about it.

Jatce-sounds as if Arimidex agrees with your wife-yoga and all. Has she been on it very long? Hope she's doing well.

Lucina said...

Chickie:
No, I'm not chagrined at all. Gilligan's Island was one of thos innocuous programs we watched because we were so exhausted from work in those days, we needed a mindless hour or two.

I think my late DH also enjoyed watching the girls, too. LOL

creature:
Thank you! My granddaughter is adorable and is developing a personality to match.

Jayce said...

Creature, she's been on it for about 2 years. Another 3 years to go and she can stop using it. She's been doing a good job of taking generic Fosamax, calcium-magnesium supplements, and vitamin D supplements. Man oh man that Arimidex is expensive stuff!

Lucina, my dad used to love to watch "I Dream of Jeannie" and I suspect one reason he liked it so much was because he liked looking at Barbara Eden.

creature said...

Jayce- yes, its highway robbery. It has just gone generic in the last several months. Lots cheaper and the same results. Look into it. It had gotten up to over 400 per month for me. The generic is about 30-40 per month.

Jayce said...

Creature, thanks. Done! :)

I gotta tell y'all a humorous story about how I discovered a wonderful little "hole in the wall" joint in Taipei, Taiwan, that made the absolutely best dumplings and noodle soups EVER. I think the man who ran the place thought I was a good customer because I kept coming back and I would order what was considered a LOT of food. I'd order like maybe 20 or 25 jiaozi and he would make each and every one of them by hand. One time, as I was approaching his food stand, I overheard him say to what I assume was a buddy of his, "Uh oh, here comes that Da Fan Tung (big eater)! I'd better get busy rolling the dough!" So maybe I was not only a good customer but also his worst nightmare, LOL. Those were good times.

JD said...

Lucina, I was just joking about seeing G's Island. I know I watched mindless stuff back then too, like I Dream of Jeannie.Geez, that's also when I started viewing All my Children!!Talk about inane.

CA, when is the date of your bon voyage?

Seldom Seen said...

I could say that I ignored this load of crap, but that would be a lie. Do you remember being hoodwinked?

It has been a year and I still feel used.

Good luck tonight Tinbeni, but I'll be rooting for Josh Hamilton(he did play for the Reds, remember?) as that is a story worthy of the news(unlike the above).

HeartRx said...

Spitzboov,
What a great video! It's only at the very, very end that you see there are two cats sitting on the railing just observing everything that was going on...I would love to hear THEIR comments about the whole thing:
1st Cat: “It’s all fun and games until someone gets poked in the eye with a hoof…”
2nd Cat: “Do you think we should tell him it’s not a greyhound?”

CA, Creature and Jayce,
Hang in there. And CA, it sounds like you are not going to let anything stop you from having a great time in NZ! Be sure to take lots of pics so you can share them with us, OK?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - Late to the dance today.

This puzzle filled like a swimming pool: from bottom to top, and veeeery slowly. And with a lot of help along the way.

Apparently I don't have quite enough candles on my cake yet. BBGUNs were a yawn when I was young. I only ever heard of a Red Ryder in "A Christmas Story" (a classic!) and didn't know it was real. Jack PAAR doesn't spring easily to mind, I thought we were talkin' about Woody Allen.

AROD was all perps - I know so little about sports that I've been asked to turn in my Man Card. YUL Brynner was superb in Westworld, but I forgot anyhow. Goofing and bumming around don't seem quite interchangeable to me. Really expected VINO but of course it goes well with VEAL...

Are we gathering votes for massager vs. massagee? Hand up for the "gee", Bee.

Much rest is needed. Happy Friday Night, All!

Spitzboov said...

Dennis, You're welcome.

HeartRx, glad you had the patience to see it to the end. I agree with you about the cats. Your captions, LOL. I wondered what they were thinking.

Hahtoolah said...

Warren: I didn't realize that there were 2 versions of the Gilligan's Island song. I only remembered the version that ended with "the professor and MaryAnn", but somehow the words on your version were a little "different" from my childhood memory!

Warren said...

Hi Hahtool, It seems that there was a different theme song for the pilot and the pilot didn't have the Mary Ann and Professor characters which was probably the reason for the different versions of the song.

Here's the lost pilot theme song and it was a 6 hour tour? But the pilot was never aired.

Here's a wiki article that is probably more info than you'd ever want to know about Gilligan's Island...

But (I finally found it!) Here's the real reason for the different song versions: "One version was used for the first season and another for the second and third. In the original song, the Professor and Mary Ann were referred to as "and the rest." Actors Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells were originally considered "second-billed co-stars," but with the growing popularity of their characters, their names were inserted into the lyrics."

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone,
A very clever puzzle from Kelsey Blakley today. I didn't get much of a toehold until I hit the Eastern side and then almost the whole area was filled in. However, I fell into the Vino/Veal trap and put in Lewd for Risque, so had to erase several times before I could finish up.

I had to use my CW Dictionary and Google today, otherwise I would never have gotten anywhere.

BB Gun was one of the last to fall. When my husband came in I asked him what kind of gun would be modeled after the Winchester and his immediate answer was BB Gun. We still have his Red Ryder 'BB Gun stashed away. He became a pretty good shot as evidenced by the number of times the street light behind their house was "knocked" out! His mother was appaled when he admitted at bout age 60 that he had shot it out a number of times.

Heart RX and Creature, Arimidex is on my med list also. My last refill was the generic and what a difference in cost!! About $48.00 against $1,100. I fell into the donut hole and had to pay the full amount myself the time before this. What a blow.

Jayce look into this. The patent for the name brand (Arimidex) has just run out and the Generic hasn't been on the market very long.

Chickie said...

JD, Sereer is a local dialect spoken by the people in the area where my grandson will be for his permanent assignment. Senegal is basically a French speaking country and all the PCV's had to pass a French test before they were assigned to Senegal.

Jayce, What is your colleague's paper about? We are always interested in Earthquake related science. If you can say, what journal has requested his paper?

There is an earthquake drilling hole in the street just outside my former school. It was put in just after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. We used to see people there with measuring equipmnet every so often.

C.C. It was good to hear your "voice" on the blog today. Thank you for the great links and insightful writeup.

Seldom Seen said...

Clear Ayes: I have many NZ tales, here's one:

I left LAX @ 11p on 12/06/91 and landed in AKL @ 8a on 12/08/91.

The pilot announced when we passed over Hawaii that 50yrs to the hour the attack was under way...but we would never experience the anniversary since we never had a 12/07/91.

Moral of the story? ...It's a long freakin' flight!

Have fun Clear Ayes...I know you will.

Jeannie said...

This was easier to me than yesterday's offering for some reason. I got lots of perp help with ovoid, thole (shame on me), Saar, Ney and Dyne. My hand's up for vino instead of veal. Luckily I remembered "zeds" from earlier in the week as that was a learning moment. The only time I visited Mr. G was to refresh my memory as to what a "centaur" was. I really enjoyed "hardly boys" as when I was little I read every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys book there was to find in our little library.

It's funny...my dad loved watching "I dream of Jeannie" too. I thought it was because of MY name. Ha!

I had no idea so many of my blogger friends have had to deal with cancer. You are a remarkable group!

An older friend of mine is basically blind, but his garden is spectacular and he's one helluva fisherman. So here's to Harvey, on White Cane Safety Day. I shake dice with him and a few other "older gentlemen" on Saturday afternoons. When I walk into the bar, Harvey will say, "Jeannie's here" I can smell her. I think I should take that as a compliment, right?

WikWak said...

Hooray for JazzB! I thought I was going to have been the only one to see the reference to the Red Ryder BB gun and think, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

One of my favorite movies ever.

Jayce said...

Yes Jeannie, take that as a compliment! (And whever you expect to be in his company, always wear the same cologne, or at least wash with the same soap :)

Chickie, by golly the name of the publication does not come to mind at the moment. I'll get back to you on that. The subject of the paper is very technical, but it has to do with new ways of analyzing geophysical data that seem to shed new light on methods of predicting earthquakes. There is a long way to go on this. (If you want me to email you the article, I will.)

Argyle said...

Warren, I'm not sure you were trying to be funny or you hadn't actually listened to your link of the second Gilligan's Isle theme. Drug dealer, indeed!

Anyhow, here is a link to the 2nd theme, with opening and closing lyrics.

Warren said...

Thanks for checking Argyle! I posted a bad link accidentally. Here's the wiki link I was trying for...

Lucina said...

I apologize, JD, for confusing you with Chickie.

It's my short term memory!

Marge said...

Hi all,
This was a hard one for me. I took it with me this AM when I had my weekly trip to the beauty shop. I thought I would get a head start on it. Well, I did get a few answers, but had to come to this blog to finish it. Oh, well!

I had fey for Ney, I should have know, considering all the novel I read about the battle of Waterloo. I really liked the fedex answer.

Husker- I read today in the paper that the first game Nebraska will play in the BIG TEN will be in at Madison on Oct. 1, 2011. That should be fun to watch. It seems there are some Nebraska alumni in Madison who have a club, and are already planning a celebration when (if) Nebraska wins!

A good evening to all.
Marge

Marge said...

Hi!

Spitzboov, I forgot to tell you how much I enjoyed the dog and fawn playing. I watched it a second time so I could see the cats.
Marge

kazie said...

Spitzboov,
Me too, it was a great video. I sent it on to my favorite group for forwards.

Seen,
The first time I crossed the International dateline in 1971, on Air New Zealand, they were giving out certificates of recognition that one had done so. Not any more. Actually it's only about 12 hours from the west coast to Auckland, though you do miss the day in between, but gain a day on the return flight. NZ is about 15 hours ahead of the west coast, if I've calculated right.
When DH's parents flew to Sydney for our wedding in 1972, my m-i-l-to-be missed her birthday that way.

Clear Ayes said...

HeartRx and Seen, You betcha...we are planning on having a terrific time.

We'll be leaving SFO at 8:00 PM on October 21st, connect at LAX, leave at 11:45 PM and arrive in Auckland at 8:40 AM on October 23rd, even though the flight is "only" 13 hours. The November 9th 12 hour+ flight on the way home will only account for 3 hours and 15 minutes.

The only thing I'm planning on so far is my travel outfit...a yellow long sleeve t-shirt, black jersey pants with a draw string waist and Footzee slipper-shoes. It is the closest I can get to pajamas on an airplane. With 13 hours in the air, who cares about being glamorous? Comfort is the word of the day.

melissa bee said...

jd, yes, my daughter made it into tank patrol again this year - she'll be there saturday night. go sharks!

Anonymous said...

isn't "thin ornamental layer" a "gild"? gilt means something that's been gilded.

Jeannie said...

Clearayes, isn't it just like a woman to know this far in advance what she will wear on an airplane? I do the same thing. My foodshow is this Monday and Tuesday and we are having a vendor appreciation party Monday after set up, and I shopped two weeks ago! It's a challenge here as you never know what the weather will throw at you, but the party is at the same place we are staying that night. I went for black slacks, a lightweight turqoise cotton sweater that a blazer can go over as necessary.

Argyle said...

Anon,
GILD is a verb or, if used as a noun, a variant spelling of guild. If you have a computer, you could look it up.

Chickie said...

Jayce, My husband is an ex science teacher and is interested in the subject of earthquakes and predictions.

You could just e-mail the paper or we could look up the article on the internet if the journal publishes that way. Thanks ahead of time.