google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, July 27, 2012, Bruce C. Grieg

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Jul 27, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012, Bruce C. Grieg

Theme: Movies "R" Us.

Each of the five theme answers takes a movie title and adds an "R" to the first word to create a whole new title and mental image. This appears to be another debut puzzle, for our third Bruce and our second who sports a middle initial. (Where are you Bruce S.?) Really filled with movie references, cross references hidden references, but overall the easiest puzzle of the week for me. Like a nice romantic comedy, the puzzle was breezy and fun. Let's get some popcorn, Junior Mints and go to the movies.

17A. The "Iliad" film version for kids? : TROY STORY (9). The movie TOY STORY (3:00) was not about Helen of Troy, not the Trojan War. hard to believe this was 17 years ago.

24A. Coming -of-age film about DNA? : STRAND BY ME.(10). The movie STAND BY ME (2:16) was not about DNA strands. All kinds of stars in this film adaptation of a Steven King story, including Sheldon's pal Wil Wheaton.

36A. Bob Marley prison film? : DREAD MAN WALKING. (15) The MOVIE (2:29) about a death row prisoner that also won awards, which was full of DREAD.

53A. Epic poet-left-behind film? : HOMER ALONE. (10) The Caulkin, Pesci MOVIE (2:11) which left many laughing, but not about the Iliad (see above) or the Odyssey, or even a Simpson.

62A. Shakespearean holiday film? : BARD SANTA.(9). Billy Bob Thornton's Christmas MOVIE (2:59). I do love Will Shakespeare, the Bard. And you sort of unifier...

45D. Like the five films in this puzzle's theme? : R RATED. More like R infused, but let's see what else we have.

Across:

1. Anthony's talk radio partner : OPIE. One of the many shock jocks who followed the lead of Howard Stern, even taking his CBS radio time slot when David Lee Roth failed to replace Howard. I have never listened to THEM.

5. Kindergarten lessons : ABCS. Since today's puzzle is entertainment related how about: "Like taking candy from a baby? "

9. Some carpets : SHAGS. Imagine one word which is a rug, a hairstyle and having sex all in four letters. Shout out to....?

14. Struggle at the finish : FADE. Yes, as often happens to my horse at the 16th pole. Side mini-theme, also a hair style.

15. Combustible material : COAL. A truly dirty four letter word.

16. Put off : TABLE. Used in board meeting, committee meetings, sorry Fred we are going to table your idea.

19. Burgundy capital : DIJON. Wine and mustard, what more do you want from the French? Croissants? Chocolate?

20. Great Society agcy. : OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity administered the government's War on Poverty. Sadly Poverty won.

21. Rio greeting : OLA. Our Hispanic Hello, hey Chickie, Lucina and others. No H suggests the Portuguese version.

23. One of the Spice Girls : GERI. the REUNION (0:29). They also made a movie.

28. Gp. in a '50s labor merger : CIO. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations merged when I was a kid when labor was king.

29. Anticipate : FORESEE.

30. Online self-image : AVATAR. Another hidden movie reference.

32. Calendar abbr. : TUEsday.

33. Superhuman : BIONIC. Were you a fan of Man or Woman? TV movies?

43. Best Actress winner for "The Queen" : MIRREN. Helen, an another award winning Actress.

44. Sushi topping : ROE. Row, row row your boat and get me some fish eggs.

45. Theme of Grisham's "A Time to Kill" : RACISM. Another book and MOVIE.

48. Arise : EMANATE.

52. First Amendment subj. : RELigion.

56. Composer Khachaturian : ARAM. My learning moment, I knew the last name but not the first. His MUSIC is much used in movies.

58. Pin cushion? : MAT. Wrestling, not stick you in the arm kind.

59. Miami's Marino : DAN. Number 13, a wonderful player and a very philanthropic member of our community.

60. References, often : TOMES.

67. Modern read : EBOOK. Love my Kindle.

68. Blunted blade : EPEE. Fencing sword.

69. Flirt : MINX. Anyone ever read a Phriney (pronounced Frinee) Fisher mystery novel?

70. Town near Bangor, in many King works : DERRY. Another cross referential clue to the earlier King movie SBM.

71. Tend : LEAN. Many of you lean to the left, and many to the right, I have my chair set just in the middle.

72. Kitchen addition? : ETTE. Kitchenette, from the French for little. Dennis if you are ever in Ft. Lauderdale, Kitchenetta (the Italian version) is a fun restaurant on Federal Highway.

Wow, must speed up.

Down:

1. Frequently, to Frost : OFTen.

2. It's something to shoot for : PAR. On the golf course at least.

3. Life-changing promise : I DO. I did, I don't anymore.

4. Fictional donkey : EEYORE. Winnie the Pooh.

5. Broadway opening? : ACT ONE. Not a movie reference but it could have been.

6. Rude welcome at the park : BOO. Like when Pujols goes back to play in St. Louis, not one but a chorus.

7. Chocolate substitute : CAROB. This comes from the seed pod of a tree in the (forgive the expression) pea family.

8. In a feline way : SLYLY. Okay cat lovers, are you going to let him say that about your babies?

9. Not irr. : STD, Standard, no sexually transmitted diseases here; not to be confused with 29D. Org. providing arrangements : FTD.

10. Reagan Cabinet member : HAIG. He thought he was President when Ronnie got shot. Alexander the GREAT syndrome?

11. Utterly hopeless : ABJECT. Yes, his dream to be president was.

12. Reverent hymn : GLORIA. This song? LINK.(2:39) Nah, but it was reverent.

13. Higher in rank : SENIOR.

18. Neptune's realm : SEAS. The Roman Poseidon.

22. 2006 Whirlpool acquisition : AMANA.

24. Whiskey order : SOUR. Been there, and a lady friend did her SoCo sours. Yuck.

25. Diagram with relatives : TREE. Joyce Kilmer anyone?

26. Exclude : DEBAR. Really, what is wrong with BAR?

27. Mean business : EVIL. Anyone call for a DOCTOR? (1:58)

31. Cry of disgust : ACK. Made famous by CATHY.

34. Elephant tail? : INE. Elephantine.

35. Seller, presumably : OWNER. You hope, that is why you hire an attorney and get title insurance.

37. Nice friend : AMI. Ah, the French clue of the day, with the trick that does not trick.

38. Entrée : DISH. main course.

39. 1983 Keaton film : MR MOM. It has our friend TERI GARR.(1:21).

40. Turkey is always next to it : IRAN. Unless it is in the oven, three strikes in a row, or a bad movie.

41. Do, for example : NOTE. Musical note here: Do, Re, Mi, Fa...)

42. "Wow" : GEE.

46. Oxygen-consuming organism : AEROBE. Not a microbe.

47. Hue and cry : CLAMOR. Yes too often, pretty girls become clamor girls.

49. Memorable telestrator user in NFL broadcasts : MADDEN. John, who invented the Turducken, just for the legs. I am so old I remember when he played.

50. Sighed word : ALAS. Alack.

51. Generic : NO NAME. Like the Miami Dolphins defense of the early 70's.

54. Normand of the silents : MABEL. Crossword regular, but a star in the MOVIES.(6:28) She was a little minx.

55. Military camp : ETAPE. This is not an online adhesive.

57. "Is it just ___..." : ME OR is it getting warm in here?

61. Shade of blue : SKY. My favorite is sky blue pink at sunset.

63. Mens ___: criminal intent : REA. As they say "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea." The act does not make you guilty if the mind is not, See Wiki, black's law dictionary or any other source for more detail.

64. Bit of carping : NIT. For you dear Marti.

65. Big Bang cause : TNT. Not the Big Bang, nor even the Big Bang Theory just Trinitrotoluene, or a TV network which shows movies but not Sheldon.

66. Dump : AXE. A perfect exit line with a song from my favorite almost successful band LINK. Hope you enjoyed the show. Bruce C.G. (hmm is he real or a computer graphic?) welcome, stop by and say hello, we had a lot of fun.

Answer grid.

Thanks all.

Lemonade squeezed all I could, so time to go.

50 comments:

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Oof! I struggled with this one. Even after grokking the theme, I had a hard time coming up with BARD SANTA and HOMERALONE.

The NE was the hardest section, though, what with GERI, ABJECT, DIJON and GLORIA. I knew that 28A was going to be either AFL or CIO, but I just couldn't guess which one without some help from the perps, and the perps weren't being very helpful... I don't know why SENIOR was so hard to see, since it should have been obvious, but it was actually ABJECT that got me by in that section (it gave me CIO and the rest fell into place after that).

Great clue for MAT ("pin cushion") and I had a nice *HAH* moment when I finally figured out what "Do" was referring to at 41D.

Wasn't thinking baseball for 6D, so BOO didn't make sense to me. And I think ACK only exists in the world of "Cathy."

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. Interesting Friday puzzle. It provided me with a good challenge, but I was easily able to figure out the R-RATED theme.

Before it was made into a movie starring Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking was book written by Sister Helen Prejean. She's from Louisiana and has spent much of her career working with prisoners. In the late 1990s, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I don't read Stephen King, so confidently wrote in Orono. It's a town near Bangor and where King attended college. Besides, Orono is a crossword staple!

I must say that my cats to NOT behave SLYLY!

Helen MIRREN celebrated her 67th birthday yesterday.

One of my colleagues is making a Life Changing Promise today.

QOD: Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony

Anonymous said...

TTP'er here.

Wow Bruce ! Maybe it was the early rise this AM, but that was tough for me. I was all over the place with thoughts and associations. I'll put some time lines in as to where I was. Great cluing that made it really challenging.

Lemonade, I enjoyed your write up and links. It was Bionic Woman for me even though Man had more believable scripts. \ What are SoCoSours ?


Isn't 8D SLYLY a funny looking word ?

At 24 minutes had 19 words and 3 theme partials.

2 minutes later got 24A letters RAD and E for STRANDBYME. OH NO ! extra letters
But then immediately saw 17A TROYSTORY

Cute 2D clue, although course management may dictate that one shoots for birdie

51D Kept trying to fill 7 letter mundane into 6 letter noname...

39 D Keaton film, I kept thinking Diane

CLECHOS for Lemonade at 26D and 63D
26D Exclude = DEBAR, as in Illinos Gov Rod Blagojevich who is also behind DEBARs now

At 43:45 filled DREADMANWALKING. At 51:34 HOMERALONE.
At 1hr 6 min got the unifier 45D RRATED..
At 1hr 10 got 62A BARDSANTA.
At 1hr 18 min had 1A OPI_ , 4D _EY_RE and 20A _EO when I sussed at EEYORE

TA DA !

Lemonade714 said...

TTP, Southern Comfort Sours.

Anybody remember the chanting of "Arma virumque cano" in a movie as a make believe magical chant. That is the opening line to the Iliad, "I sing of Arms and a Man" and I cannot dredge the movie reference from the depths of memory. Going AZ and I do not mean Arizona.

HeartRx said...

Good morning Lemondae, C.C. et al.

I had more fun with your write-up than I did with the puzzle, Lemony! Loved, loved, loved the G-L-O-R-I-A link. Van the Man is such a versatile artist. And no NITs today...

Barry G., even thought he comic strip "Cathy" is no longer around, ACK will live on in crosswords with that sound being clued to her. I guess it's because no one is old enough to remember ACK as the first letter of the old spelling alphabet from WWI ? Hence the nickname for "Anti-Aircraft" guns, or simply ACK-ACK guns. (Do you s'pose Rich might allow a clue like "Half an anti-aircraft gun?")

Hahtoolah, great QOD - unfortunately, I know some people like that. Oh, and my cats don't do anything SLYLY, either - they are the "in your face" kinda girls.

TGIF!!

Anonymous said...

TTP'er here.

Ah, Southern Comfort. I'm sure I've sipped that. I've also had "A Word With the Bird" (Wild Turkey) once or twice in my "ute."

Wish I could help with Arma virumque cano in a movie ref. Last movie I went to see was "On Golden Pond."

PK said...

Got the SW corner and eleven other answers. The rest were ABJECT for me. Got none of the movies except MR. MOM despite having R RATED which was no help at all. BOO hoo!

Think I'll go back to bed.

Thanks, Lemonade.

Avg Joe said...

A serious challenge today. For once the theme was very helpful. Had nada in both the NE or SW for a long time. But slowly it all came together.

Can't pass up the chance to link the theme from Deadman Walking, Ellis Unit One

CrossEyedDave said...

Don't forget Bill The Cat!

desper-otto said...

If it weren't for the theme, this could have been a Saturday offering. I thought it was that difficult.

I finally got the theme at HOMER ALONE, and that allowed me to go back up and complete the previous three titles.

No overwrites today; I just had a lot of white space that took time to populate. It all came together within the time limit...but barely.

It was a good, challenging puzzle. Thanks Bruce, and Lemonade for explaining DO - NOTE.

Maurice said...

Madden invented the turkducken? Hogwash!

Avg Joe said...

Yes! Bill the Cat!

I've been an avid funnies reader since I was very young. In fact I learned to read at around 4 because my 5 older brothers and sisters refused to read the funnies to me any longer. That said, the day that Cathy stopped running was a great day. The day that Bloom County stopped shall live in infamy.

Mari said...

ACK! A DNF for me! That dang SW corner did me in. I tried Emory instead of DERRY. (Is there even an Emory, ME?) And a few other write-overs messed up my grid. I wanted "map" for Pin Cushion (as in putting pins on a map), but MAT works better. I like the wrestling link.

A lot of great movies covered here, and some not so great ones. (Could you imagine if Bad Santa was Shakespear's work?) DH and I usually go to a movie on the weekends, but don't plan to go this weekend.

Speaking of, thanks for your recommendations of Midnight in Paris. I tried to order it through my cable provider, but they don't carry it. I'll have to head out to the video/DVD rental place and check it out.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Yellowrocks said...

This truly was a Friday level puzzle for me, not a romp, even though I grokked add an R immediately with STRANDBYME and TROYSTORY.

It took a while to remember how to spell MIRREN who was superb in The Queen.

I liked the Dead Man Walking novel and also the movie. I often choose my Netflix movies based on books I've enjoyed.

My dog was slyer than any of my cats, but his guilty air when I came home always gave him away. Cats are insouciant, not caring whether you catch them in the act or not. They never act guilty.

I liked this puzzle and its theme. Thanks Lemony for an interesting expo.

Mari said...

"SLYLY", not my cuddle-bugs. In fact, they only seem secretive because we don't speak the same language. I believe if they could speak English my cats would talk my ear off.

"Ooh! Pet me! Pet me!"
"Snack please!"
"Sam did it!"

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this one. Perfect Friday degree of difficulty (I'm brushing up on my Olympic-ese). Nice film references/clues, though I am not sold on "R Rated" for the unifier.

Northeast corner was brutal. "Posh" instead of "Geri" just compounded the problems.

I have an issue with "debar." Seems that adding a "de" in front of "bar" should change the meaning of "bar." I recognize that the clue & answer are correct, I guess my issue is with the English language.

"Time to Kill" is one of my favorite books of the last 25 years.

Anonymous said...

Closed forum? I never have a posting problem.

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Thanks, Bruce, for a clever and fun Friday challenge and thanks, Lemony, for a great write- up. Had a few glitches but finished w/o help, which always makes me happy.

This week's puzzles were all clever, thought-provoking and, most importantly, FUN! Three cheers for our talented constructors and to Rich for his spot-on editing.

Happy Friday to all.

Lemonade714 said...

Okay Maurice, you caught me; some nights when I am writing away, I rein in my urge to link every answer, so I shortcut with misinformation, I know Madden only made TURDUCKEN popular, but it was more fun to say he invented it because he is a large man who enjoys food. By winging it (so to speak) I leave room for this educated audience to spead their knowledge wings.

Or not.

Qli said...

WMS (what mari said); a DNF for me today, but only after lots of fun with the theme.

WEES; I didn't like SLYLY either, since my cat was was pretty darn straightforward in his behavior. Otherwise, thanks, Bruce.

Sorry, Lemon, but I have a NIT to pick: an AEROBE can also be a microbe (like E. coli). But you were right, the answer wasn't microbe. If that's what you were going for, never mind the NIT.

Funny to see Sheldon mentioned twice in Lemon's writeup this morning. We are going to see Jim Parsons in "Harvey" on Broadway this weekend. Not just ACT ONE, but the whole show!

Anonymous said...

First time for me (figure it out). Needed some help and enjoyed the ride. AGST

Tinbeni said...

Lemon: Nice write-up & links.
Thought you'd have more to say about 26-D, DEBAR.

Bruce: Wonderful and FUN debut! Just glad I remembered it was "Add-a-letter, create wacky-answer, Friday."

Geez, after the "shout-out" to Husker Gary 'shootin' for PAR' at 2-D, I had the "Add-a-R" theme ... but the rest was a total slog. (My 'perps' were workin' overtime!)

Just read the comments from last night.
Kazie, I take exception to your comments about the Swiss.
(Guess I forgot about how "fun-loving" the Germans were last century).

Oh well, A 'toast' to all, with AVATAR, at Sunset.
Cheers!

July 27, 2012 1

Anony-Mouse said...

Thank you Mr. Grieg for a very challenging puzzle, and thank you Lemonade for your explanations.... are you sure you're not Groucho Marx's avatar ? Learned a lot from your blog commentary.

BTW, Is the study of Latin a strict requirement ('de rigueur' ?) for the study of law,(J.D.) in American Universities ? No doubt, it would be of great help, but it would be a serious disadvantage for those who didn't take the language in high school .....

BTW, Muhammad Ali Jinnah,(1876-1948) who is considered the creator ( or chief proponent -) of Pakistan ( The Quaid-e-Azam , Great Leader - ) went to the UK at age 15, joined Lincoln's Inn, got an official exemption from taking the Latin course exams, and, at age 19,(1895) was the youngest 'Indian' called to the Bar in England. He is universally considered to be one of (United) India's greatest lawyers.

Jinnah claimed he joined Lincoln's Inn, because he saw the Prophet Mohammed's name, as a 'lawgiver', at the entrance. In fact, no such 'name list' exists - however, there is a portrait of (the Prophet ) Mohammed ( in a green turban and robes, no less )among a group of 'lawgivers' in a 45 feet long mural in The Great Hall at Lincoln's Inn. He is specifically identified in the title of the painting. The mural ,"Justice"' which includes Moses etc., by George Frederick Watts (1859) is still there, and is a big tourist attraction. The protraiture of the Prophet, is considered a serious, blatant, blasphemy under Islamic law, but curiously, no protests have ever been lodged against it, in the last 150 years ...

Anony-Mouse said...

ALT QOD:- If God dwells inside us like some say, I just hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting. ~ Jack Handey.

*David* said...

A slight bit more difficult then a usual Friday. The theme really lessened the difficulty but I had some problem entering the NE corner which had only one entry to gain a toehold in. I also put COCOA for CAROB that required me to move around a bit towards the top to clear that section up. Overall harder cluing then usual and just enough to throw me off of my A game.

kazie said...

DNF because I knew none of the names and had REG for STD, so the NE corner remained completely blank, and the mid south as well. FOIL for EPEE didn't help there, thinking more of the blade than the whole weapon. I won't bore you with any details. Just a fairly average Friday for me.

Have a great weekend all of you!

Husker Gary said...

I came, I saw, I struggled, I conquered, I enjoyed! The NW gave up its secrets slowly and it took Al (I’m in charge) HAIG to unlock the corner. STD not reg., TABLE not delay, name a Spice Girl? Yeah, right! DIJON not Euros.

Musings
-Stand By Me is a big movie and song fav
-Shock jocks push the envelope for ratings. Is there a limit?
-ABC’S remind me of the Michael Jackson song and how his family is now fighting over his money
-MIL wants to spend some of her new equity money replacing her 30 year old SHAG carpet
-Wife’s family had a COAL burning stove when we started dating and the smell and dust were impossible not to notice
-Six Trillion dollars on war on poverty and dependency is up and families are down
-What Helen Mirren thinks of her famous bikini picture
-_ A _ ISM yielded TAOISM first. DOH, too much crosswordese. _ IN _ was WINK before MINX too and I ordered a SHOT before a SOUR.
-Is DAN Marino the best qb to never win a super bowl?
-Name the song with the spoken phrase, “ACT ONE was when we met”
-You can BOO me for $25M/year
-AMANA Colonies in central Iowa were a true commune in the early 20th century. It didn’t work and is now a tourist attraction.
-Tin, shooting at PAR doesn’t guarantee success but the fun is in the pursuit!

eddyB said...

Snuck out of the house yesterday
to pickup a $4 part to repair the hose. Big rupture. Had to throw away about 10ft. Felt good getting out.

Listen to Madden every morning at 8:15. Some times live or later on-line. He and Mouch just had their annual bocci tourny.

take care. eddy

Misty said...

I had the weirdest experience with this. You know how I often solve the whole puzzle without getting the theme? This morning the opposite happened. I was struggling, getting hardly anything, when slowly TROYSTORY and DREADMANWALKING came together. Voila! I got the theme for once in a blue moon! It was still a struggle finishing everything, especially the NE corner, but in the end I got a difficult Friday puzzle solved. Hurray!

Thank you, Bruce, for this fun. And for your always enjoyable write-up, Lemony. And you too, Barry G., for reminding me that I miss "Cathy"!

Have a good Friday, everybody!

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2

-Kazie, I hope you don’t include Tin and me in your dislike of the Swiss (we’re really pretty neutral).
-Can someone supply the appropriate Latin for my additions to Veni, (I struggled), Vedi, Vici (I enjoyed) from earlier today?
-Song with ACT ONE spoken @1:24. The King!
-Judy Carne being amorous on old carpet – “A woman with a SHAG on SHAG SHAGging.” Too Anthony and Opie? Now if I could just have her SHAGging fly balls in the outfield.
-Has anyone else ever told a toddler to put down something disgusting because it is “ACKy”
-Hahtoolah, re QOD, I know too many people who live with that idea. Bloom where you’re planted!
-Disco GLORIA (3:49)

Lucina said...

OLA! Amigos y amigas. You are correct, Lemonade, OLA is Portuguese and hola is Spanish. Thank you for the amusing commentary.

Yowza! This opened my eyes more than coffee as it took a long while to find a toehold. Started with OFT, IDO, OLA, AMI then slowly I began to see the light. With EEYORE, STRAND BY ME emerged and so it went. That gave me the theme but didn't make it any easier.

Luckily I recalled DAN Marino and MR MOM but MIRREN would not surface and ARAM is unknown so had to look for him and I refused to give up AMOEBA. Once ARAM was filled the entire corner emerged. I'm not a King fan so know nothing about DERRY or any of his books.

MADDEN and MABEL were guesses.

This was really fun; thank you Bruce C. Greig. Please come back.

Have a fantastic Friday, everyone!

Lucina said...

HG:
Veni, vidi, contendi, delecti is my version. I'm sure there are other words as well.

Anonymous said...

A real ball buster reminds me my ex!

Lemonade714 said...

HG:

This was the SONG I had in mind.

CrossEyedDave said...

Ah, to be Anonymous again,,, now i have to report i cheated my way into a DNF. Not only that, i spent twice as long looking for links about the puzzle as i did working on it, & came up with nothing!

(i can't think of a better definition of "ACK!")

Anonymous said...

Yep a newbie. could tell. 12 question clues, 6 abrs. usually only 7 questions on a friday, but today most since I began doing friday crosswords. Sour whiskey, couldnt think of any, since I dont drink it. Troy story was my favorite, bard santa worst. have to remember bard goes with Shakespeare. liked ftd and std though they were cop out abrs.

Anonymous said...

Whiskey sour, a cocktail , not sour whiskey. I used to love them.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. Once again, WEES. FIW today, as I left in the W crossing 1A: O_IE and 2D: _AR. "WAR" seemed a perfectly good answer, as in "Do it for the war effort." And, not knowing OPIE in that context, OwIE seemed like a reasonable radio nickname to me.

A 4-letter Spice Girl? Well, are we going for real name or stage name? Anyway, it had to be either Geri or Posh. The same with 28A: it had to be either AFL or CIO. Perps required.

The few gimmes for me were MIRREN, CAROB, ARAM, TREE, and AMANA.

Wanted vow instead of I DO.

I add my invitation to Lucina's to ask Mr. Greig to come back again.

Best wishes to you all.

Tinbeni said...

Lemon:
re: Your new "heart-shaped-potato" AVATAR.

Please tell us you are NOT moving into Cliff Claven (from "Cheers") territory with your veggies. lol

Jayce:
The Filled In Wrong (FIW) is perfect.
I like it!

Cheers!

CrossEyedDave said...

Tin,,,

Jayce won my everlasting admiration when he coined "FIW" as finished it wrong, about 6 months ago!

(but filled in wrong works too!)

Pedant The Brit said...

Somewhere here in the Us, there is also a dance called the Shag. So we Brits can snigger and ask a girl, "Fancy a shag?"

Not that we would, of course, stiff upper lip and all that.

Mmmmm... Whiskey sours. My MIL makes a wicked one. Only now she doesn't put a raw egg in it any more 'cos of the salmonella. Not as good without.

Jayce said...

Pretty much the only hard liquor I like any more is neat single malt scotch, really really good tequila, also neat, and Polish potato-based vodka, deeply chilled.

Tinbeni and CrossEyedDave, thank you.

All of we (us?) bloggers are a bunch of nifty people.

Anonymous said...

NTP'er here again.

Loving the opening of the Olympic Games !

Let's have an Olympic challenge tomorrow !

Lucina said...

Jayce@7:57:
us

Off to a concert.

Avg Joe said...

Jayce, Tin and I have talked about this single malt before: Old Pulteney. The article is primarily about their 21 year old offering, judged the world's best in 2012. I've only tried the 12 year youngster and I'm certainly no connoisseur, but I'd highly recommend it as it's easily the best liquor that's ever passed my lips.

Gotta love the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Wow!!

Bill G. said...

I'm even later than usual and with nothing new to add. WEES.

The opening ceremonies will start here in about 50 minutes. I'm looking forward to them and all the upcoming competition. Good luck to all!

CrossEyedDave said...

When i try to tell my neighbor about the Crossword Blog, he always says "i have too much time on my hands."

(He has no idea!)

Lemonade714 said...

No Tin, the potato was spontaneous, not others lurking. Potato Vodka from the freezer always a treat. Wait, a potato theme in my life!

Have a nice week end all

Unknown said...

Have 2 grandsons today and tomorrow. Didn't have time to finish the "crossword from Hell". That's how much trouble I'm having with it.
Going to go watch Olympic ceremonies with the boys.

Bill G. said...

The opening ceremonies have been just perfect so far. I loved the Queen's entrance.