google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, February 8, 2016 David Steinberg

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Feb 8, 2016

Monday, February 8, 2016 David Steinberg

 Theme: Musical Monday - Linking four bands today.

16A. Birds on United States seals : BALD EAGLES 
 

 
24A. Commonly multi-paned patio entrances : FRENCH DOORS


 
37A. Reptiles known for their strong jaws : SNAPPING TURTLES
 

 
46A. Bank transport vehicles : ARMORED CARS



56A. Musicians found at the ends of 16-, 24-, 37- and 46-Across : ROCK GROUPS

Argyle here.

Across:

1. Basil sauce : PESTO

6. Pops, to baby : "DADA"

10. Sacred assurance : VOW

13. Sound from a lily pad : CROAK

14. 88 or 98 automaker : OLDS. The Rocket 88.

 
15. Give a ticket to : CITE

18. Longing feeling : ACHE

19. Old photo hue : SEPIA

20. Started the poker kitty : ANTE'D

21. Explosion noise : [¡BAM!]

27. Hop out of bed : ARISE

29. More like a cad : RUDER

30. Send a racy phone message to : SEXT

31. Changed into : BECAME

34. Apt anagram of "aye" : YEA

40. Actor McKellen : IAN

41. Briefs, informally : UNDIES

 
42. 50-and-over organization : AARP. (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)

43. Somber melody : DIRGE. I think some of the Doors work could be called 'rock dirge'.

45. Red-nosed "Sesame Street" character : ERNIE

51. Poetic nightfall : E'EN

52. Quicken offerings : LOANS. Now offering "Rocket Mortgages"

53. Reebok rival : ASICS. Sport shoes.

55. __ Spumante : ASTI. (Italian sparkling white wine)

61. Costa __ : RICA

 
62. Word for the calorie-conscious : LITE

63. Fertile desert spots : OASES

64. "I'm not impressed" : "MEH"

65. Arrived at second base headfirst, perhaps : SLID

66. Little songbirds : WRENS

Down:

1. Banned chem. pollutant : PCB. (polychlorinated biphenyl)A lot of it in my area.

2. Pitching stat : ERA. (earned run average)

3. South-of-the-border sun : SOL

4. Youngsters : TADS

5. Michael of "Caddyshack" : O'KEEFE. "No Coke"



6. "Git along" little critter : DOGIE. calf.

7. Edgar __ Poe : ALLAN

8. Pres. before JFK : DDE. Remember from Sunday?

9. Stubborn animal : ASS

10. Post-race place for a NASCAR winner : VICTORY LANE. February 21, 2016: Daytona 500.

11. Catchall check box : [OTHER]

12. Dandelions, e.g. : WEEDS

15. Kayak kin : CANOE

17. Earth Day mo. : APR. (April)

20. Poisonous snake : ADDER

21. Low operatic voices : BASSI

22. Sports venue with tiered seating : ARENA

23. Versatile, as a wardrobe : MIX AND MATCH

25. Shipping container : CRATE

26. Organic fertilizer : HUMUS. Not related to the chickpea mash, hummus.

28. Fuel additive brand : STP. (scientifically treated petroleum)

31. __-watching: TV viewing spree : BINGE

32. Put the kibosh on : ENDED

33. Movie SFX : CGI. (computer-generated images) Where would we be without it.

35. Tremble-inducing : EERIE

36. Trembling tree : ASPEN. Cute pairing.

38. Good vibrations, in the cat world : PURRS

39. Sticky road stuff : TAR

44. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA

 
45. Real-estate holding account : ESCROW

46. Smartphone wake-up feature : ALARM

47. Riveting icon : ROSIE


                 Ok, one more group but definitely not rock.
 
48. Desert plants : CACTI

49. Patronized a help desk : ASKED

50. Big truck : RIG

54. Zoom up : SOAR

56. Dr. Jekyll creator's monogram : RLS. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

57. Saudi Arabian export : OIL

58. "__ the Force, Luke" : USE

59. Confident crossword solver's tool : PEN

60. Escaping-air sound : SSS

 
Argyle


37 comments:

fermatprime said...

Thanks, David and Santa!

Nice puzzle. No problems. (Was not aware of all the rock groups, but, no matter.)

Had lovely dinner tonight brought by Russian friend and family!

Cheers!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Mostly a typical Monday solve, although I thought HUMUS and OKEEFE were outliers. Nothing the perps couldn't handle, though. I always have trouble remembering how to spell ALLAN (today I went with ALLEN), so I had to fix that at the ends to make SEPIA work. Other than that, no bumps on the road for me.

Hunkering down for the next big storm today. Not a flake in sight, but schools have already been cancelled and they are predicting 8-12 inches (maybe as much as 16 in spots) throughout today and into tomorrow...

Lemonade714 said...

Well we are hitting 49 degrees here so it must be awful elsewhere, be safe and warm all.

It was nice to see David return to the LAT,he was a freshman in high school when he had first published here February 3,2012.

Did not see the theme until I filled in SNAPPING TURTLES, all bands that are very familiar and like the recent IMAN reference, a reminder of the recent passing of GLENN FREY.

HUMUS was a bit hard for a Monday but I have seen CADDYSHACK so often that O'KEEFE was easy.

Thanks again David and as always Argyle.

unclefred said...

I love Monday CWs, and this was no exception. Fun and very do-able. Thanks, David. Terrific write-up, thanks, Argyle!! Nice and cool here in Fort Lauderdale, I love it. Opened my windows last night, put on an extra blanket, and slept really well. Bedroom is 51* this morning. I shower outside beside the pool; THAT will be a wake-up call!! Have a great day, everyone!!

Lemonade714 said...

Unclefred, you are hardier than I. 50 in Pompano and I had the heat lamp on for my indoor shower. Wonderful weather, but showering outside....brrrrrrr

inanehiker said...

Nice Monday speed run, except for slight slowdown for HUMUS.
Favorite clue - Riveting Icon.

Woke up to snow on the ground - but it looks like the roads are okay - don't think we're having a lot more today.

thanks Argyle, and David!

thehondohurricane said...


For a change, no problems today. 65A, SLID brought Dizzy Dean to mind. Dizzy always said "He Slud".

Guess I'm not a confident XWord solver. I always have, and still do today, use my old P205 Pentel pencil. It seems like I go thru erasers quicker then lead!

I've dropped hints throughout the family that I have a dire need for some 41A, UNDIES. And the rag bag has gotten very low, so it needs an infusion.

Winter was slow arriving in Ct this year, but it's coming on like gangbusters. Snow on the horizon for the next three days, up to 10" in total after which the temps go into a nosedive. I'm pretty sure catchers & pitchers report next week, so spring must be on the way.


CanadianEh! said...

DNF today due to centre cross of BECAME and CGI (had no idea and didn't know SFX either). I had BINGE but wanted REMADE for 31A and HUdUS made no sense. I do remember HUMUS from my Compost Bin instructions! Thanks for the Monday fun, David and Argyle.

This Canadian had to remember to use AARP instead of CARP, ARMORED without the U. Quicken is Finance software to me, not a loan company. But I did know CANOE! (Note from Sunday's puzzle: had to Google a list of US presidents to get any toehold!)

38D reminded me of another rock band
BeachBoysGoodVibrations

30A is a new word that has crept into our vocabulary.

Stay safe those who are due for more snow. We have weather predictions for -15C (5F) this weekend which will be a shock after this mild winter.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a typical easy, breezy Monday with the theme well hidden until the reveal, at least for me. Thought of CED at purrs. 🐈

Thanks, David and Argyle, for a great start to the week.

Congratulations to Peyton and the Broncos! Also, to Lady Gaga for that beautiful rendition of the national anthem. I thought most of the commercials were either stupid or silly. (I didn't see all of them, but I saw quite a few.) My favorites are the Clydesdales and any others with animals.

Just heard the weather forecast and we're getting off light again: just a couple of inches. This is the winter that wasn't, so far, but I probably am speaking too soon. As Yogi would say, "It ain't over till it's over!"

Have a great day.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-This OLDS Rocket 88 made me think my uncle was the coolest ever!
-I drive 4 mph over the limit and have never been CITED. You?
-Does Simon Cowell cross the line between being RUDER and just more honest?
-I left the NEA and the AARP when their advocacy for teachers and seniors respectively jumped into other political issues
-Quicken LOANS ARENA
-I can only identify Guatemala (many have emigrated to our town) and Panama (we stole that canal fair and square) on Central American maps
-O’KEEFE played twin brothers on Law And Order and it took me a while to place him from Caddyshack
-Poe married his 13-year-old cousin while living in Baltimore and wrote this poem there
-Any neighbor who let his lawn go to DANDELIONS would be thought of poorly in our ‘hood
-Our kids loved loved these MIX AND MATCH books
-I BINGE-watched House Of Cards and came away even more disturbed about gov’t
-I have no ALARM but ARISE when I hear PURRS and feel a paw on my nose
-If you missed Hellen Mirren’s “Ad” on the Super Bowl yesterday, you really missed a great message!

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Nice and easy, just right for a Monday. The band names were easy enough to recognize, which is probably what was in mind when they were chosen. Bands with weird or too-long names don't seem to rise to the top. Maybe it's too hard to fit a long name on an album jacket. :-)

Morning, Argyle, sounds like you won't have to shovel snow today.

Speaking of which: the flakes have just started to fly here. We're hoping to be in the thinner edge of things, as with the previous storm.

Argyle said...

My fave was the Prius commercial. LINK

SwampCat said...

This took longer for me than usual. HUMUS and ASICS almost did me in, but the perps helped.

I didn't want SNAPPING TURTLE, preferring alligator or crocodile, until the perps forced me to give in. Thanks, David, for s good workout on a Monday!

And thanks, Argyle, for your always delightful write-up.

Our weather is cold, for us, so it must be bad elsewhere. Stay warm!

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Nice write-up with excellent tunes from the ROCK GROUPS.

Fave today, of course, was ASTI Spumante.

Though my Black-Ink PEN was a close second.

Irish Miss, I agree with you, most of the ADs were a waste of $ 4 million bucks.
(Probably more ... LOL).

Cheers!

CrossEyedDave said...

This puzzle got me in the mood to learn some new songs on the guitar,
especially Happy Together. So far of the 4 YouTube videos I have watched,
the one that sounds the best is nowhere near the key that the Turtles
are playing in...

Hmm, more research needed...

Star Ledger Thought for Today:
"Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument
an exchange of ignorance."
-Robert Quillen, American journalist (1887-1948)

"A weed is only a plant growing where you don't want it."

HowTo make Dandelion coffee.

HowTo make Dandelion wine.

Avg Joe said...

Fun romp today. Anything that was challenging was perped out. Didn't get the theme until the reveal, but hadn't looked for it very hard. Obvious enough after the fact.

Enjoyed the Eagles tune Argyle. That song always seemed like so much pablum to me when the album came out. But the new take from the Hell Freezes Over tour was the best remake I can ever remember. Even the crowd wasn't sure what they were hearing until a couple minutes in.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

Well, for starters, it's 69 degs here and heading towards 80 later this week. That's the weather report.
The puzzle was terrific from that young genius, David Steinberg, thank you. Starting with food is always a good warm-up and I like that CROAK was followed later by TURTLES. Oh, wait, that's frogs. At the zoo, however, those giant TURTLES make an uncommon noise when in a certain compromising position.

SEXT to those in certain religious circles, namely, monks and nuns, is the sixth hour of prayer; others are terce and none.

Hondo, I also am an avowed pencil solver. Inkblots on a puzzle drive me crazy so I would rather erase and buy erasers, the attachable kind, in bulk.

Thank you, Argyle, for the musical links and for always spelling out the common abbrevs like PCB and ERA. Knowing I can count on you for that is reassuring because they don't stay with me.

It's been a busy weekend for me so haven't had time to post. Yesterday's presidential solve was fun and contained such a vast number of three letter fill it took a long while to finish. But it was really late so didn't post but read all your witty comments. Desper-otto, you are a hoot.

Saturday's is still in the clip board. Later.

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful day!

Misty said...

I love an easy-breezy Monday puzzle--many thanks, David. Was mystified by the theme until I came to the reveal--what do EAGLES and TURTLES have in common with DOORS and CARS? Guess I don't know my ROCK GROUPS, but I still got everything. Lots of fun. Glad you explained STP, Argyle--I've always wondered what that meant.

Have a great week, everybody!

Steve said...

Happy New Year, C.C.!

AnonymousPVX said...

Nice and easy Monday puzzle with no issues at all.

Not often you like a Monday but it's nice in the Crossword world. And the retiree world, of which I am a happy citizen.

SwampCat said...

I forgot to wish everyone a happy Lundi Gras.

Yes, yes, I know. It's overkill. But everything about Mardi Gras is, by definition, excess. After all, Mardi Gras itself means Fat Tueday...the "fat" denoting excess (not cooking oil. ). It's the final big blast before the austerity of Lent.

So it was only a matter of time before Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) was added to the already over-the-top celebration of N'Awlins carnival. It started on Twelth Night, ( Kings Day) and won't end until midnight tomorrow.

So....happy Lundi Gras! And while I'm at it, have a happy Mardi Gras tomorrow, too!


Jayce said...

Cool puzzle. Nice to see David Steinberg again. Thanks for your explanations, Argyle. It's been quite a while since I have seen the word HUMUS. ASICS always makes me thunk of (application specific) integrated circuit chips. I rather liked the clues for YEA, DOGIE, and CROAK.

kazie said...

Welcome back David Steinberg! Always like seeing your name there.

No problems either, a speed run for me, despite not having heard of the CARS.

Lots of SEPIA photos in our house back in the day--my aunt was an artist working as a colorist in a photographic studio, where sepia was the medium used for that purpose. She always said what the camera missed (or messed up) the artist could make up for. Once she adjusted a photo of me in front of an old grape vine, so that instead of dead looking vines, it was transformed into a beautiful climbing rose bush for the background.

Boo LuQuette AKA Boudreaux in Eunice, La. said...

Swamp cat how are the festivities going on your end ?

Here is a link from the kid's run yesterday. Tomorrow the Courir comes in town at about 3 PM. bands all afternoon here down town.

https://youtu.be/JsxPWcP-9cc

Ol' Man Keith said...

This was a hard start for the week. Monday pzls are usually a breeze, but Mr. Steinberg has given us a bit of a challenge. I appreciate having to think a bit harder, on perhaps a Wednesday level, although I wonder if newcomers may be more easily discouraged.
The theme was helpful, and I liked that all the ROCK GROUPS were single word names of either common objects (DOORS, CARS) or fauna (EAGLES, TURTLES). Thanks, Argyle, for the link to my favorite EAGLES' number, Hotel California. That was a sort of anthem for several of my generation--and for me, especially, because it came out just as I was returning to my home in CA after twenty years studying and working on the east coast.

SwampCat said...

Hey, Boo! Our weather has been perfect so far, so it has been bigger and better than ever.....or at least more hectic. There is a video on Facebook but I don't know how to link it here.

I wondered about you and your horses and chickens! What fun.

Anonymous said...

When I was 10 (1967) I bought my first 45
"Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In"
by Kenny Rogers & the First Edition

Then, that same year I saved up and bought my first LP
" Sgt. Pepper's Lone Hearts Club Band"
by The Beatles

At 14 I saw my first concert
David Bowie at the Auditorium in Chicago on the
Ziggy Stardust Tour

Music brings back so many great memories.

SwampCat said...

Loved your video Boo! In the end, its all about the kids and families, isn't it? Looks like everyone was having a good time.

Bill G. said...

Fun. Easyish though I hate to actually write that last word in case somebody else struggled with the puzzle today. I know I feel a little down when I have trouble with a CW puzzle and then I read a post where somebody says it was a speed run for them. So it wasn't easy for me; just not as hard as some others, especially last Thursday's.

The weather here has changed to Lucina's weather. It's hot and dry, not at all what I'm used to.

BTW, if any of you newercomers feel insecure about how to post a link so it shows up as a blue link and not a URL, e-mail me. I didn't know how either but I followed the directions from the home page here and I learned the few simple steps. I'd be glad to help you too.

BTW(2), are you award that there are two of us going by Bill here? When I first tried to get a Google account, 'Bill' was taken so I opted for Bill G. The other Bill didn't seem to be posting here so it was never a problem. But he has posted a few times lately. No big deal but just realize that there are two of us with similar aliases.

Tinbeni said...

Bill G.
But there is only "one-of-you" with your Avatar picture with your dog!

SwampCat said...

Bill G....we all know who you are!! And appreciate you!

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

1st puzzle in days and glad I rebooted on a Monday. My buddies saw me puzzling and made fun of me. However, none of them knew 1a :-)

I LOVED the theme. My favorite bands wrapped up w/ Rock Groups.

WOs: Lease b/f Quicken LOANS and Ram (Truck) b/f RIG. Oh, and there was dyslexia kickin' in at Yae; Yea, perps fixed me.

I'll stick w/ theme as fav. I love all the ROCK GROUPS.

I always play ink PEN & paper. It has nothing to do w/ confidence; just how I roll.

Swamp - I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy Mardi Gras but I loved it! Folks, in a nutshell:

Buddies, food, & music; Toss beads from the Cat's Meow balcony (it was also fun to pass them out in the streets). Beer. Catch beads from Iris' Krew the next day after a Court of Two Sister's breakfast. Sunday: Prepare for Bacchus; go to Bacchus. See Grand Funk Railroad (opener) up-close and Better than Ezra close it down. Tear-down at 3:30a and bed by 6a. Char'd oysters & shrimp poboy for breakfast w/ a Bloody Mary chaser. Catch a flight home. Give kids beads. In a word: F-Awesome!

Thanks for the hospitality NOLA!

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

Bill G, I like you and appreciate you. In fact, I like all of you folks and appreciate what you contribute.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Jayce.

SwampCat said...

Anon T, glad you had fun at Mardi Gras! It is whatever you want it to be.

PK said...

SwampCat, Boo & AnonT: I really enjoyed hearing about the Mardi Gras experience. Didn't know it lasted so many days. I always wanted to go. Thought it would be fun. My daughter went once and hated it. Wouldn't even talk about it. Don't know what happened. She's a Class A prude so I can only imagine.

Great puzzle, David. Great expo and music, Argyle!

Only unknown was Movie SFX=CGI. Absolutely no idea.

As a news reporter, I sat in on a lot of meetings when the PCB ban went in. Small town governments were digging for funds to do be able to change out their transformers. The guy who was the head electrician and doing most of the change outs in one little town later died of cancer. I always wondered if the PCB had anything to do with it.

Unknown said...

Good Tuesday afternoon, folks. Thank you, David Steinberg, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review. I did Monday's puzzle a day late.

I just did Tuesday's Blog and discovered that I showed up as Linda Baker. That is my wife and I am using her computer. My computer has a bad keyboard, it seems.

Theme was fine. Most of those groups I heard of, one I did not. The CARS.

Of course I spelled ALLAN as ALLEN. SEPIA fixed that.

I guess I had forgotten that Robert Louis Stephenson created Dr. Jekyll. Perps helped.

Speaking of WRENS, I saw a robin out back today, at about 12 degrees.

I wrote in DIET for 62A. LITE appeared later.

OK, I am gone for the day.

Abejo

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