google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, July 25, 2016 Shannon Summer

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Jul 25, 2016

Monday, July 25, 2016 Shannon Summer

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Homonyms.

20A. Brought in for repair, as a disabled car : TOWED TO THE SHOP

35A. Obeyed strictly : TOED THE LINE

52A. Milne play about an amphibian : "TOAD OF TOAD HALL"



Argyle here. It would appear this is a debut puzzle. Simple and clean. OK.

Across:

1. Monster party : BASH

5. Cooled with cubes, as tea : ICED

9. Hood's bank job : HEIST

14. Author __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE. Perry Mason was created by Erle Stanley Gardner.

15. Dress that reaches the ankles : MAXI

16. According to : AS PER

17. Roman love god : AMOR

18. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS

19. Animal shelter arrival : STRAY

23. Dublin's land: Abbr. : IRE

24. __ bran : OAT

25. Either "T" in "AT&T," when abbreviated : TEL. (American Telephone & Telegraph, founded in 1885)

26. Jul. and Aug. : MOs. (months)

28. Oppressive ruler : TYRANT

30. Cause of much yawning : BORE

31. Really bug : IRK

32. Playground plank for two : SEESAW

34. __ Spumante : ASTI


38. Coll. staff member : PROFessor

40. "Finally!" : "AT LAST!"

41. Joint that may need replacing : HIP

42. Bugs for payment : DUNs

44. Put a worm on : BAITED

48. Electrical particle : ION

49. & : AND

50. Hindu term of respect : SRI

51. Lead-in with car or tourism : ECO

56. Beat at chess : MATED

57. "If __ $1000000": Barenaked Ladies song : I HAD

58. List-ending abbr. : ETAL

59. Doctor on the starship Enterprise : McCOY. Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy.

60. San __, Italy : REMO


61. Shortest Great Lake name : ERIE

62. Culture: Pref. : ETHNO

63. Golda of Israel : MEIR. Prime Minister of Israel, 1969 to 1974.

64. Title for Byron : LORD

Down:

1. "Scram!" : "BEAT IT!"

2. Weapons facility : ARMORY

3. Adagio, as compared to allegro : SLOWER

4. "You can have it" : "HERE!"

5. Mimicked : IMITATED

6. Explorer Sebastian : CABOT. c. 1474 – c. 1557 Wiki LINK.

7. Interstate highway sign word : [EXIT]

8. One hanging near the kitchen sink : DISH TOWEL

9. Red tape, e.g. : HASSLE

10. O.T. book named for a woman : ESTHer.

11. "Scout's honor!" : "I PROMISE"

12. City on a harbor : SEAPORT. (Sanremo, per esempio)


13. Attempt : TRY

21. Transplant recipient : DONEE

22. "Lo, How a Rose __ Blooming": carol : E'ER

27. Speed down snowy slopes : SKI

29. Starting with : AS OF

30. Thai money : BAHTs

33. Not give an inch : STAND FIRM

34. Pro's opposite : ANTI

35. First-class : TOP NOTCH

36. Dog believed to have originated in Newfoundland : LABRADOR

37. Start of a "Come again?" response : "I SAID ... "

38. __ Beta Kappa : PHI

39. It's "read" during a reprimand : RIOT ACT

42. Beatnik's bro : 'DADDY-O'

43. Game with Draw Two cards : UNO

45. Italian playhouse : TEATRO. Learning moment.

46. Cream-filled pastry : ECLAIR

47. Dressed to kill, with "up" : DOLLED

50. "Ditto" : "SO AM I"

53. Thousands of years : AEON

54. "With this ring, I __ wed" : THEE

55. Cad : HEEL

56. Sra., in France : MME. (madame)


Argyle

44 comments:

OwenKL said...

{B+, C+, B-, C+, B.} (Got carried away and lost count again.)

If I TOLD him once, I TOLD him twice,
Calling a Troll a TOAD is not nice!
TOADS are known for warty skin,
TOADS eat only bugs and gin,
TOADS don't deserve to be linked with such blight!

He called his bud DADDY-O to be hip,
Blind that it made him a BORE and a git!
But when he would STRAY
From his IRKsome way --
He was even worse, a HEEL and a drip!

The calico cat ate some cheese, and waited,
Breathing out her breath, which was BAITED!
A mouse came to eat it,
But rapidly BEAT IT,
Then hid in his hole till the cat had abated!

Newfies are from Newfoundland-LABRADOR,
Their nob is as smart as one on a door!
But their dogs are achievers!
Why, Lab retrievers
Have been know to ghost-write Newfie memoirs!

Stan vowed, "I PROMISE to always STAND FIRM!"
Sherm was as wimpy as a DISH TOWEL or worm.
But when attacked by a foe
Guess which was a hero --
Why Stan, of course; the fainter was Sherm!

unclefred said...

Was flashing right through this CW until I got near the bottom, and kinda bogged down for a while, but eventually got 'er done, although a bit over my usual Monday time. Overall, fun CW, thanx, Shannon! And thanx Argyle for the nice write-up. Pretty prolific, there, Owen; all "B"s.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

My solve was much like Uncle Fred's -- smooth sailing until I nearly hit a reef down in southern waters. In my case, it was when I tried AS AM I instead of SO AM I. The perps eventually took care of that, though.

The first theme answer made me cringe a bit, since the battery light in my car went on while driving home yesterday and I may have to have my car TOWED TO THE SHOP this morning...

Lemonade714 said...

While the majority of Shannons that I have met are female, it is one name where the spelling is the same...welcome new person.

I bought it was a very good Monday with remarkably few three letter fill.

I liked the placement of "with this ring I thee wed" followed by "cad."

I knew the term BAHT before I met my wife, but now I can price things in that currency.

Thanks Shannon and Argyle

Anonymous said...

While the majority of Jason Chapnicks that I have met are male, one can be spelled differently...JACKASS

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I found this to be a challenging Monday puzzle. It didn't help that I wanted the Monster Party to be a Gala instead of a BASH. That led me to think that to "Scram" was to Get Out instead of BEAT IT.

I also wanted a Dish Cloth instead of a DISH TOWEL, and thought of a Despot before TYRANT.

The ever-present ERIE was in the puzzle as a shout out to our Abejo.

I knew of Sebastian CABOT because he is said to have led an expedition to what is now Nova Scotia. I remembered that from a trip we took when I was a child to Nova Scotia.

QOD: It doesn’t matter how new an idea is: what matters is how new it becomes. ~ Elias Canetti (July 25, 1905 ~ Aug. 13, 1994)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Nice Monday romp. Thank you Shannon Summer -- a fine addition to the corner (see what I did there?). I didn't have any problem with this one until I got to 1a. I was thinking Bobby "Boris" Pickett (RIP) and couldn't get MASH out of my mind for the "Monster party." MEAT IT wasn't working, though. Thanks for the expo, Argyle.

TEATRO was a gimme. It's an album title by guess who? (See below.)

I remember BAHTS from previous CWs, but it does seem a little obscure for a Monday.

LABRADOR STRAY is still here. I've finally come up with a name for him. It's a word he hears all the time. But DW says I can't name him that -- might deter a Baptist from adopting him.

Oh, that album was by Willie Nelson, of course.

inanehiker said...

Fun Monday romp - at first thought the "Monster party" might be a MASH instead of BASH but then remembered it was a dance in the song done AT A party - not the party itself.
Learning moment for today: TOAD OF TOAD HALL was written by AA Milne of Winnie the Pooh fame- I expected it to be Kenneth Grahame who introduced the character in "Wind in the Willows"
I also thought that BAHT was the plural but it may be in the same came as the Rand/RANDS discussion - need to get to work so I don't have the time to google it.

Thanks Argyle and Shannon!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

What Argyle said - clean and simple. Couldn't get any theme out of TOED, ETAL, so I just left it and drove on. Only wite-out was I had eons before AEON. Otherwise, a breeze solve.
ERIE - Besides having the shortest G. Lakes name, it is also the shallowest, having a mean depth of about 60 feet. It is the only Gt. Lake whose deepest point (212') is above sea level. Its shallowness lends itself to extreme storm surges, as much as 13 ft higher at Buffalo than Toledo, so the flow can appear to be 'uphill'. This phenomenon is called a seiche. This can oscillate, and its primary period is about 13 hours.
ICED - Sorry, Tin. Hell of a way to start out the week.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Just enough ambiguity and fun to make for a great Monday solve
-Making good ICED coffee at home is still a struggle for me
-The old Perry Mason TV shows were based books by ERLE or characters created by ERLE
-As I try a gluten-free diet, Cheerios’ OATS are replacing my shredded wheat
-The best song with AT LAST as a lyric (@1:12)? (2:49)
-Our Sr. Golf League is a showcase for HIP and other joint replacements
-Now which EXIT is it?
-I’m playing golf today with a man who is a double DONEE
-Learning moment for me: I thought the song was about a rose ERE (before) blooming not E’RE (always) blooming. Duh!
-We want $24 for Manhattan and will STAND FIRM on that
-Finally, Who calls the English teacher DADDYO?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Hand up for Monster Mash, and for plugging in Ere before E'er just because I was groggy. Otherwise smooth sailing.

Learning moment: evidently Toad of Toad Hall precedes Wind in the Willows. Huh.

Morning Argyle, thanks for the verbiage.

Spitz - my recent travels took me over Lake Erie in broad daylight, and the shallowness certainly was evident. Much of the bottom was visible.

Tinbeni said...

Argyle: Excellent write-up. I had the same Learning Moment at TEATRO.

Shannon: Thank You for a FUN Monday puzzle. Enjoyed the TOWED, TOED, TOAD theme.

Fave today was DADDY-O ... I does like the "Beatnik-Speak."

A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

A nice, easy-breezy start to the week. Hand up for mash/bash but everything else was as smooth as silk. (We miss you, Barry!). CSO to Abejo's Erie and to Tin's _ _ _ d tea! (Scotch, NOT!). Cute theme, which was evident early on, and some fun fill.

Nice job, Shannon, and nice expo, Argyle.

We're in for a week of the 3 H's and storms, to boot. They keep predicting storms but they never amount to more than a 5 minute downpour. We need a few CEDs and Manacs drenchings! 🐱 🐶 ☔️💦💦💦💦

Have a great day!



Anonymous T said...

Hi All

Well the South fell SLOWER than the North this morning. TOAD OF TOAD HALL (almost had HiLL) was a HASSLE but, all-in-all, a TOP NOTCH TRY Shannon! Thanks for the puzzle. Nice writeup Argyle - enjoyed the re-cap.

WO: EONs b/f AEON.
ESP: TOAD OF TOAD HALL

Fav: MC COY. He's a Doctor not a...

{A,B,A,B,B}

HG - Maynard G. Krebs?. (Consolation prize 'cuz I'm likely wrong: BORE is @0:19).
LOL EXIT sign - I'm glad we had a driver/public-transport for my three MOS gig in DC.

Spitz - Did not know that about ERIE re: depth. Thanks.

Puzzle Music Time:
BEAT IT

If I HAD a $1,000,000.

Not your thing? Too slow? How about some swing? Go DADDYO. YR, can your new HIPs dance like that? :-)

Cheers, -T

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Shannon Summer, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

Well, I tried Cruciverb and no cigar today. Tried Chicago Tribune via my IPad, no cigar. Tried L A Times Crossword via Google on my phone and it worked. Wallah!

Little tough working the crossword on a phone, but it did work out and I got it done fairly quickly. Very impressed with the program. I think there is a way to get help with words, but not used or needed today.

Theme appeared after I was finished.

I see my home lake is here again, ERIE. Hahtoolah remembered me. Liked the definitions by Spitzboov. Thank you for that. Learning moment for me.

Tried EONS for 53D. That screwed up that corner for a while. Fixed that after a few perps, to AEON.

Tried RUTH for 10D. ESTH prevailed.

Was looking for a city name for 12D. SEAPORT appeared after a while and some perps.

Good puzzle. Nice start for the week.

I am still in Johnsonburg, PA, until Thursday afternoon. Only 100 miles from Lake ERIE.

See you tomorrow either via Cruciverb or the L A Times newspaper site.

Abejo
( )

desper-otto said...

Husker, that'd be Charlie Brown (with intro by Dick Clark).

Dudley said...

Another learning moment: the only Sebastion Cabot I knew was the British butler on Family Affair. The things you find out doing crosswords...

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Late to this Monday game. Because it cooled down, I cleaned out the garage early. Brutally! It's both trash and recycle day. Not too much left to donate. Much of it going to my kids. I no longer need 5 basketballs here!!!! Not that I ever did!

Thanks, Shannon. Only missed DADDYO as I spelled it with an "i" and I didn't check it against MCCOY. Thanks, Argyle. I especially liked the San REMO SEAPORT link.

MME singing out for today. Have a good one.

C6D6 Peg said...

Congrats on the debut, Shannon. Easy Monday, although never heard of Toad of Toad Hall,

Thanks, Argyle, for another Monday write-up with great pics of San Remo!

oc4beach said...


Very good debut puzzle by Shannon and Argyle's usual good write-up. It didn't take long to go from top to bottom today. A true Monday level puzzle where perps filled in the blanks.

I didn't get the theme until Argyle's explanation, but since there was no reveal clue, I wasn't looking for it.

Only problem was Beatnik's Bro. I thought DADDYO was used to refer to an older male individual, not a BRO. Not a big deal though.

While spending about 40 years in the DC Metro area I passed through HG's Southeast-Southwest Freeway many times and sometimes parked there when traffic got too heavy. For a while I had to commute to Falls Church from Maryland and had to go through 59 traffic lights and this stretch of the SE-SW Freeway to get to work. I don't miss the traffic at all. The only heavy traffic I see now is a few hours worth on football game weekends when I take a bus to the stadium.

Nice job Shannon. Hope to see your puzzles again on the LA Times.

Abejo: Did you get hit with the heavy T-Storm that rolled through Central PA yesterday?

Have a great day everyone.

billocohoes said...

What Dudley said about Sebastian, the only CABOT I learned about in history class was John Cabot, Seb's father.

Only recently learned that the RIOT ACT was an actual English law empowering mayors, justices, and other minor officials to disperse crowds with a threat of arrest. Now usually just an expression misused to mean a severe scolding.

TTP said...


Good morning all. Thank you Shannon Summer and Argyle.

Late start and more than a little groggy this AM. My boy woke me three times during the night. He had to get outside. Anyrate, glad he did get me up, but I'm tired, and it resulted in a SLOWER solve. He wouldn't eat his breakfast earlier. Might have to make a hamburger and rice mixture to calm his stomach.

Never saw the clue for CABOT. Thanks for the link Argyle. Didn't see the clue for MOS either. TERATO caught my eye as a probable mistake, but the perps that filled it in were solid.

Abejo, I think you will be pleased to know that we've had a couple of much needed heavy rains since you left for PA. It was brutal with high heat and humidity for a few days. Not so humid today. Will be cooler by the time you get home. 82 on Thursday, and maybe 80 on Friday.

Anon-T, that McCoy clip was funny !

Might try to take a nap today, but they are paving the streets in our subdivision. Those asphalt pavers make a lot of noise.

OwenKL said...

Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge would have gotten along very well with Trump, I fear! From a toast given in 1910 at a Holy Cross alumni dinner: "Here's to dear old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where Lowells speak only to Cabots, And Cabots speak only to God."
Variations:
...the Cabots speak only to the Lodges and the Lodges speak only to God.
...Where the Cabots speak only to the Lowells, And the Lowells speak only with God.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Good puzzle, Shannon! Good expo, Argyle! Good music all you other linkers. Thanks!

Got the theme early. Thought it sort of smacked us in the face.

Jul. & Aug. were MOS? not "hot". I beg to differ. Shannon must have built the CW in winter. HOT! HOT! HOT! Raining today or rather sorta steaming.

Anonymous said...

Ok okl. We get it. You don't like trump. Let's leave it off the blog. Thanks.

Yellowrocks said...

Anonymous, T, no way, Jose, not even when I was 17. After having my knees replaced I can now dance every set at square dancing. Thanks for the shout out. Catch you all later, Gotta run.

Anonymous said...

RE the Riot Act: before the crowd could legally be dispersed, the official was required to read the text of the law aloud. Hence "reading the Riot Act."

Lucina said...

Hello, all! It's so great to be doing puzzles again although I had a very good time while away.

Thank you, Ms. Summer and Argyle. Though out of touch with puzzles this past week, I'm happy to report that it was easy to return to familiar habits especially on a Monday. A nice and easy way to ease in.

Thank you, Spitz, for the interesting facts about ERIE. I had no idea.

Have a lovely Monday, everyone!

Anonymous said...

It's a free country. You'd think you could get off the ship anywhere you liked. But, no, you'd be committing an act of cabotage.

Anonymous T said...

OKL - As the progeny of Italian & Irish immigrants 4 gen back, I found that Slate article interesting... History repeats?

Billochoes - thanks... I just wiki'd John CABOT and now recall why it was somewhere in the little grey cells. His kid's name didn't help w/ the c/a.

TTP - glad you enjoyed McCoy. And, Abejo, TTP is right - the heat & humidity downstate (SPI) was brutal last week. [index of 130-something on Sat].

The heat didn't stop Bros (Army/STL & Naperville) AND me from riding 20mi in Chatham, IL. Fun Ride: Corn & soy, corn & soy, corn & soy, corn & soy. //end sarcasm. We did go down an old part of Rt 66 (still brick!) so that was fun if not ball-busting.

// Rant:
I'm back in Houston and glad I took an extra Monday off. American Airlines really IRK'd me yesterday. I got a call Sat saying our Sunday flt was delayed 3 hours and we (Youngest & I) were magically rebooked on Dallas' connection to IAH. But, when I checked in, the SPI flight was on time. I called AA to resolve the confusion but was even more confused. They coulda' put us back on the original flt... but, Nooo.... Youngest & I ended up spending 4 hrs @DFW and didn't land until 11p. We did meet a Kindergarten teacher who grew up in Taylorville; she had the same problem as we.

[aside - it is a small world, our barkeep at DFW had family in Pana, IL (pronounced pay-nuh) he'd just visited a month ago. I know this because we had 4 hours to become good buddies.]

Then! Then! Then! - The slowest taxi driver ever - she never hit 55 mph!* We didn't get home until 12:45a. I normally wouldn't mind but Youngest had to be at Ballet at 8a today. I did get some good tips for ETHNO-ic food in HOU. So, not all is lost.
//Rant over

Y'all have a great Monday.
Cheers, -T
*at that time of night we should have hit 85mph and been home in 45 min.

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 1109 - Cabotage - Ergo the Jones Act, and built in America ships to service Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other Coastal trade.

CrossEyedDave said...

Learning moment: Seiche.

Adding insult to injury...

He literally toed the line...

Toad of toad hall?

AnonymousPVX said...

Husker Gary - try making "cold-brewed" Iced coffee. If you have a Frech Press you're all set. Just Google "cold-brewed". It's great.

Otherwise a perfect Monday puzzle, especially as it seems to be a rookie effort. Nicely done.

Jayce said...

Nice puzzle. Well done. The only thing I didn't like was IRE as clued. A couple of new and interesting things I learned: that there was a Sebastian Cabot other than the actor, what a seiche is (fascinating!), and that Toad was a play written by Milne based on Grahame's Wind. Good job, Shannon Summer.

Irish Miss, I forgot what the 3 H's are: heat, humidity, and what?

Welcome back, Lucina, and best wishes to you all.

Misty said...

Wonderful Monday speed run--many thanks Shannon, and welcome! Great pics, Argyle.

SAN REMO reminds me of when I was younger and traveling in Europe by car and never made reservations to spend the night. On one of these trips with my young son I headed north from the Riviera and decided to spend the night in San Remo, which I had never heard of. What a delightful surprise that was! We just loved it. So the clue brought back a happy memory!

Have a great day, everybody!

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

Hands up wiyh Hahtoola for GALA and GETOUT but didn't fit well so left it and came back back later.

Also a hand up for HILL. When I didn't get a TADA I put put the A in and looked at the clue. For me the south was all across so I didn't see the down clues. The V8 can hit me. Oh Italian for theater.

Plus Tard from Cajun Country ~!~!

Irish Miss said...

Jayce @ 1:13 - Hazy, hot, and humid. Too bad we can't get 3 R's: Rain, Rain, Rain!

tawnya said...

Hi all -

Late to the party and looks like Anon-T already linked all the songs that were going thru my head with today's puzzle ;) Love the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy link! Fun puzzle with little difficulty on a Monday. I like having to think a little rather than fill in the whole puzzle on the first run through.

@D-Otto: I'm wondering if your stray's name is taken from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=howO-wo7XOM>The Jerk?</a> NSFW, LOL!

@everyone from yesterday that thinks Coach is staying: HAHAHAHAHA! Not a chance! He's a young dog with so much potential and a loving family will give him a great home where he go be busy all he wants. My heart breaks for the sob stories so if he was missing a leg or something, he'd have a better chance at staying here. Of the six creatures that live here I have a three legged dog, an old one-eyed dog, a chihuahua that came to us bald and mangy then survived cancer, and an FIV positive cat. So if anyone wants a very healthy, young, rambunctious labradoodle with few manners, hit me up!

Back to the books...Happy Monday!

t.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-A nice 18 today on a Links course that is very lush due to all the great rains we have had.
-Yup, Otto, that old Charlie Brown “walked into the classroom cool and slow, and called the English teacher DADDYO!’ I loved the series of Dick Clark videos with great early rock and roll groups
-AnonymousPVX, idiot me has no idea what a French Press

Argent said...

I wrote in Sebastian Cabot, but became convinced that was wrong and that I was thinking of the actor. My trivia for the day: Cabot once released a recording of his dramatic readings of Bob Dylan lyrics, called "Sebastian Cabot, Actor.

Nice puzzle today. I enjoy homonyms so that added to it for me.

Anonymous T said...

The Jerk. <- Tawnya's link. LOL! Cheers, -T

Argyle said...

At Last. Did anyone listen to all of "Toad of Toad Hall"?

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Shannon and Santa. Fun puzzle. Forgot to blog.

Cheers!

Mike Sherline said...

Argyle - thanks for the real best "At Last".

"Toad" seemed to be starting, then stopped and "an error occurred" appeared. Will refresh & try again later.