tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post5493972503991405580..comments2024-01-25T10:14:06.567-08:00Comments on L.A. Crossword Confidential: SUNDAY, May 9, 2010 — John Lampkin (syndicated)Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-6222731509229577632010-05-09T17:15:04.826-07:002010-05-09T17:15:04.826-07:00Happy Mothers Day to all the moms.
I liked this p...Happy Mothers Day to all the moms.<br /><br />I liked this puzzle.<br />Very cute little puns for pet foods.<br />The puzzle was well constructed and most of the fill was pretty good.<br />This was a difficult puzzle for me to solve... it took me awhile, but I did finish it 100% correct AND WITH NO HELPERS whatsoever. I'm proud that I never had to Google anything.<br />As for BAA BAA GHANOUJ, there are many many variants in its spelling.<br />Baba Ghanoush, Baba Ghanouj, Baba Ghannouj, Baba Ganuj, Baba Ghannoug, and many more. According to my best friend Gamil (who is from Egypt), it's بابا غنوج (bābā ġanūj). Note the long A's. Hardly the way sheep pronounce BAA BAA.<br />Actually this is a pretty tasty dish regardless of how you pronounce it.<br /><br />Not sure I get the ARF AND ARF pun. Is that supposed to be Half and Half? If so, thats quite a stretch.<br /><br />Best clue: "Earth shade" (SIENNA). I use this pigment a lot in my paintings, but I kept thinking of the shadow of the earth, like some sort of eclipse phenom. Duh!<br /><br />Worst clue: "Service station feature" (CSTORE).<br /><br />Best two entries (non-theme):<br />STAPES "Middle ear bone".<br />TYRE "It may be filled with Londonderry air".<br /><br />A great play by Thornton Wilder made even greater with---<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnfACj0bvQ0" rel="nofollow">Paul Newman as Stage Manager in "OUR TOWN".</a><br /><br />Okay, much as I hate this substitute for "Cool!", I'm gonna say this puzz is PHAT!!!!<br /><br />BTW, it's a sacrilege to say that Uma Thurman's role was EMMA Peel in the "Avengers".<br />EMMA PEEL IS ONLY DIANA RIGG. Period! It is interesting that we also see Mister STEED in 43A.<br /><br />Well I think I'll go see whats on the old TEE VEE.JOHNSNEVERHOMEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447455788629988277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-36359433430726603122010-05-09T14:10:02.179-07:002010-05-09T14:10:02.179-07:00@Van55
Ba Ba Ghanouj is a dish you either know or ...@Van55<br />Ba Ba Ghanouj is a dish you either know or you don't. With the sheep BAA BAA I thought it was cute. but a little obscure.<br /><br />Personally, I only knew it because of a 3 week consulting job in the Middle East about 10 years ago. Looked at the spelling (thought WTF?) but was sure of the crosses.<br /><br />With only 5 across themes (2 down) I thought for a Sunday the puzzle was a little thin.Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-49861930782209064582010-05-09T13:51:29.486-07:002010-05-09T13:51:29.486-07:00Couldn't suss out BAABAAGANOUJ, as I didn'...Couldn't suss out BAABAAGANOUJ, as I didn't know how to spell it and didn't know GIA Carangi or MIA Wasikowska and didn't care to Google them.<br /><br /><br />THENRA isn't good.<br /><br />I just didn't much like this one.Van55https://www.blogger.com/profile/15904942044695917615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-74547064799540255072010-05-09T13:34:19.518-07:002010-05-09T13:34:19.518-07:00Happy Mothers Day one and all.
Years ago, on the ...Happy Mothers Day one and all.<br /><br />Years ago, on the 1972 TEE VEE show Banacek, George Peppard's character looks at one of the perps who is doing the NYT Crossword and said "ITER, Roman Road is ITER." I started doing these shortly thereafter and have never forgotten the word.<br /><br />Had the GAZETTE and RITZY first, so that ZBAR & TAR, as discussed by @Lit.doc never crossed my mind as bad fill.<br /><br />Liked that ANACIN crossed the ACHE. <br />Diner on a hill, ANTEATER, and SEXY sirens were my fave.<br />PANGRAM in a pangram, or a sentence.<br />"Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs."<br />The Avatar wants them to be Pinch.Tinbenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14661395078047234853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8626052240584383873.post-56872398587020130762010-05-09T12:43:22.942-07:002010-05-09T12:43:22.942-07:00Ok, I’m easily amused. Even puns. I was amused b...Ok, I’m easily amused. Even puns. I was amused by the puns. But good grief, some of the fill must have ruined those poor animals’ appetites.<br /><br />126A CSTORE?! C’mon, really? Act of desperation?<br /><br />The only way 70D “ER stat” and 52D “ER ‘Right away!’” in the same grid could be any uglier is if the answer to 70D had been RIGHT AWAY.<br /><br />And what’s “Aptly named” about a 78A Z-BAR, other than its cross-section—which distinguishes it <i>how</i> from an I-BAR or a T-BAR or whatever?<br /><br />Though there’s nothing crossword-wrong with 100A “Mastodon preserver” = BREA, as long as I’m already riding around on my huffy bike I’ll cavil. TAR only preserves the bones. I started with ICE, which preserves hair, organs, DNA, all that good stuff.lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.com