The Lighter Side of JzB

Here you will find photos, poetry, and possibly some light-hearted foolishness. For the Heavier Side
of JzB
see my other blog,
Retirement Blues. (There be dragons!)

I claim copyright and reserve all rights for my original material of every type and genre.


Every day visits*
From Moose, Goose, and Orb Weaver
All seized by Haiku


"Why moose and goose?" you may ask. Back on 2/04/13 Pirate wrote a haiku with an elk in it, and I responded with
one with a moose and then included him every day. A few days later in comments Mystic asked "Where's the goose?"
So I started including her with this post on 2/07. A week later on the 14th, Mark Readfern
asked for and received a spider. The rest is history.

*Well, most days, anyway. Grant me a bit of poetic license.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

L.A. Times crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Robyn Weintraub

Theme: INSANE OCTETS.  The theme answers have circles - or at least they should - so that's usually a sign that the theme includes an anagram concept.   This is definitely not my forte, but I sussed it pretty easily.  Lets check it out

17 A. Oscar-nominated song from "The Little Mermaid" : KISS THE GIRL.  Just don't get slapped.



26. Tie the knot : GET HITCHED.  GET MARRIED also fits, but the slangy answer is more appropriate to the clue

33. Jewelry alloy : WHITE GOLD.  Per Wikipedia, "an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel, manganese or palladium. In order to make the gold white, it is combined with metal alloys that are white in nature and plated with an extremely hard element called rhodium."

43. Alertly eager : BRIGHT EYED.    Evidently, this phrase goes back to the late 1500's, but that's all I was able to uncover.  However, FWIW, there is this --





There is no obvious common thread here, so if you didn't get the circles, you were probably pretty puzzled by the puzzle.  So, here is the unifier.  53 A. Card game that literally explains this puzzle's circles : CRAZY EIGHTS.  "CRAZY" is one of many possible indicators that the letters of the key word "EIGHT" have been mixed up, scrambled or confused, i.e anagrammed.  The letters, contained in circles if you're lucky, in each case are split across two words.  There are 120 permutations of the 5 letters in the word EIGHT, so the puzzle could only give us a small sampling of the possibilities. Very nicely done, I'd say.

CRAZY EIGHTS is a pretty simple game that I must have played at some time in my 'ute.  You can read about it here.  When I did, it occurred to me that UNO is an elaborated derivative of this game.



Hi gang, Crazy ZabaJzump here.  Nice puzzle, well executed theme.  Let's see if we can get through it without any further mix ups.

Across

1. Passé movie rental need : VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.

4. Defeat decisively : STOMP.

9. Fixtures that may have claw feet : TUBS.   



13. "__ you in or out?" : ARE.

14. On top of things : AWARE.

15. Blazing stars : NOVAE.  All stars are blazing.  These are the REALLY hot ones.

16. Word in four state names : NEW.   Hampshire, Jersey, Mexico, and York.

19. Rose __ : GARDEN.   White House feature



21. Steve Martin film based on "Cyrano de Bergerac" : ROXANNE.

22. Melville novel : OMOO.  Easily the most popular novel in X-words.  Has anyone read it in the last 100 years?

23. Circus prop : STILT.  



25. Friend of Wyatt : DOC.  Earp and Holliday, famous for participating in the gun fight down the street a piece from the OK Corral.



29. Fixed (on) : BENT.  Firm and determend in purpose or belief.

30. Charlemagne's domain: Abbr. : Holy Roman Empire.

31. Peaty land : MOOR.  Acidic soil where plants die faster than they can decompose.

32. __-Coburg, Bavaria : SAXE.   A Duchy from the 14th Century in what is now Bavaria.

36. "Toodles!" : CIAO.  B'bye.

38. City NNE of Austin : WACO.   Never a good thing when it's in the news.

39. Managed care gp. : Health Maintenance Organization.  Note abrv.

42. Half of a Billy Idol #1 song : MONY.   Better than half a fly, I suppose.  Anyway, it's a cover.  Here's the real thing, from 1968.



46. Gardner of film : AVA.  She had many roles from the 40's through the 70's and was married to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra.




47. Debt securities : LIENS.  The way this is phrased makes me think of bonds.  A LIEN is a legal encumbrance on a property, which is a form of security interest.   Details differ from country to country.

48. Invasion time : D-DAY.  On June 6, 1944, the allied forces invaded Normandy, a very complicated operation.

49. Tries to reach again, old-style : REDIALS.   Old time phone calls.

51. Rejects : SPURNS.

56. Super Bowl highlights : ADS.   'Cuz the game itself is often lousy.

57. Anise-flavored liqueurs : OUZOS.   Greek fire water.

58. "Toodles!" : SEE YA.  A chlecho, but I don't believe I've ever heard anybody say "Toodles."

59. Originally named : NEE.   Generally used in the context of a bride's maiden name.

60. Flew : SPED.   Look at the time.   I must be having fun.

61. Article of faith : TENET.   Do those of lesser faith only have ninets?

62. Audition, with "out" : TRY.  Competition for roles.

Down

1. "The Starry Night" painter : VAN GOGH.  Vincent.



2. Morning pitcher : CREAMER.  Presumably holding cream for that all-important cup of coffee.  I take mine solo.

3. Did over, as a manuscript : REWROTE.  Writing is rewriting.

4. Japanese libation : SAKE.  An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.  Sometimes thought of as either a wine or a beer, but is neither.

5. Mattress size : TWIN.  

6. Defense gp. since 1948 : Organization of American States, founded in 1948.

7. Dash of flavor? : MRS.    Cute


8. Van Dyke role : PETRIE.   Rob, with wife Laura


9. Forum garb : TOGA.


10. Measure discussed on the EPA's SunWise web page : UV INDEX. It predicts the level of solar UV radiation and  indicates the risk of overexposure on a scale from 0 (low) to 11 or more (extremely high).

11. Including everything : BAR NONE.

12. Choose : SELECT.

15. "Wait till __ year!" : NEXT.   Losing sports team's cry of anguish and hope.

18. Clutch : HOLD.

20. Word from Homer : D'OH.


23. Glasgow native : SCOT.  From a city in Scotland.

24. Included free : THREW IN.  Has anyone ever included a free towel for you?

27. Texter's "Here's what I think" : In My Humble Opinion.

28. Paris pronoun : TOI.  Sure.  Whatever.

29. Rancid : BAD.  Food going bad, not misbehaving.   I think.



32. Hotel keycard opening : SLOT.  Keyholes are passé.

33. Route : WAY.

34. Comedy material : GAGS.

35. 23-Down's "Golly!" : OCH.  Scottish vernacular.

36. Watergate subterfuge : COVERUP.  Sometimes worse than the actual crime.

37. Not lucid : IN A DAZE.

39. Curbside water source : HYDRANT.  For putting out house fires.

40. Wind, as a country road : MEANDER.   



41. Post-Trojan War epic : ODYSSEY.   The story of Odyssius taking the long way home.

42. Former Philippine president : MARCOS.  Ferdinand, a corrupt and brutal dictator.

43. Ill humor : BILE.

44. Fight temptation : RESIST.  I misread this a "flight temptation" and was mightily confused.  Anyway, always let your conscience be your guide.

45. University URL suffix : EDU. Representing EDUcation.

47. Sets down : LAYS.  Not lies - that would be untrue.

50. Name on a sport shirt label : IZOD.  Actually, they make all sorts of apparel.


This symbol magically magnifies the value price of whatever it's attached to

51. Eye trouble : STYE. An infected abscess near the edge of the eyelid.

52. H.S. exam : PSAT. Pre-SAT.  Preparation for the SAT, which is a college admission test with no record of predicting success in college.  IMHO, all standardized tests are scams.

54. "Golly!" : GEE.

55. Egg source : HEN. Yeah - but which one came first?

There it is folks, a nice puzzle from start to finish.  I'm not mixed up any more, but I am still crazy.

Cool regards!
ZbJ

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Theme:  ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER.  A catchy ad phrase is reinterpreted as statements that can lead to a continuing conversation.  Do any of you have friends who can ramble on and on.? If so, you might dread hearing these words. 

17. "Wait, there's more ... " : COME TO THINK OF IT.  Darn, he thought of something else.

27. "Wait, there's more ... " : BEFORE I FORGET.  Drat, too late.

50. "Wait, there's more ... " : THAT REMINDS ME.  Well, doesn't everything?

65. "Wait, there's more ... " : AND ANOTHER THING.  Uh-oh.  Now he's on a roll.

No unifier, but the common clue fills that function.  And the theme fill really need no explanation.

Today's Theme Song

Hi, Gang -- JazzBumpa here with a nice puzzle by the veteran team of Gail and Bruce.  I'll try not to get carried away with a boring exposition.

Across
1. Windows precursor : MS DOS.  PC operating systems.

6. Hard-to-control groups : MOBS.  Large and disorderly crowds.

10. Forensic investigator's item : SWAB.  An absorbent pad or other item used for collecting samples to be analyzed. 

14. Advil alternative : ALEVE.  Analgesics.  Advil is ibuprofen; ALEVE is naproxin.

15. Pair on a lake : OARS.  In a boat on a lake.

16. Place to slog through : MIRE.  Swamp, bog, fen.

20. Hullabaloo : STIR.  Much ado about something.

21. Barry White genre : SOUL.



22. Dossier cover? : ALIAS.    A dossier is a collection of documents about a particular event, subject, or, in this case, person.  An ALIAS is an alternate name or false identity, which is, in some sense, a cover.  Still, this entry is not working for me.  Am I being dumb?

23. "Boy, am I dumb!" : D'OH.



25. Touch the ground : LAND.   In an aircraft, presumably at an airport.  Vide infra.

33. Airline with the MileagePlus frequent flier prog. : UAL.  Formerly United Airlines.

34. Ole Miss rival : 'BAMA.  Universities on Mississippi and Alabama, respectively.  I think they might have football teams.

35. Customs collection : TARIFF.  An import tax

38. Golf lesson subject : GRIP.  The proper way of holding the club.



40. Charmin layer : PLY.  Tissue layers.

42. Black & Decker rival : SKIL.  Power tools.

43. Dapper : SPRUCE.  I was familiar with the usage as noun and verb, but not adjective.  It is, however, legit.  Neat, smart, or stylish in appearance.

46. Gave up for money : SOLD.  Past tense of the verb "to sell."  Curiously, in Old English, ca. 10th century, this verb meant to give as a gift.

49. Irritated state : IRE.   Having one's dander up.

53. Brainy Simpson : LISA.  Sadly, I could not find a video to verify this concept.



54. Not within walking distance : FAR.  You might need a lift

55. One needing a lift : SKIER.   Clever.  Besides, neither hitchhiker nor Arthur Dent fit.

58. "__ Girl": 2014 Affleck film : GONE.


Does not look like a lot of fun

61. Battery terminal sign : PLUS.  Indicates the positive terminal.

68. D.C. dealers : POLS.  politicians.

69. Hawaiian coffee district : KONA.   On the western part of the Big Island.

70. Put a cap on : LIMIT.

71. Eye woe : STYE.  A bacterial infection of an oil gland at the edge of the eyelid.


73. Stops bleeding : CLOTS.  Clotting is part of homeostasis.

Down

1. Apple Store array : MACS.  Along with iPads, iPods, and iWatches.   I am blogging from my Macbook Pro with Retina Display.

2. Job opening : SLOT.  A position to be filled.  Derived from the Old French word for bosom cleavage.

3. Prefix with goddess : DEMI.  A lower ranking divine personage.

4. Go to extremes : OVERDO.  As, for example, a speaker exemplifying today's theme.

5. Complete collection : SET.  

6. Con __: briskly, on scores : MOTO.  Literally, with motion, thus, to be performed in a lively manner.   I just do whatever the conductor wants.

7. Iolani Palace site : OAHU.  In Honolulu.

8. Estracell sponge brand : BRILLO.  Soap infused steel wool pad.

9. Phishing fig. : SSN.   Social Security Number.  Phishing is a particular kind of internet scam, where the perp poses as legitimate financial company to extract one's personal data, such as SS number.

10. Does a slow burn : SMOLDERS.  Generates smoke, but no flame.  Figuratively, is experiencing but [more or less] containing anger. 

11. Surfing convenience : WIFI.   For internet surfing.  The term refers to a wireless connection, and is derived from "wireless" plus "fi," an arbitrary second element, thus similar in form to hi-fi.

12. Opera showstopper : ARIA.  Featured vocal solo.

13. Gets in the pool, maybe : BETS.  Makes a wager in a  betting pool.

18. Milo of the movies : O'SHEA.


19. She adopted Tigger : KANGA.   Friends of a certain silly bear.  I do not Pooh-pooh this kind of trivia.

24. Top of a scepter, perhaps : ORB.   Not every scepter has one.


26. Part of MoMA : ART.  Museum of Modern ART

27. Perturbs : BUGS.


28. O.K. Corral gunfighter : EARP.  The EARP brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt along with Doc Holiday were on one side against Billy Claiborn, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury. The combatants were only a few feet apart, and the incident was over in a matter of seconds.  It took place at a narrow vacant lot next to a photographer's shop, not at or adjacent to the eponymous corral. Probably the most famous gunfight in the history of the old west, but it was not well known to the American people until 50 years later.

29. Toy (with), as an idea : FLIRT.   Not the first thing that comes to mind when I consider the word "FLIRT."   I guess this is the point where the idea is playfully suggestive [or suggestively playful] but not yet given serious consideration. 

30. Sitter's challenge : IMP.   In Middle English, a child of a noble family.  Somehow, this morphed into a child of The Devil - sort of a demi-daemon.  Now diluted to mean an unruly child. 

31. Quiz answer : FALSE.  If the question is of the True-FALSE variety.

32. Maori carvings : TIKIS.  Check them out.

36. Unshakable : FIRM.   Literally, to physical objects; figuratively to resolute concepts and those who hold them.

37. Cut and run : FLEE.  Escape

A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "let us FLEE!"
"Let us fly!" said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

--Ogden Nash

39. "Don't make me laugh!" : PUH-LEASE.  Exaggerated pronunciation of PLEASE, for dramatically dismissive affect.

41. __ Kippur : YOM.  Falling on the 10th day of Tishri, this is among the most important high holidays of the Jewish faith.  It is the day of judgement, remembrance and atonement.  [Help me out here if I didn't get this quite right.]

44. Stone monument : CAIRN.  For millennia, they have been used as landmarks, grave markers, in astronomy, or for other ceremonial purposes.


45. UFO fliers, purportedly : ETS.   Extra-Terrestrials in Unidentified Flying Objects.

47. Career officer : LIFER.

48. Forensic investigator's molecule : DNA.  Deoxyribonucleic Acid.  It's in all your cells, and you leave it everywhere, perhaps to be collected on SWABS.

51. Convertible, in slang : RAGTOP.


52. Adviser who was a regular "Oprah" guest : DR. PHIL McGraw.

55. Enervates : SAPS.  Depletes of energy.

56. Feature of some paneling : KNOT.


57. In a laid-back manner : IDLY.

59. Words of dismay : OH NO.

60. Straightened up : NEAT.  SPRUCE; or even better -- without ice.  Oh, yes!

62. Wedding rental : LIMO.  Fancy, multi-passenger hired car, complete with driver.

63. Combat group : UNIT.

64. LAPD ranks : SGTS.  Sergeants in the Los Angeles Police Department 

66. Puts one's initials on : OK'S.  Short form seal of approval.

67. Pampering, for short : TLC.  Tender Loving Care - mom's specialty.

There it is, as succinct as I could make it.  Hope it gets your seal of approval.

Cool regards!
JzB [my ALIAS]