google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, June 11, 2015 Danny Reichert

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Jun 11, 2015

Thursday, June 11, 2015 Danny Reichert

Theme: "Chapter and Verse"

Without the reveal, would you have associated the clues with their answers?
32. Words creditors don't want to hear ... or what each starred clue is with reference to its answer :
CHAPTER ELEVEN.

The title of Chapter 11 for each book in the answer, becomes the clue:
16. *"Finds Print of Man's Foot on the Sand" : ROBINSON CRUSOE. I was pretty sure we were looking for this book, but wasn't sure how the clue related to it.

23. *"Wendy's Story" : PETER PAN. Again, I was pretty sure this was a reference to PETER PAN.

46. *"Nightgown" : MOBY DICK. I got waylaid here, thinking it might be about Scrooge. But "A Christmas Carol" wouldn't fit!

53. *"What I Heard in the Apple Barrel" : TREASURE ISLAND. Never read that one, so this one relied mostly on perps.

I believe this is Danny's LAT debut.  He gave us a very difficult Thursday, with some tough crossings and new words. But I got 'er done without any help, so I'm a happy camper. Welcome aboard!


Across

1. Protective garment : SMOCK. I knew enough to check perps before blithely filling in "apron."

6. Nothing like wetlands : ARID.

10. New car stat : MPG. Miles Per Gallon. I couldn't get MSRP out of my head for the longest time.

13. One of four men who managed both the Mets and Yankees : TORRE. Joe TORRE was only briefly a player-manager for the Mets in 1977. The other three were Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel and Dallas Green. (Yeah, right - I totally didn't look that up...)

14. "Eva __": Isabel Allende novel : LUNA. I finished "Girl On the Train" yesterday, and really enjoyed it.  (Did you break down and invest, CanadianEh?)  So, I'm looking for my next read, and think I have to add this one to the list.

15. JFK datum : ARR.ival

19. __ were : AS IT.

20. Excited exclamation : OH! OH!

21. Actress Katey : SAGAL. She played Gemma on "Sons of Anarchy." You may also know her as Peg Bundy from "Married...With Children."

25. Jai alai ball : PELOTA. And the basket is called the "cesta."

26. Arena sounds : RAHS.

27. Foretells : HERALDS.

28. "Psych" finale? : OSIS. PsychOSIS.

30. Is for more than one? : ARE.

31. Moneyed : FAT. As in, "FAT cat." Mine aren't moneyed...they're just FAT.

37. Here, in Havana : ACÁOuch¡ I wanted AquíCuban Spanish.


38. Magic show prop : HAT.

39. Soggy ground : MIRE. The noun form of the word.

40. Like campsites, at times : FIRELIT.

43. Rhett's last word : DAMN.

45. Tops : APEXES.

50. Wednesday Addams portrayer of film : RICCIChristina, of "The Addams Family."

51. 1998 Australian Open winner Korda : PETR. Awful crossing here.  I bet more than a few people never heard of this guy and the obscure 44-Down. Dugout shelter : ABRI.  Petr's daughter is a successful pro golfer on the LPGA tour.

52. Popular berry : ACAI.

56. ISP biggie : AOL.

57. Ship protected by Hera : ARGO.

58. Ripped at the gym : TONED.

59. Many Sam Goody sales : LPs.

60. It hits the nail on the head : PEEN. Good clue for a crossword staple.

61. "Nope!" : NOT SO.


Down

1. Pump part, perhaps : STRAP. The shoe, not the tire inflater.


2. Maine flag image : MOOSE. "Dirigo" means "I lead."

3. Curved path : ORBIT.

4. Measures : CRITERIA.

5. One of a toydom pair : KEN. Hoo boy, I'm getting old. My first thought was "Ann." (Raggedy Ann and Andy.)

6. Words heard coming and going : ALOHAS.

7. Extended sentence : RUN-ON.

8. Creep : INCH. Move slowly, not the shady looking guy at the playground.

9. Patriotic org. : DAR. Daughters of the American Revolution.

10. __ chai: spiced tea : MASALA.

11. Woods, e.g. : PRO GOLFER. I entered the answer without thinking twice.

12. Marmaduke of the comics is one : GREAT DANE.

17. Jr. preceder : SOPH.omore and junior.

18. Notebook owner : USER.

22. "__ call!" : LAST. Tinbeni's least favorite phrase?

24. Rough file : RASP.

25. Strip : PEEL.

27. Central Eur. power until 1806 : HRE. Holy Roman Empire.

28. __ lobe: brain area : OCCIPITAL. Ouch, I wonder how many knew this off the top of their brain?

29. What tenant farmers do : SHARECROP. Exactly what it says - they share crops with the owner of the land.

30. It's "not what you see, but what you make others see": Degas : ART. Inferable.

33. "What I'm holding ..." : THIS.

34. Wear away : EAT.

35. Award since 1949 : EMMY.

36. Indian curry dish : VINDALOO. I wonder if Cindy Lou Who likes VINDALOO.

37. Where some worship from : AFAR.

41. Rises to the top : EXCELS.

42. One of a pair of sci-fi twins : LEIA. Wouldn't ya know, I had the "L" in place and went with Luke at first. Of "Star Wars" fame.

43. Spoil rotten : DOTE ON.

46. Construction area sign : MERGE.

47. "Sorry, impossible" : I CAN'T.

48. Props for Astaire : CANES. Here's a routine I bet you have never seen him perform. (The original dance routine was to the tune "Puttin' on the Ritz.") 4:14

49. Buddy : KIDDO.

51. Word with luck or gold : PURE.

54. Easy mark : SAP.

55. Penn, e.g.: Abbr. : STN. Station.

The End.
Marti



71 comments:

OwenKL said...

No win today by anyone's measure. A natick at AB_I+PET_ assured that. But when I turned on the red letters, I found I had more wrong than expected, all of which I then corrected. Intersections of 1a+13a+2d were blank before red letters because I had (Raggedy) ANN for toydom pair (also considered Buzz & Woody, and Stan & Laurel, but none of them fit); and in the SW I had FIREpIT, and RICCi was a WAG, which hid LEIA from me, I'm ashamed to say.

Oddly enough, I got ROBINSON CARUSO (sic), PETER PAN, and TREASURE ISLAND right away from their clues, but the reveal not until I had several perps filled in.

There once was a boy named Peter Pan
Who lived on an island unknown to man
To keep the place clean
He dug a latrine,
The urinal he called his Peter Plan!

A rooster raiser named ROBINSON CRUSOE
Had an appendage that resembled an oboe!
He'd play a refrain
Till the neighbors complain
About his cock, when Robinson crew so!

There was a fellow who got very sick
When a poisonous thorn gave him a prick
He swelled like a balloon
But recovered quite soon --
Except for one part, that he named MOBY DICK!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I struggled for awhile until I finally figured out what the theme was all about. I didn't recall any of the chapters in question, but I knew all the books and once I figured out the theme I was able to get all the e theme answers quickly with a little perp help.

I definitely call foul on the ABRI/PETR crossing. ABRI is totally obscure and PETR is not inferable if you don't know the name. I went with ABEI/PETE just because PETE is a real name. Not everybody is a golf fan (I actually thought the clue was referring to a tennis player, not that it would have helped if I had guessed the right sport).

HowardW said...

I also had ABeI/PETe originally but ABeI looked entirely wrong, and I vaguely recalled ABRI from French, making PETR which is at least plausible. [And Barry G., PETR Korda *was* a tennis player, so you guessed that right -- not that it helps.]

But I had another Natick at MASeLA/SeGAL, which required a complete guess for the A. So today must be considered a FIW, as only the lack of a "tada" told me that my solution was incorrect.

Loved the theme, though! Very clever, and as Marti points out, the chapter titles do give enough of a hint once a few letters are in place. Thanks Marti! (Although I prefer the original music for the Fred Astaire routine.)

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Marti and friends. Fun but very challenging puzzle. Although I got PETER PAN on the first pass, it got very little else. I got the other novels, not because I knew the chapter names, but because the perps eventually gave me enough letters to guess the correct book. I read ROBINSON CRUSOE back in 7th grade. I own MOBY DICK, but have never read it, and only know that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote TREASURE ISLAND.

The ACAI berry is very popular in the crossword puzzles.

I wanted PsychOTIC instead of PsychOSIS.

PETR and ABRI? Ouch!

QOD: People will survive, and they will find happiness. Happiness only comes when you’re not looking for it. ~ Hugh Laurie (b. June 11, 1959)

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Tough slog this morning. Managed this one by the skin of my teeth. Hand up for ANN. I confidently wrote ET_ and waited for the A or D at JFK. NOT SO. At least OCCIPITAL held up, anchoring the SW. Never heard of VINDALOO -- sounds like wine made in the bathroom. My last fill was changing ABEI to ABRI; the former meant nothing, but the latter was somewhat familiar. Wasn't sure what it meant, though. Bruised, perhaps, but at least I wasn't scathed.

Jerome said...

In lieu of a PETER PAN, now they just set a plastic bottle next to a guy's hospital bed.

Little known piece of trivia- The original story was about a sailor shipwrecked on Bird Island near Tahiti. The working title of the book was "Robin's on Crusoe"

Anonymous said...

What creditors hate to hear is CHAPTER SEVEN, not ELEVEN.

Argyle said...

Where ELEVEN comes before SEVEN but come they will.

Yellowrocks said...

Fun puzzle, great write up. Marti. as always. I had CHAPTER ELEVEN early on. The book names became obvious with a few perps. MASALA and SAGAL formed a Natick, but SAGAL seemed more plausible than MASELA. I missed the R in the other Natick. Now that I think of it, on a rare occasion I have seen ABRI and PETR. Drat! Except for these two snags, the puzzle seemed very fair.
I got OCCIPITAL from the 2 C's.
A FIRELIT evening is one of the best features of camping. This year we will have a fireplace on the porch of our rustic cabin. Last year we had a 5 o'clock shower every day to drench the outdoor firepit. Alas!
Misty, from Tuesday's post, how very concerning about Rowland. I hope you were able to find an answer.
JzB my thoughts are with your mom as she recovers from her stroke. Al, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
My Alan probably could come home on Monday as he is very eager to do. But, I can't get PT for him as an outpatient, so I am thinking of extending his stay for a few more days to see if more Pt will help. It is very difficult to discern what his highest function might be. I feel like an ogre keeping him there.

Avg Joe said...

Lunch money? Gone!

Wagged my way through most of it, but my luck gave out on the final two. Guessed AsA instead of ACA and Pete. So it beat me up. Did get all the theme answers at least.

Oh, and I did get peen, but I don't like it. A peen is used for any number of purposes. It's primary role is to round a rivet. I guess it could drive a nail in a pinch, but anyone with a lick of sense would use the head since it has a flat surface.

Mark McClain said...

Well, actually a peen is the business end of any hammerhead, so totally fair. The PETR ABRI was my only failure, and will be for most, I expect - I had actually heard of Korda, but couldn't remember the first name. Great execution of a tough theme that for most was solvable only by the surrounding fill.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Danny and Marti!

A natick at PET_ AND AB_I, so FIW.

Cord on the iPad isn't functioning (or, perhaps it's a battery problem).

Driving me nuts.

Saw a well-done movie called The Judge on TV. Anyone else?

Cheers!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

What a fun and clever theme. Only nit is the abri/Petr crossing but I did finish w/o help. Learning moment was Leia and Luke being twins. I never saw StarWars and was only familiar with the characters' names, not relationships. Hand up for (Raggedy) Ann and I put tails for Astaire's props instead of canes, which was kind of silly on my part.

Thanks, Danny, for a challenging Thursday and thanks, Marti, for the delightful expo. BTW, DO and Marti, last night's dinner was very enjoyable and, more importantly, both sisters are still alive and well! Today's luncheon menu is fresh lobster rolls. Yum, yum!

YR, you are anything but an ogre. Your care and concern for Alan are obiviously paramount and your judgment is sound; the additional PT will benefit you both. Best wishes for continued progress.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Ferm @ 8:42 - If you are referring to the Robert Duvall/Robert Downey, Jr. movie, yes, I saw it and thoroughly enjoyed it. They are both exceptionally talented actors. Duvall was on one of the talk shows recently and displayed a keen sense of humor. My next Netflix offering is The Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhall (sp?); I hope it's not too dark and intense.

HowardW said...

Irish Miss -
I agree fully, but I happened to notice that "progress" is "ogress" plus PR !

Irish Miss said...

Re my 8:43 post, obviously there is only one "i" in obviously.

HowardW @ 8:50 - I'm not sure who has the sharper eyes - you or DO! 😉

HeartRx said...

desper-otto @ 7:14, you get the prize today!! VIN DA LOO - wine made in the bathroom, too funny.

Anonymous said...

I had robin and peter and was trying to go with theme robin (robbing) peter to pay paul. Finally caught on after a while

Tinbeni said...

Marti: I enjoyed your write-up way more than this puzzle.

Sooooooo, another D N F ... and I'm glad I put-it-down.

Since I limit myself to "No More Than TWO Craft Beers" whenever I am "Out-At-The-Pub" ... I can't remember the last time I heard "LAST call!"

At Villa Incognito "LAST call!" is NEVER invoked.

Steve Lewis said...

From a constructor's point of view, there doesn't seem to be any way to avoid the abri Petr crossing. Pete seemed too easy an answer for the clue, and Petr never came to me.

An interesting puzzle, but a real toughie!

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling thoughts":

Plenty tough enough for a Thursday; I FIW with most of the same errors as the others said. Of the grid spanners, I got OCCIPITAL without any perps; same with PRO GOLFER and GREAT DANE. VINDALOO is a new one to me - I, too prefer the "British wine made in the toilet" as the rightful clue! Good clueing and a nice recap, Marti

I ordinarily don't pile on with a limerick when Owen's already contributed - but this one came to mind today and is a sort of SO to JzB:

Jazz trombonist whose first name is Clyde,
Got no love for the music he plied;
He would seldom hear cheers,
Mostly catcalls and jeers;
And to those? Why, he'd just let 'em slide!

Argyle said...

Any average Joe knows the face of a hammer is the "business" end. The other side, be it claw, pick, or peen, is not useful for striking a nail head.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Danny Reichert, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for a fine review.

I also just finished "Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. Good book and story but sure started weird. I am glad I stuck it out. My next read is "John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster" by Sam L. Amirante (his defense atty).

This puzzle started slowly. I eventually got the theme. That helped.

My tough spot, as others have said, was ABRI/PETR. I still do not know what ABRI means or references. Any thoughts?

The long downs were the only ones that really saved me since they were pretty easy once I had a couple letters.

I have seen Jai Alai games but never knew what the ball was called. I will see if i can remember that.

Tried FIRE PIT first, but FIRE LIT became the answer.

I agree with others, PEEN is not described correctly in the clue.

ACAI again. I have seen that word so many times I might have to try the berries sometime.

Off to my day in the garden, and then off to Glenview tonight. Last night it was Des Plaines and Tuesday was Waukegan. Tomorrow will be Schaumburg.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Zcarguy said...

Boy am I glad I knew Petr , otherwise I would've filed Chapter 7 with the Abri crossing .

Jerome ., Peter Pan ..that's funny.
Desper-Otto., Vin Da Loo .. Way too funny.

Fore .!

C6D6 Peg said...

Got hung up with crossing of PETR and ABRI. Otherwise, finished in a smooth manner. Although clever, no TADA when completed.

Thanks, Marti, for a great write-up. Laughed at your Raggedy Ann guess.... you're only as old as you feel!

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi everyone -

It's been a few days since I've done any puzzling, and I'm a bit out of touch with what's going on in the Corner world.

Thank you for all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers.

Mom declined pretty rapidly after the stroke. We moved her into a hospice facility Tuesday evening. She got high quality compassionate care both here and at the hospital, and we are grateful for that. The end is close and her family is with her.

Thanks again,
Ron aka JzB

Husker Gary said...

Piling on - ABRI/PETR and MASA/SAAL crossings aside this was a remarkable puzzle! I too needed the reveal and loved it!

Musings
-No RAHS for the suddenly offensively inept Twins against the Royals this week
-Marti, our cat isn’t FAT, she’s just DOTED ON
-DAMN – The Motion Picture Association production Code forbade the use of this word, but relented saying its use was essential in the scene. DAMN Yankees is used earlier in the film
-Didn’t we all have a big collection of these?
-KEN and Barbie at the beach in 2015
-It’s still my goal to say ALOHA coming and going to our friend Chef Wendy in Kauai
-The tectonic plates that carry North America and Europe Creep apart about an INCH/yr. After a million years…
-I called a colleague KIDDO and she didn’t tell me how much it upset her until I confronted her about her behavior toward me
-English – red ball. Spanish – PELOTA roja
-VINDALOO?
-Owen, maybe you could construct a puzzle with the theme used in your three funny limericks today.
-YR, it is said God never gives you more than you can handle but he seems to be maxing out on you. I admire how you keep on keepin’ on.
-What musical train “leaves PENNsylvania STA. about a quarter to four”?

CanadianEh! said...

Lots of work today and required some Google clues to finish but a fun learning experience. Didn't get the theme but knew all the book titles.
I will order The Girl on the Train as it may be months before I come up on the lending list. Thanks for the advice that it is worth sticking through the beginning Abejo.

Does MASALA CHAI go well with VINDALOO? I must ask my DIL. She gets upset when people say Chai Tea saying it is redundant to use both words.

Lots of RAHS in the arena last night. What a game! But sad ending for Tampa. But it is not over yet.

Thoughts and prayers to those dealing with illness. YR sometimes you have to make the hard choices to get the best results. JazzB, sympathy as you witness the close of a loved one's life. Grateful for the compassionate care.

Lemonade714 said...

PETR Korda was a very successful tennis player, who won at least one grand slam event, the Australian Open I think. and his name has appeared an answer in the LAT on many occasions LA Times - May 2, 2013, LA Times - July 16, 2011, LA Times - May 25, 2011, LA Times - Sept. 2, 2010, LA Times - Aug. 4, 2010, LA Times - Oct. 16, 2009, LA Times - July 23, 2009. Also his daughter Jessica has won on the LPGA, so he is in the news. I think it was easier than Czech physicist Beckmann: PETR, a prior clue/fill.

I just watched The Judge recently and it was very well done and quite depressing on many levels

I am off to the Chattanooga choo choo

Thanks marti and welcome Danny

Lemonade714 said...

Peg, you say "you're only as old as you feel!" that is the problem, as my aches and pains have aches and pains.

I assure you creditors hate Chapter 11 as well as the Trustees can restructure debt and change payment schedules. Also, unsecured creditors often lose in Chapter 11 filings as well as the 7s.

Beach Bum said...

I also DNFed due to PETe/ ABeI. Other than that it went fairly easily for me and I enjoyed the theme. Also wanted AQUI for ACA but obviously it didn't fit -- never heard of ACA.

Agree that the PEEN clue is incorrect -- Merriam-Webster says a peen is the part of a hammerhead opposite from the face. I framed for three years and never once tried to strike a nail with the hammer's peen.

Anonymous said...

I believe PETR Korda was a cheater a la Lance Armstrong. Shortly after winning his only major, the Australian Open, he tested positive for steroids and soon retired in shame.

Hahtoolah said...

JazzB: so sorry to hear about your mother. Glad that family is with her.

Big Easy said...

Wow was this one tough to get started on. I was thinking APRON for SMOCK, ETA or ETD for ARR, and JERK for INCH but easily got GREAT DANE and PRO GOLFER (as Phil Michelson says in his Enbrel commercials). I had a fawn colored Great Dane 35 years ago. But the unknowns were hard to perp out- MASALA, SAGAL,(which I incorrectly penned SEGAL and MASELA), ACA, RICCI, VINDALOO, OCCIPETAL, LUNA, and especially ABRI. I know that had to be correct because PETR Korda played on the ATP tour for many years and the other crosses were solid.( disclosure- my wife was a former USTA regional president and was on a few national committees)

I had no idea what the puzzle was about I guessed ISLAND, had ELEVEN, and when CHAPTER popped up, I was thinking books and wrote in ROBINSON CRUSOE and TREASURE- those two allowed me to finish (almost) the puzzle.

The puzzle was hard but I like hard solvable puzzles, but had too many obscure words.

The clues for KIDDO, APEXES and FIRELIT were very original.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

If this is Danny Reichert's debut, I congratulate him!! It was tough but doable except for the Natick at ABRI/PETR. That's enough to choke a horse! Had to look it up, of course.

I vaguely guessed the theme but thanks, Marti, for explaining it clearly. Also, I misspelled Katey's name, SEGAL/SAGAL.

And yes, I knew OCCIPITAL having watched a panel of brain experts on Charlie Rose. They have a series of discussions periodically. Now his show is on at midnight, DAMN!

Thank you, Danny and Marti for today's amusement.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. Thanks Danny and Marti.

Hand up for not knowing ABRI. I'm sure I won't remember it since I doubt it will come up often in conversation or reading. Hand also up for disagreeing with the clue for PEEN. Nobody I've even known uses that for hammering nails.

There is a new place locally to borrow money called "Loan Me." I can't help it but that name just grates on my ears and brain.

ACAI berries are a crossword staple because of the vowels. But I have bad feelings about them. The first time I ever heard of them was about 10 years ago when a Get-Rich-Quick pyramid scheme was marketing them as a 'Wonder' drink. You could buy bottles for about $24 each but the money came from recruiting your friends to sell them too.

Big Easy said...

Typo-OCCIPITAL

Anonymous @ 11:26 Korda was a pretty skinny player and I do believe that some of the steroids he tested positive for were used in treatment of injuries. But he didn't hold a candle to McEnroe or Agassi when it came to 'substances'. But those two filled stadiums, just like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Lucina said...

Jazz, I'm so sorry about your mother. Having recently experienced a loss myself, I know what you are going through and more because it's your Mom.

YR:
My thoughts and prayers are with you. It's hard, but you are doing what you think is best.

FYI: aqui and ACA are interchangeable meaning here or there though sometimes one is preferable to the other. E.g. ven aqui, ven aca, come here. Aqui y aca, here and there.

I should have guessed ABRI as it is similar to Spanish, abrir, abre, open.

Head-Scratchin' Guy said...

I'm always puzzled when a commenter says something like, "I still don't know what x means", when the answer is usually just a few mouse clicks away.

Steven J. St. John said...

Thought today's puzzle was great. Don't think I've seen that theme before, very clever. Helped me to get PETER PAN anyway. Good stuff.

coneyro said...

A tough but ultimately satisfying Thursday offering.

Could not have guessed the theme on my own, but with perp help, the titles came easily.

Also had APRON/SMOCK, CDS/LPS dilemma but resolved it quickly.

ABEJO: The word "ABRI" comes from the French word"ABRIER", which means "to shelter".

Loved the word "VINDALOO", but not because it is a diet staple of mine. This curry was a favorite dish of Dave Lister, a character on the hit British sci-fi show "Red Dwarf", seen in the USA on BBC. Hysterically funny, and I just found out new episodes will be shown in the near future. Anyone else a fan?

KATEY SAGAL is one of the best actresses on TV. Whether in comedy or drama, she always nails it. To me, though, she'll ALWAYS be Peg Bundy.

That's about it for me today. Gearing up for the next three days of puzzle "make me feel stupid" enigmas and posers. Keeps us humble.

Adios amigos.....

Chairman Moe said...

Ron - you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers

Anonymous said...

Jessica KORDA is playing on Golf channel right now and is in
contention at this time.

Jayce said...

Excellent theme; well done. PETR/ABRI killed me.

OwenKL said...

I'm surprised there's been no comments on the selection of theme entries.
All are classic fiction and grade-school reading level (abridged for MD). Three take place on an island (MD in the middle of the ocean), all involve a sailing ship (the pirate ship in PP).

I'm with those who criticize PEEN.

ABRI (n)
Collins: a shelter or place of refuge, esp. in wartime.
Wiktionary: A shelter; a cavity in a hillside; a shelter on the side of hill with an overhung rock as its roof.
Infoplease: 1. a shelter, esp. a dugout.
2. Archaeol. a rock shelter formed by the overhang of a cliff and often containing prehistoric occupation deposits.
Spellcheck: not a word.

AnonymousPVX said...

I thought this was a bit tough for Thursday. The couple of naticks were already mentioned. Had to look up PETR and had MASASA going down so no joy for me.

Alexscott68 said...

Really liked this theme. My only nitpick is with the ROBINSON CRUSOE clue. Defoe originally published his novel without any chapter divisions at all. Later publishers added chapters and chapter titles, the most commonly adopted one today having 20 chapters with chapter 11 being "Finds Print of Man's Foot in the Sand." But other editions had more chapters and others had fewer, so for anyone who may have read one of those, the clue would have been a little confusing.

That's some trivia for you.

Ol' Man Keith said...

EXCELLENT PUZZLE!

While it strained every wrinkle in this old grey head, it fell to persistence. I had NOTHING at all in my first scan and very little (letters only) in my second. I didn't find any gimmes, except maybe RASP because it is a pop-up def and AOL because it is the usual ISP answer. Many of the answers were at least one step towards obscure, but still within imagination. My one lookup was to resolve the PETR/ABRI arcana. Otherwise I restrained myself to checkups after the fact.

Thank you, Mr. Reichart. Let's have some more.

OwenKL said...

The honeywagon people have jobs some think demean,
But their customers are grateful to them, just for bein'.
One company, it's said,
Named themselves "The Hammerhead":
Their shit's the other side from the PEE'N'

Lemonade714 said...

SJ SJ, how are you? We have not seen you in some time, hope all is well

Jerome said...

Had the clue for PEEN said "Hit the nail on the head" it would be correct. Peen is also a verb that means to strike something hard, as with a hammer. The clue is close... but still a bit off.

Irish Miss said...

Lucina @ 12:07 - My local PBS airs Charlie Rose at 11:00 pm, but also rebroadcasts same show the following day at 1:00 pm. Check your listings, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Ron, sending prayers and thoughts at this sad time.

Lime Rickey said...

How about a one limerick limit?

OwenKL: Please give us the courtesy of only your best effort.

Steven J. St. John said...

All is well Lemonade714, thanks for asking!

Bill G. said...

When I went for my bike ride yesterday, I purposely went by this house I knew was for sale. It's right on the Strand next to the bike path and the beach. It has beautiful views. I thought maybe one of you would like to go halfsies with me. House for sale. You can click at the bottom to get more views.

CrossEyedDave said...

Total cheatin' DNF, maybe because I was looking at the clues the wrong way...

footprints in the sand?

Wendy's story?

Well, it's not a whale in pajamas, but it's still a nightmare!



What happens when you go to Google and do a barrel roll.

Hmm, I think the problem I had with this puzzle, was that the book I was reading did not have a chapter 11...

Danny Reichert said...

Thanks everyone for your kind comments as well as your constructive criticism. You've made my LA Times debut quite satisfying!

I'll be sure to remember the obscurity of PETR Korda. I'm an absolute tennis nut so for me that entry was in my tool bag.

I love the passion on here. Thanks again!

PETE said...

The obscurity of PETR Korda pales in comparison with the obscurity of ABRI.

Danny Reichert said...

Ha!

Goat said...

Well, I tried to post from my phone, but it doesn't appear to have worked. So apologies if this somehow shows up twice.

This is two in a row where I got stumped by my own stubbornness. I was absolutely convinced Penn was a STA, and it never occurred to me I might be wrong.

I also missed the PETR/ABRI cross. Like many of you, I guessed 'E' instead of 'R,' although I must admit 'R' was my second choice.

I love that the puzzles have been tough this week. Very rare for me to miss two in a row like this.

To Danny-

Loved the theme. Congrats on your debut.

Lucina said...

IrishMiss@2:28:
The Charlie Rose Show was for years aired at 1:00 and I eagerly looked forward to it every day. Suddenly this past year, it was removed and replaced with all the kiddie shows. That makes sense, but I really miss it. It's on Bloomberg at 7:00 P.M. but the prime time shows are on at that time so it's always a challenge which to watch.

Avg Joe said...

I'll second what Pete and Goat said. Petr was under consideration for me but I didn't know that specific person. But Abri was just sadistic. Had no clue about it, and will forget it by tomorrow. And Jerome makes a valid point about peen, but it's still poor choice of clueing.

But the puzzle was a fun run despite that. Maybe a bit rough for a Thursday, but that wasn't your call. Congrats on your debut, Danny, and we'll look forward to more.

Lucina said...

BillG:
That house was on the news last night and except for the ultra modern architecture, I considered it. Not!! I hope you find someone to split the cost with you then you could rent it out to the rest of us for vacation use.

Danny Reichert:
Please don't apologize for any obscurities in your puzzle. For me and others, I believe, it was something new to learn. Just knowing that Peter is spelled differently in other countries opens my awareness. And who doesn't need to learn more French, right, Abejo?

Mr. Google said...

You can watch Charlie Rose whenever you want. Click here.

Chickie said...

Good Afternoon, Everyone, A real DNF for me today. Too many unknowns to have finished on my own. Thanks Marti for all the clarifications. I had the books in, and the reveal, but still couldn't suss out the real theme! I really do learn something new every day when I do the crossword.

I had the same problems as almost everyone else. For a Thursday, I thought this was a harder than usual puzzle. But I have some new things to put into my memory bank--er CW dictionary!

Jazz B. So sorry to hear about your mother and that your family can be with her at this time.

YR, You are never an ogre when you have a loved ones best interests at heart.
Have a great rest of the day.

Big Easy said...

Somebody trying to sell mosquito repellent or screens from Brazil?

Anonymous said...

Big Easy.

I think PETR knew his guilt. Hence is immediate exit. I do agree, however, that big money determines guilt and punishment. Whether it be the ATA or NFL or FIFA or every government, ever.

Bill Cosby said...

HEy, hey, heY. I resemble that remark.

aka thelma said...

JzB... My deepest sympathy to you and yours... my thoughts and prayers will be with you.

Yellowrocks, Gary, and Spitzboov, I have been keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers...

Many blessings to all...

thelma

Anonymous said...

Good ol'uncle bill.

Please don't erase me.

aka thelma said...

PK... you are missed.... I do hope all is ok with you and yours and that you will let us all know soon...

thelma