google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 Ed Sessa

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Jun 3, 2015

Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Sheik's Peer Group - the ends of the six theme entries homo-phonically reveal the start of one of the Bard's most famous soliloquies

19A. *Split apart : IN TWO

20A. *Working, working, working : AS BUSY AS A BEE

35A. *1967 NHL Calder Memorial Trophy recipient : BOBBY ORR. Hockey's "Rookie of the Year" trophy presciently awarded to this Hall of Famer and Boston Bruins legend.

41A. *Half-hitch kin : SLIP KNOT. Pull the loose end to release it. 

56A. *"And it took long enough!" : ABOUT TIME TOO. On finishing the crossword?

59A. *Backup option : PLAN B. I once worked for a company that liked to have Plans C thru Z too, just in case. It was a tad tedious, to say the least.

and then all the way at the bottom, the hint:

48D. Speaker of the ends of the answers to starred clues : HAMLET


Royal Shakespeare Company 50th Anniversary UK Stamp
"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;"

Talented chap, that Shakespeare bloke. So is Ed Sessa, come to that. I found this a little tricky for a Wednesday and took a little while to get a foothold, but then a couple of spirals around the grid and things started to fall into place. I enjoyed the POE/MAELSTRÖM connection, and could easily visualize a HAM ACTOR making a mess of HAMLET. Let's get into the details:

Across:

1. Gothic literature middle name : ALLAN. Mr. Poe.

6. Sound of relief : AAH.

9. Tells : BLABS

14. Olympus competitor : LEICA. Always need to wait for crosses with these - you've got Nikon and Canon as other possibilities.

15. Lobster __ Diavolo : FRA. Yay - Food! making an early appearance. The tomato-and-chilli Fra Diavolo sauce is Italian for "Brother Devil", so named because of the spicy heat.

16. Talked a blue streak : RAN ON

17. Violent whirlpool : MAELSTRÖM. Our 1A friend Mr. Poe wrote a short story in 1841 "A Descent into the Maelström" which captivated me when I read it as a child.

"I'm guessing this is not good"
22. Bashful : SHY

23. Per person : APIECE

24. Pinch : DASH

28. Part of Q.E.D. : QUOD. "Erat Demonstrandum" rounds out the phrase. Tada! in mathemetician-speak.

29. Asian holiday : TET. I'm sure there are more Asian holidays than this one, but it's a crossword-fave.

31. Transcript fig. : G.P.A.

32. Géorgie, to Georgette : ÉTAT. The French spelling of the State of Georgia. I learned in French lessons years ago that if you replace the "e-acute" at the start of a word with the letter "S", you'll often get closer to the English meaning of the word. Not a hard-and-fast rule, but it works in this case.

37. Sound : AUDIO

39. Game show prize : CAR

40. Long tales : SAGAS

43. With 64-Across, tax shelter since 1998 : ROTH

44. "Power" accessory : TIE. I used to wear a tie pretty much every day, but now businesses are much more relaxed about such things.




45. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr. : SEQ. The sequel to "Rabbit, Run"

46. Longtime Saudi king : FAHD

49. Tater : SPUD. Food! I'm liking Ed's puzzle today.

51. Ancient Israeli fortress : MASADA. Crosses all the way.

53. Workout "washboards" : ABS. Let's ask USA Olympic sprinter Torri Edwards to illustrate what these look like:


62. Vibrator in the larynx : VOCAL CORD. My thought process here went "voice box .. no wait .. "vocal chord" ... no, what? ah! Got it!

63. Public opening? : JOHN Q. Does Mr. Public live in Peoria?

64. See 43-Across : IRA

65. Low-price prefix : ECONO- Yee-ha! Nancy Griffith extols the virtues of the Ford panel van.

66. Really cracks up : SLAYS

67. Volleyball barrier : NET

68. Carved emblem : TOTEM

Down:

1. Soprano Gluck and composer Mahler-Werfel : ALMAS. On the "I know this" scale of 1-10 I was was a solid zero. Thank you, crosses.

2. Chihuahua lead : LEASH. I was expecting something fiendishly Mexican-Spanish here. Nope.

3. Stretch out next to : LIE BY

4. Censorship-fighting org. : A.C.L.U.

5. Bahamas port : NASSAU. Port of Registration for many cruise liners.

6. Hiding under the covers : AFRAID

7. Tossed off the covers : AROSE

8. Poor choice to play 48-Down : HAM ACTOR. Good choice to play "Babe" though?

9. Creamy cheese : BRIE

10. Like Olympic pools : LANED. Also seems a darned long way from one end to the other when you're in the middle of sprint training.

11. Picnic invader : ANT

12. Moment of stage gratitude : BOW

13. __-Cat: winter vehicle : SNO

18. Proofer's find : TYPO

21. U.K. network, with "the" : BEEB. Fondly, the BBC - the British Broadcasting Corporation.

25. Disco phrase : A GOGO. The famous Whisky a Go Go nightclub here in Los Angeles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Pretty good for a building.

26. Nursery rhyme surname : SPRAT. Jack and his wife. We never learned Mrs. Sprat's first name. Maybe it was Jill, of "tumbling after" fame.

27. Strident : HARSH

28. Cotton swab brand : Q-TIP

30. "Conan" channel : TBS. Ted Turner's TBS, based in Atlanta was the first "Superstation" - the first basic cable channel to transmit programming via satellite, enabling it to be carried on cable networks in all 50 states by 1978.

32. Bridge positions : EASTS

33. Cup-shaped bloom : TULIP

34. "Cheers," across the Channel : ADIEU. I tried SANTÉ first. Bottoms up!

35. Ball striker : BAT

36. Play area : YARD

38. Endorsements : OK'S

39. Chicken-in-wine stew : COQ AU VIN. Food! I learned early to use the same wine you were planning to drink with the meal, rather than throw in some cheap stuff and hope it magically tasted great when it cooked out. I use a nice Californian Pinot Noir, the same primary varietal in French burgundy.

42. Movie clownfish : NEMO

46. One with money to burn : FAT CAT

47. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song : ADIA. This song is following me around on crossword Wednesday. No matter, it's a beautiful song.

50. Boy in an Irish song : DANNY. Here's the Irish Tenors

52. Target, for one : STORE

53. On __: reveling : A TOOT

54. Carried : BORNE

55. City destroyed in Genesis : SODOM. It's near-neighbor Gomorrah didn't fare too well either. As Danny Boy would have said "Begorrah, Gomorrah"!

57. Tailgaters' cookers, for short : BBQ'S

58. __ Domani: Italian wine brand : ECCO. I'm very familiar with the name and the label, although I don't believe I've actually tasted any. Marti?


59. Sleepover attire : PJ'S

60. Cyberyuk : LOL. Laugh Out Loud. Great clue.

61. "Just as I thought!" : AHA!

Time for me to shuffle off the crossword coil. Here's the grid:

Steve


Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen! Thanks for the time and hard work you put into your poems. You bring smiles to many regulars and we're grateful for your presence.

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

52 comments:

  1. An early midweek post of a fun puzzle. Ed always builds entertaining grids and as I have said I love Shakespeare and puns and this delivers both.

    We have finally seen ALMA Gluck often.enough that she stuck, will Mahler-Werfel be next? Personally Danny is the only Weurfel I know.

    Lots of crunch, MAELSTROM MASADA COQ AU VIN , nice.

    Chairman Moe was there any ECCO DOMANI at the wine tasting?

    Thanks Ed and Steve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alma Gluck married Gustav Mahler, Fritz Werfel and several others. The reason I know this is the the lyrics to a song dedicated to her by Tom Lehrer. It begins: "Alma tell us, other women are jealous," etc.

      Delete
    2. Lemonade - no to ECCO DOMANI; that wine is pretty pedestrian - but they do sell a lot of it

      Delete
  2. Rosencrantz and Guilderstern,
    Were friends upon whom Hamlet turned.
    Such paranoia
    Will oft destroy ya
    As Hamlet, to his sorrow, learned!

    TWO BEE ORR KNOT TOO B, that is the question
    That Hamlet asks of his spelling lesson.
    Is it babel or babble?
    The letters unravel,
    Just rephrase it to BLAB, a PLAN B direction!

    BBQ has two Bs, the spelling's not KNOTty,
    Likewise, two BLABS, and two BEEB, and three BOBBY.
    Some words are debs,
    Enthroned as celebs,
    But words on the B-list must wait in the lobby!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Morning, all (and a very happy birthday to fellow atheist, Owen)!

    I actually guessed the theme when HAM ACTOR at 8D referred me to 48D and thought it might be HAMLET. At that point, the only theme answer I had was AS BUSY AS A BEE, but that was enough to give it away.

    Knew ALMA Gluck, fortunately, since Mahler-Werfel was a complete unknown. WHy not simply clue it as "Soprano Gluck and others"? I guess the puzzle wants us to learn something new...

    ECCO was another unknown, but the perps took care of it. And ABOUT TIME, TOO!

    OK, I have to ask... why the umlaut in MAELSTRÖM, Steve?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Several words I didn't know on the first pass got filled by perps before the second pass, so I didn't realized I'd got them till I read them here. "Public opening?" as a clue for JOHN Q. briefly tripped me up. And cyberyuk I read as cyber-yuck, so was trying to think of an acronym for disgust.

    The days of the outhouse are finally closing,
    Once they were where we all were going.
    The old retreat
    With the hole in the seat,
    But the JOHN by town hall was a PUBLIC OPENING!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Many happy returns Owen
    Your work and output is amazing

    Steve?

    Brotherhamlet

    Tell us the story, please

    ReplyDelete

  6. Happy Hump Day everyone,

    I found Ed's offering today a bit dicey, but very enjoyable with lots of fresh cluing.

    Two favs..2D Chihuahua lead/LEASH. Casey keeps trying to eat his. 53D On ---: reveling/A TOOT. Was on a few of those back in the day. Least fav, 4d. Same as yesterday.

    I never liked TIEs. Had to wear them in prep school and at work. I saved two and threw the rest out the first day of my retirement. Of the two I kept, one is for weddings & the other for funerals. Guess which has been worn the most.

    Needed perps for the H in FAHD. Kept thinking it was Faud.

    In my mind, Bobby Orr was and still is the best to ever lace up the skates. And I was not a Bruin fan when he played.

    Steve, enjoyed the write up and Danny Boy. You got this "Micks" day off on the right foot.

    Rain has left so this PM the lawn mowers will get a workout. Yard looks like a hay field.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good Morning, Steve and friends. Another puzzle this week that I just loved, loved, loved. Getting HAMLET early helped with the other theme answers.

    I knew of Alma Gluck (1884 ~ 1938), but didn't know she was married to Efram Zimbalist. Alma Mahler-Werfel (1979 ~ 1964) was an interesting character. She married three times, first to composer Gustav Mahler, then to architect Walter Gropius, and finally to novelist Franz Werfel

    My favorite clue of the puzzle was Chihuahua Lead = LEASH. Nice misdirection.

    Masada is a fabulous place above the Dead Sea.

    QOD: You must get an education. You must go to school, and you must learn to protect yourself. And you must learn to protect yourself with the pen, and not the gun. ~ Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 ~ Apr. 12, 1975)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning!

    Not a single inkblot on a Wednesday! Unusual, to say the least. Once the reveal showed up, I was able to find the theme words. Unusual, to say it a second time.

    We've discussed Alma before. She had most of Europe's famous early 20th century men, or did they have her? She even married three of them -- Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel.

    Hondo, you've kept two more ties than I have. If the occasion requires a tie, I ain't attendin'. It's been almost 20 years since I've had a noose around my neck.

    HBD, Owen.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great, fun puzzle today, and about right for a Wednesday. Had "layby" and "quad" in the NW which slowed me for a while. Even after I had finished the puzzle did not get the theme (as usual, sadly) until I read C.C.'s nice write up. Happy Birthday, Owen, just so you know, your verses always give me a smile! Very clever, you are!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. A clever theme that I would never have guessed without the clue 48D. For some strange reason the NW filled easily but then slowed because FRA was and unknown and I originally wrote AWOKE for AROSE ( is a rose is a rose).

    QED- took many math courses in college and never used or cared what QED meant. ERAT always popped up in X-words. BOBBY ORR- finally got his whole name in a puzzle. Maybe MELVIN OTT and ERNEST ELS will show up someday.

    One nit is that I filled VOCAL FOLD (actually FOLDS is the correct term) for the commonly used VOCAL CORD, but EFCO looked strange and BORNE made me change it to ECCO, another unknown unless you are talking about a brand of comfortable shoes. COQ AU VIN- I knew the answer but not how to spell it correctly.

    I liked the PLAN-B directly over JOHN-Q with the cross of B-B-Q. Nice speed run for a Wednesday and good write up.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good Morning, and Happy Birthday Owen! I always enjoy your poems - especially today's B poem!
    ¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

    This puzzle had just enough crunch to be satisfying in the end. Thanks for the fun write-up, too, Steve. I didn't notice all the food until I read it. And wine, too! I usually have a couple bottles of ECCO Domani Pinot Grigio in my wine cellar. It's not my favorite, but it works well in recipes that call for a dry white wine.

    It's a good thing there were asterisks for the theme entries, because I really didn't know what to do with MAELSTROM and VOCAL CORD. And I never would have guessed that IN TWO and PLAN B were part of the theme.

    Finally, I used to work in Boston and parked in a garage that had all the levels labeled with "B" after the level number. There were two elevators on each level. On level 2B, someone wrote "OR NOT" between the two. I chuckled every morning that I saw it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy Birthday, Owen!

    I needed many perps today but got it all in the end. The theme was helpful too, since it appeared early. Thanks Steve, for another great blogging!

    I agree wholeheartedly with the remarks made on TIEs. I think they are an anachronism that should have been scrapped when the bustle went out. As a school girl in Sydney, I had to wear one as part of our winter uniform, and have resented it ever since. I especially abhor the practice here of having waitresses wear them. I'm always afraid they'll dangle in my food when they lean over to refill a glass or coffee cup. Ugh! I don't think they look any dressier than a neatly turned collar open to the next button below the neckline. My DH used to wear one too, but though he still goes to the office daily, gave them up a long time ago.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Steve: Nice write-up with some food thrown in as a CSO to you.

    Well this puzzle was solved at a Thursday level time-frame ...
    but then again, Ed Sessa always seems to have original cluing and a FUN theme.

    Happy Birthday OwenKL !!!

    Fave today was 53-d, A TOOT ... I've been known to enjoy a few of those. LOL
    (Smoke'em if you Got'em!)

    Cheers! ... or should I say ADIEU !!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Footholds were hard to come by but come they did. Coupled with the very clever theme made this a great puzzle!

    Musings
    -BLABS – what little sisters do
    -This Disney water ride’s small boat drop seems very tame now but was once the cock of the walk
    -Good luck getting over the NET against these Huskers
    -People are amazed when they see our use of a LEASH
    -America’s most famous TYPO?
    -TBS (Braves) and WGN (Cubs) brought everyday baseball into my early cable life
    -My fav balladeer singing on a song with BORNE in the title (2:52)
    -HBD, Owen! Your facile use of language never fails to amaze!
    -What song extols the feeling “When you are stealing that extra BOW”

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Barry - there's an umlaut on the word in the Poe story title, so I went with that. Looking deeper, I think EAP might have led me astray - it appears the origin of the word is Old Dutch, and no umlaut to be seen.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good morning everyone.

    Happy Birthday, Owen, our Corner Laureate. Hope you have a great day.

    I've gotten to anticipate and enjoy Ed's puzzles. I thought this one was well crafted with sparkle throughout.
    Neat theme confirmed at the reveal. Good anchors at strategic spots like MASADEA and MAELSTROM. Good use of Q words; 6 of them, with only one following U needed. Perps helped with ECCO. No searches or erasures were needed.
    ALMA Gluck has been here before so I was ready for 1d.
    BRIE - Favorite soft cheese. I think the Quebeçois view it as a staple. I fondly remember a Hydro-Quebec company cafeteria in northern Quebec, just south of Hudson Bay in the middle of Cree country, offering all-you- could-eat with their dinner offerings. See Radisson

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good Morning:

    I loved, loved, loved this puzzle! How very clever that each theme word was spelled differently than the original quote. Liked seeing unusual (for crosswords) words such as maelstrom, vocal cord, coq au vin, etc.

    Thanks, Ed and Steve, for keeping us entertained and enhancing our knowledge at the same time. Steve, I enjoyed listening to Danny Boy, as always.

    Happy Birthday, Owen; hope it's filled with fun and happiness!

    We finally have some sunshine after several rainy, dreary days.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Clever, clever theme, Ed Sessa, the way you put together the title and character, the quote, and even the HAM ACTOR! I laughed out loud when I got how those strange end words all fit together! And thanks for giving us Hamlet's whole speech at that moment, Steve. Reminds us what a fabulous writer Shakespeare was.

    Thank goodness for the OTT and ORR sports clues in many puzzles. Gave me two of the few sports figures I now know.

    My husband Rowland made the most fabulous COQ AU VIN in his day, his own recipe using white wine instead of red wine. Think I'll make it for our 21st anniversary on Friday.

    Many thanks for the ALMA information, Hahtoulah.

    Have a wonderful birthday, Owen, and have a great day, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fun puzzle and a clever theme. Thanks Ed and Steve. I wasn't sure if it was Vocal Chords or Vocal Cords or Vocal Folds.

    Husker, I recognize that song from "Kiss Me Kate" I think. I know it starts "Another opening, another show" but I don't know if that's the title or not.

    Is Dewey Defeats Truman a typo or just a mistake? I think of a typo as when you make a typing error like hitting teh wrong keys.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello Puzzlers -

    Nice puzzle! I smiled right out loud at the reveal!

    Morning, Steve, I'm glad the were sufficient food opportunities for you in today's grid. Enjoy the wit! HBTY Owen and many more.

    Marti 9:02 - I love those little graffito witticisms! In my nearest parking garage there is a big sign whose upper line reads "Do Not Walk", and in the large space below somebody added "Like An Egyptian" complete with an ancient-looking illustrative glyph. Cute!

    Relatedly: my old high school had exactly one photocopier, down in the main office, thoroughly off-limits to students. The copier was equipped with one of those halt buttons to force the copier to stop in case of a jam; somebody added a label to the switch reading "Copius Interruptus". Funny! Do not ask how I know of this. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Musings 2
    -I remember There’s No Business Like Show Business from Annie Get Your Gun
    -I Googled TYPO expecting something silly but the Truman/Dewey headline came up and I went with it. I agree that it is not a TYPO in the classic sense in that the accident was an editorial one and not a keyboard one.
    -I can’t believe Tin let Pinch go by without a comment

    ReplyDelete
  22. If American Pharoah wins this Saturday at the Belmont, maybe he will become America's most famous TYPO.

    p.s. I learned something new reading his wiki. The colt is actually a ridgling. Something about a non-dangling participle.

    p.p.s. Spell check doesn't like ridgling. But neither would I.

    p.p.p.s. If PHAROAH becomes a legend, would a clue like American _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cause our nitpickers to lose their mind?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy Natal Annual-versary, Owen. In the early 80s I practically lived in your area. Bought a car. Bought an airplane there. Need to go back. The thin air and winters did not agree with this thin bod, however.
    Owen, I give your limericks today a B, which would be full marks in The Bee Movie.

    Good Sessa offering today but I breezed through it, fortunately. At the end I had to change COC AU VIN but was lucky that was my only major goof. Time for lunch... somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Happy birthday, Owen. May you enjoy many more.
    Tee-riffic puzzle today. Ed Sessa is a clever guy.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi, all..

    Checked out the unifier clue, saw TWO, BEE, & ORR and got it!

    However, was not familiar with ALMAS, LEICA, ATOOT, FAHD, so let the perps fill it in.

    COQ A VIN raises the peasant chicken to a whole other level. Served with a crusty warm bread and a salad. YUM!

    LOBSTER is my very favorite non-kosher indulgence. Interestingly, this creature was not always the expensive dish on the menu. Started out as a bottom of the barrel item. Look it up. Great story.

    A GO GO reminds me of the cages that dancers gyrated in during the disco era. A crazy time, then, but I had a lot of fun doing the "HUSTLE", and rollerskating to the upbeat tunes. What fun...

    All told, had to work it a bit, but in the end, gave myself a pat on the back.

    Time for me to A GO GO..ADIEU....

    ReplyDelete
  26. OK - My favorite graffiti story. There's a parking garage at the corner of Lake and State Streets on the University of Wisconsin campus. In the northwest stairwell, there's a large spot of dark grime on the wall around which a student spray-painted a large red circle and labeled "Free Acid - Lick Here". I guess you had to be there...it was like, far out, man, in 1977.

    ReplyDelete
  27. MAELSTRÖM: obsolete Dutch maelstroom, from malen to grind, whirl round + stroom stream.

    When it migrated (to German? to Norwegian?) the second, now missing, "o" was represented by an umlaut. When it migrated to English it lost the umlaut.

    From Wikipedia: "The original Maelstrom (described by Poe and others) is the Moskstraumen, a powerful tidal current in the Lofoten Islands off the Norwegian coast."

    11 Facts Yü Should Know About the Umlaut

    ReplyDelete
  28. Fun, crunchy, satisfying puzzle today! Thanks, Ed and Steve. I got the theme and laughed out loud at HAM ACTOR.

    HBD Owen, and thanks for all the pleasure you bring us with your poetic offerings. Loved the BEES today!


    ReplyDelete
  29. Fun puzzle. Took me a little bit longer than usual because I didn't get some of the clues right away.

    I wore #4 because of BOBBY ORR. We both played the same position as well. To this day he's still the greatest Hockey player I've ever seen.

    My feeling is that TB is still a year away from the first of a FEW Cups. They are really good, but I think the Hawks do it again this year and make it 3 Cups in 6 Seasons. Blackhawks in 5.

    GO HAWKS TONITE !!

    ReplyDelete
  30. "Do you LEICA, Arlo?"
    "Who?"
    "Celia"
    "Yes, but I like ALICE more"

    PLAN B- Where the Beach Boys went to after the Sloop John A sank

    ReplyDelete
  31. coneyro

    naughty, naughty

    not always kosher but never had lobster

    ReplyDelete
  32. Re Umlaut - My Mom always called it "De twee Striche" (the two strokes). (Today would have been her birthday.)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Husker
    If the 24-a clue Pinch had been a reference to Scotch ...
    then I would have made a comment.

    As a measurement (DASH) ... it didn't seem appropriate.

    And trust me ... at Villa Incognito we have more than a "DASH"
    of Scotch. LOL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thought this was a bit tougher for a Wednesday, but that's a good thing. And it was tough in a good way -- the things I'd never heard of (almas, fra, ecco) were all getable from the crosses. Liked it a lot. Didn't pay attention to the theme until I had finished -- agree it was cleverly done.

    ReplyDelete
  35. If you LEICA me like I LEICA you and we LEICA both the same, click here.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love the stuff you can learn on this Blog!

    Dots all folks! Thank you for the Amlaut link!

    Jerome, there was a Sloop John A? (LOL:)

    Dudley! I had no idea! Graffito is singular, Graffiti is plural! Sadly Google knows neither, in order to find the following pics I had to type in "Graffiti add ons." (sigh...)

    HeartRx, you started it...

    Caution?

    What? Do not enter, private dining?

    Private bathroom?

    He needs a lawyer!

    Does this mean your zipper is open?

    AAAAAAH!

    Classic,

    OOOH BACON!

    That's it! I have to run out right now & get a Sharpie Marker!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Gary, I'm sure you are right. The song I was thinking of is similar.

    Lobster is great, much like crab, but I think it's appeal is mostly due to the garlic butter, the same reason that people like escargot I'm guessing.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Greetings!

    Great work, Ed and Steve!

    Really loved all those Qs!

    Was too lazy to go back and find the starred clues! How did you all do it?

    Advertised free summer squash. A wonderful woman came yesterday! Today she brought me a bag full of stuff that I might like (her mother died a while ago).

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  39. CED - Some of those are just damn funny! LOL for real! The merriment began with Jazz Hands, and kept going from there.

    ReplyDelete
  40. CrossEyedDave- There is my world

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hola Everyone,
    Late to the party today, and my comments on the puzzle are pretty much the same as everyone before me. I didn't finish this until after our lunch with Lucina. Pictures to follow.

    I did enjoy the puzzle, though it took me several passes before I had everything filled in. Fun theme.

    Ties can be a problem. While attending a lunch recently for scholarship recipients, my table mate had his tie over his shoulder. It came time for our pictures to be taken, and I reminded him that his tie needed adjusting! He laughed and then told the story that several years back, he had a rather messy finger food and was merrily wiping his hands on his napkin, er--tie. He said from then on he has always flung his tie over his shoulder before starting his meal! Just another reason that ties are in the way!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I forgot to with Owen a Happy, Happy, Birthday. May there be many more on your calendar.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Sorry, that should have been wish not with!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi All!

    Unlike DO, plenty of ink wasted in the SE...

    An awesome / fun Sessa offering that I blew. The SAGA - I shot myself in the foot by confidently putting Soud in for 46a so no perp help recalling MASADA (Having a U after Q in 39d, I had MU????). I finally looked up 41a and everything fell into place. HARSHed my mellow - DNF :-( Great theme though.

    My other ink mess - VOICEBOX... oops.

    Thanks for the entertaining write-up Steve. I always enjoy 'em. This article on Houston's best BBQS is for you. Keep clickin' and lickin' your chops.

    Growing up in IL, we had WGN b/f TBS on cable. There was a station out of STL that played F-Troop at noon - I loved staying home sick :-)

    Fav - SLIP KNOT over TIE. I pull mine off as soon as I get home. My boss only wears one when meeting w/ peers or the board, but he's fully vested :-)*

    Happy Birthday OwenKL! Fun limericks today, Four sure (TWOxTOO).

    CED - 1st Shatnerian HAM school of acting then Bacon?!? You're in fine form. But, since you didn't link FAT CATs that's for you.

    Cheers, -T
    *I'll be vested in 17 mo! It's a 401k, not a ROTH IRA.

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  45. I found the new keyboard I ordered on the porch. Now I can type an 'a' and not TYPO Saud, er, FAHD correctly. AHH....

    I was re-reviewing the puzzle before bed (AU can live w/o me for a few hours) and noticed SPUD xing DANNY Boy, RANON xing soft cheese, and SLAYS xing LOL. AHA - no coincidence Mr. Sessa!?! And you stacked BLABS on RANON - like the one of girls telling on the other --- DASH to the point kid so I can QED.

    If only CAR was xing Harvard YARD :-). Thanks again for the diversion Ed.

    C. Moe - Liking ECCO doesn't win me the CAR and I have to be a pedestrian? What about the bottles with a leaf, kangaroo, or footprint on it? :-)

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete

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