google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, July 2, 2015 Robert E. Lee Morris

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Jul 2, 2015

Thursday, July 2, 2015 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Word Scramble

I probably would have eventually figured out the theme without the reveal, but it was a clever addition:
61-Across. Cocktail garnish, and a hint to letters hidden in the answers to starred clues : LEMON TWIST.

17-Across. *Serious swearing : SOLEMN OATH.

24-Across. *Hunt's rival : DEL MONTE.

37-Across. *Brunch choice : WESTERN OMELET.

51-Across. *Camera attachment : ZOOM LENS.


Across

1. "Elementary" network : CBS.

4. Eponymous obstetrician Fernand : LAMAZE. I needed the "Z" before this name popped into my head. His "natural" childbirth method was very popular in the '70s, but I think it has gone out of favor now.

10. "Oh, go on!" : PISH.

14. __ provençale : À LA. Prepared in the style of Provence - usually with olive oil and garlic.

15. Part of the plot : IN ON IT.

16. Gardening tool : RAKE.

19. Banded gemstone : ONYX.

20. Dorm room item : TWIN BED.

21. Really trouble, with "at" : EAT.

23. Help on the way up : RUNG.

29. 31-Down, for one : OPERA. And 31-Down. "Habanera" singer : CARMEN.


31. Former Honda model : CRX. Immediately followed by 32-Across. Honda division : ACURA.

33. Perform for : PLAY TO.

36. Target of some sprays : ODOR.

41. Ref. book : DICT.ionary.

42. Come to light : EMERGE.

43. Not from a bottle : ON TAP.

45. Expected amt. of repairs : EST.imate.

46. It may be blessed : EVENT.

53. Hip bones : ILIA.

54. Modern detective fiction pioneer : POE.

55. Captain's heading : DUE EAST.

58. Shade similar to bright turquoise : AQUA.

64. Managing ed.'s concern : CIRC.

65. List closing : ET ALIA.

66. Burns negative : NAE. Robert Burns.

67. Adjust for space, say : EDIT.

68. Webster's shelfmate : ROGET'S.

69. Come to a conclusion : END.


Down

1. Longtime maker of convertibles : CASTRO. Couches and ottomans provide extra sleeping room for the in-laws. And they are usually uncomfortable enough, so that they don't visit too long.

2. Have a tantrum : BLOW UP. See 48-Down.

3. Solution for contacts : SALINE.

4. Trunk projection : LIMB. Oh my. My first thought was bathing trunks...

5. Actress Heche : ANNE. Probably more noted for her relation with Ellen DeGeneres than any of her supposed acting skills.

6. Attitude : MOOD.

7. Santa __ : ANA.

8. Proactiv target : ZIT.

9. Great-aunt of Drew : ETHEL. The famous Barrymore family.

10. Diplomatic code : PROTOCOL.

11. John, in Scotland : IAN.

12. __ blue : SKY.

13. Bewitch : HEX.

18. MIT grad, often : ENGR.aver?

22. Doctor's org. : AMA. American Medical Association.

24. Sarcastic quality : DRYNESS.

25. Use a threat to get : EXTORT.

26. Like Botticelli's Venus : NUDE. I have seen it at the Uffizi in Florence. Breathtaking.

27. Easy pace : TROT.

28. Place for a plug : EAR.

30. Rental ad abbr. : APT. "Apt to rent"

34. Jeans giant : LEE.

35. "Wow!" in texts : OMG. "Oh My Gosh!"

37. Skid row regular : WINO.

38. Plasm lead-in : ECTO.-plasm.

39. Statute opposed by the Sons of Liberty : STAMP ACT.

40. Wide size : EEE.

41. Dairy dept. quantity : DOZ.en

44. Mideast initials : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization.

47. Mountaintop allure : VIEW.

48. "Airplane!" heroine : ELAINE. Funny movie.

49. Xterra maker : NISSAN.

50. Covered in ink, with "up" : TATTED.

52. Conger catcher : EELER.

55. Former North Carolina senator Elizabeth : DOLE.

56. Cohesive group : UNIT.

57. Cockpit announcements, briefly : ETAs.

58. Solitaire base card : ACE.

59. Four times a day, in an Rx : QID. Quater In Die.

60. Ocean State sch. : URI. University of Rhode Island.

62. WWII arena : ETO. European Theater of Operations.  I just finished reading the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner "All the Light We Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr.  I highly recommend it!!



63. GQ, e.g., briefly : MAG.azine. I remember when MAGs referred to these.

Time for LEMONade!
Marti

Speaking of which, Lemonade714 stopped in to visit me last week while he was here for his reunion. Here's a pic of us relaxing on the deck.

51 comments:

Argyle said...

Oh my indeed! I'm shocked.

OwenKL said...

Took 2 or 3 passes, but still not overly hard. I did need the reveal, though, as I wrongly guessed that it was lost ELMO that we were to search for. Most interesting misstep - I assumed 31down was salsa singer CARMEN Miranda, and so OPERA was my last fill!

There was once an old woman of Bremen
Who'd spent her life sucking on LEMON.
Her face had a TWIST
So she'd never been kissed,
But her bite could inject sour venom!

I'm fine with a dream-girl with bazongas like LEMON,
Even better if she's got jugs like MELON!
But if I ever find
She's got one of each kind,
I think that I'd run from that nightmare ON ELM!

If there is one thing that's incontrovertible,
It's that relatives as house-guests are never avertible!
So here're curses or kudos
To livingroom portmanteaux,
Bernard's great invention, the CASTRO CONVERTIBLE!

Lemonade714 said...

Be careful how you phrase things miss m, our spouse's might not understand!

How funny, a LEMON puzzle. Thanks REL Morris.

Only the cluing of LIMB slowed me down and I was reminded of the joke from 1958 where the young man was telling of his unlucky uncle who had trouble getting a job. When he finally got one he made the mistake of going to Cuba to sell Fulgencio Batista a Castro convertible.



HowardW said...

I didn't get the theme until the reveal, but it's a cute one. No real problems with this one. I also couldn't remember LAMAZE at first.

Odd coincidence to see "Airplane!" in a clue today after Boomer mentioned it in yesterday's writeup.

Is a COSTAR a CASTRO convertible?

Marti, I saw Venus at the Uffizi just about a month ago. Agree that it's breathtaking.

Thanks RELee and Marti!

P.S. ENGR = abbr. for engineer (18D)

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Got through most of this one easily enough, but ended up hitting a fatal snag in the NW corner with the crossing of CASTRO and ALA. Never heard of the former (is it a furniture company or something?) and just couldn't think of the latter. I did finally guess the correct A crossing, but only because CASTRO is at least a name I've heard of in a different context and I figured it was more likely than, say, COSTRO or CESTRO. But I still didn't actually know the answer so it's basically a DNF despite the fact that I managed to get the *TADA*.

The theme was nice and I did at least understand it once I got to the theme reveal. Didn't notice what was going on with the theme answers before that, though.

It's funny -- most of my sarcasm has much more of an acidic quality than DRYNESS, at least verbally. I guess when written it's really hard to tell.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

The first thing I entered was TBAR. And TBAR was the first receipient of the Wite-Out. And so it went. The poor lemon got a wedgie and a slice before it learned the TWIST. CASTRO was an unknown, but it perped OK, so it was all good. Thanks, RELM.

Uffizi -- you do that and you're going to have to clean it up, yourself!

HowardW -- Marti knew that. Like many of us, she has a TWISTed sense of humor. And a cheeky one.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Marti and friends. This seemed daunting at first until I came to the WESTERN OMELET, then everything fell into place.

Thanks for the explanation of CASTRO. The perps confirmed this was the correct answer, but I had no idea what it meant. Of course, I was thinking of car convertibles.

Trunk Projection ... I was thinking of an elephant's trunk or a piece of luggage. Even after I filled in LIMB, i had to ponder it for a moment before the light bulb came on.

CARMAN is one of my all-time favorite operas. I have seen it numerous time.

My first thought was Bugs before ODOR for Target of Some Sprays.

I tried watching Elementary, but didn't much care for it.

QOD: Sometimes history takes things into its own hands. ~ Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 ~ Jan. 24, 1993)

Tinbeni said...

Marti: Nice write-up. I'm heading to the Library, so I'll put in a request for that book.

Robert E. Lee Morris: Thank You for a FUN Thursday puzzle & theme.
(I use to put a LEMON TWIST in my Scotch ... until I realized ...
"Hey! I'm drinkin', NOT dining!")

Fave today, of course, was the CSO to my future pal ... the WINO (on Skid Row).

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe July 4th Celebration this weekend.

Cheers!

HowardW said...

D-otto: That makes more sense to me. Apologies to Marti.

inanehiker said...

Really enjoyed the "TWIST" in today's puzzle. I had noticed a lot of mn's in the middle of the starred clue answers, but didn't get the theme until the reveal clue.

Marti, I really liked Doerr's book too --once it gets into paperback it's my next recommendation for my book club.

Thanks for the write-up and to REL for the fun puzzle.

Husker Gary said...

Dopey old me looked for a first/last word theme but loved the TWIST, Robert E!

Musings
-Hunt’s and DEL MONTE can make catsup all day and I’ll still take what John Kerry’s wife’s company makes
-LAMAZE? My daughters said, “The epidural is my friend!”
-Finding out Habanera was from the OPERA CARMEN gives lie to all the resistance to learning in yesterday’s blog. It is possible to buy puzzles that are more limited in subject matter.
-When interviewing prospective teachers must learn to PLAY TO the school’s methods du jour
-Do any of you still use a “dead tree” ref book?
-Dilbert’s EST. which makes about as much sense as some
-Every convertible bed we’ve used has “that bar” right where it hurts
-At first, “What does the elephant have projecting from his trunk?”
-Yes, ANNE’s sexual ambiguity got her a Hollywood foothold. Whatever works.
-PROTOCOL – I remember a M*A*S*H episode where peace negotiators celebrated that they had finally agreed on the height of flagpoles outside the facility midst the obscenity of war
-Sport’s most famous TROT and a funny imitation (:48)
-If you can watch Airplane without laughing, you are a rock or…

Ergo said...

Hello puzzle friends. I've been AWOL from the Crossword Corner for some time now. Certainly not a reflection on the site, I've merely been working long and odd hours that prevent me from getting to the daily puzzle, let alone accessing many of my online favorites.

Just wanted to check in and let you know that this site helped me get through a dark time when I was unemployed, and that your many acts of kindness shall not be forgotten.

I'll post when I can. Puzzle on!

Respectfully,

Ergo (Chuck from Nebraska)

Tinbeni said...

Husker: Glad your home and obviously feeling better!

As to your question ... I use my "dead tree" Dictionary "All-The-Time!"
Also prefer to solve these puzzles "In Black Ink, On Newsprint, folded to Fit-My-Clipboard!" while I am watching either ESPN or CNBC.

I relish being "About-the-Slowest Solver" ... don't give a damn about being a "Speed-Solver" ...

And during an average week, I enjoy looking up answers in THAT Dictionary to see if I spelled it correctly.

Cheers!

Bronx Boy said...

As OwenKL mentioned, Bernard CASTRO invented the modern convertible couch. His daughter, Bernadette, starred in the ubiquitous (at least in New York City) TV commercials from the age of four (demonstrating that even a child could open a Castro convertible). She later became New York State Parks Commissioner.

"Who was the first to conquer space?
It's incontrovertible
That the fist to conquer living space
Is a Castro convertible
".

Here's the jingle.

And here's Castro Convertibles In American Pop Culture.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Hey, Lemony, you got a huge CSO with today's theme! Very nice picture of you and Miss M.

Fun and clever offering with no write overs at all. Thanks, RELM and Marti for keeping us on our toes. (Every now and then, a lemon twist is mistakenly added to my Dewar's, which is promptly sent back; I can't stand the taste in the Scotch.)

Nice to hear from you, Ergo. I hope all the long and strange hours are offset by you being happy with the job. Try to drop by more often.

Hatoolah, Carmen is one of my favorite operas, also. The only ones I've seen in person are La Boheme and Madame Butterfly.

Have a great day.

C6D6 Peg said...

This was easier than a usual Thursday. Nice theme, and agree with Marti that the reveal wasn't necessary, but a nice touch! Thanks, RELM!

Nice write-up, Marti, and enjoyed the pic of you and Lemonade!

HeartRx said...

Ergo, glad to hear things are going well for you!

kazie said...

Thanks for explaining CASTRO as well as QID, Marti. I've never known how to parse the MD's Latin abbreviations. I know Latin for 4 is quatuor, but that's as far as it went.

Nice shout out for Lemon, and nice that you were able to get together.

I also thought this was a bit easier for a Thursday, so no look-ups or wags, just a couple where I had to wait for perps for confirmation of probable choices.

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

It took me a while to access Mr. Morris's wave length but when I did, the fill didn't take long to EMERGE. I believe this is a pangram as well.

WHS, what Hahtoolah said. I'm not familiar with CASTRO convertibles and was thinking of cars and my first banded gemstone was OPAL but ONYX prevailed.

HuskerG, not only do I use my Webster's dictionary but ROGET'S, too, and other reference books as needed.

CSO to LEMONade714!

I love the music in CARMEN.

Did our constructor intend to use his middle name at 34D? Clever!

Have a stupendous Thursday and Independence Day weekend, everyone!

Big Easy said...

Well I liked the LEMON TWIST theme and I finished the puzzle by finishing both 1A & 1D only because CASTRO was the only 'word' that seemed reasonable. 1A was either CBS or TBS and I was clueless for 14A-ALA provencale. I was thinking maybe in Castro's Cuba that the old 50's Chevys were being made into convertibles. Four crosses and two WAGS for me to write that one in.

When was the last time any of you regulars used the term "PISH"? I have never heard of the word. All perps. LAMAZE was another unknown that was easily guessable. I had trouble in that area due to the fact that I misread the 4D clue as 'Trunk protection' instead of 'projection' and 'IN ON IT' came strictly from perps after I put on glasses to write in LIMB. Not a good clue IMHO.

As for the rest of the puzzle, I found it challenging and I don't think I would have been able to finish without the dead giveaway 61A clue for LEMON TWIST. Now we need a puzzle with a Chubby Checker theme and PEPPERMINT TWIST fill.

TATTED- once you could tell the ex-cons from regular people but it's impossible now. My dermatologist refuses to remove them from clients.

Misty said...

Well, I have to say that this initially felt like a Saturday puzzle to me--on my first run-through I got almost nothing and felt total despair. But somehow, slowly, slowly, slowly, this corner filled in, then that one, and in the end I got the whole thing without having to looking anything up. A huge relief--many thanks REL, and you too, Marti, for the great write-up and the sweet pic of you and LEMONade.

Off to the hospital where Rowland's transfer to a Skilled Nursing home may occur today. Am praying that it goes well.

Have a good day everyone.

Big Easy said...

Irish Miss- Lemon twist in Scotch? Yuck.
Send it back and tell them to add Drambuie. You'll drink that ( at least I do).

HowardW said...

Lucina: "Did our constructor intend to use his middle name at 34D? Clever!"

I had wondered about 52D (EELER) which backwards is R.E.Lee. But it's a common enough word in crosswords.

Mr. Google said...

PISH appeared in Marti's puzzle on 2/14/12.

Perhaps "jiggery pokery" is in the puzzle's future?

desper-otto said...

I've always heard the expression as PISH TOSH. I didn't know that PISH could stand alone.

HeartRx said...

Lucina @ 10:23, it is not a pangram. It is missing F and J.

HowardW, great catch on the backwards R.E. LEE!

Misty, I hope things go well for Rowland. You'll be in my thoughts today.

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody! I had more trouble than usual with this Thursday puzzle but most of the problems were my own fault. I stared for a long time at "Trunk projection" fixated on steamer trunks or elephant trunks but not trees for some reason. In the dairy dept, I was thinking about FL OZ instead of DOZ. Also, no PISH in my vocabulary. Then, even worse, I misread "Statute opposed by the Sons of Liberty" as "Statue." What statue could it be? Goodness... Anyway, I certainly didn't finish all by myself. I still enjoyed it though. Thanks Mr. Morris and Marti.

Continued good wishes for you Misty. Ergo, it's nice to have you back. Continued good wishes for your job situation. I was laid off two times and they were dark periods in my life. Good luck!

Lucina, how's your weather? It's been warm and humid here.

Chairman Moe said...

"puzzling thoughts":

For those who might've noticed - yesterday - I took the lead post (first ever), as I was up, and about to embark on an all-day car trip back home after visiting my daughter in GA. When I got back to SW FL (650 miles total) and started reading the CC, I noticed that the "baseball" theme had quite a polarizing affect. As one whose youth was formed by baseball (and eventually I either participated in or played most every other sport, too), I did not find the puzzle difficult. I wish I had read the write-up first, and seen the "theme", as my limerick yesterday did not fit. I know this one is late, but here's a groaner for you baseball fans:

In San Anton' there exists a sports bar,
That recognizes a past BASEBALL star.
It sits next to a shrine;
They serve Scotch, beer and wine.
And its name? "Remember the ALOMAR"

Lemonade714 said...

Ergo, good to hear you are back.

Howard W, excellent catch on EELER

Pish and Tish is what I heard as a kid

marti did you remember using PISH 3 years ago?

coneyro said...

Very easy Thursdsy offering.

Was suprised at how fast my pen went through without a second guess. My mind must be functioning in high gear today.

CASTRO Convertables is probably unknown to many of you who do not live on the east coast. A very popular brand in New York for many years. I can honestly say that their sofa bed was every bit as comfortable as a regular bed. It had a well made thicker coil mattress than competitors, and you didn't feel the bars on your back when you laid down. They closed their brick and mortar division a few years ago, and recently returned as an online outfit. I had many sweet dreams on one.

Love, love, love the show ELEMENTARY. My only problem is that Sherlock's accent is sometimes very indecipherable. I now use the closed captioning feature to solve this problem. In fact, I find that I understand the plot better of MOST shows when I can read what's going on. I think my brain cannot process as fast as before.

Everyone getting ready for Independence Day activities? I, personally, am afraid of firecrackers. Illegal in N.Y. when I was growing up, so I never had any experience with them. The fireworks were the best ever, though. When I celebrated my first July 4th in Florida, I laughed after watching their version of fireworks. It's gotten a little better now, but I've been spoiled on so many levels. The big cities may be noisy and crowded, but intellectually, commercially, and gastronomically (is that a real word?) are light years ahead of small towns. But to each his/her own. I guess it's what you're used to.

That being said, please be safe this weekend and remember you can have a good time without taking the chance of losing a finger or worse.

There is a BBQ today for the residents of my complex. My husband will have to bring me back food, as I, unfortunately, cannot go. What I wouldn't give to be my old healthy self.

Time for me to end today's musings. My best to you all.



AnonymousPVX said...

I thought this a nice Thursday puzzle. Probably being set up for a groaner tomorrow.

Chairman Moe said...

"more puzzling thoughts":

For today's puzzle:

Nice SO to LEMON - and a great photo of he and Marti. Thanks, Marti for the link to Botticelli's Venus; gave me my NUDE fix of the day! ;^)

-1d started me out on the wrong path as I was thinking cars, and put CAMARO instead of CASTRO;
-I got PISH but didn't know if it was a word or not;
-got DEL MONTE straight away as I used to do business with them; got WESTERN OMELET and later the "reveal", so seeing the theme in ZOOM LENS was easy, and eventually in SOLEMN OATH. The NW area was the last to fill
-Speaking of ON TAP, while I was visiting my daughter we went to Creature Comforts Brewing Co. and Terrapin Beer Company; both had some really interesting and good brews to try. Terrapin sees distribution outside of Georgia, but Creature Comforts does not. I enjoyed the latter better - their Cosmic Debris was about as good of an Imperial IPA that I've tried
-to our resident SCOTCH expert, Tinbeni, I found an excellent new blend while in Georgia called Islay Mist. I am going to check and see if it's available in Florida - in my opinion it blows Black Bottle away

Jayce said...

Nice twisting of the lemon today. Had a problem thinking of the Habanera singer as an opera. I get it, but it was too roundabout for my liking: "The Habanera is sung by the character Carmen, and Carmen is also the name of the opera..." That's like relating Strauss to Wagner, or Burton to Harris, because their fist names are Richard.
Liked the clues for RUNG and ONTAP; didn't like PISH without a tosh. CASTRO made no sense to me until reading the explanation here. I did get ETHYL and NISSAN, though! Altogether too many 3-letter abbreviations for my taste. I give it a B-, Dick.

Chairman Moe said...

"puzzling thoughts three":

Some NUDE one-liners:

A naked man fears no pickpocket.
A nudist never has to hold out his hand to see if it is raining.
A Buddhist nudist practices yoga bare.
A harp is a nude piano.
Nudist Resort sign - Sorry, Clothed for Winter. (my favorite)
Always swim nude. Sharks hate to peel their food.
Nudists are people who wear one-button suits.
Never cook bacon when you're naked.
Senior Citizen Nude Beach ahead. Watch for Golden Oldies

Chickie said...

Hello Everyone, WEES-especially for Castro. How can Cuba's Castro be a long time maker of convertibles? Did anyone else misspell Ethel/Ethyl? That was a bit of a hang up with the word eat!

Husker, my dead tree reference books get plenty of use.

Misty, fingers crossed for Rowland. You, too.

Have a great day, everyone.

Hellas Lover said...

Latest story on the Greece bank capital control crisis.

Chuck Norris is such a bada$$ that he was able to withdraw 61 EUROS from an Athens ATM.

HeartRx said...

Lemony @ 12:45 - Heck, I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast!!

Tinbeni said...

Chairman Moe:
I'm going to see if Islay Mist is available the "next time" I visit my favorite Liquor Store ...
They probably have it ... dang, the store is about the size of a "mini" Walmart.
(They finally brought in Black Bottle).

I'm also enjoying Black Grouse and the Dewar's Highlander Honey.

As for being the "Resident Scotch Expert" ... can't say that THAT is true ...
Though Resident Scotch Lush probably applies. lol

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I think "engr" for 18 down stands for "engineer" as opposed to "engraver"

Not the same Anon said...

Which is what HowardW said at 5:51 AM.

Lucina said...

Marti:
I didn't even think to look for those letters. Just seeing X,Q, and Z I assumed all others were there. Bad assumption! BTW, very nice photo of you and Lemonade.

BillG:
It has been sweltering here since the start of June. Now the humidity is increasing, too.

Big Easy said...

Chickie- the hydrocarbons are METHYL, ETHYL, PROPYL, BUTYL and ESTER.

The women are ETHEL AND ESTHER. There ARE POLYESTER fabrics and POLLY ESTHER women.

Irish Miss said...

Big Easy @ 11:00 am - No Drambuie for me. I like my Dewar's with a splash of water and lots and lots of _ _ _! Sorry, Tin. 😈😇 I'm about to fix me one right now! Cheers.

Chairman Moe said...

to Irish Miss @ 3:56 and Tinbeni @ 2:44:

So, when visiting my daughter this past week, we consumed a fair amount of Talisker while there; neat, of course! What a great tasting whisky! Of course, at its price, it would be - for me, at least - only a special occasion Scotch.

I managed to bring home about 1/2 the bottle of the Islay Mist just in case I can't find it here. It was $24 a bottle in Georgia.

Irish Miss, afraid I am going to have to side with Tinbeni on drinking Scotch "sans ICE". Or, if we're keeping with today's puzzle, NUDE! Oh, wait a minute, can we drink a Scotch sans ice WHILE nude??!! ;^)

Lemonade714 said...

I just learned that Playboy' s beer critic picked the Cream Ale brewed at Station 26 Brewing in Denver as one of the 10 best beers in Denver. My son has been there from the beginning. Proud of them.

To Denver Chairman?

Chairman Moe said...

Lemon, not familiar with Station 26 but congrats to them and your son. No trips planned to Denver THIS year but if and when I do go, Station 26 will be on my short list of places to visit

Tinbeni said...

Moe @4:53
re: Scotch
Neat & Nude is the preferred way for consumption!

Cheers!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

REL Morris got me today. I mean, er, insert lie here... Thanks for the answers Marti. Where'd the grid go? and what was the EDIT Argyle "oh, my"'d? :-)

In the NE & NC I had CBS, CAmaRO, SALINE, ENGR, tusk (I read protector too), ANNE, ANA, RUNG and nothing else. I went down to finish the bottom and came back. With the M from CAmaRO, he S in Tusk must be an N, right? LInk - isn't that like a lock? Now what dorm thing is A?INkE? My pen is out, I left all the ink up there. DNF.

W/os other than the above mess. CRv b/f CRX, awe b/f HEX, loo b/f IAN...

Fav - ON TAP. A vendor bidding on a project of mine invited me to their office yesterday-eve. In their kitchenette... they had St. Arnold's ON TAP! It was a good meeting for this WINO.

Moe - Cook bacon NUDE, you'll learn the hard way...

Bill G & Big Easy - I had the same misread clues too. Perhaps it's time to get glasses, I'll complete another orbit next week and I've noticed I don't have 20/15 anymore.

Ergo - hope you're happy there. Come to the after-puzzle-party when you can.

We all know LEMON Heads, but here's a TWIST, did you know they're also a band?

Cheers, -T

SwampCat said...


Not a Scotch expert....or facsimile thereof! My mother, years ago , drank Scotch Mists....over crushed ...em..._ _ _... With a twist of lemon peel.

I stick to Pinot Grigio.

Loved the puzzle, and the write up. Favorite was Burns Negative. I assumed for the longest time it had to do with cameras....silly me. Loved the aha. moment! Thanks to all!

Irish Miss said...

Chairman Moe @ 4:53 - I am happy with my Dewar's and a splash, pedestrian though it may be. Vive la difference! 😈

Bill G. said...

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never be sure if they are genuine."
~ Abraham Lincoln