google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Frank Virzi

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Sep 22, 2015

Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Frank Virzi

Theme: Em Oh Town - Theme entries are required to start with M and O to live here.

17A. *Six-time '30s-'40s N.L. home run champ : MEL OTT

25A. *Donny's '70s TV co-host : MARIE OSMOND

39A. *Sense of duty, per one's personal ethics : MORAL OBLIGATION

49A. *It's often "burned" during exam week : MIDNIGHT OIL

62A. Record label founded in Detroit ... and, when divided into three words, where to find the answers to starred clues? : MOTOWN. Em. Oh. Town

Non-resident Argyle here. Our constructor has wandered into the first part of the week and it shows. Or else, I was way out of sync with him. The grid seems familiar; grid-spanner in the middle. reveal in the lower right and two long non-theme columns. Good to see MEL OTT's full name and learn some more about his career. The fill seems to be across the board and a bunch of gimmes to give you toe-holds so it should be found to be doable in the end. Let's hope.

Across:

1. Where to find screwdrivers? : BAR TAB. I doubt a tab contains the type of drink, just the price but I may be wrong.

7. Buddhist teacher : LAMA

11. Circle segment : ARC

14. Bold & Crispy Fries maker : ORE-IDA

15. Eagerly interested : AGOG

16. Sea, in Marseille : MER


18. Zippo : NADA

19. Square root of IX : III. 9/3

20. Relatives of gulfs : BAYS

21. MD-to-be's exam : MCAT. (Medical College Admission Test®)

23. Lightly burn : SINGE

27. Nickname for Ruth, with "The" : BAMBINO. George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr.

31. Strahan co-host : RIPA. Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

32. Coral island : ATOLL

33. One-named Nigerian singer : SADE. (shah-DAY)

36. Bruins' sch. : UCLA. (University of California, Los Angeles)

42. Baseball glove : MITT

43. Caustic cleaners : LYES

44. __-wip: dessert topping : REDDI

45. Swiss river : AARE

47. School periods : CLASSES

53. Cases the joint for, say : ABETS

54. Sunup point : EAST

55. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role : ILSA

59. Fashion initials : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)

60. Apple computer : iMAC

64. Where Antwerp is: Abbr. : BEL. Belgium

65. "Uh-uh" : "NOPE"

66. Banded together : UNITED

67. "Bambi" doe : ENA

68. Daring exploit : GEST or GESTE.



69. Gets wise with : SASSES

Down:

1. Lay an egg, so to speak : BOMB. Broadway speak.

2. Neck of the woods : AREA

3. Depend (on) : RELY

4. Hombres en la familia : TÍOs. The uncles, at least.

5. Home alarm co. : ADT. Started as "American District Telegraph" in 1874.

6. Bruce Wayne's alter ego : BATMAN

7. Island veranda : LANAI

8. Striped quartz : AGATE

9. Trendy, '60s-style : MOD

10. Andre of tennis : AGASSI

11. Protein building blocks : AMINO ACIDS

12. Sit on the throne : REIGN

13. Bawled : CRIED

22. Trio member with Stills and Nash : CROSBY

24. Ascribes : IMPUTES

25. Pepper grinder : MILL

26. Calif. neighbor : OREG.

27. When doubled, playmate of Pebbles : BAMM. "The Flintstones".

28. Yours, to Yves : Á TOI

29. Italian pork sausage : MORTADELLA. Find it at Trader Joe's.

30. Brazenly obvious : BLATANT

34. Ingredient in a black and tan : ALE. Both parts are ale or beer; one dark, one light with the dark layered on top.

35. '70s clubs : DISCOs

37. Ore deposit : LODE

38. Spanish cordial : ANIS. Wiki

40. Cassini of fashion : OLEG

41. Sea divided by shrinkage : ARAL

46. On the upswing : RISING

48. Acid or base indicator : LITMUS. Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic or alkaline conditions.

49. Waffler's word : MAYBE

50. "A Doll's House" playwright : IBSEN

51. Oodles : HEAPS

52. "Be silent," in music : TACET

55. "How sweet __!" : IT IS. Jackie Gleason saying. (Gave up looking for a clip. Sorry.)

56. Oodles : LOTS

57. __'Pea : SWEE



58. Clause joiners : ANDS

61. Stooge with bangs : MOE

63. "Cat __ Hot Tin Roof" : ON A. And how!

Argyle


48 comments:

OwenKL said...

Simple enough puzzle, and easily identified modus operandi for the gimmick, but a lame reveal, and the M starting 29d and O in mid-11d imputes that the two long downs were intended to participate, too.
Bunches of micro-themes. We had BAMBI(NO) together with his TIa, ENA. Pairs included HEAPS & LOTS, CLASSES & SASSES, NADA & NOPE (& MAYBE?).

Since no one answered my trivia puzzle yesterday, STEWARDESSES is reputed to be the longest word that can be typed with just the left hand. (Maybe that's left thumb, today?)

The swain felt he had a MORAL OBLIGATION
To inform his SWEEtie of his orientation.
Said he to his love,
"By the stars above
I can't tell EAST from west at any location!"

The BATMAN at once saw the Modus Operandi,
How each minion ABETS the villainous bad guy.
So he brought LOTS of bananas
Dressed in sexy silk pajamas
To occupy the minions, on whom the villain did RELY!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Pretty smooth sailing today, although there were a few minor swells along the way. I figured that a screwdriver location had something to do with a BAR, but BAR TAB didn't spring immediately to mind. I knew who BAMM BAMM was, but always thought it was spelled BAM BAM. I swear I've had MORTADELLA before, but I always think of it as a sliced meat and not as a sausage. I guess that, like salami, it starts out as a sausage before it gets sliced. On the other hand, while I don't know my Spanish cordials, the perps took care of ANIS before I even saw it, so it didn't really matter.

Lemonade714 said...

No Modus Operandi, a gratuitous MOE (hey Chairman) did not fool me, I was REDDI to pass this LITMUS test. An Oregon CSO as well and BAMM I was done.
ORE IDA, OREG and OLEG, AGOG, AGATE & AGASSI

HEAPS of fun, I do not GEST.

An easy fast for those who join me in this ancient ritual and may you all be sealed in the book of life for a sweet year.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

There was some crunch in my breakfast cereal. I liked it. I was only familiar with IMPUTES in the financial sense. I figured I'd missed something in the Bible when BAMBINO showed up. Oh, that Ruth! Is a resident of Portland an OREGano? Nice one, Frank. Well done, noon-resident Argyle.

Hungry Mother said...

I got it, but it seemed very crunchy for a Tuesday.

Freond said...

While there were a few tougher spots .. ATABAR seemed more likely than BARTAB ... i just passed those by and let perps fill them in very quickly, even those I was lost on like AARE, RIPA, TIOS & ENA. So it ended up feeling quite easy.

thehondohurricane said...


A decent puzzle for a Tuesday although I did not and still don't like 1A. The screwdriver is in your tummy, the cost of it is the BAR TAB. I had a few BARTABs back in the day, never found a drink on one of them. I'll be interested in what a certain Floridian has to say.

Was nice to see MEL OTT for once rather than OTT. It was a "no brainer" for this Giant fan.

Picked up the M O theme quickly, but it took Argyle's explanation for MOTOWN to make sense.

MIDNIGHT OIL was standard operating procedure during finals in my undergraduate days. Too much else to do at the U, especially when the cold weather schools sent their students to the sandy beaches in Lauderdale for spring break.

Fall weather has arrived in the Nutmeg State and it has been heartily welcomed.

Yellowrocks said...

Crunchy for a Tuesday, more like a Wednesday+, but I got it. For the reveal I would have liked MOTOWN divided into 3 parts, instead of three words. I tried for a while to find 3 actual words, but when I looked back at the entries, I saw M O.
BAR TAB was easy for me. I was a part-time dining room waitress in several establishments in my youth. There were no computers, so we wrote the name of the drink on the bar tab section of the bill.
Although I know IMPUTES in the financial sense I more often use it as ASCRIBE. I IMPUTE my love of books, words and puzzles to my mom's example. Many of us IMPUTE human qualities to our beloved pets..

TTP said...


Fun puzzle. Thank you Frank and Argyle. Didn't mean to solve it so fast. It just happened. Then noticed some fill in the write-up that I hadn't seen while solving. Frank, BTW, loved your "Artistes" puzzle last week or so at the Best Crosswords site. You had a little run on Frawnch there.

Clue for 1A might have been better. Perhaps "Lounge lizard's IOU ?", or "...pickup ?"

For those that don't recall, Sade - Smooth Operator

We had Graham Nash in CC's fine "Amen" puzzle on Sunday. Now we have (David) CROSBY in Tuesday's puzzle from Frank. What are the odds we will get Stephen Stills on Thursday ? Then the fourth member of CSNY on Saturday?

MOTOWN hit I Can't Help Myself, aka Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch was a number 1 song for two non-consecutive weeks the year Mr Google graduated from high school, and was ranked as the # 2 song of the year. After the first week at # 1, it was followed by "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds. David CROSBY was a member of The Byrds.

Also Swee Pea on Sunday and Tuesday. Thanks for the cartoon, Argyle.

Giada De Laurentiis Mortadella recipes. Might try the "Bites" recipe as a game watching finger food snack.

Tinbeni said...

Gotta like a puzzle that starts off with a BAR-TAB ... great answer, lousy clue.

Also. I always "Pay-As-I-Go" (in cash) and NEVER have a Bar-Tab ...
Hence when it is "Time-To-Go" ... I can leave without having to wait on the bartender so I can "Pay-My-Bar-Tab."

Cheers!

SwampCat said...

This one seemed harder than a usual Tuesday . Maybe I'm just not awake. Argyle, thanks for trying to enlighten me, but I still don't get GEST or M O TOWN. Yes, I see the Ms and Os...but TOWN? Even school periods for CLASSES seemed forced.

And I agree, the screwdriver is in your tummy not on the tab.

Maybe I'm just not awake.....

I did enjoy ANDS for Clause Joiners. I put it in because Oxford Comma wouldn't fit!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Missed Y'all. My Dallas family had been here since last Wednesday. They came up for the Bears game. Sigh! Poor dears. It was a busy, busy time and no chance for Gramma to get to the puzzle and the Corner. Hope you are all well. [Or hope y'all are well. ;)]

Nice re-entry for me today. Thanks Frank for a good start to the week. My hand is up for at a BAR. Like, Argyle, I was happy to see MEL OTT; however, I did struggle in my search for a six letter last name. I felt so silly as he is a regular around these parts.

Still working on the laundry--lots of linens! Feels like Fall in Chicagoland also. Nice! Have a sunny day!

kazie said...

I agree with Hungry Mother--certainly a crunchy Tuesday for me. Long break may have something to do with it too. Just back from Germany and still fighting jetlag.

Jerome said...

Argyle- Used to be when you ordered a drink you set your money on the bar. For whatever stupid, confounding, and totally selfish reason, most people now order a drink and don't put out any money at all. Now it becomes the job of the bartender to keep track of what they're drinking on a tab. If the tender is busy it's a real pain in the ass. So, two hours later the dude, or dudette, wants to settle up and when they get the bill they invariably claim they couldn't have possibly ordered fifty dollars worth of drinks. Now the bartender is sorta, kinda being accused of padding the bill and cheating because an idiot who thinks they had three drinks actually had seven. Believe me, as a former temp bartender for a buddy who owns a saloon, this happens all the time. I learned really quick to not only write down the cost of the drink but what it was as well. Yeah, it's very standard to have the name of the drink on a tab.
Please, friends, if you go out to have a few toddies, lay out the cash with every drink and make it easier on everyone.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Yes, there was a certain crunchiness to this, but all went well. Caught the MO theme but wasn't sure what the reveal would be. CSO to the Chairman and semi CSO to Tin with Bar, sans the Tab! I, too, thought it was Bam Bam.

Thanks, Mr. V, for a merry outing and thanks, Argyle, for a masterful overview.

Welcome back, Madame Defarge and Kazi.

I'm having hand surgery tomorrow. I have no cartilage left in the joint at the base of both thumbs which means bone on bone contact which means severe discomfort. A tendon will be removed from my forearm, a piece of the bone will be removed from the joint area, and then the tendon will be rolled up and inserted into that open space and serve as a cushion. I will be in a splint/cast for 5 weeks, then PT. I will have the other hand done as soon as it's feasible.

Have a great day.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Smooth solve, as usual I didn't grok the theme until getting help from the reveal.

Irish Miss, sending best wishes your way!

VirginiaSycamore said...

A crunchy but doable Tuesday puzzle. Thanks Frank and Argyle.

Irish Miss, I hope all goes well with your surgeries. My right thumb is starting to go that way so I will avidly follow your progress.

I did not like the unifier. I kept trying to figure out how to get three words from MOWTOWN. I noticed the M and O, so I looked for answers that had T and O or W and N. I finally gave up and came here to learn what it meant.

In the 90s my sons and I toured the original MOTOWN buildings, which were 2 houses in the black part of Detroit. The sound studios were in the basements. When they expanded, they bought a 2nd house.

I always need perps to recall if the Casablaca role is ILSA or ELSA. I decided to remember that I-LSA is played by I-grid. Now if I just had a way to match ELSA with the lioness in Born Free.

VS

VirginiaSycamore said...

I meant I-ngrid.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Frank Virzi, for a define puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

I started in the SE corner because I caught 63A Cat_____Hot Tin Roof out of the corner of my eye. So I wrote in ON A, and then spread from there.

I never caught the theme until I came here. Looked for a while and then it eluded me. It was a good one, though.

I guess I learned a new word today. Never knew GEST referred to a daring exploit. Got it with perps and then I looked it up. OK.

Do not know if I have ever had MORTADELLA, but the picture on the blog sure looks good. Maybe on a submarine sandwich, of which I love.

Going to a Cubs game tomorrow night. Really playing well, lately. Hope they come through. As far as the Bears, we can only hope they improve.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

C6D6 Peg said...

Like some of you, didn't understand the reveal, but did finish the puzzle. Still not sure of what the EM and OH, might mean.....

Thanks, Argyle, for your lovely write-up. Always, you never disappoint in pics of places I've never been.

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody. Good luck Irish Miss. I hope everything goes smoothly.

I finished the puzzle OK and enjoyed the process. But I found myself questioning the clues in several places. I got all of the theme answers but the wording of the 'reveal' didn't make sense to me. Argyle explained it but I still don't care for it. My personal stumbling block was the intersection of GEST and TACET.

Have a good day!

coneyro said...

I agree with the comments on 1A. Unless, what was meant, abstractly, is where else would you find it on your bill? It wouldn't be under "appetizers". It would be where your drinks are listed. Just an educated guess.

Did not like MOTOWN reveal. M O TOWN is three PARTS, not words. Nevertheless, it was an easy theme.

The OSMONDS versus the Jacksons. The great family popularity contest of the '70's. Was a fan of both.

Irish Miss.... Praying for your positive medical results.

To my Jewish brethren, may you have a relatively painless(I know it's not easy) fast.

Speaking of Bruce Wayne, the new season of Gotham has started. Love the Penquin. The villians will be a focal point this go round. Great show.

Just saw the 9th season premiere of Dr. Who. The best sci-fi program, IMO, hands down, in TV history.

Anyone have any new or returning show they are looking forward to? Which one and why?

So, to wrap up. A pretty smooth Tuesday puzzle. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.

I love when a LAT puzzle comes together. Makes me feel smart like the rest of you "geniuses" out there.

You're wonderful guys.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

A little chewy for a Tuesday. I ended up solving clockwise. the MO theme came quickly. The long downs helped brighten the puzzle.
Two references to Oregon - ORE-IDA and OREG.

Tomorrow, Fall happens at 0821 UT. That would be at 0421 EDT.
BTW, there is a full eclipse of the moon coming on Sept. 28 UT. The total duration lasts from 0010 to 0524 UT. Totality is visible in the eastern US and commences on the evening of the 27th.

IM, Good Luck with your hand surgery tomorrow.

Misty said...

First of all, Irish Miss, so sorry to hear about your hand problem. Our hands are so incredibly vital, which makes the problem especially critical. I'm so glad there's surgery to address it, but it sounds difficult and I hope it goes really well and that the recovery will go smoothly. Please keep us posted on how things go.

This felt more like a Wednesday than a Tuesday puzzle to me, and I agree with Coneyro that the theme clue should have said three parts, not three words. But I'm always happy to see IBSEN, one of my favorite playwrights in a puzzle.

Have a great day, everybody!

Lucina said...

Hello, friends!

Thanks to Frank Virzi for today's entertainment. It filled quickly though I did have to erase IN A BAR and have the same nit as all of you. Had GURU, oops, wrong religion, then LAMA.

With MARIE OSMOND AND CROSBY I thought the theme might be singers and entertainers.

Wow. AMINO ADICS and MEL OTT spelled in full. That's impressive.

IrishMiss:
I wish you well on your surgery.

Peace and blessings to you who observe today's rites.

Have a gorgeous day, everyone!

Lucina said...

That should be AMINO ACIDS. Darn dyslexia.

Anonymous said...

An okay puzzle,nothing to be excited over. Personally,I think it is me having CC withdrawal symptoms after her double-header grand slam over this past weekend. Mostly WEES already. I Started at 63d like Abejo. The only WAG I had was the T at the crossing of 52d and 68a.

Hope the Cubs do good. Was sorry to see Joe Maddon leave Tampa. Don't imagine you would trade him trade for Kevin Cash? (I did not think so) LOL!

Nice work by Argyle. Always enjoy your enlightening and informative reviews.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks, Frank and Santa!

Fun puzzle, about Wed. Level.

Plunked in most theme answers immediately.

Good luck, Irish Miss!

I was looking forward to Castle (no italics on iPad).
Have a great day!

Yellowrocks said...

Irish Miss, I hope all goes well with your surgery. I know bone on bone is a real pain, so bad that the only way you can go is up. I am sure you will be glad you did it.
A bar tab can be a physical bill on paper where your drinks are listed. If you are dining it can be a section of your regular bill or on the back. You can find the names of your drinks on the bar tab.

When I was 21 and innocent I was a waitress in a fancy Atlantic City restaurant. I wrote Martini on the bar tab and turned the "dupe" in to the bartender telling him to be to sure that it was extra good. He laughed and asked me if the order was a "Perfect Martini." That is the official name for a special martini made with both sweet and dry vermouth.Duh! I was clueless and opened myself up to a lot of razzing. In my not so innocent thirties my husband and I drank very dry gin martinis with just a kiss or touch of dry vermouth. Perfect martinis? Ugh!

Husker Gary said...

Subbing in 8th grade today and she actually has me teaching something! It’s hard to talk for six CLASSES. I am now only accepting advanced notification and don’t want 6:30 am calls.

Musings
-Modus Operandi – Me too!
-Some will recognize the genesis of this golf line, “Big hitter, the LAMA”
-Marseille – I have a boy today whose name is Valle and his double L is pronounced the same as in the city
-My Rudy York first baseman’s MITT was a prized possession of my yute
-Driving EAST into Omaha during sunrise ain’t fun
-Our 8 year-old iMac is starting to hiccup
-Two of my favorite SASSES are this guy and his dad
-When you have bowel issues, sitting on the throne has a different connotation
-Have ever called someone “Captain Obvious”?
-RISE - Every softball pitcher has one
-Does anyone remember the sitcom where David CROSBY played this role?
-Algebra kids are coming back from lunch. Read y’all later

Yellowrocks said...

HG, I am interested in your subbing experience today. In elementary school we found that subs who had taught only in middle school or high school were shocked that they actually had to teach every single period in elementary school. No movies, no mountain of busywork worksheets, no assigning reading of the text for the entire period. We teachers asked the sub service not to send us "Mr. or Mrs. So And SO" who seldom taught and never followed out plans. The least popular sub was the one who dug up the teacher's worksheets she intended to use bit by bit over a week and assigned them all to the kids in lieu of teaching.
If we knew ahead of time we were to be absent we would make the teaching plans somewhat less difficult. If not, just follow the plan book.
One time when I was ill, it was announced that my after school enrichment science workshop was canceled. The sub said he couldn't teach the regular science class because I had canceled it and given him no alternate plan. Alibi?

CrossEyedDave said...

Learning moments: Ascribes/imputes/gest(e)

Hmm, I should really take a Thumper today, because the theme had me thinking
that we have finally run out of Crossword Themes. Just seemed awfully strained.
(I fear for tomorrow...)

But then I took an antidepressant...

The list of hits is too long to list here, but as a wannabe musician I can't help but be amazed by Tears of a Clown. It is just so hard to come up with something original today, but the complexity of this song is remarkable.

Another classic, My Girl, actually sounds better on the streets of New York...

Irish Miss, Good Luck with your operation tomorrow, pls keep us informed. & you are going to have to learn to play an instrument, because I want to hear you play real soon! (plus it keeps your fingers flexible...)

Bill G. said...

YR, you didn't ask me but this is my two-cents worth anyway. I taught algebra in middle school. Whenever I could get Mr. So and So as a sub, I could expect him to teach and explain a little bit and the class would go on pretty much normally. Otherwise, I would make some busy work lesson plans to give the students practice at recent material without expecting the sub to teach anything new that they weren't comfortable with.

JD said...

Good afternoon all,

Fun puzzle with only a few crunchy spots..gest was new to me, and music terms(tacit) always have to be perped. Have never had mortadella, but familiar with the word; it looks fatty.Having filled in the AR, I immediately thought of garage, but knew that was way too simple. Tricky clue, but fair.

Irish Miss, I wish you a quick recovery. I guess most operations when adding the details sound quite scary. The outcome will be so much better than the pain you are now experiencing.

Ah Gary, that is the way to go...no 6:00 calls from me. Usually when I'm subbing, I get 2 or 3 more jobs from those who know they will be out for meetings,etc.

Anyone watch REIGN? Season 3 starts on Oct 9.

JD said...

YR, subs are subs for a reason. Many have not been able to get a job or they are part time surfers, writers... The best ones were the moms who had gone back to school to get their credential and were almost ready and excited to teach...also the newly retired teachers were fun to have back on campus, and like me and Gary, loved to teach. Unless I knew the person coming, I made very easy plans for the day. Subs do not have to stay after school any longer than the required 20 minutes.

Yellowrocks said...

I realize that middle school and high school teachers have specialties. A French teacher could likely not teach CALCULUS. A physics teacher likely could not teach advanced history.I often wondered why sub services did not try harder to match teachers to subject areas. I know some teachers like Bill G. who ask for people they know are good at their subject.
We used only college graduates and and had a great many elementary school subs with teaching credentials. Teaching young children is also a specialty. We usually could find subs skillful with young children and able to handle all elementary subjects, so we demanded them rather than a place holder. Often you don't know you will be sick. I did email easier plans if I could drag myself to the keyboard. When we knew we were going to be absent, we tried to make the plans easier, but not too easy. Our subs were very successful and the children learned quite a bit from them which was wonderful when you happened to be laid up for a whole week.

Lucina said...

In our district we were required to have emergency lesson plans with follow up work for up to a week in case of an unexpected absence.

Husker Gary said...

I had my tongue in my cheek today about subbing, not the part about declining 6:30 am calls but about what was asked of me. The teacher is a friend and asked if I wanted a busywork day or wanted to do some real teaching. I opted for the latter and had a great day with very polite, motivated kids. The advanced kids really took to the literal math equations (e.g. if 6a + 2b = c/2, solve for b). My friend had the day very organized and I enjoyed being “back in the saddle again”. It’s just hard to talk for 6 classes when you haven’t done it for a LONG time. I get ‘em again on Friday.
I always had good plans for subs but never figured I would get physics person and I never did. Mostly I got El. Ed. and liberal arts peeps and they did just fine. I had a good time with English and history subbing. I even did some diagramming in 6th language arts.

Irish Miss said...

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and best wishes. I'll try to post sometime tomorrow afternoon. CED, what's up with this learning an instrument kick?

Big Easy said...

Very late working today due to vital obligations, playing golf and eating seafood but the puzzle filled easily even though it contained three words that were 100% perps: ANIS, MORTADELLA, GEST. I have never heard of any of them. 62A was easy but I had no idea until Argyle's explanation how to divide MOTOWN into M O TOWN.

My first thought on 1A was IN A BAR before the downs changed my mind to BAR TAB. BAMM BAMM- never knew about the double-M. There are about 30 listings of OTT in the local phone book, with most of them close to Gretna, LA the the three OTT's I personally know say they are no relation.

JEROME- any bar that I have gone into requires that they HOLD a credit card if you want to run a tab, unless you are ordering food. I don't let anybody 'hold' my credit card.

Gaelic Lady- good luck

CrossEyedDave said...

Sorry Irish Miss, I guess the instrument was a dumb idea if you are going to be in a cast for 5 weeks. I was just trying to be optimistic.

Argyle said...

A: Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after the operation.

B: Yes, of course.

A: Great. I never could before.

Madame Defarge said...

Irish Miss,

Have a safe and successful surgery. I will be thinking about you. Do all your PT and PT "homework." It will make for an amazing recovery. Keep us posted when you can.

Best wishes, Madame D

Madame Defarge said...

Love all the tales of subbing and needing a sub. Like many of you I have been on both sides of that fence.

Anonymous said...

I've come across a few bartenders with the temperament, condescension and judgmental attitude your friend Jerome has exhibited here on several occasions. I usually suggest to them or their boss that perhaps they should find a new line of work. I know many great bartenders and they all share several important personality traits. Among those are patience, sense of humor, empathy, trivial knowledge, tolerance, good memory and grace under pressure. Whether I am wearing a shirt and tie in a dive bar or a t-shirt and jeans in a nice lounge, it is a good bartender that makes me feel welcomed and doesn't think of me as an idiot because I do things differently than he/she prefers. I say if you know who your bartender voted for president, then they are doing it wrong.

Avg Joe said...

In high school, I got two fingertips caught in a jointer. It took about 40 stitches to put them back on. While the Dr. Was working on this project, I asked "Doc, will I be able to play piano when you're done?" Evidently he'd heard the joke. His response: "That depends. Can you play piano now?"

Good luck with the surgery, IM. I hope it goes extremely well.

Irish Miss said...

CED @ 8:07 - I appreciate your optimism but I think I better stick with solving crosswords.

Argyle, I took piano lessons for 7 years and accomplished nothing but wasting my parent's money, although our Beagle loved to howl along when I practiced. 🐶

Thank you, Madame Defarge, I shall be a model patient.

Anonymous said...

Wait...so TTP is Mr Google?
My bet was on Tin, Windy, or maybe even Barry.