google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, May 2, 2016 Jeff Stillman

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May 2, 2016

Monday, May 2, 2016 Jeff Stillman

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Point/Counterpoint.

19A. "Fiddler on the Roof" song : SUNRISE / SUNSET

31A. Like businesses specializing in international trade : IMPORT / EXPORT

40A. Beatles hit that begins, "You say yes, I say no" : HELLO / GOODBYE

54A. Like some government partnerships : PUBLIC / PRIVATE

Argyle here. This is different; there are many things I could link but little that I need to. I'll search for some pretty pictures.

Across:

1. "Dragnet" star Jack : WEBB

5. Campus military prog. : ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)

9. Die-hard : AVID

13. Gillette razor : ATRA

14. Bridal path flower piece : PETAL

15. Hindu princess : RANI

16. Apply crudely, as paint : DAUB

17. Samuel on the Supreme Court : ALITO. Conservative.

18. To be, to Tiberius : ESSE. Oh, to be a Star Fleet Captain!

Captain James Tiberius Kirk
 
22. "What a relief!" : "AHH!"

24. Continental trade gp. : EEC. (European Economic Community)

25. Ritzy residence : ESTATE

26. Corned beef-and-Swiss sandwich : REUBEN

28. Quantities: Abbr. : AMTs. Amounts.

30. '60s hallucinogen : LSD. (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

34. Second in command: Abbr. : ASST. (assistant)

Number Two
 
35. Golfer's concern : LIE

36. Convenience : EASE

45. Sci-fi saucer : UFO

48. Bears or Cubs : TEAM

49. At the back of the pack : LOSING

50. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue __" : MORGUE

52. ATM access code : PIN

53. __ Moines : DES

58. Hipbone parts : ILIA

59. "__-ho!" : HEAVE

60. European capital west of Helsinki : OSLO

63. No longer working: Abbr. : RET'D. (retired)

64. Forgetting to carry the one, say : ERROR

65. In the sack : ABED

66. Scots Gaelic : ERSE, Hey, Derek Bowman, that's close to ARSE.

67. Sheep fat : SUET

68. Unit of force : DYNE. Repeat from the 19th.

Down:

1. Fistful of bills : WAD

2. Approx. landing hour : ETA

3. Quick reviews, as before a test : BRUSH-UPs

4. Hindu title of respect : BABU

5. Archaeologist's find : RELIC

6. Big name in elevators : OTIS

7. London gallery : TATE. Tate Modern opened in 2000.

 
8. In the vicinity of : CLOSE TO

9. "__ you clever!" : AREN'T

10. Feudal servant : VASSAL

11. Enlarged map segments : INSETS

12. Cut down on calories : DIETED

14. PepsiCo, to Quaker Oats, e.g. : PARENT

20. __-do-well : NE'ER

21. SALT I participant : USSR

22. Opera solo : ARIA

23. Garment edges : HEMS

27. This and that : BOTH

28. Geometric given : AXIOM

29. Video file format : MPEG

32. Jazzy Fitzgerald : ELLA

33. Kennedy and Turner : TEDs

37. Obeys, as rules : ABIDES BY

38. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

39. Brain scans, briefly : EEGs. Have at it.

41. Small needle case : ETUI

42. Freeloaders : LEECHES

43. Twist who asked for some more : OLIVER



44. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" : OONA

45. Judge at home : UMPIRE

46. More unpleasant : FOULER. Not the batter staying alive? Ok, more unpleasant for the pitcher.

47. Planetary paths : ORBITS

51. Air freshener brand : GLADE

 
52. Turn on one foot : PIVOT

55. Ecuador neighbor : PERU

 
56. In very short supply : RARE

57. Creek croaker : TOAD

61. "Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman : LEN. A professional ballroom dancer.

62. Keats' "To Autumn," e.g. : ODE. Bah! Wrong time of year.

 
 
Argyle


55 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Had had trouble with puzzles lately, so this on was a relief. Thanks, Jeff and Santa!

Only two things perped: BABU and LEN.

Gail G's offering in NetWord was a personal best, time wise. How can I thank her?

Cheers!

Lemonade714 said...

It never ceases to amaze me the observations constructors make to create a new puzzle. I really liked the puzzle which was very Monday fair.

Argyle I also loved your Star Trek echo and the William Shatner/ William Shafer wraparound.

Thanks Jeff and Scott

OwenKL said...

Pete was known as the HELLO guy,
He'd greet everyone with a cheery "Hi!"
They said he had a gift
To give folks a lift --
But he was even more happy when he bid them GOODBYE!

Mandy the maid just loved to dust,
She'd do it all day, from dawn to dusk!
At SUNRISE she'd start
Until SUNSET grew dark
"God made dust into Adam, and once was enough!"

I wonder if certain parties know the IMPORT
Of what they propose they want to EXPORT?
Aliens, they've commented
Are oft undocumented.
They claim customs are lax at the UFO port!

Most people think PRIVATE is where to watch porn,
While in PUBLIC decrying it is considered the norm!
But TV censors once said
Couples all use twin beds --
If that were the case, most would NE'ER have been born!

{B-, A-, A-, B+.}

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Got through this one easily enough, despite not knowing LEN nor ever having heard of PUBLIC PRIVATE before. The theme was cute.

George Barany said...

What a nice Monday-level theme by @Jeff Stillman, and an entertaining writeup by @Argyle. The daughter of two friends of ours starred in a recent high school production of "Fiddler on the Roof" -- totally wonderful and really holds up in terms of story, music, and insights into the human condition. OONA has a modern clue in today's puzzle; her paternal grandfather was @Charlie Chaplin and her maternal great-grandfather was @Eugene O'Neill!

The incredible @Elizabeth Gorski has created a puzzle entitled Strong and True to commemorate the launch of a new book by award-winning author Judith Dupré about a New York City architectural marvel. I recommend it highly!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Nice early week romp with only a smattering of 3-letter fill. Is a TOAD really a creek critter? Thanks, Jeff and Argyle.

ROTC brought back memories of early college days back in the early 60's. I feel sorry for the recruiters who tried to make their pitch to the rowdy group that was in attendance only because it was mandatory -- you had to sit there, but they couldn't enforce silence, nor could they force you to listen. Most recruiters gave up within 5-10 minutes of the hooting, hollering, stamping and catcalls. I feel sorry for them now. Didn't then.

It's almost time to boldly go on our daily 3-mile march...

thehondohurricane said...

Morning,

Vacation's over........ wife got back from Gay Paree last night. Now I have to mend my evil ways!

Not much to say about today's puzzle, is was a non stop fill. Favorite was 45D Judge at Home/Umpire. Never hear anyone call an Ump Judge, but have heard them called a lot of other descriptive phrases.



unclefred said...

Really fun Monday CW, I loved it, thanx Jeff!! Although I felt like I zipped right through it, when I'd finished I discovered that I had somehow slightly exceeded my usual Monday time. Too much thinking, I guess. Thanx for the terrific write-up, too, Argyle! And thanx for the limericks, Owen!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Pretty much green-lighted all the way through except for having to sort out the BRUSH UPS / DAUB cross. Wasn't sure about AXIOM until AMTS was firm. Had to change closeby to CLOSE TO.

Did you have a friend on the good REUBEN James?

Husker Gary said...

No approach/avoidance issues today with smooth fill and an obvious theme. It was as welcome as the Sun this morning after its nearly week long absence.

Musings
-SUNRISE/SUNSET near RELIC spoke to me
-My SIL hates it when his PRIVATE architecture firm has to work with the PUBLIC UNL faculty. Every PhD thinks they are I.M. Pei
-AHH What A Relief It Is! (:26) All right, it’s OHH but still…
-The (GR)EEC(E) has had some issues lately
-Omaha grocer Reuben Kulakofsky dreamed up the REUBEN sandwich to feed some late night poker players at the Blackstone Hotel in 1925
-An incredible horse race by Starlight Mesa who was REALLY LOSING (:59)
-Helsinki, Copenhagen and Stockholm really missed the Crossword Bus!
-Pepsi and Oatmeal, now there’s the breakfast of champions!
-HEM length theory
-When the AXIOM “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line” is no longer true, geometry gets very interesting
-Here come some 7th graders seeking enlightenment on ancient Rome!

Anonymous said...

A little bit of nit.
Both 4D BABU and 14A RANI have
no religious connotation .
Indian would be correct appellation
rather than Hindu. Just as SARI is not
a Hindu dress. It is worn by Christian
as well as Muslim ladies in India.
Vidwan may have something to say about this.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

Nice puzzle and recap; WLS, about the right level of toughness for a Monday. Liked the positioning of UMPIRE - FOULER as well
as the UFO - ORBITS "dogleg"

More random thoughts:

When we moved from Gulf Coast of FL to the Atlantic side, we traded spectacular SUNSETS for SUNRISES; in my last "real" job I was in the EXPORT business; now I work with IMPORTERS who bring in exciting items for me to sell; Beatles White Album was my favorite but Magical Mystery Tour wasn't - HELLO? You say yes, I say no, you say stop, I say go go go! What were they thinking? GOODBYE! Nevertheless they managed to get through their LSD days without too many scars; and lastly, now that we have a PRIVATE courtyard with a small enclosed pool I am not so concerned about showing mine in PUBLIC! ;^)

I tried several iterations at a Haiku today, using multiple words from the puzzle. Best two IMO are:

"HELLO" said UMPIRE
To the persistent FOULER
(Who's) on base by ERROR

Hard shot to shortstop
Threw it instead to UMPIRE
On base by ERROR

Busy week ahead with travel; probably won't chirp in again until Friday or Saturday. Enjoy!

Tinbeni said...

Nice write-up Argyle. Thank You for a FUN Monday puzzle Jeff.

I always joke that I'm NOT up everyday at SUNRISE ... but I'm a morning person, and I am.

But everyday I do "Toast" the SUNSET !!!
(As it settles into the Gulf-of-Mexico it a lot prettier. The perfect time for a sip!)

So of course "SUNRISE / SUNSET" was my favorite theme today.

Cheers!

oc4beach said...


Once across + once down = done. True Monday puzzle. Good one Jeff.

Not much else to say. Have a great one everybody.

Husker Gary said...

Musings 2
-One More Thing – I posted this last week but it was late and so I will repost it. If you have a chance to see the new movie Mother’s Day, run don’t walk away from it. It is the biggest waste of 2 hrs you could possibly imagine. I should have looked at rotten tomatoes before we went, they gave it a 9%. So much talent wasted!
-Any nominations out there for the worst movie you ever paid to see?

CanadianEh! said...

Zipped through this Monday puzzle with thanks for the perps to give me ALITO. But there was no Tada. Resorting to red letters showed my error: misspelling Leach which gave me morgua (looked like Latin) instead of the French MORGUE. AAH it was fun anyway. Thanks Jeff and Argyle. I loved the Ode to Spring.

I had Lard before SUET. Oliver was saying Sir the other day.
DH had a REUBEN last night when we enjoyed a light dinner before seeing a preview performance of Alice in Wonderland at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Incredible costumes and technical effects.
Alice

Joy in Toronto as the Raptors move on to the next round and play Miami Heat.

TTP said...

Good morning all!

Very fast solve earlier today. A couple of words perped in, and didn't see a few until I got to the puzzle. Initially had LEACHEd and dUET rather than LEACHES / SUET. Sometimes it would help to slow down and read the actual clues !

Didn't know that James T Kirk was James Tiberius Kirk.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Finished in normal time but found some of the cluing/fill a tad tricky for a Monday. For example, Judge at home=umpire threw me until some perps kicked in and then it was (painfully) obvious. I agree wholeheartedly with Lemony's opening sentences.

Thanks, Jeff and Argyle, for brightening a gloomy, rainy Monday morning! If the weatherman is correct, we are in for a wet week. I guess we need the rain, though.

Have a great day.

Art Vandelay said...

I'm an importer/exporter but have recently decided to focus more on the importing and not so much on the exporting. My girlfriend Elaine has a problem with this. She believes 'why not do both?' I currently import chips and export diapers but also think about the market for matches, long matches. What do you all think?

Bill G. said...

Hi everybody. that was a pleasant diversion. Very well done. Thanks Jeff and Argyle.

When I went to Cornell, it was a so-called "Land Grant" college and, for some reason, we had to take two years of ROTC. I liked some parts OK and disliked other parts.

Gary, I've always been one to pay attention to movie reviews so I have mostly avoided bad movies. I've been to a few 'good' movies that I didn't care for though. Barbara dragged me to see "Cold Mountain" and there were a couple of scenes that I got through by shutting my eyes. I know lots of people liked "Slumdog Millionaire." Not me. When they were about to blind that little boy to turn him into a more effective beggar, I walked out.

CrossEyedDave said...

Sunrise/sunset

Import/export?

Hello/goodby kitty...

Public privates???

AnonymousPVX said...

Nice Monday puzzle with no issues, just right.

Jayce said...

Neat-o puzzle. Easy as pie but fun and satisfying. It would be interesting to see if this exact same puzzle could be made Thursday-hard simply by changing the clues.

Spitzboov, thanks for the Kingston Trio link. I spent over an hour sampling other songs by them on Youtube as well, which led me to The Beachboys and The Mamas and the Papas.

Wow, it's May already. I like that the number of hours of daylight per day is increasing.

Best wishes to you all.

George said...

Hey Art, ever thought about latex? I could be your latex salesman.

Lucina said...

Very nice, fun and easy puzzle today. Thank you, Jeff Stillman. I loved the opposites. Not a single unknown in the grid so it went really fast.

Thank you, Argyle, for finding some pretty pictures; I especially enjoyed the young Capt. Kirk and his handsome ASST.

It was comforting to have this lovely puzzle after my experience this morning. My doctor's ASST sent me to a lab(Sonora Quest) for a blood draw and after 1 1/2 hours of waiting they informed me they didn't accept my insurance! By then I was really hungry since I had to fast. With my previous doctor I had always gone to Lab Corp with no problems. Changes are so hard!

I hope you're all having a really special day today! It's a beautiful spring day here and the temps are staying low.

Misty said...

Huge relief to come to the blog and find I got the whole puzzle, all correct. My worry was the intersection of MPEG and LIE. Since I'm not a golfer and don't know Video files I had to guess that one, thank goodness correctly. Yay! Otherwise this puzzle with its contrarian theme was a lot of fun--many thanks, Jeff. And you too, Argyle, as always.

Have a great week, everybody!

desper-otto said...

Lucina, that lab experience really sucks. Quest should have told you they didn't accept your insurance as soon as you checked in. But, your doctor knows what insurance you've got, and he/she should have written the orders for a lab that would accept it. My doctor is really good about stuff like that. There's also a lab right in his office, so I don't have to go someplace else for routine blood tests. Now, if his office just weren't so darned far away....

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Jeff Stillman, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

This is the second time I am writing on the Blog. The first time it would not take.

Got through this easily. Started this afternoon after I finished as a Crossing Guard and Count the Offering at church.

Our favorite razor, ATRA.

MORGUE was tough. Took me five perps and I had it.

I think OONA was also her grandmother's name.

One of these days I am going to look and see what an ETUI really looks like.

BABU was new to me.

I now have to cut the grass. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Ol' Man Keith said...

TATE Modern looks like my doctor's office. I remember good old TATE--or... What do they call it now? TATE Original or Classic TATE?

I appreciate how Xwds generally show respect for age. I'm not sure how many younger folk can knock off 1A--WEBB--as quickly as most of us can. I can remember seeing the original Fiddler on B'Way, and anything of the Beatles must surely date us.
Even today's seemingly up-to-date references to current TV shows focus on old-timers, OONA Chaplin and LEN Goodman. (My wife makes me watch Dancing With the You-Know-Whos.)

Ol' Man Keith said...

I forgot to mention that FOULER always draws my attention, being a homonym for my surname. Once I played the role of the villain, King Rat, in a staging of the British pantomime, Dick Whittington and his Wonderful Cat. In a prologue written to introduce the cast, I was identified as "a villain not merely foul, but Fowler.

Big Easy said...

Super swift Monday. The only question was; was it AAH or AHH.

Reuben- pastrami, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, rye bread. Never had one that contained corned beef and I tell them to leave off the 1000 island and add spicy mustard.

HG- it's a three way tiefor the worst movie tat I sat through. St. Elmo's Fire, Single white Female, Four Weddings and a Funeral. To say they sucked would be a compliment.

Lucina said...

desper-otto:
Don't know if I mentioned that my previous doctor (whom I loved) recently closed her office because of insurance problems and I required a new doctor. The staff at the previous office were quite savvy and efficient. This one seems efficient but didn't bother to ask me about which lab I required and I didn't realize Sonora Quest didn't take my insurance. She should have, IMO.

Also, my previous dentist (whom I also loved)had a medical event (I never learned what) that forced him into retirement and so that sent me on another search. So that's what I meant by change ...... So far my ophthalmologist is the same ...

Lucina said...

Gary:
The two worst movies I ever sat through are Batman Returns and Mission Impossible 2. Ugh, ugh and ugh. Oh, include Pirates of the Caribbean.

Argyle said...

Spitzboov and Jayce, Thank you. I went back to the link. My original thought was "Rueben James" by Kenny Rogers and I failed to listen to the Kingston Trio song. Now Spitzboov's comment makes sense.

PK said...

HELLO, Y'all! Great puzzle, Jeff! Spot on, Argyle!

SUNRISE, SUNSET: favorite song from a favorite musical seen on stage twice and on TV multiple times.

REUBEN: a favorite sandwich.

Freeloaders = LEECHES. Inlaws didn't fit. Same definition.

BillG: I had the same experience in the same place with "Slumdog" but I just turned off the TV since I'd rented the tape. Rued the cost. "Cold Mountain" left a lingering bad taste in my mind for days.

Lucina: I think hassles with health insurance make people sicker than they were. Doctor's office personnel do some really stupid referrals. About the only way to get around a situation like yours is to pay out-of-pocket right then which I have done -- if the desk operator can figure out what to do with the cash or credit card.

Irish Miss said...

Big Easy @ 2:29 - Must be a regional thing because I have never had a Reuben with anything other than corned beef.

PK said...

Art: I think don't export long matches to anyone who might start unwanted fires.

Irish Miss said...

Bill G and PK - You've piqued my curiosity enough to ask, are you sure you don't mean Brokeback Mountain?

Jayce said...

On one cooking site they referred to a Reuben made with pastrami as a Rachel. Cute :)

Avg Joe said...

Easy puzzle. Just Momday right. Even the themers were easy to get without perpagement.

Big Easy, you've never had a Reuben. That's a Rachael. A fine sandwich in it's own right. But not a Reuben

Worst movie I ever paid money to see? Hands down: "A Boy and His Dog". A dystopian sci-fi wanna be flick. It was at a drive-in, so I didn't walk out, but should have driven out. It's only redeeming quirk was the special talent that the dog possessed.

Bill G. said...

Irish Miss, I agree with you as I usually do. I love good pastrami sandwiches but a Reuben is always corned beef. Mustard and pickles on the pastrami, 1000-Island dressing, swiss cheese and sauerkraut on the Reuben.


No, it was Cold Mountain. (I never saw Brokeback Mountain.) The war scenes were super up close and violent and there was something about chopping off somebody's hand. Ugh!

Avg Joe said...

You posted while I was typing Jayce.

Irish Miss said...

Bill G @ 3:36 - Thanks for correcting my assumption. I didn't see Cold Mountain so I was unaware of the scenes you described. OTOH, I did see Brokeback Mountain and there were some scenes that may have been difficult to watch, for some people, given the subject matter. Personally, the most difficult to watch film for me was "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" I'm pretty choosy about what I watch.

George said...

PK @ 2:55p. Amen to that!

I had a friend who accidentally burned down a cherished family cabin with Cuban cigars I had gifted him.

Yellowrocks said...

I love Ruebens. We have a choice of pastrami or corned beef. Always 1000 Island, Swiss and sauerkraut unless you specify.I like the same on either. Then I dip both in mustard. Mostly served open faced here unless you ask. Both my sons prefer closed and grilled.
Lucina, how frustrating. We have our blood work done at a hospital 5 minutes away from here.They start at 7 AM and take most insurances. It takes 20 to 30 minute from arrival to departure. I had mine done today. The doctor's on site lab opens too late for fasting.
I left my last doctor because his staff would schedule me at a satellite office without telling me and I would not be able to make it in time because I had not realized it or planned on it.
I read the novel, Cold Mountain and enjoyed it. The movie was more graphic and gorier.I did like Brokeback Mountain.
We may see a sunset tonight as the sun has just shown its face after many days without seeing it or a sunrise or sunset.

Lucina said...

PK@2:52:
It never occurred to me to pay but at that point I was really hungry and just wanted to go eat. That's actually the only time I've experienced that confusion. As mentioned already, my prior's doctor's office staff was efficient and knowledgeable.

Agree about SUNRISESUNSET. Love that song and movie.

Any REUBEN sandwich I've had was with corned beef. Yum!

Cameron said...

Worst movie I ever paid to watch?

Victor Victoria

My buddy and I were not old enough to get in to see Fast Times at Ridgemont High so the plan was to buy tickets to a PG movie and sneak into the R rated one. Didn't work. Looking back I'm sure the jig was up as soon as 2 16-year old boys uttered "2 for Victor Victoria." So when the usher ask for our ticket stubs, he informed us we were in the wrong theater and directed us down the hall. We lasted for 5 minutes before fleeing to the parking lot lamenting how we lost our limited funds.

Imagine the crushing disappointment! We were hoping to see Phoebe Cates boobs in one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history only to be forced to watch Julie Andrews sing. Worst. Movie. Ever.

oc4beach said...


A variation on the REUBEN is a RACHEL which can be made with turkey instead of Corned Beef and cole slaw instead of Sauerkraut. Not bad, but like others, I still prefer it with corned beef. But it's not bad with cole slaw for a change of pace.

CrossEyedDave said...

"Trivia":

I just saw a cooking show where they showed you how to make
1000 island dressing at home, In its simplest form, it is just
mayo, dash of ketchup, & a splash of tabasco.
(Of course that leaves out the chili sauce, garlic, salt, pepper,
minced onion, minced hard boiled egg...)
But they also left out the reason for the name thousand island,
The minced pickle relish...

(lots of green stuff floating around in it...)

Trivia II:

I never saw "A boy and his dog."
& the original author wishes he never saw it either.
That is why Harlan Ellison, when he thinks someone has mangled his story
has the credits write his pen name as,"Cordwainer Bird" to indicate his displeasure...

Curiously, if you look at the end of the 1st Terminator movie,
you will see the writing credits Cordwainer Bird...

SwampCat said...

Monday romp with few stumbles. Thanks, Jeff! Thanks, Argyle , for the guided tour.

A week ago I had never herard of DYNE and had no idea to what it was. Today? Based on the kind information I got here on the blog, I filled it in with out thinking. This is such an educational place!

Husker, I had heard of the Hem Length Theory, also. Facinating that it does seem to correlate.

Owen, you just keep getting better and better! Thanks!


Avg Joe said...

Dave, I'd almost washed the memory of A Boy and His Dog out of my collective life's soundtrack, but Gary's question brought it back. I looked it up after I'd posted, and only then recalled that it featured Don Johnson. Not his best work....if he had any.

But I'd never known that it was ostensibly written by Harlan Ellison until that look up today. I read quite a lot of sci-fi in my ute, and always liked Harlan. I can understand that he'd not want any connection. It was awful. But the dogs talent was still the one thing that saved it from being entirely forgettable. Not unlike that one line from North Dallas Forty about legs.

willow said...

"Amore" - worst movie ever!

Michael said...

Dear Swamp Cat:

<< Husker, I had heard of the Hem Length Theory, also. Facinating that it does seem to correlate. >>

Since we seem to be doing 'Variations on a Reuben' and other wild stuff today, there's a Robert Heinlein story, um, ah, reaching into the attic...., aha! "The Year of the Jackpot" which I always wondered if its economic premise of cycles correlates with reality.

PK said...

I definitely meant "Cold Mountain".

Anonymous T said...

Hi All:
Late & not much to add say...

Picked up the Trib on the way out of town w/ Mom this morning and puzzled in the car on the ride to Shelbyville to see her new bookstore. Only hiccup was reading 11d as England map segments and putting in IslESTS at 1st.

Thanks Jeff for the fun puzzle and Argyle for the great writeup.

Other WOs: Hand-up for CLOSE by. I also contemplated BRain-something for 3d.

ESPs: BABU, ESSE, and OONA.

Fav: DYNE. Here's why; I picked up another copy of the Trib so Dad's DW could play too. The N in DYNE was the only letter she didn't get... I win! :-)

Fav: It's a toss-up between food & music; REUBEN and HELLO GOODBYE. Of course, I gotta give a nod to the theme. Well done Jeff.

OKL & C. Moe - nice.

OMK - some of us younger (<50) crowd know WEBB from Nick at Nite in the '90s :-)

Robocop ranks up there with the FOULER movies I paid to see.

Time for rest - Pop, Bro, Uncle & I are going to drown some worms in the morning.

Cheers, -T