google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday January 15, 2017 Ed Sessa

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Jan 15, 2017

Sunday January 15, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Say Cheese!" - Cheese puns.
  
 23A. Cheese tray displays? : BRIE ARRANGEMENTS. Pre-arrangements.

 45A. Real cheese? : TILSIT LIKE IT IS. Unfamiliar with Tilsit cheese. Wiki says it "is a light yellow semi-hard smear-ripened cheese, created in the mid-19th century by Prussian-Swiss settlers".


69A. Cheesehead's accessory? : FETA IN ONE'S CAP. Feather in one's cap. Reminds me of this fun picture.


97A. Cheese graters? : ROQUEFORT FILES. The Rockford Files. Golden entry for cheese puns. 

123A. Highland cheese? : LOCH NESS MUENSTER. Loch Ness Monster.

16D. Cheese-growing plot? : GARDEN OF EDAM. Garden of Eden.

63D. Cheese factory supplies? : CHEDDAR BOXES. Chatterboxes.

I absolutely have no grasp on pun theme and admire constructors who can pull it off regularly. Finding soundalike words is a challenge to me, not to mention injecting enough fun and surprising factors to the theme clues.

Ed took full advantage of the manageable 7-entry theme grid  (8/9/10 are trickier, but not for Mr. Ed) and gave us a sparkly puzzle.  He has ten 8-letter fill in the grid.  Just look at the upper left edge. Three 8's and a long themer. Amazing.

Across:
  
1. Put away the leftovers? : EAT. I put in ATE. Right direction.

4. Stagecoach shout : WHOA. For some reason, stagecoaches were not popular in old China. Emperors or other VIPs or new brides all traveled in chair sedans.

8. Charge : ACCUSAL

15. Like much brandy : AGED. 61. Brandy flavor : APPLE. Clue echo. We also have 29. Screwdriver component : VODKA

19. Avian water source : BIRD BATH

21. Heated dispute : RHUBARB. I'm in love with this left edge.

22. Go ballistic : RAVE

25. Scientologist Hubbard : L. RON

26. X-Men co-creator Lee : STAN

27. Full of holes : POROUS

28. GPS info : RTE

30. Jet black : ONYX. Thought of EBON first.

32. Prepare for the prom : DRESS. No prom in our school.

34. Pastina relative : ORZO

36. Moray or conger : EEL

37. Repress : GAG

38. Exams for future J.D.'s : LSATs

41. One-customer link : PER

43. Partners' phrase : YOU AND I

49. Bologna bone : OSSO

50. Dirt cake ingredient : OREO. Unfamiliar with dirt cake or CHESS PIE (9. Classic Southern dessert). Google Images also showed some Dirt pie pictures. Is it the same as Dirt cake?


51. Queen Victoria's toy, for short : POM. I only knew the current queen loves Corgis.

52. Looks at : BEHOLDS

54. Shaky : IFFY

57. They may be good losers : DIETERS. Fun clue.

60. Coke by-product : TAR

61. One-named "Skyfall" singer : ADELE

62. Meager : SCANT

64. Strip stake? : BET. Oh, strip poker. (Correction: Strip here is The Strip. Thanks, Peter.)

66. Lever in a limo : GAS PEDAL

68. Unspecified degree : NTH

 74. iPhone purchase : APP

75. Abandoned buildings, say : EYESORES. There's a big office building complex near our home. Been empty for a few years.

77. D.C. insider : POL

78. Raw bar selection : CLAMS. Never had raw clams. You? We also have 107. Shell-shedding creature : CRAB

80. Catkin producer : ALDER

81. Half a dance : CHA

83. "My 60 Memorable Games" author : FISCHER (Bobby). Chess players seem to have fantastic memory.  Speed chess astonishes me.

86. Change the decor of : RE-DO

87. Diamond nickname : THE BABE (Ruth)

90. Affliction : WOE

91. Creamy color : ECRU. Creamy makes me think of food. Not cream color.

95. Puffin relatives : AUKS. Learned from doing crosswords.


100. Bunch of clowns in a circus stunt, say : CARLOAD. Vivid clue.

103. Word of enjoyment : YUM

104. Wipe out : ERASE

105. "__ been a puppet, a pauper ... ": Sinatra lyric : I'VE

106. "Foolery ... does walk about the __ like the sun": Shakespeare : ORB. Constructors work hard for fresh clues.

109. Syrian president : ASSAD

111. Title for Helen Mirren : DAME

113. Foam : FROTH

115. Make hay? : MOW. Lovely.

117. Like the talus : TARSAL

120. First name in desserts : SARA

122. Idée __ : FIXE

126. Twilight times : EVES

127. Packs, in a way : ENCASES

128. Military encampment sight : ARMY TENT

129. Take it easy : REST

130. Prepare, as dough for zeppole : DEEP-FRY. Never heard of zeppole. Look like mini donuts.


131. Early depictor of today's Santa Claus : NAST (Thomas)

132. Muddy quarters : STY

Down:
  
1. Goes out : EBBS

2. Like missiles in a dogfight : AIR TO AIR

3. Percussion instrument : TRIANGLE. Also 5. Instrument featured in "Waltz of the Flowers" : HARP

4. Ring org. : WBA

6. Other, to Quixote : OTRO

7. Grief : A HARD TIME. Not fond of the extra A.

8. Have a row : ARGUE
 
10. Summa __ laude : CUM

11. Lyft competitor : UBER

12. __ Domingo : SANTO

13. Channel with many branches : ARTERY

14. Avg. newborn's 7.5 : LBS. What's yours? Boomer was a big baby: 9 lbs and 10 oz.

15. "Alice's Restaurant" arrestee : ARLO

17. Summoned : EVOKED

18. North America's highest peak : DENALI

20. Naysay : DENY

24. Language of Oslo, in Oslo : NORSK

29. Paris pronoun : VOUS. You.

31. First year of Claudius' reign : XLI. 41. Got via crosses.

33. Meyers of late-night TV : SETH

35. Places staffed by vets : ZOOS. Ed wanted us to think of Army vets.

37. Old Pontiac with a V8 engine : GTO

39. Key holder in much religious artwork : ST PETER. I never paid attention to what's in his hand. Wiki says it's the key of heaven.

40. Scads : A LOT

42. Hoot : RIOT

44. Off-topic remark : ASIDE

46. It's often drawn through straws : SODA

47. Clampett portrayer : EBSEN

48. Forms into metallic waste : SLAGS

53. Stoker creation, briefly : DRAC (Dracula)

55. Plane features : FLAPS

56. Shepherd's cry : YELP. Dog.

58. Likely to experience : IN FOR

59. Batting stat : RBI. "Batting" shouldn't be part of the clue.

62. Distinctive manner : STYLE

65. Premier : TOP

67. Potpourri holders : SACHETS

68. Get close to : NEAR

70. Debugging pro : TECH. Dear TTP lost his dog Charlie last weekend. They were very close, taking walks every day, rain or snow. I sobbed reading his email about driving Charlie to the vet for the last ride.

71. "My Name Is __ Lev": Potok novel : ASHER

72. Like some ATM withdrawals : NO FEE

73. Cotton gin inventor Whitney : ELI

76. East Asian capital : SEOUL

79. "Whose woods these __ think ... ": Frost : ARE I. Some partials are tricky to clue.

82. Birth announcement words : A BOY

84. Athos, for one : SWORDSMAN

85. "The Last of the Mohicans" sister : CORA. No idea.

87. Old Russian dynast : TSAR

88. Blue-green color : AQUA

89. Lead that misleads : BUM STEER. Learned from doing crosswords. Not a phrase I use.

92. Subarctic and Mediterranean : CLIMATES
93. Deferential : REVERENT

94. "What's the ___?" : USE

96. NYC mayor after Beame : KOCH

98. Therapy subjects : FEARS. Fears are natural.

99. Gratified : FED

100. Valuables holder : COFFER. This is similiar to my mom's, except hers was red color. Her parents gave it to her when she married my dad. In it there were pretty bed sheets, quilts and other exquisitely hand-made clothing items. Also a small jar of precious sugar, which was rationed then. She was worried that my little brother and I would put our fingers in the sugar jar. Sugar was only used for goodies during Chinese Spring Festival.


101. Come : ARRIVE

102. Brooklyn crooner Vic : DAMONE

108. Italian bowling game : BOCCE

110. Likely to talk back : SASSY

112. Kind of D.A. : ASST

114. Acid __ : TEST

116. Sound of a blow : WHAP. Is this a common word? My WHAM would not work.

118. Ambient quality : AURA

119. NASA lunar transports : LEMs

121. Like some gallery patrons : ARTY

123. Headed up : LED

124. Bad check letters : NSF. We go burned at a card show. The guy bought a few pricey jersey & signed cards and wrote us a bad check. Such a painful & costly experience. St Peter will not give him the key.

125. Ochs Sulzberger pub. : NYT



To those who get the wrong grid today, please click here for the correct puzzle. On the top right, you should see Print or Download button. The above link will disappear in a week. If you still have trouble, please email me crosswordc@gmail.com, I'll send you the correct grid.



C.C.

44 comments:

  1. FIR! Took a while, and I hopped around more than I usually do, but no particular problems. A few previously unknown words (some as clued) revealed by perps: TILSIT, pastina/ORZO, talus/TARSAL, WBA, CHESS PIE, CORA, zeppole.

    Sub-theme: OTRO, OREO, ORZO, OSSO?

    {B+, C+, B, C.}

    An AURA of POROUS un-holey-ness pervaded the zone
    For the ritual to take place, at the foot of the throne!
    Last time they EVOKED a daemon
    They instead got DAME MIRREN !
    But this time the Hell's APP called up -- VIC DAMONE!

    CORA the CRAB was heading to a masquerade RAVE,
    But her SHELL was molting, she couldn't save!
    So how could she DRESS
    To fit in with the REST?
    She hollowed out a RHUBARB, and went as a cave!

    If Bobby FISCHER had known SARA Lee
    What a strange pairing wouldn't that be?
    She could teach him about APPLE pie
    And ZEPPOLE fritter DEEP FRY,
    And he could cook her CHESS PIE, all custard-y!

    Don't load me in ST. PETER's cart,
    I'm not yet ready to play a HARP!
    That I'm AGED I can't DENY
    Nor that my home-place is a STY
    But I BET Pete can't match me -- fart PER fart!

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  2. Good morning!

    I really struggled in the NW, and as a result the match went into overtime...but only slightly. Hand up for EBON and WHAM, C.C. My insistence on PECAN PIE didn't help, either. When I finally figured out that the theme answer contained ARRANGEMENTS, everything fell into place. Still don't know what CHESS PIE is.

    I've never had raw CLAMS, but I really enjoyed the steamers when we were in Maine last time.

    Thanks for the challenge, Ed. And thank you, C.C., for the explication.

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  3. Good Morning, C.C. and friends. I loved this Cheesy puzzle!

    It's always a good sign when I can immediately fill in 1-Across and 1-Down.

    I agree with Desper-Otto about the PECAN PIE, which I confidently wrote in. (Bread pudding is a favorite in Louisiana, but that obviously didn't fit.)

    Raw CLAMS? I have heard of raw oysters, but not clams.

    I was unfamiliar with RHUBARB as being a heated dispute, but I liked how it crossed with Have a Row = ARGUE.

    QOD: The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them. ~ Molière (né Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Jan. 15, 1622 ~ Feb. 17, 1673)

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  4. RE: 39 Down ... Jesus said to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." -Matthew 16:19

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  5. Should I call this puzzle PUNNY or CHEESY? Spoken, the themes would evoke groans. I liked it but it was a DNF due to a 1/26th chance of ending Norse in Norway. I have never heard of TILSIT and didn't know NORSK. That cross was my only mistake and I left it open. I guess I couldn't put A FETA IN my CAP today. The A HARD TIME did give me a hard time filling it but it still didn't help me finish.

    I also had trouble at the FISCHER-CORA- ARE I intersections- all unknowns.

    Jet Black-I didn't have EBON but INKY but the Roman Numeral year XLI took care of that but I still didn't help fill TILSIT. Especially since I had OLEO for OREO- dirt pie and CHESS PIE were unknowns. I have never heard of either of them ( or zeppole).

    C.C.- Not knowing what state you got your NSF check in, but in LA if someone writes an NSF check for a specific purchase it is considered THEFT and it is a CRIMINAL case. If the NSF check is partial payment or payment on account then it is a CIVIL case. I managed to get a criminal conviction against a man who tried to pull that on my company. He went to jail AND I got our money; took five years but I got it.

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  6. Strip stake refers to the Las Vegas strip not "strip poker"

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  7. -Only one unknown and it did me in, NORSE instead of NORSK. I couldn't see that pun. The puzzle was fun, but the puns were real groaners, not that funny or cute.

    -We say our family's middle name is cheese. We love all kinds, even Tilsit and Limburger.

    -PECAN PIE before CHESS PIE. I have heard of it, but never tasted any.
    I have had ZEPPOLE on St. Joseph's Day. There are many Italian bakeries here.

    -I haven't hard RHUBARB meaning dispute in many years. Is it still used?

    -I do the Cryptoquotes in the paper where we often find L RON Hubbard's quotes.

    -Nice to see EEL not used for sushi. DRAC was my last fill. Meh.

    -Down the shore are many Raw Bars featuring oysters and clams. I don't care for them raw, but love both oysters and clams cooked in any form.

    -I have often seen Oreo dirt cake served in a flower pot with a Gummy worm and artificial flower.

    January 15, 2017 at 9:39 AM

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  8. Surprised we haven't had a musical link for LED zeppole.

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  9. Raw clams and oysters are excellent delivery systems for horseradish, just as steamed lobster is a delivery system for melted butter.

    RHUBARB spoken over and over by three or four actors offstage was used to create the sound of a crowd, since Shakespeare and into the days of radio drama. From there, baseball broadcaster Red Barber would say there's a rhubarb on the field when a bench-clearing brawl broke out.

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  10. Good Morning! Enjoyable puzzle and write-up. I didn't get the Brie pun until C.C. explained it. Got bogged down in the mid-east; I walked away and when I came back all fell into place. Hand up for trying pecan pie first. I thought cheddar boxes were shadow boxes, but C.C.'s interpretation makes more sense.
    Have a lovely day, everyone.

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  11. Good Morning all!

    Loved the cheesy puzzle today, I got hung up in all the same places you did. Thank you C.C. for the write up! I always learn something and appreciate the time and effort you put into it for us.

    @C.C. - I think it would be a little kinder to move the link to the correct grid to the top of the page so frustrated solvers don't have to scroll through all the answers to find it. Also, around here the local DA will go after bad check writers if the amount is over $300. At my work, we called the DA on a client for writing a bad check and found out she had a habit of taking advantage of small businesses. The DA gave her 24 hours to pay the amount in cash or face felony charges. She paid the next day and was told to find a new veterinarian.

    YOU AND I INVOKES this song. I can sing this song perfectly...in my car...alone...others might worry about an injured cat in the area though...

    CHEDDAR's is near to me and I really love their broccoli casserole...cheapish and quick, it's always packed.

    My mom always has homemade ROQUEFORT dressing in the fridge. Roquefort, like Champagne, is only made in a certain region. A few years ago there was a big tariff placed on it and it was impossible to find. Mom was not pleased! All is well now.

    RHUBARB crossed at the dessert clue and I thought there had to be a mistake...of course, it was my ignorance. A quick google search found: "informal:a heated dispute. Rhubarbs often broke out among these less than professional players."


    School is back in session - my final semester! I'll be much happier when it's over!

    Happy Sunday everyone!

    t.

    @TTP - so sorry to hear about your Charlie. It is so difficult to lose a friend, especially a furry one that loves you unconditionally. My thoughts are with you and your grieving heart.

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  12. Good morning!
    I quite enjoyed the puzzle. It was a "Gouda" cheese theme ( insert groan here- that's the only cheesy pun I could think of) :)
    Thank you Ed for the workout and CC for your expo- a delight as always.

    This was tougher than most Sundays for me but I chugged along thankful for perps, WAGs and (gulp) a few cheats. Had never heard of RHUBARB for a heated dispute. Other unknowns were BUMSTEER, TILSIT and NAST

    I also wanted Inky for ONYX. Had A Ton for ALOT, Norse/NORSK, and Can (can) / CHA

    Chess pie is one of my favorite desserts. My Grandmother used to make it. I've tried unsuccessfully - mine always turns out too runny. One of the local chain bakeries here now offers it at my local Kroger grocery store. I don't indulge myself too often though. DH doesn't care for it and I could easily a whole pie by myself. It is decadent- a sugary egg concoction akin to custard but thicker consistency and more sugar than eggs. I've seen it described as " cheesecake without the cheese"- I describe it as heaven on a plate ;)

    Have a great day everyone!
    🐇

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  13. @tawnya- I also love Cheddar's broccoli casserole and pretty much everything else on their menu. Ours is also always packed but worth the wait. Hard to find such great food at reasonable prices and the generous portions ensure we always have leftovers. It is our go to spot for lunches with friends and birthday celebrations when we don't want to break the bank :)

    @TTP - tawnya's kind remarks regarding your dear Charlie reminded me to send my regards as well. There's nothing quite like losing a loyal companion. I still grieve for my little dog Gizmo even tough it's been almost five years since we had to say goodbye to him. After 16 years of having him constantly by my side, having to put him to sleep was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. Grieving for a pet is a unique pain. I hope yours is eased by wonderful memories of your friend.

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  14. Good Morning:

    I'm not crazy about puns but I never met an Ed Sessa puzzle that I didn't like, so all is well. Many w/o's: Norse/Norsk, ebon/onyx, Pug/Pom, eens/eves, ortra/ortro, etc. Guessed wrong at zeppole and filled in Roll Out before perps uncovered Deep Fry. Although I parsed Tells It Like It Is correctly, I never heard of Tilsit cheese. Wasn't keen on whap but it worked. Overall, it was a fun and challenging Sunday solve. (The circus clown/carload entry is unintentionally timely, coinciding with the Ringley Brothers Circus folding their tents after 140+ years.)

    Thanks, Mr. Ed, for tickling our "punny" bones and thanks, CC, for being our gracious guide. (No raw clams for me nor oysters, raw or cooked; I can't get beyond their appearance.)

    TTP, I am so sorry for your loss of Charlie. I doubt that there is not one person in this community who hasn't gone through this sadness, so we share your loss and send you many comforting thoughts.

    Tawnya, the way the time passes so quickly, you'll have that hard-earned BS before you know it! Good luck down the final stretch!

    Have a great day.

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  15. Usually not a fan of the pun themes as a lot of them come across as forced and a little lame, but I enjoyed this one. There's a lot of Food! so of course I would.

    I knew Tilsit, but we called it Tilsiter back in the UK, so the extra "ER" caused me a little head-scratching.

    Thanks for the expo, C.C. I couldn't figure out what "cheddar boxes" could be.

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  16. TTP, I am so sorry I missed your report about Charlie. It is so sad to lose a beloved pet. We had our one and only dog put to sleep and also a well loved cat who stayed by my side every minute I was home. I still miss both after all these years. I haven't replaced either. I feel your pain.

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  17. Musings
    -I had no idea what TILSIT is, but after changing NORSE to NORSK, it make for a very satisfying finish to a challenging puzzle.
    -Our seasonal BIRD BATH accessory
    -RAVING in a RHUBARB/ROW I’ll bet C.C. knows who he is.
    -STAN LEE is often a guest on Big Bang
    -Unlike Ito in the criminal trial, the judge in the OJ civil trial issued a GAG order
    -Three Husker FB coaches have been fired this winter for doing IFFY jobs
    - (1:11) My favorite SKyfall scene with DAME Judith Dench. The vehicle and music EVOKED memories for me
    -College kids LOADING a VW CAR was a 60’s stunt
    -MOWED hay headed for the HAY MOW
    -Trying to change someone’s Idée FIXE on Facebook is pointless
    -What to say and NOT to say to someone who is having A HARD TIME with grief
    -DENALI replacing McKinley is fine by me
    -Joann bristles at having to pay a $2.00 fee at an ATM
    -ATHOS was a MUSKETEER for me. You?

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  18. -Sincere condolences from Joann and me, TTP. We waited 5 years after Muffin (lived to 17) to get Emily (lived to 15) and 10 years more before Lily became our third blue-eyed Siamese. Only time allows us to mitigate the pain with the memories of all the joy they brought us.

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  19. Well, this was a toughie for me and required lots of cheating. But I love Ed Sessa puzzles and this one's cheese theme answers were a hoot and a delight. So thank you, Ed. And C.C., your Sunday comments are always illuminating--thanks for them too. Also loved your picture and story of the COFFER.

    My favorite today: LOCH NESS MUENSTER.

    Never heard of CHESS PIE--I learn something new on the blog every day.

    I bet Tinbeni loved the booze in this puzzle.

    My condolences for the loss of your pup, TTP. We lost Misty (not me, my doxie) to a coyote two years ago and it still makes me sad to think about it.

    Have a great Sunday, everybody!

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  20. TTP, I am so very sorry about your loss. I got tears reading CC's words as I was imagining that sad trip. Dogs give total unconditional love, expecting nothing in return.

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  21. I almost missed the party today but had a nice sleep-in since the PF Chang marathon is running right by our church and morning services were cancelled. I'll go at 3:00 P.M.

    So it was great fun to work on this puzzle as I love puns and I love cheese! They amused me and made me chuckle at each one. Only a few bumps along the way caused me a HARDTIME (which BTW seems so weak for grief which is deep pain) NYT escape me since I didn't recognize the publisher whom I assumed was a foreign one so NYH. Drat!

    How clever of Ed Sessa! Thank you for the enjoyment and thank you, as well, C.C. for your gouda guidance today. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.

    TTP:
    Please accept my condolences on the loss of Charlie, also. I know how you're feeling.

    I hope your Sunday is spectacular, everyone!

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  22. Crossword clue: Cheese that is made backwards?

    Answer: Edam

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  23. Nice job, Mr. Sessa! Great theme execution. Didn't get a couple of the puns until C.C. explained them. By the way, if "batting" shouldn't be part of the clue for RBI (and I agree it shouldn't) then "lunar" should not be part of the clue for LEM.

    Condolences, TTP, and best wishes to you all.

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  24. An interesting tidbit: my Dutch friend recently taught me that "gouda" is pronounced in Dutch as "howda." He laughingly gives me grief, a hard time, when he hears me pronounce it wrong.

    Speaking of cheese, Lucina, did you ever find that Cotswold you craved?

    CrossEyedDave, good one!



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  25. DNF for me today and I came here for answers. Loved the puns. Thanks for the fun Ed and the explanations C.C.

    The NW corner was my downfall. Hand up for Ebon before ONYX, Norse before NORSK, Pecan PIE before CHESS Pie (which I have never seen) and not knowing TILSIT cheese.(Steve, I see that the Canadian National Dairy Code lists it as Tilsiter (Tilsit)so once again we are caught between the British and the American!). I have never heard RHUBARB used to describe a dispute.

    I am not hearing Chatterboxes from CHEDDARBOXES but maybe it is my Canadian accent. I was thinking it was perhaps Cedar Boxes (we call them Hope Chests and they would be a similar idea to C.C.'s COFFER).

    Like YR, I know Dirt cake (nice new clue for OREO) as I made quite a few for birthday parties when my boys were young. I had a clean flower pot and a trowel to dish it out and always put plenty of gummy worms on top.

    I did not know ochs sulzberger and I see that I had Nash instead of NAST and Arms tent instead of ARMY TENT so FIW in the SE also.

    Congrats on making it to the last semester tawnya. Nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Sorry to hear of the loss of your dog, TTP. I have had several cats (one lived to age 15 and one to age 17) and they are still missed and fondly remembered.

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  26. Jayce:
    At TJs I saw Cotswold cheese but it contained onions and chives and since the price is so dear I opted to not buy it not knowing how that would taste. I'll keep looking perhaps when I go to CA to visit my sister. There the TJs is enormous and stocked with many items I don't see here.

    RHUBARB surprised me as well since I've never heard it as a dispute. And in the south I've seen mud pie on the menu, also made with oreos but never dirt cake or CHESSPIE.

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  27. Hello everyone.

    Liked today's theme with the cheese play on words. Eventually got it all with perp assist. Have to do Sunday's on line, so - very few solving notes.
    115a MOW - Lot more to haymaking than mowing. Curing, raking, perhaps tedding, baling, and stowing in the mow.
    72d - NO FEE. My two banks give on-line locations to ATM sites that do not charge a fee. One bank reimburses up to 6 ATM fees per month. Also at least one supermarket in my area allows several hundred $ cash payout with ATM/debit card at checkout. I have not paid a fee for several years.

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  28. Jayce, it is amazing how every country chooses its own peculiar pronunciation of foreign words. Recently I have been hearing TV news readers trying to use the original pronunciations. Many times the original pronunciation is not in our repertoire of phonic sounds and so cannot be exact, however hard we try. Thinking of the foreign languages of which I have at least a passing experience, an exact reproduction is often impossible past toddler age for most of us. Since every country uses its own unique adaptations which have been long established, why don't we stick with our American English version and let them stick with theirs. With any attempt at mimicking the original pronunciations, hundreds of loan words would need to be changed at this late date, with great confusion ensuing, while still not achieving accuracy.

    CE DAVE,best pun of the day,cheese that is made backwards/EDAM. More clever than most.

    Somehow it is comforting to me in times of trouble to know that others have had similar experiences and therefore have some idea of how I am feeling. I hardly ever feel that my own suffering is entirely unique among other sufferers in similar circumstances. Those who have experienced this pain have the ability to relate to my pain vicariously, having experienced that pain themselves. Empathy.

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  29. Jayce - Dutch orthography which is pretty regular gives the g a sound between the hard g and h sound. Like the final g in German genug 'enough' or Zug 'train'. Like the ch in Scottish Loch.

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  30. DNF for me. I knew I was in for trouble as I am not a big cheese guy. Must have spent ten minutes trying to get something on the Green Bay Packers fit the "Cheesehead" clue. Ill accept my DNF with grace with one exception.
    A debugger is NOT a tech ! If they he is referring to software, a good debugger is generally a damn good SW engineer. If he is referring to pest control calling the guy with a giant rat on his truck a "tech" is a bridge too far.

    I thought it cruel to have "swordsman" be exactly the same length as "musketeer". I look first for "fast fills" and this one cost a lot of cross outs in PEN!

    Well back to the worst weekend of the year for a Lions fan. I have to watch how GOOD teams play !

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  31. BTW Rhubarb is an old timey baseball term an was an obvious fill for me. But despite spending much of my career travelling through the old Confederacy ( defense business) I never heard of chess pie and had to look it up when it was the only possibility. It sounds awful...but southern pecan pie or peach cobbler...YUM (103a)

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  32. Jayce- love the tidbit about the correct pronunciation of Gouda! Makes my weak attempt at a cheese pun fall even more flat ;) Always fun to learn new things here.

    Cross EyedDave- lol ! Great one, indeed.

    My apologies if anyone took my comment to TTP about grieving for a pet being a unique pain as something that others don't/can't understand. I believe I worded that wrong - what I meant is that grieving for a lost furry friend is something that is difficult to explain to others and sometimes hard to understand for those who've never been through it or know the special relationship between us humans and our animals. It is also unique because even as we grieve, we may not understand sometimes why the loss of a pet can hit us so hard. I know the depth of it took me by surprise. But why wouldn't it be difficult? Love is love after all and it knows no bounds :) And yes, not many here or anywhere that can't sympathize. I hope that all makes sense. I do have trouble expressing myself clearly sometimes!
    Best wishes to all :)
    🐇

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  33. The last couple days I've made comments about Topper, a funny novel (& movie & TV series) by Thorne Smith involving a dog, and here comes RHUBARB, a funny novel (& movie) by H.Allan Smith involving a cat! Tho looking it up, I also found novels of the same name by Craig Silvey involving a dog (gothic chick-lit?) Stephen Cosgrove involving a dog (children), and several cookbooks.

    billocohoes: you beat me to the mentions of RHUBARB as stage murmurs and baseball. Baseball seems to be nearly the only use of RHUBARB as an argument or brawl.

    No one has mentioned strawberry-RHUBARB pie, to go along with all the other pies today? My Dad grew RHUBARB and loved it, I hated it. RHUBARB leaves are poisonous.

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    Replies
    1. I actually have the book and movie "Rhubarb" in my baseball memorabilia collection. The cat inherits a baseball team. Cute!

      Delete
  34. I love RHUBARB-strawberry PIE! YUM.

    CEDave:
    I agree! LOL! Cheese made backwards.

    At the ATM I also never pay a fee unless I use a commercial bank, which I rarely do. My banking is at the credit union and usually there is one in every place I've visited in the U.S. But most of the time I use my credit card for airline points.

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  35. I also like strawberry-RHUBARB pie. My dad also used to grow RHUBARB. Mom could even make jam out of it. She could make jam out of almost anything, including Jalapeno peppers, prickly pear cactus flowers, and chokecherries which I and my siblings would pick by the bucket. (Don't eat one! They are bitter as heck!) One of my favorite pies is sour cream apple pie from Marie Callender's.

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  36. What's with the 'rhubarb' over RHUBARB. Every bench clearing baseball non-fight was always referred to as a rhubarb.

    Word to the wise from one who had to deal with many large four and five-figure NSF checks over the years. Never be nice when someone owes you money. You'll never get it back. They try to play on you sympathy and come up with one excuse after another.

    All they are doing is trying to take YOUR MONEY. And if it's a relative you will never get it back.

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  37. Too tough for me - tossed it in the fire place after two hours of angry struggle. What a shame, too! A favorite chore for me is to choose two new cheeses from Trader Joe's to carry home for snacks!

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  38. My favorite rendition of TELL IT LIKE IT IS. A classic.

    Oh, so after reading a few of the replies from those who don't like puns, makes me wonder if that's why many of my limericks go without comment. I love puns - the MOE the merrier! 😜

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  39. Greetings from central Florida. We arrived safe and sound his afternoon, but I didn't finish the xw until halftime of the KC/PB game. Tough, but I got it all without help.

    TTP - I ache for you. We lost our rescued racer just before Thanksgiving. We're still grieving, but for Christmas we gave ourselves the decision to get another. Just making that decision has really helped ease our heartbreak. We are going to the rescue kennel near Orlando while we're here, but won't get our grey until April when we are settled back in at home. It takes some time for the vet exam, tooth cleaning and neutering, plus we want her to get used to our home before we introduce her to motorhome travel.

    By the way, when our girl had reached her final day, our wonderful vet came out to our house for that final service. Cost an extra $80, but it was well worth it for her to pass away in her own house surrounded by those who love her.

    Just know that Charlie will be patiently waiting for you at the bridge.

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  40. Sunday Lurk Say...

    TTP - I feel for you pal. My pup, Sinbad, a black lab, was my my best friend though HS. Pop had Sicily and now Tinker (a Choc. Lab) but no pup can replace Sinbad. My condolences mate.

    From Sat - I got the NE & SW corners and AGENT 99. Then gave up and went for a long bike ride [DW is foisting upon me exercise for beer]. JD - hope you had a great day. Happy belated.

    Moe - I Gouda used more puns and/or Cowbell. CED - I'm so going to steal EDAM backwards - too tasty not to.

    Cowboys lost to the Cheese Heads so Houston is happy Dallas won't be coming to our house!

    All the Cheese in today's pzl / expo - I can't not think of the Cheese Shop Sketch.

    Play w/ y'all tomorrow. Cheers, -T

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  41. Yes. Cruel to feed us MUSKETEER. It was quickly obvious that it couldn't fit but messed up the grid.

    The minute I saw 60 I thought of Bobby Fischer but couldn't dredge him up and never noticed that it wasn't TISCHER.

    We had a hatchling escape and Betsy's been in mourning

    OWEN. Good selection today, oops yesterday. I never got to Sunday until this morning and Monday until six.

    Moe, your 'licks are cerebral and artful(not ARTY). I always enjoy them.

    CC, One might BET her BRA in a Strip (Poker) game.

    RBI mightht have been clued: 87A Stat

    WC. Ridiculously late

    Ps. Ed S, great puzzle

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  42. Learning moments with CHESS PIE and TILSIT cheese. Growing up in Maryland it was not far to the South. But never heard of CHESS PIE. Just Pecan PIE which I love.

    Hand up for being stuck with NORSe. When I figured out it was NORSK the final bit fell into place for a FIR.

    When I was a child back east it was a special birthday treat for me to have raw Cherrystone CLAMS. Sometimes I can find them in the fish markets here in California. I also get Giant CLAMS as sushi here.

    Did anyone else get stuck with One TO A Customer before getting PER? Never thought of a PEDAL as a lever. Anyone else stuck on that?

    It was a fun theme!

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