google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Gerry Wildenberg

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Jan 3, 2017

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: See The Light

18. Damning evidence : SMOKING GUN. SUNLIGHT

23. Angler's end-of-line item : FISHING LURE. FIRELIGHT

34. Birchbark mover : CANOE PADDLE. CANDLELIGHT

51. Underground violent-weather refuge : STORM CELLAR. STARLIGHT

57. Bits of extra information ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles : SIDELIGHTS

Melissa here. Clever theme - the circled letters (above in red) on the outsides of the theme answers spell out kinds of LIGHT.  WOW this was beyond a Tuesday level for me and it took me forever to get traction. The first word I felt certain of was 16A EAGLE and then 3D AMNESIAC. I hobbled along from there. Is it wrong that I got all the alcohol references immediately? ROSSI, ALES, GIN.

Across 

1. "C'mon, be __" : A PAL. Tried REAL first.


5. Flightless South American bird : RHEA



9. Clay pigeon hurlers : TRAPS. Trapshooting.


14. Cookbook author Rombauer : IRMA. Not ERMA.


15. Brand at Petco : IAMS


16. Highest-ranking Boy Scout : EAGLE


17. Flutist Herbie or novelist Thomas : MANN



20. Heavy hammer : SLEDGE. Peter Gabriel’s music video for Sledgehammer still holds the record for most awards a single video has won, at nine.


22. Gives holy orders to : ORDAINS

26. Scratch (out) : EKE. Misdirection, made me think of crossing out a word on paper.


27. Burger topper : ONION


28. Currently popular : HOT


29. Martini's partner in vermouth : ROSSI


31. "The Crying Game" actor Stephen : REA


32. Sign between Cancer and Virgo : LEO


33. Sunday bench : PEW

39. "That's amazing!" : WOW


40. Wyo. neighbor : IDA


41. Musician's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.


44. Big strings in the orchestra : CELLI. Not HARPS.


47. TV's Arthur : BEA


48. "24" superagent Jack : BAUER


50. Half a patriotic cheer : USA



54. Garb for the slopes : SKI WEAR


56. "__ Fideles": Christmas carol : ADESTE



60. Aptly named pope : PIUS


61. Chihuahua lady friend : AMIGA


62. Conception : IDEA


63. Coastal city : PORT


64. So far : TO NOW.  Not AS YET.


65. Brewpub pours : ALES


66. Snack machine inserts : ONES

Down

1. Focuses on, as a goal : AIMS FOR


2. Nutty confection : PRALINE


3. Many a soap opera character, after a blow to the head : AMNESIAC. Funny.


4. Lookout's cry : LAND HO. I was thinking along the lines of aiding and abetting, not ships.


5. Awake and about : RISEN


6. Virginia __ : HAM


7. Expressive rock genre : EMO


8. Invite to a movie, perhaps : ASK OUT


9. Offered in payment : TENDERED


10. Sitar music : RAGA


11. Texas A&M team : AGGIES


12. Plops (down) : PLUNKS


13. Martial arts instructor : SENSEI


19. Like some outlet store mdse. : IRR. Irregular.


21. Bombay Sapphire, e.g. : GIN


24. Clarified butter : GHEE. So good.


25. More eccentric : LOOPIER. Not LOONIER.


30. Big-eyed bird : OWL


32. Feeling blue : LOW. Not SAD.


33. High-tech appt. book : PDA


35. Hole-making tool : AWL


36. Legal deterrent to loud neighbors : NOISE LAW


37. Podcast comic Carolla : ADAM



38. Liquid-in-liquid suspension : EMULSION


42. Main movie : FEATURE


43. Puts the cuffs on : ARRESTS


44. Verbally abuse, informally : CUSS AT. Not FUSS AT.


45. __ Pie: ice cream treat : ESKIMO


46. Stocked for future use : LAID IN


47. Noble Italian house that produced two popes : BORGIA. House of Borgia.


48. Sleeping spot : BED


49. Embattled Syrian city : ALEPPO. So sad.


52. Mai __ : TAI


53. Spanish homes : CASAS


55. "And away __!" : WE GO


58. Good cholesterol, for short : HDL. High-density lipoprotein.


59. Three-way intersection : TEE

40 comments:

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Thanks to Gerry and melissa!

Nice puzzle! Dud not have circles, though.

Only unknown was ADAM.

Have a great day!

P.S. I have given up on The Magicians. Too grim.

OwenKL said...

FIW, but with protest! I knew SENSSI was wrong though I wasn't sure of the correct spelling, but how could 26a be anything except EKS?

Worked the Mensa site again, so had the extra pleasure of trying to figure out where the circles were. It didn't take as long as last time, but it did take a while. Ne'ertheless, eventually, I saw the LIGHTS!

FLN: Canon had Dr. Watson married at least twice, but only his first wife Mary Morstan is named. Non-canon stories name his second wife either Mary, Amelia, or Violet.

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

I saw the LIGHTS! I saw the LIGHTS!
CANDLE and STAR to LIGHT up the nights!
HOT, bright SUN to light the day,
Flickering FIRE to keep beasts away!
But it would be a LIGHT ALE that truly delights!

OwenKL said...

If a large flightless bird were out on a lea,
And an actor named Steven flew it over the sea
Because of an offer
From an actress named Arthur,
Would it be BEA's IDEA For REA's RISEN RHEA?

There once was an eccentric croupier
Who wanted the cards to be "soupier".
He had a compulsion
To make an EMULSION
Of a floating card game -- what could be LOOPIER?

The detective story has just begun
When someone PLUNKS down a SMOKING GUN!
But the plot unfolds
As a witness withholds,
And the suspects are narrowed to -- every ONE!

Refugees from bombed ALEPPO
Packed their bags, said "away WE GO!
U.S.A. won't let in
Anyone with swarthy skin --
Might they be more welcomed in Mexico?

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Nice to see AMNESIAC and EMULSION in an early-week puzzle. I also fell into the LOONIER and ERMA traps, and suffered foot injuries with SKI GEAR and NOISE BAN. I've been under the weather the last couple of days, so maybe I should just be happy that I got 'er done. Thanx, Gerry and Melissa. (No, it's not wrong, Melissa, revealing, though.)

thehondohurricane said...


Found today to be a real slow go, especially for an early in the week puzzle. However, a letter here and a word there eventually got it done. Didn't help that I confidently entered a alpo for 15A, but the perps corrected it. Also oleo before GHEE in 24D.

Melissa, I picked up on the booze clues/fills easily. Brought back lots of memories from my "salad" days.

Happy the holidays are in the rear view mirror. Ditto for the bowl games.

unclefred said...

Thanx, GW, for a fine Tuesday offering, and thanx, MB, for a terrific write-up. Just a few minutes over my usual Tuesday time. VIOLA:CELLI. Up all night coughing, blowing my nose, etc. the bartender at my favorite watering-hole, was coughing like crazy several days ago, she claimed it was allergies. I had a suspicion it was not. Second time I've caught a bad cold from her. Gonna hafta change watering-holes. Nice limericks Owen, thanx!

TTP said...


Good morning all. Thanks Gerry and Melissa.

No circles, and filled in so fast that I didn't bother to open the LA TIMES site to see them. Didn't see many of the clues until reading the recap.

Mini religious theme. ORDAINS, PIUS, PEW, Two popes clue

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Agree with Melissa about the relative difficulty. But just wandered around a little and wound up going clockwise and finishing without mishap. Liked the theme.
21d GIN - My favorite is the straight Bombay.
SLEDGE - My Dad could swing a SLEDGE as well as anyone; and never miss. He used it to hammer tapered locust poles into the ground for fence posts. And he would holler out "Hau den Lukas" (clobber Luke), a rough German equivalent to "ring the bell" at the high striker game at a carnival midway.

Big Easy said...

Come on Melissa, be A PAL. It wasn't that hard but I never saw the LIGHT that was described by the circled fills. As the late Jackie Gleason said: 'And away WE GO'. It should have been a speed run for the 'Cornerites'. I only had to make two changes and they were not the unknowns solved by perps- BAUER & ADESTE. The CELLO does have more than one string but today there were multiple CELLOS and since music description is in Italian, it's CELLI.

LOOPY must be a X-word word as I have never seen it elsewhere and never heard anybody say it.
Bombay Sapphire GIN- It holds the distinction of being the only Gin&Tonic drink that I have sent back to the bar and requested another brand. Yuck!
I remember ADAM Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from THE MAN SHOW many years ago.

BunnyM said...

Good morning!

Fun puzzle that I sailed through pretty easily with only a few bumps along the way. Thanks GW for a great offering and theme.

Thanks Melissa for your write up. Especially loved the SLEDGEhammer reference :) Great song that brings back memories of my teen years.

I also had Erma for IRMA, wanted loonier for LOOPIER and was thinking of aiding and abetting for 4D.

Missed the S at the end of strings for 44A so had cello for CELLI. This made 36D "NOOSE" instead of NOISELAW which seemed a bit harsh for loud neighbors, lol ��

Happy Tuesday to all! We're back to warm /rainy here but the cold air is predicted to be upon us soon (sigh). So today I will be bringing in the outdoor Christmas decorations while it's in the 50's and be grateful I'm not freezing :)

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A nice solve with a few potholes and a fun theme. Those darn trees got in the way of the forest again. Open FIRE for FI _ _ _ _ _ _ _ RE didn’t cut it anywhere else.
-My friend uses Preparation H on his FISHING LURE in cold water
-I remember working in those TRAPS for 25¢/hr and wonderful greasy hamburgers
-Is anything sillier and more benign than astrology signs and fortune cookies?
-Were the BORGIA Popes PIOUS?
-Vending machine won’t take the ONE you TENDERED? (:43) You’re welcome! ☺
-A batter is said to have been PLUNKED when a pitcher hits him
-Name the movie with this sadistic SENSEI
-Am I the only one who put GEM first for Bombay Sapphire?
-How TCM announces it (:30)
-Have you ever LAID IN anything when a storm is forecast?

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts":

Too many CSO's to our "missing from action" Tampa-ite Tinbeni: GIN, ALES, PORT. Where is Mr Tin? Is he AWOL?

What others said about VIOLA b4 CELLI, and ERMA b4 IRMA. Interesting that we had ROMbauer for a clue and BAUER for an answer. I'm pretty familiar w Rombauer Wines. Their Chardonnay is a big hit to a certain demographic.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I think I need new glasses as I saw the clue "Give holy orders to" and immediately filled in anoints. Got my sacraments mixed up! Other than that goof, all went smoothly. I'm not familiar with "Side Lights"; is it used the same way as "High Lights?"

Thanks, Gerry, for lighting up a dreary Tuesday and thanks, Melissa, for the cheerful expo.

I haven't watched "Sherlock" yet, but based on the numerous comments, I'm either going to love it or hate it. We'll see soon enough.

I went to the supermarket yesterday and was stunned at the hordes of people shopping. I guess I was wrong in thinking everyone did their shopping before a holiday, not after. Adding insult to injury, the in-store bank was closed. Naturally, Miss Oblivious never gave a thought to the holiday closures. The service desk was kind enough to cash a check so no harm, no foul. (Perhaps the brain needs a checkup, as well as the eyes!)

Have a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

Fun Tuesday even without the circles (and even more clever when I saw the LIGHTS here). Thanks Gerry and melissa bee.
(Irish Miss, I think of SIDE LIGHTS as referring to theatre lighting but apparently they can also be the smaller windows at the side of entrance doors.)

Hand up to Erma before IRMA, Loonier before LOOPIER (which had me scratching my head at the resultant CANOE Noodles!). I didn't know ADAM Corolla which didn't help that area.
Rendered changed to TENDERED when I saw TRAPS. I did fill in CELLI but I'm not sure that I have heard that plural very often.

I too noted the ROSSI, ALES and GIN for Tin.
There were also some interesting similarities I saw with RHEA, REA, BEA and OWL, AWL, AWE.

You won't need HuskerG's link to get a vending machine to accept your ONES in Canada as our Loonies are a coin.

Is this a first for ALEPPO in a CW? Sad that it has become a well-known name for all the wrong reasons. Yes, OwenKl @5:48, many of those Syrian refugees were welcomed into Canada and are approaching their 1st anniversary here.

Rainy here but that's OK as we are in recovery mode after our weekend with the granddaughters.

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed all of this as usual. Thanks Gerry and Melissa.

I came across an old Sherlock Holmes movie on cable with Basil Rathbone about a secret bomb sight being stolen by Nazis. I like those old movies. The only thing about these old 'Sherlocks' that always seems a bit off to me is Sherlock's relationship with Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson. He's such a lovable bumbler that I can't see Sherlock tolerating him very long, especially Cumberbatch's character.

Also, thanks for all of your kind thoughts and good wishes yesterday. I appreciated them very much.

Lucina said...

Today GW offered a smooth alcoholic and religious Tuesday illuminated by SIDELIGHTS. Yes, I saw both those mini themes.

The lives of the BORGIAS make an interesting read about the times, religion, corruption, hypocrisy, etc, etc. Pope Innocent was not as his name suggests and Pope Alexander VI was likely one of the most vile popes ever to sit on Peter's chair. Poor Lucretia BORGIA became a pawn of her father, was married off at 13 and misused throughout her life.

Oops. I, also, CELLO did not ring any bells and though I gasped at NOOSELAW thought it might be a leftover from the wild west days.

Thank you, Gerry Wildenberg and Melissa, too; it's so nice to have you here on a regular basis.

OwenKL:
Well done! Very funny.

Have a happy day, everyone!

Lucina said...

Oops again, That initial sentence in the third paragraph is a bungled revision of my original one which I obviously didn't edit well.

I meant, Cello didn't ring any bells with me . . .

Yellowrocks said...

Not that difficult today. Rendered before tendered. "Render unto Caesar..." Aha TRAPS, not RRAPS. I solved it while waiting for Alan's MRI of the brain to be completed. Then off for his PROLIA injection. What would we do without Medicaid? We would be out on the street.
I use and hear LOOPY. She really has a loopy take on life.
With SUN and FIRE I was expecting HEAT as the theme, not LIGHT, until STAR and CANDLE lit the way. Reminds me of the politicians who produce more HEAT than LIGHT.
I think of sidelight as a piece of incidental information that helps to clarify or enliven a subject. It also could refer to glass panes beside a door or running lights on the side of a boat.
I read a fascinating historical novel about Lucretia Borgia. As Lucina said, Lucretia was misused throughout her life and according to the novel was not nearly as vile as she is often portrayed to be. I thought of the same examples of impious popes.
I am glad that the visiting, cooking, hosting part of Christmas is over, but I love hanging onto my bright cheery decorations, at least until this weekend.
Feel better soon, DO and unclefred.

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

I too found this a bit crunchy for a Tuesday but all's well that ends that way. Thanks Gerry for the offering and Melissa for the writeup (don't worry - I knew all the booze too ++ Mai TAI). SIDE LIGHTS is a new phrase for me - never heard it.

WOs: Hands up for rENDERS, fUSS AT. Also I misspelt Inuit, er ESKaMO pie.
Sparkle - AMNESIAC, PRALINE, PLUNKS

EAGLE - my one life regret is not finishing that... I figure I'm pretty lucky if that's the only regret I have.

Fav: SENSEI just 'cuz that's my T-Shirt today: "Sensor Sensei." I AMS monitoring :-). [and I know your movie ref. HG]

Is Virginia HAM like Vermont Syrup? Something they're know for?
Anyone else think PDA is passé and needs retirement? I miss my Treo 650 but C'mon PAL.

Bombay is usually served on flights and is passable. My druthers - Beefeater. Either way, it gets me LOOPIER and I can snooze until we land.

{B,C,C,B,C}

Bunny M - LOL punishment for noisy neighbors.

Lucina - CELLI don't ring bells SLEDGES do :-)

HG - b/f a hurricane we LAY IN water, batteries, and Pop-Tarts. The Girls get so excited for a STORM - it's the only time they get Pop-Tarts.

Cheers, -T

AnonymousPVX said...

A crunchy first Tuesday for 2017 but well clued and thus the solve. No issues.

Jayce said...

Fun puzzle with some nice sparkly entries. Overthought the theme so didn't get it until melissa's explanation. I also immediately knew all the alcoholic beverage answers. I had seen Adam Corolla on Dancing With The Stars a few years ago and somehow remembered him, perhaps because I was intrigued that his last name is also the name of a car. Starting off with "C'mon, be __" put me off a little bit because of it's vagueness ("Sheesh, that could be anything!") I wanted NICE at first, so started off on the wrong foot. A three-letter astrological sign? Gotta be LEO (also the name of a pope.) Enjoyable puzzle.

oc4beach said...


No circles on the Mensa site, so I didn't see the light. But Gerry produced a nice Tuesday level puzzle that was solvable. MB's expo cleared up a number of clues that were answered with perps.

I had most of the same hitches that others had. VIOLA vs CELLI, ERMA vs IRMA, ASYET vs TONOW, etc. but as mentioned above, perps took care of them eventually.

RetFizz from yesterday: Your comments were read. I was rooting for the other team. Too bad PSU didn't win, but it was a good game. Better than any of the other bowl games over the weekend. I know what you mean about rooting for the teams in your conference, it just doesn't seem right because you have been rooting against them all season. Oh well, for me, college football is over for this season. I don't care about the National Championship game. The selection committee got the two teams that they wanted in the game anyhow so they can look very smart for picking numbers 1 and 2.

Enjoy the New Year everyone.

Misty said...

During my first run-through I thought 'This is a Tuesday puzzle? Really?' But then in spite of its crunchiness it all fell into place, and in the end I got the whole thing without any cheating or errors! Yay! Hurray! Many thanks, Gerry, and you too, Melissa, for your always fun expo.

Religion really helped me in this one: I got ORDAINS, PIUS, ADESTE, and BORGIA without any problems. I enjoyed all the food and drink references too: IRMA ROMBAUER (I too first had ERMA),PRALINE, ESKIMO PIES, and the GIN, ALES and PORT (wait, that's a coastal city, not a brew).

Great fun on an otherwise gloomy day. Have a relaxed and great one, everybody!

Bluehen said...

Boy, talk about being in my wheelhouse! Trapshooting, smoking guns, scouting, fishing, canoeing, skiing; as well as pralines, ham, onion, ghee, Eskimo pie; and the always popular gin, mai tais, ales, port, Martini and Rossi. Hmm. . .gin, vermouth and onion. I wonder what I'll toast the sunset with?
I remembered the proper spelling of Irma because I have two of the cookbooks she collaborated on with Julia Child, and Erma Bombeck once stated that her mom must be the only person on earth who could misspell Irma.
While it's true that a liquid-in-liquid suspension is an emulsion (think mayonnaise), that is far from the only kind. Smoke, for example, is an emulsion of a solid in a gas.
Am really getting tired of this dark, damp, drizzly, chilly weather. Give me a proper cold snap anytime. Thank goodness for football on the DVR.
I got a sous vide pod for Christmas, and promptly cooked our roast beast with it. Outstanding results. A slight sear on the outside and bright pink throughout. Tender as a mother's heart. Where has this been all my life? Having the leftover roast as French dips tonight.
Gotta go. Cya!

Bill G. said...

AnonT, Virginia ham is an acquired taste. I like it in small doses. It's very salty and sometimes dry. Maple syrup, on the other hand, is wonderful stuff. I have sometimes taken a very small bottle with me when we go out for breakfast. Only one local restaurant serves it if you request it, with a small additional charge.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Thanks Melissa and Gerry!

We watched the new Sherlock last night, and I followed it with a late night viewing of an old Basil Rathbone film, The Woman in Green. I like the old ones because I can let my brain rest, especially after leaning in and perching on the edge of my seat for an hour with Mr. Cumberbatch. I do enjoy the new ones too, but they make me feel I'm in a game of matching wits with their writers and actors.
I agree with Bill G. that Nigel Bruce wouldn't stand a chance with our newest Sherlock, but I never try to fit them into the same world.

Lucina said...

AnonT:
LOL! My first idea was was CELLO didn't pull any strings for me, but thought it too much of a groaner.

I hope you feel better Uncle Fred and d-o.

To help me recall some names such as Iman, Imam, Irma and Erma I use mental tricks for their names. Though she is a woman, Iman says I-man, and Imam says, I-mam but is a man. Irma the cookbook author says I-r-ma(Rombauer) and Erma, the comedic author says, Er-ma, are you laughing yet?

I know, it's long but believe me, it helps.

YR:
We might have read the same novel. Historians believe Lucretia's reputation was further smeared by Vitor Hugo's play and others adapted from it.

Ol' Man Keith said...

My stepfather loved his Virginia Ham. He grew up in Newport News and had to have a ham shipped out to our home in San Francisco every year. It stayed in he pantry, and he would slice off bits and chunks of it as the mood struck.
No one else in the family (incl yrs truly) vied with him for any of it. We had each tried it--once.
Years later I lived in Virginia (Richmond), but my taste never changed to accommodate the geography. By then I had become something of a ham connoisseur. I'd made a number of hiking trips through parts of Europe, and had learned (early and quickly) that the easiest meal to order from grocers, lunch rooms, or Stubes was a ham sandwich (un sandwich jambon, s'il vous plaît).
You'd get the local version of jambon, so making comparisons was easy. My favorite--then and now--was Italian, prosciutto di Parma. To this day, my favorite appetizer, or full meal for that matter, is prosciutto e melone. When the curing is perfect and the melon is fresh, there is nothing better on this earth.
Lately, I have added Honey-baked ham to my list, especially for holiday meals. It cannot displace prosciutto, but it joins it, although decidedly in second place. I appreciate its sweetness; it seems an appropriate luxury for celebratory occasions.

Lemonade714 said...

SHERLOCK is definitely an new spin on the Doyle books. It was interesting to Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington together havvin READ of their split in real life.

The puzzle was clever and the write up grand

CrossEyedDave said...

Sidelights?

I dunno about these sidelights...

These sidelights just get worse and worse...

Maybe it's time to pull the plug...

Definitely...

Hungry Mother said...

The theme helped a bit, but I found it generally easy. Also had "loonier" at first. Nice puzzle.

Anonymous T said...

Bill G. - So Virginia Ham is a salted / cured ham that doesn't need refrigeration? Like the ones you see hanging at the country biscuit & gravy breakfast places? I always thought those were props. Never had it.

OMK - Prosciutto? Now we're talkin'. A bit of that, blue cheese, crackers and a Red at the end of an afternoon.... Heaven [and my plans for retirement :-)].

Bluehen - welcome to the world of perfect meat! Steve convinced me a year or so ago so DW got me one. I used it last night for steaks, cut on a bias, over a bed of lettuce [It is a new year - eat more green :-)]. Hit it w/ a blow-torch (how much fun is that!?!) and a drizzle of basalmic... Yum!

CED is back in all his glory! Welcome back.

Oh, right, the puzzle. How many AMIGA fan-bois did you know?.

Q. How do you know someone had an AMIGA?
A. Don't worry, they'll tell you.

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Because I'm a dolt, I
A) (still) don't know how bleu cheese is spelt so I had to look it up and
2) forgot to post the link.

My fav bit is Nash's quote. C, -T

Boo LuQuette AKA Boudreaux in Eunice, La. said...

Chairman Moe

Tin said a while back he was going to Russia for inventory. Well he said the Red Square so I'm thinking Russia ~!~!

CrossEyedDave said...

Just as an alternative view...

This sunlight thing can be kind of creepy...

Candlelight,,, an alternative view...

Starlight?

Firelight?

& speaking of hot stuff, for you demotivational linkers,
Here is some hot pussy!
(hey, we're in alternative view mode here, remember?)

Chairman Moe said...

Boo luquette @ 5:29 --->

This is not of my hand, but I saw this limerick today and your last post made me recall it. Maybe it'll garner a few laughs here at the Corner, even though it is borderline politically based:


Salad Dressing's the dinner discussion;
And Trump's waiter endured repercussion.
Waiter asked Trump his choice.
Donald then raised his voice,
As he shouted: "Not French! I like Russian!"

;^)

Wilbur Charles said...

It's all been said except A MAN. Spotting the theme helped as it gave me CANDLE and that last C led to AMNESIAC.

Then I started filling. ? Where does 'Aptly named' end and eponymous begin?

As in PIUS. There were 12 of them. The last was a man in the middle.

Owen, you had some B+s in there. Also, thanks C-Moe for a few laughs

Again, like yesterday, there's no rule against making the corner work on Monday and Tuesday. Part of it is different cluing and different words.

I too had GEM instead of GIN. It's almost enough to bring me back to drinking.

I got to recite 'Maitre Renard and 'Maitre Corbeau' to a Quebec family. I ran out of gas at 'A CES mots le corbeau...(started to sing thus dropping the fromage)

Ilk

Wilbur Charles said...

Ps. La Fontaine didn't mention if the fromage was BLEU

WC. Ilk was a typo. Good xword though

Yellowrocks said...

Chairman Mao. Great LOL

Anonymous said...

Chairman Mao, that poem is 'borderline politically based' just as Kim Kardashian is 'borderline surgically faced' but, no worries, your amongst friends here.