google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, May 15, 2017 Mark McClain

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May 15, 2017

Monday, May 15, 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: A Twofer - Two answers for one reveal.

17A. *Handyman's forte: REPAIR WORK. Home repair, homework.

22A. *Sports industry mogul: TEAM OWNER. Home team, home owner.

37A. *Frolic unrestrained: RUN FREE. Home run, home free.

50A. *Where the biggest headlines are: FRONT PAGE. Home front, home page.

60A. Game one for season ticket holders ... or, literally, what each word in the answers to starred clues can have: HOME OPENER

Argyle here. Simple yet elegant Monday. A simple solve with no need for the reveal but so much more with the reveal.

Across:

1. Beach sidler: CRAB. I started out slow because I couldn't picture a sidler.



5. Heroic exploit: GEST

9. Donald Duck, to his nephews: "UNCA"

13. Prefix for an intoxicating weed: LOCO

14. "Republic" philosopher: PLATO. Start with the Classic and follow-up with ....
15. Modernists, informally: NEOs

16. Part of NYSE: Abbr.: EXCH. (New York Stock Exchange)

19. Rich person's suffix: AIRE. Millionaire, for starters.

20. __ about: circa: ON OR

21. Sty calls: OINKS. Helps to be a farm boy today.

24. Kitchen invader: ANT

25. Youthful bar patrons are usually asked for them: IDs "Let's see some identification"

26. Cows' milk glands: UDDERS. It is what IDs them as cows.


29. Whence chocolate: CACAO. Not brown cows?!

32. Has lunch, say: EATS

35. Organ knob: STOP. No snickering, please.

36. Gray hue: ASH

40. Mandela's land: Abbr.: RSA. (Republic of South Africa)

41. Old Italian coin: LIRA

43. Jazz singer James: ETTA

44. Arthritis detectors: X-RAYS

46. For the most part: MAINLY

48. Soul automaker: KIA. Straight forward clue today.

49. Phys. or entom.: SCI. Physics or Entomology, Sciences.

56. "__ we meet again": UNTIL

58. Gambling city near Tahoe: RENO


59. Trampled (on): TROD

62. Responsibility: ONUS

63. Algerian seaport: ORAN. Lots of info here.


64. Bleak, in verse: DREAR

65. Take the bus: RIDE

66. "... why __ thou forsaken me?": Matthew: HAST

67. Experience, as emotions: FEEL

68. Ball-balancing circus animal: SEAL

Down:

1. Soccer shoe's turf grabber: CLEAT

2. 51-Down's "Chicago" role: ROXIE. 51-Down. "Chicago" co-star Zellweger: RENEE

3. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA

4. Czech Republic region: BOHEMIARegions of the Czech Republic

5. Mercury Seven astronaut John: GLENN

6. How "The Raven" poet signed some of his letters: EAPOE. Edgar Allan Poe knew DREAR.

7. Drummer Ringo: STARR

8. You, in French: TOI

9. Kicks back: UNWINDS

10. Colorful aquarium fish: NEON TETRA

11. Wine stopper: CORK

12. Questions: ASKS

14. Ship fronts: PROWS but 33-Down. Back at sea?: AFT

18. "__ trip!": "Let's travel!": ROAD

23. Smell: ODOR

26. Take advantage of: USE

27. Optimistic: ROSY

28. Restful resorts: SPAs

29. Not windy: CALM

30. Tibet's continent: ASIA

31. "Holiday Inn" holiday: CHRISTMAS. White Christmas (1954) was an extremely loose remake of Holiday Inn (1942).

32. Tolkien tree creature: ENT



34. __-la-la: TRA

38. Driver's one-eighty: U-EY

39. Leave the stage: EXIT. "Stage left even."

42. Really old: ANCIENT

45. Hawks and eagles: RAPTORS

47. Stitch's movie pal: LILO

48. Big name in packaged soup: KNORR
50. French brother: FRÈRE

52. Shaq of the NBA: O'NEAL

53. Golf great with an "army": ARNIE. Palmer.

54. Mild Dutch cheese: GOUDA

55. Ford flop: EDSEL

56. "Here comes trouble!": "UH-OH!"

57. Romance novelist Roberts: NORA

61. Adobe file format: PDF. (Portable Document Format)


Argyle

46 comments:

OwenKL said...

The prescience of the Blog: it's May, but Yellowrocks mentioned CHRISTMAS yesterday anyway.
C.Moe, I'm not really comfortable with your using my name for your poems. How about joining Wilbur and me in advocating for l'ick vs. 'lick.
5a brought to mind Beau Gest.
No snickering?

{A, B+, B-.}

I wonder how the philosopher, PLATO,
Would react if ever he visited RENO.
In those cave-like spots,
Lit by flickering slots,
Would his GEST for Ideals drive him LOCO?

(If anyone needs this first one explained, I'll let someone else do it.)

There once was a Scotsman from CORK.
Surrounded by the Irish, of course.
Said, "My accent's unique
Just like what I EATS,
I drink poteen while haggis I fork!

I drink milk more often than others.
But at breakfast, I don't think about UDDERS.
The drink's clean and fresh
From a feedlot that's ecch,
To judge by the dairy-AIRE ODORS!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yes, I got the puzzle. No, I didn't get the theme, as usual. But it was a nice Monday outing. Thanks, Mark. That "Beach sidler" reminded me of the saga of Herman and Sally (4:04).

Interesting that there's a Central Bohemia and South Bohemia, but no North Bohemia. Shades of Oberammergau!

I didn't recognize KNORR as a soup maker, but I am familiar with their sauce mixes.

You did make me snicker, Argyle. You, too, OwenKL.

inanehiker said...

I am always amazed when a constructor can make both the words in a phrase have a starting word that easily fits with both of them. Good job Mark!

Only unknown which was filled by perps was LOCO - I had never heard of LOCOweed as slang for marijuana or for a weed that makes cows crazy when they eat it! Lots of easier cluing for LOCO - felt more like a Thursday clue, but probably because it wasn't in my wheelhouse!

Thanks Argyle! On to work!

Jinx in Norfolk said...

I'm glad Santa found this one to be easy. I struggled. I haven't seen many CRABs on the beach, but I have seen tons of ClAms. That broke lOXIE and mOHEMIA. Also didn't know DREAR, LILO, or KNORR (except jars). A guttural grunt (UHOH) and a French lesson (TOI) complete this basket of Monday deplorables.

Congrats to everyone else who found this one a snap. Maybe I've inhaled too much diesel fumes on my trek. We made it across the challenging West Virginia Turnpike safely, and are now in the relatively flat area in southern Indiana.

thehondohurricane said...


Deleted my initial posting because the spelling and lingo were awful. I too did not get the theme, but I got the solve. The North had me cursing a bit. GEST, TOI, even PLATO not Monday clues for me. After sussing thru that section, the rest easily came together.

MJ said...

Good day to all!

Fun puzzle, great theme execution, though I definitely needed the reveal to see it. Favorite clue/answer was "Back at sea?" for AFT. I guess I was just on Mark's wavelength today as I found this to be a total speed run. Thanks for the expo, Argyle.

Enjoy the day!

TTP said...


Good morning all. Thank you Mark and thank you Argyle. Read about ORAN and the Czech Republic regions. Then read about Pilsner Urquell.

Noticed some clues and answers in the write up that I never saw in the puzzle. For me, that rarely happens on Friday and Saturday.

Like MJ, it was fast, and I needed the reveal to see that each word had HOME as an OPENER.

"RUN FREE, as free as the wind blows..." Didn't Andy Williams have a song with those lyrics ?

Youthful bar patrons are usually asked for them ? IDs. I was actually carded a few years ago buying beer at a store. She apologized as she asked, explaining that it was store policy that everyone is carded, and that she could be fired for failing to ask.

ANCIENT - Really old people shouldn't be carded. I was asked to enter my birthdate before I could enter the Pilsner Urquell website.

KNORR - We are frequent buyers of their sauce mixes, and their 'Rice Sides' and 'Pasta Sides' mixes, but infrequent buyers of their soup mixes. I especially like the Butter and Herb, and the Alfredo pasta side dishes.

FLN, Yellowrocks, how nice of your son and daughter in law to make roast prime rib of beef and Yorkshire pudding for you each Christmas on your birthday. I use Paula Deen's "Foolproof Standing Rib Roast" recipe and Alton Brown's "Yorkshire Pudding with Roast" recipe. So simple.

Yellowrocks said...

It is always encouraging when 1D and 1A can be filled immediately, cleat and crab. Crab is the first thing that pops into my head with sidle. MJ, I. too, felt I was on Mark's wave length, a speed run. LILO and TOI have become crosswordese.
We use KNORR soup mix for spinach dip with water chestnuts, a big hit.
Beau Geste is a novel and movie about the French Foreign Legion. Years ago I looked up the meaning of Beau Geste.
"Gleams of sun were striking through the hurrying clouds, and the forest now looked less grey and drear." J.R.R. Tolkien THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2004)
"The forest where Faramir had stood seemed empty and drear, as if a dream had passed." J.R.R. Tolkien THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2004)
Novels to the rescue again. In several westerns I have read about loco weed that poisons cattle and horses.
I was seriously carded until I was 40. Now I am carded because of the ridiculous policy of carding everyone..

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Lot of white on the top tier first pass thru left me feeling, "This is a Monday?" I had CRAB & UNCA. Did downs and quickly got the NE to the bottom & worked back up. Nice one, Mark.

Thanks, Argyle. Enjoyed the info on Bohemia. Had a little settlement of Czechs in our county who had a Bohemian Hall where raucous Saturday dances occurred. My mother forbid me to go there in my "ute".

When I got the theme, I also tried to blend OPENER into the STARRed answers. Duh!

LOCO evaded me although I seem to have an affinity for the word. Marijuana isn't LOCOweed to a stockman -- that's called wacky tobaccy. LOCOweed is more poisonous. Our pastures didn't have that problem.

Frolic unrestrained was RUN FREE not "sans bra". TTP, I think you are thinking of the song "Born FREE" with those lyrics.

Rich person's suffix took a couple perps. Duh! Not wealthy enough to know it, I guess.

GEST? Surely you jest. However, I did have a Classics Comic Book of Beau Geste as a kid so it made sense once filled.

Never used KNORR mixes. Don't know if we have them here.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Pretty easy today. No searches or strikethroughs needed. Our ship front was always "the bow". I think PROW was more common on the older sailing ships. (I have no trouble with the clue.)

desper-otto said...

TTP, it was "Born Free", not "Run Free." Around here you'll get carded if you appear to be younger than 40. No chance of that in my case. In my ute you needed a Wisconsin ID Card to enter a beer bar -- you could drink 3.2 beer at 18 but no hard liquor until 21. The checkers at the bar entrance demanded an ID Card, regardless of apparent age. The state didn't have a photo-id driver's license at that time, so a DL wasn't considered a valid ID.

YR, why do you suppose those LOTR quotes are dated 2004? The book was released in '78 and the last of the movie trilogy was released in '03.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was certainly an easy, breezy offering but, due to not reading the reveal clue thoroughly, I saw only the first word in the theme answers as fitting but completely overlooked the second word. New glasses or new brain needed? Anyway, it was a quick and fun solve.

Thanks, Mark, for the "double-header" and thanks, Argyle, for being our "Home Team" on Mondays and Tuesdays!

Have a great day.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Nice Puzzle for me today. Thanks, Mark. My favorite today was "Back at sea."

Nice work, Argyle. Thank you.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

desper-otto said...

Correction: Actually the LOTR books were originally published in three volumes in '54-'55. They became really popular in the '60s. I remember reading them while on leave from the Navy in the '68. Our siamese cat of that time was named Frodo.

Chairman Moe said...

"Puzzling Thoughts" (the penultimate post):

Owen, no problem - sorry if I made you uncomfortable

WC ---> from last night: TOI were correct about my Miss Piggy Moe-Ku

No CRABbing from. Me about today's puzzle. No egregious errors or write-overs; GEST and TOI were WAGS, and I spelled UEY as UEE, but was easily corrected when MAINLY appeared

Lots of punny possibilities today, but for my limerick I chose:

A budding young hooker named ROXIE,
Whose talents include having moxie,
When asked to prostitute,
Instead, used substitute.
She hooked up with her johns by proxy

My Moe-Ku:

New band formed, starring
Kanye West and The Eagles.
They're called The RAPTORS

CanadianEh! said...

Straight-forward solve today with just a few crunchy areas. Thanks for the fun, Mark and Argyle. I got the theme with no problem.

GEST was all perps. I had Antique before ANCIENT.
Was 17A a CSO to HANDYMAN TTP?
45D could have been clued "Toronto basketball team" but maybe not on a Monday.

DH and I saw 3 UEYS performed badly in front of us on the streets yesterday. What are drivers thinking?!
We had Doth yesterday and HAST today.

Speaking of yesterday, the Milk of Mag antacid/laxative conversation reminded me of a Lunch and Learn that I presented to nurses on the topic of Medications for Constipation. I observed afterward that none of the nurses in attendance batted an eyelash at the appropriateness of the topic while they were eating their sandwiches! Nurses are a breed of their own, eh, tawna?!

Off to enjoy the sunshine and do some gardening in preparation for planting next week.

Lucina said...

I agree that this was a fun and easy romp and I even got the theme on both words.

Thank you, Mark and Argyle. I'll go back and check the links.

I'm expecting my roofing guy because there is a slight leak in the living room. It barely rained last week but the water came through. When he reroofed he gave a ten year warranty.

Have a special day, everyone!

C6D6 Peg said...

Thanks, Mark, for a nice Monday offering. Great job on the two-word tie-ins.

Argyle, as always, a nice write-up, with lots of pics of places. Love those!

CrossEyedDave said...

The Prow, as opposed to the bow, is the front part of the ship above water.

Here is a more descriptive view...

Home opener... Hmm, reminds me of my DIY experiences...

Lucina said...

Interestingly, today is k.t. oslin's birthday. Until yesterday's puzzle I had never heard of her. She is 75.

desper-otto said...

Lucina, listen to this one. Maybe next time you'll remember K.T. Oslin: Do Ya?

Argyle said...

I guess kt has a sense of humor. Come Next Monday.

I'll add it to my write-up.

Argyle said...

Wait, I didn't write-up yesterday's.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Some teachers assign 40 HOMEWORK problems when 10 would be just fine
-Lyrics - “After nine days I let the horse RUN FREE, 'Cause the desert had turned to sea” and “Happy trails to you, UNTIL we meet again
-ID required at this grocrey store no matter what
-Our Arlington Cemetery guide saw my NASA hat in March and said, “John GLENN will be here next week.” Of course I knew he had died and it took about 5 heartbeats to realize what he meant.
-Making CORKS
-A lady doing a RAPTOR show at our school emphasized, “These birds will never be your friends!”
-We have Sioux City IA, North Sioux City, SD and South Sioux City, NE just up the road
-MIL thinks all immigrants should speak English today although her mother from BOHEMIA never did
-Off to make lunch, how do you like your hot dogs?

Misty said...

Not a speed run, but I had no trouble slowly filling in the whole thing, even though I got GEST only with perps. Many thanks for a fun Monday puzzle, Mark. Argyle, I loved seeing a picture of ORAN. I've heard of the place but always pictured it as a little town of some sort, not as an amazing shore line like that.

Irish Miss, I too got the first theme word but didn't notice the second one until Argyle's expo.

Well, after a blessed Mother's Day without a single Robo-call, I got the first one today while I was still in the shower. Grrrrr. Wish a law would be enacted to make them stop invading our privacy.

Have a great week, everybody!

Mark McClain said...

Thanks, Argyle, for the nice write-up of this puzzle. Uncharacteristically there doesn't seem to be a clue or entry that elicits an explanation from me, so I'll just confess that this puzzle started out completely differently using a style of theme that is more or less out of fashion. Rich suggested a change of direction that I was happy to take, resulting in the puzzle you saw today. The other one didn't die; however, but rather ended up in the latest volume of my Unplugged Crosswords (#3) which was just published last month. If anyone reading this post would like to see that puzzle, just email me at mcclain.salem@gmail.com and I'll be glad to send you a printable copy (or, of course you could buy the book, but I can't plug it because the title is (drum roll) "Unplugged Crosswords"!

AnonymousPVX said...

A nice and well thought out puzzle this Monday. I paid no attention to the theme/ gimmick as it in no way made the puzzle solve harder or interfered in any way. If you have to have a gimmick this is the only way to have one.

JD said...

Good morning, seemed like a typical start to the week with only my brain not functioning on some needed spelling, like O'neil> O'neal and Lila >Lilo...and then there was cleat...ee?ete?? It seems those former A+ spelling cells are dying off.

Had to use perps for Oran, and change hulls to prows as soon as I filled in Glenn.

I remember when the BillionAIRES took over the beach front property on Lake Shore Blvd. at Lake Tahoe' Incline Village and the millionAIRES moved across the street.Pretty soon the Trillionaires will be running the billionaires off that lake front property.

Misty, we had a day without robocalls too, although I think I was given promises of wealth thru the internet if I would just send them money so they could capture all my information. Luckily that stuff just goes into spam. No way to stop that phone from ringing.

desper-otto said...

I've mentioned it before...get yourself a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone service. I use Vonage. Then you can sign up for the free NoMoRobo service. It catches most robo calls on the first ring. Throughout the day my phone rings just once several times -- NoMoRobo answers those calls and hangs up on 'em. The real calls get through. The secret is to never answer your phone on the first ring. Sure works for me.

Wilbur Charles said...

The English publication was the early 50s. Ballentine picked it up in paperback circa '65 and it ran AMOK*
There were pirate editions which drove JRR crazy

*My first choice on 37A

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha
I counted them, all out loud. I'm at a Starbucks*

*Where people notice but never stare
(Nor OGLE, nor LEER)

WC

CrossEyedDave said...

Argyle,

Loved that "come next monday"link!

Bluehen said...

This was an interesting puzzle with an intriguing theme and just enough crunch to keep it from being a speed run. Well done, Mr. McClain, and thanks for stopping by. I'll have to admit an admiration for people who can construct like that. Brilliant expo as always, Argyle. I like the pictures of the places you post. Very entertaining.

TTP FLN, Thanks for the kind words, but I'm afraid you give me far too much credit. I have never been a professional cook, just a dedicated amateur. I cook because I like to, not because I have to, and that is why I have never been tempted to "go pro".
I do most of the cooking at home, but I'm sure many cornerites do as well. I cook for most of our lodge functions, but (from the top of my head) so does Abejo for his lodge. I'm the primary cook for our tailgating crew, but only because I have the time and inclination to barbeque (low and slow smoking, not grilling) and make big dishes like chili and Brunswick stew. I'm certainly not the only good cook in the crew.
While it's true that I plan our menu a month in advance (I sure don't remember posting about that) it's mostly family style comfort food, nothing fancy. Tonight, for example, we are having cream of potato soup (DW's favorite) and Caprese panini, which are nothing more than grilled mozzarella sandwiches with tomato and pesto, and pressed as they cook. The inspiration was "If the Italians had created grilled cheese sandwiches first, what would they be like?"
This is a pretty long-winded post for me. I'm outta here. Cya!

Wilbur Charles said...

Owen. I'm short of time but the hidden theme you referred to with PLATO

is the allegory of the caves. Here is my verse take on Plato's theme:

In the land of the blind
The one-eyed reign
Or so the sages speak
But in the land of the one-eyed men
The two-eyed man is a freak

WC

Be back later. Argyle and Mark, a great combination

Jayce said...

Excellent puzzle and write-up. Fave clue was "Back at sea."

Bill G said...

Mark, thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed your puzzle and I especially appreciated hearing from you.

Misty, when you are trying to get your anti-robo call law enacted, you can count on my support.

I think I'm starting to dislike many politicians about as much as used-car salesmen.

Spitzboov said...

Just so you know, C.C. has a cw in todays WSJ. I just completed it; I would rate it ~ Tues. level in difficulty by LAT standards.

Wilbur Charles said...

Let's see what spell check likes better l'ick or 'lick. It's a tie l'ick it is. As far as l'icks go Owen is not only remarkable in his imagination and creativity but actually marketable.

Moe on the other hand has mastered the pun-ku. Wilbur on the other hand. .
Let's give it a try:

Harlem's pride were ETTA and Ella
One sang SCAT the other Acapella.

At the Bum's HOME OPENER
It was the TEAM OWNER

Who said "Meet Roy Campenella".

Matt Batts was the opposing catcher.

Re. HORSE etc. Don Henley was interviewed on NPR and refused to admit that Hotel California was all about drugs. Duh.

Anybody else have Windows XP? Can you believe the only thing of value is my old poetry. Owen and C-Moe: If you were drinking coffee when you read that I'll pay for the cleaning

WC

Misty said...

Thank you all for the sympathy and suggestions about dealing with the Robo-calls. I've tried a service already, but it didn't work, so I'll probably just go on hearing them without picking up the phone. I just have to trust that people I know who want to talk to me will leave me a message. But I needed, and appreciated, the sympathy today.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Misty, on your greeting message you can record a SIT (Special Information Tone) that tells most robocallers (and other machines) that your number has been disconnected. Some folks report decreases in repeated calls using this method. Its that "doo-daa-dee" sound you hear when YOU call a disconnected number. You can get this tone free on the internet via your favorite search engine. I was going to do this, but when I added up how much we were paying for landline service I just disconnected and now only have cell service. By the way, the taxes and fees were about equal to the actual telco landline service charge. I use an app called Truecaller to reduce spam calls on the cell phone and am very happy with it. (When 5G cellular technology comes to my area I'll say goodbye to my ISP too.)

OwenKL said...

I agree the puzzle was crunchy for a Monday. I thought I was going to have a DNF in the NW when I didn't know ROXIE nor ACCRA, And took a long time to figure out LOCO (I was stuck on marijuana, which is a whole 'nuther animal! Uh, plant) or AIRE. I did get the theme, both words, early -- an unusual thing for me with this type of clue!

Wilbur: Your Plato-inspired poem (a quatrain, with the first two lines run together) was indeed inspired!

The Harlem couplet was also very good if it was by itself, but I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be together with the non-sequitur baseball bit under it.

Moe: your ROXIE l'ick was great! The grammar was a bit FREE/LOCO, but the story was clear and entertaining! The story is more important than the technicalities, IMHO! Usually your low-kus are your forte!

Mark, thanks for stopping by. You're welcome here even when the puzzle isn't yours!

Anonymous T said...

Hi all!

This was not a speed run for me, esp. In the NW w/ ROXIE (WAG w/ R-XI-), ACCRA (ESP) and BOHEMIA is not near Bosnia. Thanks Mark for a Monday I had to poke at; see 5a GUE-/-OI and 50d FRE-E/D-EAR (guessed right x2!)

Thanks Argyle for the expo. The crab video was funny with the guys telling the crab he's going the wrong way... The crabs know where the girls are!

Fav: WEES - "Back at sea?"

{A,A-,A+} {nice, cute} {WC- smile}

HG - America's Horse With No Name RUN FREE.

CED - LOL DYI Garage; for your flying car, right?

Back to work... Never let a good crises go to waste; the WCry outbreak was a good excuse to tell teams who haven't patched in 6 months ("We can't take those systems down!!!") to patch NOW. #Funweekend.

Cheers, -T

Misty said...

Jinx, many thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind if the Robocalls get worse. I've kept a land line during the years Rowland was disabled from his stroke, because if he had a relapse and the power was out, I wanted to be sure we could get help for him quickly. Not so crucial now, so I'll think about other possibilities and keep all your suggestions in mind. Many thanks.

Chairman Moe said...

No worries, I'm good!

TTP said...



A buddy called around 9:45 AM asking me if I was golfing or not. Didn't know that we were, but OK. Scrambled and got over to the golf course. He was a bit insistent that we had talked about it. I gave him some good-natured grief about getting older. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. Probably would not be a good eye witness. That kind of thing. After I got home, I went to open the door on the fridge to get a bottle of water. There was a note on the door. Golf with Don. Monday, 10 AM. Guess who will be getting the grief going forward ?

PK and Desper-Otto. Thanks for the Born Free clarification.

I'm with Desper-Otto on using NoMoRobo to block all of the cold callers.

Bluehen, I don't recall that you ever posted that do menu planning, but some of the descriptions of your meals, and especially holiday meals, led me to that conclusion. To wit, Exhibit A

Abejo said...

Good Tuesday morning, folks. Thank you Mark McClain, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

This was a little tougher than most Mondays, but certainly doable. Liked the theme.

NEON TETRA reminds me that I will never, ever, have an aquarium again.

Liked FRERE. One of the few french words I know.

I have had KNORR soup through the years. Good as any.

Have to run. Two more papers to blog.

Abejo

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