google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

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Oct 17, 2017

Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Play Fair

17A. Leg-strengthening exercise : CALF RAISE

35A. Aviator's military branch : AIR FORCE

42A. Altercation broken up by bouncers : BAR FIGHT. Not BAR BRAWL


11D. Big eater's fast-food request, maybe : EXTRA FRIES. One letter short of SUPERSIZE ME.

27D. Get the wood-burning stove going : START A FIRE

63A. Equitable treatment ... and what's literally found in each set of circles : FAIR SHAKE. The word SHAKE indicates an anagram.  Another joint effort by two of our own - congratulations!

Across  
      
1. Theater accessory : PROP


5. Home of the Pac-12's Bruins : UCLA


9. Ejects, as lava : SPEWS


14. Deflect, with "off" : FEND


15. Chunk of bacon : SLAB. Anyone else feeling hungry?




16. Like most income : TAXED

19. Prefix with violet : ULTRA


20. "Austin Powers" genre : SPYFI


21. Bath rug : MAT


22. Retired Yankee Jeter : DEREK


23. Suitcase tie-on : ID TAG


25. Supermodel Banks : TYRA


26. Silent speech syst. : ASL. American Sign Language


28. Pig Latin rejection : IX-NAY




30. Advanced lit. degrees : MFAS


33. Something to blow off or let off : STEAM

37. Actress Peeples : NIA


38. Spearheaded : LED


40. Pat softly : DAB


41. Party host's bucketful : ICE. First thought was apples.

45. More likely to be on Santa's good list : NICER


47. Penny-__: trivial : ANTE


48. In flight : ALOFT


50. Madrid mama bear : OSA


51. Swim __: do one full pool circuit : ALAP


53. Penne or ziti : PASTA. Know your pasta shapes.


55. Rapids runners : RAFTS


57. Nervous mannerism : TIC


58. Golden Arches pork sandwich : McRIB. No thanks. I'll stick with the bacon and what's coming up in 7D.


62. Self-storage rentals : UNITS

65. Creepy : EERIE


66. Like __ of sunshine : A RAY


67. All square : EVEN


68. Cleaned with a broom : SWEPT


69. Country's Lovett : LYLE



70. Pants rear : SEAT


Down


1. USMC one-stripers : PFCS. Private First Class.


2. "As ye sow, so shall ye __" : REAP


3. Sole : ONLY. Not LONE.


4. Email attachment format : PDF FILE


5. Country with an eagle on its Great Seal: Abbr. : USA


6. Story's high point : CLIMAX


7. Layered noodle dish : LASAGNA. More noodles. Should have waited for the perp - entered an E at the end first.




8. Distract the security guards for, say : ABET


9. Book-lined room : STUDY


  
10. Sicily's capital : PALERMO

12. Used to be : WERE


13. Mt. Rushmore's state : SDAK


 
18. Free (of) : RID


24. Interval : TIME GAP


25. Ruthless rulers : TYRANTS


26. From Laos, e.g. : ASIAN

29. Help out : AID


31. Capital of Ghana : ACCRA. Good crossword fill.


32. Observe : SEE


34. Woodcutter Baba : ALI


36. J. Edgar Hoover Building org. : FBI


37. Pro hoops gp. : NBA


39. Global shipping company : DHL


43. Sharpie feature : FELT TIP


44. Horticultural art : TOPIARY


46. Athletic instructors : COACHES


49. Spa beauty treatment : FACIAL


52. Valuable holding : ASSET


54. Many corp. logos : TMS. Trademarks.


55. Regrets : RUES


56. Once again : ANEW


57. Giant in nonstick pans : T-FAL


59. "Don't miss it" review : RAVE


60. Swedish furniture maker : IKEA


61. Like knees when squatting : BENT


64. Manhattan whiskey : RYE


Melissa


59 comments:

  1. At the state exposition they make
    An equitably priced drink, thirst to slake.
    The taste is so-so
    But a vanilla to go,
    Is still a FAIR FAIR FAIR FAIR SHAKE!

    There once was a fellow named LYLE,
    Said IX-NAY to a mean crocodile!
    The croc thought he'd taste NICE,
    There ensued a BAR FIGHT --
    There 𝘰𝘯𝘀𝘦 𝘸𝘒𝘴 a fellow named Lyle!

    An ICE-hating guy from SOUTH DAK.
    Has a WOOD-BURNING STOVE in his pack.
    When a cloud SPEWS out snow
    He'll be ready below
    To boil it to STEAM to send back!

    DEREK ordered a McRIB, EXTRA FRIES!
    Then to LASAGNA's for the PASTA Surprise!
    A SLAB of cheesecake,
    Washed down with a SHAKE --
    Then he needed a derrick to rise!

    {A, B, B+, A.}

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning!

    Had the circles, and got the theme. It seemed there were more Ys than normal in the top half of this one. I believe there are military aviators in every branch. In the Navy one-stripe = Seaman Recruit, two-stripes = Seaman Apprentice (PFC equivalent), three-stripes = Seaman (equivalent of a Lance Cpl) -- Left Three Images. I found this one to be FAIR and Tuesday-difficult. Thanx, IM and CC.

    Melissa, hand up for SUPERSIZED...Wite-Out to the rescue. (I switched from the liquid variety to the wipe-on correction tape. Not as messy.)

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  3. PDF FILE is redundant. The F in PDF stands for FILE.

    "Self storage" is a misnomer. You don't put yourself in those UNITS. A COFFIN is a "self-storage" unit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FIR, and my eraser got a much-overdue day off. Owen, you have outdone yourself today. I hope Stephan Pastis checks into the Corner to see your work.

    IM and CC will be on Tin's naughty list for the prominent ICE fill. Maybe Tin doesn't host.

    I stopped trying to figure out the world when Julia Roberts married Lyle Lovett, apparently absent duress. Maybe I CAN hit the lottery!

    Since Hampton Roads is one of the largest ports on the East Coast, my mind ran through the shipping companies that actually use SHIPS. Cosco, MSC, P&O, NYK, Maersk, APL, MSC, etc. We are getting buried in empty cargo containers. Empties aren't worth shipping back to their country of origin, and the USA doesn't export much in the way of "containerable" goods. They just stack up at the ports.

    I didn't know CALF RAISE (and it shows). I also didn't know ACCRA, but I think I almost bought one when DW and I were working and had plenty of money. We opted for a Mercedes 300 SE instead.

    Thanks to IM and CC for a fun Tuesday puzzle, and to Melissa for a fine review.

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  5. Anon @ 8:01 - F in PDF stands for Format not File
    "PDF (Portable Document Format)
    PDF refers to a type of document format (PDF Document).
    It is a universal file format developed by Adobe® that preserves all the fonts, formatting, graphics, and colour of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it."

    LOL re your definition of self-storage unit but this is how I think of it.
    "Self storage (a shorthand for "self-service storage", and also known as "mini storage")"

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sailed through this one today. Thanks for the fun Agnes (IM) and C.C., and Melissa (will you be in trouble for that SDAK cartoon?!)

    I debated between using Cruciverb or Mensa today and decided that Mensa would be OK as we had circles yesterday and would not have them two days in a row. . . . Right!
    But it did not matter to the solve.

    When I finished with no Tada, I reviewed and changed Halfraise (more suitable for yesterday's ab exercise!) to CALFRAISE but still no Tada. Ah, it's NIA not Mia. (PFCS was unknown to me but I should have known that MBA was a degree not a hoops group.)

    Thanks for the smiles today OwenKL, especially the first two verses.

    16A reminded me of the Benjamin Franklin quote "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

    I too noted the CSO to Tin at 41A and also Santa at 45A.
    25A and D cross of TYRA and TYRANTS was interesting also.
    My first thought was BRUSH off but FEND fit the spot.
    PASTA and LASAGNA - yum.

    Enjoy the day.

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  7. Musings
    -A fun Tuesday offering by Irish and C.C.!
    -Fashionable CALF RAISES
    -The crème de la crème SLAB of bacon here
    -Shining an ULTRAviolet light on your motel bed linens can be scary
    -Our coal-fired power plant loudly vents STEAM occasionally to clean the pipes
    -Trick to make clear ICE at homefor your bucket
    -Self storage UNITS are everywhere around here. Too much stuff!
    -Our driveway used to be SWEPT after mowing but our electric blower is faster!
    -Ray Kinsella meeting his young father in Field Of Dreams was a CLIMAX that brought tears to my eyes
    -Patton’s forces captured Palermo on 7/22/43 and then headed north of Mt. Etna to Messina
    -I wonder if the Hoover building has a dress shop
    -Do you remember this TOPIARY movie

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  8. Thanks for a fun start to the week, Agnes, CC and Melissa. Seeing the circles with the same number of letters, I expected a scrambled word. The only unfamiliar fill was SPY-FI, but I sussed it from perps.
    Calf raise - With August and September vacations, the closing of the Y for 3 weeks for renovation and Alan's not being well, I have been very remiss in my exercise regimen. My legs and arms are getting weaker and achy and my blood pressure is up. I have to get going again, whether or not Alan goes with me. Also, I am wasting a good bet of money, as I paid in advance.
    Anon @8:01. Do baby sales sell babies? Do garage sales sell garages? However, appliance sales do sell appliances. I always pity the English language learner when I think of this.
    Canadian Eh, good answer for PDF. This is a logical answer, but, as I said yesterday, even if there were no logic, it is "in the language" and frequently used, thus it is correct. La Brea Tar Pits is another instance where usage trumps logic. MY MIL's home was near Street Road.
    Happy Monday. I better get cracking if I intend to go to the gym this afternoon.

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  9. Good morning everyone.

    Another collaboration by IM and C.C. I think it turned out pretty good. Worked it counterclockwise and had no problems. Figured the circled repeating anagram had something to do with FAIR. Homophone of our favorite Erie; EERIE.
    AIR FORCE - I'll have to talk to the constructors about Naval Air.
    IXNAY - We had a favorite registered Holstein cow named Ixney. Great milker and many productive offspring. Always had the 1st stall to the right when entering the barn and was a very clean animal, compared to some others. Set a great example for the herd. A real Grand Dame.
    STEAM - Lotta truth in that euphemism. If a ship like our DD was at flank speed and then, for some maneuvering reason, 'all stop' was rung up, the boilers would surely lift safeties (emergency release valves) and SPEW STEAM with an unholy racket, before the fires could be banked, and the superheat lowered.

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  10. Also, Anonymous said at 8:01 AM, "A COFFIN is a "self-storage" unit."

    Only for Dracula, I imagine, although Abby Sciuto might use one herself.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good Morning:

    It continues to surprise me that I have to pause at or skip over some answers, in a puzzle I helped create, no less. For example, 1A, Theatre accessory=Prop; I had to wait for perps for that one and, I dare say, a few others. Sometimes, this lapse is because Rich may have changed the clue (as in the case for Air Force, DO and Spitz 😁) but other times, it's just sheer memory failure. In any case, I'm glad most of you enjoyed the solve.

    Thanks, Melissa, for 'splainin' it all and thanks to CC for being such a selfless and inspiring mentor.

    Have a great day.

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  12. Thanks, IM and CC. Thought it was much easier than yesterday's. Good cluing and fill!

    Thanks, Miss B, for the great write-up and pics of all the food! I'm with you IXNAYing the McRib and going with the BACON!

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  13. Yea, Irish Miss and C.C.! You gave us a FAIRSHAKE in this puzzle.

    It was a fun romp from START to finish and with circles I was able to pre fill some cells. No more EXTRAFRIES for me though I do indulge in bacon occasionally.

    I'm in a hurry as I have to meet a friend later and still have to shower and dress. More later.

    Have a splendid day, everyone! Thank you, MB, for the lovely commentary.

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  14. Good Morning All!!

    Yay for an IM and CC collaboration! You ladies did a fantastic job on this Tuesday offering and I am grateful for the time and effort you put into it. Perfect write up as well. Thanks!

    @Jinx - some people have gotten very creative by upcycling containers into houses. Some are very little, made with just one container, but others are nicer than anything I could ever imagine.

    My FIL is a retired US Navy pilot so the aviation question made me stutter for a second. Most people don't realize how extensive the Navy program is - despite being the inspiration for one of my favorite movies

    Off to lunch with a friend then continuation of the Great Fall Clean Out. I realized I've lived in this house for 10 years and accumulated a ton of stuff. So I'm purging by trying to pretend I'm moving - "Do I really want this? Would I want to move it 2,000 miles?" The local women's shelter is getting a lot of stuff this week!

    t.

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  15. Hi All!

    Thank you IM & C.C. for a FAIR Tuesday Pzl. I almost got caught at OSA xing ACCRA but guessed the fem. A. Lots of sparkly fill and -any puzzle with PASTA and LASAGNA in it warms this Italian's belly.

    Then mb follows it up with "know your pasta!" Thanks mb for the expo and the extra food-porn.

    WOs: earnd (D'Oh!) b/f TAXED, eXNAY b/f fixed by TIME GAP
    ESPs: ACCRA, NIA

    Sparkle: TOPIARY, PALERMO, MCRIB over SHAKE (McFlurry?), Penny ANTE (aka lollipop bullshit; RIP FIL, a Marine who put those phrases in my vernacular).

    Fav: It's hard not to like all the PASTA -- but, a big poke in the eye to Tin? That's funny. //kidding Tin, we love ya'!

    Of course, right under ICE is nICEr :-)

    {B,LOL,B,A}

    HG - I know that movie... Edward...

    PDFormat FILE - the bane of compsec when Adobe added OpenAction and JavaScript to the damn'd thing. Want to infect someone? I have the file for you...To you exact specification [superfluous Mitch link].

    IM - I know! C.C. is a wonderful mentor and it's weird getting stuck on your own grid. You're doing fun themes - keep it up Girl! PROPs to you.

    I had a comment re: this head-cold and SPEW but I IXNAY'd it. Time for more tea & honey.

    Cheers, -T

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  16. Unfamiliar with topiary and Accra. Loved the clue rapids runners. Very good puzzle. Remembered a bunch of clues from past puzzles. Great work C.C. and IM.

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  17. Lemonade 714 and Anonymous T -- re three days ago. Yup that's me, I loved doing SOAP and working with the incredible cast, writers and Jay Sandrich. Too bad Billy's career never went anywhere. Plus Jay Johnson got a special Tony for his one man Broadway show. He's an incredible ventriloquist. I actually met my husband when we did a horror movie together, but he did direct me on CHARMED.

    rb

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  18. By the way, Yellowstone, garage sales are held in garages; and yard sales are held in yards. But I'll agree with you on baby sales; and they don't bathe babies at baby showers, either.

    Another selfie: David Greene said on NPR's Morning Edition today, "Raqqa . . . has been the self-declared capital of the Islamic State." I can just hear it: "Me! Raqqa! I be de capital!"

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  19. Woohoo! Woohoo! I love seeing an Irish Miss and C.C. puzzle on a Tuesday morning because I have a good chance at nailing it and I did, I did! Woohoo! Lots of fun at the FAIR! Thanks to the circles I got the theme right away and the clever reveal on the bottom made me smile. I did have an erasure or two. Thought it was NAN Peeples, not NIA, until perps helped. And that _CRIB puzzled me for a while until I remembered MC RIB (never had one). But I got all the military stuff, surprisingly. Nice expo, Melissa.

    Liked your poems this morning, Owen.

    Off to get an I-Phone, whatever that is. Hope it'll work in my house with its poor reception.

    Have a great day, everybody!

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  20. Hi Y'all! I enjoy your down-to-earth puzzles, Agnes & C.C. No words that no one ever heard before.

    Thanks, Melissa, really liked the Mt. Rushmore cartoon, but I hope it doesn't give Mr. SuperEgo any ideas.

    No circles, but got the theme anyway after everything was filled.

    Never heard of CALF RAISE. In my neck of the prairie that would be a kid's 4H animal project.

    AIR FORCE: shout out to my now retired military major son.

    Book lined room: I call mine an office. Also have books in three other rooms. Haven't read any of them since I got my Kindle six years ago. Need to have a sale.

    Learning moment: ACCRA is the capital of Ghana.

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  21. melissa bee, Nice write-up. Good Job!!!

    Irish Miss & C.C. Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle. Enjoyed the theme.

    Fave today, of course, was 64-d, RYE ... booze is always a favorite!
    (Though, Irish Miss I would think by now in your constructing puzzles with C.C. I would see the answer to a clue to be our favorite drink Scotch "at least once.")

    Didn't EVEN notice I filled in a certain "Three Letter Word" at 41-a, until I read the write-up.
    (I guess the "perps" got it.)

    Cheers!

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  22. I too loved the Mt. Rushmore cartoon, Melissa.

    Aaarrrrggghhh. When I got my new phone number at the end of last week, I was blessed with several days with no robo-calls whatsoever. You can't imagine how wonderful it is to know that if the phone rings it will be family, friend, or relevant business, not anything else. Sadly, this morning the robos kicked in again. It's not even noon, and I've already had several. How did they get my new number so soon? Guess I can only be thankful for those few blessed quiet days.

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  23. Cheers & thanks to C.C. and Ms. Davidson!
    Today's pzl was a walk in the park, a pleasant breeze that might have been a Monday pzl in an earlier time. I mean to say it was less chewy than yesterday's opus, at least in my masticatory experience.

    My thanks also to Melissa for her fine response and esp. for bending the no-politics rule - at least enough to give us that cartoon chuckle at our own Ubu's expense.

    For all you Mindhunter fans, I take back part of my criticism that it plays to the choir. I reached episode 9 last night, and the series may have redeemed itself. Not to give away a spoiler, I'll just say my opinion changed with the appearance of "Mrs. Wade."
    (My brain can be fickle, though. The ol' walnut might rebel & change back if the writers decide to undermine the lady.
    Stay tuned ...)

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  24. I liked this puzzle. Some cool cluing and refreshing fill such as PALERMO and FELT TIP. Irish Miss and CC delight again. I had a little problem in the northwest corner because I put in PROG at 1a even though the clue did not indicate an abbreviation because I so much want GIF FILE at 4d. But FENI just didn't seem right either, which of course it wasn't. I knew it had to be FEND but then wondered what a GDF FILE is. Silly me. A splash of V8 in my face turned on the light bulb (to mix metaphors) and PROP popped up. Ta-da!

    Owen, terrific verses today. Thank you.

    Speaking of Abby Sciuto, I understand Pauley Perrette will be leaving the show. I think the show will suffer greatly from her absence. Didn't David McCallum also leave?

    Misty, I trust you will like your new iPhone. I totally love mine.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  25. A quick solve today, I don’t mind a theme when it doesn’t interfere.

    Never heard of SPY FI, I looked it up and it’s legit.

    No one makes a Lasagna like my sons and I. We do it at Christmas, it’s quite the process. Fresh cheese from Liuzzi’s (ricotta, mozzarella and pecorino romano, full fat, no part skim), fresh beef and pork, freshly made sauce. Can’t wait for Christmas.

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  26. Also - Misty....they don’t “get” your number. They use an auto-dealer, it just dials a number and then increments it and dials again, repeat as nauseous. There is no escape.

    Jayce...she is leaving, he is not.

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  27. Nauseum. I’m loving spell correct.

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  28. "Puzzling Thoughts":

    Owen, well done. These were actually limericks!! 😜 Enjoyed them all. The quadruple FAIR SHAKE was the one I enjoyed most, but they were all "A"s

    Agnes (IM) and CC: thanks for a nicely constructed puzzle with a cute theme. I got it all with no CWE's - and with a FELT TIP pen, no less! I saw the jumbled "F A I R" in the circles, but if I have one "tiny" nit to pick, it's that in both 35a and 27d, there's an extra "R" in a circle, split off from the shaken "FAIR". I think I got 11d and 25a as the first of the theme solves. So I began thinking "FRIAR" instead of FAIR.

    I'd never seen TOPIARY used in a crossword puzzle before - and of course, having it inspired this groaner:

    Do you want to know something that's scary?
    In the park, there is new TOPIARY
    That is really a meme
    From 'Midsummer Night's Dream',
    As it looks a lot like the top FAIRy.

    Oberon, perhaps??!! 😜

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  29. Misty,
    iPhones can be great.
    I rely on my wife's for GPS and other apps. Also, for when I need to call her.
    My own general abhorrence of cell phones (for "belling-the-cat" reasons already given) does not extend to their possession by others.
    Enjoy!

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  30. Ah, Misty, the robos didn't pick on you in particular -- they just call every number, from 0000 to 9999 -- my suspicion is that some cyber warrior is making maps of the telephone system.

    And Tawnya, I share your pain: some of this stuff we have to keep (tax records, say), but we are all children of Depression-era parents, for whom nothing was tossed out, "just in case ... we might need it someday." Look at how tiring it is, to sort through the accumulation, as if it was valuable!

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  31. Yellowrocks & 8:01:

    I'm glad I learned English when I was a baby.

    English words can change parts of speech - look up adjectival and adverbial.

    The noun "self" beomes an adverbial and modifies the verb "store" (to store by oneself); the verb phrase "self store" then becomes the noun "self storage" (the act of storing by oneself).

    In German, all of this would become a single word.

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  32. AnonymousPVX, thank you for that information.

    "Sit, Ubu! Sit! Good dog."

    I see in the news in Sweden they have what they call "Death cleaning," which is apparently the newest fad in de-cluttering. Makes sense to me. It also makes sense to have the usernames, passwords, account numbers, etc of all one's bank and brokerage accounts written down and sealed in an "Open only upon my death" envelope so that your children don't have to scrounge all over the place to find out where your (now their) assets are.

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  33. PVX - that sounds like an invitation to a bake off. My Bro and I can make a mean LASAGNA - fresh rolled noodles too.

    Misty - You'll enjoy the iPhone. Pop does (years with a flip phone and he liked it like that! D*** it!). It will ding at you occasionally for no particular reason [oooh, I got a new Freakonomics podcast!]

    rb - that's cool. Stick around the Corner and tell us how Billy FAIR'd. I always wondered what happened to that kid. :-)

    Sunday(?) YR mentioned a book I recommended... On the topic of silliness in the language you need look no further than Carlin [9m MA-L] (or to the book for something more scholarly).

    No one mentioned the kilonova . I figure, in 130 million years or so, the gold will fall on America and we don't have to worry about the debt wracking-up....

    Kidding aside - It's cool. Einstein predicted it, we built a detector, and we gots to see one up-close far away. AND all the maths added up mostly. //it's that little didn't add up that will add to our science - double-cool.

    Cheers, -T

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  34. Third puzzle in a row with circles, which I think is a little gimmicky, and not in the spirit of a true crossword. Why not just asterisk the clue and get rid of the circles?

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  35. Wondered about MFA, but quick solve.

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  36. Misty, your new phone should have a reject feature. Sadly it'll only be a temporary help.

    MSD gets a lot of xword play. Ariel especially. Liked all the l'icks today.

    Nice doable xword. I agree; easier than Monday.

    I needed P R O to get PROP. Now to do Sunday. CC Sundays are always welcome. I might try to knock off the NYT which I get a week late. eg 1008.

    Oh, I just remembered. Happy birthday to ME...

    And rip to Richard WILBUR. Famous in the poetry world.

    YR, you tutored intro to algebra? I thought my walking pool problem was an interesting intro.

    Oh. How old is Wilbur Charles? Misty will tell you, I'm class of '62 also.

    WC

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  37. Tawnya:
    That clip of recycling shipping containers is fascinating! I'd never heard of that and thank you for posting it. I learn so much on this Blog!

    Misty:
    Good luck with your I-phone! Having the heart of a Luddite, I still enjoy using my land line and have a flip phone for when I'm not home.

    I took a friend to her soon to be new home, a lovely retirement living community that newly opened in September. Everything is, of course, new and fresh, decorated in vibrant colors. We had a really delicious complimentary lunch and a tour of the place. Her new neighbors welcomed her as did the entire staff. Except for the garage, which costs extra, everything else, including all utilities, are provided with her monthly rent which is a bit less than what she is paying where she currently lives. I think she'll be happy there. At 88 she is still spry and active.

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  38. Happy birthday, Wilbur Charles! I hope your day is going splendidly! You really should give this date to C.C. so she can acknowledge you properly and CED would "bake" you a cake!

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  39. WC @ 4:40pm:

    Happy B'Day!
    You saluted Richard Wilbur, who just died. Are you related to him?
    Famous (among other achievements) for his versions of Molière.

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  40. Misty, go to nomorobo.com and see if your phone service is compatible. It's a free service that I've been using for over a year. It eliminates 90+% of the robo calls.

    Don't remember who recommended that NetFlix MindHunter show. It is interesting. One of the two main characters previously played Erin Reagan's speed-dating boyfriend on Blue Bloods. Too bad there are only 10 episodes available. It'll be a long wait until next "season."

    Anon-T, I just heard about that neutron star collision this morning. The news took a while to reach us; it happened 130 million years ago. Must be my slow internet connection.

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  41. Anonymous T, I was sure the book was your recommendation. I am so grateful. I love it.
    WC, a very happy birthday to you. You are a welcome addition to our Corner.
    Jayce, I have been thinking along the same lines, having read about Death Cleaning. I remember
    sorting my MIL effects and thinking that I should not leave so much behind. Also I have been concerned about passwords, acct. numbers,etc. when I am gone.
    Roy, amen to that, a guy after my own heart. Please chime in often.
    Anon, but, but, but...a car sale is not held in a car. My point exactly. This is all so inconsistent. BTW yellowrocks means square dance hugs. A big yellow rock to you for your input.

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  42. Greetings!

    Thanks to Agnes, CC and mb!

    Swell puzzle!

    Went to bed early last night!

    Had a good swim today!

    Was number one at word game. New person ranked from Japan. That makes 8 countries.

    Hand up for CALF RAISE.

    Hope to see you all tomorrow!

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  43. Dash T - The Stros are on.

    D-O, Nomorobo is free on the VoIP landlines. I love it.
    $1.99 mo on the iPhones after a 30 day free trial.
    Not yet available on Android.

    Nice job today ladies. All 3 of you.

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  44. WEES, enjoyed the fun speed-run. Favorite was topiary - River Oaks Flowers Shop had these giant topiaries in the esplanade across from it, on my way to work. Great puzzle, IM and CC, and thanks to Melissa B - loved your SDAK cartoon!

    PK, I agree, CALF RAISE? Oh, well, all's fair in love and....crosswords.
    D-O, lol, re the neutron kilanova.

    Picard, FLN, thanks for the link to Eco-V tours. They weren’t in existence when I went to SA in the mid-90’s. International Expeditions was one of the first world ecotour travel companies back then (went on five of their trips). Our small boat only held 10-12 passengers so we were able to visit the smaller islands that were off-limits to the big ships visiting the Islands (an American biologist, Richard, led our group). I thank the Ecuadorian government’s foresight decades ago to enact laws to preserve their unique environment. Where else in the world can you approach wild creatures that have no fear of man? A wonderful modern Eden!

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  45. Got the scrambled FAIR theme right away, but had to wait nearly to the end to get the exact FAIR SHAKE reveal. Thanks to Irish Miss and CC.

    Hand up SPY FI new for me. Only know TFAL from these puzzles.

    Amused by Anonymous at 8:01AM observation about PDF File redundancy. It reminds me of "ATM Machine". Google did not come up with a list of such redundancies.

    Thanks, Melissa, for the SDAK Mt Rushmore cartoon.

    Agree with OMKeith about phones. Glad that others have them so I don't have to.

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  46. You are most welcome TX Ms for the EcoVentura link. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to visit the Galapagos. Small groups and well-educated local guides.

    Yes, I am also very impressed with the Ecuadoran government's foresight and vigilance to protect this world treasure. I think the hardest task was to get rid of the domestic animals, especially the dogs and cats. That was probably harder than getting rid of the people and probably more important for preserving the native species and for keeping them free of fear.

    I am impressed that almost half the Galapagos visitors now are from Ecuador itself. They strictly limit numbers, but prioritizing their own citizens helps keep the conservation programs popular.

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  47. I was told to do calf raises for plantar facieitis. Instructions are found online.

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  48. Thank you ladies and gents. Wilbur is what they called me in my other life, which included umpiring where I was known as F#$&@ Wilbur.

    I love this group.

    WC

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  49. Thank you all for the kind comments, advice, and sympathy on my various phone problems and issues. My apologies that I can't thank you all individually--I've been out all afternoon buying the Apple I Phone (no idea how to use it, but I'll figure out how to learn) just got back and saw all your kind messages.

    Do you have a birthday today, Wilbur? If you're class of '62 are you 72, like me? (Apologies if I'm wrong--math was never my strong point).

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  50. Misty. You might have a late birthday like some of my classmates. My friend was May of 1945. Today, I believe the cutoff date is 9/1.

    1962-1944=18. 2017-1944= 73.

    WC

    C-Moe, I'm not a Captain in the Marines anymore so you needn't call me Sir.

    I had my own Jeep in 'Nam and I'd drive to my hooch at lunch. Problem was on the way back everybody'd be saluting and I had to return each and every one of them.

    Beat walking though.

    WC

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  51. Happy, happy birthday WC and many more.

    Rebecca, how nice of you to come by again. Many years ago when I was in the Ionosphere Club at Laguardia, I spent a pleasant hour working on a New York Times Sunday puzzle with Buddy Hackett. It is fun to know what a variety of people solve puzzles and read blogs. Look forward to more comments. I did look you up and saw my memory was faulty about where you met your husband, but I was not all wrong.

    Picard, you might like this LINK

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  52. Yes, Wilbur, but I won't be 73 until my birthday in December. And I was 17 when I graduated from high school.

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  53. Chairman Moe @ 2:59 ~ It's late but perhaps you'll read this tomorrow. You are the only one who picked up on the analmoly of the extra letter in some of the themers. We submitted the puzzle with starred clues, no circles, but Rich added the circles, perhaps to be more user friendly to newbies.

    Happy Birthday, Wilbur. πŸŽ‚πŸŽ‰πŸŽπŸŽˆπŸΎ

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  54. Thank you, Lemonade, for the link to the "redundant acronym syndrome" (RAS) page. They do indeed offer just a few more examples:
    ATM machine (automated/automatic teller machine machine)
    LCD display (liquid crystal display display)
    PIN number (personal identification number number)
    VIN number (vehicle identification number number)

    But they also note that natural languages do involve some redundancy and it can help understanding. Works for me!

    Just one thing: Don't EVER say "From whence"! Whence = from where!

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  55. Happy Birthday WC!

    TTP - The 'Stros are killing me. I shoulda been NICER to Tin.

    C.Moe - After IM said it - I had to go back and look. You're right! an extra R in the downs! I totally missed it. I think Picard hit on something with his allusion to the Department of Redundancy Department.

    And now for something completely different. -T

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  56. Me too - T. Still don't understand the decision to yank McCullers.

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