google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, February 7 2018, Roland Huget

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Feb 7, 2018

Wednesday, February 7 2018, Roland Huget

Theme: BUY A VOWEL


17. Super-fun experience : BANGUP TIME

24. Certain baby tiger : BENGAL CUB

35. Cramming three seasons into a weekend, say : BINGE WATCHING

48. Salsa percussion instrument : BONGO DRUM

57. Securing strap : BUNGEE CORD

Melissa here. Vowel progression theme, with a few unknowns (for me).

Across:

1. Curve on a slalom, e.g. : ESS

4. Frugal folks : SAVERS. Anyone remember Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet? He always said that frugal did not necessarily mean "cheap," but that you use everything and are careful with your time as well as with your food products. I miss the early cooking shows without all the absurd game-show antics.


10. Sea devastated by irrigation projects : ARAL

14. "Something tells __ should've stayed in bed" : ME I

15. Brunch staple : OMELET

16. Walk worriedly : PACE

19. Tolkien beasts : ORCS

20. Concrete strengtheners : REBARS

21. German auto pioneer : DAIMLER. Unknown for me. Wikipedia.

23. Junior or senior : YEAR

26. Grandmotherly type : OLD DEAR. As a grandmother, I don't love this clue ;).

29. Sarge's superior : LOOIE. Did not know this spelling.

30. Stand behind : ENDORSE

34. Rural stopover : INN

39. A pop : PER

40. Contemptuous one : SNEERER

41. Wolf pack member : U-BOAT

44. Natural night lights : AURORAS

52. Crowe's "A Beautiful Mind" role : NASH. Based on the book by the same name. Died in 2015.



53. Remove field heat from before storage, as crops : PRECOOL. Okay.

54. Japanese faith : SHINTO

56. Like cotton candy : SPUN

59. Owned : HELD

60. Horseshoes score : LEANER

61. Short-lived obsession : FAD

62. Neighborhood : AREA

63. Make certain : ENSURE

64. Trout lure : FLY

Down:

1. Developmental stage : EMBRYO

2. Sargasso wriggler : SEA EEL

3. Nautical stage name of comedian David Adkins : SINBAD

 
4. Lemony cocktail : SOUR

5. Rock concert gear : AMPS

6. Zoo staffer : VET

7. Slur over : ELIDE

8. Hire a new crew for : REMAN

9. "Shrek!" author William : STEIG

10. Historic Harlem theater : APOLLO. Has anyone else rubbed the wood?

11. Treasury collectible : RARE COIN

12. Accumulating, as interest : ACCRUING

13. "__ Miz" : LES

18. Source of tomatoes for homemade sauce : GARDEN

22. Bad beginning? : MAL

24. "Iron Chef Showdown" host Alton : BROWN

25. "Big" London attraction : BEN

27. ESL part: Abbr. : ENG

28. Citrus drinks : ADES

31. "Is This Love" singer Corinne Bailey __ : RAE

32. Power source : STEAM

33. Sandy-colored : ECRU

35. 1940s jazzman : BEBOPPER. Sneaky clue.

36. Totalitarian control : IRON RULE

37. Naval pronoun : HER

38. Having a twist : IRONIC

39. Happy hour site : PUB

42. It may form the outline for a meeting's minutes : AGENDA

43. Front-of-bk. list : TOC

45. Skedaddled : RAN OFF

46. Celestial : ASTRAL

47. Substandard : SHODDY

49. Paso __: two-step dance : DOBLE.





50. City where Joan of Arc died : ROUEN

51. Arm bones : ULNAS

54. Crystal ball reader : SEER

55. Where you are, on a mall map : HERE

56. __ Na Na : SHA

58. Bearded grazer : GNU

Note from C.C.:

Here is a wonderful article about the cause our dear Melissa has been working on tirelessly the past few years. Talk about personal sacrifice. She's just amazing!

58 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to Roland and mb!

    A few things unknown: OLD DEAR, SEA EEL, BROWN, RAE, BEBOPPER and ROUEN. But everything fell into place nicely!

    Hope to see you all tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OAS FLN 712P, Mike Sherline FLN 712P & Wilbur Charles FLN 1050P
    thanks for your support!

    Bill G 1050P, 1132P & 1212A
    Wasn't it nice of Clarence Thomas FLN 1116P to stop by the Corner.
    At first I thought one would need the type of formulas shown by Anonymous T 1145p.
    When you noted how simple it was "Voila!"

    Everything reminds me of an earlier life. My 35th birthday came to mind. That one hit me like a steam locomotive because I was half way to 70. OMG!I'm 73 now, and no other birthday has bothered me like #35.

    Anonymous T FLN 1209A
    To which I reply "Cleanliness is next to Godliness, or was that Goldilocks."

    On to today, Yeah!

    Thank you Mr. Roland Huget for this excellent CW. I came really close. I had a double natick at 21A DAIMLER and 9D STEIG. I had never heard of either name.
    I filled the upper half of the CW easily except that one letter. I worked the rest of the CW, coming back to try letters. I finally BAV (how appropo.) My wheel was fortunate.

    Thank you melissa bee for an excellent review. Thank you C.C. for showcasing MB's cause.

    Dave

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  3. Good morning mb and Cornerites. I knew a little about Daimler, but the link added lots to my early auto knowledge. Pretty straightforward for a Wednesday. I did not know: "Is This Love" singer Corinne Bailey _ _: RAE; "Shrek!" author William: STEIG nor Sinbad's real name.
    Thanks Roland and Melissa

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  4. Lemonade714, This one's for you.

    31D "Is This Love" singer Corinne Bailey __ : RAE.

    Dave

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  5. This puzzle left me........meh.

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  6. A good start for Wed . Thanks to Roland . Melissa and C. C. The puzzle went well left to right and clockwise . Only WAG was DAIMLER and STEIG cross . Wanted IRON fist pr hand , but waited and let the perps decide. D4 @5:01 my moment of truth hit me at 30 . The father of four by then I knew it was time to grow up. Thank you C.C. For helping us get to know Melissa . False accusations by a grandmotherly type neighbour against a family member kept me fearfull of tongue waggers well into adulthood. Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words can never harm me --not true.

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  7. Good morning!

    Almost turfed it in SoCal with IMPERIUM crossing ALPHA and AIRCOOL. What? You didn't have those answers in your puzzle? I shouldn't have had them in mine, either. Wite-out, please. That allowed me to see AGENDA, and it all fell into place. Phew! Thanx, Roland and MB.

    Don't you folks remember Daimler-Chrysler? That was the merger with Daimler-Benz (you've heard of Mercedes Benz). It was un-merged in 2007.

    I was one of those BANG UP SAVERS during my working years. Switching from saving to spending hasn't been easy.

    MB, I didn't care for OLD DEAR, either.

    Gotta run...

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  8. Easy puzzle for me. I like a nice vowel progression puzzle.

    I actually had a dream last night involving someone saying John NASH, so it was appropriate to see his name this morning.

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  9. This also looks like another BG theme to me but only because I love the BEEGEES.

    I do remember DAIMLER-Chrysler and DAIMLER-Benz. Both were much in the news at the time of the merger.

    BROWN and RAE were perped as was SINBAD. I didn't know his real name.

    How IRONIC that we also have IRONRULE. CSO to my former self at ESL/ENGlish.

    Can the PASODOBLE be danced to a BONGODRUM?

    Thank you, Roland Huget, for a good Wednesday workout and Melissa B for the guidance. Again, congratulations on your good work.

    Have a lovely day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gubdude. please dream of some POWERBALL numbers for tonight, please.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This was faster than yesterday's. Only TOC was all perps. Afterwards I LIU, Duh! Table of Contents. I've never seen it abbreviated.
    I've heard OLD DEAR. It sounds patronizing to me. It has the tone of "the doddering old dear." Grandmotherly has a pleasant ring to it.
    Melissa, great work for your brother and for thousands of other prisoners. How horrible for your brother to be imprisoned while innocent. OAS, wagging tongues can sure do a lot of harm. I just finished a book about Nazi Germany. Everyone was encouraged to rat on everyone else, even friends and family. Many innocents were imprisoned, tortured or killed. Sometime it was just gossip and sometimes spite. No due process.
    It seems today in the here and now that sometimes due process is omitted.

    FLN I first solved the handshake question years ago with an organized list.
    #1 shakes with 2,3,4,5,6,7, 8, 9 and 10 for a TOTAL of 9
    #2 has already shaken hands with #1, so his list is 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 for a TOTAL of 8
    #3 has already shaken hand with #1 and 2 so his list begins with 4 through 10 for a TOTAL of 7
    Etc. etc. etc. Then just add 9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1
    If you are working with much large numbers ( in older grades)you need a formula.
    Our 5th grade curriculum had the students actually shaking hands for the entire period. "Hands on" experience. Was it worth a whole period? I think they learned less, didn't need to think, and didn't remember it the next day any way. As a kid I hated experiences that took a long time when I could solve the problem in my head in a few minutes.

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  12. I didn't notice the AEIOU progression because I wanted to complete the puzzle. I've heard of a whiskey SOUR but not just a SOUR. TOC- all I can say about that fill is 'boo'. OLD DEAR is a new one for me, along with any dance other than the HOKEY-POKEY. So Paso-DOBLE was all perps as were SINBAD, RAE, ROUEN, and STEIG.

    LOOIE,LOUIE, LEWIE, LOUIS Armstrong- all pronounced the same. I really only know the song LOUIE LOUIE by The Kingsmen.

    DAIMLER Benz calls their cars MERCEDES. I'm on my third one.
    BEBOPPER- I was looking for a particular musician.

    ReplyDelete
  13. A good day for me. I got it all eventually. My problems are often due to being unfamiliar with most major American cities and chain businesses that don't exist in rural areas like mine, as well as knowing nothing about music later than the 70s, and being incapable of remembering names of characters in books or films. But I'm usually good at guessing names by thinking logically.

    Today is also good because my younger son is finally engaged at age 38! We've been expecting this for some time, but he was being cagey about when it would happen. At least he was careful to be sure before taking the plunge.

    I'm also feeling good that after my surgery for a detached retina last September, and then the really fast formation of a cataract as a result of that disturbance in the eye,that the surgery for that was also successful last week, and I am finally starting to see somewhat normally again. Modern science! How lucky we are to live in this age of wonders.

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  14. FLN and again today . Seems like there's a whole lot of "shakin" goin on (:

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  15. Good Morning,

    This OLD DEAR ran into a snag in the SW corner. I wanted a given name for BEBOPPER and could not rid my brain from seeking a college for UBOAT's Wolfpack. Ah, that Wolf Pack! Duh! BINGE WATCHING was sweet; after that the puzzle began to loosen up for me. LOOIE came easily as I recalled the cops on Law and Order call Lt. Van Buren "Loo"--I once thought it her first name as my sister is Lu. Thanks, Roland, for the jog this morning.

    Melissa, thanks for your run-through. Also, and more importantly, thank you for being such a special woman.

    FLN: Yesterday I said I was grateful to hang around with "word nerds." I do need to include "math nerds" also. At least here, I have learned the real importance of my struggle with Algebra. Didn't like what I couldn't see. My DH and lucky young grandsons see all those formulae with their minds' eyes. Yay!

    Stay cozy. Time for a puzzle on the dining room table!

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  16. Hi Y'all! Thanks, Roland & Melissa. Good start to the morning.

    Like Lucina, I was surprised to see another BEE GEE puzzle. Copped on to the vowel progression half-way down which let me go back and fill BANG UP TIME and the last two.

    N Central stumped me with ELIDE/REMAN/STEIG/DAIMLER as last fills. Didn't know DAIMLER was German let alone a pioneer.

    Didn't know NASH or SINBAD as clued.

    FRUGAL becomes a habit then so deeply imbedded it is hard to break out. I'm still a BANG UP SAVER. Rather have money than spend it. Have a fear of outliving my money. My kids don't have that trouble.

    OLD DEAR sounds good to me. Sure beats OLD Bat or OLD Witch or that word with a "B" spelling.

    Kazie: good news about your eye. Sounds like quite an ordeal. Wondered where you had been.

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  17. Musings
    -Pluralizing AUROA and ULNA were more conventional than ususal
    -While BINGE WATCHING BBC’s VICTORIA on Amazon Prime, there was this scene where Prince Albert took a ride on the new-fangled STEAM train in 1840 and saw the future
    -U-boat 20 sank the Lusitania and killed 128 Americans in 1915 but we didn’t declare war for two more years
    -FAD - Last year every kid had one of these. This year, no one does.
    -400 new housing units proposed for our AREA has raised some concern
    -Today is a BIG day for teams to REMAN
    -Yes, I know BIG BEN is the bell in the tower, not the clock or tower
    -IRON FIST, HAND, RULE
    -ULNAS/ULNAE get a big workout in football blocking
    -What an amazing story, Melissa! What a wonderful person and advocate you are!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good morning. Thank you Roland Huget and thank you Melissa.

    No issues and no problems. Some unknowns. Needed perps in a couple of places. Didn't know SINBAD's real name.

    Semi-CSO to Lemonade with Lemony in the clue for SOUR.
    Wow, SEA EEL is vowel friendly.
    Melissa, I remember Jeff Smith. We watched the Frugal Gourmet.
    My high school team was the Tigers. We had BENGALs everywhere.
    It's IRONIC to read online comments (eg Youtube) and see someone tell another, "Your an idiot."
    "Source of tomatoes for homemade sauce :" San Marzano sul Sarno
    ToC is a tag common to HTML and other scripting and markup languages.

    Abejo, nice raffle win. Wouldn't guess that you are a hunter though.
    Husker Gary, fidget spinners last year. Remember when Pet Rocks were a FAD ? I wonder if anyone was ever duped into buying a counterfeit one ?

    The White Sox got dissed on Wheel of Fortune yesterday.

    Welcome back Kazie. Good news all around. Hope that's the last of your vision issues.
    Put it off long enough. Have to go move some snow around.

    See yinz later n'at !

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  19. Good morning everyone.

    Got the buy-a-vowel schtick early so pre-filled in the o and u for BONGO…… and BUNGEE……. The CW had about the right degree of Wednesday crunchiness. Never heard "SEA EEL" but I guess there's nothing wrong with it. No searches were needed. Had 'solar' before STEAM.

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  20. Although, I didn't think the shaking hand experiment was worthwhile, I did quite a bit of other hands on math. To understand the meaning of decimals like 2.3 I used two 10x10 grids to represent whole numbers and cut one 10x10 grid into tenths and laid 3 of the tenths with the 2 wholes. Later I cut some grids into hundredths. I used these models for adding and subtracting numbers with decimals. With a younger class I used concrete items to illustrate renaming in addition and subtraction, which used to be called borrowing and carrying. In geometry we cut out and folded solid figures to work with.
    When I attended a math class in Japan, the teacher had the class do an experiment that was superficially valid, but, if you thought about it, had flawed logic. The other American math teachers thought that didn't matter because the students would not think that far.
    Elementary science textbooks have many experiments that don't really illustrate the concept, including some that are just plain wrong.
    And then there is "Gee Whiz" science that rates a wow from the kids, but teaches nothing. I inherited a class that spent the year before doing Gee Whiz science and came out with no science concepts at all. They remembered doing the experiments but had no idea what the results meant.
    Like any other tool hands on has to be handled wisely. End of rant.
    Kazie welcopme back, I am glad your eye is healing.

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  21. David Adkins and I were classmates in college at DU. Of course, no one called him Sinbad back then. Only had a couple "Intro to"... classes with him, but knew him thru the dorms and enough to say "Hello" to one another in the cafeteria.

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  22. Good Morning:

    It was nice to finish sans errors, unlike yesterday's failure. My unknowns were Steig, Rae, and Sinbad, but all were easily perped. Saw the progression early on, so that accelerated the solve. It took me a minute to parse TOC as I don't think I've ever seen that before.

    Thanks, Roland, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Melissa, for the expo. Any current pictures of Jaelyn (sp?) you'd like to share?

    Kazie, so nice to see you back in the fold. I hope your eye problems are over. Congrats to your son and his fiancée.

    It's been snowing since about 8:30 this morning and is supposed to continue into the evening. I don't envy the commuters or anyone else who has to deal with such hazardous conditions.

    Have a great day.

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  23. Bit of a tough Wednesday puzzle although I got it with only one cheat and one mistake (DAUMLER instead if DAIMLER--don't know my cars). Finally figured out what TOC is, and still don't understand that U BOAT thing. But fun puzzle, thanks, Roland, and you too Melissa. Will read about you later, but sounds very inspiring. Have to rush off for my Cardio-Vascular check-up. No food or drinks two hours before and have to wear sneakers because they're going to make me run. Aaarggh-not looking forward to it. Have a good day, everybody.

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  24. Misty - In WWII, the German subs learned to operate in groups of 2,3,4, or so. When intelligence pointed them to a convoy, they would arrange themselves to hit the convoy from several directions. In the melee, it was possible for them to better evade the allied protective screening ships and counterattack from escorts and destroyers. So they were termed Wolf-packs.

    Welcome back Kazie. Missed your commentary.

    Sad news - learned today that a former member of our bridge group has passed on. He was 92. Married 70 years. WWII Navy veteran who served on a sub-chaser. Skied into his 80's.

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  25. FIW¡ I didn't suspect an error from DOBLi + iNSURE. But I was pretty sure STEmG and iAL were wrong, but couldn't figure which perp was in error¡ It was DAmiLER. Right letters, wrong order.

    Thumper knows my opinion on vowel progressions¡

    A bang!, also known as exclamation sign,
    Can ENDORSE a sentence as a BANG-UP TIME!
    An ancient emoji
    Except that it only
    Has one eye beneath a Mohawk hairline!

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  26. {A-} -- I ought to take extra points off for being so late today. Did something to my back Monday, so in a bit of pain. Maybe more details later if I feel in the mood.

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  27. I got through the puzzle without seeing the vowel progression, but didn't need it to solve it. Nice puzzle by Roland, and MB as usual was stellar.

    A few hitches along the way: ALPHA vs UBOAT (and I should have seen it immediately because of all of the WWII shows I have watched on cable), SHE vs HER, and DOBLE was all perps.

    If I called any of my female contemporaries OLD DEAR, they would probably slug me. Also, I have one friend who was a grandmother before she was 35 and nobody would call her and OLD DEAR, and at 74 you still wouldn't.

    Like some others, I was looking for a proper name for the 1940's Jazzman, BEBO ???? Sounded reasonable.

    Like others in the east, we started getting snow this morning, around 5:30am. At the moment it has morphed into sleet and we have 3 - 4 inches on the ground. The forecast from each of the services and local TV channels varied widely from 1 to 3 inches, to 5 to 8 inches and 8 to 11 inches with the possibility of sleet, freezing rain and just plain rain. So far we just have the snow and sleet. One local forecaster (he predicted the 11 inch possibility) recommended going out early to shovel snow and then follow up a few hours later. I'm going to wait until it's done before firing up the snowblower.

    Everything is closed here, even the local University that never closes for bad weather. Plus I can see the traffic on the local interstate and it's moving slowly. The plows have been through a few times, but they haven't plowed the snow down to bare pavement. Probably in case we do get the freezing rain. It's 27° at the moment.

    Stay safe and warm.

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  28. Spitzboov, many thanks for the explanation, and condolences on the loss of your friend and colleague.
    Quick bowl of cereal (no food or dink two hours before the cardio) then off to the hospital.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Might an IRON RULE be a FERULE?

    I recall a story about that hand-shaking exercise in a sex-ed class. One seemingly anti-social student wouldn't shake hands with anyone. Everyone else shook hand with at least half the class. The instructor drew an x on everyone's hand as he shook it, and told each of his shakees to do the same to their future shakees. Afterwards, he told them the x represented a STD, and the handshakes sexual encounters. The student who didn't participate was the only one without an x.

    My pain. I've mentioned before I have stenosis, so can only stand for 2-3 minutes at a time, which effectively makes me house&car bound. Monday, just walking, I had a stabbing pain in my back. 2-3 minutes has reduced to even attempting to sit up! Excedrin and icy-hot ointment have reduced the pain enough so I can drive LW to and from work (her eyesight's not good enough to drive), but even just going to the bathroom is a trial. Fortunately, I've already got a dr. checkup coming on Friday, if this hasn't let up by then. I keep seeing ads on TV for pain clinics that treat stenosis, but my old doc never mentioned it as an option for me. This will be only my second meeting with my new doc, so I'll see what she says about it. I know some of you have mentioned treatments in the past.

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  30. I thought Daimler was spelled Dahmler
    (never heard of this Stehg/Steig fellow...)

    In fact I was so sure it was an "H" I went back to view my training
    videos for the Cliffs of Dover Flight Simulation game.

    I was sure those were Dahmler/Benz engines in the German He111,
    & the Me109 early variants used the DB600 series V12 fuel injected engine.

    Hmm, anayway, I looked at the old training videos,
    & now I think I know why I got it wrong...

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  31. Kazie:
    It's great to see you here again and I'm sorry for your vision problems but hope all is now well.
    Congratulations on your son's engagement! How are your granddaughters doing?

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  32. I FIRed but haven't read all the blog. Gotta run for a bit.

    I had a question re. Superbowl. One of the great bonehead moves of all time occurred late in the game. In a casual conversation a woman remarked" I'm not a big football fan but even I noticed the blunder."

    Assuming you know the brain-dead decision has any media or sports person brought it up?

    WC

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  33. Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun Roland and Melissa (kudos on your work with AI).
    I got the progression early which helped with the later fills.

    This grandmother is not a fan of OLD DEAR either!
    I accept that SNEERER is correct but it is a meh for me.
    This Canadian toyed with Louey before LOOEY (or maybe LEFTY?)

    Hand up for She before HER. I had Bar before PUB.
    Like HuskerG, I noted the use of S instead of E to pluralize ULNAs and AURORAs. I was glad that the usage was consistent.

    Different clue than Carly RAE Jepson today.
    On a snowy day like today, I appreciate the jars of GARDEN tomatoes from last summer to make sauce. Unfortunately, they will not work for BLTs.

    Thanks to YR@8:04 for explaining TOC. Lightbulb moment.
    Did anyone else have Bee before MAL for "Bad beginning?"

    LEANER was all perps. I don't play horseshoes but it makes sense that if it is not a Ringer, it may be a Leaner.
    Horseshoes

    PRECOOLing requires some expensive equipment and utility costs.
    ForcedAirCoolingSystems

    FLN Dave 2- don't let the Anons discourage you.
    Kazie - glad your eye surgeries went well & glad to see you back here. Congrats on son's engagement.
    Misty - hope your Cardio test is OK.
    Spitzboov - condolences on the loss of a friend
    OwenKl - hope you feel better soon and can get some treatment

    Enjoy the day.

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  34. We got some snow/freezing rain overnight so I did the puzzle this morning while waiting for road crews to get the roads in better condition. Thanks, Roland H., for the fun. Loved the write-up, M.B. and for pointing out the theme I forgot to look for.

    We've been a Chrysler/Jeep family so DAIMLER came to me rather quickly.

    OLD DEAR? Boo, hiss!

    I know we've had it before but I don't remember Wolf pack. I'll have to LIU and do some learning.

    Here are some photos of AURORAS

    Thank you, Melissa, for the work you are doing for others. You have a good heart.

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  35. Kazie, how wonderful to have you back, My two granddaughters have baby brother now- yours? Congrats on the engagement- my youngest is also unattached. Eye problems are awful but hang in.
    Best wishes

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  36. Ta- DA!
    It seemed pretty easy for a mid-week pzl. But wasn't it funny, how I didn't understand the theme until reading Melissa B's writeup?
    It's strange how the human brain works. We gotta find a story or a pattern. And when we find the beginnings of either, we leap! And so it was when I first solved BENGAL CUB and BUNGEE CORD in Mr. Huget's pzl, I was only on the lookout for combinations of "B" and "C."
    When I filled the remaining theme words, my Ol' Walnut was disappointed to see my expectations of a "C" tail unfulfilled.
    I gave up & just turned my back on a theme that seemed only interested in "B" words. I missed the other pattern entirely. My Bad, for thinking less of truly clever Mr. Huget.

    ____________
    Diagonal Report: None today. Gone Fishin'.

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  37. Well I think the blunder is mine. At 2:06, Belichek called time. I thought he should have let the Two minute warning stop time but now I realize it was a Downs situation. Else Philly could have run off 80 seconds.

    Now, since it was 2.06, Philly could have passed and potentially got a first down since whether run or pass they could only kill 6 seconds.

    NE should never have wasted a timeout.

    This well crafted xword was a bit sticky but it all came together. BAR wasn't cutting it nor SNAREDRUM. ROUEN was there waiting for the cranium to send it upstairs to the cortex.

    Spelling APOLLO was harder than sussing DAIMLER.

    LOOT was the moniker (The Loot) I was most familiar with. I was trying to fit in Gunny. Or Top (Sergeant).

    Just as bad as innocents behind bars are Draconian drug possession sentences. Incarceration is big business in the states.

    WC

    Owen, hope you get some relief. I agree with an old post from C-Moe: they're all good.

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  38. FIR early, but had to go hack up a local golf course. We've had three Mercedes sedans and our RV is built on a Freightliner chassis, so Daimler was easy for me.

    I couldn't remember how I knew TOC - thanks, TTP.

    In Canada, REMAN isn't allowed. Yesterday PM Trudeau publicly (but gently) corrected some poor young lady for saying "mankind".

    FLN - Did we identify the correct handshake answer? I vote for (N x N-1)/2 = 36. The formula is a staple in project management for determining how many communications channels exist between a given number of communicators.

    Thanks to Roland and melissa bee for a fun Wednesday.

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  39. Melissa, thanks for your good work and involvement.

    Owen, good luck with your stenosis. I have it too but not as severely. I went to a pain management specialist. He injected my spine with cortisone. I didn't like the doctor and didn't continue. I hope you have a better experience.

    **********

    Have you heard about the recent fad of kids daring each other to eat a pod of Tide laundry detergent? I hear it's easier to convince ladies not to try it but it's harder to deter gents.

    I'll be going now...

    ~ Bill G

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  40. My hand is up, CanadianEh, for SHE before HER. Also for thinking LOOEY before LOOIE. But LEFTY? Do Canadians say Left-tenant, like the Brits?

    Owen, I commiserate with you re. your stenosis. I suffer the same condition, which is not improved after two surgeries. I'm also housebound, although I have a pretty good fleet of chairs and scooters.
    I wonder if you have experienced the same condition that has surprised me? I used to think whenever I saw a little old man hunched over - bent at the waist - that it was because of some kind of pain. I have since found that my abdominal muscles have simply grown too weak to support my upper body. I can't breathe if I use my diaphragm to stand erect.

    As long as I have a cane, allowing me to use my arm for support, I can stand & walk perfectly upright. At least for a short distance - until my arm tires.

    Misty, let me join others in wishing you well on your treadmill test. Your ordeal reminds me that my second scheduled stress test will be on the treadmill. I wonder how they expect me to walk/run when I'm only good for a maybe half a city block...?
    It may be a hoot!

    'Tis strange, the decrepitudes of aging. In my family, I am now the oldest anyone has ever been. I feel like a pioneer.

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  41. I liked this vowel progression puzzle, though it took a while to grok the gimmick. Being a Mercedes Benz fan, I knew DAIMLER right away just from getting the D and L. LW and I love to watch a good Paso Doble; back in 2007 Apolo Anton Ohno performed an excellent one with Julianne Hough on Dancing with the Stars. I bet it's on YouTube.
    Welcome back, Kazie. Good wishes to you all.

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  42. FIW in so many ways; SO to L714 with the clue for SOUR.

    My Moe-ku du jour has nothing to do with the puzzle; enjoy a giggle, grin, or a groan

    Beware logging on
    To the Girl Scouts' new website;
    Heard they use cookies.

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  43. OMK@3:15 - Right, we ended up with LOOIE. I was still confused about the spelling.
    Canadians say both LEFTenant and Lootenant depending on how British or American we are feeling at the time.

    Jinx@3:13 - LOL re REMAN. I hadn't noticed how non-gender-neutral it was. But Reperson is a little unwieldy! And our PM Trudeau has now apologized for his "mankind" remark.
    Peoplekind

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  44. Also, from our gender-neutral Canadian anthem discussion of the other day, the change is now official. The CBC reports "The bill received royal assent this morning, and was signed into law by the Governor General's secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, as Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette is in South Korea ahead of the Olympic opening ceremonies.
    Canadian Olympians in Pyeongchang already sang the altered version of the song this morning during a flag-raising ceremony at the athletes' village."

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  45. Wilbur, I've had that pain. This too shall pass.

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  46. OMK and OwenKL I empathize with you in your dilemmas. Several times in my life I've been laid up with debilitating back pain so severe that there were no words in the several languages I speak to describe it. Pressure on the discs was causing them to bulge and tear the annular ligaments that hold them in place. Luckily I did not have ruptured discs and the ligaments healed with time. Treatment consisted mainly of anti inflammatory drugs and acupuncture. Another contributing factor in the healing process in the last episode was extended rest in Arizona where winter time humidity was around 7-10% Swimming in a warm pool every morning and walking about 2 hrs a day. I have been completely pain free now for over 5 years. I golf and do all kinds of physical work . I try to remember to take care. I no longer run or jump but DW and I love to dance and do so quite often. Best wishes to you.

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  47. Hi All!

    Another week of FIWs Mon & Tue and a FIR on Wed...

    Thanks Roland for a fun little puzzle I finished it 'BING, BANG, BONG' [gotta say it like Trump]* with only minor missteps. Thanks mb for the expo; I'll watch APOLLO and DAIMLER later. I liked the Frugal Gourmet and the Galloping Gourmet - I agree w/ you on game-show cooking shows #yuch. Give me Alton Brown (Good Eats) or Julia any day.

    WOs: LOuIE; S--/HER; and, those that didn't like OLD DEAR?, you'd hate OLD lady :-)
    ESPs: RAE, NASH, STEIG, SHINTO
    Fav: LEANER a backwards RINGER..
    Runners-Up: Juxtaposition of BROWN & ECRU and BUNGEE 'cuz it makes me think of this song. [VeggieTales]

    Hand up for wanting a proper name b/f the BEBOP record dropped.

    {A} {ha!}
    OKL - I had a professor would take a whole letter-grade if homework was 1 minute late; you were on time in so far as when I showed up :-)

    Spitz - I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your buddy.
    WC & OMK - sorry to hear of your pain.

    Great to see you back Kazie (and glad you can see better!)
    D-O: I didn't realize DAIMLER and Chrysler split up. Thanks for that.
    YR - Your hands-on method for 2.3 is like what the Girls did/had in Montessori school.

    TTP - Yep, I thought San Marzano first; used 'em in my stew last night.

    C, Eh! - I wanted SIN for 'BAD beginning'; both in the GARDEN and it began @3d :-)
    //cool you knew him JJM - it was Nautical that tip'd me off - didn't know his real name

    Cheers, -T
    *I would link but it might be considered political

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  48. Thanks for thinking of me TTP and Anon-T. OMK's and Owen's pains are physical, mine is quickly recoverable: pitchers and catchers left Fenway this morning.

    Owen, OAS suggestion about acupuncture is worth a shot. Or, a licenced massage therapist might help. Betsy seems to be a miracle worker but now she is the one who needs the massage.

    I stumbled on my old sports blog from the nineties. A Steeler fan baiting the Pat's fans. I think I did say afew months back that the Pat's really weren't that good this year.

    WC

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  49. Chairman Moe: I heard this one: Don't accept a friend request from Hormel; it may be spam.

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  50. Video killed the radio star says...

    mb, I didn't boo Billy off the stage (nor iPad) so I guess the Tree of Hope works. I enjoy a Night at the APOLLO when I catch it. Thanks for the lagniappe.

    Cool AURORAS Pat;... SPAM humour?... Wah-wha-whah //sad trombones :-)

    CED - Vid is LOL!

    Cheers, -T

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  51. Melissa - Excellent explication. I didn't even notice the missing reveal or think to look for a theme. Never saw Table of Contents as an acronym, but it fit the clue and the crosses.

    I appreciated the link to Wiki on Daimler; got so interested I spent a couple of hours reading it and a bunch of the links from it like atmosphere engine, hot tube ignition, the Reitwagen, etc.

    I'm so sorry about your brother, and I admire your wonderful work with AI, as well as that of the Innocence Project to try to address this terrible (and growing) nationwide problem.

    I bookmarked the AI wish list on Amazon. If one buys an item from it, will it automatically be sent to AI?

    Thanks

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  52. CanadianEh! @ 1605:
    Thanks for the link to the article about your PM's gaffe. I got a few laughs from the article, especially the one it linked to about right wing backlash. Peoplekind was funny, but Batperson, Peopletoba and Peopleup struck me as hilarious.

    On an obliquely related note: In the early '70s a group of future tuba playing stars got together and formed an organization whose purpose was to raise public awareness of the instruments of the tuba family (tuba and euphonium), disseminate news about them, provide a means of communication among performers and to encourage quality composition and higher playing standards for the instruments. Being as they were young guys with weird senses of humor (they were tuba players!) and undoubtedly large quantities of beer were consumed at the meeting, the name they came up with for their organization was Tubists' Universal Brotherhood Association (TUBA). Membership grew quickly, they held national and international conferences which consisted mostly of amazing virtuoso tuba playing (no oom-pahs there), and conceived events which
    have become traditions, such as Tuba Christmas and OkTubafest. (2 of 3)

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  53. (cont.)
    Over the years the organization became more formally structured; eventually leadership ended up mostly in the hands of academics. Once the PC movement started, someone decided the name had to be changed due to inclusion issues. They said Tubists' didn't include euphomiumists (a euphonium is a small tuba, so it does). They said Brotherhood excluded women. (Many say it doesn't, that like mankind it's gender neutral). They put forth a motion to change the name at several quarterly meetings and in several mail votes, and were soundly defeated by the membership each time. We liked the name, and didn't want to be just another brass players' club, like the International Horn Society, International Trombone Association and International Trumpet Guild. Finally, after failing several times in venues where a large portion of the membership was voting, they called a membership meeting at one of the conferences at the same time as one of the most popular recitals, didn't publicize it and didn't say what the agenda was. So with only a few of their cronies and supporters voting they got their way, and we became ITEA - the International Tuba-Euphonium Association. Whoopie.

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  54. FIW with DOUBLA/ROUES/ASSURE which seemed as good as what it was supposed to be. Too bad. Otherwise I enjoyed the puzzle. But I did not get the theme until I was completely finished and noticed the pattern.

    Here I am with one of the stars of the APOLLO THEATER Frankie Manning, along with my dance teachers Jonathan Bixby and Sylvia Sykes.

    Jonathan and Sylvia used to bring Frankie to teach us dance moves when he was well into his upper 80s. At that age he still had an amazing amount of style and energy and had much to show us. He also had some good stories of life in HARLEM in the 1920s. I am just back from dancing just now and ready for bed!

    From yesterday:
    D4E4H: Thanks for thinking of me and LUCID DREAMING. Not sure I got the connection in the video, but the thought is what counts.

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  55. Picard - Wow! You have pix of everything! Wait, do you have a pic of a Cebu? //sorry, VeggieTales side links :-). Cheers, -T

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  56. CanadianEh,
    I was surprised at M. Trudeau's insistence on "peoplekind" as his PC substitution for "mankind."
    He was probably improvising - badly. He must rue how viral his gender-free vocab has gone.
    Surely, "humanity" is the better solution, no?
    I realize that "man" occupies a whole syllable, but it occurs in "woman" as well. I believe both "man" and "woman" are derived from "human."

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