Firm Beliefs
18. "This Kiss" country singer: FAITH HILL
26. Swindler's swindle: CONFIDENCE GAME
47. Important percentage to a prosecutor: CONVICTION RATE
61. Heir's financial security: TRUST FUND
"Faith, Confidence, Conviction and Trust." How beautiful is that ? It just sounds nice as it rolls off the tongue. Each of those four words is synonymous with having firm belief.
ACROSS:
1. Stick a toothpick in: SPEAR
6. Former auto financing co.: GMAC. GMAC became Ally Financial. The auto financing arm of GM is now GM Financial.
10. Get smart with: SASS. As the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window, the police office said 'I've been waiting for you all day.' The kid replied, 'Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could.'
14. "The Chew" co-host Hall: CARLA. "With love, Carla Hall"
15. Dinghy steering tools: OARS
16. Award coveted on "Mad Men": CLIO. Advertising award. "... annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication."
17. In the sky: ALOFT
20. City near Scottsdale: MESA. Zoom in, zoom out.
21. Cookbook maven Rombauer: IRMA. Joy of Cooking fame.
22. Childish retort: AM TOO. Am not. Am too. Am not. Am too. Am not. Am too.
23. Freeway division: LANE
25. Go quickly, quaintly: HIE
33. Pain-relieving drug: OPIATE
34. Sailor: TAR Here's Popeye the Sailor starring in an oater, "Tar With A Star"
35. "__ Tide!": Alabama cheer: ROLL ESPN "Roll Tide" Commercial
37. Derby-wearing Addams cousin: ITT.
41. "Argo" spy gp.: CIA
42. Blaze: FIRE
44. Braying beast: ASS
45. Nautical measure: FATHOM. As a noun, a unit of measure, equal to 6 feet.
50. Animation still: CEL
51. First Nations tribe: CREE. First Nations refers to the indigenous peoples of Canada, south of the Arctic Circle. Cree Indians are a First Nations tribe. Today, there are over 135 bands (James Bay Cree, Woodland Cree, Plain Cree Indians, etc.) in Canada alone, and over 200,000 Cree Indians in North America. Source: Indians.Org and Wikipedia.
52. Hawke of "Training Day": ETHAN
55. RR station posting: SKED. Personally noticing this more often as an abbreviation for schedule.
57. Save, with "away": SOCK
63. Scrabble 10-pointer: Z TILE. The Q tile is another 10-pointer. QI is the single most played word in Scrabble tournaments according to Merriam-Webster. We see it as CHI in crossword puzzles.
64. PetSmart purchase: CAGE
65. Environs: AREA
66. Metallic mixture: ALLOY
67. Gps. requiring copays: HMOs. That clue and answer almost ran rife with abbreviations.
68. Abound (with): TEEM
69. Younger siblings, at times: PESTS
DOWN:
1. Bogus offer: SCAM. Like a swindler's swindle.
2. Light in color: PALE. Ashy
3. Arrow shooter of myth: EROS
4. "Our Gang" kid with spiky hair: ALFALFA
5. Chinese zodiac animal: RAT. The first in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. We are currently in the year of the Dog.
6. Be released: GO FREE
7. Respectful address: MAAM. Ma'am.
8. Song often sung in Italian: ARIA
9. Ill. clock setting: CST. We are currently using CDT.
10. Bagel spread: SCHMEAR
11. Touched down: ALIT
12. Where feed can be stored: SILO. In a different sense, these can be empirical structures that often hinder organizational growth and business objectives in mid and large-sized corporations. We called the people that created these de facto silos "Empire builders."
13. Unaided: SOLO
19. Reagan's first secretary of state: HAIG. Alexander M. Haig. He was also the Chief of Staff for both Nixon and Ford.
21. With all the fine points: IN DETAIL
24. River isles: AITs.
25. British cattle breed: HEREFORD. 10 native British cattle breeds and how to recognize them
26. Salon do: COIF
27. __ nerve: OPTIC
28. Explosive liquid, briefly: NITRO
29. Modern mil. treaty violation: N-TEST. Nuclear testing
30. Keep from going higher: CAP. A golfing buddy sold electrical supplies to commercial and residential contractors. He worked untiringly for his customers. Their success meant his success. It could become annoying on the golf course when he took calls, but his customers and work came first. He left the distributor after the owners capped his "going-forward" commission rate following a string of very successful sales years. In short time, so did many on his customers. The small business learned that when you sell products that are considered commodities, the difference between failure and success often boils down to the people you hire, the relationships and goodwill developed with customers, and the levels of service provided.
31. Starbucks flavor: MOCHA
32. "Adam Bede" novelist George: ELIOT
36. Like a weak excuse: LAME
39. Changed-my-mind key: ESCape.
40. Great __: big dog: DANE. Very large lap dogs. Irish Miss, Misty and Pat are fellow dog lovers.
43. Crates up: ENCASES
46. Railroad bridge framework: TRESTLE
48. Opening for air: VENT
49. Winter river blockage: ICE DAM.
52. Make a fine impression?: ETCH
53. Monorail transport: TRAM
54. Award for Isaac Asimov: HUGO. Literary awards "...given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year." Way back when, I read Asimov, Pohl, Clarke, Heinlein and others. A brother and sister were avid readers of Sci-fi, and I got hooked for a few years. Do you remember the vivid cover art on the paperbacks ?
55. "By all means!": SURE
56. Replaceable joint: KNEE
58. Masseur's supply: OILS
59. Coagulate: CLOT
60. Door openers: KEYS
62. Liposuction target: FAT
63. Heat in a microwave: ZAP
I have Faith, Confidence, Conviction and Trust that Argyle will return to the Corner as soon as he is able.
See all y'all later n'at !
55 comments:
FIWrong¡ I was sure TRESsLE was spelt that way, and I don't play Scrabble, so thought ZsILE was some obcure word only ever used in that game, like AITS in crosswords¡ Still, 224 cells that weren't wrong ain't terrible.
For a puzzle starting with a SCAM, the theme was SURE reassuring!
I fell again going up a step Sunday, had to call 911 for help getting up. No real damage, tho the skinned knee is still sore. Learned something from it. While struggling to get up on my own, I made extensive contact with a bush by my building's entrance. That night my arm was itching and covered with hives! So whatever type of bush it is, that's what I must be allergic to! Would that be what causes my hay fever, too? Anyway, it's still terribly itchy.
There's a type of PEST called a spammer
The worst of the breed's also a SCAMMER.
His English seems LAME,
It's a CONFIDENCE GAME!
This type belongs in the slammer!
There's wholesale and selling in retail.
Salesmen know their products IN DETAIL.
Trades mercantile,
Like Scrabble's Z-TILE,
Reward those who persist and prevail!
{A, B.}
D4,
I don't post on Sunday's.
Force of habit. Early on I couldn't find the pzl in the Sunday LA Times, so thought there wasn't one. I took to working the NY Times Xwd instead.
Even now, that's what I still do.
The omk couldn't be bothered by mere formalities. Enjoy.
Greetings!
Thanks to Gail, Bruce and TTP.
Didn't know CARLA and GMAC. Went very fast.
I was 90 degrees here today!
Late for teddy bye.
See you tomorrow!
Good Tuesday Cornerites.
Thank you Ms. Gail Grabowski, and Mr. Bruce Venzke for this excellent CW. I worked it in three settings. Letters which alluded me on one pass, somehow came to me on the next round, and I FIR.
Thank you TTP for your informative review.
Sheldor AFK. Big Bangers will get it, and others won't care.
Ðave
Good morning!
I liked it. Even got the theme...when I looked for it after finishing. Didn't understand the clue for 63a -- "Scrabble." "10 pointer" was on the next line and I thought it was another clue. Thanx, GG, BV and TTP (looks like we read the same sci-fi books in our ute).
FATHOM -- Samuel Clemens chose the name Mark Twain, because it's what the linesman called out when the river depth was two fathoms.
HEREFORD -- When I grew up, most of the dairy farms around our small town raised Herefords.
GMAC -- I now bank with Ally, because after 30 years Chase chased me away. As an added bonus, Ally pays interest on their free checking accounts; Chase doesn't.
MESA -- My niece lives there...for another 9 days. She's decided to pack up and move back to Wisconsin after living in AZ for 20+ years. She figures being stuck inside for 6 months in a Wisconsin winter can't be worse than being stuck inside for 6 months of Arizona summer.
Busy day...gotta run.
Good morning everyone.
Never got or thought about the theme until coming here. TTP gave a nice explanation. No erasures of searches were needed.
CSO to Lucina with MESA. CARLA was a gimme because we watch the Chew on most days.
Joint - BH has had 2 hip and 1 KNEE joint replaced. In our area they're done on a virtual out-patient basis.
HEREFORDS - Mostly dairy (Holsteins) in our area back in the mid 1900's, But there were a few into HEREFORD husbandry. You'd see them at fairs.
FATHOM - When using a nautical chart, it is important to know whether soundings are given in feet or FATHOMS.
Fun puzzle thanks Gail and Bruce.
FIR
Thanks TTP for the tour, especially the STAR TAR clip. Used to watch the Saturday afternoon cartoons . My kids though POPEYE was much too violent for the grandkids to watch . Lots of Bugs Bunny Road Runner to help with the baby sitting.
OWEN KL l had to write over the s in tressle to get tile . Scrabble still a family favorite passtime .
ALOFT , SOLO and ALIT and even SILO took me back to my flight training days as one of the runways had a feed silo at 12 oclock about 600 feet from the end of the strip. Fun
Spitz, now that you mention it, those were Holsteins not Herefords. Guess I didn't remember what the H was going on. Thanx.
A fun Tuesday, but not without its challenges. Had eRMA at first for 21A, and then down in the south-east I, too, wanted TRESsLE before the ZTILE cleaned that up. Thanks to Gail and Bruce for the puzzle, and to TTP for the fine tour through the grid.
Would somebody please, please, send spring this way?
Have a great day, all....
Another fun puzzle from Gail and Bruce. And thanks to TTP for the fun tour. FIR, but didn't know CARLA, AITS, or ICE DAM. There was a fiery plane crash on the Scottsdale TPC yesterday. I've played the course and watched a PGA tour event there. Roosevelt Lake is an unexpectedly beautiful body of water just to the northeast. We used to have two-day sailboat races there every year. Day one was from the shore to a distant island. Following a great party that night (catered via pontoon boats), the return race winners were often determined by the crews that were the least worse for wear.
Back in the 80s there was an early meeting between Alex HAIG and Menachem Begin. It was known as the Begin and HAIG breakfast.
Back from my rain-shortened golf trip to Myrtle Beach. With one night left we found two live bedbugs in one of the bedrooms. Instead of moving we opted to quarantine that room and two of our party slept on couches. One of our group is a professional pest control tech, so we felt confident in his directions.
I do remember the covers on the sci-fi books I devoured in my younger days. How about the Ace doubles? Two books in one, each with its own cover; when you finished the first one, you went to the "back" cover—and there was another cover! It was upside down at that point; you just rotated it 180 degrees and started your new book. When you got to the end, there was the last page of the first book, upside down. Cool. I think they were 35 or 40 cents.
Owen, I hope you’re doing better today; hives are no fun (except for bees, I guess).
Good Tuesday-level puzzle today. No nits and nothing I had to skip and come back for. Thanks, Gail & Bruce!
Good Morning:
Gail and Bruce never disappoint and always provide a rewarding solve. My two w/os were Salt/Sock and Erie/Cree. Silo next to Solo was neat. The theme was obvious but it was still fun to see what was coming next. I don't watch "The Chew", but I knew Carla from her competing days. Has Mario Batali's absence affected the show's content and quality?
Thanks, Gail and Bruce, for a typical Tuesday treat and thanks, TTP, for the informative, homey summary. I enjoyed the Great Dane clip and learned a lot about the breed. But I think having a dog that weighs a lot more than I do would be daunting. I'll stick to my beloved Bichons! (Hint, hint to the linking wizards!)
Best wishes to Argyle!
Have a great day.
Good Morning.
Thanks, Gail and Bruce, for lots of Tuesday pleasure. I wanted tests for SPEAR--in a baking mode here. I always run afoul of SKED. I also liked SILO and SOLO together, along with ALOFT and ALIT. I, too, wanted a 10 point word for Z TILE.
Very nicely done, TTP. Informative and fun. I was one of the few people of my era who didn't like IRMA's tome. Nor Better Homes and Gardens. I was not a fan of ingredients listed in the text of the recipe. I began my marriage as a Betty Crocker gal, which for me was the perfect springboard to a lifetime of culinary fun. I dare not say how many cookbooks I have or have had. Just tried a new recipe last night. The food critic here gave it 4 stars. Yay!
KNEEs--yep, that's why I'm in PT. I want too keep the original models!
I'm a city kid, born and bred, but I do love cows! My favorites are Jerseys. They have such pretty faces. I'd say mostly Holsteins in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. Maybe I just notice them more.
The Cubs opener was delayed until today--snow, of course! It's sunny today; I hope it is for you also.
Forgot to mention: C.C. has a cw in today's WSJ.
IM - Without Mario, I think the remaining three have to work harder and put more energy into the show. The occasional day off may be harder to arrange, also. Too bad. I'm wondering if they may add another regular.
I keep finding mistakes and deleting my posts. Nobody home upstairs.
Thanks TTP, for the great review. You are a natural. Bruce and Gail I enjoyed this Tuesday puzzle, quickly solved. Theme was sussed from the second theme fill. ZSILE or ZTILE? Then I noticed the "ten pointer" under Scrabble, problem solved.
The railroad trestle (Seeing it horizontally in print, I realize it needs the T.) was a landmark in the very small town where I grew up. It has been taken down and I miss it very much. Funny the things we get attached to.
DO, I wondered about the HEREFORD in dairy country. Glad you cleared that up. The BEEF cattle usually have a bulkier body type than dairy cattle. The logo of the Zinburger restaurant chain always bothers me whenever I pass by. It depicts a dairy type cow drinking from a teeny wine glass. It looks like a Holstein with reddish spots instead of black ones. The artist should have drawn a Hereford with a hefty body type. Somehow the wine glass does not bother me as much.
Zinburger
OKL, sorry to hear of your fall Glad it wasn't worse. I hope your hives clear up soon.
First limerick is an A.
SCHMEAR, much Yiddish has become common English.
SCHMEAR - related to German schmieren (to lubricate), anschmieren, (to smear).
In modern usage SCHMEAR has extended to anything that can be spread, such as cream cheese spread upon a bagel. In some cases, it refers to "an entire set or group of related things", or the expression "the whole shmear".
Good Morning, TTP and friends. It's been a while since I have been able to do the crosswords. I must be out of practice because I found this a bit challenging. I wanted Sham instead of SCAM, which gave me Harla for The Chew host. Seemed perfectly logical to me. It's not a good sign when I can't immediately get 1-A and 1-D on the first pass.
I liked seeing SILO and SOLO side by side.
I know my cows, so didn't have a problem with the HEREFORDs.
I sometimes play Words with Friends, so didn't have trouble with the Z TILE.
Jinx: Your Began and Haig breakfast is unkosher!
QOD: A nickname is the heaviest stone that the devil can throw at a man. ~ William Hazlitt (Apr. 10, 1778 ~ Sept. 18, 1830)
Great puzzle..................I love it when the non mensas can enjoy working one!
Musings
-A fine NRN (No Reveal Necessary) puzzle today
-Said of a losing team “Put a toothpick in ‘em, they’re done!”
-GMAC and I owned several cars together
-The beautiful Cubs spring training facility in MESA, AZ. We were there 2 wks ago
-My high school classmate flies the recruiting plane for BAMA
-Our guides at this very remote camp in the middle of Saskatchewan were CREE Indians on a lake TEEMING with fish
-The devil is IN the DETAILS
-The men who built moviedom’s most famous TRESTLE (2:52)
-Coal dust and dynamite are used to break ICE DAMS on the Platte
-Much more convenient than KEYS
-Get better Owen!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review. I think you have found your calling. Great job!
Worked through the puzzle with several passes, gaining some words at each one. Finally it was done. Wallah!
Tried ICE JAM without thinking the J would not work at the end of a word, 61A. Fixed that quickly to ICE DAM. My only inkblot.
Not sure why GMAC folded. Maybe the government caused that?
Liked the ROLL TIDE clip that was included.
No idea who CARLA Hall is. Oh well.
Have tons to do. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Owen, I was so sorry to hear about your fall! The hives were just adding insult to injury! Get better fast.
Hahtoolah, good to See you again. Are you so busy in retirement you can't sneak off for crosswording?
I found the puzzle crunchier than usual. I wanted something like "poke" for stick a toothpick in. SPEAR seems a bit sophisticated for a toothpick. And that was just 1A.
I always struggle with the childish taunts. AM TOO, am so, not me, etc....takes crosses to pick out which one . SOLO and SILO both seemed solid but two O's took a while to figure out. It all worked out in the end. Thanks , Gail and Bruce.
I must confess i finally understand Tin's reluctance to write the word ice. I really did not want to write ROLL TIDE! How 'bout "Geaux Tigers"? TTP, you made it all make sense. Thanks.
OwenKL,
Can you post a picture of the offending bush?
Maybe we can identify it for you.
DW Loves to weed the backyard,
but she always ends up with some allergic skin reaction.
I am still trying to find out which plant is the culprit.
In the meantime, she wants me to weed.
DW: "Pull this out!"
ME: "It's not a weed, it's green!"
Common NJ Weeds
It's wonderful to immediately slip into the constructors' wave length! Thank you, Gail and Bruce!
SCAM and SPEAR started me off but I have no idea about CARLA Hall so perps filled it. My TV stays off until about 4 P.M.
I did, however, see the all the TRUST and FAITH with CONFIDENCE and CONVICTION.
ABS were my first lipo target before FAT. I have often used the ZTILE to score some points in Scrabble.
Yesterday I drove, not to MESA, but to Glendale.
Owen, do be careful and heal quickly. Good job today!
Have a sensational day, everyone!
TTP:
Thank you for your subbing! I agree. You are a natural.
I worked a four day weekend . 1200+miles. So I managed all the xwords but was too tired to post last night. FLN, I too am a Nero Wolfe AFICIONADO* .
I just finished Some Buried Caesar and The Golden Spiders. Speaking of cattle..
I guess I'll have to tape The Chew . I'm unfamiliar with the genre . Now Carla from Cheers I know .
So, Jayce, do you post on The Rex? About once a month I get to NYT a week or two late . I try to save them for my mythical Amtrak trip to NYC .
Y'all missed the CSO to Tin with HAIG .
Can y'all imagine that in 1957 they marched the Junior High Across town to see none other than Aunt Jemima . How about them pancakes, eh Lucina . Do I have the right gourmet?
Which of those sci-fi guys founded Scientology? I've told you my theory on Isaac Asimov. No takers .
Btw, D4-Dave... expliquez votre TBBT Ref.
I've surpassed my byte limit
WC
* I seem to recall this word from my lost weekend
Nice one from Gail and Bruce and TTP's tour through the grid was a fun trip.
Only a couple of small hitches along the way today. SPAM vs. SCAM resulted in PARLA instead of CARLA for the Chew host which I never watched, so I didn't know. It didn't seem right so I tried MARLA which didn't seem right either then the V8 can hit me with SCAM. The other one was LEAGUE vs. FATHOM. Perps fixed my mistakes.
My FIL was a dairy farmer who had mostly Holsteins and at least one Jersey in his milk herd. The Jersey was the cow that provided the highest fat content for family use. He would also have a a Hereford or two for their meat for the family. The Herefords were a pretty even-tempered and gentle breed, unlike Black Angus who were pretty nasty and hard to handle. After a Black Angus Bull pinned my FIL up against a tree the bull became the next one to become meat for the freezer after my FIL got out of the hospital. Last Black Angus he ever owned.
Going shopping with my DW to get her a new laptop because her current one is acting squirrelly and with the prices these days it's easier to just replace it. Lunch is part of the trip also.
I hope everyone has fun today.
Woohoo! Woohoo! I love Gail and Bruce puzzles and I got this one! Had a moment of anxiety because I too thought that it was ERMA rather than IRMA. Was I thinking of ERMA Bombeck? Did she do cookbooks too? But thank goodness I went with the I to make sense of IN DETAIL. The other thing that stumped me was AITS--a word I've never heard before. But the across words had to be right, so I got it. Thank you, Gail and Bruce for a fun puzzle (even got the theme without a reveal). And great write-up, TTP, and thank you for the shout-out to the puppy lovers.
Owen, what a blessing that you were able to call 911 to get you up, and that you're okay (well, except for the hives). Can't believe you still came up with great limericks after all that.
Ol'Man Keith, you've probably figured out the puzzle on one side of the LA Times comics by now. We'd love to have you back on Sundays.
Have a great, and hopefully sunny, day, everybody!
"Puzzling Thoughts":
Been AFB for a few days, as I was busy, busy, busy. Just finished the previous day's puzzles. Sunday from JW had far too many LUs; Yesterday from "Really Rich" was a bit crunchy for a Monday, but had a nice SO to yours truly (MOE ---> H Simpson's bartender)
Today's G&B was just fine, regardless of whether there was, or was not a theme. I kept looking for the clue that explained the puzzle theme, but is was AWOL.
Two WO's: ERMA/IRMA; CONVERSION/CONVICTION.
Thanks CC, Boomer, and TTP for your recaps the past three days
2 Moe-kus:
Mensa Haiku: "In
Order to FATHOM this, you
Must be six foot tall."
Would you guess that a
Bee who's in poison ivy
Might break out in hives?
Misty @ 11:33am: I mixed up IRMA/ERMA also. Yes Erma Bombeck did write one cookbook in 1985 titled "Mud Pies and Silver Spoons: A Cookbook." It was a humorous cookbook with real recipes, although I don't think they were necessarily her own recipes.
Misty, I guess I'm more a creature of habit than I realized. I appreciate the daily LA Times, partly because it is the right size for my reading time. But the Sunday edition is too big. The first thing I do when I pick up the Sunday paper is to strip it down to the Main, California, Arts & Books, and Calendar sections. This is why I rarely see the Xwd in the Comics, section H.
Maybe I can make a change.
But... well, "'tain't easy, Myrt."
I do a similar stripping of the Sunday NY Times, but the Magazine is one of the sections I keep, and its Xwd is safely included.
Today's pzl from the Grabowski/Venzke team (isn't that a mouthful?) earns high marks for a steady level of solvability throughout. Whenever I had to pause before a fill, its perps would automatically come to the rescue. I had the theme answers in place before I knew there was a theme. CONFIDENCE GAME was the last I filled, and it struck a nerve with me.
I wonder why it is that all those words - "beautiful" words, as highlighted by TTP - seem negative to me?
FAITH CONFIDENCE, CONVICTION, TRUST are all well and good, so long as they are fairly earned. Otherwise, they are major tools in a conman's repertory. Scam artists (and banks, Wells Fargo?) rely on them to wreak their very intimate havoc.
____________
Diagonal Report: Curiously, no diagonals upon entry, but we have all three on the mirror side. This is not all that uncommon, but it is rare enough to draw attention.
No hidden messages - unless anagram artists wish to have a crack.
Like OMK, I do not get the LA puzzle on Sunday, but I do get the NYT one, so that’s the one I do as well, Rex blog and all.
Did anyone see the South Park “Faith Hill” episode? Hysterical as usual.
The was a nice Tuesday puzzle, no issues at all.
Hi Y'all! Nice puzzle from Gail & Bruce. A bit crunchy for Tues. but doable. Liked the theme. Great expo, TTP.
Stick a toothpick in = a test to see if the cake is done. SPEAR? meh!
GMAC: Had _MAC and could not come up with a "G". I was the bookkeeper for a Buick-GMC dealership and worked with GMAC financing daily, for pity sakes. Duh! GMAC went belly up during my employment. We heard by the grapevine that there was a lot of investing in dot.com stocks that ended up worth 10 cents on the dollar. Not sure what happened. GMAC rep told us that.
HEREFORD: cso to me. We raised white-faced polled HEREFORDS and fed them out to choice beef. We ate like millionaires, but were cash poor.
KNEE: noticed recently that the KNEE CAP on my right leg is deteriorating apparently. It is only half the size of my other CAP and feels "ruffly" around the edges. That's been my bad knee since injury at age 24.
Jinx: Begin & HAIG breakfast. LOL! Bedbugs, aaagh! They may have to bring back DDT & chlordane just for them. Pioneers put the bed legs in pans of kerosene to rid the hay ticks of bedbugs. Sounds like a fire hazard, but worked.
Owen: speaking from experience, if you got HIVES from a bush, you can also get respiratory problems from them. Especially from evergreen-type bushes with a sticky residue.
Like your write up on 30D CAP. Exact same thing happened with my brother, who sold roofing products. His company foolishly capped his commission after he reached a certain level of sales. He quit, formed his own business, became a rep for another roofing company and took most of his previous customers with him.
Thank you Oc4beach for the Erma Bombeck cookbook information. So relieved that I didn't make it up.
Ol'Man Keith and Anon PVX, enjoy your Sundays with whatever puzzle works best. We'll then look forward to hearing from you on Mondays.
Gary, the devil ISN'T in the details, the devil is in the vacuum cleaner. Just ask any dog.
PK the kerosene DOES sound dangerous. Our tech taught me two new tings: 1) spraying suspect surfaces with an aerosol (I think he used deodorant) keeps them inactive for a while, and 2) putting clothes in a drier that gets to at least 123 degrees for 15 minutes will kill the bugs and eggs. He suggested letting the clothes get hot, then wrapping an oven thermometer in a towel and adding it to verify the drier got hot enough.
OwenKL - glad you're OK after your fall and emergency call. The hives are nasty but should take care of themselves in reasonably short order.
You remind me of the only time I called 9-1-1. I had just got a cell phone. After years of resisting, I gave in to my wife's entreaties that I have one in case of an emergency.
On a weekend two days after I activated it I happened to be alone on my disability scooter on the second floor of my office building when a loud alarm sounded.
Fire?
I saw no sign of any - or of any danger. I scootered back to the elevator but found it was de-activated when the fire alarm went off! I was stuck.
Realistically I knew I could get myself down the stairs by holding tight to the banister and limping down one stair at a time. But then I would be without my scooter, with no way to get home two miles away.
I called 9-1-1. A cheerful young fireman came to the rescue. He carried my scooter down and offered to carry me, but I declined- and proved I could manage at least that much.
I thought it a strange coincidence that this strange "fire" occurred just after I'd obtained a cell.
But in a strange way it comports with another observation I have made over the years. Mankind seems to progress in step with the "tools" that come into our hands just before we need them.
Astrophysicists point out that certain branches of higher mathematics had no practical application for decades prior to space exploration. They seemed good only for honing the wits of a few professors and their disciples. Then satellite launches and rocket ships came along, and suddenly those maths became not only useful but necessary.
And that's why I think I got a cell phone when I did.
OMK -- there's a saying, that "you can't railroad until it's time to railroad." Technology and the need for it are bound together.
CARLA Hall, Z TILE, SCHMEAR- only unknowns filled by perps on this super fast fill.
Great DANE & GREAT DANES- fill for 40D on this puzzle and 16A on C.C.'s Wall Street Journal Puzzle today
I neglected my kudos . First, TTP your write-up was Argylian in wit and informative-ness(sic)
Oops gotta run .
WC
C.C.:
Did you email me with the Subject "Super Bad Owl" & a message to "Click here"?
Our server warns us NOT to click on those w/o confirming who they're from. (We get lots of phishers.)
~ Kf
Late to the party,didn't get to the paper until late afternoon. Great puzzle, G&B. Excellent expo, TTP.
HAgG/HAaG/HAIG. I knew the person I wanted, just couldn't get the spelling. Thanks, perps.
There was a theme? Not that I saw.
TTP, you're right, I love dogs. I used to love being with cats until I developed an allergy to them.
Fav today: 56d Replaceable joint/KNEE. I'm the mostly pleased owner of a replaced knee. There are issues with it but it sure beats the pain and discomfort I had with the old one.
Have a nice evening.
OMK - I suspect, yes she did... TRUST me. Back in a bit with my report. -T
C.C.'s puzzle in the WSJ with a GRAND theme was fun to solve!
Today I went for my 3-month check up and my doctor suspects I may have Valley Fever. I've been abnormally tired and sleeping for hours at a time during the day. I'll know after a blood test.
Lucina,
Good luck with the blood test. I hope you feel much better soon.
I have the same symptoms! So please let us know what you find out.
Hi All!
Thanks G&B for a puzzle that was easy to FATHOM and TEEM'd with fun words. Thanks TTP for a sparkly expo - WEES, you're a natural. I know too much about cows now but I will still eat them.
WOs: OPIAdE; AIDS didn't seem right for a isle's name; wrong ROLe - isn't that LAME?
ESPs: CARLA, IRMA, AITS
Fav: SCHMEAR - that's just a great word.
WEES re: Z-TILE. The clue's type-setting was tricky and I wondered why the heck we had another 10a for a second...
{A, B+} {cute, groan :-)}
Sorry to hear of your spill and subsequent allergy onset OKL.
JINX - LOL Begin & HAIG and Hahtoolah's un-kosher follow-up!
WC - Nice spot on Pinch HAIG for Tin.
Swamp - SPEAR does seem a bit strong for a toothpick too (unless it's olives in a martini) but, my third thought, 'shank' was right-out. :-). MDE Defarage - I too was thinking baking - Youngest made muffins yesterday and toothpicks were left strewn on the counter.
Oc4 - No lie. I just got Youngest a Dell for $250 (+$160 for Office). Not the greatest box but she's 15.
OMK - I was being sincere; the message from C.C. Is not a SCAM. Also, there's a diagonal message from SW->NE; SEA crosses TAR.
Cheers, -T
A fun puzzle today; I liked it. Spent 5 hours watching Zuckerberg testify to the Senate committees today. Very interesting.
-T, Phil laughed when I rdpointed to $160.00 for Office. But it's you
AnonT, my first thought for that toothpick was prick. But I didn't think Rich would approve. Shank?? Okay....and I agree toothpicks are used for testing the doneness of a cake. Olives for martinis? Okay....spear works there!? Hehehehehehe
My Roomba wouldn't work the other night. I kept punching buttons. It hadn't been used for awhile and was on the charger. I was startled when Roomba spoke to me. Couldn't understand what it said. Finally realized it was saying "Charge Roomba" over and over. So I put it back on the charger. Must not have had a good connection before or it turned off because of length of time. What have I come to that the only meaningful conversation I've had in days is with my vacuum cleaner? I was talking back to it like it was human too. It sucked up fine today. Followed me like a dog when I left the room. I have to fence it in.
good luck Lucy.
Anon T: $250 is a good price. My problem is DW wants a few bells and whistles, so it looks like $600 before we add the Software. What the heck, if we don't spend it, the kids get the money.
Good night all.
Thank you, Lemonade.
Anon T,
A true diagonal message would run the entire length from top to bottom, or the reverse.
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