google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday June 25, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

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Jun 25, 2018

Monday June 25, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: FINAL TOUCH (63A. Last detail that makes things perfect ... and what each answer to a starred clue has?) - Synonym theme.

16A. *Question to the bartender: WHAT'S ON TAP?.
 
38A. *Subject of a neighborhood flier: LOST PET.

10D. *Master perfectly: GET DOWN PAT.

28D. *Daring action: BOLD STROKE.

Boomer here. 

Happy Monday to one and all!  Not much to report this week.  I bowled lousy last Monday and played a very, very difficult golf course Tuesday.  Saturday I spent a few hours watching the Twins play the Texas Rangers and I had a puzzle word moment when Texas second baseman Rougned ODOR faced Twins pitcher Jake ODORizzi.  I'm afraid Jake was not able to finish the second inning.  His performance stunk.

Across:

1. Viking tales, say: SAGAS.  Viva, Las Sagas !

6. Actress Rooney or Kate: MARA.

10. Empty talk: GAS.  Fill 'er up.  Price in Minnesota has settled around $1.75 per gallon.  How is it where you live ?

13. __ Lodge: motel chain: ECONO.  Is this one of those on the stupid bodabook bodaboom commercials ?

14. Tiny particle: ATOM.

15. Dropped in the mail: SENT.

18. "The Simpsons" bus driver: OTTO.

19. Rogen of "Steve Jobs": SETH.

20. Kumquat peel: RIND.  I know watermelon has a rind.  I don't think I have ever even seen a Kumquat.


21. Demand from the judge: ORDER.  All Rise, Demand from Yankee fans for Aaron Judge.

22. Bean product?: IDEA.  Someone might have to explain this to me.  The only four letter bean product I can think of … never mind

24. Fragrant hybrid bloom: TEA ROSE.  So, do you boil the leaves to make tea?

26. Computer cord: CABLE.  Have you ever ridden the Cable Cars in San Francisco?  A little scary going downhill, but still a fascinating experience.  "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair."  Maybe a tea rose ?

29. Tight braid: CORNROW.  Here in Minnesota, in the fall, many cornfields are turned into mazes, (not maize) and for a small fee, guests try to work their way through.

31. Coral rings: ATOLLS.

33. Mango seed: PIT.

34. Org. for the Minnesota Lynx: WNBA.  C.C. and I met Lindsey Whalen once at a sports card show.  Great player and nice lady.  She is now doing double duty, playing for the Lynx, and coaching the Gopher women's team.

37. Brooks of "High Anxiety": MEL.  My favorite was "Blazing Saddles", especially the scene with the bean idea.


41. Chum: PAL.  With PAY, famous internet paying method

42. Salon foot treatment, briefly: PEDI.  Wouldn't this be a pedicure?

44. It's burned during workouts: FAT.  Not mine, It's burned when I broil a steak.

45. New version of an old movie: REMAKE.  And they never seem to be as good as the original.

47. Orange Crush, e.g.: SODA POP.  Good stuff.  I am hooked on Diet Pepsi. (So I don't have to burn fat.)

50. Hotel postings: RATES.  Golf courses usually post them on websites.  Seniors usually get deals on weekdays.  My golf - Every day is a weak day.

51. Belgian seaport known for its diamond shops: ANTWERP.

53. "Dream on!": AS IF.

55. Countrified: RURAL.  You can find those corn mazes in rural Minnesota.

56. Colossal: HUGE. Better get to the gym or switch to Diet Pepsi.

58. Spring flower: IRIS.

62. Golfer's chipping club: IRON.  Irons are numbered from one to nine and seldom are used for a chip shot.  Most players use a wedge, which is an iron, or a club that looks like a putter but has a little elevation in the head.

65. Questions: ASKS.

66. Home of leprechauns: ERIN.

67. __ Lauder: ESTEE

68. Big name in jeans: LEE. I remember Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man, married to Charlie's Angel Farrah Fawcett, but not for long.

69. Dampens: WETS.

70. Snooped (around): NOSED.

Down:

1. Works with thread: SEWS.

2. Ibuprofen target: ACHE.  Generic aspirin etc.  Wish I could find some that really works.

3. Nanny or billy: GOAT. There's a winding road and a tall pine tree, by the tall pine tree, she waits for me.  Oh, yes, she waits in the little green house that sits on top of Billy Goat Hill.

4. Mound built by insects: ANTHILL.  Not as big as a Billy Goat one.

5. Mariner's "Help!": SOS.

6. Superfan to the max: MANIAC.

7. Address label abbr.: ATTN.

8. Traveling for away games: ROAD TRIP.  These are fun.  C.C. and I went to Miller Park one year to watch a Twins Brewers Game.

9. Band booster: AMP.  Short for amplifier.  But I am an electric guy.  Amp is also short for Ampere, a measure of current load.

11. Poker prepayments: ANTES.  Years ago, at the caddy shack, we played nickel ante.

12. Strip mall unit: STORE.

15. One cause of tears: SORROW.  "All my sorrows, soon be over" RIP Argyle.

17. It's mined and refined: ORE.  Product of Hibbing, MN, boyhood home of  Robert Zimmerman.  You may know him better as Bob Dylan.

21. Blade making waves: OAR.  I have pulled many oars, but never made a wave with one.

23. Lenovo competitor: DELL.  People may one day see this puzzle in a Dell magazine, or a Penny Press. (same thing)

25. Cross the threshold: ENTER.

26. Sleep in the woods, maybe: CAMP.

27. Suit to __: A TEE.  This word (s) frequently appears in a crossword puzzle.  Let's not be afraid to call it what it is.

30. Decide one will: OPT TO.  Opt to Three four, your left, your left, your left right.

32. Up to now: SO FAR.  Up to Three four. your left, your left, your left right.

35. Cook in the oven: BAKE.

36. Nanobrewery beverages: ALES.

39. Blue birthstone: SAPPHIRE. September stone.  Sapphires are not all blue, but blue is the most sought after.

40. Polo of "The Fosters": TERI.

43. Dubuque natives: IOWANS.  "River City, next stop ! Cash for the chickens and the pickin's and the flypaper, whaddya talk. You can talk you can bicker, you can talk you can bicker, you can talk, talk, talk, bicker, bicker, bicker.  You can talk all you wanna but it's different than it was.  No it Ain't but you gotta know the territory!"

46. Underworld family member: MAFIOSO.

48. California's Marina __ Rey: DEL.

49. Some polytheists: PAGANS.

51. Easy-to-read font: ARIAL.  We probably have 30-40 fonts available in our word software.  I just wonder who named them all.

52. Sip slowly: NURSE.  Could be a doctor's helper.

54. Pinch from le chef: SEL.

57. Knot or pound: UNIT.

59. Road grooves: RUTS.  Boy do we have them here up north.  I-35 is closed and traffic is awful.

60. Slushy drink brand: ICEE.

61. Backyard shelter: SHED.

63. Not a lot: FEW.

64. Hamilton's bill: TEN. - Bo Derek's number also.

Boomer



61 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to C.C. and Boomer!

    Nice puzzle! Only did not know: WNBA, ANTWERP and MANIAC. Easy perp fill.

    Used to grow kumquats. Very tasty! Little trees do not like to be neglected.

    Have a great day!

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  2. Canned SODA, POP corn, argued RURAL crows,
    Tasted decent, but caused FAT and GAS SORROWS!
    The focal IDEA wasn't much,
    Until a rude FINAL TOUCH
    Set off the fight, a CORN ROW in the corn rows!

    A bartender needs to GET DOWN PAT
    His bottled ALES and WHAT'S ON TAP!
    In the RATES for scotch,
    PINCH is up a notch.
    And don't OPT TO corkscrew a twist-off cap!

    {B-, A-.}

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  3. Boomer, BEAN is used as a substitute for brain. The clue for PEDI says "briefly" which tells you the clue is for an abbreviation.

    A fun easy Monday, ORE OAR was cute and so are the MARA sisters who were in C.C.'s blog of the Sunday puzzle.

    Thanks, M/M Burnikel.

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  4. Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett (married July 28, 1973, separated 1979, divorced February 16, 1982). FYI

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  5. A bit crunchy for a Monday.

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  6. Finished this treat from CC correctly without cheats or erasure. I know it's only Monday, but recently I've had more challenge from them than the Tuesday or Wednesday offerings. I got the theme about halfway through, but found it to be more of a touchstone than an aid.

    Semi-CSO for 26D CAMP. We got out of sailing and into RVing in 2011. I sailed out of Marina DEL Rey for years. Mostly racing, but also a few trips every year to the Isthmus of Catalina - 30 (not 26) miles across the sea. At the time (maybe still) MdR was the largest small-boat harbor in the world, and a huge revenue source for LA County. Also a pretty song by George Strait.

    Boomer, I chip with 6, 7 or 8 IRON. I pitch with my three wedges. When I lived in Dallas, we called a putter a "Texas flat wedge".

    Before I was old enough to vote, my PALs and I knew several dirty Nixon jokes with the punchline "that was the only way he could GET it DOWN PAT".

    Thanks to Mr and Mrs CC for the fun Monday.

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  7. Good Morning, Boomer and friends. I found this to be a bit of a challenge for a Monday. The bottom half came easily, but I had a bit of a struggle at the top with the Rooney and Kate clue. I had heard of Rooney MARA, but not Kate. According to Wikipedia (which isn't the best source of authority), Kate's full name is KATE ROONEY MARA. Also, as Jason pointed out, Kate and Rooney are sisters.

    I planted a Kumquat tree in my new garden this spring. It already has lots of little fruit. I haven't tried the RINDs yet.

    QOD: Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible. ~ George Orwell (June 25, 1903 ~ Jan. 21, 1950)

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  8. Thank you C.C. and thank you Boomer.

    Fun puzzle and review to start the day.

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  9. Good morning!

    CSOs to me this morning with OTTO, of course, and DELL, my computer. Speaking of computers, my tablet died this morning, but I digress. No need for Wite-Out this morning. Thanx for the outing, Burnikels.

    MARA POLO: I remember Kate Mara from Shooter, she played Donnie's widow. Teri Polo played Jimmy Smits wife in The West Wing. I just finished binge-watching that series -- still timely after all those years.

    "Billy Goat Hill"/"All My Sorrows" -- Boomer, have you been binge-listening to the Kingston Trio lately?

    ACHE: I seldom need a pain pill, but I do take an 81mg aspirin daily as a poor man's blood thinner.

    SODA: Haven't had a bottle of soda pop in years. Now, beer, on the other hand...

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  10. $1.75 per gallon? Typo? Closer to $2.75 a gallon in SC.

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  11. Thank you C.C. for this easy Monday CWP which I FIR in 24:06.

    Thank you Boomer for your humorous review.

    63D - Not a lot: FEW. - -Justify not only won the triple crown, but he can also talk. When Bob Baffert asks him if he wants more oats, he lifts his tail and replies "A FEW."

    ____________

    J

    Well pull my tab.

    ____________

    Ðave

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  12. Morrning everyone,

    Ahhhhh.... a nice start to the week, thanks to CC. Hopefully the trend will continue the next few days. Kept looking for a baseball clue, but today was a shutout!

    Always liked ROAD TRIPS when I played ball. Never will forget one trip to a distant high school..... their gym was below a swimming pool Visitors always played the first half in the deep end. Lay ups were the only shot you could take. Even free throws had to be a "line drive". A few other gyms we visited had something strange, but none others beat playing beneath a poo

    Wonder if Rooney and/or Kate a part of the Wellington MARA family, owners of the football Giants.

    Boomer, when the Twins built the new ball park, why did they not include roofing it?

    Lot going on today. so SEE YA.



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  13. Nice Monday run - with a little bit of crunch here and there like CORNROW. Also with CC's signature style of some theme answers horizontal and some vertical. Thanks CC and Boomer!

    Hondo - Rooney and Kate actually come from football royalty on both sides: grandchildren of Wellington Mara who co-owned the NY Giants and great grandchildren of Art Rooney who owned the Pittsburgh Steelers!

    Off to work!

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  14. Boomer: Excellent write-up!

    Fave today, of course, is a question I NEVER ask a bartender: "WHAT'S ON TAP"?
    I prefer BEER Out-of-the-Can ... Or Bottle.

    Cheers!

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  15. Good Morning Everyone.

    Enjoyed C.C.'s puzzle. Little bit crunchy, but managed to stay on the tracks. FIR. No searches needed. Theme had me confused because I looked at the whole phrase rather than the end of it. No matter, the solve was unaffected.
    Kumquat - Used to nosh a FEW. Guts, feathers, and all. The RINDS were tasty enough. My preference now, though, is for Mandarin oranges.
    Dubuque - Made a day-trip there once from Madison, WI. Through the unglaciated part of SW Wisconsin. Visited a colleague who taught at Loras College. Remember driving along the Mississippi as far as Bellevue.
    SORROW - Boomer's entry reminded me of taking leave of a short visit to Argyle just 2 days before his passing. Although he was obviously in stress, he looked like he would be with us for a while. (He ate a hearty lunch while we were there.). He had that wonderful smile by which we knew him.

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  16. Good Morning:

    This was a nice, easy, breezy start to the week. I had Pap before Gas and Pod before Pit but everything else filled in smoothly. CC always delights with a simple but fresh theme and a well-hidden and surprising reveal. CSOs to DO at Otto and Tin at Pinch.

    Thanks to the Burnikels for a satisfying solve and summary. Boomer, you're in fine fettle this morning!

    Have a great day.

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  17. The duo of CC and Boomer provided a nice start to the week. The top of the puzzle was going well, but the bottom had quite a few blank spaces until I started on the Down clues. Then everything fell into place.

    Boomer, in my days of Bowling and playing Golf I would have done better if I could switch my bowling score with my golf score. At least I got a lot of exercise.

    It's National LEON day (think about it) which is 6 months away from Christmas. Time to think about your holiday shopping.

    Have a great day everyone.

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  18. Fun fun speed run today with lots of interesting clues. I remembered Kate and Rooney from a recent discussion of football Giants and Steelers. Pinch from le chef had to be French SEL for salt. I loved OAR and ORE.

    Boomer, we’ll all be moving to Minnesota for GAS, I guess. It’s $2.47 here.

    Thanks Burnikels, both.

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  19. I can't stand the bada book, bada boom guy either. I know his motel was not ECONO-- , but I don't remember the name. So much for effective advertising.
    Another annoying ad spokesman is the control freak for National Car Rental, the epitome of insufferable.
    Gas is $2.75 here.
    Thanks, CC and Boomer for starting off our Monday.

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  20. Boomer, I forget to thank you for the tribute to Argyle. He lives on in our collective memory.

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  21. Yup. I agree with IM; Boomer's never been fettler. Seems to me that I may have heard of the constructor, too… ;)

    And Boomer, I've been to Hibbing a few times. Used to pass thru Eveleth every year on the way to CAMP and use my OAR (well, paddle, really) in the Boundary Waters wilderness canoe area. We took the side trip to Hibbing to see Mr Zimmerman's roots.

    Today was a real walk in the park—seven minutes start to finish. I must have been on C.C.'s wavelength. Looking through Boomer's opus, I discovered a number of clues/answers that I hadn’t seen, as I pretty much went through all the acrosses without noticing the downs.

    D-O, I wondered the same thing about Boomer and the Kingston Trio. Now that both of our cars can accept USB sticks and play MP3’s, KT and the Brothers Four are heavily represented in our playlists.

    Gas in the western suburbs is running anywhere from $2.80 to $3.10 right now. I overheard a conversation recently in which the consensus was that we would be seeing $4.00/gal by the end of the summer. Sure hope they didn’t know what they were talking about!

    Have a great day, all!

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  22. Musings
    -I felt bad about your problems Boomer but, as always, I enjoyed your lovely bride’s puzzle!
    -I’ll bet Boomer’s worst bowling series is better than my best
    -GET DOWN PAT – “I refuse to answer on the grounds…”
    -The most successful professional athlete from our small town played in the WNBA and now does this
    -REMAKE – I still don’t know how I sat through Grease 2
    -I love the Kingston Trio and Meredith Willson, Boomer!
    -We made a ROAD TRIP to every Big 8 stadium and were treated the worst in Boulder, CO where they sell Coors right in the stadium. Should‘a gone incognito!
    -STORES in our local strip malls come and go with great regularity
    -I can’t remember anything edible coming out of my sister’s Easy BAKE Oven

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  23. Gas in Central PA is $2.95 to $3.05 per gallon. Of course PA has the highest state gasoline taxes in the country. It is supposed to be used to improve our highway infrastructure and fund mass transit. Still waiting on the improved infrastructure.

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  24. It occurs to me...

    Gas price: It's about $3.80 around here. We taught in schools less than a mile from our home. Now we're retired. So high gas prices don't hurt us as much as some other folks. Do you remember prices as low as 29.9 cents per gallon years ago?

    I LOVED riding cable cars in San Francisco especially when I could stand along the outside. Going uphill, they engage the lever that grips the constantly-moving cable. Going downhill, they engage that same lever plus another lever that pushes wooden blocks down hard against the tracks so that the cable car is basically sliding on the wooden runners. That accounts for that constant burning wood smell along many SF. streets. At one end of the Hyde Street cable car line is the wonderful old Buena Vista bar with Irish Coffee, Ramos Fizzes and surprisingly good breakfasts.

    We don't like the taste of diet sodas of any kind.

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  25. Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, C.C. and Boomer.
    I found a few crunchy spots while solving Across but the Downs filled them.
    Like Jinx, I didn't find the theme to be crucial to the solve.

    Boomer, I smiled at your "Bean product?" statement and thought of 10A GAS.
    I recognized your River City quote from our recent viewing of Music Man at the Stratford Festival. Very enjoyable.

    My first thought for the neighbourhood flier was a garage sale but it wouldn't fit. Same with Finishing TOUCH before FINAL TOUCH.
    Acer fit for the Lenovo competitor but perps gave DELL.

    I'm scheduled for a PEDI tomorrow.
    Gas here is 1.28 CDN$/L which translates to $3.54 US$/Gallon
    We have Diamonds from ANTWERP and SAPPHIRES today.
    ABE yesterday and Hamilton today. I will be learning to identify those American bills.

    I have CAMPed in a tent trailer from coast to coast in Canada with the family. Fortunately we always had very good weather and no SOS's needed. Or we would have packed up and gone to ECONO Lodge LOL.

    Enjoy the day.

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  26. BillG, we had Irish Coffee in the Buena Vista bar back in '68. Remember it well.

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  27. Woohoo! Woohoo! A Monday C.C. and Boomer puzzle--a week can't start any better than this! And I sailed through the whole thing, without a cheat or a bump or an error! Woohoo! Many thanks, C.C., and Boomer, your write-ups are a delight.

    I loved finding a number of pairs of sorts in the puzzle: two flowers (TEA ROSE and IRIS,) and snacks (SODA POP and ICEE), and drinks (TAP and ALES). And, of course, my biggest treat was a reference to ANTWERP, the city in Belgium where I just spent a week attending the James Joyce conference. C.C., did you wait to put it in the puzzle until after I came back from my trip, just to give me a treat? Probably not, but thank you, anyway. It made the puzzle extra fun for me.

    I too loved having us remember Argyle.

    I am so nervous wondering if the Cox Cable guy will turn up this morning and fix my television in the family room. Last night the second TV didn't work either and I was in despair at the thought of missing the "Murdoch Mysteries," but thankfully the nice woman from Cox helped fix it over the phone--huge relief. But these are all small problems in the larger order of things.


    Have a great day, everybody, and thanks again, C.C. and Boomer.

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  28. Here in Oklahoma gasoline is in the $2.35 range.

    Boomer, you need to try a Kumquat, I remember when I lived in Southern California my neighbor had a Kumquat tree, and I had an avocado tree, I loved the Kumquats, you don't peel them just eat the whole thing, delicious.

    Back a few years ago, probably 1970 or so I stayed at the Marina Del Rey Hotel for a week, I still kick my self in the butt for not having a pair of Binoculars with me.
    My room overlooked the marina, and I could see lots o lovely young ladies on the boats. And Back then I was young.

    Nice puzzle today,

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  29. "Puzzling Thoughts":

    Owen FLN ---> hope you saw my reply to your queries

    The tandem of CC and Boomer provided some quality entertainment for about 1/2 hour today (estimated time to solve and read the recap). Thanks to you both. Love the puns and play-on-words ...

    I'm usually able to solve a Monday CC, sans WO's; however, today I chose OPT IN > OPT TO, so my grid has an obvious ink blot. I never really considered the "theme", as I was able to solve in one pass, going randomly from left to right, top to bottom. The FINAL TOUCH was placing the "H" in SHED.

    I spewed out 4 Moe-kus yesterday; today I am offering but one. I have a couple "in reserve", just waiting for a crossword solve to use it.

    Judge enjoys the mall.
    Eats fast food there so he can
    ORDER in the court.

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  30. Hi Y'all! A TOUCHing puzzle by C.C. was such a blessed relief after the last few days' cws. We got PATted & STROKEd so now we're all better. Right, gang? Followed by a bunch of chuckles from Boomer, life is good.

    Boomer, hand up for being a Diet Pepsi addict. I don't burn FAT and I wish the Diet Pepsi actually melted those disgusting blobs rather than just preventing.

    CED showed prescience in a clip of MEL Brooks tombstone the other day.

    Remembered MARA sisters from the other day. Always thought KUMQUAT was an off-colored innuendo until I found out it was a real fruit.

    Interesting that GET DOWN PAT was a real downer on the grid.

    I'm feeling SORROW because I just recently learned of the death of my favorite saxophone player Charles Neville. He died April 26 of pancreatic cancer -- a really quick and nasty disease. His gentle spirit shines in his vocal & sax interludes in the Neville Brothers rendition of "In the Still of the Night". They were originally from NOLA.

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  31. Good day to all! It's a Burnikel day today!

    Thank you, Boomer, for the entertainment! And thanks to C.C. for the lovely puzzle.

    WEES! No problems and no erasures on this gird, just a rapid romp. I saw and enjoyed the CSOs:

    desper-OTTO, Tinbeni, ON TAP, (even if you don't, we think of you)

    Boomer, that was a nice thought for our late, beloved Argyle.

    GAS in my neighborhood is $3.09, more in surrounding areas. After I shop tomorrow I'll have 400 Kroger's points so I can reduce it by .40 a gallon when I fill up.

    Have a gratifying day, everyone!

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  32. Avg. $2.99/gal here

    Had to look up the pronunciation of Dubuque...
    (I thought it was Dubakerkie...)

    Wanted Sara b/4 Mara,
    but that would only work if saniac was the opposite of maniac...

    Forgot Sapphires have two P's
    (Would that make me an Antwerp if I didn't figure it out?)

    Have any SF cable cars caught fire due to friction?

    Trivia:

    You've got mail (Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks)

    is a remake of "In The Good Old Summertime" (1949 Judy Garland/Van Johnson)

    which is a remake "Little Shop around the Corner" (1940 Jimmy Stewart/Margaret Sullavan)
    with a wonderful supporting role by Frank Morgan (various characters/The Wizard of Oz)

    (HeHe, now you have to watch all three to find out which is the best one...)

    Hmm, now what would be a good final touch for this post...

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  33. PK@ 11:26

    Mel Brooks is dead!?!?!?!?!?

    (that's not even funny...)

    (I think you mean Merv Griffen...)

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  34. "PT2":

    As a ute, I remember playing a bit part in our town's Little Theater rendition of The Music Man. Boomer's comments about IOWANS brought back a few memories. Here's a link to the scene Boomer paraphrased

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  35. Enjoyed this CC TOUCHing puzzle! Hand up with Jinx the theme was more of a fun tie-together than actual aid in solving. Hand up for remembering the MARA sisters from the earlier reference to ART ROONEY. I never heard of any of them before that!

    Thanks, Boomer for the TOUCHing reminder of our dear friend Argyle!

    I recently found these amazing photos my father took of our RURAL New England home being constructed.

    Through the wonders of Facebook I recently reconnected with the current owners! Just today one of them contacted me to let me know a surprise: Her father and my father worked together and had stories about my father! I am looking forward to learning more about that!

    Here DW and I went to CAMP in the woods for the Lucidity Festival.

    Hand up we have KUMQUATS growing here in California. People use them as a decorative plant and no one seems to mind if you pick them and eat them! As others have noted, you don't even have to peel the RIND off!

    From yesterday:
    BillG and Michael: Thank you for explaining why you avoid the real Los Angeles Times site for the puzzle. It seems their annoying ads are the main problem.

    Here is the web site for Adblock Plus. I have used this for years and it effectively stops those annoyances. I highly recommend installing it!

    The Los Angeles Times site will put up one annoying message warning that they don't like that you are using an ad blocker. But all you have to do is click anywhere on the screen and that goes away! You are then ad-free!

    Please let me know if that works for you!

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  36. Not much to say, went right through this nice Monday puzzle.

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  37. CED @ 11:46 ~ I think PK meant Mel Blanc. 🙃

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  38. My television is working again. Now back to my life of solving crossword puzzles and watching TV.

    Oh, and not to forget the J--can you believe, only 5 letters this morning!

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  39. Neato puzzle; I liked it. Nifty write-up; I liked it, too. Started off by filling EDDA, which turned out to be wrong, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this puzzle. Also MOBSTER turned into MAFIOSO, which I like much better. The word CABLE reminds me of a character on the show Bull. Another character is named Chunk.

    As kids we wore LEE Riders bluejeans pretty much every day.

    The price of gas here in the San Francisco Bay Area ranges from about $3.80 for regular 87 octane to well over $4.00 for premium 92 octane.

    I love to go on ROAD TRIPs; my wife hates them. Compromise? We don't go anywhere.

    CrossEyedDave, I really like the pictures you link to. Thanks for doing it.

    My most vivid memory of Teri Polo was a terrific performance she gave as frightening villain in a Criminal Minds episode several years ago.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  40. Wow! A Burnikel duo! Great job, both of you! Smooth puzzle and witty write-up!


    I missed the 9d clue and tried to fit the 10d clue in it's place. 10 letters just wouldn't be crammed into 3 squares. I did more of the acrosses and finally figured out my error. The only other one was 70a, pried/NOSED.


    My birthstone is the SAPPHIRE.


    I'm reading The Beverly Hills Supper Club: The Untold Story Behind Kentucky's Worst Tragedy. The Cleveland MAFIa ran/runs Newport, KY. The burning of the club was arson which makes the deaths of 169 people mass murder.


    This is an easy beginning to the week. Late week puzzles are still too hard for me. Some day I'll be able to do them.


    Light rain and low 70* temps--aahhh!

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  41. I'm a great fan of Blazing Saddles, too, Booomer - although not so much of the fart scene. My favorite is when the horse gets kayoed. And no, I don't hold with beating up horses, but, well .. it is a comedy...

    A neat pzl from C.C. today.
    Easy to do, with fun along the way.
    Ta- DA!

    ~ OMK
    _____________
    Diagonal Report:
    No diagonals going in, but a 3-way on the opposite side!
    And we're in luck because the mirror anchor line offers an anagram of a cautionary line from a forthcoming REMAKE of Dr. Zhivago,, from a scene in which Yuri cautions his beloved to avoid the furniture when carrying on with Victor Komarovsky:

    “SIN NOT [on] A SEAT, LARA!”

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  42. Inane Hiker

    Thanks for the info. They certainly are part of two families that have been very successful in professional sports.

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  43. Nothing to do with the puzzle, but today I learned that my last name, Doering (Döring in German), stems from my ancestors having come from a place in Germany called Thüringen. Thuringer sausage also comes from there.

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  44. Jayce - Thuringia is where Luther grew up and got his religion training.

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  45. CED: Didn't we see a Mel Brooks gravestone that said "That's all folks"? Who the heck was that? Wasn't Merv Griffin. "I think his said "Will NOT be right back after this message."

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  46. Okay, I see that Irish Miss corrected me to Mel Blanc. Man, I am having trouble lately with names. I should just shut up.

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  47. Never shut up, PK! We need you!

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  48. PK, please don’t shut up. We like what you have to say.

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  49. Hi All!

    Thanks C.C. for this fine Monday puzzle. The theme was literally a nice TOUCH.

    Boomer, you've GoT the Monday helm DOWN PAT. Nice job and LOL @Blazing Saddles.

    WO: N/A
    ESP: TERI, (MARA would have been if not for C.C's expo of 25a yesterday.)
    Fav: MAFIOSO... I hope it's not a CSO to me... We don'n'a discuss bin'es at the dinner-table :-)

    Literally a 'mini'-theme?: ANT-HILL, ANT-ES, ANT-WERP :-)
    And, we had DELL and DEL

    {B,A} {cute}

    Misti - glad to read you're back in business TV-wise. BTW, I actually could solve the Jumble today! I had to back-fill #4 w/ the missing circle-letter know from the ans.

    BIllG. I didn't know that about the breaks on the Cable Cars. We always get 3-day passes so we can jump on and off whenever. Beats driving in SF.
    Last-time we were in SFO, one car need the cable-grabber changed while we were on it. Being on vacation, it wasn't like I was in a rush so I just enjoyed watching them fix it and how intricately it all worked.

    OMK - center opposite side has NIT crossing PIT... Not as good as the anagram though... LOL

    PK - you can threaten us but we know you'll be back :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  50. Swamp Cat and Jayce, thank you for your support. Tony, I don't make threats, just promises. But I hope to continue, thank you.

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  51. PK:
    Whew! I'm glad you don't mean it. We need your daily pearls.

    I finally finished both yesterday's and today's J. Those pesky vowels originating a word give me fits but I finally got it.

    I love visiting in San Francisco and going to the Buena Vista! It's a ton of fun. The last time I went the cable cars were just too crowded so I opted out of the ride.

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  52. Anon T and Lucina, glad you both got the J. Now on to the one tomorrow! Hope we CAN DO it.

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  53. CAN DO! The motto of all puzzle solvers.....

    Concur with Anon-T -- driving in San Francisco is to be avoided at all costs, especially if coming from the north or east.

    Bridge tolls, massive traffic jams at rush hour for sure (and randomly at any other time), and parking anywhere in SF. Save you lots of money and blood pressure if you just stay home and have a beer!

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  54. Yes, we puzzlers have the CAN DO spirit!

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  55. I didn't notice that CC had gifted us this little Monday pleasure topped off with Boomer's write-up. I waltzed through the North and then had to skip to the South and work up.

    For 1A I had EDDAS but wisely waited for a perp.
    I had the same question about the Mara's and Rooneys. Oops, inanehiker just answered that one. Like HenryII marrying Eleanor of Acquitaine.

    Misty, I just put MM on tape. Season 7, episode 15 will record 7/1. ABC. Sounds interesting.
    Ads I can't stand? "Jason shares with Emily...(Coke)". I see there's"Houdini and Doyle " out there too.
    ANTWERP was the object of the last German drive of WWII(Bulge)
    <a href="https://youtu.be/u5uxtGkR >Neville</a>
    And, thanks for that MM link C-Moe

    WC very late

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  56. Sorry, I couldn't make that Neville link work

    Wc

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  57. Good Tuesday morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.

    Got the puzzle done yesterday, but no time to log in. So, here I am!

    Yes, I have ridden the CABLE cars in San Francisco. We did a job for the Southern Pacific Railroad in that city, about 1982. Shortly after that I subscribed to Sprint for long distance. The Southern Pacific Railroad started Sprint.

    I think most CORNROWs are wigs.

    Neat theme today. Caught it after I was done. Oh well.

    See you Wednesday.

    Abejo

    ( )

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  58. Regarding the discussion on Fleur-de-LYS /LIS/LES ... Years ago when I did the puzzle in the Boston Globe, often a clue would be followed by "Sp. var." That let us know that the answer was going to be spelled wrong!

    Of course in Louisiana, it can only be Fleur-de-LIS.

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  59. Happy 53rd, Spitz and Betty. Wishing you a very Happy day.

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