Theme: COUNTRY COOKING (52A.
Rural cuisine ... and what 20-, 31- and 39-Across are examples of?) -
Each theme entry is a food item starting with a country name.
20A. Toasted breakfast breads: ENGLISH MUFFINS.
31A. Eggy breakfast dish: SPANISH OMELET.
39A. Ham-like breakfast meat: CANADIAN BACON.
Boomer here.
Happy
Monday all. As I mentioned last week, I spent Tuesday evening bowling
with the pros in a 9 pin no tap pro am event. Scoring was pretty high
for the tournament, but I was in the running until the 8th frame of the
third game. Then a big split blew me away, but I had a good time and
bowled pretty well. My pro partners were Brian Kretzer, Tom Carter, and
Mike Dias. All three cashed in the regular tournament, with Kretzer the
best finisher. (Third place behind Michael Haugen and Bob Learn.) But
enough about me - on with the puzzle.
 |
| July 17, 2018 |
Across:
1. Gelatin garnish: ASPIC. Not a mountain city in Colorado, but close.
6. Bio course components: LABS.
10. Blue-roofed eatery: IHOP. Their commercials are now touting beef and changed the name to IHOB last month.
14. Fabric: CLOTH.
15. At rest: IDLE. In the brain it's the devil's workshop. Professor Harold Hill told me so.
16. Gramma: NANA. I always thought this was French for Grandma.
17. Donald's second ex: MARLA.
Ms. Maples and I share the same birthday. (Not the same year, just the
date.) We don't hear too much about her daughter Tiffany.
18. Highlands native: GAEL.
19. Tiny fraction of a min.: NSEC. Sounds made-up to me.
23. Pig's home: STY. The big bad wolf could not blow down the one made of bricks.
24. Small songbirds: TITS. No comment here.
25. Apply more lubrication to: RE-OIL. Interesting, this is a common bowling center term when the lanes are refreshed for competition.
27. One-thousandth of a gig: MEG. I believe she was one of the "Little Women"
28. Letters indicating a sellout: SRO. Standing Room Only. Not available on flights.
30. Kissing on a busy ave., say: PDA.
35. Lago contents: AGUA. A famous Italian won the British Open yesterday. I did not see too many lagos on the course.
 |
| Francesco Molinari |
37. Dutch Golden Age artist: STEEN (Jan)
38. Rogues: CADS. Many are in the parking lot at the Country Club.
42. Bowling initials: AMF.
I believe initially this was an acronym for American Machine and
Foundry. Now the company is dedicated to the bowling business in the
U.S. and Mexico. They have acquired bowling centers throughout and
operate them under the name of Bowlero. We have two in the Twin Cities.
One about a mile from our home.
43. USN rank: ENS. A naval rank equal to a second lieutenant in the Army. I believe Tim Conway played an ensign in "McHale's Navy"
44. Chaney of old chillers: LON. Spooky guy
45. American rival: DELTA.
Minneapolis used to be the home of Northwest Airlines, until Delta
purchased and merged with them a few years ago. Now they are based in
Atlanta and that airport is really huge. I was there twice, and both
times outbound was delayed because the planes could not get to the gates
until others had left.
47. Lord's partner: LADY. And a Kenny Rogers song.
49. School support org.: PTA. Parent Teacher's Assn. Harper Valley had one, ask Jeannie Riley or Dolly Parton.
56. Duck or goose: FOWL.
57. "It __ over till it's over": Berra: AIN'T.
Insert your favorite Yogi ism here. "When you get to a fork in the
road, take it." "The restaurant is too busy so nobody goes there
anymore."
58. Eagle claw: TALON.
59. Non-returnable serves: ACES. Top Card, best pitcher, World War I super pilot, a hole in one.
60. __ Reader: UTNE.
61. Overact: EMOTE.
62. Cajun veggie: OKRA.
63. Propped (up), as a golf ball: TEED.
64. Fills completely: SATES.
Down:
1. Pinnacles: ACMES.
2. Journalist's angle: SLANT.
3. Lover of Bess, in Gershwin: PORGY.
4. "__ never work!": IT'LL. Nothing wrong with a little it'll in a puzzle.
5. Indian spiced drink: CHAI TEA. I only know Jasmine.
6. Illumination: LIGHT.
7. President between Washington and Jefferson: ADAMS. Poor guy. I don't think his picture is on any money except the run of golden dollars a few years ago.
8. Cheese couleur: BLEU. Oddly, Bleu cheese is not blue, and why did they spell it wrong anyway.
9. Word before portrait or pity: SELF. Self-centered people are known to take Selfies.
10. Type of navel: INNIE. No comment. Except why is a belly button called a navel??
11. Is unprepared: HAS NO PLAN. Me when I show up at a golf course.
12. Like a landslide win: ONE-SIDED.
13. __-12 Conference: PAC.
21. Records one's arrival on a register: SIGNS IN. Remember "I've got a Secret" contestants had to sign in.
22. Starting at: FROM. Rags to Riches
26. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.
27. Film-rating org.: MPAA. Motion Picture something or other.
28. "The Purple People Eater" singer Wooley: SHEB. One eye and one horn and it flies. Sort of like a Sun Country jet.
29. Brazilian soccer immortal: RONALDO (Cristiano) (Updated: The second one. Sorry the wrong picture).
31. Bloom with edible seeds: SUNFLOWER.
Sunflower seeds were my favorite snack when I was a kid. Had to be
Fisher's. They were the best. Golf courses now forbid them because
some jerks would spit shells on the greens.
32. "Take __ a challenge": IT AS.
33. One of a D.C. 100: SEN. Seems like it is only 99 now. I always respected John McCain but he is fighting the battle of his life right now.
34. Business maj.: ECON.
35. USNA part: Abbr.: ACAD. Where Ensigns graduate.
36. South Carolina athlete: GAMECOCK. Interesting nickname. I wonder if Gamecocks eat gophers.
40. Jimmy on sausage labels: DEAN. Yeah, I've heard of him, but Dizzy was always my favorite.
41. Howling canines: COYOTES. A nickname for Arizona Hockey players in the NHL. They are not Wild though.
46. Oklahoma city: TULSA.
47. Jeff of ELO: LYNNE.
48. Played a part: ACTED.
49. Plane flier: PILOT. These are the Delta guys who have trouble finding a parking space in Atlanta.
50. Fed. security: T NOTE. I have never seen one. I never had enough money to loan to the U.S.
51. Dancer de Mille: AGNES. Also Crossword Corner regular Irish Miss.
 |
| Eileen (sister of Agnes) & Agnes, Nov 22, 2013 |
53. Pulled tight: TAUT.
54. Bar mitzvah, for one: RITE.
55. __ Sutra: KAMA.
56. Toy store __ Schwarz: FAO.
Boomer
66 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks top Kurt, Jan-Michelle and Boomer!
Some puzzlers made it harder than usual Monday for me: AMF, STEEN, RONALDO, GAMECOCK and LYNNE. NYT was easier
FIR.
Have a great day!
No hitches, no naticks, just a smooth ride from top to bottom. Thanks to Kurt and Jan-Michele for this good start to a week and thanks, Boomer, for the expo. 7 minutes did it today.
Looks like the rain is over, at least for a while. Off to bed now. Have a great day, all!
Thank you Mr. Kurt Mengel and Ms. Jan-Michele Gianette for this easy Monday CWP. I FIR in 15:19.
thank you Boomer for your educational review. My Yogi quote is "It’s like déjà vu all over again."
- - You asked why we call it a navel so I looked it up.
Origin and Etymology of navel
Middle English, from Old English nafela; akin to Old High German nabalo navel, Latin umbilicus, Greek omphalos
- - I still don't know what is a navel, but a navel destroyer is a hula hoop with a nail in it.
Ðave
Ronaldo is Portugese.
Good morning!
Hard to miss the theme on this one. I use English muffins and Canadian bacon when making eggs Benedict. No stumbles this morning. The only unknown was RONALDO. Thanx, Kurt, Jan-Michele and Boomer. (What is a "9 pin no tap?")
RITE: I avoid 'em like the plague.
ENS: The most memorable for me was Ensign Pulver (Jack Lemmon) from Mister Roberts. Re-watched it a few nights ago.
Another Monday FIW, missing my wag at the Natick STEiN x SHiB. But I proudly FIW without the benefit or eraser. Liked the CSOs to CANADIAN Eh, Boomer and IM.
DDE said "Plans are nothing; planning is everything". From waaay back, "No battle is won according to plan, but no battle is won without a plan". The more modern version is "no battle plan survives the first shot".
The late Admiral Grace Hopper used to hand out short pieces of wire in her lectures. The wires were cut to the distance light travels in one NSEC. My favorite quote from Adm. Hooper is "You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people."
IHOP is running commercials admitting that the IHO-B thing was just a stunt - they remain IHOP.
Thanks to Kurt and Jan-Michele for the crunchy puzzle. My favorite was PDA, not only because I enjoy them, but also because the cluing was much better than the usual "smartphone forerunner" type of tripe. And thanks to Boomer for another fine tour, and congratulations on the bowling - you are on a roll.
Grandson's 12/under team lost in their 3 1/2 hour final game. But they did qualify for this week's National Youth Baseball Championships.
IHOP has ads now that say IHOB was a stunt, they're still IHOP.
"Yogi, what time is it?" "Right now?"
BTW Yogi's home was in a development with a circular street, so when you entered from the main road it didn't matter if you went left or right, you still got to his house.
Jinx, I heard Grace Hopper speak once. That day her version was "You cannot manage men into battle." Also, "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what a ship is for."
Boxer Mike Tyson probably didn't know of the "first shot" quote when he said "Everybody's got a plan until I hit him."
ENGLISH MUFFINS, SPANISH OMELETS,
CANADIAN BACON for breakfast!
It's a happy meal
As an I.HOP deal,
But the French cheese was BLEU and dejected!
The SUNFLOWER grows anywhere it can,
It sows its seeds, but it HAS NO PLAN.
It's pretty and wild,
An adorable child,
You can buy its seeds by the bag or can!
Wouldn't you like a COYOTE to be?
To howl at the moon till a quarter to three?
If you see a roadrunner
Then invite him to supper,
Serve ACME ASPIC and cups of CHAI TEA.
{B-, C+, B+.}
BTW, I think my poem over at http://jumblehints.blogspot.com is one of my best!
Ehm, that is the wrong Ronaldo as someone before me pointed out.
One-name Ronaldo is indeed a Brazilian football player from the 90's and probably one of the best in his time.
Of course Cristiano Ronaldo (not related to Brazilian Ronaldo) and Lionel Messi have been the best players for the last 10 years.
Pretty easy puzzly, just had to switch SHIB/STEIN to SHEB/STEEN to hit the 100% completion on the website. Not many brands
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.
Did this last night via cruciverb. However, I did not stay up all night like WikWak so I could post at 4:00 AM.
Theme was fine and I actually like all those dishes. I do not eat too many eggs, but I do like them.
IHOP, in the news lately. From the blog comments it appears it was a stunt. Pretty clever. Everybody was thinking about those restaurants. Probably upped their business.
Saw Les Miserables Saturday night. Outstanding. The high school kids did a great job.
I remembered STEEN after I had about 4 of the letters.
Jeff LYNNE was unknown, as was RONALDO, and UTNE too.
Around here the PTA is called the PTB. The B is for Board.
AMF used to own Harley Davidson. Had a plant in York, PA, where I worked for a while. During Hurricane Agnes.
Off to my day. Next stop the Blood Bank. I will lose a pint. A pint's a pound the world around.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Country cooking, neat theme.
Many CSOs. Hi to Canadian Eh!/Canadian bacon; Agnes; AMF/Boomer
What we in the US call Canadian bacon is called back bacon in Canada. This lean smoked meat is a closer kin to ham than it is to regular bacon.
STEEN and UTNE have become x-word staples.
I like blue cheese (bleu, French spelling). I like gorgonzola even more, because it is sharper. Both have blue veins.
When I was a waitress couples at the bar who showed too much PDA (public displays of affection) were told to "Get a room."
IMO aspic is mostly used as a savory gelatin dish in itself. I have made tomato aspic. However, sometimes aspic is used as a glaze or a garnish.
Yesterday we had erotica, today we have Kama Sutra,
Good morning.
The Mensa site loaded Roger and Kathy's Sunday "Antics" puzzle, so I tried the Merriam-Webster site. Same results. Went to the LA Times site at http://games.latimes.com/games/daily-crossword/
and bingo ! Third time was a charm !
Didn't get back to yesterday's comments until about 3AM this morning. I didn't mention that I bought the BECK, Bogert and Appice album because I thought no one here would have heard of them. Then read last night that Anonymous-T was a fan of Jeff Beck.
Anyway, solved today's puzzle probably about the time WikWak was getting ready for bed. We had breakfast for supper yesterday ! DW made Western omelets and English Muffins.
Started getting hungry again with those breakfast items being the stars of the puzzle ! Had a bowl of cereal, finished the solve, read some emails, and finally fell back asleep watching "It Happens Every Spring" starring Ray Milland.
Thank you Kurt and Jan, and thank you Boomer. The only issue was deciding between E and I for that second E in STEEN and unknown SHEB.
Boomer, nice set anyway, right ? Bowling with the pros must be a thrill. It would seem to me that it would be easy to be anxious, but it looks like you got in the groove quickly.
Desper-otto, Thomas or Bays ?
Much to do today. Read you all later !
billochoes, thanks for both posts. I wish I also had the opportunity of attending one of Admiral Hooper's presentations, but I had to settle for TV. (I did see Jimi Hendrix live in Cincinnati, so I've got that goin' for me). What an inspiring person! Yogi also said "when you get to a fork in the road, take it".
YR, you correctly told us the facts of erotica and Kama Sutra, but what's your position?
Good morning everyone.
CC has a CW in today's WSJ.
Fun Monday puzzle. Liked the country breakfast theme. I have an English muffin after oatmeal every morning.
FIR. No searches needed.
ENS - Movie wise there's also Ens. Pulver in "Mister Roberts". I was an ENS for 18 mos. $222/month. Managed to save most of it and buy my first car after one year, a Dodge Dart Seneca. Next rank was Lt(jg); which we don't see much of in puzzles.
AGNES - CSO to IM as Boomer stated. My Mom was Agneta; Agnetha was in ABBA. I think they're all related etymology-wise.
LIGHT - Another example of the vestigial gutteral 'gh' sound which has disappeared in English. German Licht; L. German Lücht and the ch has the sound of 'ach'.
INNIE - I used to have an outie, but after a ventral hernia repair it became an INNIE.
SATE - Akin to German satt. When, as a kid, I had enough to eat (or didn't like the food), I attempted to be excused by saying "Ich mag nicht mehr". When that didn't work I would say"Aber Ich kann nicht mehr." The grand finale came out as "Ich bin satt."
Husker: There's an OP-ED piece in today's WSJ about the folks in North Platte reprising their role in feeding and doing special things for the Troops passing through as in WWII. Recently an Arkansas contingent was returning from training in Wyoming and the North platters all turned out. As a Nebraskan, you should be proud.
I guess lots of you folks must be too young to remember Sheb Wooley. He played Pete Nolan in the TV series Rawhide. He had bit parts in many westerns -- High Noon, Giant and The Outlaw Josey Wales, just to name a few. In addition to The Purple People Eater, he recorded numerous country music take-offs as Ben Colder. Not as obscure as you might think.
TTP, when your nearest supermarket (5.3 miles away) is Wally-World, you don't get a choice. Thomas it is.
Musings
-A fine write-up and scorecard, Doug! Small nit - I am addicted to What’s My Line on YouTube and that is where the contestants signed in.
-What I remember about I’ve Got A Secret was that host Gary Moore smoked during the show and contestants got a carton of Winston’s as a prize
-Imagine my surprise that while eating PBJ on an ENGLISH MUFFIN, it was also my first fill
-NASCO is asking $5.50 each for these Bio LABS participants
-A taunting NA NA NA NA song sung when a game’s outcome is not in question
-Have you ever heard people say TAUNT when they mean TAUT?
-STEE_/RO_ALDO had me thinking Natick, MA for a while. Soccer and Dutch Masters? Meh…
-ENSIGN Pulver finally got some courage at the end when he heard Mr. Roberts had been killed
-Watching a tennis game won with 4 consecutive ACES is boring
-Give it up, Orville and Wilbur, IT’LL NEVER WORK
-SUNFLOWER seeds litter the dugouts and stands at baseball games
-And here, she's ACTING happy, Inside her handsome home. And me, I'm flying in my taxi. Taking tips, and getting stoned.
Musings
-Spitz, I have watched that documentary many times and it is wonderful. It was truly a huge operation that required much managing and leading
-Here is an inspirational 7-minute vídeo about that Canteen
Hello Puzzlers -
Nice to start off the week with an easy puzzle, and this one was a breakfast to boot. English muffins are funny things, they taste wonderful toasted but unpleasant in the raw.
Morning Boomer, sounds like you had fun in the Pro-Am.
C.C. from yesterday - we have a microplane grater here. It’s the best we’ve ever used for zest, and for hard cheeses. Mmmm
Both the MENSA and Merriam-Webster sites still had yesterday's puzzle instead of today's, so I had to go to the LA Times site which is not as user friendly as the other two. However, today is Monday and I was able to sail through the puzzle by Kurt and Jan-Michele. Boomer's tour was grand.
I did want LOPSIDED vs. ONESIDED, but other than that everything went smoothly.
Many years ago while flying on the Eastern Airlines Shuttle between Washington DC and New York, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Grace Hopper for the half hour flight. She was a very charming lady. I still think her best witticism is "It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission." and I try to live by it every day.
Lots of rain here with flash flood warnings in place. Stay dry everyone.
Good Morning:
This was a nice, easy-peasy start to the week with a tasty theme and a cute reveal. I've heard of a Spanish Omelet but had to look it up to see what the ingredients are. I like Canadian Bacon but, as I've lamented before, today's Thomas's English Muffins taste nothing like they did years ago. (I recently bought two different brands to see if they were any better but, if you didn't know what you were eating, you might think you were eating doughy cardboard.) My only w/o was Scot/Gael and my only unknown was Lynne the ELO man. My knowledge of music post 1960's is non-existent. Boomer, CanadianEh, and I share the CSO's today.
Thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, Boomer, for your usual witty wrap-up. Congrats on your bowling outing.
Re the IHOP "hoax", I've read some commentary that it was a failed attempt to change their image from a breakfast spot to the more encompassing burger attraction, but it backfired with the public, much the same way that Classic Coke did years ago. Who knows what's fact or fiction in the "Mad Men" milieu? Anyone else find those Flo (Progressive) ads more annoying by the minute?
My brother's party was very nice. The food was outstanding (and ample) and I really enjoyed seeing so many family members, especially the third generation offspring. My brother and SIL have four children, three of whom have three children each and the fourth, Erin, is expecting her first child in January. My brother gave a brief but poignant speech focusing on the importance of family and friends throughout our lives.
Have a great day.
Fun offering, thanks to all involved. I, too, recalled ENS Pulver at 43A. Tim Conway's ENS Parker was more of an inept but loveable sidekick to Ernest Borgnine's McHale. ENS Pulver was more friends with Mr. Roberts and was more of a co-star. So much so that he got his own movie as a sequel to "Mr. Roberts". "ENSign Pulver" the movie, however, starred different actors in the roles.
Wrong Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
Abejo, does that mean you’re not a full-blooded American just now? :P
HG: Gah, you're right! I misused TAUNT as TAUT in my poem over on the Jumble blog this morning! How embarrassing!
Boomer: Congratulations on your bowling skills! I remember the joke about someone who scored "three hundred and one" (three hundred and won). Seems one of your team mates did so!
Enjoyed this world-travelling clever theme! I always wonder how authentic the COUNTRY COOKING associations are? I just learned that French Fries have their origin in dispute. Likely from Belgium, though they are popular in France.
I took an art history class in college, so STEEN was a gimme. If not for that I agree its cross with SHEB is a Natick. Learning moment about RONALDO. I only know of PELE.
First BOOB now TITS. I have a set of photos from Burning Man of the Critical TITS bicycle ride. Perhaps if there is interest I will post them. The idea came from the "Critical Mass" bicycle rides that have been popular in many big cities.
Here are my photos of our own fun version of the Critical Mass bicycle ride on St Patrick's Day 2007. No TITS here.
I got to see PORGY and Bess performed at the ancient coliseum in Verona, Italy!
So funny to go a third of the way around the world to see an American opera performed by an American cast! It was a magnificent performance in a magnificent venue!
I lost my post! How does that happen? Mostly just gushing over this delicious puzzle. Thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele, and Boomer.
I did wonder FLN where the notion came from that locals don’t visit the French Quarter. Everyone I know goes often because there is so much to do. It has the best restaurants in town, museums, music venues, antique shops from the upscale to the “we buy, we sell antiques.”
It is also a thriving residential area with houses and grocery stores interspersed among the attractions.
Interesting place.
Owen, all the poetry was great!! Thanks. I never really appreciated Daisy Mae’s talent!
From yesterday:
D4E4H: Thanks for looking so carefully at my West RIM Grand Canyon photos! Yes, a hot-dogging Air Force pilot struck the guano mining equipment. The mining company successfully sued and got some compensation. The plane and pilot survived, but I am sure that young pilot paid a price!
AnonT: Thanks for checking on the best NOLA sights. I will be very interested! And thanks again for the Jeff BECK introduction!
Michael: Thank you very much for taking the time to look at the subsidies calculations.
Warning: (Thanks to Wilbur Charles for the suggestion) ECON discussion below may offend some readers!
As a physics teacher I taught students the importance of order of magnitude estimation before teaching them a single law of physics. In an ideal case one can come to the same estimate via two different methods that converge. It is always an eye-opener what it is in fact possible to estimate.
The link I provided offers data from the highly respected Office of Technology Assessment. It is in line with the other estimates.
It is indeed surprising how much it costs to add one more vehicle to the road. Singapore is ideologically committed to free market solutions to problems. They took on this exact problem with a running auction of a "Certificate of Entitlement" to own a vehicle. The government does not set the price. The free market sets the price through bidding.
The cost to add your car to the roads? Approximately $45,000 for a ten year permit. About $4,500 per year. That is what the free market cost is to add one more vehicle to the road. Some cities do this with "congestion pricing" but Singapore does it with an auction.
Note that this cost is the same whether the vehicle runs on gasoline, electricity or corn flakes.
Here is a rather pithy article I wrote on the subject of "Natural Capitalism" many years ago. I was asked to write this by/for our largest regional newspaper.
I really enjoyed this fun Monday puzzle--many thanks, Kurt and Jan-Michele. My only tense moment was the middle because I didn't know the Dutch painter or Wooley. But, holding my breath, I put in STEEN--and TaDa! I got it--Yay! Big relief and great pleasure to finish it perfectly. Like TTP, the theme made me hungry. I eat Raisin Bran cereal for breakfast every morning, but this morning I would have loved one of those great theme dishes. Also, great write-up and pictures, Boomer.
Yellowrocks, thanks for explaining PDA. I got it, but didn't know what it meant and have never heard of that expression.
Enjoyed your navel joke, Dave.
So glad to see AGNES, Irish Miss. And delighted to hear your brother had a wonderful party.
Picard, loved your opera anecdote.
Have a great day, everybody.
But I can't go there because I can't suss the riddle. And as soon as I read the poem I'll get it .
WC
Good day to all! NANA Lucy is back!!
Thank you to Kurt and Jan-Michele for a delicious puzzle! I loved the food!
This was a fast run and quickly satisfied my puzzle-less week. The paper delivery person left me yesterday's newspaper as well so I can catch up on Sunday's puzzle.
At the airport yesterday we saw a serious PDA from two young people, not teenagers as one might expect, but young adults. It got embarrassing for us and they finally left. We all hoped they went looking for privacy though it didn't seem to bother them that they were so publicly on display.
Our plane was 30 minutes late so arrival in Phoenix was also late. I finally got home at 11:30. The trip was wonderful with temperatures in the cool 80s and 70s. I even slept under a blanket!
It's so good to read all your comments! Thank you, Boomer, for the tour. I noted a CSO to you at AMF.
I hope you are all enjoying a delightful day!
HI Y'all! Thanks Kurt & Jan for the tasty treat and thanks Boomer for serving it up in your inimitable fashion.
Since Mensa was asleep last night, I ended up on another site and didn't know how to turn on red-letters. Did fine without them, but was nervous about not having my "crutch". FIR
Didn't know STEEN, MPAA, RONALDO, LYNNE. Put in UTlE before UTNE, SHEp before SHEB.
Gramma, with that spelling is grass out in farm country. I tried "herb" as the only four-letter fill I could think of. Side Oats Gramma Grass is grown there. NANA? Oh.
I eat a lot of Jimmy DEAN pre-cooked sausage patties.
Love the music of PORGY & Bess. "Summertime and the livin' is easy..."
Nice to see Molinari win at the British Open. Those golf links looks like a true torture course.
Jinx: good luck to your grandson at nationals. Don't know how my grandson did this weekend. Chuckled at your question to YR. Good one.
Curiously crunchy puzzle for a Monday...
(I was actually impressed that they got "ITLL" to fit...) (4d)
My dead tree version of the puzzle arrived soaking wet in the driveway this morning.
So I went on Mensa, which only showed Sundays...
So I went to LA Times site, where surprisingly,
they had changed the format, and allowed me to print out the puzzle!
Which enabled me to make notes to discuss later.
I had written:
Dead tree
Mensa
LaTimes
30a KissPDA (actually the V8 can hit me as I wrote it down...)
and curiously, "Harpier."
I have absolutely no idea what this means, but apparently I wanted to talk about it...
Unfortunately, todays Blog led me down the YouTube rabbit hole again,
and I think a separate post will be in order to even make fun of the puzzle.
1st: Tonite @ 8pm TCM is showing the classic "House on Haunted Hill"
with Vincent Twice, Vincent Twice...
(I know, a rather convoluted Segue, but it does involve food...)
2nd: I lost all respect for the rank When Wesley Crusher was made honorary Ensign...
3rd: Speaking of food, I believe this clip is in order...(you may have to turn the sound up...)
Oh, sorry, I was out of order, that was part two.
What I wanted to show you is part one at 2:15 where Dwarves (dwarfs?)
give their opinion of Blue Cheese...
And finally (you hope) English Muffins! Bah Humbug!
What you need is a Crumpet!
Note: I have not yet watched the above video, and bookmarked it for later
like a lot of Blog links I just do not have time to watch. But if it eventually teaches me how to make Crumpets at home, it will be worth it...
Oh, & HG! I thought I was young, until I caught myself watching reruns of
What's My Line on Youtube. (Jeez, now I feel old...)
Monday menu today. Thanks for the fun Kurt and Jan-Michele, and Boomer.
I found this to be a little crunchier than the normal Monday and I see that I actually FIW with the Natick of STEEN and SHEP (hand up for choosing the I rather than the E).
By the time I got to the newspaper today, breakfast was over; but today's menu made my mouth water. Could we add the IHOP pancakes too (with Canadian maple syrup) and be SATEd? Can we have OKRA, BLEU cheese, FOWl, and CHAI TEA for breakfast? That would be truly COUNTRY COOKING!
The middle section was the last to fill. Can you believe that I had BACON and it took a few perps before I saw CANADIAN. That's because (as YR has already said), we call it Back Bacon! (I guess it is only Canadian to the rest of the world!).
I always have to dredge AMF up from my past CW memory; we commonly have Brunswick pinsetters. Same with FAO Schwarz.
While I am working on memorizing my American presidents, I do not have their order established in my brain; perps were required before ADAMS filled in.
Similarly, the D.C. 100 did not mean anything to this Canadian (and was not dredged up); perps to the rescue.
We had PDA and PTA today. Please do not confuse (no PDAs at the PTA)!
I always thought of ASPIC as a jellied concoction and thought the "garnish" in the clue was odd, but YR says it can be used as a garnish!? Wikipedia agrees so it must be true LOL "Aspic can be cut into various shapes and be used as a garnish for deli meats or pâtés."
DIL says the term CHAI TEA is redundant as Chai means tea in Hindi.
Can someone familiar with CW construction rules tell me if it is allowable to have 61A clue "overact" and 48D answer "ACTED"? Was this missed or is it just my Nit.
Welcome back Lucina.
Party sounds like it was a great family time, Irish Miss.
Yes, I noted the lovely CSOs to Boomer, IM and myself today.
Enjoy the day.
Quite the speed run today, no misdirection or games, just a nice solid crossword. I should frame it.
Now to go get a Chromecast Ultra so I can watch MLB AT BAT on my TV instead of the iPad. Can’t wait for the setup aggravation to begin, haha.
Ta- DA!
Did somebody say this was crunchier than usual? Felt like a Monday to me.
CanadianEh! & YR have set us straight - that they don't call it CANADIAN BACON in Canada. Is the regular thin stuff called just bacon, or American bacon?
Makes me wonder how they distinguish French Bread from the regular sliced white stuff in France.
Heaven forfend they should want some sourdough...
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: Two diagonals today, the NW to SE line, and the mirror slash, NE to SW. The latter offers this anagrammatic anecdote:
They called him the Aran Kid, after the island he hailed from off the Galway coast of Ireland. He walked tall and acted tough now that he’d found a job that made him proud. He was the youngest ranch hand on the Star-Diamond spread outside El Paso, and he was determined to be the best damned cowboy west of the Pecos.
He loved the round-up. Whenever it was time to form those hulking slow-moving bovines into a compact herd, he would “Yip” and “Holler” with the best of them. He wasn’t content with waving his Stetson and firing his six-shooter at the sky. No, he would actually whack the sides of the dumb beasts. He’d cuss at them, and if they moved too slow, he’d kick their *#@! sides!
He knew that some veteran cowhands took pride in being known as “cowpokes,” and there were those who described their profession as “cow punching.”
Ah, but he was building his reputation as
“ARAN – (the) COW PUNISHER!”
Jinx @ 8:27, you scamp! And so early in the morning. No PDAs for me so you will never know.
I have always thought it interesting that you can't order Canadian bacon in Canada.
I wonder why the PA Dutch call maize Welsh corn instead of simply corn. In the British sense corn is "the grain of a cereal grass that is the primary crop of a region (such as wheat in Britain and oats in Scotland and Ireland)" From this definition Welsh corn separates maize from wheat, oats, rye. But why Welsh? In Germnan our corn is MAIS.
Crosswords usually clue aspic as a garnish so I am ready for it. I have LIU many times. There are recipes for aspic as a glaze or garnish, but I have never seen that in real life. I have seen aspics as an entire dish, though. My older sister likes a Jell-O mold with carrots and pineapple, not an aspic, not savory. I'm not too fond of either aspics or Jell-O salads.
The PA Dutch custom of boiling pigs' feet with various spices and letting it cool to make pig feet jelly results in something sorta like aspic. Memories of my youth. Not my cuppa tea or stein of beer.
Is" Yellowrocks said it so it must be so" a compliment or a knock? There rarely is a colloquy here, which I find disheartening. "I disagree because of these FACTS" really engages me and encourages learning.
Well,
I watched the Crumpet Video,
and while I would like to try the recipe,
I think these guys stole it,
as they look like they just escaped from prison with those stupid hats!
Sorry to to introduce politics to the Blog, but, English Muffins?
Actually, I could not find any silly Spanish Omelet pics.
The Spanish are very serious about their omelets
This was all I could find...
Ah! Canadian Bacon, deserves more than one link...
Hmm, I thought I had more than one Canadian Bacon link, but in retrospect they are not that funny...
Maybe I should read up on this a little more before posting...
Oh, I see my problem...
Irish Miss, it was "New Coke" that was the disaster, "Classic Coke" was how they backed the good stuff back into the market.
Canadian bacon is like when my sister went to her college roommate's Italian family for dinner and was offered "bread, or American bread."
The first time I went to Niagara Falls I passed an "Italian-Canadian restaurant", took a couple minute wondering what was specifically Canadian food (beaver? moose? didn't know about poutine yet) before the head slap
C Eh and YR, ASPICS are staples of southern sideboards as a legitimate side dish so I always cringe when I see it clued as a garnish. I guess you can cut almost anything into shapes and use as a garnish but I’ve never seen that. I can’t say it’s wrong, just unusual.
Anyone remember the jello jigglers, Jello cut into animal shapes for kids?
I liked this puzzle. I guess I'm in the camp of those who like a themed puzzle; sometimes a clever theme can make up for otherwise sometimes "dreck" fill. Even better, though, is a puzzle that has good fill AND a good theme, such as today's.
My wife loves soccer and rapturously watched every world cup game this year. She definitely knows who Ronaldo is.
Having remembered the name (and face) of SHEB Wooley, I had no trouble getting STEEN. After that I also remembered having seen his name before, too.
I love all those quotes attributed to Yogi Berra.
I side with those who think IHOP changing its name back to IHOP was an acknowledgement that its name change to IHOb didn't catch on.
Porgy and Bess is about the only opera I can stand to watch the whole thing. Love the music and the story line. Favorite songs are "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So." The only other opera I like seeing all of is "Carmen." I like many of the songs and excerpts from many other operas but can't imagine myself sitting through the whole thing.
I really like reading everything that you all have to say, though. Best wishes to you all.
I suspected that IHOB was abandoned because it did not fly. I see others agree.
Nice article, thanks.
OMK - yes, the regular bacon is just called bacon here.
YR - re " Yellowrocks said it so it must be so" a compliment or a knock?" In my case, it was a compliment. I was ready to pick a nit about the ASPIC clue but when I read your post, I decided there must be more to the word than I knew. So I LIUed. Learning moment.
billocohoes - Niagara Falls has some wonderful "Italian-Canadian restaurants". LOL re your head slap.
HaHa CED! Re your English Muffins link - Watch out for a tariff on CANADIAN BACON! (OK, no more politics.)
The "How to catch a Canadian" was funny too.
SwampCat - Hand up for Jello jigglers. I had a multitude of Tupperware jello molds that were purged the last time I cleaned the kitchen cupboards. Somehow Jello (and all those Jellied salads) has fallen out of favour.
Jayce - Hand up for enjoying Porgy and Bess. Like PK, "Summertime and the livin' is easy..."
PK @ 1:07 ~ I chuckled at your Gramma Grass description as it reminded me of one of my sister's children's frame of reference when they were very young. My sister would say they were going to visit either Gramma Meyer or Gramma McGrath (my mother). In child speak, Gramma McGrath became Gramma Grass.
billocohoes @ 3:35 ~ Thanks for the correction. I'm a Pepsi fan, myself, so I wouldn't know one Coke from another.
Lucina, welcome back. Your cheery comments were missed.
CED, your numerous links will have to wait until I have enough time to check them all out. Someday, you're going to go down one rabbit hole too many and never return! 🤓
After being spurred on by the recent hoarding and purging conversations, I now have two neat and orderly sock drawers. Yay! (That box of memorabilia is next on the chopping block.)
Sometimes Monday is crunchy because of the proper nouns like SHEB. I was somewhat confident with STEEN so I managed FIR. And the J_ too, finally.
Thx Boomer and Messrs Mengel and Gianette.
Yes, PDA had me thinking of the old asst. Guilty re. PDA in my 'ute. Problem was I had no room.
Welcome Back Lucina.
WC
PS. They've closed my walking pool through August for repairs. Oh the humanity.
Canadian Bacon in Canada is akin to our “famous “ French Bread.” The oldest and still biggest maker of French Bread is Leidenheimer, still run by a German family. I love names!
IM, I’m so glad the party was a success.
And I’m proud of your purging endeavors. Now if you could inspire me to do the same!
Picard ~
I saw a season premiere of Verdi's Macbeth in the Verona arena sometime in the 1970s. Wish I'd seen the Gershwin instead!
I cited the Verdi often afterwards to my student directors for its comically UNmotivated staging.
A vast chorus of hundreds of witches looked amazing on their first appearance, like a wall of worms wriggling in all directions. But as soon as the eye got over the initial impression and focused in on any individual "witch" or "warlock," all they were doing was standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead - bored like any chorus that's been over-rehearsed - and mechanically moving their arms in higgeldy-piggeldy semaphore signals.
The wonderful illusion was broken.
Later, the chorus changed from witches to the army that impersonates Burnham Woods. Each soldier carried a large round 5-foot tall popsicle-shape plywood cutout. These prop "trees" were probably built in the scene shop that morning & painted with brown trunks and green tops. They looked like some kid book's idea of trees.
And when the army dropped them on cue, the music was interrupted by the clattering of 200 plywood trees to the deck. Ka-DUNG! Kee-RASH!
Poor Verdi ...
~ OMK
IM @ 4:14 ,,, It is so often the memorabilia that derail our good intentions in house cleaning. We can ditch the old shirts, but how can we toss out that cute card that our son made for us in the 2nd grade? How can we throw away the DW's keepsakes now that she's gone?
I've tried it, and even with the utmost rigor (or, rigour for C-eh!), I can last for around an hour ... and then I derail.
desper-otto Sorry for the late response. CC works on the computer all day and I have a look in the evening. If this is too late, maybe she will copy and paste in the AM. A nine pin no tap game in bowling - If your first ball in any frame knocks down any nine pins (or of course a strike) it is scored as a strike. The name comes from a slang in bowling - for example if you hit the 1-3 pocket and make a good shot but say one pin is left, it is called a tap. Usually that pin is in the back row, but in any no tap game, every nine pin count is scored as a strike. In the Pro-Am event, I scored 513 for the first two games, and my pro partners finished with 836. In game three, I started with a spare and then six strikes in a row. I needed 5 more strikes for a 290 and 803 to cash. But I left a big split and opened the 8th frame so I was out. 1638 for 2 bowlers was the low cashing score. But it's fun to participate
IM @ 4:14 ~ I hear you loud and clear. I haven't gone through the contents of this box since I packed it when we left Florida in 2002. I don't have children so I'm not faced with that particular challenge and I doubt any of the saved myriad mementos would be of interest or value to anyone but me. I just know it'll probably take much longer than it should because of the memories and experiences that will be rekindled and savored. Maybe that's why I've put it off so long! I'll keep you posted!
Swamp Cat @ 4:36 ~ I think I'm finally attending to these tasks so that, when the time comes, no one will be overwhelmed by mountains of no-longer meaningful materials to sort through. (Least of all, dozens of pairs of socks!)
Should read Mike @4:14. I wish Autocorrect would only mind its own business! (I know you can turn it off but it does come in handy at times.)
Irish Miss, I know what you mean about auto correct. I need it for some things so I don't want to get rid of it, but it thinks it knows better than I do what I mean!
YR, if I use that phrase or similar, it is completely as an expression of esteem and respect. I think of Edwin Newman sometimes when I read your contributions.
Hi All!
A Monday FIW - that grouping of names Center-right was evil... I got close but missed LON(who?); I had NON hoping RONAnDO was right...
Thanks Kurt & Jan-Michele for the nice COUNTRY BREA..., er COOKING. [I started writing letters before counting squares :-)]
Thanks Boomer for the expo - good show even being at the PBA!
WO: Aforementioned BREAkfast
ESPs + WAGs: All the names save Jeff LYNNE.
Fav: Jimmy DEAN sausage xing CANADIAN BACON
Speaking of Back BACON, Bob & Doug explain how they COOK it, eh? [2:07]
And more speaking of... I had it w/ pineapple on 1 of 7 pizza's I built last night as well as the all-meat pie.
{B+, B, A-}
Re: IHOb - I read it was a calculated gimmick in guerrilla-marketing. They never were going to change their name - it was free publicity for their burgers.
Coke / New Coke was different, IIRC. There was an ingredient they could no longer get or use - hence New Coke. Then, having slightly changed the formula, released Classic to folks that forgot exactly how Original tasted [I'll have to look this up later].
Jinx@8:27a - your last line was LOL!
C, Eh! I'm not an expert, but I think the Overact/acted is OK as they are not the same word; one's a compound and one is past-tense of only part of the compound.
Welcome back Lucina!
Cheers, -T
Picard - I haven't forgotten; just haven't had time to ask yet.
Bless the Gershwins.
Without doubt, Pn'B is one of the finest American creations of the last century:
"I loves you, Porgy
Don't let him take me.
Don't let him handle me
With his hot hands...."
~ OMK
Re: New Coke/ Classic - I fell for fake news before it was all the rage;
Snopes says not true [para 18-ish - starts with "An interesting little claim sprang..."] .
Excuse me while I wipe this OMELET off my face...
-T
IM: I'm laughing because I also purged my sock drawer this week. I wish they would make socks that didn't shrink with each washing and squeeze my sore toes. As for Gramma McGrath, I used to work for a man named McGrath. Not sure where his people came from in the last few generations, but I bet you're related way back on the Emerald Isle.
Well how did you like the Ted Williams documentary? I wonder if Korean near death experience had lingering PTSD? I remember sitting in the Left Field grandstand and hearing the "baiters".
There was a book "The Curse of the Bambino" which was nonsense except the Redsox indeed seemed cursed.
I recounted the famous phony tryout of Negro League players* in 1945. The curse began in '46.
As recounted in the documentary, Ted was instrumental in the induction of Negro League greats via his 1999 Hof induction speech.
I echo the remark about excellent posted here on the corner.
WC
*Among them Jackie Robinson
CED - in today's episode of
Brewster Rocket another ENS "Red Shirt" is tormented (You killed Kenny! You Bastard!)*
Cheers, -T
*Too much mixing references? :-)
I actually ate a burger at IHOP once. Didn't know they served them until I was on a bus trip and went to the closest eating place for my evening meal. Was surprised to find a burger on the menu. Wasn't anything special, but held me until morning.
Picard - so our college friend said "Nobody really lives in the city unless their rich (or really poor). We just do whatever is near - there's always a festival or something around. And any hole-in-the wall is good food if they've been open more than 6 months."
From the native's (of Mandeville - across Pontchartrain from city proper) mouth to your screen.
Cheers, -T
Thank you for the words of welcome! I'm happy to be back and posting. There is much to do so haven't had a chance to read all the links. All in good time.
IM @ 6:33 : perhaps we should rephrase the saying to ... Eternal vigilance is the price of Autocorrect!
Wilbur, I enjoyed the beginning of the Ted Williams documentary, but couldn't keep my eyes open. I will have to wait until they have it On Demand or on a rerun at an earlier hour.
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