20. Place at the track?: FINISH SECOND.
28. Hard-to-fold bed linens: FITTED SHEETS.
44. Senior British military rank: FIELD MARSHAL.
55. Phrase including hand gestures symbolized by the puzzle circles: IT WAS THIS BIG.
OK, these fish weren't hidden very well, especially given the circles, but (and I hope you saw it), if you count the letters between FI and SH, you'll notice that the distance is increasing by 2 each time. The span from the head to the tail of the fish is getting progressively bigger ! Like those "Top this !" fish stories. Neat !
I believe this to be a debut for Joe Deeney at the LA TIMES Crossword. I didn't struggle to complete the puzzle, but did have to check or fill in perps to get more answers than usual.
Across:
1. Uneducated guess: STAB.
5. Recreation in which players become characters, for short: RPGS. Role Playing Games. Know what they are, but have never been in or played one.
9. Get rid of: SCRAP.
14. Word before or after brand: NAME. McDonald's is a name brand in the fast food industry. The Big Mac is a McDonald's brand name. Not a fan, but McDonald's will do in a pinch. Haven't had a Big Mac since I was a preteen, so about 50 years. Eins ist genug ! Test your Drive-Thru Diet. Anyway, as you know, many brand names get adopted into our everyday language, such as kleenex, scotch tape, popsicles, q-tips and chapstick.
15. Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity chain: IHOP.
17. Figure skating leap: AXEL.
18. Launched at great speed: CATAPULTED.
22. Calf's suckling spot: UDDER.
23. Stuntman Knievel: EVEL. Watched the documentary Being Evel about him a few weeks ago. That guy was nuts.
24. Lioness of film: ELSA.
31. Airport rental: CAR.
34. Have title to: OWN.
35. Mexican pyramid builder: AZTEC.
36. Herb in Italian seasoning: OREGANO.
39. Lively, musically: UPTEMPO. Unlike "old country," many "new country" hits have more of an upbeat, uptempo, almost pop sound.
41. Ready to bloom: IN BUD.
42. No. on a grad's résumé: GPA.
43. Va. winter hours: EST.
49. Unload for cash: SELL.
50. Yale students: ELIs.
51. "Better in Time" singer Lewis: LEONA. No idea. 118M views of this YouTube:
58. Russian ballet company, familiarly: THE BOLSHOI.
61. Deadly shark: MAKO. Typed in orca. Typed over with MAKO. No smudges or wite-out needed.
62. Bad-tempered: SURLY.
63. Mario __: Nintendo racing game series: KART. Had to let perps solve it.
64. "It's my time to shine!": I'M ON.
65. Leg joints: KNEES.
66. Iowa State city: AMES.
67. Screwball: ZANY.
Down:
1. Major mess: SNAFU. Situation Normal - All Fouled Up
2. No. on an IRS form: TAX ID.
3. Make changes to: AMEND.
4. "You are beyond __!": "Incredible!": BELIEF.
5. High in calories: RICH.
6. Early stage of a clinical trial: PHASE TWO.
7. Avenged a wrong: GOT EVEN. Getting even is not a good way to live a life, but it is a plot line of many westerns.
8. Completely forgot, in slang: SPACED.
9. Created, as a web: SPUN.
10. Portmanteau brand for flu symptoms: COLDEEZE. Never used it. May have seen a commercial. Perps needed.
11. Nonsense: ROT. URL Rot is one term for when you try to link to a page that no longer exists.
12. Blackjack half: ACE. Had to check perps. Could have been ten.
13. Scholar's deg.: PHD.
19. Campaign pros: POLS. Politicians.
21. __ Lanka: SRI.
25. "I got this": LET ME.
26. Dance moves: STEPS.
27. Fancy necktie: ASCOT.
29. Truck weight unit: TON.
30. Fedora, e.g.: HAT.
31. Elaborate dos: COIFS.
32. Golfer Palmer, to fans: ARNIE. Fierce competitor. Adored by his fans, who became known as "Arnie's Army."
33. Billy Idol's "__ Yell": REBEL. I like the song. Probably the only one in this crowd that does.
37. Easily fooled: GULLIBLE.
38. Use an abacus: ADD.
39. FedEx Office alternative: UPS STORE. The local UPS Store was opened as "Mail Boxes Etc" but then rebranded to The UPS Store. Officially, the article The is part of the trademarked name.
40. Dismissive sound: PAH. Or a tuba sound. Hi Abejo !
42. "A Time to Kill" novelist John: GRISHAM. Most of his book titles start with an A.
45. Kitten cry: MEWL. I started with meow.
46. "North to the Future" state: ALASKA.
47. Actor Mahershala of Netflix's "Luke Cage": ALI. Remembered his name from the last time.
48. B'way show with the song "Valjean's Confession": LES MIZ. Never heard of the song, but the perps made it the only possible answer.
52. 44th president: OBAMA.
53. Canon competitor: NIKON. Canon, hmm. Camera or copier/printer device ? Epson (printer brand) will be the answer on another day.
54. Terrible pain: AGONY. Also, the name of one of the three hills that basic training soldiers marched up and down at Ft Knox. The other two were Misery and Heartbreak. I believe we did a 20 mile and 15 mile night march. Grueling in combat boots with all the gear.
56. Hasbro specialty: TOYS.
57. Oldies, in their day: HITS. Song hits.
58. "Shame on you!": TSK.
59. Attila the __: HUN.
60. Bard's "before": ERE.
FIRight! At Mensa, so no circles, but I found the FISH anyway before I got to the reveal!
ReplyDeleteA GULLIBLE old boy from ALASKA
Thought that he'd go visit Santa.
So he trudged thru the snow
Where the polar bears go --
But the workshop floated down to the Casbah!
A teetotaler who hailed from SRI LANKA
Became addicted to Sanka!
"I know it's decaf
But it's a ZANY laugh
When I SELL it to bars in Casa Blanca!"
An AZTEC priest with a knife
Was sacrificing a life,
But he SCRAPPED his urgin'
To STAB the virgin
And instead he took her to wife!
{B, B+, C+.}
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Joe and TTP!
Took longer than usual Monday. Unknowns were: UPTEMPO, LEONA, COLDEEZE, REBEL and ALI.
Have a great day!
Guess I forgot puzzle yesterday. Drat!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday, Lemonade!
Good morning Cornies.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr.Joe Deeney for this enjoyable Tuesday CW. I FR in 26:28 min.
Thank you TTP for your excellent review.
Ðave
Hi Y'all! No circles, but I caught the FISH. Just didn't realize they kept getting bigger until TTP explained that. Neato puzzle, Joe. Thanks, guys for an early hour chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble getting started on the top row but did some downs and things started making sense.
No idea about Rooty Tooty chain. IHOP was ESP. I had a hamburger there. Never heard of COLDEEZE or Mahershala.
UP TEMPO: was trying actual terms in Italian used in music like Andante, Allegro, Pizzicato. When UP perped in I WAGd the rest.
No. on IRS form: wasn't SSA No. What's a TAXID? Oh, TAX I.D. Only had one for an estate fiduciary filing.
A certain woman tried to convince my husband to run away with her. I laughed at him and told him that was not a good idea and listed all the reasons why, still laughing. He didn't leave. I was serving on the controlling board of the company that employed her. A friend told me I should have GOT EVEN and fired her. No way! I didn't want him to feel sorry for her in any way. She later married a notorious wife-beater, so I figured she GOT her just deserts.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI thought RPGS were rocket-propelled grenades. Silly me. Thanx for 'splainin,' TTP. Agree that perps played a greater-than-normal part in this early week solve. The theme immediately evoked this scene (:03) from Dave. Thanx, Joe (nice debut) and TTP.
Chores to do, meals to deliver, and miles to march before I sleep...
FIR. But not sure why with wierd clues like screwball = zany? Is screwball an adjective? News to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe and TTP.
ReplyDeleteFIR in good time.
A neat page . Teacher would have been happy.
A much needed rainfall happening, a little late but still welcome.
Harvest well underway , mostly good returns with some disappointments due to lack of rain at crucial times.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A very clever puzzle in every way
-Yup, RPGS as weapons? Yes. RPGS as games? Never heard of ‘em.
-Wits and Wagers is a game where you have to take a STAB at questions like this
-ELSA? Four legs. ILSA? Two legs
-A SURLY administrator and I locked horns many times
-These even-numbered yrs are when POLS either “point with pride” or “view with alarm”
-GULLIBLE people give out too much info over the phone
-FORE!
FIW. Done in NOT by the showbiz corner of ALI, LES MIZ and LEONA, but by MEow --> MEoL and not getting to MEWL. IMO uncalled for in a Tuesday puzzle. But I should have fixed "IT oAS THIS BIG", so there you go.
ReplyDeleteErased con brio for UP TEMPO. Never heard of PAH as a dismissive sound, nor of RPGS that don't blow up.
Two good clues in a row for SELL.
Paul Simon had a NIKON camera. He loved to take a photograph.
PK - You were so wise. I admire people who by nature focus on the long run. When I did my MBA I had to take a test to identify my strengths and weaknesses. My weakest attribute was strategic thinking. I had to take the same test after completing the program. My scores were better in every category except strategic thinking, which actually declined after the program.
Thanks to Joe for the puzzle. And thanks to TTP for shining the light on the fish story getting bigger. I missed that.
KS, "screwball" as an adjective - "screwball comedies" especially of the 1930s-40s was a genre of movies featuring dominant or coequal women, rapid, humorous dialogue and often class conflict. THe Thin Man, His Girl Friday, Fred and Ginger, Tracy and Hepburn - kind of an early version of today's rom-coms.
ReplyDeleteWho comes up with these clues? Meh.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning.
ReplyDeleteI have been amiss in doing the puzzles and being here to check my work. I had my grands here for a long weekend. That's the Blonde Tornado and her brother. I took yesterday to recover and rest--uh, no. Clean up and strip beds. We had fun despite the rain. I taught her how to knit a bit. I also taught my grandson how to play Solitaire. He's a natural sorter--good for inquiry learning--so he really liked it. (Kids are natural sorters--think Halloween candy.) I began on the computer since it only allows "legal moves." He kept trying to take cards from the middle of the stacks. Cute.
I took longer today for a Tuesday. In the end it was an FIR, but it took a bit of doing. I really liked the theme and saw it as I worked the newspaper this morning. My Internet went down in this morning's storm, and I was to lazy to go down to reboot it. Thanks, Joe, for a thoughtful Tuesday run here.
Thanks, TTP for the tour. I always appreciate your commentary.
Belated Birthday Wishes, Lemonade! Welcome to a new decade! Remember when it was fun to turn 10 and be in double digits!?
Have a sunny day everyone. I'll have to manufacture my own this morning.
The SW defeated me although it had enough good perps. I shoulda known. RPG games, LEONA and KART were the only new words for me. I ran though every recent president except OBAMA and TRUMP. I need to remember the number of at least one recent president to count forward and backward. The theme left me flat until TTP pointed out that the fish got progressively longer. Very clever, after all, Joe! TTP, fine expo.
ReplyDeleteIHOP's "Rooty tooty" slogan is so zany it turns me off. Botta boop botta boom is even more annoying.
I can fold a fitted sheet with four formed corners. One with elastic all the way around is so much harder. Any tips?
PK, great anecdote. Much deserved schadenfreude.
I use screwball as an adjective more often than as a noun. Screwball idea.
I never tried COLDEEZE, but often see the TV ads.
Almost time for Alan's commute. We are having a good long (two and a half weeks) stretch of good days. He has his old personality back.
Little crunchy here and there but overall a smooth solve. Didn't realize until the reveal that the fish were getting longer- cute!
ReplyDeleteI have young men in my family so RPGs are being played all the time. Role playing games are any that you pick a character (or avatar) and play it as that character. The original computer one was Dungeons & Dragons. My son likes to play Star Wars: the Old Republic. I guess "Clue" could be a board game that is a RPG, as you choose at the beginning whether to be Ms Scarlet or Colonel Mustard.
Thanks TTP and Joe!
Good Morning, TTP and friends. No, really the FISH was that BIG!!!
ReplyDeleteAs with most of the commenters, RPGs was completely unknown.
I was also unfamiliar with LEONA Lewis (b. 1985).
ELSA makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
My first thought was Orca for the Deadly Shark, but I already had the"M" in place.
A sweltering day today, so stay cool and drink lots of water.
QOD: The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection. ~ Johann Wolfgang van Goethe (Aug. 28, 1749 ~ Mar. 22, 1832)
Most of John Grisham's books start with "The", as in the following: "The Firm" "The Client" "The Rainmaker" "The Runaway Jury" "The Confession" "The Broker"....
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed by the word "fish" expanding twice. I would prefer to have a theme-less puzzle than one like this.
I completely agree that fitted sheets are challenging to fold.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGood job as usual, TTP. Thank you.
FIR. Agree with TTP that solve was a bit gnarly, but doable with some perp help. To wit: ALI, KART, and LEONA.
I liked the theme after I figured it out, and especially IT WAS THIS BIG.
UDDER - Actually, the calf suckles on one of the UDDER's four teats. (wonder if the calf can learn to count to four.). Our barn language, being L. German with a smattering of English, always used the term Jiller; German Euter. I was probably a 'tween' before more often calling it an UDDER.
Hahtoolah, I find this Goethe quote from today's AWAD more appropriate: There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteOOPS ! Anon at 8:38, you are correct. Most of John Grisham's books start with "The." Shouldn't have made that mistake, as I reviewed Jake Halperin's August 7th puzzle, with the clue at 27D as "First word of numerous Grisham titles." Heck, I even listed them all in the review. Guess I misremembered. D'OH !
A little good news on the home front relative to the oven temperature going to 600 degrees when I had it set to 375... Spoke to our friend, the retired appliance repairman. He had me slide off the temperature knob. There's a metal D ring that fits inside the knob. It wasn't properly engaging the shaft. That was the fix ! The $325 thermostat did not need to be replaced.
He said the previous time we used the oven, the knob went to the off position, but the shaft didn't turn. I'd made a rib recipe the night before, setting the temp at 325 degrees. Then when I used the oven Saturday morning, it did engage, and it would have moved the shaft from 325 degrees to it's max setting of Broil when I turned the knob to 375 degrees.
I owe that man a Miller. Or a case. Or dinner !
Desper-otto at 8:53, are you talking about me again ?
Was this a Tuesday? So many unknowns at least as clued. P and P finally got me through and the big FISH mad the struggle worthwhile. Thanks, Joe, for the fun. TTP, thanks for ‘splaining the hard parts.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was Place at the Track?
Inanehiker, thanks for mentioning the board game Clue. That helped make sense of role playing games, which was a new concept for me....or maybe not!
FLN - we have been plagued by coyotes for some time in the suburbs. They are a real menace and hard to get rid of. A new experience for me.
Belated birthday wishes to Tin and Lemonade! 🎂🍰🎉😘
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Joe Deeney, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review.
ReplyDeletePuzzle went fairly easily. I tried to get it last night via cruciverb, but down for the second day. Did it long hand.
Saw the FISH early, but did not get it. Then when I got 55A, it made sense. OK.
RPGS was easy, only four perps and I had it.
You are right, TTP, EVEL Knievel was nuts. Put on good shows, though. Surprised he lived as long as he did.
Never heard of LEONA Lewis.
Crossed only 48 kids this morning. It was lightly raining. I suspect more of them got rides.
Off to an Almoner's Meeting. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis had more crunch than a usual Tuesday, as has been noted, but nothing perps and a guess couldn't fix. RPGs took me a minute to figure out and IHOP, Leona, and Coldeeze are needed perps. My only w/o was Meow/Mewl, only because of our own Mr. Meow, CED. BTW, where is he? Whenever I see Oregano, I think of some of the celebrity chefs, Nigella Lawson, for one, who pronounce it Or uh GAWN o. (That reminds me of a cruise ship's Infirmary doctor, South African, I think, who was treating me for a bad gash on my leg who asked if I was allergic to E O din. (Iodine)
Congrats, Joe, on your debut and thanks for a fun solve and thanks, TTP, for 'splainin' it all, especially the size progression which went completely unnoticed bu me.
YR, it's always a blessing to hear good news about Alan.
Temps today and tomorrow 90+ with a Heat .index near 100. Relief due Wednesday, thankfully.
I'm on the way to my opthamologist as I'm having intermittent, tiny insect-sized floaters in my vision. I hope it's nothing serious.
I was all set to watch some new fall shows last night but none were on. I finally figured out that they begin at the end of September, not the end of August, as I was so sure of. ACK!
Have a great day.
MEWL? Really?
ReplyDeleteI could blame my typos on the "insects" but I'll fess up and blame it on my lack of proof reading. Mea Culpa.
ReplyDeleteGas was $3.50 in Miami last week,
ReplyDeleteAnd $2.69 in Naples yesterday.
As a former Dungeon-master, RPGS should have been as easy as falling off a horse for me. But I started out with LARP -- Live Action Role Playing, where players actually get in costume and act out their dungeon-delving! University maintenance tunnels were made for this sport!
ReplyDeleteThis was a typical Tuesday puzzle, IMO. I jumped to FIELD GENERAL before crosses fixed it to FIELD MARSHALL...and that was that. I wouldn’t have missed the circles but I had them....I like how the FISH story got “longer”.
ReplyDeleteMewl is a weak meow.That's why it's more often said of kittens than of cats. Sometimes human infants are said to mewl when they whimper.
ReplyDeleteMontana, nice to hear from you. Snow already? We are in a heat wave here.
IM, floaters are usually harmless. I hope yours are.Please let us know.
Hahtoolah, very appropriate Goethequote for this week. It takes a great person to admit his faults and try to overcome them by doing better.
DO, your Goethe quote applies to so many today. Scary.
Can't put off my cleaning chore much longer. TTYL
The link to "Test your drive-thru diet" takes me to Wake Forest Baptist Health Health tips and stories.... nothing about a drive-thru diet. Anyone?
ReplyDeleteTotal Natick for me on ALI/LEONA. Kind of cruel for a Tuesday.
Delightful, fun puzzle, Joe--many thanks. I thought I nailed this one but had one tiny blip in the end--I spelled it GRISHOM instead of GRISHAM and didn't know the game series and so didn't get KART. But no big deal. I got the first FISH right away and soon figured the others would also be FISH. And I loved the reveal. It was fun to get POOCH for PUP--Dusty would like that one if I could explain it to him. Nice to get regulars like ELSA and EVEL. Anyway, thanks again, Joe, and you too TTP. Liked the pictures.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your eyes, Irish Miss. Hope they're all right.
How great that Alan's going through a really good period, Yellowrocks.
Have a good day, everybody.
I took a STAB and GOT it! Thank you, Joe Deeney, for an amusing puzzle.
ReplyDeleteLike some of you I found the top central and east challenging so slid to friendlier areas then just sashayed all the way down.
AZTEC in puzzles is not as common as Inca.
MAKO made its appearance with only M in place. Hi, Hatoolah!
I remember 43 (Bush) only because it is used so much in slogans so of course 44 has to be OBAMA.
Never heard of Billy Idol's REBEL Yell, but perps filled it.
I've heard other people pronounce o-re-GAN-O. I say o-RE-gano.
Finally I climbed upstairs and easily CATAPULTED to a finish. Tada!
Thank you, TTP, for the FISH story, er, I mean pointing out the size progression and a good review.
My granddaughter is on her way to audition for American Idol! She has a beautiful singing voice so I hope she wows them.
Have a special day, everyone!
Got the FISH theme right away in the NE and filled in all the FISH circles. Hand up LEONA/ALI seemed unfair. For any day. Correct WAG to FIR!
ReplyDeleteI only noticed the growth of the FISH on my last look. I loved it! So, we had ROT two days in a row! Thanks TTP for the ROT learning moment.
Misuse of FLU is a pet peeve of mine. FLU is short for inFLUenza. A very specific disease that can be deadly. COLDEEZE is clinically proved to shorten the duration of "the common cold". Which is quite an achievement. But not inFLUenza.
desper-otto, Husker Gary, Jinx: Hand up I was thinking grenades for RPGS. Learning moment!
Jinx: I immediately thought of Paul Simon taking Kodachrome photos with his NIKON. Anyone else?
Here I was on assignment covering OBAMA's visit here in Santa Barbara.
Here were my notes from his speech.
Lots of ZANY photos from Solstice for other occasions.
I LOVE the Kodachrome song. The music makes me happy. Most other folks might disagree but it's my favorite Paul Simon song.
ReplyDeletePK, I understand that you would be peeved with the woman who tried to coax your husband to leave. Good on you for not getting your revenge by firing her, but no one, woman or man, deserves to be in an abusive relationship. IMHO
ReplyDeleteTa- DA! ~
ReplyDeleteA nice one today from Mr. Deeney. The theme actually helped.
My only nits would be with the cluing. At 42A, it is pretty rare to see a grad's GPA on a résumé. If they want to brag, they may list honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, etc.). I think the "grad's transcript" is what's wanted here.
And at 48D, shouldn't "familiarly" be attached to the clue for LES MIZ?
~ OMK
____________
Diagonal Report: Another day empty of diags.
ReplyDeleteBecky, how true.
Stumped, et al, alas, my Wake Forest edu link no longer goes to their fast food calculator. URL ROT ! Checked it the other day when I linked it for the review. It was there. Nuts !
Searched their site just now but couldn't find it. Basically, it was an interactive tool that allowed you to select from among the popular fast food eateries, then select your meal choices and quantities.
So you could select McDonald's, then a Big Mac, then a large fries, then a large Coke and an ice-cream cone for a dessert. It would then show you the total calories, sodium, fat, cholesterol, etc, and give you better selections from the same fast food drive thru. Sorry they took it down. It was enough to make me quit eating fast food, except in a pinch.
Wake Forest must have had to remove the page under threats of litigation.
Picard and Bill G, I just listened to the Paul Simon Kodachrome song, and it's a delight, especially with the wonderful color images. Did he actually make that--maybe before he became a big star?
ReplyDeleteMy vision is finally clear after the dilation drops that were administered at 11:30 am. (I think the dose was stronger than usual.) I was put through a battery of tests (very uncomfortable) which showed nothing worrisome, except my doctor, as a cautionary measure, wants me to see a retina specialist because of my MD. Unfortunately, my specialist is on vacation, so I have to see someone else. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon and I have to find a driver to take me. My usual chauffeur, sister Eileen, is in Maine, lucky lady! I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteI guess I found out where CED is, per his 11:05 post. Enjoy the sun, sand, and surf, Mr. M!
Lucina, best of luck to your granddaughter. How excited she (the whole family!) must be.
Bill G and Misty: Glad you also both love Kodachrome with its NIKON reference. Yes, Misty it was a hit at the time in the 1970s. I remember my high school English teacher loved the opening lines:
ReplyDeleteWhen I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all
It is almost three separate songs in one for the different topics covered.
Speaking of PAH: Are any of you familiar with the McGurk Effect? I learned about this through my current work. Way interesting.
From yesterday:
Jayce: Glad you also had the COYOTE experience in Tucson. When I went back to find my photos, I was thrilled to see they were so good. That was back in the film days.
Well,
ReplyDeleteStumbled in different places PAH/GPA and POOCH/ROT.
Stopped at mewl for a while, sounds unnatural for me. I know Leona, but I wish I did not. Terrible songs, radio was full of her 10 years ago. I know ALI from luke cage and he won an oscar two years ago.
I am a different generation, so I had no problem with Mario Karts or RPGs. The Witcher is an excellent example of a modern RPG game set in world full of eastern European mythology. Piece of art.
I have just watched Unbearable lightness of being and really am surprised it is such praised movie in the western world. It is completelly off the tone of the book and totally unCzech in tone. Such weird experience to watch a hollywood movie set in Czechoslovakia. There were however really good original scenes from the Russian invasion in 68.
Lucina: Good luck to your granddaughter at American Idol. Hope we all see her on the show.
ReplyDeleteBecky & TTP: I don't believe anyone should be in an abusive relationship. However, women who make a play for a married man are inflicting abuse on both the gullible man & his wife. My husband wasn't the first married man she had tried to entice. I was pretty sure the "thing" hadn't become physical or I might have handled it differently. My friend said if he'd really wanted to go, he'd have packed up and left me a note and been gone. She thought he just wanted to see if I cared enough to try to prevent him from going. When I found it hilarious, he had an easy out. I never heard another word about it and I didn't ever bring it up. He decided we should go on a lovely two-week vacation shortly after that and we had a great time.
A fairly challenging Tuesday, after my comments yesterday on how easy early week puzzles are...lol....But not a fan of circles in the grid and arcane words like MEWL and PAH.
ReplyDeletePK and Misty, thank you for the good wishes for my granddaughter. She made into the audition studio after waiting in line for 5 hours! It is a mob scene over there! I finally had to leave since I couldn't go inside anyway, just went to support her. Her mother, a niece and a friend are there, too.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, some people cut in ahead of the line because they received an FOL (Front of the Line) e-mail. Apparently it's some sort of connection with either a music school or some other source.
When we went rug shopping yesterday we learned an astonishing fact (to me). We were told that most of the carpet fibers are now made from recycled plastic bottles! We also learned that plastic bottles are made from the polyethelene (sp) which is the strongest type of plastic because they hold consumable liquids.
I got my lioness and my Bogie flame mixed up. Cold+Sneeze=$&@$&
ReplyDeleteSo, FIW on the easy ones and FIR on the weekend.
George Smiley* once said "Goethe is pithy".
MAKO-Shark; ORCA-Whale
Good luck with your granddaughter, Lucina
Oh my! OMK just pointed out GPA not GPS. I was thinking of a dismissive sound that's strictly onamatapoeia. Said sound extremely annoying, btw. PSH.
And thx, I thought the Broadway musical was Les Miserables. But... I now see the clue had B'way so hence MIZ
WC
* Tinker,Tailer,Soldier, Spy.
I just tried a short post but the stuff below the box got me again . Apparently designer never considered cell phone usage.
ReplyDeleteWC
Misty, yes Paul Simon wrote and performed Kodachrome. But not before he was famous - he became famous as 1/2 of Simon and Garfunkel. My favorite from the duo is Bridge Over Troubled Water. That song has helped me through a few tough times.
ReplyDeleteWC, I am using my iPhone to post also as my iPad died. No, there is not much room to post!! Deal with it!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jinx. I love 'Bridge over Troubled Waters" too! A great musical era!
ReplyDeleteLucina, will be rooting for your granddaughter!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteFILE UNDER FISH
Thanks Joe and congrats on the LAT debut. I found this a smooth solve all the way down until the SE (AKA 'showbiz' [Hi Jinx!]) corner. ALI, LEONA, LES MIZ - that was AGONY.
Thanks TTP for the expo. I thought it funny when you said "A" and not "The" 'cuz I remembered your 8/7 expo! Oh, and there's one more in this crowd that enjoys Billy Idol (though I'm not keen on Eyes Without a Face; too down TEMPO).
Good news on the oven - who woulda guessed? And imagine how frustrating as the problem remained after replacing the thermostat, the thermocouple, etc. Get that man some better beer than Miller :-)
WOs: I must be the only one that pronounces it a-REGANO; Dyslexia struck @ MEWo(?) b/f the Ballet showed up.
ESPs & WAGs: PAH, ALI / LEONA, RPGs - took all the perps before I could get D & D out of my head.
Fav: I like the word GULLIBLE even though it's not in the dictionary.
{B, B+, B+}
Thanks for letting us know you're alive CED!
Lucina - any idea when your grand will know the results from America's got Idol?
Picard - thanks for McGurk Effect - I didn't know that's what it was called. Oh, and Kodachrome - been singing it all day (to the chagrin of my office-mates).
This URL works 1/2 like TTP described because it's from the Wayback Machine [Feb 8, 2018] You will not get the healthier alternative (at least for Arby's - I tried)
I don't think I've ever GOT EVEN - that just seems like too much thinking about someone I don't care about anyway.
Cheers, -T
TTP, if the appliance guy is a good friend buy him a case of PBR. If he's just an OK friend, buy him TWO cases.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Bridge Over Troubled Waters and, of course, the side panel with John Denver singing Country Roads, West Virginia.
ReplyDeleteI say uh REG uh no. My dad said oh ruh GAN oh. Today I learned his way is legit among the British.
Picard, thanks for Kodachrome. Lovely colors. I remember those fashions.
Lucina, is there any way we can tune in to see your grand perform?
We had a little earthquake about an hour ago. No big deal. If you had bought a ticket to go on the 'thrill' ride, you would probably have asked for your money back.
ReplyDeleteDone for the day says...
ReplyDeleteD4 - Constructive Criticism is fine by me - who knows? It could be Rich or Patti behind the nit :-)
I'm keen on gimmicky puzzles early-week. Years ago, it was catching that gimmick that got me hooked on more x-words. If that's what it takes to bring new solvers into the fold to learn the rules of x-words (and just learn!), what fun! //BTW - I'd say the NYT or WSJ are one-day harder progression-wise than the LAT.
BillG - so all the China is still in the cabinet, eh?
More Paul Simon Down by the School Yard for sleepy-time.
Nite! C, -T
Thank you again for all your good wishes for my granddaughter but alas, I'm sorry to report she was not among the chosen. The competition is stiff!!! She was advised to get more training and try again next year. She is determined to continue as her goal is to be a singer.
ReplyDeleteWC ~
ReplyDeleteYou do have a point.
But favoring consistency (that hobgoblin), I'd rather see an abbreviated form like "B'way" followed by another abbreviation - rather than a nickname, which is, when all's said & done, a familiarity (LES MIZ).
~ OMK
ReplyDeleteDash T, thanks for finding that Wake Forest calculator link on The Wayback Machine. That was it. I tried it just a moment ago. Doesn't work. It was pretty nifty.
Here's a link to another nutrition calculator for some fast food places.
https://fastfoodnutrition.org/fast-food-meal-calculator
There are some other tools at that link that allow you to compare offerings from different places. It had an extensive list of restaurants. I compared a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich to McDonald's chicken sandwich.