google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday January 20, 2019 Paul Coulter

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Jan 20, 2019

Sunday January 20, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Pass" (P as S) - P is changed into S in each themer.

23. Imminent wordplay warning?: HERE COMES THE PUN. Here Comes the Sun.

33. "Is my account settled?"?: NEED I PAY MORE? Need I say more?

47. Nervous draft choice?: WORRIED PICK. Worried sick.

63. Agency that regulates test cheating?: PEEKING OFFICE. Seeking office.

83. Very first ATM password?: ORIGINAL PIN. Original sin.

96. Popular disco era pastimes?: PONG AND DANCE.Song and dance.

110. No longer be comprehensible ... and, with its first word divided in three parts, a hint to how to read this puzzle's title: STOP MAKING SENSE Read STOP as S to P.

What a great reveal, Paul! Letter addition/deletion/change theme type is more interesting with a rationale for the change.

There's one stray letter S in the first themer, but I really love the new phrase.

Across:

1. Brewer's need: HOPS.

5. "In the Land of Israel" author Oz: AMOS.

9. Barbershop tool: STROP.

14. Cremona artisan: AMATI. The famous violin-maker.

19. Skunk River city: AMES.

20. Hardly a revealing style: MAXI. Depends.


21. Quiet partner: PEACE.

22. Domed-top structures, perhaps: SILOS.

26. Peter, Paul or Mary: SAINT.

27. "Aladdin" prince: ALI.

28. Astronomy Muse: URANIA.

29. Disney's Cruella De __: VIL.


30. Many a Degas: PASTEL.

31. Oil sources: SESAMES. I sprinkle sesame seeds on everything.

36. Drive-__: THRU.

37. Types: GENRES.

39. Parmenides' home: ELEA. Or Zeno's home.

40. Apiece, in scores: ALL.

42. Others, in Latin: ALII.

43. You're looking at one: GRID. Crossword grid.

44. "Sunday Night Football" network: NBC.

51. 1982 sci-fi film: TRON.

52. "Mon __!": DIEU.  My god!

53. Field of study: AREA.

54. Workbench attachment: VISE.

55. Getting on: AGING.

56. Scary fairy tale beast: OGRE.

57. More mean: NASTIER.

59. Film festival entry: INDIE.

61. Half a luau serving?: MAHI. Had grilled mahi mahi at Red Lobster once.


62. French season: ETE.

68. Sched. uncertainty: TBA.

70. Really digging: INTO. My sister-in-law Connie sends me a package of walnuts every Christmas. So fresh. She gets them from this farm.



72. Oldest Musketeer: ATHOS.

73. Became aware of: NOTICED.

75. Kind of guy you can count on: GO TO. So lucky for mine on our blog.

76. Bit: SHRED.

78. "I, Claudius" role: NERO. He succeeded Claudius.

80. A silly stunt may be done on one: DARE.

81. Cabinet dept.: ENER.

82. Swarm: TEEM.

86. "Dropped" '60s drug: LSD.

87. European capital: BERN.

88. Fruity cocktail word: PINA. Spanish for "pineapple". Pina colada.

89. "Comprende?": SEE.

90. Space opening: AERO. Aerospace.

91. International economic coalition: G SEVEN.

93. Link warning letters: NSFW. Not Safe For Work.

100. Moves unsteadily: TEETERS.

103. Heads off: AVERTS.

104. According to: A LA.

105. Shark hanger-on: REMORA. Suckerfish.

108. "What's __?": NEW.

109. Make a mash of: PUREE.

113. Young conger: ELVER. Baby eels are white?



114. Public commotion: FUROR.

115. Logician's link: ERGO.

116. Former gen.'s status: RET'D.

117. Orchestra section: REEDS.

118. Signs of the future: OMENS.

119. Running goal: SEAT. Running for office.

120. "Anything __?": ELSE.

Down:

1. Comedy club chorus: HAHAS.

2. Breakfast choice: OMELET. What do you have breakfast these days?

3. "... shall not __ from the earth": Lincoln: PERISH.

4. Atlanta-to-Miami dir.: SSE.

5. Love abroad: AMORE. Mangia!


6. Half a '60s quartet: MAMAS.

7. Beasts of burden: OXEN.

8. Spanish ayes: SI SI.

9. Planet shape: Abbr.: SPH. Sphere.

10. Best Buy buy: TEEVEE.

11. They may be shot in rafts: RAPIDS.

12. Eyelike openings: OCULI. Plural of oculus.

13. Ballpoint, e.g.: PEN.

14. Tested for gold, say: ASSAYED.

15. Really bad atmosphere: MIASMA.

16. Justice confirmed under Bush 43: ALITO.

17. Workplace cartridge contents: TONER. Also an important skin care product.

18. Basketry fiber: ISTLE. Been quite some time since we had this entry.

24. Puffy clouds: CUMULI.

25. Kind of acid in red wine: TANNIC.

30. Turning whiter: PALING.

32. Biblical debarkation point: ARARAT.

34. Estrada of "CHiPs": ERIK
35. Big name in Argentine politics: PERON.

37. Breaks: GAPS.

38. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

41. Flood deterrent: LEVEE.

43. Annoying criticism: GRIEF.

44. Romantic evening extension: NIGHTCAP. Sparkly fill.

45. Thiamine deficiency disease: BERIBERI. Vitamin B1.

46. It could be a mere nod: CUE.

47. Decline: WANE.

48. Talks from Cicero: ORATIONS.

49. Took offense at: RESENTED.

50. Acute: DIRE.

51. "What a long week!": TGIF.

52. Classic O'Brien noir film: DOA. Edmond O'Brien.


55. Bothers: ADOS.

58. Nasdaq debut: IPO.

59. How many TV shows air: IN HD.

60. Private nonprofit: Abbr.: NGO. Non-Governmental Organization.

61. Ran into: MET.

64. The Carpenters' soloist: KAREN. I like "500 Miles".

65. Shopping list entry: ITEM.

66. Calvary inscription: INRI.

67. Relatives of b'ars?: COONS. Bears? Why abbreviation?

69. Arabian Peninsula port or its gulf: ADEN.

71. Crag: TOR.

74. Least occupied: IDLEST.

75. Come together: GEL.

76. Rears: STERNS.

77. Friend of Claudius I: HEROD.

78. Common opening time: NINE.

79. "A Visit From the Goon Squad" Pulitzer winner Jennifer: EGAN.


83. Crude gp.?: OPEC. Crude oil.

84. MLB leader in career saves: RIVERA. Mariano.

85. Virgil subject: AENEAS.

87. Clunky old cars: BEATERS.

90. Concurred: AGREED.

91. Aplenty: GALORE.

92. Designed to fit tightly: SNAP ON.

94. Herb commonly in five-spice powder: FENNEL. Fennel seeds.


95. Removes forcibly: WRESTS.

96. Mill output: PAPER.

97. Elementary seed: OVULE.

98. Audacity: NERVE.

99. Fact: DATUM.

100. Fiji's eastern neighbor: TONGA.

101. Cereal grass disease: ERGOT.

102. Bjorn Borg, e.g.: SWEDE.

106. Barely gets, with "out": EKES.

107. Bog: MIRE.

110. BART stop: SFO.

111. Simon & Garfunkel's "__ Robinson": MRS.

112. "... __ he drove out of sight": Moore: ERE.


VA Pharmacy Care called Boomer for a detailed drug side effect report, then they mailed us the Zytica and prednisone steroid on time. Hopefully we've settled on a routine drug-wise. His appetite has also returned to normal. Big bowl of chili!  This makes me very happy.

Dave2 continues to improve and is getting stronger every day. He gets along quite well with his roommate at the rehab place.

C.C.

41 comments:

OwenKL said...

Two RACCOONS at ARARAT
Got off the boat, said "Look at that!
No trash bin in sight
For dinner tonight!
I knew this cruise was a tourist trap!"

To map a GRID onto a SPHERE
Is difficult to do, my dear.
Many games would be rude --
Sudoku with attitude --
While HOP-scotch would be drear.

The egg BEATER that MAMA used
Was a crude way to fix our food.
Compared with today,
When blenders PURÉE,
But an omelet tastes not as good.

ERIK had a huge ego
It did him no good, ERGO
He tried to farm
But in alarm
His fields had only ERGOT to go!

{A, A-, B+, B-.}

Lemonade714 said...

B'ar is an abbreviation so you know to answer with the abbreviation for racoon.

I like seeing ALI ALL ALII in the same puzzle. I also enjoyed the CLAUDIUS clecho. ISTLE is not a word I ever expect to use. I was unaware of the negative implications of BERIBERI as I can assure you my wife and her family are all quite healthy.

I have read MANHATTAN BEACH which I found to be an odd book but did not remember the AUTHOR or her Pulitzer Prize winning book.

Paul C.'s puzzles are always fun and so are C.C.'s write-ups. Thanks

Paul C. said...

In letter-changing themes, I prefer answers that don't contain unchanged relevant letters. I'm glad C.C. pointed out the exception at HERECOMESTHEPUN. But Rich and I both liked it as an appropriate lead-off. This could be a theme song for many crossword constructors, and I must plead guilty to a lot of groaners, too. I'm pretty sure Owen is in this camp, too. No pun intended. Okay, guilty again. But seriously, I appreciate the enormous effort he makes to construct these witty delights nearly every day.
For those who don't know, "Stop Making Sense" was a Talking Heads concert movie, which I referred to in the original clue.
Here are some more that didn't make the cut -

PETAGOODEXAMPLE - Caress a role model?

POUNDINVESTMENT - Financial venture in British currency?

PAINTVALENTINES - Use a brush to decorate cards for Feb. 14?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Had to work at this one, in a few spots at least. It was a good one for solving on computer rather than paper, what with all the “erasures”. Istle was all perps - if we’ve had that before, I can’t recall it. NSFW is only dimly familiar (that’s odd, my spellcheck doesn’t recognize “familiar” - it does odd things sometimes).

Morning C.C., fresh walnuts are lovely things. We’ve had good luck with walnuts, almonds, and pecans from Costco - they tend to be better than the usual brands at local groceries, in our experience.

From yesterday: Bill G - we’ve had a similar experience with a scammer. You are not alone! By this time, incoming calls to our landline are 99% trash. We gave up answering it.

-T - I’m not an expert, but allow me to offer this opinion: the very fact that you recognize smoking as an addiction you’d like to be rid of puts you squarely on the right road. Now, I’m going to guess that you’ve been a smoker for a long time. If so, that means the addiction was established at a time when the deck was stacked against you; nowadays the social pressure is well against the habit, and that gives you another tool for the task of reshaping your behaviors. May the Force be with you!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Up early and on the computer before the paper comes--yep we still get one. Hate to put my delivery guy out of work. ;-) I struggled a bit with the theme entries, which covered quite a sizable portion of the puzzle. For me, it helps when I walk away for a bit, and that worked in the end today.

Thanks, Paul, for the challenge and for stopping by.

CC, thanks for the explication and all the food photos. Glad to hear Boomer's meds are coming in a timely fashion.

Hello to Dave2.

Have a cozy snow day today if you've been in the path of this storm. 9" here.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yay -- much better result than yesterday. Got the theme right out of the gate, but missed the S-TO-P in the reveal. No matter. Shot myself in the foot with PONGANDANCES (single D), but everything worked out in the end. Thanx, Paul and C.C.

G-SEVEN: Somebody wants it to become the G-Eight once again.

ELVERS: C.C., I think they're transparent rather than white.

RIVERA: Just whose careers did he save?

TEEVEE: Long time no-see. Not long enough.

MRS. ROBINSON: American Forces Radio Television Service pressed their own records, so they controlled what music was available at the stations around the world. Mrs Robinson was judged too anti-religious, and wasn't included. But AFRTS also distributed pre-recorded programs by well-known US DJs. Gene Weed of KFWB played Mrs. Robinson one week, and we "lifted" it to a tape cartridge. The only time we got into trouble with non-sanctioned music was for playing a bootleg copy of Alice's Restaurant. The base CO wasn't amused.

CartBoy said...

Last letter I wrote was wrong - AMATI not AMATO. Doh!

Yellowrocks said...

Loved this puzzle, Paul. I sussed the theme early on and so found the themers quickly and easily. The long themers gave me many handy perps. Still, close but no cigar. I saved one cell until last and never went back to it.
We had only an inch or two of snow and no freezing rain. I am dreading the below zero deep freeze later today.
All you in the path of the arctic weather, stay warm.

desper-otto said...

DW and I have postponed our morning "march" through the 'hood until the temps reach 40°. Yeah, we're wimps.

jfromvt said...

A foot of snow and my paper was on the doorstep. I have a great carrier, guess I need to tip her even more next Christmas!

Fun puzzle. Didn’t get it all, such as MIASMA and AENEAS, but a mostly completed puzzle.

Now just hanging out at home waiting for the football games. Go Pats!

Barry T. said...

Smoking: Ask your doctor about Chantix... it worked for me. Was able to quit smoking at age 60 after 40 years of lighting up. (Actually, it worked three times, lol, but it was my fault for starting up again twice. Now, I'm "clean" for 3 years... and forever! I wish I could quit food as easily...

Big Easy said...

I finished the puzzle but what the hell is NSFW? Perps were too solid to change.

"93. Link warning letters: NSFW. Not Safe For Work." Never heard of or seen that one.

ISTLE, OCULI, NSFW, DOA, EGAN, racCOONS because D'nL Boone called 'em 'B'ars' ( at least in the movies), HEROD, RIVERA- filled by perps today.

Coulter likes words that end in 'I'. ALI, ALII, OCULI, MAXI, CUMULI, and even BERI BERI.
Acid in wine? TARTARIC. MALIC; didn't know TANNIC. I thought that was used to tan leather.

C.C., is your MAXI model, who is showing MAXI cleavage & leg inviting someone for a NIGHTCAP?

Walnuts? My brother sends 10lbs. of pecans every Christmas. I reciprocate with oranges from my trees.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! With the announcement HERE COMES THE PUN at the start, this had to be fUN. Oh goody, I love PUNS! Thanks, Paul! This wasn't easy but it wasn't humiliating like yesterday.

Thanks, C.C., for another great expo and report on Boomer & Dave2.

Got the theme early enough to help with the others. Two reveals with the title.

Last to fill: NE. I had ASSAYED, TONER, SAINT & PAYMORE but the others eluded me. I was thinking domed churches or capitols rather than SILOS. Never heard of ISTLE. Know Degas' work well but PASTEL means art done in chalk to me. ELEA: didn't know Parmenides let alone his home. MIASMA? Meh! Few red-letter runs put me on the right track.

I had heard of GSEVEN but ESP. Lot I didn't know but perps helped.

Liked ERGO crossing ERGOT, DOA followed by ADOS.

Saw a great moon last night & the sun is out today. Clear skies are very welcome after a week of gloomy weather. 17* Brrr!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I guessed correctly on AE_EAS/_SFW and I’m home free! P AS A and S TO P? Wow!
-Many think he was the greatest undrafted NFL player ever
-There’s more than a SHRED of evidence that she’ll get NOTICED in that MAXI
-Usually coffee with PBJ (Skippy and Welches) on English muffins for me
-A PEN will never see my GRIDS
-Class begins in 5 minutes and the copier needs TONER? AAARRRGGGHHH!
-A NOD from the Godfather was a CUE someone was going to get whacked
-The HD TV format allows ads to run during the dead time GALORE at FB games
-My wife keeps her ITEMS separate from her mother’s in the cart to use mother’s SNAP card
-MIRE makes a lot more sense than MIRY did yesterday

Irish Miss said...

Hi Everyone:

What a breath of fresh air after yesterday's downer! I caught the theme early with Here Comes The Pun and from there on, it was smooth sailing. I did have a few stumbles: Word/Grid, Amour/Amore, Gripe/Grief, and Aeneid/Aeneas. Needed perps for Istle, Urania, Elea, and Remora. HaHas and Mamas was cute and my favorite themer was Original Sin. I though the S to P was brilliant. Paling and Idlest grated a bit.

Thanks, Paul, for a delightful Sunday solve and for dropping by and thanks, CC, for the sparkling review, and, especially for including the food photos! Yum. Thanks, also, for the updates and positive news on Boomer and Dave. I don't eat breakfast as food has no appeal to me in the morning. I know, I know: It's the most important meal of the day. Just not my day. 😈

Owen, liked all your verses today but the first is my favorite, A++.

It's still snowing (started about 5:30 pm yesterday) and judging by my deck, I'd say there's about 14-16 inches so far. We also had freezing rain early this morning. Tomorrow's high is 5 with a windchill of -30. Tonight's windchill is -20 to -40 with temps below zero. Ain't winter grand! ❄️❄️❄️

Is anyone familiar with the BBC or PBS series "Wallender", starring Kenneth Branagh? I watched one entire episode and half of a second and since I have mixed emotions about it, I'm debating whether it's worth my time. Thoughts, anyone?

Have a great day.

billocohoes said...

fAdING before PALING gave me much trouble in the NE.

I knew BonN is no longer a capital but couldn't help putting it in, since Kiev and Riga didn't work and BERN didn't occur to me.

ELVERS and ISTLE were unknown, usually expect rattan, wicker or even osier for caning and weaving.

Knew b'ars from my early ute from Disney's Davy Crockett song of 1955

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
Greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so he knew ev'ry tree
Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three

Raccoons aren't really related to bears, though some languages (German, Chinese, Japanese) use their word for "bear" as part of their names.

Lucina said...

Thank you, Paul! This was a fun run compared to yesterday's savage assault on my solving skill.

I loved all the puns and sashayed all the way across and down! I finally got stuck at ELVER which I'm sure now that I've seen before but just couldn't recall. LIU then finito!

PAPER was a long time coming, too. I tried flour, sugar and grist first. I forgot P would be the first letter. NERVE clinched that corner.

AMATI was cleverly clued and different from the usual cluing.

I usually eat cheerios with raisins and occasionally will make an OMELET with some spicy sausage. MMM

I can remember TANNIC because of the movie, The Birdcage. Nathan Lame's character cites the "tannins in red wine" as an excuse for not drinking.

C.C., thank you for the updates on Boomer and Dave 2.

Have a PEACEful day, everyone!

triple crown said...

C.C. Glad to hear Boomer is doing well. Will continue to send good thoughts and wish you both the best.

Misty said...

What good news about both Boomer and Dave, C.C! Along with your always helpful commentary, got us off to a good start this morning. And thank you, Paul, for a delightful Sunday puzzle with a fun theme, and for checking in with us and giving us those terrific extra theme items. Puzzle constructors are pretty brilliant, in my opinion. What I especially liked about this one is the combination of challenging and very doable. I got lots of sections without any problem and struggled with others. Liked seeing lots of familiar people and things. I figured Peter, Paul and Mary were going to be SAINTS and not singers, but how nice to get MRS. Robinson in my head for the day. And I'm assuming the PAPAS went along with the MAMAS. Anyway, a Sunday delight--thank you, everybody.

And have a great day. I get to go to a party this afternoon--Yay!

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Paul Coulter, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.

Got a good start. Bounced around all over the grid and got the easier ones filled in.

Caught the theme way before I got 110A. That helped me to actually get 110A STOP MAKING SENSE. Hey, whatever works.

NSFW was unknown to me. Must be a newer term. When I was working in the telephone industry, we had all sorts of abbreviations and mnemonics, some of which came from the government, ie: OSHA, and others. OK, I just looked it up. It is an internet term alluding to emails, etc, that people may send from their work accounts, and that are not appropriate for work and their employers. Could cost them their jobs, ie "Not Safe For Work" That explains all that to me. So, I guess I am a little out of it. Maybe that is good.

And NSFW crossing with AENEAS made those two tough.

Liked ORIGINAL PIN.

Nice to see KAREN Carpenter in the puzzle. She was the best singer ever.

Have to run. Good to hear that Boomer and Dave are doing better. My cold is fading as well.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

desper-otto said...

IM, I've seen several Wallender episodes. Interesting, but somewhat dark. He's not a very likable hero.

Wilbur Charles said...

CC, Splynter would be proud
Slow and steady for me today. I had FUEGOGRIEF

NERO and HEROD along with Virgil's Aeneid a ND Cicero. Methinks Paul likes his Latin.

HG, true. If one uses ink it helps to read one's own writing. I'm so sloppy.
I got careless and drafted a post without composing in text first and lost it.

And there was C-EH posting at the same time. I actually was wondering if there was in fact an alternate DNIESTER spelling since it's a translation.

WC

I agree. Good old fashion one clue at a time solving.

Wilbur Charles said...

Oops I posted before preview.

WC

desper-otto said...

Anon-T, like you, I stopped smoking several times before I finally got it right. That was about 20 years ago. In the '90s I tried Zyban -- it was the only method approved by the health insurance industry. It did relieve the urge to smoke, but it also relieved the urge to do anything, including thinking. I was perfectly happy just to sit and stare at a wall. After 4 days I had to give it up; it was making me too weird. (No comments, please.) Then I tried the patch...and failed. I had weaned myself off it too soon. The third try with the patch finally worked. Being a cheap-skate, I learned to buy only the level-1 patches. Trimmed to 2/3 size, it becomes a level-2 patch, and trimmed to 1/2 size, it's a level 3 patch. I'd recommend at least a couple weeks (maybe even a month) at each level. It removes the craving (but not the desire), and it does allow you to get over the habit of inhaling. Later, weaning off will be easier -- much easier than going cold-turkey from the get-go. Check out what John Prine plans to do at the 0:35 point when he gets to heaven.

billocohoes said...

NSFW was definitely around ten years ago when I retired (on Miracle on the Hudson Day) but obviously couldn’t have been in use until the intewebs started connecting to the rank and file in businesses. So 10-20 years has to be the time frame.

And just now, congratulations to Jimmy Buffet for singing the National anthem at the Superdome the way it’s supposed to be sung (even if he missed a couple of notes.)

Jinx in Norfolk said...

When will I ever learn? Even when most of the puzzle is getable, or at least guessable, I just get aggravated by Paul's obscure fills. Although this one didn't make me feel as obtuse as his December Sunday offering, I just didn't enjoy it.

No mas para mi.

Jayce said...

I loved this puzzle.

Anonymous T said...

Sunday Lurk Say...

Hi all!

First, I loved everyone's comments comparing today's GRID to yesterday's. Too funny. [Lucina, YR, I'm lookin' at you]

Thanks C.C. for the updates on D4 & Boomer (looking forward to tomorrow's after-solve -party Boomer!)

{A+, A, A, A}

BigE - If I sent you a link to a video of that "MAXI Model," I'd be an awful buddy if I didn't tag it as NSFW and IT/HR found out what you clicked on.

Paul C. I love The Talking Heads. That you got inspiration for this GRID from their live album / concert movie is awesome. I didn't play but noted all the other music references in C.C.'s expo; Good Stuff. How 'bout some Psycho Killer [from '77 - 5:33] [note: the last few minutes (after the song) is NSFW-y :-)].

Barry T. I tried Chantix about 15 years ago. I had nightmares so vivid (where you think you wake up but you're not and images get worse!) I still sleep with the lights on. After my #fail this morning*, I'm getting my 75mg Wellbutrin* filled; It's giving up these last few that are really messing with my psyche.

D-O: I knew you were Radio, but I didn't know in an Adrian Cronauer sorta way. Arlo's Alice's Restaurant? Nice.

Cheers, -T
*So, I'm returning from the gym and know DW will be disappointed if I smoke at all today. "Oh, I can get one now!" I pulled off and bought a pack. Lit up, took two drags and thought "WTF am I thinking?" and tossed it. Oh, but that feeling... Here comes the Sun.

**D-O: I updated and saw the bit about Zyban (same thing as Wellbutrin); hummmm. Never mind that now - The 9-mile cig in heaven was LOL!

Irish Miss said...

DO @ 1:24 ~ Yes, he is dark but I think what was off-putting to me was the depraved and gory story lines. If all the episodes are like that, then I think I'll pass.

Any recommendations for well-done police procedurals in the vein of "Prime Suspect" or "Broadchurch" would be appreciated. (I have Netflix Streaming.)

Northwest Runner said...

No excuse for 67D. Constructor and editor should be ashamed of themselves. After the topic was thoroughly discussed (and poorly atoned for) with a NYT puzzle recently, there is no way this entry should have appeared. Paul and Rich, you must apologize. This easily could have been reworked while retaining the theme.

Paul C. said...

Northwest Runner - I do apologize for that. It was just brought to my attention on another site. I'd forgotten the pejorative sense. Which I shouldn't have done, since I grew up in the South at a time when it was used as a racial slur. I've removed it from my word list.

Northwest Runner said...

Thank you Paul. Very nicely put.

Becky said...

Anon-T. I quit smoking 30 years ago. I had very bad bronchitis so it hurt to breathe, much less smoke! But I did try to smoke and couldn't. So I said, Hmm, Becky, why don't you just stop? I found the hardest part was just the habit of it. I would smoke the minute I woke, up, the minute I got in the car, the minute I got on the phone, the minute I finished a chore (a reward), right before I went to sleep. I didn't tell anyone I was quitting because I didn't want to alert the Gods of Smoking. It took me three days to kick the habit -- see above -- and then it got easier. I quit cold turkey, but I was smoking Merit Ultra Lights (three and a half packs a day) so maybe I wasn't getting as much nicotine. Good luck! I'm so glad I quit. I've had puffs since then and they taste SO NASTY!!!! And I can smell it on people. Yuck!

Yay Rams!!!

Jayce said...

Wishing all of you who are trying to quit smoking the best of success.

CanadianEh! said...

Super Snowy Sunday Satisfaction. Thanks for the fun, Paul and C.C.
Finally a CW that I could enjoy. I will admit that I was on AcrossLite and had some red letter help, but still, this one was better than the last few days!

For 5 spice powder, I was thinking of Herb de Provence containing savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Then FENNEL perped ??? Thanks for the explanation C.C.

Lost the rest of my thoughts when I tried to post.

Time for Victoria. Gotta run!

Picard said...

CC thanks for the review and thanks for the Boomer and Dave update. I sent Dave a card last week and it is good to know he is improving. When I lived at our rehab place after being hit by a car, we had some computers which I was grateful for.

And thanks for the MAXI photo! Got the P AS S theme but did not get the S TO P until I read the review. Fun theme!

Glad for all the references to yesterday's impossible puzzle.
Did anyone actually finish yesterday's puzzle correctly without help?

DW and I are back late today from leading a beautiful hike with a huge and energetic group of young people (and not so young, too!)!

Hand up got NSFW with crosses and did not get it until the explanation here. And glad to know what in the world was meant by "B'AR"! A Google search just now turned up nothing.

I thought the BART stop would be STN or STA. SFO caught me by surprise! When I lived there, BART did NOT go to SFO. There was a shuttle.
Here is one of my favorite photo shoots ever: Flying out of SFO at dawn.

Did anyone else think DANCER would be the DEGAS answer? I did not even know he did PASTEL.

I was with my brother at the American River LEVEE in Sacramento where it did not completely stop the flooding!

Never heard of a REEDS section even though I used to play clarinet. I always heard it called Woodwinds.

CartBoy hand up I had AMATo instead of unknown AMATI to FIW. Argh. Got everything else correct.

All I can say is that I concur that this was a lot better than yesterday!

From Friday:
AnonT and CrossEyed Dave thanks for the kind words about my SHOSHONE Falls photo and thanks for the video!

Bill G said...

Thanks Paul and CC. I found today's puzzle hard but fun.

Irish Miss, I tried Wallender a while back. I tried to like it with no success. It was boring for me with no appeal.

The moon is full and pretty tonight but a total eclipse of the moon will be starting )if not already started in your area). One side of the moon will gradually darken until the whole moon is a dim reddish color.

Good football games today. The Rams finally pulled it together.

Good wishes for Boomer, Dave, AnonT and all the others who could benefit from them (good wishes that is).

Wilbur Charles said...

"and tossed it. Oh". IT??? It should have been the PACK!!!
I do recall an earlier smoking abstinence which failed when I by puffed in my girl friends Parliament!!! Psychology plays a big part much like solving

Picard, I misspelled DNEISTER yesterday, and CORELL. Else, I FIR.

The "COON" issue reminds me of HYPE being an answer. Ironically, I happened to be reading"The Lincoln Lawyer" and the word was used as jargon for drug addict (HYPErdermic needles)

I disagree of course. If the word is not used derogatorily it's fine.

I recall"niggardly" becoming a no-no homophonically.

WC

Lucina said...

AnonT:
Just now I went to read last night's comments and saw yours. I feel for you, my friend. It's so hard to be human!!!! The smoking though is a killer. You have to drop it. Pronto. You do want to see your girls graduate, marry, have children and all other milestones they will celebrate with or without you.

Wallander. After the first episode, I never went back.

Bill G said...

I have never smoked cigarettes. I tried smoking a pipe in college. I enjoyed the process but it left a smell and taste behind. My mouth still had an unpleasant taste and feel even the next day. It's fortunate I never took up smoking seriously because habits are really tough for me to change. I admire your determination to stop smoking. I can't be of much help except to wish you well.

waseeley said...

NSFW is probably inserted by a corporate security app. I worked in IT networking for 37 years and never saw that one either.