google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday February 4, 2019 Winston Emmons

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Feb 4, 2019

Monday February 4, 2019 Winston Emmons

Theme: NO NO (59. Forbidden thing, and what each of four long answers is?)
  
20. Misdeed exculpation: NO HARM NO FOUL.

29. Done tidily and without stress: NO MUSS NO FUSS.

46. Precisely: NO MORE NO LESS.

56. Exercise mantra: NO PAIN NO GAIN.

Boomer here.

I noticed that there were ten (count'em) TEN "nos" in today's puzzle.  I believe that is a no no.  I hope you all had a great Groudhog Day and if you missed the Bill Murray movie, I think it was on 6 cable channels Saturday. We had a typical Minnesota week this past 7 days, but I also noticed that a huge section of the country had the same.  We got about 30 below on Tuesday and Wednesday, then a thaw on Saturday and Sunday.  

Exploding toilet tank & Frozen noodles
My bowling was postponed due to weather last Monday and Thursday was not the best or worse. 

Last but not least, condolences to the L.A. Rams.  They played a pretty good game but were scratched by the Superb Owl and upended by the Brady Bunch.  I was disappointed by the commercials.  Although nothing will ever compare to Betty White playing football with Abe Vigoda. Shame on Budweiser for hiring someone to sing "Blowin' in the Wind" while trying to sound like our Minnesota native Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan.  I have listened to Mr. Dylan for years and that was not his voice in the Bud Commercial.
 
Across:

1. Gather in a pile: AMASS. I go every Sunday but we don't pile into the church.

6. City transport: BUS. Add an "S" and you may have a fuse.

9. Assume the role of: ACT AS.

14. Dashed in the direction of: RAN TO.  Sounds like a role for Sylvester Stallone.

15. Fireplace remnants: ASH.  Once there was a tobacco store in a mall in Minnesota.  The proprietor was George Ash. The name of the store was Ashes. Really! You could bring in your pipe and sample his stuff.

16. Baseball's home __: PLATE.  Yeah, but it is made of rubber, and not the shape of  a glass or ceramic plate.

17. Military decoration: MEDAL.  Everyone who serves gets one or two, however a bronze star or silver star is special.

18. China : cha :: U.S. : __: TEA.  "Cha for two and two for cha"


19. Resistance member: REBEL.  Johnny Yuma was one.

23. Garden product word: GRO. Really have never seen this.  But be careful with "Roundup"

26. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA.  If you have money in one, it is not taxable … yet.

27. Ages and ages: EON.  Should it not be "EONS" ?

28. Word after photo or black: OPS.  Reminds me of Donald Sutherland in "JFK"


33. Skillful: ADEPT.

34. Early riser?: SUN.  I notice it does not rise so early in winter.  Maybe Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow.  Then we will only have 5 weeks and 6 days of winter left.

35. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.  My sister Barbara was a HUGE Hugh O'Brian fan.

39. Bedouin abode: TENT.  How much is Five T plus Five T. 

40. Takes out the sloop: SAILS.  Beach Boys sailed on the Sloop John B.

42. Classic cookie: OREO. The favorite treat of Crossword constructors everywhere.

43. Mediocre: SO SO.  The favorite denial of my wife, C.C.

44. Suffix with alp: INE.  If you have not yet heard, Minnesota's favorite woman ALPINE skier, Lindsey Vonn has announced retirement.


45. Models for some Adam and Eve art: NUDES.

50. Texter's "I believe": IMO.

53. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI.

54. Badminton partition: NET.

55. Originally called: NEE.  Maybe too many three letter answers ??

60. Minotaur's island: CRETE.  This was a question in Saturday's Pogo Trivial Pursuit.

61. Overtime cause, in sports: TIE.  Also neckwear of which I have thirty, and wear one or two per year.

62. Seashore: COAST.  This is C.C.'s favorite soap bar.  I like Irish Spring.

66. Brother of Moses: AARON. Also the surname of Hank who hit 755 MLB home runs.  Coincidentally, now there is AARON Judge who may approach Hank's record someday.


67. Right-angled pipe shape: ELL.  Generally 90 degrees.

68. Came to a conclusion: ENDED.

69. Slope: SLANT.

70. Prefix with -lexic: DYS.

71. Gives medicine to: DOSES. We covered this last week.

Down:

1. Pitcher's asset: ARM. And probably a million dollar home and a BMW.

2. West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE.

3. Plus: AND. "Two AND two are four, four AND four are eight. AND what did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine?"  (Tom Paxton)

4. Ollie's partner: STAN. Oh how I loved the reruns of Laurel and Hardy when I was a kid.  When I visit a friend in the hospital, I always bring hard boiled eggs and nuts.

5. Single singer: SOLOIST.  Yes I was, in the Benilde High School Glee Club.  My best was Poor Old Charlie on the "MTA".

6. WWII Philippine battleground: BATAAN.  Very tough duty.  My father served there as a medic.

7. Manipulative sort: USER.

8. Causing disgrace: SHAMEFUL.

9. Cooks' protective wear: APRONS.

10. Sheet music symbol: CLEF.

11. Forbidden: TABOO.

12. Consumed eagerly: ATE UP.

13. Disposes of on eBay: SELLS.  "She sells sea shells on the sea shore".  Say it 5 times really fast.

21. 60-min. periods: HRS.  Hank Aaron and Aaron Judge's stats. 

22. Subjects, usually, in grammar class: NOUNS. "Twas' the night before Christmas and all through the house..  NO UNS was sleeping, not even a mouse.  And not even Talullah's brudder in law and he's a rat."

23. Bitty biters: GNATS.  The DC MLB Baseball team is sometimes called the Gnats.

24. Show with horses and bulls: RODEO.

25. Warning signs: OMENS.

30. Model Kate married to Justin Verlander: UPTON.  Pitchers get all the girls.


31. Willow twig: OSIER.

32. South Korea's capital: SEOUL.

36. Elizabeth of cosmetics: ARDEN.

37. Creator of yummy "pieces": REESE.  Creator of yummy Yankee stories, Pee Wee.

38. Entourage: POSSE.

40. Do what he says or you lose: SIMON.  Simon says "The words of the profits are written on the subway walls,"  and Garfunkel says , "And tenement halls."

41. Made sacred, as with oil: ANOINTED.

45. Observed: NOTICED.

47. "Murder on the __ Express": ORIENT.  Minneapolis story.  Years ago Northwest Airlines was "Northwest Orient" now it's known as "Delta".  Big airlines get swallowed up by bigger ones.

48. Marx co-author: ENGELS.

49. Cultural funding org.: NEA.

50. Machu Picchu builders: INCAS.  Remember Jimmy Durante ?  Inca Dinka Do.

51. Point of a fable: MORAL.

52. Wagner work: OPERA.  Spend a night there in 1935 with the Marx Brothers. Were Groucho, Zeppo, Chico and Harpo their real names??

57. Huge amount, as of homework: A TON.  Load 16 of them and Whaddaya get.  Another day older and deeper in debt.  Was "Tennessee his real first name"?

58. Slick, like a garage floor: OILY.  If your oil pan leaks and you don't get it fixed you may deserve to slip on your garage floor, after you buy a new engine.

63. Spots on television: ADS. "Spots" is very kind.  Some last over a minute and all are BORING !

64. Understand: SEE.

65. NFL scores: TDS. A scant one in this years big game.

Boomer


47 comments:

OwenKL said...

If it's totally TABOO, it's a NO NO.
If it edges on SHAMEFUL, it's SO SO.
If it's black and white,
A round of delight,
On a PLATE with some milk, it's an OREO!

Wyatt EARP was ADEPT with a gun.
Of accolades, he had A TON.
He was the law,
When the West was raw,
With his side-ARM in the noonday SUN!

The wily fox was pursued by a hound
The dog's intent was to RUN it TO ground.
But a fox is sly
Which explains why,
A hunt is ENDED when nothing is found!

For cruising gales, use canvas SAILS
For a camping event, use a canvas TENT
For butchering bacon, use a canvas APRON
For opinions on status, use a pollsters canvass!

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

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

This one went really fast; no Wite-Out required. Boomer's expo showed me just how many clue/answers I hadn't seen, because they were already filled in. Thanx, Winston, ya done good, like a crossword creator should. Thanx for the tour, Boomer. (The ole pea-picker's first name was Ernest.)

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased yurt for TENT.
The husband of our town's hatmaker (she called herself a milliner) survived the BATAAN death march. He was clearly a broken man, and I didn't understand why until I was much older. He was the school's AV expert, and would set up projectors, change bulbs, splice broken film and the like.

FLN - Bill G, my heart and prayers are with Barbara. Dealing with my DWs breast cancer last year gave me new appreciation for lymph nodes.

Thanks to Winston for the fun start to the work week. And thanks to Boomer as well. Witty as always. BTW, my ball cap collection includes one from the single-A Savannah Sand GNATS.

Oas said...

Good morning and thanks Winston Emmons and Boomer.
Ta da
What all the long answers said.
Winter storm happening . Sent DW a message , good day to stay home . Cold windy snow drifting and poor visibility. School cancelled.
My work today is indoors thankfully.
Keep warm and safe.
Que tengan un buen dia!!

Oas said...

OwenKl all Asia

Oas said...

Auto correct strikes again OwenKl all As

inanehiker said...

Speed run for Monday- nice that all the theme answers were "in the language" and not forced to make enough for the puzzle.

My favorite commercial yesterday was for the 100 years of NFL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjiIuH1VnY
not sure what it took to get all those guys in one room and to choreograph that.
I was watching the game with a few other couples - one of which was from the UK- we kept joking that the score was for the other type of football (soccer)- and they probably got mixed up as to which game they were playing.

Thanks Boomer for a fun write-up as always and Winston for the puzzle

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you Winston Emmons and thank you Boomer.

No sweat. As easy as a Monday should be.

No oily garage floor for me. But it was covered in grit and salt from the road. Couldn't stand it, so yesterday afternoon I hosed it down and then scrubbed it with the push broom. It's clean. For now.

Boomer, my buddy Greg texted me that they cancelled bowling last Thursday, and his Wednesday night league too. I'm supposed to bowl this Thursday, but may beg off this week. Too sore.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Easy theme, easy solve. But the puzzle had a lot of bright fill. Very smooth and well done.
CHA: TEA - - Got it right away; the discussions here among the TEA mavens over the years was helpful.
COAST - Re: soap. I have to stick with Dove for sensitive skin per my Dermatologists' instructions.

OwenKL said...

OAS: Turkey!

OwenKL said...

OAS: Thanks!

Jerome D Gunderson said...

Boomer- Try saying TOY BOAT fast only five times. It's damn near impossible.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks Winston for a smooth Monday solve. I thought the across set of threes were rather fun.

Nice tour, Boomer. I like your tale of Mr. ASH. Long ago when we were preparing the school for a fundraiser, we used lots of muslin. The fire inspector said we had to fireproof it. The chemical we painted on came from an exterminator. His name was Mr. Roach!! He, of course, took out his D. L. to prove it.

Many men from Melrose Park, Illinois, were part of the BATAAN Death March. Like Jinx, we had a neighbor who was there. Even as a child, I knew he was fragile. My dad explained why. . . . Part of my once-removed WWII experiences.

Working with my at-risk athletes at the high school this afternoon. New semester: while I hope most of them are now fully eligible, I have developed some nice relationships. I will miss working them. Catch-22, eh?

The weather is mild, but I always wish for the sun. Making my own today.

CanadianEh! said...

Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Winston and Boomer.
I finished the CW in my newspaper, got the theme, and arrived here to discover that I FIW, not once but twice!!! I'll blame it on Super Bowl hangover. (Is that why everyone is late here today?)
I had NO Mess/model Epton and Bayaan/yea. (I would have recognized India:chai::US:tea sigh!)
Otherwise everything filled in quickly and accurately.

From the weekend, I know that SEOUL is on the river Han.
I smiled at the cluing for SIMON.
ADS and TDS were appropriate after last night's game.
Was 70A DYS a CSO to AnonT?

Enjoy the day. Milder here.

From Saturday (which I completed last night)- Even this Canadian was misdirected to London, England, but I only had to travel down the 401 to London, ONTARIO. (I'll take a CSO.) And thanks for the Humour, AnonT.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A “just right Monday”!
-Boomer! You’ve never heard of my wife’s magic garden elixir?
-I watched Scandal on Netflix and it has Black OPS within Black Ops
-I enjoyed what reading what you meant by C.C. saying SO SO, Boomer! I learned it is simply your bride’s way of being modest. That’s so like her.
-FB season had ENDED and pro basketball ain’t my cuppa cha
-Inchworm lyrics from my yute – “Two AND two are four, Four AND four are eight, Eight AND eight are sixteen, Sixteen AND sixteen are thirty-two”
-Ezekiel Elliot has an EAT YOU UP taunt
-M&Ms regretted they turned down the role Reese’s Pieces took up in ET
-I’ve seen Murder On The Orient Express with three different Hercule Poirots

Husker Gary said...

Addendum
-Super Bowl was a snoozer but at least our daughter’s former student, Greg Zuerlien, did kick for LA’s only points. The credit should mostly go to New England’s defense and not Brady. I’m sure Jared Goff can still see those rushers in his face and defensive backs in front of his receivers

oc4beach said...


WEES: Today was a nice NO MUSS NO FUSS speed run from Winston. Like DO I never got to many of the Down clues because the words were already filled in. Boomer provided a very good tour through the Grid.

I think the only unknown was OSIER, but as stated above, it was already filled in. No other unknowns.

Boomer: I think the "Sloop John B" was first sung by the Kingston Trio in 1958 whereas the Beach Boys version was released in 1966. That being said, I like the Beach Boys version better than the Kingston Trio's version. Some of the lyrics are slightly different in each one. I think I now have that song as today's earwig embedded in my brain after listening to both versions on YouTube.

It's warm here also. Almost a 60º difference from a few days ago. There is still snow on the ground, but it is disappearing quickly. However, all good things will come to an end and another storm will roll through.

Enjoy the day.



Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

What a fun way to start the week with this simple yet catchy theme. I took a Cab before my Bus showed up but, other than that, a smooth ride to the finish line. Osier was a tad tricky but perps and memory filled it in easily. I liked the So So, echoing the No No theme reveal. Yes, CanadianEh, that certainly was a CSO to Anon T at Dys.

Thanks, Winston, for an easy but enjoyable solve and thanks, Boomer, for tickling our fancy as well as our funny bone! Your humor makes me less of a grouchy, non-morning person.

Owen, all 4 verses deserve an A, IMO.

Spitz, I'm with you on Dove soap.

FLN

Thanks for the compliments on my new centerpiece. It adds a certain pizazz to my dining area.

Bill G, most positive and caring thoughts to you and Barbara.

I missed Gladys Knights Super Bowl performance because I was late turning the TV on, but I found it on Google and was very appreciative of her moving rendition. Her voice is still quite strong and pleasing. I also found a video of the 10 best commercials, one of which was the Stella Artois that Tony posted last night, the one showing the Dude ordering a Stella Artwos! Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors.

Have a great day.

Lucina said...

Thank you, Winston Emmons and Boomer! It's a fine way to start my Monday.

Like d-o and others I zipped right through this grid and didn't even see some of the fill. However, I laughed seeing TABOO among all the NOs.

I really liked the cluing for SUN and GNATS. Bitty biters made me laugh.

If I'm a bit disoriented today it may be for lack of sleep. My BFF called at 12:45 this morning to say he was in severe pain so I jumped out of bed, dressed and drove him to the hospital which, luckily, is about three miles away. After numerous tests they concluded it's his gall bladder so surgery is scheduled for later today. I went to bed at 4:00, slept and the phone rang at 8:30. Darned unsolicited callers!

Bill G:
I shall keep Barbara in my prayers. New discoveries are made every day. Perhaps they shall benefit her.

Thank you, again, Boomer for your witty commentary.

Have a marvelous day, everyone!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! First 10 minute puzzle solve in a long time, if ever. Thanks, Winston! You kept us chuckling, Boomer, thanks.

OSIER used to be a regular but it had been long enough I forgot it. Perps took over for my brain.

Knew cha was TEA thanks to C.C.

Used enough Miracle GRO to accept this as fill.

Boomer, Lindsay Vonn's body actually retired several years ago. Her spirit just wouldn't accept that and kept getting disappointed.

62* yesterday with windows open. 25* now and trying to decide if a quick trip to the pharmacy is really necessary. Should have gone yesterday. Got ready to go then was to tired to venture out.

billocohoes said...

EZ-GRO is a major maker of garden and lawn fertilizers and chemicals
EZ-GRO

Chico - Leonard
Groucho - Julius
Harpo - Adolph, later Arthur
Gummo - Milton
Zeppo - Herbert

Misty said...

Wonderful Monday puzzle, Winston--many thanks. I worked my way through this one without a single erasure, and loved seeing how the NO NO theme played out each time. Also enjoyed all the popular and other diverse culture references like OPERA and "Murder on the ORIENT Express" and AARON and EARP and ENGELS. And enjoyed your always fun write-up, Boomer.

Lucina, hope your friend will be okay.

Fun seeing all those Marx bother names, billocohoes.

The storm yesterday messed up my television and although I could watch programs I had taped, I couldn't see any current programs. Hope the Cox technician who's coming today can fix this. Good thing I'm not a Super Bowl fan, but I hated missing the "Murdoch Mysteries," my favorite TV show.

Have a great week, everybody.

Lemonade714 said...

First, prayers for Barbara- we are having the same issues with the woman I work for. It is all very awful.

Well with billocohoes post, everything I was going to say has been said about the puzzle. So. For Backy and other left-coasters disappointed by the Rams loss, realistically New Orleans should have been playing the Patriots, so the game was a bonus.

The commercials were interesting, with many having nothing to do with the products being advertised. I found it interesting that we had the foam scraper being used in the Stella Artois commercial so soon after my last Friday write-up. The most interesting man joins the Verizon can you hear me now guy switching companies. Jeff Bridges is always fun. I met him at a party many years ago and he was very nice and posed with my wife for some pictures that I guess went with her in the divorce.

FLN, like Lucy, I have never met any endive I liked. My mother used them all.

For inanehiker SUPER BOWL AD

Lucina said...

Yesterday I watched only the intro to the Super Bowl to hear Gladys Knight. She is still a super star singer! Two wonderful singers have lost their singing ability, Julie Andrews and Linda Ronstadt who was featured on Sunday Morning. It was great to hear Gladys has not lost hers.

Thank you, Misty. I hope so too.

billocohoes, Yes, it's fun to see the Marx brothers' real names. I wonder how they came up with their stage names.

AnonymousPVX said...


A quick Monday solve with some nice fill....but a ton of giveaways, too many IMO.

Well..at least it was a good game and quite watchable....good defenses are fun to watch as well.

I would have loved to see NO Saints play, but that ship sailed and sank.

As I hail from NE, they were always my second fav team (NYG fan with not much to show recently) so I am quite pleased with the win. They are an excellent team and consistently so.

Ol' Man Keith said...

I enjoyed Mr. Emmons' NO-NO theme. It almost seemed a comment on yesterday's game, which seemed to be a No-No score until late in the day. And then it was a Lo-Lo finish.
Funny how we react in our guts to "our" teams. Because I was rooting for the Rams going in, everything just felt flat for the rest of the day--and even into this blue, rainy Monday.
I'm sure things will pick up as the week progresses.
Oh, wait, I forgot we've got the State of the Union coming up.
Sh-eesh.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
One diagonal, mirror side.
And yes, the anagram is Super Bowl-related. The scrambled letters can't resist a dig at the ...
"FUNNIEST RAMS"!

Spitzboov said...

That freaking marmot from Punxutawney, PA was bang on with his prediction - - We've got 59º here today and nice Spring sunshine.

Dudley said...

OC4 10:04 - I’m with you there. A while back I researched the Sloop John B history, for some reason, and was naturally led to other versions of the song. The Beach Boys version is my favorite.

A similar thing happened when I was trying to understand the quirky lyrics in Zombie Jamboree. The Kingston Trio version was probably the first to be famous, but the much later Rockapella arrangement emerged as best, methinks.

Irish Miss said...

Spitz @ 1:20 ~ Don't count your Groundhogs before they're hatched! 😎

Jayce said...

A nice way to start the day: a fun puzzle and witty write-up. I laughed out loud at "How much is Five T plus Five T."

Interesting that we on the west side of the country say, "We're going to the COAST" while easterners say, "We're going to the shore."

Boomer is right about getting a military MEDAL: "Everyone who serves gets one or two". I got one for just showing up (everyone does) and one for serving overseas.

I remember Northwest Airlines. I also remember Jimmy Durante and his saying Inca Dinka Do. I also remember Tennessee Ernie Ford, but I don't know what Tennessee Williams' real name is.

I have said "ma ma hu hu" many times.

This morning DW opened a sliding glass door too fast and far, knocking it off its track. It was quite a job hefting that heavy door back onto the track again. Now it opens and closes just fine but the burglar alarm switch must have gotten knocked out of whack, because the alarm system constantly reports that the door is open. I think that'll be harder to fix.

I hear ya about them lymph nodes, Jinx.

I hope tomorrow's State of the Union address makes more sense than yesterday's interview with Margaret Brennan.

Best wishes to you all.

CrossEyedDave said...

Thank you Boomer for another Witty Monday write up!
Your 5T@39a reminded me of an old joke:

PATIENT: Doc, I keep having these dreams. First I’m a teepee; then I’m a wigwam; then I’m a teepee; then I’m a wigwam. It’s driving me crazy. What’s wrong with me?

DOCTOR: You need to relax. You’re two tents.

A too tense Cat can result in a lot of No No's...

Hard boiled eggs and nuts... Now where did I hear that before.
Right here on the Blog of course..

Bill G, Sorry I screwed up on the cake..

Happy belated Birthday!

Sandyanon said...

Just my take on mentions today:
I've listened to both Beach Boys and Kingston Trio. I really prefer the Kingston Trio. Maybe it's a primacy effect; I was listening to them in my youth way before I heard the Beach Boys.

Yellowrocks said...

Love this spring-like weather. It will stay above freezing all night. We will return to normal winter temps by the weekend, but hopefully no more zero and below. I am encouraged that we have about an hour more sunlight today than we had at the winter solstice. Whether Phil agrees or not, spring is definitely on the way. Someone might like to calculate the exact minutes. Gotta run.
Lucina, I hope your friend will be alright.

Roy said...

As the answers appeared, I got the theme before the reveal.

Depending on the number of ages, they could be equal to one EON or multiple EONs.

desper-otto said...

I agree Sandyanon, I prefer the K-T version, probably because I heard it first. I also prefer their version of Zombie Jamboree, probably because it's the only version I've heard. (They played it at Dave Guard's funeral). I also "never git a lickin' til I go down to Bimini."

Lucina said...

AnonT:
You really are a die hard optimist, aren't you?

Thank you for the good wishes for my dear friend. He had non-invasive gall bladder surgery which is a blessing. Now his recovery should be easier and faster. I'll give you a quick re-cap on our friendship because he means a great deal to me. We have known each other as neighbors for over 30 years and have served on the HOA Board. After his divorce we became closer, first, because he can fix a computer no matter how long it takes. Then I repaid him with dinner and one dinner became two as I needed other repairs and it has continued ever since for about 10 years. We are good company for each other and compliment one another. I cook and he repairs whatever needs repairing. He can do almost anything expect work on cars.

billocohoes said...

Lucina, Chico (pronounced Chick-oh) was so named because he chased after women (chicks).

Harpo, of course, for his harp.

Groucho was either for his disposition, or because he kept his money in what was called a "grouch bag,"

Gummo wore gumshoes, and often galoshes.

Zeppo was often part of telling then-popular "Zeke & Zeb" jokes about dumb Midwesterners, similar to Pat & Mike Irish jokes, Stosh and Walt Polish jokes, or Ole & Lena Swedish jokes.

Lucina said...

billocohoes:
How very interesting! Thank you. They were a colorful group in every way!

Misty said...

Lucina, friendships like that are very special, aren't they? I'll pray that your friend has a good recovery.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Winston for quick Monday solve. Only hang up was getting two A's in a row (twice!) and thinking, "I just muffed that..." But, they were right, so NO HARM NO FOUL.
Always fun to read your expos Boomer. Like Jayce, I LOL'd at TEN-T.

WOs: ANnoints b/f realizing tense (and spelling).
ESP: OSIER, BATAAN
Fav: SO SO after seeing all the NO NOs
Honorable mentions: c/a for SIMON

{A+, B+, B+, B}

Keep us posted on your BFF Lucina; we'll be thinking of you.
As for "die hard optimist," I'm not sure what you're referring to but, yes, my glass is always 1/2-full (of beer :-))

Billo - thanks for the info on the Marx (not Karl) Brother's names and back stories. Don't know when I'll use it but it's interesting.

C, Eh! I had the same thought @ SEOUL; I know (now) it's on the Han! //And I spelt it right the first time since I only had OU (Boomer Sooner!) Sat. Now I know how all the vowels are arranged... DYSlexia does suck* :-)

Apropos DR OMK! Ditto cake, CED!

When I'd do the 180mi (pedal-push) bike-ride from Houston to Austin for MS fund-raising (the mis-named MS150), I'd stop at lunch 50miles in and get a beer and a smoke. My buddies would look at me with the beer shaking their heads; My response while raising my glass: "NO PAIN, NO PAIN...."

Cheers, -T
*It's all these little-tricks I have to remember all the time just NOT to look like a total idiot.

Anonymous T said...

I forgot to mention how I enjoyed the aptronyms -- Mr. Roach, the exterminator, and Mr. Ashe, the tobacconist, today. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, -T

Lucina said...

I'm sorry AnonT.

It's Jayce to whom I was referring as a die hard optimist in his expectations for tomorrow's speech.

Anonymous T said...

Lucina - No worries...

Ok, I knew I'd find it but didn't expect it in my own back yard, Dr. Butts. You can guess what he does.* :-)

Oh, the little joys of Google...

Cheers, -T
*I'm sure he's a very nice man (and sick of the joke).

PK said...

Glad your friend had the easy gall bladder removal method. I've had it and it is next to nothing to get over. How much not having the g.b. causes digestive problems, I can't decide. Nice to have a fix-it friend. I had one for a while.

Yellowrocks said...

Lucina, what a nice relationship with your fix it friend. I am glad he is recovering well.
I, too, have a friend who can fix almost everything and helps me in many ways. In return I give him rides and meals. At our local dances we dance with each other as well as many other friends. At away dances we usually stay with each other. It is neat and companionable to have a very good male friend with no strings.
Jayce, it is interesting that you go to the coast and we go to the shore. Having lived in Jersey my entire life I have learned to say we go down the shore.
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oc4beach said...


Lucina: The Pessimist says the glass is half empty.
The Optimist says the glass is half full.
The Engineer, on the other hand, says the glass is too large.

Not an original thought, I saw it in the comics. But it does sum up how engineers think.

Sleep tight everyone.

Lucina said...

Oh, my, I love this Blog. You are all so much fun and so encouraging.