google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, February, 2, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

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Feb 2, 2019

Saturday, February, 2, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Puzzle B C.C. Burnikel 

Duh, I know it's Ground Hog Day but since that is so obvious I'm going to mention the celebration of a different animal for February 2nd. Today we observe National Sled Dog Day that commemorates the February 2, 1925 arrival of the famous dogsled team on the last leg of the relay from Nenana, Alaska to Nome with serum to stop the diphtheria epidemic. Below at the left you see the dogs in Nome with the lead dog Balto. At the right you see the statue in NYC's Central Park of that lead dog who led the team through a blinding blizzard on that last leg and became a national hero.




Today we get a fun themeless puzzle from our resident den mother and ringmaster, C.C. When I took that left turn in Des Moines a few years ago to go north to Minneapolis, I was carrying precious cargo for her and here you see her wearing it. This shirt makes her a proud, if temporary, Cornhusker. I know it can be dangerous wearing it in Golden Gopher country or in this cold weather but nobody wears it better. 

I made it through her puzzle today in decent time and, as always, I had fun. For her to know so much about our language after arriving here from Guangzhou, China in 2001 is one thing but to know it at such an incredible level that she can make up fiendish clues blows my mind

Now let's see some of the gems she has for us today.

Across:


1. Green side: SALAD - I had to abandon my golf green idea for the adjunct to a meal


6. Fruit named for a horticulturist: BOSC - All I can find is that an M. BOSC was the director of the Paris Arboretum when this fruit was developed


10. Target Field athlete: TWIN - Jeffrey Wechsler had "6 Down Target field" recently and the fill was RETAIL


14. Smart timepiece: APPLE WATCH - Mine reminds me of an old Newspaper comic I used to read that some of you are probably too young to recognize 




16. "That can't be good": OH NO - The Cigarette Stamp Ring above had better be wary

17. Reason for a case: LEGAL ISSUE - A Florida man got a Quarter Pounder with cheese but didn't want the cheese. So instead of saying, "Quarter Pounder with no cheese" he sued McDonalds for $5M for adding extras he and others shouldn't have to pay for.




18. Neck and neck: TIED  - Usually a photo finish


19. Vet: EXAMINE - Some people have rued the day they didn't sufficiently vet people they hired and consequently 23. Refined: HONED that process

20. Chicken __: fast food nuggets: MCBITES.


22. Special nights: EVES - How many people did you have over last night for your Groundhog's Day EVE party? Me too.


24. Hot spot: HADES - One of many euphemisms for H, E, double hockey sticks


26. Ski carriers: GONDOLAS - Fancier than t-bars


29. Jordanian dough: DINAR - Maybe you should get in on the Ramadan Toyota lease specials in Jordan. 




30. Disney dog: LADY - C'mon, you thought of the spaghetti kiss with Tramp didn't you?


31. Unpaid assistant in many offices: SIRI - SIRI got me to C.C.'s house for free


32. Weather-sensitive stat, often: ETD - This SWA flight's Estimated Time of Departure should have been delayed because of the icy weather in Omaha two weeks ago that made the plane go off the runway




33. Get ugly with: SNIPE AT - Ain't our government leaders swell?


36. Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," for one: OIL - Leonardo painted the masterpiece on the wall of the refectory in Milan and the perspective makes it appear to be an extension of the room




37. Policy affecting returns: AS IS.


39. Scrapes (out): EKES - We EKED out a living on $112/wk when I started teaching


40. Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny," e.g.: RONDO - A RONDO keeps repeating a theme


42. Tears: RAMPAGES - Upset Saints fans wanted to go on a tear/RAMPAGE two weeks ago


44. Light wash: RINSE.


45. Han River city: SEOUL - The km. markers along and across the HAN River for a half marathon




46. Bits of thread: LINT - Cleaning our dryer's LINT filter is necessary now because laundry  can not be 53. Left out to dry: HUNG in our development


47. Resonated, in a way: CLANGED - This field goal kicker CLANGED this kick off an upright




49. Place to find the Silk Road: ASIA MAP - The end of the SILK Road on this map is in Chang'an, China which is now Xi'an, China where C.C. grew up




54. Film with dangerous jobs: CRIME DRAMA Law And Order did this well on TV

56. Gallic gal pal: AMIE - Your French female friend 


57. Game whose heroine was played by Angelina Jolie in a 2001 film: TOMB RAIDER - This must be what a TOMB RAIDER 
58. Goes (for): OPTS to wear to work



59. Beachgoers' specs: SPFS.

60. Biblical verb: DOEST  - Psalm 86 - For thou art great and DOEST wondrous things



Down:


1. Spring __: SALE - Nah, I've got all the springs I need

2. Pinnacle: APEX - Who will reach the APEX of pro football tomorrow?


3. Org. for women drivers: LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association



4. County where the Golden State Warriors play home games: ALAMEDA - Next season the Warriors will move across the Bay to the Chase Center in San Francisco City/County




5. Drops off: DELIVERS - Does your neighborhood have "porch pirates"?


6. Diamond foursome: BASES - Three of them are rectangles and one is a pentagon 


7. Some games end in them, for short: OTS - Both NFL Conference championships were settled in OverTIme this year


8. Ugly film: SCUM.


9. Republic in southwestern Russia: CHECHNYA - It's a red 
48. Slight amount: DROP in the Russian bucket on this map



10. Pizza roll brand: TOTINOS 


11. Cats with light blond coats: WHITE LIONS - It is said there are about 300 left in the wild




12. What an extended thumb might indicate: I NEED A RIDE - Film buffs know Claudette Colbert's raised skirt worked better than Clark Gable's thumb


13. Silent signals: NODS - Be careful at auctions


15. Results of some press releases?: WINES - Famous wine pressing




21. Compact figure?: BOD - I wish my BOD were more compact


24. Makes out too much, say: HITS A SLUMP - Hmmm... C.C.


25. Words of reinforcement: AND I MEAN IT - An effective parental phrase if there is follow through 


26. Looks amazed: GAPES - OMG, he made that field goal!




27. Laudatory lines: ODES.


28. Farm structure: SILO - This SILO is all that is left of the famous Boys Town farms in West Omaha. The buildings were razed and the ground cleared for a $1.2B development 



29. Prized: DEAR.


30. What an extended thumb might indicate: LIKE 👍 for this puzzle


34. Slights: NEGLECTS 


35. Half a two-island country: TRINIDAD - Their football association emblem has an outline of their divided island as well



38. Dish cleaners: SPONGES.

41. London locale: ONTARIO - A 2-hr drive from Detroit, Michigan




43. Mo. named for an emperor: AUG - Caesar AUGustus in 8 B.C.


44. Choir elevator: RISER - In my ute I stood on them wearing black slacks and a white shirt


46. Gentle sorts: LAMBS.


47. First female Asian-American Cabinet member: CHAO - Here is Elaine CHAO, Secretary of Transportation with her husband you probably recognize 




50. Crafted: MADE.


51. Home of the Iowa State Daily: AMES - It reported on a riot on the Iowa State University campus during the annual spring VEISHA celebration. VEISHA has since ended.




52. Split up: PART.

55. Global financial org.: IMF - International Monetary Fund


Okay, we'll throw a bone to Punxsutawney, Phil too!






51 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to C.C. and Gary!

    Nice to finish a Sat. puzzle sans cheats!

    Perps helped with: SEOUL, RONDO, ASIA MAP, ALAMEDA, TOTINOS, WHITE LIONS and ONTARIO.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. FIRight, but it was tough. Had "i neEd" > NEEDS, and wouldn't give it up. never heard of WHITE LIONS, only vaguely aware of MCBITES or TOTINOS. SwIPES held up SNIPES for too long, too.

    SIRI is a LADY, she's polite.
    Not the type of male to give fright.
    She does give directions
    And tells you corrections,
    Sometimes she's annoyingly wife-LIKE!

    A rude old man of CHECHNYA
    Wouldn't give time of day ta ya.
    He may look at his WATCH,
    Take a nip of his scotch --
    His behavior is blamed on dementia.

    A wily devil from HADES
    Eyed a pair of church LADIES.
    But he couldn't win
    OH, NO way they'd give in --
    As a male, they ranked him with rabies!

    {A-, C, B.}

    ReplyDelete
  3. ARGH! Needed red letters to get the WSW. Had AprS for ASIS; wrong kinda returns.
    Was hoping for a good explanation for "Makes out too much, say." - "Hits a slump." I don't like the only one I can come up with!
    Good puzzle.
    Thanks CC and Gary!

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  4. Makes out too much refers to baseball, where making an out when batting indicates being in a batting slump. This is C.C. and she loves baseball.

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  5. As with all of C.C.'s creations, this is filled with fun fill. Nothing obscure but still required lots of thought. I do not go to McDonald's often so I did not know MCBITES but it was easily inferable. My musical knowledge is limited so RONDO filled via perps and I knew CHECHNYA but did not know where in Russia the troubled area was located since I know less geography than music.

    Gary, your awesome write-up took longer to get through than the solve. Who is the golfer you highlighted?

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  6. FLN, Lucina, a well-maintained automobile can last. Here is a LIST of MILLION MILE CARS

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  7. Good morning!

    Seven-letter California county beginning with an A had to be ANAHEIM, right? And with that H in place, a vet would be an OLD HAND, right? And d-o was off and running...for the Wite-Out. All my goofs were in that Washington/Oregon region. But I got 'er done. Whew! Thanx, C.C. Excellent tour, Husker.

    OIL: Are you sure about that? I thought DaVinci's Last Supper was a fresco of tempera on gesso.

    CHAO: Yes, Husker, I recognized McTurtle next to her in that photo.

    Lemonade, I believe that golfer is Annika Sörenstam. Could be wrong, though.

    Noticed this in yesterday's NYT Daily Briefing. It's from the Times stylebook: “Punxsutawney (Pa.). It is so spelled. And groundhog is so spelled. And overexposed publicity stunt is so spelled.”

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  8. HG, disappointed Saints fans don’t go on RAMPAGES. We throw parties and parades. Lots of both tomorrow all over town. Great write up, though.

    C.C. you win but I had fun doing battle. Too many fun clues to list. Thanks!

    Owen, I loved all three today but really chuckled at SIRI. I’m sure I’ve told my SIRI story because I tell it whenever I can. I don’t use her and she annoys me when she appears uninvited. Once when that happened I said a naughty word and SIRI said ,” well, that wasn’t very nice!” I do not need to be fussed at by machines!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning everyone.

    Stymied at first, but I'm glad I HUNG around long enough to finally get the complete solve without assistance. FIR. A delight to solve, once the fill began to go critical. The 10 ltr stacks and the 10 ltr twin downs gave it additional character. Many fine clues - - my favorite being the one for WINES. Never heard of TOTINOS but perps were kind. Exception was I thought ASIA MAP was a tad gluey. Didn't think of TRINIDAD right away; as I pictured the fill to have something to do with New Zealand and its 2 islands.
    Overalll; a nice smooth well-HONED, puzzle to push ones limits. BZ

    HG - Very fine intro complemented with many apt visuals.

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  10. Well the first half went quicker than usual and then it slowed down considerably! I had Chicken TENDERS before MCBITES because I had only heard of McNuggets - but nuggets was in the clue. WEES about CHECHNYA - waited for the perps at the end because of not being sure of the spelling. I have heard of it and sometimes in the news reports Chechen Republic- similar to Czechia vs Czech Republic.

    I had to wait for the perps for ASIA MAP - not enough spaces for ASIA MINOR- but wasn't thinking about the map but the actual geography!

    Weird weekend as it went from the subzero deep freeze on Wednesday and today it is supposed to be in the 60s!
    Thanks HG for a fun write-up and CC for another clever puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Musings
    -Swamp Cat – Love that response! I see a judge just threw out a lawsuit by two Nawlin’s season ticket holders who were suing the NFL to replay the game
    -I thought C.C.’s double entendre entry “Made out too much” – “Hit a slump” was about an investor who did well with a dicy stock and so took a financial beating when it tanked.. I’ve always said/heard “made AN out”. Gotta love language!
    -I just posted what I thought was a random LPGA golfer not realizing Michelle Wei had gone blonde. Her powerful, sweeping swing is distinctive
    -It will be near 50˚F here today on the Great Plains
    -Off to Omaha where we will drive by that blue SILO at Boys Town. The huge new development will be called West Farm in deference to what Boys Town had out there for many decades.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good Morning:

    Well, CC put me through the hoops with this head-scratcher, but I finished sans error in 32 minutes, not too bad for a Saturday. I needed perps for McBites, Rondo, Seoul, Tomb Raider, Trinidad, White Lions, and Twin, as clued. My stumbles were: East End/Ontario (Wrong London), Roof tops/Gondolas, Hike/Like (Never thought of Lady), and Drip/Drop. The Drip error gave me Tim Braider who I thought might be related to Tom Brady but then, common sense returned and Tomb Raider settled that mish mash. I loved the clue for Wines and the two extended thumb clues.

    Thanks, CC, for a Saturday stumper and thanks, HG, for the effervescent and entertaining review. I loved the White lions picture, the Cornhusker CC shot, and the giggling ground hog who stole Misty's Woo! I'm looking forward to more animal antics on tomorrow's Puppy Bowl!

    I got a good report from the retinal specialist yesterday (thanks, YR), so I'm a happy camper. No worsening of the MD since October, so that's super good news! Madame DeFarge, I thought of you while I was in the waiting room as there was a woman knitting a beautiful pink and white blanket. She said it was going to be 60"x60" when completed. I know nothing about knitting but that sounds like a lengthy project. The other four people in the room were glued to their Smart Phones. This Luddite leafed through a magazine.

    I am happy to hear that the Polar Vortex is ending and much milder temps are on the way.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fun puzzle. My favorite was "results of some press releases = wines."
    I never heard of McBites and we go to Mickey D's often. Looking them up I see they were discontinued after a short run. They came and went before I was aware of them. We get the nuggets sometimes.
    I couldn't figure out what kind of lions. Those white lions are awesome, Gary.
    I finally looked up Target Field and the TW in TWIN helped me finish the rest.
    Thanks for the puzzle, CC and the expo, Gary.
    IM, that's great news.

    ReplyDelete
  14. OH NO, and easy Saturday puzzle. AND I MEAN IT. I was expecting something a little harder, with MCBITES as my only unknown. The only two maybes were JUL or AUG and GAZES or GAPES.

    The ETD & HITS A SLUMP clues made me think until the V8 moment hit. Don't know what a Spring SALE is; maybe up North they need to dump winter goods but down on the bayou we basically wear the same things all year long.

    LADY- kept thinking PLUTO & GOOFY but they were too long.

    Congrats C.C.

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  15. Swamp Cat- there will be parties tomorrow in NOLA but we 'ain't' gonna be watching TV cause the SAINTS had the game stolen by the refs and the worthless Commissioner Goodell and league officials, who were watching the game, refused to step in and make the call.

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  16. Gary, thanks for the image of The Last Supper in perspective. It makes the painting even more awesome.

    Numerous sources say da Vinci used oil AND tempura paint. Among these sources is Khan Academy. I love to research and use a combination of sources to reach careful conclusions. Dare I say that Wiki says this, too, or will I again be SNIPED AT?
    "Because Leonardo sought a greater detail and luminosity than could be achieved with traditional fresco, he covered the wall with a double layer of dried plaster. Then, borrowing from panel painting, he added an undercoat of lead white to enhance the brightness of the oil and tempera that was applied on top. This experimental technique allowed for chromatic brilliance and extraordinary precision but because the painting is on a thin exterior wall, the effects of humidity were felt more keenly, and the paint failed to properly adhere to the wall."
    Kahn Academy

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  17. Good morning. Thank you C.C. and thank you Husker Gary.

    Wow, that was tough for me. The west / southwest was the hardest for me. For the longest time, I only had HADES, SEOUL, HUNG OPTS, SPONGED and CHAO.

    Was fairly certain of DINAR. Took a break for an hour and came back to it. Decided it was DINAR, and then finally got DEAR. That A changed my thoughts on "Policy for some returns" and gave me AS IS and RAMPAGED. Tried CLANGED and then finally got the TADA as the two long downs of HITS A SLUMP and AND I MEAN IT became obvious.

    Earlier in the solve, I had spelled CHECHNYA with an I and had hIKE where LIKE belonged. That left me with hADi as the Disney dog. D'oh ! I knew that wasn't correct. It took a moment to realize Chechnya needed a Y, and the answer was LADY.

    Excellent puzzle C.C. and another great write up by Husker Gary.

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  18. The golfer is Paige Spirinac.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Husker Gary: Excellent, informative write-up.

    C.C. Thank you for a FUN Saturday puzzle.

    I knew the "Silk Road" was in ASIA ... but had to wait on the "perps" for MAP to appear.

    Gary, Hey that idiot lives in Florida ... so of course he didn't have a real "LEGAL ISSUE" ... and the Judge probably threw the case out.
    We do have "more than our fair share" of idiots here ... LOL

    Well I will suffer from our "Sunny, 75 degree day, today."

    A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  20. No paper this morning (was just delivered at 9:30) but was able to get C.C.s puzzle on the computer--Yay! Had to do lots of cheating, as always on a Saturday, but found it clever and delightful. I loved the press release clue for WINES and also the SIRI and Da Vinci OIL clues. Lots of fun, many thanks, C.C. And great write-up, Husker Gary.

    Giving a keynote speech on the 1967 Joseph Strick film of 'Ulysses' at a Joyce conference on our campus this afternoon. Just hope the rain doesn't have me arrive there soaked and dripping.

    Have a great weekend, everybody!

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  21. Big Easy, Where have you been all week? All of N.O is talking about the no-call and our response to it: Boycot Bowl on Fulton st,, NoCall second line, Blackout and Gold party. Even the Children’s Museum is throwing a party. And many others I can’t remember.

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  22. In case you didn't know CC constructed today's Universal Crossword also, nice job CC

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  23. I usually don't have speed runs on Saturdays, but today was an anomaly (20 min). I don't why, but each clue's answer popped into my head almost immediately. Strange.

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  24. Thank you, C.C.! Even with the many baseball references I finished this in good time. We had an HOA annual meeting this morning so had to leave in the middle of the solve.

    For 24A neither Arizona nor desert fit though often in summer it feels like HADES. And with A at the bottom I right away knew it was ALAMENDA County.

    I loved SALAD for side and BOSC which I like to add in a SALAD.

    DINAR is close to dinero so that always seems easy. This week I HUNG my clothes outside in 70+ weather.

    I recalled CHECHNYA but thought it ended in -IA (hello, TTP) and didn't change it. Drat! Didn't get LADY either because I forgot to go back and look.

    Luckily solving across/down helps to fill in the blank cells especially on the long strands.

    Thank you, again, DEAR C.C.! And thank you, Gary; your sharp dialog and colorful graphics animate the Blog.

    I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful day! I hope Phil is right and you will soon see spring.

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  25. It cannot be PAIGE this girls boobs are not large enough. The skin tone is wrong for Michelle Wie though she has gone blond at times. Annika never had her hair that long. HG, can't you look at your link and decipher?

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  26. Just popping in to say I had fun today! I was "hanged" or "hung," "swiped" or "sniped," and have never heard of McBites, but managed to gather it all together and complete this puzzle. Then I get to come here and read all the interesting comments. Thank you, All. It's a warmer, but a bit windy day in the Black Hills---headed toward the snow and cold again tomorrow! UGH! Cannot wait for Spring! Swamp Cat, I made my partner turn Alexis off in my upstairs solarium where I spend most of my time. The television would set it off at all sorts of inappropriate times and I would jump! Irish Miss, I always try to take my knitting or crocheting to appointments and if I don't remember my bag, I read the magazines. Way too much dependence on phones, as far as I'm concerned. Again, Thanks, All, laundry calls.

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  27. I loved this sparkly puzzle. First pass through it left a lot of white, but little by little things began clicking and I successfully solved it. Loved the clue for WINES. Had to change EVEN to TIED and UHOH to OHNO (Hello, Apolo!) in order to clear up the NE area. TOMB RAIDER was a gimme, which helped a lot in that area. Like Spitzboov I was thinking of New Zealand rather than TRINIDAD.

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  28. Where in the Black Hills area do you live, tiptoethru? The reason I ask is that I spent 5 1/2 years of my childhood growing up in Sturgis and have fond memories of Bear Butte, Spearfish Canyon, Wonderland Cave, the Badlands, and many other places and activities.

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  29. Hi Y'all! Several big "extended thumbs" up for this puzzle, C.C.! More extended thumbs up for Gary.

    I must confess I looked up ALAMEDA on the first pass since I had nothing else in the NW block. I went on and had better luck in the next two areas then caught on to SALAD on 2nd pass.

    With fairly recent trips thru McDonald's outside lines, I couldn't remember ever seeing MCBITES. ESP

    EKES: Gary, when we got married, my pay as office manager/bookkeeper was $200 a month with $180 take-home pay. My husband made $4,000 that year as a farmer. We were rich only in love!

    WHITE LIONS took a lot of perps. However, I've actually seen these beautiful cats. A game preserve near Salina, KS had a very productive breeding program when I was there 20 years ago.

    Anon at 10:05: Don't you watch TV? D-O was spot on. I don't think anyone has told a certain high-ranking official of this kinder PC approach.

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  30. Siri! I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I wanted someone telling me what to do or say, I'd get married again.

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  31. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, C.C., for fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.

    Being Saturday, I kind of shotgunned my way through the puzzle. A word here, a word there.

    Tried RIALS for 29A, before DINAR jumped into my mind. Many of those countries in the Middle East use similar currency nomenclature. For example Iran has both Rials and Dinars. One Hundred Dinars equals one Rial. If I remember right.

    Trying to think of London, England for 41D. Then it hit me after a couple perps, London, ONTARIO, Canada.

    SPFS was clever for 59A.

    Liked SIRI. I have her on my phone, but seldom call her up. My grandson showed me how to use that feature. I had no idea.

    Only took me 2 1/2 hours to get through the puzzle. I toughed it out and got it done.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ( )

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  32. Hi All!

    Close but no cigar... Wasn't ERA for the weather related stat (but!, it's C.C., gotta be baseball / wind, no?), Gawks [a 3rd option Big E :-)] )/eeks and I had no idea SEOUL (only had the OU) was on the Han. I didn't solve ETD (correctly), RAMPAGES, SEOUL, EKES (correctly), SNIPE AT, LADY (I spelt CHECHNiA <--that way [thanks TTP & Lucina for fessing up, I feel better now] and, though I thought LADY, it didn't "fit." D'Oh!) and a few corresponding downs.

    Thanks C.C. for a very fun puzzle and my best Saturday showing in some time.

    Great expo H.G, AND I MEAN THAT.
    Lem - thank you for explaining HIT ASS LUMP (wait, that's dyslexia typing...) I didn't connect 'Makes out' to baseball (Duh! It's a C.C.)
    And thanks for the million-mile car link. Re #18: my '06 Civic LX just needs a new engine... maybe I should fix it and shoot for a million; I'm a 1/4 way there already.
    //FLN - Lucina - I test drove the 370Z this morning (in between working C.C.'s enigma). I like it (the Z) but, not only is it more than I want to spend, it's impractical -- no backseat for the dancing carpool.

    Who else read @56a Garlic gal pal and tried to remember our California four?

    WOs: N/A (of what I got right, I inked correctly the 1st time)
    ESPs: You're kidding, right?
    Fav: WEES c/a for WINES and thumb clecho.

    {A, C+, B}

    IM - Thanks for the eye update. Good news indeed.

    Swamp - sometimes SIRI is so frustratingly wrong. However, she still doesn't being liked called 'stupid-b****'; In Aussie-mode*, you have to call her the C-word. :-)

    Tin - Trevor Noah Between the Scenes on fixing crazy in FL. [2:13]

    Cheers, -T
    *I can't remember exactly why I had to Aussie-mode Siri but it was the only way (at the time) to get rid of an annoyance/security issue(?).

    ReplyDelete

  33. I had to really work this for the solve.

    I’m wondering how C.C. dig up McBites, they were “here and gone” over 5 years ago, never heard of them.

    Also...from yesterday...Anonymous T....any time you want to see reliability records look at the April or yearly issue of Consumer Reports....although with you apparently owning an Alfa I wonder how important this really is to you.

    Markovers....THAW/MELT/SALE, WPGA/LPGA (duh), EVEN/TIED, GAWKS/GAPES, KABUL/SEOUL (based on the UL), ETA/ETD.

    With the Fearless Leader calling everyone names, it’s hardly surprising to see others doing it. I haven’t noticed any kinder and gentler trend since he started in. At all.

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  34. Misty ~
    My paper arrived wet today, even though the carrier wrapped it in plastic. At least I got mine. I had to put in in the oven before I could read it.
    As I type this, I'm listening to the heavy rain outside my window. It is pelting seriously now, so I hope it doesn't soak you too badly before your Joyce talk. Break a leg.
    I have to go out in another 20 minutes--for my annual meeting with my CPA. Tax time...
    Talk about getting soaked!
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  35. PK - re: jumping off a bridge is following along 'cuz everyone else does. In this context, it has the same relevance as the price of tea somewhere on the ASIA MAP.

    Anon@1:53 - We all know Mitch looks like Yertle the Turtle. It's poking fun at power; it's what we (with a sense of humor*) DOEST in America. Party-lines be damn'd too... Beto looks like Napoleon Dynamite #FishLip [trigger-warning: it's Reddit]. It's a hook, a meme, a thing to short-hand for a bit of humour [spelt that for C, Eh! :-) ].

    So, Anon, be like the Dude and chill/Abide.

    Cheers, -T
    *PJ O'Rourke is one of my favorite living satirists.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Good Afternoon, All! I just quickly checked here to see if anyone else had commented on the strange, annoying at times, responses from Alexis or Siri! Jayce, I was born in Sioux Falls, raised in Lead, and now live in Rapid City. My late husband was in the Air Force and we lived all over the place for 23 years. He was a Lead-ite, too. We came back to this beautiful part of the world when he retired I could use with more warmth in the winter, and may become a snowbird at some time, but it's home for me! The weather was so spring like yesterday, we went on a cruise through the Badlands. Perfect time to go, not too many sightseers and you can really take your time driving through!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Didn't refresh before posting say...

    PVX - LOL re: Alfa / reliability. DW wanted it, DW get it. I tried to warn her [Alfa = Anthony, Look For it Again. // Ok, not as funny as Fiat = Fix It Again Tony but there you are.]

    //I do have online access to C.R. and looked it up. However, they (CR) worry about things I could not care less about (read: I don't care, even a little)... I don't need Bluetooth, navigation, nor entertainment BS - give me knobs, levers, and a fun ride

    OMK - you're ahead of me on paperwork... Wonderful! turn of phrase with soaked.

    Let us know how it goes Misty.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  38. FWIW, this kerfuffle about Mitch 'McTurtle' began over a year ago:

    "https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/369183-nevada-dems-unveil-2018-campaign-mascot-mitch-mcturtle

    Nevada Democratic Party Chmn. William McCurdy introduces the party’s new 2018 mascot, Mitch McTurtle, a stand-in for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

    11:08 AM - Jan 16, 2018"

    Yes, the original comment was probably a tad "political" for the Corner, but, really, who cares? Looks to me like we have much more serious things coming down the pike.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Aah, enjoying some nice Bogle Pinot Noir this fine evening. Will be watching football tomorrow. Life is good.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Don't feed the Troll say...

    Troll, at least provide a link if you're going to cite the Spin Doctors [not even their best tune IMHO]

    Tiptoethru - I did comment re: Siri's annoyances... Bigger nit is that DW changed her setting to Aussie-male. I'm still not sure how I feel about that :-)

    Michael - Informed folk already know that re: McTurtle [<--- your link blue-ified] but I guess some are, um, not so much(?).
    LOL "more serious things coming down the pike." Understatement of the year (so far).

    Jayce: ++Life is Good(so far) [Walsh- 4:50]. Enjoy the game like us NOLA fans won't :-)

    Moderator - Cleanup on aisle-twelve. //delete at your discretion; me too if so needed

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  41. Jayce, we were at the Bogle winery 2 weeks ago. I'm not an oenophile, but it was very good. And the vineyards are very impressive. We were visiting our son in Sacramento. We also had a good day of Sandhill Crane viewing, along with Tundra Swans, the day before. A good time was had by all, and the warmer weather was a nice reprieve.

    Ironically, the flight that took us there began in Omaha on Friday, and the plane that Gary mentioned that ran off the runway delayed our flight by 4 1/2 hours. We were already boarded and ready to shove off. A different connecting flight in Denver added 1 1/2 hours to that. That didn't work out too well. A long day indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Lemonade:
    Thank you for that million miles link! I never knew! It's really impressive.

    AnonT:
    When I read comments about "red letters" it makes me wish my newspaper had some way to inform me of my errors. But when I come here and see where my mistakes are it's a lesson learned. I'm so grateful to our Bloggers, Gary, Lemonade, Melissa, JazzBumpa, TTP, et al. And of course the chief Blogger, C.C.

    I've tried on-line solving but it's just not as satisfying as my newspaper solve. Old habits, etc. . . .

    ReplyDelete
  43. I never would have guessed the name of the golfer but knew it wasn't Anika nor Michelle.

    Gary, Splynter would be proud of you.
    "Make out" is obscure but not unheard of vernacular.

    I saw CC's moniker and knew I'd have fun for a rare Saturday frolic. I didn't even eat have to stroll through Winn Dixie to find those TOSTINOS. If I'd been at McDonald's my asking about MCBITES would've been in vain.

    And then I was done. I learned late that I'd FIW on MAN/MEN yesterday

    Here's Paige
    Full frontal

    WC

    ReplyDelete
  44. Avg Joe, nice. Glad a good time was had by all.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hope the game is good tomorrow.

    Which team do YOU favor? Why?

    ~ OMK

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  46. OMK, I'll be rooting for LA because former Husker Ndomukan Suh plays for them as does my daughter's former student Greg Zeurlein who kicked the two field goals to beat Nawlins. Otherwise Jimmy Cracked Corn...

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thank you for the kind wishes, Ol'Man Keith. I had to wait an hour before I decided that even with the pounding rain I just had to make that drive up to campus. I survived it, and gave my talk, and survived the drive home in the dark--when, thank goodness, it was no longer raining. We're lucky with our weather in California, but when it's bad, it's BAD. Hope you had a good trip to and from your tax guru.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous T, How nice to be remembered since I haven't posted in so, so long! The group in the San Jose area consisted of me, (GarlicGal), Chickie, J.D., and out of towners, Lucina and our dear friend Dodo. It was always a fun time when we got together.

    I'm still solving CW's and read the blog, but haven't made the time to post.

    Hello to one and all. I enjoy reading about you-all!

    ReplyDelete
  49. GarlicGal:
    It's great to see you posting! I also thought of you in that bit AnonT mentioned

    AverageJoe:
    It's great to see you posting, too!

    I believe I'll go to a movie tomorrow as is my custom on super bowl Sunday.

    ReplyDelete

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