google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, April 23, 2019 Robert Fisher

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Apr 23, 2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 Robert Fisher

4 Parts of the Hand

17. Small plucked instrument: THUMB PIANO.

24. New York region, or its narrow bodies of water: FINGER LAKES.

33. Tropical tree leaf: PALM FROND.

51. Fluttering pitch: KNUCKLE BALL.

58. Popular necktie knot ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 33- and 51-Across: FOUR IN HAND.


Especially for you Desper-otto, in case you've forgotten how:


How many years has it been ?

Across:

1. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO.

6. Scattered, as seeds: SOWN.  Sown and strewn. 

10. Rifle filler: AMMO.  A young Desper-otto and his pal Nate used their pea shooters on a pile of sand that was destined for a stucco finish on a nearby house.   Sprouts appeared on the walls.  Fortunately for the young lads, it was only the scratch coat.  

14. Hopeless case: GONER.  He might have been a goner if that sand was used in the finish coat.

15. Fast-food legend Ray: KROCRay Kroc & The McDonald's Brothers - The history as  summarized on the McDonald's website.

16. Enjoy a comic book, say: READ

19. Fall back (on): RELY.

20. "__ Been Awhile": Staind song: IT'S.  The genre is post-grunge, alt-metal. 


21. Columnist Landers: ANN.

22. Israeli president, 2007-2014: PERES.   Shimon Peres.

23. Blackjack card: ACE.

27. Petit or grand crime: LARCENY.

29. Docking fee: MOORAGE.  The verb moor (make fast, secure) and the suffix age (belonging to, relating to) creates the word moorage, which can be either the place where you moor or the fee for mooring.  Just make sure your hawser is large enough. 

30. Hog's nose: SNOUT.  A pig, not a hog, but you get the point.

31. Objective: AIM.

32. Fisher-Price product: TOY.

38. Busy IRS month: APR.  Internal Revenue Service /  April.

41. Not at home: OUT.

42. China's Zhou __: ENLAI.

46. Doesn't miss a thing: SEES ALL

49. Forbes publisher Forbes: MALCOLM.    He was fond of saying that he was loaded with "sheer ability, spelled i-n-h-e-r-i-t-a-n-c-e."

53. Dainty taste: SIP.

54. Gelatin dish: ASPIC.    Spaghetti-Os aspic with Vienna Sausage.  None for me, thanks !

55. Slugging legend Mel: OTT.  MLB Hall of Famer that played for the NY Giants for 22 years.  A great article about the legend.

56. Canonized Fr. female: STE.  Abbreviation of sainte, the feminine form of saint. 

57. Slimming surg.: LIPO.  Surgery / Liposuction.

62. Cookie cooker: OVEN.  The appliance, not the individual, which could be baker.

63. Big on: INTO.

64. Vital heart line: AORTA.

65. "Bill & __ Excellent Adventure": TEDS.   "High school slackers Bill and Ted travel back in time to assemble historical figures for their history class presentation."  - Wikipedia

66. Cap'n's underling: BOS'N.  Contractions of Captain and Bosun.

67. Wyoming's __ Range: TETON.

Down:

1. Ten-percenter: Abbr.: AGT.  Agent.  Talent and booking agents typically get 10 %.

2. Native American in a Cooper title: MOHICAN.  About James Fenimore Cooper.  We had a regular here that legally changed his name to one of the author's lead characters - Natty Bumpo. 

3. Not yet born: IN UTERO.  Latin, meaning in the womb.

4. Precious stones: GEMS.

5. Mars or Venus: ORB.  Most often in poetry.  I may have first heard orb used this way in the lyrics of a couple of songs on The Moody Blues Days of Future Passed album.

6. Like teenagers in the comic strip "Zits": SKINNY.  No idea, but the perps said it had to be.

7. Chimp kin: ORANG.  Monkeys have tails.  Chimpanzees and orangutans are great apes.  Tailless.

8. Was victorious: WON.

9. Sgt. or cpl.: NCO.  Sergeant / Corporal: Non-commissioned officer.

10. Unpaid debt: ARREAR.

11. Kalahari mongoose: MEERKAT.  The Kalahari Resorts are in the Wisconsin Dells, Sandusky, and the Poconos. 

12. Source of machismo, perhaps: MALE EGO

13. Epic journey: ODYSSEY.  My friend is going to take the Astro.  Thinking about a used Sienna even though I like the styling of the Odyssey a little more.  Mini vans are so versatile.  I have to order a Soccer Mom sticker for the back window.

18. Tylenol target: PAIN.

22. Gaza Strip gp.: PLO.  Group /  Palestine Liberation Organization

23. Capp and Capone: ALs.   Kaline and Hrabosky would have thrown many off, but not Boomer and Hondo. 

24. Greek cheese: FETA.

25. Mideast ruler: EMIR.

26. NFL analyst Tony: ROMO.  14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys as a QB, and now partnered with Jim Nantz as the color commentator of NFL games broadcast by CBS.

28. Trophy shape: CUP.

31. Toward the tiller: AFT.  Nautical terms.

34. Hang around: LOLL.  Loiter.

35. Grand Canyon animal: MULE.

36. "Little" Dickens girl: NELL.

37. Org. hacked at its Watergate offices: DNC.  Organization / Democratic National Committee

38. Require much (of): ASK A LOT.

39. Lost in thought: PENSIVE.

40. Signed on for another tour: REUPPED.

43. Skill rarely practiced now: LOST ART.

44. Not aligned with: ALIEN TO.

45. Little rascal: IMP.

47. Descendants: SCIONS.

48. "Best in Show" org.: AKC.  Organization / American Kennel Club

49. __ of honor: MATRON.

50. High: Pref.: ALTI.    Like in the ten dollar word altiloquence,  meaning lofty, pompous speech.   Or as in altimeter or altitude.

52. Boxing matches: BOUTS.

56. Horse's footwear: SHOE.   Fit to size by a farrier.

58. Innocuous falsehood: FIB.

59. Musician Yoko: ONO.

60. __ King Cole: NAT.

61. "The Da Vinci Code" author Brown: DAN.

51 comments:

OwenKL said...

Yes, I went AWOL yesterday. My poem over on the Jumble page was one of the worst I've ever done, and dragged me down so much I didn't even want to try any l'icks. Almost carried over to today when I couldn't find a good CED-quality cartoon*, but I did finally come up with something. Not one of my best, but just about anything is better than Monday's!

FINGER, THUMB, PALM and KNUCKLE,
Cracking them may bring a chuckle.
Or cause a wince
As sounds convince
Those joints are soon to buckle!

The once was a hacker named MALCOLM
Who wrote malware that wasn't "walcome".
Alas, his MALE EGO
Would to melee go,
To battle with bots preventing mal come!

In her crystal ball
The Gypsy miss SEES ALL.
Each PENSIVE thought
Is duly sought
And not allowed to LOLL!

{B+, B-, B.}

*The Jumble cartoonist does not like his drawings used without being paid for them, so I've been substituting cartoons or photos I've found on the Net, often with my own revised captions. My MALE EGO is starting to think of the Jumble Hints site as being as much a showcase for my own poetry as it is for the Jumble, so I hope some of you are following it even if you don't work the Jumble!

Prairie Woman said...

Good morning! It is my turn to be up and not sleeping, evidently. I went sailing through the top half but had to slow down in California. When light dawned at reupped and knuckleball, I found out there was an appliance needed for cookie baking instead of Amos; the Cole was Nat rather than OLE and one LOLLS.

Thank you for an interesting puzzle, Mr Fisher and an excellent write-up, TTP. Have a great morning everyone whenever the day starts for you!

D4E4H said...

FIR in too many min.

Excellent morning Cornies!

Thank you Robert Fisher for this enjoyable Thesday CW

Thank you TTP for your excellent review.

Ðave

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Boy, TTP took me to task this morning. Must set the record straight. It was '96 when the big boss decided that "business casual" was the official office attire. I guess that makes it 23 years since I've tied a Windsor (not Four-in-Hand) noose around my neck. And it wasn't stucco -- it was indoor plaster, back in the olden days before drywall. Neighbor Frances didn't appreciate the floral decor we'd provided.

This puzzle was a snap; easier than yesterday. Nailed it! The only correction was changing ACHE to PAIN. I did look sideways at ROMO; thought that was a tomato. Thanx, Robert (do you play chess?) and for the tour, TTP.

Now to go back and read yesterday's late comments. Internet went out at 1 PM and was still out when we went to bed.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Well, this was an easy, breezy Tuesday with no w/os and the only unknown being Thumb Piano. I caught the theme after entering Thumb, Finger, Palm, but the reveal was still a surprise. Imp (CED) is becoming as ubiquitous as Erie. (Hi, Abejo). I like seeing Meerkat because they're so cute.

Thanks, Robert, for a fun, quick solve and thanks, TTP, for the grand tour.

Headed to the doctor later for my yearly Wellness visit. My dead battery was replaced yesterday and was still under warranty, so I only had to pay for the labor involved.

Have a great day.

Barry T. said...

Irish Miss: Hope your dead battery had absolutely nothing to do with your wellness visit! It's not easy to get those replaced ;)

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A just right Tuesday
-My Uncle had a blazing fast ball as a pro but when his arm went south, he came up with an amazing KNUCKLEBALL
-FORE on a 45˚F morning!

Lucina said...

Hola, AMIGOs y amigas!

Thank you, Robert Fisher and TTP! I saw the body parts then realized it was only the HAND. So clever. Luckily the FOUR IN emerged because I don't recognize that phrase.

MATRON took a long while, until the perps revealed it.

MULE in the Grand Canyon starts the suite by Ferde Grofe in my head.

ARREAR not arrears sounds strange.

Later. I'm returning to bed.

Have a fabulous day, everyone!


Yellowrocks said...

Hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend. We did.It was great to see my college age grandson for the first time since Christmas.
Easy to see the parts of the hand. The tie reveal was a surprise.
Nice to see IMP and Little Dickens in the puzzle. We playfully called a impish child a "Little Dickens"
CSO to Agnes at Best in Show.
Here's the skinny on the Zits comicstrip.
ZITS
I have seen a thumb piano.
thuimb piano
Lucina, Grand Canyon Suite is one of my favorites. On the Trail features the mules. This version has lovely photography of the canyon, well coordinated with the music. It is followed by Smetana's The Moldau, which I love.
On the Trail

Irish Miss said...

Barry T @ 7:39 ~ Thanks for my first chuckle of the day! 😊

Lucina@ 8:12 ~ I agree with you about Arrear sans the S; I had that in my notes but forgot to mention it.


YR @ 8:30 ~ Best In Show went right over my head; I guess the cute Meerkat image had me distracted.

Boomer said...

Tom & Tom had me going. I counted 33 neckties in my closet. Some are ordinary, one is a Minnesota Twins bat, A couple are Christmas theme, and many, many have bowling pins on them ! I usually wear one to the Graybar retiree Christmas lunch. Like Desper-otto, I think Graybar changed to a leave your necktie at home format in the mid nineties so I have a few extra ties, but they have sentimental value.

TTP said...

D-O, the interior plaster walls ? That would have been really really bad if it was the finish coat. BTW, I watched that tie tieing video and thought there was something wrong with it. I tie a Windsor too.

Speaking of blunders, 34 years ago today Coca-Cola introduced New Coke. The response by Coke drinkers was so overwhelmingly negative that Coca-Cola brought back the original Coke 3 months later.

Anonymous T, pop quiz. What's the easiest way to identify whether the tree is A) a pine or spruce or B) a fir ? Here's why you are being quizzed

Big Easy, last week you balked at Egypt's Sinai Peninsula being part of Asia. I recalled I linked an article that summarized it pretty clearly. Found it last night: Transcontinental. It was in the Oct 30, 2018 write-up.

Boomer, you prompted me to count my ties. About 20. All pretty conservative, but one is my Christmas tie. Only one tie clasp though. A small polished brass golf putter. The good news about counting my ties was that I found a couple of belts that once were too long for my waist. They must have shrunk while hanging in the closet. They fit now !

Yellowrocks said...

TTP, great blog. I can find no pleasant aspect for that aspic.

Before voicing an opinion, I LIU arrear without the S. I learned something new when finally I turned to Wikipedia.
"Payment in arrear is a payment made after a service has been provided, as distinct from in advance, which are payments made at the start of a period. For instance, rent is usually paid in advance, but mortgages in arrear (the interest for the period is due at the end of the period). Employees' salaries are usually paid in arrear. Payment at the end of a period is referred to by the singular arrear, to distinguish from past due payments. For example, a housing tenant who is obliged to pay rent at the end of each month, is said to pay rent in arrear, while a tenant who has not paid rental due for 30 days is said to be one month in arrears. Precise usage may differ slightly (e.g. "in arrear" or "in arrears" for the same situation) in different countries."
So, some payments are due IN ARREAR. No prob. You are not late. But if your payments are in arrears, that is a problem.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

IM -I didn't know replacing a dead battery was included in a wellness visit, but I'm glad things went well.

WEES. Like IM, I did not know THUMB PIANO, but perps were very firm. Had 'ole' befor NAT. NO LOOKUPS WERE NEEDED.

What's the difference between a northern fairy tale and a southern fairy tale?
Northern fairy tails start with, "Once upon a time," and Southern fairy tales start with "Ya'll ain't gonna believe this ……."

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, TTP and friends. Fun and easy Tuesday puzzle. Although I had never heard of a THUMB PIANO, the perps gave me enough letters to fill in the rest of the blanks.

A nice shout out to Bill G, the Cornell Grad, with the FINGER LAKES.

I had the honor of meeting Shimon PERES (1923 ~ 2016) when I was in Israel in 2012.

My first thought was Medal of Honor, but that was too few letters.

BOS'N is becoming a crossword staple.

FLN to Alice: William Faulkner

QOD: When you don’t have any money, the problem is food. When you have money, it’s sex. When you have both, it’s health. ~ J.P. Donleavy (né James Patrick Donleavy; Apr. 23, 1925 ~ Sept. 11, 2017), Irish-American playwright

CrossEyedDave said...

HAndy puzzle today, the only thing I find discriminatory
is labeling "all Zits teens skinny."

Still the perpage was solid, so the answer had some meat to it...

P.S. His name is Hector Garcia.

I hope to be back with some Impish links after I have walked the Dog.
However, it is such a nice day, I thought I would take Layla into the woods
and continue my (semi unsuccessful) search for Fatwood.

In case you don't know, Fatwood comes from dead pine trees, but is also
available from firs, spruces, cedars, conifers etc...

So I will have the Dog on one hand, and balance an Axe, Machette, and knife in the other
to retrieve the natural firestarter...

(Hmm, hopefully I will be handy enough to retain all my digits to post Impish links later..)

CrossEyedDave said...

Ack!

Totally unintended, but,
the Dog+Axe+machette+knife=
Four In Hand!

Ack! (I'm Doomed!)

Maybe I'll just take her to the Dog Park instead...

CrossEyedDave said...

P.P.S. ( I am unusually chatty today...)

The skinny on Fatwood...

Also, The easiest way to find Fatwood...

(Actually, the easiest way is you local hardware store...)

Jerome said...

It scares me that when I filled in MOORAGE all I could think of was a mad cow.

I had a pet ORANG. She had a lot of aches and pains. She would GROAN a lot, then RAG ON me.

If Ray had been more into pork he'd be known as a KROC of baloney.

Sorry, guys.

Anoa Bob said...

Greetings folks. Haven't stopped by in a while. The seed phrase for this puzz was "HAND ME DOWNS" and was cue up to be the first themer, with the HAND parts being DOWN below. Then I recalled, luckily, the FOUR-IN-HAND necktie knot, and rearranged everything.

As is often the case, many clues were edited, most of them to shorter, more direct versions. For example, since a group of MEERKATs is called a mob, that was originally clued "Mob member standing guard while others forage for food". Had it run on a Wed. or Thur., maybe more of the longer, trickier original clues would have remained, but the theme was to straightforward to merit a later week slot, I guess. I still like "Inside info" for SKINNY better than the comic strip version.

I put a lot of time and effort into getting a clean grid with some interesting fill, the NE section being my favorite.

Cheers,
Robert

Spitzboov said...

Robert - Thanks for stopping by. It was interesting to read your version of the puzzle's development. I think it turned out well and was entertaining to work on.

Misty said...

Neat Tuesday puzzle, a little crunchy but doable, with lots of interesting items. Many thanks, Robert, and thanks also for stopping by and telling us about the process. Never heard of a THUMB PIANO, so had to trust the perps on that one. KROC was also unknown to me. But that's what I liked about this puzzle--whenever I ran into a problem the surrounding letters helped me out. Never heard of a KNUCKLE BALL but found it funny when it filled in. TTP I also enjoyed and appreciated your write-up, many thanks for that too.

I liked your third poem, Owen.

Hope you and Layla ended up having a good walk, Cross-eyed Dave.

Have a great day, everybody. I woke up at 4 am and never got back to sleep--but, thank goodness, I have time for a nap this afternoon.

Yellowrocks said...

Yes, if you look at the Zits comicstrips I posted, the guy with the green shirt and the bag on his head is far from skinny. The main character and his girlfriend are, indeed, very skinny.
I buy fatwood from LL Bean. It is great for starting fires. I love campfires and cozy fireplace fires.
Owen, I like the first poem
ANOA BOB, fun puzzle. Thanks for stopping by.
Busy, busy, CUL8R

Madame Defarge said...

Hello!

Jayce: FLN: Tintinabulation! Thanks for sending me off to reread the poem.

Thanks, Robert, for the hands down fine puzzle. AND for stopping by.

Nicely done, TTP. Thank you very much.

Thanks, OKL, for the poems to start everyday. It is always a good idea to begin the day with a smile.

I enjoy this slowing down I'm doing by giving up the computer and doing the puzzle on paper. Besides, Mensa doesn't have the asterisks or the circles.

My fave today was FOUR-IN-HAND. On various occasions when I was teaching, I helped quite a few young men learn how to tie that knot. Including the one who grew up in this house. Dad was less patient than Mom. My son was small motor challenged. Never dropped a football, but his handwriting was illegible. Nice kid anyway. ;>)

Have a fine rest of this day.

Madame Defarge said...

PS

TTP, I'm still trying to get over that Speghetti-O aspic--AND I didn't even eat it!!!

Madame Defarge said...

OOPs that's Spaghetti-O

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Robert (thanks for dropping by) and TTP.
This was Hands Down a great CW. (I see Madame D agreed!) Just a little crunch that made me think.

I had never heard of a THUMB PIANO. Thanks for the link YR. Apparently, it originated in Africa and is also called a kalimba, mbira, mbila, or marimba depending on the region.

I too saw the CSO to IM with "Best in Show". (Yes IM & BarryT, I laughed at the Wellness visit and Dead battery too. We could all use a jumpstart sometimes.)

I was reminded of previous discussions here several times: NAT King Cole and origin of his name; IRS month (re my previous rant about TurboTax sending this Canadian an email re APR 15 tax deadline, today I got the Canadian version with APR 30 date - LOL, I must be a dual citizen); LOST ART reminded me of discussion re making change.

The only clue that seemed a little "off" to me was Not aligned with=ALIEN TO.

My retro Fisher Price TOYs (House, Barn, Main Street, Zoo, School) were enjoyed by the grandchildren on the weekend. Glad I saved them when my kids were too old for them.

FINGER LAKES area is beautiful to visit. Lots of water, wineries, beautiful views. Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake is well known. But I remember fondly a day in Hammondsport on Lake Keuka; little village of 800 (probably doubled in summer tourist season) with quaint shops, cafes, and a quintessentially (my ten dollar word for the day) American town square.
CoolestSmallTown

Wishing you all a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

However you spell it, I'll pass on it too Madame D!

desper-otto said...

My dad taught me how to tie a necktie. Step one was to lie on my back on the couch. I should probably remind you that my dad was an undertaker.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Mr. Fisher provides us with today's pleasant Ta~DA!

APR? "April is the cruelest month..." (Misty knows what I mean.)

FOUR-IN-HAND? I don't remember when I learned to tie it, but it seems like I had to do it forever. Then (around 1980?, was it?) I had to do it less often. Until now I never do it--except for funerals.
I never knew why it is called that!
Still don't.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Yet another mirror-side 3-way...
Today's center line anagram is about a beverage so weak, so inadequately steeped, it can hardly be called "tea." It is a ...
"FUTILE PEKOE"!

Haiku Harry said...

Hope this doesn’t breach the “no politics posting” rule:

Trump was taught how to
Knot his necktie by Putin;
Calls it “FOR-EIGN HAND”

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Robert Fisher, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review.

Again, cruciverb was out to lunch. Used Mensa.

Got through the puzzle easily.

Caught the theme. Worked out nicely.

I believe I tie a Windsor knot instead of a four in hand. I usually wear a tie at least once a week somewhere. Some of my fraternity meetings are funny that way.

Never heard of a thumb piano. I watched the video. Interesting.

Tried LOAF before LOLL became the word. Only inkblot.

I love FETA cheese. We ate it daily in Iran. Had a different name, but was the same stuff.

My wife is tied up with the high school play all week, and has been for a couple months. They are doing "Sister Act" this Thu, Fri, and Sat. I will see it Thursday.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle and the write-up. Interesting comments today, as usual. Thanks to you all.

Bill G said...

Hi everybody. Back in my necktie days, I was a fan of the Windsor or Half-Windsor knot. It seemed more 'organized' than the standard four-in-hand knot. I should add that I haven't worn a tie in about twenty-five years.

Cornell was high on a hill in the finger lakes region of New York. You could climb the bell tower steps and get a great view of Cayuga Lake. It was also fun to climb up there and experience the up-close twice-a-day concert on the full set of bells. It took a lot of skill, experience and strength to play them. Lots of wooden levers to press down with your hands and feet.

Lucina said...

d-o:
LOL! Those are the kinds of jokes our former-mortician now priest friend tells. Usually it's "I can do your make-up but you have to be lying down" and other similar quips.

Bill G:
It's good to see you.

I had tomato ASPIC once that I remember but can't recall if I liked it.

AnonymousPVX said...


This Tuesday puzzle as easier than yesterday.

No markovers today.

It’s later in the day as I have been running errands all day, plus I watched the (west coast) Yankee game last night....which went to 12 innings and ended around 2, I think, as I was nearly asleep when it finally ended.

See you tomorrow.

OwenKL said...

THUMB PIANO: I vaguely recalled this as another name for a Jew's harp. So looked it up, and verified they are related, tho not the same. In fact there are three names that cover them both: Lamellophone, linguaphone, and plucked idiophone.

TTP said...

Anoa Bob, thanks for stopping by.

Did anyone watch Jeopardy today ?

Anonymous said...

Yes.

Alex Trebek's mustache said...

So I began to post and I thought about not playing spoiler on any Jeopardy! related information. I remember coming close awhile back about one contestant being dominated by the other two. I thought, "was that James Holzhauer's first win?" Well, my blog research and questionable math says, yes it was!

Then my memory came through with the fact a challenger won that night and beat the current champ handily, giving the third contestant not a chance.

This mustache has seen many a game over the years and it's safe to say I saw diamond in the rough that night. Enough for me to come here and share the experience.

My spidey sense was on that day, my friends.

Alex Trebek's mustache said...

I did TTP

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Fun theme, Robert. Enjoyed your comment. The "tie" clue tied together all the hand parts neatly. Great expo, TTP. Thanks, guys.

A few clues gave me trouble: I didn't know that a "fluttering pitch" was a KNUCKLE BALL. the K & CK were my last fills.

Not MOORing but MOORAGE. Took some perps for SCIONS & PENSIVE. DNK: PERES.

IM: "getting your battery charged" had a much sexier meaning when I was young.

CED: If people were to see you going into the woods with all those weapons and the dog, they might fear for her life and call 911. No one would believe the "fatwood" excuse. Boy, could you get in trouble with the SPCA.

PK said...

TTP: I watched Jeopardy today! I really like that guy. He's confident but not arrogant. Hope he doesn't squander his money.

Sandyanon said...

It's now 6:40pm on the West Coast. We get Jeopardy at 7:00pm. From now on I guess I'll have to refrain from reading late afternoon or early evening posts; I really don't want to know the outcome ahead of time.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Late today - (Army) Brother called -- He's PCS'n' to Kuwait next Sunday for a year to finish out b/f retirement [RE-UPPED enough, he said]. We had a good chat / political arguments (I can't believe he didn't know of the Marshal Plan - I said re: Iraq "We broke it; we should fix it." Powell said it too - he remembered that. //he did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan)

Thank you Robert for the fun puzzle. I found the East quite crunchy for Tuesday morning's breakfast [I had potato-chips at my desk, so that might explain it :-)] Thanks for stopping by w/ some inside-baseball. Being of Italian heritage, that "mob" clue would have me needing to ink-over "Door man" at the pizzeria.

Wonderful expo TTP. I'd put Staind in the Grunge category; at least that song. Re: FIR - I recalled it had something to do w/ the cone but forgot it was the FIR that has up and others' are down [thanks for the link / refresher]. Can you recognize The Larch? [:30]. That ASPIC looks disgusting... why? Just why?

WO: N/A
ESPs: PERES (that's how it's spelt!), NELL / ENLAI (WAG'd the E). I needed to WAG the I in ALTI / IN HAND (never heard it; HAND-up for half-Windsor knot Bill G).

Fav: Bill & TED'S Excellent Adventure. [1:46]

{B+, B, B+}

++Jerome for #1. I almost put a T instead of an L 'cuz I was parsing it _O START @43d
++Haiku Harry for the pun.

YR - Interesting about ARREAR(s). Thanks for having LUI and sharing.

Good one on the DR today OMK.

C, Eh! - Yep that was in the last two weeks re: NAT v. OLD.

D-O @1:26 - Oh, man... Funny but morbidly so. Gallows' and all that.

SandyAnon - Sorry your Jeopardy! got spoiled.

Cheers, -T

Yellowrocks said...

Alien can mean dissimilar to, inconsistent. Unkindness was alien to my mom's nature.

I took Alan for an MRI while Jeopardy!was on and was wondering how James fared. I am sorry the early reveal spoiled your fun.
This time I was glad for it.

Lucina said...

We get Jeopardy! at 7:30 and it was just over so I'm glad I didn't come to the Corner before that. It's not hard to guess the outcome but much more fun to watch it happen.

Alex Trebek's mustache said...

For the record, I did nothing.

I have never spoiled the clues, answers nor outcome.

Anonymous T said...

CED - so... How'd you make out on Fatwood? I made out OK 'cuz I learnt was that was - and just think, 12 years in the BSA and never knew that. Cheers, -T

Mike Sherline said...

I enjoyed this clever puzzle; was glad to see Cooper's Mohican, Zits is in our paper, and I even recognized Mel Ott - learned in crosswords. I think my only unknown was Romo, but I always do across & down together so most come out in the end.

TTP - thank you for explicating ALL of the abbreviations, acronyms, initialisms, contractions, etc. Argyle used to do that, and I've been missing it (besides just missing him in general). One never knows what's going to be unknown to someone out here. I also enjoyed all your links - really went down the rabbit hole on Cooper, Ott, and Kroc. I even watched the tie video and found I've been using a four in hand knot all these years.

Check Consumer Reports used car ratings for whatever years you're thinking of for the Siena/Odyssey - both generally rate either very good or excellent overall for most years, but CR's huge owner surveys can turn up potential trouble spots in specific years.

TTP said...



No positive comments about the Spaghetti-Os aspic.

Sandyanon, I don't think anyone gave away the Jeopardy result. James Holzhauer looks undefeatable. I wonder if he could beat Watson with his vast knowledge and betting strategy.

Dash T - Congrats to your brother and hope he has an uneventful year. Re: Larch. You do like your Python, don't you ?

CED, thanks for the fatwood videos.

Mike Sherline, thanks. And yes, I agree. I've been reading the Consumer Reports articles. I get those surveys every year, and answer the questions about products I've purchased.