Theme: "Elimination"- EL is removed from each theme entry.
40A. What a generous mechanic might do after a wreck?: THROW IN THE TOW. Throw in the towel.
50A. David or Saul?: JEW IN THE CROWN. Jewel in the crown.
68A. Request to the local marriage oath writer?: CAN I BUY A VOW. Can I buy a vowel?
89A. Variety headline for director Lee's U.S. debut?: ANG'S IN AMERICA. Angels in America.
97A. Magician's tote?: EVERYTHING BAG. Everything bagel. Should have avoided BAGEL CHIP (63D. Crunchy snack)
118A. Talks about woks?: PAN DISCUSSIONS. Panel discussions.
I wonder if Ross's original title was "Noel", which describes the gimmick better.
EL is removed from the end of each key word, so very consistent. Ross is also known for his long sparkling fill. Today's grid is a great example. Lots of nice Downs, including a few never-been-seen debut entries.
EL is removed from the end of each key word, so very consistent. Ross is also known for his long sparkling fill. Today's grid is a great example. Lots of nice Downs, including a few never-been-seen debut entries.
Across:
1. __ vu: DEJA.
5. Command from Kirk: BEAM ME UP.
13. Drink word for "strained": COLADA. "Pina colada" means "strained pineapple".
19. [Sigh]: ALAS.
20. Unsuccessful competitors: ALSO-RANS.
21. One-footed creature: UNIPED. Like what?
25. Spiced up: ZESTED.
26. Sign of contempt: SNEER.
27. In a lab, it's often white: RAT.
28. "Yesterday!": STAT.
30. Cart count: ITEMS. Do you prefer Walmart or Target?
31. Pop by: STOP IN.
33. Org. with quarantine authority: CDC.
35. Western alliances: POSSES. I was thinking of NATO-style alliances.
37. How the satisfied stand: PAT.
39. "Psych!": NOT.
44. Indistinct mass: BLOB.
46. Deck-enclosing option: SCREEN.
48. Brainchild: IDEA.
49. Mani-pedi locale: SPA.
53. "Sunday Morning" channel: CBS.
55. __-de-sac: CUL.
56. Felt: SENSED.
57. Greek X: CHI.
58. Jolly syllables: HO HO. Dear Spitzboov and Santa, who loved the blooming onion. So glad they met.
60. Words of defeat: I LOST.
62. Chipotle alternative: QDOBA.
64. Kind of artery: RENAL.
65. DNC chair Tom: PEREZ. He beat the then Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison for the position. Ellison (right) is now our Attorney General.
66. Pittance: SOU.
72. Some dishwashers: GES. Ours is Samsung. We do have have a GE stove. The "Burner On" glitch is annoying.
73. Gap rival: J CREW.
75. Memoir, for one: GENRE.
76. Odist's inspiration: ERATO.
78. Rib: TEASE.
79. Best Female Athlete, e.g.: ESPY.
80. Eur. country in the Olympics since 1992: CRO. Croatia.
82. Dulles alternative: REAGAN.
86. Place to stay: INN.
87. Business card no.: TEL.
92. Calf spot: LEG.
93. With 66-Down, when Lady Macbeth says, "Leave all the rest to me": ACT I. 66. See 93-Across: SCENE V.
95. Nonprofit reporting app: AP NEWS.
96. Coal carrier: TRAM.
101. Clancy's "The __ of All Fears": SUM.
103. More-than-stretchy statement: LIE.
104. "The Yodeling Cowgirl" in "Toy Story" films: JESSIE.
105. Novelist Rand: AYN.
106. Rodeo contestants, at times: ROPERS.
108. Quiet order: SHUSH.
110. Run smoothly: PURR.
112. It's dropped for emphasis: MIC.
113. Implied: TACIT.
116. Pioneer 35mm cameras: LEICAS.
122. Shmoo creator: AL CAPP. Nice to have his full name. We see CAPP often.
123. Tapered cigar: PERFECTO.
124. __ Brasi, "The Godfather" enforcer: LUCA.
125. Frank: WIENER.
126. Regular guys?: STEADIES. Nice clue.
127. Headliner: STAR.
Down:
1. Some diaper changers: DADS.
2. Panache: ELAN.
3. 1607 settlement: JAMESTOWN.
4. Selling point: ASSET.
5. Abolish: BAN.
6. Spooky: ELDRITCH. Never heard of word. Looks like Tiger's real name.
7. Like about 25% of Russia's population: ASIAN.
8. Part of MVP: MOST.
9. "The A-Team" muscle: MR T.
10. Singer's skill: EAR.
11. World Heritage Site org.: UNESCO. Italy is the leader with 54 sites. China has 53, one of them is in my hometown.
12. Subtle "Over here!": PSST.
13. Member of the fam: CUZ.
14. Flexible lunch hour: ONEISH.
15. Directory name: LISTEE.
16. College Bd. result using a 1-to-5 scale: AP TEST SCORE. Also 61. Creations with colorful blocks: LEGO ART.91. "Oh, that's adorable!": AW SO CUTE. All debut entries. Lovely.
17. Consider: DEEM.
18. Throws in: ADDS.
23. Golfer's wedge, e.g.: IRON. Most of Boomer's clubs are hybrids.
24. Delicious: SAPID.
29. Musical timbre: TONE COLOR.
32. Ph.D.'s next hurdle: POSTDOC
33. French sweetie: CHERI.
34. Crab Key villain: DR NO. Google shows that "Crab Key is a fictional island off the coast of Jamaica that served as the stronghold of Dr. Julius No."
36. Wild attempt: STAB.
37. Lunchbox staples, initially: PBJS. Standard Chinese lunch box. Lots of plain rice. Paleo diets won't work for me.
38. Protected while sailing: ALEE.
40. Silicon Valley field: TECH.
41. Ryder of "Stranger Things": WINONA.
42. Works: OPUSES.
43. Chopin work: WALTZ.
45. Creamy soups: BISQUES. This looks delicious.
47. Mends, as a rattan chair: RE-CANES.
51. Stark in "Game of Thrones": NED.
52. Muffet fare: WHEY.
54. Nurse: SIP.
59. "Try it": HAVE ONE.
64. Regret: RUE.
67. Breakfast staple: ORANGE JUICE. 11-letter non-theme entry!
69. Hurting: IN PAIN.
70. __ Mawr College: BRYN.
71. Gets ready to play: WARMS UP.
73. Scrabble 8-pointer: J TILE. What's the score of your name? Try here. I (Zhouqin Burnikel) probably beat most of the regulars on our blog.
74. Rainy: WET.
77. Driving aid: TEE.
80. It covers the House: C SPAN.
81. Encircle: RING.
83. Thin Mints seller: GIRL SCOUT. This cookie selling is very American.
84. Trendy berry: ACAI.
85. Finger: NAME.
88. Has: EATS.
90. "Girls" Emmy nominee Hoffmann: GABY. Unknown to me.
94. Make a mess of, as traffic: TIE UP.
98. Swipe again?: RE-SCAN.
99. Slingshot feature: Y SHAPE.
100. January birthstone: GARNET.
102. Queens squad: METS.
106. 2014 Lizzie Borden portrayer Christina: RICCI.
107. Flight safety equipment?: RAILS. What a great mislead.
108. Crunchy side: SLAW.
109. Port opener: HELI.
111. See 119-Down: RAPS. 119. Dr. who 111-Down: DRE.
112. Advanced teaching deg.: MSED.
114. Machu Picchu denizen: INCA. Hahtoolah was there. She and Kazie are globe-trotters. JD too.
115. Peter the Great, e.g.: TSAR.
117. Mar. arrival, in theory: SPR.
120. "__ tree falls ... ": IF A.
121. USCG reception: SOS.
I
heard from Dudley a few days ago. He said he gave up doing the puzzle
in March when Cruciverb had a prolonged glitch and he had not returned
since. Dudley told me "I'm actually kind of surprised that, after 20
years of the LAT and about 10 years at the Corner, I don’t miss puzzle
solving."
I'm glad his absence is not health-related. I do hope he continues to solve the puzzles and visits us from time to time.
C.C.
FIR, but it took forever.
ReplyDeleteBlessed Sunday to you!
Thank you Ross Trudeau for this difficult Sunday CW.
Thank you C.C. for your excellent review, and your update on Dudley.
Ðave
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteTook me an embarrassingly long time to figure out the theme on this one, but it finally clicked. Other than that, it was mostly smooth sailing with a couple of notable hangups:
In the NE, I confidently put in ISOPOD at 21A, which mucked up that whole corner something awful until I finally considered that UNIPED could actually be a real word.
And then, down in the South Central area I had GA_Y for 90D and stuck in an "R" since GARY was the only name I knew of that made any sense. Obviously, I've never seen the show in question. As a result, I couldn't suss out EVERYTHINGBAG for awhile and it wasn't until I just removed the "R" and started at the theme clue that it all fell into place.
Ah, spring and the Corner is out and about. Well, I am here and enjoyed this effort but agree about the title, and thought the fill 50A. David or Saul?: JEW IN THE CROWN did not work for me, while the rest were very nice.
ReplyDeleteI also saw a mini-theme with Scrabble 8-pointer: J TILE; Slingshot feature: Y SHAPE; It covers the House: C SPAN; "The A-Team" muscle: MR T . I appreciated the"J."
I did not know Spooky: ELDRITCH but it sounds like it comes ELF "And the woman, whose voice had risen to a kind of eldritch singsong, turned with a skip, and was gone."
— Robert Louis Stevenson
C.C. most gastropods are Unipeds. MOLLUSKS.
Happy Sunday
Live long and prosper Dudley.
My cousin is a UNIPED. He lost his left leg when a distracted driver clipped him while he was driving on a motorcycle. After long battles with physical and emotional issues, he is leading a well.balanced life.
ReplyDeleteWhy last Halloween he dressed up as the lamp from "A Christmas Story".
Sometimes he'll ask me to go get his sandal. He calls it his flop.
ReplyDeleteHe loves pancakes. Of course his favorite restaurant is IHOP.
He drives me crazy when I help him with his errands. He always wants me to drive him to the ATM so he can check his balance.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteShot myself in the foot with LEA as the "Calf spot" and kept it far too long. Also tried UNIPOD -- oops, that's the thingee I've got for my camera. I got the theme as soon as DAM IN DISTRESS showed up, and that helped speed things along. Don't recall ever hearing of QDOBA -- there are only two in the Houston area, and the nearest is over 30 miles away. Also was ignorant of an EVERYTHING BAGel and bagel CHIP. Still, d-o got 'er done in normal Sunday solving time, so life is good. Thanx for the challenge, Ross and for the tour, C.C.
GABY: One of her early roles was as the daughter of the travel agency couple in Sleepless In Seattle. She would've been 10 or 11 at the time.
UNIPED: Peter Cook and Dudley Moore had fun with a skit about a Unidexter applying for the role of Tarzan. Typical British humour.
COLADA: Sounds like a bad thing to happen to a Piña.
Sum of All Fears: Sequel to the film about the mathematician with arithmophobia, The Fear Of All Sums.
I'm going to my room now...
FIRight, tho I probably set a record for w/os.
ReplyDeleteThe gimmick I caught with the DAMSel IN DISTRESS right away, before I even glanced at the title to confirm it.
In his EVERYTHING BAG, the magician quips,
He has a bag of BAGEL CHIPS.
And he'd have a cabbage
In his baggage
If he could find a cab before he quits!
{C.}
HO HO,I know what day it is? (And hello Barry G) It's National obscure things, places and people day. ELDRITCH, QDOBA, PERFECTO, RICCI, AP NEWS, GABY, NED, EVERYTHING BAG, crunchy food. I struggled in the SW & NE. Don't like the COLOR of my TONE? TONE COLOR is musical term I'm not familiar with. That's enough with my 'nice' thoughts about this puzzle. But I didn't THROW IN THE TOW(EL). No SOS to Google or the USCG.
ReplyDeleteIt took some WAGs to complete this one. NED & QDOBA and AP NEWS & GABY Hofmann- all unknowns. I assume AP mean advanced placement TEST SCORE. Is MSED Master of Secondary Education? DW has MED+. Never played Scrabble so getting the J TILE and correct SCENE took a while. The ANGS IN AMERICA was easy but the movie was an unknown, along with Girls and Stranger Things. Plus haven't watched Sunday Morning, Thrones, Lizzie Borden, or Toy Story. A&E is not my strong suit.
WalMart or Target? To get to a Target I would have to pass the nearest WalMart Superstore (1/2 mile), Sam's Wholesale, another WalMart Superstore, and then Target who stupidly built 1/4 mile down the street.
C.C., what's in the water in Minnesota that causes people to elect oddball politicians? Ellison should be in jail instead of prosecuting others, Jesse "The Body", Foot in mouth Omar, and all of us can certainly remember Harold Stassen.
I always thought piña colada meant pineapple-coconut!
ReplyDelete"Many bivalvia and nearly all gastropoda molluscs have evolved only one foot." Ie., snails, slugs, oysters, clams. Do they have calves?
The Target here in Santa Fe has an impassible parking lot, so Walmart by all means!
Never heard of QDOBA.
May I take a CSO for my Muse ERATO?
I'm surprised ELDRITCH is so little known. Of course, I get a magazine named Eldritch Science thru the N3F (National Fantasy Fan Federation). Sorry to admit I don't read it, since horror isn't my thing, but if it is yours, you can read back-issues at the link above.
Wish that empty cross-reference clues would be Eliminated from crosswords(see 119-see 111). Such a copout for not working out how to clue it.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-SIS/SEXTED slowed crunchy NE for me in this wonderful puzzle with laugh-out-loud themers
-I knew C.C. would mention the BAGEL entries (crossing even!)
-Nine catchphrases never actually said on TV, including “BEAM ME UP SCOTTY”
-In yesterday’s Preakness one horse ALSO RAN but without a jockey
-D-O, I too immediately thought of the UNIDEXTER sketch!
-Plans to put a SCREEN around our porch evolved into a four-season sunroom
-The 2016 defeated gubernatorial candidate in Georgia has still not said I LOST
-Ah, poor Luca, he “sleeps with the fishes”
-Cigarette smokers have suggested I “HAVE ONE”, but my left brain never liked the IDEA
-My wife’s cousin GABY defriended my lovely bride in an expletive laced rant because her politics saw no room for Joann’s opinions or civility
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe incessant rain has made me a little grumpy (RIP Grumpy Cat) so I have a few nits to pick. First, though, in all fairness to Ross, I'm not a big fan of Sunday puzzles. I find them unwieldy and full of proper names and three letter words, which make the solve a slog rather than satisfying. Another negative, IMO, is the all too often used gimmick that turns a crossword puzzle into a scavenger hunt, the rebus puzzle (ugh) being a good example.
That said, I saw the theme as soon as I filled in Dams in Distress and linked it to the title, that ease being another Sunday complaint of mine. My unknowns were: Colada, UNESCO, Gaby, and Jessie, all as clued, and QDoba and Eldritch, both of which I have never laid eyes on. I found the Bagel Chip/Everything Bag(el) and AP News/AP Test Score dupe a tad strange, but I liked the AP News/CSPAN crossing. What I liked best was Ross's cute SO to his mom, Jane Pauley, at "Sunday Morning" channel=CBS.
Thanks, Ross, for a soggy Sunday diversion and thanks, CC, for your professional analysis and for highlighting all of the positives in the cluing and fill. You see things that we non-pros either miss or don't appreciate. I prefer Target to Walmart because, at least in my area, the Target stores are much tidier, cleaner, and have safer parking lots. Buying online, I would rate them equal in service and product availability.
We're supposed to have thunderstorms this afternoon/evening. At least we're not affected by those terrible tornados. Thoughts and prayers for those in the hard-hit areas.
Have a great day.
A PBJ for breakfast
ReplyDeleteI'll have some good EATS
SIP on a glass of OJ
CBS Sunday Morning
LA Times Puzzle
A WET weekend spent inside
Big Easy, remind us again where you reside and how your politicians fare.
ReplyDeleteFrom NOLA.com recently:
"71 Louisiana politicians who were sentenced to prison or probation"
We know what's in the water down there in Louisiana. It is full of trophy largemouths and it is brackish.
May 19, 2019 at 10:48 AM
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteC.C. Thanks for the HO HO SO. It was very apt.
Couple knotty areas today. Needed help with ELDRITCH; never heard of it; a new learning. I found the theme fill and their cluing a fun part of the puzzle; well done.
45d - BISQUE - I recall a lobster BISQUE I had in a Montreal restaurant ~ 30 odd years ago. Trés SAPIDE.
Thanks for the news on Dudley. I recall his many fine posts, but wish him well in moving on.
I started out really well on this Sunday puzzle by getting the whole northwest corner. But as I started down things got tougher and tougher and I did end up having to cheat quite a bit to solve it--even though I had had some good guesses about what some answers might be. I too guessed the theme after getting DAMS IN DISTRESS, and that helped a bit, though the long items were still toughies for me. But all in all, a fun Sunday puzzle--many thanks, Ross. QDOBA and ELDRITCH were both unknowns to me, as they were to others. It was nice to see ANG Lee IN AMERICA. Haven't thought about AL CAPP and his cartoons in ages, though I read them for years when I was younger. Nice to have the puzzle end with TSAR and STAR, since I got both of them. Anyway, nice way to start a Sunday, and I always love your Sunday commentary and pictures, C.C. And thanks, too, for the update on Dudley.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, everybody.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Ross Trudeau, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot started OK in the NW, but then it got sticky real fast. I bounced around and cherry picked.
The theme took me forever to figure out. Finally I figured it out and it did help with many of the theme answers. DAMS IN DISTRESS was my first to get. PAN DISCUSSIONS was my last to get.
Some toughies: COLADA, UNIPED, QDOBA, PEREZ, J CREW, AP NEWS, JESSIE, ELDRITCH, TONE COLOR, Y SHAPE, GABY. Many thanks to the perps.
Finished selling our Vidalia Onions yesterday, just before the rain came. Done for this year.
Dudley, I fought the cruciverb battle for a while. I just printed it from Mensa, which worked fine. Lately, Cruciverb is working. One difference is I have to log in each time. Oh well.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Happy Sunday! Nice and sunny here just now, but humongous storms are headed our way (they’re over Rockford now). Thanks to Mr Trudeau, I guess; this toughie nearly slew me. Finished in 43 minutes, about half again my usual time. Thanks, C.C., fir explaining everything (well—ALMOST everything; I still don’t get the flight safety equipment /RAILS connection).
ReplyDelete* WEES about DAMS IN DISTRESS.
* ELDRITCH is a great word, encountered regularly in the F & SF that makes up a large chunk of my reading diet.
* I still don’t see the connection between “flight safety equipment?” and RAILS. C.C., it must be tremendous misdirection!
* The northeast was the last to fill for me.
Time to run some errands before the storms get here.
Have a great day all!
WikWak -- RAILS - I took flight to mean a flight of stairs. Great misdirection as you said.
ReplyDeleteLoved the puzzle and the theme.
ReplyDeleteAlso loved all the anonymous comments. Anonymous @ 7:06 and 7:18 cute and funny and very nice, as were Anonymous @10:43. I'll say touché to Anonymous @ 10:48 for "Big Easy" whom I do not know.
Agree with Wik Wak. Please explain RAILS CC.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone here heard of QDOBA?
Rainy day in So. Cal. - AGAIN. Ready for warm sunny days. I know, I know, we need the water. Nice to have the Sunday puzzle to look forward to, though.
ReplyDeleteAlways a learning experience, and mine new words today are eldritch and sapid. “Luca Brazzi lives among the fishes” is etched in my memory.
How nice to learn Ross Trudeau is Jane Pauley’s son. We are huge fans of her and her husband.
Jack and I scored our names, Scrabble-wise, at C.C.’s suggestion, and she definitely is the champ!
We couldn’t believe it when we saw the jockey bounced off his horse at The Preakness. After the debacle at the Derby, wonder what surprises the Belmont holds.
A handRAIL is a safety feature on a FLIGHT of stairs!
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon, C.C. and friends. I have mixed feelings about today's theme. ANG'S IN AMERICA seems a bit off, since the missing "EL" comes in the middle of ANG'S.
ReplyDeleteI like an EVERYTHING BAG(EL) with my cream cheese and lox every weekend.
As Spitzboov explained, the RAILS are the handrails on a flight of stairs.
There is a QDOBA in town. I have never eaten at one, but QDOBA is a chain of Mexican food. I have also seen them at shopping malls.
ELDRITCH is a new word, which I have already forgotten.
QOD: Never marry a man you wouldn’t want to be divorced from. ~ Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012)
I took "flight safety" to keeping a car from taking flight by having guard RAILS.
ReplyDeleteQDOBA, is a fast food Mexican place. We have one in our area.
ReplyDeleteSuper Sunday. Thanks Ross (any relation to our Canadian PM?) and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI caught the theme with Dams in distress and smiled as eCh themer appeared. I thought BAGEL CHIP crossing EVERYTHING BAG was an Easter egg. thrown in for an extra smile. I also noted some ELs that did not get elininated (mostly in the Downs)- ELAN, ELDRITCH, HELI and even TEL.
Almost a pangram but missing K and X I think. Can we count CHI as our X?!
Lots of crunch and not just with the SLAW. LOL WikWak re " this toughie nearly slew me",
I was not familiar wit AP NEWS, QDOBA, ELDRITCH. CSPAN I learned here.
Like d'o I had my calf R in the Lea before LEG.
Good to hear from you Barry G.
We have a warm sunny day here. I am on the patio enjoying it while it lasts.
Wishing you all a great day.
How did I screw up this great xword? Let me list the ways.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I finished the first draft at McDonald's but Betsy wanted a “Garlic ball” so I headed to Winn Dixie. And forgot the newspaper as well as my sweater.
So I went straight to CC's write-up and…..
I knew J-CREW and of course the clue referred to a TILE not a STILE which is an otherwise cool xword -word.
SIS looked good but when I finally inked UNIPED I forgot to recheck.
And of course there's an ABBeY Hoffman (sic). Perhaps I thought BPNEWS was a gas price alert.
Actually, I loved the clue: Dr who 119D?
Took some work as all I had was the R in RAPS . I was thinking of the Dr's phone booth which the Brits have a loo-like name for?
One detour was TOWIT < TACIT.
“We'll always have Paris” eg the Sat. FIR.
Owen, minimum B+
WC
~ Flowers make me happy. Yesterday, Barbara got a bunch of peonies at the market. They were a rose/coral color. Really pretty.
ReplyDeleteI had to turn red letters on to see where I had gone wrong. Whoo, red light city! I didn't count, but it looked like at least 20 letters were red. At least I knew what needed fixing. After that I was able to solve it all without further help. Hahtoolah has already said what I was going to say about ELDRITCH. Like OwenKL, I always thought piña colada meant pineapple-coconut! I sucked in my breath when I finally and reluctantly filed BAGEL CHIP. It also so happens I did not know there is such a thing as bagel chips.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation about RAILS, folks. I didn't understand it until reading it here.
Misty, good catch on TSAR and STAR.
LW shops at Walmart. Neither of us has been to Target for years even though it used to be our go to place. Don't know if it's due to preference or convenience. Naw, it can't be convenience, because going to Target is far more convenient. And before that, Sears was our go to place for darn near everything.
We watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on PBS last night, so the name of Ang Lee is fresh in my mind.
Good wishes to you all, including Dudley and Barry G.
Bill G, nice about the flowers.
ReplyDeleteI got a nice surprise in my TBTimes this morning. I espied an extra xword in an insert I'd overlooked. And… None other than “Sit On It” by Zhouqin B. Fun Warmup*.
ReplyDeleteOwen I thought of you at ERATO.
We had the witches brew yesterday and Lady McBeth today. Maybe they'll lay on MacDuff tomorrow.
TTFN**
Oh, let's hear Elaine tell us about the
Lobster Bisque
** Universal xword 66A
There was a restaurant near here that served a very good lobster bisque. Alas, they went out of business.
ReplyDeleteI thought Sunday Morning was especially good today...
C.C., I don't necessarily have a preference bit I will agree that Target stores seem cleaner and they absolutely have nicer shopping carts! They are so nice that around here they have a little security device attached to protect them from theft. I guess their nice wheels and flashy red appearance makes them a target for thieves. P.I.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment, Jayce.
ReplyDeleteJust got released from doctor's orders on Friday after three weeks of pneumonia. Glad to get a chance to relax with my Sunday LAT puzzle - which I started at one, when the baseball game started at one p.m. At 10:25 p.m. I blew up and shredded the paper having completed ONLY 2/3 of this disaster. This was caused by seeing the solution and STILL not understanding about a dozen answers. Why use "coined words", slang and trivia names so often? Don't constructors have the vocabulary prowess to challenge us on word knowledge any more. The ONLY reason I spend almost $3 to have the Times delivered to my door on Sundays is I USED TO enjoy the Sunday puzzler... Not any more!
ReplyDeleteA slight miff about 'QDOBA'. Never heard of the chain before, and it turns out that there are only 7 outlets in all of California: none closer than Orange County, 400-odd miles south. The assumption that everyone knows of all these novelties is disproven by the many comments above.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, if you want a safe flight, ride the RAILS instead.