Theme: "Code Crackers" - The letters, as hinted by part of the theme entries, orderly spelled out FBI AGENTS.
23A. One way to enter a pool: FEET FIRST. The first letter of the word "Feet" is F.
29A. One end of a church key: BOTTLE OPENER. The opening letter of "Bottle" is B.
36A. Physical location?: MEDICAL CENTER. The very center of "Medical" is I.
54A. "Mobile" communications device used in law enforcement: DATA TERMINAL. The terminal letter of "Data" is A.
64A. Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" has one that includes cannon fire: BIG FINISH. The finishing letter of "Big" is G.
72A. 2012 Beyoncé hit with the repeated line "Say you'll never let me go": END OF TIME. The ending letter of "Time" is E.
81A. Summing-up words: IN CONCLUSION. The concluding letter of "In" is N.
102A. Guru whose opinions are trusted: THOUGHT LEADER. The leading letter of "Thought" is T.
110A. 2019 "Game of Thrones" event: SERIES FINALE.The final letter of "Series" is S.
Reveal entry:
120A. Govt. employees encoded by the nine other longest across entries in this puzzle ... and who might be called in to decode them: FBI AGENTS.
Fun gimmick from Mark.
Reminds me of the "DEAR JOHN LETTERS" puzzle I made of for the NYT a while ago. So I fully understood the amount of research and work he put into this grid.
Across:
1. College loan co-signer, maybe: DAD. None for me, thankfully. Chinese government paid all my college education.
4. Establish as law: ENACT.
9. Long-legged birds: WADERS.
15. Five-O nickname: DANO.
19. Before, poetically: ERE.
20. Prepare to surf: LOG ON. Most Chinese use WeChat. Quite a few neat features.
21. Reunion attendee: ALUMNA.
22. King Harald's father: OLAV.
25. __ media: SOCIAL.
26. Film scene shot without interruption: TAKE.
27. Kenya's first prime minister __ Kenyatta: JOMO. No idea. Wiki says he was also Kenya's first president. He died in office in 1978.
28. Hydroelectric project: DAM.
31. Amazon assistant: ALEXA.
33. Abundant element in Earth's core: IRON.
35. Thingamajigs: DOODADS.
41. Humor: INDULGE. me.
42. Winans of gospel: CECE.
43. Most hip: COOLEST.
45. Supposed to arrive: DUE.
46. Spa sounds: AHS. And 49. Plotting chuckle: HEH.
51. Delta rival renamed in 1997: US AIR.
53. Moving aids: VANS.
60. Jack in a suit: KNAVE.
62. Initial Hebrew letter: ALEPH. We also had 39. 12th Jewish month: ELUL.
63. Mountain melody: YODEL.
68. Lose it: GO APE.
69. Matching game: LOTTO. Our old neighbor won $100,000. Lost them all, including his house.
71. Total, as a bill: RUN TO.
76. Slips through the cracks: OOZES.
79. Domingo, for one: TENOR.
80. One of Australia's six: STATE.
83. Thin coin: DIME.
86. Digitally approve: E-SIGN.
88. Game-winning line: OOO.
89. Hallelujah trio?: ELS. Halleluja. Just the letters.
90. Spanish article: UNA.
91. Sharp tingle, as of fear: PRICKLE.
95. Ford contemporary: OLDS.
98. Discount: CUT RATE.
107. Surname on Elm Street: KRUEGER (Freddy)
108. Chiwere-speaking native: OTOE.
109. Trial subject: CRIME. Even our local Star Tribute carried this story.
114. 45, in classic pop: RPM.
117. Well-behaved: GOOD.
118. Like many Horace works: ODIC.
119. Mexican madam: SENORA.
122. __ Reader: UTNE.
123. When Hamlet kills Polonius: ACT III.
124. Divider of pews: AISLE.
125. Word in many obituaries: NEE.
126. Collectible '90s caps: POGS.
127. Put away for later: STORED.
128. Kingdom: REALM.
129. Important stretch: ERA.
Down:
1. Kanye West label: DEF JAM.
2. Ring of color: AREOLE.
3. Regarded: DEEMED.
4. 2003 holiday comedy: ELF.
5. Reason for being barred at a bar: NO ID.
6. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.
7. Immense: COSMIC.
8. Blast cause: TNT.
9. Suspected: WAS ONTO.
10. Heaps: A LOT.
11. Tear channel: DUCT.
12. Czech track legend Zátopek: EMIL.
13. Cellular process affecting nucleotide sequences: RNA EDITING. New term to me.
14. Scene of some "Gunsmoke" action: SALOON.
15. College address ending: DOT EDU.
16. Actor born Alphonso D'Abruzzo: ALAN ALDA. Full name.
17. First of three Leslie Nielsen comedies, with "The": NAKED GUN.
18. Supervises: OVERSEES.
24. Venomous: TOXIC.
29. U2 frontman: BONO.
30. Whale group: POD.
32. Pitching staff star: ACE. Life is so fragile. You never know what's going on in other's life.
34. VCR button: REC.
37. Masseuse's target: ACHE.
38. Not sure (of): LEERY.
40. Hi-__ graphics: RES.
44. Munro pen name: SAKI. I wonder why he picked this name.
46. "Great minds think alike," e.g.: ADAGE.
47. Fire-suppressing gas: HALON.
48. Position: STEAD.
50. Med. care provider: HMO.
52. U.K. fliers: RAF.
53. They may be changed by judges: VENUES. Trial venue.
55. Place side by side: APPOSE.
56. Taking it badly?: THEFT. Fun clue.
57. Run in place: IDLE.
58. Modernist's prefix: NEO.
59. TV chef Brown: ALTON.
61. Love of antiques: VIRTU.
64. Renowned clown: BOZO.
65. Navel formation: INNIE.
66. Stand-up comic's seat: STOOL.
67. Lock __: come into conflict: HORNS.
70. Front-of-bk. list: TOC. Table of Content.
73. __ Bo: TAE.
74. "Just what I wanted!": IT'S PERFECT.
75. '70s Israeli prime minister: MEIR.
77. "Music for Airports" producer: ENO.
78. Move quickly: SCOOT.
81. Ruler unit: INCH.
82. Veg out: LOLL.
83. A piece of cake: DUCK SOUP. Love this fill.
84. More than familiar with: INURED TO.
85. Growing up: MATURING.
87. "Shoo!": GIT.
92. Brand with a pitcher-shaped mascot: KOOL-AID.
93. Bard's instrument: LUTE.
94. Freudian focus: EGO.
96. Mo. when Festivus is celebrated: DEC.
97. Beetle Bailey nemesis: SARGE.
99. Treats again, as a sprain: RE-ICES. Or hernia.
100. Grow older: AGE.
101. Actress Thompson and ice dancer Virtue: TESSAS.
103. Disney Beetle: HERBIE. Herbie the Love Bug.
104. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" singer Warwick: DIONNE.
105. Drama queen, e.g.: EMOTER.
106. View from Jidda: RED SEA.
111. Really digging: INTO.
112. Pinot __: NOIR.
113. Grammy winner India.__: ARIE.
115. Galileo's birthplace: PISA. Oh hello!
116. Strip __: MALL.
120. Away companion: FAR.
121. Rock in a setting: GEM.
Belated
happy birthday to dear CanadianEh, one of the most insightful
commenters on our blog. How did you celebrate this year, Eh?
FIWrong. VIRsU + sENOR, kENOsA +TESkAS + AsIE. Ironic set -- One I had as senor shouldn't have been, while the other I didn't have as senora and should have.
ReplyDeleteThe theme I still do not have. The reveal says 9 longest words, but there are 8 words over 9 letters, and 3 at 9 letters even, not counting the reveal. I'll have to read the expo to find out, for the first time in longer than I can remember.
But first, some poesy.
A CHURCH KEY was an old DOODAD
That an older generation had
Both ends would open beer,
The pointy end, cans would fear,
The rounded was a BOTTLE OPENER for Dad's.
If we went to the END OF TIME
Will there be a BIG FINISH line?
Or will it simper
With a COSMIC whimper?
That's not preying on my mind.
Augggh! I've just read the start of the expo, and see what the gimmick is! It's a brilliant cryptic clue! Or rather 9 of them! I wish I had seen it, but it would have warped the direction I was thinking, towards cryptograms of some sort!
{B, B+.}
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteWell that makes two in a row. DNF, that is. Grrrrrrr. I stumbled around the grid, making plenty of minor goofs. Easily corrected. Then I came to that "piece of cake" and I had D_CKSOU_. I didn't know the Spanish article nor the 90s caps. So I wound up with the meaningless DECKS OUT. Bzzzzzt! And, no, I didn't get the theme until C.C. 'splained it. Thought it just had to do with beginnings, middles and endings. In retrospect, it's a pretty nifty creation. While solving it, not so much. Thanx, Mark and C.C.
Good morning. C.C.- even with your explanation of the FBI AGENTS, it still makes no sense to me. F&B starting but I in the center. AGE at the end of fills, N in the middle,T at start...etc. Too complicated for my simple mind. But the puzzle filled NW to SE without a change. APPOSE, POGS, & VIRTU are new words for me. ELUL. JOMO, TESSAS, and DEFJAM were filled by perps. No other unknowns.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of POG, so I looked it up after finishing the puzzle. I wanted BIG FINALE before BIG FINISH for 64A but FINALE made it onto the grid in 110A.
"Mobile device for law enforcement"- my son, who is the Budget Officer for a city's police force just equipped every policeman on the force with an I-phone. All the communications are now useless for people who bought police scanners. He said it's a pain to carry two phones, a regular radio, body camera,...etc.
Good Morning, C.C., and friends. What a clever puzzle! I got the FBI AGENT, but then tried to find FBI in each of the long answers. I was unable to Crack this Code, so was glad for your explanation!
ReplyDeleteInteresting to have both DAD and DOO-DADS.
I learned that the Long-Legged Birds were not as specific type of bird (I tried Herons, Storks and Cranes), but rather the generic WADERS.
Seeing Australia and its STATE reminded me of our friend, Kazie.
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Barry has passed through. We were lucky here ~ some winds and not as much rain as anticipated. I haven't ventured out yet this morning, so don't know how the rest of the city fared.
QOD: There is something joyous about not talking. ~ Ingmar Bergman (July 14, 1918 ~ July 30, 2007), Swedish filmmaker
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Mark MacLachlan, for fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for fine review.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Canadian Eh. And, many more.
Fortunately, cruciverb worked last night, so I was able to get an early start. Finished this morning. The puzzle was doable. A few tough spots of course. Such as JOMO and DEFJAM crossing. Took some alphabet runs to get through that.
36A was clever. The question mark and deep thinking gave me MEDICAL CENTER. Took a while though.
Theme was well hidden. I finally picked up on the F and B in the first two long answers. Then I saw the rest, but could not believe that was the theme. I still thought I was missing something. I guess not.
Had the first A and the last A of 16D. So, I took a wag and entered ALAN ALDA. It worked.For me.
83D was easy. I use the term DUCK SOUP all the time. I also love to eat DUCK SOUP. My wife can make it. The tough part is finding the duck blood. You just can't buy it anywhere. I know there are a couple places in Erie, PA, you can buy jars of duck blood. Trawka's is one of them.
Why did I think KOOLAID was spelled KOOLADE? ACT III helped me out with that.
Off to my day. First church and then the Brass Band has its Official Visit of the Potentate. We will be playing on the patio.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
The theme does mirror your NYT C.C.
ReplyDeleteJOMO was a complete unknown and also the first appearance in the LAT or NYT of this fill. Abejo, interesting comment about KOOLAID instead of my cousin KOOLADE
Game-winning line: OOO seemed odd; thank you Mark and C.C. I leave you with my favorite recipe for DUCK SOUP
Nobody knows why Munro used the pen name Saki. He never told anyone. Very odd.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteNut, nuts, nuts !
Failed at the intersection of SAKI and COOLEST. I had an A instead of an S. Bet that you pencil and paper solvers don't have those kind of typos.
Great puzzle, Mark. And thank you for explaining / finding the hidden FBI AGENTS, C.C. I missed that. It all makes sense now, and I see the beauty of the adjectives describibg the placement of the key letters in the long answers.
Hahtoolah, I tried egrets before getting WADERS for long-legged birds. So that's another one.
Lemonade, OOO as in Tic-Tac-D'oh ! By the way, did you ever figure out who sent you the email about Lemonade ? Maybe kids tring to steer people to their ice-tea business ? LOL.
Happy Birthday, Canadian Eh !
Glad New Orleans was spared.
Musings¬
ReplyDelete-¬Arrrggghhh! I saw all the spatial references but did not break the code. COOLEST!
-Organizations that control water release on upstream DAMS come in for a lot of criticism after flooding
-A small lunch at our town’s festival yesterday RAN TO $20. That night we split a nice meal at a restaurant for $12.95
-Australian STATES and population density
-Where is it that “one thin DIME won’t even shine your shoes”
-Can you read what you write when E-SINGING?
-I WAS not immediately ONTO a Craigslist scam a guy tried to pull on me this spring
-KANSAS was not the site of the Gunsmoke scene
-Singer/dancer/actor Alphonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo (Robert Alda) was the father of Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo (Alan Alda). Father and son
-IT’S PERFECT - eldest daughter eschews gift cards and sometimes her gifts are great and sometimes…
-I wonder if I would have been arrested if I threw something off that tower in Pisa like Galileo is supposed to have done
-Hmmm…I wonder how you say Happy Birthday in Canadian? :-)
Husker pondered, "Hmmm…I wonder how you say Happy Birthday in Canadian? :-)"
ReplyDeleteAnswer?
SORRY, we missed your birthday!!
HAve not done the puzzle yest,
ReplyDeletehave to fix the pump in the birdbath/fountain before i can set up the Hammock...
It was Jeromes comment on Mashed Potatoes yesterday that makes me comment.
DW & 2 Daughters hate mashed potatoes, something about the texture,
which only leaves 1 daughter (the vegetarian) & me. So out of
necessity, I discovered "Original Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes."
Now, EVERYONE I tell this to says, Instant, Yuck! I don't like em!
But as a PSA, I have to tell you Idahoan is different. They are dang good.
Plus, I never bother with the directions anymore, and custom make
them to taste. As follows:
(No need to read further if you are a mashed tater hater...)
small pot (bigger if for more than one)
about a 1/2 inch of good water (Poland Spring etc...)
A hunk of butter (1" square is good)
frozen peas (optional)
crumbled bacon (optional)
a small splash of milk
Note: I only have 2% milk in house, but it's still good.
whole milk would be better,
1/2 & 1/2 better still
cream (total overkill, but worth it...)
Bring to a boil and turn off.
add dry potato flakes until no liquid left and it is (just) too dang dry!
Then add milk a little at a time while stirring until desired consistency.
I don't know why this works better than directions, but it does...
You can also add a little of these flakes to home made bread dough
for softer, potato bread style pizza or loaves.
Canadian Eh! There were no potato flakes used in your cake!
Husker Gary...The Drifters say one thin dime won’t even shine your shoes “On Broadway”
ReplyDeleteHi everybody. I solved the puzzle OK but the theme eluded me (even after the reveal). I read through CC's explanation and I was still flummoxed. Finally, just now, it all clicked and made sense. I must the the slowest person who contributes to this blog. Rats!...
ReplyDeleteHistoric Wimbledon Men's Final just ended. Wow!!
ReplyDeleteSorry CED, I cant read your post past "instant mashed potatoes". Thatd be like you buying frozen premade pizza crusts. I dont care how it tastes. Making my mashed potatoes must involve peeling and mashing myself with "never the same" texture or cream level.(or number of beers consumed)
Finished the puzzle - but needed to come here to figure out the theme thread in the other long answers! Thankful for the blog!
ReplyDeleteSome of the answers were in my wheelhouse-like JOMO. When my middle son was in 2nd grade I was room mom. Each class focused on a country for the year - ours was Kenya - so I have lots of Kenya facts lodged in the back of my brain waiting to be retrieved if needed, as well as a few Swahili phrases. Jambo!
Thanks CC and Mark!
HBD to Canadian Eh!
Yes, Hungry Jack, historic match for sure. 4hrs 55 min. Fifth set that went to 12 games-12, necessitating a final tiebreak. And Novak Djokovic WON!
ReplyDeleteBill G, you are definitely not the slowest person, because you got it sooner than I did.
Hi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteLate to the dance because I had a busy morning including a trip to the farm stand and trip to the gas station, and getting to a baby shower by 11:30. I've been home for a while, catching up on several days backed up mail and reading the blog and comments. I'm normally able to figure out a theme, but this one had me perplexed until CC's precise explication. I did see a correlation with some of the theme words, to wit, Finale, End, Conclusion, etc. but I didn't spend enough time trying to connect the dots. In any event, I'm impressed and very satisfied with the solve. As usual, the proper names needing perps were legion: Jomo, Emil, Elul, Virtu, Red Sea, CeCe, and Halon. I remember the name, Kenyatta, but not Jomo. Only two w/os, Esa/Una and Odes/Epic/Odic.
Thanks, Mark, for a fresh and fun challenge and thanks, CC, for the clear and concise expo.
Belated Happy Birthday, CanadianEh, hope you celebrated in style! 🎂🎁🎉🍾🎈
Enjoy the rest of your day, friends.
Good morning! (Well, it’s *my* morning)
ReplyDeleteI’m discovering that I really like Mark’s puzzles. Lots of sparkly fill and I can usually solve them just a bit quicker than puzzles from other authors. BUT... today started with the NW nearly empty after the first time through. I finally just skipped it and went on clockwise around the thing. Those came more easily and (as usually happens) by the time I got back to the NW it fell into place.
BUT... (what, another one?) I couldn’t find the theme for love nor money. Thanks, C.C., for ‘splaining that.
Favorite fills would be DOODADS and DUCK SOUP. A big hang up was my LyrE turning out to be a LUTE; that slowed up that section quite a bit.
inanehiker, JOMO Kenyata was firmly implanted in what I am pleased to call my mind too; it just popped right out. No idea why.
Happy belated birthday to our CanadianEh! Your comments are something I look forward to every day.
Well, that’s it from the wilds of DuPage County. Finish off your weekends with a flourish, everyone.
FIR in 35 minutes, about average for a Sunday.
FIW. I worked the puzzle in four sessions because I'm doing a lot of chores today. Thought of DUCK SOUP during the third session, but by the time I came back I forgot to recheck the San Ysidro area. Ended up with epIC and eTNE.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ear worm Husker Gary. Every time I hear On Broadway I feel compelled to give to Radio Free Europe.
Thanks to Mark for the clever puzzle, and to CC for the interesting review.
I'll have to remember JOMO. Whenever my golf buddies tell me about the wonderful Game of Thrones episode they just watched, I'll just tell them I have JOMO - Joy Of Missing Out.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Very clever puzzle theme, Mark! Great explanations, C.C.! Didn't get the theme until I'd read through your expo of it three times. You explained it well. I'm just dense. Helps to know that other Corner denizens were as perplexed.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of the puzzle, I waded back and forth, dropping in words where I could, gaining a few letters here and there. Reached the FINALE tada with a few red-letter runs. Just a bit far out of my comfort zone with too many unknowns WEES.
I hereby avow: I have never in my life been INURED TO anyone. Sounds painful! I tried INtimate first which fit but... I further aver that I have been INtimate with someone and liked that fine.
Happy Birthday, CanadianEh! Enjoy your comments.
Sunday Lurk say...
ReplyDelete{B, B+}
Cool puzzle Mark. I didn't play but I can appreciate the effort to construct that beautifully executed theme.
Smashed Potatoes:
Boil salted water
Wash and cut up (no need to peel) bag of potatoes
To food-processor 1/2 onion & 3 or 4 cloves garlic. Add to bottom of large bowl.
1 stick butter to bowl
when potatoes are done (easily gives to a knife's point), drain and dump 'em into bowl
The heat of the potatoes cooks the garlic & onions
Smash them up real good
As it starts to smooth, add heavy cream, and (to taste) white pepper.
Eat
Leftovers make good potato pancakes in the morning.
Happy Birthday C, Eh! Sorry, 'tis late. WEES - your comments are a highpoint of my day.
Cheers, -T
Hola!
ReplyDeleteEven later to the party but here I am though I started working on this grid quite early (for me) then had to leave to collect a friend then church.
Thank you, Mark McLachlan and C.C.! Sunday puzzles spell fun for me and this one fit the bill. Much to like and enjoy: DANO, OLAV (no guessing f or v), KNAVE, UNA & SENORA,(Spanish!)not one, but TWO Jewish alphabet terms, and my favorite, JOMO. I mulled it and knew I knew it, finally, it came to me, JOMO Kenyatta, who was much in the news when he was in power. I like your interpretation, Jinx.
No, I didn't see the theme, of course, so thank you, C.C.
One LIU as not in one hundred years would I have known Beyoncé's hit song. Not my type of music, that.
All in all a satisfying solve.
Belated birthday wishes, Canadian Eh! I'm sorry we missed it. When is the real day?
Today was a sad news day. One of my cousins (second cousin, but close in age) died from complications of being struck by a car while walking two years ago. Also Fr. Michael O'Grady, a dear and beloved priest who was once our pastor. He retired in Ireland, his home country.
Have a PERFECT day, everyone!
I liked this puzzle and enjoyed solving it until that "J" crossing DEFJAM and JOMO. A total Natick for me. Did an alphabet run until typing in the "J" finished the puzzle. Otherwise an awesome puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get the FBI AGENT encoding until reading the explanation here. Well done!
...
Just back from a lovely telephone conversation with our son and his wife. She has had successful chemotherapy and surgery for her "triple negative" breast tumor so the news is good. The next step for her is a course of radiation. We are all happy.
Happy birthday, CanadianEh!
Here's wishing you all the best.
The theme finally clicked in, but didn’t care much for this puzzle. Lot of obscure, forced answers. HALON, APPOSE, AREOLE, ACTIII, etc. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, CanadianEh!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Canadian Eh and many more.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I do miss the old AEROLE picture.
Happy birthday Canadian Eh! I hope you enjoyed your day.
ReplyDeleteI just returned from six days in the Endless Mountains in the extreme NE of PA. Such beautiful country. I was raised there and my youngest sister moved back there quite a few years ago. This was a completely sans souci vacation. No obligations or plans, just to BE there. I stayed at a lovely B&B, read, walked, enjoyed the scenery, and visited my sister for a few hours every day, as the spirit moved me. I was surprised when today it was time to go home already. We return to this area every year. Alan was disappointed he did not have enough days off to accompany me.
I read this blog every day this week, but did not do the puzzles because I had no printer. I thought Friday and Saturday's puzzles were fabulous.
Today I FIR, but did not find the FBI Agents. How clever to clue the letters with position words. Loved it. Three great puzzles in a row.
The Elf is one of Alan's and my favorite Christmas movies.
Jayce, happy to hear your DIL is doing better. I hope it continues.
I didn't fill in the J to JOMO and JAM and forgot to return for an alphabet run. No other totally unknowns.
Have a great week.
I have to say that dress on Thursday's blog is almost like my all-time favorite dress circa 1959, with its full dark blue skirt and white strip. Mine had shorter sleeves and a slightly different white insert. I loved it.
Something weird going on. The online Jumble is usually available 2 hours ago, but it's still showing Sunday's puzzle. So I decided to get an early start on Monday's crossword, but the Mensa site I've hacked had puzzles up to next Sunday, but skipped directly from Sunday to Tuesday. No puzzle for Monday!
ReplyDeleteBTW, just what is that AEROLE picture of? It's certainly neither nipple nor eye.
It's been that long since NYT xword was dropped by the TB Times. I had to read CC's expo twice to grok the theme.
ReplyDeleteI did FIR by getting JAM as a typical R&R word.
I did this in the back seat traveling from Homosassa back to Sun City.
My brother, a missionary to Kenya would have known Jomo. Maybe personally.
If you're going to mash potatoes, you've got to cover them with gravy.
WC
PS. I put the tennis on tape, I'll still watch the last set . I wonder if I've extended it enough.
Splendid Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Mark and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI have no newspaper on Sunday and thus have the advantage of red letters online. But this CW filled fairly quickly. But hand up for looking for FBI in the long answers and totally missing the clever theme, until reading C.C.'s explanation.
The Kenyatta family is a prominent one in Kenya. JOMO is the father of current President Uhuru (another CW name!).
I didn't get this posted earlier and it is WEES by now.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes and the appropriate cake, CED. I celebrated with the family last weekend, but on the actual day (Thursday), DH and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake and saw Rope at the Royal George Theatre (part of the Shaw). We had a lovely lunch in NOTL (and I had an Empire cookie from the local bakery!) EmpireCookies
Then we enjoyed a concert in the park and supper market. Beautiful day.
Jack Carter@10:49 - you must be Canadian to know that we are always saying SORRY! LOL
And No, HuskerG, you are not missing any U's!
Glad you enjoy my comments. I'll try to be worthy.
Wilbur, I suggest allowing an hour and a quarter or a bit more. The last set took about 55 minutes, but the presentation and their speeches are worth watching too.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Mr. Eh!
ReplyDeleteLucina, sorry to hear of your double losses. Many memories I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteJayce, happy to hear the good report re your DIL.
YR, glad you had a restful week away.
Abejo, I don't think I could stomach that DUCK SOUP! I Googled a recipe just to check that I was correctly reading Duck blood. But then, there are blood sausages. Our ancestors used every part of the animal.
Wilbur,
ReplyDeleteOops, I'm so sorry. That fifth set lasted more than two hours! Don't know what I was thinking.
SORRY, I neglected to wish one of the fav bloggers, C-EH a fond HBD
ReplyDeleteDuck was always a good choice at the Chinese restaurants around Boston.
Sandy, I would have been rooting for Federer. I guess Djokovic didn't make the mistakes Nadal made.
38. Seems so young but Tennis years it's pretty old.
I'll probably get to the match Tuesday. I elected Redsox- Dodgers for tonight. I've got some golf to watch too.
Somehow the Golf results haven't shown up- John Deere that is.
WC
OwenKL:
ReplyDeleteI also wondered about that AREOLA. We've seen it before in puzzles and with much different illustrations.
C eh!
It sounds like you had a lovely celebration for your birthday.
YR:
What a beautiful trip! How nice that you had such a good chance to rest and visit with your sister.
I'm late because my family was here for dinner and then I watched Grantchester. If you're a fan and haven't watched it, spoiler alert! A big change in casting is afoot.
Fun challenge today. Worked it between chores, a meeting, playing ball with Fido, etc. Do agree that theme seemed contrived. Would have been better if FBI AGENTS letters had started the chosen words.
ReplyDeleteI see I fell asleep before my last Sunday post. Besides mashed potatoes needing gravy I was going to mention that my brother, a Kenya missionary would opine first hand on JOMO Kenyatta.
ReplyDeleteI had _LO. And miraculously WAGed JLO. The clue is Monday easy for the TV Guide xword audience.
EFT, ESAI,ERIE and ENA. YR, are these all in your Xword notebook? (Along with ASAO(AOKI),OREO, URN and ULM(and YSER). The list is long.
Del Baker was the third base coach of the Redsox throughout my boyhood ('45-60)*. Noted for sign stealing ability (would that be "cheating" in this PC crazed world?)
WC
*Except '48-50