google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Steve Mossberg

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Aug 28, 2019

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Steve Mossberg

Theme: THOUGHT FOR FOOD.  The first words of two-word theme answers can also be defined as active kitchen terms.  So let's start with today's theme song.



17 A. *Speak carefully to avoid offense: MINCE WORDS.  Usually presented in the negative, as laying it all on the line.  To MINCE a food item is chop or grind it into very small pieces, often in a machine with revolving blades.

21 A. *Yahtzee, for one: DICE GAME.  The object of the game is score points by rolling 5 DICE to get certain combinations.  I was surprised to discover it was first marketed in Toledo, my home town, in the early 40's.  To DICE food, you cut it into small cubes.

40 A. *Homemade song assortment: MIX TAPE.  A compilation of favorite music, usually by a variety of artists, on some sort of home recording device, TAPEs being quite passé these days.  To MIX is to combine various ingredients so that they are all evenly distributed.

42 A. *Vocally imitate a drum machine: BEAT BOX.  Exactly as described.



To BEAT a combination of ingredients is to stir it vigorously with a fork, whisk, or mechanical beater to make a smooth or frothy MIXture.

56 A. *Lunch from home: BROWN BAG.  To pack a lunch, typically in a BROWN paper bag designed for that purpose, and take it to another destination such as school or a work site.  You BROWN an item by heating it on a stove, typically in a skillet or pan.

65 A. Kitchen guide ... and where to find the starts of the answers to starred clues: RECIPE BOOK. A published collection of cooking directions - e.g. RECIPES - for various dishes.

Hi, Gang.  JzB here to host this dinner.  Did the theme whet your appetite for the main course? Let's grab our forks and see what Steve has cooked up for us.

Across:

1. Renovator's protective cover: TARP.  A sheet of canvas or plastic that protects floors and furniture from paint drips, dust, or physical damage during the renovation process.

5. Not so exciting: HO-HUM.

10. Soak up the sun: BASK.  Relax in the pleasant warmth.

14. "Dies __": Latin hymn: IRAE.

Almost 8 minutes - discretion is advised

15. Yoga pose: ASANA.  A posture used in hatha yoga.

16. Hatchet man __ Brasi of "The Godfather": LUCA.


Karma - not easy to watch; discretion is advised.

19. Spoken: ORAL.

20. 2019 award for author Walter Mosley: EDGAR.  Mystery writer's award name for E. A. Poe.

23. Cry of success that can also be a sarcastic admission of failure: NAILED IT.  Some days you get the NAIL, some days the NAIL gets you.

26. Ad-__: improvise: LIB.

29. "__ won't do": THIS.

30. Pinch pennies: SCRIMP.  Often partnered with save.

35. Post-op sites: ICUS. Intensive Care Units.

37. Not fooled by: ON TO.  Have it figured out.

39. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum city: HANOI.  He was the revolutionary leader who won Viet Nam's independence from France in 1954.

44. Spoken: ALOUD. Audible.

45. Poetry event: SLAM.  We humans can make anything into a competition - even the reading of poetry.

47. Hatcher or Polo: TERI.  American actors, born in 1964 and 1969, respectively.  What - no love for Teri Garr [b 1944]?

48. Status __: SYMBOL. A possession that is considered to indicate wealth or social standing.

50. Forget to mention: OMIT.  Leave out, elide.

52. Report card bummer: DEE.  Poor grade.

53. Norse mythology upheaval used as the subtitle of a 2017 "Thor" film: RAGNAROK.  The fate or twilight of the gods - a series of events leading up to a great battle, the death of many of the gods, and devastating h=natural disasters on earth.

60. Repairs: MENDS.  Fixerates

64. Marshmallow blackener: FIRE.  Camp or bon, most likely.

68. Discomfit: FAZE. Disturb.

69. Save a ton on the wedding reception?: ELOPE. How will the lack of a reception be received?

70. Not pro: ANTI-.  I'm against it.

71. Sty feed: SLOP.  For the big and little piggies.

72. Often __: half the time: AS NOT.

73. Check signer: BOSS.  Payroll.

Down:

1. Life partner: TIME.  Magazines, not companions.

2. Dry as a desert: ARID. Too dry or barren to support vegetation.

3. Tolled, as a bell: RANG. Pealed.

4. Pie nut: PECAN.  Not to be confused with pine nuts, which are in pesto.

5. Word after hee or yee: HAW.  The braying of an ass or a celebratory howl.

6. Spanish bear: OSO.

7. Most challenging: HARDEST.  Surpassingly difficult.

8. Reversed: UNDID.  Cancelled, repealed, retracted.

9. Dinosaur Jr. frontman J __: MASCIS.  This band was formed in 1984 and was one of the formative influences in American alternative rock.  I never heard of them.

10. Online journal: BLOG. A contraction of WEBLOG.  You are reading one.

11. General vibe: AURA.  I have a feeling.

12. Take in: SCAM. Here, SCAM is a verb, indicating an attempt to dupe somebody.

13. Leafy vegetable: KALE.  A cruciferous vegetable coming in several varieties with green or purple leaves.

18. Middle of Q.E.D.: ERAT.  From the Latin phrase "quod erat demonstrandum," meaning "what was to be demonstrated, indicating that a mathematical proof or philosophical argument was completed.

22. __ Sketch: ETCHA.  Quite possibly the most frustrating toy ever invented.



24. Blue-roofed eatery: I-HOP.  For breakfast and lunch, mainly.

25. Fishing gear: LINES.  Rods and reels would otherwise be useless.

26. Succotash beans: LIMAS.  Mixed with corn, and possibly other things, like tomatoes or sweet peppers.

27. Without warmth: ICILY.



28. Full-bosomed: BUXOMBlessing or curse?

31. "Out of the Cellar" metal band: RATT.  This was their debut studio album, released in 1984.

32. Under the covers: IN BED. Possibly asleep.

33. Boxing legend Archie: MOORE. Archibald Lee Wright [1916-1998] was the longest reigning light-heavyweight of all time - December, 1952 to May, 1962.  He had an extraordinarily long career, from 1935 to 1963.

34. Impish fairy: PIXIE.  Diminutive mythical creatures that are childlike, active, and occasionally pranksters.

36. Incomplete Wikipedia entry: STUB.  Needs more info.

38. "Becoming" memoirist Michelle: OBAMA.  Former first lady, nee Robinson [b 1964.]

41. Add beauty to: ADORN.  Decorate.

43. Mideast noble: EMIR.

46. Scam that takes a while to pay off: LONG CON.  An elaborate scheme to trick someone into giving up money or other valuables.

49. __ Tar Pits: LA BREA.  Inside the city of Las Angeles.

51. Thick book: TOME.  Read one if you have enough Tome time.

54. Irish speakers: GAELS.  An ethnolinguistic group associated with Irish, Manx and Scottish languages.

55. Meaty fare from a falafel stand: KEBAB.  Any of various grilled meat dishes cooked in a middle-eastern stye.

56. Closest pals, initially: BFFS. Best Friends Forever.

57. Tehran money: RIAL.  Currently about .003 of a U. S. cent.

58. Rice-shaped pasta: ORZO.

59. Shed tears: WEEP. Cry.

61. Pitching gem, in baseball slang: NONO.  A perfectly pitched game with NO runs, NO hits, and NO errors.

62. "i" pieces: DOTS.  Don't forget to dot your i's and cross your t's.

63. Hits the slopes: SKIS.  Goes SKIing.

66. Wall St. debut: IPOInitial Public Offering.

67. Darling: PET.  Most favored individual.

That finishes off our well-rounded Wednesday entree.  Did you notice that we had two green vegetables, meat and a starch - in addition to our IHOP visit?  Is anybody else ready for desert?

Cool Regards!
JzB


53 comments:

D4E4H said...

FIR in too much time to mention.

Good morning Cornies.

Thank you Steve Mossberg for this crunchy Wedneday CW. Last to fall was the Natick at 53 A -- RAGNAROK, and 46 D -- LONGCON.

Thank you Jazzbumpa for your excellent review with music videos.

Ðave

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

EMAG morphed to BLOG and LURES to LINES, but otherwise this was a quick, smooth solving experience. No, d-o didn't notice the theme. Didn't need it. RATT and MASCIS were, are, and shall remain to be unknown to me. Thanx, Steve and JzB (and thanx for 'splainin' how a NO-NO could be a good thing).

ELOPE -- JzB, this old radio guy knows that the "lack of reception" will undoubtedly result in static.

LONG CON -- Let's see hands for those who thought of The Sting.

MIX TAPE -- I put 'em on thumb drives and listen to 'em in the truck...er, in the car.

DW was upset when Runty had been absent for over 36-hours. That's the magic point-of-no-return in her mind. There was a commotion around three this morning when the prodigal announced that she'd come home (and where was her breakfast?). She'd been missing more than 48 hours.

Lemonade714 said...

I guess this must be the same Steve Mossberg who just had his published puzzle debut in the WSJ on August 8. Welcome to the world of the LAT Steve.

My boys had introduced me to the music of DINOSAUR JR.before the left to go to college and I liked some of it.

I liked how Steve BLENDED all the food terms into the theme and then STIRRED in some other topics, like reminding me of the great boxer ARCHIE MOORE.

Thanks, Ron and Steve.

Ken Johnson said...

Ths slang NONO refers to the first syllable of no-hitter being repeated. Just as kids these days like to refer to the police as POPO. Without getting into the minutiae of baseball rules, we've probably heard that even though a team may not have hits they can still have runs from the effect of the other team having errors and such.

Using the thumb and finger thingy, all perfect games are NONOs but not all NONOs are perfect games.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR without erasure or guess, but I don't know how. So many unknowns - LUCA, BEAT BOX, poetry SLAM, RAGNAROK and MASCIS. But I did know RATT from their great song Round and Round.

I guess I've been listening to the oldies station too much, because for "_____ won't do" I thought of William and Mary from Steely Dan's great song My Old School.

Thanks to Steve for the difficlt puzzle which you made workable with strategic perps. My favorite was "full-bosomed" for BUXOM because... well, just because. And thanks to JzB for another interesting review.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

KJ, leadoff walk, steal second, sac fly to right, sac fly to center, earned run scores with no hits no errors. Just one of several ways.

inanehiker said...

Smooth solve with perps to the rescue for MASCIS. Fun theme with different uses for the words then the cooking terms.

I always enjoy the music links JzB and thanks to Steve for a creative puzzle.

For the baseball trivia fans: a fun Sporcle quiz
https://www.sporcle.com/games/jfrank9/baseball-on-final-jeopardy

Also asking for suggestions - I have a friend I am going to spend the day with who has a brain tumor, who is just getting out of the hospital from falling and breaking a hip. I'm sure she'll nap quite a bit - but not sure of a good way to spend the rest of the time as she can't follow a TV show or movie or a book due to language processing issues. We used to go on short walks but that is limited from her hip recovery.

Charlie H. said...

Dont I know all too well.

On April 23, 1964, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s became the only pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings when he was beaten, 1–0, by Cincinnati. The winning run was scored by Pete Rose in the top of the ninth inning via an error, groundout, and another error.

OwenKL said...

FIWrong. SCkIMP+kATT. I knew skimp was misspelt, but it didn't occur to me that it was the wrong word entirely!

Please go work the jigsaw puzzle HERE. I promise it will be worth it. And leave your comments on it there instead of (or in addition to) here.

Oh, I have been in I.C.U.
The care was passing fair.
It twas a stint in the E.R.
At first that put me there.
My life a germ almost UNDID,
It got into my blood.
ANTI-biotics rescued me,
Counter-invading in a flood!
Now I lay here, firm IN BED,
Heavy hangs the TIME.
So glad I am for friends like you
Who cheer me on on-LINE!

{A}

John E said...

Owen, A+++ Recover soon and well.

Anonymous said...

Inanehiker

As someone who recently spent alot of time with a housebound friend, I have a few suggestions. But my friends favorite activity was merely good conversation. The best times she had were reminiscing. She was family and heavily into our genealogy. One day I dug out her charts and her research from ancestry he let her talk and talk about grandparents and cemeteries and research done at libraries in small towns. She had lots of stories to tell of helpful librarians and the waitress at nearby diners.

Also for a week or two I helped her to sort through show boxes of photos and organize them into several different albums to give to her kids. The stories she would tell would make us laugh and laugh for hours.

Anonymous said...

*shoe boxes! Of course....

Yellowrocks said...

Great recipe for a delightful puzzle you cooked up, Steve. Thanks for the perps to get MASCIs and RATT. Jazz, this is one of your best. I liked your humor and your music. Ray Charles was an inspired choice.
Has anyone here heard of RAGNAROK? Not I. Wikipedia says, "The event is attested primarily in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson." I have heard of the Eddas and Snorri Sturluson.
Reading about it I recognized Wagner's Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), which Wikipedia says is a German translation of the Norse myth. It is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung, or The Ring for short).
The “Ring” cycle lasts 17 hours. But that’s over several days, with days off between each of the four operas and long breaks after every act. The last music drama is the longest one, lasting 5 and a half hours. I like some of the arias, but I don't have the patience to sit through even one complete drama.
Owen, thank goodness you survived. Sepsis can be deadly. It is usually very debilitating and takes time to recover from. Alan was in the hospital an entire week because of it and in rehab for 4 more weeks. I am pulling for you to recover quickly. BTW I liked your poem, Owen A++.
Our family plays Yahtzee. Alan really likes it. I help with his scoring.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Steve Mossberg, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.

Puzzle went fine with a Wednesday level. A few tough ones. Theme appeared easily. Very good theme.

ASANA, MIX TAPE, BEAT BOX, TERI, RAGNAROK, MASCIS were all arrived at with perps. All unknown to me.

Liked LUCA Brasi and the clip. I saw that movie and remember that part very well. The Godfather was one of the best movies I ever saw. Read the book as well.

I still have a wad of RIALs from Tehran. I am sure I could not spend them in Iran. They all have the Shah's picture on them.

Finished guarding this morning, now I am off to Elgin Community College to volunteer at the book store. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

desper-otto said...

YR, I remember RAGNAROK from an episode of Stargate SG-1. It occurred on an alien planet, conveniently populated by Norse people. Back in olden times when I was stationed on Guam the ET (Electronics Tech) at our AFRS station, Gossage, spent most of his spare time in Studio B listening to recordings of Wagner's Ring. He never seemed to get sick of it. The rest of us sickened more easily.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I “voweled out” with two bad cells on ASAN_/M_SCIS and R_GNAROK/L_BREA
-“I’d rather be a hammer than a NAIL, yes I would”
-A freshman in our hometown NAILED IT last night. Her homerun hit the top of the scoreboard behind the left field fence!
-One who does not MINCE words can wind up having to MEND fences
-As BOSS, I signed 600 of those checks every summer for my detasselers
-I wanted LIMB for life partner first
-I-HOP – Don’t cha just love breakfast later in the day sometimes?
-Me, D-O! The LONG CON in The Sting started with a poker game on a train
-Official scorekeepers have received a lot of pressure to change a hit into an error to preserve a no-hitter

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I caught the cooking terms early on but was still surprised by the reveal. My unknowns were Mascis and Ratt and my only w/o was Busty/Buxom. (I should have known better.) I did need perps for the correct spelling of Ragnarock which I remembered as part of a movie title. There was just the right amount of crunch for a Wednesday, IMO.

Thank you, Steve, for a tasty midweek treat and thanks, JzB, for putting the icing on the cake with your expert analysis and corresponding links.

Owen, I hope you're well on your way to recovery and headed home soon.

I never saw the Superman movies but it was quite sad to see the clip of the young, handsome and carefree couple, Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, in their prime, knowing of his future horrific accident and its aftermath and her downward spiral into despair and mental illness and, I believe, early death. May they both RIP.

Have a great day.

Big Easy said...

Good morning!. No HO-HUM puzzle today. Never noticed the kitchen words. Tougher than the usual Wednesday fare. But it didn't FAZE me (never heard the word 'discomfit') me at all. I NAILED IT after having to fill quite a few unknowns with perps- J MASCIS (or Dinosaur Jr.), RAGNAROK, STUB, RATT (or the song), BEAT BOX.

Life & TIME- does Life magazine even exist?
IHOP- took the grandkids there Sunday
BUSTY had to change to BUXOM.
LONG CON- most gov. retirement systems; the politicians who set them up got theirs but future taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. Oh, Politics is a NONO here. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Speed run today, 5:23. Thanks to a Thor movie advertising, I knew Ragnarok (though didn't know the spelling). I know Dinosaur Jr. is a band, but always thought they were obscure. I was unfamiliar with discomfit.

Jerome Gunderson said...

Ho Chi Minh was so impressed by our revolution that in a 1945 speech proclaiming Vietnam as an independent country he began with "All men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness"

Just as an aside... I once asked a friend of Ho's if he ever sang. The response was "No. HO HUM"

desper-otto said...

You may go to your room now, Jerome.

Anonymous said...

I initially thought post-op site said pop-up site.

TTP said...



Thank you Steve Mossberg and thank you JzB !

Didn't know Dinosaur but did no RATT. I've mentioned before that my DW sat next to the lead singer on a plane trip from San Diego to Chicago. ie, the church lady sitting next to a rock n roller.

Save your finger and thumb when trying to start a small nail or brad. Use a bobby pin to hold the brad and keep your digits out of the strike zone.

JzB, your "Blessing or Curse" link started on page 19. I had to change the 19 to 01 in the link to get the full brunt. It was very educational. The things a person can learn here are amazing.

Boomer, watched the Twins hit two solo home runs in their 3-1 victory over Giolito, but then the sandman visited.

Back to the errands.

Spitzboov said...

G'day everyone.

Just returned from Syracuse where BH had a recurring colonoscopy. Everything A-OK - clean as a whistle. On the way home, we had a late breakfast at I-HOP. I favor the Swedish crepes with lingonberries. Das Essen hat sehr gut geschmeckt.

Did the puzzle while I waited for BH's procedure to be accomplished. No real broblems. Had never heard of ASANA or MASCIS so I had an 'I' where an 'A' should be. A Natick. Theme was uneventful.

Rainy and cool here today. Summer is starting to recede.

Lucina said...

Hola!

JazzB, I'll take PECAN pie for dessert and contrary to popular opinion, our ARID desert supports much vegetation. Many desert plants flourish out here such as saguaros, ocotillo, yucca, mesquite trees, palo verde trees, etc. yet it is extremely ARID. In fact we have not had rain in at least three months.

I'm surprised many of you had trouble with ASANA, a yoga term we have seen many times in puzzle. But perhaps it's because I practice it that I know it.

Hand up for Busty before BUXOM. Yes, it can be a problem, speaking for myself, especially when one is a teenager and clothes do not accommodate a large one.

MASCIS and RAGNAROK took all perps to complete.

I like to cook ORZO sometimes instead of rice. It makes for a nice change.

SCAM and LONG CON in this puzzle. Steve, what were you thinking?

OwenKL:
Excellent poem about your travail. I hope you are recovering well.

Thank you, Steve Mossberg and Jazzbumpa; I love your expos, JazzB.

Have yourselves a lovely day, everyone! I shall BASK in the summer sunshine here but not for long, only while I hang clothes outside. It's beastly hot.

CanadianEh! said...

Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Steve and JzB.
I FIRed and got the kitchen theme. Nearly had a Natick with the cross of RAGNAROK and LONGCON but an alphabet run finally gave me something that made sense for 46D. Another alphabet run gave me the T in BEATBOX and RATT.

I thought of Ad Hoc before LIB.
Thanks for explaining NONO's baseball meaning.
I smiled at the new clue for ELOPE. But often, there is a party when the couple returns, so perhaps only a "half-ton" is saved!
I recommend "Becoming" by Michelle OBAMA. A good read, which gave this Canadian an insider's view into American politics.

Hope your recovery continues quickly, Owen.
Wishing you all a great day.

AnonymousPVX said...


This was a nice Wednesday puzzle.

No markovers today.

First thing I thought of for “long con” was The Sting. That film holds up.

See you tomorrow.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Tough but do-able--a rewarding pzl from Mr. Mossberg.

ASANA reminded me of a line from the novel I'm reading:
"Louise had tried yoga, but she found herself wanting to yell at the teacher to get a move on."

Irish Miss ~ I share your lamentation for the fates awaiting the young Kidder & Reeves. Classic cases of how Time UNDID all the glories that fortune had heaped upon them.
“On what slender threads do life and fortune hang… !”
~ OMK

Lucina said...

Canadian Eh!
I second your recommendation for Michelle OBAMA's "Becoming". It's well written and offers such a vivid picture of her early life and later when she married Barack. I may read it again but right now I have the next book in the Millennium series started by Stieg Larsson and continued by David Lagercrantz. He does a good job, first with The Girl Who Gave an Eye for an Eye and the current one, The Girl Who Lived Twice, all about Lisbeth Salander.

Starting tomorrow evening I'll be staying at my daughter's home to care for my granddaughter while her parents attend a wedding in Chicago. I may or may not post depending on how it all works out. They will be gone until Sunday.

Big Easy said...

Canadian Eh!

Presidents' wives are not elected and should butt out of making political statements one way or the other (except to back their husbands' campaign). As to the one you mentioned, she was nothing but a political parasite taking money in various ways from the taxpayers of Illinois. There's big money to be made being on the inside of the Chicago Political machine. Big Money.

Don't believe it? Just look up the history of her six-figure do-nothing jobs.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. Hand up for thinking of The Sting. I didn't know RATT or MASCIS and, as desper-otto said, they shall remain to be unknown to me. I did know RAGNAROK, which I learned about from a college roommate who is (was) Norwegian, and whose name, coincidentally, was Ragnar.

Owen, loved your poem!

I think there is a company called Time-Life.

I think TERI Polo is a damn good actress.

Like Yellowrocks, I like many of the arias and scenes in Wagner's operas, but can't sit still through a whole one. The only one I listened to all the way through, more than once even, was Das Rheingold, an excellent recording by Georg Solti.

Warm regards to you all.

Michael said...

Chill, Big Easy, chill. You may not like Mrs. Obama, but please keep your political views to yourself.

Alice said...

Come on Big Easy.... live up to your nickname. Others will disagree with us from time to time, but we still should be nice. ❤️

Anonymous said...

Presidents'wives are private citizens and entitled to express their opinions, especially after leaving the White House.
"...butt out of making political statements one way or the other (except to back their husbands' campaign). " Ye heavens, are we back in the 50's again where the little woman knows her place?

Sandyanon said...

Well, I think Mr. Easy has made his politics pretty clear over time.

Nancy said...

Lol. Hey BE, take it from someone who knows. When you feel like expressing an opinion you suspect might not be popular here, Just Say No. Haha

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thank you, Steve, for getting the day cooking with a great obvious theme & fun puzzle. Thanks, JzB, for a great expo.

Last to fill: "B" in STUB/SYMBOL. 36d. I didn't know an incomplete Wikipedia entry was a STUB. Finally WAGd it from SYMBOL altho that clue didn't move me in the right direction either.

DNK: LUCA, LASCIS, MOORE, RAGNAROK, RATT.

Hand up for reading and liking Michelle OBAMA's "Becoming". I admire her very much.

Owen: great poem. Glad we can lift your mood a little bit. Know you've had a rough time. Best healing thoughts sent your way.

Sandyanon said...

Actually, Big Easy's and subsequent comments have led me to wonder again, as I have before, what role a First Gentleman could/would play.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thank you Steve for the "light" Wednesday puzzle after Paul's Crunchy Tuesday. I flew through the grid with a little hiccup at Ad-hoc b/f LIB.

Wonderful expo Jazz! Thanks for the tunes.

WOs: Ad-hoc b/f LIB. Couldn't get LE B-RA spelt right at first.
ESPs: RAGNAROK's spelling, ICUS, IRAE, Archie MOORE, LUCA, MASCIS
Fav: ETCH-A-Sketch [Dilbert]

{A+!} Stay strong Bro.

RATT - Really Another Tasteless Talentless [hair-band]. I guess I liked some of their music in the '80s but, unlike Wagner, it doesn't really hold up.

Rules of making a MIX TAPE [1:30]

In 2003, six Astros pitchers combined to present the Yankees with their first NO NO since '58. [2:03]

Have fun with the Grand Lucina! We'll keep your seat warm while you're away.

Jayce TIME-LIFE is a company. You can buy all kinds of compilations from them... //I think that's who made the 10-BOX CD set of classical music I have.

Jerome - you can come out of your room now :-)

Cheers, -T

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Since I wouldn't budge from "hoc" to "lib the "mid east" block was my downfall. Otherwise a fun puzzle

Anonymous said...

Perhaps noted previously ad nauseum, but the Mensa.org website switched to the Universal Crossword instead of the LA Times. (https://www.us.mensa.org/play/games/games/universal-crossword/)

Bill G said...

Trivial whinging #1

A local CBS radio station is KNX. Many of it's on-air newscasters pronounce DEPUTY as DEP-EH-TY. It sounds very sloppy to my ears.

Trivial whinging #2

Most people seem to pronounce SANDWICH as SAM-WICH.

Now I'll try to find something worthwhile to think about...

Sandyanon said...

You could think about NUC-U-LAR, Bill.

SwampCat said...

Loved this one and FIR. Surprise! Thanks Steve. JzB I agree ETCH A SCKTCH was a disaster!

Owen, I loved your poem and hope you keep on feeling better. You know we are here when you need us!

OwenKL said...

Anon@6:09 -- Mensa may have added the Universal crossword, but the LATimes is still there at https://www.us.mensa.org/base/includes/display_objects/custom/AML/gamesroom/LACross/xword_online_mx1.swf.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Bill G, I couldn't agree with you more. It drives me crazy when people refuse to pronounce it "sammich"! (We even have several restaurants who spell it that way on their menu headers.) Irregardless we must insist they talk good. (Can't believe spell check likes "irregardless".)

Alice said...

Bill G,
How about the way so many people are pronouncing "fer" for "for"? It so prevalent today, and its awful.

Bill G said...

Sandyanon, I think I used to say NU-CU-LAR until I realized it was wrong. So I changed. Now I'm almost perfect. :>)

Yellowrocks said...

Many words have several pronunciations, especially in regard to the informality of the ocassion. Sammich has made it into the vernacular. For a long time, in less formal conversation, the D has been elided in san(d)wich.
It seems that "new klee er" seems to be the only acceptable pronunciation of nuclear, but maybe not.
In informal speech FOR with a schwa is acceptable. It need not be pronounced FORE.
Most people would talk to a beer buddy more informally than they would speak at a professional academic conference. Anyone being that formal with a beer buddy would be thought pretentious. You don't wear a tuxedo to a backyard barbecue.
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Anonymous said...

OwenKL @ 7:26

Thanks for the link. The current default puzzle is Saturday's (August 31st). I haven't experienced such advance offerings.

Anonymous T said...

Well, NERTS YR. I guess I'll call Al's Formal Wear and cancel my rental for the Friday Fish Fry...

Bill G - you want some real fun to kvetch upon? So,,, this year at BlackHat, a company called Crown Sterling got boos from the nerds [the corporate ones who could afford the $2,500 tix - go low-class Defcon ($300 cash) nerds!] for their quasi-primes that AI-Time-based would make Unicorns fart Skittles (or somesuch that, in mirror-reflecting infinite wave conjugations, produce).

Here's Wired's take. Feel free to try to breakdown the maths.

Bonus points if you can pronouncificate the following properly...
"the world's first 'non-factor' based quantum AI encryption based on polygons, AI-composed music, Fibonacci's sequence, and various other things." Remember - n-notation counts :-)

Cheers, -T

Wilbur Charles said...

NONO talk made me research this historic moment:

"For 8​2⁄3 innings in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series (Floyd)Bevens had held the Dodgers hitless despite giving up a Series record ten walks. The Yankees were nursing a 2–1 lead"...With two outs and two on in the bottom of the ninth, Lavagetto swung and missed for strike one but then on Bevens' second (and last) pitch lined a double off the right field wall scoring both runners and winning the game for the Dodgers 3-2 with their only hit."

In little league I pitched a no-hitter with a scorecard line of 0-0-9-11. I don't know if 9-11 were walks-strikeouts or the reverse*

Probably just as well that I never stayed awake to post this.

WC

*6 innings to make it even stranger

Wendybird said...

Believe it or not, I know a man who says “disirregardless”!!