google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, October 18, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

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Oct 18, 2019

Friday, October 18, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters


"The Ess Sense of Questionable New Phrases"

17. Iranian vocal improvisation?: PERSIAN SCAT.

24. Household employee's fraudulent ruse?: NANNY SCAM.

38. Nursery school air fresheners?: DAYCARE SCENTERS.

50. Poem that seemed awfully profound at the bar last night?: PUB SCRAWL.

62. What optical character recognition software often produces?: GARBAGE SCAN.

Across:

1. Show anxiety, in a way: PACE.

5. No good: FUTILE.

11. Prankster's projectile: EGG

14. Excited response to a cue: I'M ON.   It's showtime.   Break a leg !

15. Pressed: IRONED.

16. Also: TOO.

19. Primitive dwelling: HUT.   The original Pizza Hut:

20. Furniture cleaning brand: ENDUST.

21. Bar __: CAR.

22. Assistant: AIDE.

23. Web address: URL.   Uniform Resource Locator

26. Approve: AGREE TO.

29. Put into words: SAY.  Phrase.

30. Preface to a conviction: IMO.   In My Opinion.  A conviction as in a firmly held belief.

31. Product warning: AS IS.    I remember one particular auctioneer's call at the start of the auction: "You are buying as is, how is, where is."  

34. Sew up again: REHEM

42. First name in black-and-white photos: ANSEL.

43. Stash: STOW.

44. Cabinet dept.: AGRiculture.  "Founded in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture.   Two and one-half years later, in what would be his final annual message to the Congress; Lincoln called USDA "The People's Department."   At that time, about half of all Americans lived on farms, compared with about 2 percent today."   USDA.gov/About

45. Born, in Brussels: NEE.

47. Smidge, to a laddie: WEE DROP.  

55. Realtor's unit: LOT.

56. Words of understanding: I SEE.

57. Shad product: ROE.

58. Tabloid output: SLEAZE.

61. Catch: NAB.

64. I problem?: EGO.

65. Purpose: INTENT.

66. "This is terrible!": OH NO.

67. Intl. Talk Like a Pirate Day month: SEPtember.   Arrgh !

68. Sudden reactions: STARTS. - Start:  "...of Germanic origin; related to Dutch storten ‘push’ and German stürzen ‘fall headlong, fling’.  From the sense ‘sudden movement’ arose the sense ‘initiation of movement, setting out on a journey’ and hence ‘beginning of a process, etc.’."

69. Crucial things: KEYS.   "People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made." - Joan Rivers.

Down:

1. Plumbing item: PIPE.

2. "So be it!": AMEN.

3. Casual pants: CORDUROYs.   The term corduroy comes from an 18th century English word for coarse woolen cloth (duroy) and cord, for the wales.

4. Make certain: ENSURE.   Ascertain.

5. Decree: FIAT.   Derisively, the car FIAT is an initialism for Failure In Automotive Technology.

6. Item near a sugar bowl, perhaps: URN.

7. Opera about an opera singer: TOSCAtheopera101.com - operas - tosca

8. Peruvian of old: INCAN.

9. Comes to realize: LEARNS.

10. Summer CT clock setting: EDT.

11. Moral principle: ETHIC.

12. Big wheel in delis: GOUDA.  This isn't South Holland, Michigan:


18. Hebrides unit: ISLE.

22. So far: AS YET

24. Pokes (around): NOSES.   Into someone else's affairs or belongings.  Snoops.

25. Knitter's need: YARN.   Hello, Madame Defarge !

26. Opera about an African princess: AIDA.   Synopsis of Verdi's Opera, Aida

27. Gangster movie hero, perhaps: GMAN.  And 13D. 27-Down's victorious words: GOT 'EM.

28. Sailor: TAR.

32. Follower's suffix: IST.

33. Displeased look: SCOWL.  

35. Sad song subject: HEARTACHE.


36. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.   I blog, therefore I am.

37. Car sticker amt.: MSRP.   Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.   Kelley Blue Book - What is MSRP ?

39. Perfume with myrrh, say: CENSE.   Turns out cense is a verb (archaic),   therefore,   perfume is a verb rather than a noun in this clue.   We know the modern word as incense, in both noun and verb forms.   And for the second definition of the modern form in past tense, "The rookie solver was incensed with this clue."

40. Actor Guinness: ALEC.   Sir Alec Guinness

41. Lamb's dam: EWE.   Cute clue !

46. Roaming, like a knight: ERRANT.   Errant: 2. - archaic•literary: traveling in search of adventure.

48. Palindromic Parisian pronoun: ELLE.

49. Performs adequately: DOES OK.   On the second day in one of my first staff positions early in my career,  I was led down the hall by the director who introduced me to the regional vice president. "Middle of the pack is not acceptable" was all he said, meaning doing OK was not sufficient.    I guess he wasn't satisfied with the latest numbers that had come in. 

50. Longs: PINES.   A typically rural and olden usage. 

51. Treatment: USAGE.

52. Jazz style: BEBOP.  Dizzy Gillespie came to mind.

53. Vital vessel: AORTA.  Vessel: 3. - Anatomy•Zoology: a duct or canal holding or conveying blood or other fluid.

54. Barbecue brand: WEBER.   This is the design of the original Weber Genesis grill in 1985.   I bought a new one in 1989, thinking that the almost $400 price tag was steep, but it is going strong thirty years later, and I've never had to replace a single part.  My bottom shelves are composite rather than the wire rack shown.

58. Some NCOs: SGTs. Non Commissioned Officers: Sergeants. Pairs with 62D. Base figs.: GIs.  GI is an initialism for either Government Issue or General Issue because of the general items disbursed to soldiers and army airmen. Over time, GI came to mean a soldier.

59. Wacko: ZANY.  Not my cuppa for humor. 

60. First chimp in orbit: ENOS.  "Enos was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA. He was the first chimpanzee, and third hominid after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit. Enos' flight occurred on November 29, 1961."  - Wikipedia.  

63. Small colonist: ANT. Easy, but cute.


Check your answers against this grid:


Notes from C.C.:

Just heard from Dennis. He's recovering nicely. Already off all pain meds. Right now he's in the step-down unit and he hopes to be home next Monday. 

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.






59 comments:

OwenKL said...

ALEC IRONED it, but it was FUTILE,
It was still as wrinkled as a strudel.
He apologized
To all the guys.
"Crepe is supposed to be wrinkled, you doodle!"

A TABLOID is full of SLEAZE,
About who is who else's squeeze.
Or who's not true
To you know who --
Most of it's not worth a sneeze!

CORDUROY pants are not quiet.
The worst ones sound like a riot!
But to give them up
Can really be rough,
It's a HEART-ACHE to no longer buy it.

At each PUB CRAWL stop
Imbibing just a WEE DROP,
Can ENSURE
Voice won't slur
While singing along with BEBOP!

MYRRH incense is used to CENSE
Church aisles with pleasant SCENTS.
So when parishioners' poses
Are holding their NOSES,
The sermon's causing intense incense!

If a hemmer has to RE-HEM
It's no reflection on them.
A child has grown,
Or fashion sown
A mini-er style has GOT 'EM!

{B-, B-, B, B+, A-, B-.} Manic may result in increased output, but unfortunately not increased quality. 😢

Oas said...

Great morning all.
Fun puzzle today thanks to the construcor D.A.Bywaters.
Caught the theme early which helped with the solve.
The only unfamiliar word was CENSE , tho it makes perfect sense .
My favorite clue Roaming like a knight.
DON QUIOTE night ERRANT de La Mancha by Cervantes is a favorite reading for me on a lazy winters day. I enjoy it in English but find it much funnier in Spanish.

Thanks TTP for the review and OWEKL for the fun verses. Enjoyed them as always.
Cheers

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Zipped right through this one with only a few stumbles. I wanted WEE DRAM, and learned that I don't know how to spell SLEAZE. Actually got the theme, so that makes it a red letter day. Thanx, D.A.B. and T.T.P. (Hey, I got it right for a change.)

CORDUROY: Do they still make em? I can't remember the last time I've seen a pair. Maybe the question should have been, can they still convince folks to buy 'em?

CENSE: I picture some dude in robes comin' down the aisle, swingin' his smoker.

John E said...

I was told by my mechanic that FIAT stood for "Fix it again, Tony."

Big Easy said...

Good morning. I got through this DAB puzzle unscathed but until TTP's explanation of IMO I was left scratching my head as to what it meant. But the perps were solid so I left it. Ditto for CENSE- a homophone for SCENTS meaning basically the same thing. Double ditto for ERRANT- perps were solid but I had no idea.

D-Otto- I had to change SLEEZE to SLEAZE. But "I know it when I see it" to quote a Supreme Court justice from years ago (referring to smut).

I know what GARBAGE is and what a SCAN is, but with GARBAGE already in place by perps, SCAN was an easy guess. I've never used OCR but I guess it misses many characters. I SCAN everything as a photo.

Furniture cleaning? - we use microfiber cloths. Works just as well.
MSRP- has anybody ever paid it for a car? Only a very naive person.

WEBER grill- I order the grill parts directly from Weber if Home Depot or Weber doesn't have them in stock, which they usually don't.

Big Easy said...

" if Home Depot or Weber doesn't have them in stock"

Should be "or Lowes", not Weber

Yellowrocks said...

Easy to suss theme in just a few seconds. PIPE to PERSIAN CAT to SCAT. AHA, add an S to the beginning of the last word. When I saw later that the original last words all begin with C, it made it seem even more clever. FIR in Wednesday time.
No new words. I pondered IMO, but left it in. Ohh, IMO = in my opinion. V8 can moment.Hello Big Easy.
For product warning, ZANY ones flashed through my brain. Do not drink the cleaning product. Do not eat the dessicant in the shoe box. Do not clean the lawn mower blades while they are moving.
Corduroy is in again.
For men: This season, we’ve been seeing corduroys everywhere. The ’70s-inspired pants have made a major comeback, thanks to the iconic texture, the flattering silhouettes, and the nostalgia factor. from WHO WHAT WEAR
For women 2019: This autumn, modern takes on corduroy are all the rage, with designers getting super creative with silhouettes and colors.
AIDA is one of my favorite operas. I prefer the original opera to the Broadway musical.
Start, sudden involuntary movement. He awoke with a start.
No problem with cense. Although some dictionaries say cense is archaic, it is still used today in Roman and some Anglican church ceremonies.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Am I the only one who thinks the late week puzzles are not as difficult as they used to be? Maybe it's because the themes themselves are readily discernible and, therefore, make the solve easier? Of course, there are still the occasional head-scratchers but they seem to be the exception, rather than the rule. That said, I breezed through today's offering with only one w/o, And/Too and no unknowns except for Enos, which filled in via perps. I liked seeing the two operas, Aida and Tosca, and the Ego ~ Ergo duo. My favorite C/A was I problem?=Ego. I also liked the mini theme of G Man + Nab + Got Em! I'm embarrassed to say that Preface to a conviction=IMO had me stymied until TTP's expo. I was too focused on Conviction in the legal sense.

Thanks, David, for a clever theme that evoked some amusing imagery with several theme answers and thanks, TTP, for another delightful summary with lots of eye-catching photos. Thanks, especially, for explaining IMO, which, normally, shouldn't need any explanation at all.

I, too, thought of Madame Defarge at Knit/Yarn and I believe her absence from the blog is due to her annual October trip to Maine. Think of me, Madame, if you happen to make the acquaintance of one of those famous Maine crustaceans!

Have a great day.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased the ant at 4d for URN when he was needed at 63d.

My favorite trips in the bar CAR are Sacramento to Reno and San Diego to LA. My DWs grandfather had an old Cadillac that he retrofitted with a bar in the trunk. I think it was during prohibition. A different kind of bar CAR.

I broke out my CORDs yesterday. I like them because they are comfortable and warm. I didn't start wearing them until I grew old; I was always a jeans or khakis guy when I was younger.

Nursery school attendees are usually SCENTERS in their own right.

Those of us who have had to give performance reviews know that almost no one thinks that he or she just DOES OK, but almost all are average performers by definition. I never liked HR mandating that ratings resemble a bell curve in a specific group, but I get it. Even in a group of all stars, some perform better than others.

Thanks to David for the fun, easy-for-a-Friday puzzle. And thanks to TTP for the review.

Irish Miss said...

BigEasy and YR ~ I feel better now, knowing that I wasn't alone in the IMO conundrum.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

After finishing, I felt that this was a tad easier than I first felt. Got the schtick with GARBAGE SCAN and then the other theme fill came in nicely. Had 'ite' before IST; HAD 'assure' before ENSURE which held up the NW until it was sorted out. Eyes playing tricks: I first read laddie to be 'ladle' which did augur for ……DROP, but when I read it right, WEE made sense. Sigh.
Hebrides - The Vikings held sway there in the early Middle Ages.
We love our WEBER grill. Well made as TTP said.

Good job TTP; love the visuals.

Have a great day.

Adele said...

IMO...that was pretty easy for a Friday!

Anonymous said...

South Holland is in Illinois. Holland is in Michigan.

TTP said...

Irish Miss, et al... late week puzzles not as difficult... And here I thought I was getting better :>)

Hi Anon at 9:47. I know South Holland, Illinois, but if you look at the title of the video in the write up, it looks like it might be South Holland, Michigan... It is actually Gouda in the Netherlands.

I was housed on a Dutch military base in Rotterdam for ten days for a multinational NATO training exercise in the laste '70s. Cheese was an important staple served at every meal. Breakfast, noon, and night. Of course Gouda would have been one of the many types, being so close to Rotterdam.

Finally got around to reading yesterday's comments. Had worked all day in the yard, then made chicken and steak on the Weber, ate and went to bed. Missed bot the football game and baseball game.

Dash - T re: Steve McQueen. Read the notes and study the images on 13D

Kenny & Ziggy's opened 12 years after I relo'ed from Houston, but I'll make sure I go there the next time in town. DELI MAN. $18 for a sandwich ? They're huge ! They look delicious.

I posted this while you were gone. Makes me think of you. “Rendezvous” This is the full one minute version that originally aired.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Hi guys,

Just heard from Dennis. He's recovering nicely. Already off all pain meds. Right now he's in the step-down unit and he hopes to be home next Monday.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Jerome Gunderson said...

Tosca... fun name... tacos, coats, ascot, coast.

WEE DROP. The only thing some of us gray beards can produce at a urinal.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Alfred Bywaters, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, TTP, for a fine review.

Did this puzzle this morning. Took me about an hour and a half. About normal for me for a Friday. Caught the theme with PERSIANSCAT. Tried MONEYSCAM before NANNYSCAM made more sense, and also worked.

I used to have a calendar with Ansel Adams' B & W photos on each page. They were spell binding. Excellent. I gave the calendar to a friend of mine who I worked with, after the year was over. He asked me all year for that calendar.

WEBER grills are nice. I only own four of them. A couple I picked up off the curb when people were throwing them out.

We had our first frost this morning. And, I just put a pumpkin out front. Hmmmmm.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Anonymous said...

Can someone explain "Lamb's dam"? What is this meaning of "dam" that is not in my dictionary?

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Three days in a row of subbing. Let me look up the word “retired” again!
-We have a “granny cam” to track MIL when we are not there to make sure she doesn’t fall again
-The plumber charged my MIL hundreds of dollars to inspect this PIPE this way
-MSRP is the most arbitrary number there is in retail.
-Anyone remember of whom it was said that he was “a knight withour armour in a savage land”
-7th graders are here to do a hieroglyphic exercise

Misty said...

Fun Friday puzzle--many thanks, David. I don't know why, but I always get the northeast corner first--today with ETHIC and AIDE and then HUT. Couldn't believe the big wheel turned out to be GOUDA. I was also happy that I got ANSEL right away, and also AIDA--I do better on the arts than with other categories, especially when they cross. My only silly hold-up came from accidentally reading CASUAL PLANTS instead of CASUAL PANTS. When CORDUROYS finally filled in, I kept thinking I've never heard of that plant, before I finally saw my reading mistake. The theme answers were very clever--thanks again, David. And great pictures this morning, TTP.

C.C., many thanks for the update on Dennis, and so glad he's doing well.

Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.

desper-otto said...

Anon@11:14, from Merriam-Webster:
Definition of dam (Entry 3 of 5)
zoology : the female parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal the foal's dam

AnonDon said...


Anybody else remember corduroy knickers with a button fly and the attendant garters and over the calf hose? They caused a swishing sound as I walked through the corridors of my grammar school.

Spitzboov said...

Anon @ 1114 - Among ovines and bovines, the dam is the mother of the newborn animal.

Yellowrocks said...

From the dictionary:
DAM the female parent of an animal, especially a horse.

I new a horse mother was a dam and a horse father was a sire. So I figured a sheep mother could also be called a dam.

What is a dam in sheep?
A buck and a ram are male, intact sheep. A ewe is a female sheep and a dam is a mother sheep.

I love Ansel Adams's photos of the American West. It is amazing how beautiful they are in black and white.

Alice said...

FIR after some thought and a few guesses. My fav is PUBSCRAWL which is cleverly clued.

Have a nice weekend, everybody.

Yellowrocks said...

"Anybody else remember corduroy knickers with a button fly and the attendant garters and over the calf hose? They caused a swishing sound as I walked through the corridors of my grammar school."
When was that, AnonDon? I am 81 and have seen knickers with calf hose and garters only in the movies and old photos. I thought they were popular in the 1920's. When we were kids in the 1940's, I do remember corduroy long pants for boys that made a swishing sound. During periods when corduroy pants were popular for women I wore corduroy slacks. I see they are coming back in style. I do have two corduroy shirts that I often wear as jackets now.

Tinbeni said...

Though I also liked PUB SCRAWL ... my fave today was BAR CAR.

Cheers!

Bluehen said...

HG, Paladin!

CrossEyedDave said...

AH, Bluehen beat me to it.
but it was a good hiking song!

Fiat reminded me of Ford's "Fix or repair daily."
but when I went to look for a link,
I was overwhelmed...

Ah yes! Sir Alec! There have been stories...
But I fell in love with the quirky character he played way back in
The Man in the White Suit...

He played A lunatic, obviously.
but the fun begins when they allow him to try and recreate his creation,
and he goes on to blow up lab after lab.

Spoiler alert:

Irish Miss said...

CC, thanks for the good news from Dennis. Way to go, Mr. Marine! Enjoy your homecoming and get well ASAP,

Bluehen, I'd love to hear about your birthday dinner, if you care to share.

I love corduroy slacks, especially when it's bone-chilling cold. I bought a lovely pair last winter from LLBean. They are a pewter/gray color and I matched them with a nice light gray fleece top. Cozy, warm, and stylish, too! 😉

john28man said...

Yelloweocks:

I remember wearing corduroy knickers as a young boy in the 40's in Chicago. I'm 83 so maybe you've got in your 80's to recall them.

AnonDon said...


Yellowrocks @ 12:16

Philadelphia circa 1940-1943

Forgot to mention the leather knee patches.

Bill G said...

Hi everybody. I got the theme. I solved this puzzle and enjoyed the clever cluing. Thanks DAB and TTP. WEES.

Odds and ends...

I am continuing to enjoy the Durrells in Corfu. I think I like the characters and the whole laid-back environment.

I came across an old movie on cable and am enjoying it all over again. It's "Waking Ned Devine." Have you seen it? Really good.

I am almost finished watch "Country Music," Ken Burns documentary. I really like it, especially the earlier stuff like Jimmy Rogers, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, etc.

Three chords and the truth...

A little whinging:

I think I mentioned before that Hagen Dazs ice cream sells what looks like pint containers of ice cream but holding only 14 fl. oz. Now I discover that V-8 sells what used to be a six pack of 12 oz. cans but now hold only 11.5 oz. I really resent this kind of inflation. It feels sneaky and almost dishonest. I would much rather they raise their price a few cents.

Anonymous said...

I did not have the problems with IMO that some did, but why was there no indication of abbreviation or "texting" in the clue?

Bill G said...

I forgot to mention how glad I am to hear about the good news re. Dennis. Excellent!

Yellowrocks said...

John and Don, I have my class pictures from the 40's, no knickers. In rural PA the boys wore long pants. They begged to wear jeans, but they were not allowed to. We girls wore slacks or snow pants under our skirts or dresses when we walked to school in the cold. We had to remove them indoors. I have never at any time met or seen anyone in person wearing knickers. Interesting how we have different experiences.
OKL, FLN, I read all your posts many times, but I thought maybe you had posted an actual chart, instead of just using the word. Yes, like you, I suspect that OBESE CHART or BLOOD TEST might be thought of with the two words together as a noun. Lucina, any thoughts? The chart is not obese.
Anonymous @1:27, I think that is why some of us failed to know what IMO referred to.
Alan and I are going leaf peeping this weekend. I hear the leaves in northern PA are spectacular now.

CrossEyedDave said...

Corduroys?

Haven't worn em since I was a young teen...

Always hated the rubbing noise they made when you walked...

The last time I even remember discussing Corduroys was
bringing Daughter #1 back from a College interview and we did not check for
plane gate changes at the airport. We arrived at the gate with 10 minutes to spare
only to discover they moved the plane to a gate what seemed like miles away!

We ran, & ran, & someway made the plane (I think they held it for us...)
even though part of the Trek involved crossing the Tarmac to board the
plane via stair ladder (small plane).

I collapsed into my seat, sweating & panting,
& said to my Daughter, (& anyone else within earshot)
"It's a good thing I wasn't wearing Corduroys, or
I would have caught fire!..."

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Fairly easy Friday. Unknown answers filled in by perps.



Very inCENSEd by that word.

In "The Three Kings" (probably astrologers) song myrhh is described as a "bitter" perfume. Perfume is for smelling not eating!"

Always thought "corduroy" was derived from "co(eu)rd du roy" Old French for heart of the king or cord of the king. Google search says "false etymology!!" My interpretation too "gouda" be true

Need to bring in the deck furniture. No more doing puzzles outside.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

BillG, I think that the smaller packages are more a reaction to the NANNY state causing the need for food sellers to show they are selling reduced calorie packages. Those little soft drinks aren't a reaction to market forces, they are a reaction to pressure from Uncle Sugar (or Uncle Michael or Uncle Bill).

Way to go, Dennis!

Lucina said...

Hola!

Late yet again today. I received a call from a long-time friend whom I had not talked to in over a year and we spent an hour catching up, mostly her talking but that is who she is and I love her dearly.

C.C., thank you for the update on Dennis. I'm not surprised that he is healing so fast. He is so strong and determined.

Thank you, TTP. I like your style!

I really liked this puzzle by DAB. The theme became clear pretty quickly and the solve was fast. Like Misty, the arts are easiest for me so TOSCA emerged early.

YARN also reminded me of Mdme. DeFarge.

In the Netherlands we visited two cheese factories and saw the huge vats where they are processed. All emitted strong SCENTS.

I like CORDUROY pants and jackets though it's not often it's cold enough to wear them here. I had them for the days when I was assigned early morning playground duty in winter.

I have been rereading a book called Indian Givers or How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. It STARTS with the exploitation of the silver mines in Peru and forcing the INCAN men to work 12 hours a day to extract the ore. Prior to silver being exported to Spain, it was scarce in Europe and its influx then created the start of capitalism with the production of coins then used for trade instead of barter. That is a very brief summary of a long chapter.

With only three spaces the clue for IMO seemed clear to me. BAR car not so much.

CENSE is very familiar to me; it's used on very special holy days.

I hope you are all enjoying your day!


Lucina said...

YR@1:46
When I saw that list I just remember wincing but I'll have to look at it again. It seems to me that OBESITY Chart would be more accurate.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

DAB provided a 3P stumper that I finally FIR (CENSE was suspect). Thanks DAB for the add an S for punny fun. Great cluing today.

Fantastic expo TTP! LOL your Google results "What state is CT in?"
FIAT == Fix It Again, Tony. //Cite: Car Talk. and John E beat me to it :-(

WO: Longs b/f PINES won out. //Parrot sketch: he's just Pining for the Fjords....
ESPs: CENSE; AIDA & TOSCA as clued
Fav: Toss-up between AORTA and WEE DROP as clued

I caught the theme at NANNY SCAM (first themer that filled) and that helped a heap.
URL saved me from BlueJeans but had me wondering about other casual pants (LULU Lemons didn't fit and were transparent)

WEBER grills started as a Buoy. Yet another c/a in this fine pzl that took too long as I was thinking of sauces. Stubbs "My Life is in this Bottle" is my fav.

{C, A+, B, A, B+, A}

Thanks C.C. for the update on Dennis. I knew his Marine ass would be up and around before the rest of us could open our eyes after such an ordeal.

IM - I (and TTP) would argue we've become better solvers (and in sync w/ the Editor & various constructors) over the years. If, a few years back, you gave me an Erik Agard puzzle edited by Bob's House of Editors, I'd flail. Now I know enough about Erik's [or Rich's] style that I could at least do fairly well. There's Meta to these things.

TTP - K&Z's ain't cheap, but, like the trailer (I've watched the whole movie... Food Porn at it's best!) SAY, it's something you can't get anywhere else. Loved the XFinity [also over priced] commercial.

Lucina - Bar CAR took me forever too. I could only think of TAB w/ the A sitting lonely.

Thanks everyone for the explanation of dam as clued. Like @11:14, I was asea.

Nice to see you BillG. Jinx has a point on Sugar Daddy Gov't, but those pennies add up for the corp too. Make a rule and someone will profit by exploiting it, eh?

Time to click CED's links & then a nap b/f Game 5!

Cheers, -T

Big Easy said...

Jinx- IF they downsize a can of BEER there will be hell to pay. That was a big reason people in the U.K. voted for BREXIT. The EU was trying to standardize the size of a draft beer.

Downsizing from a PINT to some standard (smaller) METRIC glass. Not a good idea.
*******************************************************************************************

CORDUROY pants in in New Orleans? Never seen it, although I've seen corduroy shirts.

Irish Miss said...

I had a service man come earlier to fix my garage overhead door. Recently, at times, it would go down but then go right back up. Anyway, it needed adjustments and he also replaced some pulleys. When he finished, I asked how much I owed him and his reply was "They'll send you a bill." I thought this business curtesy was a thing of the past but I guess there are still a few old-school trusting souls. (What a sharp contrast to the growing number of medical providers who require the co-pay payment before you even sit down in the waiting room! I know it's apples and oranges, but it's still worth noting.)

I had another positive business-related experience this week. I returned an item for credit on Tuesday via USPS and the credit was issued early Thursday morning. I've never had such prompt service before, no muss, no fuss, no problem.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Lucina, YR, et al. ~
I am sure Obesity Chart makes more sense. I'm with Lucina on that.
But that was not the example given by Owen. Changing the name of his imaginary chart merely changes the subject.

Today's pzl was a real pleasure from start to finish. Ta ~DA! Thank you, Mr. Bywaters!
A whole bunch of "repeaters" today included AIDE, EGG, NEE, ROE, NAB, ANSEL, URN, AIDA, & AORTA.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
One diagonal on each side today.
The possible anagrams were not inspiring. I'll go with a short one on the mirror side, the one that celebrates one of my favorite ways of consuming WEBER-grilled wieners. I mean as...
"CHEESY DOGS"!

Anonymous T said...

BigE - I agree about downsizing beer to 11.5oz (or .5L) causing mayHEM... but, do you have a cite for the pint point? Specifically, before the vote? My Google-Fu must be week 'cuz I can't find it.

It would be funny and thoroughly English if so.

Cheers, -T

Lucina said...

Anyway you look at it or think about it, OBESE CHART makes the chart to be obese and obese is an adjective for animate objects not the inanimate. We could say a large chart, long chart, short chart, detailed chart, etc.

jfromvt said...

Irish Miss - I agree with you - the Wed to Fri puzzles lately seem to be at the same level, and a bit easier IMO. I’ve always felt Mon and Tues should be more difficult.

In that vein, a cute theme, and zipped through this easily...felt like a Wednesday. Lol...

Ol' Man Keith said...

Lucina ~
I prefer your usage ("Obesity Chart" over "Obese Chart"), but I wouldn't say "Anyway you look at it..." because it is obvious that Owen was looking at it differently, as was/is his right.
In theory, one can take any part of speech (adjective, preposition, adverb, &c.) and turn it into a subject noun by devoting an essay to it--or just a paragraph, or a song, an ode, a research paper, or even a chart.
~ OMK

Jinx in Norfolk said...

OBESE CHART? Why not? The local cops have a drunk tank. Or so I'm told. Actually I must have seen it on Barney Miller.

Jayce said...

I’m glad Dennis is recovering well and quickly.

SwampCat said...

OMK, amen!

Puzzle seemed easier to me ..... I’d love to think I’m getting better! Thanks all !


Owen. Manic seems to be good!! More chuckles for me! Thanks!!! ( And don’t listen to Tony.). All A’s

Wilbur Charles said...

I liked Sir ALEC as George Smiley in the LeCarre Trilogy on PBS. Still the best TV drama I've seen. Ironically, the second part, "The Honorable Schoolboy" is set in Hong Kong . Only #1 and #3(Tinker Tailor…", Smiley's People) were telecast.

I agree with Swamp. All W's.

Agree, relatively easy Friday. Pretty much zipped through. I had PALE<PACE which held up those pants. We used to wear CORDUROY Jeans in the 60s. Levis. Size 31W.

I posted real late yesterday (630 am I think) thanking everyone for the birthday wishes.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Good news about Dennis. Having had open heart surgery I was optimistic.

CanadianEh! said...

Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, David and TTP.
I solved this CW this morning, and FIRed with only one inkblot figuring out ENOS.
But I had another busy day and am very late to the party again. (and I only lurked last night!)
WEES by now.
But this Canadian must comment on 38A. SCENTERS is spelled correctly but then when you change to the DAYCARE centres, you must switch around the e and r IMO. Steve will feel my pain too. (Should I coin IMCO, meaning in my Canadian opinion?)

Belated Happy Birthday wishes to WC.
Wonderful news about Dennis. Continued thoughts and prayers.

We have a risk of frost tonight; I might need my CORDUROY pants tomorrow. (Hand up for loving them when it is cool.)

Michael said...

IM @ 3:45 --

Ever heard of a Mechanic's Lien? If you don't pay the blll, there is then a recorded lien on your property, which is a lot of trouble to clear off, especially if you want to sell.

Lucina said...

OMK:
I agree with you "it is his right" as it is for anyone. The trouble with that rubric is that when one ignores or skews the common rules, communication becomes difficult for us readers. That is why we have norms and standards. It's true, the author can then explain what he/she means and our learning expands. But having to write an essay or abstract about it seems awkward and unnecessary. I do understand that the creative mind follows its own path and that's fine and, in fact, good for society. That's what creativity is all about and what makes it important and special otherwise we would have only passe and unimaginative writing. Now I think I'm just rambling and should just go to bed.

Anonymous T said...

Michael - I think IM was referring to the way guys, like my Pop who abandoned Corp to be a handy-man, trust their clients - who trusted them into their homes to do the work - will pay the bill.

Then you have asshats like me that forget for for a month until you get a friendly reminder.
//My Will lawyer is still owed $$ for his services b/f D& & I traveled overseas. I gotta remember that Monday.
Siri,..

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Absolutely nothing apropos [and now for something completely different]...

Not being able to sleep and, searching for something I though Google understood in its search bar, I found this legal/semantic argument that is both absurd and, apparently, real. Enjoy!

IM - your Yankees did fine tonight. Back to Houston for Game 6.

Cheers, -T