Theme: LUCK OUT
20. First, Lucky plays the lottery and buys the __: WINNING TICKET.
25. Then, Lucky goes to court and is awarded a __: HUGE SETTLEMENT.
47. Finally, Lucky joins March Madness and fills out a __: PERFECT BRACKET.
52. What Lucky got, literally and figuratively, when his alarm clock put an end to a very pleasant dream: RUDE AWAKENING.
Melissa here. Interesting looking grid, and a clever theme, the way it took a turn at the end there. To be honest, I wasn't paying enough attention to the clues at first, just the answers, trying to figure out how they all related. As soon as I slowed down and read the clues it was obvious. I think we've all had those RUDE AWAKENINGS on occasion. On the other hand, waking up from a bad dream can be a real relief.
Across:
1. Roster entry: NAME. Bueller?
5. Opens, as a car hood: POPS.
9. Letter-shaped opening: T-SLOT.
14. Foundry by-product: SLAG. Glass-like by-product left over after a desired metal has been separated from its raw ore.
15. Army outfit: UNIT.
16. __ squash: ACORN. Great for the Thanksgiving table. I like it this way. ➡
17. Long tooth: FANG.
18. Will of "The Waltons": GEER. Call me a DWEEB or a NERD, but I've been watching the entire series on Amazon Prime. Geer's portrayal of Zebulon Walton was perfect. He combined his passion for acting and plants by forming a most unusual
repertory theater situated in rustic Topanga Canyon in California's San Fernando Valley.
He named it "Theatricum Botanicum."
19. Vinaigrette holder: CRUET.
23. "Price negotiable," in ads: OBO. Or best offer.
24. Soft drink choice: COLA.
32. Put up, as preserves: CAN.
33. "Winter Song" musician John: TESH. Couldn't find that one on Youtube, but I'm partial to early Lightfoot anyway.
34. Post-quake rumbling: TREMOR.
35. Bear up?: URSA. Nice clue.
37. Pride youngster: CUB. Anyone see the new live action Lion King? The $20 price on Prime was worth it just for the extra features. I think it's going to Disney+, if it hasn't already.
39. "That's that!": DONE.
40. Tennis great Graf: STEFFI. Married to another tennis great, Andre Agassi.
43. Goya subject: MAJA. Francisco de Goya painted the Maja both clothed and unclothed. The word maja is the feminine form of majo,
a low class Spaniard of the 18th and 19th century. The model is
identifiable as a maja by her costume, but her identity is not known; it
has been suggested that she looks like Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó.
46. Second-largest U.S. state: TEX. Largest four in order: Alaska, Texas, California, Montana.
50. Lascivious look: LEER.
51. Letter after phi: CHI.
58. Geeky type: DWEEB. Guilty.
60. Unresponsive state: COMA.
61. Like a cloudy London day: GREY.
62. "Laughing" critter: HYENA. Speaking of Lion King.
63. Pre-event periods: EVES. We have a few coming up 🦃🎄🎉
64. Old-time teacher: MARM.
65. Giant opening?: SOFT G.
66. Rooms with TVs: DENS.
67. Fades to black: ENDS.
Down:
1. "Careful where you open this link" shorthand: NSFW. Not Safe For Work. Also, POS for Parent Over Shoulder, to warn the sender before sending.
2. Jai __: ALAI.
3. Grammy winner Aimee: MANN.
4. Yuletide mugful: EGGNOG.
5. Doglike facial feature: PUG NOSE.
6. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG. Red blood cells from O- donors can be transfused to anyone, regardless of the person’s blood type. Only 7% of the population has O- blood.
7. Artist Mondrian: PIET. See some of his abstract art here.
8. Not at all lenient: STRICT.
9. Touchdown preventer, often: TACKLER. Oof.
10. Reacted to a scare: SCREAMED.
11. Ill-mannered type: LOUT.
12. Tramcar filler: ORE.
13. Source of blowups: TNT.
21. "Fat chance": I BET.
22. Future stallion: COLT.
25. "Tennessee's Partner" story writer: HARTE. Short story first published in the Overland Monthly in 1869, which
has been described as "one of the earliest 'buddy' stories in American
fiction."
26. Racing family name: UNSER.
27. PC abort key: ESC.
28. Rule of __: THUMB.
29. Put on quite an act: EMOTE.
30. Large chamber group: NONET. Musical composition for nine voices or instruments.
31. Monopoly token since Mar., 2017: T-REX.
32. Transition point: CUSP.
36. Rolling in dough: AFFLUENT.
38. MacLaren's on "How I Met Your Mother," e.g.: BAR.
41. Holder of oats: FEEDBAG.
42. Drink with a polar bear mascot: ICEE.
44. Jenny's mate: JACKASS. A jenny is a female donkey.
45. Post-CrossFit woe: ACHE.
48. Tracked down: TRACED.
49. Checkers cry: KING ME.
52. Atoll barrier: REEF.
53. Zigzagged: WOVE.
54. "When you're right, you're right!": AMEN. So be it.
55. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.
56. Geeky type: NERD. A few of us here.
57. Places with elliptical trainers: GYMS.
58. Dept. that includes the TSA: DHS. The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security that has authority over the
security of the traveling public in the United States.
59. Old Faithful's st.: WYO.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle by Bruce and Gail ! Wondered where the theme was going, and then another perfect reveal !
Loved your write up, Melissa. Especially liked the Ferris Bueller clip and the Nerd image.
Good morning and thank you BV and GG for a fun puzzle to start the day. Melissa, always good to see you. I hope you all have your cooking plans underway. This year we are letting others do the work. We are only preparing some blue rice for our grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteOo use ACORN SQUASH in her curries. Yum.
FEEDBAG near JACKASS and EGGNOG near PUGNOSE amused.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteStill don't understand the theme. Who would've guessed? No problem with the solve, though. This one was a quicky. Thanx for the diversion BV and GG, and for the tour, MB (I've never heard that definition for POS).
Pretty easy today. Melissa, really like how that acorn squash looks! I have one sitting on my counter and that’s how I’m gonna prepare it..thanks!
ReplyDeleteFun theme, a good change of pace! Good puzzle, took a bit to get some of the other answers.
ReplyDeleteAs I look out my window, we have a GREY fog on this cloudy day in Vermont. Seems like London.
Considering the age of the Cornerites, I BET most of us are 'Long in the tooth', but we don't have FANGs, yet. I was surprised to see this type of puzzle in the LA Times. Usually those types are quotes from some famous person. This theme and the fills were too easy to guess after a few downs were in place.
ReplyDeleteBear Up? Nice clue for URSA. MAJA- learned from Xwords.
TESH, MANN, HARTE, T-REX- filled by perps. PIET- I knew but wasn't sure if it was "I before E" (English) or "E before I" (German).
KING ME- back in the stone ages we always said "Crown me"
DHS- initials for DW, my son, and a brand of shampoo- DHS, Dermatological Hair & Scalp shampoo.
Even at Key West speed, very quick and easy. It was fun chasing Mr. Lucky around the grid, but I missed his sidekick Andamo, which is what I named my pet mouse years ago.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteBruce and Gail never fail to please me with their fresh and playful themes and today's provided plenty of satisfaction and sheer fun. I loved the three themers and was delightfully surprised and impressed by the reveal. I needed perps for Piet, T Rex, and Soft G, but I was write-over free. There were many related duos including: Cub and Colt, Dweeb and Nerd, Hyena and Jackass, Ore and Slag, and Wyo and Tex. I liked Awakening over Coma and my favorite C/A was Bear up=Ursa. Nice CSO to Keith (Emote). Learning moment was T Rex being a Monopoly token; I haven't seen or played that game in many, many years. I can only remember a few tokens: Iron, TopHat, Scottie Dog-are these even correct?
Thanks, Bruce and Gail, for a most enjoyable solve and thanks, Melissa, for the very entertaining and informative expo.
We don't have jfromvt's fog but the skies are leaden and heavy rains are predicted for later in the day. April may be the cruelest month, but, IMO, November is the dreariest.
I watched "The Art of Racing In the Rain" last night and was surprised that I had forgotten so much of the story. Milo Ventimiglia (Jack in "This Is Us") was perfect in the lead role. The canine narrator, Enzo, first appeared as an adopted puppy and gradually aged into a wise and adored family protector. I was so intent on Enzo's "acting" that I didn't pay that much attention to his "voice", but I later discovered that Kevin Costner was the narrator. I liked the movie as much as I liked the book and shed as many tears for both.
Have a great day.
With the first theme answer, the theme was very easy, but fun. FIR My favorite was BEAR UP = URSA. Pat myself on the back. It was my first thought. Spelling of GEER depended on perps. Knew PIET. I don't understand 38D, BAR.
ReplyDeleteAFFLUENT is in the eye of the beholder sometimes.
Taking a slight breather from cooking just now. I am hurrying because Alans' replacement phone just came and I need to find time to set it up today.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteEasy solve and cooperative theme. B & G's puzzles are always well done. No issues. FIR.
YR, I never watched the show, but I'm assuming MacLaren's is the name of a BAR. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteIM, the Iron is gone. None of the kids could figure out what it was. Here's the Monopoly lineup as of 2017.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I kept wondering how Bruce and Gail were going to end their fun narrative.
-SIL got a RUDE AWAKENING in Arizona this week. His uncle had died leaving much hoarded junk and huge debts
-A LOUT might LEER at the Goya painting in my state and exclaim, “O MAJA!” (Omaha!)
-The “fade to black” ending of The Sopranos was a shock to me
-I told a student teacher yesterday that he had better get more STRICT quickly!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski, for fine puzzle. Thank you, Melissa bee, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteMB: I liked the look of your acorn squash. Never tried it that way. We usually cut it in half and bake it, then scoop it out with a spoon after adding butter and pepper (no salt fo me).
IRAN came easily. My wife have swam in the caspian Sea. It is a little salty, but not as much as the oceans.
TTP: Tried the Grilled Sticky Buns yesterday. Very good. My wife really liked them. Thank you very much!
Well, I am O POS for blood. I have been giving for decades but now cannot for two years due to my having cancer this past summer and will be getting radiation next year to finish it off, I hope.
Liked the theme. Not sure where it was heading until I got 52A RUDE AWAKENING. Very clever. I also play the Lottery and the NCAA Brackets.
I understand there are new Monopoly tokens. This came up in a puzzle a month or so ago.
Slept in a little today. No Crossing to Guard. School is out.
See you tomorrow. Lots of Booghalamoon. (Farsi for turkey)
Abejo
( )
Good morning from snowy Montana.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle but I tried to spell Unser with Unc.. Knew the name but not the spelling.
It’s pleasant to occasionally read your reviews.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Montana
I knew the reveal when the fill PERFECT BRACKET came up. Someone had to be dreaming. Cute theme, easy fills. Crossword puzzles are so repetitive that I even know MAJA is Goya's model now.
ReplyDeleteIM - you're a good reviewer of movies. I want to see ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN after your description.
Good luck, Abejo. I wish you well.
Melissa, I love your Dork sign. And yes, I'd love some pi.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone. Haven't had much time for the puzzles lately. Been keeping the m\"medicos" busy, but everything is going in the right direction. I take a try at the daily offering once or twice a week with moderate success.
However, I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and those of you in the path of the storms, BE SAFE.
Hondo & family.
Indeed, TACKLER was meh. Perfect name for a BAR but I didn't get it and had to WAG the A on MAJA.
ReplyDeletePIET was not poet. I'd thought OPos was the donor. LIU I see not quite.
Historically, winning the lottery is more likely than a PERFECT BRACKET
The long theme fills saved me today. My mind wasn't sharp. Hope it's not permanent.
WC
Here is details on blood:
In transfusions of packed red blood cells, individuals with type O Rh D negative blood are often called universal donors. Those with type AB Rh D positive blood are called universal recipients.
DO @ 9:42 ~ Thanks for posting the list of current Monopoly tokens. I vaguely remember hearing that the Iron had been retired but wasn't aware of the demise of the Boot and Thimble. I wonder if this "modernizing" trend bodes ill for Professor Plum or, heaven forbid, Miss Scarlett? 😇
ReplyDeleteAlice @ 12:18 ~ I hope you enjoy the movie. Admittedly, I'm a little biased because I'm a major fan of Milo Ventimiglia and I also have many fond memories of the novel. I guess my love of dogs plays a part, as well. 🐶
For those who have Netflix Streaming, Martin Scorsese's, "The Irishman", is available as of today, starring Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Joe Pesci. I wonder which one plays an Irish man? ☘
here,
ReplyDeleteI finished my duties for today, so I came here to do the puzzle and see what my very intelligent and witty corner pals had to say. I did very well today as I hit home runs on the long acrosses. That gave me lots of fodder for the downs. Thanks Bruce and Gail.
Thank you Melissa for the walk through, and a better idea for acorn squash.
IM, I love your comment about The Irishmen.
Have a very lovely day as you do or do not make preparation for tomorrow.
A domani.
hi all - didn't want to miss the opportunity to pop in and wish everyone a happy thanksgiving. it's always been my favorite holiday and this year it's extra special to have my brother home.
ReplyDeletei'm looking forward to seeing 'racing,' also, big fan of milo. am surely one of the very few who never read the book - i did meet the author though, who is local and appeared at our local library (where my mom works). he was very engaging.
my daughter and i decided on a whim to go to this - besides being fans of milo and GG, the holiday decorations look so festive.
stay warm and dry, and enjoy your friends and families :)
p.s. IM, you're always so sweet to ask - will find something new to share soon of my little grandloves.
ReplyDeletesorry for the 404 up there, and the 3-in-a-row posts ... this should work.
ReplyDeleteHi All:
ReplyDeleteOnce I knew WINNING TICKET without "gimmick ," I tried to stay away from reading the theme's clues b/c it would be too straightforward. //Not that I didn't count on themers to finish HARTE & PIET :-)
Thanks Bruce and Gail for the puzzle. Fun sparkle (SCREAMED, FEED BAG, AFFLUENT, PUG NOSE).
What IM said re: fun duos.
Wonderful expo, mb. LOL'd reading the T-Rex link.
WOs: CurET (untie!), entered Rho reflexively -> CHI
ESPs: HARTE, GEER xing PIET required an 'E' WAG
Fav: JACKASS
FLN - TTP. When I worked downtown ('98 - '06), I'd eat at that same James Coney.
Nice to see you Montana!
Nice to see you too Hondo! Didn't know you were having health issues - Tin, let's TOAST to Hondo's health.
mb - if DW & the Girls saw that Gilmore Girls thing, they'd be there with you. A few years ago the Girls went to the GG reunion in Austin.
Cheers, -T
Wow, I'll have to look up Gilmore Girls. Another, nada. We CCers are a diverse lot.
ReplyDeleteFerris Bueller always reminds me of Ferris Fain - he of the 37 "Days off" while winning a batting title. Not to speak of his marijuana farm(he was ahead of his time).
WC
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Bruce and Gail, and melissa.
ReplyDeleteAnother quick solve today with nary an inkblot.
Yes, IM caught all the duos today.
Hand up for noting the FEED BAG for the JACKASS, and loving the URSA clue. (I also smiled to think of the bear and lion CUB. Did anyone notice ONEG and SOFTG? (it's all in the parsing!)
This Canadian did not even notice that GREY was spelled the British/Canadian way. LOL. I did note that it was located just slightly above "fades to black".
Thanks, melissa, for the Gordon Lightfoot music; I had not heard that particular song for a long time. He is a Canadian music icon and even at age 81, is still touring (although currently postponed).
Lightfoot
Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends on the EVE.
Good afternoon, everyone! Many thanks to Bruce and Gail for this just-crunchy-enough Wednesday treat. Melissa, I always enjoy your write-ups; the Gordon Lightfoot song was lovely, and the acorn squash looks delish!
ReplyDeleteThe theme answers filled in pretty easily – the RUDE AWAKENING reveal was a fun surprise. Don’t know why, but I was pleased to see EGG NOG and PUG NOSE side-by-side. PIET was a learning moment.
I mostly wanted to stop by and wish all the Corner denizens a very Happy Thanksgiving and especially to thank C.C. for providing this wonderful forum. I read the blog every day even though I’m more of a “prairie dog” poster than a regular visitor.
Well, the kitchen is closed. I baked an apple pie with butter crust, made cranberry relish and PA Dutch potato filling to take to Dave's. Our family has been making the potato filling for generations. Have any of you Pennsylvanians ever had it? Local church women used to bring it to serve at the Kutztown folk festival, delish and homemade. The food and much else at the festival is not so ethnic these days. Only the "Plain" PA Dutch, like the Amish, keep to the old traditions. I ordered some potato filling in a restaurant near the festival and couldn't eat it. It tasted like it sat in the steam table for days and it had no flavor. I was told they omitted the onions because some people do not care for them. Far from authentic! Like hollandaise sauce without butter.
ReplyDeleteNow I have a chicken casserole in the oven for dinner tonight.
I just finished setting up Alan's replacement phone. He cannot dial the ten digits, but uses speed dial. I hope this phone is not a dud like the last one.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my virtual friends.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I wish everyone (even Canadian Eh!) a day full of happiness, peace and great eating tomorrow!
I'm so very late and almost didn't make it here today. Without even showering (because my shower malfunctioned) I had to leave as soon as I awoke to go my nieces home and retrieve some tamales before she left her house. My granddaughter (who, I don't know if I've mentioned it is living with me) and I came home, ate breakfast then I went to do some shopping. Over the weekend we are going to California for my niece's 60th birthday so I went to buy her a gift and while I was out continued on to do some early Christmas shopping. I made a good dent on my list though I still have a long ways to go. I'll hit the bookstore next week. Luckily my daughter, her husband and their children are all avid readers so I can buy many of their gifts there.
The puzzle was really easy with no RUDE AWAKENING or surprises.
Canadian Eh! I thought of you on seeing GREY.
Melissa, thank you! What a beautiful array of ACORN squash!
I remember Will GEER and thought he was a superb actor. Once in San Diego I saw him perform at the Old Globe there. I wonder if it still exists.
TREMOR reminded me of Jayce.
Abejo, enjoy your days of rest and sleeping in late.
Everyone, I wish you a wonderful, gastronomically fulfilling Thanksgiving Day!
Well, (my kids) Grandma is finally back home
ReplyDelete(MIL to me...)
and has offered to take us all out to a restaurant
for TxGiving!
So we are driving into Brooklyn tomorrow (Ugh!)
And this is the 1st time in 33 years DW did not cook for two whole days
to bring the family together. (double Ugh, maybe...)
And MIL always made the gravy, (this is going to be weird...)
And we are going to BayRidge!
In a brand new car!
The place where they are trying to catch the guy (or perps)
that slit tires and keyed 35 cars last week!
(oh, that 1st ding! triple Ugh!!!)
Oh well, have to look at the bright side,
I will not have to eat Turkey leftovers for the rest of the week...
Hmm,
Rude Awakening seems ripe for some silly links...
Obligatory Kitty Pic...
I thought I was a cat lover, er, liver?
Oh well, to bring these days into perspective,
it is one thing to wake up from a bad dream,
but, imagine if your whole life started that way!
A solid, well-themed pzl from the Venzke/Grabowski team, our own dynamic duo!
ReplyDeleteJinx ~ FLN (from 2 days ago): No, I'm not familiar with the name Peter Fulbright. His surname makes me wonder if it's correct. Are you sure of his name? I do recall a fellow named Peter "something" at an orientation session in England when we were both on namesake (Fulbright) scholarships in 1960/61. I believe he was also in theater, but I have not heard of him in all the intervening years.
~ OMK
____________
DR: A 3-way NW to SE. Each of the diagonals offers an anagram of at least middling interest.
The best can be found in the lowest diag. An 11-letter message celebrates either the attention paid by expert chess players to their final moves...
- OR -
palliative end-of-life treatment.
I speak of course of...
"ENDGAME CARE"!
Fairly typical Humpday puzzle
ReplyDeleteA few corrected mistakes so not as lucky as "Lucky."
Isn't "tremor" movement and rumbling a sound?
During this approaching holiday season Polar Bears are traditionally guzzling Coke.
If Bear Up their Latin cousin is "Ursa" is bear down her celestial cub "minor?"
Didnt realize that "trex" was "t-rex". Haven't played Monopoly in decades. Was trying to adapt a treks bicycle a token.
Time to force open the dining room table and insert the super heavy leaves. Way to work up an appetite for tomorrow
Hi everybody. Happy Thanksgiving. Our granddaughter and Barbara both have colds so the vote was to skip the family dinner this year. Rats! I love the leftovers too... Especially my grandmother's pumpkin pie recipe. Double rats!
ReplyDeleteIt rained pretty hard this morning. More expected. I love it. Did the rain subdue the Santa Barbara brush fire?
I love Gordon Lightfoot. Ian and Sylvia used to sing a lot of his songs when we used to frequent the folk clubs in the area.
100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.
~ Mind how you go...
This was quite a bit easier than the usual Wednesday (at feast for me). FIR in a bit over 10 minutes. I too noticed all the clever pairs, and also thought that Bear up / Ursa was very clever clueing.
ReplyDeleteNo cooking in this house tomorrow; everyone is going into the city to eat at my nephew’s house. Yay! The only problem will be that parking places in his neighborhood are scarcer than hen’s teeth. Small price to pay for having someone else do all the cooking for a change.
Enjoy the day!
Carol and I FIR in 27:11 min.
ReplyDeleteGood Thanksgiving Cornerites.
Thank you Irish Miss November 25, 2019 at 9:58 AM.
"Has anyone heard from Dave4? I hope all is well with him and Carol, also."
Thank you Anonymous T November 25, 2019 at 4:58 PM.
"IM - I asked about D4 the other day; it's still crickets. I really hope everything's OK."
Carol and I have been so busy lately that we haven't even solved every CW. Today's CW was particularly enjoyable.
Thank you Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski for your challenging Wednesday CW.
Thank you melissa bee for your excellent review.
Ðave