google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday, March 21, 2020, Joe Deeney

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Mar 21, 2020

Saturday, March 21, 2020, Joe Deeney

Themeless Saturday  by Joe Deeney


A favorite picture of Joe's taken at the San Francisco Exploratorium
Joe's gracious response to my email about this puzzle:

Gary,


Thanks for reaching out! I'm glad you enjoyed the puzzle. Hope all is well with you.

I built this grid in early 2019. Rich requested a revision of the SE in late August and accepted the puzzle in early October. Original SE stack was LET IT SLIDE, IRON-WILLED, and MANGO SALSA, with QAEDA and 44-Down, which in hindsight isn't a very good answer. I'm glad Rich pushed for a revision here. 

I hadn't tried making many puzzles with stair-step 13's before and wanted to give it a go with this puzzle. SAID NO ONE EVER was one of the seeds I played around with and when I found this stack it seemed like it had a lot of potential to build off of.


I hope everyone gets a satisfying Saturday workout with this one.

-Joe


Take it away Joe:

Across:


1. Cathartic magnesium compound: EPSOM SALTS - My lovely gardener wife uses EPSOM SALTS to supply her tomato plants with a cathartic release from soil depletion


11. Bygone Bulgarian bigwig: TSAR - Bulgaria's last TSAR was Simeon II whose office was abolished four days after my 9/11/46 day of birth.

15. Some drag racers: ROCKET CARS - For every action...


16. Scott of "Arrested Development": BAIO  - 21 years after he was Chachi in Happy Days 


17. Comment denying kinship: NO RELATION - Latin variation of "post hoc, ego propter hoc" in this witty 1:43 West Wing scene


18. Bob Ross painted with one: AFRO - Soft spoken artist


19. Dog follower, maybe: SLED - Nome or bust!


20. "Disturbia" singer, familiarly: RIRI - Nickname for Rhianna 


21. Raise: ERECT.


22. "The Cocktail Party" monogram: TSE - A T.S. Elioplay based on Alcestis by the Greek playwright Euripides. You're welcome! 😏


23. Former Carson Daly employer: MTV  - Curious?



Parker Sibley at UNC
24. Horn for Parker: SAX - Our grandson's father is a professional musician and named his two sons for famous jazz sax musicians, one of which was Charlie "Bird" Parker. Grandson Parker is now on a drum (not a SAX) scholarship at The University of Northern Colorado

26. Where to find Ruth and Aaron: Abbr.: HOF and 51. Came clean: ADMITTED IT - If Pete Rose had just ADMITTED IT (he bet on baseball), he would be in the Hall  OFame by now. 

27. West in old movies: MAE.


28. Small book size: OCTAVO.


30. Words that contradict what preceded them: SAID NO ONE EVER And yet they continue

34. Perpetual loser: CELLAR DWELLER - Another phrase for a team that is in the bottom of the standings like the 1966 Cubs
35. Game time?: HUNTING SEASON.

36. Hydrocodone, e.g.: OPIATE - Threw mine away after surgery


37. "Too Many Rappers" rapper: NAS - Okay


38. Holstein's hi?: MOO.


39. "Flags of Our Fathers" setting, for short: IWO - A Clint Eastwood film

41. Vegas summer hrs.: PDT - Same as Los Angeles

42. Windy City train org.: CTA.

45. "Baywatch" actor: EFRON.

47. Superman's mom: LARA - Wife of dad Jor-El on Krypton. Stepmom on Earth was Martha Kent who was married to Johnathan Kent

49. Physics Nobelist the year after Einstein: BOHR - Every physical science teacher in history has had his students make a model of the BOHR atom. Science peeps will know what atom this is. (*Answer at bottom of write-up)


50. "Count on me!": I'M IN 


53. "Aww!": CUTE.




54. Source of some long flows: HEADWATERS - The HEADWATERS of the Mississippi River are in Minnesota's Lake Itasca where you can wade across Old Man River

55. Freezer aisle brand: EDYS.


56. At risk: IN JEOPARDY - Corona Virus seems to have us all IN JEOPARDY 



Down:



1. __ Blofeld, Bond bad guy: ERNST 

2. Combines: POOLS - Some workers POOL their money and buy large amounts of lottery tickets


3. Slope of loose stones: SCREE - I showed a man skiing down SCREE in Austria last week


4. Passed: OK'ED.


5. Sideshow __ of "The Simpsons": MEL If you're really that interested


6. Gave it another go: STARTED ANEW - I retired but then taught six more years after a year away from the classroom  


7. When Prospero says, "We are such stuff / As dreams are made on": ACT IV - Sam Spade's version

8. Hideaway: LAIR.

9. Dix moins sept: TROIS - 10 - 7 = 3 in any base ten math language 


10. I-9 ID: SSN.


11. Uphill aid: T-BAR.


12. Sanctuary: SAFE HAVEN - A controversial topic these days


13. Protection from planes: AIR COVER - Below is the prayer commissioned by George Patton during a run of bad weather. The entreaty was answered with clear skies and AIR COVER that was able to support his troops in the Battle Of The Bulge on 12/23/44. Patton gave Chaplain James O'Neill a bronze star for this prayer.




14. Support: ROOT FOR - Only families of players and coaches were allowed in to ROOT FOR their team at the Nebraska Boys State Championships last week

21. Does very well: EXCELS AT.

23. Do the bare minimum: MAIL IT IN - What many NBA players do until the playoffs which may not come this year


25. Welk intro words: A ONE AND A TWO.


27. Mediterranean country in which English is an official language: MALTA - My first five-letter country starting with M is a 22 hr flight away. The official languages in Macao are Cantonese and Portuguese but English is common too but no where near the Mediterranean 😜  
29. Final purpose, to Aristotle: TELOS.

30. Factor in committee assignments: SENIORITY - Competence? Not necessarily!

31. Houston's __ Stadium, named for an energy company: NRG A lovely drone tour if you're interested 


32. Has too much, briefly: OD'S.


33. Run a tab, say: OWE.


34. Coffee, in diner slang: CUP OF MUD - Diner vernacular for coffee 


35. Hockey advantage: HOME ICE - Of the last 17 Stanley Cup playoffs, the 13 champions had the advantage of playing on HOME ICE


40. From days past: OLDEN.


41. __ parade: PRIDE.


42. Python pro: CODER - A sample of what a CODER might produce in Python language


43. Bronze ordinal: THIRD - Will there be a summer Olympics?

44. Like Taos, say: ARTSY.


46. Folks: ONES


48. Key of Mozart's clarinet concerto: Abbr.: A-MAJ - The clarinetist starts playing after a 2:00 intro:


49. Version to debug: BETA - It appears The Iowa Caucus app needed to be debugged 


51. Sashimi selection: AHI.


52. Light knock: TAP - For $650 you can have this note with the first stanza about TAPPING written in the author's own hand.

Comment at will:

* That is a model of a Carbon Atom - Atomic #6

48 comments:

  1. Literature has reached a peak to savor!
    The limerick is the perfect form to favor!
    From this HEAD WATER
    Flow all words that matter!
    This has been SAID -- BY NO ONE EVER!

    I want to jet around in the Jetson's ROCKET CARS.
    An afternoon on the Moon, weekend on Mars!
    I will ADMIT IT,
    I'd exceed the speed limit.
    Break the time barrier and hob-nob with the TSARS!

    {B, A-.}

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  2. A very nice Saturday with no impossible fill. It did not go quickly but it all filled. I did not remember (or now) that Bulgaria had a TSAR and required all the perps to dredge Final purpose, to Aristotle: TELOS out of the memory banks from undergraduate days.
    SCREE will always be money to me, but it was easy after last week.OCTAVO and RIRI also needed help from perps. I liked seeing SAFE HAVEN and AIR COVER next to each other.

    The firm is negotiating with a Company from MALTA on the sale of a work of art.

    FLN, I really enjoyed all the comments and all the support the Corner offers each other in these unprecedented times. I am very proud to be part of this place. Be safe and enjoy your families.

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  3. Good morning!

    Wow, a Wite-Out-free Saturday. Who'd a thunk it? Carson Daly and Riri were unknowns, but the perps were kind. This one came together quickly. Thanx, Joe and Husker.

    I decided to dip my toe into the rebalancing waters yesterday. Sold a chunk of intermediate bonds in favor of a total market index fund. Time will tell if I should pat myself on the back or kick myself in the head.

    I'm starting to get used to this social distancing thing. It was made easier because AARP Foundation put Tax-Aide on hiatus, and M-o-W decided to make all deliveries by employees until further notice. We still march through the 'hood daily for exercise, but only go out in "public" for necessities. Hope all cornerites are coping, and healthy.

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  4. Wow ! That was tough for me. Longer solve than usual.

    Timing of Prospero's line ? Keyed in ACT and waited. MTV gave it away and also gave me the much needed first i in RIRI.

    Almost had a natick at the T intersection of OCTAVO and TELOS. That T was my last fill.

    SAFE House before HAVEN.
    OvEr to OK'ED for "passed".

    Made quick progress through the middle rows. The question mark in the clue "Game season ?" for HUNTING SEASON told me to shift my paradigm.

    Sideshow Bob before MEL. Maybe I'll binge The Simpsons during the downtime. Lisa also played the SAX.

    Couldn't decide between CUP OF MUD or Joe. HOME ICE was a given. I"M IN looked probable. The "Aww!" clue in quotes with an exclamation point told me it world be an exclaimed reaction, so CUTE sealed the corner.

    Oh, and EFFRON because Hasselhoff wouldn't fit.

    Python CODER ? No problem. Thought of Dash-T. He used PYTHON to write the code that we daily bloggers use to convert .puz files to HTML. A big time saver. Thanks again, Tony !

    Thanks, Joe ! Loved it.

    Thanks, Husker ! Enjoyed the review. I won't be booking any flights to either MALTA or Macao anytime soon. For that matter, anywhere else.

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  5. FIR, thanks to a lucky WAG at the OC_AVO x _ELOS Natick. I think this was the hardest puzzle I've gotten right.

    Version to debug, known in Microsoft as "Commercial Release".

    I still don't understand how I-9 is SSN. I know it has 9 numbers, but what does the "I-" signify? Someone please throw the V8 can.

    Used to work in the Lawrence Welk building in Santa Monica. I was in the elevator with him when some other folks got him to do his signature "champagne cork popping" sound.

    Didn't know Python was a programming language. Looks like fun.

    We'll prowl around to find curbside lunch today, then I'll cook something tonight. Probably same thing tomorrow. Still no cases in Marion County, and the new restrictions may keep it that way. I think that this may be the best thing for the servers and cooks - at least now they can get unemployment, and they were making almost nothing in tips.

    Stay safe everyone.

    Thanks to Joe and Gary for the fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jinx, I assume that's a font problem in HG's writeup, s/b one to nine, not "I" - 9

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  7. An I-9 is a federal form for employment verification/eligibility, and a social security number is used to fill it in.

    Also one F in Efron...

    I fell for the obvious "Bob" before "Mel" - my Simpson watching days were short-lived, and long ago. Home Ice was obvious - after power play didn't fit. Didn't know scree, octavo, or Telos.

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  8. Good Morning:

    At first glance, I was intimidated, but the relatively easy-to-suss long fill fell like dominoes, opening up the whole puzzle. Needed perps for Octavo, Ernst, Efron, Mel, and Telos. (James Bond movies, TV's Baywatch and Simpsons are as unknown to me as HG's Science examples.) I liked Beta abutting Coder and Tsar and TBar. Learning moment was Bulgaria having had Tsars. My favorite C/A was Game time?=Hunting Season. My brother-in-law had a conniption when he learned our wedding date was during deer hunting season. He sacrificed and served as Best Man, but he wasn't happy about it.

    Thanks, Joe, for a challenging yet perfectly doable Saturday and thanks, HG, for your detailed, fun and fact-filled analysis.

    FLN

    Bill G, I'm sorry you're feeling down but I certainly understand your reasons, especially the absence of Jordan. I hope we can all weather this nightmare and be there for each other, even if only with comforting words.

    Stay safe everyone.

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  9. Jinx
    -As you can see on this I-9 Form for “Employment Eligibility” a SSN# is required. I have looked at thousands of these when I hired kids for summer detasseling. Why the government, in its infinite wisdom, chose the letter “I” or the number “9” remains another mystery of the swamp to me
    -Capital I (I), small L (l) and the number 1 in some fonts are another mystery just like a zero 0 or capital O in some codes one must enter

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  10. Well this started out soooo slow - but with so many long answers - once one domino falls they all fall! What TTP said - started out with CUPPA JOE before CUP OF MUD was needed by perps.

    I wasn't sure if the Lawrence Welk phrase was going to have his Scandinavian influenced intonation ( "A one-a and a Two-A) but the answer was straightforward.

    I was thinking "Python pro" was of the Monty Python type - but those with the right number of letters (Palin, Jones) didn't start with a C, and the one with a C (Cleese) was too many letters. So I had to START ANEW and then had the D'oh moment of CODER!

    Thanks HG and Joe!

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  11. Good morning everyone.

    Kudos to Joe for his craftsmanship, but this was a solid DNF. Some bright spots included MALTA and TSAR. Got the NW and SE. and most of the NE and SW, but the center was largely fruitless. Also had Eggo instead of EDY'S; so, some bad WAGs today, too.Didn't help that I had 'hittingSEASON" vice HUNTING SEASON. DNK NRG, either.

    Well, back to reading the papers to see what I should not be doing a lot of. New shopping hours at 0600 for us OLDEN(sic) folks.

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  12. Spitz, the objective (I think) is for the OLDEN folks not to get (sic).

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  13. After a couple of straight DNFs, I was determined to get this one done. I checked Gary's grid because RIRI, LARA, OCTAVO, TELOS, MEL, EFRON, ERNST, and LARA were complete unknowns. After filling RIRI I thought it was for RICKY RICARDO; "Disturbia" sounded Latin. I had three trouble areas and finishing was IN JEOPARDY but I got it done.

    NW-I stuck with OVER for "Passed" but R_CV_TCARS made no sense. I wanted Dog STAR but I knew SCREE was correct. Then the V8 moment hit and ROCKET & OKED (okayed?) filled it.

    NE- Never saw "Arrested Dev." or knew who Bob Ross was. Had no idea that TSARs were outside of Russia. But the main snag was that I was thinking of "Ruth and Aaron" in the Bible instead of the Hall of Fame. Duh? But AIR COVER & ROOT for took care of the perps.

    I've never heard the term MAIL IT IN but I don't watch basketball games. It was mostly perps and a WAG to finish it.
    I WAGged HUNTING SEASON but had the hardest time with TELOS and ONE AND A TWO until I guessed NAS. I've never watched Baywatch or MTV- EFRON was unknown.

    Joe- Al QUEDA in a puzzle wouldn't go over well unless you added Stalin, Mussolini, & Hitler to the grid. But we do see other mass killers- MAO & CHE.

    SENIORITY- Gary, I agree with you on INcompetence. Look at some of the Committee chairs to see complete idiots who have loyal constituents who keep sending them back to Washington. It says a lot about what the voting public actually know, which ain't much.

    D-otto- Carson & Riri were unknowns to this guy.
    TTP- this Simpson has never watched the TV show with my name. I first heard of the show when one of my son's friends called me HOMER.
    Jinx- an I-9 is an employer for to verify that the employee's SSN is correct. It's supposed to ferret out illegal aliens. Obviously some employers don't verify too well. I-10, I drive on it all the time.

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  14. FLN,

    I came across this course from Yale. Apparently this was so popular that it has been made available to the public for free. It has been proven to make those the take the time to engage just a little happier or maybe even more. I apologize for not making it a hot link.

    https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being?ranMID=40328&ranEAID=EHFxW6yx8Uo&ranSiteID=EHFxW6yx8Uo-Uci2hsujbjhLhsPVPPWGCg&siteID=EHFxW6yx8Uo-Uci2hsujbjhLhsPVPPWGCg&utm_content=10&utm_medium=partners&utm_source=linkshare&utm_campaign=EHFxW6yx8Uo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Synapses and neurons firing away today.. FIR! on a Saturday albeit with perp walks and corrections.

    Like anon @ 9:30 had "Mel" before BOB.. TTP...had "joe" before MUD. Like IM didn't know Bulgaria had a TSAR (but not a czar?). Inanehiker: wanted "Monte" somehow for python. Big Easy: thought "Ruth/Aaron biblical also then baseball but still didn't understand HOF till I read the narrative...(Joe Deeney's pic looks like he's being probed by aliens).

    Confused by ROCKETCARS, didnt know Ari's TELOS or OCTAVO. Had "three" before THIRD.

    Did Bob Ross rub paint pigment on his hair?

    Alternates:

    "House rodents".....HOMEICE. (figured "sex worker rodents" would get deleted so not included)

    "Give birth to a wildebeast"...STARTANEW.

    "When repeated 3 times...background shower scene music from the movie Psycho"..... SCREE

    Neils' wife: "if I knew all you would do is play with atoms I would have never married a_____".....BOHR

    Fill the doll with this and she cries real tears...HEADWATERS.

    All right...I'll leave quietly now.

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  16. Waaaay over my pay grade today but it was a good challenge. Thanks Joe, and thanks for stopping by . IM I think my main trouble was not getting the long fills. I got lots of clever other stuff but nothing to hang them on. HG, thanks for the tour.

    Owen , both A’s!!!

    Spitz, do Olden folks really get up in time to go shopping at 6? This Olden folk sleeps late and then needs an hour and coffee to wake up !

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  17. DNF for me today. Problems in the SE, including the natick at NAS and TELOS, which did me in.

    Hi, all. I’ve been doing the puzzle every day but trying to get a house ready to list has really sucked up all my time recently. Now, of course, we’re wondering whether it’s all been in vain with the virus closing virtually everything down.

    I’m glad someone was able to ’splain I-9; not something that was ever on my radar.

    ...And in spite of the problems I really liked this puzzle. Thanks, Joe for providing a welcome release from the isolation of recent days! Thanks too to Gary for the excellent writeup.

    Have a good day if you can!

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  18. Maybe I got in right, but I didn’t recheck my paper solution for every instance of “penciled-in” entries and had SeED crossing POOeS. I think I would have straightened it out, but I saw one of the answers here first. I still felt as if I did well on a difficult puzzle. I’m not keeping time or score anyway.

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  19. By the way, MAIL IT IN is not just a basketball term. It applies to any situation where a person is just going through the motions and giving no effort.

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  20. Tough puzzle. I'm not a fan of OKED in any xword. Overall, though, though but fair.

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  21. It took a while and a couple of look-ups to get done in about 45 minutes. Officially a DNF but I enjoyed the puzzle. Gary added the explanations that filled in the holes for me.

    Perps were all-important today in getting a number of the longer words and some unknowns. The longer words filled in nicely with just a few letters from the perps. BAIO, EFRON, RIRI and MTV were the unknowns that I needed look-up help with.

    Our local supermarkets have also set up 6:00am to 7:00am for seniors only. But like Swampcat said, many seniors aren't up at 6:00am. I went at 11:00am the other day and according to the employees they said that the seniors who showed up lucked out in the morning, because when I got there the typically empty shelves were empty, but I got most of what I needed. The only things that I can't get are hand sanitizer, any paper products and nitrile gloves.

    This isolation will probably last longer than we think. I'm tired of it already, but I'm sticking with it. Watching movies on Amazon Prime and reading novels a lot. Also, an occasional nap sneaks in.

    I hope you all are doing well.


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  22. you don't use "safe" with the word "haven." haven, by definition, means "a place of safety."

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  23. Chiming in to admit defeat in the northwest. Not so familiar with the original, physical meaning of "cathartic," nor with the use of Epsom salts that way. Nice to learn from you brainiacs! Thanks to all, especially to Joe Deeney and Husker Gary.

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  24. This Saturday grid had some tough clueing, in that multiple answers could fit. So, waited for crosses.

    Write-overs....STARTEDOVER/STARTEDANEW, EEL/AHI.

    Last to fill was the Natick (yes I’m calling it today) OCTAVO and TELOS. The “T”, actually.

    I went to the store yesterday, as I turned down the frozen aisle I just started laughing. There were no EGGO and similar products, completely cleaned out. So, America apparently has a huge need for TP, Gel, and now Waffles.

    Waffles, geez. Cannot live without them. Plenty of cereal though.

    My son said where he is, there was no chicken AND no eggs. I asked him if KFC, POPEYE’S and IHOP were still open for pickup/delivery, he said yes, and we both laughed.

    Bidets are sold out on AMAZON. I’m guessing shower heads with the hose attachment are next....think about it, haha.

    And of course, like in every emergency, guns are selling out. Because when they come for my waffles....

    Anyway...keep safe, see you Monday.

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  25. To anon FLN ( Not everyone know basic coding. Thought I'd help you out.This is an easier way to try to link to your page (hope this helps): Science of Well Being

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  26. FIR and I must have been on Joe's wavelength since this went pretty fast (for me, that is). Hope you all stay mentally as well as physically well in these trying times.

    JB2

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  27. text

    1966. Cape cod. I remember looking at the NL Standings around labor day and the Pirates had a 2-4 game lead. I thought that would be sufficient. But the Dodgers had Koufax and Drysdale. But the Orioles pitching was even better in the WS.

    When Stevenson (Intrepid) of British Intelligence rescued BOHR from Denmark in WWII he had him assume an alias "Underhill". The same alias Strider used for Frodo to get him out of the Shire.
    Was "Strider" an anagram of S. Intrepid?

    Owen, #1 was a W+. Tres magnifique.

    SAID tO ONE oVER did me in plus NAn as I couldn't get my Aristotle with the right perps. TRG sounded good. But I'm okay with getting the other 97%.

    Tbtimes has I-9. Oops thx anon@930

    IM, my b-i-l had a golf date(he played) and his daughter (4) was flower girl. And my solve experience was the same c above

    "I was thinking of "Ruth and Aaron" in the Bible instead of the Hall of Fame"- Sorry B-E but I had TB12 talk with an ex-pat* Bostonian and his girlfriend never heard of Tom Brady. I told her in CC land I've found lotsa folk like her. Much akin to my knowledge of so many other things. Then again, FLN, I didn't know Houston's stadium.

    All in all, not a too difficult Saturday. I couldabeen an FIRer.

    WC

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    Replies
    1. "ex-pat" as in a refugee from Boston to Florida. There are no ex-Patriot fans. But ... I will watch a few more Bucs games

      Delete
  28. I very much enjoyed solving this puzzle. Plunking in DIED for "Passed" got me off on the wrong foot, though. MILK OF MAGNESIA didn't fit in 1a so I waited for more perps. I, too, thought of Bible characters at "Ruth and Aaron" and when HOF finally filled I wondered what Bible book that was. Sheesh. Anyway, after looking up EFRON and the "Disturbia" singer, I realized that RIRI made sense as Rihanna's nickname. So I got it all filled and the clock kept running; I couldn't find where I had gone wrong so I used the "Check Grid" feature to find out. Sure enough, I had ACT II and MTI; changing the I to V fixed it.

    Thank you, Joe Deeney, for an entertaining and informative puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for your eye-opening writeup. I learned a couple of new facts today. I was also reminded that the atomic number of Carbon is 6, not 12, which is its atomic mass used in Carbon dating.

    I have never dated a Carbon but have dated an Aries, a Gemini, and a Libra.

    Good wishes to you all.

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  29. Not my cuppa tea. I did not even try to finish. My forte in tough situations is total concentration which I did not have. Too much distraction. So many uncharted waters these days.

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  30. HOF along with the French TROIS were my first gimmes. The B in BETA gave me BOHR and the X in SAX unravelled the NE and the dominoes started falling.

    I'm resolving that when something ain't right to go online where I can erase and add.

    I found elderberry* syrup in the children's section of CVS. Manishevitz elderberry wine last night ($6 a bottle).

    Of course I can't touch the stuff unless I run it over to Father Tony to consecrate.

    WC

    * It's supposed to have excellent immune enhancement

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  31. Threw my pen down when 18A "Bob Ross painted with one" turned out to be AFRO.
    Shoulda quit right there and then. Ptooey.

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  32. Thanks everybody. What a caring group!

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  33. Can't go anywhere and HATE daytime TV so I stayed with this toughy and slugged through many missteps and finally finished. Especially liked 34 & 35A but thoroughly confused by 30A??? Now, back to my task today: rewriting Sonny Terry's "I've Been Liven' the Blues" to express today's reaction to Corona Virus isolation policies!!

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  34. A fun puz! Thanks, Mr. Deeney!
    Sat. tough but do-able--with one look-up. Ta ~ DA!

    TSE: You may not know his play, The Cocktail Party, but you can be pretty sure if a "monogram" is in the clue, it is going to be either TSE or YSL.
    Hands up for QUARTO before OCTAVO!
    Thanks for the explanation, HG: I thought HOF was a Bible book I couldn't remember.
    ~ OMK
    _____________
    DR:
    Two diagonals today, a perfect "X,"
    The near-side anagram refers to how I often go at these Xwds, often with an insane attempt, or, as spelled out today, a...
    "DEMENTED TRY"!

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  35. Hi All!

    Another learning Saturday for me. Got a little over 1/2 filled before I used poor-man's red-letter (HG's grid) to fix Bob to MEL [dang it!, it is EPSOM SALTS!]

    Thanks Joe for the puzzle. Thanks HG for the expo. Anyone click the NRG link? That's the Astrodome next door.

    Other missteps - NAM->ETO->IWO, TReIS, SAFE HOUSE, ADMITTED to.
    Learning: OCTAVO, TELOS
    Disappointment: Joe didn't self-shout-out with a CUP OF himself :-)

    Fav: BETA next to CODER xing BOHR.
    Clue for HUNTING SEASON is cute too.

    {A, A}
    Funny DR, OMK.

    D-O: LOL'd at 10:16

    Nice to see you back WikWak. This too shall pass but not as quickly as we'd like.

    PVX - Your analysis of prep'ers is hilarious. I was flummoxed as to why folks were stocking up on water too. This isn't a hurricane!

    Well, we got 1/2 the gardening done b/f the skies opened up. I'll try again tomorrow but it won't be from ANEW; weeding & composting is done.

    Cheers, -T

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    Replies
    1. Tony, I’m Replying to you because my regular post is all squirlly (that’s a technical term).

      Bill G I just had to add that right now seems to be a special time for you ... and we all responded with support. But you need to know we are always here for you even in less dramatic times. Many of us have gone through what you seem to be dealing with and we care about you! Even in the sorta okay times . Lean on us!!

      Delete
  36. Wilbur Charles @ 1519 - Re: Elderberry.
    I grew up with Elderberry Soup with Dumplings. (Flederbein Supp mit Klümp.). BH makes it late each year when the berries ripen. I second the immune enhancement.

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  37. HI, Trying to stay sane,I experiment in the kitchen. The other day I cooked up some white beans and when they were about done I thought I'd try to make them taste like the brown beans from a can. I added some molasses. syrup, ketchup, salt, pepper and cumin and simmered it for another half hour. It tasted so good that I ate the whole potful. Some hours later I produced enough bean power that could have filled a hot air balloon and I could have sailed off into the sunset.

    cheers

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  38. You see what WC & Spitz did?

    Right then... That's it.

    Python in the clues and y'all keep speaking of Elderberries [@1:49].

    Enough, or I shall taunt you a second-timea [A TWO?] :-)

    //Quick story:
    Friday, A buddy on our local hacker-group Slack channel asked if, during the shutdown of SeaWorld, anyone had checked on the dolphins to see if they left yet?
    My reply:
    The InfoSec dolphins left a message: "So long and thanks for all the phish."

    I'll see myself out.
    //WikWak - you done with that nap? Can I use it now?

    Cheers, -T

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  39. NYS cornerites. FYI: An excerpt from our hospital CEO concerning essentials services starting this Monday .

    “Defining Essential Services” – The priority order of essential health care services: 1) life saving, 2) limb saving, 3) health improving or 4) quality of life. Our decision about the services we provide will follow these priorities and therefore may change based on the status of the pandemic in our community.
    At this time, we have already suspended routine endoscopies, pulmonary rehabilitation, screening mammography (this does not include diagnostic mammo) and sleep services. Those will all be rescheduled. Specific decisions about the availability of certain outpatient services will be made patient by patient in consultation with the medical director of that area. For example, all decisions about rehabilitation, to include cardiac rehab, will be made on a patient by patient basis. All lab services must be essential. All radiology exams and ultrasounds must be essential. Diagnostic mammography will continue as an essential service. OB services are essential, but we will ask OB patients to wear a mask when coming in for an exam, labor check or ultrasound.
    Services which will continue are dialysis, radiation oncology, infusion, and chemotherapy. Nutritional services testing will be available through telephonic consultations only.

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  40. -T, thanks for the entertainment. And CED, too. Gary, great write-up.

    I'm heading back to Dunellon as I post


    WC

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  41. Well done puzzle. Last to get via some perps was ROCKET in NW corner.

    Crosswords, FreeCell, jigsaws and a lot of reading is my new normal.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Saturday lurk (to quote AnonT).
    I had a sea of white after my short attempt at this CW. I have been busy here; we now have my 97 year old mother at our house. She is doing well with the move.
    As for me, I am doing more cooking, cleaning, washing than usual!

    But I thought I had better check in here so nobody would worry. Besides, it is the only way that I can get across the longest undefended border in the world, which is now completely closed (with just a few exceptions for trade and essential services)!

    I only read a few of you just above, but Oas@6:43pm gave me my belly-laugh for the day. He has the answer to ensure social-distancing!

    Belated Happy Birthdays to Spitzboov and rainman.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Late I know... Need a joke?

    Corona-pandemic talisman: Put on a Cubs jersey -- You won't catch anything.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete

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