google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Kevin Christian and Bruce Haight

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Mar 31, 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Kevin Christian and Bruce Haight

What are Little Girls Made of?   Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice.



16-Across. Sweetened, as something harsh to hear: SUGAR-COATED.


24-Across. Variety, idiomatically, with "the": SPICE OF LIFE.


38-Across. Loaded bakery item: EVERYTHING BAGEL.  Yummers!  My favorite kind of Bagel; especially good with cream cheese and lox.


47-Across. "Don't make any sudden moves": NICE AND EASY.


And the Unifier:

59-Across. What the starts of 16-, 24-, 38- and 47-Across make?: LITTLE GIRLS.

And, just so the boys don't feel left out:



Across:
1. Fords and Chevys: AUTOS.  Because Cars was too short.

6. Trick: FOOL.

10. Electric guitarist's need: AMP.  A crossword staple.

13. "When __ we three meet again": "Macbeth" opening line: SHALL.

14. Baseball card transaction: TRADE.

15. "You think I did it?!": MOI?  Here's workout video to do at home, since we can't go to the gym.  My trainer prepared several nice videos for me to do at home until the fitness center opens again.  Her video is a bit more strenous than Miss Piggy's.



18. Had a bite: ATE.

19. Culturally pretentious: ARTY.

20. Coffee container: URN.  John Keats wrote an Ode on a Grecian one.


21. __ nerve: OPTIC.

23. Daisy __: Li'l Abner's wife: MAE.


27. Amazes: AWES.

29. "A," in pilot shorthand: ALFA.

30. Bulova competitor: TIMEX.  Both are watches.  I think of Bulova is being a bit more upscale than the Timex watch, however ...

32. Give a hoot: CARE.


34. Credit in a footnote: CITE.

41. Surrender, as land: CEDE.

42. "Star __: The Rise of Skywalker": WARS.  I stopped watching the Star Wars films decades ago.


43. Molecule parts: ATOMS.  Chemistry 101.


44. Recipe instruction: STIR.


46. Aid in crime: ABET.  A crossword staple.

52. "No more sharing," briefly: TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

55. Island in "Jaws": AMITY.


56. Bethesda research org.: NIH.  As in the National Institutes of Health, where you can get the latest information on Covid-19.


57. Mythical man-goat: FAUN.  Roman mythology.  A Satyr is it's Greek counterpart.

58. Cacophony: DIN.

63. Ltd., across the pond: INC.  Clever!  Going East to West, instead of the usual West to East across the pond.

64. Sooner State natives: OKIES.  An Okie is a resident of Oklahoma, but is also a somewhat derogatory term used to describe migrant workers during the Great Depression during the 1930s.  Here's the reason why Oklahoma is nicknamed the Sooner State.

65. Jump for joy: EXULT.

66. In the past: AGO.

67. Rump: REAR.

68. Brainy bunch: MENSA.

Down:
1. Black tea from India: ASSAM.  Assam is a state in northeastern India and is known for its tea plantations.

2. "Star Trek" lieutenant: UHURA.


3. Worked closely with a partner on a task: TAG TEAMED.

4. Skin care brand: OLAY.  A crossword staple.


5. Camera initials: SLR.  As in Single Lens Reflex camera.  We see this a lot in the puzzles, but what does it really mean?  I'll let the the Britannica explain.

6. Old Paris coin: FRANC.  I lived in France before the Euro.  We went to Switzerland and had to exchange our French Francs for Swiss Francs.  Before returning to France, we went into a Swiss chocolate shop and plopped the remainder of our Swiss Francs on the counter and asked to purchase as much chocolate as our money could buy.

7. Horse morsel: OAT.

8. Shelley's "__ to the West Wind": ODE.

9. Batted first: LED OFF.

10. Stradivari's tutor: AMATI.  Antonio Stradivari (1644 ~ Dec. 18, 1737) was an Italian stringed instrument maker.  He is best known for his violins.  He is believed to have crafted over 950 violins, of which approximately half that number are known to have survived through the centuries.  Nicolò Amati (Dec. 3, 1596 ~ Apr. 12, 1684) came from a family of violin makers.  He is known for adopting the form of the violin to give it a greater power of tone.  He is said to have taught Stradivari, however, this may or may not have been correct.  Stradivari is said to have begun an appreticeship at age 12 under the guidance of the aged Amati.  A Brief History of Amati and Stradivari.

11. Central idea: MOTIF.  I was so sure that Theme was the correct answer.

12. Cake serving: PIECE.  I wanted a Slice of cake.


14. Singer Amos: TORI.  Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) won a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University at age 5.  She was expelled 6 years later, at age 11, for musical insubordination.


17. Pair in a pint: CUPS.

22. Appease: PLACATE.

24. Hot: SEXY.

25. Makes on the job: EARNS.

26. Cassini of fashion: OLEG.  Oleg Cassini (né Oleg Aleksandrovich Cassini Loiewski; Apr. 11, 1913 ~ Mar. 17, 2006) was an American fashion designer with an interesting ancestry.  He was born in Paris, France to an Italian Countess and a Russian diplomat.  He ultimately made his way to the United States and became a naturalized citizen.  He designed costumes for Hollywood, but is probably best known for his White House connection.  In 1961, he became Jackie Kennedy's exclusive couturier.
28. "No more for us": WE'RE SET.

30. Noir sleuth: TEC.

31. "__ been wrong before": I'VE.

32. Zin cousin: CHARD.  Think of the Red and White wines of Zinfandel and Chardonnay.

33. Broadcast: AIR.

35. "Time for me to split": I GOTTA RUN.

36. President pro __: TEM.  Pro tem. is short for Pro Tempore.  Article One, Section Three, Paragraph 5 of the United States Consitution reads:  "The Senate shall chuse (sic) their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States."  The President pro tempore is the second highest ranking officer in the Senate.  The current President pro tem is Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa.  End of civic lesson.

37. Hallelujah trio?: ELs.  As in the letter "L".  I wasn't fooled by this clue.

39. Bed size: TWIN.

40. Life-changing household arrival: BABY.


45. Pop star Swift: TAYLOR.  Taylor Allison Swift (b. Dec. 13, 1989) is only 30 years old, but she seems to have been around forever.

46. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE.  Our good friend Arthur Robert Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes another guest appearance in the crossword puzzle.


47. First name in 1970s gymnastics: NADIA.  As in Nadia Comăneci (b. Nov. 12, 1961).  In 1976, at just the age of 14, she was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect 10 at Olympic Games.



48. Cyberchatting: IMING.  As in Instant Messaging.

49. __ de Mayo: CINCO.  A brief history of Cinco de Mayo.

50. Oversized keyboard key: ENTER.


51. Feels poorly: AILS.

53. Thinks (over): MULLS.

54. Photo-sharing website, familiarly: INSTA.

57. Prix __ menu: FIXE.  Today's French lesson.  The phrase means Fixed Price.

60. '50s presidential nickname: IKE.

61. Aunt in Acapulco: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

62. Great fielding play, say: GEM.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  It’s not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.  ~  René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650), French philosopher

Stay safe everyone and please mind the stay-at-home orders.  This is serious, folks. My sister is a nurse in a hot-spot area.  She said she has never been more scared in all her 30 + years of nursing.  She is tapped to work on the frontline.  After working all day, she has to go home and make masks for her staff!  She said that the hospital is having to use trucks to haul out the bodies.  Please mind the orders and stay the requisite distance from others.  We need you all to come back to continue this crossword community.  Maria from The Sound of Music reminds us to Stay at Home.

50 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice puzzle and theme.

oc4beach said...


Couldn't sleep, so, I got up at 4:30am to read the paper and do today's puzzle.

Bruce and Kevin constructed a Nice And Easy Tuesday puzzle. Not too hard. Not too soft. Just right. Thanks Hahtoolah for the enjoyable tour of the grid.

I didn't really look for the theme, because the grid filled in quickly without thinking about it.

The only change was TIMEX vs SEIKO. And these last few weeks and for the foreseeable future, many of us will have plenty of time on our hands.

THE SPICE OF LIFE to me is variety. However, there isn't much of that with sheltering in place. Take-out and trips to the supermarket and drug store are the only variety I get.

FYI: In our area COMCAST, or otherwise known as Xfinity, has had some of the premium channels free for a week or so. This week it appears to be EPIX and Showtime. You might want to check out your On-Demand to see if anything is free in your area.

The local supermarket, Giant, has been trying to make sure that Seniors get the opportunity to get some of the scarcer items. When their delivery trucks come in during the afternoon, they don't put everything on the shelves. They save some of them and put them out overnight so the seniors get a chance during their 6:00am - 7:00am exclusive shopping hour.

We are having a Happy Hour celebration for my niece's retirement today using Zoom. It won't be the same as it would be in a nice restaurant, but at least we'll get to see everyone.

Be Safe and as Hahtoolah implored, "Stay At Home."

OwenKL said...

If I should write an ODE to an URN
I'd want to get some wealth in return.
It only seems fair
What I pull from the air
Should mean I'm owed what I EARN!

When I'm told tales of a FAUN,
Who woos SEXY nymphs, dusk to dawn
T.M.I. is my recourse,
Too Much Intercourse,
His prostate must be withered and drawn!

{A, B-.}

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased slice for PIECE. DNK INSTA or EVERYTHING BAGEL.

I was on the NIH web site yesterday. I've become a fan of NY's Gov. Cuomo and try to catch his daily updates. But yesterday he made a statement that implied that all the patients who go on a ventilator would recover. (It was actually phrased in an unusually political way that isn't germane here.) That drove me to an NIH study done long before this crisis.
According to that study, only 30% of people who go on a ventilator due to respiratory failure are alive a year later. I'll bet that the complications from the virus make survival even less likely. The point isn't that we shouldn't pull out all the stops to get enough equipment for everyone who needs it (we should), but that even otherwise reasonable people can get caught up in hyperbole and stoke the flames of panic. I've (re)learned a valuable lesson - listen to others, especially our leaders, with a healthy amount of skepticism. Now if I can only remember when to fill OLIO or OLEO, I should have life by the horns.

Thanks to Kevin and Bruce for the fun collaboration. My favorite was "central idea" for MOTIF. How fresh! And thanks to Hahtoolah for the fun review. But I should point out that water is not only a compound, it is a molecule too (at least it was 50 years ago when I last took a chemistry class).

Anonymous said...

Really liked this one! Nice theme with answers that didn't seem forced or awkward. Cluing was also very strong. I liked the one for MOI - indirect way of getting there, but I was able to see it right away. Great job!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Couldn't believe it. D-o actually figured out the theme before the reveal. Amazing. Only went wrong in three spots: Pekoe/Assam, Slice/Piece, and King/Twin, all easily fixed. Thanx, Kevin, Bruce, and Hahtoolah (your bird feeding illustration brought a smile).

TIMEX: The time on my hands is a CASIO (also five letters) "atomic" watch. Yes, I could use check my phone, instead, but then I'd have to take it out of my pocket, turn it on, and wait for it to come to life. The watch is much easier.

SLR: The biggest advantage is the ability to look through the lens to see exactly the image you're photographing, including framing, focus, and depth of field.

FAUN: Learning moment. I thought it was an individual's name, not a type of creature.

Hope everyone is hunkerin' and taking common sense steps to avoid the virus.

desper-otto said...

No use.

Lemonade714 said...

It is a very reassuring feeling to wake up to a puzzle to solve, followed by a fun write-up from a Corner blogger. The sense of community and sharing helps overcome the effects of this scary time in our history. Thank you all.

The many CSOs, like the baseball card reference to Dennis and Boomer; the mensa fill for our people; cake for CED- the list goes on. The personal ones like OLEG CASSINI whose daughter from his marriage to GENE TIERNEY was in private school when my brother Barry and I were. CHRISTINA CASSINI became a good friend of Barry's who called her Tini.

We also have OPTIC NERVE which for me is atrophying.

I did not know INSTA but that did not slow down the solve. Thank you, Susan for sending me off to follow-up on so many links, Gentleman, good job!

Hungry Mother said...

No write-overs and very smooth. I remember watching NADIA live when she got that first 10. Very exciting moment. Now I get to watch a granddaughter perform at Level 8 gymnastics; not right now of course.

inanehiker said...

Fun and easy puzzle!
Thanks Susan for the entertaining blog!

Oriented on tele-health visits yesterday - will have my first few today
in addition to seeing people in person - hope it goes well - feeling like a luddite today!

TTP said...




A NICE AND EASY puzzle today. I too, would have keyed in theme and slice, but already had AMP.

Congratulations, D-O !

I don't post to Instagram, but go on it from time to time. Some users have amazing collections of photos.

I did not know about Tori Amos. I had never heard of chromesthesia before. Thanks for that link, Hahtoolah.

I'll have the antipasto, the scaloppine di pollo, the tiramisu and an iced tea, please.

Our county health department created a COVID-19 dashboard, similar to the Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard that you see on the news all of the time. It shows the documented cases in each municipality, and has the total counts broken down by age group, and sex. They are doing it to provide a better level of understanding on how the pandemic is spreading across the county. They caution, "Since testing resources are limited to the most severe cases and at-risk populations, this does not reflect total disease presence in our communities."

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

FLN ..Anonymous T @ 9:18

Our governor (NY) and others have issued statements asking retired professionals like yourself to make themselves available for a temporary return to work even with "retired" licences.

Don't know if this is the case in Texas (yet) but med lab tech skills would be invaluable in a surge and particularly the inevitable increased demand for testing.

Consider looking into it.


Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Ironically just after I posted the above I was informed that the one test confirmed hospital case succumbed this AM

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Easy enough. @ 1d, I wanted Pekoe before Assam. 5 letters. But the perps quickly pointed otherwise. Got the theme with LITTLE GIRLS, and went back to fill in EVERYTHING……..
I GOTTA RUN helped me spell EXULT WITH A 'U'. Wanted an 'A' first. Senior moment I guess. FIR.
PIECE of cake - - This explains why, when something is easy, we don't call it a 'slice of cake.'

Good job, Hahtoolah. Nice visuals.

_______________________________________________________

A juggler, driving to his next performance, is stopped by the
police. "What are these matches and lighter fluid doing in your
car?" asks the cop.

"I'm a juggler and I juggle flaming torches in my act."

"Oh yeah?" says the doubtful cop. "Lets see you do it." The
juggler gets out and starts juggling the blazing torches
masterfully.

A couple driving by slows down to watch. "Wow," says the
driver to his wife. "I'm glad I quit drinking. Look at the test
they're giving now!"

Yellowrocks said...

I wondered why this was so easy. With every day of the week being almost the same, I forgot that this is only Tuesday. I missed the theme. I was looking for girls' names, but did wonder whether LITTLE was important. EVE, NIC, SPICE (as in Spice girls), SUGAR? Probably not. Having names on my mind, I dropped the E from NICE. Thanks for clearing that up, Susan. Cute theme.
Susan, I thank your sister and all those with the scary jobs of caring for the pandemic victims. They are my heroes and heroines.

Jinx, Cuomo is so up on the facts, I am sure he misspoke. He must be quite stressed and has been putting in exceeding long hours. Here is a quote from another speech. "The typical patient is on a ventilator for three days. "But COVID-19 patients are hooked to a ventilator for anywhere from 10 days to 21 days — with a high death rate," Cuomo said.

I am surprised that I had to let ZIN fill itself by perps. Duh! V-8 can moment.
I thought of SATYR first, but it was too long, so FAUN was it.
I read a very interesting well researched novel about the Sooners and the land rush in OK, but I forget its name. I read another about the Native Americans that used to live in that area. Of course, it had a totally different point of view. I am fascinated with the life and times of the early settlers, the Native Americans, and their tragic interaction.

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails
That's what little boys are made of.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a pleasant solve with a smile-inducing theme and, as oc4beach mentioned, was just right for a Tuesday. The Trade clue just shouted Boomer's name. Learning moment was that Faun wasn't just an alternate spelling of Fawn. No miscues and no unknowns, so a smooth solve.

Thanks, Kevin and Bruce, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hatoolah, for a bright, eye-catching collection of visuals and your cautionary comments. The parody of Do Re Mi was very clever and spot on; I hope people take its message to heart.

The puzzle's theme reminded me of this:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad
She was horrid!

Stay safe, all.

Bruce Haight said...

Wow - Hahtoolah- Incredible write-up! This was mostly Kevin's baby and I was mainly along for moral support. Our original submission had SUGAR GLIDER since we thought hyphens were a nono, but Rich said SUGAR-COATED was fine and WAY better near the start of the puzzle.
Let's all keep pulling together to FLATTEN THE CURVE!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Our baseball cards flapped in our spokes rather than getting TRADED
-John Cameron Swayze’s TIMEX commercials of the 50’s pale in comparison to today’s expensive productions
-I did CITE a site in my report about sight
-Princess Leia hilariously telling how How George Lucas Ruined My Life (1:30)
-Susan caught my EXULTING spirit about playing 18 holes yesterday. We each had separate carts and stayed the requisite distance apart
-Joann did the same with her EUROS in Rome, buying pasta before boarding the plane
-Liters and fractions thereof supplanted cups, oz, lbs, tsps., et al in my lab
-Instant Message to IM to a gerund (or participle) IMING. GOTTA love language!
-I loved my SLR and acquired the skill to through the lens and keep the other eye open to see the entire scene

CrossEyedDave said...

PSA:

truth in crosswords...

SwampCat said...

NICE AND EASY Tuesday treat today. Thanks Kevin and Bruce. I’m not sure all little girls are SUGAR AND SPICE, I’ve known some little stinkers. But that’s just me!

Thanks Susan, for the walk-through and the reminder to stay home! Our medical professionals are Saints!!

SwampCat said...

CED, and Irish Miss, yes , I’ve known some Horrid little girls. Oh, not MOI, of course...

Old Okie said...

Folks,

I is an Okie and I is proud of it.

Old Okie

John E said...

YR and SC: Yes, the front-line folks are real heroes.
Owen: The check is in the mail.
Re: 12D, sit back and enjoy that piece at:
https://youtu.be/auIlGqEyTm8

Kevin Christian said...

Hi, this is Kevin Christian, one of the constructors of today's puzzle. Bruce already commented above.

Thanks everyone for solving and for your kind comments.

I sent Bruce two different puzzle ideas for possible collaborations. This one was Monday-ish and the other one was Thursday-ish. I thought he'd go for the Thursday one but he went for this one instead.

My original grid had SUGAR SHOCK, SPICE RACK, and NICE DOGGY. Bruce thought we should change those to get away from the original meanings of the words, so we changed them to a SUGAR GLIDER, SPICE OF LIFE, and NICE AND EASY. We submitted it to the LAT and Rich asked us to change SUGAR GLIDER to SUGAR-COATED because he felt SUGAR GLIDER was too obscure.

The fill on this one turned out very clean. I wasn't so sure about INSTA originally but Bruce convinced me it was OK so we kept it.

Have a good Tuesday everyone. Do what Bruce says, stay inside. He should know, he's a doctor.

See ya! - KevinC

Misty said...

Delightful Tuesday puzzle, not too hard, not too easy--any thanks, Kevin and Bruce, and how nice of you to stop by and give us your comments. I had a little problem in the northwest at first but the east filled in slowly but persistently and I loved seeing SUGAR and SPICE and EVERYTHING NICE slowly emerging. A total delight. My only real worry at the end came because I didn't know the "Jaws" island and I don't do cyber-chatting, but I gulped and put in 'M' and Yay! it turned out to be right. So I got this whole great Tuesday puzzle--thanks again, Bruce and Kevin, and Rich, for making it a Tuesday doable.

Loved your great pictures and your extremely helpful and interesting explanations, Susan. Many thanks for that too.

A lonely time coming up. After watching the news about the virus spread in Los Angeles, I cancelled a visit with a friend on Thursday. It just seems best to follow the rigid instructions to stay home. Hope I can get help to get Zoom so that I can at least visit virtually with friends during this difficult time.

Be careful and stay well, everybody.

Lucina said...

Hola!

First, than you, Bruce and Kevin, for chiming in to give us your insight on this really delightful puzzle. Variety truly is the SPICE OF LIFE and right now CWD puzzles are one of the few ways to get that as well as the commentaries from all the cornerites.

My first question is about TORI Amos. Is that really her photo? I guess I have a different idea about who she is.

CSO to Dr. Fauci at NIH. He is certainly the friendly and knowledgeable port in this storm.

I believe C.C. has mentioned that she uses OLAY cream.

And comparing TIMEX to Bulova seems very unequal to me.

Lemonade: what an interesting bit of information about OLEG Cassini; if you ever write a book about celebrities you've known, it would be fascinating, I'm sure. And I am sorry to learn about your OPTIC nerve.

When my daughter was a LITTLE GIRL she was adorable and loveable, then she turned 13 and everything changed!

My granddaughter confirmed for me that AMITY was the island in Jaws. She and her mother are avid fans of shark movies. Shark week is for them a special treat! Wait, was that a shark or a whale? Now I'm not sure.

Glancing out of my patio door I realized that at least two of my ARTY windchimes are missing! They are handmade in the village founded by Paolo Soleri. I'm sure they did not fall and break as there is no evidence of that. It's irritating that anyone would take those!

I hope you are all holding up well in this difficult time; our governor just today declared a shelter in place order. Before that it was only suggested.

Be well. Be safe. Be healthy. I so appreciate all of you and your witty contributions here; it helps to keep me sane! Thank you.



Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Kevin Christian & Bruce Haight, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for a fine review.

Puzzle zipped right through. Theme was good and easily found. Liked it.

Nice to see AMATI again.

L'l Baner and Daisy MAE. I read that comic strip until Al Capp died. It was my favorite.

I read East of Eden and the Okies. It was a good book.

Aha, MENSA. I used to go there to print the puzzle. Then they stopped carrying it. Shows how smart they really are.

Well, I have to run. Conference call coming in. We do that now. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

AnonymousPVX said...


This Tuesday grid went fairly quickly.

Write-overs...this is a good one....SUGAREDITUP/SUGARCOATED, SLICE/PIECE.

I must say, no one shopping watched shops a Bulova against a Timex, unless they also shop a Mercedes against Fiat.

Stay safe, see you tomorrow.

Jayce said...

I loved this puzzle. So well constructed and clued.

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

No runs, drips, or errors on my ink-filled grid. Just as was yesterday.

Liked the theme, clues, and fills. Nothing to “SUGARCOAT” (sic) here!

Of course, I needed at least one word to spark an inspirational haiku: (oh, don’t I love homonyms!)

Not sure if this is inspirational but ... from a word that appeared in today’s xword puzzle... last word of the haiku ...

Edentate author
Struggled socially. Maybe,
He needed MOTIF ...

jfromvt said...

The same sentiments as others - a pleasant, well constructed puzzle.

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Kevin and Bruce, and Hahtoolah (prayers and thanks for your sister and all the other healthcare workers on the front lines today!).

Straightforward solve today with nary an inkblot. Plus I saw the nursery rhyme early in the game which hastened the solve. I smiled at the 40D in light of the theme. That rhyme appears on many a pink BABY congratulations card.

I'm not familiar with INSTA. FLN, thanks to AnonT and others for Zoom info and recommendations. My daughter is using it for teaching and will probably set up the family conferences on it. Maybe even Easter dinner!

I GOTTA RUN. Read you all later. Stay safe.

Lucina said...

Susan, my short-lived memory forgot to thank you for the enlightening commentary. I wish your sister well and congratulate her on the work she is doing. I pray God to bless all the front line workers, health professionals and all involved in the care of the sick.

Yellowrocks said...

Exalt, meaning to praise or hold in high regard, is a transitive verb. It needs a direct object (a noun). noun-exalt-noun.
This poem exalts romantic love.
Many hymns and psalms exalt God.
The loyal political base exalts its leader.

Exult, meaning to feel or show triumphant elation, is an intransitive verb. It is not followed by a direct object or noun. noun-exalt-preposition-noun
Some people greatly exalt in winning and pout in losing.
We hope it is not too long before we can exult in a rising stock market.

I have been loath to write this kind of post, but thought I might try it again.

Wilbur Charles said...

Easy Tuesday. The A in AMITY and the down ????! (IMING???) was the last box.
Ah, I get it. IM'ing.

Sunday I saw four letters beginning with A and the word "Court" in the clue. Ergo ASHE. Aaarrgggh!!!!

I saw Arthur in a Doubles match at Longwood circa 1965. Vs Emerson and Stolle. I forget his partner but AA could rocket his serves*.

Owen, #2 is A+. #1 is solid W.

TIMEX is the Tues answer to the clue.

HG, we flipped them against the wall

Misty, FLN check Anon-T's link on Zoom. It has a tutorial.

Political correctness finally caught up with Al Capp.

"Edentate"???? Expliquez MOI, s'il vous plait?

YR, please continue writing posts like that. So one troll didn't like it. Pfui**

WC

*Long story involved. I may tell it to the ether circa midnight. Not PC

**Has that ever been an xword answer?

Ol' Man Keith said...

Many thanks to your sister, Hahtoolah! I can barely imagine how brave she is to continue, despite her very rational fears, to serve on the front line against this terrible disease.

Today's pzl was an engaging diversion, with a sweet (very old-fashioned!) theme.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Double diags, one on each side.
The front diagonal offers an anagram that tells us what sort of banner we must wave if, in the midst of a challenge, we decide to turn tail. That is when we must raise...
"A SISSY FLAG"!

Roy said...

I've never seen INSTA used for Instagram, but it was WAGable.

CrossEyedDave said...

Chemical X?

CrossEyedDave said...

But wait!

There is more to the story!

holy shades of Star Wars Batman!

Chairman Moe said...

Wilbur Charles @ 2:52 ... and anyone else who didn’t get my pun:

Edentate means without, or missing teeth. He wanted both a central theme, and “mo teef”.

Hey, it’s the best I could do!!

Terry said...

Thanks for a bit of humor in these trying times.

Terry said...

Thanks for stopping by.

Terry said...

Thanks

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Went to Costco's Senior Citizen hour this morning. The line to get in was VERY long, so DW and I got back in the car, topped off the gas thank @1.499, and drove home. This was the first senior day after our Governor, Ralph "KKK" Northam, sentenced us to home confinement until June 10. Can't even take the motor home to the woods; he also closed all the campgrounds. My guess is the only time he went camping was in boy scouts, and he thinks of camping as a tight matrix of tents with the campers spending all their time doing group activities and singing kumbaya.

Meanwhile, we'll support our small businesses by ordering take out and delivery food, and tipping 40%.

OwenKL said...

Haiku Harry -- I had to look up the unknown word edentate (thought it had something to do with Eden, not without dentures), but once I learned that, your verse had mo' teeth in it!

YR -- thanks for the lesson on EXALT vs. EXULT! I hadn't even given it a thought, and I see I should have!

John E & CED -- great links! I love Rube Goldberg stuff, and occasionally watch PowerPuff Girls, so have wondered about their backstory.

OwenKL said...

For all of you curious about Wilbur Charles' story, he posted it over on Jumble Hints -- which also has a most marvelous (but decidedly political) poem by Sandyanon today!

xtulmkr said...

Social distancing using 39D will prevent 40D from arriving nine months hence.

Anonymous said...

This was a fairly quick solve this morning. Thank you, Kevin and Bruce, for the exercise. Thank you, Hatoolah, for the expo and links.

Nothing new to add to the discussion of the puzzle. We've been at home, rather bored. At least I am still allowed to take the dog out for a walk every day.

A couple people shared this today on Facebook and it deserves more shares (from the website, not FB). A MythBusters segment on social distancing

Have a nice evening.

Sandyanon said...

Thank you, Pat. Passed the link along to family and friends.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Kevin & Bruce for the puzzle and for swinging by The Corner. I love the inside baseball.
Kevin - rest assured re: INSTA. My Girls are 17 & 20, they never add the -gram unless trying to spell it out to us old folk.

Fun expo Hahtoolah! Interesting re: Tori Amos. Please pass along my gratitude to your sister for her selfless service.

WO: start'd LLC b/f checking NADIA.
ESPs: OLEG, AMITY, AMATI [hey, I see what they did there :-)]
Fav: ALFA //At least I can get out and drive during the quarantine!

{A, LOL!}
Mo Teeth - LOL C. Moe. //oh, hell, and then you ruined it by 'splain' it :-)
I like it OMK.

Thanks Ray-O for answering FLN; I assume the fatality was at your hospital this morning. *bows head*

Spitz, I too was reluctant at exult's U. I had the U but held off on the X until it was FIXE'd. - Oh, thanks YR; guess I don't see it much intransitive.
//I can juggle fire-clubs but I usually need a beer or two for the courage to :-)

Well, someone's gotta link Searchers' SUGAR AND SPICE.

Cheers, -T