google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday May 11, 2020 Robert E. Lee Morris

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May 11, 2020

Monday May 11, 2020 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: JUMP START (61A. Battery boost ... and what the first part of the answers to starred clues can literally be) - Jump can follow the first part of each theme answer.

17A. *Internet connection touted in the '90s as faster than dial-up: BROADBAND. Broad jump.

38A. *Extended engagement: LONG RUN. Long jump.

11D. *Diamond defensive rarity: TRIPLE PLAY. Triple jump.

29D. *Vegas spender: HIGH ROLLER. High jump.

Boomer here.

Happy Monday! I had a friendly phone chat with Al, aka "Spitzboov" this past week and compared life in upstate New York with the "Land of 10,000 lakes". Not much difference. Wear a face covering if you leave your home to go grocery shopping and maintain at least a six foot social distancing from others. 

A couple of  differences were in New York, gasoline is about 40 cents higher per gallon. In Minnesota, over 100,000 fishermen hit the road to the lakes for the fishing opener.  Good grief, temperature Saturday morning here was 35 degrees! Golf courses have opened in Minnesota, and I was able to get in a couple of rounds.  I do not have to worry about social distancing on the golf course because all of my tee shots are about 40 yards behind my playing partners, and my putts on the greens are about 20 feet longer. 

Across:

1. Spaces between teeth: GAPS.  C.C. has found several GAP stores in town.  They are not open for business at the present time.

5. Comedian Foxworthy: JEFF.  If you are smarter than a fifth grader, you might be a redneck.


9. Flat finish: MATTE.

14. Gershwin's "__ Rhythm": I GOT.  "I got music, who could ask for anything more.

15. Diva's delivery: ARIA.  There is a huge ARIA casino on the Las Vegas Strip. C.C. really liked it because it had nice decor honoring Chinese New Year.


16. Skylit courts: ATRIA. The NBA will not be using skylit courts for awhile.

19. Leaks: DRIPS.

20. Bill for beers: BAR TAB.  Bars are still closed in Minnesota.  Not a big deal for me.  I have not touched a drop since the doctor gave me the strong cancer pills, and told me not to drink to it!

21. Barbie's beau: KEN.  My favorite was Mr. Griffey Jr.


23. Church recess: APSE. My church has a high one.  I am not sure why they choose to heat all that air space in our cold winters.

24. 4 x 4, for short: UTE.

25. Brontë and Post: EMILYS.

27. 1987 Beatty/Hoffman bomb: ISHTAR. What you might say when you have your driveway redone.


30. Flammable gas: ETHANE.

32. Andy's son in Mayberry: OPIE.  Ronnie Howard shows up in crosswords frequently.

33. Decorate: ADORN.

34. ASAP relative: PDQ. People Dedicated to Quality.  Like all of the crossword constructors we encounter.

37. Move back and forth, as a tail: WAG. Sometimes the tail WAGS the Dog.

40. Baseball great Gehrig: LOU.  The guy was incredible!  I wish I had been able to see him play.


41. Remains of the tray?: ASH.  I gave up smokes years ago.  I think they are about $10.00 per pack now.

42. Building addition: ANNEX.

43. Mideast strip: GAZA.  Long and narrow strip.


44. Toronto NBAer: RAPTOR.  Not sure what the NBA is planning. I am pretty sure that if they open the season, tickets will be limited to about 10%. About what our Timberwolves drew before the crisis.

46. Remained: STAYED.

48. Beach Boys "Help Me" title girl: RHONDA.  "I wish they all could be California girls."

50. Whirling toon devil: TAZ.

51. Slippery: EELY.  I m sure that some of our fisherman were disappointed when they landed an eelpout.

52. Bosom buddy: PAL.

55. Pricey watches: OMEGAS.  I thought a spendy watch was a Rolex.  An OMEGA is an "Older More Energetic Graybar Associate."


59. Bravery: VALOR.  I think it takes a lot of VALOR to face another day of Covid-19 and stay home and keep your spirits up.

63. Happening: EVENT.  Yesterday was Mother's Day.  Best wishes to all Moms out there and I hope you had a great day! My Mother's name was HOPE.

64. Fronton game word: ALAI.

65. Scrabble piece: TILE.  On "Jeopardy" the other day, one of the clue answers was that the word "FUZZY" was worth 29 points.  Impossible - one of the "Z"s would have to be a blank.

66. Stringed instruments of yore: LYRES.

67. Jalopy corrosion: RUST.  Years ago, I owned a 1955 Oldsmobile. Great car but a bit rusty. I think they use different "Salt" on the roads nowadays.

68. Historic British school: ETON.

Down:

1. "Shadow Dancing" singer Andy: GIBB.  Andy was the brother of Bee Gees' BARRY.  Andy only made it to age 30.


2. Indian tourist city: AGRA.

3. Below average: POOR. Not sure if I want to touch this. The government sent everyone a substantial subsistence last months, but I am afraid many are hurting.  I always feel very fortunate to have had a stable career.

4. Law: STATUTE.

5. Go on and on: JABBER.  Sounds like Kareem Abdul's last name.

6. MLB pitcher's stat: ERA.  I think all of the pitcher's ERA's are 0.00 so far this year.

7. Stool pigeon: FINK. Tony Bennett passed away and went up to the pearly gates.  St. Peter issued him wings and a harp.  Tony asked about a friend of his named Sam Fink.  St Peter said he was not up here but maybe check the other place.  So Tony went down and found that Sam had opened a Disco and was living quite well. Later Tony returned to St. Peter and wished to enter the pearly gates but St. Peter told him he forgot something.  "Oh my gosh!", uttered Tony, "I left my Harp, in Sam Fink's Disco!" I knew I told the story before, but it bears repeating.

8. Lose luster, as colors: FADE.  Or to hit a golf ball in the trees off to the right.

9. Fit to be tied: MAD.  I remember the "MAD" magazine back in the 60s.  Are they still around?

10. Subway immortalized in an Ellington song: A TRAIN.  Ella Fitzgerald joined the Duke in one of the productions.

12. Slightly inebriated: TIPSY. Sorry - Bars are still closed. Interestingly however, our Governor designated liquor stores as "essential".

13. Subsides: EASES.

18. Spreadsheet info: DATA.

22. India's first prime minister: NEHRU.  I think he invented jackets with funny collars.


26. Herbie of jazz: MANN.  Minnesota had a friend of mine, Leo Mann.  A great friend and bowler.  Tried a few pro tournaments and cashed in a US Open around 1970.  He passed last fall at age 93.

27. Hawkeye's state: IOWA.  Just south of us. I have been there a few times. Mostly famous for pig farms, corn, and first presidential primaries.

28. Health resorts: SPAS.

30. Lawn care tool: EDGER.  I hate replacing the nylon string in these things.

31. Six-pointed star-shaped screw head: TORX.  I'm sure my Phillips screwdriver won't work on these.


33. Part of A.D.: ANNO.

35. Catch a few z's: DOZE.  Instead of the EDGER, just use a Bull DOZER.

36. Campus courtyard: QUAD.  The yard can only have four sides.

38. SoCal cop force: LAPD.  I wonder if their mascot is a LAP DOG

39. Like much bar beer: ON TAP.  You won't find this in too many states.  You need to visit an essential liquor store.

43. Montreal daily: GAZETTE.  GAZETTE eh?


45. "Tennis, __?": ANYONE.

46. "Cut that out!": STOP IT.  Tell it to the virus!

47. Scottish toppers: TAMS.

48. Whoop it up: REVEL.

49. Hard to lift: HEAVY.  "He ain't heavy, He's my Brother."  Neal Diamond and others.  Regards a logo from Boy's Town Nebraska. 


53. Not quite closed: AJAR.  "When is a glass not a glass??"

54. Humdinger: LULU.  "How can you thank someone who has taken us from crayons to perfume?" "To Sir with Love"

56. Canter or gallop: GAIT.

57. "Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie: ARLO.  "Walk right in, it's around the back, Just a half a mile from the railroad track.  You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant." 

58. British weapon acronym: STEN.

60. ACLU concerns: RTS. Rights.

62. Pas' partners: MAS.  Happy Mother's Day yesterday, and Do Not call your Mother MA.

Boomer


46 comments:

Hungry Mother said...

A bit of crunch, but only one write-over: EELY 4 oiLY. Fun solve.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I was sure this one was gonna be a pangram, but I looked and looked and can't find the C; all the rest are there. Took the reveal for me to get the theme. Still, I filled this one just about as fast as I could write. Nice one, RELM. Boomer, thanx for your always witty write-up.

"Putt" -- I've putted twenty feet a time or two, usually from ten feet from the hole.

RUST -- One advantage of living in snow-free states is that there's no salt on the roads. Cars seldom suffer from rust around here.

"Essential" -- I read yesterday that there's a beer crisis in Mexico. The gov't ruled brewery work as non-essential, and the beer shelves are now empty. That's just not right. If you have to self-isolate, you should be able to self-lubricate. Otherwise you'd get RUSTy.

SansBeach said...

Good Morning all. HM, I had the same write over. FLS I want to thank everyone who took the time to offer some encouraging words regarding xword solving methods. I think I have incorporated most suggestions over the years. Unfortunately, when I consult my library of "usual" suspects the shelf is sometimes bare. I do xwords because I enjoy the challenge and am okay with not finishing the harder ones. YMMV? (your methods may vary?) is all I could come up with. lol Not the case today, as today is FIR. Thanks Robert E and thanks Boomer for the amusing stories. FYI, Bee Gees aka Brother's Gibb. I think only one remains on the right side of the sod.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Easy solve today. Thanks Boomer for your always interesting take on the passing scene.
Had ETHANE today; 'hexane' the other day.
WAG - Seems akin to German 'wackeln' "to shake". L. German 'waggeln'.

Anonymous said...

Scrabble points
F = 4
U = 1
Z = 10
Z = 10
Y = 4

TOTAL = 29

Anonymous said...

I didn't see the theme in the 4 minutes, 11 seconds. Considering this one practically filled-in itself, I'm beginning to accept that I won't break the 4 minute barrier. Oh well, I still really enjoy the Thurs-Sat levels.

Anonymous said...

There's only 1 "z" tile in Scrabble.

Spitzboov said...

Scrabble tile letter distribution is as follows:
A-9
B-2
C-2
D-4
E-12
F-2
G-3
H-2
I-9
J-1
K-1
L-4
M-2
N-6
O-8
P-2
Q-1
R-6
S-4
T-6
U-4
V-2
W-2
X-1
Y-2
Z-1
Blank-2

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-The fun gimmick reminded of the lost H.S. track season I was looking forward to
-I’m calling my barber’s co-owner and wife, RHONDA, this morning to see if they are now open
-Our Mother’s Day EVENT was in my daughter’s garage sitting six feet apart
-TORX – A day without learning is like a day without sunshine
-I’ve lived twenty minutes from Boy’s Town for seventy years, but just visited it three years ago. Omaha, which used to be another fifteen minutes down the road, has now enveloped Boys Town. They recently sold a some of their farm ground for tens of millions of dollars.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Took my time and let perps work their magic where necessary for a neat no ink over Monday. For example MAD solved the usual satin/MATTE conundrum.

Tried to force "the other breast" as a response to "BOSOM BUDDY" but PAL obviously the better alternative.

ANNO. (year It. from Lt.)..in Italian it is imperative double consonants be spoken with emphasis....
"Quanti anni hai?" .."How old are you?"
"Quanti ani hai?" ... "How many anuses do you have?"

TORX will be stored in my cerebral cruciverb for future recall.By now everyone knows their APSE from a nave in the church.

Lots of lunacy on a moon day

Girl Group ......BROADBAND.

One of Homer's kid's "stomach muscles" ....BARTAB.

Slippery Ron, TV's Tarzan ....EELY.

Last of the Greek wrist watches .....OMEGAS.

Photographers session ASAP .....STATUTE.

What a bunch of _____ ! Those are just small harps...LYRES.

Hawkish rhyming urban poet ......RAPTOR

Weather outside is frightful...40s gloom. Great start to a week off.

Shankers said...

Not much to say about this one except that it was too easy. But torx for a Monday? I was actually looking forward to seeing that anon broke the four minute barrier. I have a 17 year old grandson who is shooting for that prestigious goal in two weeks. Sad to hear this morning of Jerry Stiller's passing. Truly a funny, funny man.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Oh I forgot...

Traditional Catholic birth control hymn.."I got ______ " ....Rhythm

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Robert E. Lee Morris, for a dine puzzle. Thank you, Boomer, for a fine review.

Puzzle went quickly. No real problems. Got the theme after I finished. It was fine.

I remember the dial-up internet access. The company I worked for made line cards that handled that. Called ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) They worked fine for that technology. Eventually we got bought out by ATT.

I do not own a TORX wrench, but they do a good job, I understand, when you need one.

Never saw ISHTAR, probably never will.

Sunny today. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

CanadianEh! said...

Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Robert and Boomer.
My newspaper does not credit the constructor, and with the baseball mini-theme of ERA, TRIPLE PLAY, LOU, and even KEN (per Boomer), I thought it was a C.C. creation. Ah, RELM gives a satisfying solve also. Great theme reveal with JUMPSTART. I was working with BAND, PLAY, RUN, ROLLER and not seeing an EndGame!

I noted other pairs or minithemes - Games-J'ai ALAI, Scrabble TILE; Tavern - ON Tap (DRIPS?), BAR TAB, TIPSY; India - AGRA, NEHRU; locales - ANNEX, ATRIA, QUAD (at ETON?); First Names - EMILYS, RHONDA, JEFF, OPIE, KEN, LOU, LULU?.

I had sufficient perps to enter LYRES (not Lutes - but we did have UTE!). And I had APSE (and didn't have to worry about Nave! hi Ray). Thankfully TORX perped. I did change Rebel to REVEL when VALOR (Valour for this Canadian) appeared. (Sometimes whooping it up is rebelling!)

Yes, d'otto, I was starting to check re pangram, when I saw the Q,J,Zs,X,V. Odd that a simple C prevented the pangram.

I will take a CSO with RAPTOR (and a minor one with GAZETTE, even though I am not in Montreal). Raptors can start to practice today - with one player on the court at a time!!
RaptorsPractice

Wishing you all a great day. Stay safe.

oc4beach said...

Nice puzzle today from RELM. Good write-up Boomer. Although I didn't see the theme until it was 'splained.

Had a few WOs today. OILY before EELY, ROLEXS before OMEGAS and LUTES before LYRES. Perps fixed it all up.

I can't imagine Mexico cutting off beer production as non-essential. I've mentioned it before, but here it is again. The Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, decided that the State Liquor Stores were non-essential. However, beer and wine could still be obtained at Beer Distributors and some supermarkets and winery outlets. After a hew and cry from many residents he did allow some of the stores to take phone in orders for up to 6 bottles to be picked up a few days later. Not one of his more brilliant moves. I think he has opened some of the Liquor Stores now under restricted rules.

The Governor also closed down all of the rest areas on the interstates and Turnpike. This made it difficult for the truckers who were keeping our supplies still moving to be able to "go". After more protests he did supply Port-a-Potties at some rest stops before he finally opened the rest stops and service centers on the Turnpike.

End of Rant.

Have a great day everyone and I hope all Mothers had a great day yesterday.

Anonymous said...

Desper- I was surprised about a C not being in the grid to make a pangram. Change 54- down to LUCY and 67- across to RYAN... Voila!

Jerome

desper-otto said...

Very good, Jerome. You should try your hand at puzzle creation. :)

Anonymous Indian said...

Nehru jacket is age old outer garment in India. Marketing fellows
encashed Nehru's popularity by using his name. No question of it being
Nehru's invention. I don't see how the the collars are funny . Jackets
worn by Mao and earlier chinese leaders also have similar collars.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Canadian Eh...beside the "or" differences...colour...valour. Do you use the form Oedema for Edema. Haematoma? Anaemia?

British purists sometimes even use Œ and Æ.

Do sophisticated Canadian pigs say "œink?"

desper-otto said...

Ray-O, sophisticated pigs say, "Moi?"

TTP said...

Good morning.

Thank you R.E.L.M. and D.B. (B.B.)

Nice easy puzzle to start the week and a fun review. Found the JUMP STARTs with minimal effort. Noticed that there were both names for the same event, BROAD JUMP and LONG JUMP.

Still no golf for me, Boomer. It's walking only (unless a person claims physical limitation, then it's one to a cart), 2-somes only, and tee times 15 minutes apart. Can't run the golf league like that.

That's ok for now. My faucet repair meant I had to remove drywall in the basement behind a big piece of furniture that is seldom moved. The drywall has been pieced back in and I've put on the first two coats of joint compound. That means I have to paint (at least) that wall - the longest in the basement. So I dug out my painting tools to get ready for that.

Then I decided to go ahead and paint the walls and shelves around the laundry tub where the shiny new faucet was installed. Looks all fresh and clean. DW is pleased with the results, and has suggested that if I have to paint the long wall on the other side, "Why don't you go ahead and paint the rest of the basement while you are at it ?"

I hope they get those golf courses fully opened soon.

Here are some photos:
Faucet Removal and Replacement Photos

Misty said...

Woohoo! I love Monday puzzles because I get the whole thing most of the time. Today I had a bit of anxiety about TORX--never heard of it, it didn't look right, but I couldn't imagine what else it could be. Woohoo! It turned out to be right and so I had a great Monday--many thanks, Robert!

And, Boomer, that was an exceptionally fun write-up from you this morning. Great that you had a chance to play golf, and loved the picture of C.C. in front of the Chinese-like casino.

Canadian Eh, thanks for pointing out all the cute mini-themes. Always enjoy seeing OPIE in one of our puzzles, or any other Ron Howard clue. Also nice to see those two EMILYS this morning. And I wish I had seen ISHTAR back in the day--I can't imagine Beatty and Hoffman being in a terrible movie.

Have a good week coming up, everybody.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Thank you, RELM, for a nice, easy Monday puzzle! And thank you, Boomer, for an amusing introduction!

CSO to my late cousin, RHONDA, who died too young.

Many years ago we had a morning and evening newspaper; The Phoenix GAZETTE folded but we still have The Arizona Republic in the A.M.

TORX is a new word for me; I've never heard of it before today.

Our weather is too dry for any RUST to form on cars.

I love the BeeGees (Brothers GIBB) music!

Beware the JABBERwocky! So warned C.S. Lewis.

The only MANN I've heard of is Thomas who wrote Death in Venice, not a cheerful novel.

Have a merry Monday, everyone!



Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This had a tiny bite for a Monday with Torx, of which I’ve never heard and a few other unknowns, but that’s on me because of my pop music knowledge shortcomings; Gibb and Rhonda both needed perps. I wasn’t keen on Eely or Rts. but I liked seeing Aria and Atria side by side. I also liked Remains of the tray=Ash. Had no idea of the theme until the Aha reveal.

Thanks, REL, for a fun solve and thanks, Boomer, for plenty of chuckles and tee hees. Your spirit and spunk are as strong as ever, virus or no virus! 😷

FLN

Belated Happy Birthday, Paul, and thanks for stopping by. 🎂🎁🎈🎉🎊

Picard, glad to hear you sound like you’re well on your way back to good health! 🤗

WikWak, good luck with your move. We moved 17 times in 27 years, so we were real pros. I don’t have the energy for any more, though.

Stay safe, all.

Mailman1959 said...

RHONDA was Alfs girlfriend back on Melmac. (Here kitty)

PDQ-Pretty Darn Quick

CanadianEh! said...

Ray@11:26-re "Do you use the form Oedema for Edema. Haematoma? Anaemia? "
I don't think we Canadians are consistent about all our British origin language usage. I use edema, hematoma, anemia, probably because that is how I would see them in medical articles.
LOL at you and d'otto re those sophisticated pigs!

TTP - that was quite the faucet repair project. Did you see a TORX in your endeavours?

Picard said...

Irish Miss thank you for the encouragement! Last night I actually slept!

Shankers sorry to hear about the passing of Jerry Stiller. Thank you for the information.

When I was a kid I was good at the BROAD JUMP and HIGH JUMP. The latter used to mess up my shoulder, though, so I had to stop. Never heard of TRIPLE JUMP. Anyone else? Fun theme and quick solve.

I am very familiar with TORX. At our Summer Solstice Festival we have transitioned in recent years to using TORX screws for assembling the floats. The six sharp points allow more torque to be applied before stripping the heads. We use powerful impact drivers, not regular screwdrivers. Even so, a stripped head still can happen.

here we are during the Solstice teardown with our TORX impact drivers. I am in Image #009

During the transition we had to keep both Phillips and TORX bits on hand.

TTP said...

Canadian Eh, I have a set of Torx wrenches, as well as a set of Bristol wrenches and multiple Allen wrench sets, but none were needed for the faucet repair.

Of course, if I had needed one, it would be the size that was not in my set. That's what happened when I had to replace the door striker in my pickup truck. After I came back from the auto parts store with the striker, I had to back and get the Torx driver bit. I don't remember offhand whether it was T25 or a T50, but it was bigger than any in my set. Par for the course.


Lucina, I uploaded a few pics of the New perennial garden under the Blue Spruce I put in at the beginning of the month. These photos are from about a week ago. The hostas, day lilys and lily-of-the-valley have all perked up since then. In one picture that shows the wheel on my neighbor's car, you can see the bare area. That's where I want to plant an azalea. I just haven't been out to a nursery yet.

The 4th pic in the set is the vinca (Periwinkle) in bloom, growing up the small hill by the garden walk. Like lily-of-the-valley, if left to grow unchecked, it will run rampant.

When the spirea (bridal wreath) goes into bloom in a week or two, I'll post some new pics of the same garden with the spirea in the background.

Bill G said...

Pickard, I'm not a fan of the triple jump but it's an event in almost all track meets including the Olympics. To me, it has an awkward appearance. It looks like this:

There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "step" phase, and the "jump" phase. They all play an important role in the jump itself. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence. The competitor runs as fast as possible and takes off on one leg. Then another step or jump with the other leg, and then the final leap into the sand pit.

You can find YouTube videos if you are interested further.

CrossEyedDave said...

Sorry I am late to the party...


Still not sure this puzzle theme is a good idea...

Also why I thought jump starting a car with lightning was a good idea...

CrossEyedDave said...

P.S.

has anyone had ANY success planting Anything
under a Maple Tree?

AnonymousPVX said...


This was a quick Monday solve.

No write-overs today.

I must take issue with the explanation of 30D...there is no nylon string in an Edger....you are thinking of a Trimmer. The Edger is the tool with a metal blade that “edges” the line between the sidewalk/driveway and the turf by digging down into it and leaving a space. The Trimmer just cuts where the mower can’t reach.

Besides Torx and Phillips heads there is something called J.I.S, Japanese Industrial Standard (I think). If you’ve ever been frustrated when trying to use a Phillips head screwdriver on anything Japanese, get some J.I.S. drivers. Enjoy the difference.

And on to Tuesday. Stay safe.

AnonymousPVX said...


Also, for new solvers, there is a reference book called a “Crossword Puzzle Dictionary” by Drew Swanfeldt. It was extremely helpful when I first started.

Ol' Man Keith said...

A solid Monday contribution from Mr. Morris.
(I don't suppose Robt. E. Lee is old enough to remember when his namesake, Philip, used to be represented by a bellhop in the print ads, and on radio could be heard calling out the surname as "More-EEES"!)

Misty ~ I had the same momentary concern regarding TORX. Happily, the perp solved it. I wondered for a bit whether an "Extended engagement" could be a LONG GUN, but TOGX seemed almost as intolerable as "Latinx."

Lucina ~ Ah, yes! (I'm not sure you meant "C.S. Lewis." How about that other famous Oxford "Lewis"?)
“Beware the JABBERwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

~ OMK
____________
DR:
Two diagonals, one to a side.
The near-side anagram is the challenge posed by one member of a police dept’s urban crime unit to another when arriving back at their station after a raid. The questioner has obviously fulfilled his quote before asking,
“Hey, …
GOT A GANGSTER?”!

Wilbur Charles said...

The big guy on Ruth's right is Foxx and the guy on the other end I'm guessing is Al Simmons. 1934 inaugural all-star game methinks.

Carwash is open for wash only, no interior. But vacs are free

Stable career? I didn't know you were a jockey, Boomer?

That reminds me of the Dale Evans joke
.
We were talk'n El trains Sat.

Hmm, I wonder how many TP rolls gets you a beer

EELY not oily. I suppose someone has done that Scrabble addition by now: (4+1+10+10+4). Oops to late and good catch Boomer about the blank. And Lucina… "Lewis" Carroll. Oh to gyre and gimbel again.

Not to speak of PDQ Bach

Picard, it's called the "Hop, Skip and Jump - still an Olympic event. Thx Bill G. The last "jump" is from both feet on the ground.

As Misty said , TORX had to stand. Early this am I did the Evan Birnholz (Sun Wa-Post) and I have a box I'm not so sure of. Problem is, posting late I get my UGLIs,ACAIs and ALAIs mixed up.

I agree with PVX on xword help early. There's probably a list of xword fodder like ENA, ALOU,ESAI etc out there. There's even a book on how to alter inked in letters to another letter as in the obvious F-E.

WC (there's that pesky C)








Avg Joe said...

TTP, you sent me to my tool kit to check, but I'd guess the torx bit needed to remove a door striker is larger than T50. I've got that as my second largest, and it's basically the same size as the 5/16" hex shank (IOW, no taper). I've also got another that is 40% or so larger that I bought for some forgotten task, but it doesn't have a marking on it. I've seen door strikers with torx configuration. I don't currently have one, but I do remember them being bigger that the T50 in my box.

Going back a few days to your mention of the schrunk, I once heard that the reason Germans have so many large cabinets is a taxation avoidance matter, or at least was at one time. Evidently part of the real property tax assessment is/was based on the number of rooms in a house...and closets count as a room. So, few closets, many cabinets. Similarly, the French Mansard roof has origins with the same purpose. The French based their ad valorem taxes on all living area below the eave line. So...drop the eave line and you can pick up an extra story without being taxed for it. I can't be sure of reliability since these stories were told to me anecdotally, but they certainly are plausible.

Lucina said...

TTP:
I so envy your foliage and beautiful flowers! Though I love our dry weather it is not conducive to much growing of flowers, grass, etc., except through irrigation so I'm thankful for that. Geraniums do well in the heat so I have several of those.

Ok, so there is C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll. Whew! The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis; Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll. Right?

Bill G said...

WC, Dale Evans joke? If it's worth it, do tell.

I'm pretty sure each part of the triple jump has the jumper taking off on one foot, then landing in the pit with both feet extended at the end.

Jayce said...

I enjoyed solving this puzzle today and reading all your comments.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Lucina ~
Right.

TTP said...




Hey, Avg Joe, good to hear from you ! Don't be a stranger.

You made me go check. I left the Torx bit in the center console of my '93 F-150, because it's the only time I've ever had a need for it, and it's used for the strikers on the door and on the tailgate. For that year/model, it's a T50. I bought a Crescent brand 3/8 socket drive bit.

I hear you about those odd tax rules. I can't remember whether it was when I was in Holland or Denmark, and it may have been in northern Germany, but on a guided tour I learned that at one time, properties were taxed on the size of the front doors/entrances to the houses.

I think it was Denmark. Anyway, as a result of those tax laws, it was common for houses to have very, very narrow front doors, but on the second floors there were wide, almost hayloft like barn door openings with a block and tackle overhead that was used to bring in everything that wouldn't fit through the narrow front doors. Furniture intended for the first floor would be hefted to the second floor and then carried downstairs to the first floor. Where there's a will, there's a way.

When you were in the trades, did you ever cut and frame a Mansard roof ? I would think they must be pretty tough with a lot of extra stick framing.

The carpenter I hired to shell out my addition took one measurement from what would become the peak of my hip roof, went back down to the ground and cut every hip and jack rafter without ever going back up and or asking for another measurement. I was in awe. He later said that they no longer teach carpenters how to cut a roof in trade school. He said that most everything comes in premanufactured as trussed. I guess that's progress. Until you need old school skill.

Wilbur Charles said...

Bill G, no probably not worth it but

Dale bought Roy Rogers a brand new pair of boots, polished and bright. Next day what does he do but hop in Nelly Belly with Pat and go hunting mountain lion.

Roy comes back and tells Dale, "That was a close one, that Puma chased me into the Jeep and almost got me. And sure enough there were the bite marks on the boots.

"Where's your mountain lion?". "He got away , Dale".

Dale Evans was furious, she grabbed a rifle, mounted Buttermilk and tore off for the hills. An hour or so later she was back and tossed the carcass of the puma on the floor. And said…
Wait for it ….

"Pardon me , Roy, but is that the cat who chewed your new shoes?"

TTP said...

CED, what kind of maple ? My neighbors with the upward growing (branching) sugar maples have no problem growing grass under their trees. They are trimmed pretty high. Probably 15' up/

OTOH, both my and my neighbor's black maples (Crimson Kings) are a different matter. I have to use dense shade grass seed, and be vigilant about keeping the leaves cleaned up in the fall. And add nutrients and reseed / over-seed every year. Even so, I can only effectively grow grass to within about 5 feet, so I use hostas for visual appeal within that area.

Avg Joe said...

TTP, I've not heard about the narrow door issue. That's very interesting, and I can just see it in my mind. People will go to great lengths to avoid responsibility!!.

No, I've never framed a Mansard roof. It's a style I consider brutally ugly, but either way, was never forced into framing one. I did reshingle one once with sawn cedar, but that's far less complicated. On the flip side, I never have set trusses. Every roof I ever built was cut on site. I know that the answer to the universe is 42, but with roofs it's actually 17. And you'd be amazed how many "carpenters" have never cut a roof (or a stair horse)....or would have any idea where to begin. Even from the old days. The only thing I'd take exception with on your friend's single measurement is that it assumes a true foundation...that's rarely the case, and a fudge factor typically has to be in play. Measure twice, cut once, and all that.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Just a hop, skip, and a JUMP and I was done. I knew (probably have a set of) TORX (pronounced torques because, [see: Picard @1:43]), so no hang-up there. Thanks RELM.

Thank you Boomer for the jaunty start to my work-week. You made me lookup The Orleans - I've been to Vegas many times but never saw it. Ah, 'cuz it's on the other side of I-15.

WO: N/A
ESPs: many 'cuz I played to fast. Didn't see OPIE, ASH, and others. MANN is unknown.
Fav: LYRES. Last night Pop mentioned Nero I got to pull out of my back pocket "They're a Lyre, he didn't fiddle 'cuz they weren't invented yet." Pop got it, Bro didn't know what a LYRE was.

OMK - I GOT you GANGSTER right here... :-)

I also liked the two semi-silent Hs paired w/ Rs in NEHRU and RHONDA

C, Eh! Wow you really got extra mileage out of this puzzle. Very nice sub-theme pull out. Wait, do you have a wall with strings, pictures, and post-it notes that connect Kennedy to UFOs?

Lucina - what about Aimee MANN?. [Voices Carry - 4:18] We've had her in the puzzle before.

Oc4 - they never should have called anything 'non-essential' [if it's your job it is!] and only closed 'risky activities.' I recall when talk of closing stuff first started and there was a debate about booze - one side: for sots, a global pandemic is NOT the time to cut them off.

TTP - I enjoyed the snaps of a job well done. Re: never having the right too... Every job is a chance for a new toy, er tool. You know you're a) getting older b) take care of your stuff when you can tackle jobs w/ the tools you have. Speaking of - I just found some 9.2v Ryobi devices cleaning out the garage. Sadly, the 18v batteries don't fit.

Nice to read you AveJoe!

WC - Oh, groaaaa-own! :-)

Cheers, -T

TTP said...



Avg Joe, that's exactly what Dave was talking about. The apprentices had no idea on certain types of framing skills. Stringers ? They were something you bought and installed, rather than made. Cut a roof ? Not a chance for the guys that were building tract homes.

My house was built in 1955. The owner added an attached garage in 1968. The concreted garage wasn't squared to the house, but Dave squared the frame and the addition above the garage to the house. So by the time the 2x4 addition wall spanned from the far side to the near side, it was a full 4" away from the house. It had looked square to me before he laid out the lines, but the numbers don't lie. And of course the proof is in the pudding. All of the sheet goods on the walls and roof lined up perfectly.