Theme: Food Fad - as the theme reveal explains:
62A. Diet that involves eating fat, cutting carbs, and avoiding the ends of the answers to the starred clues: KETO.
And so we find:
20A. *49ers Hall of Famer who was MVP of Super Bowl XXIII: JERRY RICE. He was best known as a 49er although after he was released by San Francisco he played for the Raiders, the Seahawks and the Broncos. When he was ready to retire in 2006 he signed a one-day contract with the 49ers to allow him to retire as a member of the team where his NFL career began.
26A. *Inactive sort: COUCH POTATO
40A. *One hard to fool: SMART COOKIE
51A. *Head honcho: TOP BANANA. Here's the famous Andy Warhol painting that appeared on the cover of the 1967 album "The Velvet Underground and Nico" and now graces a record label's logo.
According to University of Chicago Medicine, following the keto diet can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. No thanks, I'll stick to my rice and cookies.
So a straightforward enough theme from Stella with the keto diet unifying four random foods. The fill was nicely done with a couple of longer downs and generally a very solid word list, nothing to make you groan which is always nice. Let's take a foray into said fill:
Across:
1. Number system in Programming 101?: BINARY. There are 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary, and those who don't.
7. Tyler, the Creator work that won the 2019 Grammy for Best Rap Album: IGOR. Thank you, crosses. Rap isn't really my strong suit.
11. NYSE news: IPO
14. Gets around: EVADES
15. __ colada: PIÑA
16. Golf scorecard word: PAR. A word not often seen on my scorecards, that's a fact.
17. Best Actress between Halle and Charlize: NICOLE. Kidman in 2002 for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.
18. Late-day religious service: EVENSONG
22. Envelope-pushing: EDGY
23. Produit de la tête: IDÉE. Une bonne une, avec optimisme.
24. Maze rodent: RAT
25. Writer Deighton: LEN. British author best known for spy novels, but did you know he also writes cookbooks and illustrated cookstrips?
31. Bit of verbal derision: CATCALL
35. Like some patches: IRON-ON
36. Student, to a counselor: ADVISEE. One of those words which has gained more currency in recent years. It wasn't really seen around much before the 1950's.
37. Not empirically derived: A PRIORI. Theoretical deduction rather than evidence-based.
38. Sequel title words: PART II. Did Shakespeare write an 11-part play about the famous English King Iv, or am I imagining that? I'm sure I remember the final installment - Henry Iv, Part 11.
39. Shows contempt for: SPITS AT
43. __ tee: TO A
44. Newark-based insurer, on the NYSE: PRU. The ticker symbol for Prudential Financial Inc. My first office job was in a marine insurance underwriters' office who were agents for the Pru. I filed claim forms and entered policy details into a ledger the size of a desk. After six months of that I begged and pleaded to be allowed to learn how to program the computer, and the rest is history.
45. Musical note connector: SLUR
49. Leg bone: SHIN
54. Rest stop facility: MEN'S ROOM
57. Like much humor: IRONIC. It's ironic that none of the situations described in Alanis Morrisette's song "Ironic" are actually ironic. Good song though. Here's a refresher if you've not heard it for a while.
58. Assn.: ORG.
59. Sooty passage: FLUE
60. It has its pros and cons: DEBATE
61. Grill fuel: GAS. I was recently given a table-top electric grill; it's awesome for "skewer" meals like Korean barbeque and yakitori.
63. Not so tough: EASIER
Down:
1. Scruffy film dog: BENJI. Is he that scruffy? He's a mongrel, but cute.
2. Like some college walls: IVIED. Some baseball infield walls also. A ball lost in the Wrigley Field ivy is a ground-rule double.
3. Mussel shell lining: NACRE
4. Absolutely flip for: ADORE
5. Bank (on): RELY
6. River of Flanders: YSER
7. Poison remedy: IPECAC. Nasty stuff, it was an emetic given orally. No longer recommended, as apparently a good session of throwing up doesn't really do much good. Activated charcoal is much more effective and gives your whole system a good clean.
8. Donates, biblically: GIVETH
9. Unseparated: ONE
10. Bled or fled: RAN
11. Music players discontinued in 2017: IPOD NANOS. I've got a mini one lying around somewhere. It holds a grand total of about 50 songs but was quite the thing back in the day.
12. Hunger twinge: PANG
13. Wild indulgence: ORGY
19. "Get this done": SEE TO IT
21. "Who's better than me?!": I RULE! Yay me!
25. "Five Minutes" country singer Morgan: LORRIE. Thank you, crosses. Country music apparently isn't really my thing either.
26. Small Spanish house: CASITA
27. Acid found in vegetable oil: OLEIC
28. Longstocking of kiddie lit: PIPPI. I tried PIPPY first until SMART COOKYE looked a little too medieval English to be correct.
29. __ Bora: Afghan cave complex: TORA
30. "I'll get this done": ON IT
31. Baseball hats: CAPS
32. Cain raiser: ADAM
33. Nielsen concern: TV RATINGS. The Nielsen ratings are becoming less important as the shift continues towards streaming content rather than watching broadcast TV. Instead of estimating audience numbers by polling a small number of households, the streaming figures are actual views.
34. Thick-skinned yellow fruit: CITRONS. Here's one:
37. Invite to a balcony: ASK UP
41. Refuse to participate: OPT OUT
42. Words from a balcony: O ROMEO
45. Ones looking down: SNOBS
46. Molokai neighbor: LANAI. Maui too, they're both about the same distance from Lanai. Molokai is home to the highest sea cliffs in the world.
47. Become 9-Down: UNITE
48. Slot car, for one: RACER
49. Urban portmanteau: SMOG
50. Greek goddess of marriage: HERA
52. Wait for: BIDE
53. Zone: AREA
55. '60s atty. general: RFK
56. Cheer for un gol: OLÉ! Not really, you cheer for a gol by saying "gol!", and in the case of Mexican soccer commentators, strung out ad nauseam. Olé! tends to be used when a team is putting together an extended series of passes and keeping the ball away from the opposition.
And with Programming 101 to start, and Football Chants 101 to finish, here's the grid:
Steve
62A. Diet that involves eating fat, cutting carbs, and avoiding the ends of the answers to the starred clues: KETO.
And so we find:
20A. *49ers Hall of Famer who was MVP of Super Bowl XXIII: JERRY RICE. He was best known as a 49er although after he was released by San Francisco he played for the Raiders, the Seahawks and the Broncos. When he was ready to retire in 2006 he signed a one-day contract with the 49ers to allow him to retire as a member of the team where his NFL career began.
26A. *Inactive sort: COUCH POTATO
40A. *One hard to fool: SMART COOKIE
51A. *Head honcho: TOP BANANA. Here's the famous Andy Warhol painting that appeared on the cover of the 1967 album "The Velvet Underground and Nico" and now graces a record label's logo.
According to University of Chicago Medicine, following the keto diet can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. No thanks, I'll stick to my rice and cookies.
So a straightforward enough theme from Stella with the keto diet unifying four random foods. The fill was nicely done with a couple of longer downs and generally a very solid word list, nothing to make you groan which is always nice. Let's take a foray into said fill:
Across:
1. Number system in Programming 101?: BINARY. There are 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary, and those who don't.
7. Tyler, the Creator work that won the 2019 Grammy for Best Rap Album: IGOR. Thank you, crosses. Rap isn't really my strong suit.
11. NYSE news: IPO
14. Gets around: EVADES
15. __ colada: PIÑA
16. Golf scorecard word: PAR. A word not often seen on my scorecards, that's a fact.
17. Best Actress between Halle and Charlize: NICOLE. Kidman in 2002 for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.
18. Late-day religious service: EVENSONG
22. Envelope-pushing: EDGY
23. Produit de la tête: IDÉE. Une bonne une, avec optimisme.
24. Maze rodent: RAT
25. Writer Deighton: LEN. British author best known for spy novels, but did you know he also writes cookbooks and illustrated cookstrips?
31. Bit of verbal derision: CATCALL
35. Like some patches: IRON-ON
36. Student, to a counselor: ADVISEE. One of those words which has gained more currency in recent years. It wasn't really seen around much before the 1950's.
37. Not empirically derived: A PRIORI. Theoretical deduction rather than evidence-based.
38. Sequel title words: PART II. Did Shakespeare write an 11-part play about the famous English King Iv, or am I imagining that? I'm sure I remember the final installment - Henry Iv, Part 11.
39. Shows contempt for: SPITS AT
43. __ tee: TO A
44. Newark-based insurer, on the NYSE: PRU. The ticker symbol for Prudential Financial Inc. My first office job was in a marine insurance underwriters' office who were agents for the Pru. I filed claim forms and entered policy details into a ledger the size of a desk. After six months of that I begged and pleaded to be allowed to learn how to program the computer, and the rest is history.
45. Musical note connector: SLUR
49. Leg bone: SHIN
54. Rest stop facility: MEN'S ROOM
57. Like much humor: IRONIC. It's ironic that none of the situations described in Alanis Morrisette's song "Ironic" are actually ironic. Good song though. Here's a refresher if you've not heard it for a while.
58. Assn.: ORG.
59. Sooty passage: FLUE
60. It has its pros and cons: DEBATE
61. Grill fuel: GAS. I was recently given a table-top electric grill; it's awesome for "skewer" meals like Korean barbeque and yakitori.
63. Not so tough: EASIER
Down:
1. Scruffy film dog: BENJI. Is he that scruffy? He's a mongrel, but cute.
2. Like some college walls: IVIED. Some baseball infield walls also. A ball lost in the Wrigley Field ivy is a ground-rule double.
3. Mussel shell lining: NACRE
4. Absolutely flip for: ADORE
5. Bank (on): RELY
6. River of Flanders: YSER
7. Poison remedy: IPECAC. Nasty stuff, it was an emetic given orally. No longer recommended, as apparently a good session of throwing up doesn't really do much good. Activated charcoal is much more effective and gives your whole system a good clean.
8. Donates, biblically: GIVETH
9. Unseparated: ONE
10. Bled or fled: RAN
11. Music players discontinued in 2017: IPOD NANOS. I've got a mini one lying around somewhere. It holds a grand total of about 50 songs but was quite the thing back in the day.
12. Hunger twinge: PANG
13. Wild indulgence: ORGY
19. "Get this done": SEE TO IT
21. "Who's better than me?!": I RULE! Yay me!
25. "Five Minutes" country singer Morgan: LORRIE. Thank you, crosses. Country music apparently isn't really my thing either.
26. Small Spanish house: CASITA
27. Acid found in vegetable oil: OLEIC
28. Longstocking of kiddie lit: PIPPI. I tried PIPPY first until SMART COOKYE looked a little too medieval English to be correct.
29. __ Bora: Afghan cave complex: TORA
30. "I'll get this done": ON IT
31. Baseball hats: CAPS
32. Cain raiser: ADAM
33. Nielsen concern: TV RATINGS. The Nielsen ratings are becoming less important as the shift continues towards streaming content rather than watching broadcast TV. Instead of estimating audience numbers by polling a small number of households, the streaming figures are actual views.
34. Thick-skinned yellow fruit: CITRONS. Here's one:
37. Invite to a balcony: ASK UP
41. Refuse to participate: OPT OUT
42. Words from a balcony: O ROMEO
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
45. Ones looking down: SNOBS
46. Molokai neighbor: LANAI. Maui too, they're both about the same distance from Lanai. Molokai is home to the highest sea cliffs in the world.
47. Become 9-Down: UNITE
48. Slot car, for one: RACER
49. Urban portmanteau: SMOG
50. Greek goddess of marriage: HERA
52. Wait for: BIDE
53. Zone: AREA
55. '60s atty. general: RFK
56. Cheer for un gol: OLÉ! Not really, you cheer for a gol by saying "gol!", and in the case of Mexican soccer commentators, strung out ad nauseam. Olé! tends to be used when a team is putting together an extended series of passes and keeping the ball away from the opposition.
And with Programming 101 to start, and Football Chants 101 to finish, here's the grid:
Steve
Note from C.C.:
Happy
Birthday to dear Tony (Anonymous-T), who has helped me and this blog
tremendously all these years. Thank you so much for your generosity Tony! You make our blogging so much easier and you lighten up
our blog!
 |
| At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017 |
You all know of the fly in the FLUE
ReplyDeleteBut I'll now give to you PART II.
The fly and the flea
Now UNITED be,
And they tend to nits, just like you do!
When I go to an ORGY, it gives me a PANG
To compare my own to another guy's thang.
But the girls ADORE
How I make mine roar,
And when they were good it EVEN SANG!
Good morning Cornerites.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stella Zawistowski for your enjoyable Thursday CW.
Carol and I FIR in 25:52 min.
Thank you Steve for your excellent review.
Ðave
A learning moment for me. I thought a citron was a small French car!
ReplyDeleteFIW with eGOR and ePECAC. I could have guessed smarter there.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteFigured the theme was simply food. (Gotta learn to read the complete reveal clues.) Appropriate for a Steve-blogged puzzle. Didn't remember EVENSONG, if I ever knew it. Thanx for the challenge, Stella (Stella!), and for the culinary adventure, Steve.
Boeuf Bourguignon: In H.S. the French class had an end-of-school-year evening dinner, which the class prepared in the Home Ec kitchen. Boeuf Bourguignon was the main course. The food was good, marred only by the fact that we had to speak French throughout.
Happy Birthday, Anon-T.
TTP, I finally got around to watching that George Martin documentary. Thanx for the heads-up. Amazing that in 1963 Martin produced 10 Number One hits, made only £5,000, but was denied a bonus because he was an "executive" producer.
Or was it £2,000?
ReplyDeleteMy mom was a firm believer in the magic of ipecac, we pronounced it epicat. If you had a stomach ache, you got rid of your stomach contents. More like mom did it for you, like it or not. If you knew what was good for you, you shut up and dealt with it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stella. Thanks, Steve.
I liked this puzzle, caught the theme with KETO, and FIW. My losing streak continues. I had PART II, but then typed over the second I when keyed in OLEaC. Don't know why I thought there was an A in there.
Learned today that LEN Deighton is a she.
The neighbors were a Nielsen ratings household in the '90s. They got perks, but I don't recall what they were. They (he mostly) found it to be too obtrusive. They each had their own sign on. So if she was watching something, say a Lifetime movie, and he changed it to some other channel when it was over, he would have to sign in. It sounded cumbersome.
Desper-otto, among other clips, I really got a kick out of Peter Sellers reciting "Hard Day's Night" a la King Richard III. That was a pretty good documentary. After listening to Cilla Black's "Alfie", I think I actually prefer it to Cher's and maybe even Dionne Warwick's.
TTP, what makes you think Len Deighton is a she?
ReplyDelete8:08, but got tripped up with "Evensong" and the fact that I always missspeelll "Ipecac."
ReplyDeleteA priori vaguely rang a bell.
Be ware, some of those rest stop facilities are closed, due to that virus-thing going around.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I have always enjoyed that binary joke.
Missed a box again. I thought of the pACE Car at Indy and my musical knowledge is zippo. I was concerned with the L in LANAI and never noticed I'd SLUpped the music word.
ReplyDeleteInteresting way of clueing SLUR. How about some more obscure Sports clues. Would JERRY RICE be as obscure to some as SLUR is to my ilk?
I know I've got all day to wish Tony HBD. Thanks for being so giving and give DW a hug(back)
WC
Thanks for the puzzle, Stella.
ReplyDeleteI thought the theme was just food, until I got to the KETO reveal. David has been on an extremely low carb diet for several years. He seems very healthy. He is careful to follow the regimen so as not to omit nutrients. He bikes and walks far every day.
I have attended beautiful choral evensong services, but it took me long to dredge it up. Evensong is mostly Anglican and Episcopalian, which I am,
Thanks for the interesting review, Steve. Seeing Yakitori makes my mouth water. We bought it from street vendors in Japan. I used to make it at home before I lived alone.
Happy birthday, Toni. Thanks for all your support for the Corner and for you great posts.
I have never used ipecac with my kids.
A priori reminds me of a major term paper I wrote in college. Really my only use of it. It is interesting how the assigning of term papers, essays, etc. varies from major to major and college to college. I wrote plenty of them for my BA at Susquehanna and even more for my MA. (It seemed like one a week.) My Japanese DIL was amazed at all the work my MA entailed. In Japan they worked their tails off in elementary and high school and then took it easy in college.
Anon@ 7:32, I enjoyed the binary joke, too.
No LEN Deighton is certainly not Ms D. When I put my tinfoil hat on I see a British MI6 version of the JFK assassination embedded in his Samson saga.
ReplyDeleteMy big clue was the character "Dodo" patterned after "Didi" (George Sergius de Mohrenschildt.). If it truly reflects inside information the conclusions would be earthshaking.
WC
Ps, Deighton was an artist before his best seller "The Soy Who Came in from the Cold"
That's SPY. Damn you Google
Delete
ReplyDeleteI thought I read in Steve's write up, "She" but I just checked and it does have he.
If memory is the second thing to go, what's the first thing ?
Happy Birthday, Dash-T !
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Anon -T - - Drei Mal Hoch!
Got it done with just a modicum of white-out. No help was needed. Had omega before OLEIC. SMART COOKIE saved me. Fun puzzle to work on. Food is always interesting.
Seemed like there was a plethora of compound fill (like SEE TO IT). Guess it carried into the theme.
NACRE - Canadian spelling? :-)
NACRE rhymes with ACRE. I, too,thought of Canadian Eh! but nacre is never spelled nacer.
ReplyDeleteGet this done/See to it is just two columns over from I'll get this done/On it.
I found today very hard (except for the long food answers which came to me immediately when I did the bottom right), but I did finish everything eventually.
ReplyDeleteI don't like when 2 names cross: LEN and LORRIE. But L seemed the best letter there.
Last to go was the top middle, since I spelled it EPICAC instead of IPECAC and I was totally clueless for 10D Bled or Fled with only a blank-A-blank. So guessed that it was -AR,-AS,-AN as the most likely and ran thru the alphabet. Duh! RAN. Then I corrected to IPECAC. Phew!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Stella Zawistowski, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteStarted this last night around midnight. Did not get very far. Finished this morning. This puzzle was more like a Friday than a Thursday. Pretty tough. I needed help to finish.
Caught the theme, even though I had no idea what KETO was. I don't eat BANANAS so I am safe there.
SMART ASS KID fit for 40A, but I used SMART COOKIE instead.
LANAI came slowly.
Tried TITHES before GIVETH became the word.
Anyhow, have to run. Radiation is waiting for me.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Once again my inattention caused a FIW. Reversed the student counselor, and made a spelling error error for poison control. Without those mistakes this would have been an EASIER than normal Thursday.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Stella & Steve.
MO
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was on the easy side for a Thursday, but I managed to FIW by having Coach Potato instead of Couch, God only knows why. I Rate looked okay but not Cat Calt, still, my eyes never spotted the totally silly Coach entry. The last Stella puzzle I remember solving was a Saturday themeless that caused much teeth gnashing and hair pulling. Today’s was a far cry from that experience. New to me: Citrons, Lorrie, and Igor. Iron on and Ironic caught my eye as did the CSO to Lucina at Casita.
Thanks, Stella, for a kinder, gentler offering and thanks, Steve, for sharing your wit and wisdom so cheerfully. What is the brand of your new electric grill? I’ve thought about getting one but would like to know the pros and cons.
Happy Birthday, Tony, hope you have a spectacular day. It’s the big 50, right? 🎂🎉🎁🎊🎈
Have a great day.
Fun puzzle. Great write-up as usual from Steve. LeCarre wrote "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold." I think it was his first novel. HBD Anon T! Love the pic CC put up.
ReplyDeleteStay safe everyone.
JB2
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY. The "FIRST" Sunset Toast is to YOU.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Good Thursday puzzle and enjoyable write up. I have been known to use that 10 types of people quip as a tag line on a certain motorcycle blog.
ReplyDeleteHappy B'day Anon-T.
Musings
ReplyDelete-What a fabulous puzzle by Stella who is a Brooklyn-based copywriter at a pharmaceutical advertising agency and a power lifter. She told me she calls herself a “brawny brain”
-When I blogged her puzzle on 12/7/19 she got me on SHAKSHUKA. Have you ever had this, Steve?
-Tutor/Tutee always seems awkward to me
-A PRIORI – Sauerkraut smells terrible so therefore I am not going to try it
-When the guy SPITS AT Atticus Finch (:14) some part of me wanted Atticus to deck him
-I happened upon my old iPOD last month and transferred that music over to my iPhone
-George Carlin – “Football players wear HELMETS but baseball players wear caps”
-Happy Birthday, Tony!
I’ve done crossword puzzles my whole life (I’m in my, ahem, 60s) and just found this blog recently. So fun! However, I not sure what all the acronyms stand for. FIW- filled in with? FIR? TTP? Who are CC, Boomer, Steve? I enjoy reading all the commentaries, so thanks to all!
ReplyDeleteHello, Annie. I am kind of new here myself and asked the same questions. On the right side of the daily write up (at least as things lay out in my browser) about halfway down, below the list of interviewees, is a section called Olio. One of the topics is Comment Section Abbrs (abbreviations). Another topic covered is how to insert links.
ReplyDeleteFIR! Just the right amount of crunchiness for me today. Only one write over.. had BORA instead of TORA, but couch potato fixed that one. Never heard of evensong or a priori but that’s another thing I love about these puzzles...I learn something new almost every time. Whether I remember it is another thing!
ReplyDeleteFun and challenging puzzle for me. I did not love some of the fill but I think a constructor should get the benefit of the doubt when she has a wide-open grid like this one. This definitely felt like a Thursday to me.
ReplyDeleteFor Anon-Timer and others, my time was 8:19; however, it deserves an asterisk because I needed to enable error-check mode to complete the NW corner. NACRE crossing IDEE was a Natick for me but I took Spanish in high school, not French. (As an aside, does "tete" mean "head" in French? Are ideas products of the head or products of the mind? Oh, well.)
FIW: had the en for LEN but incorrectly WAGed a K, Had no IDEÉ who LORRIE is...Inkovers: I rate/IRULE.
ReplyDeleteObvious edible theme.
CITRONS is plural. fruit is a collective plural but more commonly fruits has been used in the puzzles if the answer is plural.
I guess in crosswordese any word ending in or has a complementary word ending in ee and viceversa:
payor/payee,
donor/donee,
mentor/mentee, or Mint tea. (CW alternative spelling)
doctor/doctee (patient)
manator/manatee (both fragrant and malodorous).
If constructors can make up words for fill like yesterday's FOTO why can't constructees?
Using IPECAC for a stomach ache is like using morphine for a mosquito bite.
HERA may be the Greek goddess of marriage but her husband Zeus, Greek God leader was a philanderer, seducer and rapist. Hardly marital bliss.
FLU(E) is a bad word...more bad..
Portal....ADORE.
Edenic fig leaves......EVADES.
"Garfield!!"......CATCALL
Had fluid run through a blood vessel....
IVIED.
Three great weather days in central NY. Fingers crossed for the weekend. I'm off.
Happy Birthday Anon T (Tony). 🎂 Thanks for all your help
Welcome to the "corner" Annie (also my grand daughter's name) and Happy Birthday Tony. Annie, I found this blog a few years ago, but didn't start participating until maybe two months ago. Hope you enjoy the company here. As for today's offering, for me it was a steady and smooth fill with no unknowns. I dredged up Lorrie from a Country Western special on her a few years back. Liked the theme and always like seeing apriori for some odd reason. Brace yourself for Friday.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteStella did a bang-up puzzle for our enjoyment today. Steve's write-up had a lot of depth to it, thereby making the puzzle even more enjoyable.
Anon-T: Happy birthday and are you having cake or sausage and peppers since you said S & P was better than cake? Candles?
A few stumbles along the way today, but not total fails. Some of my initial errors were LAURIE before LORRIE and WSJ before IPO.
IGOR, PRU and NICOLE were total perps and perps gave me the running start to a number of the answers that ended up being V8 can head slaps.
Hot and muggy today, with possible T-Storms like last night. Hope everyone has a great day.
Be safe and wear your masks.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteFIR at rEN [25a|d]. Can I get the L for my Birthday?
Wild grid Stella. IIRC this is your second LAT - keep 'em coming. //I read IM had the same taste leftover from Stella's last grid. Heavy lifter, Stella.
Thanks for yet another stellar expo Steve - fun stuff... Your PRU Chartered Accounting aside reminded me of this ADVISEE [Python]
WOs: tithes b/f GIVETH (Hi Abejo!). I ROCK! (no, RULE), ePECAC (hi BobB!), CASInA, siTOUT
ESPs: well, rORRIE | rEN crossing for starts....
Fav: O ROMEO juxtaposed with ASK UP was a nice touch
I would have gone with BINARY ('cuz I'm 1 of 10 who know) but too easy a start out of the gate.
It's my B-Day so I'm doing this -- RUSH had a song, Body Electric on Grace Under Pressure. They tried to do the BINARY stuff but I don't think Neil did enough research :-) //video is silly but -- fight the machines!
{A, &ls; snicker > }
Keep on keepin' on Abejo - SMART ASS KID? Rich would only let that pass if it were a goat and donkey. :-)
Thanks everyone for the B-Day wishes. Yes, IM, the big 50 -- young by Corner standards :-)
Oc4 - Let them eat cake. I want the sausage & peppers for dinner & dessert.
TIN -- I'll raise my glass to that!
Back to work.
Cheers! -T
Strike that - reverse it... FIW not right. Silly typing fingers. -T
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Woohoo! I got a Thursday puzzle without a single error--the first time, in my memory. Woohoo! Wonder if my Prevagen is kicking in? Thank you, thank you, Stella, for a delightful, occasionally challenging, but finally doable puzzle. I had a bit of trouble with the theme words, and it wasn't until I realized they would all have a food item that they filled in. Never heard of KETO even though I got the word--so that was part of the problem. But what fun all around. Enjoyed your commentary, Steve, but would love to have had a few more pictures. I finally looked up the cute PIPPI and the cute BENJI. But thank you so much for reminding us of the O ROMEO words from the balcony.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog, Annie. C.C. Burnikel is the founder of our blog who also produces terrific crossword puzzles and does the Sunday commentary. Boomer is the nickname of her husband, who does the Monday commentary for us. And Steve does a commentary once a week. I'm sure you'll get more and better explanations.
Happy birthday, Tony.
Have a great day, everybody!
ReplyDeleteThis Thursday crossword had some crunch, just enough.
Write-overs...TITHED/GIVETH, OPPOSE/OPTOUT.
I am so hunkered down....
Anyway, stay safe. See you tomorrow.
"Yes, IM, the big 50 -- young by Corner standards :-)"
ReplyDeleteWell you may be turning 110010 today but I am turning 1000110 in August. So a big foxtrot uniform to you, ya' young punk, from, apparently, the majority of us cornerites :-)
Hola!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Tony! Yes, you are such a youngster.
Thank you, Stella. I liked your puzzle. And thank you, Steve. I like your style.
I am very familiar with EVENSONG though I'm more accustomed to calling it Vespers. Many years ago I happened to be touring in the U.K. and walked into a cathedral in the late afternoon and was surprised to hear Vespers being chanted by the local people.
Hand up for TITHE before GIVETH.
Many years ago I was a Nielsen rater for one week. It's a real chore to keep track of every minute of TV watching.
I have no idea who JERRY RICE is so thank you crosses!
I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful day!
Happy birthday Tony! I very much enjoy your virtual company. Thanks for staying in touch and for everything else.
ReplyDeleteAnon -T
ReplyDeleteNow that you are 50+, I think you can take a Mulligan for your silly typing fingers.
Saw Doc today. BP 120/64. Said it compared favorably to a teen ager. BH is increasing her social distancing.
50..OMG Tony such a kid ...born the year the Beatles broke up ! 🎤🎶
ReplyDeleteTerrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun Stella (yes this was easier than that previous CW) and Steve.
ReplyDeleteI took a while to get started without an entry until PINA, but then things changed, and I FIRed with only one inkblot.
SPITS on changed to AT.
I smiled at ORG and ORGY, Anon T beat me to ASK UP and ROMEO. To a TEE and PAR was cute also.
I love that you all are starting to note the ER RE spellings. No question here about NACRE even if it is the only spelling LOL.
This Canadian also knew the Anglican EVENSONG.
The leg bone was SHIN and not a Latin femur, tibia which were too long.
Happy Birthday AnonT.
We have grandchildren here and Quiet a Time is almost over. I may not be here regularly for a few days.
Wishing you all a great day.
Spitzboov, you are on a roll today. First, the Canadian spelling humor, and now the line about BH keeping her distance.
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is that Dash T is in self imposed quarantine so sausage and peppers may be the spiciest thing he gets for awhile, even though it is his birthday.
You guys talking about sausage and peppers... last year I stopped at this local place that serves Italian food. They had this item on the menu "Sausage, peppers and potatoes" with menu item name of Giambotta. I always knew giambotta as a stew with more vegetables. I ordered it anyway, and it was really good. I suspect they wanted a name more Italian sounding than simply sausage and peppers.
ReplyDeleteDash T, have this song cued up in case she comes a calling while you are in exile:
I Hear You Knocking
BTW, this version of the song is also 50 years old this year...
Jerry Rice. Not only the greatest receiver in the history of the NFL, but, in my mind, an even greater guy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stella, for the fun puzzle! Thank you, Steve, for the fun expo!
ReplyDeleteI changed my avatar to Maggie, my version of BENJI!
I saw the food in the answers but had no clue where we were going with the theme. Oh, keto diet. Not for me. I used Weight Watchers and exercise 20 years ago, have kept off most of it.
Happy Birthday, Anon-T!
Continued best wishes for easily tolerated treatments, Abejo!
Have a good day, everyone
Anon@915: thanks for the correction. Was it "Ipcress File?". I remember "Horse Under Water". I think that one had ongoing xword solving. Much like Hotel California" it was about heroin.
ReplyDeleteI liked Lucina's comment about Jerry RICE. From the guy who called that musical thingy a "SLUp".
In geometry I believe there were theorems and A PRIORI
WC
Yep, "Ipcress File" 1962
DeleteTony may be a whelp, but he's our whelp. And he's also an old soul. Just at that age where he's too tall for keyholes and too short for transoms. Happy Birthday, Buddy!
ReplyDeleteMaybe not binary, but...
Interesting that the term BESPOKE and the word EVENSONG were spoken several times in the episode of Midsomer Murders that we watched last night, which was about a high-end custom tailoring shop.
ReplyDeleteA CSO to FermatPrime with LORRIE, who was, and may still be, on a KETO diet.
Happy Birthday, Anonymous-T!
I can't figure out what I did wrong on that link. Here tis in raw form
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V83JR2IoI8k
Well here's Fats Version I Hear You Knocking
ReplyDeleteWilbur,
ReplyDeleteCan you cite any credible references that would back up your statement that, "Much like Hotel California" it was about heroin." ???
From Songfacts:
Written by Don Felder, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, this song is about materialism and excess. California is used as the setting, but it could relate to anywhere in America. Don Henley in the London Daily Mail November 9, 2007 said: "Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce."
ReplyDeleteHere you go, Average Joe. Your link for Dash T
Maybe not binary, but...
You may very well be correct, TTP, and I think that you are but there remains some room for skepticism. John Lennon was once quoted as saying in reference to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds that "I swear to God or swear to Mao or anybody you like, I had no idea it spelled LSD." All right, everyone, raise your hand if you believed him.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI would agree that Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds was thinly veiled and was about LSD.
However, given that the principals in the composition of Hotel California - Felder, Hendley, and Frey, have all stated at various and sundry times over long periods of years, and have told the same story about the development of the song, and what they were trying to achieve, that any other explanation about "hidden meanings" must be pure conjecture and speculation.
Of course any listener to any song can interpret it any way they want, but to state as a matter of fact that the song is about heroin is absurd.
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFor whatever reason, I started today’s puzzle in “Florida”, and finished in “Washington” ... which meant, as I solved bottom to top ... that I got the reveal (KETO) long before seeing any of the starred clues
But as I look at what’s a pristine puzzle grid (no write-overs, or errors), mayhaps I chose the best path
Fun puzzle; great clues and solves, but not Thursday tough
I’m one of the 10 who doesn’t ... but I knew “BINARY”
We had a bottle of IPECAC in our house when I was a tad, but I don’t recall it ever being used
The “Carolinas” in today’s puzzle has too many its (SEE TO IT / ON IT) and then adding the “AT”, made it seem a bit clunky
Cain raiser = ADAM was a great clue
Our long hair, Sadie, gives us plenty of CAT CALLS 🐈 in the morning if we sleep in longer than she’d like us to
Mr Caruso is only L years old? Wow! His birth year was the year I graduated from HS, but even that doesn’t make ME old compared to some here ... 😂😂😜
As a tribute to our birthday boy, here’s a little poem:
Happy Birthday to our Crossword crony
Who, at times, can be full of baloney!
But his self-humble posts
Are what I like the most;
Happy 50th to you, — T(ony)
Yes! Happy birthday, Tony!
ReplyDeleteA tough but fun pzl today, fully do-able while chewy as well.
And WooHoo to You Too, Misty!
Great to see you reaching a Thursday Ta ~DA!, and not at all an easy one.
Feels good, doesn't it?!
I'm not sure the Prevagen is really helping, but if you feel it makes a difference, who am I to dismiss it too lightly?
I spent many years researching in hypnosis, and that has made me a great believer in the Placebo Effect.
Never dismiss a non-scientific aid that WORKS!
~ OMK
Good evening, everyone! Thanks for the fun Thursday outing, Stella. Always enjoy your expos, Steve. Neat that the theme answers contained an element of Food! on your blogging day.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fairly smooth solve. Needed to WAG the L at the crossing of LORRIE and LEN. Always good to get a little Shakespeare with O ROMEO; bonus to have the balcony clecho with ASK UP. I absolutely loved PIPPI Longstocking books when I was a girl. DIL is currently doing KETO; last year it was vegan – wonder what the next regimen will be. Fortunately, she doesn’t insist that the rest of the family follow these diets.
Happy 50th Birthday to you, Dash-T! Enjoy your special dinner.
Good luck with your treatments, Abejo. Sending healing thoughts your way.
Sorry I'm late...
ReplyDeleteWoke up late, had a busy day,
and the Crossword was quite the challenge...
(but I did finish it - Urp!)
Where to start, my, my, perhaps if I backtrack...
!st (last) Anonymous-T,
"Please" be careful what you link,
as links always send me down the rabbit hole.
In this case, I had to find out what an Anteater Trainer would be like...
2nd, TTP, A visual to your reference is in order...
3rd,
Anonymous said...(5:21AM)
A learning moment for me. I thought a citron was a small French car!
Which had me busting at the seems (& I am sure, many others)
to post that the little French car must be a Lemon...
But, in this Politically Correct Time, one must verify their facts.
So I researched,
& researched,
& nowhere could I find any complaints about this little car!
The only thing I could come up with, was that it is Citroen
(not Citron) & that the roadside assistance policy
will not help you with a flat tyre...
& finally
(first!)
I was extra late because I dreaded the thought
that I had to find "another" birthday cake
for some one who is anonymous...
(Anonymous-Tony, hmm, who'd have thunk it...)
But the Sausage & pepper thing gave me an idea.
could it be,
is there such a thing?
Lo & Behold!
There is such a thing!
& I included the recipe just in case you want to taste it!
At this point,
I would normally include silly theme links about food,
but quite honestly, I just ate 3 hot dogs piled high with sauerkraut
(just as HG complained about the smell...)
& I think I have indigestion...
Hi @Annie and welcome in! Misty and the others have already helped you with some "Corner"jargon. "FIR" means "Finished In Regulation" - a lot of solvers have a time that they expect to be able to complete a puzzle which varies through the week - the aim of the constructors and the editor is to start the week on Monday with a relatively easy solve, getting more difficult as we progress through the week to Saturday. The Sunday puzzle is a little different, it's a larger grid and so is designed to take longer to solve. A lot of folks don't really have a "regulation" time, so it's not a race or a speed-trial.
ReplyDeleteThe opposite to "FIR" you'll see is "DNF" - Did Not Finish - either through frustration or getting a couple of letters wrong.
The big thing is have fun and enjoy the experience. We all learn something new every day from the puzzles, and that's the enjoyment for most of us. There are a couple of folks who grumble that they didn't know a particular word, but that's missing the point to a certain degree.
Anyway, welcome in and please keep sharing your comments!
@Irish Miss - the grill is a "Zojirushi" - I think they come in different sizes, but mine looks to have a cooktop about 15"x 11". The big thing is a drip tray that you fill with water so that the fat doesn't smoke as the food cooks. I've nothing but good reports to give so far!
Hi everybody. I have been more and more depressed lately, what with the news of further political divisiveness, the Covid virus pandemic, etc. Then, after waking up, this day went even further downhill. I got a call from a long-time friend from childhood informing me that our third mutual childhood friend passed away yesterday. It brought back a flood of memories of the three of us in elementary school, high school, going drinking together in Washington DC... We continued to keep in touch. We were Bill A, Bill B and me, Bill G. We grew up in Falls Church, VA less than a half mile apart. Bill A, the one who died, even bought our family home and kept our long-term phone number after my parents moved into a retirement home. Oh me...
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, Barbara found this video of our favorite Paul Simon song. Guess what it is.
Can't guess?
HERE IT IS
Bill G - I just read your post - and before I clicked on your link I thought to myself, "Kodachrome" - brought a smile to my face when I opened your link... your story reminded me of my son Sam - he and his good friend from grade school were Sam A and Sam K! Sorry to hear about your Bill A
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday AnonT!
Thanks again everyone for the B-Day wishes.
ReplyDeleteBeing alone - well, not the best ones I've had* but y'all made it special.
//so did the sausage & peppers that will *burp* stay with me for a while.
I'll take it MManatee :-) Pop will be 1000110 in Oct.
You know of the other LSD song? [Lake Shore Drive].
That's also for you BillG - I know you'll like the ragtime-y piano. Sorry to hear of your loss. (great Kadochrome link!)
Pat - BENJI is so cute!
Lucina - OK, I'm not a huge football fan and certainly not 49er's [Da' Bears] but you gotta see JERRY RICE in action.
Ray-O: You can't pin that on me. Beatles breakup is clearly on ONO.
//or was it Linda that gave it Wings? :-)
Wait, back to LSD - Lucy was named that 'cuz they had that song on rotation while in the desert.
CED! LOL Peter Sellers. The Onion's Anteater isn't so bad either. Thanks.
Can't pick between Dave Edmunds or Fats Domino. Thanks TTP & WC.
//Re: Hotel California - one takes from art what one needs at the time...
C. Moe - Really? Tony Bologna? 45 years later and *sniffle* folks still call me that... :-)
Special Dolby treat AveJoe! Thanks.
Cheers, -T
*Worst birthday ever -- my 18th during Basic. Not only did we do the gas chamber first thing in the morning, we then had a >20mi forced-march through the desert (White Sands) with simulated fire (Hit the deck!) and then more CS gas!
Hi, everyone! Congratulations for making another trip around the sun, -T!
ReplyDeleteHad to work today, and I really mean WORK! We had a few more visitors than we’ve had in the recent past. Yes, masks and social distancing are the order of the day. I did have time to work on the puzzle during the day, though. Where to begin???
First time through, I thought I was sunk. I DID know that the MVP was either Joe Montana or Jerry Rice, but that specific brain cell croaked a long time ago. Tried Montana first, and when I couldn’t get anything except BENJI to cross, went to Rice. Immediately, things started to make sense.
“Five Minutes” is also very familiar to me. It’s played often on the C&W oldies station here in town, which I listen to on weekends. Howsomever, I never knew who sang the song, so it took perps to get her first name. I wasn't listening to C&W much back then. (I don’t know if there is still a decent classic R&R station here or not. Gonna have to look. I have absolutely NO interest in what is being called today’s R&R, and prefer classic C&W to what those peeps are putting out today, but that’s just me.)
Even though there were quite a few unknowns (most of which others have already mentioned), I was able to eventually fill in most of the puzzle. At the end, I had about five squares I just couldn’t get. Rather than take a DNF, I used my sharpest deductive reasoning (read WAG) for a tainted FIW. (Actually, a couple of my WAGs turned out to be correct.)
Might have another lurker in our future. The guy working with me today saw me working on the puzzle and mentioned that he does them too, so I introduced him to the Corner and told him how wonderful all of you are. I’m sure he’ll at least read it, because he lit up when I told him how everyone explains all the stuff I don’t know or understand. Whether he signs up to comment or not….
Sorry to hear of your lousy day Bill G. Real life can be difficult. We'd all get it "right" if it was just a written test but reality of hits our souls as well as our brains. BTW, I see that you live in Manhattan Beach. I am in Tarzana. Try to stay cool in the South Bay this weekend.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous-T, I had never heard of the other LSD song. My Uncle (dad's brother) and his family used to live on Sheridan Drive. I visited there many times as a child and young adult. Watching David Steinberg, and other comics, at Second City was part of my programming.
Another stupid day where I am up early, write an extensive, informative, and amusing post and then forget to ever hit send. It was an early post. The only comment left unsaid was about the IMPORTANCE OF THE ETROG also known as the citron.
ReplyDeleteVery happy birthday -T. I graduated college the year before you were born.
I still have my IPOD NANO. Nice gadget, about an inch square, with a decent memory. (Later generation was larger.) Convenient to put into a shirt pocket or to clip on a sleeve or neck.
ReplyDeleteLooking at that picture of a CITRON--why bother?
>>Roy
Thank you for your very kind support, Ol'Man Keith. Will keep you posted on how things go.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Great puzzle & expo, Stella & Steve. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteKnew Jerry RICE from Dancing With The Stars. I think he won.
Tramp fit but turned red before BENJI.
DNK: Tyler, the Creator - IGOR; A PRIORI, YSER in that country, OLEIC.
My only experience with IPECAC: Looked out window & saw 3-yr-old son tipping up a gallon can pouring beige mealy stuff into his mouth. Can was marked "D-Con Rat Poison". Raced out. Kid's mouth & face was coated with mealy stuff. He was SPITTING disgustedly. Wouldn't say if he'd swallowed it. Frantic, called poison control number. Put me on hold. Grabbed kid & purse & sped to hospital ER. Nurse called poison control number. Put her on hold. We fought to hold down kid, while nurse poured in IPECAC. Held his mouth shut. Yelled swallow! He swallowed after kicking us both. He sat up, missed the bowl & vomited on nurse. About that time, my husband sauntered in, looked at can marked "Rat poison" and said, "That's Hi-Dri" which is a non-toxic clay compound mechanics sprinkle on oil spills. Kid found it in the barn. Nurse & I had choice words to say about re-using a poison can.
Happy Birthday, Tony! I enjoy your posts & banter. Best wishes for a successful quarantine.