google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 Craig Stowe

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Jul 14, 2020

Tuesday, July 14, 2020 Craig Stowe

Epic Failure!  The last word of each theme answer can describe a failure or BOMB.

18-Across. *  Athletic brand for yoga class: LULULEMON.  Lululemon is especially known for its expensive yoga clothes.  There is a Lululemon about a mile from my house.  I went in there once just for giggles.  I did not walk out of the store with a pair of $200 yoga pants.  The $15 pair I got from Walmart work just fine.

24-Across. *   Beachgoer's footwear: FLIP FLOP.  Every summer we used to get a new pair of Flip Flops.  We lived near the beach, so we wore them every day.  I don't live near the beach now, but since the lockdown, they are my still footwear of choice.


39-Across. *   Stops smoking suddenly and entirely, say: QUITS COLD TURKEY.


51-Across. *   Raid with a K-9 unit, perhaps: DRUG BUST.


And the Unifier:
61-Across. Specialized unit seeking explosives ... or what the ends of the answers to starred clues comprise?: BOMB SQUAD.


Across:
1. Poindexter: DWEEB.  Apparently, the use of the word Poindexter as meaning a Dweeb or Nerd came from the cartoon Felix the Cat.



6. Co. known for music compilations: K-TEL. K-Tel appears occasionally in the crossword puzzles.  It's a Canadian company that was founded in 1962, so we have a CSO to CanadianEh!

10. Sign of things to come: OMEN.

14. Scarlett in love with a Butler: O'HARA.  No further comment necessary.


15. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO.  Arlo Davy Guthrie (b. July 10, 1947) just celebrated his 73rd birthday.  He is the son of Woody Guthrie.



16. Funeral rite heap: PYRE.

17. __ spray: decongestant: NASAL.


20. Iron mine output: ORE.  A crossword staple.

21. Look creepily (at): LEER.

23. Get up: ARISE.

27. More, for Miguel: MAS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

28. Smidgen: BIT.

29. Like the simplest instructions: ONE STEP.  One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.  Betcha didn't think I was an astronaut!


33. Portfolio item: ASSET.

36. Having all one's marbles: SANE.

38. Rap sheet abbr.: AKA.  As in Also Known As.

43. Coffee dispenser: URN.


44. Cheers for matadors: ¡OLÉs!  More of today's Spanish lesson.

45. Must-haves: NEEDS.

46. Kabul native: AFGHANI.   An Afghan is also a knitted or croched blanket.


49. PC-to-PC system: LAN.  As in Local Area Network.

50. Chair support: LEG.


56. "Let __ be light": THERE.  A Biblical reference found in Genesis 1:3.

58. "No __": "Beats me": IDEA.  Sometimes when I read a clue, I have No IDEA of the answer.

59. Whiskey barrel wood: OAK.



64. Poke fun at: TEASE.

66. Mine, in Montreal: À MOI.  Today's French lesson.

67. Chomp or nip: BITE.


68. Like recycled bottles: EMPTY.

69. Italy's capital: ROME.

70. Blacken on the grill: SEAR.


71. Medicine amounts: DOSES.

Down:
1. "__ harm": Hippocratic Oath principle: DO NO.  It is commonly believed that the first words of the Hippocratic Oath begins with the words "First do no harm ..."  These words, however, do not appear in the original Ionic Greek.  An English translation can be found here.  Interestingly, Millennial physicians are opting out of the Hippocratic Oath.

2. Pier: WHARF.

3. Canvas holder: EASEL.

4. Historic period: ERA.

5. Kids' play boxes with plastic spheres: BALL PITS.  Hand up if you knew what this is.

6. Superman's birth name: KAL-EL.  The name Kal-El comes from the Hebrew words קל-אל, which can be taken to mean "voice of G~d."  Superman had been portrayed by a number of actors over the years.

7. Cape Cod town: TRURO.  Truro is near the tip of the Cape.


8. Building wing: ELL.

9. Comical Costello: LOU.  Lou Costello (né Louis Francis Cristillo; Mar. 6, 1906 ~ Mar. 3, 1959) was half of the comedy team Abbot and Costello.  They are best known for their Who's on First routine.



10. Verdi works: OPERAS.

11. "I stand corrected": MY MISTAKE.

12. God with a bow: EROS.

13. Hawaii's state bird: NENE.  I learned of this bird from doing crossword puzzles in the Boston Globe back in the 1980s.  The word appeared with some frequency back then.


19. Poor, as an excuse: LAME.

22. Young salamander: EFT.  A crossword staple.

25. "Dream on!": I BET!

26. Lily pad habitats: PONDS.  We saw some giant lily pads in the Peruvian Amazon.


30. Ice hockey target: NET.


31. __ out a living: EKED.

32. Forks over: PAYS.

33. Color akin to turquoise: AQUA.


34. Steak : turf :: lobster : __: SURF.

35. Divorced female parent: SINGLE MOM.

36. State of matter: SOLID.


37. Part of IPA: ALE.  The history of India Pale Ale.

40. Fast one, so to speak: CON.

41. At full strength: UNABATED.

42. Contact lens solution brand: RENU.


47. Grammy-winning jazzman Hancock: HERBIE.  Time for a musical interlude with Herbie Handcock (né Herbert Jeffrey Hancock; b. Apr. 12, 1940).



48. Grows older: AGES.

49. L, on clothes: Abbr.: LGE.  As in Large.

52. Gaucho's rope: RIATA.  I learned this word from doing the crossword puzzles.

53. Milker's handful: UDDER.


54. Serialized daytime TV: SOAPS.

55. Sample, as food: TASTE.

56. Vanishing ski lift: T-BAR.


57. __ sapiens: HOMO.

60. They open doors: KEYS.

62. Gridiron VIPs: QBs.  As in Quarter Backs.

63. 180-degree turn, in slang: UIE.  Our least favorite clue and answer.

65. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.

And now for the Grid:


Stay inside, Isolate, Practice Social Distancing, Clean Yourself.  Oh, no!  I've become a House Cat!!!



78 comments:

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yay, THERE was correct this morning. I found this one to be easier overall than yesterday, except for the theme, which d-o didn't get. Again. I've gotta learn to read the complete clues, especially for the reveal. Probably won't. Thanx, Craig, and for the picturesque expo, Hahtoolah.

BALL PITS: Yes, I knew what they are. Looks like a great place to pick up a case of coronavirus. I believe McDonalds has closed all of 'em.

AFGHAN: We've got one very similar to the one Hahtoolah posted. MIL made it.

Hippocratic Oath: Interesting that the younger doctors are skipping the old oath in favor of newer ones written by the medical school staff. At least they're still swearing, so that's good.

NENE: I was quite old (65-ish?) when I learned this word was pronounced nay-nay, and was not the source of "neener-neener."

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Craig Stowe, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for a fine review.

Hahtoolah: Thanks for the Abbott and Costello routine. I hadn't seen that in many years.

Couldn't sleep so I got up at 2:10 and worked the puzzle. Did it in 30 minutes. Not sure I understand the theme.

One of my last to get was KTEL, but it suddenly hit me in the head. That gave me KALEL and TRURO.

LULU LEMON was perps and a wag.

HERBIE was unknown, but I listened to his music. Pretty good.

I think the SOAPS have kind of faded away. Used to be a lot of them.

I also learned NENE from crosswords. They are endangered.

Just had breakfast of Jello, Bean Soup, and Earl Grey tea. Now have to get ready for my daily trek.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Anonymous said...

I was so close today: finished in exactly 4 minutes and zero seconds.
It helped, of course, that this was so easy.
I never saw the clue for Truro, which is good, because I wouldn't have known the answer.
And by tomorrow, I won't know it again.

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks, Craig. I agree with D-O: a bit smoother than yesterday. Fun. I did well on the longer clues again, and for me, that makes all the difference. QUITS COLD TURKEY gave me quite a few KEYS.

Never had to worry about that; I never smoked. Never ever. I went directly from thinking it was wrong as a kid to thinking it was stupid. And cigarettes were only $ .25 a pack when I worked in the grocery store during high school! Now, it's really stupid. They're about $12.00 a pack here in Illinois. Since I don't smoke, I guess that means I should be able to take a $4,000+ vacation every year. Hmmm. . . .

Terrific tour once again, Hahtoolah! Thank you. I love the cat quote.

Hang in there, Abejo! Keep on that Earl Grey. ;-)

Have a sunny day everyone.

Hungry Mother said...

FIR, with one write-over: SEAR 4 chAR. A nice solid grid today. Surprised myself by jotting down LULULEMON without a pause. As a rarity, nothing in the puzzle was unknown today.

Yellowrocks said...

This puzzle was not a bomb, lemon, flop, turkey or bust. It was a pleasant easy puzzle. The only unknown was Herbie.
I have seen the ball pits at Mickey D. As DO said, they are gone. I think ball pits are one of those things that never will return. They are a breeding ground for all kinds of things.
Flip flops are so popular that they are worn everywhere. My podiatrist says they are terrible for your feet. I can't stand the thong between my toes. My favorite indoor summer wear is bare feet. It is amazing to go to Zoom meetings and church barefoot.
Before I joined the Y, I used to go to ladies only Curves. The women all said things like, "He's a bum. I hope she doesn't marry him," and on and on with the gossip about people they all knew. Eventually I realized it was all about soap characters.
Susan, I love your pictures and clips, especially the CAT joke. I feel like a lazy cat,sometimes a scaredy cat, afraid to go out, even though yesterday NJ was at the bottom of the caution list.
BTW, I got a haircut yesterday. No more wild witchy hair.

Hungry Mother said...

When I was in Thailand in 1963, cigarettes were 80 cents per carton (10 packs) in the PX. Most of the smokers would buy 4 cartons on payday.

Anonymous said...

Funny way to spell UEY.

Wilbur Charles said...

Having the weekly xword and Jumble insert I was able to do this quickly last night. This was the rare xword that one could introduce a raw beginner to. Especially with xword staples like EFT, ORE and EMO.

LULULEMON was completely new to me. The theme was apparent; I missed the second part yesterday.

Hahtoolah, thanks for a great write-up

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-It took my friend four trips to get his LEMON transmission fixed in his $50,000 truck
-I wear FLIP FLOPS that used to be called thongs. Wear what’s called a thong today? Uh, no!
-My brother said quitting smoking is easy. He did it dozens of times before it cost him his life
-The steering wheel blocks my view of the gas gauge. The low fuel buzzer has saved me multiple times when I’m near EMPTY
-My daughter was a SINGLE MOM for a while after she dumped her TURKEY husband
-UNABATED to the QB in football (:38)
-Golf league in 45 minutes!

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Craig and Hahtoolah.
I'm an early bird today after finishing this CW in good time. But officially a FIW; this Canadian knew LULULEMON but missed my CSO, another Canadian company KTEL. I had a personal Natick with the cross of KTEL and KALEL, and entered an I instead of a K. D'uh!
But I got the theme (could also be BOMBS QUAD - meaning 4 bombs!)

But the rest of the CW filled with only two inkblots: the tense changed from Ekes to EKED when NEEDS appeared; Uey changed to UIE when BITE appeared (hello Anon@8:02 - we see it spelled both ways in CWs).

Yes d'otto, I smiled when THERE entered, after yesterday's dilemma.
I'll take another CSO at 71A.

Wishing you all a great day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Bit of a challenge for a Tuesday. Got caught here and THERE. (today not where @ DO and Canadian Eh). One FLIPFLOP: EKEs/D (needed to perpwalk NEEDS first). LULULEMON? wha?. Perp waited on LEER (instead of his OGLing pal). UDDER failure to parse the theme

(Anon @ 7:44 ..4 min? Incredible! How do you move your fingers or pen that fast? )

Spelled UIE wrong again:a nonsense clue. Just google UIE like the rest of the empty fill, for options:
Acronym UIE ..... UNESCO institute for Education, User Interface Engineering, User Interface Environment, User Interface Error, Universal Information Exchange, Universal Inspection Engine, United International Enterprise ...list ender et alia. My own personal: Usual Inevitable Error.

When in ROME do as the Romans do: use the Euro.(avoided that usual trap). Is it true there was a 5th Marx brother named Gaucho. Also I'm getting hoarse shouting so many Crossword OLÉS!!

"Simple instructions" : often an oxymoron.

Moronic without the Ox.....

By a week after Thanksgiving we ______ ... QUITCOLDTURKEY

Wildebeest mating season is time to ______ RENU

A fishhook without a worm .....UNABATED

Earl Grey Tavern.... TBAR

"Primum non nocere"


Bob Lee said...

I loved the answer LULULEMON, esp. since I didn't know TRURO. Thanks for the map!

My favorite old K-TEL purchase: A tape of Barbardos' Yellow Bus Music!! I always wondered if the "Night Bus" in Harry Potter was a takeoff on those wild drivers (vs. the staid gov't-run Blue Bus transportation).

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Am I the only one who had no idea that Poindexter=Dweeb? I never heard that reference in my life. Also unknown, to me, were K-Tel, Ball Pits, and Kalel. No w/os and the cleverly hidden theme led to a surprise Aha reveal. The Surf entry is quite fitting as I’m awaiting an order of lobster tails, haddock, scallops, and clams from the Maine Coast! I’m also going to make my first car trip in months to my favorite farm stand to get some of my favorite summer treat! 🌽 🌽 🌽

Thanks, Craig, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hatoolah, for the sparkling review. I appreciated the equal billing afforded to the canines and felines. 🤗

Have a great day.

thehondohurricane said...

Something new for me today. Got it done correctly, had no erasures or wags. LULU LEMON was a never heard of so I ismply trusted the down fills were OK. Probably be a while before I have another winner
HERBIE was another never heard of, but againI trusted the across fills.

Although I agree with the decision, I was really disappointed when Oregon cancelled their football game with No Dakota State, but it is clearly understandable why it happened. I've become BIG NDSU fan. Watch all their games on ESPN +. I honestly believe they could have beaten the Ducks or at least kept it very close.

desper-otto said...

Hondo, good to see you. Back in the olden days, when the baseball line scores came in over the teletype, I had to learn that SD was not South Dakota. I only made that particular mistake on the air one time.

IM, as a BBT fan, I'm surprised you don't remember this ball pit scene.

Malodorous Manatee said...

It should be obvious to everyone that this puzzle was LAME and that it was only ONE STEP away from being a self-described BOMB. It may be MY MISTAKE, but I happen to like TURKEY and LEMONs and I have been known to LEER at LEGS and/or, dare I say it, BUSTs. And yet, by the time I finished, I did FLIPFLOP on this puzzle. It was so nice to have the T-BAR once again reappear to lift my spirits just when I was sure things had gone irreparably down hill. I also thought that its associated clue was a LULU of an IDEA and, lo and behold, THERE was there there. Well, where else would it be?

I do not, herein, seek to URN anyone’s animosity and I hope that these DOSES of TEASE-ing have been taken UDDERly in the spirit in which they have been offered.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Enjoyed the puzzle. Had the same Natick bust as CanadianEh and IrishMiss with the KTEL/KALEL cross. Theme was OK but I didn't rely on it for solving.
History and Etymology for POINDEXTER:
from Poindexter, boy genius who wears a lab coat and mortarboard hat in the television cartoon series Felix the Cat (1959-60)

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

IM. Did the 🚗 start? 😁?

Did not know SUPERMAN 🦸‍♂️ was Jewish.
Makes sense, Gal Gadot who portrays WONDERWOMAN 🦸‍♀️ is Israeli 🇮🇱

Wheels42 said...

DNF - done in by KTEL (couldn't figure out the K and T from perps). At least I wasn't alone, judging from the comments. (Hola Canadian, IrishMiss, and Spitz!)

Once I turned on the error check mode and did an alphabet run, I finished in 4:20, but of course finishing with error check on is hardly finishing. I thought the theme was SOLID.

That was quite the comment, Manatee! Well done!

Wilbur Charles said...

I see Hyannis is missing from that Cape Cod map. I believe it's because it's a village in Barnstable township. To confuse further the County is also Barnstable.

It's said the eyes of those newts have therapeutic value.
IM, I hear lobster prices Down East were a bargain. $2.99/lb?. Had a Summer job shucking them.

The K was a known but the rest of Clark's Krypton name need help. If I had the complet d puzzle I doubt I could copy it in 4 minutes. I completed thru Friday as I had caffeine inadvertently (Earl Grey got me). They get tougher.

WC

IM, did we miss you Sunday?

Wilbur Charles said...

Also, Gary. When you get back from Golf clue us on the music trivia? from the weekend.

Malodorous Manatee said...

Thanks, Wheels42. Ray-O, Superman's roots were Jewish and he was "from" Cleveland although I would not expect to see that answer in a puzzle. JewishSanDiego dot org has a good write up on Superman's origin and the origins of his originators.

Yellowrocks said...

I went grocery shopping this AM. Everyone I saw had "kempt" hair. I am so glad I am one of them.
I never would have gotten this on my own, but seeeing the perps, -tel and -alel, I remembered they both start with K and both have hyphens, Kal-El and K-Tel.
I didn't know Superman was Jewish. "Superman's real name is Kal-El, son of Jor-El. The suffix El, of course, means “of God” in Hebrew, with Kal-El defined by some as “Voice of God.” Before Krypton's doom, Kal-El's parents put him in a Moses-like basket, sending him down the Nile of intergalactic space until he landed safely on Earth." That makes sense. I am acquainted with Temple Beth-El, house of God. I used to live near Bethel, PA.
I have heard and read DWEEB quite often, socially awkward and often over studious.

Ron in LA said...

Can we lose the clue for u turn ?

Anonymous said...

R.O.Sunshine: I type the answers Mon - Fri, but generally write-in Saturdays (and I rest on Sundays). About 2/3 of the way through today, I realized that my fingers had stopped moving.

Didn't someone in "Wordplay" (the documentary) not only try for speed, but also keep track of their times in a book?

Much like the Cape Cod answer already, I had forgotten about "Wordplay." I recommend it to anyone here who hasn't seen it, and, well, to anyone who has.

oc4beach said...


Good Tuesday puzzle from Craig. Hahtoolah's expo was entertaining also.

There were a few unknowns today, but not undiscernible with perps. I had DWarf before DWEEB became obvious, and LULULEMON filled in nicely.

I disagree with UDDER being a milker's handful, when it is actually the TEATS that are the handful (which, yeah, yeah, I know, are parts of the UDDER)

Like some others, I can't stand FLIPFLOPs with the thong between the toes. I wear sandals when I'm at the beach.

I remember KTEL from all of the TV commercials that touted all of the music mash-up records, tapes and CDs back in the day. That gave me the lead in to KALEL. These days I either mute the TV when these types of repetitive commercials come on or if I'm using the DVR, I fast forward through them.

I've heard that it's easy to QUIT smoking COLD TURKEY because you just can't keep them lit.

Have a great day everyone. Be safe and wear your masks.

Anonymous said...

*Oops. I meant, "I realized that my fingers had NOT stopped moving."

See, you can tell I'm not even a good typist.

SwampCat said...

Easy Tuesday. I got the TURKEY and the LEMON right away which helped. And I knew KAL- EL so the unknown KTEL filled in. The rest seems to have filled in. Thanks Craig.

I didn’t know BALL PIT but I recognized Hahtoolah’s picture. Thanks for all the fun. Loved the chair LEGS.

IM I hope you are better. Abejo, blessings for the journey.

Stay safe!

SwampCat said...

oc4breach, thanks for correcting UDDER. I feel better now.

Wilbur Charles said...

Anon@1110. Why don't you check the time on the posts. Plus, YR gave a fuller explanation of KAL-EL.

We have those dup posts all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if Rex blog sees them too.

WC

Shankers said...

A little bit sticky around Ktel, Truro, Kalel and lulu, but not to worry. It all came together nicely for a FIR. Hey, Anon @ 7:44. Sooo close! I'm rooting for you to break four minutes. I do mine on paper which probably takes much longer. In any event, keep posting your times. Not everyone cares, and I understand that, but I do.

Yellowrocks said...

Anon, what I wrote added on to the original. What I wrote would not make sense without repeating that one sentence. Many bloggers add on to what I write.
Picky, picky.

Misty said...

Well, unlike others, I found yesterday's puzzle much easier than today's. But I still enjoyed it, even though I had to cheat a little in the end to finish up. Never did yoga, so never heard of LULU LEMON, for example. Or Pointdexter DWEEB, come to think of it. But perps helped a lot and I loved the theme. After I got BOMB SQUAD, it was fun to see all those failures like FLOP and TURKEY and BUST at the end of words. So, thank you, Craig. And Hahtoolah, your picture of those chair LEGs cracked me up.

Have a safe drive, Irish Miss.

And a happy Tuesday, everybody.

TTP said...




Uff da. I gotta quit taking early week puzzles for granted.

Another single cell error. Yesterday, t/W, today t/M. I think this occurs because I often assume the clue when I'm looking at fill that is mostly filled in, and I am getting in the bad habit of not checking the crossing clues. Take that, you hoto sapiens !

Hōtō (ほうとう) is a noodle soup and popular regional dish originating from Yamanashi, Japan made by stewing flat udon noodles and vegetables in miso soup.

Thanks, Craig.

Hahtoolah, another fun write up.

I especially liked the article on Neil Armstrong. "Space may be the final frontier, but it's made in a Hollywood basement" - Red Hot Chili Peppers :>

Also, the article on younger physicians opting for something other than the Hippocratic oath:

Modern Physicians' Oath:
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I noodled on that for bit. It sounds cheesy. :>)

Hand up for not caring for thongs on feet. I tried to find a humorous cartoon, but I'll leave that to CrossEyedDave. Now I'm wondering what kind of ads I'm going to get...

Abejo, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Yuman said...

Hahtoolah, I bought some Wal-Mart yoga pants on clearance for $3.00, fit so well I bought 2 more. For now our class is on hold, so I do a “Happy Yoga” Amazon video. Yellowrocks, my podiatrist recommended Telic sandals, they are like walking on a cloud, and best of all American made. Here in AZ I wear them year round, great for going to the pool and beach.
Hahtoolah, great review, on average how long does it take you to review a puzzle?

J'myle said...

Wow! It's good to be back to doing crosswords. I hadn't done them in years until last month, and this was the first time I filled in the grid and then turned on error check mode. Not seeing any red was a huge ego boost!

Except for that one blank square in K-TEL! I had never heard of it. Bob Lee, OC4, what were their tapes like?

Irish Miss:

I did get KALEL immediately. Part of it might be my dad's Jewish family: Superman was created by two Jewish writers in New York in the 30s, and some of us devoured not just the comic books they created, but also biographies about them and Michael Chabon's amazing slightly-fictionalized novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Anyway, I'm very jealous of you getting to be in Troy this time of year. Spent a spring in Fleischmann's once growing up and have never gotten over the sheer beauty of it!

Madame DeFarge:

Like you, I've never smoked cigarettes. I've always had some sympathy for those who did. In the Navy, the smoke deck was the only place people could go for ten minutes of relaxation in the middle of the day, so I got in the habit of taking out a cup of coffee, standing upwind, and enjoying a few minutes of conversation with my coworkers. I have kept up the habit in every post-military job and strongly recommend it: ten minutes of fresh air and conversation twice a day is a huge productivity boost, and I helped two people discover that it's easier to quit if they keep the break and replace the nicotine with caffeine!

Abejo: I just finished the new Picard series. What did you think of it?

oc4beach said...


J'myle @ 12:55pm: Here is link to a Wiki post about KTel. I remember them also doing infomercials at night when I was up late studying.

J'myle said...

oc4beach: Wow, those infomercials must have been interesting watching! I grew up in Salt Lake, where the local PBS affiliate would air BBC comedies all night, so I always went there instead of infomercials.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Good puzzle, Craig Stowe, thank you!

And thank you, Hahtoolah; I really like your illustrations and that AFGHAN looks just like one my mother made. My favorite one, though, is ivory/burgandy which is draped on my sofa.

I didn't even see MAS in the puzzle! Thank you for pointing it out.

However, I did see all the BOMBS.

So, Superman is Jewish? I never knew that.

I was sure TRURO was wrong but, mo, it is a town. Live and learn.

SOAPS never interested me but my mother loved them and never missed one.

Also new for me is POINDEXTER=DWEEB. I'm familiar only with DWEEB.

In 115 degree weather, shorts, t-shirt and FLIPFLOPS are requisite to survival. I like Easy Street flip flops. They have some support.

When our children, my sister's and mine, were small we took them often to McD's and they loved the BALL PITS. I haven't been into one in ages so have no idea if they still exist.

In the PBS drama, Poldark, there is a town called TRURO.

Stay well and stay safe, everyone! Have a really great day!

Lucina said...

mo, should be No.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I shot pretty well this morning! I’m still having occasional issues taking my very nice wiffleball swings from my backyard out to the big course
-WC, what musical question can I answer for you?
-K-TEL and Ronco ads take me back to my early TV days
-Ths store in West Omaha always has a long line of young girls waiting to get in even as they wait in the full sun due to restricted numbers
-“First do no harm”. My sister’s orthopedic surgeon really messed up her ankle but she learned how fast colleagues lined up to support him

Spitzboov said...

I agree with oc4breach on the UDDER comment. Unfortunately, us former farmers are saddled with the dictionary definition which agrees with the clue. The hands go on the teats, then they are squeezed in a downward direction and out comes the milk.
Merriam Webster has a diagram of a cow which supports us.
BTW, when the cats used to traipse up and down the aisle while we were milking it was was fun to squirt milk at them. They loved it. They would turn in the direction whence the milk came and sit on their hind legs, open wide and drink as long as the milk came at them. The milk would spritz all over their hair and they would enjoy schlicking themselves clean.

desper-otto said...

J'myle, perhaps the best known K-Tel records were the Hooked On Classics series -- classic music medleys set to a disco beat. I still like 'em.

Avg Joe said...

Et tu D-Otto!?

EWWW!

Irish Miss said...

DO @ 8:57 ~ I read the clue to mean something kids play with, not play in. Also, while I saw that TBBT episode, the Ball Pit name went in one ear and out the other.

Ray - O @ 9:40 ~ My 🚗 is once again purring like a 🐱. Now, I just have to make sure it gets some road time!

Wilbur @ 10:14 ~ Unfortunately, the low lobster prices are not reflected in online purchases. I ordered fresh cooked lobster tails as they are easier for me to deal with. Yes, I was AWOL on Sunday even though I did the puzzle and read the comments, but I just never got around to posting.

J’myle @ 12:55 ~ I’m not familiar with Fleischmann’s at all. Welcome to the Corner.

Misty and SwampCat, thanks.

I never did get to drive to the farm stand as my nephew was here to set up my medical alert system and, as my car wasn’t ready, he offered to take me. I hope I never have to use the system, but it’s reassuring to have it.

My seafood order came but instead of clams, I got mussels and instead of scallops, I got an extra pound of haddock. The packing list showed the correct items, so it’s hard to understand those errors.

oc4beach, I also received another Gibble’s order, so all is well!

AnonymousPVX said...


This was a nice Tuesday go.

Write-overs...ASIF/IBET.

That’s it for today.

See you tomorrow, stay safe...now back to the death zone.

J'myle said...

desper-otto: Thanks for the video! I'd heard the name “Hooked on Classics” growing up, but I must have conflated it with “Hooked on Phonics,” because I have always thought they were something else entirely!

These are actually really cool. They're sort of the reverse of what the band Postmodern Jukebox does, doing jazz and torch covers of pop hits. https://postmodernjukebox.com/home/

Spitzboov: Sounds like a lot of fun! Growing up in suburbia, we had happy cats—but nothing like that!

J'myle said...

Irish Miss: Thanks for the warm welcome! It can be frustrating to get the wrong thing on an order, but some haddock and mussels sure sound delicious!

Ol' Man Keith said...

Amazing photos and videos, Hahtoolah! Many thanks for going above and etc...!

I didn't know about the "Poindexter" DWEEB connection until sitting through the video lesson.
Also ignorant of BALL PITS & LULU LEMON. Thank goodness for Perps.
Ta ~ DA! anyhow!
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Just one diagonal today--on the back end.
Imagine this: 15 consonants and 0 vowels!!
Now how am I to find an anagram, using at least 9 of these letters, in this mess of NASALs, gutturals & plosives?
Watch me.
Q: What are the sounds made by a hungry jungle predator?--say, a Big Cat!--just before and right after capturing a tasty Gazelle?
A: "GRRrr... MMmm"!

desper-otto said...

Not your cup of meat, eh, Joe?

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

MY lone MISTAKE was at the crossing of KAL-EL and LULU LEMON. I had no clue about the yoga pants brand, and for some reason, thought that it was KAR-EL ... RULU LEMON seemed to fit!! 😂😜

Other than that, the puzzle filled pretty easily.

Unlike others, I don’t mind FLIP FLOPS (or similarly designed sandals) at all. Mostly go barefoot, though.

I QUIT Smoking Cigarettes COLD TURKEY back in 1980. But I do enjoy a cigar now. Just don’t inhale the smoke.

Not sure if I’ve seen SINGLE MOM in puzzledom before

A bit of punny humor from a Moe-ku:

Explorer traveled
From Budapest to Kiev,
ONE STEPpe at a time ...

Yellowrocks said...

HG, is your sister okay now?
One of my friends had a knee replaced at a crazy wrong angle. She has a lot of pain and trouble walking. She tried to square dance but was very unsteady. The doctor and fellows insisted it was perfect. Finally after several years she found a doctor who said it was a terrible mistake and replaced the bad knee. She had trouble with her health insurance provider. No lawyer would help her sue because the payoff would be too small.She is better than before the last operation, but not as good as she should have been with the first.
Another friend had a hip replaced with a wrong size prosthesis. Ever since, one leg has always been shorter than the other. As she aged she became more and more disabled. She had selected a highly prominent surgeon, but an underling performed the surgery.
Most of what I hear about orthopedic surgery is positive. I had my entire foot successfully reconstructed with titanium arch and cadaver heel with amazing results. However there are scary mistakes. Gary, I hope your sister overcame the mistakes and is doing well.

Malodorous Manatee said...

My earlier reference to Jewish San Diego was incorrect. The correct reference is Jewish In San Diego. But to make things even easier for those interested in the history of the creation of The Man of Steel, here is direct link to the article/interview:

The Tragic Tale of Superman's Jewish Creators

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-YR, my sister has gone through the last 30 years with a “bump” the size of a baseball on the side of her ankle that causes her to noticeably limp. Since then she has put on 100 lbs despite working at our YMCA which is the largest in the world.

NaomiZ said...

Natick for me at K_EL and _RURO, so DNF. Everything else was pretty easy. Ladies, I used to buy yoga pants at the discount stores, and they were sagging and bagging at the end of the day. If I wore them on a long flight, I'd be rumpled on arrival, and need to bring another pair for the return journey. Lulu Lemon yoga pants solved that problem. A hundred dollar pair can be worn over and over. You arrive looking great, and go home the same way. And they last forever. Those discount pairs add up. Just my two cents!

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. I couldn't remember who was who, KAL-EL or JOR-EL, so I put in the EL and moved on. ARLO clinched it. Somehow I remembered K-TEL from deep within the ole hippocampus. BALLPITS took me 8 perps to fill.

I remember many references to TRURO in the Poldark shows. I learned it is the only true (ha ha) "city" in Cornwall.

Good wishes to you all.

Yellowrocks said...

HG, how terrible. I sympathize with your sister. With any surgery
any of us may be part of the minority of failures or mistakes.

J'myle said...

Malodorous Manatee: Thanks for the link to the interview! That was a good read!

Poldark fans: I have been meaning to watch that show since I found out it stars the actor who played the vampire on 'Being Human.'

Anonymous T said...

Whoop THERE it is!
Hi All!

Took longer to read the expo than do the puzzle. Thanks for all the asides Hahtoolah!

Thanks Craig for the 'lousy' puzzle. I liked it.

WOs: OHARe, EKEs
ESP: TRURO
Fav: K-TEL. Pop had a K-TEL record which included "I Shot the Sheriff" and "The Night Chicago Died." Those two I played over & over.

Keeping in the kitty theme, OMK :-)

Welcome J'myle - that's why I kept puffing. Learn lots of stuff (or cut red-tape) on a DOD smoke-break.

No one recalls the LULU LEMON see-through pants debacle? //May be 'cuz I'm a guy :-)

Another take on HERBIE Hancock [Rockit - stay with it. Instrumental]

Buster Poindexter [Hot Hot Hot! (not related to John Poindexter]

RonInLA - construct a grid and see what corner you inevitably paint yourself into. That's why so many U-Turns. :-)

LOL RENU|GNU & "Usual Inevitable Error" Ray-O. You too MManatee with your 'rant.'
Oc4 - 'keep them lit.' You kill me.

YR - I'm so unkempt. I was just about to get a haircut and DW imposed lockdown started [3/13/20]

Glad to read you're eating Abejo.

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

Sorry - I messed up my LULU LEMON link. -T

J'myle said...

Anon T: Thanks for the welcome! DOD smoke breaks can be quite something. My last job was as a contractor on USS Bonhomme Richard last year. The news says that ship has let the smoke breaks get out of hand.

Malodorous Manatee said...

Anonymous-T, I have not forgotten the Lulu Lemon see-through pants episode although I, for one, certainly did not view it as a debacle. I viewed it with great interest. Thanks, re: the rant.

You are most welcome,J'myle. Pop culture is one of my flat spots but I do pick up the occasional mass culture tidbit. It is probably a good thing that you are no longer doing contract work on the USS Bonne Fumee Richard.

CrossEyedDave said...

Late to the party,
I found a new fall out of the car
& still be completely hidden in the woods campsite,
5 minute drive from bathrooms.

Sorry, but Epic Failure is not in my wheelhouse
when I am scouting for an Old Folks easy Campsite...

Hmm, epic failure to me is clueing beachwear as only ONE flip flop?

(Sorry TTP, no worthwhile visuals. maybe I should look for Thong failures...)

59. Whiskey barrel wood: OAK.
Now "there" is an Epic Failure!
To say Oak is a Whiskey Barrel Wood is only half the picture!

The Epic Failure is the answer to the Mystery of The Mary Celeste!

You see, half the information can be deadly.
Because there is Red oak, and there is White Oak.
One will hold alcohol quite well,
the other leaks like a sieve.
Which one to use?
Now, the Mary Celeste was carrying a load of Alcohol in Oak Barrels,
but some were red oak, and some were white oak, one of which was leaking badly.
So much so, the vessel was in danger of exploding at the slightest spark!

I would have abandoned the dang thingie too,
but, if it were leaking whiskey, & not pure alcohol,
I would have tried drinking the leakers 1st...

oc4beach said...


Irish Miss: I'm glad you got your Gibbles and I hope you enjoy the mussels and haddock. Make sure you call and complain about the order so that you get what you ordered. And they shouldn't charge you anything extra.

Dash T: My kids think I tell terrible "Dad" jokes.

DO: When my daughter was a teenager, she and I would play "Hooked on Classics" for hours and would drive DW crazy. I still listen to the various versions on YouTube.

Malodorous Manatee said...

I had not heard of the Mary Celeste but, subsequent to your post, CrossEyedDave, I have read a few on line sources. That is quite the tale. Thanks. BTW, Westland Distillery out of Washington State is doing some delicious work with malted barley and native oak species including Garry oak which is, I believe, white oak. Slainte!

Anonymous T said...

CED - maybe if 34a was clue'd as "What Jimmy Buffett [@2:50] blew out before stepping on a pop-top" would work for you | the singular? :-)
C, -T

Lucina said...

I love Poldark and can't wait for it to resume on PBS. Yes, Aiden Quinn plays Poldark.

If anyone is interested in a new book to read, I just finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It's excellent! It recounts the journey of migrants walking from Acapulco to the U.S. fleeing the drug cartels.

Jayce said...

Aidan Turner

WikWak said...

Not even supper time yet and there are >60 posts?! Where do you all find the time?

I have nothing to add except to say that I was surprised at the number of bloggers whom I assume from comments made over the years are roughly my age who didn’t know K-Tel. Those ads bombarded the airwaves for years. I never knew they were Canadian though.

Hatoolah, thanks for the Arlo Guthrie link. I haven’t heard Alice’s Restaurant for ages.

Abejo, hang in there!

Stay well.

Irish Miss said...

J’myle and oc4beach ~ The vendor apologized and is issuing a credit for the scallops and clams and not charging for the extra haddock and mussels. I’ve never prepared mussels but I guess I’ll give them a whirl, even though that “beardy” part always spooked me.

J'myle said...

Irish Miss: Glad to hear they've made it right! I worked in the complaints department for Holiday Inn's corporate office for a couple years, and companies do want to hear whenever they've made a mistake——but being calm, having your order number on you, and a couple other things are key to a fast, effective call!

LEO III said...

Almost got it all --- but not quite. It did take a few perps, and I had three unknowns --- KTEL, TRURO and LULULEMON. I should have remembered the first one, and if I had done an alphabet run, I probably would have; I’ve never been to Cape Cod (it’s on my list); and WHAT’S YOGA? You mean the catcher for the Yankees? All I had to do, though, was look up and fill in TRURO, and that took care of the other two. Proofreading saved me from misspelling and messing up AFGHANI and HERBIE and AGES.

SANE --- I’m definitely not guilty! COLD TURKEY --- Did that back in 1972. My boss told me that was the only way he quit smoking. When I bought a new car, I bought a bunch of packs of Chicklets gum and kept filling up the ashtray, which I didn’t want to get dirty with ashes. It took a couple of months, but it worked. Haven’t smoked nor had a dirty car ashtray since then. When I quit, a carton of cigarettes was up to $4.00! No way that I could afford to smoke today! SOAPS --- “Soap” was the best! Also had the best cast EVER! In the words of Bob Seger, “Breaking every rule that would bend.” Yes, I have the boxed set!

TTP said...



WikWak, I know. KTEL was an automatic fill. They had all the annual and Christmas specials. They were like the RONCO of music.


Remember those record buying clubs as well ? Columbia or something ? $1.99 for your first X number of albums ? And then they would send you so many per month, and if you didn't like them, all you had to do was send them back. Then they changed it to your choice of LP or 8 track tapes. "Cancel at any time !"

A guy I knew had three or four accounts with different family addresses, got the free albums and then canceled. That was in the early '70s.

TTP said...


Leo III, thanks for spelling LULULEMON as one word.

Malodorous Manatee said...

This day's festivities are almost concluded and because no one else has yet commented on it (unless I missed it): Hahtoolah, your Went With The Wind still shot for O'HARA did not go unnoticed.

Lucina said...

Oh, thank you, Jayce. You are right. I don't know why I thought Aiden Quinn. Perhaps I'm losing my mind and should not rely on it solely.

TTP said...



I guess if you have to explain the humor, it's not really that funny. Or should it be really not that funny ? :>) Anyway(s), to get that noodled and cheesy comment, you would have had to have read Hahtoolah's link the the oaths that younger doctors are taking. 'Nuf said on that.


Waseeley, your question about adding pictures to your comments went to the spam folder. Since it was in reference to BALL PITS, I assume you intended it for today's comments, but somehow you ended up trying to post to last Sunday's comments. We don't allow posting comments to old blog posts. Too many spammers (bots) were adding dangerous links to old blog posts.

To answer your question, the blogger comments page does not have a feature to embed pictures. If the pics you want to share:
1) Are already on an internet web site somewhere, you can link to them. Facebook is iffy. It would have to be a public Facebook site. Even then...
2) If the pics are not on a website, you have to upload them first, and then link to them.

You can use Google Photos or Pinterest (or other apps) to upload and share pictures. You would then a add a link to the pics in your comments.