Theme: In a Zone - Zone can follow the first word in each theme entry.
18A. Baked mac and cheese, for many: COMFORT FOOD. Comfort zone.
28A. Hit pay dirt: STRIKE IT RICH. Strike zone.
47A. "Aladdin" song whose title lyric follows "You ain't never had a": FRIEND LIKE ME. Friend zone.
62A. Buried record for future generations: TIME CAPSULE. Time zone.
Reveal:
68A. With 60-Down, on one's game ... and hint to the start of this puzzle's longest answers: IN A.
60D. See 68-Across: ZONE.
Boomer here.
I
used to bowl at the Brunswick Zone, however, some company purchased
them and renamed them to Bowlero. Never Mind, I still use my Combat
Zone, a reactive ball that works pretty well. Now I am waiting for a
vaccine. Both of my teams have voted for a delay in the start of
bowling. The Big 10+4, the PAC 12, and the SEC cannot be wrong.
Across:
1. Storied December shelf dweller: ELF. Santa's helper
4. Kind of gun that catches speeders: RADAR. Fortunately, I have never been caught. Maybe it's because I do not speed.
9. Burning crime: ARSON.
14. Pooh pal in a pouch: ROO. Roo Roo the Kangaroo.
15. Spanish month: ENERO. January.
16. Colorful tank fish: TETRA. Nice looking fish. I think they are foreign. I've never seen one in a Minnesota lake.
17. Cow call: MOO. I seem to remember that this was a Sorority in "Animal House".
20. When an after-lunch meeting might start: AT TWO. Or a tee time?
22. Blender maker: OSTER. I think it was a pioneer and most famous. Graybar sold thousands of them back in the 70s.
23. Deux halved: UNE.
24. Ones paid to play: PROS.
I guess the loot is coming from TV ads this year. No tickets have been
sold. Bar owners of locations around stadium are hurting.
26. Something that affects a result: FACTOR. I guess Aaron Judge's 9 home runs are a FACTOR
33. Issue, as light: EMIT.
34. Memo opening words: IN RE. I have seen and heard it but it seems redundant. Wouldn't "RE" be enough.
35. Kid's bear: TEDDY. Also a face on Mount Rushmore.
39. Willy Wonka portrayer Wilder: GENE. Famous movie star. My favorite was "Blazing Saddles."
40. Doctor's order?: SAY AH.
I thought only dentists say AH. My doctor has me pull up my shirt so
the lady can give me a needle shot in my stomach. It doesn't hurt much.
42. __ avis: RARA.
43. Leading the league: ON TOP. The Twins were there last week. Then they dropped four in a row so I'm not too sure now.
45. Plant stem joint: NODE. "Deal or NO DEal".
46. Of the mouth: ORAL. Now SAY AH !
50. Social blunders: GAFFES.
53. Carded at the door, briefly: ID'ED. Never happened to us. C.C. and I do not patronize those questionable places. Or maybe we are too old to be carded.
54. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU.
55. One way to read: ALOUD. Grade school chore, mostly.
59. TV host Gibbons: LEEZA.
65. OED book, e.g.: VOL. Volume.
66. Newborn's lack, usually: TEETH. But they still say "AH".
67. Big name in racing: UNSER. Bobby, Al, and Al Jr. are all millionaire race drivers that go real fast.
69. Analyze, as ore: ASSAY.
70. Fills fully: SATES.
71. "__ Misérables": LES.
Down:
1. Funny Bombeck: ERMA.
I used to like her stuff when published in the Minneapolis Star
Tribune. She was a clever humorist. We lost her in 1996 due to kidney
problems.
2. Pirate's take: LOOT.
3. Clue in the mud: FOOTPRINT. "in the Heat of the Night" - Lonnie Jamison makes cement casts to catch criminals.
4. Fix dinner?: RE-COOK. Usually cooking once is enough.
5. 15-Across starts it: ANO. Another Discover card commercial.
6. Free game version, maybe: DEMO. Do car dealers still let customers take out DEMOs?
7. Lab greetings: ARFS.
8. Word with square or cube: ROOT. Add an "S". I enjoyed that movie.
9. What opposites do, it's said: ATTRACT.
10. NBA official: REF. They finally got their job back.
11. Dark beer: STOUT.
12. Maine campus town: ORONO.
We also have an ORONO city in Minnesota. Very exclusive.
Multimillionaire Irwin Jacobs who owned Grain Belt Brewery and a stake
in the Vikings was known to commit a murder - suicide on his wife and
himself in April of 2019.
13. Consumer advocate Ralph: NADER. A consumer protection guy. He went after GM's Chevy Corvair and Ford's Pinto.
19. APR-reducing loan: RE-FI. Okay to lower your interest rate, but there are probably closing costs and other fees.
21. Bad loan, to an accountant: WRITE OFF.
25. Cinco y uno: SEIS.
"Two and two are four, five and one are six, and ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP. So
What did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine?? Tom
Paxton.
27. Nation within Oklahoma: CHEROKEE.
28. Utah lily: SEGO.
29. IRS enforcers: T MEN. They would scare me.
30. Silly: INANE.
31. Test for fit in the changing room: TRY ON. Tough for me to find pants that fit. All are too big or too small.
32. Double-check, as totals: RE-ADD.
I have to RE-ADD our checkbook every month because I never write the
numbers after the decimal point. Over .50 round up and under .50 round
down.
36. Stunt double, e.g.: DAREDEVIL. Remember Evel Knievel??
37. Wee bit o' whisky, say: DRAM. I thought it might be SHOT.
38. Clinton's alma mater: YALE.
41. Prefix with pad: HELI.
44. Holier-than-thou: PREACHY. My priests have still not invited me back. I guess churches are borderline safe. I do not miss the PREACHY sermons though.
48. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo: ISLA.
49. Loafers: IDLERS.
50. "I __ go!": "Ciao!": GOTTA.
51. Astrological Ram: ARIES. Not a Los Angeles Football player. ARIES shows up on the first day of spring.
52. Running on __: weary: FUMES. When the needle hits "E" you better stop for gas. (Less than $2.00 per gallon here in Minnesota.)
56. Numbered work: OPUS.
57. Ensign-in-training inst.: USNA. US Naval Academy producing officers for the Navy. Like Spitzboov.
58. Tidy up a bit: DUST. If you want to "Tidy up" you might want to remove the dust.
61. Woeful cry: ALAS.
63. LAX calculation: ETA.
64. "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper: LEE. "Shoot all the Blue Jays you want, but it's a sin to Kill a Mockingbird." Harper Lee.
Boomer
62 comments:
Thank you, Amy Johnson. Fun puzzle, and I especially liked how you intersected the reveal, and also ENERO with ANO.
Nice job, Boomer. You were IN A ZONE today !
Cardinals rookie Roel Ramirez was throwing pitches in the STRIKE ZONE yesterday in the 5th inning against the White Sox, and had 2 outs when things went bad. The South Siders went back to back to back to back. They must have seen pitches in their respective COMFORT ZONES.
"Yoan Moncada started the run with a three-run homer to push the lead to 4-0. Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez followed with homers on the next three swings." - Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Never caught speeding ? Texas DPS once sent me a very polite letter saying they were going to take away my driving privileges if I didn't slow down. I did, and then moved to Illinois.
The "Go Bowling 235" was a NASCAR Cup Series race was held yesterday at Daytona. I wonder if there were commercials for bowling ?
Didn’t know the theme until I paused at the reveal, with no help from the name running across the top. Figured it out and FIR.
Good morning!
Got everything immediately...except the reveal pair. Got stuck, probably because I spelled her name LEESA. The light bulb finally came on. Friend Zone? Is that Lancaster county? CSO to Hahtoolah with ORONO. I doubt that CanadianEh! will be happy with that Blue Jay quote. Thanx, Amy and Boomer.
RADAR: Our little town is a notorious speed trap. They'll ticket for doing 30 in a 25 ZONE. On the plus side, we have a very low crime rate here. My only speeding ticket came in 1981 on US 59 in Kendleton, TX, back in the 55mph days. I was doing 62.
IDED: A couple of months ago a clerk at the Walmart Self-Checkout wanted to see my ID before he'd OK my beer purchase. I showed him my Medicare card. He said it didn't have a birthdate or a picture. So, I handed him the 30-pack, and told him he could carry it back to the beer aisle.
I was in a zone for this one, but I know it as in THE zone. Thank you, Amy and Boomer.
I wondered what friend zone means.
Wiki: "In popular culture, the friend zone is a situation in which one member of a friendship wishes to enter into a romantic or sexual relationship, while the other does not. The sense of zone is one of being stuck in an unwanted and distant relationship." I knew of this type of relationship, but I hadn't heard it called friend zone.
The ShopRite liquor store cards everyone. even 80 year olds.
Is recook start again from scratch or reheat? And from yesterday, there is little chopping in making sushi, as was noted, slicing is a better description.
After a whole week, the insurance adjuster will evaluate my car today. I think I am well enough to get my rental tomorrow.
Good Morning TTP. Great comments !! My Twins dropped four in a row but then they stopped KC two out of three with the final tonight. Twins have a decent team. I like Nelson Cruz but I think Max Kepler is their MVP. I would not mind to see Rocco move "Haystack" Sano to the bench, I sort of feel sorry for Miami and the Cardinals, they have a lot of double headers to make up for their quarantines. Well, last I looked at the calendar, today is Monday so I am off to the golf course to play nine short holes with a bunch of guys my age, (Some are even older !!). See you next Monday.
Re. SPEEDing. I find the safest way to travel on I75( 70 mph ZONE) is 80mph in the outside lane and stay there for the duration. Some drivers still have the antiquated notion that I'll move over. Nope. If they want to drive 85-90 they can pass on the right.
Lane changes are the primary cause of accidents.
Beatles had interesting characters in their songs: Maxwell the serial killer and an unnamed ARSONist in Norwegian Wood
Winn Dixie ID's all alcohol purchases*
At Sam's, out of 50 Cargo shorts, there were zero,nada size 36W
I had to go backwards on the theme not knowing LEE?A's name thus ?I?A on 60d. So what word goes with COMFORT,STRIKE,TIME? FRIEND not so helpful. Thanks YR and good to see you back with your timely information.
Xword was a classic Monday. Perfect for beginners.
WC
*I think someone wants to track us via bar code on license. OR… No guessing. I was at that peculiar time warp where buying beer at 18 was easy but at 20 I needed a fake ID.
Oh yeah. Thanks Boomer, great Write-up. Best part of Monday xword
Good morning everyone.
Not hard but had to pause to parse IN A ……ZONE correctly for the theme. Don't know that I've ever heard FRIEND ZONE but perps were solid.
Thanks, Boomer, for the fine intro and the SO @ Ensign.
Good Morning:
This was an easy, breezy start to the week with a well hidden theme and a surprise reveal. I think I’ve previously seen Friend Zone as defined, but it’s one of those current slang phrases that’s not part of my vocabulary, any more than Totes, Adorbs, etc. are. I liked the Arfs and Moo duo but Recook definitely got the nose twitchy. CSO to Hatoolah and Lemony (Orono) and Abejo, PK, and Moi (Aries). Abejo hasn’t chimed in lately; I hope he’s feeling okay.
Thanks, Amy, for a fun Monday solve and thanks, Boomer, for your Monday morning cheerfulness and colorful commentary. I hope your round of golf was up to par!
FLN
YR, glad to hear you’re bouncing back so quickly. Doesn’t surprise me in the least, knowing your strength and determination.
MalMan, Belated Happy Birthday, hope it was a pleasant and special day. 🎂🎉🎁🎈
Windover, what a nice surprise to hear from you. I hope all is well in your world.
PK, best wishes to your SIL for a speedy and uneventful recovery.
Have a great day.
Took 4:14 today. Needed the theme, sort of, to complete the lower-right corner.
I forgot to wish the Malodorous one a HBD. You've been a welcome addition to the fold.
Good Morning.
Thanks, Amy. I too liked the crosses at ENERO/ANO and IN A/ZONE. INA made me think of Ina Garten. I love her recipes--except for stepping out into the H-U-G-E herb garden to snip something for a particular dish. I wish. . . .
Nicely done, Boomer. I thought cake-eater country was Edina. Now I know it's Orono. ;-)
TTP: from Friday: I had not a chance, so that was a big time DNF. I appreciate your coverage on that one. I realized then that the puzzle must have been a dream for all our poet punsters here.
xo to Abejo!
Have a sunny day. Ciao!
Musings
-Put me in the “Wazzat?” camp for FRIEND ZONE
-Some umpires are known for STRIKE ZONES friendly either to pitchers or to batters
-Microwave ovens descended from a RADAR machine, hence the first ones were called radar ranges
-They do a great job of RECOOKING
-I had a tee time AT TWO yesterday with grandson but heavy rain drove us off the course AT THREE
-The first device to EMIT laser light used a synthetic ruby
-SATES – Nothing does it like home grown sweet corn from my neighbor’s farm
-My car dealer still lets me drive any vehicle I want as a DEMO
-RE-ADD – My lovely bride will spend hours looking for a missing dime in the statement
-From yesterday – An IDIOT LIGHT is supposed to tell you when you are running on FUMES
Sincerely thanks to all for their B'day wishes, whether belated or not. I have several tasks to complete this morning and then it will be time to tackle the puzzle.
Good Monday to you all.
Like others said, FRIEND zone was new to me (thanks YR ), but otherwise the theme was understandable once I got the reveal. Noticed I spelled LEEsA wrong and that corner was fixed up at last.
To increase the challenge today I started only doing the across clues. I filled in quite a bit but had some errors. The biggest mess was caused by putting in ebook instead of ALOUD.
Thanks to Boomer and Amy for the fun start to the week. It's looking good for a bike ride now, after puzzle time and a pleasant early morning interlude on our carriage house tenant's screened porch, taking care of her cat while she's away.
re: Wilbur Charles comment about making cars pass on the right. Passing Lane: Also called the left-lane, over-taking lane, and informally, the “fast-lane,” and “go-lane,” the passing lane is exactly what it says it is — designated for passing. He's absolutely right: forcing cars to change lanes causes more accidents. Sometimes, a driver might have an appt. to get to or speeds for what ever reason. It's not Mr. Charles obligation to regulate speed. I always think of it as obstinance or obliviousness for drivers to force passing on the right.
Wilbur, you realize that driving slowly in the left lane is against the law.
Almost FIR but one inkover. RADAR got me to erroneously rhyme Ralph NADAR. Otherwise a breezy Monday. Held off on Comamche for CHEROKEE. A little trouble with the SE corner theme perp reveal but suddenly realized Leena was LEEZA and all fell into place.
Romance language arithmetic.
Phyllis Diller: "I hate housework. Once a year I report a robbery so the police will DUST for prints"
At camp...raining..plus lots of nonsense potential...so..
Know a pirate who plays the ______ ..LOOT.
Tell us when to start, just ______ ....SEGO.
That thar youngin' shoulda_____ better...NODE.
Cheerleader yell ______ !! ..RARA.
In the Bible what did Balaam's ______ ? ...ASSAY.
Wait there's more...
Talking not ______ in the library.....ALOUD.
Slow release medication______ TIMECAPSULE.
I knew _____ it was bad loan!!.....WRITEOFF.
Take away a knighthood ______... UNSER.
After 5 lads she hoped to deliver _____ ..ALAS.
OK... take slow....deep ...breaths.. and the nausea will pass.
Rain stopped!!!
Belated HBD Mal Man
Another easy Monday puzzle, enjoyed the comments about Blue Jays, and mockingbirds.
This year we have more Blue Jays than I have seen before at my feeder.
I remember when I was a kid a friend and I enjoyed shooting the blue Jays with a BB gun, made my Neighbor madder than hell.
Today all I shoot is flies with my Bug-A-Salt gun
A nice Monday puzzle from Amy and Boomer's tour was spot on. I even got the theme today before I finished the puzzle.
I got all of the ZONEs. I've heard of the FRIEND ZONE, but didn't know what it was. I've been married to long to the same DW to be in a FRIEND ZONE.
Wegman's cards everyone who try to purchase alcohol. Even me, and I certainly don't look like a teenager. But the clerk says that rules are rules.
In Pennsylvania the only law enforcement agency that is legally allowed to use RADAR for speed enforcement is the State Police. All other police forces have to use some other method to measure speed like Vascar. Our county sheriff says that he travels 10 mph over the speed limit on the local Interstates and if anyone is stupid enough to pass him he pulls them over.
I'm sitting at the kitchen table doing the puzzle and watching a construction (destruction) crew destroy a beautiful copse of trees across the street behind my house. A developer is putting up a two story office building which will probably sit mostly empty because of a glut of empty office space in the area. They are using bulldozers, chainsaws and a huge wood chipper to clear the area. The neighborhood tried to fight the construction of the building, but the township council wasn't interested in listening to us and rezoned the property. They were more interested in the small amount of extra property taxes that the building will produce. Oh well.
I hope everyone has a great day. Please be safe and wear your masks.
Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Amy and Boomer.
I FIWed . . . . on a Monday ALAS. I’ll blame it on taking a weekend break from CWs (actually Sat. was above my pay grade and I gave up).
Like d’o et al, I had Leesa, and IN A sone was not making sense. Hand up for not being familiar with FRIEND ZONE.
I noted all the Spanish today - SEIS, ENERO crossing ANO, ISLA. I see that I had another FIW with the Spanish Uno instead of the French UNE. (And I was ready to rant about uno in 25 D clue and in 23A answer!). NADER or Nador was unnoticed.
LOL d’o re the Blue Jay quote. Our Toronto Blue Jays are not doing so well, our Maple Leafs are done (sigh), and our hopes rest with the Raptors!
Belated Happy Birthday Mal Man!
Glad you are recovering well YR.
Ray’o- I had to pause to get UNSER. Thanks for the chuckle.
Wishing you all a great day.
Hand up FRIEND ZONE term a learning moment. Quite familiar with the experience. The risk is if you ask the FRIEND to be something more then you may lose that FRIEND. Hand up RECOOK seemed odd.
Never heard of LEEZA Gibbons and that corner was almost a DNF which would have meant missing the theme. Is LEEZA Gibbons any relation to Euell Gibbons? Mr Google did not give an indication one way or the other. Unusual name.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the most terrifying ARSON fire I have ever experienced.
Here is my article on the most terrifying ARSON fire I have ever experienced.
At the time it was the most destructive fire in California history. Now that record is set anew more than once a year. That is even more terrifying.
My article received over 10,000 hits and 42 comments. I had been very angry with the ARSONist and could not feel any forgiveness. But after reading one of the comments that all changed. Apparently there was a bully in that neighborhood who was terrorizing the other residents. No one knew what to do to fight back. And the rest was history. It doesn't excuse what happened, but it certainly changed my feelings.
Always glad to see GENE WILDER. And I agree he was at his best in the best movie of all time, Blazing Saddles. When I had hair, people said I looked just like him. Including someone who really knew him well.
From Yesterday:
Wilbur Charles thank you for the further explanation about SPA music and your DW!
AnonT you have me most intrigued about the CONTORTIONIST act of your youngest. Do you have any photos?
Since I do circus arts I make a special point to watch other circus arts whenever I have a chance. Not sure if anyone looked at my CONTORTIONIST video or photo yesterday. I am guessing the young lady in the photo started practicing at a very early age.
Greetings from hell on earth. 44 days of 110°+, albeit not consecutive, with no end in sight in lovely Phx. Today's cw was TV Guide "difficulty". Went so fast that there's nothing left to do for the rest of the day but to "embrace" the heat. Anon @ 8:03, I'm a little surprised you didn't break 4 minutes on this one. Close though.
PA Dutch country came to my mind too on FRIEND ZONE
Amy has written for us her 23rd LAT, also having 2 NYT published. 10 of her puzzles here are Sundays but none has been a pangram.
The puzzle included IN RE RE-ADD RE-FI and RE-COOK...hmm.
I am surprised FRIEND ZONE was unknown. When Harry Met Sally is a perfect example of a man consigned to the FZ. It doesn't always last.
I always liked the PINK Ranger AMY JO JOHNSON
Thank you Boomer and AJ
Hola!
Thank you, Amy and Boomer! Today's solve was really fast! Que interesante to have a cross reference in Spanish! It gives me COMFORT.
RADAR reminded me that one of the few tickets I ever received was for going 16 MPH in a 15 MPH school ZONE. I believe the officer was desperate for a STRIKE and I was it.
ERMA Bombeck really was a hoot and I enjoyed reading her column for many years.
I loved GENE Wilder! My favorite of his roles was in Young Frankenstein.
Belated birthday wishes, MM!
Have a great day, everyone!
As summer wanes decided to replace Spring Flower blog picture with a near sunset view over the lake last evening.
Picard amazing article and thought the comments were informative too. I didn't get to comment re. "Bullying"
I also saw the contortionists. Reminded me of "The Limbo" craze (How low can you go?)
Re. "Passing Lane". Once upon a time Anon would be right. Say in the 55 mpg limit era.
WC
Amy, thank you for the Monday fun! RECOOK was a stinker, but perps were fair. Like desper-otto, my only sticking point was the reveal pair, and like Yellowrocks, I'm familiar with being in "the" ZONE, not IN A ZONE.
Speaking of zones, it's not my place to tell Mr. Charles how to drive, but neither is it his place to establish the speed limit. If you're not passing, move right! Forcing others to pass on the right creates a danger zone.
Actually, I remember 55 mph. Strictly enforced, used to travel from NH to Grand Rapids MI. So happy to get to Canada where limit was 100km. And everybody drove at the same speed and courteously
Traveling east on 90 all heck broke loose crossing into Mass. 55-90 mph. NY was strict enforcement.
WC
I found this a little challenging for a Monday, but lots of fun. Many thanks, Amy. And your write-ups are always a treat, Boomer. By the way, ORU is Oral Roberts University--I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for my first years of teaching and remember that.
Like others, I too wondered about RE-COOK, but then it hit me. "Fix" can mean to make a meal but also to make a not great dinner (too rare?) better by cooking it again. Liked having ERMA start the puzzle, and Harper LEE end it. Yes, yes, I too had to Google that TV host Gibbons since I never saw her show--oh, LEEZA (would never have guessed that). But, still, in the end, I got the whole Monday--Yay!
Happy Birthday, Mal Man.
And continue to recover, Yellowrocks.
Have a good week, everybody.
Lemon, I believe most of us are aware of the concept of friend zone, but not the term. When Harry Met Sally illustrates it, but the term didn't exist at that time (1989)."The notion of friendship as a consolation prize is the basis for the “friend zone,” a term that did not exist in 1989 but that would have made complete sense to a man like Harry."
I read that this story illustrates that it is almost impossible for a man and woman to remain just friends.
Arthur and I are just very good friends and are not looking for romance. We are quite content.
In 1960 at McDonald's we had a radar range.
Wonderful to have my new pair of glasses.
My biggest problem is finding a comfortable sleeping position. I fall asleep very late and wake up very early. Since I am capable of many more things, I forget my liabilities. When I bend over I see stars for an hour. But, it is good to be functioning again.
Hi Y'all! Fun & fast today, thanks, Amy! Thanks for great input, Boomer!
I'm marking my calendar. First ever time that I did a LAT puzzle with no unknowns! Only do-over was Chippewa to CHEROKEE.
RECOOK: that's what I do most of the time with my frozen dinners.
Knew FRIEND ZONE from watching "Married at First Sight", my guilty pleasure.
I've had two speeding tickets. Last one I goosed the gas to go up a big hill a block from my house & forgot to take my foot off going down the other side. Oops! There was a radar speed trap on the flat. There was construction ahead and I thought the cop was just directing me to move over to the right lane. i almost didn't stop. He ran after me yelling and had me pull over on a side street. I told him I hadn't had the excitement of a man chasing me for years. He laughed, but gave me a ticket anyway.
FIR early this morning and went to bed. Nice Monday puzzle. Forgot to look for the theme - again. Thanks Amy and Boomer.
Not too much to say. I keep forgetting how to spell ORONO. Had a friend who went to school there, and that was the first time I had ever heard of the place. Maybe next time I'll remember.
Remembered the “Z” in LEEZA; worried about the “E” in NADER.
Since I started with the long fills today, I tried TIRETRACK before FOOTPRINT, but that didn’t last long.
I never forget the Spanish names of the months. The second time I lived in El Paso, the streets in the subdivision were named after them. I lived on OCTUBRE.
I paid $1.579 at Buc-ees last week, down here in the land of gas and awl. It’s nice, but it ain’t gonna last. As soon as (er, IF) we ever get back to really normal travel again, it’s gonna shoot right back up.
Thank you Amy for a nice doable puzzle. Thank you Boomer for your always very charming commentary. Its as much fun as the puzzle, itself.
I had a tough time with LEE-A and I-A. I dont watch much Tv or any sports, so its my disadvantage.
A long time ago, I think in 'The Jeffersons', George Jefferson ( Sherman Hemsley ) used to call his wife Leeza ? I think.
Lemonade, you certainly have the statistics of the most curious and esoteric kind for Xwords.
What is the crossword stat expert equivalent of an epidemiologist, hmm.
Ray-O your homonyms always make me smile out loud. Thank you.
YR: please be careful with those ribs. I had a friend with cracked ribs who twisted around sideways to get a roll of toilet paper off the toilet tank. The ribs separated and punctured a lung. He was bleeding internally. Luckily, he had a serviceman there for his TV who was smart enough to realize my friend was in dire need and called EMT's. Almost died before they got him to surgery.
Lucina...noticed credits after Netflix episodes translated in multiple different languages.
There are separate pages for "español latinoamericano" and "español". They fly by so fast I can't read them. Is there that much difference that a separate translation is required? (Same done with Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese)
FWIW ..... Re: Driving in the left Lane ( Fast lane, Or the Over-fast Lane, generally the Passing Lane ) on a highway ... continuously, even at the prescribed speed limit ... is quite dangerous. Because a certain type of driver or a certain number of cars are always going to be driving above the speed limit. For a number of reasons. When they come across a slow(er) car, there is going to be a hitting of the brakes, and turmoil. And that can cause a chain reaction.
I used to come across an older man on my highway commute, who drove in the left lane, at the speed limit. He also had a bumper sticker ..." I May be Old and Slow, But I am Ahead of You".
It was meant to be funny, but you have to watch out for road rage. ( Unfortunately, quite common.). Discretion and tact in such matters, is the vital oil that greases the wheels of the polite driving society.
A nice start to the week.
Yet another Hand Up for Friend Zone being an unknown term. I thought SAYAH was a bit of a compromise by Amy and suspect that she might have wrestled with that. I never had an aquarium so I was unfamiliar with TETRA until I came face to face with one in a puzzle. Since that first introduction, I have swum with those fish what seems like a thousand times. Fortunately, they're not Great Whites. It's always nice when ERMA and EVEL and an UNSER or two drop in to say hello. I enjoyed the ROO MOO AT TWO stack.
My mother had a 1963 Corvair Monza (I learned how to drive on that car) which she really liked. As a result, she was not a fan of Ralph NADER. I liked the car, too, after I understood the need to always travel with two spare fan belts.
Why am I coping with a Just You Wait INRE 'Igginins ear worm? Been hanging out here, I guess.
I found this one a bit strange but that’s probably just me. No problems. Thanks Amy.
Boomer, you were In The Zone!
Oh, d-o, I was in one of those places late one evening, and all that were open were self-checkout registers. When I asked, the snotty checkout supervisor (you know, the one in the YELLOW vest) made some snotty comment. I told her that I was just trying to save her job. She replied that she doesn’t have to worry about losing her job, in about as degrading a voice possible. Sure do wish I had the power to have fired her right there on the spot.
WC, I’ve driven I-75 from between I-10 and the Turnpike a zillion times. You’re right, but it seems to be worse southbound. Guess that's because it's downhill. Same thing happens both ways on I-10 between Houston and San Antonio. It’s 65 until the Brazos River (two-county rule), and then 75 until Sequin, and then 65 again into San Antonio (two-county rule again). Everyone in the passing lane does around 90 or so, BUMPER-TO-BUMPER all the way. Oh, did I mention that I-10 is only two lanes each way? At least I-75 is three lanes each way.
For those who came in late, in the Great State of Texas, 65 is the maximum speed limit in the two-counties surrounding the large (read smoggy) metro areas. You know, the places where we brew your gasoline. (Actually, it was supposed to be a 50-mile rule, but 50 miles from WHERE, so it became two counties.) It was supposed to help clean up our air, but it’s been pretty much a miserable failure, and slowly but surely those speed limit rules are being erased. Actually, on the north section of our Grand Parkway (our third, and at this time, 180-mile almost radius (the water gets in the way on the southeast side) outer beltway (until we build one farther out), the speed limit is 75.
Of course, we do have some 80 and one 41-mile stretch of 85 speed limit!
That’s it for now. Off to drive all over town for awhile today. Gotta find out where I left a book that I need for my annual airport exam later this week. The two suspect places are close to one another, and so is the place I can borrow one, if need be.
I'll curtail driving talk to be give TTP a break. My "advice" pertained to Florida. When I drove an airport shuttle I was limited to 74mph. From skyway Bridge to Tampa airport limit is 65 mph. I drove the entire way once NEVER passing a single car and being passed by 30-50. I stayed in middle lane, I wouldn't have stayed in left lane at such a slow speed(74 mph).
Modern driving needs modern tactics.
So, that's it for me on that subject. Btw, speed was monitored in NH for awhile by airplane.
WC
Hi everybody.
I'm always impressed by what a contortionist can do with her body. Nevertheless, I don't enjoy watching it much.
I was playing in a pickup basketball game years ago when I ran into the shoulder of a sturdy Samoan fellow. (Aren't they all?) I had separated rib cartilage and tried hard not to sneeze for several weeks. Very painful...
I liked this puzzle. Hand up for not being familiar with the term FRIEND ZONE, regardless of Lemonade's "surprise" that several of us actually did not know it. Why, good sir, does that "surprise" you?
Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a fun puzzle, and thank you, Boomer, for your informative and delightful write-up.
I remember when a blender was called an OSTERizer.
The woman who performs my routine dental "prophies" told me was nonplussed when she was not carded recently. She joked that apparently she was starting to look her age.
Our son's sign is ARIES.
Ray-O, like many others here I like your puns. Thank you for them. Well, I also enjoy reading everything you post.
Good wishes to you all.
PK, you are too funny !
Wilbur Charles, I have no idea what you are talking about, referring to giving me a break...
Hi All!
Thanks Amy for a really fun puzzle. Had to think hard to cross 60d w/ 68a.
Fun expo, Boomer. Thanks for kicking-off the afterparty!
Who else wanted Running on Empty [Jackson Browne] for 52d?
WO: started SCRIP for SAY AH.
ESP: LEEZA
Fav: GENE Wilder [miniDoc 16m] - such a wonderful person.
LOL UNSER Ray-O.
Picard - no pictures. She'll do it on a video chat or IRL but doesn't want snaps. As a security-dude, I respect that.
Vidwan - She was Weezy. [Hi HG!]
BillG - nor laugh. When I cracked my ribs a few years back, my "friends" thought it funny to make me laugh.
Keep getting better YR and mind how you move.
PK - funny story even though you didn't get out of the ticket.
//DW sobs her way out - stopped a few times and once only received a "seat belt" [NADER!] violation.
"But I was wearing my seatbelt."
"Honey, he let you off on speeding - insurance not affected."
"Oh."
Always pass on their left (sometimes). But, when spotting a fast approaching vehicle in your review, scooch to the right to let them pass. Drive Friendly, the Texas Way. //LeoIII - yes, it mentions Buc-ees.
TTP - You weren't going fast enough :-) DPS didn't bother me doin' 130mph* most the way from Houston -> San Antonio; though, it was 10:30 at night.
//Was that you in front of me Leo? :-)
Back to the salt-mines. Play later.
Cheers, -T
*DW's Alfa moves...
Vidwan827, I think George Jefferson called his wife Weesie, but I could be wrong. If I'm wrong, please don't tell my DW. She would be devastated.
I just looked it up on Google. George's wife's nickname was Weezie.I was close.
Nice pzl, thanks to Ms. Johnson!
I always thought IN RE. a bit imitative, if not pretentious.
I headed my memos and recommendation letters with the good ol' English word, Regarding.
Yes, I know it takes more letters and an extra syllable, but it's the language most of us grew up with. Doesn't need a U.N. translator.
ORU, Tulsa, the home to Oral Roberts U, eh?
I always think of Tulsa as the home of a dear old Injun pal (excuse me, whenever I said "Native American," he would correct me, saying, "It's Indian, and we pronounce it 'In-jun,' buddy!"), Brummet Echohawk.
I flew to Tulsa to meet with Brummet and hire him to play Sitting Bull in my production of Arthur Kopit's wonderful Tony-nominated play, Indians!
Brummet was Cherokee, a decorated warrior, a WWII combat veteran, and a very fine actor.
He welcomed me graciously to his home in Tulsa, where Mrs. Echohawk fed me very, very well. ("We need to fatten you white boys up.")
Tulsa will always be Echohawk territory to me.
~ OMK
_____________
DR: One diagonal, on the near side.
Today’s diagonal offers a couple of possible anagrams. Take your pick of (Answer #1) that certain type of misery that comes from being suddenly & unpleasantly soaked to the gills!
-or-
(Answer #2) Discomforts of an ol’ geezer forced to take advice from the wise lady who has even more experience of life than he does.
#1: “SODDENLY, WOE!”
#2: “The DOYENNE WOES”!
Puzzling thoughts:
Kinda late today as almost 50 posts preceded this one ... Great puzzle, Amy Johnson, and Boomer, excellent recap
Just a couple of write-overs: one was a misspelling SAGO/SEGO. The other was a WAG: TEETS/TEETH. Other than those two boobs, I was correct.
I entered the reveal as my last two solves; IN A ZONE was not what I was expecting, so I got a good AHA at the end
No OKL? OKEE-DOKIE ... I shall try to fill in in his absence with a couple Moe-kus:
Reverent Vicar
Was asked how he felt. He said,
“I am PREACHY keen.”
Doris Day’s Doc, to
Big Band’s Kyser, at check up:
“Kay, SAY AH, SAY AH”
Ray-O:
I'm sorry I failed to answer your question about regular Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Yes, there is a difference, not in the grammatical structure, but in vocabulary. Understandably, many words have been introduced in Latin America, including Mexico, that do not appear in Spain. I'm sure the same is true in the Philippines and other former Spanish colonies.
I have heard priests from the Philippines preach and their Spanish is flawless but I know that they are well educated and undoubtedly learned to speak well.
Vidwan827: George Jefferson called his wife Louise "Weezie." [I see more of you responded.]
I've never seen IN RE on a memo, just Subject.
SAY [a]AH[h]: choose your preference.
I'll accept a CSO at Aries.
On the Northway (I-87) I'm usually doing the speed limit (65) in the center lane. The left lane is usually 75 to 90; the right lane 35 to 50.
>>Roy
Late to the party today,
as I had to drive DW, Daughters#1&3 to Grandma's in Brooklyn
on the way to Manhattan to look for Apartments for
D3# who will be working in two weeeks as a Music Teacher in the Bronx???
(try driving with your nerves shot...)
(just a tip-all entrances to the BQE in Bklyn are closed while they repave...)
Anywho,
I am happy to report that I actually did a Monday puzzle
in under 12 minutes! I think it had something to do with
me doing the puzzle while driving in the left lane...
Next stop: 101st street (not fun)
In lighter (pun intended) news,
my last car had an idiot light,
that did nothing but tell you when the real idiot light bulb had burned out...
(It's true-you can't make this stuff up!)
If they wanted to be of help, every car should have one of these...
(substitute, coffee, wallet, third child etc...)
CED, although they met in California, my mother hailed from Brooklyn (Flatbush) and my father from The Bronx (Kelly Street).
Thumbs up for the Purse on Roof warning light. I wonder if it could be modified to read Ski Gloves on Roof.
AnonT hand up I had Running on EMPTY. I am a huge Jackson Browne fan and I have been honored to meet him several times; he lives in our area. I meant to ask the same thing: Did anyone else think Running on EMPTY?
Too bad about not getting to see the CONTORTIONIST photos. I don't own a phone and don't know about those video things. But anyone who thinks they are secure because they are not sending photos is confused. If it appears on a screen it can be captured one way or another.
BillG glad you can appreciate the CONTORTIONIST skills even if it is not enjoyable to experience. I feel that way about a lot of music!
Wilbur Charles thank you for looking at my CONTORTIONIST image and video. I am sure I have more. The State Fair used to have some memorable circus performances.
As for the bully who prompted the ARSON, here is the full quote in one comment on my article:
====
[SURFBUM JUN 28, 2020 10:50 AM]
We owned property adjacent to Linthicum, the target of Lennie Ross's match. I was out of town when I got news of the fire and the probable origin. I immediately had a sinking gut feeling which years later made sense when the case against Ross was revealed. Everyone on Old San Marcos Rd. who knew or had dealings with the target concurred.
However, at the time of the fire, there could have been nearly a dozen suspects on the short list due to his bullying, litigious approach to being a neighbor. Not learning his lesson, he continued suing people with borderline frivolous lawsuits after the fire. Ironically, he was soundly defeated by the SAME judge who presided in the Lennie Ross arson case years earlier.
Picard, thanks for the article and the amazing pictures of the fires. So scary.
Also, I like you your pictures of the contortionists.
I use in re, maybe I am pretentious.
Moe your second Ku was a rib tickler. I hope YR didn't see it.
TTP, I was afraid the discussion was getting rancorous if not boring. I think one of our rules is avoid contentious arguing. LeoIII was spot on.
WC
OMK, I had a Cherokee friend who was offended by being called Native American, as if there is something wrong with being an Indian. She said, I’m an Indian and that’s ok! Interesting perspective I thought.
No worries. I didn't take offense. TTP and I are good!
C. Moe: where do you get the energy? LOL 1&2
OMK - I get #1, #2 is over my head...
CED - In 2003(ish?), we went to NYC to get the Girls baptized at Saint John the Divine [Robert de Niro was there doin' the same! He was right in front of us but I was oblivious
a) kept Youngest from grabbing his hair the whole time
b) he looked like one of my old uncles].
Anyhoo... I got to drive in the heart of the city in a rented minivan.
I was so happy honkin' at cabbies and screaming out the window :-)
Swamp: Yes. Every indigenous person I've met identified themselves by their Tribe. Cherokee, Chickasaw, Apache, or [I forgot what the guys at IHS called themselves in Bemidji (I'm sure Boomer & C.C. know)].
Point is, like me with my Italian heritage [only 1/4th -- I'm really an American mutt with some dominate genes :-)], they identify with their traditions.
When we lived in Norman OK, DW was part of a summer-program that "boot-camp'd" kids from many Tribes who were aiming for the medical field. She taught writing and mentored many before their 1st year in various universities around the country.
At the end of the program the kids would tell their story. It was so cool (& somewhat sad) to hear their experience growing up on "The Res." Those kids were sharp and went on to do good.
Cheers, -T
I have had the same experience with Indian students when I taught adults. They specified which was their tribe. Since the Pima Indian Reservation is the closest one here, most of them were from there. In fact, the road just north of where I live is Pima Road and it borders the Pima Res.
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