google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday September 13, 2020 C.C. Burnikel

Gary's Blog Map

Sep 13, 2020

Sunday September 13, 2020 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "On the Horizon" - SIGHT bookends each theme entry.

23. Problem for an aspiring thespian: STAGE FRIGHT.

29. "The Mask of Zorro" scene: SWORD FIGHT.

35. "My bad": SERVES ME RIGHT.

50. Help explain, with "on": SHED SOME LIGHT.

65. Real predicament: SORRY PLIGHT.

83. NBC debut of 1975: SATURDAY NIGHT.

 95. Discovery voyage: SHUTTLE FLIGHT.

102. Tucking-in wish: SLEEP TIGHT.

Reveal:

112. Visible ... or, literally, where most inner letters of this puzzle's eight other longest Across answers are situated: WITHIN SIGHT.

Can you find another theme entry with the SIGHT bookend pattern?
 
The title is Rich's, as usual. He is a masterful wordsmith and one of the best constructors in this country. Though we don't see Rich's byline these days, but most of clues in our daily puzzles are his creations. Some theme entries are his also. Every day you're matching your knowledge against Rich's plan.
Rich and his wife Kim


Across:
 
1. Scratches (out): EKES.

5. Serving perfectly: ACING.

10. Bargain bin caveat: AS IS.
 
14. Really stands out: POPS.

18. Amethyst hue: LILAC. Very pretty.

https://www.brides.com/thmb/jT5q0dmatY3eGIWMA_Xkn770VAA=/1277x1200/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/il_fullxfull.2150604885_7r10_4fe778de-7458-482b-a01a-a788cd3357da_1800x1800-5e124c43e94f46db82db837e4b975393.jpg
20. Really sore: IRATE.

21. Org. for women drivers: LPGA.

22. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.

25. Bird clumsy on land: LOON.

26. Brightly colored: NEON.

27. Handspeak.com subj.: ASL.

28. Acknowledge silently: NOD TO.

31. Bothered a lot: ATE AT. Don't know how we would have survived the blog conversion without Anon-T and TTP. 

32. "New Rules" author Bill: MAHER. Too extreme at times.

34. Paper mate?: PEN.

39. Like in many ways, with "to": SIMILAR.

43. Survey choice: OTHER.

44. Barilla alternative: RAGU. Boomer like their meat sauce.

45. Story-telling dance: HULA.

46. Panamanian pronoun: ESA.

47. Superclean, as surgical tools: STERILE.

54. Energizer specification: AAA.

55. Prestige: CACHET.

57. Resistance units: OHMS.

58. Hirsch of "Into the Wild": EMILE. Loved the movie. So sad.

https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/sites/sbs.com.au.film/files/20091108000273024160-original.jpg
59. "Tik Tok" singer: KESHA. I don't use TikTok. But my lifeline to China is WeChat. Sure hope they change their mind on this banning stuff.

60. Art class adhesive: GLUE.

61. Did a farrier's work: SHOED.

62. Prado display: ARTE.

70. Cameo stone: ONYX.

71. Athlete's road to recovery: REHAB.

73. Country bordering Vietnam: LAOS. Sticky rice is their staple food.

74. Leavening agent: YEAST.

76. Mother of Eric and Donald Jr.: IVANA.

77. "Ghostbusters" (2016) director Paul: FEIG.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjUyODUyODQzM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzM3MjE3NA@@._V1_.jpg
 
78. Instagram logo image: CAMERA.

80. Meat in a typical Denver omelet: HAM.

86. Reveal: LAY BARE.

88. "Spare me the deets": TMI.

89. Nordstrom rival: SAKS.

90. Aparicio of Cooperstown: LUIS. Boomer once pulled an 1/25 autograph of him.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/717Mwl5r8PL._AC_SY445_.jpg
92. It may be negotiable: PRICE.

93. 4 or 5 is a good one for a coll. hopeful: AP SCORE.

99. First animal in the Chinese zodiac: RAT. Ox next year. I'm a pig. I'm always told that pigs get along with most people, except snake (those born in 1954, 1965, 1977, etc.)

100. Sharp: ACUTE.

101. Parisian gal pals: AMIES.

106. One in a Sun Salutation sequence: ASANA.

107. Lady in a flock: EWE.

110. "Sup": HI YA.

111. Isaac's eldest: ESAU.

115. Part of a list: ITEM.

116. Sources of quick cash: ATMS.

117. Agent's collection: INTEL.

118. Noses out: EDGES.

119. Suffix denoting quality: NESS.

120. "The Simpsons" watering hole: MOE'S. Not our Moe's.



121. Winter Palace rulers: TSARS.
 
122. Japanese video game giant: SONY.

Down:

1. Queen of Arendelle: ELSA.

2. Handy collections: KITS.

3. Mideast airline: EL AL. Super-friendly letter.

4. Give a little: SAG.

5. Another name for a car's spoiler: AIR DAM.

6. Beastie: CRITTER.

7. "Othello" flag-bearer: IAGO.

8. Ultimate degree: NTH.

9. Figure out: GET.

10. Not even close: ALL WET.

11. Animal trail: SPOOR. Is this word obscure to you?

12. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.

13. Construction site convenience: SAND PILE.

14. Sorrento sandwiches: PANINI. I bought one at the US Women's Open years ago. 

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/crab-salad-panini-horiz-a-1800.jpg
 
15. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

16. Bear who loves "hunny": POOH.

17. Text status: SENT.

19. Face-off spot: CENTER ICE.

24. Those opposed: FOES.

29. "Zip it!": SHH.

30. Sow and cow: FEMALES.

31. State as fact: AVER.

32. Could possibly: MIGHT.

33. Shivering fit: AGUE.

35. He hit 60+ homers three times without leading the league: SOSA. Rich's clue. Great trivia.

36. Sundance's sweetie: ETTA.

37. Bird hunted by gauchos: RHEA.

38. Level, in Liverpool: RASE.

39. Totals: SUMS.

40. Multitude: LEGION.

41. Large furniture chain: ASHLEY.

42. For adults only: RATED X.

45. Family workout place: HOME GYM. Gyms are all open in Xi'an now. They don't have any new cases for months. Life is pretty much normal now.

48. Glaswegian girl: LASS.

49. Amazon smart speaker brand: ECHO.

51. One in a tiny house: DOLL.

52. Feng __: decorating philosophy: SHUI.

53. "Crack a window, will ya?": I'M HOT.

56. Road hogs: HARLEYS.

59. Reeves of "John Wick": KEANU.

60. Lost driver's aid, briefly: GPS.

62. __ Nashville: country record label: ARISTA.

63. Overhaul: REVAMP.

64. To wit: THAT IS.

66. Drops in a forecast: RAIN.

67. Hindu mystic: YOGI.

68. Lab order?: HEEL. Dog.

69. Fictional Georgia spread: TARA. My submitted clue is [Voice actress Strong]. Rich probably does not think she's famous enough.
 Tara Strong Portrait.jpg
72. Coast in a tub?: BAR SOAP.

75. "Ask nicely": SAY PLEASE.

77. Fraudulent: FAKE.

78. Water slide: CHUTE.

79. Bickering: AT IT.

80. Nixon's last chief of staff: HAIG. "I'm in charge here".

81. Part of a foot: ARCH.

82. Bump into: MEET.

84. Group in a pub competition: DART TEAM.

85. Excess: GLUT.

87. Ritual for some eight-day-olds: BRIS.

91. "Friday the 13th" horror genre: SLASHER.

94. Trounces: CREAMS.

95. Downhill ski run: SCHUSS.

96. Castaway's shelter: HUT.

97. Buildups for many returning vacationers: EMAILS.

98. Resident on the Gulf of Bothnia: FINN.

100. Athlete's best effort: A GAME.

102. Place for a pad: SHIN.

103. Lo-cal: LITE.

104. Spider's eight, usually: EYES.

105. What ":" can mean: IS TO.

106. "That's the" shorthand: ATTA. Wow, I never know this. Atta girl. That's the girl.

107. Toaster Swirlz brand: EGGO.

108. Question of time: WHEN.

109. Amazon Handmade rival: ETSY.

112. Quick quality: WIT.

113. Seat winners: INS.

114. Points to, maybe: IDS.
 

A few things:

1) I'm very excited to tell you that Malodorous Manatee (Joseph) has agreed to share Thursday blogging duty from now on. MM will debut on Thursday. He never had a blog before, but he's a fantastic learner, just like Chairman Moe.

2) I still need an extra blogger who can share Thursday duty and pinch-hit occasionally on Wednesdays. Please email me crosswordc@gmail.com if you're interested. 

3) The Atlantic has been running a Sunday 15*15 for a while. Today's puzzle is by me. Give it a go when you have time. It's edited by Caleb Madison.

C.C.

58 comments:

  1. FLN. Good morning, all. I have to give Saturday's puzzle a Misty...Wahoo! First Saturday effort with a FIR. Seemed unlikely at first but kept at it and Wahoo again. On to Sunday. Thanks Peter. Now I get to read the blog and find out this xword was too easy for a Saturday. LOL

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  2. I always enjoy it when you blog your own Sunday puzzles C.C., but you are never effusive enough. Challenge accepted-

    SIGNS OF BLIGHT
    SAINTED KNIGHT

    Welcome MalMan

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  3. FLN, update. FIW, so I will have to wait for another opportunity to get it right...didn't notice the e in way from booze (y) brunch. I was happy to see that this was a Saturday caliber xword. I'll still take that as a win. Bill G. I was working in DC when the "wall" went up in 1981?? or 82. I remember looking up classmates and finding their names on the wall. It was an emotional time. FF to a couple years ago, went to DC on the way to Maine. Toured the wall again and it was different than what I remembered, but still an emotional trip down memory lane. The Korean war memorial was added since my first trips in the 80's along with the MLK memorial. Like a lot of places in this wonderful country, it is better enjoyed in person. Have a great day.

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  4. Good morning!

    Zipped through this one in about 15 minutes and noticed all the IGHT answers, but failed to notice all the Ss. Still theme-challenged, it seems. The clue/answer combos for "Sup," "My Bad," "That's the," and "Construction site convenience" were a bit of a reach. Got 'em all, though. Thanx, C.C. and C.C. (Your Rich photo was obscured by the blog gremlins.)

    Now to try that Atlantic puzzle...

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  5. A bit of a slog, but FIR. The theme was very helpful, knowing that IGHT was at the end of each of the themers. Good Sunday morning fun.

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  6. Interesting puzzle and blog, CC. Very enjoyable start to the day. Just right for a Sunday.The NW slowed me down a bit until I got to the reveal. I caught onto the -IGHT right away, but the beginning S helped with the first two themers, 23A and 35a.
    FEIG, KESHA and the DAM part of AIRDAM were all perps.
    I prefer medium or deep purple amethysts to lilac. Geodes with amethyst centers are so cool.
    I liked Georgia spread for TARA and sussed it immediately. I don't know TARA Strong.
    Buildups for many returning vacationers? Laundry piles. No chance of that this year. We stayed home.
    The last two days after previewing my posts, I forgot to press Publish. Poof! I didn't rewrite them. Sorry if I failed to reply to anyone. Belated happy birthday, Steve. Your blogging will be missed. Please stop in when you can.
    Anonymous T, thanks for the Belushi dance clip. Since I no longer dance, will I age faster? LOL

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  7. Good Morning:

    We haven’t had a CC puzzle in awhile, so this was a special treat with a larger grid and more space for CC to showcase her creative talents. I am embarrassed to admit that while I saw the rhyming pattern, I totally missed that all-important S beginning each themer. Ergo, the reveal was a total surprise! CC’s tricky clueing led me astray but not for long: Crow/Loon, Saw Horse/Sand Pile, Ora/Esa, Acerb/Acute, Mature/Rated X, and Silo/Shin. Unlike most Sundays, I knew most of the proper names. I liked the Etta/Atta, Emile/Emails, and Feig/Haig duos. Unknowns were Air Dam, Ashley, and Arista. Nice CSO to Moe!

    Thanks, CC, for an enjoyable solve that provided a true Aha theme and for the insider’s view in your summary.

    MalMan, thanks for stepping up to the blogger’s plate! Looking forward to your debut on Thursday.

    Bill G, I hope Barbara is feeling better.

    Have a great day.

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  8. Oops, forgot to mention the mini-theme: Critter, Rat, Ewe, Pooh, Rhea, Loon, and Heel! 🐭🦆🐻🐑🐩

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  9. Musings
    -S ____ IGHT – Now how is C.C. going to tie these together? Fun!
    -Rich seems to be thinking, “Now how should I title C.C.’s puzzle?
    -HGTV decorators always are looking for an accessory that will make the room POP
    -Can you think of a Fonda/Hepburn movie that featured LOONS?
    -H _ _ A, yeah I guess a HULA tells a story more than a HORA
    -Should I mention my farrier friend has SHOED giraffes again? Nah.
    -An upside down wing-shaped car spoiler’s job is to push the car down not lift it up
    -Gmail gives you a 10 second window to cancel before the message is actually SENT
    -Ewe, sow and cow leave only the hen out of the 3-letter common familiar FEMALE farm family
    -My most familiar YOGI wore SHIN guards
    -Back To The Future, “It’s now where you are, it’s WHEN you are!”

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  10. Good morning everyone.

    Average difficulty for a Sunday. Liked the theme but began to prefill a couple of the last theme phrases. Had 'inch' before ARCH; good ole HAM kept me on the straight and narrow. Learned that LOONS are clumsy. Sigh.
    I thought FARRIER might be akin to the Germanic words for horse: German Pferd, L. German Peerd, and Dutch paard. But no; FARRIER comes from the French and earlier Latin root for 'iron. Makes sense.
    A SCHUSSBOOMER is a very fast downhill skier; perhaps endangering others.
    SLEEP TIGHT - In the 1800s and early 1900s, mattresses were held on bed frames using a woven rope design. These ropes needed frequent tightening to ensure a taut, firm mattress for a good night’s sleep. Hence, the phrase “sleep tight” was born.

    STAR BRIGHT?

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  11. Looks like everyone is sleeping in this morning. The theme was easily revealed immediately at stagefright then it was off to the races. No stumbling blocks of note though Feig was unknown but gotten by perps. Yesterday I picked Azarenka to win the women's final at the U.S. Open. Although she started like a house afire, Osaka eventually prevailed. Today my men's pick will probably succumb to the Shankers curse too, but I hope not.

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  12. Well she did it again. Nearly every C.C. Sunday puzzle I’ve done is the same: the top half fills in like a house afire and I’m thinking this one’s a cinch when when she sneaks up behind me with a lead pipe and...

    But I did FIR in about half an hour so it’s all good.

    Thoughts

    If something has been REVAMPed does that mean that someone had to vamp it first?

    I made extra money after I retired by tutoring kids who needed help with their AP classes so they’d get a better SCORE.

    Read enough stories set in a mountain forest and you’ll have seen SPOOR.

    If an athlete needs REHAB does that mean someone habbed him/her?

    I love LOONs. Devastating to learn that they’re clumsy. *

    Leggo my EGGO!

    I never know when to use SHOED and when to use shod.

    I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to get HARLEYS. I’ve ridden motorcycles most of my adult life and though I have never owned one they’re well known to me. I had HA_LEYS for the longest time and still was clueless without a clue.

    I never heard a spoiler called an AIR DAM. Makes sense but still new to me.

    The word CRITTER always makes me smile.

    Love the misdirection with “a spider’s eight”.

    That’s it. I’m done. Over and out. Bye bye. See ya. And other phrases of similar meaning.

    Mask up. Stay well

    * I’ll get over it.

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  13. Thanks for a very good Sunday puzzle. The theme came to l-ight pretty quickly so we were able to get things r-ight without too much of a f-ight. We even got the S pretty early on.

    Another hand up for Inch before Arch.

    Thanks for the welcome, IM and Lemonade.

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  14. Having the IGHT at the end of the theme answers definitely made this a quicker solve!

    WEES about not knowing AIR DAM. Also with the start of SAN - I thought the construction site convenience was going to be something like SANI-CAN - to do with a port-a potty - bzzt!!

    We have Amish FARRIERs that live nearby that most people who have horses use to shoe their horses.
    HG - I assume it's "On Golden Pond" with the loons?

    My grandma always used to say "SLEEP TIGHT, don't let the bedbugs bite" - I think because we didn't have any of those around - we just thought it was one of her silly sayings and weren't scared of having bugs in our bed!

    Thanks CC!

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  15. Bedbugs...feel free to fast-forward to the 01:20 point.

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  16. Woohoo! Woohoo! (thank you, SansBeach). How exciting to get a wonderful double C.C.--both a delightful puzzle and a neat commentary. I got STAGE FRIGHT right away--even though I don't think I ever suffered it--and that helped with some of the other IGHTs on the way down. Lots of unknowns, but also enjoyed getting IAGO, EMILE and ESAU, and IVANA. Got SAKS even though I'm sure I've never shopped in one. Anyway, lots of fun clues and answers, and I too liked CRITTERS. So, thank you again, C.C., and I wish you and Boomer a great Sunday!

    Sorry you can no longer dance, Yellowrocks--I used to love to hear about your dancing over so many years.

    Have a great Sunday everybody, with hopefully not too much smoke on your horizon.

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  17. Hi everybody.

    Thanks CC and Rich.

    Thanks for all the good wishes for Barbara's health. The doctor prescribed some new pills after the surgery. They were making her feel slightly nauseated but they seem to have done the job. Their retail price for eight pills was a bit over $1300. Thank goodness for medicare and insurance!

    ~ Mind how you go...

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  18. Bill G, best wishes for Barbara. Pills at that price would make me feel slightly nauseated, too.

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  19. I had fun, but what the heck is ASANA??

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  20. CC thank you for a clever theme and construction and for your self-review. Still more proper names than I would like, but I was able to get them with perps.

    Can you or someone else explain the meaning of a 1/25 autograph?

    ASHLEY furniture totally unknown. Apparently there is one fifty miles away in Oxnard. I really dislike most furniture design as too fussy and old-fashioned. I love the modern Danish style that I grew up with. It is very hard to find.

    Anyone else have SLALOM before SCHUSS? Sorry that I never got to see a SHUTTLE FLIGHT. But I got the next best thing: When the Space SHUTTLE Endeavour was retired I got to see it flown over our town on the back of an airplane. On its way to Los Angeles for display.

    Here we are posing with Endeavour after that final SHUTTLE FLIGHT.

    I love a good natural WATER SLIDE.

    Check out the WATER SLIDE and other water fun that my music teacher Nancy took me hiking to at Tar Creek in Ventura County.

    Nancy is one of the strongest and most adventuresome hikers I know. Impressive since she got a late start to it in her 50s.

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  21. Puzzling thoughts:

    Something ain’t rIGHT. I’m Standing uprIGHT, looking for Stars in the nIGHT. But they’re just out of SIGHT, right now!

    Whom do I thank? C.C. or C.C.? 🤡

    Moe (this Moe) once owned a bar ... biggest mistake I ever made. It fit the old phrase, “if you want to make a small fortune as a bar owner, you’d better start out with a large one”

    64 down clue: “Id est“, in English

    FEIG —> all perps. ALMOST/ALL WET; MAHRE/MAHER; HORA/HULA; INCH/ARCH; SEGA/SONY

    So a question about 71 across: if an injured athlete was also a drug addict, would they be in double REHAB?

    If you recall, back when we discussed embarrassing moments, one of my bigger ones was in 7th grade, and the history teacher used the term “circumcision”, when speaking about Jewish rituals. As this word was foreign to me, I had to ask what it was. The teacher may have said, “it’s done at a BRIS”. Which probably confused me more!! 🤡🤡

    You couldn’t pay me enough money to be 12-13 years old right now ...

    Enjoy the week ahead!

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  22. Picard wrote: When the Space SHUTTLE Endeavour was retired I got to see it flown over our town on the back of an airplane. On its way to Los Angeles for display.

    Yes, us too. It passed DIRECTLY over our house at very low altitude. Very exciting and very noisy.

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  23. C.C. Burnikel
    I loved the Atlantic puzzle. Thank you so much.

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  24. Musings 2
    -A 1/25 card is part of Super Short Prints. 1/25 means there were only 25 cards printed in that series and you have number 1.
    -ASANA -Speaking of a series or sequence
    -Yes, inanehiker, Katherine Hepburn even imitated the call of the Loons in that wonderful movie
    -After years of teaching and playing and singing in front of hundreds of people every Sunday, I’ve lost all vestiges of STAGE FRIGHT
    -A double sonic boom of the Endeavour (how did that “u” sneak in there?) returning from a mission woke me in Orlando one morning

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  25. Belated Happy Birthday Steve,
    (there is a cake in it for you if you show up today...)

    Big fat disappointing DNF for me today,
    never saw the sights.
    My Ipad version was missing the Theme,
    (or at least, that's what I am blaming...)

    Maher/spoor was a total Natick for me,
    but while I may not learn Maher, I will definitely use
    Spoor to track down Thursdays Write up...

    Barilla/Ragu:
    I see Barilla as a Pasta, & Ragu as a sauce,
    but that could just be the way it is sold in this region...

    13. Construction site convenience: SAND PILE.
    This stumped me, as I was thinking Porta-potty.
    I have never thought of a sand pile this way...
    (what do you think I am? A Cat?)

    Anywho, all these words beat me up,
    & made me feel like Marty Feldman in
    John Cleese's Favourite Sketch:"

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  26. CED - I'm guessing cats at the construction site are using the SAND PILE as a porta-potty. (I thought of that, too, as an answer before 'sand-pile' perped in.)

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  27. WikWak, I can't find a definitive answer. My personal preference is to used shoed with horses and shod with people. Maybe it is six of one and a half dozen of the other, as we used to say.
    I think MALMAN would be a great moniker. Welcome to being our new blogger.
    We used to say, "Don't let the skeeters bite," accompanied by a big tickle. Bedbugs were out of the question for my super clean PA Dutch mom.
    Spitz, in visiting demonstrations of colonial life, we have seen examples of those ropes being tightened.
    On Golden Pond A+. I have seen it several times.
    Misty, I read that all kinds of dancing will be among the last social activities to return. Lots of touching, being close together, and breathing out indoors doing exercise. I heard that gym is dangerous, too, even though some states allow it. Group singing is another no-no.
    Barilla makes sauce as well as pasta.
    Sand pile/ Porta Potty for cats.

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  28. Slow and Steady wins the race - took me a while, but I FIR , even though I was intimidated seeing
    C.C.’s name as constructor. Lots of not-seen-often clues such as SPOOR, CRITTER, LEGION, etc. which made the puzzle even more fun.

    I have never seen BRIS before and still don’t know what it is. I guess, from Ch. M’s entry, it is a party at which an 8 day old male gets a swell surprise... right?

    As a lifelong A.A. Milne fan, I loved the POOH entry.

    Thanks, M M, for picking up the baton. See you Thursday!

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  29. C.C. brought her A GAME today. Thanks for the fun, and double duty.
    I was on the right wavelength and finished in 35 min. (a good Sunday time for me).
    I saw the -IGHT words but missed the theme S until the reveal. Even that SIGHT dawned slowly because I wanted In Plain SIGHT.

    Hand up for KESHA, FEIG. DAM requiring perps.
    I was ready to rant that SATURDAY NIGHT was missing Live, but I LIUed (something everyone should do before they rant IMHO) and discovered that the show started out in 1975 as Saturday Night because Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell was already airing.

    Are there OHMS involved in that ASANA? (Ah, Oms!)
    Perhaps some meditation was needed today; there seems to have been a lot of hostility on the grid - SWORD FIGHT, ATE AT, IRATE, AT IT, FOES resulting in a SORRY PLIGHT.

    Interesting that the UT in CHUTE, GLUT and HUT SCHUSSed its way down the grid.

    Just sayin' that 19D might have been better clued as "American Face-off spot". This Canadian knows that on this side of the border, hockey teams face off at Centre Ice. LOL!

    HG - You tweaked my interest with your "(how did that "U" sneak in there?)". The NASA site says "Endeavour is named after the first ship commanded by 18th century British explorer James Cook." Since the original HMS Endeavour was a British Royal Navy research vessel that Lieutenant James Cook commanded, it received the "proper" British spelling.

    WikWak - I think of the person (farrier) who did the Shoeing (or is that SHUIing?) as the one who SHOED; the animal who received the Shoeing was Shod.
    Looking forward to having MalMan share the Thursday blogging.
    Picard - Great WATER SLIDE photos!

    Wishing you all a great day. (We finally had some much-needed rain. Thinking of our west coast crew - stay safe! BC has the worst air quality in the world today due to smoke moving north.)

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  30. CC, I enjoyed the puzzle! Can someone explain the seat winners = INS? Is that INS vs outs, ie, the winner of an election is "in"? Or does INS stand for something?

    I also learned what a 1/25 autograph is today! Thank you, CC and Husker Gary!

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  31. Fall vs Autumn - - You language mavens might be interested in the link below which discusses the Brit and US differences in using "Fall" or Autumn". It appeared in the WSJ this weekend.

    Fall’: A Trans-Atlantic Battle Over the Name of the Season

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  32. FIR today after a break gave me time to figure out my tough spots, last entries being CACHET and HARLEYS. I too wanted in plain SIGHT, C Eh, before seeing the theme. Had noticed the IGHT endings, which helped the solve, but like many of you missed the importance of S beginnings. Put PeaCE for "It might be negotiable," Seat for "Place for a pad," and SANDwich for "Construction site convenience" which shows where my priorities are, I suppose. All in all a fun puzzle today. Thanks for everything, C.C. Double duty done well!

    Look forward to seeing your Thursday Blogs, MalMan.

    Enjoy the rest of Sunday, everyone.

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  33. @Wendybird - a bris is the religious ceremony in Judaism where males on their 8th day of life get circumcised by a mohel.
    When I was in training, the doctor who trained me to do circumcisions was Jewish - so after the prep when it was actually taking place - he instructed me (the white non-Jewish female) to say "Mazel Tov" (meaning "congratulations) - which I did at least in my head everytime I performed one after that!

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  34. I loved this puzzle. Like many of you, I caught on to the IGHT endings and prefilled them, but missed the S part. I learned the LOON is clumsy on land. It took me too long to parse HOMEGYM. I still don't get SAND PILE.

    Favorite clues are the ones for HARLEYS and PEN. "Glaswegian" ranks high on the list, too.

    By the way, I was born in the year of the SNAKE, 1941. I think 1954 is the year of the HORSE. The other years are indeed SNAKE years. In any event, I think you and I would get along fine, C.C.

    My wife's lifeline to her family is WhatsApp.

    SPOOR is familiar to me, not obscure.

    Good wishes to you all.

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  35. How can Sunday Lurk not link to help out Misty...

    A Mohel explains a Bris.
    //I'm a good little Catholic Boy, so I had the procedure but not the 'Mazel Tov' inanehiker :-)

    CED - I love that Feldman / Cleese sketch! Thanks.

    Fun reading y'all today during party-prep intermissions. Youngest might finally get the Family (social-distance) party that was rain'd out last weekend.

    Good luck MManatee! We're gonna havta finally figure out your nick-name if you're a regular MalMan :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  36. Big Easy, I hope this doesn't seem presumptuous, but I read the this blog every day, and oftener than you intend, I'm sure, you come across, in my opinion at least, as just a cranky old man. Surely you don't need to phrase your opinions as facts.

    And, by the way, what does the tennis finalists being German speakers have to do with the choice of opening song?

    Just my "two cents".

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  37. Re. FLN and Bluto, here's the story of the The 8-eyed Spy and the German role in Pearl Harbor. -T, will be familiar with the punk rock group of that name.

    Gary, I know that movie was about that "pond" in NH. The title escapes me. Oops, unable has it and...
    " SANI-CAN", good one

    Picard, I had SLALOM but (finally) the IGHT became clear. My big problem was thinking INSIGHT was the second word. Box by box, WIT,INS, ATTA,INTEL and finally SLASHER. So much white to fill. FIR. And...
    Pfc Breck was in your Vietnam memorial pictures. From Santa Barbara. Died in May 1968. No, I didn't know him, but it just struck me.

    Also, didn't know HC had SNL before SNL. I LIU and listened to 30 seconds. I challenge anyone to break that record. How'd it last for 18 seasons?
    I saw "Men in Tights" but had forgotten the snip, snip scene.

    Loved seeing CC as author of a Sunday. CC=doable. Agent had me thinking of Boras and his ilk.

    WC

    Ps, how about MaloMan. Looking forward to Thurs.

    WC

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    Replies
    1. "unable" was Google's way of saying inane(hiker). I have a great female surgeon story

      Ps, preview wasn't working.

      Delete
  38. Anon@2:10 - re "Is that INS vs outs, ie, the winner of an election is "in"? Or does INS stand for something?" - I understood INS the way you did, as the winners of an election.

    Jayce - "Construction site convenience: SAND PILE" was a little "off" for me too. I think many of us thought of a porta-potty. I'm not sure how a Sand Pile is a convenience?? Perhaps somebody more familiar with construction can SHED SOME LIGHT.

    I too am familiar with SPOOR.

    Not political but my interest was piqued (love that word from the other day).
    This Canadian saw Big Easy's post and wondered about America the Beautiful vs. The Star Spangled Banner. Again I decided to LIU and it appears that as far back as 2006, American the Beautiful has been sung at the US Open finals. For the last 12 years, there has been a competition for young and talented vocalists to vie for this honour.
    Apparently, "because as there isn’t currently a rule that you have to perform a song at all, much less a particular one, if the USTA elects to perform a song, they get to pick which one it is". With that information, I don't think there is anything "woke" about it.

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  39. If and when I drive by road "construction" there's inevitably a sand pile. No TV here in Dunellon so I don't know how Theim is doing.

    My "all things Japanese son" alerted me to a female Japanese tennis player. I assume he meant Osaka. I wonder how she would have fared vs Serena.

    WC

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    Replies
    1. Ps, preview is working. Problem probably on my end

      Delete
  40. Thank you all for your encouragement and good wishes. As for a nickname, MM or Malodorous Manatee, and anything and everything in between is fine by me. When I signed on to this blog I used that screen name as a bit of whimsy never anticipating that it would become a mom de plum.

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  41. Wilbur, Thiem was down two sets to none and rallied to win the third set. Where are you anyway? Shall I keep you updated?

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  42. Shankers, I was updating Wilbur on the Jumble site, but your info is more recent.

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  43. Rather than use up bytes here I'll check Sandy's updates. I'm surprised Zevrev started so strong, he's been coming back in previous two matches.

    WC

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  44. Big Easy ~
    Betcha most (or all?) of the tennis finalists speak English--even the deutschsprachigen.
    ~ OMK

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  45. I really did pretty well on this one, but I still ended up with a DNF. For some stupid reason, HARLEYS never entered my mind. In desperation, I looked up FEIG (complete unknown), which cleaned up my little mess in that area. Bah! Humbug!

    Didn’t know SPOOR, AGUE, KESHA or ASANA, but perps got them.

    Didn’t get the theme – AGAIN! Same thing others have said about *IGHT, but I forgot to go back to try to tie it up before I came here.

    Thanks, C.C. for the neat puzzle and expo!

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  46. Hi Y'all! Thanks, C.C. for double duty & double the fun!

    SPOre before SPOOR, duh!

    Hand up for all those unknowns. Got the IGHT but not the S. Considered that too simplistic to be RIGHT.

    After years of remodeling an old house, SANDPILE made sense to me. Used as base under flag stones or to build up an area such as over the slab under my bathtub, filled in several old wells, used as material for concrete mixtures, just to name a few.

    My 79 yr.old friend has gone back to her aerobic dance class at the Y. No masks. Social distancing. Someone sneezed in the back row the other day and everybody froze and turned around to look at the culprit.

    BIG EASY is from New Orleans which is nicknamed "The Big Easy". I don't consider him cranky, just reality based with common sense.

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  47. Should have said we filled several old cisterns with sand rather than wells. Cisterns collapsed & were hazards. Also dug out an old butane tank and filled that hole with sand. Sand is a handy commodity on a construction site.

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  48. PL - - Well said re: the SAND PILE. If they're laying bricks at the site, they're mixing mortar, so they need sand handy to make it. I thought it was a simple clue with a simple answer.

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  49. As of Sept. NJ is one of only four states which have met the 4 or 5 basic criteria to reopen. Masks are still required. Northern New Jersey Square Dance Assoc.has cancelled all dances through Dec. If they held dances I would not go. I think gyms here are open with restrictions. Not for me.
    PK, I agree with you about construction sand.
    I prefer America the beautiful. It is more singable and it is not about war. I never considered it "woke."

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  50. Pk, hand up for SPORE. LIU: "Spoor may be a track, scent or dung. "
    "A spore is a unit of reproduction that consists of one cell and does not need a sexual act to reproduce. Protozoa, fungi and some other plants reproduce from spores."

    WC

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  51. Thanks, YR. Now I’m wondering: do farriers do SHODdy work? :P

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  52. A family Sunday, so I didn't get started until 9 p.m. Tossed it @11:00 with several holes in the SE corner. Totally flummoxed with:ASANA, ETSY, HIYA, KESHA, SANA??????? Remember, folks, I use my Library to LOOK UP words and solve clues. There were EIGHT clues I couldn't find ANYWHERE. FRUSTRATING!!!

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  53. I was so delighted that Sunday's puzzle was by CC. Then the recap by her. Great puzzle day. Thanks CC.

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  54. Fun puzzle but I do mine online and sorryplight can't be solved because they want you to put an I in there instead. That makes the hog question a Hailey instead a harley. Just FYI about that mistake.

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