google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

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Sep 8, 2020

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

Bartender, Fix me a Whisky.  Everything you wanted to know about  Whisky or Whiskey  but were afraid to ask.



17-Across. Housekeeper's whisky request?: MAKE IT NEAT.  Hi, Tin.

61-Across. Bachelor's whisky request?: SINGLE MALT.

11-Down. Geologist's whisky request?: ON THE ROCKS.  Sorry, Tin!

29-Down. Astronaut's whisky request?: STRAIGHT UP.

Across:
1. Former soldiers: VETS.  As in Veterans.  I know severe of our commenters are Veterans.

5. Explosive compound, briefly: NITRO.

10. A lot: TONS.

14. Quarreling: AT IT.

15. Still soft, as concrete: UNSET.

16. First-year law student: ONE L.  Also the name of a book by Scott Turow.

19. Gillette razor: ATRA.

20. Wire-bending hand tool: PLIERS.

21. Place to adopt a dog: PET SHOP.  My pets were all either strays or came from the pound.

23. Really big cats: LIONS.  The differences and similarities between a House Cat and a Lion.


26. Mechanical learning routine: ROTE.

27. Itemizes: LISTS.

30. International shipping co.: UPS.


32. Red wine grape known as Shiraz in Australia: SYRAH.


35. Eight: Pref.: OCTO-.  Think of the eight-armed Octopus.


36. Grins: SMILES.


38. Be in debt: OWE.

39. One of a bike's two: TIRE.

40. "Li'l" comic strip character: ABNER.  L'il Abner was a satirical comic strip created by Al Capp (Sept. 28, 1909 ~ Nov. 5, 1979).


41. Medical image for diagnosis: SCAN.


42. Bering or Black: SEA.  I have been to the Black Sea, but not the Bering Sea.



43. First game of the season: OPENER.

44. Related by blood: AKIN.

45. Type style that sounds like a Disney mermaid: ARIAL.

47. Gun, as an engine: REV.

48. Johnny Mathis classic that begins, "Look at me": MISTY



49. FBI agent: G-MAN.  Machine Gun Kelly (July 18, 1895 ~ July 18, 1954) supposedly coined the term G-Man.

51. Fix a lawn: RESOD.

53. Hawaiian medicine men: KAHUNAS.

56. Saudi __: ARABIA.


60. Ships' rears: AFTS.

64. Loyal: TRUE.

65. Letter-shaped dress style: A-LINE.  Designer Christian Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957) is credited with creating the A-line dress in the 1950s.


66. ExxonMobil brand: ESSO.  A crossword staple.

67. Clumsy one's exclamation: OOPS!

68. British race car maker: LOTUS.


69. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

Down:
1. Femme fatale: VAMP.

2. And others: Abbr.: ET AL.  Another crossword staple.

3. Symbolic carving in Maori culture: TIKI.

4. Type of durable work boot: STEEL TOE.

5. Insane, as a scheme: NUTS-O.

6. Lodging choice: INN.

7. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE.  Thomas Sterns Eliot, known as T.S. Eliot (Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965) wrote Cats.  He would probably be horrified by the Broadway production based on his poetry.

8. Harvest: REAP."

9. Frolicking swimmer: OTTER.  If you like the Water, then you really "Otter" learn how to swim ...


10. Warm and cozy: TOASTY.

12. Fiddling Roman emperor: NERO.

13. Open-handed hit: SLAP.

18. Colored eye part: IRIS.  Also a painting by Van Gogh.


22. Throw softly: TOSS.

24. Phone __: NUMBER.

25. Fishing lure: SPINNER.

27. Much, casually: LOTSA.

28. More slippery: ICIER.

31. Magician's hiding place: SLEEVE.

33. Be in store for: AWAIT.

34. Comic Youngman: HENNY.  Henny Youngman (Mar. 16, 1906 ~ Feb. 24, 1998) is probably best known for his catch phrase, "Take my wife, please!"

36. Maple-syrup-to-be: SAP.  I just opened a bottle of Vermont maple syrup.


37. Make a mistake: ERR.

41. Ended a prayer: SAID AMEN.

43. "The Good Earth" heroine: O-LAN.  Pearl S. Buck (1892 ~ 1973) published her book, The Good Earth, in 1931.  It is about a poor family in a Chinese village in the early 1900s.  O-Lan and her husband, Wang Lung, ar both farmers ekeing out a living and hoping to earn enough monty to buy a plot of land.

46. Makes laugh: AMUSES.

48. __ or less: about: MORE.

50. Like a facial cavity: NASAL.

52. Clearance events: SALES.

53. Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO.  I am not really familiar with the Green Hornet's activities.


54. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.

55. Storage building for crops: SILO.  Also how too many offices operate with little or no communication between departments.


57. It may be stolen on a diamond: BASE.  Think of the Baseball diamond.

Any guesses where this baseball field is located?

58. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA.


59. Upon: ATOP.

62. Petty gripe: NIT.

63. Beast with a beard: GNU.


Here's the Grid:



The new blogging format is rather cumbersome, and it is much more difficult to include pictures.  It will take some practice before I feel more adept at including more photos.



61 comments:

TTP said...


Good early morning ! Thank you, Jerome and Hahtoolah.

I'm going back to bed. But first, is the name of that ballpark "Marshland Road Park" ?

OwenKL said...

For SMILES, there's a place to hop
Sure to give your face that op.
To place a grin
Above your chin
Just go to visit a puppy PET SHOP!

MAKE IT NEAT or ON THE ROCKS,
ICED STRAIGHT UP or room-temp hot,
SINGLE MALT
Or Tequila with salt,
It only needs alcohol to appease a sot.

OwenKL said...

{B+, B.}

Wilbur Charles said...

Anybody see this movie? The Big KAHUNA

I just finished Fer de Lance by NERO Wolfe. Third reading but spaced over several decades.

Oh my, I never changed the c to K in KATO. I was thinking of this Cato

Stolen BASE. FLN, See Lemonade's link to Lou Brock

Fairly straightforward minus the FIW which I GNU but didn't double-check. I had my last whiskey circa 1978 but it would have been Scotch (Johnny Walker Red, AVEC soda-with ICE)

Along with many others I'll take the CSO for VETS

WC

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

No problems with this one. The Wite-Out got a day of rest. I don't care much for hard liquor, my preference would be OPENER for my beer, but perhaps some of you would prefer some Scotch and Soda. Jerome, you are on a roll lately! Thanx for the tour, Hahtoolah.

PET SHOP: I think they should be outlawed. There are already too many animals needing homes; there's no need to purposely breed more. All of dw's cats are rescue animals. She get's 'em "fixed," shots and tries to find adoptive homes. She's usually successful, but sometimes the adoption doesn't "take" and the cat gets returned and becomes a permanent resident chez d-o.

SAP: We don't ever fix pancakes or waffles, so there's no maple (or fake) syrup in our pantry.

UPS: I have to make a trip to the UPS Store later today to return some bike pedals. The ones I bought are 9/16" the ones I need are 1/2". Amazon sent me one of those weird square computer images (I'll bet there's a name for them), and told me to show it to the clerk at the UPS Store. That way my return will be free. If I were to request a return label for a UPS dropoff point, they'd charge me a return fee.

Anonymous said...

This Tuesday took 5:21. Wasn't sure on the spelling of Henny or Kato, and didn't know the grape. Clever whisky theme.

Anonymous said...

D-O (supra), I think you are referring to a "QR code."

Macallan said...

Nice effort. I thought the themers' clues were inconsistent.

Maids are NEAT
Geologists like ROCKS
Astronauts go UP

cool, but...

Bachelor's are MALT?

Not really. They're SINGLE but it doesnt follow the pattern. Not to mention the other three are occupations while being a bachelor isn't neccesarily a job. Could have left that one out IMHO.

Lemonade714 said...

In the 50+ years that I have been reading Nero Wolfe I think I am up to about 5 or 6 readings of Fer-de-Lance

Jerome, keep up the good work; Susan, hang in there. The new format for Blogger will get better. So far, I hate it too.

desper-otto said...

Anon@6:38, thanx. Looked it up, and that's what it is. Now I hope I don't forget that before lunchtime.

thehondohurricane said...



morning,

Smooth solve today. Have to admit,it, somewhere alongthe way I have used all the terms plus some for ordering my booze. Not so much lately though......have not habituated bars since April One, 1996. Couldn't decide if it should be PLYERS or PLIERS. Chose the correct version.

Off to Quest for my monthly INR check. Everyone BE SAFE.

Yellowrocks said...

Perhaps the easiest LAT ever for me. But the theme was clever. Only LOTUS was new to me, easily perped.
I love irises. Due to shelter in place I missed the iris show this spring.
Susan, good job with the pics. Thanks for your patience. Loved "Just let that sink in."
CSO to Misty. Hi.
DO, I agree about puppy mills.
FLN, I have had Kraft dinner since I was a kid. David and his roommates had it for snacks in college. Alan loves it. Since he can no longer come home, I don't buy it. Never heard it called KD.
Alan choked a few weeks ago because he ate too fast. The counselors took him to the ER and he was put on a pureed diet. Totally unnecessary.I guess it is better to be super vigilant than to be oblivious. After 3 or 4 weeks of that he will be given a swallow test and then will be back to a normal diet.

Hungry Mother said...

FIR, but had NUTSy before NUTSO. VET here, 1961-64 Army. Neither a sucker nor a loser.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Well, Jerome, you’re making up for lost time with this third in a row appearance, much to our benefit. I liked the theme a lot, but I agree with Macallen @ 6:47. I saw the inconsistency of three instructions of how you wanted your drink served and one specifying what you wanted to drink, but I missed the job inconsistency. That aside, I liked the Atra/Afro duo and my favorite vowel parade: ESSO (Hi, CEh), Nitro, Octo, Nutso, Nero, Kato, Afro, and Silo. The highlight of the puzzle was the big CSO to our own dear Misty!

Thanks, Jerome, for a fun solve and thanks, Hatoolah, for a bright, cheery commentary. Your difficulty with the new interface is not evident to me, but, for your sake and sanity, i hope it resolves itself soon. 😉

Have a great day.

ATLGranny said...

Nice puzzle, Jerome, thanks. And thanks to you, Hahtoolah, especially for putting in all the pictures now that it's harder. Adds to the enjoyment for us.

FIR and only w/o places were due to wrong guesses while only working the acrosses. OOPS! Saw the theme answers with no problem or complaints. My last entry was the K in KAHUNAS. So, on to the rest of the day with a feeling of accomplishment.

Our Colorado family reports snow is predicted today after 90 degrees yesterday. That never happens here in Atlanta! Good day to you all.

inanehiker said...

Nice smooth run through this puzzle - immediately thought of Tin-beni with the first offering being NEAT.

Susan appreciate your work putting together the blog with the new format (and all the bloggers) - I can't tell the difference even though it sounds like it's driving you all a little NUTSO!

I'm sure it will be NUTSO at the office today after the long weekend!

Granjan said...

First time responding on the blog! Have been enjoying for years. Today's puzzle had a 60's feel for me: A-lines, Henny Youngman, Play Misty, and those drink orders reminded me of lines from old movies when the leading man steps up to the bar! And the term Kahuna I learned from the beach movies of my youth! Loved it and the ease of solving!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks, Jerome, for the fun. I saw the theme early but thought it was going to be names of whiskeys and wiskys. I, too, saw the CSO to Tinbeni. I like my Dewar's on rocks with soda or water. (Sorry, Tin) HOWEVER, we also stock what we call sipping Scotch. . . . no ice for sure. I also thought TOASTY fit the theme. I have a PLIERS, a hammer and two screwdrivers (non-alcoholic) in my kitchen drawer. I consider it a complete tool kit.

Wonderful review, Hahtoolah. Thank you. I'm sorry to hear our Bloggers are adjusting to a new format for photos. I trust all the KAHUNAS and tech folks hanging out on the Corner will be helpful.

Have a sunny day. There are high wind warnings for our side of Lake Michigan today. I hope she manages to keep her water and sand off the streets and out of the parks. For sure, I know the Third Coast Surfers will be out today. I think we'll take a ride over to watch them. Entertainment comes cheaply these days.

OMaxiN said...

Did not change DHL to UPS. FIW
Did change shelter to PET SHOP, but a shelter should be the first place to search for a pet.

Li'l ABNER. Johnny Morris just purchased the dilapidated Dog Patch amusement park. He is a huge conservationist. It is located on a state highway far from any metro area. I suspect he will convert it into to a nature area like Dogwood Canyon.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Welcome, Granjan.

TTP: Ha ha. Great way to clue it tho.

Jerome always has interesting puzzles which are fun to solve. I enjoyed this one and Hahtoolah's lead in. Many fine visuals. Don't know what the issues are on blogging format, but I sympathize. Bloggers put in a lot of effort.
Ship's rears : AFTS - - Seemed very gluey. Never heard the plural outside of a puzzle. The ship's rear is the stern. AFT is the direction toward the rear on the ship. Back is the direction of the ship itself if it is moving in 'reverse'. Ie. An order to the lee helm in moving away from a pier might be: "Starboard engine back one-third.). Context is important.
But heh, it's only a Tuesday puzzle.

CSO to Misty.

Have a great day.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Jerome, again, welcome back! You are on a roll and if you have a puzzle next week I'm sorry to say I'll miss it but will catch up later. It seems you are culling from both careers, if memory serves me, as carpenter and bar tender.

Besides the whiskeys you threw in a little wine with SYRAH.

Yes, a big CSO to MISTY! Now Johnny Mathis will be in my ear today.

Hahtoolah, you gave Pearl Buck 1892-1873 and likely the only person in history to regress! I love The Good Earth and have read it twice.

I don't know much about the Green Hornet either and learned KATO only after OJ Simpson's friend became famous.

Thank you, Susan, especially since blogging seems more difficult lately with the new format though as others have said, it looks effortless to me.

Have a happy day, everyone!

desper-otto said...

Mme Defarge, the rule in the "awl patch" was "if it isn't working now, get a bigger hammer."

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Jerome and Hahtoolah ( thanks to al the bloggers for their effort ).
I finished in good time but arrived here to discover that I FIWed. Hand up for leaving Cato. OOPS.
I saw the CSOs to Tin and Misty (and I guess I could take one with ESSO😒)

Canadians don’t use the term, and I can never remember whether it is T or G MAN. Any hints?
DH confirmed LOTUS for me. HENNY required perps.
I smiled at TONS and LOTSA.
LIONS changed NUTSy to NUTSO.

Welcome Granjan. Join us more often.

FLN, KD may be a Canadian “thing”

Wishing you all a great day.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I found out later that when we toured the Pacific Coast Highway we lunched in a city that is Jerome’s hometown near wine country. I would like to have met him!
-About ten years ago I thought I was testing a soft drink at a grocery store and it turned out to be Irish whiskey, NEAT in a paper cup. OOPS!
-I could never bowl STRAIGHT UP against Boomer. He’d have to spot me A TON or a LOTTA pins/game
-Our Lily adopted us from the Nebraska Humane Society
and this is how she is not a LION
-Lil ABNER had Jack S. Phogbound as a political representative
-The AFT of a ship is where you find the poop deck. No, it comes from the French word for stern - “la poupe”
-I know very few actual PHONE NUMBERS. I just tell Siri to “Call [insert name]”
-48F, rainy and windy today. I must AWAIT golf league until next Tuesday.
-Welcome, Granjan, I had the same thoughts!

Husker Gary said...

Addendum
-The new blogging method is like the new versions of Office. The old versions were fine but now the new versions move things around and is less intuitive but you have to buy it because they are phasing in the new and phasing out the old. Oh well, I’ll not pick that NIT anymore and just soldier on. Despite what you think, I am trainable.

Vidwan827 said...

Thank you Mr. Gunderson for a nice puzzle, and Hahtoolah ( now, I know, it means 'cats') for a very interesting and enjoyable review. I was going to mention the longetivity of Pearl Buck's lifetime, but Lucina has already mentioned it. A minor typo.

I got the theme, although I don't drink much, and whiskey/ky is definitely out. Maybe they could use all those extra malts for a healthier breakfast and porridge for themselves.

Kahunas, Shamans and various other medicine men were very important icons and semi-official, deities, indeed, for many. many centuries in civilizations past, .... before health care became a scientific and government issue and (thank god ...) we now have properly licensed and board certified ..... icons and deities ... who manage our lives... ;-)

I often miss your daily QOD Quote of the Day. Used to give me something worthwhile to ruminate on, for the rest of the day, past the blog...

TTP said...


Wow, those extra few hours of catch-up sleep seems to have helped. Still down for the year though.

Speaking of getting caught up, the storms and pounding rain last night were enough to wake a person up in the middle of the night. Even after the thunder and lightning show moved on, the drenching rains just kept coming. Everything outside is thoroughly soaked and the temp is 60 degrees, but that's OK as we needed it. Looks like there's even more rain to come.

Welcome Granjan. Chime in at will.

Hahtoolah, I love George Thorogood's version of that song, but that was the first time I've ever heard a non-studio version of it. His "Bad to the Bone", "Who Do You Love ?" and "I Drink Alone" are also staples of classic rock stations.

Canadian Eh, T for taxation (Treasury man) and G for Government as explained in Hahtoolah's link (that I almost missed). Also, read the Whisky v Whiskey article for another simple rule to help know when to use which spelling.

CSO to Misty at MISTY ! Watched that Johnny Mathis video and as one of the YouTube commenters remarked, it was amazing to see him carry the note of that oboe just past the 2:10 mark.

Desper-otto, you can download one of those QR reader apps for your smartphone - oh wait, never mind. Not applicable.

I'm personally getting tired of, and actively rebelling, to every financial institution, online sign on and everybody else with an arms length relationship wanting my cell phone number.

Speaking of which, does anyone know how to turn off all the alerts you get on an Android phone ? Every day I get all the MLB scores and soon it will be all the NFL scores. Plus other crap that Google apparently thinks I find important enough to send to my phone. I can't find a setting to turn off this unwanted "service".

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

This very boozy puzzle brought lots of SMILES. (Gunder should be very proud of his son Jerome.) Only one inkover: resow/SOD. FYI a GNU moon causes a spring tide

Thought a KAHUNA was just a Hawaiian BIG shot not a medicine man. ("Take two coconuts and call me in the morning").

Never heard the term ONEL. Guess that made me a onem my first year.

Lots of fun:

Salesmen...PLIERS
Sort of unfriendly, _____ nice...NUTSO
Chicken coup-like....HENNY
Anesthesiologist.......NUMBER
More frosting on the cake.....ICIER.

....OOPS wait there's more...

Show up after 5 in London...MISTY
Folksy clergyman...REV.

.....From yesterday.....

Straighten up Addams family cousin .....MAKE IT NEAT.

Need a strong cup of coffee after this puzzle's themes.

Misty said...

Woohoo! Woohoo! Not only a terrific Tuesday Jerome Gunderson puzzle, but with a sweet shout-out to me in the Johnny Mathis song. Intentional or not, you got my day off to a wonderful morning, Jerome--many thanks. And thank you for noticing, kind Corner friends Irish Miss, Yellowrocks, Spitzboov, Lucina, and TTP. I love our community.

I'm not a whiskey person, but still got all of the theme answers without any problem (my nightly sip is Merlot). Loved seeing references to T.S. Eliot and Van Gogh, and thank you for posting the "Iris" painting, Susan. My favorite crazy clue answer was NUTSO.

Have a great day, everybody. Ours is still pretty gloomy, but I'm a happy camper, er, home-body.

Tinbeni said...

Hahtoolah: Outstanding write-up & links.

Three out of four theme answers were wonderful ... ON-THE-ROCKS didn't make the cut ...
BUT, as such, this was my personal favorite puzzle of 2020.

A "Toast-to-ALL" with a Single Malt, Straight-Up, Make-It-Neat Scotch at Sunset.

Cheers!

CrossEyedDave said...

TTP, I don't know anything about Androids,
but I have similar notification problems with Apple Iphones.
In fact, when I turn on my phone they flash for an instant before disappearing?!
Took me years to find out you can see them by dragging down from the top of the screen.
(as opposed to dragging up from the bottom of the screen)

Personally, I think all the updates are made by the same people
that get their jollies by moving the furniture around in
Helen Kellers house...

The latest Ipad update changed the volume control from single tap blocks,
to a smooth GodDang thing that moves so fast I am always chasing the
sound up & down!@ Not to mention it is now hidden under my Ipad cover...

But there may be alternatives!

P.S., I have found that Whiskey/Whisky helps...
(with or without ice...)

AnonymousPVX said...


From yesterday...

Picard...I share your dislike of scented soaps...I have been using DOVE Sensitive Skin, completely fragrance free, for years plus it’s available almost everywhere.

Malodorous Manatee said...

I have been trying to figure out why I liked this puzzle so much. Still pondering. It did take me a bit longer to complete than the usual Tuesday CW. The clues and answers were neither obscure nor "off-the-wall" but many of clue/answer pairs did require me to clear away an additional cobweb or two before I could see clearly. While this was not difficult work it certainly did command my attention. Well done, Jerome, and for someone having trouble including pictures in the new blog format, you sure included several great ones, Hahtoolah.

Of course, having gone pretty far down the Scotch Whisky rabbit hole over the years, I did enjoy the theme. When I was younger, I would occasionally endeavor to recite the names of the Seven Dwarfs as kind of check on my mental faculties. These days, I recite the names of the eight (now nine, actually) Islay Distilleries.

oc4beach said...


I got the puzzle in reasonable time. Good Tuesday puzzle from Jerome and Hahtoolah led us on a very nice tour through the grid.

Only nit was the crossing of OLAN and KAHUNA. Both were unknown to me. I have heard the term KAHUNA, but I thought it was just an important person like a NABOB, but not a Hawaiian medicine man. I closed my eyes and put in the N.

As far as my favorite drink, I agree with TIN that it starts with a good single malt scotch, but I like to add Drambuie and (heaven forbid) make it on the rocks for a Rusty Nail.

Got a haircut today, which is a little tricky when wearing a mask, but it worked and I'm probably good for a month or so before needing another one. DW was cutting my hair for the first 4 months of the lockdown, but she was happy to forgo that "pleasure."

I hope everyone has a great day and please wear your masks.


CanadianEh! said...

TTP- thanks for pointing me to Hahtoolah’s links, which I hadn’t read yet.
Now I should know the differences. (Similar to the tips I was given here for determining Nave or Apse, and for British Head being a Loo, because of use of the term head for bathroom in a boat)
LOL that instead of adding a U, Canadian whisky removes the E. Languages😮!
Always a learning experience on this blog😊💕

TTP said...

Canadian Eh, I almost missed that link, but glad I read it because that G in GMAN / MEN was one of those things that bugged me but that I'd never looked up. I also thought you would get a kick out of that authors, "... favor (or should I say favour ?)" comment.

CrossEyedDave, thanks. With Android there's a swipe down where all of those items are, along with texts and phone messages. Shutting off the service isn't easy or intuitive.

Kinda like what they did to Blogger. No real pre-release beta or user acceptability testing, and no human factors assessment of the new methods.

Some things are just plain silly implementations. For instance, this blog has nearly 5000 Blog Posts. In our tool, they used to load 50 posts to a page load, so roughly 100 pages. We could advance 50 posts at a time w/o endless scrolling.

Similar with Comments (in our dashboard). For the life of this blog, there are over 266K comments. Again, instead of loading comments 50 at a time in the tool, it does a refresh of all the comments, and if you have the patience, you can scroll all the way down to the oldest one. For any Blog Owners on slower internet connections, it's just a fiasco. We're all scratching our heads. Why did they change that ?

But they are making improvements based on user noise levels. And there's plenty of noise from bloggers.

I try to just go with the flow and try send constructive criticism and clear examples of implementation failures. It's not going all that well at times, but it is improving.

One example was that they instituted a new Feedback button to allow blogger owners and authors to send feedback to the blogger development team. Problem was, nothing happened. You would type up the defect or concern, press the Submit Feedback, and after the little wheel would spin for awhile, you'd get a message, "Can't send feedback now, try again later". Of course, trying later made no difference. They fixed it now, so even if the first attempt to submit doesn't work, it usually does on the second or third try.

Ruberap said...

Nice puzzle today. Yesterday I solved in 16 minutes, which is about 1/2 my normal Mon-Wed time. Today was 28 minutes.

There is an interesting documentary on bourbon called "Neat". It almost made me a whiskey drinker, but, a couple sips of bourbon after seeing the movie cured me.

My guess on the ballpark is Boston.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Jerome for the nice Tuesday romp. Enjoyed the *hic* theme ;-)

Wonderful expo Hahtoolah - sparkly, even with the pictures being a PITA to post. Love me some George Thorogood (hi TTP!).

WOs: NUTty->NUTSO; DHL->UPS
ESPs: OLAN, SYRAH
Fav: NUTSO. Sure it's a WO but, you can't not think of Car Talk's Click & Clack there.

{B, B+}

Welcome GranJan! What took you so long?

D-O said: "Amazon sent me one of those weird square computer images (I'll bet there's a name for them)." @6:38 answered. I'll link for edification (who knows when Rich will let a constructor slide that in) QR Codes. As a security guy, I hate these. We preach to closely inspect URLs to make sure it's not crossSwordcorner and, then give you QRs your phone automatically follow?!? Just one bit of fun for nefarious profit.

TTP - Welcome to Agile? Yes, Waterfall took too long to get anything out the door but? - testing on unsuspecting users? Oy! O365 is even worse. //I bet you already knew that :-)

Hungry Mother - Army Reserves '87-'93. Called up for Desert Storm and served just long enough that Bush Sr. said I could get VA benefits.
//Also not a sucker nor loser - WTF is this from CiF?

MdF - Only one hammer & set of PLIERS? Tools that fix tools, I've got tools! [apologies to Tim Allen].
//And that's just the right side of my workbench -- sure it's messy but I know where every tool is.

I missed the Whisky Tour whilst in Aberdeen but we did partake a different SINGLE MALT every night at dinner (this is when Oil was $90/BBL and expense accounts, um, weren't (accounted for)).
Pro-tip: do not fall asleep on the plane home with that brilliant Scotch swirling about in your mouth - woke with w/ a Cap'n Crunch palate, I did.

Cheers, -T

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Anon T..the Desert conflicts were horrific. No one considers anyone involved an "S" or "L" ...TYFYS

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

No one here

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle. Thank you, Jerome. And, as ATLGranny said, "And thanks to you, Hahtoolah, especially for putting in all the pictures now that it's harder. Adds to the enjoyment for us." I loved the Fake Gnus cartoon.

My favorite KAHUNA is the Big Kahuna in the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon.

I served 4 years in the Air Force but I don't know if I am a veteran or not. According to several sources I read, to qualify as a veteran you have to have served in combat. My service was in peacetime and I never saw combat.

Madame Defarge, your toolkit is a lot like mine.

CanadianEh, the way I understand it is a T-MAN is a Treasury agent while a G-MAN is a law enforcement agent. Oh, I see TTP already explained it.

Good wishes to you all.

LEO III said...

Thanks Jerome and Hahtoolah!

Pretty easy Tuesday puzzle. Got finished early, early this morning in very good time for me, with only a few write overs.

Oh, did I mention that I FIW? As others have mentioned, I too messed up KATO and KAHUNAS. Didn’t remember KATO right away, and I guess I never really ever knew the definition of KAHUNAS. The perps eventually got both of them, BUT…. What makes me mad is I KNEW "K" was correct!

I guess I’ve been doing powdered sugar on my pancakes and waffles for decades. I can’t remember when or why I started. Ain’t supposed to be doing either sugar or syrup, so I don’t have them very often.

CEh! – You have the explanation of the difference, BUT both the G-MEN and the T-MEN PLUS the Revenuers were after “Pappy” in the song “White Lightning.” The song was George Jones’ first #1 single. It was written by J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper).

White Lightning

Spitzboov said...

Jayce @ 1639. re: veteran status.

If you have a DD 214 from your discharge, you are probably a 'veteran'.

38 U.S.C. § 101(2) provides:
The term "veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.
.

TTP said...




Dash T, I'm glad you are here. Also, you would be surprised at what I don't know. Picture the oceans. DNK / Had no idea about QR Code exposures. New Blogger should have been hybrid rather than Agile. They've pushed back mandatory crossover date at least 5 times. It's too reminiscent of stuff I was doing when I finally called it quits. Only then, I knew people on the inside and could kinda steer some small things...

BTW, I like your tool set, but dude, you need to find some time for some serious reorganization ! Looks like one of those hidden in plain sight pictures. But hey, if it works for you, then carry on.

Spitzboov, you nailed it. Jayce, even though I'm a vet with a DD 214, I don't qualify to be a member of a VFW. Neither would you. They have their own rules. Not knocking. Just saying the way it is.

CanadianEh! said...

TTP- yes I did notice “favour”.and smiled . . . But didn’t comment because I thought you all might be tired of hearing me joke about Canadian spellings.

Thanks Hahtoolah, TTP, Jayce, Leo for educating this Canadian. I can never forget the G/T Man difference now . . . especially with that White Lightning ear worm!😁👍

SansBeach said...

Good evening, all. Thanks for the xword, Jerome and thanks for the 'splainin', Susan. Kinda hit my wheelhouse after 20 some years in the tavern business. WEES. Last letter was the N at 43D and 53A. Didn't know Hawaiian med men or GE heroine so wagged an N. Kahunas in my world referenced body parts and generally had "big" associated with it.

Thought about Tinbeni with this theme. I believe he lives about 30 miles south of me.

Veteran is someone that served and was honorable discharged. I think the confusion re "wartime" has to do with the VFW, who requires service in a war zone or certain other areas during hostilities to be a member. JC, there are a lot of benefits available for those who have served.

Jayce said...

Thanks, Spitzboov. Well, I definitely did have an honorable discharge, so there's that. It's been so long, I can't find my discharge papers, so I wouldn't be able to prove my status to, say, the VA. Fortunately, LW and I are OK health insurance-wise anyway (knock on wood). Thanks again.

Jayce said...

TTP, thank you, too, for the info.

Jayce said...

And thanks also to SansBeach.

LEO III said...

Jayce, you can go online and request a copy of your DD-214. It's always good to have it around somewhere, just like having your social security card.

Malodorous Manatee said...

There is something they put in a highball
That awakens the torpidest brain,
That kindles a spark in the eyeball,
Gliding singing through vein after vein.
There is something they put in a highball
Which you’ll notice one day, if you watch;
And it may be the soda,
But judged by the odor,
I rather believe it’s the Scotch.

-- Ogden Nash

In honor of today's puzzle a glass of Lagavulin 16 has been poured.

Slainte !

Spitzboov said...

Via the DD-214, my NYS driver's license ID's me as a veteran, in case someone should ask.
Home Depot or Lowe's give a 10% discount. My local lumber yard/hardware supplier also gives 10% discount.
I've got a DD-214 on file with my local funeral director, to make it easier for my survivors to handle things with the VA re: cemetery or headstone or flag benefits; when the time comes.

Different Org's may have varying rules about veterans. Am. Legion recognizes anyone who served since Feb. 1961, I believe - - in addition to Korea and WWII vets..

SwampCat said...

Great puzzle Jerome. Thanks!

Hahtoolah, always a pleasure! Loved the pictures.

Spitz, thanks for clarifying aft! I’m not sure why this is so difficult. Our editors aren’t paying attention .

D-O, like others I’m glad you pointed out puppy mills are awful.

Owen, what can I say? Today’s offerings as well as those of the past
few days are all A’s! Thanks for the entertainment!



Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

Way late to the Corner!

Not much to add that hasn't already been said

Thanks Jerome and Susan for a fun puzzle

Gotta get a COVID test tomorrow ...

Misty said...

Ray, you must have posted at the same time I did, because I saw your message just now.
I don't know if you intended a kind shout-out to me, but I have to confess I can't remember ever showing up after 5 in London, whether the weather was warm or misty.

oc4beach said...


TTP, I don't see anything wrong with Dash-T's peg board. The main thing is to get the tools where you can see them.

Ol' Man Keith said...

The many CSOs and references to Misty reminded me of Johnny Mathis' several HS performances (we both went to Washington High in SF, he a year ahead of me).
He rarely sang pop in school, as his training was strictly operatic.
His one concession to public demand, which he sang once a year as I recall, was "Babalu," popularized by Desi Arnaz on that TV show he made with his ex-wife, what's-her-name...
~ OMK

TTP said...

Heavy rains just rolled through again. Pounding the roof hard enough to wake a person out of a sound sleep. We got virtually zero rain for July and August, and now it just keeps coming. Crazy weather patterns.


"Marshland Road Park" = Fenway Park. For the non sports fans, that's home turf for the Boston Redsox.


oc4beach, Dash T knows I'm funnin' him.

Lucina said...

Jayce:
You might find it useful to have your vet ID. For example, my late DH's headstone was available for $90 and considering the very high cost of the funeral, that was exceedingly helpful. It's a nice bronze one with his rank on it.

Anonymous T said...

C. Moe - Why the C19 test?

Got another call from Eldest - they're starting to load-up quarantine kids in her dorm. That wasn't the plan. //She knows how to take care of herself.

Jayce - On Desert Storm out-processing; a kind lady (she couldn't have been more then 3 years older than me :-)) said, "Hold on to this [referring to DD-214] son. It opens doors."
Never paid PMI [Private Mortgage Insurance] in my life :-)
//Mind you - I was never in Theater. Back-filled the hospital & blood-bank at Ft. Hood as a 92B [Med Lab Tech]

Spitz- I never thought of adding DD-214 to will documents. Good (morbid) idea.

Yeah, TTP - I know you're Joshin'. I know where every tool is... Right up to until the point I brigin' rickin' frakin' need it. :-)

Cheers, -T

Chairman Moe said...

-T @ 1:05 —> the test is for a small wedding reception we’re going to next week. The bride and groom (my SO’s son) have asked all who are coming to take the test so we can all congregate safely. Not many people attending (they’re going to have the ceremony in front of a JP), but a few “strangers” to us, anyway. The weird times have pretty much dictated this ...