Saturday Themeless by Chuck Deodene
Today's puzzle is by veteran constructor Chuck Deodene. Chuck had this to say about himself: I grew up in suburban New Jersey in the 1970s, majored in Chemistry at Oberlin College, and currently reside in Bloomington, Indiana. Along with my reading for the OED, another word-based trade I sometimes ply is crossword puzzle construction.
Yes, you read that right, Chuck is a reader for the Oxford English Dictionary and actively ferrets out new words to enter into that TOME. Chuck made a connection with a man from the OED in his father's used book store in Bloomington. Here Chuck describes this fascinating OED job
I have to wonder how many of the words Chuck unearths for the OED wind up in his puzzles.
1. Filtered messages: SPAM - You hope they get filtered out
5. Walk, e.g.: GAIT
9. Disreputable: SLIMY beat out Shady and Seamy
14. Get sucked into, in a way: HATE WATCH - Our constructor friend from Kingston, Ontario, Brian Paquin, introduced this term to us earlier this month. It means getting "sucked into" watching TV that you really don't like. For me it's soccer because I get sucked in to see why it is "the most popular game in the world" but after a few minutes I still don't get it and move on.
16. Choice word: EENIE.
17. Certain charger: AC ADAPTER - This one keeps me able to keep outputting whatever it is I output here even though I have worn off the top of the Command Key
19. Director's cut, perhaps: RE-RELEASE - One more shot at wringing some bucks out of a movie
20. Discovery: FIND.
21. It may be slashed: PRICE - The Omaha World Herald was going to charge me $620/yr up from $575 and I declined. Then someone from the paper offered to slash the PRICE to $490. What an insult! This just in: Yet another call offering me the paper for $199!
22. Curiosity shop stock: EXOTICA.
25. Tray opening: ASH - An smoking artifact of my childhood I do not miss
27. "Fake" salon service: SPRAY TAN - Very popular around prom time. Girls call it '''fake bake"
 |
| Avant Après |
28. Tool box?: SHED - Yeah, I suppose most SHEDS are just big boxes
31. Trenton Thunder, for one: AA TEAM - Derek Jeter filled the stands in Trenton, NJ when he was there for a Yankee rehab assignment
31. Trenton Thunder, for one: AA TEAM - Derek Jeter filled the stands in Trenton, NJ when he was there for a Yankee rehab assignment
33. Stop on the road: INN.
34. Adulterate (with), perhaps: LACE
35. Bite harmlessly: NIP AT.
36. Feet treat: PEDIcure
37. Japanese salad veggie: UDO - UDO and wakame seaweed salad
38. Aussie agreement: OK MATE - I suspect you can append MATE to most anything said "down under"
39. "__ sow ... ": AS YE so shall ye reap.
40. Low-fat, low-sodium regimen: RICE DIET - Like most diets:
44. Got off the point: STRAYED.
45. Religion involving ritual magic: WICCA
49. Possible swing result: MISS - There is no joy in Mudville...
50. Rare medical service: HOUSE CALL - We have great EMT's in our town who saved my friend's life in his house
54. Stuns, in a way: TASES.
55. "Terrible idea": I THINK NOT.
56. Pop superstar from Tottenham: ADELE - She recently made headlines for something other than her angelic voice. She lost 50lbs
 |
| Avant Après |
57. Smarts: GOOD SENSE and 1. Quick-witted: SHARP.
58. Like contested divorces: MESSY.
59. Villainous giggle: HE HE - or this NYU assistant professor. BTW, that is her full name.
60. Batik artist: DYER.
Down:
2. Hoosier State NBAer: PACER - Not LARRY (Bird) but the Indiana PACERS
3. Gaming pioneer: ATARI - ATARI's Pong was an early game changer! I remember standing in line to plunk down my quarter to play at a console like this. Wanna play online using your arrow keys?
2. Hoosier State NBAer: PACER - Not LARRY (Bird) but the Indiana PACERS
3. Gaming pioneer: ATARI - ATARI's Pong was an early game changer! I remember standing in line to plunk down my quarter to play at a console like this. Wanna play online using your arrow keys?
4. The '70s, in a Tom Wolfe essay: ME DECADE - Wolfe's essay postulated that this was a break from the communalism of the '60's
5. "Um, what?" expression: GAPE.
6. "__ way!": ATTA.
7. Street fair treats: ICES - Philadelphia's Famous Italian ICES
8. Term trademarked by Lakers' coach Pat Riley, even though the team never achieved one under his leadership: THREEPEAT - He never did get three in a row
9. Spume at the shore: SEA FOAM.
10. Joshing: LEVITY.
11. Silly comments: INANITIES - They have a lot of air time to fill in during transitions
12. Pleasurable diversions, informally: MIND CANDY - Ours are crossword puzzles
13. Still: YET.
15. Dylan Thomas's home: WALES - Dylan's home of Swansea, U.K. in Wales is NNW of Exmoor, U.K. (Doone Country) we had recently
13. Still: YET.
15. Dylan Thomas's home: WALES - Dylan's home of Swansea, U.K. in Wales is NNW of Exmoor, U.K. (Doone Country) we had recently
23. Like the 1972 film "Fritz the Cat," originally: X-RATED - Google if you must
24. Miss Hannigan's charge: ANNIE - Carol Burnett played the authoritarian head of the orphanage in ANNIE in her Hard Knock Life26. Pocket square, e.g.: HANKIE.
27. March VIP: ST PAT.
28. Sounds tipsy, maybe: SLURS.
29. Was on Easy Street: HAD IT MADE.
30. Oil spills, e.g.: ECO CRISES - The Exon Valdez and Capt. Hazelwood leapt to mind
32. Aspired: AIMED HIGH
36. Lost one's cool: PANICKED.
38. Hardly a quick jaunt: ODYSSEY
43. 1936 Olympics standout: OWENS - Hitler didn't really snub Jesse OWENS as he did not congratulate any athlete. Here is a famous mashup of the two outside pictures that show an event in the middle that never happened.
 |
| Actual Picture Fake Mashup Actual Picture |
46. Clever: CANNY - Kathy (Yellowrocks) is a fan of this word but I am more familiar with uncanny as in: Patrick MaHomes has an uncanny ability to avoid getting tackled.
47. Conclusion: CLOSE
48. Get to fit: ALTER - Dang, these pants have shrunk since Thanksgiving
51. Chiwere-speaking native: OTOE.
52. "I'm toast": UH OH.
48. Get to fit: ALTER - Dang, these pants have shrunk since Thanksgiving
51. Chiwere-speaking native: OTOE.
52. "I'm toast": UH OH.
54. Flat-topped cap: TAM.
44 comments:
Good morning!
Yup, fell into the SHADY/SEAMY/SLIMY trap. That NW corner was the last to fall. Familiar with EYE CANDY; MIND CANDY is new to me, but inferable. This one took the full time allotment, so I'd rate it Saturday-worthy. Thanx for the adventure, Chuck, and for the elucidation, Husker.
AS YE: "Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it." Tom Lehrer
FLN, D-O, at least I was right about the two pair.
About as trickily (sic) clued a xword as I can recall. Not to speak of the cross of OHNO and HEHE. Fortunately, there were SOLIDs like OWENS and INN to get a foothold. And ATARI and PACER to get me started. And if course my French helped with AVANT.
No keto DIET but RICE. I could do that one. I wanted WICCA but the two C's held me up esp CLOSE. I should have realized that Trenton team was baseball.
I had to exercise my inkover talents with aCcidents /ECOCRISES. I suppose THREEPEAT can join PACERS and AATEAM as Sports clues.
I solved earlier in the week and looking back it doesn't seem so tough but there was a lot of white.
Aha, DYER eg Batik artist is a genre not a he/she.
WC
Thanks Gary and Mr D for HATE WATCH which he must have dug out of OED updates
Dr. Gray (not of Grey’s or Gray’s Anatomy) made HOUSECALLS on me when I was a lad. Dr. Poorman (great name for a doctor) made HOUSECALLS on me when I was a teen. FIR with only one quandary: XRATED or ratedx.
I remember a HOUSE CALL for my sister(German measles) when t was 8. I was playing chess with my brother and asked the Dr for advice. He said "You've got too many pieces, get rid of them". I did and promptly got MATED.
Not a fan of Doctors after that.
However, at age 13 a different one gave me a shot (buttocks) of penicillin for bronchial pneumonia which worked like a charm.
WC
FLN -- Lemon, that's not the AREOLA illustration I remember. C.C. had posted one of a woman in a see-through blouse.
FLN -- TTP, Waseeley, I said farewell to Chase several years ago. It had to do with an NSF check. I didn't write it, it was written to me, and I deposited it. It shouldn't have been NSF in the first place. I still have a safe-deposit box at Chase, but only because it's the only brick-and-mortar bank within 5 miles.
Fun puzzle, mostly easier than usual until I couldn't guess the last two letters, the WA in HATE WATCH. I know we had hate watch before and there are many references to it, but it is a "hate solve" word for me. I will have to remember it. Now I get "Um what?" expression. I was looking for a phrase or word instead of a facial expression. Clever.
David and Kenny used to attend Trenton Thunder games.
I do like threepeat.
"He showed there that he was a canny acquirer of companies, buying up businesses and improving their margins and cash flow, Mr. Giroux said." New York Times Jul 9, 2020
"Of course, Netanyahu played this card for his own benefit,” he added in an interview, describing the prime minister as a canny politician." New York Times Sep 10, 2020
CANNY seems like a perfectly normal and useful word. Acute, shrewd, perspicacious.
This took me longer than usual for a Saturday.. Once I got a few key letters in the SE &SW things went much smoother. Cluing and fill were both tough IMO..
Such an enjoyable start to the day, even if I FIW! I meandered around filling in what I could until I finished. I even carefully proofread before starting Husker Gary's tour where I found one bad square, ErOTICA. The perp seemed OK, rRATED, so I didn't expect a problem with it. I haven't been to a curiosity shop, obviously. Some WOs here and there, spelling ODeSSEY (someday the Y will stick in my mind) and assuming 1 across would end in an S. UHuH! It's SPAM. But mainly a clean fill, not MESSY. Thanks Chuck and HG. Appreciated the added info about Chuck. Interesting.
OK MATES, it's time for me to get something else done. Enjoy your weekend and the big Sunday puzzle!
Outstanding puzzle! Just the right difficulty level for a theme-less Saturday.
Good Morning:
I found this on the easier side for a Saturday, easier, mind you, not easy. I had Shady and then Slimy, but no Seamy. Recently, Arm Candy was in a puzzle and now we have Mind Candy. I’m only familiar with Eye Candy, but the others are easily inferable. I understand the concept of Hate Watch, but I can’t picture myself watching something that I don’t enjoy. Udo was unknown; I only know Udon noodles. I thought of Lucina at Pedi. Derek Jeter also played locally with the Yankees Colonie (Albany suburb) minor league club.
Thanks, Chuck, for the mental workout and thanks, HG, for the outstanding review and commentary, especially the link describing Chuck’s OED experiences. Fascinating!
Have a great day.
A delightful way to start a Saturday morning. First, a solid Saturday challenge. Next, a recap from Gary full of both MIND CANDY and Eye Candy. And then, D.O. starts us off with a quote from Tom Lehrer that is "precisely the sort of dynamic, positive thinking that we so desperately need today in these trying times of crisis and universal brouhaha."
Goggle Frtiz the Cat? What would Mr. Natural have to say about that? I know what the Snoid would say. Somewhere in a box I have Zap Comix No. Zero, One and Two safely stored in plastic liners.
Goot morning everyone.
Had the same problem as ATLGranny; with ErOTICA/rRATED. Could have been r or X. So, one bad square. Got everything else, though, so I had a happy Saturday outing. HATE WATCH takes some getting used to.
Another good intro from Gary. Thanks.
Appeared daunting at first blush as a Saturday offering should I suppose, but dogged determination almost won the day. I held on to shady too long then getting levity helped with a change to slime after which inanities fell. The bottom half came together one perp, one suss at a time. However, inexplicably I just couldn't see the "p" in gape. A single missed square for a FIW. Boo hoo. BTW, what does FLN stand for? Off to the gridiron on t.v. for another wasted day!
Good morning. Thank you, Chuck Deodene, and thank you, Husker Gary.
I enjoyed this puzzle. Great cluing. It took me just over 30 minutes much earlier this morning while flipping through the channels trying to find some program to watch other than "Looking for a Medicare Plan ?" and "Best Knife Ever"
I think I do better on tougher puzzles when I slow down.
Speaking of SPAM and the home of Dylan Thomas, of the 47 entries currently in the SPAM folder, 11 of them are from someone with various links for "tenants in Swansea" "houses to rent in Swansea" "flats in Swansea" etc. If anyone is interested, let me know. There are also spam entries for Packers and Movers in Bangalore, Mumbai and Thane. And there's one for a very successful astrologer living in Canada if you are not certain what is in store for you. If you aren't feeling well, there's a link, phone and email address for a natural herbal remedy doctor in Lagos that has a product that will cure dengue fever, malaria, diabetes and various female medical conditions. We normally get about 60 or so a month at the Corner. My job here is to keep them from getting published or to get them filtered out if they slip by.
Anyway, I didn't think of seedy or seamy at 9A. SLIMY went in, straight away. Funny how some days the correct answer comes to you first.
Speaking of which, it wasn't the NE corner that held me up, it was the north central and northwest. GAIT, ATTA and ICES were pretty early thoughts, but I skipped past that area because I couldn't bring GAPE to mind at that time.
Super Saturday. Thanks for the fun, Chuck and HuskerG.
I FIRed in good time for a Saturday. Hand up for NW corner being the last to fall.
I thought I might need to Google for 2D (Canadian disadvantage), but I got enough perps to see PACER.
I wanted Either before EENIE, Budget before PRICE but they wouldn’t fit.
I thought of erotica but EXOTICA fit the Curiosity shop better.
Smart changed to SHARP; we had Smarts as clue in 57A, and also “clever=CANNY”.
Clecho toast clues at 52 and 53D.
I also noted NIPAT crossing STPAT.
No spa today, but we did have SPRAY TAN and PEDI.
Wishing you all a great day.
Thought some of you might like this Bald Eagle. Captioned by USNI: "A bald eagle catches its breath on the bridge wing of the USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC-39) during operations off the Aleutian Islands on 19 March 2020. The Alex Haley routinely conducts law enforcement operations and provides search-and-rescue coverage throughout the Bering Sea."
A curiosity shop would sell unusual items and curios.
Curiosity - curious, rare, or novel thing.
Exotica - things strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance or things of a uniquely new or experimental nature
Erotica is visual art or writing created to sexually arouse the viewer or reader.
I knew Dylan Thomas came from Wales, which would have saved me, but it didn't occur to me. Bummer. I would prefer to miss something I had no way of knowing.
Shankers, FLN around here stands for From Last Night. It usually means that whoever is posting a comment is referring to, or continuing to comment upon, a topic raised the previous night, or day.
I thought this one was tough, and was only able to FIR with sports input from DH. Never heard anyone say "ATTA way!" Never encountered UDO in a Japanese salad, as far as I know. MIND CANDY is a new phrase for me. Still, I was able to make it work, thanks to DH's PACER, AATEAM, THREEPEAT, etc. If not for DH, I might have to HATE WATCH the sports roundups myself -- or give up this morning exercise.
Shankers, I believe FLN is From Last Night. Some of our Cornerite friends keep chatting pretty late, and like to revisit the topics in the morning.
Thanks, Chuck, Rich, Joyce, and Gary!
Made a good start in the NW and then struggled a bit. Finally came together. Good puzzle for a saturday imo. And a Husker write-up is always a treat.
Spitzboov - Thanks for sharing the eagle pic.
As we just had Black Friday this is a timely piece of trivia: https://www.wwno.org/post/true-origin-term-black-friday
Stay safe and well everyone.
JB2
Ally is my real bank.
I've had Chase for decades but now only have a checking account and credit card account with them. Only use the checking account for certain recurring automatic deposits, billings and payments, and the credit card for online purchases only. All of my online purchases are from a small set of merchandisers. Surprisingly, there have only been three outside the regular group since the pandemic began, and two of those were months ago. The fraudulent charges started just after the most recent out-of-band purchase.
Beautiful picture, Spitzboov. I enlarged it for greater detail. That live view would have been exhilarating and awe-inspiring for the crew. What a beautiful bird. So glad that Benjamin Franklin's recommendation was not picked. (Historians are saying now that his supposed pick was just a myth.)
ATTA WAY! Compliment. That's the way to do it!
ATTA BOY Same compliment to a male.
ATTA GIRL Same compliment to a female. I prefer You go, girl!
I ate UDO in Japan, but needed to perp the UD first today and then knew the O.
UDO, a stout Japanese herb (Aralia cordata) the blanched young shoots of which are used especially as a vegetable and in salads
I used to be a very good speller. Not these days. I waited for perps to help spell ODYSSEY.
I think autocorrect makes us weak.
I was unable to solve this puzzle without looking up Tom Wolfe, Indiana NBA, Miss Hannigan, Trenton Thunder, Chiwere, the 1936 Olympics, and Pat Riley.
The slashed thing was not WRIST. Disreputable was not SEEDY. Street fair treats were not DOGS. The tray opening was not ICE. Noble title was not SIR. I was thrown by the terms "ATTA way!", "ASYE sow", and AA TEAM. At least I got WALES, AVANT, WICCA, ST PAT, and ADELE right away.
So basically this puzzle was a slog for me and I felt very little satisfaction when I finished it.
Now to read all your comments.
Beautiful photo of the bald eagle. Thanks, Spitzboov.
TTP, thanks for reminding me about Stan Freberg's take on the first Thanksgiving. I should have remembered and posted this on Thursday but better late than never.
Stan Freberg - The First Thanksgiving
Unlike others, my toughest part of the puzzle was the SE. I couldn’t think how to spell WICCA,, blanked on HOUSECALL , and couldn’t remember OWENS. Finally , the clouds cleared, and I was able to FIR. I really enjoyed the “traditional” aspect of the puzzle. There weren’t too many pop culture names or shows that you either know or you don’t. You had to figure stuff out based on your knowlegdge and experience. HATE WATCH and MIND CANDY we’re new to me, but maybe I’ll remember them another time down the road. Very satisfying!
Thank you so much, Chuck, And thanks Gary for your unfailingly interesting tour.
Gorgeous sunny day here at the beach. Going for a walk and work in the garden. I’d go for a swim, but they just turned our pool heater off for the winter, and my polar bear days are over. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
I have an unabridged dictionary- WEBSTER'S 20TH CENTURY DICTIONARY- dated 1940. The last word in it is zyxomma. I hope that dragon fly genus never shows up in an LA Times puzzle as a clue.
Chuck threw three new sayings (for me)- MIND CANDY and the intersecting- HATEWATCH & ME DECADE. Other than those it took some grinding to FIR. RICE DIET, UDO, & ADELE were unknowns perped today. Took a WAG for X or R-RATED crossing either EROTICA or EXOCTICA.
HATE WATCH- I totally ignore what DW is watching on Hallmark, Lifetime, We, Up TV and their type.
PRICE- the New Orleans Advocate/Times Picayune decided to SLASH my price to ONE DOLLAR for a year after I dropped it again. I only subscribe for the comics & crosswords. Most everything they print is either AP releases, left wing OP-EDs pieces, or totally biased local'journalists' who seem to want to create news instead of reporting what has happened. My street has 40 houses and I'm one of three who take the daily paper. Two of us also take the WSJ. And our ages are 70 (me), 68, and over 60. Newspapers are driving away their subscribers that PAY their salaries.
Thanks Mal-Man and Naomi for explaining what FLN means.
This was a toughly clued puzzle. Saturday appropriate but still a real challenge.
Had to skip around, the NW was last.
I’m with the idea that the Steelers have been punished enough for....absolutely nothing, they are and have been ready to play. Baltimore should have to forfeit the game. Enough is too much.
HATEWATCH sounds like something to do when you have nothing to do...not me though, I just won’t watch bad TV or anything else.
See you Monday.
Ta ~ DA!
Like Irish Miss, I found this relatively--what's the word? Not "Easy." But Do-able--that's it. Some work involved, but Do-able.
All in all, an excellent Saturday pzl from Mr. Deodene. The kind you enjoy working your way through.
I would've preferred MWAH over HEHE, but...
The only fill I hesitated on was ATTA. I'm used to ATTA Boy and ATTA Girl, but haven't actually seen or heard ATTA "Way."
~ OMK
___________
DR:. Four diagonals in all today--one on the near end and a 3-way in opposition.
The near end anagram is highly suggestive. It can stand for either a scholar who can't get enough of Caius Julius' Latin memoirs, or an OB-Gyn who makes a fetish out of abdominal deliveries, in either case a true...
"CESAREAN SAP"
-or-
Sticking with Caesar, it can refer to the black bear who took a swipe at our general as he was dividing Gaul, or it can refer to a father welcoming his safe and surgically delivered newborn.
In either case, this is a...
"CESAREAN PAW"!
Hi All!
Nope - shot myself in the foot too many times (eg Kiding[sic] @10d). Thanks HG for peeks at your grid to get me back on track. And this was not the Pocket Square Chuck was getting at...
Thanks Chuck for the puzzle to pass a rainy afternoon. So much for finishing off the Christmas lights....
Thanks HG for the needed nudges followed by a fine expo.
Fav: SPAM (But I don't like Spam! [Python]
OMK - DR #1, um.... :-)
PVX - Yes! I started hearing HATE WATCH when C19 lock-ins started; usually around something called Tiger King(?).
BigE - From Thanksgiving to Christmas, it seems all that plays on the TV is yet another sugary Hallmark show.
There's two of us on the block that get the daily H. Chron. I'm the youngest at 50. :-)
//I've read the paper every day since I was 9yro. paper-boy.
MManatee - Now I understand the warpiness in you :-) DW had a "Graphics Novels" class during her PhD work -- I'm sitting there with my Combinatorial Probabilities text thinking "and you're reading comic books????"
Mr. Natural was one she studied. She also had Maus assigned - that was heavy.
Y'all have a great afternoon!
Cheers, -T
Tony- in case DW misses a HM Xmas flick, she has already recorded 14 for future viewing on the DVR.
Maus is, indeed, a serious comic book.
What? No love for the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers?
AveJoe - you made me Google it. Looks like precursor to Mad Magazine's stoners. Also, found there was a reboot this year! No link (politics rule) but Google Kentucky Fried Freaks and you can watch a 4m episode.
Cheers, -T
Thanks, HG, for an enjoyable recap. And thanks, Spitzboov, for the magnificent eagle photo - I'm sure it won in the photo contest. And, TTP, you expressed my thoughts exactly, even down to old Ben (didn't think about enlarging it, but I'm very glad that I did after reading your hint).
What others said re x- or r-rated (one cell FIW). And thanks, YR, for the definition - although some curious people might check out an erotica store.
Finally got rain after two long months of drought - four inches and counting since early Friday a.m. What say you, D-O, and Anon-T?
TX Ms:
The 4" of rain is nice.
a) it didn't come all at once like Houston rain can (Quick, get Youngest's car off the street!)
b) it got me out of Christmas chores today :-)
How was your Thanksgiving?
Cheers, -T
Thanks for the comments on the eagle photo.
TX Ms - - Yes, It won the 2020 Naval & Maritime Photo Contest. They entitled it "The Eagle and the Alidade".
The editors of USNI Proceedings liked it so much they put it on the cover of the December 2020 issue.
Anon-T, because I'm in an even more hermit-mode with the rising Covid numbers here, my niece and her husband were going to swing by afterward with a meal, yes a Desper-Otto MoW, but she emailed that they are in quarantine until they can get tested. Husband had an all-day in-person meeting on Tuesday (I didn't bother to ask why no Zoom) with co-workers. One said during lunch that he had aches, sore throat, and a headache who later that day tested positive. Surely the guy wasn't feeling well when he got up on Tuesday?!
Spitzboov - "The Eagle and the Alidade"? I googled alidade, but still don't understand the terminology as it relates to the photo?
TX Ms - - The round device to the eagle's right is what the Coast Guard calls an alidade, presumable because it includes a telescope-like navigation or surveying aid. The main part with the black coiled electrical cable underneath is what we always called a 'pelorus'. It is basically a gyro repeater giving ship's compass heading. Extensively used in navigating coastal waters and for determining the relative or true bearing to any object of interest. Each wing of the bridge has one.
THREEPEAT reminded me that, for all the championships & the thrills and high expectations of Pat Riley's decade with the Lakers, he never got that elusive three-in-a-row.
I wonder what the future holds for the team, now that they've re-built the franchise. This year was weird, the game played under the massive influences of a pandemic and serious social protests.
How will they fare in a "normal" season?
Stay tuned.
~ OMK
Spitz - Cool story behind the Bald Eagle. Thanks for the pic.
TX Ms - need me to UberEats some la Madeline's to you? Their cranberry dressing is pretty dern good... :-)
OMK - I had a big-O rant on 'normal' again (seems 'new normal' becomes the new after every government/political fail) -- but I will dele myself and Squirrel! it.
AveJoe - If you haven't Googled the 2020 reboot of the Furry Freak toon yet... Dude, you're missing out [Thanks for the intro!]. I recognized 3 of the 4 voiced actors. So, I Googled Tiffany Haddish (the cat) and watched her stand-up for >2hrs - Funny!
YMMV.
Cheers, -T
OMK, they will grievously miss Rajon Rondo. My intense dislike of the Lakers was mitigated by the ex Celtic Rondo.
WC
Consensus seems to be average Saturday difficulty. I remember a long time ago the term var. and other abbreviations which I never see.
The other thing is the phenomena of getting stymied, continuing to figure things out and voila, FIR. Brain scientists should study XW'ers.
WC
Spitzboov, thank you for the explanation - now I can make sense of M-W's uninformative definition. And thanks, Anon-T, for your generous offer, but I'm good. Growing up on the farm, holidays were never a big deal except for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve (for my parents). Now I'm bracing for the Hallmark-ish TV commercials - yuck. Yeah, I've become a bah-humbugger.
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