google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, November 12, 2020, Jeffrey Wechsler

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Nov 12, 2020

Thursday, November 12, 2020, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: A puzzle you can sink your teeth into.

Jeffrey provides a delightful birthday present for my sweet bride, and I am sitting in on a Thursday for the first time in a long while. I need to approach this write up backward, beginning with the reveal and then finding the themers. Because this basically is a visual puzzle, there was much room for sparkly fill. This was a puzzle that the theme did not jump out, even after the reveal. I was looking for the grid to look like Michael Strahan. But no, it was actually simpler than that. When in doubt, you had to realize that GAP TOOTHED needed symmetrical balance. In this case, we are sent back to our old friend - the third row. We find:

17A. Very loudly, in music: FORTISSIMO. 19A. Logan of "60 Minutes": LARAMOLAR. Next, we have:

27A. Iconic 1962 role for Gregory: ATTICUS. 29A. Frittered (away): PIDDLED. CUSPID. Balanced with:

42A. "Salvator Mundi" artist: DA VINCI. 46A. Between-course refreshers: SORBETSINCISOR. SEE CONSTRUCTOR COMMENTS AT THE END OF THE WRITE-UP. 

Bringing us full circle to:

57A. Like some smiles in an orthodontist's office ... and like three puzzle rows: GAP TOOTHED.

A very clever creation, which also provided room for these lovelies.

WABBIT, ATTICUS, DAVINCI, PIDDLED, SCRUGGS, SLOTS IN, SORBETS, CAR TITLE, GET THERE, I SEE THAT, NEONATAL, FORTISSIMO with the ones in RED making a debut.

Across:

1. Business issue since 1979: INC. A magazine, not a problem.

4. Compares: LIKENS. Who can you compare to JW?

10. Cyberspace gatekeepers, for short: ISPSINTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS. The second "S" is a cheat.

14. Org. supporting museums: NEANational Education Association.

15. Skink or skunk: ANIMAL. Skinks abound in South Florida.

16. German refusal: NEIN. Non. no, Nannette.

20. Savvy about: ON TO.

21. Archipelago unit: ISLET.

22. Culture medium: AGAR.

23. __ Jordan: sports brand: AIR.

24. Simple top: TEE. In the old days, this would be followed by a titillating pic.

25. Hill group: SENATE. Too soon. 

30. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO. older or ancient, especially relating to the geological past.

31. New Mexico tribe: ZUNI. The Zuni are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. 


32. Sanctify: BLESS.

33. Boggy area: FEN. A CSO to Steve and did you know Red Sox owner John Taylor claimed he named the park Fenway because of its location which had been partially created decades earlier by filling in marshland or “fens/”

34. Forest floor litter: TWIGS.

39. 13-digit ID since 2007: ISBN. International Standard Book Number.

41. Caravan stops: OASES

48. Whiteboard accessory: ERASER.

49. Skedaddled: RAN.

50. Wager: BET.

51. Discover alternative: VISA.

52. Functional: UTILE.

54. Spillane's "__ Jury": I THE. A wonderful Mike Hammer novel, if you like hard-boiled detectives.

56. Like many breakfast bars: OATY.

59. Quelques-__: a few, in French: UNES. Un peu de Francais ce matin.

60. Novelist Graham: GREENE. AUTHOR.

61. "__ you quite finished?": ARE. Not even halfway.

62. Hawaiian staple: TARO.

63. Smoothing tool: SANDER.

64. Score half: TEN. Very witty, half of a score (20) is ten.

Down:

1. Data, e.g.: INFO.

2. Like a hospital ward with a tiny population?: NEONATAL. Another very cute clue

3. Jaguar documentation: CAR TITLE. Not the animal.

4. China's Chou En-__: LAI.

5. Where it originally was: IN SITU. Latin.

6. Some canoodling: KISSES. yummy

7. "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor Hirsch: EMILE.

8. Put a handle on: NAME.

9. Adds, as an appointment to a busy schedule: SLOTS IN. meh

10. Away from shore: INLAND.

11. Action star Steven: SEAGAL.

12. Hook, for one: PIRATE.

13. Caught: SNARED.

18. Parliament figures: TORIES. More from across the pond; this would have been great for Steve.

26. Prose pro: EDITOR. We get lots of mixed response to crossword editors and all the clues they change.

27. Msg. to the squad: APB. Police Squad? 

28. Scientific calculator function: COSINE.

29. Many a dad joke: PUN

31. __ master: ZEN.

33. "The X-Files" org.: FBI.

35. Bugs, to a toon hunter: WABBIT. Wascally at that.

36. "It's quite clear now": I SEE THAT. Mira!

37. Arrive: GET THERE.

38. Air fryer sound: SSS.

40. Country legend Earl: SCRUGGS
42. Pious: DEVOUT.

43. "7 Rings" singer Grande: ARIANA.

44. Even more expansive: VASTER.

45. Laying-down-the-law words: I SAY SO. Yes ma'am!

46. Like most peanuts: SALTED.

47. Low-scoring tie: ONE-ONE. A classic football score for a Brit.

49. Mature on the vine: RIPEN.

53. "Sharknado" actress Reid: TARA.

55. Fall setting: EDEN. The fall from grace, not the change of season.

58. "Save me, and hover __ me with your wings": Hamlet: O'ER. A perfect way to end a Jeffrey puzzle, with Will Shakespeare.

Not feeling great, but I enjoyed JW's comments to Gary so I wrote to him about this puzzle. His response focused on the changed clue for 42A.

Regarding the clue for 42-Across, Da Vinci is not the artist’s name.  In “Leonardo da Vinci”, the term “da Vinci” simply indicates that the artist was born in the town of Vinci.  The artist’s name is Leonardo.  Leonardo da Vinci is acceptable as a name with an explanatory modifier, but never Da Vinci alone.  When the book “The Da Vinci Code” was published, there was a collective howl from the art world, particularly from Renaissance specialists, bemoaning the improper use of da Vinci as a name.  Essentially, the book title means “the code from the town of Vinci.”  As a former museum curator whose field is visual art, I feel I must point this out. The original clue was [Part of a Renaissance man’s moniker].  “Moniker” was used instead of “name” because NAME is the answer to 8-Down.

 

Thank you, Jeffrey, to all who read and write. Lemonade out.


Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy birthday to Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. Rich helps constructors improve the theme set and he often writes half or more of the clues of every grid. New solvers probably don't know this. Rich is also a master constructor, both themed and themeless grids.

Rich and his wife Kim

2) Happy birthday also to Lemonade's beautiful wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Oo's homeland.


50 comments:

  1. FIR. But second day in a row the theme escaped me!

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  2. The theme fell through the gap for me. I finished in 8:40.
    "Slots in" seemed forced, but otherwise very smooth.

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  3. Good morning!

    I enjoyed missing the theme on this one. I could have sworn his name was ADDICUS -- Wite-Out, please. Needed it a second time to change OR ELSE to I SAY SO. "Away from shore" led me out to sea, not INLAND. Very clever, Jeffrey, and thanx for the expo, Lemonade. (Thursday?)

    TWIGS -- We've got two ancient trees in our front island. (There were originally five, but hurricanes took their toll.) Whenever we get high winds our lawn is littered with TWIGS from the upper branches (there aren't any lower branches). It takes several wheelbarrow loads to haul 'em off.

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  4. C.C., thank you for reminding me that Oo shares her birthday with Rich Norris.

    Anon at 6:25, SLOTS IN gets about 8 million hits and appears in headlines like: DePaul slots in at No. 19 in Preseason AP Top-25 poll.

    This theme took me longer to recognize than any in a very long time.

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  5. I thought 14A was National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

    Like the theme, saw CUS PID which helped me with INCI SOR.

    Fun puzzle.

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  6. I have a young friend in Florida who named her son Atticus. I asked if his middle name was Finch? She looked at me like I had two heads.

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  7. Clever theme as expected from a JW puzzle - I actually saw it before the theme reveal as I really couldn't find much relationship in the longer answers and the layout was different than most CW. Extra layer of construction savvy - the different tooth types go from the back of the mouth to the front of the mouth! (noticed by the dentist's daughter)

    Not too many changes - I had MARKER before ERASER for the 48A whiteboard. And I had INTO before ONTO for 20A until INFO changed it.

    Thanks Lemonade for taking the swap and to Jeff for another fine puzzle!
    HBD to Oo and Rich!

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  8. FIR, ignored the theme, and enjoyed the solve.

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  9. Back to FIR today! Thank you, Jeffrey, for a smooth filling and interesting puzzle. After the reveal, I found the different teeth OK. I had four WOs where I made a guess, later fixed by perps: Ipo/INC, apPS/ISPS, nuTY/OATY (wrong spelling turned out to be a common fill), and graDER/SANDER (oh, it said tool, not road machine). Thanks, Lemony, for filling in and explaining it all. Happy Birthday to Oo! Good to see that special picture of you all again.

    I too thought of Steve when I saw TORIES and all the food items. Hi! if you ever do the puzzles and check in. I've also been missing PK and Owen lately, Irish Miss. Hope they are doing well. And hope you all are doing well this week. The weekend approaches and the weather is improving. Enjoy!

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  10. Good morning everyone.

    Happy Birthday Rich
    Happy Birthday Oo.

    Enjoyed the solve. Got through it without aid or ERASER fluid. FIR. Forgot about the theme until coming to the blog. No matter; lots of interesting and fresh fill typical of Jeff's puzzles. Favorite clue was for fall setting, EDEN.

    Thanks Lemon for another fine intro.

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  11. I was thinking of wascal/WABBIT. As the constructor continued to fool me I realized it was Jeff.

    I couldn't grok the theme but took another look and found MOLAR; CUSPID and INCISOR were then located.

    Oops, I inked iNLAND and never straightened out ?SPS. FIW

    The area was the FENway. Naming the park was natural. My father grew up there and was mortally afraid of drownings in the bogs. Apparently some kids tried to swim there.

    I like quelque c'est que ca.

    Hbd's to Rich and Lemonade. The VISA clue was cute. Capital One did me dirt in the 90s and I've resisted the thousand efforts for my return.

    WC

    Although Rex Stout had violence in early Nero Wolfe stories(The League of Frightened Men ends in a shootout he avoided it later by cleverly positioning Archie or Saul near the suspect. Spillane's violence was off putting to me

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  12. FIR was easy but noticing the GAP TOOTHED was not in the cards for me. Just a few unknowns that were easy to guess after a few perps. EMILE, UNES, ARIANA, OER. Wasn't sure if ADDICUS or ATTICUS was the correct spelling; perps took care of it.

    DA VINCI- The first apt. I ever rented was from a landlord with the name J.D. VINCI (no da).
    I never kept and appt. book so the term SLOTS IN was filled by perps. New term for me. I was looking for PENCILS IN but there wasn't enough space.

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  13. I liked this puzzle. One red letter. FUN/FIDDLED before PUN/PIDDLED
    PIDDLED- That was a relief! LOL *iss Poor Joke.
    FIDDLED- Is Rome burning?
    DIDDLED- oops R-Rated
    All three can mean fritter away.

    I didn't spend much time looking but I didn't find the clever theme.
    "I'll SLOT you in on Thursday," is quite common to me.
    Thanks for the DA VINCI explanation. I know it means "from Vinci", but I seldom think of it. Although Leonardo had no last name, he is frequently referred to as just DA VINCI, probably because many people think of it as his last name.
    I went out to sea before I went INLAND, too.

    Atticus Finch is portrayed as more liberal in "To Kill a Mockingbird," which was written second, than in "Go Set a Watchman," which was published later. This change in character shows Harper Lee's changing perceptions as she matures.

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  14. FIR, but never deciphered the theme.
    I have visited the ZUNI area in NM.
    Changed planER to SANDER & CIA to FBI. Never watched X-Files.
    SORBETS filled with perps.
    Liked WABBIT.
    Thanks to Jeffrey & Lemonade.. HBD Rich) and Oo.
    MO

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  15. "Gnawing away" at the puzzle I still FIW. Fall setting: great clue but I had ides (Cæsar fell on the Ides of March) not EDEN. Did not get ITHE for jury

    Inkovers: onland/INLAND. Getting in/GETTHERE...

    The complicated toothsome theme flew over my head like the ducks and honking geese are now doing heading south.

    Other dental related comments. I began the gnashing of teeth when I found out how much a crown will cost me and that insurance probably wont reimburse. Reviewing my coverage, wanted to bear fangs and growl.

    SLOTSIN makes sense but never heard it used that way. pencils in?

    Spooning down a SORBET always seems like eating a supersweet dessert between courses. Yuck.

    Again why the feminine quelques-UNES? (not uns)

    FORTISSIMO, very loud or very strong. Pianoforte, (italian for a piano) first instrument with a soft (piano) or loud (forte) sound depending on how hard the keys are pressed.
    With a toothy smile:

    Similar to Barbie's boyfriend stuff.....LIKENS
    Mermaid...SEAGAL
    Online 1.6 K race.... EMILE
    Is it true or did Chou En ____? LAI

    Re: commentary, I mentioned this before. Was confused at first at university in Italy when professors referred to Leonardo da Vinci just as Leonardo. Who? (Think Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael, even scientists like Galileo). Anglophones do the same except for him. Ironically the others had surnames, he, being illegitimate, was called by his first name and "from Vinci" where he was born.

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  16. Happy birthday Rich and Oo (what a cOol name!) Great pictures.

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  17. Musings
    -I did a Kurt Krauss puzzle in the Omaha paper today and then wondered what puzzle Lemon was blogging. No wonder I’m cancelling my 53 year, $630 subscription.
    -I was only ONTO Jeffrey’s very clever gimmick after reading the reveal and not a second before
    -My journey – blackboard, overhead projector, whiteboard, computer projector. Dang, I’m old!
    -The thief who took my cash and coupons from my wallet Tuesday left my VISA and bank card
    -UTILE = iPhone for me
    -“Goodbye Ruby Tuesday. Who could hang a NAME on you?”
    -What are the odds? SEAGAL was in Kurt’s misplaced puzzle I did first also.
    -Our new air fryer will arrive this week sometime. Local store was out and had to order it for us.
    -“Because I SAY SO!” When reasoning with a child (or faculty) reaches a limit
    -A fun write-up Lemon and thanks for going the extra mile to contact Jeffrey to get that explanation
    -Happy Birthday Rich and Oo!

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  18. Good Morning:

    Three rays of sunshine (Hi, Ray O) greeted me on this gloomy, gray November morning:

    1) Jeffrey Wechsler’s byline
    2) My favorite Wabbit
    3) My favorite Gregory Peck role, Atticus

    I must say, though, that listening to Ariana’s “singing” dampened my spirits temporarily. On to the puzzle we go! We don’t get this type of theme too often but I really like the format because it’s almost impossible to pick up on the theme (at least for me, but not the eagle-eyed inanehiker, apparently) until the revealer. Even then, it takes a few seconds to suss out the themers. After reading the reveal clue, I thought the answer might be Toothsome, but Jeffrey’s was pitch perfect, spot on. In addition to the sparkling fill that Lemony noted, there were some cute pairings: Taro/Tara, ISPS/ISBN, Bless/Devout, and the lyrical Zen/Fen/Ten.

    I never met a Jeffrey W puzzle that I didn’t like and I liked this one a whole lot, so thanks, Mr. W, for today’s very enjoyable solve and thanks, Lemony, for the honesty and depth of your critique. Seeing that lovely picture of you and Oo was the perfect antidote to Ariana’s “song.”

    Happy Birthday to Rich, our faithful and expert Sherpa. 🎂🎊🎉🎈🎁

    Happy Birthday to Oo and best wishes on your special day.

    I watched the season premiere of both The Good Doctor and Chicago Med and while both shows focused on Covid 19, the social distancing, masks wearing, and hygiene procedures were noticeably different. The Good Doctor was far more compliant to the protocols than Chicago Med, which surprised me.

    I haven’t heard from the lady whose package I received in error, so I contacted Proactiv again this morning by chat and reiterated the whole story and asked, again, that she be given my number. Judging by their “canned” responses, I have little faith that they’ll follow through. I guess the only solution is for me to contact her via snail mail.

    Have a great day.

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  19. Sorry, I forgot Oo’s 🎂🎈🎉🎁🎊

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  20. Woohoo! Woohoo! A fun Thursday Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle--thank you, Jeffrey. No, I didn't get all of it--I never do on a Thursday--but I got pretty much all but the northwest, and really enjoyed it. And thank you for your always helpful write-up, Lemonade (lovely picture, with your Oo).

    Got Da Vinci without any problem and appreciated the explanation of Leonardo's name, which was interesting news to me.

    I, of course, put RABBIT for Bugs, but TRIGS for forest litter just made no sense to me. Oh, WABBIT--of course--and that took care of the TWIGS. But my favorite was EDEN for the Fall setting--I don't know why, but I got that one instantly.

    Happy Birthday, Rich--nice to see your picture!

    Have a great day, everybody.

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  21. I believe 14A: Org. supporting museums is NEA which stands for National Endowment for the Arts, not National Education Association (although technically they may offer grants to museums).

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  22. Toothy Thursday. Thanks for the fun. Jeffrey and Lemonade.
    Like Anon@6:25, "the theme "fell through the gap for me", but I did enjoy the reveal here (and inanehiker's added insight).
    I actually FIWed by not being a good EDITOR; I originally had CSI for 38D and thought that ISSN was some American international SSN. When I entered FEN, I neglected to correct FSI to FBI.

    Hand up for Onland before INLAND. I had Mix-Master before ZEN, Larger before VASTER.
    There was almost a Natick for me at the cross of SEAGAL and LARA, but I WAGGed the A.
    I smiled at BET placed directly under the BET in SORBETS.

    Canadians and Brits have Parliament, but we have Conservatives not TORIES.
    Discover is not an option for this Canadian; I have VISA.

    When my daughter was born as a preemie, NEONATAL was the term for the ward; when two of my grandchildren were also born as preemies, NICU (NEONATAL Intensive Care Unit) was the term used.

    Favourite clue was "Fall setting=EDEN". "Score half=TEN" was next. (Plus we had "ONE-ONE=Low-scoring tie")

    Happy Birthday to Rich, and Oo.
    Wishing you all a great day.

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  23. If you're wondering, that deleted post of mine was intended for the jumble blog. I'm recounting the story of Ivanhoe (which the +70s may have read in HS*) using j-words.

    Earlier this year it was the Hobbit. Btw, Owen took an Erato break but promises to be back when the "political" scene calms down.

    Hmm. February?

    WC

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  24. Hola!

    Happy birthday, Rich!
    Happy birthday, Oo! That is a beautiful picture of you.

    Thank you, Lemonade, for the interesting review. Why on a Thursday?

    This morning I had to go the vampire, er, blood draw which went surprisingly fast considering that sometimes it's taken up to two hours to hear my name called.

    So finally I got to tackle JW's puzzle. It was easier than his usually are and I love seeing PIDDLED in there. And I love being reminded of ATTICUS Finch, one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite books.

    UNES filled by four perps as French and I are not on speaking terms.

    One of my friends and also my daughter practice ZEN meditation. In the case of my daughter it helps her overcome migraine headaches. She also loves any topic relating to sharks so she likely knows about TARA Reid which I do not. It took four perps to fill it.

    I like the positioning of ZEN/FEN/PUN.

    LARA Logan has not been on 60 Minutes for a long time.

    It has been decades since I read a Graham GREENE novel but I still have a sense of the humidity aa well as the intrigue he described.

    I hope you are all enjoying a thoroughly wonderful Thursday!

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  25. Another JW gem. I would liken any JW grid to a Silkie.

    I always get the premium Dental coverage just for the Type B services, such as crowns and fillings. It’s a bit pricey but no surprises.

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  26. Puzzling thoughts:

    HBTY, Rich and Oo

    Thanks Lemony for the fun recap, but even a bigger tip of the cap to Jeffrey Wechsler for his clever puzzle!

    I did manage to see the theme reveal itself; first, when I saw MO LAR; INCI SOR fell next; and CUS PID was the last one I “brushed”

    A couple of write-overs but no major hiccups

    See all y’all tomorrow; spending my time now watching The Masters golf tournament

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  27. Thank you Jeff W. for your wonderful puzzle and Lemonade, as always, a great fun filled blog.!!!

    HBD to Rich Norris and also to Lemon's lovely wife Oo !
    Today, indeed, must be an auspicious day for cruciverbalists.

    Lemonade. your picture in royal Thai costume, is so charming. Were you dressed up for a studio shot, or did you have an audience with the King of Siam ? The dresses, with Silk and gold brocade, are fantastic, and underline the phenomenal exports of the two most prestigious products of Siam. Your Raj pattern ( button down ) jacket with the chut thai chrong kraben ( sarong style loin cloth, wrapped between the legs.) is so very traditional and pays homage to the country.

    I understand the King of Siam, is living and ruling his country, ala long distance, from his permanent residence in an Alpine Grand Hotel in Germany. Despite many admonitions against, by the German Government. I better stop lest I run afoul of the lese majeste rules of Thailand, which I understand are the strictest in the world. No politics, just facts.

    I trust you will take Oo to a most delectable restaurant, today, since she is a gourmet in her own right. May I wish you much joy and happiness. Mazel und Broche.

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  28. FIR, didn't notice the theme until the write-up. Only writeover was HOPI instead of ZUNI...you'd think by now I'd learn to hold off until a perp in the first three letters.

    Bob

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  29. Anonymous PVK..My insurance will cover a crown, just dont know how much yet.

    At over 1k I need a dental appliance not looking to be crowned King of Siam. Lemonade has that job already anyway.

    Was wondering where Owen, the Bard of the Cornerites had gone off to. If he's holding off due to political heat he has a long wait I fear.

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  30. I was really surprised to see that this was a JW puzzle. IMHO it was not very challenging. Never saw the theme because I never do. All four this week were kinda gimmes. Brace yourselves for dreaded Friday though.

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  31. Thank you Lemonade, for 'Midnight at the Oasis'.
    It brought back many, many, memories of 1973-74, when the Viet Nam war was raging, and the Watergate mess was just ensuing, and the Yom Kippur war ran its course, and songs like Delta Dawn, Billy don't be a Hero, and the Carpenters,'Top of the World' were ruling the airways.

    Too bad, it was Maria Muldauer's only major hit song. She has a lovely voice.
    This was the song, it is reported, that led to a thousand prgnancies, so it is said.
    This 'desert' song, had nothing to do with the sheikhs of the Middle East, but ala Rudolf Valentino and the silent movies. The Cactus and cactii plants in the song generally do not exist in the real Middle Eastern Asia, but are 'new world' plants from the likes of Arizona and the US West and Mexico.

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  32. Hi All!

    Thanks Jeff Wex for a doable Thursday; fun theme that whooshed right over my head.

    Thanks Lem for stepping in on a Thursday (BTW, your GREENE link is also Midnight At The Oasis)

    WOs: Started MAMal... wait, skinks aren't //we seem to have a bumper crop of skinks & anoles this year.
    ESPs: LAI, EMILE, ZUNI, UNES
    Fav: DW introduced me to Graham GREENE [wiki].

    Happy Birthday Oo! And Rich!

    Fun fIDDLing YR!

    Thanks for the update on OKL WC.

    Mark @7:20 and Unknown@11:05 - I think so too re: NEA.

    BigE - Yep, Pencils (or inks) IN is more familiar than SLOTS.

    Lucina - it seems Dr.'s have come into the 21st century because of Covid. No more sitting in a room for hours after your apt was scheduled for.

    I've never been to a restaurant so fancy that they brought SORBET between courses. I know this is a thing now but, before I did, I would have been incensed to get dessert (end of meal?!? - already?!?) after a little plate of food :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  33. I enjoyed this puzzle and the gapped teeth.

    Happy birthday wishes to Oo and Rich. Happy unbirthday wishes to everyone else.

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  34. Trying to use up the food in my fridge and freezer, I found some frozen scrapple. My mom used to cut it in thick slices and coat it with flour. Then she fried it. The result was crisp outside and and soft inside. My MIL cut scrapple into very thin slices which fried up crispy all the way through. That's the way I make it now. Some of you have mentioned scrapple. How do you like it made? One time when we saw a restaurant had scrapple on the menu Alan ordered a scrapple sandwich, which the waitress said they didn't sell. I told her to fry up the scrapple as usual and place it between two pieces of bread. OOH!! she said. V-8 can moment?

    For many years I've had sorbet between courses in just slightly fancy dinner restaurants. Not my favorite. I'd rather have a glass of Merlot or Cab between courses if I have to wait. If the next course is ready, let's just get on with it.

    Happy birthday, Oo and Rich.

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  35. Very good, fun CW, even though I didn’t get the theme, as usual. I especially liked the clues for 2d, 22d, 35d, and 55d, with neonatal, wabbit, pirate, and Eden as answers. Wrote in “cosign” instead of “cosine” (DOH!!!) which slowed me down there for a bit, until the lightbulb lit up. Great write-up, Lemonade, lots of good stuff. And thanx for ‘splainin’ the theme, which I would have never seen w/o your help. Stay safe everyone.

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  36. Yes, very easy for a Thurs pzl.

    It was really fun--once I found myself on Jeffrey Wechsler's wavelength. After a few false starts confined to the NW corner, I started grokking fills all over the grid.
    I believe the overly obvious answer to 16A (NEIN) set me off. I was proud of myself for seeing through such mild misleaders as 8D and 55D, but I knew I was in the zone when I filled 35D ("Bugs, to toon hunter" = WABBIT) w/o help from perps.
    The rest was smoooooth sailing.

    And yes, I'll agree that 55D ("Fall setting" = EDEN) was my fave.
    ~ OMK
    _____________
    DR:
    One diagonal in the mirror.
    An interesting anagram. Indicative perhaps of a new venture by Mr. Wechsler?
    Many in the movie-making biz look upon producers' investments as wagers. They view those willing to put money into making films as motivated not by their business acumen but as gambling for the sheer love of cinematic art.
    Thus, such an investment is seen as...
    "A CINEASTE BET"!

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  37. I loved the puzzle and even saw the theme, albeit after completing the reveal. It took me a moment to get started, but then one thing led to another, and it all felt pretty fresh to me.

    A tiny portion of barely sweet sorbet can be an elegant palate cleanser between courses of a meal. It's not like eating dessert! This is based on distant memories: it's been many moons since I dined out.

    Happy birthday to the celebrants, and thanks to Jeffrey, Rich, Lemonade, and all y'all.

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  38. Wonderful workout! I must have been on the right wavelength . Thanks Jeffrey for EDENS, TEN, TWIGS. INLAND was my favorite because I was completely fooled. I also wanted to go out to sea.

    I have made and served SORBET for years, but mine is not at all sweet. It’s just fruit juice and liqueur, frozen into a slush. Naomi, you described it best.

    Lemonade you were on a roll today. Thanks!

    HBD to Oo and Rich.

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  39. Canadian Eh! --
    Generally the Neonatal Unit is where the full term, mildly preterm (up to 4-5 weeks early) , or mildly jaundiced babies go(formerly known as the newborn nursery) The NICU is where the the more premature babies (24-34 weeks) or babies with other problems go (congenital problems). Once the babies have gone home - if they have to come back for something they go to the PICU - (peds ICU)

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  40. CED - LOL!

    Re: NICU. Before Youngest was born, DW was on bed-rest for weeks (separated placenta). She'd start early labors and I'd race to St. Luke's hospital (did you know a Honda Odyssey mini-van can do 110mph?) so they could give a shot and stop the process. Happened 3x.

    The last time early-labor hit, Youngest decided "no, I'll just stay" :-)
    Inducement ensued and...

    Then Youngest just flopped out.

    Teams of Drs & Nurses came in and they rushed Youngest down the hall to Texas Children's NICU. Youngest was there for 3 days. We stayed in a hotel across the street and went back and forth between the buildings via tunnels (I didn't know about those!) connecting the buildings. //It was scary/sad looking at the other babies in there...

    18 years later and Youngest's a strong young woman. Those medical folks... Wow!

    Cheers, -T

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  41. In case you're not familiar with Texas Medical Center [Wiki], it's a massive collection of hospitals and schools (with a few hotels).
    Look at the picture - most of those are hospitals, Dr Offices, and Medical Universities.

    -T

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  42. The laughing gas(helium) ref reminds me of my dentist who would supply it free of I could get him distracted by Boston Celtics talk. Which leads into RiP Tommy Heinsohn the one of a kind '56-65 forward, Coach '70-77 and announcing color man since forever.

    He was an accomplished painter and a dear friend to many. His trivia is being a 1956 Territorial pick for the Celtics along with the Bill Russell pick partially obtained for Ice Capades dates. The C's never had another one. Btw, I LIU thye NBA draft, 56-70 and it was fascinating.

    WC

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  43. I thought laughing gas was nitrous oxide.

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  44. Spitz is right. N2O. //but I learned other trivia! :-)
    -T

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  45. Late to the party.
    Happy Birthday Rich and OO!
    Maria Muldaur and earl Scruggs in the same recap. That is freakin' cool!

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  46. I make that same mistake about the NEA everytime.
    Maria Muldaur and Earl Scruggs in the same recap. That is freakin' cool! I agree and notice that she is also an MM.
    I thought laughing gas was nitrous oxide Yup. Helium is fun because it makes people talk funny, not laugh.
    WC, growing up the only Television stations broadcasting from Boston, I was blessed to watch the Celtics Dynasty be born.
    Anon-T much has improved in neonatal care in recent years, but your story is great.
    My brother from another mother, it is good to see you commenting regularly again. I love the diversity of the Corner.
    I am tired; Friday is all yours Moe.


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  47. Inanehiker, AnonT, Lemonade - yes, we are grateful for neonatal care (even if the name has changed slightly here over the years). Daughter was 10 weeks early and definitely needed ICU. (AnonT- DH can tell a similar story about trips to the hospital while I was flat on my back for 3.5 weeks). She is our miracle baby and now a healthy adult.

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