google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday December 7, 2020 Matt McKinley

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Dec 7, 2020

Monday December 7, 2020 Matt McKinley

Theme: WOODY ALLEN FILMS. (37. What the answers to starred clues are (their creator turned 85 this month):

17. *The City, to New Yorkers (1979): MANHATTAN.

21. *Surprise hit (1973): SLEEPER.

50. *Cream pie fruit (1971): BANANAS.

58. *Concerns of some decorators (1978): INTERIORS.

Boomer here.

I only know of one other whose name is Woody.  His last name is Woodpecker. I proposed similar themes to C.C. before, she rejected them as "too listy".

Across: 

1. __-ran: loser: ALSO.

5. Hop-jump connection: SKIP. Minnesota's favorite son SKIP Humphrey was a son of Hubert and Muriel and served as Minnesota's Attorney General years ago. 


9. Crossing the keel: ABEAM.

14. Casual greetings: HEYS.  Never liked it, sounds like Hay.

15. Give the job to: HIRE.  It seems the Detroit Lions will be looking to HIRE a coach.

16. Full of sediment: SILTY.

19. Unisex designer fragrance: CK ONE.  Calvin Klein stuff - too expensive for me.



20. Fugitive: ESCAPEE.  "The Fugitive" a great movie - made Harrison Ford a few dollars.

23. On __ way: sent: ITS.      

24. 52-Acrosses, often: INSETS.  I used to put my baseball cards IN SETS.

25. "Help me out, buddy": BE A PAL.  We got a thing from Pay PAL today offering some kind of credit card.  That's one of the last things I need.

29. Like paper clips: BENT.

31. Wedding site: ALTAR.

32. Roof edge: EAVE.  Holding on to the gutters.

33. Bridal party's platform: DAIS.  Been a long time for me.  Do they still play "Here comes the Bride"?

40. Gloss targets: LIPS.

41. Los Angeles NFLers: RAMS.  8 wins so far - Pretty good!

42. Knight's "shining" protection: ARMOR.

43. Depend (on): RELY.  RELY on - I think it's a Credit Union in Texas.

44. T-bones, e.g.: STEAKS.  I've been eating turkey for a week.  Looks like a ham for Christmas.

45. Mental sharpness: ACUMEN.

49. Speedometer abbr.: MPH.  This new Santa Fe we bought has a big round instrument in the dashboard panel.  Besides a traditional speedometer needle though, It just pops my speed up in big numbers.

52. Local traveler's aid: AREA MAP.  I am not sure if they are still around.  I think folks just use their phones.

57. Come up: ARISE.  "All RISE" Aaron Judge is coming to bat.  Back in the day, Harmon Killebrew's nick name was the Killer.  I think All Rise is one of the best nicknames in baseball.

60. One of two in "George": SOFT G.  One of three of Seinfeld's friends.

61. Costa __: RICA.

62. Spreadsheet contents: DATA.

63. "Family Ties" mother: ELYSE. Keaton - No relation to Buster.



64. How many TV shows air: IN HD.  I can never tell the difference.  Maybe my set is too old, like me.

65. Editor's "Leave it in": STET.

Down:

1. Sighed words: AH ME.  Win a door prize at a bowling banquet and it's AAHHH ME!!

2. Pastures: LEAS.

3. Match, as sound and video: SYNC.  A place to wash dishes. I never was too good at spelling.

4. Workplace standards org.: OSHA. "Occupational Safety and Health Act".  Made a big difference in Graybar warehouses nationwide.

5. "Fiddler on the Roof" village: SHTETL.

6. Windy day toys: KITES.  Yep, I had one or two every Spring.  We went up to the baseball field, away from KITE eating trees.  We never saw Charlie Brown there.

7. Nest egg letters: IRA.  Still waiting for it to hatch.

8. Ink holders: PENS.  Also pig holders

9. Journey up the mountain: ASCENT.  Elevator -"Going Up ?"

10. Workout equipment with pedals: BIKES.

11. Wed in Vegas, perhaps: ELOPE.  Never had time. Too busy at craps.  C.C. would not like a crappy wedding anyway.

12. Where many tennis winners are hit: AT NET.  I thought they had to go OVER the net.

13. Austin Powers portrayer Mike: MYERS.

18. Collection of beehives: APIARY.  Becoming scarce in Minnesota.  Bees do not like our weather.

22. Tablecloth material: LINEN.

25. Chastise, with "out": BAWL.  Change the A to an O and go out. 

26. "The Time Machine" post-humans: ELOI.

27. Perched on: ATOP.

28. Knee protectors: PADS.  I have a Copper Fit to wear when I bowl or play golf.  Not really a pad, more like a stiff brace. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyxaS-CByweIt0hfdqJ7nSABLKIvAo4InzFhkWu8wQhpaYkb4pnYp7PnvGsVW6YEWUMQY5doiuM5B7A5ThpPLhuv5BcRw02uzdQOzhsE9X8aRVGnJOFGtpU784aeFJ15tC_eoxdDY7AE/s1600/IMG_6830.jpg
Boomer with his Copper Fit

29. Mild, as weather: BALMY.  I would not call it BALMY, but Minnesotans have been lucky this year. Most days are still above freezing.

30. Days before holidays: EVES.  Christmas and New Year's.  I did not hear of Veterans or Thanksgiving Eve.

32. Airline with an all-kosher menu: EL AL.

33. Desperate: DIRE.

34. __ mater: ALMA.

35. Assurance from one who's not hurt: I'M OK.  I'M OK to golf and bowl.  Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt though.

36. Old pol. divisions: SSRS.  Super Seniors - That's me.

38. Big sports venue: ARENA.  We have a "Target Center" for the Wolves, and "Target Field" for the Twins.  I wonder how much Target paid to have their name there. Target is a spin off from retail Dayton's owned by the family of former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.  Dayton's was acquired by Macy's so now it's too expensive for us.  We still go to Target.

39. Sire: FATHER.

43. Go back (on): RENEGE.

44. Butter or jam: SPREAD.  Or Peanut Butter on Ritz crackers.

45. Put down nastily: ABASE. Or slid into nastily by Jackie Robinson and others.

46. Song sung house-to-house: CAROL.  "It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old."

47. Bring together: UNIFY.  Those old time Christmas Carols bring many families together. 

48. Crow's nest holders: MASTS.

49. Fire starter: MATCH.

51. Rival of Alexa?: SIRI.  Hey SIRI - Where can I get a vaccine?

53. Lends a hand: AIDS.

54. Castle trench: MOAT.

55. Works in un museo: ARTE.  Mr. Johnson on Laugh-in. Loved Goldie Hawn.

56. 10th-grader's exam, for short: PSAT.

59. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Chairman Moe (Chris) and I made today's WSJ puzzle. You can click here to solve. Congrats on your WSJ debut, Chris!

47 comments:

D4E4H said...

Good morning Cornerites.

Thank you Matt McKinley for your enjoyable Monday CW.

I FIR in 23:46 min.

Thank you Boomer for your excellent review.

I add my congrats on your WSJ debut, Chris!

Ðave 

unclefred said...

Wow, I’m always LAST to comment!! Anyway, for a Monday this seemed a bit crunchy, but I got ‘er done...eventually, I had “ANDA” for “SKIP” at first, “UNITE” for “UNITY”, and “CLONE” for “CKONE” until I looked at the perps. C.C., your hotlink to WSJ CW ain’t hot! Nice fun CW, thanx, Matt!! And terrific write-up as always, Boomer! Have a good week, everyone.

Boomer said...

An answer to one of the clues in yesterday's crossword was "BOWL" and in her review, C.C. pictures a bowl of vegetables and gravy. I might have pictured Fred Flintstone tossing a rock.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Definitely needed the reveal to figure out the theme on this one. Not much of a Woody Allen fan -- too angsty. I know we've had it before, but I still had a problem parsing C-KONE. Still, this one came together very quickly. Thanx, Matt and Boomer. (When I think of "Woody," it's "Guthrie" who pops to mind.)

desper-otto said...

Congrats on the debut, C-Moe. I enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

This took me 4:44. Didn't know/remember "abeam," "shtetl," or the movie "Interiors."

Don't forget about Woody Harrelson (actor), Woody Hayes (OSU football coach), & Woody from Toy Story.

Wilbur Charles said...

FLN, -T, your Mom likes conspiracies? I got a bunch*.
I had acuity/ACUMEN;sooty/SILTY;

Btw, How 'bout them Pats?

Ok, who are the other two GeorGes?

"Veteran's eve" would be the Marine Corps birthday.

The "nasty" slide into second was abolished. Unfortunately for Dustin Pedoia Manny Machado never got the word.
My fav of the WOODY ALLEN movies was "What's New Pussycat". I was a Romy Schneider fan.

Love me them Boomer write-ups.

Easy Monday to be redundant.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Preview's not working on Android again.

Re. *... As in (FLN) The 8-eyed spy.

Wilbur Charles said...

My old P-Nane was "Reality: The ultimate conspiracy"

P-Names were titles that the commenters used in DEC Notes

inanehiker said...

Pretty quick romp - I used to like Woody Allen movies but they got so repetitive. I liked "Love and Death" the most since I had just read "War and Peace" that it was a parody of.

I can never remember how to spell SHTETL - always need the perps.

Thanks Boomer and Matt!

John E said...

I faked myself out. I'd written ascent but knew it couldn't be the word Ckone, so changed to Skone. Bah. FIW

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Easy Monday. WAG at CK ONE, but perps were persuasive. FIR.
ABEAM - I prefer "On the beam, a relative bearing at right angles to the ship's keel."

On perusing my WSJ I saw a crossword offering by CC and Chris. Congrats. I will work on it later today.

Today is the 79th anniversary to Remember Pearl Harbor

Wilbur Charles said...

I actually purchased the WSJ to get a gander at CC and Chris's xword. I felt a read of business wouldn't hurt me.

I see they had an article on Bitcoin etal. Phillip had an internet commenter on last night.

Could be titled how to make and lose a bunch of money real fast.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

And preview is working

CanadianEh! said...

Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Matt and Boomer.
I whizzed through this CW today and got the theme (although I am not a WOODY ALLEN fan).
FIRed with two inkblots - my "sighed words" were Aahs before AH ME, and hand up for Unite before UNIFY.

SHTETL spelling required perps.
I noted EAVE crossing EVES, CK ONE and IM OK.
You all know that the "Speedometer abbr." on my vehicle is KMH. When we bought an American vehicle years ago, we had to sign a form acknowledging that the speedometer measured MPH. (Sure, we would love to speed along at 100mph!)
And my knights wear shining ARMOUR!

Congrats on your debut CMoe. I'll try it later.

Wishing you all a great day.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Contrast – Walt Disney films yesterday and Woody Allen’s today
-Watching Woody’s movies make me want to scream, “GET OVER IT!”
-Track’s triple jump today used to be called the Hop, SKIP and Jump
-Today’s casual greeting of “How ‘ya doin’?” is not expected to have an answer
-The opening of the $400M Costco Chicken plant in our little town of 30,000 has spurred growth such that AREA MAPS are outdated as soon as they are printed
-The first HD picture I saw was of Wrigley Field on a set at EPCOT in the late 90’s
-ELOPEMENTS, small civil ceremonies and cohabitation seem to have supplanted many weddings
-I wanted to say something to a guy BAWLING out his child in the parking lot yesterday but…
-Phooey, Granddaughter ELISE’s name filled in before ELYSE and I didn’t correct :-(

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a typical Monday offering; simple theme, straightforward cluing and fill, and fair crossings. I saw the theme after filling in Manhattan, then Sleepers and, of course, the year in the clue was a tip off, also. Out of the four, I’ve only seen Manhattan and Interiors. I always remember Interiors because Troy native, Maureen Stapleton starred in it, opposite E G. Marshall. My only w/o was Unite/Unify. I also appreciated the low three letter word count.

Thanks, Matt, for a pleasant start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for the chuckles and the commentary.

FLN

CED, your state of sleep deprivation may have prevented you from seeing my request to read your emails. 🙃

Have a great day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Typical fun quick Monday

Regardless of his personal issues...Allen has created some of the most ingenious hilarious entertaining films. Although I rarely see a movie a second time I will rewatch his classics. So for me the puzzle was fairly str8forward.

But

Ruined a perfect FIR (with no inkovers) by bouncing around with unite before UNIFY. Remembered SHTETL from a few weeks ago. A nit: paper clips are curved, get BENT when you bend them

Interesting to see ASCENT (a scent) crossed with the CKONE fragrance (unknown). EVE crossing EAVE. (I always wonder if these are planned or coincidental)

Canada eh MPH (just saw your comment) (kPH are the extra "little" numbers on our speedometers so that could still be a correct answer).

If BAWLing implies "unrestrained crying" how does "BAWL out" mean "chastise"? I thought the term was ball out. LIU but the explanation of why the former is used and not the latter is unconvincing.

Provide additional weaponry. ______ ARMOR
VW model...PSAT.
Military Installation....ABASE.
a Colorist is a ____ who works with ____ DIRE, DAIS.
A need for certain pads. _____ ESCAPEE 🤭🤭🤭

Congratulations C Moe on your CW baptism

Malodorous Manatee said...

Thanks for the heads up regarding the WSJ puzzle.

Spitzboov said...

Well, I did the WSJ X-word. It had some circles but I liked it anyway. Seemed a tad easier than our LAT, today. Had a fresh fill feel to it.
Even had a CSO à moi at ENS.
BZ to CC and Chris.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Once, in the late 80's, I had lunch in the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan. Sitting at a nearby table were WOODY ALLEN and Mia Farrow.

Vidwan827 said...

Thank you, Mt. McKinley ( er, Matt ) for a lovely, doable, and enjoyable Monday puzzle.
Thank you Boomer for your ever present humor, .... One day, I might just decide to take up bowling, after hearing your entertaining stories ... although currently, I much prefer soup bowls, at present.

Lots of monkey business, gorilla-wise ... APIARY. ( apologies ala RayOSun )

Re: Fiddler on the rooftop - I couldn't fit in Anatevka, so I figured a jewish village in Eastern Europe would suffice, Shtetl. I live at present, in a sort of a super shtetl and couldn't afford to re-buy my own house.. Lol.

Boomer, you wrote,'Nest Egg letters: IRA. Still waiting for it to hatch'.
I trust this was an attempt of your punny humor... If so, ignore the rest of this para.

I am the last person who would want to enquire into your personal financial affairs, but the IRS rules say, that at a certain age, generally 70 yrs, an IRA owner has to take an RMD - Required Minimum Distribution, based on mortality tables. There are a few exceptions, however. This is a requirement on the IRA trustee, financial institutions, as well.

What follows, is not meant to be political, merely a financial fact, in history.

In 2012, the presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was noted as having circa $ 101 million in his IRA. Very good, and legal, tax planning.
( I am pretty sure, IRA funds cannot be used to buy Super Lotto tickets ...)

Have a great Monday, and a super week, all.

Yellowrocks said...

1-2-3 fast Monday puzzle. I am not a Woody Alan fan, but have seen a few of his movies and heard of many more. I hadn't heard of Interiors, however the clue and two perps made that one easy. IMO, Woody Allen is aptly named.
Spitz, I was planning to mention Pearl Harbor Day if you no one else did. So tragic!
Soft G and hard G not longer fool me, but clues like that are not my favorites.
In addition to weep loudly bawl means to shout loudly and unrestrainedly. That word always brings to mind bawling drill sergeants. Cry also means weep and shout.
The tennis winner is hit at the net before it goes over it.
Nice sunshiny day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Hope its not tref or haram to comment on Chris and C C's WSJ puzzle on our LAT site. Goggled it, just finished

But....great job, a fun str8forward Monday challenge. Two inkovers fDA/CDC and Dish/Diss. Clever umbrella and IHOP clues.

My disappointment?

Being a Wall Street Journal puzzle was hoping the circled letters would spell out stock tips!! (Insider trading in code?)

Just sayin' 😉

TTP said...




Good morning. Thank you, Matt McKinley, and thank you, Boomer.

This land is your land, this land is my land, from California, to the New York Island - written and performed by another Woody.

I agree with both D-O and inanehiker about Woody Allen movies. I also think they were over hyped and tended to be letdowns. But Midnight in Paris is one of my all time favorites. I think Bill G would agree.

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

For as easy and straightforward, this puzzle provided me a Wednesday or Thursday amount of write-overs, as well as a Natick

UNITE/UNIFY; ARSON/MATCH; AT LET/AT NET. I never saw CK ONE until reading Boomer’s informative and humorous recap. ‘‘Twas my Natick - the crossing of 19-A and 12-D

Matt McKinley’s puzzle has a MANHATTAN; {spoiler alert} CC and my puzzle also feature the name of a cocktail. I drink them both!

My partner Margaret got up early this morning to buy me a copy of the WSJ, even though the puzzle is available on line. Was happy to see that the editor of the WSJ (Mike Shenk) left most of our clues as we wrote them. I’ll say that I have a much better awareness of the difficulty x-word constructors have in making the puzzles fit, now that I’ve dipped my toes into this ARENA. Thanks CC for your collaboration!

NaomiZ said...

Hand up for "unite" before UNIFY. Also had "runaway" before ESCAPEE. I like Woody Allen's films and enjoyed the puzzle.

Re: Vidwan's retirement income comments, the IRS has updated rules for IRAs: "You must take your first required minimum distribution for the year in which you turn age 72 (70 ½ if you reach 70 ½ before January 1, 2020)." I think most IRA custodians will prompt you to do so.

Vidwan827 said...

On the WSJ puzzle ... Thank you Chris Gross and Zhouqin (CC) Burnikel.
Congrats, Chris on your debut !
Surprisingly easy, and very cute and fun clues.
Thank you for the privilege of letting me, solve the puzzle.

Based on my solving history, the WSJ has informed me, that they are not even interested in selling me a subscription... They're telling me to keep my money where it belongs, under the mattress.

RayOSun .... there are lots of Insider Tips on the movement of Stocks, on the street, in the CrossWord pussle. Just cleverly coded, so they have to be decrypted...

Look for three letter acronyms, like on the Big Board .... If they're Across, then no change is expected today. So HOLD.

If it's a DOWN clue, then the companies are waxing or waning, so a sell warning ...

If the acronyms are on the DOWNs at the bottom of the puzzle, Sell Short.

If you successfully follow my guarded instructions ... as I, myself, have been doing, all along ...
... we can meet at the Salvation Army soup kitchen, tomorrow.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Thank you, Matt McKinley, for a good Monday puzzle. I love WOODY ALLEN FILMS and have copies of several. Midnight in Paris shows his genius and ACUMEN.

My niece, CAROL, has a birthday this month. And today is my youngest granddaughter's birthday. Hard to believe she is 11.

Costa RICA is a beautiful country with really nice people.

SHTETL required all perps.

At age 83 I'm OK. I have to repeat it to believe that is really my age! The STEAKS last night were superb.

Have a lovely day, everyone!



ATLGranny said...

HEY, y'all, as I have learned to say in ATL instead of "hi, guys." FIR today and tried to have a grid as neat as Anon T seems to, but WOs prevented that. Like others I had AHhs and UNiTe plus AvIARY. Oops, wrong life form! I understood "Calvin Klein ONE" to be the designer fragrance. Thanks for the puzzle, Matt. I saw the theme fine though I haven't seen all the movies referenced. And a special thanks to Boomer today. Enjoyed your review very much.

Congratulations CMoe on your puzzle debut! Hope everyone stays warm and well today.

Misty said...

Delightful Monday puzzle, Matt--many thanks! I always enjoy your write-up, Boomer, and I loved seeing your picture of ELYSE this morning--one of my favorites in the days I would watch 'Family Ties.'

The La Times had clue 59 down spelled as "Diarist Anas." I knew right away that was wrong--it had to be ANAIS NIN. Thanks, Boomer, for correcting that in your commentary. I also loved seeing the picture of Arte Johnson and Goldie Hawn.

Congratulations on your puzzle debut, Chairman Moe.

Have a good week coming up, everybody.

Alice said...

I loved this puzzle. I knew immediately, when SLEEPER followed MANHATTAN, that this was a Woody Allen-themed puzzle. Like others I initially thought Allen’s movies were redundant, but over time I saw a real range in how Allen told stories on film. His ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’ is my favorite.

A very enjoyable puzzle, with a few difficult entries — SHTETL is always challenging to spell regardless of how many times you see it; CK ONE is unfamiliar.

Thanks, Matt for today’s enjoyable puzzle.

AnonymousPVX said...


BOOMER...if you cannot tell the diff between an SD picture and and HD picture...

1...Is the TV an HD TV? Don’t laugh...

2...did you upgrade to HD service? I cannot tell you how many folks neglect this.

3...Are you watching the HD channel? Or are you still watching the SD one? On my system the regular channel 2 is 1002 for HD.

Huge difference between SD and HD, the SD station will still have black bars around the picture. HD picture is so clear.

If your answer was YES to all the questions, make an appt with the eye doctor.

YR...used to play tennis, you cannot reach over the net to hit a ball, so the ball must always pass over the net before being struck.

Nice Monday puzzle, no issues.

Yellowrocks said...

I played tennis, too. Of course you can't reach over the net to hit the ball, but when the ball comes over the net to you, while you are at the net, hopefully you can hit it back over for a smash as a winner.

Costa Rica was an idyllic vacation spot for both Alan and me. The flora and fauna were lovely, as were the people.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thank you Matt for a Monday w/ a bit o' crunch. Thank you Boomer for the Monday levity - Yabba Dabba Doo!

WOs: Hand-up: UNITE -> UNIFY; Alas @1d -> AH ME.
ESPs: SHTETL - are letter even allowed to organize themselves that way?
Fav: This is a stretch but there's something about the arrangement of ELOPE, ESCAPEE, ALTAR, (DIRE?) and MATCH that makes me wonder...

What others have said about Woody Allen movies - I have enough angst on my own - I don't need to absorb his too.
What others have said - Woody Guthrie is my favorite Woody (right before Toy Story's)

Spitz - 2,403 were counted dead after the attack at Pearl Harbor; 2,977 on 9/11. Both tragic and about the same as our current DAILY Covid deaths.

C.Moe: Re WSJ - Only one WO in bock 22 - E not an A. Fun grid PAL. Congrats.
//Buy a frame for the paper Margaret picked up for you and hang it in your study. Guaranteed to break the ice at parties (*sadness* - can't find good Python clip)

D4 - what's the latest on CAROL?

C, Eh! Thank you for the reminder... I have to go find that ticket and pay it [there. done]. You see, DW & I were in Italy last year driving from Florence to Cinque Terre and I didn't quite convert k/ph -> MPH to their liking :-) I guess the rental company ratted me out.
//BTW, in DW's Alfa, I oft do >100MPH between Houston & San Antonio.

PVX - my DVR / Cable box will automatically go to the HD channel (eg: I say NBC or punch in 12 and it goes to the HD one). However, I really don't need to see the pores of the anchor's face.

Vidwan - Funny stock tips / soup kitchen. Yeah, don't listen to me either -- my main stock is down 41% this year. My IRA (S&P Index fund) is fine though.

They Might be Giants will Sink Manhattan [2:26]

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Cheers, -T

LEO III said...

Hello, everyone!

Thanks Matt and Boomer. Congrats, CMoe. I did the WSJ puzzle too.

I did Matt’s puzzle early this morning, as soon as it was posted. It seemed to be right in my wheelhouse, because I finished it in a timely manner, and then I went to bed. (Note that timely for me would be a long time for most of you.)

Starting with the DOWNS again, I was able to get all of the long clues and the reveal pretty quickly. I also had UNITE before UNIFY and ELISE before ELYSE. (Yes, I was in love with Meredith Baxter too.)

When I finally went to bed early this morning, I knew that I had a problem with the SW corner. First thing I did when I got back to the puzzle was stare at it long enough to find and correct the errors and save a FIR. SHTETL and CKONE were done with perps.

Boomer, I think quite a few coaches, pro and college, will be looking for new jobs soon. Given the upheaval the pandemic has caused in the sports world, I’m not sure all of them are at fault.

As I’ve said before (and others have said today), “Midnight in Paris” is one of my favorite movies, and I am not much of a Woody Allen fan. I really liked that movie, though, and I highly recommend it. It caused the history nut in me to go back and research some of the people portrayed in the movie. BTW, Léa Seydoux (Gabrielle in “Midnight in Paris” ) is in “Spectre” and “No Time to Die" (the two latest James Bond movies).

-T --- "Midnight in Paris" is sans angst. I think you'd like it. The best part of it is that HE is not in the movie; he just wrote and directed it. The music and the cinematography are excellent! It's a cute story.

inanehiker said...

TTP and others - I agree with you on "Midnight in Paris" an enjoyable movie with a plot and everything! Probably why it succeeded more than some of his other recent movies. Many people have quit seeing his movies (and agreeing to act in them ) due to his illustrious alleged history

billocohoes said...

I think if a tennis ball lands on your side, but with a lot of backspin or into a high wind such that it bounces back over the net to your opponents side, you can reach over to hit it, but don’t touch the net.

If your tv is small you might not notice HD, hi def’s advantage increases with screen size

Lucina said...

Sigh. Today I received my new cell phone and for the millionth time I wished I were not so challenged by anything electronic. A nice man from Consumer Cellular walked me through the installation process so it wasn't such a bad experience. I use my land line since I'm home most of the time but need the cell phone when I'm away and for long distance calls.

Boomer, thank you so much for your light hearted wit. I really enjoy your write ups.

Kelly Clark said...

I think you guys are amazingly cool. Love you all!

CanadianEh! said...

Lucinda- Belated Happy Birthday, I did not make it to the blog yesterday.

Ray’o- thanks for the update that your speedometers have kph also. Actually ours have MPH too but inverse to yours😊

AnonT- glad to be a reminder. It took a year for them to catch up with you?! The highway from the border crossings has speed marked in both MPH and km/h to remind Americans.

Ol' Man Keith said...

My fave WOODY ALLEN is Manhattan. No, wait-- was it Stardust Memories, or maybe Bananas?
Gosh, how could I forget Annie Hall?
Now that I think about it... Maybe it was ... er...

Definitely torn over the correct use of BAWL vs. BALL when it comes to scolding vs. weeping.

Congrats to Chairman Moe on your WSJ debut!
~ OMK
___________
DR: ATTENTION – All Diagonal Hunters!

Today we hit the Jackpot—a PERFECT 15-letter Anagram.

There are four diagonals in today’s Xwd, one on the near side, and a 3-way in opposition.
It is the near end diagonal that sports the full anagram. This refers to the price that is sometimes exacted for the use of sedatives, analgesics, or spinals in surgery.
Following a medical procedure, have you experienced chills, dizziness, or difficulty peeing?
If so you, my friend, are paying the…
ANAESTHESIA TOLL”!
And that’s the J A C K P O T!!

Sandyanon said...

Your comments just caused me to rent Midnight in Paris. Saw it years ago, but need to refresh my memories. Enjoyed it before, plan to enjoy it now. Thanks, all.

Anonymous T said...

C, Eh!, That's the Official Story - Don't rock the boat [Hues Corporation] -- I'd cost me an extra 100EU if I said anything about the first notice :-)

I do have a lead foot.
I-10 from HOU -> San Antonio is straight as piss. If there's empty concrete in front of me,... Hammer Down.

DW will wake when I drop speed.
"How fast are you going?"
"Um, Now?
About 80 MPH," I may say - impishly.

"You're doing 85 - Slow Down!"
"I am..."
"OK, just don't get stupid."
*too late :-)*

She'll fall back to sleep (riding in the car does that to her)
And Hammer Down.

I've gotten her Alfa to 148 MPH b/f backing off.
That's feeling alive!

//Same with my '86 Alfa Spider when I hit 60 MPH on a country road. Just not sure it the rattle-trap will hold together AND! your butt is only a foot off the road. You're really feeling alive then. :-)

Leo3 - OK, I'll see if DW wants to watch American in Paris since you've promised no angst.

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle and the WSJ puzzle. Forgot CK ONE so AT NET almost stumped me. RUNAWAY --> ESCAPEE. Some clever clues.

I just never could like or appreciate Woody Allen or any of his movies. Like Boomer I liked The Fugitive. I also liked Witness, another Harrison Ford movie.

Tony, I listened carefully to that radio program about the Wubi method of typing and enjoyed it greatly. Learned a lot, too. Thanks for posting it. By the way, is Giulia out of the shop yet?

Lucina, so glad you had such superb steaks last night. Good steaks are hard to find these days.

I have been bawled out many times when I was a kid.

I like the word BENT to refer to a crooked cop. It's so descriptive.

Good wishes to you all.

TTP said...


D-O. I like your new avatar. It's something to crow about !



Nice job on the puzzle Moe ! I liked it !



Ray-O, It's not an issue, but we have a practice of writing SPOILER ALERT before revealing any answers just in case other readers haven't had the chance to solve yet. For example, Wilbur and I might exchange a couple of comments about the Evan Birnholz Sunday puzzles, but not reveal answers or themes until ample time has passed.



The other day a comment from an Anon ended up in the moderation folder. He or she wrote, "I'm calling BS on the Nov 2 LA Times Daily Crossword clue 24D ala (sic) George Jasper. FRODO was NOT Bilbo's cousin. He was his nephew. First timer here but I needed to vent."

So I went to Nov 2, 2020 and the clue for 24D was not about Frodo or Bilbo. It WAS a George Jaspar puzzle. But 24D was totally unrelated to anything LOTR. So I used google advanced search to see if there ever was a blog that included Frodo, Bilbo and cousin anywhere in it. Yes, May 1st 2019 Paul Coulter. In that one, Melissa B did say that they were cousins at 67A.

Later that day on Dec 2nd, I solved the Universal puzzle. It was a George Jaspar puzzle. The clue at 24D that day was, "Bilbo's cousin" and the answer of course was FRODO.

So the stray poster that ended up in the Crossword Corner moderation folder for trying to post to Nov 2nd's blog was actually complaining about a Universal puzzle for Dec 2nd.


I guess if there's not a crossword blog for the puzzles a person solves, the next best thing is to comment on a different crossword blog. Either that, or someone was a bit confused about venues and is probably getting less sleep than me...

BTW, Frodo is Bilbo's second cousin once removed. Frodo calls him Uncle out of respect because Bilbo is 78 years older.

Wilbur Charles said...

-T, hope this isn't too late but the movie isn't "American" in Paris, it's Midnight. However, American won't be bad just dated a bit. It's a movie version set to the earlier Gershwin music of the name. American in Paris IMDb

I always did love Gershwin.

WC

Lucina said...

Jayce:
Yes. We like going to eat at the Longhorn and are never disappointed with their steaks. My daughter and her husband joined us and were equally pleased.