Theme: Looks Similar - The first word is a present participle. The
second words are plural nouns which share the same string of letters as the
first word.
20. Providing post-bath garb to red-breasted singers?: ROBING ROBINS.
31. Doing poorly in baking class?: MUFFING MUFFINS.
39. Growing dried grapes?: RAISING RAISINS.
54. Recording easy putts?: TAPING TAP-INS.
Boomer here. It's certainly an intricate theme for a Monday puzzle. I
was definitely not smart enough to figure it out.
In another ballpark, I have been patiently waiting for a vaccine. The VA contacted me twice but I don't feel closer to returning to the lanes yet. Age 73 with diabetes and cancer is not needy enough yet. Then I picked up the morning paper last week and there is a story about a convicted criminal in a Minnesota prison getting his shot at age 53. Praise the Lord and pass me another mask.
Dates like today, I always wonder if there is any history. I am thinking of 910 years ago. I wonder if there was free gold nuggets given away on 1-11-1111.
Across:
5. K9 Advantix II targets: FLEAS. Dogs have them and markets are
named after them.
10. Dance that tells a story: HULA. My memory does not remember
the dance as much as the HOOPS.
14. Capturing device: TRAP. It only took about eight of these in
our home, but we FINALLY got the little bugger in a glue TRAP in our basement
room.
15. Cuba __: rum cocktail: LIBRE. With a name like this they
should be free.
16. Former Lacoste partner in sportswear: IZOD. Interesting
crocodile logo.
17. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. Minnesota is a big potato in AGRA
business.
18. 5,000 feet, roughly: ABOUT A MILE. Walk it in my shoes.
22. Keep a roomie awake, maybe: SNORE. Not me, I stayed awake all
last night and did not hear myself SNORE once.
23. Letters before an alias: AKA. Also Known As.
24. Window sticker: DECAL. I don't like them. They mess up
car windows for sure.
28. Surg. areas: ORS. ORS in southern California are filled with
COVID victims. I hope things get better for them soon.
30. Chocolate-filled cookie: MILANO.
36. Became the champ: WON. There did not seem to have all the
attention that college bowl games usually attract. Maybe next year?
37. Farm bleaters: GOATS.
38. Like many SSA payment recipients: RET. That would be
me. And I received a big enough raise this year to pay for two games of
bowling. Now all I need is a vaccine.
44. Mischievous doings: ANTICS.
45. Jaguar XK-E, e.g.: CAR.
46. Tomato concentrate: PASTE. We went through gallons when I was
a pizza cook.
47. Hope/Crosby film destination: RIO.
50. Make roar, as an engine: REV UP. I don't know why people do
this, except in Indianapolis.
57. "That's slightly inaccurate": NOT EXACTLY.
60. Bluesy James: ETTA.
61. Put one __ on: fool: OVER. Peter Graves surname in "Airplane"
- Only I think he spelled it Oveur.
62. Gadget used on an apple: CORER.
63. Ace, as a test: NAIL. Or a Hole in One in Golf. Sorry,
I've never had one. Came close twice. Six inches. Once actually
rimmed the hole and turned ninety degrees to the right!
64. High roller's rolls: WADS. I enjoy a craps table or machine,
but not enough to carry a WAD.
65. The ones over there: THOSE.
66. Abound (with): TEEM.
Down:
2. One of the noble gases: ARGON.
3. Actress Greta: GARBO. A Swedish Actress Don'tcha know.
4. Two that match, as socks: A PAIR OF. Golf shoes, bowling
shoes. But A PAIR OF pants is not really a pair. I am waiting for
a PAIR OF shots in the arm!!
5. Flier on a pole: FLAG.
6. Heavenly scales: LIBRA. We used to visit our LIBRAry years
ago. 29. 6-Down and 11 others: SIGNS.
7. Kindle download: E BOOK. There were not any E BOOKS in it.
8. Dutch-speaking Caribbean island: ARUBA.
9. Alien-seeking org.: SETI.
10. "And he ... HE __! ... The Grinch carved the roast-beast!":
HIMSELF.
11. Israeli weapon: UZI.
12. Enthusiastic online "Ha-ha!": LOL. I seldom use this acronym.
I do not laugh at my computer.
13. Beverage suffix: ADE. LemonADE in the shADE.
19. "__ I don't?": challenging words: AND IF.
21. Foam-based ball: NERF. Are they still around ??
25. Piled-stones memorial: CAIRN.
26. Authors Rice and Tyler: ANNES. And a lady from Green
Gables.
27. Suffered defeat: LOST. I think our Vikings are 0-5 in Super
Bowls. At least I do not have to worry about them getting to 0-6 this
year.
30. Beethoven's love: MUSIC.
31. Polynesian Disney princess: MOANA.
32. Watts and volts: UNITS. I know a bit about these.
Lately I have been adding an LED bulb to the same circuit that has regular
incandescent bulbs on it and the LED will not light. I guess it was
prejudice.
33. Rich holiday drink: NOG. Holidays are over and once again I
passed on that stuff.
34. Long-nosed fish: GAR.
35. L.A. commuter org.: MTA. I thought Boston had the MTA.
The Kingston Trio told me. Poor old Charlie. Did he ever return ??
36. Rolled-up sandwich: WRAP.
40. Paid tot minders: SITTERS. While I was selling hamburgers for
15 cents, my older sister was minding tots for 25 cents per hour. Now
she is still doing it in San Francisco, but I think she charges a bit
more.
41. Mountaineer's tool: ICE AX. We fished through ICE on a lake,
but we used an auger to get through the ICE.
42. Lee whom nobody doesn't like: SARA. "Everybody doesn't like something ... but"
43. Sinner's atonement words: I REPENT.
47. Copier brand: RICOH.
48. MC's opening words: INTRO. No visit to Las Vegas this year
(next month). I always look forward to the MC's INTRO for me and I
get to go onstage and see if I can make my friends laugh.
49. Looks untowardly toward: OGLES.
51. Curriculum __: résumé: VITAE.
52. Loosen, as a knot: UNTIE.
53. Song of worship: PSALM. I don't hear them much in church
anymore.
55. Treaty: PACT.
56. Spare in a Brit's boot: TYRE.
57. Currently: NOW.
58. Egg cells: OVA. That's a YOKE on you.
59. Talking stuffed bear of film: TED.
Boomer
46 comments:
Good morning!
Easy theme and Wite-Out free. Finished in six minutes, which is about as fast as I can write -- if I intend to read it. Needed perps to spell RICOH (wanted two Cs), but otherwise it was a race to the bottom. Thanx, Jeffrey and Boomer.
EBOOK: One big disadvantage IMO is that you see the book cover, title and author's name when you first open the book. Never again, until you finish the book and remove it from the queue. End result -- I wind up re-starting many books, because I don't remember the author/title, only to realize that I've read it before.
ANNES: At Lemonade's suggestion I watched the three seasons of Anne With An E on NetFlix. Wholesome entertainment. The third season was a good stopping place, but it left things up in the air about the native American girl.
A tale-telling dance is the HULA.
But just a short story, not a SAGA.
On a tropical isle
The language style
May be strange, like the Dutch on ARUBA!
To say five-thousand feet's ABOUT A MILE
Is NOT EXACTLY correct, in fact it's vile!
It deserves a tomato
For omitting two-eight-oh,
REPENT, and get it right in a while!
{C+, C.}
Good Morning, Boomer and friends. Easy way to ease into the week.
I liked the crossing of LIBRA and LIBRE.
I agree, Boomer, vaccine distribution is quite baffling.
QOD: There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. ~ William James (Jan. 11, 1842 ~ Aug. 26, 1910), American psychologist
Very clever theme - not used to seeing a JW puzzle on a Monday! realized if the first part was going to end in ING then second plural noun had to end in INS.
I'm a little confused Boomer - you said the VA contacted you twice - what about?- if it wasn't to come in to get the vaccine?
Back to the salt mines today with the new EHR!
Thanks Boomer and Jeff!
A good Monday puzzle, Jeffrey. Thanks! And thanks for humorously confirming my FIR, Boomer. An encouraging start to the week with a theme easy to spot in the first themer. My WOs were near the bottom. Was I losing concentration? Saw the O and put hello instead of INTRO. Hymn or PSALM? PSALM had friendlier letters for word endings.... And so on. Still very enjoyable even when Peeler wouldn't fit in CORER's place. "Hello" still the perp there at that time.
Hope everyone stays safe and dry today. Masking up to head out soon. See you tomorrow.
Is it me, or is TAPING TAP-INS not fully consistent with the other three theme answers? In the first three answers, the same word/phrase sounds exactly the same in each of the two words. In the last answer, that isn't the case. "tapping tap-ins" would be more consistent with the theme, but it wouldn't make any sense. Just curious if anyone else noticed this and was irked by it?
Good morning everyone.
Anon @ 0822 - ROBING ROBINS has a long O followed by a short O.
Easy but thoroughly enjoyed another one of Jeffrey's offerings. The theme was predictable after the first entry, but still very clever. ROBING ROBINS comes about because they're shy birds and don't like to be seen naked. Couple unknown like MOANA, and TED, perped easily. Liked LIBRA crossing LIBRE.
ABOUT A MILE - 5000ft. (Actual land mile - 5280 ft.). A nautical mile is about 6000 feet or 2000 yards. A very convenient UNIT of measure when station keeping or encountering another vessel. (A nautical mile is exactly one minute of latitude.)
Thanks Boomer for another fine INTRO.
Spitz, wait a second, is that where "a mile a minute" comes from? :)
Frankly, I was shocked to see JW's name associated with this puzzle. I ordinarily think of his puzzles as stiff challenges. Oh well, it was a swift completion not to mention fun. Can't wait now til tonight's college championship game. Alabama will likely win, but it would be a welcome change to see Ohio State prevail.
Thank you Jeffrey for a nice and easy puzzle, and Boomer for your tongue in cheek humor.
Boomer, your sentiments match mine to a letter. I even find myself nodding** when I read your lines.
** Nodding in agreement, but not snoring.
Hope you get your shots soon. The US pharma companies, were the first with the vaccine, but trust the quasi government, at the local level to mess things up, as only they can. The medics and others like EMTs and 'others' in the system are getting their shots, the rest of us are Category 2 ... which is, wait till next year.
As for me, I am a-getting so used to this, I got into the shower with my mask on.
Have a nice day, and a great week everyone.
Quick and easy,but the cute theme made it worthwhile. I saw the theme right away. No unknowns. What are the 11 other signs at 29D?
In Wildwood,NJ there is a motorcycle convention every Sept.attracting mostly age 60+ riders. They glide in quietly the night before. The next morning they rev up their engines and make such a cacaphony we head for home.
When hiking above the tree line cairns are used instead of tree blazes.
When I was a sitter I was paid 25 cents an hour.
Mostly we say psalms instead of singing them.
I was contacted three times about Alan's vaccine and three times about mine. Still waiting for both.
Boomer: Nice write-up.
Never caught on to the theme ... seemed like a Wednesday puzzle to me ...
Fave, of course, was 15-a, Cuba LIBRE .. I've had a few of them over the years ...
OK, I've had a LOT of them ... LOL
Now I'm wondering can my BUC's beat the Saint's next Sunday?
Hope everyone is "Safe-N-Sound" ...
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Can't believe I wrote in Mulan instead of MOANA...wondered why the perps made no sense. And we actually met the real MOANA at a Disney Polynesian breakfast! (Wha? huh? it was just a girl wearing a costume? 😳 )
Once I sent Mulan packing no more MUFFING....I FIR....a typical Monday puzzle & easily parsed theme.
MILANOs (Milani?) are as addictive as OREOs and should be classified as controlled substances.
"Dance that tells a story": the Chicken Dance wouldn't fit...too long....
"Alien seeking organization": (immigration and customs enforcement) (ICE).... too short.
Ms Garbo we all want to help you do the crossword. Whaddyah say?)
Thought Ludwig's love would turn out to be Elise perps proved otherwise. 🎼🎶
Unnatural fear of the Taj Mahal ____ phobia....AGRA
Compassionate or a Carpenter.........CAIRN
Stealing earthworms from red breasted singers....ROBBING ROBINS
Punishment by stoning red breasted singers ....ROCKIN' ROBINS.
Going to be a cold week...
Good Morning:
I was surprised to see JW’s byline on a Monday puzzle but pleased with the wordplay and smoothness of the solve. Hand up for the Libre/Libra crossing. Jeffrey certainly brought his A game with Saga, Hula, Agra, AKA, Etta, Libra, Aruba, MTA, Moana, Sara, and Ova. No w/os or unknowns, so, easy breezy.
Thanks, Jeffrey W, for a fun start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for your usual wit, wisdom, and bon mots! I hope you get your vaccination soon!
Does anyone subscribe to Apple TV? When I bought my new iPad last February, I was given a free, one-year subscription. I’ve only watched a couple of series, mostly because viewing anything lengthy on the iPad gets tedious. Anyway, I just watched an eight part series entitled Defending Jacob. The subject matter was disturbing but the acting and suspense were riveting. Michele Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Chris Evans were both fantastic, as was the young boy (I forget his name) who played Jacob.
Have a great day.
D-O - - I dunno. I always took "a mile a minute" to be 60mph; one mile every minute for an hour.
I always thought CAIRN terriers were so-named for their ability to locate and identify stone piles in Scotland.
I read the original novel, Defending Jacob. Disturbing subject, but a fine novel.
Musings
-Our RET art curator delivers a masterful Monday-level work!
-Being RET is a noble goal but when I got there I discovered there are still 24 hrs in each day. Golf and crosswords have filled a big part of that time
-CPAP – 1 SNORE – 0
-Calling an XKE a car is like calling the Hearst Castle a house. Uh, NOT EXACTLY!
-If you take a WAD of cash into a casino, they will be glad to take it off your hands
-An Earth/Sun twin?
-The TYRE is in the boot and the motor is under the bonnet
What a treat! Thanks, Jeffrey, for the fun. Okay, it was easy, but just as delicious as all your all your offerings.
I loved LIBRE/LIBRA, and NOT EXACTLY , and ABOUT A MILE. Are we all feeling a bit hesitant?
I had a CAIRN terrier. Spitz, I believe they root around the piles of stones sniffing out rodents or other small furry animals. They are a working breed and really want to work, even in cities with few stone piles, or need for their skills. Mine brought me several unasked for mice. He’d catch them outside and bring them into the house. Then he waited for praise!
I got my first COVID vaccine yesterday. No problem at all. It’s hard to understand all the SNAFUS. Just lack of coordination I guess.
Boomer thanks for the giggles. Owen, A, A!!
The Koians abandoned their planet millenia ago after destroying its climate and filling its oceans with plastic
🚀
They resettled on the third rock from our sun where they started the cycle all over again. Changed their name to Earthlings
Above was addressed to Husker...
Hola!
Who can offer a more clever Monday puzzle than Jeffrey Wechsler? Not many in my opinion. I liked the theme and laughed when reading them aloud.
E-BOOK made me think of Yellowrocks who uses her kindle to read books. I just can't do it. I love to hold the book, flip the pages and settle in to enjoy it. Right now I am reading the Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion which is the third in his series after The Rose Effect and The Rosie Project. All are entertaining.
Of course, reading books and being a hoarder of them leads to big problems for me and I am trying to purge a bit though it's wrenching.
Only rarely have I see ROBINS here, on their way to somewhere else I'm sure.
I liked the sort of parallel positions of LOST and WON at each end. The crossing of LIBRE/LIBRA is amusing, too, as others have noted.
Nicely done, Boomer, thank you. I'm glad to see you are doing well and hope you get your vaccine soon.
It has been a frustrating morning for me today. Last week I was told to report today to count money and on arriving there was informed that, no, it would be the 19th. I did not ask for the job and if I didn't know better would guess I am being put off. That's ok, I don't need to be out and about on a Monday morning.
I hope you are all doing well.
Woohoo! I love Jeffrey Wechsler puzzles and what a treat to get one on a Monday! Woohoo! And thanks for your always delightful write-up, Boomer.
Loved working my way through this puzzles, starting out with getting STARS and then GARBO almost right after that. Then with the long ones I noticed ROB and ROB, and on the next one FF and FF, and became alerted to the fun repeats in each of the theme entries. RAISING RAISINS was probably my favorite.
Never heard of MILANO, but Boomer's picture made it pretty sure that I've had a chance to taste those cookies pretty often over the years. Anyway, lots of fun, thanks again, Jeffrey.
Have a good week, everybody!
COVID Vax...places like rest homes...and prisons...have a concentrated amount of people in a confined space and are priorities to be vaxxed quickly. Not sure how or why this comes as a surprise or even news.
Odd but welcome to see a JW early in the week.
Those NFL games were all pretty good. This weekend coming up has much interest as well.
Along with tonight and the NCAA college playoff, which I have a feeling won’t be that good, please let me be wrong.
Just before the holidays I read about a food item I had never heard of...a Danish Kringle...so I bought one, a Wisconsin Kringle from ohdanishbakery.com. It was unbelievable, I have now tried the Cherry Cheese and the Copenhagen. Looks like the Tirimisu might be next. New food!
Despite being a JW this was a Monday puzzle for sure, solved it top to bottom. No issues.
Stay safe.
Anybody seen any SIGNS? 29D sounds suspiciously like a reveal clue, but I can't for the life of me suss what it reveals. We could stretch 6D to imply a BALANCE and then see that 20A, 31A, 39A, and 54A have NOT EXACTLY homophonic words on both pans, but then including 6D that only makes 9 "signs". What am I missing?
Bill
Zodiac signs.
FIR, amusing theme which almost filled itself in. Fun solve.
Puzzling thoughts:
WEES, surprised to see a JW on a Monday. Liked both puzzle and recap
As straightforward and eventually easy as it was, I nevertheless had a few write-overs. I had to redo the first themer several times, so I didn’t get off to a very Good Start. NOT EXACTLY my best Monday solve ..
PURÉE/PASTE
Was I the only one looking for a G/S unifier somewhere at the bottom of the puzzle?
A Moe-ku:
Red-haired sporting dogs
Who double as nannies are
Called: Irish SITTERS
JW is referring to signs of the Zodiac with the words “11 others”. 29D is not a reveal clue.
I subscribe to Apple TV+ and binged “The Morning Show”; it was EXCELLENT except for putting one episode in the middle as a prequel which was pretty goofy. If u have a smart TV u can do “Screen Mirroring” and watch from ur iPad onto the TV. Or just add an AppleTV app on the TV, open it and use it to watch. They will send u a code; u have to enter it on ur Apple device to register the TV for AppleTV+.
I loved this puzzle.
Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffrey and Boomer.
I saw the ING-INS theme early which hastened the solve.
Did any of us NOT notice the LIBRE/LIBRA cross or think of Peeler before CORER??
I had to wait to add OF; A PAIR seemed sufficient at first.
Yes, I thought of YR with that Kindle EBOOK. I use Overdrive to read books from my library. It has a History section and I can check the titles that I have already read. The books disappear from the Bookshelf when my download time has expired.
Nobody in our area of Ontario has received the vaccine yet; we weren't considered a "hot spot". Coming this week for health care workers and long-term-care folks. The sooner the better! I read that some Ontario snowbirds have received the vaccine in Florida!
Wishing you all a great day.
Uncle Fred, thanks. I was looking for all twelve. Only goat and
scales appeared. The 11 was a sneaky and unnecessary misdirection. I thought of signs immediately but obsessed over 11 before I dropped it.
The Oaks will get the vaccine on Jan. 14 and Feb.4. Alan was tested today, probably because he will not be illegible if he already is infected. Maybe he will be vaccinated soon. Maybe in two months Alan and I can go back to limited visits. David is minimizing the threat and making me leery of seeing him. His philosophy says the
threat is mostly hype.
Jerry your the best. Be safe.
Jeffrey
I agree with Jayce: loved the puzzle.
Boomer, my mom was outraged that folks in prison are being vaccinated as a priority, but they have no opportunity for social distancing, no hand sanitizer, and very limited access to hand washing. Maybe they are guilty of crimes -- and in some cases, not -- but they weren't sentenced to death! It's a problem that needs to be addressed.
Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles, people are dropping like flies because they just *have* to celebrate the holidays with the extended family, or wander the mall.
Doh, unclefred and TTP (smacking forehead!). Making the ridiculously simple seem extremely difficult is one of my SUPER POWERS. Well it sounded like a reveal clue. Anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Bill
Good evening Cornerites.
Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig Carol is in the building!
She went to an ER on Sun. 11-22-20 and was admitted.to the hosp. She moved to a Rehab on Mon.11-30.She was scheduled to come home after rehab but tested positive for COVID-19,-20 &-21.
She was moved to a COVID unit on Mon. 12-21 for 14 days. She had no symptoms. She returned here on Tues. 1-5-21,
2 score and 4 days or 6 weeks and 2 days or 44 days later.
Thank you for your concern, support, and prayers. She is doing well now that she is home.
Thank you Jeffrey Wechsler for your enjoyable Monday CW.
Carol and I FIR in 22:12 min.
Thank you Boomer for your excellent review.
:) :) :) :) Ðavið
AKA D4E4HE2C9C3H
Dave4- glad to hear that Carol is back home and you are doing the CW together👍🎶
YR @ 10:16 ~ I didn’t read the novel, Defending Jacob, but I read an article this morning that said the movie had a completely different ending than the book. The movie’s ending was far from definitive.
SwampCat @ 11:36 ~ Congrats on getting your first injection. As of today, I’m eligible but Lord only knows when I’ll actually get it. In fact, it was just announced that my county and two other local counties haven’t received any vaccines yet.
Uncle Fred @ 2:30 ~ The Apple TV app is not available for my TV but, even if it was, I wouldn’t subscribe because I already have Netflix streaming and Netflix DVD subscriptions. I agree with you on the quality of The Morning Show.
Dave 4 @ 4:49 ~ Great news about Carol! Stay safe, both of you.
Give me the Sausalitos. Rarely on sale, though.
I called that CORER a paRER.
I thought Beethoven's love was Elise. Hi RayO.
Try to find eggNOG after the holidays.
As I was motivat 'n thru I stopped. Aha, and noticed the constructor. Yep, JW. What a lovely Monday xword for a newbie solver. At first I thought we were dropping G's. Had some w/o's.
I agree on l'ick grades especially #2 which was clever. Boomer , you always get a W.
WC
Speaking of VA. I was there again today. No real plans on vaccine but they signed me up.
Ps, D4 good to see you've reunited (and it feels so good)
I meant an upgrade on those l'icks. At least a B and B+
I was thinkng Beethoven with his piano in Charlie Brown.
Did the puzzle after breakfast this morning. No issues. Then, I got busy doing other stuff, so I'm late again.
The only Wite-Out was correcting the spelling for CAIRN.
Thanks, Jeffrey and Boomer. Both the puzzle and the write up were excellent.
Football game ain't going my way. Think I'll get some sleep.
Dave4
I'm so happy for you that Carol is home! Stay safe and healthy, both of you, please.
Our weather is even better than usual for January!
I felt teary when Jeopardy started tonight but must give credit to Ken Jennings. He performed well in trying to fill some really large shoes and warmly acknowledged the sadly departed Alex.
Lucina, I agree with you--Ken Jennings is not Alex, and we will probably miss Alex for a long time, and Ken did a very good job. But I gather others will also be tested in the position.
Hi All!
Whoot! I nailed a JefWex puzzle (Oh? Oh, it's only Monday? :-)) When I figured out the theme, I smiled - I liked it.
Thanks JW for a fun start to the work-week. Thanks Boomer for the entertaining expo.
WO: PUREE -> PASTE (Hi C, Moe!)
ESP: CARIN
Fav: I thought NOT EXACTLY was fun.
{B, B+}
D4 - Good news re: Carol!
First day back to work and Oh, my - lots to catch-up on.
Cheers, -T
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