Theme: "Gimme a Hand!"* - The first word in each theme is a poker phrase.
22A. *Smell awful: DRAW FLIES.
24A. *Do a garage job: CHECK THE OIL.
103A. *Walk off the job: CALL A STRIKE.
105A. *Cause a disturbance: RAISE CAIN.
31D. *Speculate, in a way: DEAL IN FUTURES.
33D. *Have what it takes: CUT THE MUSTARD.
37D. *Do a washday chore: FOLD LAUNDRY.
42D. *Try to deceive one of the base runners: BLUFF A THROW.
We seldom see asterisks in LAT puzzle titles. Often puzzles with asterisks in the theme entries have a reveal in the grid.
Fred
put four theme entries Across and four in Down. Rich probably was
worried the theme entries were not prominent for some solvers as we do
have a few long 8s in the mix. Hence the asterisk.
This is a typical Fred Piscop construction. You won't see obscure names or weird abbrs in his grids. Only 14 three-letter entries. Plenty of common four - and five-entries.
Here's a picture of Fred with David Kahn & Liz Gorski, ACPT, 2011.
Across:
5. Fabled loser: HARE.
9. Battle of heavyweights: SUMO. Adult sumo wrestlers can eat up to 10,000 calories a day.
13. Nail alternative: SCREW.
18. Turkish currency: LIRA.
19. Not quite round: OVAL.
20. Luxury sheet material: SATIN. Is it comfy though?
21. Slopping the hogs, e.g.: CHORE.
26. Shove off: SET SAIL.
27. Like loud crowds: AROAR.
29. Applied fragrant hair dressing to: POMADED. When I lived in
Guangzhou in the late 1990s, lots of guys had this hairstyle in
Guangzhou & Hong Kong area. Might be mousse. This is Andy Lau, by
the way.
30. Tire pattern: TREAD.
32. Golden: AURIC.
34. Hanoi holiday: TET.
35. Social function: AFFAIR.
38. "Cast of thousands" member: EXTRA.
40. Davis Cup org.: USTA. United States Tennis Association. The women's equivalent of the Davis Cup is Billie Jean King Cup.
42. Many Eng. degrees: BAs.
45. Othello and kin: MOORS.
46. Titled women: DAMES. Helen Mirren is one.
47. Last checkbox, often: OTHER.
48. Set aflame: LIT.
49. Misfortunes: ILLS.
50. Tom and buck: MALES.
51. SAT prep teacher, often: TUTOR. Hi, Bill G!
 |
| Barbara & Bill |
52. Firecracker part: FUSE.
53. "Toy Story" bully: SID. Google says he's the "evil neighbor kid of Andy".
54. Evaded the bouncer, maybe: GOT IN.
55. Bat-maker's tool: LATHE.
56. Go through quickly: RIFLE.
57. Reserve, as a date: HOLD OPEN.
60. Dancing pro: HOOFER.
61. Suffix suggesting wealth: AIRE. Like "millionaire".
62. Ulna locale: FOREARM.
64. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones": OONA.
65. Drew out: EDUCED.
67. Many airport rides: UBERS.
68. E is the only vowel that doesn't begin any of their names: US STATES. Great clue angle.
72. Napkin material: LINEN.
73. Unemotional: STONY.
74. Destiny and source of the phoenix: ASHES.
75. Managed care gp.: HMO.
76. Some eligible receivers: ENDS.
77. Informed, with "in": CLUED.
78. Communion site: ALTAR.
79. Frigate front: PROW. Not STEM.
80. Tourist's rental: CAR. Now I realized that the Santa Fe we
rented from Budget in Las Vegas must be their top-of-the-line car.
Rental companies probably don't buy the most basic versions.
81. Nitpickers split them: HAIRS.
82. Of great scope: BROAD.
83. Composed tweets, say: WROTE. And 59. Gain popularity on Twitter: TREND.
84. Give it a whirl: TRY.
85. Cost to play: ANTE.
86. Brut, compared to sec: DRIER.
87. Ate, with "down": CHOWED. A few more food references:
88. Words with stew or pickle: IN A. 13D. Cream cheese serving: SCHMEAR. 56D. Turnips and parsnips: ROOTS. 58D. Prepares ham for an omelet, say: DICES.
89. Tender spots: SORES.
91. Took a chance: DARED.
93. Adorn with sequins: SPANGLE.
97. Toyed with, cat-style: PAWED.
99. Coming and going: GERUNDS. Chinese is much simpler, we just
add "zheng zai" in front of all verbs. Wo zheng zai type (I'm typing).
Wo zheng zai eat. (I'm eating).
107. Photoshop, e.g.: ALTER.
108. Printer powder: TONER.
109. "Winning __ everything": ISN'T. It's the only thing in sports.
110. Austen classic: EMMA.
111. Stains on reputations: BLOTS.
112. Knocks out, in a way: AWES.
113. Flat-nosed dogs: PUGS.
114. Like some pockets: DEEP. When we go out, Boomer only wears his sweatpants with zipper pockets on. We also had a few scares with his wallet, Gary!
Down:
2. Potentially ruinous: DIRE.
3. "Doggone it!": DRAT.
4. Reacted to a punch: SAW STARS.
5. More saintly: HOLIER.
6. St. Teresa's home: AVILA.
7. "Norma __": RAE.
8. Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA. We've been in "Frozen" land for a long while.
9. Roughly one-third of Africa: SAHARA.
10. Where embryos develop: UTERI.
11. Emcee's lapel attachment: MIC.
12. Like GIs in the kitchen: ON KP. Meal for a Chinese soldier. Those red berries in the soup are goji berries, nutrient-dense.
14. Play badly?: CHEAT.
15. Cross above an altar: ROOD.
16. Vowel-rich lake: ERIE.
17. Join with a blowtorch: WELD.
20. Rubs clean: SCOURS.
23. Anna of "The Emoji Movie": FARIS. She was married to Chris Pratt, who's now married to Katherine Schwarzenegger.
25. Wobble: TOTTER.
28. Hotels.com quotes: RATES.
35. Horse-and-buggy group: AMISH. There's sweet Amish family in our local Annadale flea market. They sell all kinds of jams.
36. Four-page sheet: FOLIO.
39. Magneto's enemies: X MEN. Ian McKellen played Magneto in "X-Men" movies.
41. Slipper, for one: SHOE.
43. Big-box store division: AISLE.
44. Rodeo bovine: STEER.
46. Take out: DATE.
47. __ Banks: OUTER. Never been there. We did drive to Myrtle Beach for a golf vacation ages ago.
50. Minibike relative: MOPED.
51. Cantina appetizers: TAPAS.
52. Shrek's love: FIONA.
54. "The Elements of Bridge" author Charles: GOREN.
55. Having one's doubts: LEERY.
60. Car washer, at times: HOSER.
63. Bassoon cousins: OBOES.
65. Send to the Hill: ELECT.
66. Currency of Jordan: DINAR.
69. Migratory herring: SHAD. Do you like pickled herrings? Most grocery stores have them on sale during the new year period. Probably a Minnesota thing.
70. Portray fury or fear: EMOTE.
71. Spread, as seed: SOWED.
73. X-Acto knife cut: SLIT.
74. Skin cream additive: ALOE.
77. Venice features: CANALS.
78. Respond to reveille: ARISE.
79. Manufactured: PRODUCED.
81. Homes for gliders: HANGARS. Star Tribune had an article saying that the flight schools here are much busier than before the pandemic.
82. Suds maker: BREWER.
83. Placement word: WHERE.
86. Ducklings' dads: DRAKES.
87. Reaches a peak: CRESTS.
88. Chesapeake Bay, e.g.: INLET.
90. Offer a view: OPINE.
92. Winery process: AGING.
93. Worker during a walkout: SCAB.
94. Dark cloud: PALL.
95. Choral part: ALTO.
96. Kett of old comics: ETTA. Not many ways to clue this entry.
98. Faucet annoyance: DRIP.
100. Point a finger at: NAME. Name names.
101. Coin depicting a torch: DIME.
102. Totally lose it: SNAP.
104. Obey the coxswain: ROW.
106. Pac-12 sch.: ASU.
Happy
birthday to dear JD, who has generously shared with us many of her
grandkids' pictures over the years. This one was taken on at Cameron’s 4th birthday in 2014.
New Agers say that they are "woke", and now
ReplyDeleteThe whole world they will awaken, they vow.
The human soul
Yearns to be whole,
It's annoying they aver they're WHOLIER than thou!
The loving couple make their vows at the ALTAR.
And for a long time neither one will falter.
But a tryst may bring to bear
An EXTRA-marital AFFAIR.
When that occurs, the loving vows may ALTER.
{B-, C+.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGot the puzzle. Didn't get the poker theme. I was trying to fit "hand" with the themers, and it wasn't working. BLUFF A THROW seems really strained -- has anybody ever said that? Didn't think so. GOREN would've been tough for younger solvers. He used to write a syndicated bridge column, but he's been gone almost 30 years. This one came together very quickly. Thanx, Fred and C.C. (Photos: Fred and K-P shots didn't make the trip. Is that a young Helen Mirren or somebody else?)
SHAD: You probably saw lutefisk in the stores, C.C. It's very popular in Minnesota. My dad liked to go to lutefisk suppers at area churches in WI. I prefer my fish fried, baked, or deep-fried, not soaked in lye. It's an acquired taste that I never acquired.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteThank you Fred Piscop and C.C.! I agree that Fred's puzzles are clean and often easy such as this one. I breezed through it which is not as quickly as a sashay but still fast for a Sunday. However, I had no idea the "hand" referred to poker.
I know Anna FARIS from the sitcom, Mom, which is hilarious most of the time but also disturbing because it involves overcoming alcoholism.
I love herring; I was introduced to it in Sweden and here the only place to buy it is Costco where I don't often go.
CSO to my niece at BREWER and to us Arizonans at ASU, my alma mater and neighbor in Tempe.
One error at UTERI/UTERo, AURIC/AURo.
I like the word SCHMEAR.
ROOD and ALTAR give us a Sunday religious reference.
It's a big day of cooking today so I'll return to bed.
Have a super Sunday, everyone!
You were up early Lucy; have a nice nap. Fred is a real pro and I learned to read and add playing cards so this theme was very easy to spot.
ReplyDeleteHow about HENRI___? Henrietta.
A nice Sunday puzzle today, Fred. Thanks! And thanks to C.C. for the tour. I circled around clockwise back to the NW where SAW STARS and DRAW FLIES were my last entries. The W was slow to come. Otherwise I didn't have many missteps: trams for UBERS, tried for DARED and woes for ILLS. I saw the first words of the themers were referring to card games (not personally a poker player so that didn't come to mind immediately). So, all in all a fun puzzle and a FIR today!
ReplyDeleteEverything is getting back to normal here as our major house repair is finished and much appreciated. Life is good and a new week approaches. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend. And Happy Birthday to JD!
In my newspaper the theme of the Sunday puzzles is obvious, and I wish they would change it. In BOLD CAPITAL letters directly above 1A is "GIMME" A HAND!*. That makes the Sunday puzzles way too easy. And this one was an easy fill with just a few unknowns- SID, DRIER, ELSA, Anna FARIS, XMEN, SCHMEAR.
ReplyDeleteMOPED- the worst of both worlds. Bad motorcycle or scooter and very hard to peddle bicycle.
I remember Charles GOREN's name from when I was a kid. There was a daily article about bridge hands-all four were displayed- and he would describe how to play them. I've never played bridge.
RATES at Hotels.com or any website. They don't include the 'resort fees' and taxes and they can get steep. Some hotels in Las Vegas add $40-50/day and what do you get for it? WiFi and use of a gym and swimming pool.
CAR rentals-usually the rental companies only have the most basic models. The Dodge Journey I rented two weeks ago in Seattle had radio, heater, & AC. No blue tooth or GPS. Manufacturers have to produce cars to make up for CAFE standards to offset the sales of SUVs and Trucks to satisfy the weird 'average mpg' for the entire company. They sell those small cars to rental companies at very steep discounts.
I had fun with this even though it seemed a bit easy for a Sunday.
ReplyDeleteTop left and bottom right were my last fills, since I had SEE STARS at first (didn't notice the past tense), and OSU instead of ASU so I thought ROIS might be ROIST (ugh). Anyway I quickly fixed my mistakes.
My only quibble is that Eng. degrees could be BS degrees (Engineering), or BA (English). Thus the clue is ambiguous.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteEasy one today like others have said. Only guess was SID; the crossing FOLIO was unfamiliar. The theme phrases were all familiar. ERIE was finally clued for what it's usual purpose; vowel richness. No searches or erasures were needed.
Thought of Lucina with the phoenix clue.
Thought the crossing of SCAB with CALL A STRIKE was apropos.
Enjoy the day.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe title plus the first two entries, Draw Flies and Check the Oil, were a dead giveaway to the theme, but it was still an enjoyable solve with scads of fun pairings and fill: Linen/Satin, Altar/Alter, Roots/Rood, Lira/Dinar, Limos/Ubers, Odds/Ends, and Erie/Canals. Oona crossing Fiona (both Irish) caught my eye as did Lit above Fuse. There were also theme-related Easter Eggs with Odds, Ante, and Cheat. I had a few w/os: EEs/BAs, Call It Quits instead of A Strike, Enact/ Elect, Oar/Row, and Tacos/Tapas. As CC pointed out, the three letter word count was noticeably low and the proper names were mostly known and fewer in number than many Sunday grids. My favorite C/As were Play Badly=Cheat and Suds Maker=Brewer. Did anyone else think 57A-Hold Up could have been a themer?
Thanks, Fred, for a very enjoyable solve with just enough crunch to satisfy and thanks, CC, for the commentary and “color” tidbits.
FLN
Anon T ~ Thanks for the background on Pink and Floyd. Now I know why DO thought my “if I fell over him” comment was so funny. What I know about pop music and musicians would fit in a thimble, with room to spare.
Have a great day.
A faster than normal Sunday FIR. Sawstars and drawflies crossing were the last to fall for me. At 42A I had EEs before changing to BAs. Every time I see Banks such as the clue for 47D I instantly think of my childhood hero Ernie Banks of the insufferable Cubs. Faris and Sid were unknown, but easily sussed. Gotta get spruced up for Mass then it's breakfast out and more NFL playoff games. Such a life.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm the only one who thought "Gimme a hand" had to do with clapping.
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother was German and my mother always had pickled herring in sour cream at New Years. It's a tradition I try to maintain. (Great puzzle today by the way!)
ReplyDeleteBLUFF A THROW is a common strategy particularly with a base runner on second base taking a big lead. The pitcher will whirl around toward second base and fake a throw forcing the base runner to quickly return to the base. This keeps the runner close to the bag and eliminates the possibility of an error on a errant throw.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-The title led me to HAND DRAW, HAND CHECK (test correcting and basketball), HAND CUT and HAND FOLD but then petered out at HAND DEAL. My dim bulb eventually blinked on.
-MOORS – We watched a Nat Geo special on the Alhambra yesterday which is where the MOORS made their last stand before Isabella and Ferdinand drove them out of Spain
-Grandson found out yesterday that he GOT IN at Pepperdine. Hmmm… college at Malibu?
-Gene Kelly took 8 weeks to make Frank Sinatra a HOOFER and Frank held his own with him in this movie
-NASA used “C” and “E” twice but skipped the letter “B” in naming shuttle orbiters: Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour and Enterprise
-Zippers are now standard on my sweat pants too, C.C.!
-I hand plant radishes to eat that ROOT. Joann says I should just SOW the seeds
-A QB’s success depends on 1) his talent and 2) WHERE he lands in the draft
-Happy Birthday Judy!
"This is a typical Fred Piscop construction. You won't see obscure names or weird abbrs in his grids. Only 14 three-letter entries." This is why I enjoy Fred's work. POMADED as a past-tense transitive verb was the biggest stretch and that is praise-worthy.
ReplyDeleteWe knew neither ELSA not FARIS as clued and these were the last to fall. We finished the puzzle without recognizing the theme until staring at the NW long enough to finally see DRAW FLIES. With that, the final theme answer was grasped, the final two perps were solved and the theme, itself, was recognized.
D O, I have heard baseball announcers use the phrase BLUFF A THROW in painting their word pictures. Perhaps I listened to too many games on the radio as a child.
Addendum
ReplyDelete-Infielders often BLUFF A THROW when they have a runner “IN A PICKLE”
I'll admit I don't listen to a lot of sports announcers. The last one was Earl Gillespie doing play-by-play on a Milwaukee Braves game.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, JD! I know your celebration will be fun.
ReplyDeleteVery enjoyable puzzle. Worst clue is “coming and going”.
ReplyDeleteEchoing others, easy, but fun Sunday crossword. I got through Saturday’s quicker than usual too, maybe I’m just getting smarter!
ReplyDeleteOur local paper, a Gannett, has a 12 page insert today with lots of crosswords and other word games. Not sure I’ll make it through all of them. I think they really do it so they can add their $5 surcharge to delivery subscribers for “periodic” supplements, which seem to be once a month. If it wasn’t because I like to do the crossword and sudoku on paper, I’d probably do an on-line subscription. Still old-school.
Recognized the poker theme early on, but it didn't help with the solve. I found the puzzle to be challenging but fair, and FIR. I usually work on Across clues for a good chunk of the grid, and then Down clues, but today I really needed to stick to perps as I went along. Thank you, Fred, for Sunday morning fun, and C.C., without whose wonderful blog it would be a much lonelier effort.
ReplyDeletejfromvt, I also prefer to do the puzzles on paper. I print them from the online edition. That's a lot less expensive that subscribing to the dead tree version.
ReplyDeletejfromvt, I was loath to go digital with our newspaper for the same reasons, but I quickly adjusted to the digital version and, like D-O, I print the puzzles. Now DH doesn’t have to go to the curb to bring in the paper each morning. Plus reading the paper on an iPad is so much more convenient.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a fun puzzle today, Mr. Piscop. Thanks to CC too!
Since I had Fred Piscop on my brain, I wanted BREWER to be "Brewski" :-)
ReplyDeleteFun time with this one!
Easy today. No obscure clues or names. Only FARIS was new to me.
ReplyDeleteBluff a throw: whether or not it is an official term, it is what pitchers do sometimes. I can readily picture it.
I love pickled herring and, even more, herring in sour cream.
Happy birthday, JD. Lovely grandkids.
In Europe some pickpockets are so skillful zippers don't deter them. A lady on our tour had her shoulder bag slit while she was walking, all unaware that her wallet was being stolen.
A hoser is an uncouth idiot.
More covid restrictions have been added at the Oaks this weekend. No visitors or small groups. No housekeeping or maintenance, except for emergencies. I am thankful for the attempt to keep us safe, but we still worry.
YR
FIR, didn’t notice any theme. Very easy for a Sunday, but no complaints. Some of the names were out there: GOREN, KETT, FARIS. Why not try harder?
ReplyDeleteOur newspaper also had the supplemental puzzles. It will be enjoyable to solve them thomorrow. Today the family is coming to dinner and I am making spaghetti and meatballs which is a time consuming meal.
ReplyDeleteOur church attendance seems to be less and less. I hope it isn't because of illness but then the bishop has dispensed us so perhaps people are just staying home out of caution. And yet today a large number of new converts were part of the ritual.
JD, do tell us about your celebration which I know will be jubilant.
Foiled in my attempt to do our paper's usual 2 week old Sunday NYT puzzle. The left hand column is cut off
ReplyDeleteLucina and JfromVT: Today our Gannett published paper has what's probably the same 12 page USA Today insert of word and number games. Included are 2 of the largest crosswords Ive ever seen. The larger has 409 across clues. 😳
Debating if I should attempt the mega challenge. DW will not be pleased 😡
Our in person church services are quite limited. I have not been there in ten months. We have a larger Zoom attendance. Offerings are lagging far behind normal. Just as I started to feel safer, virus cases are surging since Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteFIR. A nice Sunday puzzle for a change. Not many names and the ones here were easily perped. A fair solve. Didn't get the theme. I usually solve puzzles as theme-less. Even the NYT puzzle was easy. What a rare day.
ReplyDeleteSunday Lurk say...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday JD!
YR - have you heard if your community is on the list for the vaccine yet? I've been wondering about DH4's situation too (along with Carol).
IM - No worries about Pink Floyd; just thought you'd like to know.
In HS, I had a friend who broke up with his girl-friend after she asked which one is Led Zeppelin. :-)
WC - I won't link Led Zeppelin out of deference to you... FLN - find my iPhone (which we tried to use to find Eldest) doesn't work if the SIM is out & the phone isn't transmitting. I'll look into the Google Maps tracking (with her permission, of course).
//or I'll just place a GPS tracker under her car :-)
Speaking of online subscriptions D-O, I just found out that DW digitally subscribes to the NYT for recipes. WTF? What about the puzzles?!? She promised me the password tomorrow.
Cheers, -T
Anon-T, I have a crossword subscription ($43.15/yr) plus an unlimited articles subscription ($18.09/mo). I don't know what a "full" NYT subscription would get you. "Which one is Led Zeppelin?" "Silly girl, that's the name of the band. The lead singer is Jethro Tull."
ReplyDeleteAnon T @ 3:35 : I hate to burst your bubble, but the New York Times cooking subscription and the puzzle subscription are two separate entities. I pay for the puzzle subscription and I signed up for Sam Sifton’s, Food Editor, email 3 times a week with 5 recipes, but the actual cooking app is separate and costs either $39.00-$49.00 annually. The puzzle subscription, I believe was $39.00 and you get access to lots of other types of puzzles like Acrostics, Spelling Bee, Ken Ken, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you Fred for a STRAIGHTforward Sunday puzzle that I didn’t have to STUDy too much, as the answers flowed so freely that I couldn’t HOLD’EM back. And thanks to you CC for your illuminating illustrations, esp. the delicious looking Chinese K RATIONS – they sure beat the MREs our GIs are expected to CHOW DOWN on.
ReplyDeleteI was FLUSH with excitement at this puzzle as I FIR, and in non-recorded time, as I just do this for fun.
46A Helen Mirren is not only a titled DAME, but in her FORMATIVE years, to paraphrase the immortal words of Oscar Hammerstein, there was “Nothin’ like …” her!
110A As Dw and I have been binging old Jane Austen movies I knew that the answer to this clue had to be EMMA, as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and SENSE AND SENSIBILITY were both LONG SHOTS. EMMA is next on our list, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Anyone seen it?
42D D-O @ 6:45 AM , I’m not SPLITting HAREs when I say that I found no less than three lexicographic references that used, as examples, BLUFFing runners (by both pitchers and catchers) to DRAW them into run downs and then PICK them off.
99D My favorite meta-clue. What the hapless RUNner in 42D finds himself doing as he BETS against LONG ODDS on an INSIDE STRAIGHT between the bases.
And what a great GAME we PLAY here Cornerites, WORDPLAY!
Bill
Very nice Sunday puzzle. Thanks Fred Piscop and C.C.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I had a FIW today. Since I was having trouble in the SE corner (got EMMA/Austen mixed up with Eyre/Brontë) and couldn’t decide between CAIN and cane, I had the latter in place for both, which meant DIME (which I KNEW was correct) wouldn’t fit. I finally pulled one out and looked at the back, just to make sure, and then finished that corner correctly. Would have been really mad at myself, had doing that forced me to take a DNF! Of course, had I not been too stubborn/lazy to just take everything out of that corner and insert DIME without looking at one, I’d not have had a problem and would have been here earlier.
Bottom line is that I didn’t know POMADED/ROOD, and I had UTERO, which messed up AURIC. (Uh, GOLDFINGER, ya dummy! When you proofread, PAY ATTENTION!) I also missed STONY/TREND/LEERY (had STOIC). I don’t do Twitter --- Facebook is bad enough and takes up enough of my time!
Not sure what the context was supposed to be, but THOSE ARE NOT STEERS that the cowboys are trying to ride in rodeos.
55A – LATHE ---If you ever find yourself in or near Louisville (if travel ever gets “safe” again), take a tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Fairly reasonably priced, and pretty interesting, even for non-fans. My younger daughter wanted to go there, back when I was driving her to school at EKU. We also toured Churchill Downs that day. It was a dark day, so I couldn't lose any money.
Favorite clue --- Suds Maker
D-O & IM - I didn't know NYT had tiered subscriptions. I just asked DW what she subscribed to and she said, "I donno - It was a dollar a month and I got it."
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think she took a TEASER AD and is now paying more than either of us realize? :-)
When I login tomorrow I'll figure out What's Going On [4 Non Blonds - 4:57].
Thanks both yous for the heads-up.
Cheers, -T
Nothing apropos say...
ReplyDeleteA side link on 4 Non Blonds' queue was The Cranberries' Dreams.
This song evokes my first trip to Houston in '98 to interview at a consultancy (as I prep'd to leave the DOD #RIF).
I was scooting down I45 from IAH to Allen Center downtown crossing 610 when this song came on the radio and the Big City came into view. Imagine the pounding beat as the skyscrapers entered the horizon.
Growing up in (basically an over-grown farm town) of SPI, our trips to STL for Cardinal's games (Baseball & Football back in the day) -- the highway over/under passes amazed me. I wanted to live in a big city, a city of possibilities. That song told me, "This is it -T."
Hope everyone's having a wonderful Sunday eve.
Cheers, -T
Junior bull riders train in steer riding competitions. OTH steer roping is a dangerous adult competition. I have read quite a few well researched rodeo novels.
ReplyDeleteAnon T, when I moved in 30 days ago, I was told we likely would get the vaccine in about two weeks. The staff received it this week. Although mild there have been many more staff infections than resident ones before this.
We are still waiting. I signed permission for Al to get it, too. Still waiting.
I believe universal compliance would cut this virus down and lead to a quicker economic recovery.
YR, you are correct, of course! I wasn't even thinking about those events.
ReplyDeleteAnon T @ 5:02 ~ Either DW got a teaser offer or she misunderstood the time frame. The going rate right now is $1.25 per WEEK or $40.00 per YEAR.
ReplyDeleteLEO III @4:43PM I quit FB several years ago. It was taking up too much of my rapidly dwindling time and making me chronically unhappy. I'd suggest joining FBA ("Fake Books Anonymous")*. They'll help you get through it!
ReplyDeleteBill
*OK, so FBA is a fictitious organization, but you get the idea. Just think, you'll have more time to spend on the Corner!
I liked this puzzle very much. Didn't get the theme, though, thinking that "Gimme a hand" meant "Help me out here."
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, JD, and good wishes to you all.
Delightful Sunday puzzle, Fred--many thanks. And thank you, C.C. for your always wonderful Sunday commentaries.
ReplyDeleteI got AMISH very quickly for "horse and buggy group". Spent my teens in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where we encountered lots of horses and buggies on the roads outside town. A happy memory. Couldn't believe GERUNDS fell into place for "coming and going"--a surprise. And I got OONA Chaplin even though I've never seen "Game of Thrones."
Lots of fun, thanks again, Fred.
And happy birthday, JD.
Have a good week coming up everybody.
Foiled in my attempt to do our paper's usual 2 week old Sunday NYT puzzle. The 2 right-hand columns are cut off.
ReplyDeleteI will not call the paper this time to seek a credit for a defective product; it did have Prince Valiant in the comics.
Fun Sunday. Thanks Fred and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time for a Sunday, but forgot to look for the theme. D’uh!
I wanted Stoic before STONY (hi Leo).
SCHMEAR was not well-known to me.
Do those millionAIREs have DEEP POCKETS
I noted PROW and CHOWED, PRODUCED and EDUCED, plus some others already noted by IM (but she found many more😊👍).
I also noted a plethora of -ER endings. HOOFER, BREWER, HOSER, OUTER, UBER(S), DRIER, HOLIER, ALTER, OTHER, TOTTER.
Plus UTERI, LEERY and STEER. And only because English is never consistent do we have TUTOR and HANGAR(S).
This Canadian thought of star-SPANGLEd banner and US STATES.
Happy Birthday JD.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Spitz
ReplyDeleteSpent a few hours with breaks completing one of the mega CWs in todays supplement.
To get all 805 clues on the page the print was minuscule; too hard to read for these old peepers. 🙈
Never again.
Schmear is Yiddish, very common here. A bagel with a schmear. Let's add lox, onion and capers. Yummy. I miss our bagel shop just down the street.
ReplyDeleteYR - you can keep the capers. Bagels and a chive-infused schmear topped with Nova Lox... Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how a Catholic kid from the Midwest (with no Jewish buddies) learnt the word schmear but I've been familiar with the word since forever and there's nothing better than a good Jewish Deli [Kenny & Ziggy's review 5:58 (get ready to get hungry) - the restaurant is across Post Oak Blvd from our office].
Cheers, -T
Wasn't Goldfinger's first name AURIC?
ReplyDeleteI'd walk by the Charles and watch the SHAD row.
Yes, first and third, runner steals and catcher* may BLUFF a throw.
So Anna FARIS is Christy (Plunkett) in Mom. I binge watched it. It portrays a style of AA mtg eg Say anything you want.
Gary, the GOAT, Tom Brady was a late 6th round draft pick. Was that perhaps an advantage? He spent year I on the bench learning and observing.
I agree, for once a speedy Sunday with the theme simple and immediately apparent. Our 'Nam poker game was always open to new recruits "Experience not required". Speaking of …
-T, I remember driving into LA area out of 'The World' … Also, I listened all the way to 'Blonds' and 'Cranberries' too. Then it sequed to Roy the Boy.
WC
* A BLUFF Story
ReplyDeleteCaginess and craft oft make way for fate
And thus it was for Billy behind the plate
Not only not stodgy but a Lefty to boot
Inexperienced but nothing if not astute.
Man on first winning run on third base
Runner steals other goes home, a classic case
Billy, hardly a boisterous sort, was stubborn
"I'll have none of that he staunchly warned."
And so the play unfolded and the runner did go
And Billy arose as if to uncork a throw
But BLUFFed the throw to second and without a word
Caught the runner red-handed off of third
Alas Bobby at third was off in daydream land
And the perfect throw went awry off his hand
And even the most obese Little Leaguer could
Prance his way home and there he stood.
* Note, there were four J-words to be included (fe. 'Obese')
Don't think it relates to the second Jumble's words, Wilbur, but I found Billy's complicated baseball adventure in your verse fun and a pleasure. Many thanks for that gift.
ReplyDelete