google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday March 15th, 2021 Michael Lieberman

Advertisements

Mar 15, 2021

Monday March 15th, 2021 Michael Lieberman

Theme: SILENT PARTNER (54. Behind-the-scenes money source ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 35- and 43-Across) - The first word can follow "silent".

20. Youngster, metaphorically: SPRING CHICKEN. Silent Spring.

35. Toddler's monster deterrent: NIGHT LIGHT. Silent Night.

43. Morning awakener: ALARM CLOCK. Silent alarm,

Boomer here. Looks like another LA Times debut. Congrats, Michael!

SHH! I'll be at the bowling center, silently knocking over pins.  However I might loudly proclaim that I received the second shot of Pfizer vaccine 12 days ago and I have no side effects.  Well I have so many things wrong with me I am not sure what a side effect might be.

Across:

1. What a regular often orders, with "the": USUAL.  "It's not UNUSUAL."  Tom Jones.

6. First of a cereal box trio: SNAP.  I thought SNAPS were movie theater candy.  I think Kramer dropped one into a patient while observing surgery.



10. Box score number: STAT.  "Hurry up and do this puzzle STAT!!"

14. See 5-Down: MESSI. 5. With 14-Across, soccer's GOAT, to many: LIONEL.  An electric train that I had as a kid. Back when Eisenhower was President.



15. Dorothy's dog: TOTO.  "I'll get you my pretty, -- and your little dog too."

16. Distinctive vibe: AURA.

17. Sauce with basil: PESTO.  I wonder if you can spray this for mosquitos?

18. Like many cars sold online: USED.  Another crazy innovation of the 21st Century. Vroom? Carfax?

19. "Jurassic Park" predator: TREX.

23. Antlered Yellowstone beast: ELK.  I was once a member of ELKS Lodge 2221 in Minnesota but I think my Antlers fell off somewhere. 

24. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO.

25. __City: computer game: SIM.

28. Stick a stake in, as a vampire: IMPALE.  Change the "E" to an "A" and you have a Chevrolet.

32. Dry-eyes solution: SALINE.

34. Manual filing target?: NAIL.  I just clip mine.

39. Brings on board: HIRES.  Root beer?

41. Luau neckwear: LEI.  Hawaiian greeting.

42. He played Grant on "Lou Grant": ASNER.  Of course I liked him on the Mary Tyler Moore show, but I was not too excited about his role on "Roots"

46. Poi source: TARO.

47. One of four in five: LETTER.  "Gimme a ticket on an airplane, Ain't got time to take a fast train, My baby, just wrote me a LETTER.  The Box Tops.

 48. Theater walkways: AISLES.

50. Before, in poems: ERE.  "And I heard him exclaim ERE he rode out of sight"  You know the rest.

51. "__ Misérables": LES.

53. Hesitant utterances: UMS.  I don't know if you watch "America Says" but it seems like every contestant starts their answer with a few "UMS".

61. Elton or Lennon: JOHN.  Both Stars have a bathroom named after them?

63. Boxer's foursome: PAWS.

64. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI.  Too many vowels.

65. CNN anchor Burnett: ERIN.  Five minutes of yesterday's news, followed by five minutes of commercial ads.


66. Great Lake with the shortest name: ERIE.

67. King of rock 'n' roll: ELVIS.

68. Spinning toys: TOPS.  Add a "P" and you might have a few baseball cards.

69. Apt word found in "accident": DENT. Our Santa Fe is free of DENTS.

70. Tenant's contract: LEASE.

Down:

1. Officials calling strikes: UMPS.  They're always right and never wrong.

2. Trickle: SEEP.  Spring is creeping into Minnesota.  So far no SEEPS into anywhere there is not supposed to be.

3. Cold War initials: USSR.

4. Italian wine region: ASTI.  Solar Tech Stock on the Big Board.



6. Experiencing writer's block, say: STUCK.  Snow is nearly gone.  Nothing to get stuck in.

7. Light snack: NOSH.

8. Bit the dust: ATE IT.  "Another one gone, and Another one gone, Another one bites the dust" "Queen".

9. Online talk show: PODCAST.  I never listen to any of them. I am too busy playing Pac-Man.

10. Fill until full: SATE.

11. Car's blinker: TURN SIGNAL.  I got these figured out pretty early on the Santa Fe, but we had to consult the huge Owner's Manual for the windshield wipers.

12. "Roses __ red ... ": ARE.  "Violets are not really blue!"

13. Collectors' item?: TAX.  I think a Collector's item would be something like a Harmon Killebrew autographed plaque.  TAX is just one of things due in about a month.

21. Secluded valley: GLEN.

22. Eucalyptus eater: KOALA.

26. Response from the next room: INHERE.  "SHUT UP" is six letters but did not fit.

27. Urban transit systems: METROS.

28. Take a breath: INHALE.  First take the cigarette out of your mouth.  My last one was in 2001.

29. "The Naked and the Dead" author Norman: MAILER.



30. Hook's vessel: PIRATE SHIP.  "PIRATE SHIPS would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name." Peter. Paul, and Mary.

31. Wide awake: ALERT.  "Be A LERT!, America needs more LERTS."

33. Grocery shoppers' aids: LISTS.  I usually have a LIST with about 5-6 items.  But then why do I bring home about twenty ?

36. Sick: ILL.

37. Cable TV's Nat __ Wild: GEO.

38. Hyphenated fruit drink brand: HI-C.  Drink enough and you might get HIC CUPS.

40. Incense-sensing sense: SMELL.

44. Scared, with "out": CREEPED.

45. Hindu god of desire: KAMA.  Or add an "LA"  and you have a Vice President.

49. Tel Aviv's land: ISRAEL.

52. Drum type: SNARE.  I do not favor SNARE traps though.

53. Underdog's victory: UPSET.

55. Roadside lodgings: INNS.

56. Mary-Kate, to Ashley: TWIN.  Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett to me.  Not to forget Tony Oliva.

57. Mah-jongg piece: TILE.  I am more acquainted with Scrabble, until C.C. started winning every game with me.

58. PBS science series: NOVA.  Compact Chevrolet.

59. Yale students: ELIS.

60. Heed a bailiff's order: RISE.  We have a heck of a trial going on in Minneapolis for the next few weeks.  They have only picked half a jury so far.  Good news, the demonstrators outside the courthouse have not caused any problems so far.

61. Hot tub feature: JET.  Also a feature of Delta, United, American, and others.

62. Spanish gold: ORO.  Our Records Only ??

Boomer




57 comments:

D4E4H said...

Good morning Cornerites.

I haven't even looked at this Monday CW composed by Michael Lieberman, and reviewed by Boomer

I just wanted to be the first to post.

:) :) :) :) Ðavið
AKA  D4E4HE2C9C3H

D4E4H said...

This is not the"Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
  
This is a poem about nothing
which everyone knows rhymes with orange.
Carol favors this color 
as she sits and peels me one.
Yum! 

Ðavið  

Hungry Mother said...

Too many Hindu gods, so I had to wag between “uhs” and UMS. FIR, by a nose.

desper-otto said...

Good morning! Beware the ides of March.

I'm joining Hungry Mother in the dunce's corner. KARA didn't make the cut. DNF. Drat. Wondered if it'd be RUNS or HITS. Neither. Tried to remember the name of Cap'n Hook's PIRATE SHIP -- didn't need it. This was quite a workout for a Monday. Did look for the theme answers after the reveal. Yup, there they were. Nice debut, Michael. Good luck on the lanes, Boomer.

TAX: The filing deadline in Texas has been extended to 6/15 due to the Big Freeze. Our program still hasn't decided if we'll work past 4/15. Got our own taxes filed a month ago.

Anonymous said...

This Monday puzzle was a "snap" for me, as I finished in 4:10.
I didn't recognize Mailer by the clue.

KS said...

Proper name, Lionel Messi, crossing itself? Not cool. But FIR in the end.

ATLGranny said...

Starting off the week right with a FIR, in spite of some issues: UMS or UhS, like Hungry Mother. I guessed UMS thinking KAMA more likely to be the Hindu god than KAhA. Also the Kama Sutra was in the back of my mind to suggest it. The theme was easy enough after the reveal though I am not as familiar with SILENT ALARM as the other themers. We don't have an alarm system for our house. Anyway, nice debut, Michael. Keep them coming. And jolly review, Boomer. Hope the bowling goes well again today!

And hope you all have a smooth start to the week. See you tomorrow!

inanehiker said...

This was a fun run - though I puzzled like everyone else with the KAMA. First I went with Kali, but when that didn't work, I ended up with KAMA because of the link to KAMA Sutra. I remembered it had something to do with sex - but I didn't remember that it was a Hindu god.

I thought the theme might end up having to do with daylight savings time with SPRING and ALARM CLOCK - but no! I was a little groggy getting up this morning for work - but not feeling to bad with the shift.

Thanks Boomer for the humorous write-up and congrats to Michael for the review!

TTP said...



Never noticed the "Hindu god of desire" clue, but then again, I didn't see the majority of the down clues until reading Boomer's write-up.

It would have been a super fast completion today because I was just reading the across clues and filling in the answers without checking the perps for agreement... and it almost cost me a victory in the end.

At 18A "Like many cars sold online" AS IN went in without a thought. It was only after not getting the 'Congratulations' pop up message that I started scanning the answers for odd looking fill. ATiIT and POsCAST stood out like a sore thumb. STack would have worked with a different clue, and NOSH was fine. A quick change to USED resolved the errors but extended the solve.

Have fun today Boomer, and score well.

Wilbur Charles said...

Kramer dropped a Junior Mint into the patient's stomach or whatever was open at the time.

"But then why do I bring home about twenty(items)?". Because they're on BoGo?

That was Mailer's most famous novel. He wrote one where he discussed CIA mind control. Anybody know which one?

The Soccer GOAT will always be Pele.
This one was a SNAP for me too? "Desire" suggested KAMA Sutra a very interesting book. Talk about #MeToo

Good to see you back in the alley* (oops I mean bowling LANES). And thanks for your Monday entertainment

WC

*Little Richard? Ok. Long Tall Sally

Wilbur Charles said...

That'll wake you up

TTP said...

Forgot to mention:

Congrats on your debut, Michael Lieberman.

Also:

C.C. had a puzzle "Wrong At The Start" Saturday that was syndicated by Universal. I've been having issues getting to the Universal puzzles at the Merriam-Webster site (bummer! - anyone else ?) so I've been catching up at Canada's "The Globe and Mail" website.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Made a good guess at LIONEL MESSI, so, FIR. The theme was easy. TILE helped me spell AIOLI.
-Great Lake with shortest name : ERIE -- Also the Great Lake with the shortest mean depth: 60 Ft.

Yellowrocks said...

Nice puzzle. FIR. I did not find the silent partners just giving the puzzle a cursory scan. I didn't like the self referential clues crossing each other, but at least I have heard of Lionel Messi.
Kama Sutra helped me to decide UM instead of UR.
I was a regular for breakfast and the crossword at the local luncheonette before Covid. My black coffee was being poured as I walked in the door.
No matter how early I need to get up I waken before the alarm goes off. I seldom set it.
I like DST very much. When the morning is dark I figure it will soon be light. I hate to have it dark before supper. I enjoy the long evenings. The change of an hour forward or backward does not upset my body clock.
I have paperwork to do, but nothing urgent. I need deadlines. Guess I will succumb to laziness and read my novel today.

Anonymous said...

Cruciverb down again 2nd day :((

Vidwan827 said...


Thank you Mr. Lieberman for a nice and easy Monday puzzle, and Boomer for a tongue in cheek review, that in my opinion, was... honestly !! ... even better than the puzzle.

When are you really ignorant or uncaring about 'side effects' ?
When you are walking down an aisle in a grocery store, and a cute lady, who is a total stranger, comes and pokes you in the ribs ... and you continue your shopping, without even batting your eyelids .... thats, irrelevant side effects....

For the hindu god, I put in Kali. But it was not totally correct .... so I waited for perps.
Finally, from perps ...Kama. Kam(a) , (silent last 'a') in Hindi means 'work'. Not exactly a desire at all. But then, I guess, Passion and Desire, can eventually become a lot of work....

I never thought of Kama Sutra. sutra meaning style or method. At my age, I guess all that is now water under the bridge, and now I have forgotten what it is all about....

Kama-la comes from Kamal, meaning lotus, in Hindi and Sanskrit.

Although, it is also a common word in Urdu and Arabic,( without the last 'a'.... ) it means something totally different ... either a) noteworthy or a big achievement or b) perfection, or intergrity....
and in the Arabic, its a man's name.

have a nice day, all.

Tinbeni said...

Boomer: Good job on the write-up & links.

D-O I'm aware of the "Ides-of-March" ... just not afraid today. LOL

Well this was a FUN Monday puzzle. Good start for the week.

A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.

Cheers!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Me too at KA_A/U_S. I put in an “H” and never checked back
-NAIL – At my recent pedicure every chair was full – 30 women and me generated SILENT stares
-Ed ASNER played a bad guy in this western. The good guy was Marion Morrison from Winterset, Iowa
-Priscilla Presley has cut the ribbon on on this new ELVIS Complex across the street from Graceland
-Neighbor, “Gary, look and see if my TURN SIGNALS are working.” Gary, “Yes, no, yes, no yes, no…”
-No LIST for me, DW sends me with an iPhoto. Do you know how many kinds of Tide detergent there are?
-Our new pastor is really into the SMELL of incense burning in a thurible.

unclefred said...

Can scarcely believe it took 20 for a Monday, but KIT:TAX slowed me down in NE, and BREATH:INHALE slowed me down out west. I’m not sure what I was thinking there, tried to put in BREATHE, it didn’t fit so for some dopey reason I left BREATH which could not possibly have been the correct fill.....Grr. Sometimes I make really, REALLY dopey mistakes that seriously slow me down. For a bit I thought the reveal had to do with Daylight Savings Time: SPRING, NIGHT, ALARM....then along came SILENT, which made me re-think. Overall good CW, thanx, Michael, and congrats on publication. Boomer, great write-up, thanx. And I hear you with so many problems you can’t tell from a side effect anymore. WC @8:09 I agree: Pele. TTP @8:22 I have two HP laptops both running Win 10 and both with a brand new solid state 1terabyte hard drive I just had installed in each. One runs the M-W Universal CW perfectly, one keeps coming to a halt when the ads run on the side. I don’t know why there’s a difference. One that runs it well has a faster CPU is all I can come up with. Thanx for the reminder about the “Globe & Mail” site. I quit using it for some reason, seems like they wouldn’t let me continue unless I subscribed, maybe? A good day to all!!

oc4beach said...


A good Monday with the only nits being LIONEL crossing MESSI and UMS vs URS or ERS. Boomer's tour was amusing as USUAL.

In honor of Daylight Savings Time, today is National Napping Day. It recognizes our need for a nap the day following the return of daylight saving time to help adjust our body clock. Not only does the observance encourage a nap, it reminds us that there’s no shame in taking one either.

Not much else to say, so have a great day everyone.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I breezed through this with nary a hiccup, although not at 7:12 Anon’s pace. I needed the revealer to see the theme which was cute. I liked the E Row with Erin ~ Erie ~ Elvis and also the mini creature theme with Koala, Chicken, Elk, Toto, Paws and Trex. Silent Alarm triggered the scary moments when mine went off and brought the police through my unsecured front door in the middle of the night.

Thanks and congrats to Michael and thanks to Boomer for a very humorous expo. If you’re as sharp on the lanes as you are in the review, I pity those pins!

I was AWOL yesterday but I solved JW’s delightful Pi Day puzzle and, as usual, enjoyed his rare (if ever?) Sunday grid. My favorite themer was Opinion Dip which made me laugh out loud. Thanks, Jeffrey W and CC.

Have a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

Mistake Monday. Thanks for the fun, Michael (congrats on your debut) and Boomer.
This CW was easy-peasy IMO and the theme reveal just brought a "meh" from me, but it is Monday. And then I arrived here to discover that I forgot to go back and do an alphabet run at my Natick cross of 13D and 19A. I might have eventually arrived at the X. So, officially a DNF for me today! I'll blame it on the time change LOL!
(And yes, the cross of 45D and 53A was almost a Natick also, as I debated between H and M. M won because KAMA seemed better; those "hesitant utterances" could have been either Uhs or UMS.)

I was debating between the income tax or NAILs meaning of "Manual filing target?" Similar debate between the Dog or the fighter before PAWS perped.
Why was my first thought "Rooster" for "Morning awakener"?
The unknown to me GEO, ERIN and NOVA (as clued) also perped.


I noted ELIS crossing ELVIS. Also a plethora of O endings with TOTO, PESTO, TAO, TARO, ORO, GEO. IM will find more duos (TWINs?) I'm sure.
Clues for DENT and SMELL were not the USUAL; I love the way "Incense-sensing sense" trips off the tongue! But we had ERIE again!

LETTER perped for "One of four in five" but I did not "get it" even after I arrived here. Lightbulb moment when I realized that "five" has four LETTERs!

Wishing you all a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

LOL, Irish Miss and I posted at the same time. And yes, she found the E row and a plethora of animals. We all see different things in the grid.

NaomiZ said...

Today's puzzle was a fun run for me. Thanks, Michael Lieberman! WEES about LIONEL MESSI and KAMA/UMS. Not insurmountable difficulties; I guess that makes them surmountable. Before reading Boomer's nifty review today, I looked at comments FLN. This pastime is somewhat addictive, but I found it funny that Unknown at 6:51 PM blamed her lost weekend on the puzzles and the terrible cluing. Misdirection is part of the game! Threatening to leave? Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya! ;-)

becky said...

Picard, if you were really snorkeling, as you posted, you can hold your breath for a really long time!! I am always amazed at all the fun things you do.

Becky

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Welcome Mr. Lieberman, excellent initiation.

FIR with one "inkover" (like inaneh) Kali/KAMA. (Vidwan u 2 😯).. I assumed the theme was the pairing of SILENT NIGHT (song) and SILENT SPRING (book), SILENT ALARM (thing). Boomer, Kramer dropped a Junior Mint (WilC) into a patient. That's a map of the Italian regione (like a state) of Piemonte (Piedmont, "foot of the mountain") and its provinces (like our counties). Cap. Torino (Turin)

At first thought manual filing target would be "April XV" (go along with TAX), wouldn't fit. Studies show that NIGHTLIGHTS do not deter monsters,👹 because they eventually become habituated to them. (I used to pull monster-proof covers over my head.)
one of four in five clever clue. Lake ERIE once again floods the puzzle

LIONEL 's (apparently named for singer Lionel Ritchie) financial affairs were kinda MESSI but certainly not his fútbol ⚽️playing. (If you eliminate all Argentines with Italian ancestry you end up with 5 people. All my Argentine colleagues have had Italian last names plus a nephew by marriage)

Got a milyun of 'em today: hyped up on Vitamin D.🌞

Slinky coward....SPRINGCHICKEN
Scattered pea holders....PODCAST.
Fake lumber...TREX
Boating with a mast...SALINE
Leans...LISTS
Rootbeer bottler...HIRES (Boomer!)
Place in a bucket...IMPALE
Cup preceder...HIC
Harpo but not Chico or Groucho....SILENTPARTNER

Flew back from Orlando to true winter, late yesterday.. 12 degrees right now in Utica/Whitesboro 🧊 but should ascend as the week progresses...

Misty said...

Fun Monday puzzle--many thanks, Michael. And always enjoy your commentary, Boomer, thanks for that too.

I got the whole thing without a single error, but simply couldn't figure our how that 'one of four in five' produced a LETTER. Thank you, thank you, CanadianEh, for explaining it, so I finally got it! The SILENT theme was neat, I thought. Nice to see Ed ASNER in the puzzle, and thanks for the picture, Boomer. And ELVIS keeps turning up a lot, doesn't he?

Have a good week coming up, everybody.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Michael L., for your debut puzzle that is just right for Monday! Thanks for the write-up and explanation of the theme, Boomer! A good start to the week on a rainy, chilly, gloomy Monday.

Only write-over was TAu/TAO

Favorite c/a: 32a Dry eye solution/ SALINE. Small town south of Ann Arbor, Saline, Michigan

Enjoy your day!

AnonymousPVX said...


A nice Monday puzzle solve to start the week.

UM vs UR...I don’t recall UR as an answer, isn’t it ER ?

Seen the Florida pix of the Spring Break crowds? I have zero pity for anyone who gets ill. I feel sorry for anyone THEY infect. If any were my kids they wouldn’t be coming home.

See you tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

WEES re: ESPs on LIONEL|MESSI and KAMA | UMS.

Thanks Michael for a fun Monday puzzle. Central California was a little dicey (spent most my time there) b/f MAILER popped out.

Boomer - Ha! Tom Jones was in my head too @1a. Fun expo and enjoy the lanes today.

WOs: N/A
ESPs: [See: above]
Fav: I liked JOHNs' clue.

PAWS was cute too.
//we had a poll this morning re: pets photo-bombing Zoom meetings. I submitted our turtle Franklin who's very chill.

HG - LOL. At first I thought you where checking every blinker and then the light-bulb went on.
And off.
On.
Off. :-)

SIM City - the last video game I got into. DW & I started playing one morning. We had a sprawling METROpolis, printed maps on the wall, whilst fun launching Godzilla at the town-folks -- and then the phone rings?!?
Who could be calling at this hour?
It was FIL wishing us a Happy New Year; it was morning.
Realizing that I didn't realize how much time we spent playing made me realize, I can't play video games any more.
//We played for almost 20 hours w/o even going to the bathroom.

oc4 - I love it! I'll see if I can't squeeze in nap time today.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful day (and if you were in the path of Denver's blizzard, a cozy evening).

Cheers, -T

CrossEyedDave said...

Captain Hook's ship was called The Jolly Rodger,
But he had another ship before that one...

no comment...

Malodorous Manatee said...

Congrats, Michael, on your LAT Debut! FIR, at a "normal" Monday pace. Not much time to write this morning as I am trying to solve an issue with my Chromebook two-in-one. The touchscreen has stopped responding to touch. I have already tried a number of things, including the powerwash option, to no avail but I am not yet ready to give up.

waseeley said...

Congratulations Michael on your debut and a very satisfying Monday puzzle, which I FIR (whew!). And thank you Boomer for an exceptionally mature (i.e. fully groan) review. And best of luck on the lanes today.

Some highlights for me:

10A I got STAT on perps but not on purpose, because the stuff recorded in Box scores are the raw data collected during a game and are later compiled into STATS. We are talking about baseball right?

14A x 5D Got both with perps and DODGED the NATICK so as not to become the BUTT of a lot of Cornerite jokes. BTW what's a soccer GOAT?

28A I think DRIVING an IMPALA into a VAMPIRE would be a quite a GORE Boomer.

47A clever meta-clue.

61A You were thinking of LOOS not JOHNS Boomer. They're both BRITS!

66A This answer always CREEPS me out.

6D Tried BOUGHT THE FARM, but it wouldn't fit.

33D Boomer's LAW OF SHOPPING LISTS is conserved. My list this morning was 23 items long and the purchase receipt shows circa 46 items.

Cheers,
Bill

Madame Defarge said...

Hi Everyone,

I this a little sticky on the first runs across and down, but then it all began to fall together. I was worried about losing my mind if I was having so much trouble on Monday.

Thanks, Michael, and congrats on the debut. Nicely done.

Boomer, another great tour. Thank you. Congrats on finishing your Covid regimen. We get our second Wednesday. I hope you have a great day at the Bowling Alley. Yay.

Stay cozy everyone. Winter is still poking around here. Have a sunny day regarless of the Ides.

Anonymous T said...

Waseeley - GOAT == Greatest Of All Time. I, as a Cubs fan, have a problem putting the two meanings together.

CED - I've gotta share that link w/ Army Bro. :-)

I always have my shopping list on a sticky-note pasted to the cart's handle.
I know what I need and I have a mental map of the store.
In and out.
I will go 'off-list' if something yummy is on sale and it sparks a menu idea.
But then, I have to rewalk some aisles to pick up extra bits to finish the imagined recipe.
I really hate back-tracking the store... it feels inefficient and I don't like that.

Cheers, -T

TTP said...

Unclefred at 10:45, Thanks for the input. My issue is that I have to reload the M-W tab twice each time I want to select a different puzzle from the selection icon. Works fine at The Globe and Mail.

The difference you describe in your two H-P's sounds like a Browser setting on the one that's not loading the M-W page properly. Almost all browsers have an options screen that allows you to change the settings.

For instance, in Mozilla Firefox, check Privacy and Security and then "Tracking Protection." You can choose the level you want or customize. "Basic" or "Standard" will be fine for most users. If you choose "Strict" or "Custom" some pages (or parts of pages) may not load.


Naomi at 11:16,
That post last evening from "Unknown" was most likely from Bobbi. She primarily comments on Sunday evenings, and the theme of her comments is always the same.

I think she just likes being a dissenter and a contrarian. :>)

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

HU for screwing the pooch at the crossing of UMS & KAMA. I had ER then UH and never checked the clue for 45-Down. I’m very UPSET with myself! 🤡

Thanks Boomer and Michael

What is the problem with LIONEL crossing MESSI?

Like having INHALE and IN HERE on opposite sides

Lucina said...

Hola!

Oooh! I'm so late today though I finished the puzzle quite early before I left for my second covid-19 vaccine. The lines were longer than last time I went and afterwards I went to count money at the church office. That is my new Monday gig. I count the collection from Sunday night's Mass so it isn't very large and doesn't take long. Btu I had not eaten so was ravenous when I came home. Now it's almost time for my doctor's appointment. Busy Monday!

The puzzle was quick and easy as a Monday should be with no problem at KAMA; I just thought of KAMA Sutra of which I have a copy.

Thank you, Boomer; I see that you are doing well and are your funny self. That's good!

I hope all are enjoying the IDES of March!

Picard said...

Becky Thank you for the kind words about my KELP videos and other adventures. Actually, I was breathing through the snorkel the entire time.

Hand up seemed kind of crunchy for a Monday with that LIONEL/MESSI unknown. Only know ASTI from these puzzles. Did WAG correctly to FIR. Had to Google what is GOAT? Does everyone know this? I thought Pele is the Greatest Of All Time soccer player?

Enjoyed the SILENT theme and the LETTER and TAX Collector clues!

Boomer Hand up I had LIONEL trains inherited from my older brother that were from the Eisenhower era.

I still have this LIONEL train set!

YALE and ELIS comes up so often I decided to dig out some of my YALE photos. This set is from 2015 when I was visiting the sister of a college classmate. She is a clinical psychologist at the Yale Health Center and is in the photo with me near the top of the set below.

Here are my YALE photos from 2015, mostly from their superb Peabody Museum.

Afterwards I stayed with my cousins nearby who appear in the last photo of the set.

Wilbur Charles said...

Re. Bogos not on the list*. I thought I saw a shredded cheese BoGo but it was 3 for 2. I hate those. .

*I only had two items.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Picard, missed your post. Mine were Anerican Flyer, LIONEL were for the rich kids.

Boy, Yale does it right.

WC

G(greatest) of all T(ime). New Sports meme. Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Bobby Orr

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle.

Power outage here so I won’t type much. Estimated restoration of service is 3 hours from now.

Good wishes to you all.

Spitzboov said...

At Lowes' today, while concluding paperwork on a new dishwasher, the selling agent asked what was today's date. I responded, "IDES of March."
He thanked me.

Lucina said...

Jayce:
A power outage is not good. Do you know what caused it?

Sptiz:
Congratulations on a new dishwasher! May I ask what brand?

Picard:
As usual your photos are superb! Had I known there was a museum at Yale I would have dropped in. We just drove around the building completely impressed with it!

Jayce said...

The power outage was caused by a transformer blowing up. I could hear the characteristic loud boom sound. My wife is out walking the neighborhood to see what she can see. She called me and said she sees a big transformer that is “burned brown” color.

Wow, the power just came back on! Weird!

Well, at least we have heat now.

Picard, superb, as Lucina said.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Spitz. I was at Lowes today (New Harford) as well: the old guy struggling with the 40lb sac of black oil sunflower bird seed.🐦
😳

Spitzboov said...

Lucina - We're getting a Bosch unit.

Ray -O - - Being back in the appliance area, I missed you. I was there between 1400 and about 1500. I was the one wearing a Navy toque. I usually get our bird seed at Tractor Supply. I went to Lowes' from Home Depot. I was pissed that HD would not give the full 10% veteran's discount on the dishwasher. Lowes' gave me the full 10%.. Also considered a home improvement so - no sales tax.

LEO III said...

I had the same problems with LIONEL/MESSI and KAMA/UMS that others had. I only fixed the former, so the latter gave me FIW. I had filled in UHS early, and since the other across words filled in the rest of 46D for me, I really glossed over it when I did my proofreading. I never even though of KAMA.

Thanks, Michael and Boomer. Welcome, Michael.

Like you, YR, I never use an alarm clock, even with the time change.

I had no trouble waking up an hour earlier for my first Covid shot yesterday. My appointment was at 1024, but always being on Lombardi time, I arrived at 0918. The Greeters were meeting the Stickees out on the driveway, and I told mine that I was very early. He said that was no problem and to go right in to the registration desk. My Sticker stuck me at 0930, and I was out of there at 0945, after my obligatory 15-minute wait. My second shot (Moderna) will be at 1042 on 4/11. No reactions at all. In fact, I didn’t even feel the needle.

No, Picard, I didn’t even think about GOAT in that context. I was thinking more of just the opposite --- the one whose error or mistake gets blamed for some loss or failure. Great photos, as always!

My brother inherited all the Lionel trains. At one time he had them up all year, but now he just sets them up at Thanksgiving and takes them down after New Year’s Day.

TTP said...


Sptzboov,

A couple or few years ago I replaced my John Deere lawn tractor. I knew what I wanted, and Home Depot was closer. I got out my driver's license and showed my veteran's status to the clerk at the register, asking for the discount. She called a manager over. He would not give me the veteran's discount because I wasn't active military.

So I said never mind, and drove to Lowes's. The same model,on sale for the same price, plus the 10% discount. They honor it every day.

Apparently Home Depot only honors veterans with the discount on certain days, like Veteran's Day, and even then often excludes it on items marked at sale prices.

Spitzboov said...

TTP - @ Home Depot, they've always honored the veterans' discount on everyday smaller things, like lightbulbs. For some reason there is a hiccup with appliances. Another thing; HD needed 3 weeks to come up with the dishwasher, while for the same model, Lowe's only needs 5 days. At Lowe's, the rep also knew his product better and was very familiar with procedures.
We have both here so I allow them to compete for my $$$.

Anonymous T said...

Nice pix Picard. I've only been to Harvard (the museums, not as a student) but I'll put Yale on my list next time I'm in the NE.

Spitz - I have a Bosch. They put all the controls on top of the front-door and ZERO indicators on the outside. The damn thing is so quiet, you never know if it's running or not. Youngest (she's always on KP now that Eldest is in college) came up with the idea to get one of these you flip to 'clean' when you start it.

LOL just missing Spitz, RayO.

LeoIII - me too re: GOAT (see my earlier Cubs fan comment).

TTP - Veteran Status is on your driver's license? I'll have to tell Army Bro to make sure he gets it when he moves back to IL after he retires (22yrs in) this Fall.
He's going to buy an older house in SPI (next door to Pop's!) so he'll need that 10% off.
(do I need to bring my DD214?)

'No SPRING CHICKEN' was a Foghorn Leghorn [compilation] title, IIRC.
But, I don't know what Silent Spring means...

Cheers, -T

Spitzboov said...

Anon -T - - I have a veteran's plate from NYSDMV, I had to mail them a copy of my DD-214, so it's in the system. When I got my enhanced driver's license a couple years ago, it automatically showed 'Veteran'.

The Bosch we're getting has an indicator light aimed at the floor to show it is on, due to its quietness.

Lucina said...

AnonT:
SILENT SPRING is the name of a book by Rachel Carson, an environmentalist who was concerned that wildlife was disappearing because of insecticides.

Anonymous T said...

Lucina - thank you.

I just Google'd it [Wiki].
Looks like a neat book to put on my 'a deeper history' reading list.

Spitz - light on the floor...? Cool upgrade.

Cheers, -T

TTP said...


Spitzboov, thanks. I'll keep that in mind.

Dash-T, yes, DD-214 needed. I don't think all states do it though, given some of the comments on an Army forum I'm on. So check first. If your state doesn't have that, you can still take a copy of your DD-214 to Lowes or Home Depot and other places.

In Illinois, you make an appointment with the County's Veterans Affairs Officer, provide a copy of your DD-214, and they'll do the paperwork. You'll get an endorsement paper. Then off to the DMV with that paper to get the new license. It will be on each renewal license thereafter.

waseeley said...

T @9:17pm Read Silent Spring many years ago. Among other things it was an expose of the toxic effects of DDT on the viability of American Bald Eagles - it's advent had decimated the population. It was banned and within a relatively short period they started to come back. Carson really started the ecology movement. Unfortunately, overall the situation has deteriorated since.

NaomiZ said...

Cool pics, Picard.