google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday April 26, 2021 Catherine Cetta

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Apr 26, 2021

Monday April 26, 2021 Catherine Cetta

 

Theme: ON YOUR FEET (63. "Stand up!" ... and a hint to the beginnings of the answers to starred clues)

17. *Divisive political topic: WEDGE ISSUE.

24. *Want-ad heading in the London Times, perhaps: FLAT FOR RENT.

40. *Get up and running, digitally: BOOT THE COMPUTER.

50. *Interrogate persistently: PUMP FORINFO.

Boomer here.  Kind of looks like a golf puzzle. Many times I take the WEDGE out of the bag but I do not elevate the ball and it comes out FLAT.  Also it could be in the rough or behind a tree so I need to use the foot WEDGE to BOOT it back into the fairway.  Sink the putt and PUMP my fist.  On to the next tee.

Back in 1961, the Washington Senators were known as "First on Land, First on Sea, and last in the American League."  They became the Minnesota Twins and Washington may become our 51st state shortly,  And the Twins revived the tradition of being last in the American League.

Across:

1. Igloo shape: DOME.  The Twins replaced the Humphrey MetroDOME with Target Field.  Now if it snows in April they have an excuse.
 
 

5. Least satisfactory: WORST.  I said "last" and that also means WORST. 

10. Boars' mates: SOWS.  This little Piggy went to market.

14. Did a takeoff on: APED.

15. "Christina's World" painter Andrew: WYETH.


16. Witty remark: QUIP.  I keep trying.

19. Useful Word command for the error-prone: UNDO.  "Error prone"?  Even the puzzler is talking about our Twins.

20. "Good __!": Charlie Brownism: GRIEF.  I think you can still buy PEANUTS at the ball park.

21. Immature newt: EFT.

22. Cake decorator: ICER.  Could be a hockey player who sends the puck flying down the rink to get out of trouble.

23. Biological pouch: SAC.

28. MADD ads, e.g.: PSAS.  I don't know about MADD but PSAS are also used to measure Prostate Specific Antigens.  Hey guys, keep it under 4 if you can. 

29. Gerbil or hamster, often: PET.  We had hamsters when we were kids.

30. I-90 in Mass., say: TPKE.  We do not have turnpikes in Minnesota. Just highways and lakes.

33. Defrost: THAW.  And we are pretty well THAWed  now in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  C.C. is cheering up.  They don't get snow in Guangzhou.

36. Slack-jawed: AGAPE.

43. Vowel-heavy goodbye: ADIEU.  "ADIEU, ADIEU my friend ADIEU, I can no longer stay with you."

44. Truck stop vehicle: SEMI.  Everywhere I go I find myself driving behind a big SEMI or a school bus.

45. About to arrive at: NEAR.

46. Monopoly quartet, briefly: RRS.  Take a ride on the Reading, Pennsylvania, Short Line, or B & O.

48. HQs for B-52s: AFBS.

55. Nor. neighbor: SWE.

58. Morales of "Ozark": ESAI.  He was also in NYPD Blue.  One of my favorites.

59. Female in the fam: SIS.

60. "Darn!" and "Dagnabbit!" are mild ones: OATHS.

62. Easy win: ROMP.  Just play the Twins.

66. "My treat": ON ME.

67. Double-curved arches: OGEES.

68. Starting poker pot contribution: ANTE.  Years ago we played "Nickel ANTE" at the Oak Ridge Caddie Shack. Bill Murray was not there. 

69. Sign of joy, maybe: TEAR.

70. __-Dame de Paris: NOTRE.  Then why is Notre Dame the "Irish"??

71. Went up: ROSE.

Down:

1. Georgia team, in sports headlines: DAWGS. The Georgia Bulldogs. 
 
2. "Aida," for one: OPERA.


3. Battlefield doc: MEDIC.  For a while at Fort Campbell I earned that term driving an ambulance to the rifle range. Only had one instance of a soldier overdose.  But then there was an instance on April 4, 1968 when a gentleman named Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis and ugliest spilled over to the emergency room at Fort Campbell Army Hospital.  I did my best but I was a lousy MEDIC so I worked my way into a company clerk job.

4. Beat by a hair: EDGE.  This is a little Ford SUV.  We rented one in Las Vegas but I did not like it.  I am over 6 feet tall.


5. Early 20th-cent. conflict: WWI.  Before my time.

6. Yiddish laments: OYS.

7. Start-over button: RESET.  Now our DirecTV has a way to start over but I have not figured it out.

8. Assorted items: STUFF.  I think we may need to do a garage sale again.

9. Place to take it from?: THE TOP.

10. Water pistols: SQUIRT GUNS.  Absolute fun.

11. Part of a pound: OUNCE.

12. Add a lane to, say: WIDEN.  Normally there is no room to add a lane.  However Minnesota has reported that they are going to re-stripe existing roads.  Sounds stupid to me.

13. Hurling or curling: SPORT.  I suppose Baseball or Football would be too easy.

18. Failing grades: EFFS.  I got one in college.

25. Wood strip: LATH.

26. Campfire remnants: ASHES.  I have mentioned previously that I shopped at a tobacco store named "Ashes" owned by a fellow named George Ash.  

27. Harvest: REAP.

28. Guy in a popular tongue-twister: PETER PIPER.  I heard that he "Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers"

30. Not yet known: Abbr.: TBA.

31. Pea holder: POD.  Or a metal can.

32. Decorative fish: KOI.

34. Pro: ACE.  High Card

35. Wonder __: WOMAN.  Lynda Carter on TV.


37. Had: ATE.  Six was afraid of Seven because Seven ATE Nine.

38. Princess' bane, in a fairy tale: PEA.

39. Goof: ERR.  Lots of last week's Twins memories in this puzzle.

41. Grass-and-roots layer: TURF.  In football fields, TURF is not grass.

42. Tick off: MIFF.

47. "Already?": SO SOON.  Almost Done.

49. Ill-mannered sort: BOOR.

50. '90s candidate Ross: PEROT.  He ran against Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in 1992.  He won about 20% of the vote but no states.  It was the best third party result since 1912.


51. Me.-to-Fla. route: US ONE.  Did you know that only one state borders Maine ?

52. Poppa's partner: MAMMA.

53. Drummer for John, Paul and George: RINGO.  "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

54. "The best __ to come": IS YET.

55. Shorthand specialist, for short: STENO.

56. Stimulates: WHETS.  You need to WHET the knife to fix the hole in the bucket.

57. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE.

61. Many miles away: AFAR.

64. "__ the ramparts ... ": OER.  "Oh say can you see?"

65. Take advantage of: USE.

Boomer



82 comments:

OwenKL said...

"Anna Christina Olson suffered from a degenerative muscular disorder that prevented her from walking. Rather than using a wheelchair, Olson crawled around her home and the surrounding grounds, as seen in Christina's World. The sight of Olson picking blueberries while crawling through her fields “like a crab on a New England shore” inspired Wyeth to paint Christina’s World" of his friend, neighbor, and frequent model.
I based one of my trapagrams on this painting, so read up on the background.

OwenKL said...

FIWrong, with MoMMA instead of MOMMA. Ironic since the Wyeth painting is in the MoMA.

My wife and I used to sing "There's a Hole in the Bucket" to each other on road trips.

He didn't like his bro, and he didn't like his SIS.
In fact he wished his whole FAM did not exist.
The only exception
To this rejection,
Was for his ANTE, with the poker chips!

What if PETER PIPER was the Pied Piper, too?
With all those children, what would he do?
If he was a pumpkin eater,
Pumpkin shells would be neater.
STUFF the kids inside, and bid them ADIEU!

OwenKL said...

{A-, B+.}

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

No, no, no -- a dreaded DNF on a Monday. Like OKL, I saw "Poppas" and inked in MOMMAS. I never noticed that the perp was wrong. Bzzzzzt! Thanks for playing, and please enjoy the ceramic Dalmation. Thanx for Catherine and Boomer for the morning's diversion.

WYETH: There's a print of Christina's World hanging in my office. The other print is of two beer cans, titled Empty Pearls, a local brand.

WIDEN: When they repaved the "main drag" through our little town they made it narrower. Instead of two lanes in each direction, it's now a single, one-way, lane plus a 4-foot bike/pedestrian lane on each side with a grassy median in the center.

TPKE: Nope, none in Texas. We just call 'em toll roads, and practically every new Hwy is one. The latest around here is the "Grand Parkway" -- a loop about 40 miles out from the center of Houston. It's EZ-Pass only -- no toll booths.

PEROT: He was a godsend for Dana Carvey.

Wonder WOMAN: There's a lady who's an avid gardener on our "morning march" route. We call her Wanda Woman.

Hungry Mother said...

FIR, no write-overs, and noticed the theme for a change.

Lemonade714 said...

This was an average Monday, except I still- even with a reveal - do not get the "theme."

Good to see you being your witty and feisty self Boomer. I had no idea about THE BACKGROUND STORY or the controversy.

Thank you

Anonymous said...

"Average Monday" seems right. Finished in under 5:00.

Wyeth was unknown to me.

The starred answers are types of shoes, which you wear on your feet.

Yellowrocks said...

Easy puzzle. The theme appeared with wedge, flat, boot. I was right on Catherine's wave length but misspelled OY as OI. First time for that. I must proofread, especially when it crossed unknown poet WIETH. I am familiar with WYETH and the painting, but not its name. Thanks Boomer, OKL and Lemonade for more info on the painting. I am pro Wyeth on the controversy. Why should artists be limited to contemporary, heavy subjects like the war? Does the painting have to be an accurate picture of the subject, or is she just a concept? Christina was very happy with the painting.
MIFF is a common word. Although I have known it for years, I believe I have never heard it or used it.
Moving from a large house to a medium sized condo, I sorted and got rid of tons of STUFF. Moving here I got rid of more. Next month my sister is moving to a place like this. She is a saver and has far more stuff than I ever had. I am glad her daughter could come up from FL for six weeks to help her move.
Turnpike, tollway and toll road all mean the same thing. The name is a matter of choice.
"Toll roads, especially near the East Coast, are often called turnpikes; the term turnpike originated from pikes, which were long sticks that blocked passage until the fare was paid and the pike turned at a toll house (or toll booth in current terminology)"

inanehiker said...

Nice and easy Monday - picked up the shoe theme early on, which helped with finishing PUMP FOR INFO as I first would have put plied if it wasn't a letter too long and not a type of shoe.


Only nit to pick is that MEDIC is not a battlefield "doc" - the position is more like the equivalent of an EMT - the schooling to become one is ~4 months long.

Thanks Boomer for the amusing blog and Catherine for the puzzle!

ATLGranny said...

A Monday FIR, but mustn't get complacent as I continue my string. MoMMA was one of my WOs, but I remembered ESAI and fixed it. Others were WYETt (no, not Earp) and AGAst. Funny to have an error at ERR, but I changed to AGAPE and all was well. I just figured out my confusion with MIFF and MIFt. The past tense MIFFed sounds like MIFt. Also both tiff and tift are words so everything got muddled in my brain. Maybe I can keep it straight now as these words do appear frequently it seems. Anyway, thanks Catherine for the FIR and the easy enough theme. Saw it with FLAT following WEDGE. And thanks Boomer for the amusing tour. Glad to hear you are THAWing out.

Hope you all have a good start to the week!

Madame Defarge said...

Good Morning.

Thanks, Catherine, for a fine Monday puzzle. I had a good run. My only errors were corrected on crosses. All the errors were the result of misreading on my part, such as 59A--Female in the fam. I read it as Female on the farm. Duh! Good think I am seeing my eye doc tomorrow!

Thank you, Boomer for another great Monday tour. Thanks for the photo of ESAI. I always mean to look up our crossword regular, as I can't place him. Now I can.

Have a sunny day!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

Slick as snot on a doorknob. Very easy today. Not a single tinge of wite-out was needed. Got the theme after 'FLAT……'. Helped to fill in the reveal @ 63a. Ms. Cetta did a good job.
SOW - Ger. Sau, L. Ger. Söög, Dutch zeug (pig genus Sus). Funny, Sau sounds the same as English SOW; Söög and zeug also sound alike; just different orthography.
FEET - - Ger. Füße, L.Ger. Fööt, Dutch voeten (sounds like 'footen)
OGEE - Is a typical cross-section in a gravity dam w/ spillway.
Wonder WOMAN - Our kids quickly figured out why she was called that -:)

Have a great day. Bridge @ chez Spitzboov tonight.

TTP said...




Good morning. Thank you Catherine Cetta, and thank you, Boomer.

Easy Monday as it should be. I usually solve Mondays and Tuesdays doing some kind of pattern fill. That is for example, only all around the perimeter first, then the third perimeter in, etc. Or ever other row or every other column. Then try to guess answers with all the partially filled in answers w/o looking at the clues.

But today I solved in a way that I rarely do. Top to bottom. Checking perps before filling. Felt weird.

Boomer, golf seems to be at the forefront of your consciousness. I liked how you took the theme answers and made them golf related.

As for your Twins, did you happen to catch the White Sox highlights ? Michael Kopech got 10Ks in 5 IP. White Sox look pretty strong so far this year, and the Royals are having some early season success, so it may be a tough row to hoe for the Twins. They let the Pirates take the series. Oh, and the Tigers are in last place in the AL Central, but you were probably just joking.


FLN, thank you TxMs. I never heard of that "casting out the nines" before. Watched a couple of the videos. I get it, but probably won't remember to use it.


John E said...

Madame D, Like you, misread fam as farm.

TokenCreek said...

Nice easy Monday puzzle. Thanks Boomer. Your wit is a great Monday morning picker-upper. Thanks also to MS Cetta. Big Easy :: I have a question for you. Is there really such a thing as "Poke Salad"? Tony Joe White sang about "Poke Salad Annie" many years ago. Just wondering... TC

TTP said...


Brendan Emmett Quigley had a crossword puzzle in the NY Times in 2008 that crossed NC WYETH "1D: "Treasure Island" illustrator, 1911" with NATICK (1A: Town at the eighth mile of the Boston Marathon). Rex Parker came up with the "Natick Principle" and that is, "If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names."

It's about time the LA TIMES crossword solving community had their own term for this type of aberration. I propose we call it the "TOPANGA Principle" in honor of yesterday's puzzle.

Seems, based on the comments yesterday, that mostly only LA area locals had heard of TOPANGA, and many were stumped with the crosses of CLOVE HITCH and / or RUN DMC.

TOPANGA, TOPANGA, TOPANGA.

It does sound like some island nation in Micronesia somewhere in the South Pacific, doesn't it ?

CanadianEh! said...

Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Catherine and Boomer.
I FIRed in good time and saw the footwear theme (nice golf theme too Boomer).

I started with an inkblot as Cone changed to DOME. Another inkblot as I ERRed with Wyatt (not Earp eh ATLGranny) before WYETH.
Then Rile changed to MIFF, and Erik to ESAI.

We had TPKE plus US ONE. (Is there a US E?)
I noted BOAR and BOOR, MAMMA and SIS (SOWS were another family😁).
My nose wrinkled at PEA answer at 38D when it was in the clue for POD at 31D. I was AGAPE that Catherine APED the word, and Rich did not require her to UNDO and RESET (or BOOT THE COMPUTER). OGEES!

All who were here on the weekend should have filled EFT quickly after Picard’s Newt photos.
Ditto for RINGO after son Zak Starkey was here yesterday. (I was lurking)
FLN, belated Happy Birthday to Katie and AnonT’s eldest (and congrats on her PHI Beta Kappa nomination too).
d’o- many small communities here have chosen to not WIDEN but add bike lanes and boulevards as traffic-calming measures.

Wishing you all a great day.

Lucina said...

Hola!

I'm not a speed solver but this puzzle turned me into one today. Very easy for this shoe lover. I have some of each one mentioned. Of course, I can't wear many of them and have slowly been ridding myself of them but it's a painful process.

Thank you, Catherine and Boomer!

I'm a bit disappointed with the inconsistency of Poppa/Mamma. I looked for MoMMa to parallel poppa.

Wonder WOMAN, Linda Carter lives here in Arizona.

Wishing you all a marvelous Monday!

CanadianEh! said...

Yes TTP, TOPANGA, RUN DMC, CLOVEHITCH were Naticks for me yesterday. This Canadian did not know LA RAMS either
OTOH, CBC (a token Canadian clue😁) was a given. We all have our areas of expertise and familiarities, but I think that the Natick Principle “more than 1/4 is reasonable.

desper-otto said...

Natick, Topango. We always thought a great final puzzle on Wheel of Torture would be "thing." _ _ _ _ _ Fill in R-S-T-L-N-E: S _ _ _ _ _. Answer SYZYGY. When anybody reached the finals with over $20K in winnings, we figured they'd be getting the SYZYGY puzzle.

Yellowrocks said...

Military medics are sometimes called DOC, but not DOCTOR. I read it in novels and see it on TV shows and movies. Here is one medic's point of view.
"I don't know the official origin but I do know that the term has been around since WW2. As a medic it is an honor to have the term doc bestowed on you. It means that the Soldiers respect and trust you completely. The first time I was called doc I was a PFC at fort Riley 20 some years ago and my best friend and I got a call to a lightning strike, we were told there was 1 casualty. When we arrived there were 2 in cardiac arrest and 3 with burns and dyspnea and (not readable.) We were both really new to being medics but we drew on each others strengths and utilized the uninjured Soldiers in the area to help treat. We stabilized and got all 5 on the 997 we had to use a mechanic to drive the lance since we were both doing CPR and rescue breathing in the back, well we got them back to the aid station. When we got to the aid station only a PA was there so we stayed by his side and help treat. After it was all over the PA started calling us both doc and it stuck. I was very proud to be a Soldier and medic that day. I am not putting this out there for kudos. I am making a point that the term is earned and is almost sacred. It is not a term used to describe a shit bag medic it's not given to anyone but If you have a medic that you call doc on patrol with you you can rest assured he or she will do what ever it takes to bring you home alive. Many Soldiers don't realize that when medics lose a comrade it tears us apart so we will do anything to save you, your battle, your brother or sister son or daughter, father or mother and yes even the CSM too."

desper-otto said...

YR -- Learning moment: dyspnea. But what is a CSM?

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning

This was a perfect Monday level puzzle for newbies to hone their solving skills. The cluing and fill were pretty straightforward and the theme was cute and easily discernible. I saw it after Wedge and Flat filled in and that gave me Boot and Pump by deduction. I thought the revealer was perfect. My only w/o was Pike before Tpke, as we always refer to it as the Mass Pike. Some fun duos today: Efts//Effs, Pea/Pod, Sis/Mamma, and Boot/Boor. Also, a mini critter theme with Dawgs, Koi, Sows, EFT, Pet, and Ape(d).

Thanks, Catherine, for a smooth start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for brightening our day with your wit and upbeat disposition.

FLN

Belated Happy Burthday to Kazie. 🎂🎁🎊🎉🎈

Congrats to Anon T’s daughter on the Phi Betta Kappa honor and a belated Happy Birthday, as well! 🎂🎁🎊🎉🎈

Have a great day.

TTP said...


D-O, it's TOPANGA (not o). :>) This might be hard to sell. :<(

Oh, and Command Sergeant Major (E-9).

Emile O'Touri said...


FIW. I did not like this one. Finally one I almost solved. Clues were too tricky. It had words that could be verbs or nouns. Too confusing. It also had names. Who is Charlie Brownism ? It also used too many abbreviations. WWI ERR RRS SAC OER EFT KOI WTF ? This one tested the limits of my knowledge. Almost solved it. Gave up after two hours because some answers had multiple words. Too many foreign words like Notre and adios. Only six wrong answers. Would have finished it but it wasn't fair. The theme didn't make any sense.

desper-otto said...

TTP, in my day an E-9 was a Master Chief. Different service, I guess.

waseeley said...

Thank you Catherine for a pleasant start to the week. And thanks Gregory for SHOEING away any questions I had about this puzzle, and for all your QUIPS and BOMMERISMS. You're so KOI!

And why is it that we need a taxonomy to keep track of all the ways that women shod their feet, but men just have SHOES? But VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!

17A WEDGE ISSUES. Yeah, a lot of them these days.

24A Not sure I'd rent somebody else's FLAT. Bowling shoes maybe.

40A Some days I'd rather SHOOT the computer. And where is the damn ANY key anyway?

50A Must be all that press PUMPING that's causing the INFODEMIC.

26A I didn't expect Boomer to RE-ASH the Tobacco Store Story again, but then this WAS the first time I've heard it.

28D Yeah, but did you hear the one about the Woodchuck who woulda' chucked wood if he coulda'? A CSO to anybody who can tell us how much wood he actually DID CHUCK.

Cheers,
Bill

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I’m subbing today and the combination of great kids and cell phones makes it a piece ‘o cake!
-Gimmick was obvious but I found the reveal to be clever
-I remember the Humphrey DOME. The roof was held up by air pressure and I remember getting a slight push as you exited the stadium
-Allergies have eliminated gerbils and hamsters as class PETS
-MAMMA, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
-A girl just asked me a simple algebra question – What equation would be perpendicular to y = ½ x – 3 and pass through point (1,-1)? I got it but had to reach deep to remember how to do it. Use it or lose it!

Husker Gary said...

Addendum
-Bert and Ernie’s joke about ATE/Eight

waseeley said...

OwenKL @5:17AM I've seen that notation ({A-, B+.}) a lot among some Cornerites and it appears to be some sort of puzzle performance rating system, and I've finally gotten up the COURAGE to ask someone to 'splain to me. Is there an ANSI standard for it? Just how does it work?

Cheers,
Bill

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

No "agony of defeet" for this str8 forward Monday ROMP. I did ERR, tend to automatically fill est for the last three letters when the clue has "least" or "most" in it (er, when the clue is "more" or "less") so WORST was partly an inkover. Using ink I could not UNDO the mistake.

Most refer to the Massachusetts I 90 as "the Pike" so my other inkover. Travel it many times a year to my daughter's home outside Boston. BTW It would take forever to get from Me to FL on US 1....you'd need a few drinks at a Key West bar when you finally arrived.

Our friend the ICER is back (make mine chocolate fudge). Think our EFT is destined to remain permantly cruciverbally immature.

I want to BOOT THE COMPUTER when it's annoying me and not working properly. I BOOT up THE COMPUTER "to get it up and running" .....If it's Poppa it should be Momma (Lucina)....MAMMA loves PAPA. ....ESAI was also in one of my favorites "How to get away with Murder"

"Darn"..."dagnabbit"....and "OGEES" are mild Oaths. (Actually an "oath" is to swear by someone.."by God, you'll pay for that", "by Jove"..etc). How could PETER PIPER "pick" peppers already pickled? Owen I also wondered if Peter led a secret life as the Pied Piper.

Pretended to be Tarzan's stepfather....APED
The 🐗 became a farmer because he liked to.....SOW
Golf club dilemma....WEDGEISSUE
Just "Tin Tin" ?...where did .....RINGO?
Heckler....BOOR

Supposed to warm up this week reach 80, still snow on the ground in the Adirondacks.

Thanks Boomer
Grazie tanto Caterina

Yellowrocks said...

DO, I don't know what the writer had in mind, maybe CSM, command sergeant major. I omitted an obscure reference the author made as not readable, as well.

Yesterday morning I did not get to the crossword. It takes intense concentration for me to do the difficult ones. Alan woke up not being able to hold anything with his fingers. Soon that abated. He continue to look sick, was dizzy and otherwise did not feel well. I waited an hour to see whether that would abate too. By then he was unsteady on his feet and I held his arm for him to walk. We went to the ER. After many expensive and extensive tests he began to perk up and the tests showed nothing wrong. I felt using all that taxpayer money, but it is hard to tell with him how severe the problem is. Although I still function well in crises, they take a bigger toll on me than they used to.

Congrats to AnonT's Katie on her Phi Beta Kappa award.

This morning I eked my way through the Sunday puzzle and was about three fourths finished when, unfortunately, I read the giveaways on today's blog. The canyon's name helped me finish the SW corner, which I might have gotten myself. Cluing it as a character in "Boy Meets World" would have been easier for me. The NE corner would have been my downfall, regardless.

I learned EFT clued as immature newt or salamander in countless crosswords.
We have had KOI before, too. They are found in outdoor ornamental pools.

unclefred said...

Yes, and yes again, I loved this Monday CW. FIR inn11, like my times when I was younger. Thanx, Catherine, I needed this easy Monday. Very nice. And thank Boomer for your as usual excellent write-up. And also thanx Owen for ‘splainin’ Christina’s World. I never knew the background of that painting. That puts a special appreciation on it.

Husker Gary said...

Son of Addendum
-I just had a girl named Teleria and found out her name is from Wales. She said she had no idea where Wales is but one boy suggested, “Isn’t that by Norway?” Geography where are you!

Malodorous Manatee said...

Until this morning, I had never pondered what the crossword-solving residents of, say, Boston, thought of the "Natick Principle". I can almost-but-not-quite see Topanga Canyon from where I sit typing out these characters.

TTP said...


True, D-O, different branches of the services. Your 3 E-9 Master Chief titles in the Navy would equate to the 3 E-9 Command Sergeant titles in the Army. ie, the top E9 in the Navy would be "Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy" and the top E-9 in the Army would be "Command Sergeant Major of the Army"

Time to mow the lawn again. It will be in the 70's today and in teh 80s tomorrow, so I want to get it done today.

The Real Emile O'Touri said...

@Emile O'TouriApril 26, 2021 at 9:51 AM
What's the matter? Can't come up with your own screen name?

NaomiZ said...

Thank you, Catherine Cetta, for a well-shod walk in the park. My daughter is a shoe designer, so I am very much aware of the items worn ON YOUR FEET, though I have settled on FLAT shoes as opposed to WEDGEs or PUMPs for myself.

Thank you, OwenKL, for the background on Christina's World. I fell in love with Andrew Wyeth's paintings as a young girl (through my mother's art journals), but never understood the pose in that painting. Now I get it.

BTW, OwenKL, your poetry was excellent today!

Is Emile O'Touri pulling our collective (well-shod) leg today? "Who is Charlie Brownism?" Have you never heard of the classic comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz, in which the lead character, Charlie Brown, often exclaims, "Good GRIEF!"? Emile goes on to complain about abbreviations, some of which are not abbreviations but three letter words: ERR, EFT, KOI. And apparently the theme makes no sense, either. Can't please some people!

I was also MIFFed by the discussion FLN about tapas, which at least was sweetened by Lemonade. Just because your local cantina serves Mexican fare does not mean "cantina" is not Spanish in origin!

Thanks, Boomer, for wrapping it all up so cheerfully.

The Real Emile O'Touri said...

No. That's not me. Someone posting using my name. The puzzle was fine.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thank you Catherine for playing footsie with us this morning. Nice Monday puzzle to ease us back into the work week.

Excellent Golf-themed expo, Boomer!

WOs: ADIos->ADIEU, wrong BOaR.
ESPs: WYETH, ESAI (again)
Fav: Take it from THE TOP was cute.

{B+, B+}

C, Eh! - Thx. Last night I tried to brag to my brothers re: Eldest's invite to PBK. They thought it was a sorority and gave me GRIEF.

TTP - yesterday I wore my Splunk (data analytics software company) tee that says "RUN DMC [distributed management console] and make it less Tricky." Which is an allusion to this song (with Penn & Teller). It was a buddy of mine that submitted that tag line.
//Today's Splunk tee: "You bet your sweet SaaS" [Software as a Service - Splunk can eat cloud data too] I have about two dozen Splunk tees - DW thinks the neighbors think I always wear the same shirt :-)

D-O: I live less than a mile as the crow flies from the junction of section D and the proposed section C of the 180 mile circumference Grand Parkway.

Re: Linda Carter -- Pop had a huge crush on her. I think that's why stepmom-1 kinda resembled Linda.

Y'all have a great day. I gotta get back to work.

Cheers, -T

Spitzboov said...

MEDIC - - In the Navy they are called Corpsmen or Hospital Corpsman. Doctors are called 'Doctors'.

US ONE - - We stood at the tippy-tippy end (beginning?) of US ONE at the tippy end of Key West.

I've been wondering about A+ and B-, too.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! This fun & easy puzzle was a balm for my wounds from yesterday's puzzle. Thanks, Catherine. Thanks, Boomer, for giving us some good laughs.

Found out from Boomer I'd filled some of the upper squares without reading all the clues. Got the theme only a woman would probably think of. D-O men have shoes & boots & sneakers.

Hurling wasn't regurgitating then curling up on the bathroom floor. First thing I thought of. Only did that once when I had minor surgery and reacted badly to the demerol. Scared my parents because I was past 40 and staying at their house only for the post-surgery day.

I read a book some time ago but can't remember the name. About Wyeth & Christina. He lived & worked for awhile in the house Christina shared with her brother.

My uncle was chief engineer on the KS TPKE in the 1950's & '60's. Helped form an international assn. of road, bridge & tunnel engineers to share plans & info.

TTP: I think I may have heard of TOPANGA Canyon reading Michael Connelly novels. I'm not a CAL. native -- only been there twice. DNK RUN DMC or CLOVEHITCH.

My son-in-law was a Navy Medic but did not see battle. When he got out he got his LPN then RN certification. Very adept & caring man.

WASeeley, the A- & B+ you asked about is Owen rating his own poems.

Tony: congrats to you and your Phi Beta Kappa daughter. Proud moment.

waseeley said...

TokenCreek @8:51 AM "Poke Salad" is a common name for Pokeweed
(Phytolacca americana). Euell Gibbons described it in his book "Stalking the Wild Asparagus": When it is very young the tender leaves and shoots can boiled for use as a vegetable (sort of like asparagus, although wild asparagus is a completely different plant). But as it grows larger Pokeweed becomes very toxic. The mature plant is easily identified its clusters of purple berries (see previous Wiki article).

In short, don't eat it!
Bill

CrossEyedDave said...

67. Ogees?
I thought double curved arches meant McD's...

Yes, that Wyeth painting was a real learning moment!
I have seen it many times, but had no idea of what it was about.
Seems to make the puzzle theme somewhat ironic.

in other learning moments...

also in the news...

speaking of cold...

CrossEyedDave said...

Hmm,

here is the correct link for speaking of cold.
(I must have tapped "add to reading list.")
Instead of "copy"

waseeley said...

The Real @11:06am. Didn't sound at all like you. A parody on one of the Anonymouses perhaps?

waseeley said...

Spitz @11:20am. Maybe all of are, but no one will admit it!

waseeley said...

PK @11:22am. Makes sense. Maybe OKL is the only person I've seen do it. A CLOVE HITCH is required to get Second Class in Scouts. It the knot that cowboys tie around the hitching post in front of the saloon. Although I don't recall ever seeing one of them tie it right. I guess they figure the horse isn't going to go anywhere anyway.

Anonymous T said...

Didn't refresh b/f posting say...

IM, YR, & PK... thank you both. I am PEAcock proud (anyone else notice 31d's clue was PEApod and 38d was Princess' PEA?)
//BTW, YR, K is DW :-)

YR - sorry to hear Alan had a set-back. Sounds scary.

Waseeley - Years ago OKL asked for feedback on his prose. He used the{} nomenclature to encase his grades so, I do too. If he ever says "Stop it!," I will.
Also thanks for the link to Poke Salad; didn't know that and was thinking of this Sushi dish.

I served in 318th Medical Detachment (Army Reserves -- I think I have the unit right(?)). Many of the medics were called Doc while the Doctors were introduced as "ON YOUR FEET" 'cuz they were officers.

Method Two is the speed [clove] hitch.

CED - LOL Crocs pic!
LOL RIN (Tin Tin) GO Ray-O.

Cheers, -T

AnonymousPVX said...


This Monday grid was filled without drama.

Semi write-over... SIB/SIS, but immediately corrected.

Not much to add today,

So stay safe.

AnonymousPVX said...


Waseeley....saw your post after I hit publish...ex Boy Scout here, and I too have never seen a cowboy hitch his horse correctly. Usually they just wrap it twice around and walk in. Leading to, in real life....”hey, where’s my horse?”

Becky said...

FLN Lemony, thanks for your correction about cantinas and tapas. Lucina, sorry you were miffed at my ignorance.

I only knew Tony Dow because his wife served jury duty with me at the Santa Monica Courthouse. We found out we went to different Shawnee Mission high schools in Kansas City. I don't know Wendy Moniz.

And YES! I watched the Academy Awards. I enjoyed them although Jamie thought they were long and boring. Anthony Hopkins was a surprise, wasn't he? And I always enjoy Frances McDormand's speeches, especially when she howls.

Becky

Yellowrocks said...

Anon T, thank you for caring. Alan's episode apparently was a tempest in a teapot. He is fine. It was embarrassing to spend so much tax money on nothing. Also embarrassing that I know so little of his current history and have even forgotten some of his past history. His house manager handles his medical needs very well. I only know if I ask or if there is an emergency. I used to be 110% up on all of it.
Kudos to your wife. What did she study?
My professors for my MA liked us who were beyond the usual college age, especially when it came to writing essays and other papers. Veterans also did well. I think life experience and maturity helps.
Time for my Monday afternoon regular gabfest with a group of new friends.

Lucina said...

Becky:
Thank you, but that was not I who was miffed. I believe it was NaomiZ.

But, yes, TAPAS would be found in Spain and cantinas in Mexico.

I, too, enjoyed the Academy Awards and was pleasantly surprised at how short they were. I have missed going to the movies this year but hope to resume going very soon. I love movies and Netflix has provided a few good ones but it doesn't beat the big screen.

NaomiZ said...

Thanks, Lucina. I was just about to say that Lucina is much too nice to take umbrage at such remarks. I am more bad-tempered.

Kelly Clark said...

Really enjoyed this puzzle! And many thanks to OwenKL for the info on Christina and her world -- and to Boomer for the fun review.

desper-otto said...

-T -- I had to drag dw to look at my screen and show me the green and brown segments of the Grand Parkway. I thought the whole thing was drawn in red. D'oh. BTW, congrats to your eldest on her "key" moment. That speed clove hitch is nice, except when the rod has no open end.

Waseeley & Spitz -- As -T mentioned, those {A, B-} are the grades being assigned to OKL's poems of the day.

PK -- Normally I own up to most charges, but I think you've confused me with someone else when it comes to the shoes.

Emile O'Touri -- If you were to turn blue, you wouldn't have to worry about impersonators.

CrossEyedDave said...

Interesting that we are still talking about yesterday's puzzle.
Clove hitch?
True what you see the TV cowboys do isn't real,
it would have been more like this...

(You must have your horse tied to the right end)
(And you must read the 1st comment)

Misty said...

Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Catherine. And your write-ups are always a pleasure, Boomer, thanks for those too.

BOOT, PUMP, and FLAT, are all shoes, in my mind-set. But WEDGE? I'm sure I've never worn a WEDGE in my life.

Fun to see PUMP just a little above ROMP. Also to see WOMAN right above SIS.

Have a good beginning to the week, everybody.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Waz & Anon PVX. Watching Westerns as kid I always wondered why the cowboy would just slap his horse's reins around the hitchin' post...in such a hurry to run into the saloon or sheriff's office and not worry the 🐎 would just mosey away.

And no parking meters 😳

Yellowrocks said...

Wedge shoes

Lucina, I am another frustrated shoe lover. I had lovely shoes of all sorts which I can no longer wear. My knees and feet require flats these days. It hurt to give them all away. Many were still on great shape.

NaomiZ said...

Good WEDGE link, Yellowrocks! A very popular shoe style for ladies.

Becky, please never be embarrassed to admit ignorance. I'm not! I am ignorant of many things, all day, every day. I imagine you are brighter and better informed than I. I just think it's important not to state things as an authority if you are unsure.

Nuances gained with gray hairs.

Becky said...

I apologize to both you fine ladies, Lucina and Naomi, Always appreciate your remarks. I have always associated cantinas with Mexico, obviously I don't have the language skills like y'all do. It's been snowing for the last three hours in Park City and I'm making Coq au Vin for dinner. A good way to fritter away an afternoon.

Becky

OwenKL said...

waseeley -- I asked a long time ago for people to let me know how they rated my poems, but Anon-T (and myself of course) is the only one who ever did it, and I am immensely grateful to him for doing so! There have been stretches when no one else has commented, and it's Tony who's kept my spirits up during my spells of depression. And it's not that he likes them, but that he notices them. Even if he gave consistent D's and F's, it would still warm my heart, as well as help me improve.
As for the grading, it's the same as a teacher (English or Creative Writing?) might give. Personally, I grade on storytelling most, humor next, and poesy last. I've only posted an F once, to show how bad some of my attempts are, D rarely, usually because it used a lot of words from the puzzle, and an occasional C. I used to write a lot of those, but only consider the B's and A's really worth posting.
If you'd like to join the curly{}bracket fun, I'd love it!
And if you like poetry, wander over to the Jumble Hints page. It's no longer just my poetry, but Old Man Keith, Misty, and Wilbur Charles also essay to write poems of high quality while still hiding the day's Jumble words. (OMK's really good at it, but the others are no slouches, either!) And if you really like my l'icks, come over to Jigidi where I combine them with my original artwork as jigsaw puzzles!

Anonymous said...

"Its Flat for Let" not rent!!!!!!! I have been in England when my cousin went flat shopping. 13 clues were ?,say, maybe, and abbr. thats a lot for a monday!!!! I have nightmares with " on you feet! From my good ole army days. Adieu everyone. Good job on puzzle today!!!!-

Yellowrocks said...

Boomer, I appreciated your humor today. CE DAVE @11.39 I am still laughing.
OKL please email me.

Yellowrocks said...

SEMI is now in the language for a tractor trailer. It is also informal for semifinal in sports.
O'er is a contraction, not an abbreviation.
Sib, sis, eft, koi, sac and err are all just short common words often used in puzzles.
The actual abbreviations are also common and not at all esoteric. TPKE, PSAS, RRS, AFBS, SWE, WWI, TBA. If they are unknown to new solvers, it would be helpful to memorize them because they appear often.

Jayce said...

Thanks to Catherine Cetta for a fun puzzle, thanks to Boomer for a fun write-up, and thanks to you all for interesting comments.

desper-otto said...

Just finished watching an American Masters about Oliver Sacks that we recorded a couple of weeks ago. I find it necessary to report here that during his college days in California, he resided for a time in Topanga Canyon.

Picard said...

Quick, easy FEET wear theme solve. I am curious why a PUMP shoe is called that. An extensive Google search indicates it is not really known for sure.

Nice to see WONDER WOMAN. One of my co-worker friends Felicia used to dress as WONDER WOMAN every year for Halloween.

Perhaps you can see why WONDER WOMAN was the perfect character for Felicia at Halloween?

Lemonade Thank you for the background story on the WYETH painting. I am very familiar with it and have seen it in person (I am sure I have a photo or two).

Yellowrocks I agree with you. If Christina was good with the painting, that is all that matters. The biggest complaint of disabled people is that they are invisible and he made her visible.

CanadianEh Thanks for the shout out on my recent NEWT photos. I finally finished editing those photos. If anyone is interested...

Here is the rest of that photo set of a crazy, impossible hike that followed the finding of the NEWT. It is hard to convey how steep our climb was out of the canyon.

Speaking of TOPANGA CANYON... From Yesterday...
Becky Would you agree that the TOPANGA CANYON Getty Villa is worth seeing?

TTP had a surprising coincidence with seeing TOPANGA CANYON on TV right after hearing of it for the first time. Same happened with me with FINCHER.

Never heard of FINCHER. But there he was last night as we watched the Oscars! Did anyone else catch him there near the end?

Oas said...

None at all

waseeley said...

T @12:15 PM Good video, although I don't think method 2 would work with a hitching post. Clove hitches are one of the 2 primary knots used in Macrame, the other being the square knot. I've done literally thousands of both over the years when I was using Macrame to cover or decorate pottery. Believe it or knot it's harder on the back than throwing pots.

Oas said...

Waseeley @ 10:24
In answer to “how much did he chuck?”
None

waseeley said...

OKL @4:11 PM DW is a Jumble maven. I sent her the link and she might pop up there. Look out for EagleSilk.

waseeley said...

Picard @5:11 PM It's no WONDER why she was wearing it!

Lucina said...

YR:
Those wedges are similar to some I word. My favorites had clear, polka dot tops. I loved that they gave me added height!

Picard:
That looks like a rough climb! How long does it take for that hike?

CEDave:
Thank you for posting the video of KNOTS. I find that interesting! In our youth, westerns were the only movies available on Saturday mornings and that recalls many memories of those movies.

Owen:
Though I don't always comment, I like your poems and often they make me laugh. You have such a keen ability to relate the poems to the theme of the day. Thank you for all that!

Ol' Man Keith said...

A fine Monday PZL, thanks to Ms. Cetta, lucently explicated by our Boomer!

Misty ~ I want to thank you again, publicly here in the Corner, for your delightful poem in the "JumbleHints.blogspot.com" site today.
I was truly impressed, given that you had a very busy day ahead, filled with appointments.
I hope the rest of your day went well.

I had one appointment myself, with my eye doctor, and after more than a year--because of the pandemic.
I have had double vision lately, and the good news is that it is probably only because of eye strain.

The diagnosis: Oculos senex. Ancient eyeballs.
The solution? Special eye drops, to be applied frequently.
~ OMK
___________
DR:
We have two diagonals today, one to a side.
On the near side (NW to SE) the options for anagrams are better. This is because of the number and variety of vowels.
The choices are limited, however, to some obscure references. Of the possibilities, I prefer a medical one, as it makes the most sense to me.
It also offers a possible connection to Owen's brilliant "Trapagram" and its allusion to Wyeth's painting, "Christina's World."
The anagram (13 of 15 letters) describes a symptom that goes wrong in the digestive tract of individuals who have either too much fat or mucus in their system or who linger overlong in a prone position.
It is not by itself a serious problem.
(Please excuse any suggestion of vulgarity.)
I refer to...
"DEFECATED FOAM"!

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

It took me less than a tenth of the time to solve the puzzle than it did to read all of the blog recap and post replies today. Guess that's what I get for being late to the party!

Puzzle, Catherine, was fine; I agree with others that TPKE as clued by I-90 in MA was colloquially incorrect. I lived in W MA for 9 years and we always referred to it as the MASS PIKE. But that's a small nit to pick for a clever puzzle. I "got" the shoe reference but the FEET in the reveal was a surprise. Lots of EFFS in the puzzle today but I grade this as a {B+}

Boomer, I see you're itching to get out and play golf.

Other than the W-O of PIKE to TPKE, the only other error was ADIOS/ADIEU. Both are vowel-laden but the French version moreso

Had two puzzle rejections this week but I am going to submit to another editor and see if it "fits" their needs better

Robert, was that person even wearing a costume? From my untrained eyes it almost appeared as though it was a painted-on image of a suit ...

Had a delightfully cool day here in the VOTS. Mid '70's and still quite low humidity although they're predicting a slight chance of rain tonight with snow (1"-4") north of the rim. This day last year was our first 100+ degree day, and we broke a record for the most 100+ in a year (145 I think was the total)

The Curmudgeon said...

A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could, if a woodchuck would chuck wood.

>> Roy

CanadianEh! said...

AnonT- I commented @9:15am on the PEA dupe 😁😮
Perhaps we are getting used to it now as the rules seemed to have changed.

YR- glad Alan is feeling better. Scary for you, but better safe than sorry. And doesn’t it reinforce the wisdom of your choices for care for him and yourself that you have relieved your mind of much of the burden of his care? Now you can just enjoy your special times with him. (But perhaps a sheet with his medical history on hand, with an update from his house manager when he comes to visit you, might be good for emergencies.)

Lucina, Misty et.al. - I wear flats. At 5’ 10” I don’t need heels or WEDGEs to add any height, especially when DH is not tall.

Picard - that hike looks daunting (reminds me a little of Hell’s Canyon in Kenya but the climb down was harder than the area where we exited). Was that a snake? I’m out of there.
And as for your beautiful WONDER WOMAN friend, she would freeze at Canadian Halloween!😁😮

OwenKL- I echo Lucina@5:59pm

Wilbur Charles said...

I never got to purchase sunday newspapers until this morning. It was a slow slog with only the W in DEW stopping my FIR Streak. BTW, re UBER vs Rental Car biz? Try renting one

At 1044 TTP hears of TOPANGA and predictably Picard tells us (1156) all about it. Same guy (predictably) who never heard of LOVIE Smith

Now to Monday except GABE K brought lemony to Fenway

I had simply PIKE(The). Big Dig extended it to Ted Williams Tunnel. When Tunnel Was closed* all of a sudden Boston couldn't survive with just two tunnels and a bridge..

April 4, 1968. I was at OCS on a "Hike" and they pulled the corpsmen-End of hike. We bushwacked home.

That's right, there's a five**-mile strip of NH separating Maine from Massachusetts. Hampton Beach is on it.

And we had RINGO's son ZAK(Starkey ***) yesterday

Waseeley, that's anonymii. An obvious phish. They infect the best of blogs.

So now we'll call you Anon-Tee

CED, MCD was yesterday

Picard We see"***

My ratings for Owen are W (eg A) or no rating. They are all very entertaining and amusing. As for WC, I can't do what he and OMK do so my approach was to tell a story. The J-blog for 2020 had Bilbo Baggins followed by Ivanhoe.

WC

* Wrong epoxy (Summer). Support beams fell(one on top) of a moving car

** OK. Probably longer but relatively short. On 95 N, there's a toll interchange followed by a redt area where they sell discounted booze followed by "Welcome to Maine "

***My friend's son played the pirate STARKEY in a kids production of Peter Pan

****I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture? (Yes, we see)
That's when I fell for (the leader of the pack)

Becky said...

I would absolutely recommend a trip to The Getty Villa. I did notice Fincher at the Academy Awards. That hike looks incredibly difficult but beautiful -- everyone is smiling! Oh, and I thought that Wonder Woman was wonderful.

Becky