google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday May 12, 2021 Freddie Cheng

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May 12, 2021

Wednesday May 12, 2021 Freddie Cheng

 Theme: Here's That Rainy Day.  And here's today's theme song.

 

Each person in the theme entries notably has the item we need on a rainy day - though, notably, they have it when it's not raining.

19 A. Julie Andrews Oscar-winning role: MARY POPPINS.  A magical English nanny blown in on the East Wind - presumably with the help of her - well, we'll see.

 

26 A. Character who sings "When You Wish Upon a Star": JIMINY CRICKET.  Disney's adaptation of the un-named talking cricket in Carlo Collodi's original story The Adventures of Pinocchio..  In the movie, he is Pinocchio's official conscience.


42 A. Emma Peel's partner on "The Avengers": JOHN STEED.  He has much more to his story than his highly charged association with Mrs. Peel.


So - on to the unifier.  55 A. With "The," Netflix title superhero team ... and a hint to something associated with 19-, 26- and 42-Across: UMBRELLA ACADEMY.  As you have probably gleaned by now, the common characteristic is that each of the theme-noted characters is equipped with an UMBRELLA, with varying degrees of functionality - but always as a fashion accessory.  The UMBRELLA ACADEMY is new to me.  The Netflix series is adapted from a comic book series of the same name, first released in 2007.  You can read more here.

Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here, hoping to keep your skies clear and your shoes dry.  Let's venture into the weather and see how things go.

Across:

1. Boyfriend: BEAU. A male admirer.

5. Still, briefly: THO.  Truncated "although."

8. Taunt: GIBE. An insult or mocking remark.

12. Chief Norse god: ODIN.

13. Adler in Sherlock Holmes fiction: IRENE.  A former opera singer, and an opponent Holmes admired for her cunning and wit.  Sjho only appears in one story: A Scandal in Bohemia.

15. "I got this, boss": ON IT.

16. __ Khalifa: Dubai structure that's the world's tallest: BURJ.   With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding antenna, but including a 244 m spire[2]) of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009.  [Wikipedia]

17. Apple throwaways: CORES.  The central part with the seeds.

18. Bout enders, briefly: TKOs.  Technical Knock Outs.  These occur when a referee or court side physician determines that a boxer is incapable of defending himself or has sustained a serious injury; or for some other reason cannot continue.

22. Crimson Tide nickname: BAMA.  Truncated. Alabama.

23. Hightail it, old-style: HIE.  Go quickly.

24. Caps for Highlanders: TAMS.

29. By oneself: SOLELY.  

30. Garden clippers: SHEARS.

32. "Best in Show" actor Willard: FRED. Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (1933 – 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. 

33. Pack animals: MULES.

37. "Shucks!": DRAT.  Dad burn it!

38. Approved, briefly: OK'D.  Gave the OK to.

39. Part ways: SPLIT UP.  


 


 41. Operative: SPY.  More generally, a skilled worker.  I was not aware of this usage.

44. Luminance: SHEEN.  Characteristic of a bright and shiny surface.

47. Towing org.: AAA.  American Automobile Association.

48. Twiggy abodes: NESTS.  Bird homes.

52. Clothing store department: WOMENS.  Along with MENS and CHILDRENS

54. Justice Gorsuch's predecessor: SCALIA.  Antonine [1936-2016] was appointed to the Supreme Court by Reagan in 1986, and was confirmed by a vote of 98-0.

59. Born, in bios: NEE.  Generally used in wedding announcements to refer to the bride's maiden name.

60. Santa's elves' workplace: TOY SHOP.  At the North pole, of course.

61. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" director Anderson: WES.  Wesley Wales Anderson (b.1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their symmetry, eccentricity and distinctive visual and narrative styles.

62. Dog's warning: GRR.  Growl. 

63. Up-and-down rides: SEE-SAWS.

64. Sign at a hot show: SRO.  Standing Room Only.

Down:

1. Hope with jokes: BOB.  Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American stand-up comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete and author. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 54 feature films with Hope as star, including a series of seven "Road" musical comedy movies with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner. [Wikipedia]

2. School URL letters: EDU.  This is the top level domain name for academic institutions in the U.S.

3. Sent by plane: AIR-MAILED.  Transported with at least one leg of the journey by plane.  This typically is quicker and more costly than surface mail.

4. Removed stuck paper from: UNJAMMED.  As from a printer of copier.

5. Prize on the mantel: TROPHY. A decorative object awarded as a prize for victory or success.

6. Like many a rescue: HEROIC.

7. Sale limit, briefly: ONE PER.  One to a customer

8. Prepared to skinny-dip: GOT NAKED.  NAKED - or merely unclothed, like mother EVE?

9. Fountain pen mishaps: INK SMEARS.  Messy

10. eharmony profile part: BIOgraphy.  

11. Sci-fi beings: ETS. Extra-Terrestials - Visitors from another planet.

13. Bone-chilling: ICY.  Brrrr!

14. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  Exrta-Sensory Perception.  Presumed knowledge or ability without the use of the normal 5 senses.

20. Amtrak track: RAIL. The continuous line of metal bars upon which a train moves.

21. Something to scratch: ITCH.

22. One-named Icelandic singer: BJORK.  Björk Guðmundsdóttir [b 1965] is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and DJ. 

25. Watch fastener: STRAP.  Keeps it on your wrist.

27. Female folklore deity: NYMPH.  A mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations.  Not actually deities, they are personifications of nature, and typically toed to a particular location.

28. Put into circulation, as stamps: ISSUE.  

29. Bay Area airport code: SFO.

31. Messy dorm room, say: STY.  By reference to swine.

34. Arm bone: ULNA.  The thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.

35. __ Cuddy, Dean of Medicine on "House": LISA.  Played by Lisa Edelstein.

36. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  Jamesetta Hawkins, [1938-2012] known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. 

 

 39. Shakespeare's 150+: SONNETS.  Fourteen line poems of various rhyme schemes.  The last is No. 154. Make of it what you will.

The little Love-god lying once asleep,
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;
And so the General of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,
   Came there for cure and this by that I prove, 
   Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.

40. Ballpoint covers: PENCAPS.  A word you won't encounter every day.   They may prevent 9 D.

42. Boobird's output: JEER.  Rude, mocking remark, generally in a loud voice.

43. Kaput, as a battery: DEAD.  Out of juice, so to speak.

44. Took a cut, in baseball: SWUNG.  With a bat.

45. Baseball dinger: HOMER.  A home run - a batted ball hit beyond the outfield and out of the field of play, in fair territory.

46. Glowing leftover: EMBER.  A small piece of glowing wood or coal in a dying fire.

49. Oodles: SLEWS.  Big bunches.

50. It may set off a beeper: TIMER.  

51. Right to decide: SAY SO.  Just so.

53. Gin fizz flavor: SLOE.  The sloe is an astringent berry fond in English hedge rows.  Sloe gin is made by infusing gin with these berries.  The fizz is made by combining sloe gin with lemon juice, soda water simple syrup and a fruity garnish.

54. Garbage boat: SCOW.  A flat-bottomed boat with scooping sides.

56. Caustic cleanser: LYE.  Sodium hydroxide, and that's the truth!

57. Pack animal: ASS.  An ASS is a donkey.  A MULE [33 A] is the offspring of a male ass and a female horse.

58. "Bingo!": AHA.  Just so!

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope yours wasn't rainy.

Cool regards!
JzB





54 comments:

  1. Good morning Cornerites.

    Thank you Freddie Cheng for your enjoyable Wednesday CW.

    Carol and I FIR in 25:28 min.

    Thank you Jazzbumpa for your excellent review.

    Ðavið

    ReplyDelete
  2. ODIN was a Norse god, in Valhalla he's the guy!
    IRENE was a Greek god, for Peace she would cry!
    Belligerence was he,
    Diplomacy was she,
    In their disagreement, with Karma they would vie!

    JOHN STEED was a SPY of sorts,
    Investigating dire reports.
    So debonair
    With British flair,
    And witty with his dry retorts!

    {B-, B.}

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hate flying....not the flight itself but all the surrounding shenanigans.

    We are sitting at the gate in Syracuse airport waiting for our flight to Florida (away for a week leaving the dismal central NY weather...that does NOT necessarily mean you won't get assailed by my daily nonsense 😄)

    Going through security DW, DD and I have TSA pre ✔. I was stopped and told I did NOT have pre ✔ after showing the agent I did.

    I stood in line refusing to move or remove shoes until I got an explanation. (Our family had to travel 3hrs to Niagara Falls NY 2 years ago to get interviewed, processed and paid for Global Entry with pre ✔)

    1. First story..(1st agent) "TSA occasionally arbitrarily denies a passeger their prec ✔ status as a spot security check. "

    2. Second story ..(2nd agent)..."It has nothing to do with us (TSA), it's the airline...

    I asked tongue-in-cheek for a discount

    This is not the first time I've tangled with TSA foolisness.

    My older daughter says she just waiting to hear I've been taken away in handcuffs. 😳

    Now on to the puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Names as a theme, oh joy! Are you kidding me?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good morning! (Enjoy your incarceration, Ray-O. I'm with you on the hassles of flying. My last trip was about five years ago, and there's none on the horizon.)

    Needed my Wite-Out to change ASSES to MULES, then put my ASS in further down. Sussed SWUNG for "cut," but thought a dinger would be a POPUP. Oops. More Wite-Out. But d-o got 'er done, so life is good. Thanx, Freddie (interesting theme!) and JzB.

    Taxing day. Gotta run...

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was straightforward much like a jazzb write-up. I would certainly grade those l'icks another NOTCH, Owen.

    Yes, Holmes was outwitted by IRENE but she let him off the hook . When the pompous Bohemian "Duke" laments that Irene was not of his station Holmes makes a witty rejoinder to the effect that the singer certainly wasn't.

    I read that original Pinocchio story at a very young age(8). Not exactly Disney level.

    I was 20,21 during the Diana Rigg - Steed era. Very English in it's sensuality. I knew there was a real Steed and apparently this Wickham-Steed is whom I'm thinking of. Possibly the prototype.

    WC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the 1970's, Diana Rigg appeared in the nude on a white fur rug on stage at The Old Vic. Cannot forget this vision but cannot remember the name of the play!

      Delete
  7. FIR this appropriately themed Wednesday puzzle for a rainy day in Atlanta. Saw the UMBRELLA connection. Thanks, Freddie for an interesting puzzle. Another new constructor? We've been seeing a few new names lately. And FRED? A CSO to yourself?

    BURJ, plus baseball terms dinger for HOMER and took a cut for SWUNG were learning moments. Tried to use Goad instead of GIBE but perps prevailed as they did for a few other WOs like INK SpillS. Thanks, JazzB for your musical review. It was a satisfying puzzle to start the day.

    Hope you all stay dry today. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was able to finish this in 5:02 today, despite not knowing of the Umbrella Academy.

    I much prefer the word "bumbershoot" to "umbrella."

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was wondering about those baseball clues. eg Would such hanging fruit* prove to be obscure.

    Same same for me on pop-cul clues

    WC

    * I have the juiciest peaches ripening in scc. Delicieux. Gotta get back Today they're falling off the tree.


    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanx Freddie for the gettable puzzle. Some unknowns but perps were solid. Didn't get the theme until after the reveal. Interesting. Good write-up as usual, JB. Frost on the pumpkin this morning here in Token Creek but high today a sunny 65. Lotta yard work again today. Cya.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great puzzle and although I'd never heard of The Umbrella Academy I got it from the other answers and crosses.

    As a kid I had a crush on Diana Rigg in The Avengers. Boy was I surprised when she appeared as Oleanna Tyrell in the Game of Thrones series. Sorry to see her pass away last September.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Musings
    -I don’t time myself but I flew this one. Only delay was a futile attempt to suss the fun theme.
    -My JIMINY CRICKET conscience has lived with me for over 54 years and is a great cook!
    -The crown prince of Dubai at the BURJ Khalifa Yikes!
    -JOHN STEED? Oh yeah, now that you mention it, there was a man on that show too! :-)
    -Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney delights in beating his alma mater BAMA
    -I was SOLELY responsible for the hole I put in a wall last week
    -Many thought Debbie Reynolds’ turn as Molly Brown was better than Julie Andrews’ as MARY POPPINS in 1964
    -Some are said to have travelled by RAIL if they keep hanging their head over the ship’s side
    -There is no way misogynistic, racist, sexist, crude House could be on the air today
    -I use the iPhone TIMER a lot so I don’t forget to turn off the stove, sprinkler, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Many showbiz aficionados believe (are quite sure) that Andrews was awarded the oscar for Poppins to make amends for what many deemed was a slight when she wasn't given the role of Eliza Dolittle in the movie version of My Fair Lady, a role she originated on Broadway. Her broadway co-star Rex Harrison did the movie version but apparently Jack Warner wanted star power in the person of Audrey Hepburn, who by the way recorded the entire score only to be replaced by ubiquitous ghost singer Marni Nixon. She was reportedly devastated and people that have heard her version give it very high marks. Gotta love those old studio bosses.

    ReplyDelete


  14. Thank you, Freddie Cheng, and thank you, Jazzbumpa.

    Didn't know of The Umbrella Academy, but knew of each of the the three theme answers. Made for a fast solve. Nice job by both of you.

    Freddie had a Monday puzzle on Sept 9, 2019 that with a down answer reveal of "Dressing Downs" with theme answers also going down: French, Italian, Russian and Ranch

    Happy Birthday, HOMER Simpson ! He turns 65 today. Born May 12th, 1956 as evidenced by his driver's license. D'OH ! We also see LISA, Marge and Homer's oldest daughter.

    Like Token Creek, much to do outside today, and already behind schedule. Gotta run. See all y'all later n'at

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good Morning.

    This was a pretty easy Wednesday today. Maybe my binge-puzzling last weekend toned my brain muscles. Thanks, Freddie.

    JazzB, a fine review, indeed. I enjoyed the musical clips and the informative musical commentary.

    Have a sunny day. Another beautiful one here.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good Morning:

    What better way to start the day than listening to the incomparable Nat King Cole, the irrepressible Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, and the infectious Jiminy Cricket. An added bonus was the fun puzzle with a fresh approach and a very Aha reveal. I wasn’t familiar with the Umbrella Academy but the themers and perps made it obvious. The only unknown was Burj but, again, perps to the rescue. Some cute duos included Swung adjacent to Homer, Sty crossing Spy, and the rhythmic Beau/Tho/Sloe.

    Thanks, Freddie, well done and thanks, JazzB, for an informative and entertaining review, especially the musical excerpts. You brightened my day.

    Ray O, enjoy your week of sun and fun.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good morning everyone.

    Solve moved along smartly and was completed w/o mishap. FIR. No erasures.
    I couldn't identify with today's theme but the puzzle content was fine for mid-week.
    SWUNG - The much- preferred past tense of swing. OED gives 'swang' as an alternate but cautions it is rarely used.
    BJÖRK - is a Swedish surname and an Icelandic 1st name for girls. It means 'birch', the most common native tree in Iceland.

    Ray-O-- sorry to hear of your travails with TSA.

    Thanks JzB for the lead-in. Always a pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
  18. As others have already said, thanks Freddie and JazzB. A very entertaining way to start the day. After doing the LAT puzzle, I solved the Jonesin' puzzle by Matt Jones - "Free Game". If you enjoy puzzles teeming with obscure proper nouns you really should track that one down. I, however do not.

    OTOH, the USA Today puzzle - Self Centered - by Z.B. was a nice solve.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Freddie and JzB.
    I FIRed and saw the UMBRELLA theme, but there were a few INK SMEARS.

    My rescue was Aerial before HEROIC. (I'll blame it on too many newspaper reports of rescues from the Niagara Gorge!)
    My watch had a clasp before a STRAP, and JLo had a Break UP before a SPLIT UP. (But she SEESAWS to Affleck.)
    I had the alternate spelling Jibe before GIBE (and thought we had SLEWS of J's today). BURJ and BJORK perped thankfully. Jibe (GIBE) and JEER go together.

    With the -ENS ending in place, I was going to Linens before WOMENS. DRAT, the clue said "clothing" not department store!
    Perps gave me UNJAMMED; I was thinking of trying to remove a gluey stuck label yesterday. (Any household hints? it is on plastic)
    I noted ASS and MULES; the former could have been a themer yesterday.

    When I see Cuddy, I think of Jim Cuddy of Canadian rock band Blue Rodeo. I have tickets for his virtual concert this Friday night. (We had tickets for a virtual Sarah McLaughlin concert last week; yes she sang ADIA and I got it immediately in Sunday's CW!)

    Good to hear from you D4.
    Ray-o - good for standing your ground. I'm not sure that I would tangle with TSA!
    Wilbur- my mouth is watering re those peaches.

    Wishing you all a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CanadianEh! @10:44 Remove your gluey stuck label w/ WD40. Works like a charm. Then get the WD40 off with dish detergent.

      Delete
  20. I knew the first three theme answers so the puzzle fell into place quickly. After the first two, I was thinking, "It's a Disney theme!" Then I was baffled after JOHNSTEED went in, and I had no idea what the unifying theme was. Then when the revealer came, I said, "Of course!" That's the best kind of revealer -- impenetrable at first but obvious in retrospect.

    Nice job, Freddie! And great write up, JzB!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hola!

    Freddie Cheng is unfamiliar to me but I welcome his opus filled with fresh items! Quick, easy and fun are my criteria for a good puzzle and this one fit perfectly.

    I believe it's the first time I've seen BURJ in a puzzle and it was accompanied by many other J's. Unusual and amusing.

    Only one INK SMEAR at MARY POPPINS where I was going for Maria von Trapp but TROPHY stopped me in my tracks.

    I loved The Avengers and looked forward to seeing them every week. JOHN STEED and Emma Peel entertained with their talented performances.

    Thank you, JazzB, for your outstanding expo especially giving us Nat King Cole whose voice I love!

    Enjoy a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! WARM wishes from sunny Arizona!


    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks, Freddie and JzB! This puzzle certainly falls under the UMBRELLA of good times, and the review was full of fun, too. I loved reading Sonnet 154!

    Ray-O, my DH and I also have Global Entry, but it by no means guarantees TSA Pre-Check with every flight. Although we often get Pre-Check, we have to go through long lines with the hoi polloi, too. The airlines do, in fact, have to randomly deny Pre-Check to Global Entry passengers, and if Pre-Check isn't printed on your boarding pass, you don't have it. No point arguing. Until this past year, we were traveling a lot, and that is what we learned. Grin and bear it! You'll have to take off your shoes and belt in most airports, but not get NAKED.

    ReplyDelete
  23. FIR in 21. Thanx Freddie for a sparkling and fun CW! And thanx JzB for a terrific write-up, and all the music u linked! I didn’t know BURJ (perps to the rescue) nor was I familiar with “DINGER” or “TOOK A CUT”. Perps again. Big mess of a W/O at 37a, DARN:DANG:DRAT. Rats. Ray-O, your story reminds me of returning from a business meeting in San Diego long ago before TSA, sometime in the 80’d, when I got pulled out of line and had to be frisked, and had my luggage searched before boarding in San Diego. There was a group of six of us all flying back to South Florida. My colleagues asked what that was all about, and I had to tell them I had no clue, which was the truth. We all had to swap planes in Dallas to continue to Miami, and once again I got pulled out of line, frisked and searched, and this time got taken to a room for an interview! My colleagues were sure I must be up to something. To this day I have no clue what I was suspected of.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Fun puzzle and commentary this morning, Freddie and JazzB--many thanks.
    I have an Emeriti meeting this morning so will have to check in later with any comments. Have a good day, everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  25. As a 16-year-old I preferred Diana Rigg in the black jump suit, but who wouldn't?

    Anon @ 9:12, I've heard Hepburn singing "Wouldn't it be Loverly", but generally she would've needed Nixon's help anyway, because she wasn't a soprano and couldn't hit the high notes on most of her songs. (You're not allowed to transpose songs' keys down without the composer's permission in professional theater)

    BTW Marni Nixon actually was on-screen in "The Sound of Music" as one of the nuns.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Canadian Eh! I use Goo Gone Adhesive Remover. Works like a charm. $6.99 at Amazon in US. I see it is sold in Canada, too.
    My new laptop has a mouse that is a rectangular space below the keyboard. Ugh! I am always touching it by accident. It results in all kinds of weirdness. I lost my entire post that way this morning. I have an external wireless mouse that I love. I will try to recreate my post later today.
    Snafu Day today. I also UNJAMMED my copier today. This one is fairly easy to work on.
    I am relearning the latest version of WORD as I try to write and save an essay and toggle back and forth between it and google. I think I got it now. The frustration is breaking my thought patterns. It doesn't take much. I still have two more days until deadline, so I will give it a rest.
    I'm off to buy some CAB for happy hour. Hopefully I will write more later.

    ReplyDelete
  27. And of course, a HOMER need not be hit out of the field of play, just far enough beyond the reach of the outfielders for an inside-the-park home run. Not sure if anyone calls that a dinger, though.

    ReplyDelete

  28. No issues with this clever Wednesday grid.

    Lots of Js…like my evenings, haha.

    No write-overs.

    YR…There should be an option somewhere in Settings to turn the mouse “pad” off.

    Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
  29. FIR and even before takeoff!! nothing really difficult for Humpday.

    Inkblots too short. I still have some of my grade school penmanship folders.. blots and INKSMEARS were common. We used inkwells till 5th grade, what a mess.

    Thiink of shears as scissors. We call 'em garden clippers like the clue

    Lotsa cicada NYMPHS on their way. inkover ONme/IT.

    Everyone knows MARY POPPINS and JIMINY CRICKET. Not so UMBRELLA ACADEMY, A great one season (so far) sci-fi series available on NETFLIX..Get the umbrella connection with MARY but JIMINY (yeah, I kinda remember he carried an umbrella..a bit of a stretch though). As a teen I paid little attention to to JOHN Steed or his umbrella, my adolescent hormones were focused on Emma PEEL in that all that tight black leather.😯

    PK I decided to tackle "Le Avventure di Pinocchio" in the original language years ago. Definitely a much more brutal story like most originals fairy tales tend to be.

    Complain about a late train...RAIL
    One name not to give a boy ..... ISSUE
    STY TAMS.....PENCAPS

    Guess I haven't been put on the no-fly list...yet. 😅

    ReplyDelete
  30. Naomi Z @ 11:20

    Our Global Entry package includes TSA pre ✔.

    A crazier story: When applying for a NYS enhanced license which was a prerequisite requirement for the Global Entry package I brought my birth certificate, SS card and passport as ID to the Utica NY DMV. MY parents never gave me a middle name but I started using my confirmation name on my passport and SScard. The Utica DMV said because of the discrepancy with my birth certificate I would have to legally change my name. "No big deal" they claimed..get an application and ticket from the court and a judge will do"

    Wrong..The clerk at the court explained it WAS a big deal involving another application for $250..Among other things a notice posted in the local newspaper...would take weeks etc. and separate decision by the judge. So..went to the courthouse for the application...they had none and told me to go to the county law offices. I told this sad story to the clerk there. She laughed, had heard the same story multiple times and said go to the Herkimer NY DMV, (20 minutes away other end of the county) with my application, 3 documents, discrepancy and all..Within minutes the clerk there approved my application, took my picture and I had my enhanced license in the mail in less than a week.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I liked this puzzle and the theme even though I am very weak at baseball terminology. I felt a tiny, very tiny, twinge seeing HIE clued as Hightail it. Like Lucina, I thought of Maria Von Trapp before TROPHY steered me to POPPINS. I always associate the word GIBE with a sailing maneuver. Is PENCAPS really a word?

    I hate to fly, for many reasons, including those recounted by Ray-O.

    Last night, after watching an episode of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, my wife asked me what else James Joyce had written.

    Take care, all.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ray-O, even though your "Global Entry package includes TSA pre ✔," you will not get it every time. They have built random exceptions into the system.

    Your name change story rang a bell with me. I had to publish a notice in the newspaper before having my name changed in court, after a couple of decades married to Mr. Not Quite Right. Something of a bother, but exciting when the judge granted my request!

    ReplyDelete
  33. And then, I have been invited to the enhanced expedited security line with no reason and no pass and breezed right through.
    Otherwise, once I had an unusually shaped piece of luggage which was loaded with two weeks worth of sweaty hiking duds. When TSA flagged it and began to sort through it, they were disgusted and quickly closed it up. What a clever way to disguise contraband!
    My bucket list had many foreign aspirations. Due to age, Covid and airline trauma, I think I will pass. I settled Alan too late. Ten years ago I would have been game.
    I am rereading James Herriot's books now. I still find them charming.
    Have you ever heard of a hamburger icon? I just encountered the term today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You remind me of my smuggling Cuban cigars out of Russia many years ago. In the childrens dirty clothes - briefly of course.

      Delete
  34. I've never encountered problems at the airport but one of my sisters has. Her name is apparently identical to an international felon of some kind and she is pulled aside every time she flies. She now carries extra proof of her identity to avoid the situation.

    As an elder I no longer have to remove my shoes! I'm so looking forward to July when I will travel to visit friends in San Rafael.

    ReplyDelete
  35. FIR in pretty good time for me. Didn’t use too much Wite-Out today either.

    Thanks, Freddie and JazzB.

    I HAVE heard of the Burj. In fact, it has been on my bucket list ever since it opened. However, the chances of my getting there are slim and none, but, there’s always hope. The trip would involve flying non-stop from KIAH on Emirates, which is a fairly well ranked airline.

    For those of you who didn’t Google it:

    Burj Khalifa

    To me, Bob Hope’s most wonderful gifts were his USO tours for members of the armed forces. I got to see him at Fort Richardson, AK --- probably the 1959 Christmas show, with Jayne Mansfield.

    Domestic Air Mail as a separate class of service was eliminated in 1977.

    Yeah, I had never heard of The Umbrella Academy either, but as others have said, the theme and the reveal became very evident.

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  36. This is our second puzzle from FREDDIE CHENG who has many NYT publications and a few WSJ. He is an ex-electrical engineer who I think now works on Wall Street.

    Thank you for the deep dive into THE AVENGERS , there is much more to the history than I knew.

    You all miss much entertaining television including (spoiler alert) the UMBRELLA ACADEMY which will be back for a third season. Ellen/Elliott Page is back as VANYA and I am curious how that will work.

    The pandemic opened up many new horizons including in entertainment

    Enjoy

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  37. I have had A Global Entry card since shortly after the inception of the program (2008?) and have been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively. I have had been able to shortcut the lines only maybe a half-dozens times. I always thought that the selection was random.

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  38. I've been out at the Kid and Grandkids all day and just finished the puzzle. Loved it Freddie and it didn't RAIN on my beautiful day. And Ron I thoroughly enjoyed your review and all the great tunes.

    Both JOHN STEED and The UMBRELLA ACADEMY were unknown to me (but EMMA PEEL was not as, Diana Rigg makes frequent appearances in British shows). But Freddie's perple generosity saw me through. My only regret is that we don't subscribe to Netflix and won't be able to see the series. But when Netflix's profits from it start to DRY up they'll probably farm it out to ROKU or PRIME. We'll save it for A RAINY DAY.

    Cheers,
    Bill

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  39. When I travel I put myself into a Zen state ie nothings going g to upset me. I have my trusty xwords especially back when a Saturday could keep me busy all weekend.

    I have 8 Birnholz xwords. I'm thinking of taking the train to Boston next trip.

    I noticed lines at the gas station so I got in line too. I have a diesel with cap on passenger side but the Murphy station had a lady directing traffic

    WC

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  40. Did you know that the hamburger icon is the three horizontal stripes in the upper right of your screen offering more options? The top and bottom layers are the bun and the middle is the meat. Sometimes it is just three dots one on top of each other. I googled a how-to today and was referred to the hamburger icon. I had to look it up.

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  41. Mal man. When printing my boarding passes I enter our Global Entry codes which then prints the words TSA Pre ✔ on the pass. Used on many flights, Never had a problem until today.

    One reason we got it is my special needs daughter is afraid of the round xray cubicle (hands in the air etc) and tends to move so then gets pulled aside to be frisked which terrifies her even more plus being forcibly separated from my wife. With pre ✔ all she has to do is walk thru the xray arch. Once again I've gotten into arguments with agents when she's crying calling for Mom during the frisking. I'm yelling and my DW is trying to calm both of us down.

    So now we've added even more uncertainty to air travel if her Pre check✔ can be suddenly suspended. Especially since we've told her she won't have to go inside the round xray machine.

    One of these days I'm going to get hauled away.



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  42. Thanks, Ray, I will have to remember to try that the next time I go to print a boarding pass. I usually don't print my own. Perhaps that has been suboptimal.

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  43. WC @ 7:53:

    Indeed, indeed. One summerish day, I picked a peach off our tree ... fully ripe [none of this ethylene-gas-pre-'ripened' store stuff], warm from sitting in the sun. and bit in to ambrosia a la Prunus Persica. I'm ruined forever now, since store-bought fruits and vegetables are anathema, at best resembling stale cardboard.

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  44. In honor of todays UMBRELLA ACADEMY theme ... something pertinent.

    This is kinda late, but better late than never....

    UMBRELLA - award winning CGI short film on youtube

    Enjoy.

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  45. Hi All!

    Thanks Freddie for another fun puzzle. Cool theme (DW watches UMBRELLA ACADEMY but it was new to me).

    Enjoyed the expo, JzB. Thanks!

    WOs: BJORn b/f BJORK, ACADaMY
    ESPs: BURJ, GIBE, FRES, JOHN STEED
    Fav: What IM said, SWUNG next to HOMER tickled me.

    {B, B+}

    C, Eh! - I'll add to YR's Goo Gone and unclefred's two step process, GOOF OOF. I have a can on my garage window sill.

    YR - Yes, one day (it seemed) all the cool-kids started using the hamburger instead of a menu bar. So much for ease-of-use / an intuitive computer-user interface... a PITA.

    Vidwan - Dude, warn a guy; I welled-up. Thanks for the short.

    CED - LOL #3

    MManatee - you enter it when you book your flight.
    Haven't flow in so long that today I had to figure out which 9 digit number on the back of my Global Entry was the "Known Traveler" ID. Turns out it's called PASSID.
    Oh, I was getting tickets to Denver to see my Brothers and The Home Run Derby! (still a chance we might get All-Star game tix - I'm hopeful!).

    Other thing I did today, and why I'm very late, DW & I started decking the attic space over the master bedroom. Worked from 6p - 10p and then had dinner.

    Cheers, -T

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  46. I as wondering where you were3, -T. Hopefully you've finally gone to bed. Thankfully you're not out chasing the darkside guys. Mess with our gas, Willya?

    Just when gas prices started to follow the Obama pattern

    WC

    Ps, talk about humpday. Oh well the spouses that hump together... oops I meant work

    WC

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  47. WC - I don't sleep until I'm done and then do...
    I just finished playing with a neighbor's laptop (it no workie and it's not the power supply - he needs a new one; motherboard overheated [I warn DW about that all the time when she's got it prop'd up on a pillow]).

    The NE gas shortage is a feed-back loop. Many thought it was going to be bad and, subsequently, horded it like toilet-paper last year. The pipeline is back on-line but thousands of retailers now need to be re-filled... That's going to take even more time.
    Like me trying to get propane 4 weeks after the Big Freeze; ain't none to be had until the supply-chain catches up.

    OK, I think I'm done for today. 40 winks and I'll be back at it.

    Cheers, -T

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