Theme: HOW SWEET IT IS (52. Jackie Gleason
catchphrase, and a hint to the starts of 20-, 28- and 46-Across) - The
first part of each theme entry is "Sweet".
20. Hospital volunteer named for a feature of their uniform: CAND- STRIPER.
28. One of two on a post-wedding vacation: HONEYMOONER.
46. Legal border-crossing spot: PORT OF ENTRY.
Boomer here. Looks like another L.A. Times debut. Congrats, Chris!!
Of course I am unable to verify the sweetness of any of the answers due to diabetes. But I do know a crossword constructor is extremely sweet.
Across:
5. Dog of unknown ancestry: MUTT.
9. One of the Musketeers: ATHOS. Porthos and Aramis were the other two. I believe they invented a candy bar.
14. Trojan War hero: AJAX. And he may have invented a sink and bathtub cleaner.
15. Where the seven "-stan" countries are: ASIA. I won't try to name them. I think I only know Afghanistan and Pakistan.
18. Mannerly fellow: GENT. Not me.
19. La Scala offering: OPERA. Not Winfree.
23. Hindu honorific: SRI. Could be Lanka?
26. Huge fan: NUT. I am a huge fan of cashews.
27. Layer on the farm: HEN. My Uncle Bill's farm had many layers.
32. Health resort: SPA.
35. Dreadlocks wearer: RASTA.
36. Like thoughts you'd rather not share: PERSONAL. I might have some. I'm not going to say.
38. Prepare for publication: EDIT. A lot of work goes into the preparation of these crosswords!
39. Digging tool: SPADE. Thirteen in a deck of cards.
41. Gangster's gal: MOLL.
42. Hurricane or tornado, often: DISASTER. It seems Minnesota
has avoided tornados for a number of years. Luckily we never have
hurricanes. In fact we have not even had rain since May.
44. Panfry: SAUTE.
45. Solidify: SET.
49. Cocktail server: BAR. I
believe the server is a waiter or waitress. I don't go to bars, not
even the ones in bowling centers. But I have seen a few on slot
machines -- never three in a row.
50. Ewe's mate: RAM. Los Angeles NFL football player.
51. The "S" in CBS: Abbr.: SYS.
58. Bolt who bolts: USAIN. He's getting older, like the rest of us. I wonder if he'll be in Tokyo this summer.
59. Footwear for snow: BOOT. Easy clue for us Northerners.
60. "Oh dear!": ALAS.
64. Fly like a seagull: GLIDE. I remember swing sets that had GLIDErs on them
65. Hay unit: BALE.
66. Prefix with gram: KILO. If you have 1000 of them.
67. Sank on the green: HOLED. That's what I am doing today.
68. British WWII gun: STEN.
69. Adam's first home: EDEN. A garden with three bedrooms and a fireplace?
Down:
3. Toon devil: TAZ. This guy was a villain on "Law and Order."
4. Suit in a corner office: EXEC.
5. Title P.I. played by Tom Selleck and Jay Hernandez: MAGNUM.
Now Selleck does commercials for reverse mortgages. You all know I watch
too much TV. You would think he made enough money being a detective.
6. Did, but not anymore: USED TO. I USED TO have a 200 + Average on the lanes.
7. Wee: TINY. Tim tiptoed through the tulips.
8. Ink spots?: TATS. Tattoos.
9. Ardent fans: ADORERS. Those would be those great fans in Green Bay Wisconsin.
10. Easy two-pointer: TIP IN.
11. Dickens villain Uriah: HEEP. Created by Charles Dickens. Some Rock band stole the name.
12. Shrek, e.g.: OGRE.
13. Fly at a great height: SOAR. I'm sure the gymnasts will be soaring greatly in Tokyo.
21. "The Queen's Gambit" star __ Taylor-Joy: ANYA.
22. "I did it!": THERE. No, you're not THERE yet.
23. Destroys, as docs: SHREDS.
24. Amp toter: ROADIE.
25. Demand: INSIST. I INSIST we keep going!
29. Jazz great James: ETTA. I've heard of ETTA KETT .
30. Dizzying paintings: OP ART. It takes quite an imagination to call it ART.
31. Actor Beatty: NED. "Deliverance" was a movie to remember. I still remember the banjos.
32. Hog noses: SNOUTS. I think Frosty the snowman had one.
33. Meager: PALTRY.
34. Narrow passages between buildings: ALLEYS. Okay, as long as this has nothing to do with bowling.
37. Muscat is its capital: OMAN.
39. Put away for later: STORE. I put away my baseball cards for later. I guess it is not quite later yet.
40. According to: PER.
43. Gave birth to: SPAWNED.
44. Big rig: SEMI. I still do not know why it's called a SEMI. The ones I see are bigger than both of us.
48. Make plump: FATTEN.
49. Reverse of a hit 45: B SIDE. I still have a few 33 1/3 LPs and a couple of 45s. Nothing to play them on though.
52. Laurie of "House": HUGH. I only remember Hugh O'Brian - My sister used to watch "Wyatt Earp".
53. Norway's capital: OSLO. Yah - Das is So.
54. Haunted house sound: WAIL.
55. Goes out, as the tide: EBBS.
56. Just right: TOAT.
57. Sushi bar drink: SAKE. For heaven's sake.
61. Pot top: LID. Put a LID on it !
62. Pale __: ALE. Canada Dry ginger ale with NO sugar. Yum.
63. Relative in some business names: SON. Walmart did not bother.
Boomer
Notes from C.C.:
I have a question: When you click on this Minis label, do you land on "To a T" (oldest Mini) or do you land on "Aggie" (newest Mini?). I'm using a PC, and I land on "To a T". Same with Nina (inanehker). Spitzbooz, Gary and Agnes land on "Aggie", and they'll use iPad or iMac.
Updated later: D-Otto uses a PC also, but he lands on "Aggie".
Updated again: Just published the "Terrible" puzzle as a test. Can you solve the puzzle, then click on the Minis label, and let me know where you land next?
73 comments:
Welcome Chris, come visit and tell us about yourself. An easy breezy way to start the week with a wonderful walk with Boomer.
"The Queen's Gambit" star __ Taylor-Joy: ANYA looks a lot different now, but I did enjoy the series.
Thank you Boomer and Chris
Good morning everyone. I’m up really early today. Enjoyed this good Monday puzzle. Thanks for the enjoyable contribution Boomer. Enjoyed that honeymooner happened into the puzzle of “how sweet it is’.
My son lives in MN with wife and baby girl. Their yard/lawn is totally drying up. Unusual.
FIR with little resistance. I hesitated a tad at the ANYA/NUT crossing because of uncertainty of the spelling of MAGNUM. I’m more familiar with Arya Stark, although I enjoyed Queen’s Gambit even though it was fiction. I guess GOT was fictional also.
Good morning!
Easy, breezy, romp today. Even managed to get the theme before the reveal. Yay. Thanx, Chris (nice debut) and Boomer.
NED: Just passed away on 6/13.
AJA: It's the only Steely Dan album on my music server.
Lizza, you can get rid of that dupe post -- just click the trash-can icon below the post. It's PERSONAL -- only you can see it.
Sweet and easy puzzle. CANDY and HONEY set up the theme for me.
AJA, has become a crossword staple, either the Steely Dan album or the Goya painting, The Naked Aja.
MN, I am surprised at all the months without rain in MN. I think of all the snow you get.
We have had a just right amount of rain this spring.
The only new fill for me was ANYA.
Yesterday we had the word SALIENCE, a wonderful word, seen often in print and rarely used in everyday conversation. There are many words like this that we Cornerites report we never use in conversation. The reason is we would be deemed pretentious if we did so. So the words remain underused and thus continue to seem pretentious. How sad!! What richness of language we are forfeiting. I call this reverse snobbery.
Annette didn't fit so I went with ATHOS
Jon Rahm HOLED a pair to clinch the US Ooen yesterday
I inked MAnnix/ MAGNUM. I don't watch that ilk. The best thing I ever saw on TV was Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy with Alec Guinness
I wanted "Sue me" / THERE
I was careful to wait for perps on STORE. Last week it was STOCK and Stash appears too.
YR, I used "quasi " the other day and got an odd look
This was just right for a Monday. Lots of new words like PALTRY. Needed a break after yesterday
WC
Also... I always enjoy Boomer write-ups. Golf. Baseball and Bowling. For me it was the bowling alley
FIR but with two WOs. Thanks, Chris, for a sweet start to the week. Hope to see more from you. Thanks, Boomer, for explaining the fill. Always entertaining, you are. Hope you have some fun planned for the day.
It is interesting to see what my first thoughts, leading to WOs, are. Today I started spelling SHREDS like spread with an A. Wrong! And my first thought for put away for later was SpaRE. Perps soon changed that. Otherwise, such a clean and pretty puzzle. A joy!
Have some joy in your day today, everyone.
Seemed like a typical Monday puzzle, though I didn't know "how sweet it is," which corrected my "neat" to "to a t." Took me 4:21 to get out of the "gate" to reach "Eden."
FIR. DNK any of the Musketeers nor ANYA. Erased gel for SET, skis for BOOT and auger for SPADE.
I think SEMI refers to the way the trailers attach. Since the trailer goes piggyback on the fifth wheel of the tractor (the mounting plate over the rear axles), it doesn't completely "trail". Ergo, SEMItrailer.
I teach SALIENCE diagrams as part of my project management courses. They help students analyze project stakeholders and plan how to interact with them. It is basically a Venn diagram with overlapping power, urgency and legitimacy elements.
I remember Jackie Gleason's line "one of these days, Alice - POW - right to the moon!" If he were alive today that would get him cancelled.
Musings
-Gleason and HONEYMOONER, coincidence?
-A new constructor? Pawel said on Saturday that more smart, homebound people are getting in the game.
-The break-in did not cost Nixon the presidency. Lying about it did.
-The U.S. Open in San DIEGO was incredible yesterday as leaders started to make big mistakes under pressure. John Rahm HOLED incredible putts on 17 and 18 to win it
-My childhood home was RAZED last week. There was no sign of my baseball cards or Mad magazines
-I don’t really care for cashews but Mom thought I did and bought them for me all the time. I smiled and said thanks
-The Queen’s Gambit was a great story of rags to riches to rags to riches
- It’d be fine if no one but ETTA ever sang this song
-A SALIENT is also a bulge in a military line where one side finds itself surrounded on three sides by the enemy. The British had Germans on three sides in the battle of Ypres in 1914 and of course we all know about the one in 1944
Honeymooner (redux for me)
-Alice Kramden and NASA
-Fore! Might need a jacket today
The first Jackie Gleason line that came to mind was, “and away we go!” Bzzt…
Thank you Chris Sablich for a nice and easy CW puzzle.
Thank you Boomer, for a mellow and punny and humorous review.
On Mondays, I've grown "accustomed to your face" ...er, your writing. I smiled when I saw 'Alley'. - one of your favorite words for a bowling lane .... ;-)
I kept waiting .... with bated breath for the magic words .... "baseball cards" .... to appear on your blog .... If I ever come across any, in my lifetime, why, I'll be more than glad, to pass them, on to you.
Like Lemonade, I too, binge watched Queens Gambit - although I dont play much chess. I loved the entire series, and the actress,.... whats her name. But, I've totally forgotten what she looks like.
For that matter, I've even forgotten what Queen Elizabeth II, looked like when she was a young woman, in 'The Crown'.
The "-stans" in Asia ... there are 7 countries, ..... Pakistan, Afghanistan, ... Kazakh-, Kyrgyz- , Tajiki=, Turkmeni- and Uzbeki- .... but, there are many, many other --stans. especially as provinces of Pakistan, for one....
Thus Balochi-stan, Paktuni-stan ( also Khyber Pakhtun-khwa ), Waziri-stan, Balti-stan ...
BTW, One of the states of India, is Rajasthan ( raja-stan ? ) - Land of the Rajas, or Land of the Kings.
On The Other Hand, ..... Kabbari-stan, or the Land of coffins and shrouds , is a generic name for a graveyard.
With my poor eyesight, I misread 'pan fry' as 'pan try' and kept wondering why 'saute' was the answer ....
Have a nice day, all.
To add to Jinx's comment: "Semi is actually short for "semi-trailer" truck. A semi is a trailer box with a rear axle but without a front axle. The truck pulling it is called the tractor. ... The reason for this configuration is that a large portion of the load is carried by the tractor and not on the hitch of the trailer attachment." from www.truckcrossing.com
The semi prefix usually means half or not fully. So I suppose semi is used because a full trailer would have front and rear axles and a semi only has the rear axle.
We expect to reach the high 80's today. The cooler weather will reach here starting tomorrow. Yay! I prefer the 60's and 70's.
HG, please send those cashews to me. Yum!
When my son was in college my MIL sent him endless CARE packages of peanut butter and Ritz crackers. He never again ate Ritz crackers after college.
I find SALIENT most often in descriptions of military battles. I have read many US Civil War books. BTW, is civil war an oxymoron?
Nice easy Monday. Brought back memories of watching the Honeymooners on a small B&W TV.
As for the Mini link question, there must be some function in the pages created (via Blogger?) for this site, because what it does is initially load the page and you see the top (AGGIE), and THEN it jumps to the location below. The same thing happens on this comment page for me (after a brief view of the top, it jumps to the bottom of all the comments and I have to scroll up to read the comments).
It is probably browser dependent too. I use Google Chrome on a PC which does this jump down. BUT using the Google browser on my Android phone, it left me at the top. (Plus, it loads not only the answers page but below it the comments. On the phone it is not 2 separate pages.)
From my techie knowledge, there might be something in the CSS that it is using (this CSS formats the page going out depending on lots of factors like if you are on a smartphone). Unless you have a tech support, don't mess with it!
Sorry for the long post, but you asked for comments.
Good morning everyone,
Easy solve today. No issues. SWEET theme loomed starting with CANDY…….. Liked the Bolt clue.
Snout - German Schnauze; L. Ger. Snuut.
BTW, Tom Selleck stars in BLUE BLOODS which follows right after the Jay Hernandez version of Magnum, P.I. I find that especially humorous.
very curious,
my ipad and iphone using Safari went to "Aggie."
But my PC using Chrome
went to Aggie, flashed to "To a T"
and then bounced to stroke of luck?
Hola!
YR:
I believe ;you are thinking of the nude MAJA not AJA.
SWEET, quick and easy describe today's puzzle. Thank you, Chris Sablich.
How nice to see San DIEGO where I spent 11 years of my life including the university years.
ANYA is not familiar to me but it emerged with four perps.
It has been a very long time since any hospital had a CANDY STRIPER.
Lack of rain is becoming a DISASTER for us out here in the West.
Thank you, Boomer. for your amusing comments.
Have a splendid day, everyone!
I land on To a T.
FLN
Got all tied up yesterday being feted and fed by son, grand kids, and DW. Completed the puzzle but it was late and decided to comment today.
Thanks David for one of the best puzzles to come along in quite a while. I loved the theme which was quite a help in solving, despite a FIODINETUNGSTEN due to failure to proofread. And thank you C.C. for explaining it. Also loved your mini-puzzle and the video cluing (a first?) of our new Corner Crooner Boomer (although I would recommend that he not give up his day job. :-)). Despite my FIW I also FIR on a couple of clues that I got on perps (e.g. JEREMYFES), but didn't realize what they actually meant until after C.C.'s review.
This puzzle also contained an EASTER EGG hidden in an acronymic CSO to our fleet-footed Saturday Mercurial blogger.
I've been fascinated with the Periodic Table since HS and working out all of its implications and relationships is in a lot of ways like a crossword puzzle. I'm especially intrigued by the fact that the proper composition and properties of CERAMIC GLAZES are mirrored in its structure. The Periodic Table is one of the many demonstrations of a truly DIVINE WISDOM in our incredible Universe.
Cheers,
Bill
p.s. to C.C. re garlic prep. Went to a cooking demo by Fr. Leo Patalinghug, author of Grace Before Meals, and he showed us a quick way to prepare a lot of garlic:
1. Whack the bulb with the flat side of a cleaver.
2. Whack each clove with the cleaver to break the husk.
3. Remove the husk and slice, dice, or mince depending on your need.
I've been doing it that way ever since and I haven't found a faster way to prepare garlic (that doesn't involve a lot of after work to clean the gizmos and gadgets you can buy for this purpose).
A different answer to C.C.'s mini label question: on my Android cell phone I get the list of all five minis with Aggie at the top when I touch the link. Easy to choose one then to solve.
Lucina @9:30 AM
Perhaps YellowRocks is talking about this Naked Aja, Aja Evans, an Olympic bobsledder now available on Amazon. Hey, whatever it takes to get down the chute!
A sweet start to the week. Congrats on the debut and thanks, Boomer, for the tour.
FLN - WC, I have read Asimov but never bothered to anagram Hari Seldon (or Selden). Based on last Thursday's puzzle, though, I'd have to go with Lion Heads.
OOPS. Lucina, yes, I was thinking of Nude Maja. I didn't know of the bobsledder.
My mind is going. A few minutes ago voice mail asked me to leave my phone number and I left the number of the party I was calling. My mom would say, "Nobody home upstairs."
Thanks Chris for a sweet puzzle and congrats on your debut. And thanks to Boomer for a delightful collection of groaners. And I hope you guys get some rain soon.
20D My little sister Mary was a Candy Striper for the Little Sisters of the Poor. She grew up to become a dialysis nurse.
23A Any relation to PauL Boomer?
26A I'm not BIG FAN of this answer. I was think of something more like this.
31A. Sadly we lost NED on June 13th of this year.
41A Defoe's MOLL FLANDERS played both roles: MOLL and GANGSTER, but she managed to escape hanging and was reformed in the end.
67A To HOLE is not a VERB I'm familiar with. HOLED UP maybe?
1D Well obviously STURGEON wouldn't fit, so it had to be GAR.
28A I'm surprised there wasn't a tidbit for RALPH's sweetie, the long suffering straight woman ALICE KRAMDEN.
47D I don't want to talk about this answer. It's PERSONAL.
Cheers,
Bill
Good Morning:
This was an above average Monday solve, IMO, with a cute theme and fresh and varied fill. I saw the “sweet” connection early on, but the reveal was a big surprise. Like Anon @ 8:29, I threw in And away we go, but came up one letter short. My only w/os were Ah Me/Alas and Ized/Gate which was silly as no one would have Ized as the first entry. As mentioned by others, seeing Honeymooner in a Gleason-themed puzzle was fun. CSO to Moe at Port and to Boomer at the awful Alleys.
Thanks, Chris, for a delightful start to the week and congrats on your debut and thanks, Boomer, for the usual abundance of wit and humor. Enjoy the links.
Gary @ 8:24 ~ That cartoon was out-loud laughable!
Today is going to be a scorcher with very high humidity. My new A/C isn't being installed until Wednesday, so today will be very unpleasant, to say the least.
Did any PBS fans watch the new series “Us” last night? I need more than that one episode to decide if I’m going to stick with it.
Have a great day!
Screwed up the NW corner for a spell..starting with scandalIZED. The theme was easy with the Jackie Gleason connection to "The "HONEYMOONERS" but wasn't sure if PORT(wine)OFENTRY was sweet enough for the theme.
3 Musketeers is my favorite candy bar. My Dad said when he was a kid (late 1920 - 30's) the bar was bigger and scored so it could be divided in 3 pieces to share.
I guess the cornerite shout of success"TADAH" (var.) didn't work. A gangsters "Doll" like "Guys & Dolls" was wrong. For a second I thought Manny Machado became a priest, (Padre). Eventually FIR.
In more than 40 years immersed in the medical world, hospitals across Central NY state I've never seen a CANDYSTRIPER. When I looked it up, Wikipedia gives this clarification "Candy striper" redirects here. For the pornographic film, see Candy Stripers (film)." ðŸ¤ðŸ˜²
AJAX was a hero but quite abrasive "Clean that bathtub and make it sparkle or else!" 😬
La Scala offers "OPERA lirica (LEE' - ree - cah) a work (opera) with words (lyrics) 🎶
Vid you forgot "Mynameisstan" 😉
Needed more than one so _____ USEDTOO
Neutered....SPADE
Identical twins, often can't tell them...OPART
"I'm crazy? That what ____?" USAIN.
Kids: after you've SPAWNED them you have to ____ them....RAZE.
NED Beaty died last week, (GRHS)
Don't recall Chris Sablich (but I don't remember what I ate for supper last night). If a newbie, good job. U 2 CC. ("Ginger root with Aggie", I do the puzzle with pen, then use my Android phone to make annoying comments and click)
Sorry....good job Boomer...it was CC who asked the computer question.
YR @ 10:04 ~ I just read your comment and, forgive me, burst out laughing. I’ve mentioned my quirky sense of humor before so I hope you’re not offended. My usual faux pas involve opening the Fridge door with a something in my hand that I want to microwave or opening the microwave or cabinets with a dish that belongs in the Fridge. I do a lot of head shaking these days. 🙃
Welcome to the LA Times puzzle, Chris. It was enjoyable. Plus Boomer added a lot to the enjoyment with his tour.
My only WO was the crossing of RAZE and TAZ. I initially put in an S instead of a Z which I ultimately changed.
Because I was able to fill in many of the Across words on the first go around, I didn't get to actually see many of the Down words. All of the East and South words were already filled in.
CC: I use Firefox on a PC and when I click on the Mini Label link it initially goes to AGGIE then within seconds jumps to To a T.
Today is the first full day of summer. Enjoy.
Bob Lee, Dave, Ray and others,
Thanks for the very useful feedback. TTP has been analyzing. It seems that everything is fine with iPad and other Apple users. Glitch is with PC.
ATLGranny,
I'm surprised that the label works for your Android. Normally it behaves the same as PC. Thanks for letting me know.
I just published a new "Terrible" puzzle as a test, so now you might land there first when you click on the "Minis" label.
YR and IM, I too get brain freeze every now and then. I do a checklist before walking out the door. So much to remember. Wallet, glasses, sunglasses, car keys, and now of course, mask. Did you ever try to turn the TV off with your car key fob? I have several times! So funny. Have to laugh 😂
Nice Monday CW, thanx, CS! Like Anon @8:29 my first thought was “And away we go” but it’s one letter short. A couple perps got me on the right track. Only one W/O, LAYUP:TIPIN. Although CANDYSTRIPERS are nice, CANDYSTRIPPERS would be better. Boomer, u mentioned not having Steely Dan albums. I loved the group and had all their albums. Then bought all their CDs. Now I have their MP3s on my iPhone. And I still play them on the jukebox when sitting in a watering hole marinating ice cubes, although my #1 all-time favorite band is Pink Floyd. Having grown up in Milwaukee, I’m still a cheesehead, even though I’ve been in FL since 1968, so thanx for the CSO to us fans, Boomer. O.K., I’ve checked my post twice now for typos, so now I’ll publish it….so I can actually FIND the typos.
One last comment. Vidwan, I too saw pantry not panfry and thought sauté? What? Caught my error on second try.
IM, thanks for making me laugh. A while ago I futilely looked twice in every closet, cabinet and drawer in my apartment for my Miracle Gro to feed my tomato plants. After I watered the plants I came inside and found the Miracle Gro on the table right next to the door, so I could "easily" find it. Duh.
Lizza, I have tried to operate my phone with the TV remote.
Candy Stripers. "Today, this active group is known as Junior Volunteers, and they wear teal polo shirts and khaki pants. But up until about 25 years ago, those volunteers wore iconic pink and white striped pinafores that quickly identified them as junior volunteers." I remember seeing them long ago, but I can't remember where I laid a bottle cap one minute ago.
HOLE is a verb, too.
The jagged rocks holed the boat at the waterline.
He holed the ball in one stroke for a hole in one.
Anonymous, IrishMiss, unclefred Hand up for "Away we go" before quickly realizing HOW SWEET IT IS would make for a solid theme. Helped with CANDY STRIPER.
Here we did a balloon ride at the SAN DIEGO Wild Animal Park two years ago.
This one was tethered and I am now inspired to want to do one that is not tethered! Has anyone here done such a balloon ride? Any advice?
Not sure that the WaterGATE scandal could be revealed today. Newspapers are barely keeping alive. No money for investigative reporters. Makes one wonder how many scandals are happening now that we don't know about?
This was a nice Monday grid.
Write-overs…TAPIN/TIPIN, TELE/KILO.
When I click “MINIS” I get the new TERRIBLE puzzle, both before and after filling it in.
It seems warm everywhere, looks like a “Long, Hot Summer”…and that’s a great film.
See you tomorrow.
Also…Picard…the only thing I know about untethered balloons is they seem to be the ones gliding into high voltage lines.
CC I tried your test. When I clicked on your MINIS link it first went to "To a T" but then it went to "Stroke of Luck". It may depend on the browser as well as the computer. I am using Chrome on a PC.
From Yesterday:
AnonT Thank you for the kind words about my Nicaragua DIOS and motorcycling photos. And for validating that AUTOGYRO was your preferred spelling as well.
Not sure if people looked carefully at the shirt to see the slogan "DIOS, Patria, Motociclismo". It is a bit hard to see, but I found it hilarious!
Wilbur Charles Glad you also enjoyed my BUCOLIC Nicaragua photos. Hard to believe a war was raging not far away.
Interesting indeed that EDELMAN and MARADONA were low hanging fruit for you sports buffs. Utterly unknown for me. I am OK with an occasional sports name. But why does it have to cross another sports name? Why not cross it with a musician or mathematician name?
Delightful Monday puzzle, Chris--doable, but still very clever--many thanks. Always enjoy your commentaries, Boomer, thanks for those too.
Loved the HOW SWEET IT IS theme, especially with how it fit HONEYMOONER and CANDY-STRIPER. Only PORT puzzled me a little--sweet? really? Okay, I looked it up, and sure enough, it's listed as a sweet wine or a dessert wine. Won't be replacing my cheap Bogle any time soon, though.
Other favorite items: TATS for "ink spots," and GLIDE for "fly like a seagull."
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Maloman. I parsed Hari Selden as N. Radschilde the original of Rothschild. The Foundation is of the Capitalist System that replaced Monarchies and Feudalism.
Given that hint the Asimov Trilogy can be deciphered.
On another note... Len Deighton has a character "Dodo" which was surely patterned after "Didi" (George Mohrenschildt)*.
WC
*Looking up the spelling I didn't realize he wrote two books("My dear friend, Lee")
Ps, Picard you had half of it yesterday: A Chemistry xword. Mixed with pop-cul names.
IM @10:04 AM. Not as bad as pouring fruit smoothies into my cereal bowl instead of milk. I've really gotta finish my coffee before I start breakfast!
On Sri Lanka.... the words mean 'venerable (island) of Lanka '.
Sri ( or more commonly, Shri - ) means respectable (sir ) in Hindi and Sanskrit.
The original name, Lanka,was also a mythological island from one of the two major hindu epics, The Ramayana. The island was reputedly inhabited by demons and monsters....
In fact the epic involves a demon, Ravana, who kidnaps Sita, the wife of the god Rama, ... and takes her to Lanka , ... and a battle ensues.... Sort of like an indian, ... Helen of Troy.
So, it is my naive understanding, that since the island had such a disreputable name to begin with, .... all because of some mythology (!) , ...., so infamous, that, when it finally got independence from the British, in 1948, the native people gave it an Honorific prefix name , thus "Sri", to make it sound a little bit more reputable.... and dignified. This is only a fanciful theory ....
BTW, Ray-O-Sunshine , MY name is Khan, is Really a hindi movie, Wiki 2010 , in which one of the top 3 Bollywood actors, Shah rukh Khan, tries to meet Pres. George Bush (Jr.) and later Prez Obama.
I have had the DVD since about 5 years, but I don't know whether I want to watch it .... you can read up on it, though.
Art, follows life, follows Art...
Was Ajax thought to be abrasive because he was always Hector-ing everyone?
Beautiful Monday puzzle...thank you!
No, Mal-Man, Ajax was thought to be abrasive, because he was the foaming cleanser, bum-da-bum-bum.
Musings
-Back from 27 holes out here on the prairie in San DIEGO-like 72F weather!
-Picard, the untethered balloon ride is fabulous. People run like crazy while looking up to see you and often fall over things but the eerie quiet is amazing. At the end of my first ride, I was told to kneel on the ground and was “baptized” with a bottle of champagne poured over my head.
-I love my new electric lawn mower but forgetting to put in the battery before I start is not a particularly good strategy.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Chris and Boomer.
I saw the SWEET theme early and filled in good time. But I arrived here to discover that I left Rase and did not notice that Tas should be TAZ. Ah well.
ANYA was unknown but perped.
Recovering from busy family day yesterday.
Wishing you all a great day.
Boomer wrote "WaterGATE involved a break in of DFL Headquarters"
What does DFL stand for?
An enjoyable PZL from Mr. Sablich.
Well discussed by Boomer. (Good luck on the links today!)
I don't care for sweet wines, so only know PORT by reputation. I believe it is a veddy British custom to take a bit of PORT, either by itself or with dessert.
I enjoyed the Queen's Gambit immensely. Well acted, and well played, ANYA!
Just back from a morning appointment with my cardiologist. EKG normal, BP 122/74. Not bad for an ol' geezer.
~ OMK
___________
DR: We are blessed with three far-side diagonals today--after a spate of zero and single diagonals through the past week.
But it is really tough trying to find a decent anagram. The main diagonal gives us only...
"GALOSHES"
--a nice enough word but hardly involving sufficient letters (only 8 of 15).
The upper diagonal is too full of vowels to yield much.
The only amusement to be found is in the lower diagonal, where we can find a reference (alas, only 9 of 14 letters) to the videotape of some flowers, possibly Gladioli, engaging in orgiastic activity.
I refer you to an...
"IRID. PORNO"!
I squealed like a pig when I FIR!
Mystified @3:36 PM Sounds like Boomerese for DNC, the Democratic National Committee, i.e. the Democratic "party people".
p.s. In England DFL is a mild pejorative for "Down From London", you know like "city slickers". But I don't think that that's what Boomer was referring to :-). I learned DFL from watching a new (very) "low key" detective series called "Whitstable Pearl" running on ACORN.
My dear husband bought an electric lawnmower a couple of years ago. It’s ok. We’ve since hired a lawn service.
Before solving the Terrible mini-puzzle, I landed on Terrible. After solving it I landed on Terrible again. Just below it is the Aggie puzzle. Using a PC (Windows 10).
'DFL' is the Minnesota version of the Democratic Party: the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Back in my sailboat racing days I knew a lot of 3-letter acronyms. DNF (same as here), OCS=On Course Side (an illegal start), DSQ (you know), RAF=Retired After Finishing and many others. From gallows humor sprang DFL (Dead Last; I forget what the 'F' stood for), as in "How did you do?" "We were DFL."
Remember the discussion the other day about professional golfers and the death of individualistic swing styles? The swings of John Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, winners of the last two US Opens, are as odd and as effective as Arnie Palmer's and Lee Travino's were.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR, but I had THIS as the reveal before HOW SWEET IT IS. And only because I looked at the clue for the reveal before solving any of the entries
I liked this puzzle. After filling CANDY STRIPER and HONEYMOONER I was looking for an answer starting with something like SUGAR but found PORT. Didn't even see TOAT because I had already filled the acrosses.
LW sometimes likes a glass of port after supper.
Keith, excellent news on your EKG and BP!
Good wishes to you all.
I forgot to reply to Irish Miss's question. Yes, this PBS fan watched "Us" last night. About 5 minutes of it only. Sorry to say both LW and I hated it. Couldn't stand to watch it. I guess the show already had one strike against it as far as we are concerned because we both strongly dislike Tom Hollander anyway. And I guess we're both tired of seeing so many shows about dysfunctional families and faltering marriages.
I also failed to answer the question. It was not riveting! I turned it off after about 30 minutes. PBS has done so much better in the past with good dramas. I went to Law and Order instead. That's how bad it was.
Vidwan @ 12:30 pm...didn't mean any offense. Hope I haven't provoked "The Wrath of Khan" 😬 (1982 Star Trek Hollywood disaster with Ricardo Montalbhan, a genetically engineered bad guy who for some reason spoke with a Spanish accent)
The Bollywood movie you mentioned sounds interesting.
PICARD @ 11:44 AM : Worked for a hot air balloon ride company for 3 years back in the day. Got many free rides also. When you lift off, its usually very quiet. You get a sense that the ground is going away, not that you are rising. Except for the occasional blast of propane burners, it is very, very quiet. If you go over a housing development, all the dogs will bark. The big difference in tethered and untethered is you will actually go somewhere. My avatar will show you what our balloons looked like. We had four of them. Great experience.!! TC
Ray-O-Sunshine, no offense taken.
I just thought of the movie, that I have in the basement.
The story line, of this movie, is, let us say, somewhat eccentric.
Shah Rukh Khan, is arguably the top Bollywood actor, in recent times, for the last 16 years. No doubt about that.
'Khan' is a common surname among Afghanis, north Pakistanis and north indian muslims. It means 'brave', and is a very common as a last name - there must be tens of millions of them.
Of course, not all of SRK's movies, are worth watching... laws of statistics.
Ray-O-Sunshine ... Part Two
A YouTube Song, 'Chaiya, Chaiya', pictured on Shah Rukh Khan ( SRK ) and an ingenue belly dancer.
Forget the song ... the Location, and drum beats, and the dancing, will mesmerize you.
The song was a HIT .... 73 mill.views on Youtube alone.
The movie was ok. so-so, nothing great.
My only balloon-like ride was the parachute drop at Riverview Park in Chicago. More exciting was a tornado on the South Side, miles from the suburb of Naperville which got hit today.
I still have my PIA. It is easing up, but I still cannot sit through the great concerts here. Church these last two weeks has been torture.
Fortunately I can read for a long time on my upholstered lounge chair.
I enjoyed John Irving's novel, Cider House Rules, and the movie made from it. So this week I started to read Irving's "Last Night at Twisted River." I kept reading, hoping it would get better. More than half way through I gave it up. This is the most I have ever read of a book I eventually decided I do not like. This evening I borrowed another novel at our inhouse library. It seems to be my cup of tea.
Hi All!
Long day today. Did the puzzle this morning and just now got to The Corner.
Thanks Chris for the fine Monday puzzle and congrats on the LAT debut.
Fun expo Boomer. I have (had?) that Uriah HEEP album.
FIW: DOLL (s/b MOLL - Hi Ray-O!) and OdAN :-(
WOs: ANnA ->ANYA, for some reason ADORnRS, misread 32d and had SNOrTs for much too long.
ESPs: ANYA, HUGH
Fav: I'll go with ORIOLE; 'Stros are up 10-0 in the 8th.*
LOL DR, OMK.
unclefred - my #1 all-time fav is RUSH. I do love me some Pink Floyd though.
Cool vid, Picard. I've been up once in a hot-air balloon (un-tethered). It was so quite and peaceful.
Enjoyed reading everyone.
Cheers, -T
*while I was drafting. Final: 'Stros won 10-2.
Dear Vidwan .... Looks like Indian trains are much more fun than Amtrak.
do @2:15 But you can stop paying the elbow tax.
AnonT @11:29 I consider Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” an appropriate theme song for an old man like me. And “Dogs” is without question the most psychedelic song ever. Sit back and concentrate on it uninterrupted and u will leave your body. It is about the disconnect between humanity and the natural world. Listen to the dog bark become increasingly computerized, and at one point you can hear the man whistling for his dog, but the dog is now computerized. Give it a listen; it’s on the “Animals” album. That album has pig balloons tied between the chimneys of what turns out to be the Battersea Power Plant in London. On a boat tour of the Thames several years ago I jumped out of my seat, pointed, and yelled “Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’ album!” when the power plant came into view as we rounded a bend in the river. Most others on the tour boat thought I’d lost it, but a few people just smiled and nodded. Anyway, give “Dogs” a listen. AND “Comfortably Numb” from the “Wall” album. The lyrics on Comfortably Numb are perfect.
Everyone else can skip a bit...
unclefred - I've listened to The Wall front to back at least 100x. The journey of a broken man (lost his dad in WWII) into rock star. Very dark. When I finally saw the movie (at AIT at Ft. Sam), Run really disturbed me (Neo-Nazis ripping the girlfriend from the back seat... Oy!). Heavy and a warning against cult of personality.
I have Animals - an allusion to Animal Farm. Another brilliant album.
I got to see Pink Floyd in Dallas in '95 (or '96?). My buddy at OU (majored in Meteorology & Music (12 string classical guitar - could play RUSH's Trees!, he could)) got high on 'shrooms b/f the show. I got high(ish) off second-hand weed wafting/rolling under the mezzanine after the first chord was played :-)
The laser show was also amazing.
I am still partial to DSM (Dark Side of the Moon); Time is brilliant.
Cheers, -T
Coda...
unclefred - b/f DW was an English Major, she was in RTVF (Radio, TV, Film) at NLU (Monroe, LA). She had to put together a commercial for, well, anything. I suggested Pink Floyd coming to Shreveport (why not?).
We used Run (live) over 3 tracks to amp the crowd in the (fake) upcoming concert spot. She did the voice over and I got to play with all the recording equipment for fades and whatnot. It actually came out pretty good for two 21 yro kids.
Cheers, -T
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