google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Yoni Glatt

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Jul 20, 2021

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Yoni Glatt

You can say that again!

20-Across. "That's what we agreed on": DEAL IS A DEAL.

29-Across. "Can't argue with the truth": FACTS ARE FACTS.

47-Across. "Can't fight City Hall": RULES ARE RULES.

And the unifier:

56-Across. "That's life" ... and a summing-up of 20-, 29- and 47-Across: IT IS WHAT IT IS.

Across:
1. FX for some Marvel characters: CGI.  As in Computer Generated Imagery.

4. '30s veep John __ Garner: NANCE.  John Nance Garner, III (Nov. 22, 1868 ~ Nov. 7, 1967) was a politician from Texas.  He was known as Cactus Jack.  He got the nickname when he tried to get the Texas legislature to name the prickly pear cactus as the State Flower.  (The cactus lost out, however, to the Bluebell.)  I imagine he also had a prickly personality.  He served as Vice President during the first 2 terms of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 ~ 1945) presidency.  Roosevelt and Garner parted ways after FDR's second term.  They had a number of disagreements, and Garner famously described the Vice Presidency as "not being worth a bucket of warm p**s."


9. Different: OTHER.

14. __ & Hammer baking soda: ARM.

15. Throw for __: upset: A LOOP.

16. Lumbering critter seen on safaris: RHINO.


17. Make like Drake: RAP.  Aubrey Drake Graham (b. Oct. 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper who goes by his middle name.

18. Hot dog topper: CHILI.  This would not be my choice.


19. Gave up formally: CEDED.

23. La., once: TERR.  The State of Louisiana is actually only a tiny portion of the Louisiana Territory.


24. Latin word for "brought back" used in titles: REDUX.

25. Haleakala National Park locale: MAUI.


32. Period of time: SPELL.

34. Bollywood wrap: SARI.  The Hollywood of India that is based in Mumbai.

35. Who, in Paris: QUI.  Today's French lesson.

36. Tic-__-toe: TAC.



37. Drink suffix: -ADE.  Hi, Lemonade!

40. Inc.'s U.K. cousin: LTD.  Both are business entities.

41. Coffee dispenser: URN.

42. Pertinent: APT.

43. Ostracize: SHUN.


45. Barely making, with "out": EKING.

51. One-named "Pillowtalk" singer: ZAYN.  I am not familiar with Zayn (né Zain Javadd Malik; b. Jan. 12, 1993).  Apparently before he went solo, he was in the boy band, One Direction.

52. Pitney __: BOWES.  Pitney Bowes is a technology company that specializes on postage meters and other mailing services.
53. Puerto __: RICO.   Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States.


59. Baby Yoda's real name: GROGU.  Hand up if you knew this!


62. Workout regimen: TAE BO.

63. Rollover acronym: IRA.  As in Individual Retirement Account.

64. Wavy dos: PERMS.

65. HR assessments: EVALS.  As in employee Evaluations that the Human Resource maintains.

66. Mork's home planet: ORK.  A reference to the late '70s sit-com, Mork and Mindy.  It was too silly for me


67. Tiptoe deviously: SNEAK.


68. "For __ sake!": PETE'S.

69. Long of "Empire": NIA.  Nia Talita Long (b. Oct. 30, 1970) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.


Down:
1. Jeweler's measure: CARAT.  The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats.


2. Test score: GRADE.
Sadly, this is all too true in the college setting.

3. In a flawed way: IMPERFECTLY.

4. Salt formula: NaCl.

5. Trumpet great with a statue in New Orleans: AL HIRT.  Al Hirt (né Alois Maxwell Hirt; Nov. 7, 1922 ~ Apr. 27, 1999) was born and died in New Orleans, Louisiana.


6. Creaks and shrieks: NOISES.

7. Piña __: rum drinks: COLADAS.  Yummers!


8. Anesthetic injection that eases pain: EPIDURAL.  Yet just the thought of having an epidural gives me the willies.

9. Black-and-white ocean predator: ORCA.


10. Louise's title pal: THELMA.  The 1991 movie, Thelma and Louise, which starred Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, was also one of Brad Pitt's early films.


11. Kept out of sight: HID.

12. L.A.-to-Chicago dir.: ENE.  East-NorthEast.


13. Curtain holder: ROD.


21. Devastated sea: ARAL.  This sea has drastically been disappearing very rapidly.


22. Use, as influence: EXERT.

26. Corporate expansion tactic: ACQUISITION.

27. Turnpike no-no, usually: U-TURN.

28. "Of Thee __": I SING.


30. Many a Zoom session: CLASS.  I am Zoomed out!

31. Castro of Cuba: FIDEL.

32. Cable network that's a homophone for movie headliners: STARZ.  It's logo has changed a few times over the past 20+ years.



33. __ New Guinea: PAPUA.  Interesting facts about Papua New Guinea.


38. Abu __: DHABI.  Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates.  It is actually located on an island in the Persian Gulf.  The name means "Father (Abu) of the Gazelle (Dhabi)".


39. Tricky basketball footwork named for the continent of its origin: EURO STEP.  This is a new one for me.


44. '70s-'80s genre associated with the Knack's "My Sharona": NEW WAVE.  My Sharona made The Knacks a One-Hit-Wonder.


46. Actress Russell: KERI.  Keri Russell (b. Mar. 23, 1976) portrayed the female Russian spy in The Americans, a show we binged on last year.


48. Real puzzle: ENIGMA.

49. Nuke, as leftovers: REHEAT.


50. Of service: USABLE.

54. Clouds that sound like a virtual assistant: CIRRI.


55. Japanese port: OSAKA.  Anyone going to the Olympics this week?


57. Warthog weapon: TUSK.  Everything you wanted to know about Warthogs, but didn't know to ask.


58. Throw easily: TOSS.

59. Navig. technology: GPS.  As in the Global Positioning System.  The GPS has certainly reduced arguments when traveling on a long road trip!

60. Stimpy's sidekick: REN.  These cartoon creatures make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.





61. Iron mine output: ORE.  A crossword staple.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה








 

57 comments:

unclefred said...

FIR in 20, although I made a huge mess down south, starting with W/O, FANG:TUSK which led me try IFITIS….ITIS which I couldn’t fill the middle. USEFUL:USABLE added to the mess. REHEAT and NEWWAVE finally got me on the right track. DNK ZAYN, GROGU, NIA, KERI; all PERPS. And still struggle with KARAT/CARAT, but CGI to the rescue there. Overall a fun doable CW, thanx, YG, the mess was my fault, not yours. Very nice informative write-up, thanx, Hahtoolah.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Crossword friends. Another very rainy day here, so I'll have to skip my early morning walk.

QOD: You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. ~ Cormac McCarthy (né Charles McCarthy; b. July 20, 1933), American novelist

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Either the early week puzzles are getting harder, or I'm getting stupider. I suspect it's the latter. Was WIELDing my influence, until I wasn't. EPIDURAL on a Tuesday? Really? That V in EVALS/NEW WAVE was my final fill. Enjoyed it, Yoni and Hahtoolah (it's appropriate that you'd get Yoni's puzzle).

ARAL: Pretty soon Lake Mead will have to be renamed Lake Aral.

Abu DHABI: Spent a month there one week. That's where I first heard the Muslim call to prayer...threw me right outta bed, it did.

OSAKA: We toured Japan during the week of the first moon walk back in '69. Landed in OSAKA, and took the Bullet Train to Tokyo the same day. OSAKA airport was the first time I'd seen a toilet that looked like a urinal mounted flush (no pun intended) with the floor with painted footprints on either side. It was also the first time I'd seen female attendants in a men's room.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, winning my WAG at PAPUA x ZAYN. Erased sloth for RHINO.

The TV talking heads on TV often imply that the veep works for the prez. Even Biden used to refer to Obama as "the boss." First, "The Boss" is Bruce Springsteen. Second, the veep is an elected constitutional officer who wasn't hired by and doesn't serve at the pleasure of the prez. This was probably clearer in Garner's time.

Anyone else remember Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum? He also served on the board of directors of the company that makes the baking soda, which was named before Armand was born.

Pina COLADA sounds so much better than "strained pineapple," which sounds more like baby food.

When I was a kid, my buddy's dad got a ticket for an illegal UTURN from a PA Turnpike toll booth attendant. In those days they gave you something like a time card when you entered, then you paid when you exited. You could also get a speeding ticket if you got to your exit too soon.

IT IS WHAT IT IS? Put on your best Arkansas accent and recite "It depends on what the definition of is is."

Thanks to Yoni and Hahtoolah for the fun.

OwenKL said...

John NANCE Garner is said to hav said it
"Th Vice Presidency's a bucket of spit!"
Now V. P. Harris
The post did inherit,
To try to over-Kamala the limits inherent!

Never In Real Life do we use the word "EKING".
It has eked out a place in crosswordese speaking.
While in crosswords online
the environs' so fine
That Across Lite's inventor may rule as the E-KING!

{A-, B.}

Boomer said...

Good Morning Tony and thank you for yesterday's question. There are several publishers of baseball cards and Topps is the favorite of most collectors so their values are normally higher. (Bowman and Upper Deck are others). Secondly, first year issues (Rookie cards) are the most favored by collectors so their values soar in the market. Ohtani of the Angels is currently attracting the most attention. Topps has several issues in a season. They generally have a regular issue, a chrome issue, a Heritage issue, and a Heritage Chrome issue which is stamped with gold foil printing that shows the number and the total for instance 355/566 which tells us that you have number 355 out of 566 printed. This verifies the number of cards which is important because Topps will frequently play games and "short print" many cards in a set. Or they will modify the production. For Example, I have two 2007 Heritage Cards of Johan Santana, one with a TC cap and one with a Washington cap which is short printed and more valuable. Finally there are two companies that "grade" cards on a scale of 1-10 depending on condition. PSA and Beckett will grade them from 1-10 and slab them in plastic. A rare or high demand card with a 10 grading is what will put card values into the thousands.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Who said, “I yam what I yam”
-Napoleon sold the La. Terr. because he needed money for one of his wars
-Weothar is a bad SPELL of weather
-QUI sont Grogu, Zayn et Nia?
-Once a teacher has tenure EVALS are superfluous
-My GPS took me on a new route recently that allowed me to go around Kansas City instead of through
-Speaking of IMPERFECT, I’m off to golf league

billocohoes said...

I don't care how they rule it in EUROpe, this is 'murica. The EUROSTEP should be a traveling violation.

Owen, "warm spit" is how the reporters wrote it for their oh-so-sensitive readers. Hahtoolah is correct, "warm p**S" is what J NANCE Garner actually said.

unclefred, add CAReT to the confusion

HG, Popeye of course.

Yellowrocks said...

The theme made this puzzle easy. FIR Only three unfamiliar words, gotten by all perps, GROGU, KERI and ZAIN, and the last half of EUROSTEP. The spelling of DHABI gave me pause. Nice work, Yoni. Susan, thanks for the funny and wonderful blog, as always.
GRADE. It was not my students who bargained for undeserved grades, but their helicopter parents. The principal backed the parents up so they would not go to the superintendent who would give in and chastise the principal.
EKE out a living is a common phrase. Also teams EKE out a victory.
Yummers grates on my eqr. I much prefer yummy.
The theme phrases remind me of the Serenity Prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference."
Although I have never been an alcoholic, I need to remember this. At this late stage of life I am beginning to know the difference. I have tended to knock myself silly trying to change the impossible.

Yellowrocks said...

This I CAN change. EAR, not EQR.

ATLGranny said...

What a fun FIR today, and nearly WO free. I was cruising along until I got to the reveal when I started (thoughtlessly) entering IT IS as IT IS, before seeing it was too short. My excuse is the German equivalent "Est ist wie est ist" which we remember a German friend often saying.

Still, a FIR with interesting fill and theme that was helpful and easily seen. Thanks Yoni. Are you new to the LAT crossword puzzle group? And many thanks Hahtoolah for the latest rich review! Always a pleasure to read.

Another rainy day here so any walks taken during breaks in the rain will probably benefit from an accompanying "just-in-case" umbrella. Hope you all keep dry today!

CanadianEh! said...

Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Yoni and Hahtoolah.
I got the theme (which I thought was a little weak), but FIWed with my personal Natick cross of EVALS and NEW WAVE. It didn’t help that I had misSPELLed TAEBO as Tiebo; that i obscured my alphabet-run to either an r or d (newwive did not make the cut). IMPERFECTLY describes it. Ah well, IT IS WHAT IT IS.

Some American disadvantage- c’mon, now you expect me to learn the American veeps’ middle names!😮😮👎. But OTOH, I do know Canadian RAPper (and RAPtors fan) Drake.

I had an EPIDURAL with the premature birth of my eldest. Timing between contractions is everything as you have to stay perfectly still when needle is inserted.

We saw a black RHINO on safari in Kenya. They are endangered (largely due to poaching for their valuable TUSKs) but not quite as rare as the white ones. We saw plenty of Warthogs too.

A lunar theme might have been APT today. I clearly remember that moonwalk 52 years ago; one of those “where were you . . .” moments

Welcome back Becky..
Wishing you all a great day.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

I thought the wonderful flight of Blue Origin had such perfect video coverage that it looked like CGI to me. Congrats to all involved.

OwenKL said...

HG -Who said, “I yam what I yam”?
That would be Popeye's nephew, Swee'petater.

Big Easy said...

A FIW for a Tuesday puzzle. Blew it at EVALS, EUROSTEP, & NEW WAVE. Had no idea and managed to get EURO-STOP, ORALS, NEW WARE. But at least I did get the unknowns ZYNN, NIA, KERI, & GROGU.

The puzzle reminded me of Sunday's puzzle. After A DEAL IS A DEAL, the theme was obvious.

The SE was awash in proper names- some not clued as people- KERI, RICO, IRA, NIA, PETE, BOWES, and you can throw in FIDEL.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

A bit of a bite to it, but the fore and aft well-known phrases softened it up quite a bit. A few unknowns perped in easily. I counted 18 3-letter words. They fit in fine.
SPELL - "Let's sit for a SPELL."
PAPUA - Thanks Hahtoolah for the link which includes an excellent map. Rabaul was a major Japanese staging area and port in WWII. I think Lae was the airfield from which Amelia Earhart departed on what was to be her last flight leg; when she was lost.
QUI - I had a premonition on this when I offered "La Vache QUI Rire" on Sunday's comments.

Oas said...

Good morning all.
Thanks Yoni Glatt for a fun puzzle. Enough unknowns to keep me guessing on some of the easier ones. Papua was a gimmi so I filled in Epoch lightly but nothing worked with that so waited for a few fills and changed to SPELL. The Theme fills came quickly and helped decide some undecided ones like requisition which sounded wrong so filled in QUISITION and the AC came up. KARAT or CARAT ? Thanks little sister for the review. Allways a treat.
Cheers

Anonymous said...

I so enjoy and look forward to Tuesdays with Hahtoolah's explanatory and amusing addition of graphics to the clue answers. Bravo and thanks for the efforts, Hahtoolah. Starboy288 on YouTube.

unclefred said...

billocohoes @ 8:13 Not to mention carrot!

unclefred said...

Owen @9:03 It was Popeye himself: “I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam: I’m Popeye the sailor man!”

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

This was a very simple yet satisfying theme because of the strong, in the language phrases and a pleasing rhythmic quality, at least to my eyes and ears. More than usual unknowns for a Tuesday: Zayn, Grogu, Tae Bo, and Eurostep. I also stumbled over Camel/Rhino and Oahu/Maui. I liked the Tusk/Rhino and Sari/Cirri duos. I particularly liked the international vibe with Papua, Osaka, Maui, Dhabi, Rico, Euro, Aral, Sari, Tae Bo, Fidel, Terr, Coladas, and Rhino.

Thanks, Yoni, for a fun solve and travelogue and thanks, Hahtoolah, for your usual sparkling commentary and visuals. I loved all the cartoons but two actually made me laugh out loud: the Rhino “artist” which took a few seconds to comprehend and Rapunzel and her perm. When I was a little girl, I had a recording of that fairy tale that I played over and over. For some reason, I was mesmerized by it.

Have a great day.

Tinbeni said...

Hahtoolah: Your write-up was more FUN than solving the puzzle. Good job!

Fave today, of course< was 7-d Pina COLADAS ... i've had a few over the years. Yum!

A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.

Cheers!

CanadianEh! said...

Spitzboov- I thought of you when I had some of that La Vache QUI Rie cheese yesterday. It is available here (as The Laughing Cow).

Malodorous Manatee said...

Tinbeni said it well.
EVAL should have been REVAL'd.
No hand up, here, at 59 Across.

Wilbur Charles said...

Rabbit REDUX was by Updike.
Updike pronounced the word
Re duhks


The analytics people have come up with a new kind of H(ome) R(un) assessment gobbledygook (spin rate,elevation..)

Personally, one of the easiest I've done as theme filled nearly 50 squares and perps were friendly

I always appreciate hahtoolah write-ups.

WC


waseeley said...

Thank you Yoni for a chewy Tuesday puzzle with all those thematic REDUXes, thus facilitating an FIR. I wasn't one bit SARI for all the repeats - the puzzle practically filled itself.

And just now I noticed how timely these maxims are. Or were? They all seem to be in question, given the events of the last few years.

And thank you Hahtoolah for another REDOLENT (arch.) review - you really should bottle your magic and sell it to the other bloggers! The fact that you can do this week after week is amazing.

North Central threw me for a bit of A LOOP (<- excepting this). I got in a bit of a jam with 6D, going with SOUNDS before they clamored for the NOISES needed for NANCE.

16A Fav cartoon. I would imagine that Strabiismus must be an occupational hazard for Rhinoceri.

18A FRANKLY, I prefer my hot dogs topped with mustard, relish, catsup, and onions.

24A Had trouble getting REDUX until I remembered that PINA COLADAS are spelled with a D, not a T.

43A Ostracized across the pond?

9D A once in a life-time photo. At least it was for the Penguin pup. Was he PUSHED?

13D Fav video!

28D Fav song. Despite blowing it while auditioning for chorus in the 4th grade, thus ruining my future chances as an operatic tenor. :-) Some things we never forget!

57D Fav clue and misdirection. I was looking for this.

Cheers,
Bill

waseeley said...

D-O @6:51 AM Something your best friends won't tell you.

waseeley said...

HG @ 8:05 AM Two people that I can recall: YHWH was the first and and Popeye the Sailor Man came later.

waseeley said...

YR @8:20 AM Or the "Man's Prayer" from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man. I can change. If I have to. I guess." [deep sigh]

Hi CanadianEh!

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Good jobs, Yoni & Hahtoolah! Fun start to the day.

Hahtoolah, I'd take my $3 million, invest it & SHUN you thereafter as a cheapskate. LOL

As an NBA fan, I'd heard of EUROSTEP often, but couldn't decide what it was. My basketball playing 15-yr-old grandson demonstrated it for me on Mother's Day. My living room is too small to do it justice.

This puzzle was the fastest of the week so far, despite DNK: RAP, REDUX, ZAYN, GROGU (who's that baby's mommy?), NIA, KERI.

Had a friend whose parents were missionaries to Papua New Guinea. She & her siblings spent most of their growing-up years in stateside boarding schools. She was not enthusiastic about missionary work.

CIRus b4 CIRRI. I have no virtual assistant named anything.

YR: I, too, consider the Serenity Prayer very helpful even tho I never was a alcoholic.

Misty said...

Fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Yoni. And, Hahtoolah, as soon as I saw all those pictures I knew it had to be you putting them up. They were a delight--many thanks.

Nice to see THELMA and Louise, a favorite of mine. Glad I got for PETE'S sake, since HEAVEN'S and GOODNESS wouldn't fit. Didn't know Yoda had a real name? GROGU? Really?
And I loved Mork and Mindy, back in the day, so it was sweet to get ORK.

Have a great week, everybody.

Vidwan827 said...

Thank you Mr. Yoni Glatt for a very nice and interesting puzzle, and Hahtoolah for your funny and cheerful review.
I loved your cartoons,(... despite the fact that today, your CATS were missing....) ;'o)

My neighbor's son is a Yoni, and his grandmother is always talking about Glatt Kosher - whatever that means.... ;-) ( pure, uncompromised kosher - )
As an aside, yoni in sanskrit is a certain private part of a female anatomy.

I was faintly familiar with the british-pakistani singer Zayn ( also Zain or Zane ) Mallik, because the pakistanis are immensely proud of him. Despite the genre of his music, or his agnostic and non-political image.
BTW, Zayn means graceful or beautiful in Arabic or Urdu,.... and its still a man's name.

Not to be confused with Zane Grey a very popular Wild West novelist, died 1939 ... who was born in Zanesville, Ohio.


BTW, Thanks to ReduX and ZaYn ... this puzzle would have been a Panagram ... but the 'J' is missing....

I have close family who are anesthetists, and I remember 1978 or thereabouts, when Epidurals became common, especially during childbirth. It was apparently a miracle procedure..... injected above the dura on the spinal column, ...... which alleviated much of the pain of the labor and contractions during delivery, ..... yet allowed the mother-to-be to keep control of her motor functions, so she could still bear down to 'expel' the foetus.

A truly giant leap for womankind, in the history of Mankind.

The most common operation for all women, had been made a little less painful.
... and pretty soon, every woman, who was aware of the availability, was demanding it. Even those who had opted for a 'natural' LaMaze childbirth. And, insurance started slowly and reluctantly, paying for the procedure.

have a nice day, all.

Vidwan827 said...


8 Down ... Anesthetic injection that eases pain ... EPIDURAL

Technically, All anesthetic injections are supposed to ease pain, ... thats why they are used... General A,Regional A., sedation, or Local A., and nerve blocks, whatever.

The clue should have read, Type ( or location - ) of anesthetic injection, IMHO.

Becky said...

I can tell I've been away from the puzzle for a while. I didn't pay attention to Starz, Zayn and Papua, and didn't know evals.

So I FIW. On a Tuesday? Pity the poor fool.

Becky

oc4beach said...


Got it done with just a hiccup or two. I really enjoyed Hahtoolah's write-up and cartoons and graphics.

I had RiN before REN and ALOss before ALOOP. Perps fixed em.

I actually knew GORGU because I watched "The Mandalorian" on Disney+ where his name was disclosed.

I have a cousin whose catch-phrase is "IT IS WHAT IT IS" that I think I've heard a million times or more. It is what it is.

Today the weather here is HHH, Hazy, Hot and Humid. However the local weatherperson on TV said that some of the Haze is from the fires out west. I hope everyone out there is safe.

Have a great day everyone.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Late, again! But for a very good reason. I took my sister, Yoli, to the airport. Luckily I don't have to drive into the labyrinth that is Sky Harbor Airport. I simply drop her off at he tram station and she goes from there.

The puzzle was fun and interesting with the repetitive phrases. Our radio was on all day so in the 40s and 50s so I heard the name, John NANCE Garner, often. Announcers always said his full name.

DRAKE is familiar to me from watching Entertainment Tonight (where I learn about popular stars, etc.) but don't recall having heard of ZAYN. I misspelled STARS so had SAYN. ugh.

My daughter and her family would know GROGU but I did not and don't recall ever hearing it.

I believe I've recounted my experience on Mt. Haleakala in MAUI when I word a sundress with a circular skirt and the wind swished it up. It recalled my aunt's saying, I see London, I see France, I see Lucy's ......

Now it's time to hang out the wash. In this heat it will dry by after lunch time.

Thank you, Hahtoolah. Your commentary is always a pleasure to read.

Have a PERFECTLY great day, everyone!

Lucina said...

Oops. wore, not word, a sundress.

waseeley said...

Vidwan827 @11:51 AM. And "lingam" is the corresponding male part, which of course "fits right in" in discussions of birthing methods ...

DW had our son using the Lamaze method. Or I should say "we had". Her water broke as we were walking home, shortly after we had seen a showing of the film "War and Peace", in which one of the women dies during childbirth! This was sometime before midnight. There where few Lamaze doctors in those days and we then had to drive 30 minutes from Baltimore to Silver Spring. We got to the hospital and DW began her labor. I remember being by her bedside and beginning to nod off. DW promptly said, "Hey you can't go to sleep, you've got to help me!". Part of the method is for the father to continually coach the wife during labor, the principal admonition being "breath". Lamaze must have been a YOGA practitioner. 10 hours or so later a miracle happened, one that I'm sure occurs thousands of times around the World every day.

Hahtoolah said...

Waseeley @ 10:49 אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה I thought of that, too, as I was doing this puzzle.

Ol' Man Keith said...

I'd still say the Louisiana Purchase was a very good deal (thanks to Mr. Jefferson)--
except when I look at a current map of the low vaccination percentages.

Good PZL today from Yoni Glatt. A bit repetitious, on purpose, making it twice as easy, or half again as hard...?

Hahtoolah, thanks for the great illustrations.
Every time I see a photo of FDR standing, I think how tremendous an effort he had to be making.
As I age, and my bod becomes more decrepit, I can barely stand upright.
But for me, it is only in the most recent years that I'm being afflicted. FDR had to endure his immobility for decades. He couldn't stand upright without locking his leg braces and holding onto something solid--either an iron pole, as in this photo, or the arm of a sturdy young officer.
At the time, none of us knew the extent of his handicap. There was a Broadway musical, a political spoof, in which he was portrayed running and doing cartwheels and handstands!
~ OMK

Husker Gary said...

-Yup, it’s Popeye. The religious reference used “am” but Popeye slurred that verb into “yam”. :-)

waseeley said...

HG @2:33 PM Just punning with ya Gary. Besides I think Susan's Hebrew is better than yours. :-)

Jayce said...

This was a fun puzzle today, a day made all the more fun by Hahtoolah's review.

Totally, completely, utterly unknown to me: GROGU (what an ugly word!) and ZAYN.

I did not know Mr. Garner's middle name, but I just might remember it. Thank you, Hahtoolah, for the information about him.

SARI caused WIELD to become EXERT. RULES ARE RULES caused KURT Russell to become KERI.

For _____ sake: goodness? Nope. heaven's? Nope. Christ's? Nope. Ah, my favorite coffee brand! Yep.

Favorite fill: IMPERFECTLY, EPIDURAL, ACQUISITION. Nifty words they are.

No nose wrinklers today.

Unclefred @ 9:27 AM, I think you maybe didn't get that OwenKL @ 9:03 AM was making a joke, a play on words. (It made me laugh.)

For some reason "It is what it is" makes me think of Donald Rumsfeld.

Good wishes to you all.

AnonymousPVX said...


This puzzle was fine for a Tuesday.

And no write-overs today.

So I came home from the Dr. yesterday after receiving some really REALLY good medical news. Floating on air, really…after the appointment I sat in the car for a bit to collect myself. Then last night I woke up from a “nap” in the La-z-boy, and felt warm. Not sick, but the AC is…the outside unit is having trouble “talking” to the air handler. They come today, check the code and find out the low-power wire that hooks up the 2 units is indicated. He finds the wire bundle cover has split and the wires inside are breaking down. He runs 25 feet of wire, inserts it into the run, wire-nuts and electrical tapes the connection. $200 later and I’m cool, literally.

Am I complaining? NO, not after that previous good medical news. Happy as a clam. Will be for quite some time. When you no longer have to redo your estate plan and have no need to look into a prepaid funeral….yeah, it’s ALL good.

See you tomorrow.

ATLGranny said...

OwenKL @ 9:03 AM
Like Jayce, I also saw what you meant with YAM and Swee' pertater (or sweet potato) instead of Swee' Pea, the child. Funny!

PK said...

Anon PVX: congratulations on your good health news. Thank you for sharing.

My son called at noon on his way to the airport with his family. They and several families of friends were scheduled to fly to one of the Virgin Islands at 6 p.m.today. However, they had to get covid tested a few days earlier & submit the results to the island for authorization to land there before they could get on the plane. The test results just came back this morning -- all negative -- and they managed to get authorization by internet, grab their bags and head out. Hope they have fun & stay healthy.

PK said...

DRAKE? The only time I hear RAP is when a low-slung car goes by with the radio turned up full force.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Jace, Isn't your coffee from peet, not PETE? (Good stuff, anyway.)

Spitzboov said...

Hahtoolah @ 1404 - - Your inclusion of אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה led me down a couple rabbit holes:

1, Hebrew has no form of the present tense of the verb "to be.'

2. Description of the life of Maimonides. What an interesting and profound personage. I only knew vaguely of him; ie, I think there are hospitals with his name.

Thanks for getting my interests started.

Lucina said...

AnonymousPVX:
Congratulations on your good health! And on the A/C. Both, if negative, can cost $$$$. I just paid out some for my A/C repair. Well, I can't say I paid it. Mark did. He often pays for repairs; it's his way of repaying for dining here every night. For me, the companionship is just as important.

Jayce said...

Jinx, you're right. The coffee is Peet's. LW and I have been fans of it for years. Before the pandemic we would often go to the local Peet's coffee house to hang out and enjoy brews such as latte, cappuccino, etc. that we don't make at home.

AnonymousPVX, that is good news!

Anonymous said...

Bluebonnets are the Texas state flower. Bluebells are of a different genus and, while both are blue, their flowers are different.

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/flowers/bluebells-and-bluebonnets

Wilbur Charles said...

Circl K now has a machine that grinds, brews and fills and decaf is included*

Also a coffee club for 5.99/ mo.

WC

** not a given. Some places are anti-decaf and anti uneet tea

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Yoni for the fine Tuesday puzzle - certainly some crunch (NANCE?, ZAYN?).
Thanks for the funnies in the expo, Hahtoolah - loved the RHINO's landscapes.

WOs: a FACT..., Kurt -> KERI (oh, the clue does say actress - Hi Jayce!)
ESPs: NANCE, QUI, ZAYN, GROGU, KERI, DHABI (for the spelling)
Fav: I love a good CHILI dog.
Anyone notice ORC & ORCA?

{A, B+}

PVX - That's good news!

Boomer, thanks for the follow-up. I didn't know that about different issuing of the same player in a year (I got all my cards with bubble-gum :-)).

waseeley - I also thought of the A-10 Warthog at first.

Peet's is much better than Starbucks'.

Have a great eve!

Cheers, -T

LEO III said...

FIR, but had some of the same problems others have mentioned: WAG to get R in GROGU and REN. I didn’t know either one of them (nor Stimpy). As I’ve said before, I’ve watched the first three Star Wars movies numerous times, but I’ve never seen the last three. One of these days.... Also, one of my last corrections was changing from CIRRA to CIRRI.

Once I figured out the theme and the reveal (about half way through), it was pretty smooth sailing. The downs fell fairly easily, which then begat the rest of the horizontals. It took the perps to correctly spell DHABI and PAPUA. They are a couple of those names that I just kinda skip over, without paying attention. I have that problem with quite a few of those.

Like Lucina mentioned, I NEVER heard Garner’s name without the NANCE.

Jinx, my dad also made a U-turn on the PA Turnpike, but he didn’t get a ticket. I might have been six or so. Dad had borrowed his dad’s car for some reason. Don’t know why, nor where we were going. Anyway, as soon as we got onto the Turnpike at Pittsburgh, we got a flat tire. I guess he changed it, but I know he turned around and went back through the toll booth. The attendant was not happy, but when Dad told him about the flat tire, the attendant calmed down and waved him through.

Great news, PVX!

Thanks Yoni and Hahtoolah!

Anonymous T said...

LEOIII - My REN doll I got in college [squeeze it and it farts].

If you really want to know Ren & Stimpy, click here. You will be disgusted :-)

Cheers, -T

LEO III said...

-T --- You are correct! Disgusting --- and funny!