google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday December 26 2021 Ed Sessa

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Dec 26, 2021

Sunday December 26 2021 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Going Green" - Different trees are hidden in 8 theme answers, plus a PLANT A TREE reveal.

3D. Round jewelry item: HOOP EARRING.

4D. Yuletide entrée: CHRISTMAS HAM.

13D. Solemn periodic Vatican event: PAPAL MASS.

16D. Sub fillers: DELI MEATS.

61D. Subject never quite resolved in "When Harry Met Sally...": PLATONIC LOVE.

68D. "Oh Happy Day" genre: GOSPEL MUSIC.

78D. Atlas feature: MAP LEGEND.

80D. Adidas Yeezy collaborator: KANYE WEST. Ye now.

Reveal:

54. Read: PERUSE.

59. Legal scholar Guinier: LANI.

63. Ease, as one's mind: SET AT REST.

73. __ Goose vodka: GREY.

We've seen a few hidden tree gimmicks (in the middle or TREETOP style), but never without the extra PLANT A TREE stand reveal.

Heavy themage, with 8 long entries and the extra layer in the middle.

Across:

1. [Yawn]: MEH.

4. "My __ Amour": Stevie Wonder hit: CHERIE.

10. Transition point: CUSP.

14. Old PC platform: MS-DOS. I probably won't upgrade to Windows 11 until the last minute.

19. Antacid brand since the 1800s: ENO. New to me. But Ed is a doctor.



20. Mark who plays Luke: HAMILL. This puzzle is a bit name-heavy.

21. Avalon contemporary in pop music: ANKA (Paul). Frankie Avalon.

22. "Einstein on the Beach," e.g.: OPERA.

23. Dove's call: COO.

24. Road safety feature: RUMBLE STRIP.

26. Eponymous engineer Ray: DOLBY.


27. Climactic Wembley Stadium event: CUP FINAL.

29. Big name in camping gear: COLEMAN.



31. Make up partner: KISS.

32. Like some illegal employment practices: AGEIST.

33. Lure into a lair: ENTRAP.

35. SoFi Stadium NFLer: LA RAM.

37. Mine feature: SHAFT.

38. Looked at too long: STARED.

39. Select members for, as a jury: IMPANEL. My sister-in-law Connie served on a jury earlier this month.

41. Swab over: RE-MOP.

43. Petting zoo animal: PONY.

44. Academic hiatuses: GAP YEARS.

46. Disconcert: JAR.

48. Sorkin of "Days of Our Lives": ARLEEN. Stranger to me.



50. Dinsmore of kid lit: ELSIE. Another new clue angle.



51. Inclusive word: TOO.

52. Form 1040 fig.: AGI. Adjusted Gross Income.

53. Circus barkers: SEALS.

56. "Well, __ that special!": "SNL" catchphrase: ISN'T.

57. Oater sound effects: GUNSHOTS.

60. Mole, maybe: SPY.

62. Aqua __: gold dissolver: REGIA. I think I learned this from a Jeffrey puzzle.

67. Nigerian seaport: LAGOS.

71. HBO rival: TMC.

74. Large green-winged flier: LUNA MOTH.

76. Open ones are welcoming: ARMS.

79. Honey-do-this response: OK DEAR. Boomer has been good, eating most of the veggies at the hospital. The nurses give him this Ensure drink every day. I probably should get some for him when he's back.

82. Baron Cohen's Kazakh journalist: BORAT.

83. Name in alphabetical order?: STU.

84. Intl. broadcasting initials: VOA. Voice of America.

85. Letter-shaped track segment: I RAIL.

86. Hope that one may: SEEK TO.

87. See 105-Across: POT. 105. Make more tempting, as the 87-Across: SWEETEN.

88. Swiss winds: ALPHORNS.



90. Maine, to Macron: ETAT. Also 100. The same, on the Seine: EGALE.

92. Start of a few choice words?: EENIE.

94. Bird migration routes: FLYWAYS.

95. Elegy for one voice: MONODY. Another new word for me.

97. Five Pillars faith: ISLAM.

101. Ivanhoe's love: ROWENA. Lady Rowena.



102. Trattoria entrée: SCAMPI.

103. Jellystone Park bear: YOGI.

107. Ad campaign components: MAIL-OUTS.

109. "Not __ out of you!": "Shh!": A PEEP.

111. Signed, as an agreement: ENTERED INTO.

113. Canine order: SIT.

114. Greek-American New Ager: YANNI.

115. Headliner: STAR.

116. One of three in "Macbeth": SCENE V.

117. "__ seen worse": I'VE.

118. Pilgrim John: ALDEN. First man to step off the Mayflower.

119. Kitchen amts.: TSPS.

120. "Forrest Gump" actor: SINISE (Gary)

121. Rogue: CAD.

Down:

1. Tourist draws: MECCAS. My hometown Xi'an (13 million people) is now under a strict lockdown. Andy has to have COVID test every day. They set up a testing center at the gate of every neighborhood. Every family can only have one person going out to buy food every two days. And you must show a negative result, otherwise, you can't get food.
 

2. "I've had it!": ENOUGH. Chinese are very cooperative people. Most Asians are.

5. Frequent: HAUNT.

6. Austen title heroine: EMMA.

7. Barbecued morsel: RIBLET.

8. Needing TLC, say: ILL.

9. Kind of microscope: ELECTRON.

10. Angela Martin, e.g., in "The Office": CATLADY.


11. Intl. delegate: UN REP.

12. Brush (over): SKIM.

14. '60s chic: MOD.

15. Gonzaga University city: SPOKANE.

17. Bubbles and blueberries: ORBS.

18. Comes out with: SAYS.

25. "Either/Or" author Kierkegaard: SOREN. Regulars in our Tribune Media Daily days.

28. Wind with a drum: FIFE.

30. Dover diapers: NAPPIES.

34. Shaving spots: NAPES.

36. Comical Martha: RAYE.

38. Evidence of egg toss errors: SPLATS.

39. House, in Inuit: IGLU. Igloo.

40. Dianetics creator Hubbard: L RON. Scientology founder.

42. Treat often eaten filling-first: OREO.

45. Lush: SOT.

46. 13-time NHL all-star Jaromir __: JAGR. From the Czech Republic.



47. Flu symptom: AGUE.

49. "What __ can I do?": ELSE.

50. New York canal: ERIE.

54. British pop: PATER.

55. Eliza's 'elper 'iggins: ENRY.

56. Start of Popeye's credo: I YAM.

58. Is in session: SITS.

59. "__ Croft: Tomb Raider": LARA.

64. Neutrogena shampoo brand: T GEL. Anti-dandruff.

65. Gin flavor: SLOE.

66. Clunker: TURKEY.

69. Bart's bus driver: OTTO. Hi there D-!

70. Open-and-__ case: SHUT.

72. Rounds up: CORRALS.

75. Kid-lit's __ the Great: NATE.

76. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.

77. Massage deeply: ROLF. Our Melissa used to be a massage therapist. 

81. Talk trash about: DISS.

82. Back at Belmont: BET ON.

85. Sioux City state: IOWA.

86. Rationality: SANENESS.

89. Healthy routine: HYGIENE. I wonder why the VA hospital keeps the room temperature so low. With the thin gown, most patients will not be comfortable. Boomer does have an extra blanket, but he misses the warmth of our house.

91. Airport fixture: TOWER.

93. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Old regular.

96. "The Omen" child: DAMIEN.

98. '90s-00s IBM PC: APTIVA.  TTP's field. I have no idea.


99. Sprayed gently: MISTED.

101. Put another hole in, as a keg: RE-TAP.

102. Web or camp follower: SITES.

103. DaCosta of "Chicago Med": YAYA.


104. Iridescent gem: OPAL.

106. Rhinitis docs: ENTS.

108. Years in Caesar's time: ANNI.

110. Stick with it: PIN.

112. Rank of Brit. TV sleuth Morse: DCI. OK, Detective Chief Inspector.

Boomer is making progress. He still needs to press the button to call the nurse to go to the toilet. He's not allowed to go alone in his walker. His legs are still too weak. They're afraid he'll fall.

The neurosurgeon checks on him every day. The VA chaplain visited him yesterday. He gave Boomer a wafer and they shared a prayer. The VA nurses also gave him a nice Christmas card. He teared up reading the card to me.

Hopefully he'll start his PT today. If he's doing well, he might be out of the hospital next Thursday or Friday. 

Thanks again for keeping Boomer in your thoughts and prayers.

C.C.


33 comments:

OwenKL said...

FIWrong. One cell. ANNo crossing a name I didn't know. Bah humbug! After all that mental strain and turmoil.
I don't think this theme would have worked without the bubbles, hanging like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Maybe asterisks and a fairly explicit reveal. And it took me a while to parse the Christmas tree in the center. This seems like a puzzle for Arbor Day, with the Christmas tie-ins coincidental.
I got a CSO -- ROWENA is a feminine form of OWEN, also my oldest daughter's middle name. Her first initial is J, so I often called her Junior.

In the Nigerian port of LAGOS
Do products all come with logos?
A trademark to use
For when buyers PERUSE,
For items like toys made of Legos?

If we could each PLANT A TREE
Would our climate crisis cease to be?
It would take more, I fear.
It's been building for YEARS.
The weather's a SOT, and gone on a spree!

{B+, B.}

desper-otto said...

Good morning! (And happy Boxing Day to those who box.)

This was a toughie. Might have helped had d-o read the title or looked at the circles. Sezst Lah Vie. Shock-un ah sone gowt. I'd bet the MEH RIBLET began life as GIBLET, but it wasn't working. ENO as an antacid? ENOUGH. Got 'er done, but this one was a struggle. Thanx, Dr. Ed and C.C.

UNREP: Navalese for UNderway REPlenishment. The two ships run side-by-side with cargo lines run between them. The senior captain issues the helm orders for both ships.

IMPANEL: Dw got a special Christmas gift on 12/24 -- a jury summons.

ENSURE: Some folks on my M-o-W route receive a six-pack of ENSURE every week.

It's good to hear that Boomer is progressing. I'm sure he's looking forward to coming home.

Jason M Chapnick said...

Good news C.C. and do get some protein drinks like ensure. They really help build the strength of those struggling.

I know it is not related but today begins getting ready to get rid of boxes. We had a great time with the grands and hope you all did.

We will also continue to pray, as it cannot hurt; best to all.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

As usual our Sunday paper doesn't carry the LAT Puzzle ...so...just here to lurk, annoy, and irritate everyone..🙄

December 26

1.Boxing Day
For the the British Empire. No, you can't smash someone in the nose.🥴 LIU " Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants - a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. " So Canada Eh, regift yesterday's unwanted presents for your servants, butler, upstairs and downstairs maid, chauffeur, valet, gardner.. etc...etc

2. Feast of St Stephen, protomartyr (first martyr)("🎼Good King Wenceslaus went out" 🎵today.) ...He was stoned to death (pelted with rocks, didn't OD on frankincense and myrrh according to some legends)

3. The second day of Christmas.
For your "True love" Costco is running a special on Patridges, Pear trees and Turtledoves (an avian/reptilian hybrid)🕊🐢

Good luck with the puzzle

😊

inanehiker said...

This was a little more of a challenge today - but expected with Ed Sessa as the constructor. Definitely did not see the PLANT A TREE in the tree shape, but that is what coming to the blog is for.

I love the movie "When Harry met Sally" - I wonder if PLATONIC LOVE is a debut phrase at the LAT. I think I enjoy it because it is set during the years I was young and just out of college like Sally- I think I had every type of outfit and hairstyle she did. I also had a friend from both high school and college who was a real character and we had that same ongoing discussion about whether men and women could have a strong platonic friendship - I won - we are still friends as are
our spouses 40+ years later even though he lives in DFW area working as a Lockheed engineer and I am up in Missouri (by way of California, Chicago, and Wisconsin)

Thanks CC and Ed!
Continued prayers for Boomer

TTP said...



C.C., good to hear that Boomer is progressing.

I turfed it by having CRONES where SCENE V was the answer.  Never recovered from that and was too tired to work it out, so I went back to sleep for a bit.     Most of the little Shakepeare I know has come from solving crossword puzzles in the last 9 years.  Not sure if the crones were in Macbeth or not.  Definitely do not understand why the answer is SCENE V.  I'll assume they are alternate endings that one can view if they buy the CD version.

My Windows 95 machine was an Aptiva, so no problem with that answer.  Down to six PCs now, but only the four Windows 10 machines are functional. Like you, I will probably run Windows 10 as long as I can.  End of support for Windows 10 is currently scheduled for October, 2025.

Thought of Picard at ELECTRON microscope, but if memory serves me correctly, his area of expertise was in scanning tunneling microscopes, or developing instrumentation for them.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Merry Christmas, and belated Happy Birthday wishes to Misty, Yellowrocks and Fermatprime.

Big Easy said...

Well Ed, thanks for the lump of coal today. I beat myself to a pulp just to FIW at JAGR & JAR. I never heard of Aqua REGIA but got it. But the list of unknowns I managed to fill correctly might have set a record. Then there was PLATONIC. Three SCENE Vs didn't look right and Morse & DCI, and SINISE were unknowns. Wagged DCI, SINISS, & PLATONIS LOSS. I've never seen any of those shows. As for the Trees in the middle, never noticed the circles.

Add to that list of shows: "Chicago Med" & YAYA, "Days of our Lives" & ARLEEN Sorkin, "The Office", Angela Martin, & CATL LADY, ELSIE Dinsmore, MONODY, Lady ROWENA,
No idea about Adidas Yeezy and had OH DEAR instead of OK so it took a while for KANYE to get filled.
PATER & LANI- cross of those two was a lucky WAG. both unknown.
ENO- we sold about a dozen a year of that back in the 1970s.

MS-DOS- you don't upgrage, you buy a new computer.

desper-otto said...

TTP, you're over-thinking it. Each Act is made up of scenes, and in Macbeth three acts have 5-or-more scenes:
Act 1, Scene 1: A desert place.
Act 1, Scene 2: A camp near Forres.
Act 1, Scene 3: A heath near Forres.
Act 1, Scene 4: Forres. The palace.
Act 1, Scene 5: Inverness. Macbeth's castle.
Act 1, Scene 6: Before Macbeth's castle.
Act 1, Scene 7: Macbeth's castle.

Act 2, Scene 1: Court of Macbeth's castle.
Act 2, Scene 2: The same.
Act 2, Scene 3: The same.
Act 2, Scene 4: Outside Macbeth's castle.

Act 3, Scene 1: Forres. The palace.
Act 3, Scene 2: The palace.
Act 3, Scene 3: A park near the palace.
Act 3, Scene 4: The same. Hall in the palace.
Act 3, Scene 5: A Heath.
Act 3, Scene 6: Forres. The palace.

Act 4, Scene 1: A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron.
Act 4, Scene 2: Fife. Macduff's castle.
Act 4, Scene 3: England. Before the King's palace.

Act 5, Scene 1: Dunsinane. Ante-room in the castle.
Act 5, Scene 2: The country near Dunsinane.
Act 5, Scene 3: Dunsinane. A room in the castle.
Act 5, Scene 4: Country near Birnam wood.
Act 5, Scene 5: Dunsinane. Within the castle.
Act 5, Scene 6: Dunsinane. Before the castle.
Act 5, Scene 7: Another part of the field.
Act 5, Scene 8: Another part of the field.

ATLGranny said...

Amazing FIR of a very challenging puzzle today. So many unknowns, as others have mentioned, and resulting lucky guesses! My last fill was the almost Natick of JAGR and REGIA. My suspicion was since it related to gold, maybe the word had to do with regal or royal.

And then there were the trees. I found the names in the circles but almost missed understanding the center ones didn't involve tree names. I kept looking for them there too. OK, it's the shape that's important and the phrase "plant a tree." Thanks, Ed, for keeping me busy this morning.

SCENE V was not crones, as it turned out. I finally figured out that the three acts in the play each had a SCENE V. Whew!

Thanks for the helpful review and for the good news about Boomer, C.C.! Hope everyone is doing well today.

ATLGranny said...

Oops, there were five acts as DO explained. Three of them had SCENE V. Thanks for clearing that up.

TTP said...


Desper-otto, thanks.

I guess Shakespeare is to me as sports are to you.

Malodorous Manatee said...

Glad to hear of Boomers progress.

Have a great Boxing Day whether you observe it or not.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Very clever challenge, thanks, Ed. Took me 66 mins. of intense study. Liked the little Christmas tree in the middle which I did see.

Last fill was the whole NE section from MEH to REGIA including CHRISTMAS HAM & HAUNT. The area was white til the last even after many tries. Thank you red letters.

CLOVE trees? Never wondered where CLOVES came from.

DNK at least half of the many proper names.

C.C., thank you for the update on Boomer and for the expo which was more than we could have expected from you after the week you've had with "the man" in the hospital. Sad to here of all the restrictions in Xi'an affecting your family. Such a horrible time for everyone around the world.

I drink ENSURE daily Lately when I couldn't eat, I was drinking more than one a day.

My kids and grandkids are all meeting in another city today where I couldn't go. Very blue yesterday thinking I would have no Christmas sightings of any of them. Last night two of my kids and my son-in-law surprised me with a new TV that I didn't know I needed, but obviously did since it is so much brighter and easier to read the print on the screen. They stayed and hooked it all up & programmed it & visited with me. Also brought me supper. So not what I wanted because of covid & my health, but much better than what I expected. The TV was a gift from all my kids. THeir gifts from me are lost somewhere in the mail except for the one who lives furthest from me & called to thank me.

WikWak said...

FIR but took a beating doing it. As usual, instantly got many of the ones that others had trouble with and stumbled around with many of the ones that others found easy. At least I did muddle through. But this geography teacher stumbled badly over MAP LEGEND, parsing it as MAPLE EGEND. Ok… Maple is a tree like all the others, but what the heck is an egend?!?

I’ve been on hiatus from the blog for a while but have continued to do the puzzle every day. Life kept getting in the way. I hope I can be a more frequent visitor soonly.

So sorry to hear of Boomer’s hospitalization but glad he will be coming home soon. That’s especially crummy at this time of the year.

Greetings of the season to all.

Picard said...

Probably the most solid FIW ever for me. I was proud to get the utter Natick stew involving YANNI and YAYA. And the guy JAGR who obviously could not afford to buy a vowel. But the other Natick morass with DAMIEN, MONODY, DCI, SINISE did me in. Probably could have figured out SCENE V if I persisted. Thanks for the learning moment desper-OTTO. We did read Shakespeare in high school.

TTP Thank you for thinking of me with ELECTRON MICROSCOPE. Yes, you are correct, we were pioneers in developing the Scanning Tunneling Microscope and the Atomic Force Microscope. But by amazing coincidence ? my father was a pioneer in using the ELECTRON MICROSCOPE in biology research.

Here is a PDF of my father's ELECTRON MICROSCOPE photo of a single blood cell clotting.

He may hold a record for cover images on Science Magazine. He was also good at solving crossword puzzles.

From Yesterday:
I am still curious if anyone else thought of the Beatles song Bungalow Bill with the line about LOOKS COULD KILL? I gave the link there.

Picard said...

Glad that Boomer is able to eat vegetables and drink Ensure. That is a rather complete diet. I drank a lot of Ensure two years ago when I had stomach surgery and could only take liquids for weeks. A life saver. Wishing him the best for a speedy recovery.

Anonymous said...

Natick filled trivia contest disguised as a crossword puzzle.

Misty said...

Delightful Sunday tree puzzle--many thanks, Ed. And thank you for the very hopeful update about Boomer, C.C. So glad he's got an extra blanket to stay warm in a chilly hospital, and please give him all our love.

Never heard of an OPERA called "Einstein on the Beach." Would love to see it--especially if it's set in Laguna Beach.

Your picture of SWISS WINDS cracked me up, C.C. I expected to see a storm raging through Switzerland--not a couple of trumpeters in the Alps.

Ed, the clue for ENRY was so funny: Eliza's 'elper.

I instantly got the answer for the treat often eaten filling-first--OREO, of course, what else?

Fun post-Christmas puzzle--thanks again, everybody. And have a great day!

OwenKL said...

Looking for more symmetry (symmetree?).
All trees are in columns 3, 5, and 7 from each side, two trees in the ±3 columns, and one each in the others. The trees aren't symmetrical, but the words that contain them are the longest verticals in the puzzle, and have 180° symmetry.

"The Spirit of 1776" comes along,
With drummer and FIFE playing a song!
That's okay for the U.S.,
But in Switzerland, I guess,
Each ALPENHORN needs its own caisson!

{B+.}

Anonymous said...

Bah! Humbug! I had empanel and 'eglu' looked weird, but not weird enough to persuade me to reconsider.

I would have thought 'entice' for luring into a lair rather than entrap. A lair isn't necessarily a snare or dangerous situation?

waseeley said...

Thank you Ed for a long Sunday Sessa Struggle. I coulda, woulda, shouda SWAGGED the 2 O's in 3D but forgot and thus DNF + I had SINASE for 12OA SINISE and FIW as well. Oh well! I was still rewarded with lots of interesting clues and fill.

And thanks to C.C. for splainin' the theme. At first I thought it had to do with things colored GREEN and noticed that (most, but not all) of the things in the circles were TREES, but the PLANT STAND in the middle flew way over my head.

And thanks for the update on BOOMER. Be SURE to get him lots of that supplement to ENSURE that we get him back soon, safe and sound.

22A OPERA. Here's Counting Crows' riff on the Philip Glass OPERA. Try it, you'll like it.

28A COLEMAN. Also Jenna COLEMAN, a big name in British actresses.

62A REGIA. Real nasty stuff. A mixture of Nitric acid and Hydrochloric acid that dissolve Platinum as well as Gold. Aqua Regia must be made fresh each time it's used, as oxidizes over time, releasing gases that will eventually explode the container it's in.

74A LUNA MOTH. A beautiful creature whose wingspan can reach up to 7".

5D HAUNT. Favorite clue/fill.

98D APTIVA. One of the last fills to surface from way down in the depths.

99D MISTED. A CSO to our Misty.

Cheers,
Bill

Merry Christmas everyone (day 2 of the Octave).

waseeley said...

inanehiker @8:35 AM And of course "When Harry met Sally" has one of the most famous scenes in moviedom, which I won't link here, as I don't think it meets the Sunday Morning breakfast test.

Wikwak @12:14 PM It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard your name mentioned before. I'm a relative newbie here.

Picard @12:32 PM Very cool picture of a blood cell clotting. On the the cover of Science no less!

Misty @1:44 PM I think you can find "Einstein on the Beach" on YouTube. Philip Glass's work is very accessible and BTW he's from Baltimore.

Kelly Clark said...

Thanks for explaining the bonus/reveal, C.C., which I totally missed.

And thank you for the Boomer update -- the prayers continue!

CanadianEh! said...

Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Ed and C.C. (Glad to hear of Boomer’s progress.)
Solved online today and used a couple of red letters to get the solve. Then forgot to go back to find the theme. But on seeing C.C.‘s explanation and grid, I am impressed.

Thanks also to d’o for explaining SCENE V. Hand up for Crones, but too short.
I laughed at CHRISTMAS HAM and then TURKEY later.
We had PLATONIC LOVE and a KISS (and ANKA to remind us of ESO BESO). Also CHERIE and OK DEAR.

PK- glad your Christmas was better than expected.
Wigwam- good to hear from you again. Come back soon.
Picard- that photo, Science cover, are impressive.
Ray-o - no servants here unfortunately LOL. Just a recovery day from all the busyness.

Happy Boxing Day all.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Encouraging news from C.C. about Boomer!
-Fun puzzle here in the home state of Arbor Day-
-GAP YEARS and MONODY?
-Those six guns in those oaters seem to never run out of bullets
-I had REGIA but JAGR looks bad so I went to AEGIA
-“Gary do you want to take the Xmas lights down today?” My thought – “No”. What I said, “OK DEAR”
-Five SCENE V’s? Great clue!
-CAT LADY – I live with one!
-I was pretty sick yesterday and even got tested for Covid (it was negative) but we had a wonderful Christmas with our kids

Jayce said...

Whew, it took me well over an hour to pick and chip through this puzzle today, a puzzle that, when finished, I appreciated. Many names and terms I didn't know, but lots of P&P eventually got them filled correctly. I'm happy that I solved it without having to look anything up or use red letters. I guess I felt especially patient today.

Thanks to all of you for your comments and explanations.

Jayce said...

I just noticed 113 across is SIT and 58 down is SITS.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

DNF/DNHF (Did Not Finish/Did Not Have Fun). Excessive fictional names spoiled what could have been a fun, difficult puzzle. Looked up DAMIEN, and after much consideration, misspelled eMPANEL/eGLU.

Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan) is a tremendous supporter of our former military folks, especially those who need assistance due to physical and/or mental wounds. A rare authentic Hollywood role model.

My second PC was an IBM, powered by a mighty 8086 CPU and math co-processor. It supported about a half-megabyte of RAM and two 5 1/4 inch floppy drives for booting up and for mass storage. I later replaced one of the floppy drives with a double-height 10 megabyte bootable internal hard disc drive. The system sported a 40-pound 17" Trinitron monitor and an Epson dot-matrix printer. High tech stuff in those days.

Thanks to CC for the fun review, and for the good news about Boomer. BTW, my stepson got a positive result from a covid PCR fast test, so they gave him the other type, which came back negative. They retested him with the PCR, and it again came back positive. The ensuing test again came back negative. He is asymptomatic, but his wife needs radiation for breast cancer, and they won't administer it until they are sure he does not have covid. Now he is having trouble locating additional tests.

jfromvt said...

1 across says it all about this puzzle…Meh. Way too many proper nouns, it was a trivia contest.

Wilbur Charles said...

"This puzzle is a bit name-heavy." Ya think?

I thought Dion first. The K in SKIM clinched it. Dion claims it was the $38.00 that kept him off the Holly plane

(Wilfred of)Ivanhoe's first love was Richard

(Not) A PEEP was solid which meant regimen was not. Lots of manipulation to fix that corner

Not witches nor crones but SCENE V. I'd finally figured out PLATONIC LOVE and what to do with an ending V.

I recalled SOREN,ROWENA and JAGR. Big help considering my the names I didn't know. Plus I don't know arenas and stadiums so needed at least one perp for LA RAM.
Betsy introduced me to ROLF* but it didn't want to fit.

With all the boxes I had to miss one:DCe/SeNISE(I share your pain, Owen)

I hope my extensive J-take on Ivanhoe helped Misty and OMK with Rowena. I'll take a CSO. I had a thought once of making a Hamilton-like musical from it. Discovered there was a Gilbert musical in 1891 and this link,

https://www.wreview.org/attachments/article/378/Stage%20Performances%20from%20Ivanhoe.pdf

Goes into extensive detail of he many stage productions from 1820 on.

IH, what I saw was a PLANTA TREE(???)

Picard, I did listen to Bungalow Bill; I had Sirius and my goto was Beatles but had forgotten that line. I also read that long most interesting link you posted of which I've completely forgotten.

Jayce, my sentiments exactly. Three sessions for me but completing 99.8% was most satisfying and needed beaucoup P&P. Especially since it started tough, ended tough and had no easy areas. Hardly any LHF.

WC

* Name of a classmate from HS (62)

Jayce said...

Much love to C.C. and Doug during these difficult times for them. And yep, when I was in the hospital a year ago I had to push the button to call a nurse every time I needed to go to the toilet because I was not allowed to walk there by myself. Even the bed itself had an alarm in it that would sound off if I got up. I guess they were very concerned about their patients falling, which I appreciate even though it was a nuisance.

PK said...

CanadianEh! thank you.

Unknown said...

After lunch guests left and finishing up cleaning the kitchen sat down at 4:30 ... It's now 3:30 AM and only finished half of this grind. Way too many references to TV/movie casts and plots. Should have known it was a Sessa puzzle. As I've said before ...REALLY dislike and disagree with his clueing. As I've said before "cuteness" should not play a major role in cluing. I've FINALLY reached my limit and will toss all Sessa's future entries into the recycle bin!