(Notes from C.C.: Boomer wrote this post last weekend. The original plan was to have a CT and a bone scan on Thursday 12/23/2021, but then he had another fall. His oncologist was alarmed and insisted that we go to ER immediately.
He'll probably have the surgery on Friday. Two different neurosurgeons visited him a few times but no firm plans yet. He's been receiving steroid infusion. He'll have more CAT scan and some other scan tomorrow. Thank you so much for your concern and well wishes for Boomer!)
Theme: RAIL-SPLITTER (52. Abraham
Lincoln nickname, and a hint to a hidden word in each answer to a
starred clue) RAIL is split up in 3 different ways.
20. *Generate funds for a corporate project, say: RAISE CAPITAL.
34. *Condition of steaming water with lots of bubbles breaking quickly: RAPID BOIL.
40. *Drambuie and Scotch cocktail: RUSTY NAIL.
Boomer again, filling in another blog slot.
Happy
to be here and wish all of you a Merry Christmas Eve and Merry
Christmas. I am hoping C.C. and I will be Merry also. I am going to
the VA tomorrow for a CT scan and bone scan and hoping that Doctor
Santa Claus will read the scans and put good news in my stocking.
Across:
6. Starting from: AS OF.
10. Yarn relative: TALE.
14. Pool owner's bane: ALGAE. I thought folks could put chemicals in the pool to keep ALGAE from growing.
15. Spitting sound: PTUI. In the comics.
16. One slain in Genesis: ABEL. Actually, Cain pulled his gun and thought it was his Taser.
17. Dyeing targets for some: ROOTS. What a great TV movie. I think it took about 7 weeks to watch it completely.
18. Dollywood's st.: TENN. Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
19. Princess friend of Gabrielle: XENA.
23. Pinkish hues: CORALS.
26. Archaeological artifact: RELIC. Generally tiny pieces of bone.
27. Ranges of colors: SPECTRA. I really like some of the
Christmas trees on display. FOX HQ in New York had theirs burned up. I
am not a fan of FOX News but to burn up their Christmas tree is
outrageous.
29. "Fantastic" J.K. Rowling critters: BEASTS.
33. Fortunate ones: HAVES.
37. EPA pollution std.: AQI. 50 is good, 300 will choke you.
38. Kept from squeaking: OILED. I change it every 3000 miles and it doesn't squeak.
39. Outdoor gear brand: REI.
43. Hogwarts motto language: LATIN. Four years in High school and all I remember is "et cum spiritu tuo." I think that's the Pope's phone number.
45. Watch closely: PEER AT.
46. Poking fun at: TEASING. Okay, I have never called the Pope.
48. "__ Survive": disco classic: I WILL. "If you want me to, I WILL." John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
51. In-group privilege: ACCESS.
56. Not pizzicato: ARCO. I remember ARCO gas stations. We still have a very few in Minnesota.
57. Domesticated: TAME.
58. Loses on purpose?: DIETS. A lot of these may begin after the Holidays.
62. Trudge (through): SLOG.
63. A comet was often considered a bad one: OMEN. A pain in the neck is worse.
64. WWII sea threat: U BOAT.
65. Fork over, with "up": PONY.
66. __ Room: White House banquet site: EAST. How should I know this? No one ever asked me to dinner there.
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67. Reddish cent: PENNY. We started across with honest Abe on a $5.00 bill. Now look what coin we have.
Down:
2. Jeff Lynne rock gp.: ELO.
3. Had __ at: tried: AGO. "A long, long time AGO, I can still remember when the music used to make me smile." American Pie.
4. Wearying grind: RAT RACE. I've heard a lot about this race, but I never found out who won.
5. Makes potable, as seawater: DESALTS.
6. Bldg. divisions: APTS. We have plenty of these where C.C. and I live. Rents are pretty spendy.
7. Take the helm: STEER.
8. Prevention measure: OUNCE. And a pound of cure.
9. Auction ender: FINAL BID. SOLD! We used to have these at baseball card shows.
10. One hailed in cities: TAXICAB. Uber and Lyft are cutting into their business.
11. Be on the lookout for?: ABET. Put it on the PASS line, and maybe a little on numbers 4-10.
12. Headey of "Game of Thrones": LENA.
13. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL. It sounds like Air Travel in the U.S. may take some Covid heat.
21. Tel Aviv home: Abbr.: ISR.
22. Variegated: PIED. Piper of Hamline.
23. Note in an A major scale: C SHARP.
24. Not transparent: OPAQUE.
25. Edit: REVISE.
28. "Rigoletto" highlight: ARIA.
30. Combat mission: SORTIE.
31. Fast-food toy giveaways, typically: TIE-INS.
32. "The __ and arrows of outrageous fortune": Hamlet: SLINGS.
35. "Thrilla in Manila" victor: ALI.
36. Hit, as with snowballs: PELT. Snowball fights are not too much fun.
38. Sneaking, maybe: ON TIPTOE. "Through the Tulips" Tiny Tim.
41. Three-part work: TRILOGY. Normally in League we bowl three games. Does that count?
42. Sailing deviations: YAWS.
43. Got ready for the ice, as skates: LACED UP. Yup, when I was young. I can remember that far back and we had a great ring walking distance from my home.
44. Chalk up: ASCRIBE.
47. No longer fast?: EAT.
49. Andean grazer: LLAMA.
50. Bartender's supply: LIMES. Lemons are better, in my humble opinion.
52. Abrasive sound: RASP.
53. Woody's son: ARLO. He got whatever he wanted at Alice's Restaurant.
54. Clickable pic: ICON.
55. Outdoor party rental: TENT. Never had a big party one, but I have slept in a few over time.
59. Ages and ages: EON.
60. Summer shade: TAN. It will be back in 6 months.
61. Oink pen: STY. I always use an OINK Pen on Crosswords.
Boomer
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed the puzzle, George! Didn't get the theme until the reveal and there were some quirky words/phrases, but a good one.
ReplyDeleteBoomer, bless you, still making us chuckle. Good luck!
The NE corner was the last to fill. For some reason couldn't get BEARD/BAR/RAT RACE/ELO/HAVES/REVISE/AQI.
Never heard kids' meals called TIE-INS, so took a while to understand that one. ESP
ARCO? Well, tweedly-de-de. I didn't take enough violin lessons to learn that.
For Doug Burnikel
ReplyDeleteThere is a golf duffer named Doug,
Coaching bowling is also his love,
And cracking absurd
About crossword words --
We find him guilty of all the above!
Today I've a TALE of a doll of YARN
Who appeared in a movie, so warm.
At the burger drive-in
It was served as TIE-IN,
To LACE UP the connection like a charm!
{A, B-.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis was another fast one -- so fast that d-o missed reading the full reveal clue and also missed the theme. Imagine that. Odd to see TAXICAB. You hail a TAXI or a CAB, but seldom the combo. Still, it was a nice romp. Thanx, George and Boomer. (We're all pullin' for ya.)
So, this is silly, pedantic, whatever. A "taximeter" is the type of meter that converts miles to money, the "fare". A "cabriolet" is a sort of carriage. So, when people started putting those meters into carriages, and charging for rides, they called them "taximeter cabriolets", shortened to "taxicabs", then "taxis" or "cabs".
DeleteThanks George for a Wednesday ABE themed puzzle. When God made that man he threw away the mold. I noticed the asterisks, but didn't SPLIT any hairs on finding what they meant and the fill was largely self-filling.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to C.C. for the update on Boomer. We all continue to pray for him. As for his review, all I can say is that you have to admire a man who can do Stand Up from a hospital bed.
A few favs:
10A TALE. You couldn't pull the WOOL over these old eyes George.
19A XENA. Never saw her Princess act, but heard that she was offed in the end. But she has been resurrected in the Aussie/NZ series "My Life is Murder". Definitely worth a binge.
37A AQI. Thought it had something to due with WATER, but turned out be be the other FLUID in our life: AIR.
40A RUSTY NAIL. I've had one of these, but none since I got my TETANUS shot.
65A PONY. If my son were to PONY over a PONY for Christmas, my HORSE CRAZY granddaughter would be thrilled.
25D REVISE. Aside to C.C.: the REVISED version should be along any day now.
28D ARIA. Not my favorite Verdi, but CARO NOME is one of my favorite ARIAS.
Cheers,
Bill
FIR with no erasures.
ReplyDeleteI had a beautiful pool in Atlanta. The black surface from volcanic sand from Hawaii extended the season. It had an ionization sanitizing system that used (I think) copper and silver electrodes instead of chlorine or bromine. Worked great until the trees shed their leaves and then it just couldn't keep up, and I used chlorine shock to get the ALGAE under control.
PEER AT or PEE RAT? There is a furniture business in Eastern Kentucky named Pieratt's. When I was in my early twenties, my mother told me she had one date with Parker Pieratt, who would go on to found the business. I told her that I'm glad my name isn't Parker Pieratt Junior. (She also had one date with Jesse Stewart, author of "The Thread that Runs So True", when she was a teenager.)
SPECTRA is a brand of rope made with UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene). Widely used in high performance racing sailboats, the stuff is stronger and lighter than steel wire cables.
Seems like there are TIE INS with everything these days. Even Limu the Emu's keeper's spider bite is just a movie TIE IN.
Thanks to George for the nice, easy Wednesday puzzle. Favorites were "loses on purpose" for DIETS and "prevention measure" for OUNCE. Least favorites were the two Potter references. And best wishes and prayers to Boomer for swift recovery.
Like others, a FIR today. The reveal made clear our Abe Lincoln theme. Some twisty clues and interesting fill, George. Thanks! Some trouble with the RUSTY NAIL so I had a few WOs. All in all, an interesting puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNice tribute poem to Boomer, OwenKL, today. Well done! Thanks C.C. for the quick update on Boomer's situation. And many thanks to you, Boomer, for filling in today and doing your usual humorous and informative review, in spite of how you were feeling. We are all pulling for you, as DO said.
Best wishes Boomer.
ReplyDeleteThis easy puzzle starts with a Lincoln BEARD and is themed after his nickname- RAIL SPLITTER. Most people don't know he was probably the toughest person to ever become president. A real professional wrestler. I wonder if he had to literally throw somebody out of his office.
EPA std- either had to be MPG, AQI,ppb, or ppm- wait for a perp
LATIN- only unknown today
ARCO- rosin up the bow or fill up your tank at Atlantic Richfield Co. with ARCO Supreme.
LENA, ZENA, REI- learned them from puzzles but that's all I know about them. Never seen the shows.
REVISE- before I click on the "publish Your Comment" I reread my comments and always revise what I wrote. I hate it when the computer revises it for me and I don't catch it.
I split this rail in 6:14.
ReplyDeleteDesalination wasn't even close to fitting. Nothing really bad with this puzzle, and no circles, so I think that qualifies it as a good Wednesday puzzle.
The tie-ins refer to the toy thrown into the "happy meals."
Odd to me that "Abe" is in 1-Across, but "Abraham" is in 52-Across. Any reason for the inconsistency?
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI saw the Rail theme early on but the revealer was a nice unexpected Aha. No w/os or unknowns so no miscues. Cute pairings of Arlo/Arco, Lena/Xena, and El Al/Isr. Several entries seemed fresh and lively, to wit: Spectra, Opaque, Ascribe, Triology, etc. Overall, a smooth and satisfying solve.
Thanks, George, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Boomer, for your above and beyond dedication to duty. Please know we are all thinking of you and praying that you’ll be as good as new very soon.
Bill @ 5:36 ~ I love certain operas but am far from knowledgeable about the story lines and individual arias, except for the most well-known, such as Carmen, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, etc. I am familiar with Caro Nome but could never name the opera it is from. I enjoyed listening to it.
FLN
Ray O, I am so glad and grateful that you attended Spitz’s funeral. I’m sure your presence meant a lot to Betty as it signified Spitz’s importance to us all. Thank you.
YR
How sweet of you to give me a CSO for the doggie puzzle! The honor really belongs to Pat for her devotion to the ones who need it most!
Anon T, you also thought of me which is so flattering. As far as your future puppy purchase, don’t discount a small breed because they’re not all Yappy. If you think the Maltese is cute, check out the Bichon Frisé. Bichons give new meaning to irresistible!
Have a great day.
Fine puzzle, fine theme, great review. You are a real trouper, Boomer, the way you carry on despite setbacks. I am wishing your treatment goes well for you and restores your ability to walk.
ReplyDeleteMacDonald's free toys with Happy Meals are tie ins to promotions for other products, such as movies. Toy props and characters promote Disney movies, for example. I think, probably, the toys are given to MacDonald's free of charge for their advertising value. And giving toys with the meals makes the meals more popular.
Musings
ReplyDelete-AS OF today, I have subbed seven days in a row.
-Our AQI is 16 today here on the Great Plains
-This DESALINATION device can give you 200 gallons/day of fresh water from sea water
-The brutal “Thrilla In Manila” was the last of the Frazier/ALI TRILOGY
-The third movie in The Godfather TRILOGYwas unwatchable!
-Boomer, we all hope you are well enough to be back on the lanes and links soon
Hola!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to Boomer for a quick and complete recovery. And thanks for the commentary. Your humor shines throughout it.
What a wonderful tribute to our 16th president! He surely ranks high among the great thinkers in history.
There is a restaurant/BAR in Phenix called The RUSTY NAIL. Our annual Christmas party was held there one year.
Only when shopping for a unique gift do I have to go to REI store for an item. One of my friends has a preference for their style of socks. That is the only place I've ever found them.
Yes, a swimming pool requires weekly doses of chemicals to prevent the growth of ALGAE.
Enjoy a wondrous Wednesday, everyone!
Best wishes, Boomer. Thanks for the recap.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update, C.C.
Thanx for the update, C.C., I’m glad to hear Boomer isn’t trying to do a write-up from his hospital bed. Of course, like everyone else, I wish him well and hope to see him back soon. As for the CW, I very much enjoyed this Lincoln logger. Thanx, GJ, for the fun. For some unknown reason I blocked on ELAL, even though I know it, couldn’t think of it and had to perp it. FIR in 17 with no W/Os. And thanx to Boomer for the fun review. Get Well Soon.
ReplyDeleteAmazon(Princess) best describes XENA. I thought it said Yam relative.
ReplyDeleteArcheologists love pottery shards. AQI was 3 perps.
Boomer all I knew was Biscum won the dominoes
ABE is also on the Lincoln penny and those may be worth more
LACEing up the skates at ten below was a challenge but every kid was there because the ice was so good
LOTR was the ultimate TRILOGY
Yesterday it was BRANDY ALEXANDER today RUSTY NAIL. PINK LADY anyone?
WC
Again, my best wishes and prayers for a successful outcome for Boomer
DeleteIrish Miss @8:24 AM I'm glad you liked the aria. The reason I said Rigoletto is not a favorite is that it is so unremittingly tragic. Gilda is dead at the end, and the Duke just waltzes away scott free.
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary @9:10 AM Thanks for the desalinator link. It's a bit pricey, but then I don't need 200 GPD of H20 for my survival kit and can probably find a cheaper one somewhere. OTOH the Chesapeake Bay (closest saltwater) is at least 15 miles away. Maybe I should dig a well.
JohnK @9:19 AM Shh! Constructors are watching. You realize now that "taximeter cabriolets" is going to show up as puzzle fill real soon now.
John K,interesting facts about taxi cab.
ReplyDeleteNice Humpday challenge, FIR, no inkovers but the theme eluded me. (Oh, a TRILOGY of rails) 🤔
ReplyDeleteLiked "oink pen" Do rats prefer to avoid the "human race"?😁
Famous Genesis quote "Abel was I ere I met Cain". Aren't too many 4 letter princesses that start with X. "Limbo need" is a pole, BAR for drinks to get you tipsy enough to compete. Was looking for a White House color room.
Woody from "Toy Story" had a son? Bo Peep the mom? 😳
Lots of phodder for phoolishness😆
Consume an ice cream coneSlaptstick face frequently...PIED
<>Cæsar's final insult to Brutus "___ Bruté!".....PTUI.
Cause of plant death: dieing ____ ROOTS
Shipwreck caused by a bum ____ STEER
Quick iring....RAPIDBOIL
Cocktail that requires a tetanus shot chaser...RUSTYNAIL.
Ancient steno....ASCRIBE.
Sorry...Happy Humpday.
Best wishes to Boomer!!
Consume Ice cream cone was... RELIC..(previewed fine printed wrong, someone doesn't appreciate my humor...lol)...
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. George Jasper, for a very nice, fairly quick and easy puzzle. I really enjoyed it.
Continued prayers and best wishes for Boomer, and hopes that this will improve his health, reduce his pain and bring happiness and serenity to him and his family. Thank you for the informative blog review.
I really didnt have very many unknowns in the answers, and RAIL SPLITTER came to me immediately.
I see our homonym expert, has a CSO as well ...
1. Dr. O'Sunshine's moolah in the bank .... RAISE CAPITAL
2. A cockney school teacher trying to be, in a noisy class ... BE ARD
3. Finally, what senoritas say about the pollution in the US ... Not AQI but alli...
( not here, but there ).
Ptui is also a cpmmon command for dogs trained in Germany. It means 'stop it' or other forms of ( mild ) disapproval. As in 'bad dog'. etc. Since many drug dogs and military dogs used in the USA are imported, after being trained in Germany, Ptui is also a common command used in the US. It is especially used for seeing-eye dogs.
I thought the Hog-warts language was ... Pig Latin.
Have a nice day, all.
Boomer, you are in our hearts, and we are praying for your good recovery. Just know that so many of us care for you. And C.C., you are in our hearts during this difficult time too.
ReplyDeleteDelightful puzzle, many thanks, George.
My favorite clue was "Loses on purpose" for DIETS.
I guess a CENT is a bit "reddish."
No problem at all with TAXICAB.
Have a great day, everybody.
I always use an OINK pen too. Good one. Get better fast Boomer. Thoughts and prayers my friend. Glenn
ReplyDeleteBoomer, all my best wishes and good health to you and C.C. I hope next year will be HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY for you! And for everyone else on the Corner. It's got to get better sometime, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteOur two last movies were West Side Story (thought it was great and didn't expect to) and Power of the Dog (absolutely hated it) I don't know what the critics are talking about.
Becky
Lucina- a few years ago we attended a show at the WW-II Museum in NOLA and were eating at the bar in the on-premises restaurant and I ordered a RUSTY NAIL. The young bartender looked puzzled. The drink was unknown to her and unknown to me there was a bar named The Rusty Nail two blocks away.
ReplyDeleteIrish M. Just finished an intriguing limited series. "The Shrink Next Door" a partially fictionalized account of a true story involving a patient (Will Ferrell) taken advantage of by his psychiatrist. (Paul Rudd) over 27 years. These two actors known for their comedy roles give Emmy worthy performances.
ReplyDeleteHi guys,
ReplyDeleteThings sure change quickly. Boomer is going to have the surgery soon. Already in operation clothes. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Hi all...don’t have much time for comment right now but I did enjoy today’s puzzle so thank you George and Rich for that!
ReplyDeleteBooomer ~~ as always I appreciate the time and effort you put in to making your write-ups informative and humorously entertaining!
Hope your surgery goes well today, looks like they got you in a day ahead of what was scheduled so that’s a good thing. Thank you C.C. for your updates, and I pray for a speedy and full recovery for Boomer.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteGod Speed Boomer! C.C.: We are all pulling for you & Boomer.
Fun puzzle George. If my Google-Fu is all that, this is your third LAT this year - nicely done.
Thanks for the pre-op expo Boomer. C.C. has some Corner love to pass on.
WOs: RAIn [going with Rainy Day something but APTS put a stop to that], YAWl
ESPs: LENA, ARCO
Fav: Growing up in the Land of Lincoln [between Eastman & Keys on 3rd], I have to go with Abe's clecho & theme.
{A, C+}
JohnK - That is interesting re: TAXI-CABiorlets.
DW fired me from pool-service after it got green one too many times and hired a regular service.
Pop was right, POOL is a 4-letter word.
Cheers, -T
Thank you, George Jasper, for the great puzzle and the fun Lincoln theme! I went to Lincoln School and our nickname was the Railsplitters! Thanks for the expo, Boomer! I hope things get better for you soon.
ReplyDeleteA few of the answers were slow in coming but P&P helped get it done. I worked the puzzle several hours ago so I don't remember where I had problems. Oh, yeah; didn't pay attention to the tense at 43D Got ready for the ice, as skates and originally had LACEsUP. What the heck is sIET? Finally got the D.
Having played a stringed instrument for 8 years in school, 56A Not pizzicato ARCO is well ingrained in my memory.
How's the cookie marathon coming along, Java Mama?
Sending good vibes to Boomer. I hope the operation is a success.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the puzzle and got a good chuckle at the cluing for DIET, ROOTS, PENNY, ABET, EAT, and OUNCE.
<>Cæsar's final insult to Brutus "___ Bruté!".....PTUI. Loved that one RayO
ReplyDeleteMore on Taxi-Meters . It doesn't say how the distances were computed. Was there a gauge on the wheel measuring revolutions? I'm thinking of horse drawn cabriolet.
WC
Prayers from here, Boomer.
ReplyDeleteYes, a fine Humpday PZL from Mr. Jasper, well analyzed by our hospitalized Boomer!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope his various tests and scans all produce results in his favor!
I've been looking through anti-Santa cards of late, those "Gruss vom Krampus" oddities popular early last century in middle Europe.
I've been wondering if I could send them to anyone with enough of a sense of humor to know I don't mean them seriously.
But, no, these are really creepy, featuring this tongue-extruding goat-man literally torturing children, whipping & chaining them and driving them off of cliffs because they've been bad.
I think I'll try one on my wife, not with one of her nice presents, but maybe with the gift card I'm giving her.
'Cuz, after all, the love of money IS the root of evil, right?
~ OMK
______________
DR: Two diagonals, one per side.
The near side offers an anagram (14 of 15 letters) that cautions against hasty actions, projects undertaken with more enthusiasm than brains.
We have all become familiar with the slang phrase, "Slow your roll!" Today's diag message tells us exactly HOW we may go about doing just that. Instead of gliding on hormones, we are advised to...
"ROLL CEREBRALLY"!
Hoping for the very best outcome for Boomer!
ReplyDeleteThat Boomer is prepped for surgery
ReplyDeleteEven with a positive COVID test,
Is the most positive news i have heard in recent weeks.
It is the only indication I have heard that COVID is under control
For vaccinated people in need of medical care.
Pls keep us informed CC,
You and Boomer are in our prayers...
FIR, and I got the theme and split all of the rails.
ReplyDeleteThanks, George and Boomer! Get well, Boomer!
To show how shallow I can be, I really liked the XENA: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys TV series. Renee O’Conner, who played Gabrielle, is from the Houston area, having grown up in Katy, a used-to-be far-west suburb on I-10. Katy is now just a west Houston suburb, about 13 miles NW of me here in beautiful, downtown Clodine.
Pat:
ReplyDeleteI love learning that you were called "the RAILSPLITTERS"!