Theme: SPLIT THE ATOM (51. Nuclear fission phrase, and a hint to each set of circles) - ATOM is split up in each theme entry.
20. Addictive: HABIT-FORMING.
28. Arguing with a cat, say: BIG WASTE OF TIME.
43. Lists of principles for political groups: PARTY PLATFORMS.
Boomer here, blogging another solo from the legend Bruce.
 |
| Bruce Venzke |
I'm still in the hospital and I prepared this blog with major help from C.C.. I hope to be back in the flowing Monday.
Across:
6. Protrudes: JUTS.
10. Police dept. alerts: APBS. All-Points Bulletins.
14. Pear variety: ANJOU.
15. "I'll take care of that, boss": ON IT.
16. Loughlin of "Full House": LORI. Was in trouble a few years ago.
17. Boxer "Iron Mike": TYSON. No relation to the chicken.
18. Inventory methodology acronym: LIFO. Last In, First Out.
19. Thick Japanese noodle: UDON.
23. Altar promise: I DO.
26. U.S. Election Day: Abbr.: TUE. Coming up again in November.
27. Dunkable treats: DONUTS.
32. Intermittent pork offer from Mickey D's: MCRIB.
33. Soothing cream additive: ALOE.
34. Treated, as a patient: SEEN. I'm treated at the VA Medical Center. I've been seen by many doctors.
35. Cop show shocker: TASER. Kimberly Potter got in trouble for using her gun instead of a taser.
37. Wolfgang Puck, e.g.: CHEF.
41. Bottom of a loafer: SOLE. I'm not the only one.
42. Chicago hub: O'HARE. ORD is its code.
48. Gets money for chips after the game, with "in": CASHES. If you're lucky.
49. Hamburger holder: BUN.
50. How poker players may stand: PAT. If his hand is good enough.
55. Rounded hammer part: PEEN. Ball peen hammer.
56. Horse's morsels: OATS. And 54. "A horse is a horse" horse: MR ED. Of course, of course!
57. Encourages: URGES. I've been trying to convince the doctors to get me out.
61. Two-toned cookie: OREO.
62. Solemn ceremony: RITE. I've skipped Catholic mass for a couple of weeks.
63. Fancy watch brand: SEIKO. When I retied, Graybar gifted me a Bulova watch.
64. Recipe amts.: TSPS.
65. Distinctive periods: ERAS. I'll never forget the ERA I'm in right now.
66. Narrowly defeated: EDGED. Lose by a nose.
Down:
2. "__ port in a storm": ANY.
3. Wedding reception VIPs: DJS.
4. Christopher Robin's friend: POOH. Winnie.
5. Drink now, pay later: RUN A TAB. Most bars are not long allowing this.
6. Prison city near Chicago: JOLIET. Joliet Prison.
7. Part of CPU: UNIT.
8. Brief quarrel: TIFF.
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9. Represented: STOOD FOR.
10. Grads: ALUMNI.
11. Speaker's place: PODIUM. Nancy Pelosi's place.
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12. Eyre's creator: BRONTE. Charlotte.
13. Tells the cops everything: SINGS.
21. Commuter's ride: BUS. Or subway.
22. By __: from memory: ROTE.
23. Pioneering PCs: IBMS.
24. Vegas cubes: DICE. My favorite craps tool.
25. Shrek, for one: OGRE.
29. Take the title: WIN. A lot of bowl game titles are decided on New Year's Day.
30. Art studio stand: EASEL.
31. Grand __ Opry: OLE. Nashville, Tennessee. I never visited it.
35. Kid's favorite shopping site: TOY STORE. I bet they were busy 10 days ago.
36. Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP.
37. Comic Margaret: CHO.
38. Heavenly strings: HARP. I left my HARP in San Fink's Disco.
39. Bombeck of humor: ERMA.
40. Word with gab or Oktober: FEST.
41. Cancel, as an edit: STET.
42. Pointless: OF NO USE.
43. Border guard's demand: PAPERS.
44. Out for the night: ASLEEP. Tough to do in a hospital.
45. Safari herbivores: RHINOS. There's a decent bowler on the PBA Tour called Rhino Page.
46. Humiliates: ABASES.
47. Legendary boy king: TUT.
48. 100 smackers: C SPOT. A Benjamin.
52. Hippie musical: HAIR.
53. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.
58. Musician's booking: GIG.
59. __ out: just manage: EKE.
60. Grass in a roll: SOD.
Boomer
It is good to see you back to blogging Boomer. Wanted to add in Bruce thre somewhere so there would be 4 Bs in a row, but I could not make it work.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was fun, not a BIG WASTE OF TIME but it does remind us of another 2021 loss. RIP Gail.
Continue to heal Boomer and thank BV.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteEasy theme, quick romp. No problems, no Wite-Out required. Good to see you, "back in the saddle," Boomer. Hope you can write next week's blog from home. Thanx for the outing, Bruce.
SEIKO: Received one as a 5-year award from my employer back in the '80s. Still have it. Still in the box. I can only imagine what that old battery has done to the innards.
Cold one (by SE Texas standards). After almost two weeks in the 80s, temps are hovering near freezing. Our morning march through the 'hood will have to be postponed, if not cancelled outright. We're wimps. We don't walk when temps are below 40° -- hands and ears get too cold.
The painting contest was progressing, one could see.
ReplyDeleteEveryone else was straining, but one worked easily.
The fifth contestant down
Had no hint of a frown --
Everything was going smoothly for the man at EASEL "E"!
{B+.}
Good morning Cornerites.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bruce Venzke for your enjoyable Monday CW. Carol and I FIR.
Thank you Boomer for your excellent review. Thank you C.C. for your update and PIC of him.
Ðavið
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock and pleasant surprise to have Boomer back at the helm! I never expected a review from a hospital bed, but i probably should have known better, considering his tenacity and stubbornness. (In this instance, that’s a compliment, Boomer!) Bruce threw a real softball at us today: no w/os, no unknowns, no problems, no complaints. I saw the theme early on due to the training-wheel circles and guessed what the reveal would be, which led to a rapid, fun solve. I miss seeing Gail’s name alongside Bruce’s.
FLN
Anon T, I never heard of your Scotch of choice and the only one I open is Dewar’s. The cap is metal and it takes the strength of Hercules to unscrew the cap from the rest of the sealed part. My hand hurts just thinking about it!
Our temp today is supposed to be a high of 26 and Wednesday in the 40’s. Talk about a roller coaster! I’m just wondering when Mother Nature is going to blanket us with that white stuff!
Several family members (nieces and nephews) have COVID but, so far, mild symptoms. The biggest concern is for my brother, Jack, who is in remission from leukemia and has been having breathing issues for awhile due to the compromised lungs of his many years as a fireman. He had an antibody infusion yesterday, plus a blood transfusion.
Have a great day.
This took 5:16 to finish.
ReplyDeleteOh joy, circles.
What does Rich Norris have against theme-less puzzles?
Good Morning Bruce! It's great to have you back for your first puzzle of the New Year, especially such a FIRable one. I saw the circles, but was afraid of SPLITTING HAIRS over them, for fear of causing an explosion.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Boomer! It appears that not only can you do Bad Puns standing up, but you can do Blogging lying down. You are a real MENSCH! And thanks to the great woman behind the great man.
Some favs:
1A BAD PR and 16A LORI. She's had a run of it lately, but it sounds like she's on the rebound. The word on the street is that she's got a new GIG in the next season of "Orange is the New Black".
17A TYSON. And a hot mike he was.
20A HABIT FORMING. Like crossword puzzles.
28A BIG WASTE OF TIME. I wasted no time at all with this one.
43A PARTY PLATFORMS. Where? IMHO neither has a leg to stand on.
51A SPLIT THE ATOM. A collaborative discovery of Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, and Lise Meitner. Some things are better left undiscovered.
Cheers,
Bill
Word of the day: handsel
ReplyDeletePronunciation: hæn-sêl
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. The gift given on Handsel Monday, the first Monday of the New Year, in the British Isles and elsewhere. 2. The first money made by a new business on opening day, taken as a good omen; also the first payment, earnest money. 3. A foretaste of good things to come.
from the alphaDictionary
Hi Y'all! Boomer, your dedication to our enjoyment is above & beyond the call of duty. Good to hear from you. Thanks also to your steadfast helpmate.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce, for an easy fast & fun start to the week. I sussed the theme with the first ATOM split. No unknowns. Needed a few perps to jog my memory on a few fills. But wonder of wonders, needed no red-letter runs. Yay!
Last to fill: JAG/JOLIET cross.
Baseball lumber: not ash or oak but BAT. Okay, why wasn't that my first thought?
RHINO Page? Surely that's a nickname. What kind of parents would hang that moniker on a kid?
Nice quick Monday - with the A T O M not being scrambled it was even faster!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the Chicago area in the 80s, heading to St Louis or KC, I knew when we passed JOLIET on I-55 we were leaving Chicagoland behind - but now the suburbs extend much farther than that!
Thanks Boomer - praying that you make steady progress in PT
thanks to Bruce for the puzzle!
Getting back to the office after these holiday weekends are always a slog
First time in ages that I have done the puzzle on line. Our wifi is out today so no choice. I really prefer printing out the puzzle and doing it in ink. Anyway, I didn't want to miss out so FIR on my phone. Easy enough though I tried to make the circled word harder by looking for a jumbled one, not just spread out: SPLIT ATOM! Thanks, Bruce, for today's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNext surprise of the day was Boomer's review. How nice to see it. A good collaboration to start our week. Thanks Boomer and C.C.! Hope you'll soon be together at home.
Enjoyed your limerick today, OwenKL. And nice to see your post, Dave4, and hear you are still solving with Carol. It's cooled off here too, DO. Brrr. Hope everyone is staying warm today.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A fun Monday puzzle and the return of Boomer. All’s right in the world!
-LORI fought the charges and got two months in prison. Her friend pled guilty and got two weeks. Details
-CASHES IN – If you want to make a small fortune in Las Vegas, go there with a large fortune and you’ll come home with a small one
-Some constructors have told me about coming up with “ANY port in a storm” fill
- JOLIET Prison was the opening scene for this fun movie. Uh, LORI’s prison was a little less forbidding.
-The new Grand OLE Opry was flooded when we visited. We got to see a show in the OLE Ryman Auditorium where it was for 31 years
-When I tested for Covid two weeks ago, the doctor said I probably just had a RHINOvirus, i.e. a cold
Glad to see you back Boomer, and a very nice collaboration with C.C. for today’s synopsis! Judging by the pic she posted yesterday it looks like you are progressing nicely, hope they release you soon and you continue your recovery! On a side note ~ I once picked up the 4-6 split, probably the highlight of my kegling career as I never came close to perfection even once, let alone 20 times. Cut the 6 just thin enough to topple sideways and take out the 4.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bruce for easing us into the first week of the new year with a nicely designed themer! And like others have said, I also miss seeing Gail’s byline alongside yours.
Good day to all!
Thank You Bruce Venzke ( are there any letters that not pronounced in the last name ..? ) for an easy Monday puzzle, to start out the year. I saw the theme early, so I kept guessing on what the last answer would be even before I saw the clue ....
ReplyDeleteWaseely, your word of the day, handsel, is pertinent ... would an easy puzzle, on the first weekday of the year, qualify as a handsel ... an omen of good things to come ??
There is such a concept in India as well, .... the first business deal, of each day, or the first payment of the day, to a merchant, however small, is considered to be a good omen, or a harbinger of that day's events. If you're shopping early in the morning, a merchant will sometimes tell you, that you're his first customer, and a good omen predictor, in an effort to dissuade you from negotiating the price down.
Boomer, and CC, thank you for the review, beyond the call of duty !
Hopes and prayers that the good news continues onward.
Have a nice say, all.
Marvellous Handsel Monday. (waseeley, that British custom has not spread to Canada). Thanks for the fun, Bruce and Boomer (and C.C.). (It was great to see your smiling face yesterday, Boomer, and hear that you are on the mend.)
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and saw the theme eventually. At first, I saw only the ATMs and thought we had a banking theme.
I smiled at the clue for BIG WASTE OF TIME. Echoed by OF NO USE.
I LIUed Eyre’s creator’s pseudonym the other day. The book was published under Currer Bell, not BRONTË.
I have wonderful memories of that Matterhorn ALP.
After the RITE and I DOs, the DJS liven up the party. (The father of the bride RUNs A TAB!)
Our CHEF has given us a meal today of UDON, SOLE, MCRIBs, OATS, BUNs, DONUTS, OREOS, ANJOU pears. Not sure that a dietitian would approve of all those HABIT FORMING carbs.
LOL, this Canadian tried to enter Thu for your Election Day! You have another election this year?! I understand from previous discussion, that senate positions are on the list this time. It seems that you are always in election mode (with all its negative side and 43A). Any more comment would be political, even from a Canadian.
We have beautiful sunshine on our fresh snow this morning, and a nippy temperature of 17F (in your degrees). (d’o, we would be stuck inside for a long time if we didn’t go out when it was below 40! That’s what hats and mitts are for!). But it has been even colder for lfromAlberta!
Wishing you all a great day.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see you, Boomer, and have you lead us through the grid.
It was muy easy and took very little time to solve.
Learning moment for me that there is a prison near JOLIET and I'm not even sure where JOLIET is in Illinois. Oh, near Chicago.
At CASHES in I have a mental image of James Holzhauer pushing his arms forward on Jeopardy.
Get well, Boomer! I know C.C. wants you home.
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!
Woohoo! A Monday puzzle annotated by Boomer! So glad to see you back, even if you are not yet at home, and thank you C.C., for your great help. And your puzzle was a delight, Bruce, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteDelightful SPLIT ATOM theme--I love puzzle circles.
SOLE cracked me up for 'bottom of a loafer.'
Our favored two-toned cookie OREO was back once again. We get one of those several times a week, don't we?
Boomer, sorry that you have to miss your daily Catholic mass while in the hospital. My 92 year old Dad can also no longer go to mass every day, but my son came up with a great solution for him. It turns out that his church posts morning mass on the computer ever day, and he is able to attend, in a sense, from home. Maybe C.C. can help you find yours on the computer too.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Good start of the week..almost a perfect FIR with one inkover: alumns/ALUMNI
ReplyDeleteSpills to the cops? nope SINGS. Vegas cubes: (not the cheese at the buffets? 😁) Almost put RHesus for RHINOS but perpwaited. Lotsa familiar "faces" EKE, ALOE, OREO, (almost polished off the package from three days ago 😋)
Serious error based on prior CW facts, "Eyre" was ROTE by "Bell"; who is BRONTË? 🤨 (Rich, the all-powerful, were you hiding behind the curtain? 🤣)
With enough lawyer money LORI will do just fine as we can see. For her no such thing as BADPR.🙄
Waz...Wasn't that Gretel's bro?😀
Inviting your DW ____ to the wedding... ANJOU
Abbey seamstress job...HABITFORMING
Christmas in Canada....JOLIET
Not for the ____ me!....LIFO
Twisted snout...RHINOS
His son invented the cowboy hat....STET
Glad to see you blooming Boomer, even from the hospital...How's the food? Hope you don't take a turn for the nurse (OK OK, I'm leaving, no need to shove)😖
I M
ReplyDeleteWhen I read that the film, "The Lost Daughter" was adapted from a novella by Elena Ferrante (popular 4 book Neoplitan series) I thought the movie was based on the last book in that series. "The Lost Child."
Apparently a completely different story.
Anyway a great film. A tight, understated, psychological study, but some confusing elements, open to interpretation. Olivia Coleman, once again, excellent. Can't say more without spoilers.
Very nice, enjoyable Monday level CW, thanx so much BV. I got the theme early, which was a big help with the last theme clue. Only one W/O, CNOTE:CSPOT. BOOMER!!! What a wonderful surprise to see you doing the write-up! I was so looking forward to your first Monday posting, but thought it would be two or three weeks! Good job you have C.C. to assist. Keep healing, and get back on your feet soon. My GB Packers looked really good last night. Rodgers was hot all night, but that one pass to Adams, along the sidelines, was absolutely perfect. https://www.packers.com/video/aaron-rodgers-teardrop-pass-davante-adams-packers-vs-vikings
ReplyDeleteI hope this link works, if not go to the Packers website. The road to the Super Bowl goes through GB!!
ReplyDeleteJust re-read C.C.'s interview with Bruce, who said:
"On my second submission, I was lucky enough to stumble onto a theme which Rich Norris felt had promise, and with his kind counsel and assistance, got my first acceptance (March, 2002). Friends made me feel like I'd split the atom or something, so I kept going. (I guess that really means "ego.")"
And today, he actually did split it! Thanks, Bruce, and thank you Boomer!
FIR early, but golf got in the way of reporting in here. No erasures or unknowns, and Bruce actually found a TV CHEF I knew of.
ReplyDeleteI've heard it said after someone died that he "CASHed in his chips".
A great teacher once gave me a great way to think about LIFO - just think of a stack of cafeteria plates.
Thanks to Bruce and Boomer for the fun.
unclefred @ 12:28 Me too.!!
ReplyDeleteLol, CanadianEh, we have been in the deep freeze here. All the more time to stay indoors and do the crossword. We have just returned from Calgary to drop our son off at the airport. He is headed to Mexico. I must admit, I am just a teeny bit jealous! Easy puzzle today. I also missed the last circle at first and thought we were dealing with ATMs. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to all. We are so glad to see that Boomer has a smile on his face and is recovering.
ReplyDeleteHi Cornerites!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce. A fun-with-fission puzzle to begin the chain-reaction of a New Year. Also, a bunch of cheerful fill (wedding DJs, I DO, the food C, Eh! mentioned -- little things like that gave whimsy)
Boomer! Rest, Bro. You're as bad as DW trying to push too fast.
Fun expo though and lovely that you're in such good humor.
WOs: N/A
ESPs: LORI (oh, her!)
Fav: JOLIET Jake and Elwood Blues. //Thanks for the opener, HG. Here's more - She Caught the Katy.
{B}
New Year - kids today will never know the feeling of writing last year's date on their checks for nearly two months.
Movie Review - DW & I watched Here After last night. Odd premise (that seems to change the surreal rules as it goes on) but kinda cute and gives you something to noodle on.
Nice to read you & Carol, D4!
D-O: I'm glad it will be back in the 70s tomorrow.
uncle
Jinx - In Computer Science LIFO is a "stack" (as opposed to a queue, tree, a heap, etc*) data structure. We mustta both had the 'cafeteria plate' simile Prof :-)
Waseeely: Handsel? Doesn't he have a sister Gretel?
//I'll follow Ray-O to the door... no need to shove :-)
Cheers, -T
*everything you didn't care to know
An excellent week-starter from Mr. Venzke, beautifully parsed by Boomer!
ReplyDeleteToday's theme reminds me that nuclear power is the best form of energy we have, and the ideal form to replace our climate-damaging burning of fossil fuels.
If only we could put in place enough safety measures--and convince the public we have done so!
We now embark on the anniversary week of the Jan. 6 turmoil in Washington.
Among other reasons we have to regret that sad affair, I feel a personal pain in how it has distracted us from the beautiful & peaceful traditions of Twelfth Night (or Epiphany) which we celebrate on that date.
It was always a practice at our home to keep our Christmas Tree lit until Twelfth Night, and to place a Yule log in our fireplace--for the last warm gathering of the Christmas season. We held Twelfth Night parties every other year, and when Jan. 6 did not fall on a weekend, we would hold our party on the nearest weekend date--just so most of our friends could attend.
We saw Twelfth Night then as a wonderful way to keep the Christmas spirit alive--beyond the usual cold shock of New Year's Day.
One of my favorite traditions was to serve either an old fashioned Plum Pudding or a New Orleans King Cake, with either a threepenny coin or a baby Jesus baked inside. Whoever bit into it--and did NOT break a tooth--was declared the "Lord" or "Lady of Mis-Rule" for the rest of the evening!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diagonals, far end.
The central diagonal offers an anagram (13 of 15 letters) to honor the godhead that receives the veneration of many deists and religious grown-ups (as distinct from the anthropromorphic divinity worshipped by many children).
This is a personal opinion, of course, so I beg the pardon of any literalist believers.
In this, I am referring to a...
"FORMLESS DEITY"!
FIR, with no problems today. Got the theme and reveal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce and Boomer! Hope you escape soon, Boomer!
McRib --- My favorite, along with the Hot and Spicy McChicken Sandwich (Hold the lettuce! --- It's nothing but FILLER!)
Chicago’s Orchard Depot Airport (ORD) was renamed O’Hare, in honor of LCDR Edward Henry O’Hare, our first Naval aviator Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.
LCDR Edward Henry O’Hare
During the oil embargo back in the early 1970’s, the major oil company where I worked (and I think most of the others) changed from FIFO (First In - First Out) to LIFO (Last In - First Out) inventory valuation, due to the humongous spike in the price of oil, in order to reduce operating profit, net profit and income tax.