google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday January 2, 2022 C.C. Burnikel

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Jan 2, 2022

Sunday January 2, 2022 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: "Decision Making" - CO is added to each theme entry.

22. Candle used in a lighthouse?: WAX BEACON. Wax bean.

28. Snake that can walk on water?: MIRACLE COBRA. Miracle bra.

42. Imitations of disapproving sounds?: RASPBERRY COPIES. Raspberry pies.

63. Workout trainers?: MUSCLE COACHES. Muscle aches.

72. Reward for a fan at a smokehouse drawing?: LIFETIME BACON. Lifetime ban.

97. Traveling jokester?: HIGHWAY COMEDIAN. Highway median.

112. Problem that plagues the grid?: POWER SCOURGE. Power surge.

Reveal:

121. Perform a pregame NFL ritual ... or, in four parts, phrase that hints at seven long Across answers: TOSS A COIN (Toss a co-in)

The title is Rich's. I originally proposed "Toss a Coin" as a title. Rich felt it worked better as a reveal, as it conceals the theme longer.

Rich allows 144 words for Sunday grids. So my Sunday grids are often 144 words.

Across:

1. Safari find: SITE. The Safari browser.

5. Debate side: ANTI. And Pro.

9. First-string squad: A TEAM.

14. Degrees for some execs: MBAS. And 67. Corp. honchos: CEOS.

18. Graceful horse: ARAB.

19. Created: BORN.

20. James Gang associate Starr: BELLE. Rich's clue. Read more here.


21. Summa cum __: LAUDE.

24. Genesis tower locale: BABEL.

25. Place out of the sun: ARBOR.

26. Casper-to-Denver dir.: SSE.

27. Word in a beauty brand since 1952: OLAY. I tried a mini bottle of this. Pretty good. 


30. Snake secretion: VENOM.

32. On one's __: having recovered: FEET.

33. Brightly plumed songbird: ORIOLE.

34. Tax prep pros: CPAS. D-Otto is not one, but he's a tax prep pro.

36. More current: NEWER.

38. "Such a cute cat!": AWW.

41. Russo of "Thor": RENE.

46. Disobedient: REBEL.

49. Goree who played Cassius Clay in "One Night in Miami...": ELI.


50. Actor Morales: ESAI.

51. Baconator chain: WENDY'S. Never visited Wendy's.

53. Truth alternative: DARE.

54. Expressive chat image: EMOJI. Here are some of the new stickers and emojis on WeChat. 


56. Even now: STILL.

59. Treasury Dept. variable: GNP.

60. Small container: TIN.

61. Big name in bread: PANERA. There's one in our neighborhood.



68. Tot's belly: TUM.

69. Rochelle Walensky's org.: CDC.

70. "This __ to stop": HAS.

71. Mt. Hood's state: ORE.

77. iRobot vacuum: ROOMBA.

81. Sci-fi author Palmer: ADA. She wrote "Too Like the Lightning".


82. Liquid meas.: GAL.

83. Loud laughs: ROARS.

86. Garden-variety: USUAL.

87. Lauderdale neighbor: BOCA.

89. Pump number: OCTANE.

92. Short statement or question: IT IS.

94. "Billions" airer, briefly: SHO.

95. Snow day coasters: SLEDS. I don't mind snow, but I dread freezing rain after snow. The road to our mailbox is icy and slippery even with my yaktrax. But this is Minnesota. 

101. Barcelona bar bite: TAPA.

103. Goofy drawing?: CEL. Disney Goofy.

104. "Level Up" singer: CIARA.

105. Vaper's stick, for short: E-CIG.

106. Colombian capital: BOGOTA.

108. Throw out: DUMP.

110. Fr. misses: MLLES.

115. Pitcher Sparky, first American League reliever to win the Cy Young Award: LYLE. Rich's clue. Rich's a long-time Yankees fan.

116. Jeter's jersey number: TWO.

119. "__ we all?": AREN'T.

120. Yearly record: ANNAL.

123. Soft minerals: TALCS.

124. "Stranger Things" genre: SCI-FI.

125. Foil alternative: EPEE.

126. Craving: URGE.

127. Craftsy etailer: ETSY. I've never bought anything on Etsy. You?

128. Dry runs: TESTS.

129. Orderly: NEAT.

130. Julia's "Ocean's Eleven" role: TESS. Here she is with her husband Danny Ocean (George Clooney).



Down:

1. Bits of wisdom: SAWS.

2. Golden years funds: IRAS.

3. Risky way to save: TAX EVASION. The rich avoids tax legally. Also Rich's clue.

4. Recede: EBB.

5. Rock-clinging mollusks: ABALONES.

6. Museum tour rule: NO CAMERAS.

7. Horse victim?: TROY. That's how we get "Trojan horse". Also Rich's clue.


8. Travel stop: INN.

9. Cornish of "Jack Ryan": ABBIE.

10. Convenient envelope-opening strip: TEAR TAPE.


11. Island off Tuscany: ELBA.

12. Smart guy?: ALEC.

13. __ Yello: MELLO.

14. Like "Lost" characters: MAROONED.

15. Unwinding luxury: BUBBLE BATH. I love hot baths with Epsom salt. No bubbles.

16. Love to pieces: ADORE.

17. Blood drive fluids: SERA.

21. More frilly: LACIER.

23. Many, many years: EON.

28. Bygone Ford div.: MERC.

29. Make an oopsie: ERR.

31. Medium gift: ESP.

32. "Wine Country" actress: FEY (Tina). Also Rich's clue. Here's the crew. I see Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler on the left. Don't recognize anyone else.


34. Obnoxious sort: CREEP.

35. Mallorcan seaport: PALMA.

37. Legal order: WRIT.

39. Come out on top: WIN.

40. Thick-heeled shoes: WEDGES.

43. Lebanon's capital: BEIRUT. Endless conflicts in that area.

44. Head-turning birds: OWLS. They can turn their heads 270 degrees on either side. How far can you turn?


45. Match sound to video: SYNC.

47. Great Lake near Detroit: ERIE.

48. Microscope part: LENS.

52. Wildlife trail: SPOOR.

55. Jump in a tutu: JETE. Amazing.


57. Online source for film buffs: IMDB.

58. 2021 Pixar film set in Italy: LUCA. He's a sea monster.

62. Panama pal: AMIGO.

64. Half a toy train?: CHOO.

65. Pop singer Del Rey: LANA. Love her "Young and Beautiful".


66. Stir up: AROUSE.

69. TD Garden NBAer: CELTIC.

72. Research places: LABS.

73. Childhood hero, perhaps: IDOL.

74. Small drying aids: FACE TOWELS. I've been using these utility towels from Walmart as my face towels.

75. Jet speed measure: MACH.

76. Staff for sailing: CREW.

78. Shop with record sales: MUSIC STORE.

79. Its supreme body is the Universal House of Justice: BAHA'I.

80. Word after string or sing: ALONG.

84. Costa __: RICA.

85. Nolde watercolor with a turbulent title: STORMY SEA. Here's the painting.  My clue is  just "Feature of some ocean painting". I'm not familiar with Nolde.


88. "Mad Men" business: AD AGENCY.

90. Candle count, maybe: AGE.

91. Where teams annually make ice picks?: NHL DRAFT.

93. "Ready when you are!": I'M ALL SET. Xi'an is still under a strict lock-down. Government delivers free food package to each family. Here's Andy's package yesterday: cabbage, potatoes, daikon radishes, cucumber, green onions and some other greens. Everyone must have a COVID test daily.

96. Pool and pickleball: SPORTS.

98. Pinnacle: ACME.

99. Shrill bark: YIP.

100. "Mudbound" director Rees: DEE. Wikipedia says she's "the first Black woman nominated for an Oscar for adapted screenplay."


102. Common tweet symbols: ATs.

106. Fictional Kazakh journalist: BORAT.

107. "... and __ of thousands!": A CAST.

109. Jamaican citrus fruits: UGLIS.

111. Grazing area: LEA.

112. Bánh mì condiment: PATE. I love the pickled carrots and daikon more than anything else in a banh mi.


113. At the moment when: ONCE.

114. Aussie colleges: UNIS.

115. A bit less than a canter: LOPE.

117. Drag show toppers: WIGS.

118. People: ONES.

121. Decathlon number: TEN.

122. Edit, in a way: CUT.

C.C.

Boomer is still in the hospital. As Nina said to me, his COVID was a blessing in disguise. He was able to quarantine in his own room for 12 days. Now he has to share a room with a few others (one is a bad snorer.) To answer some of your questions, Boomer had no symptoms at all. I often wonder if it's a false positive. But the VA nurse was sure of the test result.

I was so happy to see him yesterday. We had never been apart for so long. He's so eager to come back home and take care of me. The other day I could not even open the Aldi olive oil bottle. I was ready to just smash the bottle.

Boomer, VA, 1/1/2021

37 comments:

  1. So nice to see that charming guy! Thank you for the great pic C.C. Been thinking of you and Boomer and sending love.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning!

    Thought this one was tough. The sports and current culture references are totally outside my wheelhouse. Got 'er done, but it was a struggle. Noticed the CO theme, but couldn't relate it to the "Decision Making" title. Maybe I should've read the complete reveal clue? Thanx, C.C.

    TAX EVASION is a crime, tax avoidance is a noble pursuit. I'll only be doing taxes for a couple of neighbors this year. Between Covid restrictions and the onerous program requirements, I opted out of Tax-Aide for the coming season.

    Looks like Boomer managed to get a shave. We hope he's recovered enough to come home this week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great to see the beaming Boomer.

    FIR, but erased ringo for BELLE, ssw for SSE, nih for CDC, was for ORE, elles for MLLES, powers couple for POWER SCOURGE, yap for YIP, trot for LOPE, and BOGaTA (UNTIE!).

    GDP is more commonly used in the US than GNP. GNP ignores output of noncitizens, which would substantially distort the situation here. (It also includes product of citizens outside the country, which somewhat offsets the understatement made by excluding noncitizens.)

    I see Walensky as more of a scientist and less of a politician than the rest of the government health braintrust. I miss Dr. Deborah Birx.

    I know it's a soda pop, but I thought of Donovan's classic hit at MELLO yello.

    Thanks to CC for the Boomer news, the fun, doable (even by me) Sunday puzzle, and for sharing your thoughts about creating it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Y'all! Thank you C.C. for a challenging 48 minutes. Almost got the theme with SCOURGE but didn't recognize the reveal as a reveal and didn't mull it over long enough. Enjoyed it anyway.

    Counted 19 entries I didn't know or didn't know as clued. Learning is good.

    Wanted a "U" in ANNAL.

    Love my ROOMBA.

    TAX EVASION: I don't do that. Received notice last week that IRS had my check mailed to them in FEB. 2020 but didn't have my paper Tax forms which were sent in the same envelope, for pity sakes. Had to send them another copy. Glad they didn't lose the money anyway.

    C.C., so glad for the big smiling picture of Boomer and know he is doing as well as he is. What an ordeal for you and now snowy conditions as well. Praying for you both.

    Hired men Got all my big logs in the back yard sawed into manageable lengths and about half the smaller stuff hauled off. Glitch occurred when the forestry dump site was not open on New Year's Eve day after they drove clear across town there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, C.C., for the good news and picture of Boomer. He does look happy to see you! It's been a hard time for both of you in many ways.

    And thanks for a Sunday puzzle I could FIR. I had noticed all the COs but needed the reveal to know what to do with them. At first I had put "flip" THE COIN instead of TOSS, which wasn't so helpful. And thank you for explaining TROY, which I didn't understand on my own, as well as mentioning all the back and forth you had with Rich. Interesting!

    Not too many WOs today, but luckily I caught an error while doing a final proofreading: AMIGa/ AMIGO. It's a guy pal, unlike recent gal pals! Hope you all are enjoying the long holiday weekend and can contact some of your pals.

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  6. Good Morning:

    Rich was right to save Toss A Co In for the revealer as the title gave away zero about the theme. This resulted in a head-scratching solve, wondering where we were headed with all of those added COs. The theme was great and the reveal was outstanding. What struck me was the number of proper names which are all known to me, yet none of them were known to me as clued: Luca, Belle, Eli, Ada, SHO, Tess, and Fey. We had a lot of fun pairings with Cobra/Venom, Bacon/Beacon, Scourge/Urge, Tests/Tess, One/Two, Beirut/Bogota, Once/Ones, and CPAs/MBAs. CSO to Tin (Tin) and Moi (Troy).

    Thanks, CC, for a fun and satisfying Sunday outing and for sharing the inside info re cluing. Yay, Boomer, you look like a million bucks! Hope the PT begins soon and gets you up and about so you can go home to your loving wife. CC, I can relate to your frustration with trying to open bottles and anything else the evil designers confront us with. I have to have my cleaning lady loosen water bottle caps, Scotch bottle caps, and others, as I just can’t open them. And don’t get me started on some of the plastic containers! I sometimes have to resort to using a sharp knife to get them opened. Aaargh!

    Ray O, I know you’re a big movie fan and was wondering if you’ve seen The Lost Daughter on Netflix. I found it to be a very strange story and I’m still not sure what the point of it was. I like Olivia Colman very much and was surprised by Dakota Johnson’s performance, but the movie itself left me confused and somewhat uneasy after a few disturbing scenes. Maybe I’m just not cerebral enough to appreciate or understand the nuances and implications of the plot.

    Have a great day.

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  7. Musings
    -Boomer’s smile, C.C.’s fun puzzle and title/reveal warmed up my -6F day
    -One of the first Rose Parade entries yesterday were beautiful ARAB(ian) horses in the 43F chill
    -On one’s FEET – What we all hope for Boomer
    -Being a REBEL at school did me exactly zero good
    -Embarrassing: WONDER for _ _ N _ _ bread and CIA for Ms. Walesnsky’s employer at C _ _
    -Spectacular Mt. Hood as seen from Portland’s International Rose Test Garden
    -Jeter’s 2 is a retired Yankee number along with these
    -Lawyers use tax laws to avoid taxes and those laws are written by lawyers who are members of congress
    -NO CAMERAS allowed was a rule not enforced in the Sistine Chapel when we were there
    -“A CAST of thousands” can now be put in with CGI technology. No insurance, food trucks, etc. needed
    -If an Aldi olive bottle is as hard to open as it is to pronounce…

    ReplyDelete
  8. C.C. & I.M. I have a tool that will open those sticking bottle & jar caps. Use it several times a day. I ordered it from some specialty catalog years ago to replace one my mother "heired" me. Wish I could photograph & post it so you could see it. Has several sets of teeth to bite the cap and long handles for a good grip. Adjustable for different sizes of lids.

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  9. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and Mt. Hood was a bump on the horizon. Places I've lived since then -- Provo, UT; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM -- have mountains right on our doorstep. Makes me wonder why Mt.Hood is associated with Portland at all. I've also lived in Mobile, AL, but nary a mountain in sight there.


    Irish Miss, I've tried a lot of jar openers, and THIS ONE, Fox Run Jar Wrench is far and away the best I've ever found! I have 2 of them in the house now. One in the kitchen and one here in the bedroom where I live. I got one in a culinary tools store, don't recall where I picked up the other one. Should be under $15.

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  10. Hola!

    Thank you, C.C., for the fun today as not only the constructor but the commenter!

    It's really nice to see Boomer smiling. I hope he will soon return home.

    The puzzle was the USUAL Sunday sashay and filled easily for the most part. Of course I did not quite see the theme but then did not take too much time to dwell on it. My daughter and her husband came to collect my granddaughter, so we visited a while.

    Again, thanks and best wishes to Boomer for a full recovery.

    Have a great Sunday, everyone!

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  11. Just lurkin...

    Boomer keep smiling, make progress and get well. 😊

    IM: I've bypassed the film but now I'll have to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Could not grock the theme, no way, no how...

    Oh well,

    One other thing that confuses me is
    The way you clued choo should also have been used for "tum."
    (It's always tum tum, never just tum...)
    These are the things that give me dyspepsia.

    I.M.
    I have a lid opening tip, but thought I would check for more
    Just in case, and ran into this humorous take on the subject.

    I like the rubber band idea,
    But in a pinch (no pun intended)
    If your kitchen can opener has rubber grip handles,
    Put the handles around the lid, grip the whole thing,
    And use the can opener as a lever!
    (Works best on smaller lids)

    By the way, that whole coin toss thing is rigged....

    Also, this is the reality of the coin toss...

    ReplyDelete
  13. CC Thank you for the update on Boomer. Seems like good news! Can he wear ear plugs? I wear Hearos brand every night. They are very soft and effective. Good sleep is so important. And quiet is so important for sleep. Yes, there are many gadgets for opening jars and bottles as PK noted. Rubber jar grippers usually work for me. Google it for many options.

    Yes, lots of proper names unknown to me. ABBIE/BELLE was the only cross that involved a total WAG. Lucky to FIR.

    Took way too long to parse "TOSS 'CO' IN" but then I laughed!

    Here I was privileged to be at the BAHAI Garden in Haifa, Israel. Not so easy to catch the TOUR.

    Has anyone else been there? It is very beautiful. Haifa is a huge shipping port, but it is a lovely town, similar to our own Santa Barbara. It is most famous for all different ethnic groups making a point of getting along peacefully.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just finished and read the blog.
    Posting this before I forget.
    DH installed one of these (not sure which brand I have) under a kitchen cupboard years ago (and I was a little miffed that he considered me an old lady to need it!), but I have used it often for stubborn lids of all sizes.
    JarOpener

    Back later after lunch. DH has been shovelling snow.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My first of several bloopers was “don’t touch” instead of “no cameras” and “coin toss” had me looking for heads or tails.
    As I was reading the clue for 64 down, I heard someone on TV say “choo” coincidence? I’ve had this happen several times.
    Got to go, I’m “fish sitting” my friends Koi pond and it’s feeding time, they are always excited to see me.
    CC thanks for the great review and the pic of Boomer.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Before I comment on your puzzle I'm glad you updated us on Boomer's condition. About that snorer- unless the VA is different from other hospitals somebody comes around every couple of hours to wake you up for some reason- dispensing medicine, taking BP, respiratory,...etc. There is no rest in a hospital.

    For the olive oil, if nothing else works use a pair of pliers.

    I don't remember a puzzle that I FIR with so many unknown A&E proper name fills. I didn't fill WAX BEA-CO-N until the MIRACLE CO-BRA has 'taken shape'; at that point I noticed that C.C. would TOSS A CO IN.

    18 perp fills today RENE, ELI, CDC, CIARA, TESS, ABBIE, FEY, PAMPA, LUCA, LANA, BAHAI, DEE, ATS, ADA, SHO, TWO, PATE, STORMY SEA

    TEAR TAPE- new term for me.
    BUBBLE BATH & STORMY SEA- never read the clues; filled by perps but STORMY SEA was unknown.
    MERC- I have a MERCury and a MERCedes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. From Yesterday:
    Lucina, Bill Seeley, NaomiZ, Jayce, AnonT, Wilbur Charles Thank you for the superlative comments about my TOTAL ECLIPSE photo! It is literally a breath taking experience and a must do before you die. We met a woman there who said it perfectly: "A partial ECLIPSE is like a kiss. A TOTAL ECLIPSE is like an orgasm!"

    NaomiZ Good to see you here again. I am always happy to see your comments on Facebook!

    Wilbur Charles When an ECLIPSE is TOTAL you don't need any eye protection. This was near Salem, ORE in 2017. We picked that viewing location because it offered the best chance for clear skies and the longest period of TOTALity. We took several days to drive there, with stops along the way. The traffic jam afterwards was claimed to be the biggest one in history. It was also breath taking. Most of an entire day and night to go a few miles in traffic. All for just a couple of minutes of TOTALity. TOTALly worth it.

    From Friday:
    Chairman Moe Thank you for the shout out about our PEDAL PUSHER experience in TEL AVIV.

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  18. Thank you C.C. for a gem of a puzzle today, or in keeping with the theme, a real gold-piece, and your very informative expo to boot, double duty for you today! Nice to learn of your interaction with Rich to create the clueing. Very creative grid and a fun solve, nice level of difficulty for a Sunday also, finished the grid in a little over a half hour but took 15 more minutes to suss out my mistakes from a couple DNK’s and WAG’s. So glad to see the big smile on Boomer’s face, hoping he can get out of the hospital soon, looking forward to his return to the Corner!

    Irish Miss ~~I hear you about today’s packaging, definitely not user friendly, especially the stuff wrapped tight in hard plastic. I’m sure there have been a lot of knife and scissors related injuries just trying to free the product. Probably only a matter of time before we a commercial promoting a law firm “If you suffered injury opening this package you may be entitled to compensation...”

    Good day and Happy New Year to you all!

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  19. Goot mornink all. This may be the earliest I’ve ever posted on a Sunday. Got to get out the snow blower and clear off the walks and the driveway soon.

    FIR in about half an hour but thank heavens for friendly perps! WAY too many unknown names. I had to come here to suss the theme; I didn’t even notice the extra CO in all the theme answers.

    This might be the first time I have seen ROOMBA in a puzzle. We just got ours a few months ago; we named it Mikey.

    Hand up for not knowing TEAR TAPE; took awhile to get the last 4 letters.

    So very glad to get the Boomer report!

    And regarding the owl’s 270 degrees… a long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away) I had my neck fused from C3 to C6. I’m good for about 70 degrees if I force it. And thinking of Boomer’s snoring roommate reminded me that after the surgery but long before the anesthesia wore off I was put in a room with someone who snored nearly constantly. The next day, when I was more or less awake, I said something to my wife about it. She got a weird look on her face and informed me that I had had no roommate; that I had been in a single room the whole time. Turns out the snorer was ME!

    And with that I beg leave to depart; the snow is not blowing itself.

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  20. Musings2
    -I went to a week-long seminar and the first night I was in a room with an “Industrial strength” snorer and had a bed that was akin to an army cot. I told that powers-that-be to get me a new room or I was walking. I got the new room.
    -CPAP is the best cure.
    -We go to a lot of H.S. sports events and I have to take the lids off the drinks for Joann.
    -Our SB tourney coin toss motto was always, “Tails never fails”.
    -Wow! It’s up 19F, full sun and no wind. Where’s my golf bag?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Owen's lid opener is the one I have too. Great gadget.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow! Always exciting to get a C.C. puzzle on a Sunday--what a treat! And then we get your great commentary along with that, ending in a lovely visit with Boomer. He looks sweet and happy and that's good news, but what a difficult time this is for both of you. So your wonderful spirits are inspiring and heroic--bless you both.

    Your puzzle was a pleasure, starting with that ARAB horse.

    Always happy to see Summa cum LAUDE.

    And then two snakes in a row. Just hope that second one doesn't spread its VENOM on that pretty ORIOLE.

    And so it went, lots of fun, many thanks again, C.C.

    Have a lovely Sunday, everybody.

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  23. Am I the only one who uses a Lisle oil filter wrench to remove jar caps?

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  24. Thank you all for the tips on opening bottles and jars. I’ve tried some of them but my arthritic hands won’t cooperate. Jars aren’t really the issue, it’s the water bottles which I reach for a couple of times day. Poland Spring has reduced the size of the cap which makes it impossible (for me) to get a grip on. They’ve also made the plastic bottle as flimsy as can be, so flimsy that when it’s empty, it barely stands up on its own. They’ve found ways to cut their costs but at the expense of inconvenience and difficulty for their customers. And, naturally, their pricing only increases.

    YooperPhil @ 12:15 ~ I have often thought the same thing about the many injuries that may be caused by using these extreme and dangerous measures just to open a package. The plastic containers from the produce department give me fits.

    CC asked about Etsy purchases and I forgot to say that I have made three, but not by design. I Googled “English Toffee” and one of the many sites that came up included a female duo Etsy vendor whose toffee looked like what I wanted. So far, I have ordered it twice for myself and a gift order for my sister. It is delicious and addictive and that’s high praise from an indifferent sweets eater.

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  25. First of all, it is very happy occasion that Boomer is recovering well, and there is some joy, peace and serenity in the Burnickel household ! May it be for all of us, as well.

    Thank you CC for a very nice long puzzle ... the theme totally eclipsed me ... I finished the puzzle still wondering why the COBRA was chosen as the snake ... of all the other genus/varieties ? Ah ... the CO- factor. Obviously, I am also too dense to parse the CO-IN toss.

    Picard, I loved your photo of the Bahai world headquarters in Haifa, that we also visited during our tour of Israel. Like you, we were bused to the top, so we could take photo-ops of the landscape below.
    The aerial view or the elevation view ( engineering draughtsmanship -) is even more spectacular.
    A reflection: That the HQ of the Bahais' should be located in a jewish faith based country speaks about the level of tolerance in that part of the world.
    Also the Prophet's grandson's Hussein or Hussain's, head shrine, in Ashkelon, Isr.

    CED, your links are fantastic ! And uproariously funny - From Last night, your shopping goKarts and goCarts gave my wife and my eldest daughter a stomach ache - nearly. A riot !

    Regarding the statistics of tossing an 'unweighted', unbiased coin,.... if a coin is tossed twice, ... statistics will say that the chances, result, are:

    25 percent.... both HEADS
    25 percent ..... both TAILS
    and 50 percent .... either a TAIL and a HEAD .... or a HEAD and a TAIL.

    However, an indian mathematician, physicist named S N Bose, in 1924, postulated that a HEAD-Tail result was Different from a TAIL-Head result, and thus a new system of Bose statistics ( Bose - Einstein statistics ) was born, now used extensively in quantum mechanics.

    Thus the Boson, ( like the Higgs Boson -) is named after this Bose guy's statistics .... and not after the Bose who improved/ developed a new type of sound speaker system.... ;-o)

    Have a Happy New Year, and a great day, all.

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  26. Looks like Rich brought in his ATEAMS today for both constructor AND reviewer. Thank you C.C. and thank you C.C. Didn't see the CO's and thus the theme flew right by me. Still don't quite C what "CO" has to do with "Decision Making". To make matters worse I just get a HORSESHOE for this one, as I swagged wrong at my personal NATICK at 9D/20A. SWAGGED an "N" at that spot, when "B" would have made a much better guess.

    And speaking of HORSES, 7D Horse victim: TROY was my favorite clue/fill.

    Some other favs:

    28A MIRACLE COBRA. Definitely prefer this one without the "CO".

    42A RASPBERRY COPIES (sans "CO") are also a HOMOPHONE for the Raspberry PI, an inexpensive but powerful, single board computer with all sorts of applications. I hope I beat -T to this one!

    72A LIFETIME BACON. Word just in that a prominent woman politician has gotten a LIFETIME BAN from Twitter for spreading COVID disinformation.

    112A POWER SCOURGE. Getting an entrance level SURGE PROTECTOR installed is on my short list of things to do for the house. We already have a 14KW gas powered generator, but it doesn't protect us from our electricity supplier.

    1A SITE. Wanted LION. Another piece of clever misdirection.

    24A BABEL. Hey, that's what we're all about here!

    33A. ORIOLE. Okay, so it's not really a favorite. They didn't even show up this year.

    54A. EMOJI. Don't let Ray - O see these. He'll go wild.

    106A BOGOTA. Tried stretching my PESOS, but they didn't go far enough.

    13D MELLO. Now that Mary Jane is legal in most states, I guess there aren't a lot of people smoking bananas anymore.

    35A PALMA. Mallorca is the setting for the MALLORCA FILES, two mis-matched ex-pat detectives, one German, the other English. A lot of fun and absolutely beautiful scenery. Although it does seem to have a higher than USUAL murder rate.

    65A LANA. Her "Young and Beautiful" was used in the sound track for the "Great Gatsby>. This one's for you C.C.

    Cheers,
    Bill

    p.s. to C.C. This easy to install jar opener mounts under your kitchen cupboard. It's been a life saver. I'd recommend it to anyone with arthritis.

    VIDWAN @1:53 PM Your mention of Quantum Mechanics reminded me of your bewilderment re the clip I posted re the BOHR/HEISENBERG entanglement. I commend you to this quote from the great physicist Richard Feynmann:

    “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, then you don't understand quantum mechanics.”

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  27. Word of the day: epanorthosis

    Pronunciation: ep-ê-nor-tho-sis

    Part of Speech: Noun

    Meaning: (Rhetoric) The replacement of a phrase by a correction, usually a more emphatic one, for example: "It was a warm—I would even say, a hot day."

    Notes: Here is a word you might bump into reading a piece on stylistics. It has but one member of its derivational family, the adjective epanorthotic. The plural, like all borrowed classic nouns ending on -is (axis : axes, basis : bases, thesis : theses), is epanorthoses.

    from the alphaDictionary

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  28. LOL at the reveal in C.C.'s puzzle -- I needed it to grok the theme and then had a blast laughing at myself! Wonderful puzzle! Thanks, C.C.

    And thanks for the Boomer picture...he's gorgeous! I love the fact that he wants to get home to "take care of you..." so beautiful.

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  29. Sunday Lurk say...

    Thanks for the Boomer update C.C.. Boomer's lookin' good but needs a Brunswick in his hand.

    Snorers - DW has to sleep eyes-to-ceiling after her procedure and still can't clear her nose. Her snores make my sleep light but are also a comfort while I read the paper in the garage hearing her sleep over the baby-monitor.
    //BTW, it's cold out here. It was in the upper 70's last night and now 36F.

    HG - I tried correcting DW whilst she was breaking the NO CAMERA rule at Sistine Chapel; Episcopals are 'Catholic-Lite.' :-)

    PK - LOL "clear across town." This is a joke in our family as that phrase was Bro's complaint when asked to traverse Springfield, IL. The joke is basically "clear across town" is less than 8 minutes in SPI whereas in HOU or CHI it's >2 hours.

    CED - Pickle jars just need a butter knife to under-pry the lid (don't bend your spoon) to break the seal.
    IM - A bottle of scotch?... I thought they all had cork buttons(?) atop. My Balvenie does.
    //and Pinch Tin & I will raise a glass!

    Cheers, -T

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  30. Thanks for the puzzle, the recap and the update on Boomer, C.C.

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  31. I loved this puzzle. It was a pleasure to slowly work it all out.

    Good to see Boomer's smile.

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  32. Puzzling thoughts:

    It’s odd that in this reply I’m able to congratulate both the puzzle constructor and puzzle re-capper, and not have to refer to more than one person! A wonderful job on both! I FIR with a few W/O’s:

    AD AGENTS/AD AGENCY; SALTS/TALCS; MMLES/MLLES; PLIA/JETE

    Glad to read about Boomer being better

    C.C.: I’m curious, how many puzzles have you submitted where the editor did not change a clue? Also, how many puzzles did you have published this past year?

    On a completely random topic, I got my first Apple Watch for Christmas - the new “7” model. Little did I know that my iPhone needed iOS 15 to make the TWO compatible. All I can say to Apple about iOS 15 is, why? I’ve never had such dislike for iPhones until this new software version. ��

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  33. After posting today, I heard a loud noise that sounded like heavy machinery in my yard. Turned out to be bearings going out in my furnace motor. With the temperature at 17*, anything wrong with the heating unit is alarming. Fortunately, the tech came right away (on Sunday even) and installed a different motor. Furnace is again quietly putting out heat. I'm getting tired of all these unexpected problems popping up. What next?

    AnonT: What kind of surgery did your wife have? Clear across town here amounted to about 45 minutes one way with a fully loaded trailer. I'm not sure where the dump is located, but I'm judging from phone call time & arrival of the crew.

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  34. It helped having seen BOCA a while back

    Yaktrax , I saw something similar on a St Pete xing guard complete with Yamaluke. Excusable: night tenp had dipped to lower 40s

    LYLE was traded to Yanks by Bo-Sox, not quite the Ruth deal but still painful. Right handed power was the Sox Holy Grail and when they finally found it voila:BIG PAPI(LH Hitter)

    Aha, ATS as in @s(igns)

    D-O, my sympathies esp since my thought was "Hurrah, look at all the Sports CC throws in. " Plus clever clues.

    Wigwam, too funny. There's a rumor out that I snore but since I've never heard it…

    Re. Donovan. What was meant by "Mad about 14?" As in girl?

    WC

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  35. Fun puzzle today. And very good news about Boomer. I am always amazed at the population control in China. Remember the neighborhood councils back in the 80's ensuring women's one-child policy. Evidently using them to control the pandemic.

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  36. Glad to see Boomer looking good. I hope his recovery continues to go well.
    One bad cell. I missed the final C in CDC which is in the news daily. DUH. I didn't have that C for LUCA.
    My final fill was the C in coin. I think the title made the theme harder to parse. I didn't see how CO could have anything to do with decision making. OOH, people make decisions sometimes by tossing a coin.
    Fun puzzle, interesting review.

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  37. I fir without ever realizing what the theme was. Thanks to CC for making it crystal clear. Sometimes, I don't see what's right in front of me!

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For custom-made birthday, anniversary or special occasion puzzles from C.C., please email crosswordc@gmail.com

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