google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 // Julian Lim

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Feb 1, 2022

Tuesday, February 1, 2022 // Julian Lim

White Rabbit and Happy Chinese Spring Festival!



Sweet Anticipation.  Any second now, you will espy the word Any in the circles the theme answers.

17-Across. Poseidon's companions: SEA NYMPHS.  In Greek mythology, Poseidon was one of the 12 Olympians.  He was the god of the seas, storms, earthquakes and horses.

23-Across. When a major might be chosen: FRESHMAN YEAR.  And again in the Sophomore Year, and again in the Junior Year.  Some students take years to settle on a major.

39-Across. Query from "Test Man" in old Verizon ads: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?  When I stand behind a podium, I have to ask: Can you see me now?

50-Across. Oscar-winning actress for "12 Years a Slave": LUPITA NYONG'O.  Lupita Nyong'o (b. Mar. 1, 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress.  She was born in Mexico City, where her father was teaching at the time.  She holds dual Kenyan and Mexican citizenship

And the unifier:

62-Across. "It's about to happen" ... or what each of the four other longest answers in this puzzle has?: ANY MOMENT.

Across:
1. iOS computers: MACs.  As in Apple computers.

5. Inbox annoyance: SPAM.  Also a brand of canned meat parts.

9. Increase: ADD TO.

14. Texter's modest "I think ... ": IMHO.  Textspeak for IMHumble Opinion.  Often the opinion offered is not done in a humble manner.

15. Trendy berry: AÇAÍ.  These berries, native to South America, have become very popular in both foods and in the crossword puzzles.

16. Stadium levels: TIERS.

19. Rushed: RAN AT.

20. How ballerinas dance: ON TOE.  //  And 68-Across. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.



21. Surprise from hiding: STARTLE.

27. Watson's creator: IBM.  Everything you wanted to know about Watson, but didn't know to ask.

31. About to arrive: NEAR.  Are we there yet?

33. Road crew supply: TAR.

34. Netflix series set in central Missouri: OZARK.  Ozark is a dark crime series.

43. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.

44. Purchase: BUY.

45. Californian wine valley: NAPA.

46. Territory that became two states: DAKOTA.  I had a similar clue in a recent puzzle and provide you with the history of the reason behind the two Dakotas.

49. Floral greeting: LEI.  A crossword staple.

56. Turn to mist, in Manchester: ATOMISE.  On this side of the pond, the word would be spelled Atomize.

57. Cocktail cubes: ROCKS.  Hi, Tinbini.  We miss you.

61. Brunch hr.: TEN AM.

66. __ de cacao: CREME.  Creme de Cacao is, as its name suggests, a chocolate liqueur.

67. Insightful: DEEP.

69. __ fit: tantrum: HISSY.


70. Work with notes: SONG.

71. URL opening: HTTP.

Down:
1. Japanese soup: MISO.  Sometime's it's best not to know how the sausage is made.

2. Sermon-ending word: AMEN.

3. Brit : chin-wag :: Yank : __: CHAT.  Other British idioms that might confuse those of us on this side of the pond.

4. "__ a gun!": SON OF.  American idioms that might confuse the Brits.

5. "Stay With Me" singer Smith: SAM.

6. Angel dust letters: PCP.  It's formal name is PhenylCyclohexyl Piperidine.

7. "Feels amazing!": AAH!

8. Returning lover's question: MISS ME?


9. Unsystematically: AT RANDOM.

10. Anne Frank journal: DIARY.

11. Al __: pasta order: DENTE.  Today's Italian lesson.

12. Cheerful refrain: TRA LA.  Probably a few more LA's will follow.

13. Long-time kitchen products brand: OSTER.  I know of their line of blenders, but the company makes a whole host of other kitchen items.

18. "__ out!": ump's call: YER.  Think baseball.

22. Sunbather's goal: TAN.

24. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU.  Today's Latin lesson.



25. Ousted Iranian ruler: SHAH.  The ousted Shah of Iran makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

26. Call to a pooch: HERE, BOY!

27. Ancient Cuzco resident: INCA.  Cuzco is found high in the Peruvian Andes.  It has an elevation of over 11,100 feet.  You will definitely get altitude sickness if you aren't careful.  Cuzco is near Machu Picchu, which is actually at a lower elevation, so visitors to Machu Picchu often spend some time in Cuzco.  It's a beautiful city and well worth the visit.


28. Boo Boo or Yogi: BEAR.  Hanna-Barbara cartoons.

29. Salon service, briefly: MANI.  Hi, Lucina!

32. Bread for corned beef: RYE.

35. Extremely chill: ZEN.  I am not sure I would describe Zen this way, but ...

36. Like neat freaks: ANAL.

37. Lasso: ROPE.

38. River in a 1957 movie title: KWAI.  I think there is a bridge over this river.  But did you know that the movie was based on the book Le Post de la Rivière Kwaï, by Pierre Boulle?

40. Quaint: OLD TIMEY.

41. One on the road: AUTO.  //  And 65-Down. 41-Down efficiency stat: MPG.  As in Miles Per Gallon.

42. Meg of "The Women": RYAN.  I am not familiar with this movie.

47. Remote batteries: AAs.  The batteries are far away in the Remote Control, which is never within reach.

48. Works with dough: KNEADS.

50. Fastening feature: LATCH.

51. Gestation sites: UTERI.  Usually one per woman.

52. Corn breads: PONES.  According to the Hillbilly Housewife, the dough of a pone need not be corn, it just needs to be baked in a cast iron skillet.

53. Muslim officials: IMAMs.

54. Miracle-__: garden product: GRO.  It really does help my flowers grow.

55. Zing: OOMPH.




58. Boston NBAer: CELT.  When I lived in Boston, I went to a few games in the Garden.

59. Work with needles: KNIT.  Hi, Madame Defarge!

60. Dance class move: STEP.

63. Three-time role for Keanu Reeves: NEO.  Think of the Matrix films.

64. Japanese coins: YEN.

~~~
And no, I didn't forget an across clue:

30-Across. Closing words: THE END.

חתולה

Six more weeks of winter?  Will the Ground Hog tell us tomorrow?




60 comments:

  1. What fascinating information which I either never knew or forgot. PIERRE BOULE writing both books from which those award winning movies were cobbled, and then the movie THE WOMEN which had an unbelievable cast. I too have never seen it, but maybe...

    Of course Keannu now has been Neo 4 times and this was a moviecentric Tuesday but it was fun. Today would be my grandparents 122nd anniversary and my parents 78th.

    White rabbit, white rabbit and we survived our cold spell. Stay warm and well. Thank you Julian for a softball and Susan for a fun tour

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  2. FIRight. Another one I found easy, both clues an theme. But that's just me, YMMV.

    POSEIDON had a retinue of NYMPHS.
    All eye-candy, some were also imps!
    They'd lure ships NEAR ROCKS
    Where there were no docks,
    Send sailors DEEP, to commune with shrimp!

    It can happen ANY MOMENT, day or night.
    Something will STARTLE when you turn on a light!
    It could be you,
    Or the bugs, too.
    All of you likely will take flight!

    {B+, B.}

    ReplyDelete
  3. FIW. My fastening feature was a cATCH, and never heard of "12 Years" or its actress. Other unknowns: OZARK, chin wag and SAM. No erasures though, so I got that goin' for me.

    MISS ME? Newlywed's response: "Darling, more than you'll ever know". After 25 years of marriage: "Yes, darling, but my aim is improving".

    FLN 1: -T, love those IT nerd socks. I'll have to get a pair of the long ones in case I have to reboot when I get back to the frozen north next month. Bush's footwear was from John's Crazy Socks, created by a superdad and his Down Syndrome son John.

    FLN 2: TTP, if you want to find your Android version, tap the gear icon, then "about phone", and the Android version is one of the listings. BTW - I just learned that it has a "bedtime mode" that silences the phone and removes screen colors while its charging at bedtime. Haven't played with it yet, but I think I'll try it.

    Thanks to Julian for the fun grid. I remain convinced that the Tuesday puzzle is often easier than Monday offerings. And thanks to Ha2la for the visual treat.

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  4. Good Morning, Crossword friends. The New York Times just bought Wordle. Will we now have to subscribe to the Times in order to continue playing this game. The other day, I got completed the puzzle on the second word.

    QOD: Genius, if thwarted, resolves itself in an infinite capacity for inflicting trouble. ~ Dame Muriel Spark (né Muriel Sarah Camberg; Feb. 1, 1918 ~ Apr. 13, 2006), Scottish novelist

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  5. Good morning!

    Ah, the real Hahtoolah has returned. Those ballerinas look like flamingos. I agree that ATOMISE looked like a Canadian-Eh!-ism. Had the circles and got the ANY theme early on. Didn't play a role in the solve, though. This was a auspicious Wite-Out-free start to the new month. Thanx, Julian and Hahtoolah. (Loved that Punxutawney Phil cartoon.)

    KWAI : You couldn't turn on a radio in 1957 without hearing Mitch Miller's Colonel Bogey March. Rumors that the river's name derived from the act of peeling onions are completely false.

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  6. I'm copying Jinx again. While celebrating a WO free grid, I noticed that I had a FIW. I thought a verb form was needed for "work with notes" so I put SiNG/SONG, not seeing that messed up Keanu's name NEO which was familiar to me. Oh, well. White rabbit, white rabbit, a new month starts.

    Thanks, Hahtoolah, for a generously enriched review. I enjoyed it. And thanks go to Julian as well for an interesting puzzle at an appropriate Tuesday level. Fun plus learning moments. All good.

    I do the free puzzles in the digital NYT now. I wonder if that is where WORDLE will land. Today I did better, solving in three tries.

    Wordle 227 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
    🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Hope you all have a successful day.

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  7. Three for me, also, ATLGranny.
    Wordle 227 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟧🟧
    🟧🟦⬜⬜🟦
    🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not much of ANY resistance today, as I finished it in 4:49.

    I've really enjoyed watching Ozark, but it is dark - in theme, and often the lighting itself.

    I believe it was my junior year when I settled on a major. I think there's too much pressure put on incoming college freshmen to declare a major immediately (often coming from parents whose careers are unrelated to their own majors). I'm a proponent of the "process of elimination" when it comes to that choice - use the first 2-3 semesters to try out potential interests, then further refine it down from there for a specific major.
    Just my opinion, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Classic Natick on 12 Years. and Meg.. AHA, I WAG'ed the N but FIW on cATCH.

    I first thought of ACD as creator of Watson.

    Whoops, there's another FIW, had SiNG using the verb "Work" and having a nonsense NEi for the KR role … NEO does sound familiar. Seeing Julian Lim as constructor had me wondering but the ease of the clues calmed me down. I guess tricking the solver to prevent FIR is like trick questions on any test.

    And then there was Sam DENTE. I had his card as did Boomer I'll bet. No sports clue by Lim today.

    CELTs never drew until Bird arrived.

    Solid W on #1, Owen

    D-O, now that was a true groaner.

    Y'all are making me feel less guilty about dropping Math and slinking over to the catch basin Major, Economics. Long E btw.

    WC

    I see I had good company on my two FIWs

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  10. Musings
    -ANY was like a Free Space in Bingo with the last themer being unknowable but at least had no crossing naticks
    -As a FRESHMAN (sexist these days?), I wanted to be a math/physics teacher and I was one for 42 years
    -My MAC runs OSX. My iPhone runs IOS.
    -My friend’s KC Chief’s seats are in the second TIER. She had an obnoxious Cincinnati Bengal fan if front of her who kept vaping into her face.
    -When we studied Bernoulli’s Principle, my kids made an ATOMI(Z)ER (:42)
    -Susan’s comments made me investigate how to get up to Cuzco from Machu Pichu
    -ANAL/ZEN is an interesting juxtaposition

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  11. I saw the ANY with the first set of circles and confirmed it with the second set.
    ATL Granny, sing/song. Me, too. I filled it in too quickly. Obviously we needed a noun. Unforced error.
    12 Years a Slave was an accurate biography which was made into a movie with some literary license. Lupita Nyongo's name was all perps. Both the book and the movie were fascinating. When I know the facts, literary license in books and movies bothers me, even when it is a good story. That is why The Da Vinci Code bothers me, especially because of Dan Brown's strong insistence on its accuracy. I have read scholarly articles and attended a study group on this book.
    Al dente is a loan word, adopted into English, meaning pasta cooked to be firm to the bite. After cooking more than 60 years I can tell by the look, but I always take a test bite. For me, as soon as the flour taste is gone, the pasta is al dente.
    Yes, miso is fermented, but not disgusting. Also fermented are yoghurt, wine, beer, cider, sauerkraut. As for mold, among my favorite cheeses are blue cheese, gorgonzola, Roquefort, etc. The tangier the better.
    In college we were encouraged to take as many of the basic required courses as possible the first two years to give us time to declare a major. My grandson had to take an extra semester because he changed his major too late.

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  12. Good Morning:

    Easy peasy breezy Tuesday, no w/os, no unknowns, no nits, so all is well. Several fun matches this morning with Aah/AAs, Miso/Miss, Plié/Step/On Toe, Auto/MPG, and Bear/Near/Hear. Today, we have a mini O parade with (Add) To, IMHO, Nyongo, Miso, Auto, Neo, and Gro. CSOs to Ray O and Anon T (Dente), Lucina (Mani), and Madam Defarge (Knit). I started to fill in Any Minute but saw immediately that Moment was needed.

    Thanks, Julian, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for a cheery commentary and fun links. Doses of My Fair Lady are always welcome as are the cute cartoons, especially the former Mrs. Phil!

    Speedy Solver @ 7:26 ~ Some of the shows/movies that I’ve watched have been so darkly lit that I thought there was something wrong with my eyes or my TV. I haven’t watched Ozark yet but I may give it a look. (BTW, my car insurance is very inexpensive as I carry the bare required minimum. I do very little driving and it’s all short distances as my 20 year old Corolla’s 27,000 miles attests to!)

    FLN

    Anon T, as long as you weren’t injured in the attic escapade, it is an LOL image! 🤣

    Have a great day.

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  13. Could ANYbody correctly spell LUPITA NYONGO? Had to double check all the down fills. I knew of the movie because it was a local production but that was about it. All perps for that unknown.

    8. Returning lover's question: What do you want? Oh, MISS ME?
    ATLGranny & WC- I also had SING before NEO changed it to SONG.
    OZARK- unfamiliar with that show and most of the others but the Ozarks are in SW Missouri & NW Arkansas. Perps.
    Gary- my computer runs Windows, browsers are Firefox, Edge, and Chrome, and my phone is Android. DW had an iphone. I won't join any of their 'religions' that are hard to leave.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Julian and Hahtoolah.
    I FIRed in good time and saw the ANYs early in the game. Hand up for wanting Minute before MOMENT (before that I tried to squish ANY tiME Now into the spaces.

    This CW was a little meh! for me (not much OOMPH), but it is Tuesday. Smooth sailing until the SE theme reveal (as above), and the need to change Sing to SONG; “work with notes” could imply verb or noun answer IMHO. Yes, Big Easy, I required perps to correctly spell Ms. NYONGO’s name.

    I smiled at AMEN and THE END.
    Vidwan will not like ANAL, and perhaps the GUN euphemism also.

    Contrary to my normal custom, I actually wanted the ZED in ATOMISE. I’m not sure why I lean American there. The fun on the Canadian side of the pond is that I know the majority of those British expressions, but also most American ones too.
    You know that my AUTO does not measure efficiency in MPGs.

    Yes, I saw last night that WORDLE had been sold to NYTimes, but apparently it is supposed to remain free. I hope so!
    WORDLEsold

    Three for me today too.
    Wordle 227 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wishing you all a great day.

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  15. Hola!

    This was a surprisingly easy puzzle from Julian Lim. I guess he gave us a break because it's early in the week.

    In Hawaii they celebrate SPAM week. It's extremely popular there.

    NYONGO took six perps.

    PLIE. CSO to my daughter and granddaughter who both studied ballet.

    Yes, Irish Miss. Thank you for the CSO at MANI.

    Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!

    ReplyDelete

  16. Good morning. Thank you, Julian and Hahtoolah.

    "It's about to happen" - ANY MOMENT, or, Any Day Now ? Ah, sing it, Ronnie !

    Did you know that Steve McQueen CBE was the director of "12 Years A Slave" ? No, not the "king of cool" Steve McQueen.

    I enjoyed reading the British idioms article. Some I knew, but most not.

    Jinx, thanks. I found it. Android 4.4.2 "KitKat" from 2013. So if Android 12 is the current release, this phone is pretty far behind. I found a Daydream mode and an Airplane mode, but no Bedtime mode. Maybe that feature came in a later Android release.

    Just checked shipping status on the new (refurbed ?) phone that is coming. Supposed to be here sometime tomorrow.

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  17. Lupitanyongo luckily perped in,
    and I still have no idea how to split it into two words...

    This maybe the moment when I stop complaining
    about French in English Crosswords.

    Now, where is DW hiding those Oreos?

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  18. Not too much to talk about today. FIR, even though "Lupita Nyongo" was a definite Natick for me (I think I'm using that term correctly. Some crosswordese is still pretty obscure to me.) Also, I was unfamiliar with the "Oster" kitchen brand but the perps made it clear. Finally "zen" for "extremely chill" was a little out of my wheelhouse but I came up with it. Fun puzzle!

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  19. TTP. I'm supposed to be getting another Android phone in the mail too, but mine is going to take a month (or maybe more) to arrive, so I consider you lucky. I guess because mine is from a special government program that offers free phones to people on SSI I should feel lucky that I get it at all, but it IS a long time to wait.

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  20. Hi All!

    ANY way you slice it, the puzzle was quick fun. Thanks Julian.

    LOL Groundhog's Ex, Hahtoolah. Thanks for kicking off the after-party.

    WOs: KNEeDS, ePa ->MPG
    ESP: LUPITA NYINGO
    Fav: THE END [Beatles]

    {A, B+}

    I knew my major Sophomore YEAR of HS. War Games [16 things 11m] & Short Circuit were big influences -- I was going to design computers and/or AI robots (EE undergrad and MS CompSci). I never built a real robot but I do get to hack (and fight SPAM) for $$$.

    IM - only my pride was hurt in the attic incident.
    //it was pretty funny - DW was up there w/ me as I was showing off the decking I nearly finished. As she was getting ready to descend the ladder, I went to play a little grab-a**, misstepped, and...

    Re: NYT's purchase of Wordle. IMHO, eventually they will have to monetize it and that's when the fad will fade.

    Back to work; play later!

    Cheers, -T
    Wordle 227 2/6
    🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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  21. Puzzling thoughts:

    FIR but had to WAG a few perps with LUPITA NYONGO. Not familiar with that name.

    I saw all of the ANY’s, and wondered “what’s up with that?” But the reveal provided my answer

    Puzzle was ok; Susan’s recap was, as always, entertaining

    Maybe I’m getting burned out with puzzles and WORDLE games

    Moe-ku that I wrote in my FRESHMAN YEAR:

    Aquarians are
    Ruled by Uranus. Does that
    Mean that we’re ANAL?


    ReplyDelete
  22. Puzzling thoughts 2:

    Wordle 227 5/6 - I almost had a CED experience! I finally chose correctly

    ⬛⬛⬛🟩🟩
    ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩
    ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
    ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    BTW, when this game is officially taken over by NYT - and appears on their webpage or APP - I will probably retire from playing. I really don’t need to give that rag any of my info …

    ReplyDelete
  23. I always pronounce the planet as "you RAIN iss." Chairman Moe, some years ago when there was a debate about how to pronounce it, I first heard it pronounced as you suggest. I never thought of anus before, now I always do. Drat! Some stumped for "urine us." Just as bad.
    "In 1986, a supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary dictated that henceforth the preferred pronunciation of “Uranus” was going to be “yor-uh–nuss,” Still sounds like urine. It may be incorrect, but I continue to prefer "you RAIN iss," suggestive of rain not body parts.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Too funny, Manatee, but I wasn't born in the Year of the Tiger, but every year at LSU is the year of (Mike) the Tiger.

    ReplyDelete


  25. Dash T, based on those two clips, was your real motivation that you might meet Ally Sheedy ? :>) I'd wager you liked "The Breakfast Club" too. That first "War Games - 11 Facts" clip was quite interesting. Never before associated DefCon (the Convention) with the movie. It is one of my favorite movies.

    BTW, I'm positive that since I was able to hack Wordle, you certainly could. Have you tried ? I didn't intend to. After you posted your results that first time, and I realized they were emojis so it could be sharable, I just wanted to figure out how he did that. Then I just kept digging. Anyway, his making the result sharable in any text input box was a brilliant design point. At least from a social media standpoint. Good that he was rewarded. Nice story.

    4/6 today, in hard mode:

    Wordle 227 4/6*

    ⬜🟦⬜⬜🟦
    🟦⬜⬜🟦🟧
    🟦🟦🟧⬜🟧
    🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

    Moe, I've failed on two Wordles, YTD. Lost the very first game I played, then had a nice winning streak. The second loss wss 11 days ago. It was similar to Dave's loss the other day when multiple legit words remained and only one chance left. I had -INCE, but still had the S, the M, and the W left. I picked mINCE instead of WINCE. Bzzt !


    Subgenius, hopefully you'll get your replacement sooner than that.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Clever Tuesday puzzle, Julian--a neat way to start a new month, many thanks. And thanks for your write-up, Hahtoolah--I loved your ballerina picture.

    I got IMHO right away--guess it helps that I'm humble. Along with ON TOE that got me off to a good start in the first top corner. Things got a little tougher after that.

    "HERE BOY" made me laugh, as the "call to a pooch."

    Had no trouble guessing UTERI for "gestation sites."

    NAPA and LEI show up in puzzles pretty often these days--that helps.

    Liked your first poem, Owen.

    Have a great day, everybody

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  27. Second Gary. Major editorial failure on iOS. If the constructor had something else to start, that would be doubly oops.

    ReplyDelete
  28. FIR in 14, no W/Os, nice and neat Tuesday level CW. Thanx, JL. Saw ANY immediately. WMOS, DNK 50A, all perps, and looked wrong when filled. Another Brit expression: they call all dessert “pudding”. The first time my Brit friends were staying with me and it was Mike’s BD, I bought him a cake, and he remarked, “Oh, what a nice pudding!” I was dumbfounded, and said, “Mike, that’s a cake, not pudding! And there’s no pudding inside it, either!” Anyway, nice CW, wonderful write-up too, thanx, Hahtoolah.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Happy Chinese New Year which begins today.
    A big social event for our square dance club was eating at the same Chinese restaurant sometime during each year's Chinese New Year season. Since we were regulars and numerous we got a big price break. We were scheduled for 2020 just before everything closed down for the pandemic. So this is our the third year we didn't go.
    Instead, here at the Oaks we had a Chinese lunch with Chinese noodles, egg roll and fortune cookie.

    ReplyDelete
  30. So many comments about Wordle I finally tried it for the first time and got very lucky;
    Wordle 227 2/6

    🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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  31. I subscribe to the NYT, so I’ll be able to play Wordle however they structure it.

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  32. Thank you Julian for not just ANY Tuesday puzzle, but a very MOMENTous one as well.

    And thank you Susan for treating us to a smileful TET-WAG. Is that really you peaking over the podium, being introduced by GHWB? You stand much taller on our Corner.

    A few favs:

    27A IBM. A very diverse business. I rely on IBM everyday to decide what to wear.

    56A ATOMISE. A CSO to MISTY and CanadianEh!! (on this side of the POND up North they spell things the same way as Manchesterites do on the other side of the pond).

    69A HISSY. Or it could be clued "Nile nasty with an attitude".

    1D MISO. DNK that MISO was made with koji. The only "Koji" I know is an undercover doctor on the other side of the pond in Kate and Koji "practicing" in Kate's cafe (one syllable please). In the off season actress Brenda Blethan makes ends meet herding her team of crime fighters across the Northumberland countryside in the mystery series Vera.

    Cheers,
    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  33. Word of the Day: wrack

    Pronunciation: ræk

    Part of Speech: Noun, verb

    Meaning: 1. Wreckage, especially of a ship. 2. Ruin, destruction. 3. Hostile revenge, vengeance, persecution. 4.Seaweed. 5. Detritus brought to shore in the tides as 'the wrack line'.

    Notes: Have you ever wondered about the phrases 'wrack and ruin' and 'rack my brain'? Wrack is so often confused with rack that some dictionaries now list them as synonyms. Wrack is a synonym of wreak, while rack is what we call the old stretching torture machine. This phrase implies squeezing your brain hard to get something out. Wracker refers to someone who brings wrack and ruin to others, and wrackful is the adjective.

    In Play: Today's Good Word is closely associated with destruction: "Earth is a planet, as Copernicus said, wracked by wars, pestilence, famine, and unhappiness, that falls far short of perfection." It may refer to things closer to home: "Harvey Wallbanger's body was wracked by years of drinking, smoking, and chasing everything with long hair and a short skirt." The wrack line is the area where kelp, and other debris are deposited at high tide: "I found my share of baubles in the seaweed along the wrack line."

    See Alpha Dictionary for more info.

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  34. Weaseeley: only if I am the Queen of England! We are about the same height, though.

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    Replies
    1. Hahtoolah @1:09 Darn, and I though I might be two virtual degrees of separation from GHWB. I'll better are taller than my English Mother, who always claimed to be 4'11 & 1/2". I always had my doubts about the 1/2"though

      Delete
  35. Uncle Fred - Figgy pudding|cake? :-)
    I love Britishisms and the extra U they drop into words and Zeds they remove for an esS.
    //There you go C, Eh! :-)

    Waseely - IBM (owner of The Weather Channel) bought UMich's Weather Underground. They've not destroyed it yet. Actually, they (IBM) kinda made it better(?!? *shrug*)

    TTP - Yes, I've hacked Wordle and saw that I could see 'secret words' a few days ahead.
    Full Stop! I didn't want to destroy my daily fun.

    And, yes TTP, I totes crushed on Ally Sheedy (and Drew Barrymore) back in the day.
    DW's look is a cross between the two [high cheekbones, cute nose, & kissy lips above a strong chin] and she (DW) has 2x their smarts combined. #Nerds!

    DW & I were both born YEAR of the [HERE BOY!] Dog* ('70) - no matter how much we annoy the sh** out of each other, we'll be loyal to the end :-)

    C.C. - Here's something Red.
    //A buddy at the office has a number of red envelops for folks to take accompanied with a moon cake ['cuz there's nothing in the envelope :-)]
    The Girls bought Moon Cakes at H.E.B [TX grocer] for tonight's dessert #Montessori :-)

    Cheers, -T
    *Type Chinese New Year 2022 into Google -- Fireworks! (in Chrome)
    ++ there's #BlackHistoryMonth && #Groundhog Day [Dick Gregory] going on too.

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  36. Bill - You probably know it already, but "IBM" is an iconic acronym for "It's Better Manually". And your use of "rack" is far different than the way my golf buddies use it, especially when describing the beverage cart driver.

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  37. Hahtoolah, now that I think of it I was born in the year of the tiger and as a Leo under the other system. It is probably a good thing that I do not believe in either outline of pre-ordination. I guess that my moon is in Fresno. That said, I have met a few triple-Scorpio "witches" over the years so perhaps there's something to it.

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  38. I was born in the Year of the Horse. We're supposed to have statmina, among other things. Like you, MalMan, I'm a Leo, but never felt much in common with the descriptions of that sign, except for a slight tendency towards historonics.

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  39. Good work, Anon T and unclefred, solving today's Wordle in two tries! Half the time I have solved in three tries but never two so far.

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  40. Chairman Moe @ 10:41
    The CED Experience!
    (I like that!)
    Maybe I should write a book!
    (Nah, who would want to read a book backwards...)

    Putting on my backwards hat, I believe your 2nd last choice was "chose."
    (Unless your 3rd last choice was "Whose.")
    (But, who's to say...)
    My guess for your second choice, would be "cheese."
    (Because I like cheese, and I am hungry, & I can't think of anything else...)
    Which makes you first choice,
    (Drum roll pls...)
    Ack! This is a hard one,
    I guess either mense, but more likely "mouse."

    Uncle Fred,
    You have me stumped,
    Why would your first guess be thorn?
    (Unless, you are Thoth, the God of wisdom...)

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    Replies
    1. CED @2:13 PM Hahtoolah, Lemonade, and Picard might read it, as long as it's in Hebrew.

      Delete
  41. Words and phrases used in England, but not in the US: I almost spit out my tea the first time we were in England and the elderly couple sitting next to us in the restaurant recommended we try the "lovely spotted dick".

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  42. Nice job, unclefred !

    C.C.'s Wednesday crossword at the US Today is Year of the Tiger. How appropriate is that ?

    I'm a Monkey Man and my wife is an Ox, but I'd be foolish if I called her that :>)

    Yes, Ally was totes adorbs in War Games and other movies. She has been teaching acting as a college professor at the City Colleges of New York. She's now acting again as the mother of a newly sober daughter in the series Single Drunk Female.

    Yep, I'm not peekin' either. Thanks for the google reminder. I forgot to click teh doodle.


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  43. A neat PZL from Julian Lim! Nice long fills to help us with the few unfamiliars.

    The trickiest long one for me was 50A, trying to recall the correct spelling for Ms. NYONG'O. She is a wonderfully fresh actress from my alma mater, so I should have been better prepared.
    But, C.E.D., I did know where to split her names!
    ~ OMK
    ___________
    DR:
    One diagonal, near side.
    Today's anagram (12 of 15 letters) is a timely one, given that our famous sports GOAT, Mr. Brady, has made it official.
    Yes, I KID you not! Tom Brady will retire!
    After watching him for 22 seasons, it may be difficult to recall a time when he was still wet behind the ears. But our anagram reminds us.
    He was once an...

    "IMMATURE G.O.A.T."!

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  44. CED @ 2:13:

    My guesses today were as follows:

    GUISE
    PHASE
    Choice 1
    Wrong 2
    The correct word

    I didn't "see the light" as quickly as I did yesterday

    Clever that WORDLE use words having multiple-letter starts

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  45. My two online CW sources are not available for cell phone thumbing today for some reason. So I couldn't go out on a Lim.😁 Though I couldn't do the puzzle enjoyed H2LH's write up and cartoons. (Punxsutawney Phyllis, hilarious)😆

    Anon T: FLN re Antonio Meucci et al.

    In order to start classes at the U of B foreigners had to demonstrate proficiency in Italian. Language classes were given before the start of the first year. Among other things we needed to write reports on topics, in Italian I remember, from articles about Meucci, Marconi, Fermi, Columbus etc.

    Being the troublemaker I am I got a disapproving smile from my teacher when she handed me back my assignment on Cristoforo Colombo I had turned in the day before "Chi ha Veramente Scoperto America" ("Who Really Discovered America") all about Leif Erikson.🤭

    Weather has warmed up nicely...a large part of Sanibel Island is natural/nature preserve.
    Here's a picture I took thus morning of part of the largest flock of white pelicans I've ever seen 😯

    🌴

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  46. Hi Y'all! This was my favorite Julian Lim puzzle because I usually struggle with his. Not so much today. Great review. Hahtoolah.

    DNK: LUPITA. Read the book. Didn't see the movie. Great book.

    Remembered seeing "The Bridge on the River KWAI" at a drive-in one of the summers I lived in Colorado as a teenager. I was one of those marching around singing or whistling "Colonel Bogey".

    Zen: all perps.

    Watson creator wasn't the Sherlock Holmes author.

    Choosing a major. One of my daughters changed her major so often, I thought it was a misprint in her graduation program. She has four degrees and just started a new career as an elementary school teacher when the pandemic hit. Never know what's next with her even at age 50's.

    Belated Happy Birthday, Bill G.

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  47. WORDLE - please don't post anything about Wordle unless it's perhaps that you did or did not enjoy it!! Anything resembling specifics has a negative effect on the solve if we blog here and read comments first.

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  48. Loved seeing the re-run of Bridge on the River KWAI recently on TCM.
    BUT I swear, whenever the Brits were supposed to be whistling the "Col. Bogey March," it threw me out of the story.
    All sense of "reality" was lost, as it was obviously a studio recording. NO WAY could scores of exhausted, thirsty marching men whistle that well.
    What, we're really supposed to believe there weren't any dry lips or tone deaf prisoners in that bunch?! I can't even whistle it one time through, sitting in comfort in front of my TV screen--
    Not without using my pucker!
    ~ OMK

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  49. The "Col Bogey March" sounds like the name of something I've done on the golf course.


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  50. TTP - well, you done it again...
    Full circle, Mate.

    Col Bogey / Ally Sheedy / Breakfast Club*

    Cheers, -T
    *w/ a K is wonderful place downtown for some home cookin' to break the fast.

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  51. CED @ 2:14 Why would I start with the word "THORN"? I don't know!! I just picked a word!! I was astonished to see the first three letters come up GREEN!! Since this is the first time I tried Wordle, my first thought was, "Oh, crap. I must have read the rules wrong. I couldn't possibly have guessed the first three letters with my very first guess!" But once I had the THO and the last two letters were wrong, I could only think of one word OTHER THAN "THORN" that started with THO, so my second line I put that word in THOSE and was again astonished to see it be correct!! Like I said, nothing but blind beginner's luck.

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  52. Late solve today as I was traveling back from seeing daughter and family in Seattle - so glad to get home before the 6-14 inches of snow starts sometime in the night when the rain turns to snow with the temperature drop! Not sure if work will be open or not - I always find it amusing that in the worst weather my 80+ crowd always makes their appts but the Gen X,Y,Zers cancel :) Tomorrow might be really low key if they decide to close the office!

    LUPITO NYONGO is a wonderful actress in those movies I have seen her in. This went smoothly with the ANY circles speeding things along.

    Thanks Susan and Julian - not used to seeing a puzzle by him early in the week!

    FLN: We had phones that were still 3G - and very old - our carrier sent us a new phone for my husband - Apple Iphone 10XR for free - it was new and not a refurb - but obviously not the newest that is the 13 I think. I wanted a smaller size phone so I didn't opt for that but got one of the minis - I think a 12

    Thanks for sharing the neat story of your Togolese friend, Bill

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  53. Dear FullyNonymous -T:

    Thank you for the goodies: the response from Google -- once it started working -- in particular was, well, er, propulsive and explosive.

    ReplyDelete
  54. MM @ 1:37: "I guess that my moon is in Fresno."

    Talk about a 'fate worse than death'! The only good thing about Fresno when it's fading in my rear view mirror, going north on 99.

    How about moving your moon to, say, Merced ... or even Stockton?? (Tahoe's even better.)

    ReplyDelete
  55. FIW. Two more kinda stupid one-square mistakes.

    I got the first three theme answers and the unifier, but I didn’t know 50A. Perps took care of that one for me.

    Thanks, Julian and Hahtoolah!

    I had NO problem selecting a major. I had just gotten out of the service, and the fastest way to finish my undergrad was either history or English. Both require a bunch of reading, and I’ve already told you I’m the world’s slowest reader, but I knew I’d stand a better chance in history. Luckily, I managed to get out three months after our first daughter was born.

    WC, the Celts didn’t draw with Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and Bob Cousy?

    ReplyDelete



  56. Dash T, I guess that was full circle. The Breakfast Klub. Looks good. Catchy name. I thought I'd heard of one in Chicago. Search "Breakfast Club Restaurant" - it seems many people all over the country had the same idea.

    That restaurant wasn't there way back when, but in that area on McGowen was Leon's Lounge. It's still there. From the pics, it looks like they've tried to turn it into a hipster place. Used to be a real dive bar. A group of us who worked downtown used to grab a cold one there after work. I knew Leon. A real life film noir character.

    ReplyDelete

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