google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday March 23, 2022 Tim D'Alfonso

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Mar 23, 2022

Wednesday March 23, 2022 Tim D'Alfonso

Theme: Lacking subtlety, I can't do any better than today's reveal.

58. Music industry advisory ... and a warning that may result from misinterpreting this puzzle's theme?: EXPLICIT CONTENT.  The phrase "explicit content" is written as a warning that media (pictures, films or music) contains adult content. This is often sexual or pornographic. It may be bad language. The explicit content warning is for parents who want to sensor what their children see. 

The  first word of each theme fill gives an example.

17. 42-U.S.-gallon containers: CRUDE OIL BARRELS.  Petroleum, also known as crude oil and oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth's surface. It is commonly refined into various types of fuels.  Crude can also indicate the use of unrefined language or though processes.

27. Cocktail with a splash of olive juice: DIRTY MARTINI.  I prefer mine to be a crystal clear combination of gin and vermouth, garnished with olives.  Dirty can also mean indecent and vulgar, generally due to sexual content or implication.

44. "Maus" is the only one to win a Pulitzer Prize (1992): GRAPHIC NOVEL.  "Graphic Novel" is a format, not a genre. Graphic novels can be fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy, or anything in-between. Graphic novels are similar to comic books because they use sequential art to tell a story. Unlike comic books, graphic novels are generally stand-alone stories with more complex plots. Graphic also means giving a vivid picture with explicit detail.

So - here is today's theme song.




Across:

1. Alaskan islander: ALEUT.  A member of a people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands, other islands in the Bering Sea, and parts of western Alaska.

6. Bar flier: DART.  Stay on target.

10. Early garden spot: EDEN.  I've heard it was a nice place.

14. Like the yolk in Eggs Benedict: RUNNY.  The recipe calls for a poached egg and Candian Bacon over an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce.  Simmering the eggs for four minutes should give the right yolk consistency.  It's not clear why this needs to be done with stolen eggs, though.

15. MLB Triple Crown category: RBIS.  Runs Batted In.

16. Govern: RULE. Democracies are governed.  Autocracies are ruled.

20. "Try this": HERE.  Have some.

21. Flying geese formation: VEE.  This formation allows for the greatest energy efficiency for the group.

22. Hall partner: OATES.  Daryl Hall and John Oates are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two write most of the songs they perform, separately or in collaboration.   I was never a fan.

23. Tries to make a point?: SERVES.  
on certain sports like tennis or volley ball. Nice clue.

25. Tilt: LEAN.  Be in a sloping position.  You don't need to be skinny.
 
32. Sierra Nevada resort: TAHOE.  This clue is inexact.  Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts. 

35. Places for hoops, maybe: EARS.  Hoop ear rings.

36. Crime boss: DON.  A person in charge of a criminal organization, aka a crime master, big boss, gang lord, kingpin, godfather, mafia boss, terrorist commander or mob boss.

37. Eagerly excited: AGOG. full of intense interest or excitement 

38. "The Martian" star Matt: DAMON.


40. Word with print or note: FOOT.  Foot prints and foot notes.  Nice!

41. Word of dissent: NAY.

42. Late NBA legend, familiarly: KOBE.  Kobe Bean Bryant [1978 - 2020] was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, where he won championships and other honors.  He, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash into a mountain side in heavy fog. 

43. Mopey states: SULKS.  Being silent, morose, and bad-tempered out of annoyance or disappointment.

48. Caps, e.g.: HATS.

49. Certain agent's area: REALTY.  Land and/or buildings.

52. Corrective surgery acronym: LASIK.   The acronym for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis which refers to creating a flap in the cornea with a microkeratome and using a laser to reshape the underlying cornea.

55. Took a load off: SAT.

56. The Beatles' "__ Leaving Home": SHE'S.

I don't recall ever hearing this sad song.

62. Doorstep delivery, at times?: NOEL.  I guess the refers to the old custom of going door to door singing Christmas carols.  Am I missing anything.

63. October birthstone: OPAL.

64. Main line: AORTA.  The main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. In humans it passes over the heart from the left ventricle and runs down in front of the backbone.

65. One of Snoopy's brothers: ANDY.


66. Bunyan's blue ox: BABE.



67. Fishing tool: SPEAR.  Takes a keen eye and a steady hand.

Down:

1. Principal: ARCH.  As in enemy or rival.

2. Fishing gear: LURES.  A type of artificial fishing bait which is designed to attract the attention of predatory fish, using prey-like appearances, movements, vibrations, bright reflections and flashy colors to appeal to the fish's predation instinct and entice it into striking.

3. Habituate: ENURE. Get used to.

4. Expected loser: UNDERDOG.  A competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest.

5. Sheridan of "Ready Player One": TYE.  Tye Kayle Sheridan [b 1996] is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing the young Scott Summers / Cyclops in the reboot X-Men film series, as well as Wade Watts in Ready Player One and Ben Goudy in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.

6. Most arid: DRIEST.  

7. Fit: ABLE.  Sufficiently skilled to do the job.

8. Bone in the torso: RIB.

9. Screeners at LAX: TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

10. Not on target: ERRANT.  Erring or straying from the proper course or standards.

11. Daft Punk, for one: DUET.  A two-person performing group.

12. Fashion magazine since 1945: ELLE.

13. Condition suffix: -NESS.  As in, frex., smuttiness. 

18. One more time: OVER.  Another repetition.

19. Stadium sounds: ROARS.  Crown noises.

24. Contend: VIE.  Compete with someone for a prize or achievement.

25. ROFL cousin: LMAO.  Text speak for humorous responses.  ROFL is Rolling on the Floor Laughing.  LMAO is the ore anatomical Laughing My Abdomen Off.  YMMV.

26. Bring in: EARN.  As one's paycheck.

28. Coastal Arab country: YEMEN.  Officially the Republic of Yemen, it is a country in Western Asia, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia.

29. One on a fan site: IDOL. A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered.

30. Cozy spot: NOOK.  A corner or recess, especially one offering seclusion or security.

31. DBs' stats: INTS.  In American football a Defensive Back is a defender against passing plays.  If he can grab the ball away from the intended receiver, he is credited with an INTerception.

32. Little kick: TANG.  This involves the taste buds, not the feet

33. Petri dish filler: AGAR.  A gel-like substance used for growing cultures.

34. Georgetown athlete: HOYA.  The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant "Hoya Saxa" (meaning "What Rocks"), which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name "Hoyas" came into use in the 1920s. Most teams have their athletic facilities on the main campus of Georgetown University.

38. "Just __!": DO IT.   A trademark of shoe company Nike, and it is one of the core components of Nike's brand. The slogan was coined in 1988 at an advertising agency meeting.   Also, a short motivational speech by Shia LaBeouf.

39. Basics: ABCS.

40. Brit's period: FULL STOP.  That little dot following these words.

42. Bold-sounding trouser material: KHAKI.  This was puzzling, since in my pronunciation, it does not sound like cocky.

43. Coral __: SEA.

45. City famous for cheesesteaks, informally: PHILLY.  I understand the original version is made with Cheese Whiz.

46. Soothsayer: ORACLE.  One who can foretell the future

47. Kill, as a bill: VETO.  A power grants to the President of the United States and a U.N. Security Council Member.

50. "Voila!": THERE.  Indicating a success at something.

51. Gossip spreader: YENTA.  A woman who is a gossip or busybody

52. "Master of None" Emmy-winning writer Waithe: LENA.  [b 1984] An American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi and the BET comedy series Boomerang and Twenties. She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them.

53. Nerve cell part: AXON.  A portion of a nerve cell (neuron) that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body. A neuron typically has one axon that connects it with other neurons or with muscle or gland cells. 

54. Hustled: SPED.  Hied.

55. Guess: STAB.  Informally.

57. Common flag feature: STAR.  On the flags of many countries.

59. Corn throwaway: COB.

60. Pub pick: IPA.  India Pale Ale. A hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale. The style of pale ale which became known as India pale ale was widespread in England by 1815, and would grow in popularity, notably as an export beer shipped to India and elsewhere. 

61. "King's Disease" Grammy-winning rapper: NAS.  Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, [b 1973] better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Rooted in the New York hip hop scene, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.

That's all there is for another Wednesday Folks.  Hope you found it arousing.

Cool regards!
JzB






43 comments:

  1. FIWrong. Not unknown for Wednesday.
    An inattentive misspelling crossing an unknown name of TYE.
    Theme was fine, it even helped me get the last of them, before I got to the reveal.

    I wonder what an ALEUT thinks is EDEN?
    Does he see a tropic, where snow isn't even?
    Or a land of ice,
    A whaling paradise?
    What does he dream in his igloo den?

    L.M.A.O. means Laughing My Arse Off in the vulgar.
    R.O.F.L, Rolling On the Floor Laughing in texter culture.
    When the slightest grin
    Gets a LOL-y spin,
    Humor inflation is causing a bulg-er!

    {A, B.}

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  2. Good morning!

    Easily changed ALE to IPA, but not so easily corrected fUnKS to SULKS for the win. Enjoyed it, Tim and JzB. (I also scratched my head at tough-sounding KHAKI.)

    UNDERDOG : The St. Peter's Peacocks are prime examples. I thought it was neat that the Peacock network paid so that the team cheerleaders could travel to the second game. I'm sure the network was being completely altruistic, expecting no promotional value from the act.

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  3. Let me be Clear, that I finished this in Exactly 7:11 today. Oh, wait, that definition of "explicit" ... well then, I removed the filth in 7:11.
    (Not sure anyone picked-up on my "Soiree" block yesterday, so I was more direct today.)

    Top-left was the last to fall for me.
    Unknowns were Tye & Lena.

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  4. FIW, carelessly missing the clue's tense for SiT and, being spelling-challenged, wrote ORiCLE. Erased YEMaN when KOBE appeared.

    I underwent RK (radial keratotomy) before LASIK was invented. I should have waited.

    UNDERDOG? I don't wanna talk about it. Just wait 'til next year!

    Although I finished this one, I wasn't fond of it. Too many obscure names for Wednesday, and the clue for KHAKI wouldn't have been good even on a Saturday.

    Thanks to JazzB for the review, but I must say I really like H&O's "Sara Smile" and "Kiss on My Lips".

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  5. FIR. Several unknowns, but perps helped the fill.

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  6. Easier than Monday's puzzle today. TYE was filled before I got to it. Good thing because it was unfamiliar. Vulgar and Dirty gave away the theme.
    I have not heard TAKE A LOAD since I was a kid. Mom used to say it for, "Have a seat."
    It had to be khaki, although in the US it rhymes with whacky. After I was finished I looked up the British pronunciation. It is much closer to COCKY.
    Ex and I used to drink very dry martinis, clear with just the vermouth bottle waived above the gin. "Winston Churchill preferred to have his made with an open bottle of vermouth in front of a fan across the room. Or if that was too much trouble then he would ask his bartender to whisper the word ‘vermouth’ to a freshly poured glass of gin. Alfred Hitchcock was one up on Churchill with his recipe, which called for 5 parts gin and a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth."
    I love Eggs Benedict. They were yummy at our favorite breakfast place. (I refuse to say yummers.) I stopped going there because there were so many people close together. Really, I was always careful. To no avail.
    Errant or arrant: Grammar Girl says, "Arrant means complete or absolute. Errant means (1) roving, or (2) straying from the proper course. Arrant was originally a variant of errant, but it long ago developed a meaning of its own. It has negative connotations, usually modifying negative nouns (e.g., arrant fool, arrant nonsense)." I hear it most in arrant nonsense. Reminds me of bloviating pols.
    I think Lake Tahoe is the name of the resort, too, often just shortened to Tahoe.

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  7. Good morning. Very little trouble to fill Tim's puzzle until the SW, with ANDY & LENA as unknowns. TYE, NAS, & DUET were others filled by perps.

    After CRUDE and DIRTY I was wondering what the next adjectives would be. Many GRAPHIC photos lately from Ukraine and from a tornado that touched down last night about 5 miles from my house.

    NOEL- JzB- your guess was the same as mine and it was above the unknown ANDY crossing the unknown LENA.
    RUNNY- I poach eggs for 6:30 to keep them from being too runny.
    CRUDE- why is sold by the '42 US gallon barrel' but the usual size of an 'oil drum' 44 gallons?

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  8. Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Tim and JazzB.
    I FIRed and saw the Fifty Shades of Grey theme.
    One inkblot to change A SEC to DO IT.
    Several names, but perps filled them.

    I noted EARS crossing EARN, and RBIS crossing RIB.
    SERVES above DIRTY MARTINI was good too.

    I enjoyed the clue for TANG. Would that be Umami?

    Quick post before I am off to an appointment.
    Back later to see if anyone sheds more light on NOEL.

    Wishing you all a great day.

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  9. The VEE formation allows the lead goose to change places and drop back for a rest, as the point of the V takes a beating from the wind.

    Yellowrocks, the Atomic Martini is based on the theory that scientists put a bottle of vermouth atop the tower of the first A-bomb test at Los Alamos. Now all you have to do is hold a glass of gin outside the window to pick up enough vermouth from the air.

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  10. Good Morning:

    This was an easy romp with the only unknowns being Tye and Lena (Hi, SS), and Andy*, but perps came to the rescue. The theme was obvious early on, but the reveal was a surprise. I had Inuit before Aleut and Carves before Serves, thinking of whittling rather than tennis. We had a mini anatomical theme with Foot, Arch, Rib, Ears, and Aorta. We also had an A Team with Aorta, TSA, Hoya, Sea, Yenta, IPA, and Lena. Finally, we had some fun duos: Here/There, Ears/Cob, Star/Idol, Lean/Lena, and Sat/Hat(s). The only CSO that I noticed was Andy (Tin). Shocking learning moment was that Snoopy had siblings*. Am I the only one who didn’t know this?

    Thanks, Tim, for a fun solve and thanks, JzB, for the informative and entertaining expo. I really enjoy your understated humor.

    FLN

    PK, so glad you had a nice birthday!

    YR, happy to hear you’re on the mend.

    MalMan,I hope you and Valerie are feeling better. I don’t envy that long drive home you’re facing.

    Have a great day.

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  11. Musings
    -House is torn up for new carpet installation. It’s amazing how much stuff we had to move!
    -It’s quaint to think what was DIRTY, CRUDE and GRAPHIC sixty years ago.
    -Since RBI has a plural inside some now think adding the “s” is redundant
    -The fastest tennis SERVE is 163mph which will very often score a point
    -Better Call Saul fans will know of creepy DON Hector
    -I knew C.C.’s brother ANDY but not Snoopy’s
    -A really good defensive back might not have many INT’s because QB’s quit throwing towards them
    -An extremely rude guy made us very nice cheese steak sandwiches in PHILLY but these are great too

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  12. A happy FIR for today's challenging puzzle. Wednesday, right? I found some clues took a bit of thought, but eventually I got the fill with help of perps. And the themers helped. Last fill was LENA and ANDY crossing. Thanks, Tim, for the workout today. I did have a sense of accomplishment at the end.

    Thanks, JazzB, for your able review. I suspected it was you by the style. I think you do have subtlety, especially in your humorous asides. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.

    Ah, Irish Miss, you said it was an easy romp. You are one of my heroes. With more experience, I hope to keep improving. Proofreading does catch silly errors, as I have learned.

    I'll add my wishes that everyone have a great day.





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  13. I have a feeling many people are going to stumble over the first answer "Aleut." After all, "inure" is much more common than "enure." But somehow I dredged up "Aleutian Islands" from my subconscious and got it right. After that struggle, everything else was pretty much a piece of cake. FIR, so I'm happy.

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  14. Thank you Tim D'Alfonso for a very nice Wed puzzle, which I enjoyed very much.

    It had some puzzling clues and fill, but I was surprised on 42 Down, Khaki by the clue.
    Khaki or Khakhi ( properly) is an Urdu word for dust or dust colored or drab ... but mostly yellowish green. In the subcontinent, it is pronounced as Khaa-key, not cocky....
    More to the point, the dyes used are cheaper vegetable dyes, which eventually will run with multiple washes ... but are cheap to obtain and dye with. Hence the color is used almost always in school / college / military / police etc. uniforms ... rarely on formal clothing.

    Thank you Jazz Bumpa for a very nice explanatory review. I enjoyed your quiet humor and comments.

    Hall and Oates, were very famous in the 1970s to the mid 1980s ... I remember their song, .... (Shes a ) 'Maneater'. Brings back old memories.

    LASIK and LASIX .... the former is an (eye) operation /procedure . the latter is a drug, actually a trade name for the drug, Furosemide. Trust me, I was in the hosp last month, and i was quite confused, and in a groggy state, and I wondered why an eye procedure when the residents and the attendings would talk amongst themselves.
    Lasix, the drug is a very powerful diuretic and works in minutes to reduce fluid buildup in cases of kidney disease (me) and other liver dysfunctions. and other cases of congestive heart failure and related syndromes.

    Re: Dirty Martini ... I maybe the outlier, because I actually prefer the dirty martini ... it has a salty taste and less alchohol... but I dont drink much nowadays anyhoo.

    have a nice day, you all.

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  15. Started off like lightening, getting ALEUT, DART, EDEN, RUNNY, RBIS and RULE just as fast as I could fill them, and thought, “Oh, good! An easy Wednesday!” That thought didn’t last long, as I soon bogged down. I did FIR but took 24. Rats. Booby prize again. DNK TYE, LENA, ANDY, ROFL, LMAO, or NAS, and don’t know how KHAKI matches the clue, although earlier comments tell me maybe it’s the Brit pronunciation. I did see the theme early, which made the reveal fill easy. MAUS much in the news here in Florida where the …. I’d better stop: no politics. I’m gonna order MAUS from Amazon to see what the kerfuffle is about. Anyway, thanx for a fun CW, which I managed to FIR in spite of my ignorance of so many things. And thanx JzB for the terrific (as always) write-up.

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  16. I agree with SubGenius,
    that NE corner was tough!
    Principal=Arch was fair but sneaky...

    Learning moment: YMMV means Your Mileage May Vary

    Jzb said: LMAO is the ore anatomical Laughing My Abdomen Off.
    Well, it was never "Abdomen," but I don't understand the "ore."
    Is it a typo?

    Looking for a silly theme link, I came across this:
    OMG! She pinned it to the cork board!

    Also, I don't know why this was this was found under explicit content, but thought it deserved an honorable mention...

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  17. Vid reminded me. A guy who worked for me when I was an engineering administrator in California was known for asking guys who were standing around with a hand in a front pocket, "feeling cocky?".

    Gary - I've made peace with "RBIs" by thinking "the Sand Gnats' 3, 4 and 5 hitters have RBIs of 13, 27 and 14, which helps explain the lack of run support for our pitchers". When I hear a fan or sportscaster say "Joe Dinger already has 38 RBIs this season", I cringe. Vin Scully would never say that. And even this hillbilly knows better.

    I didn't like straight gin back when I imbibed. Loved me some straight Kentucky bourbon, Russian vodka, Mexican tequila, and rum from Venezuela or other Caribbean countries. Nae Scotch.

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  18. Neat Wednesday puzzle, with both tough and easy items, perfect for mid-week. Many thanks, Tim, and your commentary is always a pleasure, JazzB.

    Nice to get EDEN early on, which helped fill that corner quickly.

    Also liked getting VEE for that geese formation. Then VIE a little further down, but I don't imagine geese VIE for places in their formation.

    Interesting to see that SNOOPY has a family! Who knew?

    I also want to VETO that NOEL, which strikes me as not having an EXPLICIT CONTENT.

    Have a great day, everybody.

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  19. Jazzbumpa You are my hero for sharing the Tom Lehrer song! It summarizes the EXPLICIT CONTENT theme perfectly.

    This was easier for me than yesterday, where I was DONE IN by the area around DONE IN.

    Every RIB in my back was broken 20 years ago when I was hit by a car. Somewhere I have X-Ray images.

    I know almost nothing about sports. But our company was given an outing to watch the LA Lakers play the Timberwolves in 1998. First time I learned of KOBE BRYANT.

    Here is my photo with KOBE BRYANT in the lower right.

    I seem to have as many photos of the beautiful cheerleaders as I have of the players!

    I have lots of PHILLY photos as my cousin lives there. Another time.

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  20. From Monday:
    Jayce, PK Thank you regarding Tracfone. I highly recommend them for people like me who just need bare bones service. They use the same networks as the name brands, but for a far lower price.

    Wilbur Charles Thanks for the appreciation of me getting around. Yes, for several years we were in a different school in a different city each year. For some that would be a hardship, but I enjoyed each place for what it offered and easily made new friends.

    desper-otto, LEO III, AnonT Thank you for the helpful information regarding visiting Austin and Houston. Unfortunately, it is all on hold right now. My niece in Austin is on leave from her medical residency to deal with some health issues and prefers not to have visitors now. I am hoping she gets through this as quickly as possible. We have actually been communicating more now than usual, which I am enjoying.

    I do hope we can make these travels while the Escher exhibit is still on in Houston!

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  21. C E Dave -

    I bollixed that sentence up something awful. Alas, I am a dreadful proofreedar.

    Now we all know -- I am imperfect. Oh, well. . . .

    Cool regards!
    JzB

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  22. Jazzbumpa

    I am also mystified what you meant to write with
    "LMAO is the ore anatomical Laughing My Abdomen Off."

    What was "ore" supposed to be?

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  23. Hola!

    Thank you, JazzB, for your usual detailed analysis which I always enjoy.

    Today's puzzle filled quickly with only a few pauses. Lake TAHOE is one of my favorite places on earth. It is so clear and sparkling. I think that being a desert dweller heightens my appreciation of it.

    I'm so pleased that I had the LASIK procedure several years ago and could give up my glasses for daily wear. Now I need them only to read. I do regret not spending the extra money to have a complete procedure which would have eliminated glasses altogether. Ah, well.

    LENA Olin is more familiar to me. Have never heard of Ms. Waithe.

    CSO to my sister, Yolanda, whose birthstone is OPAL.

    It's news to me that Snoopy had all those siblings.

    My PHILLY cheese sandwich in PHILLY was delicious!

    My great-grandson is watching Toy Story III which features ANDY going to college.

    I'm not a fan of EXPLICIT CONTENT. Give my subtlety any time.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

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  24. Hello.

    Thanks, Tim, for lots of fun and a few write overs based on crosses. I was really stumped at ANDY because I could only remember Spike.

    Thank you JzB for another thoughtful tour. I enjoyed seeing Snoopy's family--they really are quite cute.

    I agree with Yellowrocks and Irish Miss; today seemed a lot smoother than yesterday.

    Since writing is essential to thinking--especially critical thinking--Just DO IT was our class motto. Get the words out, and we'll clean it up our thinking on revision. I called it Nike Writing--Luckily Nike never found out or certainly I would have had royalties to pay.

    I cannot read graphic novels. My brain doesn't work that way. Luckily, I never had to teach them.

    Be well. Have a sunny day.

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  25. Just for reference: I don't believe that there is a single 'resort' as such that is called Tahoe or Lake Tahoe. There are lots of resorts and places to stay on and around the lake both in California and Nevada; the town I am personally the most familiar with is South Lake Tahoe, on the California side. But no Tahoe Resort per se.

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  26. Good Weds PZL from Mr. D'Alfonso, nicely answered by JzB.

    Nice to see some diagonals at last. Yesterday's asymmetrical grid was sadly deficient (lacking even 15 across!), furthering a trend.
    But see today's Diagonal Report (DR) below*.

    Misty is not the only one to be surprised that ANDY is family to Snoopy. I had no idea, and it seems we were not alone.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    *DR:
    Three diagonals, all on the far end.
    The central diag yields an anagram (12 of 15 letters) in tribute to a single-celled animal that dwells on Mont Blanc.

    Yes, of course, I refer to the infamous...

    "ALPINE AMOEBA"

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  27. Follow-up.

    Thank you, JazzB, for the link to Snoopy's "facts."
    As I say, almost all my post-doc education comes from XWDs!
    ~ OMK

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  28. Sandy, I was thinking of my favorite TAHOE place, the north side of the lake on the Nevada side. Back in my day there were no megaresorts there, just old, small hotel/casinos where mobsters hung out in the early days. IIRC, that's where I learned that when a dealer double-checks the hole card under a ten but doesn't have blackjack, the dealer's hole card is a 4. It really never failed, but some dealers never double-checked. Within a few months all the casinos were using a mirror system so the dealer could detect blackjack, but otherwise didn't know the value of the hole card.

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  29. If memory serves, Snoopy was a "product" of the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. His parents were, too. Weird, you'd think his parents would have left the farm when they were puppies.

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  30. Puzzling thoughts:

    FIR but with a few WAGs and one w/o. WAGs were LENA/NOEL (and no, Ron, I don't think the clue meant any more than you indicate), and FULL STOP. W/o was NEST/NOOK

    A few tougher clues made this more worthy of a Weds puzzle, but it wasn't that difficult

    Back when Peanuts was a regular comic strip I recall Snoopy's brother Spike. ANDY, OTOH, was unfamiliar to me

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  31. Hi Y'all! Liked the racy theme and puzzle, Tim. Really good expo, JzB. Thanks, both of you.

    Knew ALEUT and filled KHAKI immediately because I had a "K" to start. Didn't think the clue fit. Still don't understand Principal = ARCH.

    DNK: TYE, LENA, ANDY, NAS, Daft Punk.

    Big Easy: thanks for letting us know you are okay after the tornado last night. I wondered about you. I'm also wondering about my granddaughter who lives down there. We haven't heard from her yet.

    Lucina, my son's family went to Phoenix/Scottsdale for spring break. They had a good time. Usually go to the Caribbean.

    FLN: yes, Tony, I kicked some back-ends at one stage of my life. Now I'm too old and decrepit to get my foot high enough. LOL!



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  32. Just learned my granddaughter in NOLA is okay.

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  33. Big Easy and PK, great news. I was worried about our whole NOLA contingent.

    There is a resort hotel at Lake Tahoe. "Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel is South Lake Tahoe's only all-suite lodging option and in our opinion, the best place to stay in Lake Tahoe." I think a hotel itself can be called a resort.
    I don't see the problem with "doorstep delivery at times." Years ago carolers would stop at your doorstep and deliver noels i.e. Christmas carols. I like the clue.

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  34. Anon-T, Fln, the kid is ten. It's a middle school production but kid is talented, mother is involved etc.

    Sounds like Peacock Network is on the ball. St Peter's has a bunch of playground B-ballers and who knows what can happen. A guy did that at Cleveland State until some fussbudget thought students were supposed to attend class

    A Day in the Life was based on a true story about a runaway

    News bulletin! Spelling mistakes plaque Jinx

    Been nearly ½ a century but martinis are stirred not shaken but yes, with a SKOSH of Vermouth*

    Mme D, Jinx, Anon-T etal would refer to it as Microsoft style ie. Toss it out and clean it up later

    Continued my FIR streak from Sunday(Saturday was a FIM**)

    Glad your daughter is safe PK

    WC

    * In those days martinis spelled big trouble. Playboy had an article indicating that High proof gin and that skosh of Vermouth could produce a wormwood type effect, eg poison

    **Finished it maybe right

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  35. FIW. Had YENTL in 51D; not knowing NAS, I couldn’t give it up for SPEAR. Had I entered SPEAR first….

    Other than that, no problems.

    Thanks, Tim and JzB.

    Picard --- No rush! We'll be here when you're ready, or I guess when she is ready. Just let us know ahead of time.

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  36. Hi All...

    Remember yesterday's "I'm not up to par. Youngest was down over the weekend and now I am too. Me thinks allergies(?)"
    No.
    Carbon monoxide poisoning. Seems the furnace's exhaust disconnected and recycled CO back into the house. We all spent the afternoon at the hospital on O2 and the plumber fixed the pipe. How the pipe came loose? I can only think maybe, when we had foundation work, it pop'd off(?).

    Thanks for the puzzle and post-game, Tim & JzB, respectively.

    {A, B+}
    Cute DR, OMK.

    YR - I like my martinis wet (3 part gin 1part vermouth) & dirty.

    HG - BIL hated the NE 'cuz everyone was brusque and in a hurry for you to move. Spend 10 seconds with the menu, and "You going to take all day?" :-)

    unclefred - DW was assigned Mous in her GRAPHIC NOVELs class as an English Lit PhD student. I read the trilogy too. Heavy stuff about a guy learning about the holocaust from his father who was imprisoned at a camp. The Jews are mice and Germans cats.
    She also got to read Mr. Natural and The Fabulous Furry freak Brothers for lighter fare.
    //Me: 'I'm studying automata state machines and you're reading comic books?' ;-)

    Vidwan - Hall now hosts Live from Daryl's House. [with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons]

    Y'all have a great night!
    Cheers, -T

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  37. YR- yes, I think your explanation of NOELS fits the clue. Thanks.

    Poor JazzB- everyone is giving him a hard time about leaving the m off the front of ore; I was going to ask if sensor was the American spelling for censor, but I think it was just a typo. Or autocorrect! ROFL!

    AnonT- glad to hear that you all are safe. We are required to have CO detectors as well as fire alarms.

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  38. C, Eh! I just put in new detectors 3 months ago. I don't know why they didn't go off [or maybe they did and I didn't hear them 'cuz I was asleep]. At least we figured this out before a headline reads "Family in Texas..."

    When we talked to the Dr today, she said we only had low-levels of CO in our blood (1.8 - she said 2 was an overnight stay). Anyway, she saw much worse last year during the Big Freeze when folks were burning stuff inside to stay warm.

    I'm just glad DW woke me this morning with "Do you smell gas?" and it wasn't me ;-)

    Cheers, -T

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  39. Watching Match Play tournament and they just won't say "Dormie" nor "Half/Halved".

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  40. Tony, CO2 poisoning surely would have been worse if it had been the foundation repair alone. Didn't you recently have storms in your area that could have jerked your roof & vents around?

    FLN Vidwan, you and your hospital stay have been on my mind today. Praying for you, friend.

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  41. Anon-T;
    You are so LUCKY! It could have been deadly but I know you are aware of that. What can you do to avoid that in the future?

    PK: How wonderful for your son and his family! There are many activities here and all around to enjoy oneself and of course, the weather has been great.

    Vidwan: I am concerned about you and will continue praying for your improved health.

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  42. Dear -T: As I recall, CO is dangerous because it bonds with hemoglobin, which then blocks oxygen transport. Not on our list of "Molecule of the Month"!

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  43. Dash T, sorry to hear that you and yours had CO poisoning. Test your COSM detectors. Especially since you had all the jackhammer work.

    "Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are designed to be as maintenance free as possible; however, dust, dirt, and other foreign matter can accumulate inside a detector’s sensing elements and change its sensitivity. They can become either more sensitive, which may cause unwanted alarms, or less sensitive, which could reduce the amount of warning time given if CO reaches a dangerous level."

    The new construction building code in my county requires hardwired, interconnected COSM detectors, w/ batteries as backup. The electrical code further requires that the wires are run in EMT conduit, and that they are NOT installed on a separate stand-alone circuit. It was a pain to run all of the conduit in the original house and floor-to-floor when I built the addition, but worth it for the peace of mind. Plus, I couldn't get my COO without having complied.


    Yellowrocks, welcome back. Sorry to hear that you caught it; glad you are ok.


    PK, Happy Birthday ! Sorry I missed your party the other day :>0


    PK and Picard, perhaps the reason Tracfone sent me a replacement phone gratis was that the old one was a smartphone versus a flip phone. My original was a $20 smartphone that was just a bit larger than a playing card. That's probably why I disliked it so much. Too small. This refurbished one is much larger and easier to use. IIRC, it was listed at $299 at the Tracfone site. The have many new and refurbished phones and service plans for what appears to be reasonable prices.

    Picard, Tracfone became a Verizon subsidiary in the last year. I don't use the phone much, so I re-subscribed to the Tracfone 60 minute plan. The minutes,text and data carryover and accrue. It's $20 every three months, but there's a $2 discount if you sign up for auto renewal. So roughly $80/year, taxes included.

    The old phone tripled the minutes, texts and data with each renewal, so when I ported the number to the new phone, the nearly 4K minutes, nearly 3K texts and over 4GB data came with it. Seems like a lot. Getting it done was a pain, but I'm happy now. I'll probably use the phone more now. I can actually read it and press the buttons to text or call someone !

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