What's your Super Power? Today's puzzle requires knowledge of pop culture. Do you know
your X-Men (some of whom are women). I have heard about the
X-Men movies, but never seen them, so was unfamiliar with the names and
traits of these mutants with special abilities and super powers.
17-Across. * Extremely hostile situation: BELLY OF THE BEAST. Beast has superhuman strength, agility, speed, and dexterity.
33-Across. * Toyota RAV4 alternative: NISSAN ROGUE. Rogue was originally a villain in the comics, but later joined the X-Men.
She has the ability to "absorb memories, powers, personality traits,
physical talents, and strength." She looks mean.
42-Across. * Offensive in the First Gulf War: DESERT STORM. Storm is also a woman. She has the ability to control the elemental
forces that control the weather.
59-Across. * Netflix series about a chess prodigy: THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT. Gambit has the ability to charge things and blow them up.
1. Mark that may be covered by a tattoo: SCAR. Here are
some creative examples of a tattoo covering a scar.
5. Craigslist caveat: AS IS.
9. Andalusian poet García __: LORCA. Frederico García Lorca (né Federico del Sagrado Corazón
de Jesús García Lorca; June 5, 1989 ~ Aug. 19, 1936) is not your usual Tuesday
guest. I am not familiar with this Spanish poet. He was apparently
politically active and was killed by the Fascist forces at the beginning of
the Spanish Civil War.
14. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO. Arlo Guthrie (né Arlo Davy
Guthrie; b. July 10, 1947) is probably best known for his rendition of Alice's Restaurant.
15. "The Flintstones" pet: DINO. I watched The Flintstones as a kid.
16. Retired NBA great Shaquille: O'NEAL. Shaquille O'Neal
(né Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal; b. Mar. 6, 1972) also played basketball for LSU.
He still has strong ties to Louisiana.
20. "Farewell": ADIEU. Today's French lesson.
21. Pixar character: 'TOON.
22. Notion: IDEA.
23. __ sequitur: NON.
24. Loops in, in a way: CCs. Originally, CC denoted that a
document was Carbon Copied and dates to the era of the typewriter.
26. 2019 N.L. MVP Bellinger: CODY. Cody James Bellinger (b.
July 13, 1995) plays baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
28. Blackjack card: ACE.
29. Broke, as a law: VIOLATED.
37. Have bills to pay: OWE.
38. Mine extractions: ORES. A crossword staple.
39. Wyoming's Grand __ National Park: TETON. More of
today's French lesson.
40. Miracle Mets outfielder Tommie: AGEE. Tommie Agee (né
Tommie Lee Agee; Aug. 9, 1942 ~ Jan. 22, 2001) was also the Rookie of the Year
in 1966 when he played for the Chicago White Sox. Sadly, he died at age
58 of a heart attack.
41. Legged it: RAN.
44. Sporadically: IN SPURTS.
46. French summer: ÉTÉ. Our French lesson continues.
47. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI. A crossword staple.
48. "Dude!": BRO.
49. Comm. for the hearing-impaired: ASL. As in American Sign Language.
52. Toni Morrison title character: SULA. Sulu was first
published in 1973.
54. Cardamom-infused tea: CHAI. You, too, can make Chai tea.
57. Winnie-the-Pooh's creator: MILNE. A.A. Milne (né Alan
Alexander Milne; January 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) was a writer and playwright
before he created Winnie-the-Pooh in the 1920s as stories for his son, Christopher Robin Milne (Aug. 21,
1920 ~ Apr. 20, 1996).
62. Come after: ENSUE.
63. Perched upon: ATOP.
64. Automaker with a four-ring logo: AUDI.
65. Walk casually: MOSEY.
66. Microscope part: LENS.
Down:
1. Alabama head football coach Nick: SABAN. Before going to
Alabama, Nick Saban (né Nicholas Lou Saban, Jr.; b. Oct. 31, 1951) coached
football at LSU.
2. Belief system: CREDO.
3. Bold poker play: ALL IN.
4. Function: ROLE.
5. Hubbub: ADO.
6. Uses a sieve: SIFTS.
7. Gaga over: INTO.
Lady Gaga
8. NYC nabe: SOHO. SoHo is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan in an area South of Houston Street.
9. Soft toss: LOB.
10. New York lake near Utica: ONEIDA. My flatware is made
by Oneida.
11. "Shall we head out?": READY TO GO?
12. 12 bottles of wine: CASE.
13. Utah ski resort: ALTA.
18. New Mexico's state flower: YUCCA. It's a pretty flower.
19. Meet: ENCOUNTER.
25. Hockey face-off spot: CENTER ICE.
27. The Grand __ Opry: OLE. Loretta Lynn's 90th birthday
bash was at the Grand Ole Opry.
28. Donkey: ASS.
29. Casts a ballot: VOTES.
30. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR. Igor Stravinsky (June 17,
1882 ~ Apr. 6, 1971) is best-known for his ballet The Rite of Spring, which caused quite a riot when it premiered in Paris in 1913.
31. Vase-shaped jug: EWER.
32. Consider to be: DEEM.
33. Seaweed for sushi: NORI. Yummers. I am a big fan
if sushi.
34. Tehran's country: IRAN.
35. Foolish: SENSELESS.
36. "I __ my case": REST.
40. Had for dinner: ATE.
42. She & Him, e.g.: DUO. Hand up if you knew that this
was an actual musical duo.
43. Leaf pore: STOMA.
45. Memorial tablet: PLAQUE.
48. Badlands bovine: BISON.
49. Scrapbook: ALBUM.
50. Slyly cutting, as a remark: SNIDE.
51. Open the door for: LET IN.
52. Wineglass part: STEM.
53. "Hmm ... I doubt that": UH ... NO.
55. Recover: HEAL.
56. Start the poker pot: ANTE.
58. Big name in theaters?: IMAX.
60. Driver's turn, for short: UEY. Just one of several
spelling variations in the crossword puzzles.
61. Driver's aid, for short: GPS. As in the Global Positioning System. How did we ever live without it?
Here's the grid:
חתולה
To Anonymous-T: The "Souvenir" of which you spoke.
Notes from C.C.:
Happy birthday to dear Kelly Clark, who's brought so much comfort to me and Boomer. Kelly is also a very accomplished crossword constructor.
FIRight. Tuesday, but easier than Monday. Comics are my wheelhouse, so I picked this up at BEAST and STORM, two of the initial and main players. ROGUE and GAMBIT joined later. CSO to me at YUCCA and ASL (although I don't speak it. One of my grandsons is a classroom interpreter.) Easter eggs: TOON, SCAR (of Lion King), ARLO (of Arlo & Janis), MILNE (Winnie the Pooh), DINO (Flintstones), any others?
I don't even feel bad about missing the theme. It was so far out of my wheelhouse that I couldn't even see it from there. Noticed the CCs CSO to our own C.C. That U in SULA was a WAG, but a good one. D-o got 'er done, and in good time, so life is good. Thanx, Billy (is this an LAT debut?) and Hahtoolah. (You were in a violent mood today with broken eggs, headless snowman, dying eggs, and a squashed automobile.)
STEM: Last Wednesday our tax team went out for lunch after finishing the season. Hahtoolah's cartoon looks like the margaritas we had.
SIFT: Does anybody still SIFT flour? Mom used to use her trusty sifter every week baking bread and cakes. I know there's no flour sifter chez d-o.
I attacked this like a "Wolverine," finishing in 4:11 today.
I didn't see the theme, and probably wouldn't have even if looking for it. I know Wolverine and Professor Xavier are X-men. Would've recalled Storm eventually, but that's about it.
For all I know, Sula might as well have joined the X-men.
FIR, but erased uie for UEY. DNK LORCA, SULA, cardamom (sounds like what the bouncer does on lady's night), any of the XMEN, NORI, or the DUO.
So Bama hooked SABAN from LSU and Bear Bryant from UK. Maybe they should be required to fish outside of the SEC pond for coaches, just to make it fair. I'm still mad that Joe Willy Namath decided not to play for UK (as his brother did) because Bear eloped with the Tide.
Most face-offs occur at one of the spots below the blue lines. NHL playoffs start May 2nd.
My friend from Key Colony Beach (FL) was left with a STOMA when they removed his larynx. He never got the hang of speaking with the artificial voice box. Smoked too long and died too young.
Thanks to Billy for the fun, and to Hahtoolah for the visual treat.
With yesterdays' puzzle I thought maybe Patti was upping the early week puzzles to Wed. level, but I FIR. Today's was easier. I didn't know all the X-men but their clues were easy. I missed the U in SULA. Now I vaguely remember hearing it. Any vowel would have fit -hno. SABAN was all perps. Fun puzzle.
I hope you all had a wonderful April holiday with family and friends, since Ramadan, Easter and Passover all overlapped this year. We had a great Easter. Alan stayed with me Friday through Monday. David, Motoko, and Kenny came here for Easter dinner. I felt like a new bride cooking in her first rudimentary kitchen, since most of my appliances, serving dishes and baking pans were left behind when I moved. With many workarounds, the meal turned out well with great reviews. It was a joy to have everyone together. Kenny seems to be doing well in his first job after college. Hard to believe he is so grown up. Hahtoolah, I always enjoy your write-ups, especially the elephant cartoon today. Years ago we drove through a safari park in NJ where we were told to close our windows so the animals could come right up to our cars. We passed a VW Beetle with a bashed in trunk, where an elephant had chosen to sit just ten minutes before. Talk about up close and personal. I was amazed how the tattoos hid the ugly scars. Catch up day today. The holiday weekend has left me lazy.
I'm with YR on this one - went faster than Monday's puzzle. I have never seen an X-men movie but having kids who were teens when the X-men series of movies came out, I learned some of their names to have a conversation with the kids. I do remember that Jennifer Lawrence was Mystique in many of them before she was known for the Hunger Games/Katniss Everdeen era. I remember her being interviewed saying how tedious to have the blue paint all over her skin to play the part.
The Toyota Rav equivalent NISSAN ROGUE came quickly after I changed the MISO to NORI. I had helped my mom look for a small SUV last year when it was easier for her to get in and out of after her broken hip than a sedan. So we looked at those two plus the Honda CRV and Hyundai Tucscon among others.
Hello, all! I wrote today's crossword puzzle and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the write-up and the comments. I've been a big fan of this blog for years, reading off and on as my schedule permits. It's great to recognize some names in the comments! I realize that this theme will not appeal to everyone, but hopefully that didn't take away from your experience. I appreciate Patti giving this one the green light.
If anyone's interested, I did a deep dive on the construction of this puzzle here: https://solveinpen.blogspot.com/
I am afraid I am not qualified to comment on today's theme.
I think it all started, when I read the Dune Trilogy. I started with book two, went to book one, and finished book three, And never realised I read them out of order until much later...
Now, everyone raves about "X-Men." You must see it! They say... Which movie is best? I ask... "The first one!" They reply...
So, for the past ten+ years, I have been looking for the 1st movie to watch, and it is just not available anywhere at a price I am willing to pay. (Free) And I REFUSE TO WATCH THEM OUT OF ORDER!
HBD Kelly and Paul, Apologies, as you caught me in the middle of a grumpy rant... I just can't see making the effort to find you both visual cakes, if you may never even visit the blog to see them. So, "if" you visit today, I will bite my tongue, & post you scrumptious cakes.
P.s. I have the patience of (hmm, not a saint. Perhaps an Imp?) And just look at the bright side, thinking, X-Men? Well, at least I have a (trilogy?) of movies to look forward to...
Due to my lack of knowledge of the X Men, the theme was well hidden until the reveal which is fine with me. The only unknown was Cody and I had no w/os. We had another O parade with Arlo, Dino, Bro, Credo, Ado, Into, Soho, Duo, To Go, and Uh No. Fun duos were Ace/Queen, All In/Ante, and Uey/GPS. CSOs to CC (CCs), Role (Keith ), Lucina, Moe, Owen (Yucca), Case (Lemony and Hahtoolah), Alta (MalMan), Heal (Ray O and Inanehiker), and, I think, Ray O (Oneida). Where is Ray O, BTW?
Thanks, Billy, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for a fun and fact-filled expo. Favorite cartoons today were the Badminton playing Chickens (I laughed out loud!) and the Egg Dying Contest. DO’s comment about your violent mood also made me laugh out loud. (I’m amused easily.)
We got about 1 1/2” of snow but certain higher elevations were supposed to get up to 10”. The joys of living in The Great Northeast!
MY knowledge of pop culture concerning comic book characters? A minus 273°C or 0°K. The fills were easy but I had never heard (or will remember) of any of them. XMEN got filled by perps.
Had the pleasure of being able to see both Shaq ONEAL and Pistol Pete play at LSU. CODY Bellinger, LORCA, & SULA were filled by perps today.
Jinx- The Miami Dolphins got SABAN from LSU. He then went to Bama. YR- I was also thinking the same about Patti upping the early week puzzle levels.
No time to read all comments this morning. For a change I kept two times: total and minus interruptions. FIR in total 36, minus interruptions 15. DNK ALTA, LORCA, SULA, or any of the X-Men. So totally missed the theme. K, gotta run.
Hand up for not knowing SULA, and I left my WAG "aH NO" for today's FIW. You got me, Billy. My main WOs involved putting "ADIos" and "aster" before perps straightened that area out. OK, it's ADIEU and YUCCA. Makes sense. Did not know the characters in the theme but no problem finding them after the reveal. Thanks, Billy. Your debut with us? And thanks for stopping by to comment.
Hahtoolah, you cheered me up with your witty review filled with cartoons and extra info. Thanks! My favorite word today was PLAQUE. Never saw it in a crossword puzzle before.
During DESERT STORM we were living in a German neighborhood in Bonn. Interesting experience.
Hope you all have a great day, especially Kelly Clark and AnonymousPVX who are celebrating their birthdays!
"Pixar Character". Almost put Lamp. The reading lamp that jumps around the Pixar logo before the feature. BELLY etc.. a hostile place not situation? Hope you've seen THE QUEENS GAMBIT.
Everyone know Shaq but some other sports clues not so obvious.🤔
Uey!!!*😡 ....AUDI...once again, the worst car I've ever owned. Never knew when I turned the key if it would start that day.😳
When I was a kid we went to Oneida Lake's Verona Beach State park or Sylvan Beach every summer, a half hour from our house in Utica. Sylvan Beach had a midway with rides and an arcade, and some fun restaurants. The Oneida Indians just put up a casino and restaurant on the beach last year. The village of Sylvan Beach one of the quaint old interestng beach towns on the lake.😊
Reponse to a flick of the cape....OLE Staunch....STEM Foothills ____ mountains....ARLO Hubbub...ADIEU Bad guy....HEAL
Have had a seamless generator installed at our home. Trying for months to get the installer out to hook it up with no luck so far. Today 6000 homes in Oneida County without power due to a freak winter storm. Luckily not us. In Reboboth Beach Delaware where last night we had 40s tropical storm like conditions. My daughter did t want to fly yet so we picked the closest beach to drive to hoping when we booked months ago it would be warmer 😒
Sunny on the boardwalk today ..at least it's not snowing here and the lights work..
Thank you Billy Ouska for a challenging Tuesday puzzle, and for chiming in and giving your comments on the blog.
Thank you Hahtoolah, for your always delightful cartoons and other comments in the review, I look forward to the Tuesday blog, hoping that you might be the blogger.
The puxxle was unusual with so many names, that I was not familiar with, the X-Men and the sports figures, which I am ignorant about, but I finally managed to complete it in good time.
Althought it is tempting and tantalizing to allocate any changes in the style of the Crossword Construction to the change in leadership of the editor's position to Patti Varol .... I think it would be fair to wait for atleast six months before making such decisions, IMHO.
I found the article, and pictures about the tattoos to cover up scars very interesting. Personally I know of no family members who have tatoos on any part of their bodies, but I can understand why many young people, especially young women who may and do sport the inks.
I have a lot of scars about my arms and body ( particularly, my chest and abdomen ) due to a plethora of recent operations, .... but I would rather die or be hung upside down than to have a tatoo to cover any of them....
First of all, it does not bother me at all, and I am not going to be wearing a bikini anytime soon. ;-o) ... or ever.
Second of all, I have more serious things to worry about.
The Queens Gambit, was a very well produced Netflix series, and if you have any interest in the chess playing genre, and a strong belief in feminism, ... it is a delight, and I binge watched it.... Just like I had hoped for the first female US President, I have always hoped for a true female world chess champion !
Have a happy Tuesday, and the rest of the week, you all.
In my years of experience, I have come across both Spanish poets and Marvel comic characters, so this was puzzle was not too difficult for me. I knew most of the proper names with the exceptions of Nick and Cody. "Alta" and "uey" both usually look wrong to me, but they often come up in puzzles. FIR, so I'm satisfied.
Musings -ADIEU is my favorite first word in WORDLE -Do you remember getting a Carbon Copy receipt in days of yore? -We rode with our daughter Sunday, and she VIOLATED every speed limit in our town -AGEE – I’ll take the Met over the playwright any day :-) -His distinctive voice rings in my ears when I think of Winnie The Pooh -SABAN failed in the NFL but has created “The Yankees” of college football. You hate ‘em or love ‘em. -Shaq received many a LOB above the rim that he then proceeded to slam down -A lot of VOTES may be lost for Nebraska governor after this explosive report surfaced last week -You’d have to go to a zoo to see a real buffalo in America. It’s BISON who “roam” here. -Seeing a shuttle launch in an IMAX theater at KSC was an amazing visual and auditory experience -Fabulous info, Billy!
Fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Billy, and thanks for checking in with us. And I always enjoy your commentary and pictures, Hahtoolah, thanks for those too.
Started off with ARLO, and then came DINO, followed by ONEAL--enjoyable start to an enjoyable puzzle.
Liked the shout-out to our dear CC.
What would crosswords do without ORE and ETE? They show up almost daily.
Well, I'm back with a little more time. The roofers have finally finished the roof. I am unhappy because I signed the contract last August and have been waiting all this time so they could get enough isoboard to put under the membrane on the fklat roof part of the roof to create a slight slope so there would be no standing water after a rain. Then they didn't use all the isoboard, hauled away about 1/3 of what was here, and I ended up with puddles anyway, after waiting more than seven months so there would be no puddles. Now the roofer says, "The building code defines a puddle as a pool of water more than 1/2" deep and more than 16" in diameter that persists for more than 48 hours after a rain. So this roof is perfect." What a weasel! Anyway, the building inspector was here and declared it to be an excellent job. Now I've gotta fix the huge hole in the ceiling of the room with the pool table, where one of their workers fell through the roof AND the ceiling and landed on my pool table. He was not injured, but the whole ceiling now need to be rescrewed to the joists, as when he hit one of the ceiling joists it knocked the plasterboard down, and I need to get the hole patched. I'm way too old to be dealing with all this. As for the CW, nice job, thanx BO, and thanx Hahtoolah for the nice write-up. Between calls from the roofer, the building department, the ceiling repair guys....too many interruotions this morning. We all seem to have our share of problems.
Thank you, Billy Ouska! You inserted one of my favorite all time poets, Federico Garcia LORCA. His poetry is lyrical and often dark. It's no wonder considering the life he had. Being gay in the 30s & 40s literally led to jail and/or torture. In spite of it all he wrote some beautiful lines including plays. La Boda de Sangre (The Blood Wedding) is one of his most famous.
The rest of the puzzle was fairly easy, too, and I finished in good time. I did not watch THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT but have heard so much about it that I filled it immediately.
I am hoping to HEAL quickly from a raspy cough and seasonal allergies which cause congestion.
Happy birthday, Kelly Clark! Happy birthday, Anon PVX I wish you both joyful celebrations!
I’m not familiar with the X men, but worked the puzzle just just fine. It was easy and enjoyable. I like Husker Gary’s suggestion of adieu as a Wordle word. It at least helps reveal the vowels. I’ll try it tomorrow.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Billy (thanks for dropping by) and Hahtoolah. I got the XMEN theme, even though like most of us here, I am not a fan, but like AtlGranny et. al., I WAGged the wrong vowel in SULA. I was trying to decide between an A or an E, but I thought the more Canadian EH NO sounded a little strange. But A was wrong too.
The choice of clueing leaned towards sports. Yes, Vidwan, I agree with your advice that we should wait for a bit (maybe not 6 months) before assigning changes in style to Patti.
And of course you all know that in Canada, the puck is dropped at Centre Ice. I’m not sure if it is a Canadian thing that I did not know what Comm. stood for. I got ASL from the “hearing impaired” part of the clue, but wondered what a Committee had to do with it.
Happy Birthday to Kelly and Paul.
Wishing you all a good day. We got an inch of snow here, and it is cold (just above freezing. No YUCCA flowers here.
C-Eh! Center ice faceoffs are used to start each period, to restart play after a goal, and occasionally for other stoppages of play. But the real action happens at faceoffs down by the goals. Sorry to be so enthusiastic, but I just finished watching the Capitals @ Avalanche from last night, and I'm still wound up like a five year old after drinking an espresso. What a game!
Excellent PZL from Billy Ouska, beautifully answered by Hahtoolah!
Only word to give me pause = SABAN. Otherwise, this was a perfect balance IMHO of challenge and fills. ~ OMK ____________ DR: One diagonal per side = 2. On the near side, we have a Jackpot!!, a full anagram (ALL 15 of 15 letters) referring to a breath mint that did not always do the job as intended. Now discontinued, I mean those ...
For Sherry at 8:52 AM, re names: 1. LORCA 2. ARLO 3. O'NEAL 4. CODY 5. AGEE 6. SULA 7. MILNE 8. SABAN 9. IGOR If you add names of animals, places, and cars: 10. DINO 11. TETON 12. AUDI 13. SOHO 14. ONEIDA 15. ALTA 16. IRAN
Hi Y'all! Not on your wave-length, Billy, but thanks for the challenge. Very chuckle-worthy, Hahtoolah. Thanks, I needed that.
NISSAN ROGUE was a gimmee. My SIL has one, my daughter, his wife, drives a RAV-4.
Never read or watched Marvel stuff except for TV trailers. Doesn't look comical to me. Got the theme answers without knowing Marvel.
Also DNK: SABAN, LORCA, TOON, CODY, NORI, AGEE, SULA. Didn't realize CCS clue meant carbon copies. I made a many of those in my office years. Nabe? Good grief! They don't live in a "'hood" anymore?
Happy natale anniversary: Kelly & Paul.
Owen: We are seeing a TV PSA here this week warning people about the type of gift card scam ruining your finances. Praying for you.
Hey, Wilbur @2:56! I wouldn't exactly identify James AGEE as a "playwright." I would list him first as a(n autobiographical) novelist (Pulitzer Prize winner for A Death in the Family), then as a film critic and journalist. Lastly as a screenwriter. His indirect claim to being a playwright would be for the stage adaptation of his Pulitzer book. But that version (called All the Way Home) was made by Tad Mosel, not AGEE. ~ OMK
FIR, but ONLY because I changed OHNO to UHNO on a hunch.
Thanks, Billy, and thanks for stopping by the Corner! Usual excellent job, Hahtoolah! I too had less trouble today than I did yesterday.
I've never seen the XMEN (XPEOPLE???), but I had no problem spotting them with the clue for 67A.
Yes, I knew She and Him were a musical duo, because my first thought when I first heard their name was that it is grammatically incorrect.
HBD, Kelly and Paul.
I’ve been driving a RAV4 ever since Bambi murdered my PT Cruiser back in November, 2014. It’s OK, BUT.... Oh, and Bambi got off scot free! He got up and ran off without even exchanging information.
Re. ROGUE. I have a peeve about Mad-Ave using there powers to imply that "rogue" driving is OK. And then Nissan has the gall to name a model that way.
I drive US 75 and they drive 90-100 in far right lane swerving as needed. If I'm in far left I can never safely change lanes because I can't see a qtr mile back on far right. The more caution the easier it is for them to hit me.
Thanks for the puzzle and for swinging by The Corner, Billy. I'll check out your blog later (tomorrow?).
Fun-tastic expo, Hahtoolah. I always love The Far Side. We had to fill HIM or SHE a few weeks ago in relation to the DUO (and I remembered!). Thanks for the song. And cool TATTOO link. My Army (Ret) BRO's chest and back are inked... Me? UH, NO.
WOs: VOTEd, forgot the N in ENCOUNTER for a second ESPs: SABAN, CODY, AGEE, LORCA|ONEIDA, SULA, IGOR Fav: READY TO GO. I always am but the rest of the family -- it's herding turtles.
DESERT STORM was so short that Pres Bush dropped the 180day requirement to only 90 days of Active Duty. At the end of my activation, I had 88 days + 3 days of leave the Army tacked on. I get full VA bennies for that :-)
OMK, BOARDERLINE CERTS? Wouldn't that be those technical certifications that folks pass but still are worthless in the job hunt? :-)
Happy Birthdays to PVX & Kelly Clark. Hope it was a nice day for both y'all.
Unclefred - I feel for you... What a PITA your roof has been.
CED - Re Steak Cake video. She's from TX or at least she shops here; the steak is fromH.E.B..
WC - No. DEC's Alta Vista was eaten by Yahoo in 2003 and killed 10 years later. The domain still exists but sends you to Yahoo!
LeoIII - Bambi totaled our Escape hybrid w/ Youngest behind the wheel. Youngest was more upset about hurting a deer than the SUV. //she has a Civic now
Well, it was another 14 hour day investigating another phraud attempt. The bad guys are getting pretty creative with 'here's our new ACH' phish. //I think our awareness training is working! Accounting hasn't fallen for it yet :-)
I have been under the weather all day and not felt like doing much of anything. Mark came over and made an omelet for us for dinner. However, my appetite was low. I've been drinking water by the gallon, though. I feel much better now so tomorrow should be a good day.
51 comments:
FIRight. Tuesday, but easier than Monday.
Comics are my wheelhouse, so I picked this up at BEAST and STORM, two of the initial and main players. ROGUE and GAMBIT joined later.
CSO to me at YUCCA and ASL (although I don't speak it. One of my grandsons is a classroom interpreter.)
Easter eggs: TOON, SCAR (of Lion King), ARLO (of Arlo & Janis), MILNE (Winnie the Pooh), DINO (Flintstones), any others?
Good morning!
I don't even feel bad about missing the theme. It was so far out of my wheelhouse that I couldn't even see it from there. Noticed the CCs CSO to our own C.C. That U in SULA was a WAG, but a good one. D-o got 'er done, and in good time, so life is good. Thanx, Billy (is this an LAT debut?) and Hahtoolah. (You were in a violent mood today with broken eggs, headless snowman, dying eggs, and a squashed automobile.)
STEM: Last Wednesday our tax team went out for lunch after finishing the season. Hahtoolah's cartoon looks like the margaritas we had.
SIFT: Does anybody still SIFT flour? Mom used to use her trusty sifter every week baking bread and cakes. I know there's no flour sifter chez d-o.
Good Morning, Crossword friends.
D-O: My mom, too, had a sifter, which I used when I was a kid. It was fun to use. I rarely bake anymore, and have actually never owned a sifter.
I hope everyone in the northeast is safe from the nor'easter. it's way too late for such a heavy storm.
QOD: The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. ~ Michael Altshuler, American entrepreneur
I attacked this like a "Wolverine," finishing in 4:11 today.
I didn't see the theme, and probably wouldn't have even if looking for it. I know Wolverine and Professor Xavier are X-men. Would've recalled Storm eventually, but that's about it.
For all I know, Sula might as well have joined the X-men.
FIR, but erased uie for UEY. DNK LORCA, SULA, cardamom (sounds like what the bouncer does on lady's night), any of the XMEN, NORI, or the DUO.
So Bama hooked SABAN from LSU and Bear Bryant from UK. Maybe they should be required to fish outside of the SEC pond for coaches, just to make it fair. I'm still mad that Joe Willy Namath decided not to play for UK (as his brother did) because Bear eloped with the Tide.
Most face-offs occur at one of the spots below the blue lines. NHL playoffs start May 2nd.
My friend from Key Colony Beach (FL) was left with a STOMA when they removed his larynx. He never got the hang of speaking with the artificial voice box. Smoked too long and died too young.
Thanks to Billy for the fun, and to Hahtoolah for the visual treat.
FIW. Didn't know Sula.
With yesterdays' puzzle I thought maybe Patti was upping the early week puzzles to Wed. level, but I FIR. Today's was easier. I didn't know all the X-men but their clues were easy. I missed the U in SULA. Now I vaguely remember hearing it. Any vowel would have fit -hno. SABAN was all perps. Fun puzzle.
I hope you all had a wonderful April holiday with family and friends, since Ramadan, Easter and Passover all overlapped this year. We had a great Easter. Alan stayed with me Friday through Monday. David, Motoko, and Kenny came here for Easter dinner. I felt like a new bride cooking in her first rudimentary kitchen, since most of my appliances, serving dishes and baking pans were left behind when I moved. With many workarounds, the meal turned out well with great reviews. It was a joy to have everyone together. Kenny seems to be doing well in his first job after college. Hard to believe he is so grown up.
Hahtoolah, I always enjoy your write-ups, especially the elephant cartoon today. Years ago we drove through a safari park in NJ where we were told to close our windows so the animals could come right up to our cars. We passed a VW Beetle with a bashed in trunk, where an elephant had chosen to sit just ten minutes before. Talk about up close and personal.
I was amazed how the tattoos hid the ugly scars.
Catch up day today. The holiday weekend has left me lazy.
I'm with YR on this one - went faster than Monday's puzzle.
I have never seen an X-men movie but having kids who were teens when the X-men series of movies came out, I learned some of their names to have a conversation with the kids. I do remember that Jennifer Lawrence was Mystique in many of them before she was known for the Hunger Games/Katniss Everdeen era. I remember her being interviewed saying how tedious to have the blue paint all over her skin to play the part.
The Toyota Rav equivalent NISSAN ROGUE came quickly after I changed the MISO to NORI. I had helped my mom look for a small SUV last year when it was easier for her to get in and out of after her broken hip than a sedan. So we looked at those two plus the Honda CRV and Hyundai Tucscon among others.
Thanks Susan and Billy!
HBD to Kelly and Paul!
Too many proper names. 20? Or so, from my count. Yuk
Hello, all! I wrote today's crossword puzzle and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the write-up and the comments. I've been a big fan of this blog for years, reading off and on as my schedule permits. It's great to recognize some names in the comments! I realize that this theme will not appeal to everyone, but hopefully that didn't take away from your experience. I appreciate Patti giving this one the green light.
If anyone's interested, I did a deep dive on the construction of this puzzle here: https://solveinpen.blogspot.com/
Thanks for solving!
I am afraid I am not qualified to comment on today's theme.
I think it all started, when I read the Dune Trilogy.
I started with book two, went to book one, and finished book three,
And never realised I read them out of order until much later...
Now, everyone raves about "X-Men."
You must see it! They say...
Which movie is best? I ask...
"The first one!" They reply...
So, for the past ten+ years, I have been looking for the 1st movie to watch,
and it is just not available anywhere at a price I am willing to pay. (Free)
And I REFUSE TO WATCH THEM OUT OF ORDER!
HBD Kelly and Paul,
Apologies, as you caught me in the middle of a grumpy rant...
I just can't see making the effort to find you both visual cakes, if you may never even visit the blog to see them.
So, "if" you visit today, I will bite my tongue, & post you scrumptious cakes.
P.s.
I have the patience of (hmm, not a saint. Perhaps an Imp?)
And just look at the bright side, thinking, X-Men? Well, at least I have a (trilogy?) of movies to look forward to...
Good Morning:
Due to my lack of knowledge of the X Men, the theme was well hidden until the reveal which is fine with me. The only unknown was Cody and I had no w/os. We had another O parade with Arlo, Dino, Bro, Credo, Ado, Into, Soho, Duo, To Go, and Uh No. Fun duos were Ace/Queen, All In/Ante, and Uey/GPS. CSOs to CC (CCs), Role (Keith ), Lucina, Moe, Owen (Yucca), Case (Lemony and Hahtoolah), Alta (MalMan), Heal (Ray O and Inanehiker), and, I think, Ray O (Oneida). Where is Ray O, BTW?
Thanks, Billy, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for a fun and fact-filled expo. Favorite cartoons today were the Badminton playing Chickens (I laughed out loud!) and the Egg Dying Contest. DO’s comment about your violent mood also made me laugh out loud. (I’m amused easily.)
We got about 1 1/2” of snow but certain higher elevations were supposed to get up to 10”. The joys of living in The Great Northeast!
Have a great day.
MY knowledge of pop culture concerning comic book characters? A minus 273°C or 0°K. The fills were easy but I had never heard (or will remember) of any of them. XMEN got filled by perps.
Had the pleasure of being able to see both Shaq ONEAL and Pistol Pete play at LSU.
CODY Bellinger, LORCA, & SULA were filled by perps today.
Jinx- The Miami Dolphins got SABAN from LSU. He then went to Bama.
YR- I was also thinking the same about Patti upping the early week puzzle levels.
Sorry, I forgot:
Happy Birthday, Kelly Clark, hope it’s special. 🎂🎂🎁🎉💐🎊
Happy Birthday, Paul, hope all is well in your world. 🎂🎁🎊💐🎉
No time to read all comments this morning. For a change I kept two times: total and minus interruptions. FIR in total 36, minus interruptions 15. DNK ALTA, LORCA, SULA, or any of the X-Men. So totally missed the theme. K, gotta run.
Hand up for not knowing SULA, and I left my WAG "aH NO" for today's FIW. You got me, Billy. My main WOs involved putting "ADIos" and "aster" before perps straightened that area out. OK, it's ADIEU and YUCCA. Makes sense. Did not know the characters in the theme but no problem finding them after the reveal. Thanks, Billy. Your debut with us? And thanks for stopping by to comment.
Hahtoolah, you cheered me up with your witty review filled with cartoons and extra info. Thanks! My favorite word today was PLAQUE. Never saw it in a crossword puzzle before.
During DESERT STORM we were living in a German neighborhood in Bonn. Interesting experience.
Hope you all have a great day, especially Kelly Clark and AnonymousPVX who are celebrating their birthdays!
For a Tuesday a bit crunchy. perps helped a lot.
"Pixar Character". Almost put Lamp. The reading lamp that jumps around the Pixar logo before the feature. BELLY etc.. a hostile place not situation? Hope you've seen THE QUEENS GAMBIT.
Everyone know Shaq but some other sports clues not so obvious.🤔
Uey!!!*😡 ....AUDI...once again, the worst car I've ever owned. Never knew when I turned the key if it would start that day.😳
When I was a kid we went to Oneida Lake's Verona Beach State park or Sylvan Beach every summer, a half hour from our house in Utica. Sylvan Beach had a midway with rides and an arcade, and some fun restaurants. The Oneida Indians just put up a casino and restaurant on the beach last year. The village of Sylvan Beach one of the quaint old interestng beach towns on the lake.😊
Reponse to a flick of the cape....OLE
Staunch....STEM
Foothills ____ mountains....ARLO
Hubbub...ADIEU
Bad guy....HEAL
Have had a seamless generator installed at our home. Trying for months to get the installer out to hook it up with no luck so far. Today 6000 homes in Oneida County without power due to a freak winter storm. Luckily not us. In Reboboth Beach Delaware where last night we had 40s tropical storm like conditions. My daughter did t want to fly yet so we picked the closest beach to drive to hoping when we booked months ago it would be warmer 😒
Sunny on the boardwalk today ..at least it's not snowing here and the lights work..
Thank you Billy Ouska for a challenging Tuesday puzzle, and for chiming in and giving your comments on the blog.
Thank you Hahtoolah, for your always delightful cartoons and other comments in the review, I look forward to the Tuesday blog, hoping that you might be the blogger.
The puxxle was unusual with so many names, that I was not familiar with, the X-Men and the sports figures, which I am ignorant about, but I finally managed to complete it in good time.
Althought it is tempting and tantalizing to allocate any changes in the style of the Crossword Construction to the change in leadership of the editor's position to Patti Varol .... I think it would be fair to wait for atleast six months before making such decisions, IMHO.
I found the article, and pictures about the tattoos to cover up scars very interesting. Personally I know of no family members who have tatoos on any part of their bodies, but I can understand why many young people, especially young women who may and do sport the inks.
I have a lot of scars about my arms and body ( particularly, my chest and abdomen ) due to a plethora of recent operations, .... but I would rather die or be hung upside down than to have a tatoo to cover any of them....
First of all, it does not bother me at all, and I am not going to be wearing a bikini anytime soon. ;-o) ... or ever.
Second of all, I have more serious things to worry about.
The Queens Gambit, was a very well produced Netflix series, and if you have any interest in the chess playing genre, and a strong belief in feminism, ... it is a delight, and I binge watched it.... Just like I had hoped for the first female US President, I have always hoped for a true female world chess champion !
Have a happy Tuesday, and the rest of the week, you all.
Happy Birthday, Paul and Kelly!
In my years of experience, I have come across both Spanish poets and Marvel comic characters, so this was puzzle was not too difficult for me. I knew most of the proper names with the exceptions of Nick and Cody. "Alta" and "uey" both usually look wrong to me, but they often come up in puzzles. FIR, so I'm satisfied.
No, Seriously!
You better show up today, Paul and Kelly!
These cakes are a lot of work!
Musings
-ADIEU is my favorite first word in WORDLE
-Do you remember getting a Carbon Copy receipt in days of yore?
-We rode with our daughter Sunday, and she VIOLATED every speed limit in our town
-AGEE – I’ll take the Met over the playwright any day :-)
-His distinctive voice rings in my ears when I think of Winnie The Pooh
-SABAN failed in the NFL but has created “The Yankees” of college football. You hate ‘em or love ‘em.
-Shaq received many a LOB above the rim that he then proceeded to slam down
-A lot of VOTES may be lost for Nebraska governor after this explosive report surfaced last week
-You’d have to go to a zoo to see a real buffalo in America. It’s BISON who “roam” here.
-Seeing a shuttle launch in an IMAX theater at KSC was an amazing visual and auditory experience
-Fabulous info, Billy!
Much easier than Monday. Anybody still use ALTA Vista? Is it around, Tony?
Anybody notice TITIAN*(Sunday xword)was a Jeopardy answer last night. I finished Sunday late Monday. Messed it up good
HG, I always pick a different Wordle word. Usually the last one I saw. It almost beat me this morning.
Love hahtoolah write-ups. And…
Hbd to the once and future PVX and Kelly
Even this baseball guy needed a perp or two for CODY Bellinger
WC
* She pronounced it Teesh-an
Fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Billy, and thanks for checking in with us. And I always enjoy your commentary and pictures, Hahtoolah, thanks for those too.
Started off with ARLO, and then came DINO, followed by ONEAL--enjoyable start to an enjoyable puzzle.
Liked the shout-out to our dear CC.
What would crosswords do without ORE and ETE? They show up almost daily.
Nice to see A. A. MILNE this morning.
Happy birthday to Kelly and Paul.
Have a great day, everybody.
Well, I'm back with a little more time. The roofers have finally finished the roof. I am unhappy because I signed the contract last August and have been waiting all this time so they could get enough isoboard to put under the membrane on the fklat roof part of the roof to create a slight slope so there would be no standing water after a rain. Then they didn't use all the isoboard, hauled away about 1/3 of what was here, and I ended up with puddles anyway, after waiting more than seven months so there would be no puddles. Now the roofer says, "The building code defines a puddle as a pool of water more than 1/2" deep and more than 16" in diameter that persists for more than 48 hours after a rain. So this roof is perfect." What a weasel! Anyway, the building inspector was here and declared it to be an excellent job. Now I've gotta fix the huge hole in the ceiling of the room with the pool table, where one of their workers fell through the roof AND the ceiling and landed on my pool table. He was not injured, but the whole ceiling now need to be rescrewed to the joists, as when he hit one of the ceiling joists it knocked the plasterboard down, and I need to get the hole patched. I'm way too old to be dealing with all this. As for the CW, nice job, thanx BO, and thanx Hahtoolah for the nice write-up. Between calls from the roofer, the building department, the ceiling repair guys....too many interruotions this morning. We all seem to have our share of problems.
Hola!
Thank you, Billy Ouska! You inserted one of my favorite all time poets, Federico Garcia LORCA. His poetry is lyrical and often dark. It's no wonder considering the life he had. Being gay in the 30s & 40s literally led to jail and/or torture. In spite of it all he wrote some beautiful lines including plays. La Boda de Sangre (The Blood Wedding) is one of his most famous.
The rest of the puzzle was fairly easy, too, and I finished in good time. I did not watch THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT but have heard so much about it that I filled it immediately.
I am hoping to HEAL quickly from a raspy cough and seasonal allergies which cause congestion.
Happy birthday, Kelly Clark!
Happy birthday, Anon PVX
I wish you both joyful celebrations!
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Thanks to all for the Birthday wishes, appreciated.
I’m not familiar with the X men, but worked the puzzle just just fine. It was easy and enjoyable. I like Husker Gary’s suggestion of adieu as a Wordle word. It at least helps reveal the vowels. I’ll try it tomorrow.
Paul!
this cakes for you!
Now,, where is Kelly....
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Billy (thanks for dropping by) and Hahtoolah.
I got the XMEN theme, even though like most of us here, I am not a fan, but like AtlGranny et. al., I WAGged the wrong vowel in SULA. I was trying to decide between an A or an E, but I thought the more Canadian EH NO sounded a little strange. But A was wrong too.
The choice of clueing leaned towards sports. Yes, Vidwan, I agree with your advice that we should wait for a bit (maybe not 6 months) before assigning changes in style to Patti.
And of course you all know that in Canada, the puck is dropped at Centre Ice.
I’m not sure if it is a Canadian thing that I did not know what Comm. stood for. I got ASL from the “hearing impaired” part of the clue, but wondered what a Committee had to do with it.
Happy Birthday to Kelly and Paul.
Wishing you all a good day. We got an inch of snow here, and it is cold (just above freezing. No YUCCA flowers here.
C-Eh! Center ice faceoffs are used to start each period, to restart play after a goal, and occasionally for other stoppages of play. But the real action happens at faceoffs down by the goals. Sorry to be so enthusiastic, but I just finished watching the Capitals @ Avalanche from last night, and I'm still wound up like a five year old after drinking an espresso. What a game!
CanadianEh!@1:36 PM: I believe "Comm." stands for "Communication" as in "Communication for the hearing-impaired." FYI
Excellent PZL from Billy Ouska, beautifully answered by Hahtoolah!
Only word to give me pause = SABAN. Otherwise, this was a perfect balance IMHO of challenge and fills.
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal per side = 2.
On the near side, we have a Jackpot!!, a full anagram (ALL 15 of 15 letters) referring to a breath mint that did not always do the job as intended.
Now discontinued, I mean those ...
"BORDERLINE 'CERTS'"!
I have been solving, and sometimes not solving, all the puzzles these last several days, and have been very much enjoying reading all your comments.
Jinx, Canadian Eh would drop the puck at
CENTRE ICE.
It's us Yanks who would do it at
CENTER ICE.
For Sherry at 8:52 AM, re names:
1. LORCA
2. ARLO
3. O'NEAL
4. CODY
5. AGEE
6. SULA
7. MILNE
8. SABAN
9. IGOR
If you add names of animals, places, and cars:
10. DINO
11. TETON
12. AUDI
13. SOHO
14. ONEIDA
15. ALTA
16. IRAN
Happy Birthday, Paul -- and thanks to C.C. and all you Cornerites for the birthday wishes. You guys take the cake! :-)
I just love this blog.
Congratulations to Billy on your puzzle, and thank you, Hahtoolah, for your exposition.
P.S. CrossEyed Dave -- now that's what I call a cake! :-)
Sherry and Jayce, I noticed a lot of proper names yesterday, too.
Someone did pose an interesting question: Which is more obscure: A 60s mediocre MLBer or a 30s/40s playwright. eg AGEE.
WC
Dag nab it OKL. That V8 can HURT! Thanks.
Hi Y'all! Not on your wave-length, Billy, but thanks for the challenge. Very chuckle-worthy, Hahtoolah. Thanks, I needed that.
NISSAN ROGUE was a gimmee. My SIL has one, my daughter, his wife, drives a RAV-4.
Never read or watched Marvel stuff except for TV trailers. Doesn't look comical to me. Got the theme answers without knowing Marvel.
Also DNK: SABAN, LORCA, TOON, CODY, NORI, AGEE, SULA. Didn't realize CCS clue meant carbon copies. I made a many of those in my office years. Nabe? Good grief! They don't live in a "'hood" anymore?
Happy natale anniversary: Kelly & Paul.
Owen: We are seeing a TV PSA here this week warning people about the type of gift card scam ruining your finances. Praying for you.
Hey, Wilbur @2:56!
I wouldn't exactly identify James AGEE as a "playwright." I would list him first as a(n autobiographical) novelist (Pulitzer Prize winner for A Death in the Family), then as a film critic and journalist. Lastly as a screenwriter.
His indirect claim to being a playwright would be for the stage adaptation of his Pulitzer book. But that version (called All the Way Home) was made by Tad Mosel, not AGEE.
~ OMK
I wasn't judging Patti or predicting anything. Just a random passing thought. First impression.
Kelly, you came!
this cakes for you!
Paul and Kelly,
Have a very happy birthday,
and thanks for stopping by...
If you have a way past its paywall, HERE is an article on their Diverse Crossword Constructor fellowship.
Aw, CrossedEyedDave -- it looks delicious! Thank you! :-)
P.S. CYDave...it looks like my clone has stepped in to accept Kelly Clark's thanks :-)
FIR, but ONLY because I changed OHNO to UHNO on a hunch.
Thanks, Billy, and thanks for stopping by the Corner! Usual excellent job, Hahtoolah! I too had less trouble today than I did yesterday.
I've never seen the XMEN (XPEOPLE???), but I had no problem spotting them with the clue for 67A.
Yes, I knew She and Him were a musical duo, because my first thought when I first heard their name was that it is grammatically incorrect.
HBD, Kelly and Paul.
I’ve been driving a RAV4 ever since Bambi murdered my PT Cruiser back in November, 2014. It’s OK, BUT.... Oh, and Bambi got off scot free! He got up and ran off without even exchanging information.
Later….
Re. ROGUE. I have a peeve about Mad-Ave using there powers to imply that "rogue" driving is OK. And then Nissan has the gall to name a model that way.
I drive US 75 and they drive 90-100 in far right lane swerving as needed. If I'm in far left I can never safely change lanes because I can't see a qtr mile back on far right. The more caution the easier it is for them to hit me.
WC
Hi All!
Thanks for the puzzle and for swinging by The Corner, Billy. I'll check out your blog later (tomorrow?).
Fun-tastic expo, Hahtoolah. I always love The Far Side. We had to fill HIM or SHE a few weeks ago in relation to the DUO (and I remembered!). Thanks for the song.
And cool TATTOO link. My Army (Ret) BRO's chest and back are inked...
Me? UH, NO.
WOs: VOTEd, forgot the N in ENCOUNTER for a second
ESPs: SABAN, CODY, AGEE, LORCA|ONEIDA, SULA, IGOR
Fav: READY TO GO. I always am but the rest of the family -- it's herding turtles.
DESERT STORM was so short that Pres Bush dropped the 180day requirement to only 90 days of Active Duty. At the end of my activation, I had 88 days + 3 days of leave the Army tacked on. I get full VA bennies for that :-)
OMK, BOARDERLINE CERTS? Wouldn't that be those technical certifications that folks pass but still are worthless in the job hunt? :-)
Happy Birthdays to PVX & Kelly Clark. Hope it was a nice day for both y'all.
Unclefred - I feel for you... What a PITA your roof has been.
Ray-O: The lamp's name is Luxo Jr.
CED - Re Steak Cake video. She's from TX or at least she shops here; the steak is fromH.E.B..
WC - No. DEC's Alta Vista was eaten by Yahoo in 2003 and killed 10 years later. The domain still exists but sends you to Yahoo!
LeoIII - Bambi totaled our Escape hybrid w/ Youngest behind the wheel. Youngest was more upset about hurting a deer than the SUV. //she has a Civic now
Well, it was another 14 hour day investigating another phraud attempt. The bad guys are getting pretty creative with 'here's our new ACH' phish. //I think our awareness training is working! Accounting hasn't fallen for it yet :-)
Cheers, -T
I have been under the weather all day and not felt like doing much of anything. Mark came over and made an omelet for us for dinner. However, my appetite was low. I've been drinking water by the gallon, though. I feel much better now so tomorrow should be a good day.
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