Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with the line on today's puzzle. Today's constructors are Dave Taber & Laura Moll. They have had at least two previous puzzles reviewed here on The Corner (24 November 2021 and just last week on 22 June 2022) and there are references to them on the Crossword Fiend site.
There is no reveal as such in today's puzzle. However, a recurring hint to the theme is included in each of the themed clues. There are three of these, one of which is in two parts. Those clues all have "LINE" as part of the clue so I guess that's the party line and I'm sticking to it.
12 Across: Hotline?: I'M ON FIRE. A line about being "hot". The Boss, perhaps, said it best:
19 Across: Deadline?: ET TU BRUTE. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Spoken as Caesar is being stabbed to death. A line about "Dead".
39 Across: Clothesline?: KEEP YOUR PANTS ON. Colloquialism for "be patient". Pants are clothes. A line about "Clothes".
57 Across: With 69-Across, Lifeline?: HE LIKES IT.
69 Across: See 57-Across: HEY MIKEY.
A line about "Life" cereal.
1. Gratuity: TIP. Fifteen percent? Eighteen percent? Twenty percent? Before or including tax?
4. Bow (out): OPT.
7. Personal records: BESTS.
15. Only state that shares a time zone with Alaska: HAWAII. On the map below, in the only double-sized rectangle, west of the tip of Baja California and south of Alaska, you will see the Hawaiian Islands .
16. Bag: CUP OF TEA. Precisely, at the 0:33 and 1:40 marks:
17. Brunch order: OMELET. A dish often served in crossword puzzles
18. Gush: SPEW.
21. The WNBA's Dream, on sports crawls: ATL. Women's National Basketball Association.
18. Gush: SPEW.
21. The WNBA's Dream, on sports crawls: ATL. Women's National Basketball Association.
24. Unremarkable: SO SO. Meh.
25. Uno y uno: DOS. La lección de matemáticas de hoy.
26. Grapefruit choice: RUBY RED.
30. Flunky: PEON.
32. Tony Shalhoub's role on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel": ABE. He also played Monk on the eponymous TV show.
33. Big brutes: OGRES.
35. Dutch guilder successor: EURO. Also the successor to many other EUROpean currencies.
43. Celtic language: ERSE.
44. Took the wheel: DROVE.
45. Bird in the bush: EMU. An EMU also visited us yesterday and a photograph taken from one of those inane insurance company commercials was used in the recap.
49. Long rants: TIRADES.
54. Boldly state: AVER. I always forget the difference between AVER and AVOW. By definition AVER means to acknowledge and AVOW mean to declare. No wonder I can't keep 'em straight. See also 68 Across
56. Have an ugly cry: SOB.
60. Helter-skelter: AMOK.
65. Seafood appetizer: CRAB CAKE.
68. State with confidence: ASSERT. See also 54 Across.
70. Hockey fake-outs: DEKES.
71. Fine-grained wood: YEW. Often clued with an archery reference.
72. Paper polishers, in brief: EDS. EDitorS. Could have been clued with Ames and Begley.
Down:
1. Personal quirks: TICS.
2. Happy cry from an eager Little Leaguer: I'M UP. Next at bat in the baseball game.
3. Leader who wears the Ring of the Fisherman: POPE.
4. Having a bad day: OFF. If you're OFF (from work) it could be a good day.
5. Start to fall?: PIT. PITfall. One of those types of clues.
6. With 15-Down, kids' hangout: TREE.
7. Material for some cutting boards: BAMBOO. Panda's like it, too.
8. Ceremonial pitcher: EWER. Often seen in crossword puzzles.
10. Couple with: TIE TO. Today's I-had-better-not-go-there moment.
11. Surfing stops: SITES. Not an oceanic reference. A WWW reference.
13. "Get out of town!": NO WAY.
14. Breaks bread: EATS.
15. See 6-Down: HOUSE.
22. 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Polamalu: TROY. Perhaps best known for his hair.
23. Minifigure maker: LEGO.
27. Company that moves people: UBER.
28. Quilting parties: BEES.
31. __ worth: NET. My financial advisor asked me, "What's your NET worth"? I replied, "I don't own a net".
34. Mess up: ERR.
36. Outside the box?: USED. No longer new and in the box.
37. Capital on the Tiber: ROME. Tiber River.
38. Burden: ONUS.
40. Delt neighbor: PEC. A musculature reference.
41. Car rental giant: AVIS.
47. Team featured in the HBO sports drama "Winning Time": LAKERS. This TV series took a lot of (well deserved) flack. There's another TV show with a different take on the subject on the horizon.
48. For all to see: OVERT.
50. Ancient calculators: ABACI. Allan Sherman explains plurals:
51. Still to come: AHEAD.
52. Short and probably not sweet: TERSE.
53. Chemist's container: FLASK. Works for whisky (0r whiskey), too.
55. "Diving Into the Wreck" poet Adrienne: RICH. A learning moment.
58. "Aha! Say no more": I SEE.
59. Long shot, in hoops lingo: TREY. A three-point shot in basketball.
61. Produce: MAKE.
62. Gave clearance: OK'ED. Some people are OKay with marijuana and alcohol but cocaine is where they draw the line.
63. Home openers?: KEYS. Not a sports reference. If you hadn't yet switched to digital pad locks you'd use KEYS to unlock the doors to your home.
66. "All in favor, say __": AYE.
67. Automaker whose "M" stands for "Motoren": BMW.
Well, that wraps it up for this recap and for my fifth recap in twenty nine days. I will now take my leave with an even greater appreciation for those, here, who write up the puzzles each and every week.
Dave and Laura, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you.
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Posting before reading the write-up FLW, and Plato's first target was (kill all) the poets
ReplyDeleteOf all the NFL HoFers Dave picks TROY Polamalu. It eventually came to me. We had TROY, TREE and TREY,
Wasn't Tony Shaloub
This Guy?
I had an older bar friend(70s) who was ATF. He advised Higgins the author re. ATF cases, especially informers. One story has the ATF in waiting on a heist and opening up a fusillade with the words "April Fool MFers!"
The ATF guy also was an Eddie. He got loaded one night and shot a hole in the ceiling of the bar. Oh those were fun days. He originally thought I was a Bigshot in the mob
WC
How's a cup of tea = bag?!?!?
DeleteAnd/or how does it relate to the king and I?
Delete
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, C.C. !!!!
I thought this puzzle was hilarious. That said, it was quite a stretch to get that last " two-part" solve. But I did it, and I even managed to translate "bag" as "cup of tea." Anyway, FIR, so I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteAnd allow me to add my congratulations to CeCe on her birthday. Even though I don't know you well, CeCe, your creation of this blog has given me countless hours of enjoyment, as well as many new friends. Thanks a million!
ReplyDeleteFIRight. Did have to use a few WAGs, more than I usually do.
ReplyDeleteLast fill was a CSO to ATLgranny.
Funny takes for funny lines. The theme was apparent before anything was filled in, but still had to work them out to get the joke. The whole thing was a CSO to Ray-O-Sunshine.
Did everyone notice the palindrome down the center?
A strange fruit is the Pomme de Terre.
White inside, the skin a brownish fade.
Cooks can MAKE it
Fit any diet --
But you'd do well to skip the TIR-ADE!
{B+, F.}
Happy Birthday to a great friend and wife, Zhouqin, also known as C.C.!! You cannot imagine what my cancer has put her through. She never complains but puts in many hours keeping track of my VA appointments and medicines and travels with me to those appointments. Thanks to all of you for participating on the blog !!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteNOWSY looked weird. Oh, Atlanta, not St. Louis. OBITUARY was too short for ETTU BRUTE. TOP SEED was another Wite-Out moment. Still, this one came together in good time. I like themes that appear in the clues rather than the answers. Thanx, Dave, Laura, and Mal-Man. (Cute line about coke.)
MIKEY: He's probably a grandfather by now.
AMUCK: Learning moment. Didn't know it was a variant of AMOK.
BAMBOO: We have a set of four graduated BAMBOO cutting boards. I like 'em.
BMW: I've got an appointment for an oil change at the dealership next week. That'll be my final "free" service, and probably the last time the dealer will see the car.
Happy birthday, C.C. Got anything special planned?
Oh, and I just wanted to add: This is the kindest, most caring, intelligent and hilarious bunch of folks I have ever had the pleasure to know. The Crossword Corner rocks!
ReplyDeleteYe, it is! Yes, it does!
DeleteFIR, but erased same for SOSO. Waited for avow/AVER and fbi/ATF. The number of unknowns was Thursday-appropriate.
ReplyDeleteFor expected service, I tip 20% (rounded up) with a $5 minimum. We share a lot of meals, and have a few favorite places where we get affinity program free meals, so it's $5 more often than not. In the old days, our alcohol costs were almost always more than the entrees and we each had our own entree. During the worst of the pandemic, I usually tipped 100%. Our local places were typically staffed by the owners and a manager or two, and were hemorrhaging cash.
Remember this classic from Sly and the Family Stone?
"I am no better and neither are you
We are the same whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can't figure out the BAG I'm in"
I was trying to remember Archie McNally's dad's name. Couldn't do it. Oh, NERO. I should read those.
A Friday clue for FLASK would be "Erlenmeyer or Florentine". All the folks whose degrees end with an "s" would get it easily.
One of our local restaurant food vendors that specializes in salad-like stuff is named "Lettuce Produce". (Let us produce. Har har.)
Thanks to Dave and Laura for the fun workout. And thanks to our MalMan for delivering again. HBDTY, dear CC.
Happy Birthday to our fearless leader, C.C.! And, many more :)
ReplyDeleteFIR. Bit of a workout. Spent too much time with 57A and 69A. I was looking for a seamless transition which just wasn't there. I appreciated the clever clues; nice misdirection for all.
ReplyDeleteFIR today again. A good Thursday start. Thanks, Dave and Laura. I enjoyed the puzzle and found the clues interesting. ET TU BRUTE was my first theme fill and it gave me an idea of what was happening.
ReplyDeleteMalMan, thanks for your many reviews recently. You give us helpful and humorous extras which we appreciate. "CUP" OF TEA was still puzzling me although I knew the connection between tea and bag. And what fun to see ATL!
Happy Birthday to our C.C. today. Thanks for alerting us, TTP. And such a sweet post from Boomer. Hope you have a special day today, C.C.!
Off to the gym now. Have a nice day everyone, this last one of June.
Not too difficult . Some unknowns: dekes,Atl,Troy and Rich. Got two of those thru crosses. All in all okay.
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle. I need to read up on the WNBA. Seems like there have been quite a few WNBA clues in the past few weeks. Or is it my imagination.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, it was the WNBA (Conn)SUN
ReplyDeleteNERO(Wolfe) is a CSO to lemony et moi. Anyone else a Stout fan?
Hbd to CC.
I thought it was hard but that was because I thought I was solving a Wednesday. Maybe it was the themes that took awhile to suss
WC
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Dave and Laura, and MalMan.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and got the Line theme.
Favourite clue was “outside the box?=USED”.
I had Eff starting Fall (which was interesting beside OFF). It perped to PIT.
Awry changed to AMOK (gotta love that word!).
I noted KEY (in MIKEY) crossing KEYS. (We have a KKK diagonal in that SE corner.)
“Boldly” in the clue gave me AVER immediately. Then we had ASSERT.
This Canadian had to rely on perps for some of the sports clues (LAKERS, ATL, TROY) but I do know my hockey DEKES.
(Yes, Shirley Z, I agree re those WNBA clues. Patti must be a fan.)
And I agree with ATLGranny re CUP OF TEA= Bag. Meh. Boiling water required (and I can make a Pot with a bag).
Can some American explain to this Canadian how Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives end up in the same arm of the Justice Dept.? We have Health Canada to control alcohol and tobacco, and separate legislation for firearms and explosives.
Happy Birthday C.C. You have created a wonderful and supporting community here. May we support you and Boomer at this tough time.
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Note to self: Sometimes the gimmick is in the clues. Fun!
-Switcheroo, the “MIKEY” and “That’s not my bag/Cup of tea” references reward us with some miles on our tires.
-We’re more in the 30% TIP range these days
-BESTS, or PR’s (personal records), are a staple of track info
-No RAKE for me
-I never saw the LAKERS show, but Netflix’s Last Dance about Michael Jordan was great!
-Not so TERSE: Ask my SIL what time it is and she will tell you how a watch works
-Yup, Jinx, I first thought of that song.
-Happy Birthday, C.C.! You give us the gift of this site every day!
FWIW; My redneck BIL said that Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives sounded like a pretty good convenience store to him.
ReplyDeleteEntertaining puzzle that took 20+ minutes get the tada. Thanks Dave, Laura, and MM.
A special Happy Birthday to CC (also known as Wonder Woman) and as many returns as you would like.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis theme was a nice change of pace and was a fairly easy Thursday solve. My only unknown, as clued, was Abe. I’ve never seen that series, but loved Tony Shalhoub in Monk. I went astray at Crab Claw/Crab Cake and Tie In/Tie To. Some fun duos were Tree/House, Bests/Top Spot, Euro/Rome, Tree/yew, Sites/Net, and Nero/Rome. CSOs to ATLGranny (Atl), Lucina (Dos and Salud), Moi (Troy), Cali Contingent (Lakers), and Ray O (Rome, Italy and nearby Rome, NY).
Thanks, Dave and Laura, for a fun Thursday and thanks, MalMan, for a tip-top review and the irrepressible Dad humor, as well as a touch of subtle “see what I did there” challenges. 🤭
Owen @ 5:50 ~ You may having hearing challenges but your eyesight is 20-20 catching that palindrome. Congrats.
Subgenius @ 6:06 ~ It’s folks like you that help to make the Corner the special place that it is. 🤗
Last, but not in any way least, Happy Birthday to our dear CC. I hope it’s a very special day for a very special lady. 🎂🎁🎉🎊🎈
Have a great day.
"Taber & Moll" sounds like a comedy team 😁
ReplyDeleteHappy B day C C.🙂
Didn't know "Palomalu" or ATL, a lucky WAG. So a FIR (but coulda binna DNF or FIW). "Bag" / COP A PLEA was wrong but CUP OF TEA ..wha?. EDS, editors? Not a fav clue.
"Minifigure maker": Hummel, way too long. I enjoy Mrs Maisel but neither her nor her husband seem like Marvelous parents. Once again Shrek and Fiona resent the "Big brutes" label. "Get out of town!" My first thought was GOWAY (go away?)... Liked the NET worth joke 😆.
Remember the rumor that MIKEY died when he ate pop rocks and Coke and his stomach exploded!😳.. Alive and well at 54.
"What's your sign?" is no longer a _____ HOTLINE. In fact it's pretty much a____ DEADLINE.
I was wrong, ____ right...EWER
How much medicine you should take....DOS
Hard to find car rental agency, "rara ____: AVIS
Candy or a breath mint?_____ ASSERT
Flying to Chicago today to celebrate DW's sister (overbearing, but you didn't hear that from me) and BIL' s 50th Wedding Anniversary. Some of us were going to chip in and buy him a spine...😂😂🤩
Let me give the CUP OF TEA / BAG another try.
ReplyDeleteThe WNBA hasn't grabbed my interest. In fact, I might say
"It's not my CUP OF TEA"
I also might say the same thing by saying
"It's not my BAG"
So in this usage, CUP OF TEA and BAG are synonyms.
OK, back under the rock I crawled out from.
Thanks Jinx.. Bag/Tea
DeletePuzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, CC - enjoy every minute!
FIR in a near record time for Across Lite solving. Not what I usually encounter for a Thursday puzzle
Had a few corrections (I WIN/I'M UP) (EFF/PIT) (SALUT/SALUD)
The theme was easy to suss once I saw I'M ON FIRE
MalMan - loved the Allan Sherman clip; thanks for finding it. I've already shared it on FB
****spoiler alert**** 20-Down is the palindrome (good catch, Owen) ****spoiler alert****
Last day of June - six months down, six to go ... today's blog is more appropriately the "YEreviewAR"
Has anyone else noticed that EAT(S) and ERR are showing up a lot, lately?
Husker Gary @ 9:02 AM and Jinx @ 9:51 AM
ReplyDeleteJust before I read your comments, I finally tumbled to the meaning of CUP OF TEA for today: not my CUP OF TEA or bag or thing. You all confirmed it. Thanks!
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteA Thursday workout for sure... I made the SW a mess [no ERASER solving in ink]
Happy Birthday C.C.!
Thanks Dave & Laura for the noodler. Thanks MManatee for explaining USED [D'Oh!]; fun expo too.
WOs: DOJ led to due up [wait, UP was USED] which led to an inky mess.
ESPs: TROY, USED(? - oh), RICH (R was a WAG - gotta be AVER now)
Fav: CRAB CAKE. But that's probably 'cuz I'm just hungry.
{A+}
ShirleyZ - I was thinking the same re: brushing-up on the WNBA. The only player I know (she's a coach now, I think) is Teresa Weatherspoon [Wiki] and only 'cuz she was a Lady Bulldog when I was undergrad at LA Tech.
LOL comedy team, Ray-O.
C, Eh! KKK diagonal??? That's political in these parts ;-)
There's work; gotta run. Cheers, -T
Thank you Dave and Laura. I was ready to come here and confess that I FIW, but according to our reviewer I FIR. You gotta love perps, even if you don't know what you perped. Noticed that several clues ended in "line?", but as there were no *'s or circles, I didn't try to figure out what line you were feeding us.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you MalMan for another stellar review. Looks like we made it through June, and Hallelujah Hahtoolah is Headed Home! Nice work BRO.
Some favs:
12A I'M ON FIRE. I wasn't actually. It's a good thing I don't time myself. I would have had to wind up my watch half way thru the solve.
16A CUP OF TEA. Bag? Well yeah, but you need some (boiling) hot water and the CUP too.
ET TU BRUTE. I know the clue is suppose to be funny but I'DES bet that Caesar didn't see it that way.
39A KEEP YOUR PANTS ON. I had SHIRT to start, but I guess Blogger would bust us for taking our PANTS off on the Corner.
69A & 57A I've never had LIFE cereal so I had know idea what these fills meant. That word does seem to be popping up a lot these days though.
13D NO WAY. Is this a regionalism local to Dodge City, KS?
36D USED. Favorite clue/fill. Again, I can't recommend Adrienne Raphel's "Thinking Inside the Book" enough.
55D RICH. Despite my POOR memory, I was able to drag her up from the depths.
Cheers,
Bill
Boomer @5:52 AM Two of my grandsons visited us on Tuesday. Here's the youngest sporting his Graybar hat.
HBD C.C.!!! 🎂🎂🎂
FIR in way too long a time for a Thursday. The theme escaped me until MM pointed it out. After letting the theme marinate a while I like it. MM, thanks for the fun review and extras. Loved the quilting bee.
ReplyDeletePaper polishers/EDs was my favorite clue. WORD makes paper polishing so much easier. You can rearrange, add and delete so easily without retyping the whole darn thing,
I pondered cup of tea, too. Thanks for the explanation, HG and Jinx. So that describes today's puzzle and blog.
We say KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON. KEEP YOUR PANTS ON is often unheeded by some politicians, clergy and others jeopardizing their whole career and reputation.
Happy birthday, CC. Thank you for this wonderful blog and your caring for all of us. I admire the loving way you support Boomer and shoulder so many of his medical challenges, while keeping this blog alive.
Jinx @9:51 AM I sank to the bottom of that CUP, and boy was it HOT! Thanks for the V8!
ReplyDeleteThanks HG and Jinx for explaining Cup of Tea. Like waseeley, it was a V8 moment.
ReplyDeleteGreat eye spotting that 20D palindrome, OwenKL!
I had to go back to my newspaper to find it when I realized that today’s blog does not have a grid!
Wilbur Charles @ 8:42 - When I was younger, say in my 20's, I read every Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin/Rex Stout I could get my hands on. They're still great books, classics that hold up to this day.
ReplyDeleteAnonT - would that be like Firearms too?
ReplyDeleteHippo Birdie Two Ewe
ReplyDeleteHippo Birdie Two Ewe
Hippo Birdie Deer C.C.
Hippo Birdie Two Ewe
Happy Birthday
I probably should have added a Cheech and Chong-esque "It's not my bag, man" to go along with Deborah Kerr.
Everybody have a great 4th of July weekend!
No theme? B.E. LIKES IT with no theme. MM- I would add "Bag' and CUP OF TEA as I've heard people say "it's not my bag" when referring to something they don't want to do- like going to a chick flick. Maybe it could have been clued "Bagline".
ReplyDeleteI FIR but had trouble in a couple of areas. TREE HOUSE and BAMBOO were slow to come around because it took some time to associate ET TU BRUTE with the 'deadline' clue.
The slowest area was the west coast/ BABY READ and ACE were unknowns and crossing Polamalu's unknown first name TROY and ACER (computer?) didn't make it easy. And then I realized it was RUBY & ABE, not BABY & ACE, and UBER instead of ACER. Duh!
Adrienne RICH and NERO- all perps.
TIP-I calculate it BEFORE tax and always use whole dollars. Easier to add zeroes.
Monday - holy?
ReplyDelete(No way I could post without offending "somebody.")
Tuesday - DJ Mix?
(I'm a musician, DJs are cutting into my line of work-no post for you!)
Wednesday - Spa
(Gimme a break! Do you really want to see another cat wearing cucumber eyeshades link?)
Thursday - CCs Birthday!
(well now I gotta link!
Yes malodorous manatee, you drew the line, and I had to cross it...
And Tony Shaloub?
My first memory of him was from the TV sow Wings,
but for some reason I remember him driving a taxi?
Fun Thursday puzzle, many thanks Dave and Laura. And always enjoy your commentary, many thanks for that too, Malman.
ReplyDeleteNice way to get a morning started, with a CUP OF TEA and an OMELET right next to each other.
By the time folks got to the bottom of the puzzle they might be ready for a CRABCAKE for dessert.
Some mean put-downs with that flunky PEON and those big brute OGRES.
Hope these more unpleasant items DROVE no one AMOK.
Happy Birthday, C. C., and have a great celebration with Boomer.
Have a good day, everybody.
A special spectacular birthday and year ahead for our Werowance Zhouqin Burnikel. I am one of the legions of Nero Wolfe fans having read all of Rex Stout's mysteries (and many of his other books) all of the Goldsborough continuations and most of the multiple parodies.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful long holiday weekend
Yes, he was a taxi driver!
ReplyDeleteRemember,
No politics, no religion....
uh huh, sounds great, you don't say...
Great puzzle, fun theme. I finally understand BAG, CUP OF TEA. Duh!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I stumbled in the southwest.
I’ll add my voice to everyone’s in wishing CC a very happy birthday 🎂
Hola!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, C.C.! I hope you celebrate in style which is what you deserve.
Lifeline took a long while to understand. Much mulling was involved.
Mmmmm. I love CRAB CAKES.
Owen, I agree with others about your catching that palindrome.
HAWAII and ROME recall some great trips for me!
I like RUBY RED grapefruit but sadly all grapefruit is off the menu for me.
DEKES is a word I know only from crosswords.
And to all I say, SALUD! Have a wonderful day, everyone!
A fine Thursday PZL from the Taber/Moll team, unravelled for us by the MalMan.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry today-- to see the Jumble site coming to an end. Owen created a beautiful thing, and it became another go-to site for several Cornerites. But of course it demanded regular attention, and we just weren't able to keep it going.
It will live in memory.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Two diagonals, one to a side.
The near diag offers an anagram (14 of 15 letters) in tribute to an internal parasite that consumes your dilettantish pretensions.
Yes, I mean an...
"ARTSIE TAPEWORM"!
And regarding those theme answers: Is there any significance (or just coincidence) to the fact that miKEY and KEY tie together? As do pantsON and ONus? and bruTE and siTEs? And all at the ends at 90 degrees? (Mountains, or mole hills?)
ReplyDeleteOh, and look at TEA and EATs!
DeleteA very enjoyable solve today where the theme is actually the clues and not contained in the answers, nice collaboration Dave and Laura! Managed a FIR in a few ticks over 15 minutes, not bad for me on a Thursday, tomorrow may be the usual Friday toughie.
ReplyDeleteM M ~ ~ thank you for another stellar recap, 5 synopses in 29 days is quite the workload, but I can tell you enjoy it, as do all us readers! I hear you about AVER and AVOW, it never fails that I need the perps to determine which is right, and even after your explanation I’m sure I still won’t distinguish between the two, similar to EXALT or EXULT, even though Bill S. has defined them for me before 🤷🏼♂️.
C.C. ~~ a very happy b/day today! Boomer certainly has a gem with you! Thank you for this entertaining blog, and for all the puzzle constructions by you that I have enjoyed for a long time.
After lunch with (caffeinated) Diet Coke, I scanned the puzzle and realized I missed an important segue for a great hit by The Boss.
ReplyDeleteCurious minds (at least mine) want to know:
1) If this tune would fly in these days of R Kelly and Jeffrey Epstein
b) If the "little girl" told Bruce "KEEP YOUR PANTS ON"
3) At Bruce's age, if he would need a little Kingsford Charcoal Lighter (actually the human blue-pill equivalent of it) before he can take her higher
ScottGordon - Was my 9:51 post not helpful? Always looking to improve - please explain what you didn't understand about it.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Thanks for a clever challenge, Dave & Laura. I appreciate your good work, MalMan!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to our Crossword Queen C.C. Hope the day is rewarding.
No red-letter runs today, yippee! However, had a lot of tries that turned red. "Get out of town" was not "leave" but NO WAY which had to perp in. NO WAY did I think of that.
Don't think of "hardworkers" as DRUDGES. There is a lot of satisfaction from doing hard work.
I had gaps in all the themers for a long time. Got to the bottom and perped in the Lifeline/MIKEY phrases. Couldn't remember there was a Life cereal altho I knew the commercial. Finally, dawned on me and I went back and filled in the other line themers. This was hard but rewarding.
DNK: ABE, TROY, NERO, RICH. ESP. The answer to "couple with" also gave me more interesting thoughts and was one of the last to perp in.
My 17-yr-old great niece played this week in a golf tournament at Pinehurst in North Carolina. She was the only Kansas girl in the invitational tournament for state champs. 223 girls played and she finished 106th. She had a blast. Never had a golfer in the family before.
PK:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your great-niece! That is a beautiful golf course which I've had the privilege to view. Will she turn pro, do you think?
I'm not Mikey but I liked this puzzle. I also very much appreciate MalMan's write-up.
ReplyDeleteThanks to several of you for explaining Bag and CUP OF TEA, which I would not have understood otherwise.
My dear wife DROVE me home after my endoscopy last week. By the way, even my own doctor ("primary care provider" harrumph) told me it would be, and I quote, "unpleasant." She was wrong; it wasn't, but her comment sure did result in my suffering a lot of unnecessary stress for weeks. She is also the same person who told me, in spite of my severe claustrophobia, that I would "be fine" during an MRI. Sorry, I just don't believe her. Her leg must be getting tired after all those knee jerk reactions.
Happy birthday, dear C.C.
ReplyDeleteDear Jayce, So sorry and sympathies for all your trials and tribulations and hope the end result of some good news, er, prognosis, will somehow make it all seem worthwhile. I too, had a tough 24 hrs before my colonoscopy, but the G.I.'s pronouncement immediately after made it all worth it. !@!
Congratulations, to PK, on your grand niece's great golf showing .... at the invitational !!!.
The only time I've been on a golf course is when we were staying next to one, in Hilton Head island, ( South Carolina ?? ) ... when my friend and I went walking to the course, to admire the beautiful, and heavily scented magnolias on the trees, that were lining the Greens, .... were in bloom. Unfortunately, we took the wrong way ( is there a right way ??) on the asphalt approach side road, and many of the golfers took time to chew us out for endangering our life and limb, by our Careless behavior !!@@!!@@
We were only 2 old duffers out for a morning stroll ... something that is apparently, not allowed, under golfing rules. If you are not playing, dont even think of going in there ....
Happy Birthday, dear CC, and best wishes for a long and happy life ahead. May your birthday wishes, and I know what you are wishing for - come true.
Thank you Dave Taber and Laura Moll, for a challenging puzzle, that I enjoyed. I got BAG thru perps, so never had to make that guess.
Thank You MalMan, for your great review blog on the puzzle, and all the links, and your inspired comments.
BTW, I was very surprised that the picture of the solved CW grid was missing in your review.
My post is overly long already, so I better quit.
Have a great day, you all, and lets prepare for the Friday, tomorrow.
Lucina & Vidwan, don't know if she will go pro, but my niece is looking at colleges & trying for a golf scholarship to help out. She has one more year of high school. Her parents are very supportive despite no one in either family ever playing golf. She's a spunky, highly motivated young lady.
ReplyDeletePK
ReplyDeleteI wish her luck and hope she makes it!