Hahtoolah is traveling this month, so yours truly has been yanked off the bench to pinch hit on a Wednesday. Why Wednesday when Hahtoolah normally blogs on Tuesdays? I don't understand it, either.
We've
got a mid-week collaboration from Patti Varol's assistant editor and
Mike Graczyk, who could be the assistant soccer coach at Notre Dame, or
the Texas AP reporter who's witnessed more than 400 executions, or one
of the other 88 Mike Graczyks in Spokeo's database. Who would've
guessed there could be so many? Mike's byline has appeared in a number
of crossword venues, but I don't recall seeing him in the LAT
previously. Of course, I've been wrong before.
The
theme was easy to understand -- take four in-the-language phrases and
clue them humorously as specialized enthusiast groups, then let the
chuckles (or groans) ensue. As an added bonus, there was no reveal for
certain solvers to miss. There were quite a few proper names (surprise,
surprise). But the perps were kind for the ones I didn't recognize.
No foul.
Themers:
17A. Group for cardboard toy enthusiasts?: PAPER DOLL OUTFIT. Not paper clothing, but a group of folks who like paper dolls. [Yuk, yuk.]
34A. Group for Roomba enthusiasts?: VACUUM PACK. Seems like it should've been PACKED, but no matter. It's a group of folks who just love their robotic vacuums. [Chortle.]
44A. Group for big-rig enthusiasts?: SEMI CIRCLE. Macks who just love way their Peterbilt is built. [Guffaw.]
Finally... 63A. Group for Merriam-Webster enthusiasts?: WORD ASSOCIATION. This one could also refer to the corner denizens. [Smile.]
And on to the rest of the fill:
Across:
1. Get all mushy: MELT. Was thinking of treacle.
5. Promising location: ALTAR. "I do."
10. Jewelry designer Peretti: ELSA. No idea.
14. "Then again," in tweets: OTOH. On the other hand...
15. "How nifty!": NEATO. Not heard by anyone since the Valley Girls turned 40.
16. Just the best: TOPS.
20. "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante: ELENA. No idea. I do remember the piano duo Ferrante and Teicher.
21. "Breathe Me" singer: SIA. No idea.
22. Back in style: RETRO.
23. Gasteyer of "Wine Country": ANA. No idea.
25. eBay sale condition: AS IS. Caveat emptor.
27. Capital of Japan: YEN. The money, not the city.
28. Imminent: IN STORE. Coming soon to a theater near you...
32. Filing tool: RASP. Oh, that kind of filing.
37. Livens (up): PEPS.
40. Forestall: AVERT. Not to be confused with the first "Super Carrier." It suffered a major fire while I was still in boot camp, killing 134 sailors.
41. UFO crew, probably: ETS. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
42. Gem weight: CARAT. I'm never sure if it's Carat, Caret, or Karat, but pretty sure it isn't Carrot.
43. "Little Girl Blue" singer Simone: NINA. I've heard of Nina, but not the song.
43. "Little Girl Blue" singer Simone: NINA. I've heard of Nina, but not the song.
46. Misfortunes: ILLS.
48. Quaint school dance: SOCKHOP. I served as DJ for our high school Sockhops, yea those many years ago. Sockhops were so called because they were held in the gymnasium, and no street shoes were allowed on the polished floor. Incidentally, the key to our school's P.A. cabinet also unlocked the trampoline, but that's another story.
49. Defense advisory gp.: NSC. National Security Council.
51. Road-trip stops: INNS. In olden times, in addition to a meal and a bed for the night, an inn offered food and stable for the traveler's horse. Today there's not much to distinguish an inn from a hotel or motel.
54. Obi-__ Kenobi: WAN. Star Wars. The Original
55. Inbox filler: EMAIL. It if were only four letters, it'd be SPAM.
57. Fútbol fan's cry: OLÉ. "Fútbol" gives it away.
59. __ & Gabbana fashion house: DOLCE. No idea.
66. Yoga pose that requires balancing on one foot: TREE. If it's not ASANA, it's a mystery to me.
67. San Diego's __ Park: PETCO. BALBOA was too long. PETCO must be a stadium. Right?
68. Part of an EGOT: EMMY. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
69. Wet septet: SEAS. Not a runny nose.
70. Pallid: ASHEN. Would a grayish white hotel be a Pallid Inn?
71. Noodle that may be served in dashi broth: SOBA. If it's not UDON, it must be SOBA
Down:
1. Sulk: MOPE. Pout.
2. "And so forth" abbr.: ET AL. I thought ET AL meant "and others."
3. Easy stride: LOPE. In my case, more like an amble.
4. Baseball film featuring a bat named "Wonderboy": THE NATURAL.
5. "Your point is?": AND?.
6. Signs of summer: LEOS. Is there more than one?
7. "Rocky" actress Shire: TALIA. And that's pretty much the extent of what I know about the "Rocky" franchise. Yo, Talia.
8. Book of maps: ATLAS.
9. Milne joey: ROO. From Winnie the Pooh.
10. Novel ending?: ETTE. Old timey cw clue.
11. High vantage point: LOFTY PERCH. My first thought was CATBIRD SEAT. Wite-Out, please.
12. Skyline standout: SPIRE.
13. __ Martin: "Skyfall" car: ASTON.
18. Went on a quick errand: RAN OUT. Why? Because she ran out.
19. Major in astronomy?: URSA. Minor, too.
24. Blazer sleeve: ARM. Can you spot a sleeve in this photo?
19. Major in astronomy?: URSA. Minor, too.
24. Blazer sleeve: ARM. Can you spot a sleeve in this photo?
26. Needle: IRK. Needle me, and I may become IRKed. But are they really synonyms?
28. Director Reitman: IVAN. No idea. LIU. He directed National Lampoon's Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, ad nauseum.
29. Blue-skinned race in "Avatar": NAVI.
28. Director Reitman: IVAN. No idea. LIU. He directed National Lampoon's Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, ad nauseum.
29. Blue-skinned race in "Avatar": NAVI.
30. Picture-perfect spot: SCENIC AREA. Good spot to take a picture.
31. Fencing category: EPEE. Basket-weave and picket are others.
33. Online source of study guides: SPARKNOTES. People of a "certain age" probably remember Cliffs Notes. Apparently, you need a subscription for SparkNotes.
31. Fencing category: EPEE. Basket-weave and picket are others.
33. Online source of study guides: SPARKNOTES. People of a "certain age" probably remember Cliffs Notes. Apparently, you need a subscription for SparkNotes.
35. PIN point?: ATM. The place where you enter your PIN.
36. Several CBS forensic dramas: CSIS. The TV franchise that refuses to die. Methinks the similarly named NCIS franchise may have gasped its last this past month.
38. __ Alto, California: PALO. "Tall stick." A coastal redwood tree is known as El Palo Alto.
39. Recipe part: STEP. STIR? TBSP?
42. Insect with a 17-year life cycle: CICADA. 2021 was supposed to be "the" year. Don't think we saw (or heard) any in our neighborhood.
44. Nine-digit ID: SSN. At least the guvment finally assigned a different number to identify Medicare recipients. Better late than never.
45. Bearer of good moos?: COW. Punny.
47. Country singer McCann: LILA. No idea.
49. Pond critters: NEWTS. FROGS or TOADS could've worked.
50. Gooey treat: S'MORE.
36. Several CBS forensic dramas: CSIS. The TV franchise that refuses to die. Methinks the similarly named NCIS franchise may have gasped its last this past month.
38. __ Alto, California: PALO. "Tall stick." A coastal redwood tree is known as El Palo Alto.
39. Recipe part: STEP. STIR? TBSP?
42. Insect with a 17-year life cycle: CICADA. 2021 was supposed to be "the" year. Don't think we saw (or heard) any in our neighborhood.
44. Nine-digit ID: SSN. At least the guvment finally assigned a different number to identify Medicare recipients. Better late than never.
45. Bearer of good moos?: COW. Punny.
47. Country singer McCann: LILA. No idea.
49. Pond critters: NEWTS. FROGS or TOADS could've worked.
50. Gooey treat: S'MORE.
52. Snouts: NOSES.
53. Slow-moving creature: SLOTH. Hand up if you tried SNAIL first.
53. Slow-moving creature: SLOTH. Hand up if you tried SNAIL first.
56. __ of March: IDES. Beware.
58. Latin "Behold!": ECCE. Pontius said it in the pilot.
60. Long way to go?: LIMO. Har-de-har-har.
61. Grooming tool: COMB. I still carry one for my wayward locks.
62. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. I like this piece of hers better: Boadicea.
64. Pampering place: SPA.
65. Charged particle: ION.
And here is where C.C. will magically make the grid appear. D-o, hanging up his designated hitter hat and signing off for a few weeks.
58. Latin "Behold!": ECCE. Pontius said it in the pilot.
60. Long way to go?: LIMO. Har-de-har-har.
61. Grooming tool: COMB. I still carry one for my wayward locks.
62. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. I like this piece of hers better: Boadicea.
64. Pampering place: SPA.
65. Charged particle: ION.
And here is where C.C. will magically make the grid appear. D-o, hanging up his designated hitter hat and signing off for a few weeks.
56 comments:
After I solved the first themed answer, the gimmick became obvious, so that helped solve the rest of it. And I had no idea what the "pond critters" were. ESP helped with that, and in a few other places. Anyway, FIR so I'm happy.
FLN: Speedy Solver, I enjoy the fact that you always post your times. It gives me a good sense of how difficult ( or easy) the cwd puzzle was for the day. Please keep up the good work!
Unclefred flashes to a dazzling FIR in a mere 38 minutes! Wowsers! LOL As CC pointed out, etal means "and others"; etc. means "And so forth". Too many proper names in this CW, but otherwise a clever construction, thanx, MG & CI. Only W/O SABA:SOBA. I'm up too early. Back to sleep.
FIR, but erased pout for MOPE and stir for STEP. SWAGged NAVI x NINA.
The old saying goes "Old truckers never die, they just get a new Peterbilt".
The Eurythmics have traveled the world and the seven seas.
IVAN Reitman also directed Private Parts, Howard Stern's movie tribute to his long-suffering wife. Shortly after the movie came out, he dumped her for a Hollywood model.
FLN - TTP, does Google even seem interested in fixing the flaw you identified?
Thanks to DO for the fun review.
IVAN produced, not directed, Private Parts. Betty Thomas directed it.
Took 7:16 today. As the review perfectly summed-up, I had "no idea" for many of the proper names today.
Thank you, Subgenius.
Jinx, "Everybody's lookin' for something."
FIR, so I'm happy too, Subgenius. Thanks for stepping up today, DO. I should have guessed it was you with the remark about no reveal to miss or at least when you mentioned being in the navy, but I needed your sign off at the end. I enjoyed all your humor and many additions.
Oh, and thanks to our constructors of course! Mike and Christina gave us a puzzle that was just right today: not too easy, not too many proper names, and a fun theme. It was NEATO. Count me in as part of the PAPER DOLL OUTFIT as well as the (cross)WORD ASSOCIATION.
I'm not going to MOPE about putting ION in SPA's place by accident, ending my WO-free puzzle possibility today. It's a nice looking page in spite of that since I tried to do WC's trick of rewriting the letters carefully.
FLN, so sorry to hear about your uncle, Lucina.
Waiting to hear from C.C. about Boomer's surgery. Hope all went well.
And hope everyone is doing well today, this first day of June. Did you say rabbit rabbit for good luck when you got up?
FIR. I got the theme, and it helped the solve. I have a problem with 2 down. "And so forth" should be etc. Proper clue should have been "And others".
Thank you, Mike and Christina.
Great job pinch hitting, Desper-otto. Speaking of THE NATURAL, you should blog more often. You're good at it.
I was pretty confident that "Born Free lioness" was ELSA, and certain that "Justice Kagan" was ELENA. I got "Cheap Thrills singer" SIA with perps.
NINA was almost too easy for "Guadalajara girl", and "La ___ Vita" was a gimme for DOLCE.
I thought Russian "John" was going to be like one of those England lav clues for loo until I noticed the quotes. So it was IVAN.
I liked the alias " ___ Cherry" shout out (Really Rich) to longtime editor Rich Norris for LILA, but that one might be tough for many. The perps were fair, so no complaints.
Jinx, I remember Betty Thomas playing a po-po woman on Hill Street Blues.
Off to tasks at hand. A roofer is coming shortly to replace some shingles. The ridge caps on two hips are failing prematurely.
Thank you Mike and Christina for a much crunchier than usual Wednesday morning wake-up. Dodged several near naticks and lots of P&P, but somehow perped a FIR. Cleverly punned theme was obvious and helpful.
You da man D-O. Excellent, well-illustrated review. Let's keep in touch (i.e. I've got your email address). Even more confused than you are about why you're blogging today. Shouldn't it be MB or Ron, who haven't announced any vacation plans? Maybe the new game on the Corner is "musical bloggers".
BTW, did I say this was really a fun puzzle?
A few favs:
1A MELT. Fell for the misdirection, at first thinking the clue had something to do with emotions. I have a tendency to get all mushy, as it runs in the male side of the family.
5A ALTAR. Slightly better than the usual "Rite place".
10A ELSA. DNK.
20A ELENA. DNK.
21A SIA. DNK.
23A ANA. DNK.
58A DOLCE. Sweet fill, which I DNK. Like the poster though D-O. I can't think of a Fellini film I haven't see (well I guess that's obvious).
7D TALIA. KSK (kinda sorta), although I've never seen Rocky. I must have learned it from Cwds.
Liked the long Down fills at 4D, 11D, 30D. and 33D.
42D CICADA. They were a disappointment this time, lacking the bone numbing, sonic intensity of previous appearances. S'okay though as that was likely to be my last.
Cheers,
Bill
Oh and thanks to C.C. for the grid and the posting. Please give us some good news about Boomer.
FIW. Not IRe but IRK. I had to rush this because I inadvertently solved Thursday thinking it was Wednesday. PACe didn't cut it but I thought (all) the perps were solid.
Plus seeing PAPER DOLL OUTFIT told me wrong puzzle but provided beaucoup perps
I agree that the perps made the pop-cul guessable
Thanks D-Otto for pitching in.
WC
Knew ANA from her seven years on SNL, but that was 20 years ago.
Robert Redford's THE NATURAL flipped the ending from Bernard Malamud's original book.
Good Morning:
As mentioned, the theme was obvious early on but the solve was still fun, as were the themers. The A ladies were my only unknowns, (other than Stark Notes), Ana, Elena, Elsa, Lila, and Sia. CSOs to a very well known lady, Inanehiker (Nina), a very well known Lion, Leo III (Leos), a very well known Spanish señora Lucina (Olé), and two very well know sailors DO and Jinx (Seas). We also had several fun pairings Spire/Lofty, Retro/Fit, Mope/Lope, Ivan/Navi, Et al/Ecce, Soba/Yen, and Ashen/Wan. And much to my delight, a mini creature crowd of PetCo, Perch, Cicada, Cow, Newts, Sloth and Roo.
Thanks, Mike and Christina, for a mid-week treat and thanks, DO, for coming off the bench and entertaining and enlightening us so well. I’ll have to make a return trip to see the many missing visuals. Three that materialized, though, brought many happy memories:
Paper Dolls were a beloved childhood pastime; The Natural was one of my husband’s favorite movies; I was a big Ferrante and Teicher fan and saw them in person a couple of times. Also, my beloved Cary Grant’s [sigh!] character in the oft seen An Affair To Remember was Nicky Ferrante, Playboy extraordinaire. So, thanks for the memories, DO.
FLN
Lucina, condolences on the loss of your uncle. It’s so sad when a generation ends.
I’d be most grateful if someone could tell me where the month of May went and, for that matter, April, as well. Maybe June will pass at a less rapid pace.
Have a great day.
The inspiration for THE NATURAL. I had Eddie's baseball card and it illustrated the near fatal attack(1949).
WC
Too many proper unknowns. Counted 13. Is that a record for a Wed.?
DO, great pinch hitting. As was said, "you are a natural." I loved your humor and illustrations. Pallid Inn, LOL
I got the drift early on which made this easy. I loved the theme and many of the misdirections.
The unknowns, Elena, Sia, Ana, Nina, IVAN were easy with perps and wags, but still fun sponges. Names are so boring. Why, oh why, do constructors use so many of them? They downgrade my rating of the puzzles.
Get all mushy/melt. This is the result when Alan sometimes buys a candy bar and puts it in his pocket for hours.
In my teens we had hops with the same music, but did not dance shoeless.
Lucina, I am sorry for your loss. I can't find that post. Could you email it to me, please.
CE Dave congratulations on your daughter's wedding. Thanks for the pics of the beautiful bride.
I am hoping Boomers surgery went well.
FLN, I can wear my earrings when I stay in the room for Alan's magnetic imaging, but not for mine.
Have a wonderful day.
Thanks for pinch hitting, DO. You get the Manny Mota award for today's effort.
Well, I managed a FIR in 12:37, surprising when I looked back at the puzzle and saw all the DNK’s as clued, SIA, ELSA, ELENA, ANA, NINA, IVAN, DOLCE, and ENYA. All proper names which I would know immediately with different clueing, not complaining cuz the perps were very kind today! Thank you Mike and Christina for the midweek fun.
SS, Subgenius, and unclefred ~~ I always keep track and denote my solve time, mostly because it helps me judge the difficulty of the CW, how much thought I have to put into it. And if I can solve, say a Wednesday puzzle quicker than Monday’s, I feel like I somewhat beat the system of what is intended to be progressive difficulty.
The next challenge after today’s solve was trying to figure out who was doing today’s review which wasn’t revealed till the end. Thanks D-O for filling in, and nice job! And Hahtoolah if your reading this ~ hope you have a great time in Europe!
Musings
-My uncle said “NEATO” until he died at 90 years old
-Imminent – Nebraska summer weather that is hard on people and great for corn
-Most kids loved PEP rallies because it got them out of the most of last period
-Getting many landline calls with “SPAM RISK” in the id has just about convinced DW to disconnect
-Yup, Jinx, I thought of Annie Lennox too.
-An OLE block in FB is when a potential blocker turns and lets the tackler come through.
-I just watched Stand By Me which is based on a Stephen King novella/novelette.
-Wilbur, We could have had “Bernard Malamud baseball book” for cluing which is a book/movie (and bat) you and I would both know but, at least for me, an author I do not know.
-Nicely done, D-O.
For 6-down, LEO and LEO MINOR are both constellations, but only LEO is a sign of the zodiac.
TTP@8:24 a.m, et al: I appear to have had a different cwd puzzle from you guys. I didn't have "Born Free lioness" for Elsa, I had "jewelry designer Peretti." I didn't have "Justice Kagan" for Elena, I had "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante. And I didn't have La - Vita" I had "- and Gabbana fashion house." In other words, I have a "Pattized" more difficult version of the cwd puzzle than you guys did. What gives?
Subgenius, me, too.
Bit of a Tuesday toughie for me, but still fun--thanks Mike and Christina. And thanks for pitching in this morning, DO.
Always happy to see ETS turn up in puzzles.
Also liked getting that gem CARAT.
ILLS and INNS were easy and helped in that lower area.
And loved getting ENYA in the end.
Hoping for good news about Boomer from C.C.
Have a great month, everybody.
Subgenius and Yellowrocks, I believe TTP was making a joke with other ways to clue the proper names.
Hola!
Thank you, Mike and Christina, for a good start to June.
It seems that with the change of editors we are seeing a strikingly different way of cluing but so far I am up to the challenge.
Today was a blast from the past reflecting on playing with PAPER DOLLS as a child. I would color the OUTFIT then cut it out and dress the dolls. Age 7 or 8 I believe.
No problem with ELSA or ELENA but I would have recognized them better in a different clue.
TREE pose brings back my yoga days which I have been unable to do in many months. I should try again.
Favorite clue was "major in astronomy" followed by "PIN point."
In high school I went to only one SOCK HOP and I recall really liking a boy who danced with me but of course I no longer remember his name.
Cute positioning of IVAN/NAVI. It creates a palindrome.
Thank you, d-otto! Nice job of narrating. Prayers and positive thoughts for Boomer.
That's what I thought too. He was commenting on the change of focus with Patti.
Hoping no news is good news regarding Boomer
TTP Hand up hoping you were making a joke about the absurd obscurities dredged up by our new editor. Is it really necessary to have them cross?
I especially reject any proper name like PETCO that changes all the time and has no lasting importance. Hand up BALBOA PARK is the only park anyone has heard of in San Diego.
Here we were at the Botanical Building in BALBOA PARK in SAN DIEGO.
I did enjoy the clever theme and assume it was the editor who spoiled the rest of it. Did manage to FIR.
From Yesterday:
Did anyone else enjoy the irony of the following given the latest proper nouns torrent in our puzzles?
"Play a proper noun in Scrabble, say: ERR"
Irish Miss Thanks for the shout out regarding me and LENS CAP. One of my other hats is as a newspaper columnist. Which made ARTICLE a CSO for me, too.
If anyone is interested, here are my latest ARTICLEs.
From Monday:
CrossEyedDave Thank you for sharing the preliminary photos from your beautiful daughter's wedding. Looking forward to the professional ones, too!
CanadianEh Thanks for the enjoyable laugh about her "hoots"!
Picard, since you have been nearly everywhere and seen nearly everything, is Balboa Park your favorite city park anywhere? I just love it, although I haven't seen nearly as much of the world as you and haven't been to Balboa in 30+ years. Combine the unbeatable climate, the well-groomed grounds, the giant pipe organ, and its neighbor being one of the best zoos in the world, it's a fabulous place to spend a day or two.
Hi guys,
Boomer's surgery went well yesterday, but cancer has spread to his left shoulder. That's why it was so brittle and broke easily. We'll know the next steps soon.
Thanks, Anonymous (who I assume is SS, also known as AnonymousDNLC)and ATL Granny. I get the joke, now. D'oh! for not seeing it before.
Hi Y'all! I thought this puzzle was fun but wondered why when I started listing all the DNK's in the piece. They perped in well tho. Thanks, Mike & Christina. Liked the clever theme. Thanks also to our witty, D-O, for pinch-hitting.
The SE corner slowed me down. DNK: SPARK NOTES, SOBA & forgot what EGOT was briefly. Also DNK: ELSA, ELENA, SIA, ANA, DOLCE, NAVI.
Hey, I got a CSO today as one of the VACUUM PACK. Love my ROOMBA.
INNS: Just got word that my niece's mother-in-law is stuck in an INN in the Alps. She & a friend who have birthdays this week took a tour trip of Europe to celebrate. The friend tested positive for covid part way into the tour. MIL tested okay but stayed to take care of her friend. Lucky the INN keepers let them stay.
CC Thank you for the update on Boomer Oh, my. Quite a mixed review. At least things went well with the surgery and he is OK for right now.
Jinx I am honored by your comments and question. I feel as if I have barely begun to see this amazing world and am just grateful for what I have seen so far.
Interesting question about what is my favorite city park anywhere. Each place is unique. I think Singapore may have an edge on city parks since every park in that country is a city park! Their botanical gardens are extraordinary. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is the only city park I know that has bison!
In San Jose, Costa Rica, I got to see a SLOTH in a city park. In Panama City, plenty of iguanas in the city parks.
But I would have to agree that BALBOA PARK is unique for having so many museums and gardens all clustered together in one area. Yes, it definitely takes a few days to see it all and there are parts I still have not seen.
C.C. & Boomer, so sorry to hear about the cancer spread. Glad you came through the surgery okay. We will continue to pray for both of you.
Thanks for the update, C.C. So sorry to hear about the cancer spread, but hope Boomer is comfortable now and the next steps are helpful. Our thoughts are with you both.
Over the months I’ve followed CC and Boomer’s medical journey. I have admired the strength and fortitude those two nice people have had to demonstrate. My heart goes out to them and hope and pray for a good outcome.
A neat theme on this PZL from the Graczyk/Iverson team, beautifully moderated by our own C.C..
I think my fave theme answer is SEMI CIRCLE.
I can visualize that one. ("Everybody, lights on! On my count, toot the Birthday Song!")
I'll add my voice to the complaints about the overload of proper names. Fortunately, they were gettable via perps, but still...
I have a hunch, cruciverbal constructors can find a proper name for just about any combination of needed letters.
Hands up, all who tried EDO before YEN!
I know, I know, I'm dwelling in the past.
~ OMK
_____________
DR: Four diagonals, three on the near end.
The near-central line gives us a spooky anagram (13 of 15 letters) in which we see what's encountered by a mother-obsessed adult male whenever he is on the verge of some forbidden behavior.
No matter his age, he must face the...
"MOM-APPARITION"!
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Mike and Christina, and d’o.
I FIRed in good time and smiled at the themers.
I read My Brilliant Friend in 2019, but took a couple of perps to remember ELENA.
We have had SIA, TALIA, ANA, NINA here before.
Quick post on a busy day.
Wishing Boomer and C.C. Peace and health.
Lucina- condolences on the passing of your uncle.
I liked this puzzle, which I would call a half-and-half puzzle: half actual words and half proper names. Like desper-otto, I had "no idea" who many of the people were.
More later.
Once agAin, way too many proper names.
As long as I can finish a puzzle I can tolerate the plethora of proper names though, of course, I prefer more challenging words.
Thank you, for the many condolences for my late uncle. He was the youngest of my dad's siblings and the last of his relatives. All the Sandoval aunts and uncles are now deceased and the generational "torch" has now passed to my generation and we are no longer young, either. But there are plenty of prodigy who will carry on the family name and numbers. My brothers each had several sons so the name will continue. Besides that, we can look to Sandoval County in New Mexico!
Boomer and C.C., I echo Misty, you are kept in my heart and in my prayers.
Hand up for recalling all the SLOTHS hanging out in TREES in Costa Rica. That was a strange sight. Also that was the first time I saw EGRETS and was surprised at how small they are. We also visited a banana farm (?), orchard? plantation? I can't recall exactly what it was called just that it was enormous.
Here's a list of the proper names (people and places) that I counted:
1. ELSA Peretti
2. ELENA Ferrante
3. SIA
4. ANA Gasteyer
5. NINA Simone
6. Obi-WAN Kenobi
7. DOLCE & Gabbana
8. PETCO Park
9. TALIA Shire
10. ROO
11. IVAN Reitman
12. PALO Alto, California
13. LILA McCann
14. ENYA
Jayce would you also count other kinds of proper names? How about these?
THE NATURAL
SPARK NOTES
ASTON
ROOMBA
No time for the puzzle but lurked looking for news of Boomer. Lets hope the shoulder replacement isn't affected by the bone disease.
Was thinking of our 7 and 8th grade dances in the gym with a stack of 45's. I remember sawdust was sprinked on the gym floor to protect it ...speshly doin' the Bristol Stomp🕺
Thank You, Mike Graczyk and Christina Iverson for a challenging Wednesday puzzle, which I never the less, enjoyed. I was worried about the plethora of names that I had never heard before, but I able to perp them.
BTW, when 2 people collaborate, is the precedence of the listing of the two names, important ? ... Or, are in they in a random order, or alphabetical order ?
I know that in ( authorship of - ) scientific articles, the order of listing of multiple names is very important,.... the lead or seniormost, scientist is generally listed first ... unless somebody else actually did most of the planning and the work.
To CC and Boomer, I'm glad the operation went well, but I realize that long term prognosis remains a problem. My continued best wishes, and prayers and hopes that that too, will resolve itself soon.
Although your story is very inspirational for all of us, long term folks, on the blog, I am only too conscious of the costs of the constant worry and the stress involved. Hopefully, our short, mere, comments will alleviate some of the misery.
Thank You D-O for the blog review. I enjoyed it ! Everyday, when I come to the blog, the first thing I try to see is who the blogger-of-the-day is, so I can get used to their style. I saw CC's name, but when I read the first intro, I knew it must be someone else, because that is not CC's mode and choice of words, but it was all good.
Have a great day, and the rest of the short week, you all.
Jayce @ 3:51 ~ Add these clues that added to the proper name deluge unnecessarily:
eBay condition = As Is
Capital of Japan = Yen
Obi- ___ Kenobi = Wan
None of these added difficulty, so why not just use a common noun clue? Even simple, every day words can be clued cleverly but fairly, depending on the difficulty level required.
Thanks to Jayce, it was easy to realize how many names I didn’t know. I only knew four in that list, but should have known Navi if Istill had a memory. I loved that movie. Add to that, my lack of familiarity with all things modern and sport, and not having grown up here, it seems it will take a while to adjust to "CW speak" again.
CC, so sorry to hear of Boomer's latest health issues. My prayers are with you both.
Lucina, my condolences for your loss. I only have four remaining relatives older than I am, all of whom are cousins.
PK, I can't think of a more beautiful place to have to hang out with Covid, or for any other reason!
Properly Peeve @4:23 ~ Yes, most certainly they get added to the list, plus Leos and Ursa. Thanks for listing them.
Oh, wow! I pulled a FIR right out of my bum. It was guessing ANA that let me 'see' THE NATURAL and then Central Cali filled with WAGs galore. Whew.
Hi All!
Thanks Mike & Christina for the cute puzzle theme and WAGable names.
Thank you, D-O, for stepping in with a mighty-fine humorous expo.
WO: I guessed CARd_; TREE fixed that
ESPs: Names anyone?
Fav: SLOTH.
FLN - Lucina... I am so sorry to read of your loss. Loving thoughts your way.
C.C. - Thanks for the update on Boomer. Healing thoughts your way (and what Tante Nique so eloquently put it)
TTP - alias Cherry (Rich) in the grid? Cute.
Didn't HG 'show his age' a few days ago re: SOCK HOP?
Picard - I can only comment on Golden Gate Park in SFO. I've been there a few times and still haven't seen it all (Bison?).
Yooper - Pro-Tip: D-O has a penchant for saying "yours truly" somewhere in at the top of his blog. :-)
Vidwan - in my (very limited) experience... The one who came up with the theme gets top billing.
Back to work. Cheers, -T
Part II
of all the proper names, I knew ANA from SNL, altho I never watched the show. I thought it was kinda silly. ;-x)
I knew of DOLCE and Gabbana, because I have leafed thru a Cospolitan, or a Variety or some such magazine, a couple of times .... and those big design houses keep those magazines in business. Most of those leafings took place in the Drs waiting rooms, while waiting ....
Picard, you certainly are an near over-achiever ! I will have to read your bio once more, to truly understand it... I also thought of trying out for EE, but the math seemed to be too tough, so I did Chem Engg instead.... ;-o)
Lucina, my condolences for your last uncle's passing. I have only two people, uncles and aunts, from the previous generation alive. Lets face it, We ARE the last generation, now.
Lucina, talking about having sons and boys in the next generation ... so you can 'keep' the family name alive .... let me tell you a true story.
I have NO need to keep my last name Alive, by any means !!
But, in India, it seems to be sometimes ... a consuming passion. One of my elder brothers ( who has a first born daughter - ) ... was expecting a second child, about the time, when I was getting married... and we were all expecting excitedly ... and when he found out that the new addition was also a girl, then he was so disappointed, that he 'forgot' to buy and offer sweetmeats for the happy occassion.
Fast forward to 40+ years later ... Guess who's taking care of him, hand and foot, and nurturing him with all this love and TLC, ( his wife is predeceased - ) and brought him to the USA and giving him all the pleasures of his golden years ? She is the biggest overachiever, in our extended family, has a fantastic job, and decided not to marry so she could take care of him... and a wonderful person to boot. She is a paragon of virtue and hard work and dedication.
C E Dave, Belated but Heartfelt Congratulations on your daughters wedding.
BTW, there was a typo joke by one of our favorite bloggers, from up-North ... which mysteriously disappeared yesterday, and all blog posts referring to it also mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Seems like a heavy handed censor at work.
Vidwan - it was Monday C, Eh's typo made a giggle. The thread is still there. C, -T
CC, I am happy Boomer's surgery went well. Sorry the cancer test was not so good.
Lucina, so sorry to hear of the passing of you uncle. I think we lost all of my parents' generation more than 20 years ago. In my generation one of my sibs' spouses and my husband have passed, but none of the inlaws are as healthy as the sibs.
The Oaks sponsored a trip to the movies this afternoon, Downton Abbey A New Era. Great show. Those friends who watched the TV series, say the actors are the same. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
I didn't know there are bison in Golden Gate Park. Eeenteresting. I do know there is a big beautiful Moreton Bay Fig tree in Balboa Park. There is also one in Santa Barbara.
Thanks for your additional comments about proper names and the cluing thereof.
I’m never going to live that typo down - True North, strong and red-faced!
Actually I knew PETCO from MLB Padres and would've needed Spanish explorer for Balboa
OMK, Edo was my first thought, too.
Just as I turned 7 the Redsox made a big trade with the Tigers. One of the guys we got was HOOT Evers. The trade was a disaster the Sox went from perennial contender to battling those same Tigers for last place
WC
It has been many decades since I visited Balboa Park and I wonder if the theater is still there. I have a lovely memory of watching Will Geer act in a play there. It was the mid-60s and I don't recall the play but Mr. Geer's voice echoes in my head.
Again, thank you for the condolences for my late uncle Ray.
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