Theme: "Spa Menu"
Tracy Gray is no stranger to the crosswording world. Her puzzles have appeared frequently in "that other newspaper." But, as near as I can tell, this is only her second LAT entry. The first was a 2021 collaboration with Jeff Chen. For those of you who've been asking for fewer proper names, fewer pop culture references, and fewer "cute" clue/answers, today is your day. The majority of this puzzle consists of straight-forward clue definitions/synonyms. Enjoy. I finished this puzzle and had no idea what the theme might be. Wednesday themeless? Probably not. It finally dawned on me that perhaps there was a reveal clue that I'd somehow failed to read. Yup. Tucked in at 63d was SPA. -- "Place to enjoy the kinds of pampering found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues." Hmmmm, so there were starred clues as well. Hadn't noticed that.
18a. *Operating room assistants. SCRUB NURSES.
A spa SCRUB could be an exfoliating, exhilarating, moisturizing
experience. In any case, it usually involves being rubbed with an
abrasive product like coffee, salt, or nutshell husks. Sounds like fun.
[Not!]
28a. *Employ flowery language. WAX POETIC, à la Chairman Moe or
OwenKL. According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of "WAX" is "to
assume a (specified) characteristic, quality, or state : BECOME." At
the spa it's more likely to involve a bikini wax -- liquid wax applied,
allowed to dry, and then ripped off like a band-aid. Sounds like fun.
[Not!]
36. *Indulgent request made by Mae West in "I'm No Angel": PEEL ME A GRAPE.
A facial PEEL involves having caustic goop smeared on your
face...allowing it to "set a spell"...and then wiping it off. This
kills off the top layer of skin which you can rip off in a day or two,
like a sunburn. Sounds like fun. [Not!]
52a. #Cast celebration. WRAP PARTY. The WRAP party is held after major movie shooting has been completed. At the spa, a WRAP is often liquid mud which is applied, allowed to dry, and then ripped off like a band-aid. Sounds like fun. [Not!] Have you noticed that the spa is beginning to sound like a rip-off joint?
61a. *Retail event with deep discounts. BLOW OUT SALE. When it comes to the spa...hmmmm...don't think I want to go there.
Across:
1. Boarding area: GATE. At the airport.
5. Sugar substitute: STEVIA.
11. Liberal group?: ARTS. Where I fearlessly sifted and winnowed, that part of the university was the College of Letters and Science.
15. Strait-laced: PRIM. And proper.
16. How stir-fry is often served: ON RICE. Rice is that fine Houston institution where Uncle Ben was converted.
17. Vichyssoise need: LEEK. Learning moment. Did not know that
LEEKs were an essential ingredient. On the other hand, I've never had
vichyssoise, so how would I know? I tend to avoid foods I can't spell.
20. Hathaway of "Ocean's 8": ANNE.
21. "__ as directed": USE.
22. "Dig in!": EAT. Grace ender.
23. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS. When we visited, dw was taken
with some pottery with a silvery-charcoal appearance. We were told that
horse manure was involved. Maybe Waseeley can elaborate.
25. Aardvark snack: ANT.
26. Dog in RCA Victor ads: NIPPER. Here he is atop the old RCA Building in Albany, just for Irish Miss.
30. Native peoples of the Arctic: INUIT. Will it be ALEUT, INUIT, or YUPIK? Only the perps know for certain.
31. React to yeast: RISE.
32. Lightning burst: FLASH.
33. Number in a 10-day forecast, for short: TEMP. Around here the TEMPs have been scary-high all month, and it's only June. I dread the next electric bill.
34. Connecticut WNBA team: SUN.
35. "Argo" org.: CIA.
In this 2012 movie a CIA operative attempts to rescue six Americans
detained in Tehran during the '79 hostage crisis. Received 96% on the
Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes.
41. Utter: SAY.
42. Route: WAY. As seen on your 1d.
43. Hissy fit: SNIT.
46. Come to pass: OCCUR.
49. For you and me: OURS.
51. Brief tussle: SET-TO. Without the hyphen it just means "to begin."
54. Early '90s pres., familiarly: BUSH SR. When I ventured into
the awl patch in the early '80s, I joined a company that he'd started.
Never met him; he was no longer affiliated with it.
55. Hasty escape: LAM. Have you everr heard anybody say it...except Mary, of course?
56. Education acronym: STEM. I've also seen it as STEAM -- the A is for Arts.
57. Plot device?: HOE. Har-de-har-har. A little attempt at humor...very little.
58. Grammy category since 1989: RAP. Have never been a fan.
59. Black-__ Susan: EYED. Hahtoolah is a Susan, but she's not black-eyed.
64. "To Venus and Back" singer Amos: TORI. This was TORI's fifth album, a two-disc affair. It has no title track.
65. Categorize: ASSORT. Assorted chocolates does sound more appetizing than categorized chocolates, but "chocolates" never sounds bad.
66. Walk heavily: PLOD.
67. Hidden obstacle: SNAG.
68. Jackson Hole backdrop: TETONS. Visited there in the mid '60s
on a summer college road trip with a buddy. We also stayed one night
at the Broadmoor and took in a Smothers Brothers show on that trip.
69. Sax type: ALTO. Invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax back in the mid-1800s. There are at least 14 different types. You can check 'em out HERE.
Down:
2. Inverse trig function: ARCSINE. Arcsine(theta) is the angle whose sine is theta. This c/a is a tad arcane for the non-math-oriented. See what I did there?
3. Cyclist's accessory: TIRE PUMP. Won't do you much good, unless you also carry a tube patching kit.
4. Ostrich kin: EMU.
5. Underwater detector: SONAR. Evokes memories of a sonar lesson for Seaman Beaumont in The Hunt For Red October. Lucky for you, I couldn't find a clip.
6. Bolt holder: T-NUT.
7. Throw wide of the cutoff man, say: ERR. Sports clue, I'm guessin'.
8. Panoramic views: VISTAS. Like this one.
9. Mountaineering tool: ICE AXE. Six letters, four vowels, what's not to like if you're a crossword constructor?
10. Greek fabulist: AESOP. There's some question whether he actually existed.
11. Taking after: À LA. In the fashion of, or somesuch.
12. First name of Italian sopranos Tebaldi and Scotto: RENATA. Some might consider this an obscure proper name.
13. Wimbledon sport: TENNIS.
14. Quick drawing: SKETCH.
19. Vegetable that may stain a cutting board: BEET. You either love 'em or hate 'em.
24. Bulgaria's capital: SOFIA.
27. Joins the conversation: PIPES UP.
28. Viognier or Vouvray: WINE. I've never had either. Have I mentioned that I tend to avoid foods (and drinks) that I can't spell?
29. Ticks by: ELAPSES.
31. Mojito liquor: RUM. Brunchy. GIN or RYE could also fit...but would be wrong.
34. Shifty: SLY.
35. Shed tears: CRY.
37. O.K. Corral brothers: EARPS. Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan all made an appearance that day. We visited Tombstone and watched the re-enactment.
38. Askew: AWRY.
39. Neon or freon: GAS.
40. Captivate: ENTHRALL. Tried ENTRANCE first. Wite-Out, please.
44. "This is all more than I can handle": IT'S A LOT.
45. Ruin, as plans: TORPEDO. In my ute these frozen summer treats were called "Torpedoes."
46. Nocturnal nestlings: OWLETS. "Nocturnal" gives it away.
47. Medium for most refrigerator art: CRAYON.
48. Shape outlined in Instagram's logo: CAMERA.
49. Vague threat: OR ELSE.
50. Absolute: UTMOST.
51. Haggis ingredient: SUET. Never had it. Have I mentioned that I also tend to avoid some foods that I can spell?
53. Baseball stat: AT BAT.
54. Matches: BOUTS.
57. Rhinoceros feature: HORN. The horn is made of keratin, the
same material as fingernails. Some folks mistakenly believe the horn
has magical/medicinal properties. Rhinos are endangered, due to
poaching and habitat loss.
60. Use a spade: DIG.
62. Court: WOO.
63. Place to enjoy the kinds of pampering found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: SPA. This is a perfectly good "reveal" clue. If only folks would take the time to read them. D'oh.
Here's the grid courtesy of C.C. Desper-otto out.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Thank you so much for filling in the two Wednesdays in June, D-Otto! Thanks for always coming to my rescue.
2) Happy 56th birthday to Barry G, a regular in our blog in the earlier days. Barry, the other day Janice, a long-time reader who never commented on our blog, mentioned you in her letter to Boomer. It made me smile. You're still remembered and missed by many.
52 comments:
Good morning Tom and the world. I have never understood why I wake up early on Thursdays but here I am.
I know w few Renatas but no Viognier or however you spell that wine. I actually did represent some people who would go on the LAM
Happy day to all and thank you Tracy and Tom
After I got "gate" for the first answer and "prim" right under it, I thought I must have made a mistake. But then the light dawned ( or the V-8 can hit, as D-O and some others like to say.)
And it was fun to see Mae West's "Peel me a grape." Also, I, of course, didn't know the name of the Italian sopranos, but got it through ESP. Anyway, FIR, so I'm happy.
Lemonade, time to check your calendar...
FIR, nice, fun mid week puzzle.
Good Morning:
I saw the connections of the themer’s first words early on, but the reveal could have been anything spa related, so it was a nice, yet simple, answer. No unknowns and no w/os, so a smooth and easy solve. I knew both Renatas due to my husband’s love of opera and my subsequent introduction to it. Seeing Bush Sr was a coincidence as my sister and her daughter saw Bush Jr and Laura last Sunday at a church in Kennebunkport. And seeing Nipper atop the building where I spent several years brought back many happy memories. Thanks, DO, for the surprise remembrance. BTW, the building was the RTA building, signifying the RCA distributorship, known as RTA (Radios, Televisions, Appliances) Distributors, Inc., which was also a distributor of Whirlpool products.
Some fun pairings were Say/Way, CIA/Bush Sr, Wrap/Rap, and Sly/Cry/Awry. CSOs to Owen (Taos), Moe (Wine), and, of course, Moi and Misty (Nipper, AKA, His Master’s Voice). (A good portion of my meager weekly paycheck was spent in RTA’s Record Department.)
Thanks, Tracy, for a mid-week treat and thanks, DO, for an outstanding expo. I had an inkling early on that you were the blogger and it was soundly confirmed by your “Sports clue, I’m guessin’” comment. For someone so not into sports, your pinch hitting skills are major league! Thanks again for remembering my years under Nipper’s cocked ear and watchful eye! 😉
Happy Birthday, Barry, hope all is well with you. 🎂 🎈🎁🎉🎊
Have a great day.
FIR, but erased beet, which was needed elsewhere, for LEEK.
Do aardvarks eat anything other than ants? If I only ate cheeseburgers and fries and you saw me eating a cheeseburger and fries, would you say that I'm having a snack?
Have they changed baseball scoring rules? When I was obsessed with baseball, missing the cutoff man was just a bad play, not an ERRor. Man on second. Batter hits a grounder into right center. The outfielder throws toward home plate. If the cutoff man catches it, the hitter stays on first. If the outfielder misses the cutoff man, the hitter goes to second, and is scored as a single, getting to second "on the throw". Just like if the cutoff man lets the throw go through, whether the runner is safe or out at home (as long as it's not the third out).
If John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt had a son and named him John Jingleheimer Schmidt, would the father be Schmidt SR? Don't think so. Better to say BUSH 41, or in crosswordese, BUSHXLI.
IT'S A LOT. DW got up at 1:30 this morning and wouldn't go back to bed. She paced back and forth, up and down the stairs, making it impossible for me to sleep. I finally gave up and worked the crossword, and fell asleep in my chair before today's blog posted (maybe 0400 CDT?). Two days ago she asked me where her parents live (they passed about 50 years ago), and asked me where my husband was. IT'S A LOT.
Thanks to Tracy for the fun, and to D-O for the clever write up.
Good morning.
Nice job, D-O. Did you work in the Pennzoil Place towers ? I liked the design.
Happy Birthday, Barry G !
Barry's birthday today. Guess who's birthday follows ?
Tune in tomorrow for the answer.
Who's ? No, whose. D'oh !
Another nice puzzle this week, this time by Tracy. Thanks! I eased through it with only one major WO: elEM/STEM (I know, read the clue carefully first!) I almost slipped up, leaving a blank square elsewhere, but noticed it just in time before reading the blog. I saw the theme starters early and wondered what the reference would be. Oh, SPA. Sure.
I didn't guess you were the reviewer, DO, but should have with your comment about the theme. Nice job filling in! Until perps made it clear, I wondered if the dog's name was Buster. No, it's NIPPER.
Happy Birthday, Barry G. Stop by and update us.
My sympathy for your situation, Jinx. In spite of it, you post humorous comments often which I enjoy.
Hope everyone is doing well. We continue to get some needed rain which also cools things down.
I have no idea why I am so out of sync with time, yes it is Wednesday which I knew as I almost wrote Happy Hump Day but my synapses have synapped.
Happy birthday Barry, nice to know all is going. We have so many who just disappear.
Jinx I would like to tell you that is gets easier, but it won't. Hang in and if you ever want to talk about survival you can email, text or call me. I have 12 years of experience from caring for my mother.
Yea! Only a couple of proper names. Didn't know Garmin. Learning moment for today. FIR.
Fewer proper names? RENATA took perps for those women. WINE and CAMERA were the only other unknowns today.
No problems today unless you count not noticing the SPA treatments.
ARCSINE- if you didn't take calculus you'd never run across it. Been over 50 years since I had to fool with it.
TIRE PUMP- I carry spare tubes but not a pump. Been cycling for over 25 years and only had one flat. But I called my AAA of cycling- my DW.
GPS UNIT- I have a Garmin that I keep in my car and use it occasionally on road trips. Using the cellular GPS drains the battery and uses a lot of you allotted GB. Never want a surprise bill for going over my 4GB plan.
Pushover puzzle for a humpday..
Inkovers: buttsin/PIPESUP, arty/ARTS. Plus today's theme was much more obvious than yesterday's. Increasing puzzle difficulty as the week progresses doesn't appear to apply to the theme. I assume BLOWOUT refers to what a hairdresser might do at SPA...ladies?
Seemed each new artificial sweetener tasted better than the last until the most recent: STEVIA; leaves a metal taste in my mouth.😝. With only the final T, is it AleuT or INUIT (only the perps will tell). That team of French sounding V proper names? hadn't the foggiest 🤔 but made me whine ...So it's NIPPER who hears "his master's voice" Have to look for him next time I'm in Albany.
My 14 y o GD Eve had to once again 'splain to dear old grandad, what STEM means. I've been to a cast PARTY. ASSORT as a verb?. Expected to perp ENTRANCE but ended ENTHRALLed.
Saw RENATA Scotto perform in Italy in the 70s , otherwise doubt many would know her nor Tebaldi . (Renata = Renée, "reborn"). A fine actress (actor), Anne Hathaway with words....Liked the "plot device" misdirection clue for HOE.
Shindig with filled "pitas"....WRAP PARTY
Marketing event featuring cheap birthday candles....BLOW OUT SALE
What's that knight Lance's last name?...IT'SALOT
Off to drive and meet my daughter and SIL at Prime Outlets (half way) in Lee MA to return our visiting grandkids and enjoy a quick gourmet lunch in the food court. 😄 They'll be back in August for a couple weeks.
Musings
-Risin-laced STEVIA played a role in a murder on Breaking Bad
-Argot was a movie my lovely bride would never view in a theater and so Netflix delivered it to me
-Boaters on the Missouri River have to avoid SNAGS like fallen trees
-The last three minutes of our car’s GPS route to Haymarket Park in Lincoln – I-80 to I-180 to N 1st St to Charleston St. to Hwy 6 to Line Drive Circle. Lots of turn signals!
-People who knew RENATA were heavier on the A side of STEAM than I
-SUET is a staple of our bird feeding. Grackles were big fans but thankfully they are now gone until next March.
TTP, yes our offices were in Pennzoil Place in downtown Houston. The corporation leased a half-dozen floors, enough to get naming rights for the South Tower.
Husker, did you mean to write "Argot?" Made me chuckle.
Oops...forgot to link the image. Pennzoil Place
Oops for me too, D-O. Argot is crossword fill and not the great movie Argo.
Thank you Tracy for a wonderful Wednesday wander through a world of beauty. I think the powers that be have "heard the cries of the poor" Cornerites and given us a doable challenge, with balanced P&P and fair perps.
And thank you D-O for the pinch hitting another out-of-the-park review.
5A STEVIA. I've grown it in our garden, but I think it tastes funny, and not only that but it has some not so funny side effects.
17A LEEK. Also an essential ingredient in Bouillabaisse (much easier to spell than Vichyssoise) and one of Teri's favorites. Here's a recipe.
26A NIPPER. Charm city also had a Nipper sitting high atop a downtown building, but I think he's in the dog house these days still waiting for the vet.
54A BUSH SR. The last genuine war hero we had as President. Unfortunately he wasn't a very good lip reader.
59A EYED. DYK that the "Black Eyed Susans" given to the winner of the Preakness are really daisies with the centers dyed black. The Maryland State Flower is not in season when the Preakness is run.
2D ARCSINE. Your comment for that one was pretty ESOTERIC D-O.
12D We saw Renata Scotto at the Baltimore Lyric Opera years back, singing the role of Lucia, (lyrics), but probably not the one you're thinking of.
40D ENTHRALL. Give Mimi a try. She certainly ENTHRALLED Rudolfo!
Cheers,
Bill
One of my sisters and I stumbled onto WRAP PARTY after a performance of G&S' "HMS Pinafore" in Buxton, England. We ended up closing the bar.
TTP @8:16 AM I thought Who was on first.
Lemonade @ 4:07 you certainly DID wake up early on Thursday: an entire DAY early! Thanx to TG for this fun Wednesday CW. I especially enjoyed this CW having only 5 proper names, and none of them crossing each other. Also nice that I knew all but one of the proper names called for. DNK ARCSINE. A very long time since high-school trig. I did see the theme, for a change, I suspect because I bothered to look for it! Thanx too to D.O. for a terrific job on the write-up.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR in exactly 17:00 (Across Lite)
SCRUB - WAX - PEEL gave away the theme; WRAP PARTY was my favorite of the entries, although I and Owen relate more to WAXing POETIC
BLOWOUT, OTOH, did not immediately bring to mind a SPA service - and since D-Otto (whose recap was superb, BTW) didn't want to capture it in his blog, I'm not sure I want to google it
VIOGNIER - one of Chairman Moe's, and his partner Margaret's, favorite white WINE varietal. Some of the best examples of this grape's outstanding characteristics come from Condrieu, in the Northern Rhone Valley of France
VOUVRAY - this is a WINE producing region located in the Loire Valley of France. The primary grape varietal grown there is Chenin Blanc
I agree with others who've commented today, that today's puzzle was quite easy and enjoyable
Happy Hump Day
Thank You Tracy Gray for an easier Wed puzzle, which I enjoyed ... and when I 'got' SPA, I also got the theme. I have never been to a spa, nor do I know anyone who has been there. I always thought that spas were for the French and the Germans, on the continent... as a vacation resort.
Thank you Desper Otto, I tried to figure out the blog reviewer, but couldn't guess right. You did a very good job,
Jinx. sorry for your troubles, ... hopefully, things will turn better. I too, like Lemonade, took care of my mother for 14 years, and it was with a lot of trials and tribulations. She would continously talk to her mother ( whom I never got to see, in my 50 years then, - ) all the time. The old memories are deeply entrenched in the dendrites, and last the longest.
STE A M ??? I thought, the excessive reliance on the Arts and Music and such were the main reasons why american kids were so deficient in the mathematical subjects and sciences ...
I dont really like STEVIA because of its metallic after taste ... give me Equal, or Aspartame, anytime. My BIL used to have a hedge of Stevia, which he used as a decoration in his garden.
An old I Q Mensa question, I once came across was, 'What is the sex (gender ) of the dog in the RCA logo ?' ... I didn't know the answer at the time ... but remember, the slogan, HIS Masters Voice ....
React to Yeast ... Gas was too short, and Rash was incorrect...
I saw Argo, when it was released ... and I also knew that the main reason for the saving of those unfortunate Americans was the full wholehearted cooperation of the Canadian embassy personnel and their govt. Basically, the Argo CIA plot was mostly fiction, IMHO, and to the best of my knowledge. But the effects of the inexcusable and unconsionable behavior of the part of that govt has lasted til this day ....
Have a nice day, you all.
Thanks, Lemony. I may take you up on that. I've found a good blog about the care of a spouse with Alzheimer's. And thanks for the encouragement, ATLGranny.
Bill reminded me that it is appropriate that ARCSINE and STEM are cohabitants today. We have a new STEM public high school very near a huge public housing complex. Best use of tax $$$ I've seen in a while. The way to a great life is literally just across the street for those kids.
Bill, I DNK about the daisies in the Preakness. Don't y'all have greenhouses up yonder? DYK that the groundskeepers at Augusta National Golf Course sometimes ice down their azaleas to keep them from peak bloom until the first full week in April? (Horticulturalists deny that this can be done, but there are plenty of reports from those who should know that it seems like they have at least tried it.)
Pleasant solve and theme. Hand up learning moment that BLOW OUT is a thing at a SPA. Mr Google indicates it indeed involves hair and ends with BLOWing of air to create a poofy effect.
Only crossed unknown proper names were RENATA and ANNE. I can grudgingly tolerate this as long as the names are reasonably normal. Cross of WINE and SUN a similar case.
This CRAYON ART from my niece Hannah was on my REFRIGERATOR for decades.
She made this for my birthday when she was seven years old. She knew that I loved frogs. She went on to be a superb artist. Very useful when she was in medical school and had to do drawings. She is now an MD in Austin.
Hi All!
Happy Birthday Barry G! Miss your "First Posts."
Thanks Tracy for fast Hump Day fun. Nice (mostly) A&E free grid.
Thanks D-O for your fun(ny) expo. LOL @BLOW OUT.
WO: PIPESin
ESPs: RENATA, SOFIA
Fav: ANT and the Aardvark [7m]
ARTS was left out of STEaM [Hi, HG!] and we had another CSO to MISTY with NIPPER.
Vidwan - Americans are poor at maths because it (IMHO) is taught wrong [i.e. rote]. It needs to be taught as expressing relationships - then ARCSINE makes sense.
When I was in Aberdeen, they put out Haggis with the breakfast spread (the field EATs well!). Well, I had to try it. It was like a spiced ground burger meat. Not bad but I didn't go back for twosies.
Along with a few tools, I carry an inner tube and this in my saddle-bag.
FLN: Michael who services your email that lets that many SPAM get through?
IT'S ALOT Funny, Ray-O!
Jinx - sorry to read you're going through a lot... Love to you, Brother...
D-O - I can't recall the client I had in Pennzoil Plaza but I did love visiting the building. Our consultancy was in One Allen. Not all that snazzy, architecturally speaking.
Break's over. Cheers, -T
Thank you all for your very nice comments about my puzzle today!
Chairman Moe - don't be too nervous about googling BLOWOUT - lol! After a SCRUB, WAX, PEEL, and a WRAP, many spas have a BLOWOUT BAR where you can have your hair washed and styled with a blowdry. Perfect ending to a SPA DAY!
Waseeley - Sounds like you're just a quick car ride away from me on the 695/83 North? (I live in Hunt Valley...) I definitely was thinking of the Preakness when I wrote the clue Black-___ Susan - and I'm happy that Patti used it in the puzzle.
Thanks!
Tracy G.
Anon T: Are you in the new digs yet?...Tracy G. I guess my take on SPA / BLOW OUT was right or we both agree on a likely connection. When I'm at a weeklong conference where the venue has a SPA DW will often make an appointment to get her hair done, includes a BLOW OUT
..👩🦱
Nice CW, fun to do. I began with the reveal clue as I often do, so got the theme pretty quickly.
I would love to visit the Tetons again.So beautiful, but I’m afraid my flying days are over.
Time for lunch. Have a great day everyone.
Hola!
Thank you, Tracy, for a bit of challenge this Wednesday puzzle. And many thanks to you, d-otto, for a thorough explanation. I've been to a couple of SPA places in California. My late niece loved to go and she introduced us to them. I haven't been to one since she died.
Oops. I see a blank cell where the Connecticut WNBA team should go and I have no idea what that is. Viognier or Vouvray definitely stumped me. Otherwise the rest of the puzzle was straight forward.
Owen, I thought of you at WAX POETIC.
If AESOP didn't exist, then who wrote all those axiomatic stories?
Good to know that SAX was someone's name.
Have a fine day, everyone!
Happy birthday, Barry! Don't be a stranger.
Tracy G @ 12:16
Appreciate your stopping by! Hunt Valley, eh? I grew up in York, and used to do some business with McCormick Spice, so I met with contacts at their facility in HV.
And thanks for calming my nerves about googling for a SPA BLOWOUT, though I will admit that when I did search, I used one of my "obscure" web browsers (called Gurgle) had a much different link for BLOWOUT. It was a SPA that features the usual services (SCRUB, WAX, PEEL, and WRAP), but then offers a prep for those who are having a colonoscopy the next day ...
I am a very sick man!! ;^)
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Tracy, for a delightful puzzle. Probably as close as I'll ever get to a SPA.
Thanks, D-O, for do-ing the great expo.
Last fill was NW: I knew EMU, PRIM, INUIT, BEET. Moved on but kept coming back and adding a few letters at a time. Finally the only thing missing were the 5 "P's" in NIPPER (should have known that), PIPES UP, TEMP & PEEL. No red-letter runs today.
DNK: STEVIA, RENATA, those WINE brands, ARCSINE (never took Trig).
FLN: Picard sorry to hear you have COVID. Hope it is a light case with easy recovery.
Happy Birthday, Barry! Miss your posts.
Jinx: so sad about your DW. My mother also had dementia, but after she went to assisted living because of Parkinson's (her choice, not mine). I also spent time with a dear older male friend who cared for his wife with Alzheimers. She had to be put in a nursing home to keep her clean & safe after he'd done all he could and his health was declining because of it.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Tracy (and for stopping by) and D’otto (thanks for pinch-hitting).
I FIRed in good time and saw the SPA theme. (The ladies in the room know Tracy’s definition of BLOWOUT!)
Hand up for not knowing the fancy V words in 28D and 17A. But perps were fair (even though this Canadian did not know the Connecticut SUN).
I need to HOE my plot. Weeds seem to flourish in heat or cold, rain or sunshine
Happy Birthday, Barry G
Picard- loved Hannah’s refrigerator art. Hope your Covid is mild and DH stays well.
Jinx- sympathy with your situation with DH. Remember to care for yourself too.
Vidwan- yes Argo definitely shortchanged the Canadian contribution. Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor, was the hero.
Thanks for all the Anniversary wishes the other day. Niagara was at its beautiful best. (PK- we honeymooned in Bermuda!)
Wishing you all a great day.
Some fun items in this puzzle, thank you, Tracy. And always appreciate your commentary, Desper-otto.
This puzzle was more set for the ARTS than sports, though we at least got the Wimbledon TENNIS match. But lots of ARTS activities, with singer TORI Amos and those Italian sopranos, and an ALTO sax player, and actors like ANNE Hathaway and Mae West.
Other figures included President BUSH SR., and AESOP, along with the cute NIPPER in those RCA ads.
Have to admit I've never heard of STEVIA, but then I have no problem with sugar.
Thanks for remembering our RCA connection, Irish Miss.
Have a great day, everybody.
Vidwan827-"I thought, the excessive reliance on the Arts and Music and such were the main reasons why american kids were so deficient in the mathematical subjects and sciences"
From what I've noticed about the education system has 'dumbed down' the requirements to get a degree in both HS and College. Everybody passes. Most people get A's. Hard subjects are avoided because it might actually lower a person's GPA.
C.Moe - I was also thinking along the lines of you & D-O on a SPA BLOW OUT [RIP Phil Hartman]
//I have seen Blow-Out shops near where DW shops... Never understood it.
Ray-O: I was at the new digs last week waiting on the GAS co. //who gives a 12-hour window for showing up? Also, what moron forgot about NatGAS until DW called re: cold bath? ;-)
We are currently splitting time between houses as this one hasn't sold yet. In fact, the offer we signed last night fell through this morning at 6:30a [family emergency?]. Anyway, I'm cool with it... I keep telling DW, "this will be our winter home when it's cold up north of I-10" [nearer to D-O :-)]
Picard - Lovely pic and I'm sure any niece of yours is helping Keep Austin Weird.
Tracy - thanks for stopping by The Corner. Any other clues that you are proud of OR that disappointed you 'cuz it got changed? Just curious.
//sometimes it hurts when a "that's a great clue!" gets cut - but at least I got my name in print -- I'm somebody!.
Cheers, -T
I know doodly-squat about the WNBA, but I'll bet they have some connection to Connecticut's Mohegan SUN casino. Casinos are something I know a lot about. Too much. But I've never been to the SUN.
BTW, Connecticut is larger in area than Delaware and Rhode Island. By comparison, Texas has 254 counties, and one of them (Brewster) has greater area than Connecticut. The things you learn while reading Michener.
Picard - it's great to see you commenting more regularly again now. And, as others have said, I hope your Covid bout is a mild one and your DW stays covid- free. Good luck!
Jinx @11:52 I think EYE mascara is cheaper than a greenhouse.
Tracy G @12 16 PM We're East of Liberty Rd and the Beltway in the Villa Nova community (a "suburb" of Lochearn). We probably passed your place today heading to Valley View Memorial Gardens to visit my Mother's grave. She died two years ago at age 95 and today is her birthday. God rest her soul.
-T, why would you need to inflate your CO2? I'd get a tire inflator, but that's just me.
I suspect that the SUN WNBA team is somehow associated with Connecticut's Mohegan SUN casino.
Speaking of CT, it is larger in area than only Delaware and Rhode Island. In contrast, one of Texas' 254 counties (Brewster) is larger than CT. Oh the things one learns while reading Michener.
Tracy G @12 16 PM Missed "Hunt Valley". We were South of there in Timonium.
Jinx,
Missing the cutoff man is not an official error, but it is a mental mistake and it means the fielder erred without being charged with an ERROR.
Also, I think the Bush Sr reference would be another way of saying Bush The Elder.
My heart goes out to you and your DW. Be sure to take care of yourself too!
I liked this puzzle and all your comments. FISH had to be changed to LEEK. Interesting how the term Vichyssoise was invented.
My wife recently bought a big jar of STEVIA but won't open it because "we never use sugar in anything anyway." I knew better than to ask her why she bought it.
Taje care, all.
Testing 1-2-3. I think a couple of my posts got autotrashcanned. If this one posts, it must be something I said (or maybe my parole officer asked that they be removed). If it doesn't post, I'll know it's you, not me.
Jinx at 6:19 PM, I see your "Testing 1-2-3" post.
Thanks, Jayce. Must have been something an algorithm didn't like. Nothing important or even funny, but to my eye it was interesting.
Good call on STEVIA. You not only had the right to remain silent, you had the ability!
I can see your latest post. Must have been your parole officer.
Xxxxxxxxxx Cutoff men: Avoid them like the plague. In softball from CF I could curve it around from LF to avoid the pest. All they want to do is get their grubby hands on the ball and "Cut it Off!"
I see lemony also thought it was Thursday. I have the week's insert and labored through only to find I'd done Thurs. Fortunately, Wednesday was short and sweet. And this WAS the reprieve, au demain le deluge
Jinx, are BEETs part of Vichyssoise?
Re. BLOW OUT/SPA*.
I remembered ARCtangent and guessed there might be an ACSINE
Y'know you've been at the blog awhile if you remember Barry's posts. NtSo Splynter
-T, agree 100% on math teaching. If the gifted students aren't removed from that environment they die on the vine. Homework is not the answer. But, re. GPA…
They award bonus points for AP thus an 82 would become an A
I have a warranty certificate and the sender suggested I check my Spam mail. Found email from a close friend that I thought he'd stopped forwarding.
"If AESOP didn't exist, then who wrote all those axiomatic stories?" Homer?*
Jayce, spoken like a wise, wise man
WC
*(Spoiler alert) Misty, Lucina, IM etal don't read this footnote
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In East Asian SPAs, circa 1970, it would have an X-rated connotation (C-Moe, some are sicker than others)
********************
** Who some claim didn't exist either
Ps, Betsy is a Licensed Massage Therapists and knows the SPA Business well
-T @ 12:11: I'm afraid it's AOL for spam ... almost all of it goes into the spam folder, but my conscience won't let me waste disk space.
Jinx, yes, your two posts were marked as spam.
I have no idea why. The same thing happened to a comment from Irish Miss about a month ago. Inexplicable.
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