google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, August 12, 2022, Roger and Kathy Wienberg

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Aug 12, 2022

Friday, August 12, 2022, Roger and Kathy Wienberg

Theme: Mas-CAR-ade [sic]

Puzzling thoughts:

This puzzle was a bit of a "masquerade", as many of the clues were clearly disguised. And as for my ability to solve it? Well, I FIW, as you can see from the grid below. All of the letter squares with a red triangle in the corner are ones I had to reveal through the puzzle software:

As I began solving today's puzzle, I wondered how many of you would (42-across. Breezes (through):) SAIL(S) through this one? Or perhaps even see the theme, or (64-across. Break off:) END the solve with a (54-down. "All done!":) TADA? I certainly didn't, but once I revealed a few of my head-scratchers, and then solved the puzzle reveal, (62-across. Brandy-based cocktail, and a hint to locating the second part of four three-part puzzle answers:) SIDECAR, it all became clear. And, it made this puzzle a keeper!

Still don't see it? Let's explore the reveal to make some sense of it all ...

First, there were four clues - all in the down position - that were clued as "-". And while none of this made sense (even as some of them filled in via perps) if you just follow the red letters in the grid it will all become crystal clear.

The first "-" (29-down) was ROT. If you look above the black square (row 5, column 4) you see the word (14-down. Stick on a crudités platter:) RAW. If you then place the word CAR between (or along SIDE) these two words, then 14-down becomes RAW CARROT!

The second "-" (32-down. -:) yields the word PAL. Look above PAL to see (8-down. Like five bones in the hand:) META, and once you add CAR, 8-down becomes METACARPAL, or like 5 bones in the hand.

The third "-" was (53-down. -:) PONE. 39-down. Italian cream cheese: MAS, means nothing until the word "CAR makes it MASCARPONE. This:

And last, but certainly not least, the fourth "-" (56-down. -:) PET, made (40-down. Where stars may align:) RED (plus the SIDE CAR), RED CARPET. And come OSCAR time, you can see many "stars" align at the RED CARPET

Our constructors were last seen at the LA Times on this date.

Here is another link to info about this couple. As always, if either of the Wienbergs care to comment here, please enter and sign in! On to the rest of the clues ...

Across:

1. "__ your age!": ACT. If I had a $1 for every time that statement's been thrown in my direction I'd be set for life!

4. Hound: NAG. DOG fits, but not on Friday

7. Mischievous sprite: IMP. See 1-across; I've also been called an IMP at times. I'm a "sprite" in height, but not in weight

10. For instance: SAY. I often wondered if Francis Scott Key ever considered his first line in what became our National Anthem as "O for instance can you see ..."

13. Bach work: CHORALE. Moe-ku (as promised):

The Earp family
Approved Bach's work: "Gunfight at
The OK CHORALE"

15. "Fore!" site: TEE. CSO to HG, TTP, Boomer, and any and all of the CC golfers

16. __-K: PRE. Moe didn't attend PRE-k. Perhaps that's why he doesn't always "ACT his age"

17. Record collection?: DATA SET. "Lots of 1's and 0's; spreadsheets" so I'm told by Miss Margaret - my live-in librarian and laptop whiz

18. "And there's more" abbr.: ETC. Hang in there; today's blog won't be rife with a lot of ETC

19. Extra NBA periods: OTS. Overtimes. Also known as OT in NFL, NHL, and MLS. MLB has extra innings. Fun Fact: My almost 94 year old mom used to get the two phrases mixed up, and referred to an extended baseball game as "Over innings"

20. Simple style: CREW CUT. According to [Dictionary dot com], "The term CREW CUT was first recorded in the 1930–40s to describe the hairstyle of Ivy League students on the crew team (rowing). They cut their hair shorter on the sides and longer on the top to streamline their appearance (and performance)." Is that what they now call a FADE? I've gone full circle. Started getting CREW CUTS as a little shaver, and am sporting one now as a large portion of my scalp is bald

21. Meringue-based confection: MACARON. Moe-ku two:

Yankee Doodle had
Meringue injected in joint.
Called it MACARON-knee

23. Perched on: ATOP.

25. Defensive retort: AM TOO."Are not!"

26. MVP of the first Super Bowl: STARR. I was unaware that Ringo played football ...

30. Copies, for short: REPROS. I should've known this - or at least guessed it. Anyone here recall the "REPROS" we had in school, back in the day? Remember the smell?

33. Flying start?: AERO.

34. Sudden attack: FORAY. Which entry in today's puzzle is a CSO to another punster? This one: FORAY

35. Bentley of "Yellowstone": WES. I'd never thought of driving a Bentley to Yellowstone, but why not??

38. Inventor who coined the term "horsepower": WATT. Moe-ku three:

My first thought for this
After googling the answer
Was to say, "Wait, WATT?"

39. Exxon merger partner: MOBIL. According to [SpringerLink]: "When did Exxon merge with Mobil? In 1998, Exxon and Mobil merged in a deal valued at $81 billion. The merged entity became the third largest company in the world at the time of announcement. The merged company was called ExxonMobil Corp (stock symbol XOM)"

40. Musical symbol: REST. CLEF also fits

41. Nordic runner: SKI.

43. Let up: EASE.

44. Bo's'n's quarters: FOCSLE. FOCSLE? I definitely had to Google this one. I should've collaborated with Miss Margaret first, as she knew this straight off. The definition in Merriam-Webster

46. Storage place: CD ROM. You could possibly store a 17-across here, but a flash drive might be better (again, according to Miss Margaret)

47. With 60-Across, undefeated boxer who wrote the cookbook "Food for Life": LAILA (60-across. See 47-Across: ALI). Muhammad and Veronica's daughter. Her son looks like his grandpa

49. Prefix between kilo- and giga-: MEGA. "Kilo- means 1,000; a Kilobyte is one thousand bytes. MEGA - means 1,000,000; a Megabyte is a million bytes. Giga- means 1,000,000,000; a Gigabyte is a billion bytes"[udel dot edu] More info, and a neat graph!

52. Passage: EXCERPT.

55. Do better than: SURPASS.

61. Mauna __: LOA. 63-across. Mauna __: KEA. Not sure I've ever seen both of these used in the same puzzle, let alone side by side

65. Snob: ELITIST. I had EGOTIST, which got me all messed up in that section of the puzzle

66. Couture monogram: YSL.

67. Leaves in hot water?: TEA. Cute clue

68. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. I feel so out-of-touch as I never watched "The Matrix"; so this filled with perps (I think)

69. Justice Dept. arm: DEA. Can justice be served by the DEA for someone who showed up DOA from an OD?

Down:
1. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" band: AC/DC. Not one of their iconic songs, except maybe to serious fans. Maybe Dash Tony has more history about this?? Fun fact: When Moe lived in Fort Myers, FL, he owned a wine business. One of his semi-regular customers was Cliff Williams; the bass player from AC/DC. Cliff and his wife Georgeanne were very beneficent. In 2011 they hosted a charity auction in their home; all proceeds went to a local neighborhood of underprivileged families. Moe provided several cases of wine, as well as doing the wine pouring for the event

2. Really overcook: CHAR. Sounds like my first time in a kitchen ... I think I actually burned water

3. Lug: TOTE. The plural, TOTES, is a brand of rainwear

4. Org. with a long track record?: NASCAR. 67-across was a cute clue; this one? Not so much

5. Language spoken along the Bering Sea: ALEUT. I might have either misspelled this, or maybe used INUIT in the first pass

6. Eat at: GET TO. Hopefully not something I do to you with my blogs

7. Agenda listing: ITEM. Ahh, agendas; brings back memories of the corporate world ... none, now; I'm retired!!

9. Nocturnal piglike mammal: PECCARY. Complete unknown, although they look very similar to our Arizona Javelina. [Wikipedia] "A PECCARY is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae. They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North America. They usually measure between 90 and 130 cm in length, and a full-grown adult usually weighs about 20 to 40 kg." This:

10. Athletic apparel: SPORTSWEAR. A very infrequently used crossword entry

11. "Star Wars" droid nickname: ARTOO. How come we never see his friend CEETHREEPEEO used in crossword puzzles?

12. Basic question type: YES NO. And yet, when I was in sales, our trainers always suggested we ask questions that began with HOW, WHAT, WHY, WHO, WHERE, or WHICH

22. Latin 101 word: AMO. A MOE? I never knew I was Latin

24. Snag: PROBLEM. I guess when you have a snag in a sweater, it IS a PROBLEM

26. Proverbs: SAWS. In [Dictionary dot com] the third meaning is: "saw3/sô/noun: saw; plural noun: saws

a proverb or maxim.

"Don't believe the old saw that you can't be out and still be a mover and shaker in Hollywood"

27. Tropical hardwood: TEAK. I often get confused by words that sound alike

28. Synthetic: ARTIFICIAL. Another seldom used puzzle fill. Speaking of "fill", I'm guessing that most pillows are filled with ARTIFICIAL fibers these days

31. Dwarf planet once known as Xena: ERIS. More info if you're so inclined to click on this link

34. Tin __: FOIL. Moe-ku four:

In "Wizard of Oz"
The Tin Woodman becomes the
FOIL of Winkies

36. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. CSO to CanadianEh! So, how much is ESSO going for these days, per liter??

37. Dandelion part: STEM. Does WINE fit this clue? Anyone remember Dandelion wine??

42. Miss in the game of Clue: SCARLET. She was easy to spot because she wore a sweater with the letter "A" embroidered on it

45. Flamenco cheer: OLE.

46. Brief exercise?: CARDIO.

47. Hardly seaworthy: LEAKY. Sounds like a plumbing PROBLEM, to me

48. Turnpike toll factor: AXLES. Did anyone here ever drive an 18-wheeler? I didn't, but I used to have a CB Radio. My handle was "Short Strokes". I learned all of the trucker/cb jargon. For example: "What's your twenty?" (answer in the comment section below if you know this answer)

50. German industrial city: ESSEN. ESSEN also means "meal" in German

51. Trickery: GUILE.

57. Low-pH substance: ACID. The pH "scale" runs from 1 to 14. Most elements/solutions under 7 are ACIDic; those over 7 are basic/alkaline. This:

58. RSVP convenience: SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope

59. Mex. miss: SRTA. Abbr. for Senorita

That's all she wrote, Cornerites. Please add comments below. See you in a couple of weeks ... now for me to go catch up on some old sitcoms from the '50's and '60's

46 comments:

Subgenius said...

Puzzles with blank clues are far from my favorite.

Subgenius said...

However, through P and P I managed to get through it. And, after seeing the reveal, the blanks even made sense! FIR, so I’m happy.

OwenKL said...

FIRight! A few unknowns, but all well-perped. I.e.:
"What is a macaron vs macaroon?
Both cookies are made with egg whites, sugar, a few drops of vanilla and a pinch of salt. However, macarons are typically made with finely ground blanched almonds, while macaroons are made with sweetened flaked coconut."

"What Is the Difference Between Mascarpone and Cream Cheese?
While similar in look and application, American-style cream cheese is both firmer and brighter tasting than its Italian counterpart. Mascarpone has a looser, velvety texture, and rich mouthfeel similar to a double-crème brie."

Lots of paired words:
MOBIL/ESSO
LOA/KEA
KEA/TEA/DEA
And what I used in my l'icks.

The theme was good, and well-hidden enough that I couldn't find it on my own. I might have after several hours, but I'll take a loss.

Touring the Star Wars theme park you may GET TO
Have a conversation with the small droid ARTOO.
His whistles and beeps
May seem a treat,
If you speak F.M. band, and A.M., TOO!

I wrote an ode that was META.
The brain cells it abused were MEGA!
It looped on itself,
It jumped off its shelf,
It got drunk and declared it was Maga!

{B, C+.}

OwenKL said...

Are javelinas and peccaries the same?

peccary, (family Tayassuidae), also called javelin or javelina, -- a name that comes from the Spanish word jabali, for “wild pig” -- any of the three species of piglike mammal found in the southern deserts of the United States southward through the Amazon basin to Patagonian South America.

Click for TEAK joke.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Went wrong early with CANTATA where CHORALE needed to go. Thank you, Wite-Out. Seemed to be another themeless Friday. Missed it completely, but it wasn't necessary for the solve. After C-Moe's erudite expo, I can see that it was an elegant theme. (There should'a been a reveal. Oh...there was.) The train came into the station under 10, so d-o will chalk it up as a win. Thanx for the diversion, Roger and Kathy.

Fo'c'sle: On our ancient aircraft carrier, this was the ceremonial area of the ship, between the anchor chains. That's where special awards were presented and where Captain's Mast (non-judicial punishment) was conducted.

PECCARY: I remember seeing one at the San Diego Zoo. It's name was Gregory. Get it?

Anonymous said...

Took 11:11 for me to guess wrong at "Mas" (mascarpone was unknown to me) intersecting "focsle" (ditto).

I also struggled in the middle section, mostly due to some dwarf planet and the clue for foray.

Intricate construction, but for me, the payoff was just, meh.

Big Easy said...

I FIW at the cross of an unknown-FOCSLE and a hyphen, had no idea what the hell was going on, and not being an ELITIST wonder if anybody had ever heard of MASCARPONE; I hadn't. Filled FOCALE & MAA. No TADA today. I'm not that smart.

WES Bentley, ERIS, SCARLET- filled by perps today.

Texas A&I (now Texas A&M Kingsville) used the JAVELINA as their mascot and their fight song was sung in Spanish.

Brian said...

20 means your location. 10-04 means yes. 10-20 means location.

Brian said...

Here's the complete list of CB Radio Talk Codes.

CB Talk Codes

Lemonade714 said...

PECCARY.? You all are smarter than I am. The Weinberg couple have been missed. Moe mowed them down again.

Could you all see the big moon last night? We had too much Saharan dust

Have a great weekend all

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased clef for REST and charlet for SCARLET. DNK WES, the pig, crudites, ERIS, MAS, RED, and somehow pulled WATT out of the old nether region. Didn't get the theme, and I'm not too impressed even after C-Moe explained it.

Hand up for CREW CUT - A # 2, if you please.

I love antique computer stuff, like drum memory and CD ROM drives. Household stuff too, like TIN FOIL.

I was taught that it was better to have a boat's prop shaft leak a little. Keeps the packing moist, and keeps the bilge smelling less foul. It also is MUCH better than having the packing nut too tight, which can burn up the packing, which damages the shaft and causes a big leak.

Thanks to Weinberg x 2 for the doable Friday challenge, and to C-Moe for the tour. (I know most of the 10-codes. I never really was a hobbyist, but I used to have a CB radio repair business as a side hustle while I worked as an engineer at a TV station. Had to listen to a lot of drivel in the course of doing business.)

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-RED – PET gave me the gimmick. MASCARONE was my only unknown but it took care of itself.
-I don’t know how to ACT MY AGE, I’ve never been this AGE before
-My favorite musical REST is in Monday, Monday
-Did you ever write a note like this in grade school: “Do you like me? YES NO?”
-I usually resist the temptation to correct people who say TIN foil instead of aluminum foil. Pedantic? MOI?
-These kind of boats can become LEAKY quickly
-A nice write-up and a very informative interview with the Wienbergs!

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you, Roger and Kathy, and thank you, Chairman Moe

Well, I certainly didn't sail through it, but I did solve it w/o help. It took two passes.

Rereading the reveal clue ultra - efully made the difference. I missed the "second part" on the first read, and since I don't know cocktails, I was concentrating more on that part of it.

It also helped that I spotted a typo R instead of T in DATASET. Daraset wasn't making any sense. I almost left it until I reread each of the perps.

OTOH, I did leave FOCSLE. Rereading and rethinking those perp clues didn't change a thing. Thanks for linking the definition. A new word for the vocab that will probably not last very long, unless it is reinforced in future crosswords.

Moe, we went to different thoughts for copies / REPROS. I went to reproduction antique pieces, as are occasionally shown on Antiques Roadshow.

Didn't know MACARON based on the clue. I thought it was macaroon. OwenKL, I looked it up and was going to link the same exact text that you did.

WOW ! Striking resemblence of LAILA's son to his grandfather !

I'll see your peccary and raise you a capybara. I think that's poker talk.

Yes, to 18-wheeler. In the Army in Germany. ODAA. Other Duties As Assigned. My longest drive was from Karlsruhe to Rotterdam during a Reforger (REturn of FORces to GERmany) exercise. In a convoy. Mostly on the Autobahn. Going about 50 while other vehicles zoomed past.

Moe, this one's for you: Disorder in the Court. "Raise your right hand. Take off you hat."

Fun little site that was mentioned on the news this morning: Neal.Fun

NaomiZ said...

Too clever for me! FOILed! No MAS, por favor!

Unknown said...

Pretty dumb puzzle today on Friday. Easy to solve, however.

Wilbur Charles said...

Fln, TTP, agreed. My peers did everything to get out of serving and referred to me as an idiot FOR serving. Explaining why I was so late getting to OCS I said " had to have a back operation to get IN"!!!

Yes, I'm driving from fla-boston and posting from Danbury. As i write, soneone just CHAR'ed the toast. So my excuse for all the white remains as I "broke it off" last night was c. Above.

Nut I replaced pitfall/PROBLEM, EgoTIST/ELUTIST and filled SAILS,ERIS,FORAY,FOIL. In the time-tested D-Otto tradition I FIR without completely getting the trick

And… Now I get it. Riddle me stupid(as Mr S would say)

Great Earp 'ku C-Moe , and #2,

I was addicted to golf from 1980-2009 when, ironically, I moved to Florida. Btw, how about the TODO about 3 LIV golfers trying to play the FedEx. I say they should have allowed them to play

Cs vs Sun's went to triple OT in ?1975

Bball coach wanted a CREW, I trimmed my Dion but no CREW for me*

Packers have Bern blessed: STARR,Favre,?

MOBIL saved me. It was RO K SOLID**

ExxonMobil Corp. IDA Tarbell just rolled over in her grave

Time to get back on the road

** I'd've been kicked out of the gang. I led 3 lives:ganger, honors student and sports

** See 8/8/22 Jumble

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thanks, Wienbergs, for a puzzle that filled easier than expected. But good grief! That was the most convoluted theme we've had in a while. Why would you do that?

Thank you, Moe, for making some sense of it all.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Never heard of MASCARPONE and a few other clues.

Knew FOCSLE from reading old sea-faring novels.

Yellowstone: My grandson just returned with a group of teenagers from a scientific study week in that National Park done with some kind of grant. Daily pictures of their adventures & work on Facebook were great.

My husband owned & drove an 18-wheeler for farm to market hauling. I rode with him sometimes on the longer hauls. We had CB's in all the trucks, machinery, & house which made for safer & much needed communications between all involved in daily farm life.

waseeley said...

Thank you Roger and Kathy for a very clever Friday puzzle, which after much wailing and gnashing of perps was I able to FIR. The theme however was a different matter ...

And thank you MOE for your well illustrated and informative review. You must have been wearing your TIN FOIL hat to tune in on the theme, because even with the reveal I'd have never seen it without your expo.

A few favs (especially the first!):

13A CHORALE. After 2D CHAR took CANTATA out of the running, this had to be CHORALE. Bach's CHORALES were mostly written for organ, usually as the prelude to a cantata. The great thing about Bach is that his works can be transcribed to just about any combination of instruments and still retain their beauty Here's an arrangement for orchestra of the transcendent prelude Sheep May Safely Graze, BVW 208.

39A MOBIL. I sold all of my stock (not exactly TONS) in EXXON after their catastrophic negligence in Prince William Sound distance in 1989. I still refuse to buy their gasoline (well unless it means walking home).

68A NEO. I've not seen it either MOE, but as The Matrix's MEMES have insinuated themselves into the fabric of our society, I'd like to squeeze it in sometime. Interesting co-incidence that the 2/2/2021 puzzle by the Wienbergs that you linked in a clue 5A John Wick, for one: HITMAN, another Reeves vehicle.

9D PECCARY. I'm with OKL on this. PECCARY and JAVELINA are apparently regional names for the some ole' wild pig. I've heard that they're nasty.

37D STEM. "Dandelion Wine?" A 1957 novel by Ray Bradbury".

39A MAS. Didn't know what the H**K this was, but as I was pretty sure about FOCSLE, I knew it had to be something. I liked FOCSLE being under SAILS.

Cheers,
Bill

desper-otto said...

Waseeley, feral hogs are nasty critters. They can be mean, and they can really tear up a lawn with hog-sign (apologies to Frank Herbert). But they are quite different from javelinas.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

WC - It cracks me up when the "true blue" PGA Tour guys complain that the LIV defectors are "only in it for the money". What the hell do they think the other professional golfers play for? Trophies? Bunch of whiny Karens. My favorite player (Phil Mickelson) would only be competitive in the low-paying Champions Tour, and he may not be able to play there for long due to his psoriatic arthritis.

Also, the USGA and its international equivalents shouldn't take sides in this dispute. It is between the various professional organizations, and should stay that way.

BTW - where did they come up with LIV? They play only 54 holes, compared to the "big" tour's 72. (LIV is 54 in Roman numerals.)

BTW #2 - know what we say to someone who putts, but doesn't lose his turn? "USGA - U Suck - Go Again!"

inanehiker said...

I'm with D-O - I filled this out but needed CMoe's blog to explain the theme to me! I didn't really feel like the CARs were SIDECARS but more in the middle though.
I dug some of the answers out of the brain recesses like PECCARY- which need partial perps to extract. In grad school the zoo was walking distance and free which fit my life perfectly - so I have many weird animals and facts roaming around ready to be extracted.

We have a new bakery/coffee shop in town serves homemade MACARONs- yummers as Hatoolah would say. and one of my favorites at Cheesecake Factory is the Lemon Berry MASCARPONE Cake https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/mascarpone-cake/ if I don't feel like cheesecake.

I have loved singing Bach's CHORALEs with choirs over the years.

Thanks C-Moe for a fun blog and Roger & Kathy!

FLN - TTP - sounds like you are a model patient! I am glad I am in private practice so I can make note on a person's chart - needs extra time - I also have certain patients or diagnoses (like a dementia workup eg) that I try to have scheduled at the end of a morning or end of an afternoon - because then when they go over they may take my lunch hour, but they won't keep other patients waiting! I'm fine with people doing their own research - it wasn't like at the beginning of search engines in the 90s where all roads lead to brain tumor :), but I encourage them to only look at sites that end in .edu (like Mayo clinic), .org (like American Academy of family physicians) or .gov (NIH or edu). The stuff on .com is not necessarily well verified and they also have to have links to sell you or promote something to pay for their site, Of course as physicians we are all weary, since the pandemic, of everyone being a self-appointed expert in infectious diseases.

Acesaroundagain said...

Convoluted to say the least. I finished the puzzle but had NO idea what the "-"s were. Geez, why, is all I can think of. GC

Malodorous Manatee said...

Challenging Friday-appropriate (or, perhaps, Saturday-appropriate) puzzle. Ultimately, the computer told me that all was solved although I never did "grok" the theme. Thanks for 'splainin' that, Ch. Moe. Enjoy the sitcoms. Here in SoCal we get the following stations over-the-air (antenna) that show old sitcoms: METV, METV+, H&I, AntennaTV, Decades, Start, Cozi, This, Rewind, LAFF and a few others. Please do not ask how I know this.

desper-otto said...

CanadianEh!, I thought the same thing about the themers -- the car goes into that black square between the "-" entries, not at its side. But look again. The word "CAR" appears beside that black square as nasCAR, pecCARy, sCARlet, and CARdio. Don't know 'bout you, but I'm impressed.

Wendybird said...

Thumper!

AnonymousPVX said...

As I get older, things that used to have no meaning now ring true.

For instance…”Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be”.

And I’m wishing the puzzle’s authors would have realized that.

Now….I got the solve. But the fun factor was negative.

Why would one, as PK so aptly put it, “…the most convoluted theme we’ve had in a while. Why would you do that?”

Yes indeed, why?

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

DNF
.....theme?, wha? huh?...sheesh, yeesh, even

SPORTSshirt,bras,gear,jean/ forget it, I give up, let's END it (WEAR!! of course, double sheesh😲).... The Mid East did me in. 😳.... Other Inkovers: multiple mispellings of/PECCARY, clef/REST access/EXERPT

"Yellowstone" character, unknown. (Saw one episode only, Costner, his usual one-dimensIonal acting). .. We ever had such a volcanic 🌋puzzle? As Malman said both "Maunas" in one. Dandelion (Fr: dent de lion, "tooth of the lion", the leaves supposedly look like fangs/teeth)

Exxon LEAKY partner: Valdez. "Italian cream cheese", ricotta wouldn't work. FOCSLE (forecastle) mirrors "bo'n's'n" ("bosun", boatswain)

Didn't we have CHORALE yesterday (no wait it was CORRAL) ...What a coincidence: while doing the puzzle DW handed me a French style lemonMacaron ..we just bought 6 at the village pastry shop , still no clue 🙄

Blouse or shirt eg...ATOP.
Rodrigo Díaz was one...ACID
Recent cake-smeared lady: ____ Lisa...MAUNA
Layoff..CREWCUT
He's unpredictable, never know what that ___ do...GUILE

We'd get our summer CREW CUTS once grade school was out. The barber gave you a wax stick to make the front stick right up. Considered a cool look..lol

CMOE: Thanks for the CSO (who reads those? 🤭)

FLN ..
Malman, thanks for introducing me to your meIodious fellow sea mammal friend. 🌊

Off to our Adirondack farmers market. 🌄

Subgenius said...

D-O, I had no idea about the cleverness of putting the word "car" in the different clues right where they needed to be to make the puzzle intelligible, such as "car" is in "Miss Scarlet" right besides "mas" and "pone" to make "mascarpone". Now the puzzle REALLY seems clever!

sumdaze said...

DNF... not even close. Egad!
Thank you, C-Moe, for explaining this one!

Anonymous said...

Tom, wow! I never saw the CAR's along side in the words CARDIO, NASCAR, et al. Thanks for finding that! Moe

Chairman Moe said...

PT2:

Whenever I try to reply using the "mobile version" the blog won't identify me as Ch Moe. The reply for Anonymous just above this was from me to d-otto thanking him for finding the real spot where the CAR is along SIDE of the entries

I'm now on my phone - viewing the blog in the "web" version; hopefully it'll recognize me when I hit "post"

From the few comments I've read, this seems like quite the polarizing puzzle; you either liked it or said "Thumper"

10-20 is indeed "your location" in CB speak. Thanks for the link, Brian. My "20" is in Maricopa County Arizona



Malodorous Manatee said...

Ray O - You're welcome. I assume from the wording of your post today that you saw the link I posted towards the end of yesterday's comments. Although, just in case, I am re-posting it here:

The Singing Walrus - YouTube

waseeley said...

desper-otto @11:14 AM Maybe I'm misunderstanding you somehow, but this link from the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center seems to suggest otherwise.

Oh and I forgot to double-thank the Wienbergs for the theme. Splainin' it is one thing, but the thought of what it took to construct it is INTOXICATING.

waseeley said...

MM @11:14 AM I found it on YouTube and played it for my grandkids. They loved it it!

Irish Miss said...

Wendybird @ 12:44 ~ My feelings exactly. 🫢

Sumdaze @ 1:16 ~ A belated but sincere welcome to the Blog.

Where is our dear Anon T?

Irish Miss said...

Forgot to mention that I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye last night and while the movie itself was so-so, Jessica Chastain’s performance was riveting. I checked to see if she won the Oscar for it and she did. Very well deserved, IMO. She was very good in The Help, also, but in a much less significant role.

CanadianEh! said...

Fantastic Friday!! Thanks for the fun, Roger and Kathy, and CMoe.
After a busy day, I sat down before supper to solve. I needed my SPORTSWEAR for this workout, but I got the TADA and found those SIDECARs. (And they bounced out to the right on top and to the left on the bottom.)
That was so satisfying, I think I might pour myself one with my meal.

But I must go and make the meal.
Hope to return later.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

IM @ 3:47

I also saw the movie and Jessica Chastain was definitely deserving of the Oscar. Unfortunately she was presented with it immediately following the shock and con fusion of "The Great Slap". What impressed me was how well she maintained her poise and confidence following such a sudden distressing event delivering her acceptance speech. A true professional.

Picard said...

Sorry that so many here did not like this puzzle. I found it very clever once I got the SIDE CAR idea. I usually try to solve the reveal first and in this case it was essential.

Big Easy Hand up never heard of MASCARPONE. But I am familiar with the sailing term FOCSLE. We have seen this before.

I saw this exceptionally perfect DANDELION on a recent hike.

Chairman Moe Thanks for the learning moment about XENA and ERIS. Apparently there already was a dwarf planet XENA so a different name was needed.

From Yesterday:
CanadianEh Thanks for the comments on my BENCH photos. My reply regarding the CYBORG was also meant as a joke. I also sent you an email last night.

TTP Sorry if I was not clear. I am OK with learning new words and even an occasional name. What many of us object to? A cross of two proper names that are not widely known and that cannot be guessed at the cross. Does that make it more clear?

CONE spelled that way is not a name many of us have ever heard of. If only there were some other way to clue that? And MONTERO was totally unknown to everyone here.

I Googled that song and got a music video that was very beautiful and dreamlike. And involved gay sex. Not my thing.

Ol' Man Keith said...

I used to enjoy SIDECARs. I wonder why I gave them up.

Excellent haiku, Moe! Truly fine!
I am afraid I cannot join in labeling them as Moe-ku.
Your work is outstanding, but Come to your senses, Man! You did not invent them.
"Cultural appropriation" is completely UN-PC these days. We really mustn't steal credit from 10th century Sensei Hai!

FIR. TA-DA!
But I was only able to spot the connection between CAR and PET. I didn't even get as far as RED CARPET.
~ OMK
___________
DR:
One diagonal, far side.
Its anagram (10 of 15 letters) speaks of a bear spray or tear gas used on a crowd of unruly lads (mainly Brits!).
I mean a ...

"YOB SPRAYER"!
Looked at differently, it may refer to these boys' appeals for heavenly intervention, as in...

"YOB PRAYERS"!

Jayce said...

I did not dislike this puzzle. Seeing "-" as a clue always boggles me, but I quickly move on and assume they will eventually fill in. They did, but made no sense to me until reading the explanation(s) here. Good catch on seeing the side CARs! Now I fully appreciate the construction.

Writeovers Quite a few. DOG-->NAG. ELF-->IMP. TEN K--> PRE K. CANTATA-->CHORALE. FORD-->WATT. CLEF-->REST. ASTERN-->FOCSLE.

I'll pick a nit about cluing CHAR as "Really overcook." It is common to deliberately CHAR certain meats and vegetables. Mexican cuisine often calls for chiles that have been charred until they're almost black and the meat then scraped out. Steaks and chops, for example, are often praised for having a nice CHAR.

I'm going to guess that Anonymous T has not posted for the last few days is because he's so busy moving and perhaps he has been at the Black Hat convention, too.

Welp, by the time y'all read this our son will be brand-newly wed to his 2nd wife. LW and I are delighted to see him happier than he has been for years. We are not attending their wedding ceremony because I am physically unable to make the long walk to the pier to board the boat on which the ceremony and subsequent celebrations are being held (ASEA in the San Francisco Bay). LW and I will, however, attend the special luncheon her mother is hosting tomorrow and are looking forward to meeting everybody.

Best wishes to you all.

CanadianEh! said...

I’m back.
It seems (like CMoe said @2:13pm) that you either loved or hated this CW. Perhaps I would have hated it if I hadn’t succeeded in figuring it out and seeing those SIDECARS. I agree with waseeley @2:36pm re the expertise to construct it.

I should have read Owen’s post about MACARON vs Macaroon; I wouldn’t have needed to Google.(hello TTP)

Hand up for Cantata before CHORALE, Egotist before ELITIST. I thought of Clef and Note before REST.
Like WC, I thought of Pitfall before PROBLEMS.
I smiled to see SAILS over that FO’C’SLE. (Hello waseeley)
I dredged up PECCARY with a few perps.

ESSO is currently running around $1.70 per litre

PK- your grandson’s week in Yellowstone Park sounds like a great educational experience.
d’o- I think you meant to refer back to inanehiker @11:42am not me, re the CARS actually being on the side. I had noted the position of the SUDE CARS in my post @4:25pm (before I read everyone else).
Picard- LOL re joke. I’ll look for the email.

Whew. It takes less time to comment earlier in the day.
Good evening all.

CanadianEh! said...

Jayce- Congrats to your son and his wife. Glad you can celebrate together at the luncheon tomorrow.

Michael said...

After I finished the cwd, and after reading the comments, I went back and found all four 'sidecars.'

An amazing piece if construction ... but completely opaque without a sidecar or three.

Vidwan827 said...


Just for my personal records, I completed the CW, and posted ... or think I did .. but I apparently and probably did not.

Thank you Roger and Kathy Weinberg for the puzzling CW and Chairman Moe for the explanatory review.

I did not enjoy the solve because I did not understand it ... It was too cute by a cuteness and a half, and while undoubtedly clever and innovative, ... not my cup of tea.

My late mother had told me in my childhood, that there would be occasions like this. See you tomorrow.