google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, August 5, 2022, Jake Houston

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Aug 5, 2022

Friday, August 5, 2022, Jake Houston

TITLE: Time for bed Princess Winnifred the Woebegone; you must chose your bed. We wouldn't want you to pea in bed.

We are welcoming back Jake who first appeared in this themeless just over one year ago where HG presented Jake's background. He is also creating and promoting a musical based puzzle platform discussed HERE. Perhaps we will inspire him to come by and tell us more.

Today we have another version of a classic Friday theme, remove something from the fill but clue it so the solvers can find what is missing. Today we have a reveal accompanying the 4 bed sizes and they are located in ascending order of size and they descend the grid.

We also have some fun 7 and 10 letter fill to wrap around the 9 and 11 themers. ARTICLE, ATE INTO, THE FLEA, ADRENALINE, DIDGERIDOO, OPEN SESAME and  WAYNE MANOR. All distracting a bit from a simple theme.

20A. *Aircraft with dual turboprops: (TWIN) ENGINE PLANE  (11). Self-explantory.

38A. *Gutsy wager on "Jeopardy!": TRUE DAILY (9) (DOUBLE). I know many cornerites also love Jeopardy and the late Alex Trebek, but it was the professional gambler James Holzhauer who taught all-time champion Ken Jennings that strategy. 

44A. *Wildflower also known as wild carrot: (QUEEN) ANNE'S LACE (9). Queen Anne's lace the herb (Daucus carota) can reach heights of about 1 to 4 feet (31-120 cm.) high. I did not know this.

57A. *Tennyson poetry series set in Camelot: IDYLLS OF THE (11) (KING).  Our literati really praise this book but when I tried to read when I was 12 years old, I did not finish it. I have never gone back, though I love the Arthurian stories and legends. I really liked the BBC TV series MERLIN many of the books on this bigger than life man and even the silly movie A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

72A. With 73-Across, space-saving furniture, and what the answers to the starred clues each do: HIDE. 73A. See 72-Across: A BED. And if you hadn't sussed the theme before the reveal, you have it here. I am thinking about a Murphy bed but my wife does not like Mrs. Murphy. 

Across:

1. Pataky of the "Fast & Furious" films: ELSA. Do you like the double with 1D. "Anything __?": ELSE.

5. Pronoun on a coffee mug, maybe: HERS. These days we must be politically correct, right?

9. "What Unites Us" writer Rather: DAN. A collection of essays on patriotism by the long time CBS news man. 
A REVIEW.

12. Profit (from): LEARN. Ideally we should learn from experience, individually and as a nation. No politics.

14. Musical narrated by Che: EVITA. Here it is starring Madonna.  
                               

16. Wedding vow: I DO. She did...often.

17. With 65-Across, seat of California's Orange County: SANTA.  65A. See 17-Across: ANA.
  

18. Illuminated: LIT UP. If I were Boomer, I might say the Marlin's bullpen keeps getting lit up.

19. Beats by __: DRE. Have I told the story of an early date with Oo where we ended up at Brands Mart to shop for a birthday present for her son back in Thailand. I learned one of my first words of Thai... แพง (pronounced
Phæng - pang) meaning expensive.

22. Stylist's option: GEL. Do you gel your hair? Ladies? Gentleman? Uncommitted?

23. Rom-__: COM. RomANTIC ComEDY.

24. "Dark Phoenix" superheroes: X-MEN. There have been 13 including the DEADPOOL ones. DARK PHOENIX starred Sophie Turner from the GAME OF THRONES.

26. AFB truant: AWOL. Air Force Base - Absent Without Leave.

29. Manual readers: USERS. Really? We are not a culture of manual readers.

34. Babysitter's handful: BRAT. Why do they need to eat while taking care of a child?

36. Get to the point?: TAPER. Like a candle? Or an anteater?

40. "See ya!": BYE. You can't get rid of me yet.

41. Eroded: ATE INTO. Like a drip of water on a rock.

43. Salsa, e.g.: DIP. I have watched many J Lo and  Shakira videos and the dips are exciting.
Oh you mean the food; never mind.

46. Curling piece: STONE. You women are tough if you use stones to curl your hair. 
Oh you mean the sport dominated by Canadiens: never mind.

48. Class struggle?: TEST. Ha Ha, not a Karl Marx struggle, just a learning class. Or is it?

49. Butt heads: CLASH. Who is Beavis then? 

51. Groundbreaking tools: HOES. No cheap off color humor from me. Any more.

52. Repast: MEAL. How can you re-past? Why does this mean to eat?

54. Wow: AWE. Shucks ma'am.

56. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS. Of course...rated XXX.  LINK at your own risk.
                        
66. Farm song refrain: EI EI O. Rated e i e i o.

67. Jetson who attends Little Dipper School: ELROY. So cute. 

68. "Loki" actor Hiddleston: TOM. He has played Loki in many movies and a series. LINK.

69. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED. Hi Lucy.

70. French flower: SEINE. He even includes the flower/flower misdirection and some...

71. Mined find: ORE. Rhymed guide.

Down:

2. Pastrami spec: LEAN. There is much debate about lean and fatty, the Jack Sprat of the deli world.

3. Squealed: SANG. If you want to know why, ask.

4. Encyclopedia entry: ARTICLE. Lots of them.

5. Toolbar button with a question mark: HELP. I am not familiar with this,

6. Diabolical: EVIL. Diabolical is a characteristic of the Devil.

7. EGOT winner Moreno: RITA. The EGOT is back.

8. Wow: STUN. I know my sense of humor sometimes stuns.

9. Australian wind: DIDGERIDOO. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument, played with continuously vibrating lips. The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia. Women are not supposed to play as they believe it may cause infertility.

10. Fight-or-flight hormone: ADRENALINE. Pleasure hormone melatonin, pain hormone...don't pay her.

11. Oasis guitarist Gallagher: NOEL. "Some day you may find your hero; some day you may lose your mind."

13. Technology prefix: NANO.

15. High point: APEX. ACME; pay your money, take your chances.

21. CGI bird in Liberty Mutual ads: EMU. It is hard to believe a non-existent computer image has become a very hated spokes creature.

25. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

26. Ready to swing: AT BAT. I did not realize swingers had expressions to show they were ready. I guess visually...

27. Gothic estate in Gotham City: WAYNE MANOR. Bruce will you have tours when you rebuild?

28. Words that provide access: OPEN SESAME. The phrase first appears in Antoine Galland's French translation of One Thousand and One Nights (1704–1717) as Sésame, ouvre-toi (English, "Sesame, open yourself").

30. Great deal: STEAL. I do not think we should be encouraging crime. 

31. CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. I have never seen her either on CBS or CNN but learned today she is from Clinton Connecticut, about an hour SW of where I grew up and next to where my uncle who was a doctor would rent a house for a month every summer in Beach Park. I also learned Beach Park does not exist anymore.

32. Ancient characters: RUNES. Not all the old crazies but their alphabet. The one from the Vikings is the most well known, I think.
                        
33. All ready: SET. Go!

35. Sorts: TYPES. It seems like I have been sorting this write-up for hours.

37. Dorm figs.: RAS. Resident advisers, who as far as my experience with two sons who stayed in campus facilities, they mostly advised about the good party spots. We are in Florida after all.

39. __ Equis beer: DOS. The most interesting beer? They fired the guy. Then they hired him back when sales plummeted. EVERY TV AD

42. "CrazySexyCool" singers: TLC. The STORY.

45. Unreliable stat from the fashionably late: ETA

47. John Donne poem featuring an insect: THE FLEA. The LINK. Is this a sex poem?

50. Owns: HAS.

53. In __ of: LIEU.

55. Burdens: WOES.

56. Org. with an alphabet: NATO. The Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the English alphabet, technically a radiotelephonic spelling alphabet.  Wiki.

58. Menu item: DISH. I prefer food.

59. Creature in Tibetan myth: YETI. These mythical creatures have been written about for millennia.  Alexander the Great demanded to see a Yeti when he conquered the Indus Valley in 326 B.C. But, according to National Geographic, local people told him they were unable to present one because the creatures could not survive at that low an altitude.

60. Wasn't truthful: LIED. They were not under oath...

61. Mined find: LODE. I told you there would be another rhyme at some time,

62. Windy City paper, with "the": TRIB. The HISTORY

63. Polish: HONE. When I was young I was confused why a local softball team would call themselves the Polish Citizens. 

64. Sized up: EYED. I see this as a creepy way to end an otherwise fun puzzle. but that is just me. 

I must be too self-conscious. I had fun with this one as we went all over to get to the end. I did feel like a tour bus conductor taking you all for a ride. Not that kind of ride. Have a wonderful August, Lemonade out and be good to yourselves, your loved ones and all the rest. It is free.





56 comments:

  1. Good morning!

    The train came into the station under 10, so d-o is a happy commuter. Knew the missing words, but thought they might all be royals. Nope. Beds. Nicely played, Jake. Enjoyed your expo, Lemonade. (Your RUNE illustration doesn't show up...but it will if opened in a new tab.)

    IDYLLS OF THE: This was one of the literary works in the old "Authors" card game. There were four works for each of the eleven Authors, and you needed to collect complete sets.

    DIDGERIDOO: In my ute I learned this bit of Rolf Harris lyric poetry:
    "Play your didgeridoo, Blue
    Play your didgeridoo
    Ah, like, keep playin' 'til I shoot through, Blue
    Play your didgeridoo"

    (I'll save your ears by not linking it.)

    TRIB: Interesting artifacts were embedded in the exterior walls of Tribune Tower in Chicago. Not sure they're still there.

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  2. FIW, missing my WAG at ANNES LAkE x ERIkA. I don't spend time in airports anymore, so I don't know anything about CNN personalities. Didn't get the theme, so didn't enjoy the theme fills until Lemony 'splained it. Oh yeah, now I get it. (How do you make Jinx laugh on Friday? Tell him a joke on Thursday.)

    DAN Rather threw away a lifetime of credible work when he turned into a political hack and allowed fake news to infuse CBS. By contrast, viewers couldn't detect Walter Cronkite's similar political views until after he retired.

    Almost none of the stuff I buy has a users' manual these days. But they do include important safety information, like "don't use these hedge trimmers while scuba diving." The next generation of xword solvers will probably learn the term, as well as others including "phone book", from this blog.

    I erased score for STEAL. It bothers me when the receipt says "card swiped". No, Citibank sent it to me.

    FLN: -T, in the Vietnam War era I had a friend who dropped out of high school because he wasn't learning anything. Enrolled in college, and dropped out after a year for the same reason. Applied to grad school, aiming for a PhD in physics, and was told that they would have admitted him if had SOME kind of degree. He ended up the US Navy (don't know how he got in without a degree - they probably made him get a GED), teaching nuclear reactor classes in San Diego.

    Thanks to Jake for the fun challenge, and to Lemony for the learnin' and laughin'.

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  3. Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, Jake, Thanks. Great expo, Lemony.

    The theme had me stumped for a while. I knew what was missing but was doing downs and didn't read the reveal clues. Had to go looking. I also was thinking dual instead of twin ENGINE PLANE & didn't know what a dual BED was. TWIN? okay.

    Last fill was the NW block. DNK: ELSA, "profit (from) meant LEARN, SANTA, NANO, and ENGINE PLANE was so incomplete. Squealed wasn't "told" but SANG. MEH!

    DNK how to spell DIDGERIDOO. Wanted some Js in there instead of DG. Also DNK: TLC, THE FLEA.

    I need a USERS manual for my new Kindle. I was reading some info which said not to charge the thing on a flamable surface to prevent possible fires. YIKES! Do I really need this thing.

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  4. Pre-solved this yesterday as today we have grandparents duty.

    Thank you Jake. The fill on this one was relatively easy for a Friday, but the theme wasn't quite so obvious. As I had some trouble with 20A and as I don't watch Jeopardy, I didn't realize that something was missing until I filled ANNES LACE. I've always heard it called QUEEN ANNES LACE, and have actually used the scrawny roots to flavor soups. But it wasn't until I filled IDYLLS OF THE, which wanted KING, and finally the reveal at 72A/73A that I realized that what was missing was a BED. I then saw that TWIN, QUEEN, KING, and DOUBLE needed to be inserted in the appropriate place in 20A, 38A, 48A, and 57A. I can tell you that sussing the theme wasn't a very RESTFUL experience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

    Thank you Lemony for your usual well illustrated and very informative puzzle tour.

    A few favs:

    14A EVITA. I've never seen this musical, but was vaguely aware that CHE had something to do with it (from a previous CWD no doubt). I'll have to put it on the bucket list.

    29A USERS. I've written a lot of USER MANUALS. They are much harder to write than programs. Programs always do what you tell them (although not always what you want them to do), but USERS often do things that you don't tell them and that you didn't anticipate.

    46A STONE. I used to be a ROCK HOUND. My favorite STONE is called EMMA.

    70A SEINE. Clever clue.

    15D APEX. I used to work as a consultant for a company called The Apex Group. My SON worked for them too. I eventually ended up reporting to him while I was working for a large insurance company in Bloomington, Illinois for a year and a half. The only order he ever gave me was "keep on BILLing".

    Cheers,
    Bill

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  5. Fast Friday in 6:22 today. That usually means Satuday's puzzle will be a real stumper.

    Didn't quite grasp the theme until the very end.

    I didn't know: Erica, The Flea, or TLC.

    Is this theme (hide-a-bed) a relative of Murphy's (bed) Law...?

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  6. FLN to TTP - wish I'd have known about and used that U2 riff for my intro. A much better band than "The [meh] Swiss".

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  7. As is my norm the BED types never crossed my mind until HIDE-A-BED was filled and that let me complete three unknowns-ANNE'S LACE, TLC, & ERICA. Jake's puzzle had many fills that I 'kinda' knew but really didn't know- thank you perps. DAN, DRE, NAS, X-MEN, USTED, THE FLEA were finished by perps

    TOM, ERICA, ELSA, TLC-only got those by perps

    DIDGERIDOO- knew it but not how to correctly spell it.
    CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. I have never seen her either on CBS or CNN-neither have I.
    DOS Equis- amber or lager- I prefer the amber draft.

    I don't know about the other Cornerites but it's all perps for me when it comes to filling actors and singers for movies and songs I've never seen or heard.

    Jinx- I keep the user's manual for everything I buy. Yesterday I had to pull out the manual for my Jacuzzi bath tub that was installed in 1990 (when I had the house built). It recommended using Cascade to clean and flush the pump and jets. I took some of the plastic parts off and cleaned them with Lime-Away. It was the first time I ever looked at that manual.

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  8. Beats by DRE totally unknown, and no help crossing DIgGERIDOO.

    I don't mind the EMU. I find the Kevin Hart "SIRIUS" commercials way more annoying.

    That Connecticut Yankee move lost most of Mark Twain's satire and social commentary. I've wondered if Queen Anne's lace had political comment behind the name (like Hoovervilles in the Depression)

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  9. X.xxxxxxx. Lemony, did you ever read the Mary Renault series on Merlin?? IDYLLS is great poetry

    I had utnes/USERS

    Why do they need to eat while taking care of a child? Because they're teenagers, L

    Anon-T will link us some CLASH(The)

    My FIW was DInGERIDOO/nRE. Two rap artists today(Lil NAS, Dr DRE)

    Good to see Big Easy, FLN

    Re. Politics… Eyes of the beholder. I find WSJ very political fe.

    WC

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  10. I, too, first thought of "dual" engine rather than "twin" engine, but with the reveal I saw they were all beds and corrected myself. The 7-11 I usually go to to get the paper wasn't open today for some reason so I solved it on my phone; something I usually don't do on a Friday because the Friday paper has a big puzzle section so I always buy it. I did manage to get a paper eventually from a competitor of 7-11 but I had already done the cw on my phone by then. However, I am enjoying the other puzzles in the paper (including two cryptograms) so it was worth it to get it. Anyway, FIR, so I'm happy.

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  11. Hola!

    Hello, Lemonade! Nice commentary. I always enjoy your remarks. To answer the question in the puzzle, #69 Muy bien, gracias.

    I loved the movie, EVITA.

    Spelling DIDGERIDOO was a challenge!

    Count me as one who loves Jeopardy!

    We can all take a CSO at LEARN because that is what we do when we solve puzzles. I hope I can speak for all solvers.

    Yawn. I have to go back to BED now.

    Have a wonderful day, everyone. I have to attend a funeral for my brother-in-law this afternoon.

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  12. FIWrong. A triple natick, tho I didn't realize it.
    DI+GERIDOO +R+ NO+L
    I was confident it was DIgGERIDOO, but no idea about DRE or NOEL.

    Needed the reveal to get the theme tho, so a flat loss there.

    Some people are concerned about small things, like NANO.
    Others work with big things, like international NATO,
    Where P.D.Q. Bach
    Invented Rock
    With his "Trio for Alphorn, DIDGERIDOO, and Soprano"!

    Running a cattle mine takes political pull.
    It's the opposite of gold, it's worked till it's full.
    Politicians provide ORE,
    It's a blovious chore,
    But like cattle, they fill it with a LODE of Bull____!

    {B+, B.}

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  13. WC, when I was a teenager and was helping out my uncle watching his children I discovered Mary Renault and her historical novels. I had already Leon Uris (a Baltimore native Bill) and some James Michener (often ponderous) and I thought Mary R.'s books were fabulous. They explored ancient Greece in much detail and dealt with omnisexuality of the era.

    billcohoes, the plant is said to have obtained its common name from a legend that tells of Queen Anne of England pricking her finger with a drop of blood subsequently landing on the white lace (similar looking to the flower) in which she was sewing. No political commentary or satire intended.

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  14. Good Morning:

    First of all, thank you all for the concern and kind words (Especially Subgenius) yesterday. I’m feeling fine after a good night’s rest and I’m cough-free.

    This was an easy solve for a Friday with only one w/o at Elrod/Elroy and a few unknowns, as clued, Elsa, Noel, and TLC. However, even though I realized Queen and Double were missing, I didn’t catch on to the theme until filling in the reveal. My major miscue, even though I had the correct answer, was reading Cher instead of Che, which I didn’t even realize until I read Bill W’s comment. I’ll chalk that up to my fuzzy brain waves. Why Cher would be narrating Evita puzzled me but, apparently, not enough to reread the clue.

    I’m going to a birthday party tonight for my BIL (Peggy) who is turning 94. Happy Birthday, Joe! 🎂🎊🎉🎈🎁

    Have a great day.

    Thanks, Jake, for some Friday fun and thanks, Lemony, for the chuckles and commentary.

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  15. Well, where to start with this one...

    I did the puzzle ok, but fooled myself!
    I got the theme beds from the bottom up, but for some reason when I got to 20A. *Aircraft with dual turboprops, I somehow pictured a single engine with counter rotating props.
    Ergo: single bed. (Oof! No, it's a twin you dope!)

    In my defense, playing the flight sim spitfires, the left pull from the single prop is a serious problem requiring you to need right rudder, and full right rudder trim tab to go straight on takeoffs. Doubly difficult on bouncy grass runways, and has no effect until you are going fast enough to push enough air across the control surfaces.
    (It's enough for every armchair pilot to wish for counter rotating props to even out the pull)

    Hide-a-bed?
    what's the big deal? They are hidden everywhere...

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  16. Easy Friday..not too many unknown proper name. Ah I see I didn't check put the "bed" theme. How about "Candace Bergan role"...BROWN (Murphy)? 🛏

    Inkover: exam/TEST,

    Liked "get to the point" clue and the "French flower" clue even better" "beats by DRE" ?

    I "eroded" a big piece of chocolate cake yesterday. Had the same NATO clue back a piece but I fergit.

    I open the box, put the "gizmo" together... wrong, THEN decide to read the manual. 🙄

    The "Duke's attitude....WAYNEMANOR
    Verbal horse stoppers..WOES
    Seeing a horror movie scares my grandson ____ still watches..YETI.
    A puzzle with too many Proper Nouns ___ a good CW... RUNES..

    Going into a rainy/sunny weekend; a wedding and 2 funerals (hate to say it but sounds like a movie title)

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  17. Oh, I almost forgot...

    I have been complaining from the beginning about Frawnch in English Crosswords.
    And now I get a slap in the face because of Australian in the xword?
    (I couldn't spell didgeridoo either, & I'm an ex Aussie!)

    Note to all fearing the coming apocalypse:
    Queen Anne's Lace is a wonderful survival food. (Also known as wild carrot)
    It can be identified by close inspection of the flower to find a teeny tiny purple inner flower in the center that was rumored to be the blood of Queen Anne pricking herself with the needle while making the lace...
    Two caveats:
    It is very similar in appearance to poison hemlock.
    And I found out, while looking for that elusive roast beef deli sandwich, with mayo, cheese, tomato & onion in the woods, that the root of the wild carrot withers to almost nothing as it is the fuel source for growing the flower. So the only time to find a nice size edible root is during the winter, when there is no flower, what what remains looks exactly like poison hemlock...

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  18. Puzzling thoughts:

    Hey Cornerites; finally back from a two-month trip that took us to Wisconsin and back. Most of the time there was spent preparing my partner's mother's house for sale, so not much of a vacation. I hope to get back in the habit of solving puzzles @ LA Times and adding my two cents here

    And speaking of puzzles ... if you care to try one at another venue, my alter ego has a puzzle running today @ Newsday / Stan Newman, called "Dropbox". Click here to find it online. Lucina, this puzzle should be available in the AZ Republic insert section today, though it may not mention my name

    Thanks, and have a great weekend.

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  19. Hi All!

    It's packing day... Oy! In 12 years, a lot of moss gathers on a rolling stone.

    Cute theme, Jake H-Town (can I call you that? :-)). I didn't figure it out 'till the end. I like how you 'thought outside the grid' putting the BEDs in the margins.

    Thanks for the post-puzzle analysis, Lem; good stuff.

    WOs: N/A - for realz! A clean Friday grid!
    ESPs: no time for that - perps were kind though.
    Fav: his Boy ELROY [Little Dipper is at :30]

    {A, A+}

    Jinx - you're in fine form this morning -- a laugh-a-line (re: Thursday joke, 'card swiped' & phone book). Spitz would have appreciated your buddy's story.

    Waseeley - Insurance company in Bloomington? Hardly narrows it down.
    Pop's #3 worked for State of IL's insurance consumer protection group. I always call her before buying a policy. And, yes, USERS can get very creative with what we thought was straight-forward: a, then b, then c.

    WC - you know me too well... London Calling [The CLASH]

    Back to the salt-mines. My garage isn't going to pack itself.

    Cheers, -T

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  20. Anon T packing up a garage is one of the unmentioned labors of Hercules...lol
    😳

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  21. FIR. It had to be Beats by DRE. What??? LIU. "He is the co-founder of Beats Electronics."
    I didn't care for the theme. I like when the add or subtract result makes some kind of sense, even if wacky. The omitted words were all beds, but the results made no sense.
    DO, we played Authors as kids. It helped me ace the literature standardized test as a HS senior. And the game helped me here with Idylls of the (King).
    I find Queen Anne's Lace beautiful. I used to add it garden flower bouquets. As kids we included it when we played store. The flower heads were cauliflower and the roots were carrots.
    When we announce a pot luck dinner we say, "Please being a dish." Everyone laughs.
    Wikipedia discusses how the poem, The Flea, is erotic.
    Have a lovely day. The cool early mornings are great for my walks. After that I stay indoors with the AC,

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  22. Jinx, “No politics” means no politics, but every day you put your right wing political opinions into your comments. Please stop.
    As for the CW, yesterday I flew through the CW but forgot to note my start time. Today I remembered to write down my start time, so naturally I took 34 minutes to struggle my way through it. I also didn’t see the theme until Lemonade ‘splained it. Clever. No W/Os today. Thanx JH. And thanx Lemonade for the excellent write-up.

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  23. Delightful Friday puzzle, many thanks, Jake, I really enjoyed it. And thanks for your always helpful and fun commentary, Lemonade, always enjoy that too.

    Well, this puzzle certainly had a MEAL theme, as folks ATE INTO whatever DISH they were being served, along with some DIP. Hope it was LEAN and not too fatty.

    My spirits LIT UP when I saw SANTA, possibly listening to someone who SANG NOEL, or read Christmas IDYLLS.

    It's really important to make sure that that BRAT LEARNed not to STEAL and then LIED about it.

    Anyway, fun clues, and now time to TAPER off.

    Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.

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  24. I'm pretty sure that one of Dante's Circles of Hell was "Moving".

    Found out that my BIL died this morning. He was the first person I've known well who had severe PTSD from his combat in Nam. He died of cancer, possibly contributed by exposure to Agent Orange. He spent most of his post-war life as a teacher and football coach in rural Virginia. RIP, pal. You deserve it.

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  25. unclefred - I'm fairly certain we're (mostly) aligned politically and I'm reluctant to post this -- but! [always a big butt] LIghTen UP, Francis. All us have views that sometimes show through in a post but it's not negative - just observation. I kinda agree w/ Jinx [though 'fake news' is a bit charged, linguistically]
    I mean, look at my Dawkins' post FLN :-)

    I think as long as we keep things civil, we can express our thoughts about the world around us. Just my $0.02.

    Now, about Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court... Twain's story was brilliant and my big take-away was know your astronomy so you can predict an eclipse and out Wizard the Snake-Oil-Wizard. Also, a Zippo lighter is #magic //See Arthur C. Clark ;-)

    Speaking of Wizards - FLN: Picard don't bother w/ the face just look for purple fingernails playing chess :-)

    Cheers, -T

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  26. Fred, if you think it is "right wing" to point out that Rather damaged himself and CBS News by allowing politics to override ethics, I suggest that you put down the Kool-aid. There are examples of righties doing the same, but to my memory none of them were in the puzzle today.

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    Replies
    1. People seem to forget that Dan Rather also had a vindictive streak against Connie Chung

      Delete
  27. Speaking of my Dawkins' post: Ok, so I am a little, um... mystic(?)

    I have a wooden handled Philips screwdriver that belonged to Gramps. For the last three weeks I kept asking DW if she's seen it [last used fixing door knobs upstairs(?)].
    "Nope," she'd say.

    Saint Anthony returned it today -- right to where it belongs on my peg-board!?!

    Cheers, -T

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  28. Jinx "DAN Rather threw away a lifetime of credible work when he turned into a political hack and allowed fake news to infuse CBS. By contrast, viewers couldn't detect Walter Cronkite's similar political views until after he retired."

    You wanna learn about "fake news"?

    https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-244652/

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  29. -T, Good ol' Saint Anthony, he never let's us down. Oops, is that religion

    Jinx, are you saying DAN went all Fox News or is that where the latter got the idea.

    WC

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  30. I liked this puzzle. The first theme answer I knew right away was IDYLLSOFTHE and I was nonplussed when I ran out of space and couldn't fit in the word KING. And then my mind went Aha, sumpin's afoot. I was also set back a bit because I kept thinking to myself that an aircraft with dual turboprops is a, um, turboprop! At least that's what I had always heard them called. But in the end I solved this lovely puzzle without having to look anything up.

    MINE had to be changed to HERS. I should have known.

    As far as I'm concerned, EVITA has one and only one memorable song in it. The same with CATS, too.

    Our son cooks BRATs on his patio grill.

    Hand up for changing UTNES to USERS. I get it now.

    Loved DIDGERIDOO and ADRENALINE side by side. I did miss the ELSA/ELSE crossing; good catch Lemonade.

    One thing I definitely learned well enough to remember is that SANTA ANA is the seat of Orange County.

    Frankly, those Beats audio products are really not very good. The Bose products are overhyped, too. The only thing they've got going for them is skilled marketing. Sony and other companies make far better products.

    I see we have LIED as one of the answers today. Hmmmmm.

    From last night, thank you, PK and CanadianEh!

    Good wishes to you all.

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  31. Speaking of news, I see the phrase "recession fears" is still popping up all over the place, right alongside news that the economy is doing well and that, to quote one of the headlines, "U.S. employers added 528,000 jobs; unemployment falls to 3.5%".

    Also has any of you noticed that the majority of the "news" there days focusses on the reaction to an event rather than reporting on the event itself? Sometimes I can't figure out just what exactly it is that people are reacting to, just what it is they are so outraged or offended about. Just last night on the local news broadcast the banner along the bottom of the screen read "Reaction to Newsom's plan" and the entire minute was devoted to interviews with people expressing their dismay. I never did figure out what Governor Newsom's plan was that the interviewees were complaining about.

    Sheesh, I'm turning into a curmudgeon. As I’ve gotten older, people think I’ve become lazy. The truth is I’m just being more energy efficient.

    More good wishes to you all.

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  32. A bedtime PZL from Mr. Houston, reminding us who got the cushiest places to snore in olden days.

    Hey, Lemonade! You posted a picture of my house.
    It's right there in the lower right corner of the map of SANTA ANA that you're using to illustrate 17A & 65A!
    How 'bout that?!
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    One diagonal, near side.
    It offers 2 anagrams (up to 13 of 15 letters) regarding a mysterious deposit on the living room carpet, a fresh stain discovered by owners of one puppy and one cat, who also happen to be parents of a 2-year old darling child.
    We may label their consternation as a...

    "PEE WHODUNNIT?"!
    Or, if it has been fermenting for a while, it may also be called a very...

    "RIPE WHODUNNIT!!"

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  33. Good afternoon. Thank you, Jake, and thank you, Lemonade.

    I suspected a-something-is-missing-puzzle with ENGINE PLANE, and when I got to ANNE'S LACE, I knew what the pattern was going to be. The reveal brought it all together. Very nice.

    HIDE A BED - i.e., a sleeper sofa, a Murphy's bed or trundle bed. All designed to be hidden in plain sight.

    My parents sold a lot of beds and bedroom sets, sans mattresses of course. Victorian, Eastlake, Deco, Waterfall, Arts & Crafts, Mission, Stickley, Jenny Lind beds, Sleigh beds, brass beds. Quartersawn Oak, Oak, Walnut, Maple, Curly Maple, Tiger Maple. Beds with intricate designs on the headboards and footboards. Rope beds, Four-posters, pencil point posters, canopy and half canopy beds. I thought I'd seen it all.

    One time, mom and dad came home from an auction sale in western PA with what looked to be a very simple and plain bed. Dad stripped it, and he and mom refinished it and set it up in the store to sell. Like many antique beds, the size was more of a "full", but it had something I'd never seen on a bed before. There was a board that split the bed into two halves, from the headboard to the footboard. I seem to recall that it didn't stay on the floor very long. It sold quickly.

    They told me what it was and what it was used for. I would guess that Yellowrocks and some others might know the purpose of the board, and maybe even the name of it. Anyone care to venture a guess ?

    Bill, thanks for the U2 video clip, "With or Without You". That opening note that seems to go on forever was made with an "Infinty guitar". Crossword regular Brian Eno gets some production credit for his input. But it was the guitarist's ("The Edge") play and Bono's vocals that made the song. One of my favorites. Excellent Wikipedia article on the song.

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  34. OMK - Best. Diagonal. Report. Ever.

    TTP - I've always heard them called "buck beds", and the centerpiece (centrepiece in the Frozen North) was a "buck board". They allowed mixed genders to sleep in the same bed without touching. Never saw one, but I think they were common in Eastern Kentucky, and by extension, in PA Dutch country.

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  35. Jinx/Unclefred - let's not devolve today's Corner Conversations into a back-and-forth. #EndSignal. //Did we talk about Nichelle Nicoles' passing? She was amazing.

    WC - St. -T is my Patron St. So,... I've got an in ;-)

    Jayce - +1 on Beats. Bose is pretty good but over priced. What do you think of Klipsh?
    Not that it matters -- As I age, I can't hear the difference anyway ;-)

    Misty - You've been on fire this week with puzzle-prose. I want what you're having [Rob's mom reacting to Meg :-)]

    TTP - I've always loved U2's Where the Streets Have No Name.
    Roof-top concert/video is a homage to The Beatles' White Album release (IIRC).
    //Oh, and the 'news' commentary in the background -- LOL.
    #ROCK&ROLL!

    Sigh - my house is getting hollower and hollower...
    //one of the mover-guys here - I had to ask hem where he works out or what his parents fed him. Dude's an ox. ;-)

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tony, this is Big Easy. Speaking of Klipsch speakers, a personal friend (his brother worked for me) was the president of the company until it was bought out and he couldn't work for the new owners. Their main business was commercial, not residential. Bose is retail. Klipsch makes speakers for arenas, stadiums, auditoriums,...etc.

      Delete
    2. -T @3:54 PM Years before I converted I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood and we'd always find our lost baseballs after praying to St Anthony. Decades later I'm sitting in a Panera's listening to a table of Lutheran joking about how they would always pray to St Anthony for help finding things. He is even more famous for his "sermon to the fishes". Gustav Mahler even wrote a song about it.

      Delete
  36. Anonymous T, I'm glad your move is progressing. Yep, it definitely takes a lot of planning and work. As for Klipsh, I have had a high regard for their audio products for over 50 years, and still do. Even though, like you, I probably can't hear well enough, especially the high frequencies, to give a full evaluation, I do know I can still "feel" or "sense" the harmonics and dynamics of the instruments, which only high-fidelity recordings and playback equipment can provide. I remember Husker Gary introducing me to the Fluance RT85 Turntable a year or so ago, and I still want one, but LW has put her foot down and does not allow me to buy one, on the rationale that "we don't need it." She seems perfectly happy to listen to music from YouTube on her iPhone.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thank you, Jinx!

    My Diagonal Reports depend, of course, on the available letters. Sometimes, they just fall into place.
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  38. I started this online, only knew a couple answers, Friday and Saturday are above my pay-grade anyway, so I quit and came to the blog. Thanks for the challenge, Jake H., and thanks for the expo/links, Lemonade! Also, thanks for all the comments from the commenters!

    This came up on my Facebook Memories so I searched for the original. Here's a humorous grammar lesson: A ____ Walks Into a Bar

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  39. OMK that is very exciting.

    Moe I enjoyed your puzzle but there was some cluing that was great and some was spectacular and some confusing. This is why I find it hard to comment on puzzles by people I know. Oh well. Construction and editing be damned.

    ReplyDelete
  40. OMK, your carpet deposit joke cracked me up (even if a little wet).

    Irish Miss, hope your sister has a wonderful birthday party tonight!

    Thank you for the kind comment, Anonymous T, but that's not what I'm having.
    And good luck with your packing.

    ReplyDelete
  41. -T: Take a break, put your feet up, and have a cold beer. Remember, the only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Caruso, er, Crusoe.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Lemonade @ 5:47

    Thanks for doing the puzzle! I can't take credit for all of the clues, as Stan regularly edits the clues I submit, especially on puzzles designated for Friday. He asks that only 10% of the clues be easy and straightforward. He likes having clues that have multiple answer possibilities, such as "Loud noise" for BUMP, THUD, BANG, et al. Also, most puzzles @ Newsday do not include a lengthy "reveal". As with today's, the title - DROPBOX - should give it away. Did you see the boxes descending in the four longest vertical entries?

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  43. Jayce- you are looking at the wrong numbers when quoting this:

    " "U.S. employers added 528,000 jobs; unemployment falls to 3.5%".

    The only statistic that really matters is the Labor Participation Rate, which has been steadily falling for 12 years.

    "The labor force participation rate, or the proportion of working-age Americans who have a job or are looking for one, edged down to 62.1% from 62.2% in June." And that 'looking for one' is very subjective. Are they seriously looking or just 'looking for a job' so they can continue to receive benefits? 49 shades of gray on that one.

    38% of the potential workers ages 18-65 who could be working are NOT working. 62% pulling the wagon and 38% are in the wagon, contributing zero to the US Economy.

    But as Mark Twain wrote: "There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." But there's one fact I can personally vouch for. I've driven almost 2,000 miles in the last three weeks from NOLA to S. Florida and every place I've stopped has a 'Now Hiring" sign on the door and nobody seems to be looking for work.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Since I started this puzzle at the bottom, I quickly got the theme and breezed through the rest.

    Anonymous T: DH and I are also moving. We’ve done a lot of it ourselves, now the movers are coming for the rest Monday. Moving out of town is difficult, to add to the trauma of going from a 3400 square foot house to a 2200 one.

    Good luck to you.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I apologize for being so delayed in my response. Almost forgot that I promised to do some invasive weed spraying work on my neighbor's lawn when they went away for the weekend. Something about children and dogs and associated concerns... I get it. Please, no arrows.


    Dash T, now that your neighbors are fully aware you are moving, please describe their sentiment. I'd guess that it is somewhere between tearful resignment, and "where's the list to sign up to help them pack ?" I'm guessing for your family, it's more of the prior than the latter.


    Jinx, I've never heard of a buck bed so I looked it up. Where a male deer beds down ? :-) Your description of the purpose isn't that far off. Quite close, actually.

    The board down the middle of the bed is called a bundling board. The plain and simple bed, with a board that was made to fit down the middle and attach to the headboard and footboard, was something that I had never heard of or seen prior to my parents buying one. The Old Order Amish of western PA practiced bundling. They still may.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Musing
    What a day, I finally a chance to sit down, do the puzzle and read the blog. Loved it all.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thank you all for reading and commenting; like constructors bloggers like feedback. You are all great. L out

    ReplyDelete
  48. Pat - keep at it. 7 years ago, I couldn't get past a Wednesday w/o a blank square or two. Most Saturdays' still require a peek at HG's grid. Love the grammar walks into a bar...
    //Guy walks into a bar. He said "Ouch!"

    BigE - I've also noticed 'help wanted' signs in most every establishment I've been to in the last year+. I think the labor participation rate has fallen since Covid 'cuz some folks had a few minutes to stop & think "why am I doing this?" and dropped out.
    Personally, if everything goes according to plan, I'll be done full-time by 58yrs and get a goat farm. And, I'll be in that statistic.

    TanteNique - Good luck with your move. I'm glad I'll only be an hour away 'cuz we will NOT be done tomorrow when the movers leave.
    Where you headed?

    TTP - when the for-sale sign first went up, my neighbor called:
    "What? Tired of living next to a black guy?"
    Beer came out my nose.

    I'm pretty sure the neighbors will like the lessees - he's a consultant & recreational roper (neighbor [above] ranches), she does real-estate, and their 15 yro is a peach. They are moving here to get her into the zoned HS.
    I think only Giovanni from down the block will miss me - I made sure he got pizzelles* every Christmas.

    Cheers, -T
    *don't use that recipe - kosher salt is too big for cookies, there's not enough anise (I use extract and seed), and, um, milk?!? Great-Aunt Jessie's spinning in her grave.

    ReplyDelete
  49. A sandwich walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.”

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous T: We’re moving from Lake Charles, LA to Baton Rouge. Not our first choice, or even second or third, but we have lots of close family there.
    Thanks for the good wishes. We’ll have to return also after the movers come to make a last sweep. It’s unbelievable how you can find little things you forgot you owned.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Overposter say...

    TanteNique - Baton Rouge ain't so bad. I had my first taste of Cajun there (blacked-redfish) in '87 when competing in the HS State Science Fair.
    Next Wednesday, I'll wave to you as we cross the Mississippi on I-10 on our way to VA.

    No one corrected me so I will - It was Beatles' Let It Be release (not White Album (or Abby Road (my next guess))) the Fab Four did the roof-top concert for.

    Cheers! -T

    ReplyDelete

  52. Lemonade, Im late to the game , for various reasons ...
    .... but better late than never, so they say .....

    I'm on the road, and that is my main excuse.

    Thank You, Jake Houston, for a very challenging puzzle, and I can't say I really enjoyed it. I know of only two types of beds ... twins and queens, ..... so that thought never even entered my head.

    After sleeping on solid firm hard, Queen mattress for 25 years, we are now forced to sleep on an old Twin, because my med condition makes it too tiring to go to the upstairs bedrooms. But, hey, no problem, ..... I have learnt, Only too well, .... already about how other people have it, much, much, worse than us, or that we could even imagine .....

    Lemonade, Thank you for your charming review, though sometimes, I don't get all you jokes ...
    But I knew it was you ....
    When you mentioned Oo ....

    Regarding Politics on the blog .... some slips and biases, will always get by ....
    so we should just shuck it off, like water off a duck's back ....

    Never, never, let it get it under your skin.
    As for me, with my med condition, I think I know the years in my life, so I don't watch the news, at all, and .... I don't care ( even if .... ) if Putin became President of the US ....

    The last I remember of Dan Rather, was that he was rather harsh on President Nixon. Cronkite was a much nicer person, and 'above it all'.

    Thank You TTP and others, about the split beds, ... I googled it and came across split King bed mattresses ... for partners .... who are intent on adjusting their sleep and hardness comfort levels on their mattresses. To each their own.

    Have a good weekend that follows, you all.

    ReplyDelete

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