Theme: Shangri-La
17. John Steinbeck novel set in the Salinas Valley: EAST OF EDEN.
27. Fourth film in a series starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour: ROAD TO UTOPIA.
47. Epic poem by John Milton: PARADISE LOST.
61. Grammy-nominated Keyshia Cole hit song: HEAVEN SENT.
Boomer here.
Happy Monday to all. I remember when I was a working stiff and we did not think too much of EDEN or UTOPIA etc. I'm surprised that Elon Musk did not name one of his cars one of these titles. As for me, a short visit to the VA on Wednesday for a checkup of my shoulder. It seems to be healing, however I still cannot pick my nose or scratch my butt with my left hand.
Across:
10. "__ the night before Christmas ... ": TWAS. And all through the house.
14. Slacks fabric: CHINO.
15. Lasso: ROPE. A four letter word - my specialty.
16. "How disappointing": OH NO. LA Angel pitcher who hits a few home runs.
19. Algebra, trig, etc.: MATH. I was pretty good at this stuff.
20. Suffix with neat or beat: NIK. This was one of my NIK names. BurNIKel.
21. Whacks with an ax: HEWS.
22. Numerical relationship: RATIO. Probably 2-1 that all will finish this puzzle.
23. Make an attempt at: TRY FOR. Our association is TRYing FOR new driveways. Right now it is a bit of a mess.
25. Delta Sigma __ sorority: THETA.
32. "If the __ fits ... ": SHOE. Change into for bowling or golf.
35. Loewe's partner: LERNER.
36. Post-op recovery area: ICU. I was there for both the tumor and busted shoulder.
37. Iron-rich meat: LIVER. Not the favorite of many. I used to enjoy a piece now and then.
39. Girl of the fam: SIS. I have three. I also had an aunt who was a Benedictine.
40. Wild West film: OATER. Hi Oh Silver!
42. Sailor's yes: AYE. Maybe two of these.
43. Cover stories: ALIBIS. I did not do it. I was counting baseball cards.
46. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.
50. Feature of italic letters: SLANT. My computer is not Italian.
51. Principality on the French Riviera: MONACO. You may go there for a change and a rest. Bartenders get the change and the hotel gets the rest,
55. Provide food service for: CATER.
57. Prom couple's ride: LIMO. I have never had the pleasure.
59. Parking area: LOT. Not today. Driveway has been demolished. Gravel will suffice until new asphalt is spread.
60. Actor Sharif: OMAR.
64. Baseball glove: MITT. Look at me, I can be, Centerfield!
65. Apex: ACME.
66. Evade skillfully: ELUDE.
67. Poetic tributes: ODES. 3rd of June to Billie Joe.
68. A++: TOPS. Add another "P" and you have baseball cards.
69. Helicopter blade: ROTOR. Never had a ride - never wanted one either.
Down:
2. Part of a dinette set: CHAIR. Ours are very comfortable.
3. Full of uncertainty: RISKY. When Kramer plays Newman in Jerry's apartment.
4. Sinus specialist, for short: ENT.
5. "Yippee!": WOO HOO. Not heard much at Twins Target Field these days.
6. Make, as coffee: BREW. Every morning thank you. I cannot afford Starbucks.
7. Drapery holders: RODS. Or a go fishing necessity.
8. Big galoot: APE.
9. Low card in a royal flush: TEN. Number of pins for a one ball strike.
10. Gazpacho ingredient: TOMATO. Drought in California has created a shortage
11. "That's too bad": WHAT A PITY.
12. __-lock brakes: ANTI. Don't have them, don't want them.
13. Nabe in London and Manhattan: SOHO.
18. Like many an alley cat: FERAL. It's not an alley, it's a lane!
22. Fashionably nostalgic: RETRO. Knickers.
24. Available for an appointment: FREE. Some grocery stores are now offering free discounts on gas.
25. Throat tissue: TONSIL. I still have mine.
26. Shade on a paint color strip: HUE.
28. Cease and __ order: DESIST.
29. Native American group: TRIBE. We have many in Minnesota. Some live poorly while others own casinos.
30. Cake prettifier: ICER. Do not misspell Happy Birthday.
31. Subtle glow: AURA.
32. High-five sound: SLAP. Often after sinking a long putt.
33. "How's it goin'?": HI YA. Hi back!
34. Exaggerate: OVERSTATE. Route of I-90 .
38. Storm tracker: RADAR. Do not speed on I-90
41. Mailing label abbr.: ATTN.
44. "Hamilton" creator __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
45. French river to the English Channel: SOMME. I thought it was the Seine
48. Tips off: ALERTS. Lots of floods and tornadoes causing trouble this year.
49. "__ rather than later, please": SOONER. Oklahoma OK!
52. Alaskan native: ALEUT.
53. Time-share unit, typically: CONDO. We have a townhome. I think it's more comfortable than a condo.
54. Playful river animal: OTTER.
55. "¿__ está usted?": COMO. Minnesota's famous Zoo. Como Park.
56. Bunched in with: AMID.
57. Reading light: LAMP.
58. Currier's partner: IVES. Burl.
61. Fez or fedora: HAT. I prefer a baseball cap, but I might exchange Twins logo for Vikings.
62. Green prefix: ECO.
63. __-pitch softball: SLO. I did this for years but I spelled it SLOW.
Boomer
I think this Monday puzzle had as little more “crunch” than usual. I mean, who ever heard of a “Road” movie called “Road to Utopia”, for instance? That said, the rest of it was pretty standard Monday fare. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteAlso,”Somme”, the French river, was a complete unknown, but the perps were kind on that one, as they generally were throughout the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteYes, Fred put SOMME welcome crunch into our Monday cereal. Knowing all the theme answers was an asset on this one. Thanx for 'splainin' it all, Boomer. (I noticed we had a bowling alley in your recent collaboration puzzle with C.C. I suspect that wasn't your doing.)
SHOE: We always said, "If the Foo......"
WOOHOO, it’s Monday, with an unclefred friendly CW. FIR in 16, a bit more time than usual. DNK ROADTOUTOPIA, SOMME, or LERNER. Only W/O MONOCO:MONACO, a pre-coffee error of carelessness. Overall a very nice CW, thanx, FP. Lots of grins in your write-up today, Boomer, thanx. I bet C.C. is glad you can’t pick your nose or scratch your butt! Now, back to sleep for a bit. It is raining outside, which will be a nice sound to sleep to, but screw up getting any electricity from my solar panels. Oh well. FPL projects my electric bill for this month will be about $10. W/O the solar system it would have been around $350!
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased aroma for SCENT and ALueT for ALEUT. Bad spelars of the world, UNTIE!!! DNK which was the fourth of Hope's legendary "Road" movies, HEAVEN SENT (we already used SCENT), LIN, or THETA. I would have known that last one with the clue "Times the cosine of _____". But I did know EAST OF EDEN and PARADISE LOST, so I got that goin' for me.
ReplyDeleteAgain, a helicopter blade is not a ROTOR. It is part of a ROTOR assembly, as is the ROTOR itself.
I once worked on UTOPIA Road in Phoenix, supporting a system that was less than TOPS. Just take the Union Hills exit from the Black Canyon Freeway. The late Abejo (Brad) knew the system well.
Thanks to Fred for the fun romp with just enough stretch for Monday. And thanks to Boomer for the chuckles.
FIR, easy Monday romp.
ReplyDeleteTook 4:01 (dang it) to find the promised land today.
ReplyDeleteI had similar experiences to SubG and my dear, ECO-friendly UncleFred.
I thought I heard Ms. Irish Miss swoon over 60 Across (Actor Sharif).
Musings
ReplyDelete-The RADAR shows some rain over my course so my round is delayed
-Joann had to choke down LIVER during her second pregnancy due to anemia
-Those of us with some miles on our tires definitely remember the ROAD TO movies
-The SCENT of popcorn filled the halls at the memory care center yesterday when we visited Joann’s mother
-FORE!
The Battle of the SOMME in WWI was the greatest one-day loss in the history of the British army (57K casualties, 19K killed). And of course it doesn't flow into the English Channel, it flows into La Manche.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a smooth as silk solve with an obvious but clever theme and a clean-as-a-whistle grid. I never heard of that particular Road movie, but perps were more than fair throughout the puzzle. Loved seeing Misty’s Mantra, Woo Hoo and Lucina’s charmer, Omar. (Hand up for liking liver, so much so that I order fresh calves liver from a meat market in New York City, plus fresh veal scallopine, both of which are almost impossible to find locally, at least not of the same quality.)
Thanks, Fred, for a most pleasant start to the week and thanks, Boomer, for the chuckles and comical commentary. I thought of you when I heard about the Mickey Mantle card selling for multimillion dollars.
SS @ 7:38 ~ I’ll save my swooning for Cary Grant and leave Omar to Lucina. 😉
Have a great day.
Held off rightly on denim for CHINO. Ted wouldn't fit for "Lasso" 😀. It's Maths if yer a BRIT (Canada Eh, you folks too?). For a min I thot "Nabe" wuz sum won's name not a weered abbr. (yeah, I know it's been used b 4, doesnt mean I gotta like it 🤨). "East of Eden" is still on my bucket list. (Hope I don’t Nod off while watching it 😉)
ReplyDeleteMy 1963 Plymouth Valiant "LIMO" got a flat tire in the rain taking my Prom date home (1967). Changing it did a number on my rented tux.
I haven't seen OATER for a while and only in CWs...Boomer there's a Gazpacho shortage in California? Oooh 🍅,nevermind 😄
Road to Utopia
A dyslectic might be a slow ______ ... LERNER (Jinx, UNTIE!! 😅)
Yes & yes, again an ____ for an ____...AYE
"Concentration" host Downs...HUE
Downs et al.....HEWS
What interrupted the Monopoly game...PARADISELOST
That's _____ river!....SOMME
Penned a letter to a lady....ROTOR.
Potpourri emanation..HEAVENSENT
Week off squeezed with errands and appointments plus DW's honey dew list.
Enjoy the day all.
😊
Hola!
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, thank you for setting the record straight about Cary and OMAR (be still my heart!)
Many thanks to Fred Piscop, a true master puzzle maker! No gimmicks, very few abbreviations (only ICU) and real words in the grid. Also, no strange or unknown names.
My only wite-out was SMELL before SCENT.
EAST OF EDEN is a wonderful book and I'm thinking of re-reading it. In fact, I'm thinking of re-reading most of my books since the last two I bought are so strange, THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG FOY by Jamie Ford who wrote HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.
THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP is the last "normal" book I read.
My only experience riding in a helicopter was on a trip to Canada with my late friend, Betty, who wanted to see Niagra Falls from above.
Today is Monday so I'll go to do my volunteer chore at church.
Have a magnificent Monday, everyone!
Lucina @9:49 AM I knew we could COUNT on you for last chore!
DeleteEasy-peasy Monday romp.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to Monday's write-up to hear Boomers humors,
but today he reminded me of a quote that I cannot verify the source of...
I think it was Woody Allen, it says:
"I know God has a sense of humor,
Because wiping my Ass makes my nose itch..."
In other odorous nits today:
1D, Potpourri emanation, I had S**N*, and for the life of me, all I could think of was "stink."
33. "How's it goin'?": HI YA. Hmm, I dunno, I can't come up with a better clue, but if I were constructing this puzzle HIYA would definitely make my nose wrinkle...
But, you never know. I am sure "some" out there got great pleasure from this puzzle...
Disclaimer:
No, I am not saying this puzzle stank. I am just trying to find some silliness from its emanations .
No, IM was all swooned out from the Cary Grant tmc marathon Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThis started like a late week then retreated to Monday level.
Not only the Road to's but the WWI Battle of the SOMME(oops, I've got to get started earlier to beat billocoes).
WC
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteA lovely Monday puzzle from Fred with only SOMME unknowns.
Thanks for the mighty-fine expo, Boomer (SOONER!). Are the frames for cards supposed to have more than one SCREW?
WOs: N/A
ESPs: LERNER, SOMME
Fav: MATH over RATIO is a nice touch as is ACME over TOPS
Ray-O: *snicker* @ Pair-a-Dice LOST
Lucina - I got to ride in a helicopter 3 times. Twice in Germany on the way to/from a field hospital we Armies built as a NATO exercise and once at our Reserves weekend training where a Warrant Officer needed some flight time. Re the latter: I eagerly raised my hand to go and subsequently found out he flew in Nam and was bat-shit crazy on takeoff.
Golden Earring opened for .38 Special in '82(?) at Prairie Capitol Convention Center (SPI). Why am I telling you this? It was my first rock concert and I heard RADAR Love live.
CED - My 1st thought was " 'Sup?" at "How's it goin'?"
Gotta run. Cheers, -T
"Pair a dice" lost. Had me wondering, RayO
ReplyDeleteAlso I echo the CSO to Misty on WOO HOO
WC
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Fred and Boomer.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time and saw the HEAVENly theme.
Agree that there was a slight bit of crunch.
I WAGged that old movie for 27A.
Which Greek letter - THETA perped.
I needed perps for LERNER, but I knew IVES.
Shame was too long; oh, it’s PITY.
Inuit changed to ALEUT.
ICER was a bit of gluey fill, but what else can you call a cake ICER (an icing person?).
CSO to Misty with WOOHOO.
Fez reminded me of Abejo RIP.
Read you all later. Three of the grands are here- my posts may be spotty this week!
Wishing you all a great day.
ROTOR: In the olden days, when I worked for an awl patch company, I used to ride frequently to rigs in the Gulf via helicopter. We'd fly on those yellow PHI planes from Venice, Grand Isle, Morgan City, ad nauseum. We were told to keep our eyes out for other helicopters which didn't seem to be moving relative to us, because we were likely on a collision course. We much preferred the helicopters to those bumpy, multi-hour crewboats or the smoother, slower, overnight workboats.
ReplyDeleteVery much enjoyed the UTOPIA theme. I have always been fascinating with imagining a more perfect world and working to create it. Hence my admiration for Star Trek.
ReplyDeleteHere is my article on my RATIO Theory.
In sum: "It is not how smart you are that matters. What matters is the RATIO of how smart you are to how smart you think you are."
What do you think?
From Yesterday:
ReplyDeleteOwenKL Thanks for your interesting conspiracy theory about heart surgery, South Africa and the origin of HIV/AIDS. Where did you hear this? Mr Google turns up nothing.
Wilbur Charles Glad my list of 170 movies filmed at GRIFFITH PARK could help you fall asleep!
From Last Thursday:
sumdaze Thank you for the good travel wishes for our Madagascar adventure. Just one week away now and lots to do before that.
Hi Y'all! This puzzle was HEAVEN SENT for those of us who have been about ready to quit CWS because of impossible fills. Thank you for a nice theme & good perps, Fred. Always an uplifting expo, Boomer, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI knew of the ROAD TO movies but can't name where any of them were going. UTOPIA perped in nicely. No unknown names except SOMME. Knew of the battle. Didn't know it was a river. Took a while to remember LIN, but he has been in the news so much he wasn't unknown.
We rode in a helicopter in Missouri, I think I've mentioned. I sat next to the opening called a door, strapped in with my 2-yr-old son on my lap. Usually squirmy, the kid saw that opening and was smart enough to not move with my arms holding him tight. He also remembers that ride forty years later. He's the ret. USAF pilot.
Picard, I read your article. I thought it was a brilliant and novel concept. “Illusionary superiority “ indeed! What a good term for so much of what is wrong with our leaders today!
ReplyDeleteI don't know Picard's article, but "illusionary superiority" sounds a lot like "apotheosis aspiration" that I read about in the current issue of Free Inquiry magazine. Now, I dare any constructor to use either of these terms as fills (or clues, for that matter).
DeleteWoohoo! Woohoo! A fun Monday puzzle--thank you for this delight, Fred, and thank you for the kind shout-out to me. Also your sweet comments, Irish Miss, Wilbur, and CanadianEh!, warmed my heart and got my week off to a great start.
ReplyDeleteAnd Boomer, I look forward to your Monday commentary every week and am always so delighted by it. Thank you so much, and have a healthy and comfortable week ahead.
Loved the UTOPIA theme, which was surrounded by cool places to go, like MONACO. Would be fun to go there on a LIMO and maybe rent a CONDO for a month.
And my goodness, all the food references in this puzzle made me hungry (well, not the LIVER, but enjoyed the SCENT of TOMATO--okay, they don't have much scent). Maybe it would be better to have someone CATER a BREW with an ICER nearby.
Some intellectual stuff here too, what with MATH and RATIO, and ANTI, and . . . no, this is getting a bit RISKY.
Maybe we should just stick with clothes, like HATS and TOPS and MITTs. Oh, and a SHOE or two.
Enough already: have a good and healthy week coming up, everybody.
FIR. Nice to start the week with such blissful thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHadda be 30 years ago DW, the 3 kids and I took a helicoptor ride over the Grand Canyon. Spectacular experience. Thought they were suspended but googled and apparently still available. We paid what then I thought was a whopping 80 bucks a person. Have the VHS mouldering somewhere.
ReplyDelete🚁
WOOHOO! indeed!
ReplyDeleteA real shout-out to our Misty, for preparing us all for this day, for an honored fill at 5D!
Thank you, Fred Piscop. And Boomer too.
OH NO: The Angels' star pitcher, to give him his name, is Shohei Ohtani, nicknamed "Sho-time"!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diagonals on the far side.
But despite the abundance of slanted lines, we have a paucity of anagram possibilities--because the main line holds only three consonants, and, naturally, the flanks are devoid of vowels.
So, allow me to offer the best anagram (10 of 15 letters) I can find along the main track. This one speaks to our modern age of existential Angst. The Beatles said we all live in a Yellow Submarine. That may or may not be true.
But, surely, we live in the...
"NAUSEA AEON"!
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-Robert, I really enjoyed your ratio article. My motto is, “I’m smart enough to know how little I know”. Patti seems intent on providing ample proof of that idea.
-I’m saving those other two articles for later.
-Helo 1 - Our helicopter ride took off from Rapid City and flew over all the Black Hills attractions. The very young pilot liked going straight up and then falling off to either side. We never took another.
-Helo 2 - My high school friend flew helicopters during the war in Vietnam and then flew tourists into the Grand Canyon from Northern Arizona. His best memory was of Ozzie and Sharon Osbourne of whom he said, “Both were very normal, down-to-earth people who made pleasant conversation and were very generous tippers.
-Helo 3 - Helicopters have replaced some crop duster planes over cornfields here.
Musings 3
ReplyDelete-I lied, Robert. Your GMO article was also great and very different from I thought you might write. I have been around hybrid seeds, Bt crops and “roundup-ready” farming for decades and I agree with your positive assessment.
-Your Part 1 on “Good and Evil People” was also an informative read with very clear and concise prose.
Picard, I read and appreciate your article on your Ratio Theory. It reminds me of a teaching by Confucius, which says, very roughly, If you don't know something, behave accordingly. If you do know something, behave accordingly. This is the key to true knowledge.
ReplyDeleteRobert, excellent writing, interesting article, Peer review if performed and applied correctly might improve the ratio by decreasing the denominator but it has its own limitations.
ReplyDelete😕
Thank you for the link to your Ratio Theory, Picard.
ReplyDeleteIt all makes perfect sense, Robert. I certainly agree with your assessment of Kissinger.
Reflecting on your theory, I believe it was often at play when I was giving final words to a cast on opening night.
I had just concluded specific notes for the group, offering a lot of "positive reinforcement." We were at the point when an ensemble of talented, hard working actors were about to step on stage and show how brilliant they could be.
My valediction?
"Don't get cocky."
~ OMK
BTW, Picard, that Yeats poem (The Second Coming) has stayed with me, hovering like a guardian angel, ever since I read it as an undergrad.
ReplyDeleteThank you for quoting the line that strikes me as spookily anticipating our current political division:
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst/ Are full of passionate intensity..."
~ OMK
Picard - I keep wanting to say something about your article but I fall in your last category - I think ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts about hubris and humility.
HG - Straight up?
The WO I was with took off tail-first and spun hard right (where I was sitting and looking down at the ground!) before leveling-off. At landing, he came in nose-1st fast.
Then, he leveled out and gently touched the skids to Earth while smiling.
He said: "You can un-clinch now and change your skivvies."
PK - You've told the story of clutching USAF son in the chopper but I don't recall the 'Why?' Do tell.
Time for bed. -T
C-Eh! @ 10:55: "ICER was a bit of gluey fill, but what else can you call a cake ICER (an icing person?)."
ReplyDeleteHow about a FROSTER?
Michael - A Froster would Take the Road Not Taken.
ReplyDelete//That joke is for Misty and all the other English majors out there.
Where's Vidwan? He usually posts by now.
Cheers, -T
AnonT: My husband wanted to ride in a helicopter and we were on vacation. I was holding the baby. The pilot told us where to sit, although my husband was not happy that he was put in a back seat. He wanted by the pilot. The other three kids were in back too. I thought they would close the door or I would have insisted on being in back or handed the baby back. When the pilot took off with the door open, I was scared spitless, but like with much in my life, I dredged up my courage and held on to make the best of things. Since the kid held still, it all turned out ok.
ReplyDeleteTony, one reason that has been such an big memory is that I could never understand why the pilot would put me in the front by an open door with a 2-yr-old. I thought it was poor judgment on his part. I was distracted turning my head to see that my kids in back were strapped in and didn't realize the ground staff weren't shutting that door until we were aloft. Didn't make any sense to me and hurt my feelings.
ReplyDeleteDear -T -- Or perhaps wait for the horse to snap out of his thoughts and get moving....?
ReplyDelete(And the joke is also for all of us who were forced to study 'Lit-tra-chur' in high school English classes: asking a 16-year-old to fathom why fog would behave like a cat rubbing on a window, is just an exercise in futility. IMO, it requires experience, suffering, and time. before the V-8 can smacks us. Even now, decades later, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", well, meh.)
PK: Thanks for the back-story. Harrowing, indeed.
ReplyDeleteMichael: *chef's kiss* Brilliant response to my little joke.
Now, really, off to bed for me. -T