google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, December 9, 2022, Katie Hale

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Dec 9, 2022

Friday, December 9, 2022, Katie Hale

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's Friday recap.  I.E. commentary.  I.E. summary.  Today's constructor, I.E. puzzle setter, is Katie Hale who recently visited us on both October 9th and November 27th of this year.  In keeping with the trend that Ch. Moe commented on a week ago, today's puzzle once again exhibits wordplay.  At five places within the grid Katie has added the letters I and E to common expressions and, thereby, created humorous definitions to the clues.  Three of those five answers completely traverse the 15-square grid.  Brava, Katie!

It is quite interesting that just yesterday one of the themed answers (at 25 Across) was  "It Is What It Is".  A mere coincidence?  I do not know but, in any event, Id est quod id est.

Below are the five themed answers:

17 Across:  Gourmet chefs' argument about plating?: FOODIE FIGHT.  Foodie, i.e. gourmet


24 Across:  Paying attention to the portraits in a social media feed?: SELFIE CONSCIOUS.  SELF CONSCIOUS, i.e. aware.


38 Across:  Photographers who specialize in permanent markers?: SHARPIE SHOOTERS.  SHARPIE, i.e. marking pen.  A photo shoot.

49 Across:  Patches on one's favorite sweatshirt?: HOODIE ORNAMENTS.  Well, I'll be darned.  There actually are HOODIE (Christmas Tree) ORNAMENTS.


60. Exclamation before putting on one's favorite pajamas?: NIGHTIE TIME.


Here is how all of this looks in the grid.  Please ignore the red and yellow highlighting at 58 Across.  I have had to use a new .puz file solving site for this recap and I have not yet figured out how to format everything in the ways that I would prefer.  




. . . and here is the rest of the story:

Across:


1. Obama daughter: SASHA.  Malia is also five letters long with two A's in the same places as SASHA so it took a perp to determine which daughter it would be.

6. Tried to get home, say: SLID.  A baseball reference.



10. Pester: NAG.



13. Removes, as a brooch: UNPINS.  Or from the task bar.

 15. Loosen (up): EASE.   As restrictions.  I.E. precautions.

16. End of a Harvard address: EDU.  Not an address (speech) that might be delivered by an orator.  In this case, an email address.

19. Formal accessory: TIE.  A fashion accessory that can be traced to the Croats.  Utterly useless for a manatee.



20. Romeo's last words: I DIE.  "Here's to my love. (drinks the poison)  O' true apothecary, thy drugs are quick.  Thus with a kiss I DIE."

21. High-sided cookware: WOK.



22. "The Princess Bride" co-star: ELWES.



28. X-ray kin: MRI.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging

29. __ Hebrides: OUTER.  A geographer reference.  See 62 Down



30. Hong Kong neighbor: MACAU.  . . . and another



34. Jenna's role on "The Office": PAM.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

35. Sketch: SKIT.  Not a pencil drawing.  A bit of acting.

42. Drug cop: NARC.

43. CBS forensic drama: CSI.  



44. Sea Breeze need: VODKA.




45. Noble __: GASES.  Hand up for initially thinking PRIZE.  Wait, that's spelled Nobel.  Colorless, odorless, tasteless and nonflammable.   Helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.

47. "Despicable Me" supervillain: GRU.



56. Blanched: ASHEN.

57. Have: EAT.  As in consume food.  Have certainly does have a good number of meanings depending on the context.

58. Wet bar?: SOAP.  The clue is to be taken literally.

59. Mil. morale booster: USO.  Abbreviated clue and answer.

Certificate from 1947

64. Zero, in soccer: NIL.  What do zero and NIL have in common.  Absolutely nothing.

65. Fencing blade: EPEE.  A weapon often seen in crossword puzzles.  Four letters three of which are E's.

66. "I won't be long": ONE SEC.  Abbreviated answer but not clue.  But it is something that people might say so, perhaps, that  convention does not apply.

67. "Ideas worth spreading" org.: TED.



68. Floor plan unit: ROOM.



69. Closing documents: DEEDS.  A real estate reference.


Down:

1. Muslim mystics: SUFIS.  All You Want to Know

2. Battery terminal: ANODE.



3. Ruin: SPOIL.
  
4. Film option, for short: HI DEF.  HIgh DEFinition

5. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  A frequent visitor due to two vowels out of three letters.

6. Omega rival: SEIKO.  Wristwatch brands.  See also 34 Down.

7. Streaming issue: LAG.  A technical problem suffered frequently in our puzzles.

8. Kinda: ISH.  I.E.  sorta.

9. Get a hint of: DETECT.  What are similar to windows but can instantly DETECT the most common computer problems?  Mirrors.

10. Made professional connections: NETWORKED.


11. "Farewell, mon ami!": ADIEU.  French in the clue.  French in the answer.

12. Brand with a question mark in its logo: GUESS.

14. Waste line: SEWER.

Andy Dufresne


18. Hubs: FOCI.


23. Leads up the garden path: LIES TO.  Idiomatic.   I.E. to deceive.  I.E. to trick.  Oddly, "leads down the garden path" has the same meaning.

25. "That's my cue!": I'M UP.  Sometimes we get I'M ON.

26. Stewart's "The Daily Show" successor: NOAH.

Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart


27. Honbasho sport: SUMO.  Honbasho was unknown but it sounded Japanese so this one filled quickly with the perps.

30. Bing provider: MSN.  Microsoft's browser.  MSN is the abbreviation for Microsoft Network.

31. Cry of discovery: AHA.  AHA, it's not OHO.

32. Container store?: CARGO HOLD.  Not a shop to go to purchase bins and organizers.  A place to store containers.

33. Burlington __: London shopping destination: ARCADE.  Opened in March, 1819.


34. Omega preceder: PSI.  A rudimentary knowledge of the Greek alphabet can be helpful to solvers.

36. Bother: IRK.

37. Liquid-confiscating org., at times: TSA.



39. Slushy treat: ICEE.



40. Petrol brand: ESSO.  A trading name for Exxon-Mobil.  Originally used by its predecessor, Standard Oil.  I.E. S.O. or, spelled out, ESSO.

41. Egg cell: OVUM.

46. Confessional visitor: SINNER.

Oy!

47. Buzzing pest: GNAT.

48. Probability expression: RATIO.



49. Favorite hangout: HAUNT.  I.E. club.  I.E. stomping ground.

50. "Cotton Comes to Harlem" director Davis: OSSIE.  Bette would have fit but it would not perp.

51. Take up again: RE-HEM.  Not revisiting an old hobby.  Shortening a skirt or a dress, for example.

52. Cosmetics name: ESTEE.



53. Cacophony: NOISE.

54. Domesticated: 
TAMED.



55. Technical details: SPECS.  SPECificationS

61. Market debut, for short: IPO Stock Market.  Initial Public Offering

62. Grapher's prefix: GEO.  GEOgrapher

63. Conclude: END.  Fitting.  I.E. apt.  Indeed.


Katie Hale, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below.  We'd love to hear from you.
_________________________________________________

 


Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our witty and caring Hahtoolah (Susan), whose images and comments always brightens our days.
  

 

56 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday, Hatoolah! I think you’re one very witty lady, and I always enjoy your commentary. Now, on to the puzzle. I sussed the gimmick with the first themed fill, so that made it easier. And, once again, there was a paucity of obscure proper names (maybe Patti is mellowing as time goes on?) Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

    ReplyDelete


  2. Good morning. Thank you, Katie, and thank you, Malodorous Manatee.

    A very fun crossword, Katie ! A great way to start the day.

    Malodorous Manatee, you offered the perfect preface, i.e. introduction, to today's crossword review.

    It is what it is. Es ist wie es ist. Id est quod id est. - My MIL would ask and answer, "What can you do about it ? Nothing." Then twiddle her thumbs. Thumb twiddling is used to indicate a useless, time-wasting activity.

    MM, I'll see your Pete Alonso trying-to-get-home slide, and raise you one Trea Turner perfect stand-up slide. Or a slew of them. The first one is the best ever, but he makes an art of the feet-first slide: The Smoothest Slide in Baseball.

    That's a good boy cleaning up after that cat at 54D.

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning!

    Yay. D-o got the theme. Tried MACAO/I'M ON, but SHARPIE changed it to I'M UP. OSSIE could'a been GEENA until it couldn't. That "Don't forget to take the bins out" nightie must be a British cartoon. Everything came together in the end with minimal Wite-Out intrusion. Thanx, Katie and Mal-Man.

    MACAU : Our flattop made a weeklong stopover in Hong Kong back in '70. That and Singapore were the high points of our WestPac cruise. Usually we spent 30 days "on Yankee Station" and then back to Subic for a couple of days repair and replenishment. I grew up thinking both MACAU and Hong Kong were islands rather than part of the Chinese mainland.

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah. I always enjoy your Tuesday efforts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FIR, but erased draw for SKIT, in a sec for ONE SEC, im on for IM UP, and ado for IRK. DNK ELWEE, MACAU, PAM, sea breeze (but do I know VODKA: man, do I know VODKA), and SUFIS. I've been to London's ARCADE, but I guess I forgot Burlington.

    I also DNK that HI DEF can apply as a film option. What is it in that context? Does it require special cameras, sorta like IMAX?

    Although some containers can be in a ship's CARGO HOLD, nearly all of them are stacked above deck. (BTW, even though almost all containers are 40 feet long, the ship's and port's capacity is expressed in TEUs - Twenty-foot Equivalent units.) The clue could have been "Grain store?" or "Coal store?" or my favorite, "Ore store?".

    HBDTY, Ha2la.

    Thanks to Katie for the fun Friday challenge. And thanks to our Malman for leading us through the grid.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Today, it took me 6:41 to say, "oh, goodie - no circles."

    I didn't know the arcade, or the expression "leads up the garden path." Fortunately, I remembered Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride" and Pam/Jenna from "The Office."

    Cute gimmick and good execution, but seemed easy for a Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  6. SELFIE CONCIOUS? Most of the people who post on all those addictive time wasters are selfie conscious. I mean after FB, Instagram, Snap chat, Tik Tok, Twitter, and who knows what else do they have time to do anything else?

    Good morning all. It was a very easy puzzle today. Only had to change I'M ON to I'M UP and POT to WOK. ELWES and Burlington ARCADE were unknown.

    The SEA BREEZE clue had me stumped because of the capitalize Breeze IN THE CLUE. I'd never heard of the drink years ago we sold an astringent named.... SEA BREEZE. I just looked it up and it's still available at WalMart, Sally Beauty, and Amazon.

    sumdaze FLN- No apologies needed because BAE is truly a loathsome, sucky word.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FIR, but got hung up just once when I put "I'm on" instead of "I'm up". Didn't notice that Macau was spelled wrong and tried to understand what a sharnie was. Then the light bulb went off and I saw my error. Nice Friday puzzle, liked the theme.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with everyone here about the difficulty. The Wednesday puzzle was the hardest this week by far, while today's crossword was more Thursdayish to me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good Morning! The NW was my last to fill. I had the -ID-- in 4D and really wanted to put in vIDeo, but it just wouldn't work. Overall, I liked this Friday puzzle. Just enough challenge to "get me little gray cells working," (I'm a Hercule Poirot fan) yet flowed together nicely. Had to change in a sec to ONE SEC. My one grouse is for 24D. The word cue in the clue suggests on a stage, thus IM on. Whereas IM UP suggests baseball, and they don't need a "cue" in general terminology.
    Anyway, I enjoyed the theme and the puzzle. Thanks, Katie. And for the stellar recap, MalMan. Loved the German Shephard dusting the floor!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Have not done the puzzle yet, and my world is out of order because:

    Anonymous said...
    Please tell me how to create a user name so I don’t have to post as anonymous TIA

    December 9, 2022 at 7:19 AM

    DEAR ANONYMOUS...
    FIrst, you must be an ardent puzzle solver, because...
    I found your post on "yesterdays blog", Thursday, december 8th, as the very last entry .
    In addition to all the other puzzling complications needed to solve the "how to post as blue" conundrum,
    A new daily Blog appears every day at approx 5A.M. Eastern Standard time.
    If you happen to be in Hawaii, you can easily post on the previous days blog and no one will ever know, (except TTP, As moderator he knows, and I wouldn't want his job for anything... :)

    Second, your method of input may vary slightly. Phone, iPad, windows computer, Mac, all have their quirks, good luck!

    3rd, on the Blog main page, on the right side, there is a very long "list of everything."
    One of those list headings is "OLIO." Which is crosswordese for "a little bit of everything." There you will find

    HOW TO CREATE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT

    You can click on the above blue hotlink for details, but be aware it will lead you to more puzzles down the road like it did to "Magilla Gorilla" some time ago. I saved (I believe TTPs) exchange lest it happen again. (As follows)

    Do this (in order):
    1) Go to blogger.com. In the upper right corner, Sign Out.
    2) Go to google.com. In the upper right corner, Sign Out.
    3) Go back to blogger.com. In the upper right corner, Sign In with your BLOGGER magilla gorilla pw. (If you don't know that pw, you are SOL).
    4) Verify/edit your blogger profile settings for Display Name (magilla) and Email address (koko banana). Scroll to the bottom and press Save Profile.
    5) Open a new tab or window and go to google.com. In the upper right corner, sign into google with your google account id. (Your google account id may be your primary GMAIL id (and pw)).
    6) Verify/edit your google profile name (Lou ?) and GMAIL settings under Personal Info.

    Your blogger account should now be your magilla tailess primate id and your google account should be your primary GMAIL id. Emails will reflect "Lou".

    The way you wrote your comment suggests that you have multiple GMAIL IDs. That's fine. Just sign out / sign in to whichever one you need at a particular time, and leave your blogger profile as is. Just remember that emails sent from Blogger will be sent to the gmail email id that you specify in your blogger profile.

    Last step:

    7) Go to crosswordcorner.blogspot.com. Scroll down to "Support This Blog" and click the Donate button and give generously :>). Nothing comes to me. It is a donation to our blog hostess that helps offset her costs.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Gang -

    Excellent puzzle today, and terrific write up, MM!

    My Wednesdays are full up, so I never got back to the corner until this morning.

    I appreciate all your cogent comments and thoughtful puzzle critiques.

    Thanks to C.C. and all of you for the birthday greetings yesterday. I'm a 76 year old trombonist.

    And a big HBD to Susan [I'll always be a day older.]

    Cool regards!
    JzB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ron, you finally made it to being 76 so you and the other 75 trombonists can lead the big parade! A belated congrats

      Delete
  12. Good Morning, Crossword friends.

    I found this to be an easier Friday puzzle than usual. I caught the theme with SELFIE CONSCIOUS.

    I tried OWN for Has instead of EAT.

    Thank you for the birthday wishes. A belated Happy Birthday to Lucina and JazzB (JazzB: you'll always be a day and a few years older!)

    QOD: I want to do everything. Life is short, and I hate the idea of turning down anything. You never know what interesting experience might happen. ~ Joshua Bell (Joshua Bell; b. Dec. 9, 1972), American violinist and conductor

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, a very happy birthday! Celebrate in style 🎉🎊💥🥂

      Delete
  13. Good Morning:

    While I enjoyed the theme and the solve, I miss the more challenging Friday toughies. I needed perps for Pam, Gru, Sufis, Sumo, and Arcade, but had only one w/o, Loci/Foci, which was soon corrected as Foodie Light made no sense. Selfie Conscious was my favorite themer.

    Thanks, Katie, for a fun theme and thanks, MalMan, for your detailed review and great visuals. My favorite cartoon was Mr. and Mrs. Manatee dressed to the nines, tie and all, and the video of the domesticated German Shepherd “Swiffering” away! Fun stuff!

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah, hope it’s filled with fun and festivities! 🎂🎉🎁🎈🎊

    TTP @ 5:12 ~ I really enjoyed that video of Trea Turner’s slides. Some of the feet-first were truly artistic as well as athletic!

    Welcome to the blog, RosE.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. MM, I think you should be Marvelous Manatee. Marvelous blog this week and always. Every week I hope you would change your name.
    Fun puzzle, Katie.
    Lemonade clued us in long ago that Friday themes are not only puns, but usally add a letter or two. Sometimes the theme is subtract a letter. This really sped my solve along for the easiest Friday in ages.
    I, too, misspelled MACAO and IM ON before Sharpies changed my mind.
    Big Easy, I was thinking of Sea Breeze as an astringent for quite a while until VOD-- came up.
    Container can be generic rather than the specific, a container ship or truck. Containers other than that can be in the hold.
    Happy birthday, Susan. I love your funny and informative blog and look forward to it every week.
    Off to the bank and the grocery store. I need a dish for another party on Monday and Alan is visiting again this weekend. My meal plan does not allow guests.
    Never a dull moment. When I rest I have four books lined up to read. Better to wear out than rust out,

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah (Susan) (Cat).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Easy for a Friday

    "Leave out IE theme" (for example: Latin "Id Est") so Romeo's last words as he drinks the Kool- aid were "ID"? (no IE).. part of the theme?

    The Midwest was the hang up till I changed IMon to IMUP ..and I GUESS the repetition of SH in SHARPIESHOOTER and F in FOODIEFIGHT wuznt part of the theme like I thought.

    Other Inkover: pot/WOK,

    Battling "Omega"s . "Streaming issue" LAG: 'member'd from a recent puzzle. Thought it was "leads down the garden path"?
    "Burlington" coat factory too long and not Bri'ish. Spots too short for HAUNTS

    Attorney litigation charges......SUFIS.
    What OwenKL often leads the blog with ....ANODE
    Starts sober....ESSO
    Between grades D's and F's there should be ____ EASE.

    Happy birthday H2LH! Always enjoy how you humorus 😊

    ReplyDelete
  17. Musings
    - My candidate for the most famous SLIDE into home
    - Obscure ELWES works today because it’s Friday and perps were so solid that I didn’t even notice it
    - MACAU is the Portuguese spelling and MACAO is the English one
    - Nothing in tennis is love
    - ANODE – My wife has purchased well over 100 batteries this month to power her Christmas décor
    - GUESS jeans were the fashion de jour when I taught in the 70’s
    - I was amazed at how small the footprint of my old HAUNT was after it was torn down
    - Happy Birthday, Susan.
    - Nice job, MM

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hola!

    Happy birthday, Susan!

    Easier than usual for a Friday but that's okay. I liked the puzzle with its i.e. theme. I can't choose a favorite. They are all fun. Mybe NIGHTIE TIME.

    I know GRU only because of the commercials which I see every day. I've never seen the actual movie but my grandchildren are crazy about it.

    Sea Breeze is new to me as clued but VODKA emerged.

    In Turkey we saw SUFI dancers. They twirled so long that it made me dizzy! They were tall men dressed in white toga-like gowns.

    I wonder who will replace Trevor NOAH when he quits which seems imminent.

    Have a wonderful day, everyone!



    ReplyDelete
  19. I loved this puzzle, and not just because I had no problems with it. Like so many I had to change I’m on to IM UP.

    Rumi is the best known SUFI whose grave I visited when I was in Turkey a few years ago. He was a magnificent poet.

    I want that German shepherd.

    Another warm day today. Yea!

    Happy birthday 🎂🎉 to Hahtoolah.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you, Cross Eyed Dave for the extensive directions on how to get a blog name, and to AnonT (12/8) for the "go blue" link. I still don't know if I have a "profile" but I went from Anon to a name, so goal achieved.
    Thank you, Irish Miss, for the greeting. I have enjoyed your comments for a while now.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy birthday Susan,

    Forgive me,
    but I gave up trying to find a cake with "Hahtoolah" on it...

    In other failures,
    Could not find anything silly for I.E.:
    Google kept returning Internet Explorer...
    I also tried:
    Id Est,
    That is,
    Ergo,
    Explanation,
    The only thing interesting I found, was curiously, the first bar joke ever discovered.
    Found on a Sumerian clay tablet, it translates to :
    A dog walks into a bar,
    Says "I can't see anything"
    And then says "I'll open this one ".
    Scholars think it might be funny rhyming words in its original language...

    Oh well, it's just one of those days I guess.
    Like how yesterday they announced the worlds most Googled word is "wordle."
    I think this fad may be passing, at least for me, as I was stuck on a wordle letter combination and casually typed in a word I knew would not use up one of my 6 guesses, to rearrange the letters in my mind, and accidentally hit enter...

    The word was "nutso."

    Wordle says it's a real word?
    If they ever use for real, I'm going to ... ?

    ReplyDelete
  22. FIW. Somehow I transposed clue for "Probability" and "Hangout", thus I was stuck with PATIO and of course GpU made no sense but villain names are odd anyway

    Happy birthday hahtoolah and a belated one to Lucina

    Unfortunate to FIW on an easy Friday, my string is broken.

    WC

    I liked the clueing

    ReplyDelete
  23. Welcome RosE. Glad to learn that CED and -T were able to help with the process.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Katie and MalMan.
    I FIRed in good time and saw the IE theme.

    Hand up for needing perps to decide between SASHA or Malia. I just finished reading The Light We Carry by their mother. I recommend it.
    Several inkblots. I’M On changed to UP, Paled changed to ASHEN.
    HI res changed to DEF, Sunis to SUFIS.

    Just like those navels, I waited for perps to decide between Inner or OUTER Hebrides.
    Possible Natick cross of PAM and NOAH (plus SUMO as clued)was WAGged and perped.
    I was thrown off by thinking of the Sea Breeze astringent rather than the drink. We need VODKA?!

    We had two Omega clues and a PSI for our Greek alphabet.
    ESSO again. My CSO is wearing thin.
    Today’s Wordle alert- 11D makes a great starter guess.

    Busy week and I missed a HBD to JazzB.
    Plus healing wishes (and sorry to hear of accidents) to Lucina and granddaughter, and AnonT.

    HBD Hahtoolah.

    Wishing you all a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  25. CanadianEh! the NYT Wordle Bot prefers SLATE or CRANE as starter words.

    ReplyDelete

  26. Irish Miss, wasn't that collection of Trea Turner slides pretty neat ? He's incredibly fast around the base paths. Fastest in the National League. Bobby Witt, Jr is in the American League. That first slide is a thing of beauty. I'd break an ankle trying to do that stand up slide with spikes on.

    Husker, speaking of spikes, it doesn't sound like you are quite ready to hang yours up, given your "One of these days..." comment yesterday. 44 years full time, and now 12 subbing, isn't that right ? Also, I might agree that Jackie Robinson's slide might be the most famous (MLB.com has a list), but the category was perfect stand up slide :-)

    RosE, welcome. If you want to "go blue", just follow the instructions that Anonymous T linked for you, "How To Create A Blogger Account."

    If you only want to use a name, just select the Name/URL button when you've enter your comments. If that's all you want, you don't need to do anything else, except select it and enter whatever name you want.

    Cross Eyed Dave, for the third time, those instructions have nothing to do with creating a blogger profile. Please delete them or at least quit providing them when someone is asking about creating a profile.

    There are some readers that:
    a) created Blogger profiles using email accounts other than Gmail, such as Yellowrocks
    b) have multiple Blogger accounts and Blogger profiles, such as Magilla

    Those steps were written to specifically help Magilla for his situation, and do not apply to creating a profile.

    ReplyDelete


  27. Cross Eyed Dave, I apologize. I should have started my comments with, "I appreciate you trying to help, but ... "

    ReplyDelete
  28. I just read that Kirstie Alley died (71) from colon cancer. Her break out role was considered playing Rebecca in "Cheers". Coincidence we just had Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd (considered his break role as well) in a recent Puzzle. Both took over parts played by previous actors.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanx Kate. Saw the theme early and it was helpful. Loved the Word Play.

    Loved your review MalMan, especially all the clever gifs. Thanks for your tip 'o the hat to DAB (whom MOE has re-dubbed "David, 'one if by land, two if by sea, three if Bywaters'". Also, apropros of your coming out as a Red Green Show fan, I've almost got Husker ready to join "Possum Lodge". We're just working on logistics.

    There was a puzzle? Oh yes, some favorites:

    16A EDU. Clever.

    28A MRI. A CSO to R-O-S.

    34A PAM. Never saw The Office, but I met her in a review a month or so back.

    256 NOAH. Yesterday was Trevor's final Daily Show show. He's headed back to his roots as a STAND UP guy. BTW Stewart was not only long running host of the show, he was also ONE of the STARS in Word Play the Movie (you may have to unmute the audio widget).

    Cheers,
    Bill

    HBD Hahtoolah!!! 🎂🎈🎀💥

    ReplyDelete
  30. Delightful puzzle, many thanks, Katie. And thanks for your always helpful commentary, MalMan.

    Also, happy birthday, Susan.

    Today's puzzle made me think of an actor in a NIGHT TIME drama, who is very SELF CONSCIOUS as he UNPINS his TIE after playing a NARC, like one on CSI. Hope he has a chance to go to his favorite HAUNT, like a dining ROOM, afterwards and get something to EAT, like an ICEE, but not get into a FOOD FIGHT. Good luck, fellow!

    Have a good weekend coming up, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Gary said "GUESS jeans were the fashion de jour when I taught in the 70’s". I remember those jeans and that era. Ironic that the GUESS jeans left nothing to be GUESSed.

    ReplyDelete
  32. TTP,
    Third time?

    I do apologize,
    I forget even what I had for breakfast...
    And as for throwing things out? Just ask my DW, I'm a pack rat!
    I'm a firm believer that "any old piece of junk" can be repurposed in times of need, and I save everything so I won't forget.
    (You should see my saved YouTube files, I have more YouTube videos than YouTube!)

    Anywho, I only threw the Magilla story in there as a cautionary tale of what could happen if you solve your initial problems . You only get bigger, harder problems... ( what happened to Magilla anyway?) sort of my way of making a joke, but sorry it came out like,

    A dog walks into a bar...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks TTP for the greeting and @ 11:39 for the information.I think that one bit of information may induce other commenters to go from Anon to a name. I found the other instructions very complicated. That's all I wanted to do was to go from Anon to a name as requested by some commenters. Am I missing something??? Am I supposed to be a blogger?

    ReplyDelete
  34. Welcome RosE. If you're using "Name/URL" to enter RosE, it's a simple matter for somebody else to pretend to be you. Once you go "blue," nobody can sneak in with your handle.

    ReplyDelete
  35. MalMan leads us through Ms. Hale's Friday PZL in fine fashion.
    An enjoyable XWD from start to finish.

    A pleasing coincidence to see ADIEU here.
    It often serves as my "starter word" on Wordle. Today it was particularly useful. It vaulted me into the W-answer on my 2nd try!

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah!
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    We have one diagonal today, on the far side.
    Its anagram (Jackpot: 15 of 15 letters!) seems to be a verbal attack in one of WW2's Axis dictators. It uses an Anglo-variant appellation for the Fascist leader, then calls him out by his major character flaw!
    (I wonder why...? Is there any concern about right-wing extremism this days?)

    "DUS[c]E, EGOTISTICAL"!

    ReplyDelete
  36. RosE,

    Malodorous Manatee is a blogger. Waseeley is a blogger. Husker Gary is a blogger. Etc, etc, etc. They blog the crossword puzzles. The bloggers here at crosswordcorner are listed on the main page under "Contributors"

    Everyone else that reads and responds to the reviews or makes comments are commenters. Cross Eyed Dave is a commenter. Ray O Sunshine is a commenter. Yellowrocks is a commenter. You are a commenter. Not bloggers. So, no, you don't need to be a blogger unless you are planning on hosting a blog and writing articles.

    When you want to comment, you have selections to choose from for your identity before publishing.

    If you have a Google Account, you can select that radio button, and your name will appear in blue.

    If you don't have a Google Account, can either select the Name/URL radio button, or you can select Anonymous. Anonymous would be the default.

    Some people prefer to post as Anonymous. Some prefer to use Name/URL. Some prefer to use their Blogger profile. To each their own. Desper-otto explained one reason why many people prefer to post comments using their account profile.

    Blogger is one of many apps owned by Google. Others include YouTube, Gmail, Chrome, Docs, etc etc etc. If you create a Google account, you have the option to use any of the apps using one single signon. i.e., you don't have to sign into each app separately. You can still have different Profiles for different apps, and these profiles may have different "screen names". For example, my Blogger screen name is TTP, but my Gmail screen name is something completely different. They are different profiles. But they are under the single Google Account using the single signon.

    If all you want to do is use a name when you post your comments, then just select the radio button for Name/URL and enter whatever you want.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TTP @2:16 PM The only thing I'd add is that most commenters are solvers, consumers of the creations of puzzle constructors, as well as the reviews created by the blogging team. Commenters who are NOT solvers are either using their comments to advertise stuff not related to the Crossword Corner, or try to perpetrate some kind of scam.

      Delete
  37. TTP @ 2:16 --> and of course, there are lazy bloggers/contributors (like me, today) who are replying via their iPhone on the "mobile edition", and enter their screen name manually instead of going to the web edition and having their "blue" name appear. And for anyone questioning whether or not this is Moe, who else could write so many run-on sentences...😀😀😂

    ReplyDelete
  38. No time to read the comments, so let me just say I FIW in 24 minutes. IMON:IMUP; LOCI:FOCI; MACAO:MACAU. Shoulda caught the SHARNIESHOOTERS made no sense, but didn’t and left IMON in there. Thanx for the fun challenge (which I failed) KH. Thanx for the terrific write-up, MalMan.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thank You TTP,

    I really dont understand words,
    (thats why I read the Blog...)

    So, I am not a Blogger?
    (i always thought I was...)

    Hmm, I am a commentator...

    I think i prefer Irish Miss' interpretation,
    (I am an Imp...)

    Sorry if i messed up your Blog,
    I was just breezin' thru...

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you TTP for further explaining the inner workings of this blog. I was a lurker for a long time and finally became a commenter several months ago. This is the only blog I frequent and I enjoy the company of such diverse and interesting and witty people.

    OMK: I too often use ADIEU as a Wordle starter word and i too got the answer on the 2nd try thanks to that.

    ReplyDelete
  41. d’otto- yes, I saw the new robo-recommendations for Wordle starters. I usually use STARE because I prefer to ask about R over L. But sometimes I use the vowel-rich ADIEU for a change. It was beneficial today. (See OMK @2:09)

    waseeley@12:21 - I’m ROTLF! I can just hear you, MalMan and HuskerG reciting the Man’s Prayer - “I'm a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.”

    ReplyDelete
  42. Two terrific World Cup soccer games today. Now to do the puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  43. FWIF everyone, Trea Turner just signed with the Phillies for an 11 year contract worth 300 million, joining his former teammate Bryce Harper who has 9 years left on his contract.
    Oh, and today's puzzle was a nice one, too.

    ReplyDelete

  44. Chairman, I reported that bug of "some mobile users can not comment using their blogger profile" many months ago, along with a few others, such as preview not working for some mobile users, and invalid tags being accepted from some mobile users, so perhaps someday those problems will be fixed.

    How was that for a run on sentence ?

    Tante, you are welcome, and Dave, being a commenter is a good thing. Plus, you provide some pretty good cakes.

    waseeley, thanks for the Guardian article on Trevor Noah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not bad, Tom. Given your ability to type and create a run-on sentence, I hereby nominate you as my substitute blogger whenever you'd like to blog for me, or whenever I need a substitute blogger, like when I go on vacation, for example, whichever comes first.

      I didn't know that Trevor Noah is going to be playing for the Guardians next year. I hope he can go yard ...

      Delete
  45. Hi Y'all! Thank you, MalMan! Always a good read.

    Happy Birthday, dear Hahtoolah! ENjoy your contributions.

    You are cherished, CED, for bringing very special things to this blog. Imp on, brother!

    Apparently I am the only one who struggled with this puzzle. Took twice as long as yesterday and all the other days except Wed. I just was not on Katie's wavelength. Filled it and then saw the IE. Clever. However, the brain fog might have had something to do with my health since I have slept most of the past two days.

    Someone turned me blue several years ago without my doing anything or even knowing it was done until I came to the blog. This was kind because an anonymous was stealing my name and posting under it things I wouldn't have said.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Enjoyed the puzzle this morning and got a FIR. Saw the IE additions early which helped the solve. Thanks Katie and MalMan for a fun start to the day.

    Then the World Cup started again and the rest of the day involved keeping up with those exciting games and doing chores too. Whew!

    By now my WOs and problem areas have been commented on by many others. (It is always nice to know I am in excellent company!)

    Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah, you young thing!

    And welcome to RosE. Comment often and freely.

    TGIF everyone, and enjoy your evening!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I liked this puzzle by KatIE. Smiled at HOODIE ORNAMENTS. Hand up for having to change I'M ON to I'M UP.

    I very much enjoy reading all of you commenters' comments.

    Happy birthday, dear Hahtoolah.

    ReplyDelete
  48. I think Will Shorz recommended using arose as a starter word for Wordle.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hi All!

    Cute puzzle, Katie! I, Loved the theme but I got hung up in the NE (part of that is my fault - shot myself in the foot with ADIos - I'm illiterate in three languages now!).

    Great expo, M.Manatee! Re: house designed by men - 7th grade project for math was to blueprint a plan. I had a swimming pool and basketball court in the sub-sub-basement :-)

    WOs: SUnIS->SUFIS, ADIos, I'M on-UP, Trevor NOha [#untie!] (BTW, last night was his last Daily), and I put GAS in GRU's spot.
    ESP: ELWES, OSSIE [a themeless IE?]
    Fav: GRU. Despicable Me is a must see if you like a nice (warped-funny) story.

    A most Happy Birthday to our Tuesday host, Hahtoolah. You're funny, a great host, and whip-smart doing law(? I guess, I've only glimpses from posts - what do you practice? Youngest want's to know | asking for a friend :-))

    FLN - KOMA, HG. Those call letters from Norman, OK cracked me up the first time I heard it after some announcer was about to put me out for a nap.
    "WLS, Chigago!" could be heard on a clear night as far as Tulsa.
    Here's fun: Today boss-man hosted A Christmas Story on Discord. LOL following the stream of two 20-somethings trying to figure out why they'd watch the radio.
    Hand-up: Big fan of the Possum Lodge.
    D-O: I always start Wordle with STALE - same letters going in. (if nothing is yellow or green, I go with choir).

    RosE - Welcome to The Corner. Glad it all worked out. Play with your profile a little more and you too can get a silly avatar.

    You can imp or IRK as long as you like, CED. //Ever watch The Maker Channel? There's a program where this lady makes magic out of junk - perfect for your collection :-)

    Waseeley - Even though I watched early Daily w/ Craig Kilborn (always ENDed with woman on a trampoline (except when it was a bear*), Stewart put it on everyone's radar. Yes, Stewart was funny on Word Play (Clinton & Dole did cameos too!)

    Harvaaard Address? Tom & Ray did it best.

    Looking forward to Saturday!

    Cheers, -T
    *Ok, that's not The Daily. This was. (see if you can spot the correspondent who now has his own late-night show).

    ReplyDelete
  50. A BLOG is a weB-LOG. I think we regulars star-date* (some of) our lives here at The Corner.

    From the ORACLE [er, Google]: "A blog, short for weblog, is a frequently updated web page used for personal commentary or business content. Blogs are often interactive and include sections at the bottom of individual blog posts where readers can leave comments."
    //Google is the parent company of Blogger and I did not get paid for this ad :-)

    -T
    *But we got to get ourselves back to the Garden [cite].

    ReplyDelete
  51. Katie, your puzzle was so fun that it put everyone in a good mood. I was all smiles reading everyone's comments. FAVs: Waste line and Wet bar?
    Hand UP for IMon before IMUP.

    Terrific write-up, MalMan. I never made the ESSO / S.O. connection. I am sure that will help me remember that common fill in the future. Thanks!

    Hi RosE! Are you the "anonymous" with the new grandson?

    Happy b-day Hahtoolah! Wishing you all the joy you give to us each week.

    FLN. TTP. Thanks for the help with the link!

    ReplyDelete

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