Hello Cornerites! Happy Boxing Day! Let's celebrate by filling in the boxes on Lynn K. Watson and Will Nediger's CW grid!
Today's theme is:
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| A CASE FOR CRACKERJACK SOLVERS |
We will start with the reveal:
57. Across Solve a mystery, and a hint to the answers to the starred clues: CRACK THE CASE. It takes a crackerjack solver to see that in all 3 of the themers, there is a "CRACK" in the word "CASE". The "CRACKs" are filled not with caulk, but with letters to form a familiar thing or phrase.
The themers are:
20. Across* Pink flower native to eastern North America: CAROLINA ROSE.
35. Across* Like a game that involves evasive subterfuge: CAT AND MOUSE. An idiom referring to a dedicated pursuit with near captures and close escapes. (No "EEKS" today!)
43. Across* Migratory honker: CANADA GOOSE. CSO to CanadianEh!
Some people say "Canadian goose" and some say "Canada goose". It's a regional thing. Where I live, the geese prefer to not migrate. Instead, they stay all year, enjoying the mild climate and getting very fat grazing on golf course grass. I suspect they are too fat to make the trip home to Canada!
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| Ever vigilant, the male (gander) holds his head up higher. |
Let's investigate the other clues:
Across:
1. Warning sound from a rattlesnake: HISS. I once had a cat that got bit by a rattlesnake. She survived. HENCEforth, she would spend the rest of the day hiding in the closest whenever a hose kinked and made a HISS noise!5. Electrical pioneer Nikola: TESLA. 11 things about Nikola TESLA
10. Certain partner: WIFE. At first I thought this was one of those paired words clues so I kept trying to think of a word that went with "certain".
Movie trailer for The Wife (2017), starring Glenn Close.
14. "Hello... hello... hello...," e.g.: ECHO. Clever way to clue a CW staple.
15. To no __: without success: AVAIL.
15. To no __: without success: AVAIL.
16. Each, informally: A POP. a piece
17. Sign gas: NEON. Can also be used to pimp your ride.
50 sec. video
18. Paper size longer than letter: LEGAL. In the U.S. and Canada, LEGAL paper is 8.5 X 14 inches. When I worked at the Australian Embassy in D.C., I had to adjust to size A4. It might not seem like that much of a difference but one's brain recognizes the disconnect right away.
23. Leftover: EXTRA. Many people like to have EXTRA Christmas turkey so they can make sandwiches on Boxing Day.
24. Sound system: STEREO.
27. Eyes a bull's-eye, say: AIMS. "Eyes" is a verb here.
30. Chapel centerpiece: ALTAR.
32. U.K. lawmakers: MPS. United Kingdom is abbreviated. So is MemberS of Parliament.
39. Oodles: A LOT. In Nov. 2016, Crystal, a standard poodle, gave birth to 16 puppies in Lancaster, MN -- possibly tying the record for her breed. The puppies are 9 weeks old in this pic. (It looks like they trapped the puppies on a suspended board to get them to line up.)
30. Chapel centerpiece: ALTAR.
32. U.K. lawmakers: MPS. United Kingdom is abbreviated. So is MemberS of Parliament.
39. Oodles: A LOT. In Nov. 2016, Crystal, a standard poodle, gave birth to 16 puppies in Lancaster, MN -- possibly tying the record for her breed. The puppies are 9 weeks old in this pic. (It looks like they trapped the puppies on a suspended board to get them to line up.)
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| Oodles of Poodles |
42. Chief Valhalla god: ODIN.
46. WNW's opposite: ESE.
47. Reptile in the Chinese zodiac: SNAKE. The only other reptile is a dragon.
You are a SNAKE if you were born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, or 2013. The next Year of the Snake is 2025.
48. __-esteem: SELF.
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| Miss Wormwood was always one step ahead of Calvin. |
50. Pays for everyone: TREATS. My dog loves this word!
53. Reading lights: LAMPS.
61. "Veep" actress Chlumsky: ANNA.
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| Anna with her Veep castmates |
64. Latest craze: MANIA.
65. Tehran's land: IRAN. Last week I read Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas (2004). It is a humorous look at the immigrant experience. Two thumbs up!!
66. See 28-Down: BEAR. and 28D. With 66-Across, fairy-tale character whose bed was too soft: MAMA. "Papa", "MAMA", and "Baby" all have 4 letters but only MAMA BEAR's bed was too soft.
67. Campaign button word: ELECT.
68. Guitarist Lofgren: NILS. An American rock musician born in 1951 in Chicago, IL. Among other things, he is know for being a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984.
65. Tehran's land: IRAN. Last week I read Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas (2004). It is a humorous look at the immigrant experience. Two thumbs up!!
66. See 28-Down: BEAR. and 28D. With 66-Across, fairy-tale character whose bed was too soft: MAMA. "Papa", "MAMA", and "Baby" all have 4 letters but only MAMA BEAR's bed was too soft.
67. Campaign button word: ELECT.
68. Guitarist Lofgren: NILS. An American rock musician born in 1951 in Chicago, IL. Among other things, he is know for being a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984.
NILS Lofgren -- Pretty Soon (2019)
69. Deal (with): COPE.
70. Searches for: SEEKS.
71. Checkers or chess: GAME. "Or" keeps it singular. "And" would make it plural.
Down:
1. From this point forward: HENCE. Hence, we shall commence the Down clues.
2. Climbing tool for frozen surfaces: ICE AX.
3. Low on funds: SHORT. SHORT for "SHORT on cash".
4. Mexican state bordering Arizona: SONORA. Also, SONORA, California, nicknamed the "Queen of the Southern Mines", is a Gold Rush town named by Mexican miners in 1948 from the state of SONORA. It is 3 miles south of Columbia State Historic Park, a popular field trip destination for 4th graders in CA studying their state's history.
5. Anklebones: TALI. "Talus" is singular. "TALI" is plural. Both are pronounced with a 'long a' sound.
70. Searches for: SEEKS.
71. Checkers or chess: GAME. "Or" keeps it singular. "And" would make it plural.
Down:
1. From this point forward: HENCE. Hence, we shall commence the Down clues.
2. Climbing tool for frozen surfaces: ICE AX.
3. Low on funds: SHORT. SHORT for "SHORT on cash".
4. Mexican state bordering Arizona: SONORA. Also, SONORA, California, nicknamed the "Queen of the Southern Mines", is a Gold Rush town named by Mexican miners in 1948 from the state of SONORA. It is 3 miles south of Columbia State Historic Park, a popular field trip destination for 4th graders in CA studying their state's history.
5. Anklebones: TALI. "Talus" is singular. "TALI" is plural. Both are pronounced with a 'long a' sound.
6. Level: EVEN.
8. Perjurers: LIARS. "Lies" would not fit. Then I read the clue more carefully: perjurERs
9. Parcel out: ALLOT. not "oodles"
10. ABBA hit with the line "I was defeated, you won the war": WATERLOO. Did you remember this song from 63D yesterday? Taking you back to 1974...
11. Craft beer letters: IPA.
12. "Sour grapes" critter: FOX. Grateful to 19A for limiting my WAGs to all animal names spelled with 3 letters and ending in "x".
13. Prefix with -logue: EPI. Hand up for trying "pro" first. EPIlogues vs Afterwards vs Appendices
21. Not of the clergy: LAIC.
22. Tailor's line: SEAM. This clue seemed more difficult when I first read it.
25. Piano piece: ÉTUDE.
/ˈāˌto͞od/
noun
- a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.
26. Welcome sight in the desert: OASIS. Other good answers: Yuman, Chairman Moe, Lucina, and OwenKL. I hope I did not leave out any other Cornerite desert dwellers. lmk
29. Male deer: STAG.
31. Actress Russo: RENE. I love this scene from In the Line of Fire (1993). RENE Russo and Clint Eastwood play Secret Service Agents. (2.07 min.)
"If she looks back, that means she's interested."
"Well Abe. Wish I coulda been there for ya pal."
32. Apple computers: MACS. Mine is a PC.
33. Garden growth: PLANT. I am a gardener. I learned from my farmer grandfathers.
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| I set up this greenhouse in my backyard when I lived in Colorado. |
34. Underwater detector: SONAR. animals that use echolocation
36. "It's __-win situation": A NO.
37. Private aid gps.: NGOS. "Groups" is abbreviated. So is "Non-Governmental OrganizatonS".
38. Prescribed amount: DOSE.
40. Friendly send-off: TAKE CARE.
44. Cherished: DEAR.
45. Fashion monthly: ELLE.
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| this month's cover |
49. Not back-to-back with: FACING.
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| Downward FACING Dog (Yoga) |
51. Makes less unruly: TAMES.
52. Bathroom accessory: SCALE.
54. Tennis star Sharapova: MARIA.
54. Tennis star Sharapova: MARIA.
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| MARIA is one of 10 women (and the only Russian) to achieve the career Grand Slam. |
55. Sacred song: PSALM.
56. Smell, for one: SENSE.
56. Smell, for one: SENSE.
58. Joint between the foot and the hip: KNEE. KNEEs are hinge joints. Avoid injuries by making sure your KNEES and toes are pointing in the same directing when doing Yoga or other strenuous movements.
59. Clock sound: TICK. or tock
60. Bowlers and berets: HATS.
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| Bowler Beret |
61. Start of the alphabet song: ABC.
62. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.
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| Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix (1999) One Cool Dude |
63. Quick snooze: NAP. I'm ready for one now.
Here's the completed grid:
How did you do? Did you earn your CRACKer Jack Detective pin?
That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!
40 comments:
Good Morning:
Happy Monday and Boxing Day.
This was a nice, easy-peasy start to the last week of the year. The theme was well-hidden, to me, anyway, and had a very cute and catchy reveal. I wasn’t familiar with Waterloo or the Carolina Rose, but perps were super-friendly. I remembered Nils from previous puzzles, so not problem there and no w/os. Very few three letter words added to the smooth and enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Lynn and Will, for a fun romp and thanks, sumdaze, for some fun and facts, especially the video of The Wife, which featured an outstanding performance by the great Glenn Close and the Oodles of Poodles photo. Chuckled at the Cave Woman’s invention!
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and that you’re all keeping safe and warm!
FIR, but erased lars for NILS. DNK CAROLINA ROSE or ANNA Chlumsky. Also DNK that rattlers used a HISS to warn, but I've never stayed around enough to hear that. I DID know that cats will harass them. I had a cat that went missing after a neighbor saw her harassing one under my car when i lived in California. We never saw cat or snake again, and our story was that they eloped.
Virginia has rules for dealing with pesky non-migrating CANADian Geese. There is a season for hunting them, and regulations for addling their eggs. They can be real dangers to aviation and agriculture.
Thanks to Lin and Will for the fun. And thanks to Sum for another fun / fine review.
Nice to see you up so early, IM. And I agree with you that the theme was “well hidden.” So well hidden, in fact, that I had no idea what it was until the reveal. I also agree with you on the “easiness” of this puzzle. It was the usual Monday “walk in the park.” Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
By the way, TTP (or other Sysop): Could you please delete the second comment here on this blog today? It’s obviously a blatant advertisement that has no place here.
Good morning!
I thought the rattlesnake's warning would be a rattle...HISS? Hand up for thinking we needed a partner for "certain." Would've known CAROLINA wren, but not ROSE. Still, d-o managed to read the full reveal clue, and was able to see the broken cases. Very nice Lynn, Will, and Sumdaze (Xtra thanx. D-o did not know how to pronounce TALI.)
TREATS -- I always carry a pocketful of doggie treats on my M-o-W routes. The dogs have learned to expect 'em, and I'd be in trouble if I ever ran out. (Hi, Melvin and Coco!)
FIR. Nice and easy Monday romp. Got the theme early and that helped a lot.
CAme to the finish line in 4:23 today with eaSE.
Agree with the others about "Carolina Rose," and with "hiss" seeming misplaced.
I don't really know today's actress, but I did remember her name from another time she was that day's actress. I guess that counts for something.
10 proper names by my count, but I knew 5 and the others were not to difficult to perp. I managed to FIR, and enjoyed the Monday wake-up. Which reminds me: WHERE’S MY COFFEE?? Forgot to set up the coffee maker last night. Dang! I did not see the theme until Sumdaze ‘splained it. Anyway, thanx LKW&WN for the fun CW. And thanx too to Sumdaze for the terrific write-up.
Musings
-A few of those CANADIAN GEESE over winter on our golf course near the Platte River
-I’m too impatient to play CAT AND MOUSE games. Tell me straight up what you want.
-I saw ANNA was going to be the fill and wondered, “What ultra-obscure clue might the constructors (or Patti) choose?” Someone named Chlumsky fit the bill. Fictional and actual Russians Karenina and Kournikova didn’t make the cut. ANNA Nicole Smith was a real, uh, bust as well.
-Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Ani-Frid always brighten up my day
-Nice job by our RENE(E)!
-Gotta go feed my birds!
The puzzle was elementary my dear WATSON (and Nediger) 🧐
Nice 'n' EZ, typical Monday but the Theme? "CRACK THE K's"? but no K's in any of the theme answers...🤔.
That picture of the CAROLINA ROSE bush looks like what we call a "Nearly Wild" rose
MAMA, APOP BEAR WIFE...
Proper Names...ANNA, I remember from VEEP and NILS I shoulda remembered from prior CW's
We see ALLOT ALOT.
One of a towel pair....HISS
Bridal accessory....AVAIL
MANGO alone....STAG
Female deer.....DOSE
Female chickens...HENCE
Mole....PLANT
Canada Eh, Happy Boxing Day. Hope you go 10 rounds. 🥊🥊
Good morning. Thank you, Lynn and Will, and thank you, sumdaze.
No typos, no misspelled words and very few pauses. So far, it was the easiest solve of the week. :-)
In fact, this CASE was closed in just over 8 minutes typing with only one finger.
CRACK THE CASE - My neighbor's wife cracked the engine case on my almost-brand-new power washer when he borrowed it to wash his deck and fence. She wanted to return the power washer in clean condition, so she power washed it. Spraying cold water on a hot small-engine block is not a good idea.
Those poodle puppies are adorable.
Oh, a synonym for partner, not a partner for certain. That onen caused a pause.
Don't all snakes hiss ? No pause there.
My Chinese sign indicates that I can be irritable. Who knew ?
Unclefred, you counted names today ?
SubG, you want me to delete Jinx' comment ?
RIP LPGA golfer Kathy Whitworth. Her 88 career victories are the most by any player on a single professional tour. More than Sam Snead and more than Tiger Woods. In 1968 she won 11 times, and didn't earn $50K all year. That same year, Billy Casper won 6 times on the men's tour and earned over $205K.
Having a nice calm morning - we roadtripped to my mom's in Kansas City - and since the house was full we "volunteered" to stay at a nearby hotel- we will rejoin the fray of todderls and teens shortly.
This was a fun puzzle - WEES about needing the reveal to get the theme - all I got before was that they started with "CA"
Thanks SD for the fun blog - "Waterloo" is today's earworm - replacing Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You"- that had been stuck there
Delayed Merry Christmas and belated HBD to YR and Fermataprime from yesterday!
Hola!
Happy Monday, er, uh Boxing Day!
This was no CAT AND MOUSE GAME. It was straight up forward and easy to solve. Thank you, Lynn and Will.
If you hike in the nearby hills in AZ take a pole or some kind of stick in case you meet a RATTLE SNAKE. It's a very real possibility. In cold weather they might be hibernating but I wouldn't take that chance.
Our many urban lakes are inviting to not only CANADA GEESE, but some from all over the country, it seems.
Thank you, sumdaze, for enlightening us today.
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!
It's a good feeling to get a FIR on Monday and with the help of the reveal, see the theme. It's been a while since we had this type. (Right, IM?) Thanks, Lynn and Will, for creating a worthy Monday puzzle.
I had a couple of missteps causing WOs, starting at the beginning with HISS. It's not how I would describe a rattlesnake's warning but "rattle" didn't work and "buzz" wasn't quite right either. (I see you agree, D-Otto and Jinx.) Thanks, sumdaze, for your helpful and entertaining review.
Anon @ 8:19 AM: I saw what you did with CASE today. You don't disappoint.
FLN: Sorry to hear of your Christmas misadventures, PK. Glad you had some good visits with family afterwards.
Used an ICE AX in the Alps, but it can stay stored away as the temperature is slowly warming up in ATL, thank goodness!
Oh, thanks for reminding me, ATLGranny.
PK, sorry to read about your fall; I hope you are feeling better today.
Well this was one of those rare days that I noticed the CA...SE after the unknown CAROLIAN ROSE and CAT AND MOUSE were written on the page.
Not familiar with 'Chutney' or 'Veep' but the perps took care of MANGO and ANNA. No other problems to CRACK THE CASE today.
MARIA Sharapova, she's from Russia but has been living in US since 1994.
CANADA GOOSE- all the geese on golf courses are a pain. They are mean, leave a green mess all over the place, and I've was attacked by some just walking down a fairway.
NEON- neon only glows reddish-orange. That pimpmobile must have LED lights.
ETUDE- was also a magazine for music teachers; we had a stack of them at our house.
TALI- I have arthritis where my left TALUS meets the fibula.
Yea! I CRACKed THE CASE. No WATERLOO here. A SNAKE and a rattler in the same puzzle and it’s not even that year, which by the way is my sign. The NW was the last to fall, but fall it did.
CANADA GEESE are permanently settled in our subdivision, a former golf course, so lots of green space and nummies to eat.
Enjoy this last week of the year when we make a list of all the resolutions we’ll break.
Good Morning! Pretty tame but orderly journey through today's puzzle. Thanks Lynn and Will for a good start to the week.
The middle middle gave me pause. Had to change buck (which messed up my 1st thought for chutney MANGO) to STAG. But got it back on track.
DNK NGO or ANNA. All perps.
Thanks, Sumdaze for all the clips and your witty reveal. Especially liked the one with Clint Eastwood, what a masterful and versatile actor!! Calvin is also a favorite, but my secret favorite is Hobbs.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Lynn and Will, and sumdaze
I FIRed online (no newspaper here on Boxing Day) and saw the CA…SE theme in good time. I’ll take that great detective badge.
(Thanks Ray-o re “go 10 rounds”)
Yes sumdaze, I clung to Sure and certain until the bitter end; but WATERLOO was certain and brought the Aha moment for WIFE.
I had Apple chutney before MANGO. I don’t see Mango chutney here too often (maybe at craft and homemade products shows).
I’ll take a CSO for CANADA GEESE (not called Canadian here), but you can keep the messy things. Sorry! Plus another CSO for DOSE.
We have MPS here in Ottawa.
I noted KNEE and TALI for our anatomy lesson. Also MARIA and MANIA.
FLN- belated Happy Birthday to YR and Fermatprime.
Sorry to hear of your fall PK.
Wishing you all a great day.
I’ll give a CSO to our RosE ( but not from CAROLINA I don’t think)
I missed noting HISS and SNAKE. Thanks Tante Nique.
Nice solvable Monday puzzle. Loved Sumdaze's write-up.
If a Canada Goose doesn't migrate, and stays here, does it have to become a naturalized American Goose or can it hold dual citizenship?
Hope everyone had a good Christmas.
. I didn't suss the theme. Finished Sunday very late.
A little bit of work for a Monday
WC
Subgenius @ 5:14 ~ My early appearance was not by choice, believe me! I am not a morning person but, every now and the, insomnia strikes. Thankfully, it isn’t often. I appreciate the welcome, though. 😉 Actually, I was up and about before the blog was!
ATLGranny @ 9:47 ~ Yes, it does seem as it’s been awhile since we have had this type of theme. I think that’s because we’re seeing so many new constructors who are giving us some fresh and varied themes.
PK, so sorry you had such a bad fall. Glad that you did get some family time on Christmas and hope you’re on the mend heading into the New Year.
Happy Boxing Day.
Is anyone else having trouble with the Chicago Tribune daily puzzle site? The puzzle isn't loading and I don't know if the problem is with that site or with my WiFi.
Thank you Lynn and Will for getting us off to a good start this week. I even got the theme, but only after solving the puzzle, i.e. I needed the puzzle to get the theme, but not the theme to get the puzzle.
And thank you sumdaze for mondaze review. Very interesting and funny. Oh and BTW, in addition to Boxing Day, it's also the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr; but there is a connection between the two.
Some favs:
42A ODIN. AKA WOTAN, one of the lead roles in Wagner's monumental 4 opera SAGA, "The Ring Cycle".
43A CANADA GEESE. Among orthodox twitchers, using CANADIAN GEESE is a big FOX PASS, kinda like using Bowling A***y for Bowling Lane. They mate for life and a lot of them have settled in Maryland. Here's a pic Teri shot early one morning at a pond near where she worked - the proud father, 8 goslings, and the Mom bringing up the rear (or is it the other way around). Every time I see this picture I'm reminded of my Son's family.
5D TALI. The singular, TALUS, reminds me of the accumulation of rocks often found at the base of a MESA or CLIFF, shaped sort of like the bone jutting out of the back of sumdaze' illustration. Etymology Online suggests there might be a connection (n2).
25D ETUDE. Here's Chopin's Revolutionary Etude
32D MACS. Renee, I would have sworn you use a MAC, not a PC, to get those colorful enhancements to your grids and JPEGs (e.g. 61A). What's your secret?
Cheers,
Bill
Thanks, CanadianEH, for the mention. This RosE is in PA.
MalMan, since I subscribe to our local papers digitally, I go to the LAT website & print out the CW. Best of both worlds. LAT site works well for me.
Malodorous Manatee, the LA Times Crossword Site opens fine for me.
I just tried it using the URL:
https://www.latimes.com/games/daily-crossword
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Lynn & Will, for a fast & fun puzzle. Thanks, Sumdaze, for a great expo.
I did not get the theme even with the reveal until Sumdaze explained it. Duh!
Was expecting Princess & pea before MAMA BEAR perped in. Forgot about MAMA's bed.
As usual there were several "famous" names I didn't know.
Boxing day? Did not know that. Not mentioned in my neck of the woods. However, yesterday my grandson told me he is taking boxing as a college course. Hope he doesn't get his handsome face injured.
Rattle snakes HISS? Just rattled in my encounters with them.
Thank you for your kind comments on my fall, Atlgranny, TTP, CanadianEh and IM. Still aching and not doing much walking unaided today, but I don't have to move much if I don't want to.
Hand up mostly easy to CRACK THE CASE with some unknowns and crossed names.
From Yesterday:
PK Sorry to hear of your fall. But good to hear you got some real, in person hugs for Christmas. Please do update us on how you are feeling.
sumdaze and Bill Seeley Thank you for the kind words about my Into the Deep video at the MONTEREY Bay Aquarium. Glad you got to see the exhibit, sumdaze. Yes, the bioluminescence indeed is the highlight. But there were some other treats. If anyone is interested, here are a few more of my MONTEREY Bay Aquarium videos:
Here is a Lion's Mane Sea Slug pulsating to filter feed.
Here is a baby lobster riding a jelly.
Who knew they do this? Fascinating learning moment for us. The video quality of the next two is not as good. But the content is hopefully interesting.
This big male octopus was on the move. Usually they just sit there doing nothing.
This showed the sea otters being fed, with a narrative explanation.
From December 18:
PK Thank you for the kind words about my video of the Dancing Sifaka Lemurs doing SPRINGS and LEAPS. It is amazing to think of the vast diversity of forms and behaviors created by evolution through natural selection.
From December 14:
unclefred and AnonT Thank you for the comments about my Capitol Records Building photo. It was quite a learning moment in the puzzle that such a round building is a ROTUNDA. Yes, the building indeed looks like a stack of records on an automatic turntable.
It turns out this was all a coincidence! The architect was not told who the client was! And Capitol Records hated the idea of a round building! But they warmed up to it. I also assumed it was built in the innovative era of the Beatles. But it was actually built in the 1950s. They called it "The House that Nat Built" because it was actually the records of Nat King Cole that funded it!
Thanks, RosE and TTP for the link. I have used that LAT site in the past. I switched to the Chicago Tribune site a while back because it allows me to "time shift" and solve the puzzles a day early if I tell my computer that I am in a more "advanced" time zone (I use UTC/GMT +14). I will use the LAT site until I get things sorted out.
I enjoyed everyone's comments. I looked at that puzzle all week; yet, I am still surprised & delighted by all of your witty takes on the clues & answers. You are such a clever group!
HISS for the rattlesnake seemed off to me, too. A rattler warns with his rattle. Perhaps choose another snake for HISS. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to go negative with 1A, but now that you mention it...
Good thing I did not think of "buzz" like ALTGranny. It would have taken me a while to recoup from that!
FLN, PK: Sorry to hear about your fall. Happy to hear that nothing broke and today is a bit better. Pls be careful!
Goose: Nice pic, Teri! Big Easy, tell us how you really feel!
= )
Appologies to RosE for missing the CSO! (Thx, C-Eh!) It's nice to see RosE posting daily now.
Waseeley @ 3:08. I use the Snipping Tool.
Picard. Great videos all around. Those otters are adorable!
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR - in record time for the computer, anyway. My poor typing skills make things slower
Thanks to the constructors and our own sumdaze for the funday Monday (as well as the shout out with OASIS/welcome desert view)
MM, I did a search on Chicago Tribune LA Times crossword. The crossword loaded with no issues.
Chairman Moe, today I got an email from Binny's Beverage Depot, a local purveyor of beer, wines and spirits. At the low end, a bottle of Andre Brut is $3.99, while at the high end, a bottle of 2014 Louis Roederer Cristal is being offered at $300.00. As we don't play and haven't won the lottery, and because we don't drink champagne anyway, we won't be having either. But I wondered if, as a sommelier, have you ever had a blind taste test of a relatively inexpensive champagne against an expensive one ? Is there that much of a difference ?
Next to lastly, I looked it up, and my memory was correct. All snakes can hiss, including the rattlesnake. I agree that the the rattling of a rattler is a sure sign that the snake is telling you, "stay away, don't mess with me."
Lastly, a feel good human interest story from Christmas, 125 years ago that I will paraphrase a new title for: Ginger Ale and Whiskey for Urchins
TTP @ 9:27 ==> at the risk of sounding "snobbish", yes, I've had sparkling wine from all price ranges. The upper tier ones are certainly more complex than the $3.99 bottle of Andre. What makes Champagne, for example, more costly (and complex) is the process in which it's made. And, the French DO take on some of the snobbishness in their dislike of other sparklers
That said, I am all for both value AND good flavor. My favorite sparkling wine that is made in the same method as Champagne is Cava (from Spain). There are any number of them that are priced quite reasonably ($10-20) and deliver both in flavor and complexity. The grape varietals used are different (Champagne uses both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) but as a wine to drink to toast in the New Year it delivers quite well. I will be drinking one on the 31st
Moe, reading what you wrote, and looking at that email ad again, I think I realize that it can only be called Champagne if it is produced in Champagne. And that Champagne is one of those protected names and should be capitalized. The general category is sparkling wines, correct ? There was also an Asti, and a couple of Proseco's in the ad, as well as some Rose's and an Epoque ? for $175.
I guess then that I should equate it to drinking an American adjunct beer like Miller Lite or Bud Light, which are okay, to drinking a great Belgian ale like Chimay, or German lager like St Pauli Girl or Hobrau which I find to be exceptional.
Time to call it a night. I'll check tomorrow to see your response if I am wrong in my assumption.
Picard: enjoyed your aquarium pictures.
Thank you all for your concerns about my health. Walking better tonight after a 5 hour nap.
As everyone else said, it was an easy enough Monday puzzle. I saw CRACKTHECASE and wondered about it, but I didn't wonder enough to look harder and figure out what it meant.
Thanks, Lynn and Will and sumdaze.
Tom, yes; Champagne (capital C) can only be called by that name if it's made in the Champagne region of France. The "champagne method" is to create the bubbles through a second fermentation done inside the actual bottle of wine you purchase. Here is an article that compares the various methods of making sparkling wine.
I just checked Binny's website and this one looks good especially for the $. Flama D'Or
Thanks, Chairman Moe !
I got it. I have to shop for some of the ingredients for our traditional New Years meal. I may stop by Binny's and pick up a bottle of the Flama D'Or Cava.
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