Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle by Taylor Johnson who first appeared in this venue just a few days shy of one year ago (on 22 May 2022, per Bill). Taylor has also had puzzles published in other venues. Previously, he has employed themes where letters have to be removed from common words and phrases in order to form appropriate (and humorous) answers to the clues. Today, in an example of, arguably, increased efficiency, nothing has to be removed. A single letter merely has to be moved over from the start of one word to the end of the preceding word. He provides the key at:
59 Across: Makes room, and when parsed differently, an instruction for four answers in this puzzle: MOVES OVER. Or, as intended here, MOVE S OVER.
He applies this methodology at four places in the grid:
17 Across: Leg muscle of a mathlete?: GEEK'S QUAD. Geek Squad (techies) is modified by moving the S from the beginning of the word SQUAD to the end of the word GEEK thereby making GEEK possessive. At the risk of being redundant, GEEK SQUAD morphs into GEEK'S QUAD (as in quadriceps).
31 Across: Fruity pastry made by a movie boxer?: ROCKY'S TART. Similarly, ROCKY START becomes ROCKY'S TART. What Adrian certainly was not?
Theme From Rocky XIII
35 Across: Pub pour for an enlisted soldier?: PRIVATE'S ALE. Parsed differently, PRIVATE SALE.
42 Across: Vacation for a stand-up performer?: COMIC'S TRIP. COMIC STRIP.
Comic's (and POTUS's) Trip
Here is how this looks in the grid:
. . . and here are the rest of the clues/answers:
Across:
1. Informant: RAT. Hollywood gangster movie jargon.
4. MGM part: METRO.
9. Labor leader Chavez: CESAR. His granddaughter was recently tapped to be the current president's reelection campaign manager.
14. Goof: ERR.
15. Sprinter Bolt: USAIN. Among other accomplishments, an eight-time gold medalist at the Olympics.
16. Enough: AMPLE. Knock. Knock. Who's there? Four eggs. Four eggs who? Four eggs AMPLE.
19. Stacked: BUILT. A bit of a stretch. In slang, both stacked and BUILT have another meaning. Perhaps that's what was intended here.
20. "Don't you agree?," informally: INNIT. Punt!
21. Darn things: SEW. Darn, here, is used as a verb as in to mend.
23. However, poetically: THO.
24. Game requiring plug-ins?: MAD LIBS. You plug your words into the blanks without knowing the context (a second participant asks you for a noun, a verb, an adjective, etc.). The results can sometimes be hilarious.
27, Idle Talk: CHATTER
30. International gas brand: ESSO. From Standard Oil. S.O.
33. Source of a low blow?: TUBA. A bit of word play. A wind instrument that plays low notes. Hand up for first thinking of KNEE,
34. "History of the World, Part II" actress/writer Wanda: SYKES. The Hulu TV series is meant to be a sequel to the 1981 Mel Brooks movie. It's good to be the king.
39. Like part of some fusion cuisine: ASIAN.
41. Semisoft cheese: EDAM. Not all cheeses are made in the same manner. In fact, EDAM is made backwards.
45. Shirt part with a button: CUFF.
49. Tip: POINTER.
50. ESPN Deportes language: ESPANOL. The clue employs the Spanish language so the answer does also.
52. Small bill: ONE. As in legal tender, currency.
53. Crossed (out): XED
55. __ board: EMERY. A SURF board was too short. A CUTTING board was too large. Ouija board fit but didn't work. Thanks, again, perps.
56. Pegasus pair: WINGS. The mythical winged horse.
62. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE. ESTEE Lauder visits us frequently.
63. Netflix crime drama set in Missouri: OZARK.
64. Self-regard: EGO.
65. River in a van Gogh painting: RHONE.
66. Event of passing interest?: RELAY. RELAY race. Pass the baton. Literally.
67. Silent approval: NOD.
Down:
1. Ruling period: REGIME. It can be used to mean the time period although more often it refers to the government in power.
2. Entertainment centers?: ARENAS. A bit of word play. Places where you might go for entertainment. Not something like this:
3. Directions: TRENDS. Would one ever say that current directions are in the right, or wrong, direction?
4. "You honestly need me to do that?": MUST I. Quotation clues provide much flexibility.
5. Letters on some office suite doors: ESQ. ESQuire is an honorific for an attorney. Collectively, we're still working out the approriate honorific as esquiress does not seem to have caught on.
6. Sigma follower: TAU. It helps to know the Greek alphabet if one likes to solve crossword puzzles . . . or at least print it out and keep that sheet of paper handy.
7. Narrow inlets: RIAS. Crosswordese.
8. Next: ON DECK. Best known as a baseball reference. The next batter up is said to be ON DECK.
9. Indie rockers Death __ for Cutie: CAB. Often clued with a reference to wine or Uber.
10. Cassowary cousin: EMU.
11. Classic bit of slapstick: SPIT TAKE. A SPIT TAKE is a comedic technique or reaction in which someone spits a drink, or sometimes food, out of their mouth as a reaction to a surprising or funny statement.
12. "Everyone's accounted for": ALL HERE.
13. Fires back, in a way: RETORTS. Verbal bantering.
18. K, in the NATO alphabet: KILO. Same tip as for 6 Down, above.
22. Frequent question from a toddler: WHY
25. British dude: BRUV. Brother --> Brudder - -> Bruvver --> BRUV. Unfamiliar to this solver. Thanks, perps.
26. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.
28. Indian state near Bhutan: ASSAM. An oft visited place in crosswords. Sometimes clued with a reference to tea.
29. Brief sign-off: TTYL. Talk To You Later. Hand up for first trying TA TA. Cheerio!
32. Cover the spread?: CATER. Provide the food on the table as in "that's a nice spread."
33. Hint of color: TINCT. Hand up for TINGE.
35. Olive stuffing: PIMIENTO. A red, heart-shaped pepper.
36. Cloudburst: RAIN.
37. Singer Brickell: EDIE. She knows what she knows if you know what I mean. Married to Paul Simon.
38. Drains: SAPS. SAP is another word with multiple meanings.
39. Household outlet output: AC POWER. Alternating Current.
40. "In a few": SOONISH. Acceptable . . . ish.
43. __ ed: SEX. No longer limited to those "social disease" films that they showed us in high school.
44. Shiver: TREMOR.
45. Hunting garb: CAMO. CAMOuflage
46. Bumpy: UNEVEN.
47. Precede: FOREGO. Although it is usually employed to mean relinquish or go without, FOREGO can also mean to go before.
48. Casting option: FLY ROD. Sculpture (lost wax casting)? Hollywood ensemble? To throw? To watch your cellphone screen on your TV? Nope. A fishing reference.
51. Annoying: PESKY. Where does the word "politics" come from? From the Greek "poly" for many and the English "ticks" for PESKY parasites.
54. Nap: DOZE.
57. Mil. title: GEN. GENeral Abbr / Abbr
58. Match, in poker: SEE.
60. Kilmer of film: VAL.
Nick Rivers Straightens That Rug
61. Cy Young stat: ERA. A baseball reference. Earned Run Average. The Cy Young award is given annually to the best pitcher in each of the two major leagues.
With such answers as “bruv” and “innit” I can’t say this puzzle was easy, but it was definitely solvable. I figured out the theme early, and that helped with the solve. On the way, I had to replace “tinge” with “tinct” and I found spelling “pimiento “ a challenge. Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Close, but no cigar. Was unfamiliar with INNIT and BRUV and didn't know the game MADLIBS. As a result, that B was entered as a P. Bzzzzt! This one appears to be just a J shy of a pangram. Yes, d-o fell into the TINge/TINCT trap. TUBA was a CSO to late poster Bradley (Abejo). Enjoyed your effort, Taylor, even though I failed to complete it. Love your dad jokes, Mal-Man. (Yes, I've got a printout of the Greek alphabet under the glass at my computer desk.)
CAMO: Why would someone consider CAMO as a hunting uniform? Sounds like a prescription for getting shot. And why do deer hunters wear red when 10% of the male population don't see it as a bright color?
Again, too tough for unclefred. Did manage to FIR, but took waaaaay too long to do so. Never heard “BRUV” and I have many British friends. “INNIT”? Really? Didn’t know how to spell PIMIENTO so PIMENTOE:PIMMENTO:PIMIENTO via perps, leaving a huge inky mess. TINGE:TINCT. RETURNS:RETORTS. REIGNE:REGIME. I thought maybe that was an alternate spelling for REIGN. Oy. A real toughie, TJ. Outstanding write-up, MalMan, thanx.
I liked the theme answers and the reveal. That was well done.
Overall though, the puzzle suffered with the two British slang terms of INNIT and BRUV. Then there is the slang SOONISH. I had to look up all three after completing the solve.
I think this crossword puzzle should have remained unpublished until those areas were reworked. Then it would have been a gem.
FIR, but I too erased tinge for TINCT. Waited for tifn / TTYL. I think one of the characters in Get Fuzzy uses INNIT.
I was wondering about how old Wanda must be if she was a writer on History of the World (I missed the "Part II") until our Malman delivered.
Cousin of ESSO, Mobile uses Pegasus on their logo.
As the lead singer for The Commodores, Lionel Richie sang I like ladies stacked and that's a fact. Wait - Aren't the Commodores that football team in our nation's capital?
Thanks to our Malman for another funny, fine review.
I think this is DEJA DEJA VU all over again. The Sunpapers screwed up access to my account and I had to go dipping into my Blogger stash of puzzles. I must have grabbed the wrong one again, as this one just seemed to fill itself, which is odd for a Friday. I'm hoping this is the last time. Anywho ...
Thank you, thank you Taylor for an effortless, fun Friday FIR FIR (unlike the last time, a FIR FIW!).
And just one thank you MM for the merriment. You are certainly the Hahtoolah of the double entendre.
As we are headed out the door for OHIO for my oldest granddaughter's college graduation, I'll try to be brief [please hold your applause].
20A INNIT. British slang. I learned this from Darby Conley's cartoon Get Fuzzy (definitely an acquired taste). One of the characters, a scroungy cat named Bucky (whom I don't think even Hahtoolah could love) has a British cousin, a Manx cat named Mac Manc McManx (funny that he has a tail). One of his favorite expressions is "Innit", which I take to mean "Don't you agree?".
24A MADLIBS. A CSO to Misty, who treats us to a MADLIB most days using randomly select fill from the puzzle. Also a favorite literary form of my youngest granddaughter.
3D TRENDS. Sadly the current TRENDS seem to be both MM.
Thanks, Taylor, for a Friday puzzle I could FIR. My only WO was changing TINge to TINCT and I understood the trick of the theme with ROCKYSTART. The reveal just confirmed it. Figuring out the clues that had multiple possibilities was satisfying. My favorite was low blow for TUBA and yes, I thought of Abejo too, D-Otto.
Thanks, MalMan, for clearing up our questions in your review. I agree that BRUV and INNIT are iffy fill. IsN't (N)IT so? We can talk about that SOONISH. TTP, you made good points and I look forward to reading more comments as the day goes on.
I’ve seen Bruv and Innit often in British novels but I can’t say I like seeing either one in an American crossword. But, as we all well know in todays crossworld, Anything Goes. Right, Mr. Porter? I stumbled over Mayer/Metro (too hasty), Seine/Rhine (too cocky), and Gent/Bruv (too classy). The theme was successful, IMO, because of the strong in-the-language base phrases and the subsequent humorous but not preposterous transitions. I won’t say a word about the cluing for Cab.
Thanks, Taylor, for a fun Friday and thanks, MalMan, for a fun and fact-filled review. Enjoyed the visuals and videos, especially seeing the incomparable Mel Brooks and the unknown versatility of Val Kilmer. Your Best Dad Jokes claim to fame is as strong as ever!
My landline phone is unusable due to extreme, constant static. Verizon’s first available service opening is next Wednesday, between 8:00-5:00. How’s that for a narrow window? Fortunately, I do have a cell phone. However, earlier this morning, without thinking, I decided to test my medical alert system and the static was so strong I could barely communicate with the operator that it was only a test and that I didn’t need help. For several seconds, I had visions of sirens and emergency vehicles storming the neighborhood. Phew!
Wow, I did a mental alphabet run on T?BA and never grok'ed TUBA. BRUV was/is UNK. FIW breaks my long FIR streak
"Four eggs AMPLE." ???
Uhuh, no sheets of paper containing Greek, Spanish or other xword hints for pure solver. Right Irish Miss?
I'm embarrassed to say KILO was slow dawning. I was in MIKE Co. in OCS.
I had tata/TTYL(and seine/RHONE) and PIMmENTO
Originally, there was a single Cy Young award for both leagues. AL hurlers were shut out for years(remember Koufax?) with Dean Chance slipping in c. 64
Jinx, that's the Commanders. PC is killing team names but Seminole Tribe supports FSU Name
Difficulty was assuaged by theme fills. The clueing wA old fashioned FridayISH). fe. POINTER for tip. What's that fancy word for tip. (My aging brain y'know)
I liked the theme. Easy to suss before the reveal. To me ample is usually more than enough. I usually prepare enough food and drinks for guests and then add a bit more so I have ample provisions for my guests. I didn't see the N in ARENAS. An ABC run might have helped. I never hear INNIT, but I have seen it in novels. I think the "informal" caveat made it fair. Nicht wahr, n'est pas, ain't it, amitirte (texting). The ship has sailed on whether esquire applies to women attorneys according to many references. "an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, especially in its abbreviated form, after a man's surname in formal written address: in the U.S., usually applied to lawyers, women as well as men" Actor was originally unisex. Then we had actors and actresses. Now we are getting back to actor being unisex. Host is now unisex, too. BRUV with the -RUV perps was an easy wag. I see and hear soonest more and more. We have the less common meaning of forego, This meaning is more often seen in foregone. A forgone conclusion. My students loved MAD LIBS. I can take that game leave it. I suppose I look at crosswords as only a game. I am not that persnickety or exacting about most clues and fill.
Frantic Friday. Thanks for the fun, Taylor and MalMan. Officially a DNF as I did not get the P in 16A. I was looking for a vowel and SuitTake did not make sense. I’m not familiar with the term SPIT TAKE although it makes sense as explained. But I did get the parsed theme.
Off to a bad start with Spy before RAT. I wanted Piled before BUILT. And I had TTFN before perps forced the alternate TTYL. Reign wasn’t long enough but REGIME fit. Hand up for Tinge before TINCT.
I noted SEX ed crossing XED , ASIAN crossing RAIN.
Favourite clues included those for RELAY and TUBA. CATER required some thinking. SOONISH was a meh, BRUV was a stretch, and I don’t get INNIT (Punt)?? (Thanks d’o for explaining it as British for isn’t. Why wasn’t there some British direction in the clue, or link it with BRUV?
Well we got A Friday level puzzle from Taylor today. I knew PIMIENTO (hated pimiento cheese sandwich DW got at The Masters) but not how spell it. It took AC POWER and POINTER to get it.
The real trouble I had was INNIT, BRUV, and MADLIBS crossing KILO. I don't know the NATO Alphabet and had never heard of the other three. Originally filled EARL but perps changed it. MAD LIBS and KILO looked logical but I just had to leave INNIT and hope it was correct. LUCKY guess.
20. "Don't you agree?," informally: INNIT. Punt! WHAT IS IT?
A great Cy Young winner from my neck of the woods, VIDA BLUE, died earlier this week.
These words are actually used, SO IMO not stretches. There are many expressions outside our ken that are used in other social circles.
`Least said soonest mended," said Kitty, insensitive to her plight. ... At work, Julia greeted her with the news that Peter Symes's office had already telephoned twice and would she call soonest ? ... `I won't be back until the summer at the soonest ," he confessed. These examples sound normal to me. YR.
Examples of both innit and bruv: Collins
And they say 'bruv' rather a lot. The Times Literary Supplement (2018) Me neither, but his three million viewers get every word, bruv. Times, Sunday Times (2017) I mean, bruv, who wants to communicate, innit? Times, Sunday Times (2008) It's because it's urban innit, bruv. The Sun (2018)
Interesting theme, "move S over" revealing fun, mostly gettable answers
TTYN has replaced the veddy British TTFN ("ta ta for now"). QUAD, the quadriceps (4 heads) muscle components, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius.
It used to drive me inSAIN tryna remember Bolt's first name. Watch Spanish sports (desportes) in ESPAÑOL or on "ESPN, y'all"
Don't like INNIT and SOONISH? c'mon 🙄. SPIT TAKE, BRUV...these must all be Siri/ Alexa responses to the need to fill blanks rather than take the time to rework the puzzle with less hooey.
Mal man..."For eggs AMPLE" is eggszackly the kind of nonsense that has no place on this serious blog 🧐..Waltzing with a well endowed lady the man realized the dance was STACKED against him.
SEX Ed!!!.you just got the puzzle banned in a dozen states. MADLIBS? more politics in the blog?
But it's gotta be pimentos oh, that's how it's spelt? We have had and have argued about TINCT b 4...as a clue answer it stincts!! (move the S to the end, and FOREGO an S)
They run a Georgia Uni: _____ Board... EMERY Start to stop...ESTÉE. Install new tile....RELAY Disheveled pig pen....MUSTI
Sipping my cappuccino on the back deck, perfect day.. 🤗
Ray-O, sex ed isn't banned anywhere and it's actually required in those states in High School classes unless the parents individually object. What's being stopped is trying to teach K-8 children that's it's normal to try to change the impossible, X to Y.
Musings -Theme was fun and helpful. I got COMIC STRIP with only two letters filled in. -INNIT? Any port in a storm but still fun. :-) -Polka bands use a TUBA the way rock and roll bands use a bass -I can’t remember the last time I wore a shirt where I had to button the CUFF -The Susan B. Anthony ONE dollar coin was never accepted by the public -The Pegasus pair was not ESSES and slowed that corner. -Baseball peeps only: The man ON DECK when Bobby Thomsen hit his famous homerun was a rookie named Willie Mays. -Patti’s quota of at least one uber obscure clue was met with the one for CAB -BRUV not BRIT? -We got invited to 16 senior receptions and we really enjoy the ones that are CATERED -Oops, I thought PIMENTI was the plural of pimento and the river was RHINE -SEX ED: Our city council went around and around again last night about books in our library
Addendum -ERR: I subbed for a man yesterday who left no plans or schedules. I had seniors all morning and assumed I would eat lunch with them at 11:45. It turned out this teacher ate at 12:30 because he had a middle school class in the middle of the day. While I was eating lunch a secretary told me my room was full of 8th graders with no supervision. Everyone, including me, had a nice laugh about it and I went to the room where the kids were sitting peacefully and engaged in idle CHATTER.
We have had eggszackly the same annoying often unintelligible static on our Verizon landline for years. We have given up... Have had Verizon here numerous times with as many excuses as why they can't stop it.
I want to get rid of the landline but DW is attached. We now have a seamless generator so inability to charge cell phones is no longer an excuse. Unfortuntly most of her friends contact her with the landline and she only answers the cell about 50% of the time
I'm waiting for a for a voice mail.."Ray & Marcia please be immediately aware of (static, static, static) else you'll die"
Fun but puzzling puzzle and informative review, thank you TJ and MM! Got the theme at ROCKYSTART but misread mathlete as athlete and although I got it right I couldn’t make sense of GEEKSQUAD ; then ah ha!
Much of southern USA was founded by the English and many sayings still exist, Growing up I often hear INNIT for isn’t it and other colloquialisms like “y’alld” for you all would, “djeet” for did you eat, “samich” for sandwich. and “windle” for window. My English/Scottish/Irish mother would say someone was “nebby”, meaning nosey.. I’ll bet Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show used some of these.
SW took a long while because of misspelling PIMIENTO, even after looking up the spelling. I need new glasses. A sluggish brain today and this puzzle gave my EGO a hit.
FIR with the same w/o's as others (TINGE/TINCT) (misspelling of PIMIENTO)
I liked the entries and reveal; quite clever Taylor ... it works!
Mr. Schwartz, you outdid yourself today with the dad jokes, puns, et al. As opposed to how I like my steaks, "well done"!
I too had tata at first (TTYL), which of course reminded me of this sophomoric Moe-ku I penned some 5 years ago. Oddly, it also (like today's crossword) involves the use of an "S" ... :
The British toddler Was weaned from tata(s), and now Prefers, Cheerio(s).
This one was right down my alley (lane?) Today. Felt like a Monday from the days of yore. ESP for BRUV and INNIT, but the rest came easily. Yes, Virginia! You CAN build a puzzle without a ton of obscure trivial people.
Tough but neat Friday puzzle, many thanks, Taylor. And always enjoy your commentary, MalMan, thanks for that too.
Maybe because it's a weekend starting, I really hoped to find a party in today's puzzle. Maybe with a GEEK SQUAD arriving in a CAB, full of CHATTER and hoping to have us CATER some snacks. Well, looks like they'd get some EDAM cheese and maybe some chicken WINGS, and some olives with PIMIENTO and even a CESAR salad. I've never had any SOBA so I'm not sure how they might like that. But where are the drinks? You can't have a party without some--well, you know, drinks. But hey, it's RAINing, so let's just relax rather than RELAY and DOZE a bit, and have a good time.
Ray - "Waltzing with a well endowed lady the man realized the dance was STACKED against him."
You probably know that The Bellamy Brothers had a #1 hit on the country music charts with If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body. Apparently they stole the bit from Groucho.
So late to the party but so much fun reading all your clever comments, everyone!
Thanks to Taylor Johnson for the amusement.
It's becoming a regular habit with me to start at the crack of dawn then return to bed, DOZE awhile, and finish later.
Luckily I'm very familiar with CESAR Chavez whom I've seen in person and USAIN Bolt only from TV.
Our local ASIAN Fusion restaurant closed unexpectedly.
One of my cousins moved to OZARK country and speaks highly of it.
TINCTure of iodine was a familiar cure-all for superficial scratches when I was growing up.
As an avid fan of British novels I've seen INNIT often.
I love spicy WINGS as a snack.
The POINNTER Sisters are a favorite singing group.
Last night we feted my daughter for her birthday. I learned that she and her husband have been taking dancing lessons in tango, salsa and other dances. They will have a recital at the end of the term and I'm looking forward to that! She has taken dancing lessons from age seven so she is an accomplished dancer but there is always something new to learn and I am guessing they are adding more spice to their relationship. Good for them!
Ray O @ 10:43 ~ My static is more than annoying, it’s downright ear-splitting and non-stop. Talking over it is near impossible which is why I was so relieved this morning that the medical alert operator could understand that I was just testing the system. This static started Monday night out of the blue, and I just assumed I needed a new phone, so I ordered one that night and it was on my doorstep at 9:00 Tuesday morning. Got it all set up and talked to my sister Tuesday night for almost an hour and then the static started up again. So much for needing a new phone. Long story short, I tested all the jacks, connections, etc. to no avail, returned the phone, called Verizon and here I am, waiting patiently for Wednesday to come. I do not like talking on a cell phone and use mine only to text so I can understand your DW’s attachment to the landline as I feel the same way. BTW, I’ve been in this house for 19 years and have never had one speck of trouble with my phone which leads me to believe the problem may be with an outside connection. I will keep you apprised.
I was telling Marcia about your problem. She said her sister in Rochester recently switched landline service from Frontier to Verizon and is now having the same problem.
Ray - O & IM Sounds like the problem might be with copper wire on the "last mile" between the central office and your house. Just call your phone company and tell them to replace it with fiber optic cable.
Greetings! Took a 2nd & 3rd look to close in on this one with a few errands in between. All in all, a very likeable puzzle for Friday. Thanks, Taylor. Clever theme. Had to google MADLIBS and SYKES to go from Tata -> TTFN -> TTYL. BRUV – really?? Boo Hiss. What happened to BRO?? WO: EMoRY -> EMERY. Again, vowels are my downfall. ESP: CAB Thanks, MalMan for an eye-opening recap. IIRC, Pegasus was the Mobil Gas logo. He was magical, and on a big sign at the station across the street from my elementary school. Lasting impression.
Cool theme -- love the reveal -- great review, MM and I so enjoyed the comments! But sheesh, today I realized I've been misspelling PIMIENTO all my life!
PS: Tx, Bill, for the AHA moment. I knew I knew INNIT but couldn't remember from where. Of course!! Get Fuzzy, one of my favorites in the digital Balt. Sun.
Almost everyone seemed to enjoy today's puzzle. There seemed to be near unanimity on the minor nits, too. Thanks for the kind comments. Have a great weekend, all
Landline phone systems feature a point of demarcation (demarc) that separates what the phone company is responsible for, and what the owner is responsible for. If the telco tech disconnects your service at the demarc and it's all clear, they are done. Since their labor is part of the tariffed subscription cost, they aren't allowed to trouble shoot the customer's wiring, or even offer a guess as to what's wrong. If I were your neighbor, I would jury-rig the phone to the telco side of the demarc, and if that was clear, wire it to the house side of the station protector (similar to a surge protector) with the rest of the house wiring disconnected. Those things can cause noise, especially if there has been some lightning in the area.
Some demarcs are equipped with phone jacks just like the ones in your wall, and those makes this testing easy for moderately handy folks.
Thank you, Taylor, for a puzzle that feels good to solve correctly ... and for teaching me how to spell PIMIENTO. FAVs: Darn things and Source of a low blow?
MADLIBS made me think of Misty's clever stories.
Eggsemplary tour, Mal Man! My FAV today was the CAMO gif.
Thanks Taylor for the puzzle. Took a while for for the theme to fall (didn't help I had reigns for 1d) but I thought it was brilliant.
Fun expo, MManatee. Anyone actually watch History of the World II? Any good?
WOs: reingns->REGIME, PIMmENTO, Seine -> RHONE, TTFN (TA TA For Now) -> TTYL due to SYKES ESPs: BRUV Fav: MAD LIBS - we'd played it often and my buddy an I even wrote a program to play on the Apple ][e. It was also good for learning parts of speech. Cover the Spread = CATER was cute.
Death CAB for Cutie [Here to Forever] is one of my (CEO) BRUV's favorite bands.
HG - I was at a vending machine and my change was gold $1 coins. Presidents on one side and Statue of Liberty on the other. They're slightly larger than a quarter.
IM - At our last home, when we got DSL 8 years ago, they said they'd have to re-wire the house to keep my land-line. We all have cell phones and only got sales-calls on the land-line anyway so I canceled it. //DW really wanted redundant Internet as she taught tele-classes. I only missed the land-line when I realized, "Oh, yeah, the alarm system was connected through it." I canceled that service too.
Long day - Youngest's graduation from Lone Star Community College @9am [And!, she got accepted to Johns Hopkins this afternoon] and MIL's 80th B-Day party [we did it up-right - a banner, helium balloons & CATER'd fajitas with all the fixin's]. Busy but a great time all around.
With such answers as “bruv” and “innit” I can’t say this puzzle was easy, but it was definitely solvable. I figured out the theme early, and that helped with the solve. On the way, I had to replace “tinge” with “tinct” and I found spelling “pimiento “ a challenge. Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteClose, but no cigar. Was unfamiliar with INNIT and BRUV and didn't know the game MADLIBS. As a result, that B was entered as a P. Bzzzzt! This one appears to be just a J shy of a pangram. Yes, d-o fell into the TINge/TINCT trap. TUBA was a CSO to late poster Bradley (Abejo). Enjoyed your effort, Taylor, even though I failed to complete it. Love your dad jokes, Mal-Man. (Yes, I've got a printout of the Greek alphabet under the glass at my computer desk.)
CAMO: Why would someone consider CAMO as a hunting uniform? Sounds like a prescription for getting shot. And why do deer hunters wear red when 10% of the male population don't see it as a bright color?
Again, too tough for unclefred. Did manage to FIR, but took waaaaay too long to do so. Never heard “BRUV” and I have many British friends. “INNIT”? Really? Didn’t know how to spell PIMIENTO so PIMENTOE:PIMMENTO:PIMIENTO via perps, leaving a huge inky mess. TINGE:TINCT. RETURNS:RETORTS. REIGNE:REGIME. I thought maybe that was an alternate spelling for REIGN. Oy. A real toughie, TJ. Outstanding write-up, MalMan, thanx.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you, Taylor Johnson, and thank you, MM.
I liked the theme answers and the reveal. That was well done.
Overall though, the puzzle suffered with the two British slang terms of INNIT and BRUV. Then there is the slang SOONISH. I had to look up all three after completing the solve.
I think this crossword puzzle should have remained unpublished until those areas were reworked. Then it would have been a gem.
Still don't understand innit?
ReplyDeleteBobB, it's a corruption of "Isn't it?"
ReplyDeleteTook 8:42 today.
ReplyDeleteBattery running out. Need that AC power, soonish.
Like the others said, innit and bruv are eye sores. I originally tried "pimento", which didn't fit, but fortunately the acrosses came through for me.
FIR, but I too erased tinge for TINCT. Waited for tifn / TTYL. I think one of the characters in Get Fuzzy uses INNIT.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about how old Wanda must be if she was a writer on History of the World (I missed the "Part II") until our Malman delivered.
Cousin of ESSO, Mobile uses Pegasus on their logo.
As the lead singer for The Commodores, Lionel Richie sang I like ladies stacked and that's a fact. Wait - Aren't the Commodores that football team in our nation's capital?
Thanks to our Malman for another funny, fine review.
FIR, but found the cluing lacking clarity. And innit and bruv seem too contrived.
ReplyDeleteDidn't get the theme till I got here, but didn't need it for the solve. Thank heavens for perps or I would still be staring at white squares.
I think this is DEJA DEJA VU all over again. The Sunpapers screwed up access to my account and I had to go dipping into my Blogger stash of puzzles. I must have grabbed the wrong one again, as this one just seemed to fill itself, which is odd for a Friday. I'm hoping this is the last time. Anywho ...
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you Taylor for an effortless, fun Friday FIR FIR (unlike the last time, a FIR FIW!).
And just one thank you MM for the merriment. You are certainly the Hahtoolah of the double entendre.
As we are headed out the door for OHIO for my oldest granddaughter's college graduation, I'll try to be brief [please hold your applause].
20A INNIT. British slang. I learned this from Darby Conley's cartoon Get Fuzzy (definitely an acquired taste). One of the characters, a scroungy cat named Bucky (whom I don't think even Hahtoolah could love) has a British cousin, a Manx cat named Mac Manc McManx (funny that he has a tail). One of his favorite expressions is "Innit", which I take to mean "Don't you agree?".
24A MADLIBS. A CSO to Misty, who treats us to a MADLIB most days using randomly select fill from the puzzle. Also a favorite literary form of my youngest granddaughter.
3D TRENDS. Sadly the current TRENDS seem to be both MM.
Cheers,
WILLIAM'S EELEY (ya know, like UNAGI)
TTYL on Monday.
Waseely, have fun in Steubenville. As I told you, 3 of our children graduated from there, and a granddaughter is in her freshman year and loving it.
DeleteThanks, Taylor, for a Friday puzzle I could FIR. My only WO was changing TINge to TINCT and I understood the trick of the theme with ROCKYSTART. The reveal just confirmed it. Figuring out the clues that had multiple possibilities was satisfying. My favorite was low blow for TUBA and yes, I thought of Abejo too, D-Otto.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MalMan, for clearing up our questions in your review. I agree that BRUV and INNIT are iffy fill. IsN't (N)IT so? We can talk about that SOONISH. TTP, you made good points and I look forward to reading more comments as the day goes on.
TGIF, everyone. Enjoy!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen Bruv and Innit often in British novels but I can’t say I like seeing either one in an American crossword. But, as we all well know in todays crossworld, Anything Goes. Right, Mr. Porter? I stumbled over Mayer/Metro (too hasty), Seine/Rhine (too cocky), and Gent/Bruv (too classy). The theme was successful, IMO, because of the strong in-the-language base phrases and the subsequent humorous but not preposterous transitions. I won’t say a word about the cluing for Cab.
Thanks, Taylor, for a fun Friday and thanks, MalMan, for a fun and fact-filled review. Enjoyed the visuals and videos, especially seeing the incomparable Mel Brooks and the unknown versatility of Val Kilmer. Your Best Dad Jokes claim to fame is as strong as ever!
My landline phone is unusable due to extreme, constant static. Verizon’s first available service opening is next Wednesday, between 8:00-5:00. How’s that for a narrow window? Fortunately, I do have a cell phone. However, earlier this morning, without thinking, I decided to test my medical alert system and the static was so strong I could barely communicate with the operator that it was only a test and that I didn’t need help. For several seconds, I had visions of sirens and emergency vehicles storming the neighborhood. Phew!
Have a great day.
Wow, I did a mental alphabet run on T?BA and never grok'ed TUBA. BRUV was/is UNK. FIW breaks my long FIR streak
ReplyDelete"Four eggs AMPLE." ???
Uhuh, no sheets of paper containing Greek, Spanish or other xword hints for pure solver. Right Irish Miss?
I'm embarrassed to say KILO was slow dawning. I was in MIKE Co. in OCS.
I had tata/TTYL(and seine/RHONE) and PIMmENTO
Originally, there was a single Cy Young award for both leagues. AL hurlers were shut out for years(remember Koufax?) with Dean Chance slipping in c. 64
Jinx, that's the Commanders. PC is killing team names but Seminole Tribe supports FSU Name
Difficulty was assuaged by theme fills. The clueing wA old fashioned FridayISH). fe. POINTER for tip. What's that fancy word for tip. (My aging brain y'know)
WC
DeleteList of Cy Young winners
I liked the theme. Easy to suss before the reveal.
ReplyDeleteTo me ample is usually more than enough. I usually prepare enough food and drinks for guests and then add a bit more so I have ample provisions for my guests.
I didn't see the N in ARENAS. An ABC run might have helped. I never hear INNIT, but I have seen it in novels. I think the "informal" caveat made it fair. Nicht wahr, n'est pas, ain't it, amitirte (texting).
The ship has sailed on whether esquire applies to women attorneys according to many references. "an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, especially in its abbreviated form, after a man's surname in formal written address: in the U.S., usually applied to lawyers, women as well as men"
Actor was originally unisex. Then we had actors and actresses. Now we are getting back to actor being unisex.
Host is now unisex, too.
BRUV with the -RUV perps was an easy wag.
I see and hear soonest more and more.
We have the less common meaning of forego, This meaning is more often seen in foregone. A forgone conclusion.
My students loved MAD LIBS. I can take that game leave it.
I suppose I look at crosswords as only a game. I am not that persnickety or exacting about most clues and fill.
Bruv and Innit are British slang not often heard, if ever, in North America. A fun Friday puzzle. Thanks Tayor and Malman. KkForida.
ReplyDeleteWilbur, "Four eggs AMPLE," for example.
ReplyDeleteAha, eggs-ample
Delete"Four eggs AMPLE." Wow, we have royalty here in the Corner. Us commoners can't afford four eggs.
ReplyDeleteMy geese lay two per day and one goose egg= two hen eggs
DeleteFrantic Friday. Thanks for the fun, Taylor and MalMan. Officially a DNF as I did not get the P in 16A. I was looking for a vowel and SuitTake did not make sense. I’m not familiar with the term SPIT TAKE although it makes sense as explained. But I did get the parsed theme.
ReplyDeleteOff to a bad start with Spy before RAT. I wanted Piled before BUILT. And I had TTFN before perps forced the alternate TTYL.
Reign wasn’t long enough but REGIME fit. Hand up for Tinge before TINCT.
I noted SEX ed crossing XED , ASIAN crossing RAIN.
Favourite clues included those for RELAY and TUBA. CATER required some thinking.
SOONISH was a meh, BRUV was a stretch, and I don’t get INNIT (Punt)?? (Thanks d’o for explaining it as British for isn’t. Why wasn’t there some British direction in the clue, or link it with BRUV?
Wishing you all a great day.
Well we got A Friday level puzzle from Taylor today. I knew PIMIENTO (hated pimiento cheese sandwich DW got at The Masters) but not how spell it. It took AC POWER and POINTER to get it.
ReplyDeleteThe real trouble I had was INNIT, BRUV, and MADLIBS crossing KILO. I don't know the NATO Alphabet and had never heard of the other three. Originally filled EARL but perps changed it. MAD LIBS and KILO looked logical but I just had to leave INNIT and hope it was correct. LUCKY guess.
20. "Don't you agree?," informally: INNIT. Punt! WHAT IS IT?
A great Cy Young winner from my neck of the woods, VIDA BLUE, died earlier this week.
Wees,
ReplyDeleteA fun romp in the old friday gimmicky style. But I had a lot of trouble not being on the constructors wavelength with the wordplay.
For instance, "game requiring plug ins," had me thinking games with pegs, like cribbage, which i really don't understand, Or "Battleship." either way, I got totally misdirected...
Bruv? Is that "slang.".? no, it's just informal British innit...
Well, anyway,
I'm glad we got that all sorted...
These words are actually used, SO IMO not stretches. There are many expressions outside our ken that are used in other social circles.
ReplyDelete`Least said soonest mended," said Kitty, insensitive to her plight. ...
At work, Julia greeted her with the news that Peter Symes's office had already telephoned twice and would she call soonest ? ...
`I won't be back until the summer at the soonest ," he confessed.
These examples sound normal to me. YR.
Examples of both innit and bruv: Collins
And they say 'bruv' rather a lot.
The Times Literary Supplement (2018)
Me neither, but his three million viewers get every word, bruv.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
I mean, bruv, who wants to communicate, innit?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It's because it's urban innit, bruv.
The Sun (2018)
Let me list some words I will try to use today with my friends just so they can't stand me.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteInteresting theme, "move S over" revealing fun, mostly gettable answers
TTYN has replaced the veddy British TTFN ("ta ta for now"). QUAD, the quadriceps (4 heads) muscle components, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius.
It used to drive me inSAIN tryna remember Bolt's first name. Watch Spanish sports (desportes) in ESPAÑOL or on "ESPN, y'all"
Don't like INNIT and SOONISH? c'mon 🙄. SPIT TAKE, BRUV...these must all be Siri/ Alexa responses to the need to fill blanks rather than take the time to rework the puzzle with less hooey.
Mal man..."For eggs AMPLE" is eggszackly the kind of nonsense that has no place on this serious blog 🧐..Waltzing with a well endowed lady the man realized the dance was STACKED against him.
SEX Ed!!!.you just got the puzzle banned in a dozen states. MADLIBS? more politics in the blog?
But it's gotta be pimentos oh, that's how it's spelt? We have had and have argued about TINCT b 4...as a clue answer it stincts!! (move the S to the end, and FOREGO an S)
They run a Georgia Uni: _____ Board... EMERY
Start to stop...ESTÉE.
Install new tile....RELAY
Disheveled pig pen....MUSTI
Sipping my cappuccino on the back deck, perfect day.. 🤗
Ray-O, sex ed isn't banned anywhere and it's actually required in those states in High School classes unless the parents individually object. What's being stopped is trying to teach K-8 children that's it's normal to try to change the impossible, X to Y.
DeleteI see several comments mention “SOONEST” but the fill is “SOONISH”, so don’t understand why the examples are given of “SOONEST”.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Theme was fun and helpful. I got COMIC STRIP with only two letters filled in.
-INNIT? Any port in a storm but still fun. :-)
-Polka bands use a TUBA the way rock and roll bands use a bass
-I can’t remember the last time I wore a shirt where I had to button the CUFF
-The Susan B. Anthony ONE dollar coin was never accepted by the public
-The Pegasus pair was not ESSES and slowed that corner.
-Baseball peeps only: The man ON DECK when Bobby Thomsen hit his famous homerun was a rookie named Willie Mays.
-Patti’s quota of at least one uber obscure clue was met with the one for CAB
-BRUV not BRIT?
-We got invited to 16 senior receptions and we really enjoy the ones that are CATERED
-Oops, I thought PIMENTI was the plural of pimento and the river was RHINE
-SEX ED: Our city council went around and around again last night about books in our library
Addendum
ReplyDelete-ERR: I subbed for a man yesterday who left no plans or schedules. I had seniors all morning and assumed I would eat lunch with them at 11:45. It turned out this teacher ate at 12:30 because he had a middle school class in the middle of the day. While I was eating lunch a secretary told me my room was full of 8th graders with no supervision. Everyone, including me, had a nice laugh about it and I went to the room where the kids were sitting peacefully and engaged in idle CHATTER.
IM @ 8:47
ReplyDeleteWe have had eggszackly the same annoying often unintelligible static on our Verizon landline for years. We have given up... Have had Verizon here numerous times with as many excuses as why they can't stop it.
I want to get rid of the landline but DW is attached. We now have a seamless generator so inability to charge cell phones is no longer an excuse. Unfortuntly most of her friends contact her with the landline and she only answers the cell about 50% of the time
I'm waiting for a for a voice mail.."Ray & Marcia please be immediately aware of (static, static, static) else you'll die"
If you get your issue resolved please let me know
🙉
Fun but puzzling puzzle and informative review, thank you TJ and MM! Got the theme at ROCKYSTART but misread mathlete as athlete and although I got it right I couldn’t make sense of GEEKSQUAD ; then ah ha!
ReplyDeleteMuch of southern USA was founded by the English and many sayings still exist, Growing up I often hear INNIT for isn’t it and other colloquialisms like “y’alld” for you all would, “djeet” for did you eat, “samich” for sandwich. and “windle” for window. My English/Scottish/Irish mother would say someone was “nebby”, meaning nosey.. I’ll bet Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show used some of these.
SW took a long while because of misspelling PIMIENTO, even after looking up the spelling. I need new glasses. A sluggish brain today and this puzzle gave my EGO a hit.
Happy weekend all!
Right, Uncle Fred! “Soonish” rather than “soonest.” (Although, IMHO, “soonest” would have made a lot more sense.)
ReplyDeleteFIR with the same w/o's as others (TINGE/TINCT) (misspelling of PIMIENTO)
ReplyDeleteI liked the entries and reveal; quite clever Taylor ... it works!
Mr. Schwartz, you outdid yourself today with the dad jokes, puns, et al. As opposed to how I like my steaks, "well done"!
I too had tata at first (TTYL), which of course reminded me of this sophomoric Moe-ku I penned some 5 years ago. Oddly, it also (like today's crossword) involves the use of an "S" ... :
The British toddler
Was weaned from tata(s), and now
Prefers, Cheerio(s).
Some added puzzling thoughts:
DeleteEDIE: we have "evolved" in the Crossword world from Gormé to Falco to Brickell
BRUV and INNIT: fans of Ted Lasso will recognize these terms, as they are often used by the team members of AC Richmond (fictional football org)
AC POWER: anyone else try WATTAGE here first? I did. Oops!
This one was right down my alley (lane?) Today. Felt like a Monday from the days of yore. ESP for BRUV and INNIT, but the rest came easily. Yes, Virginia! You CAN build a puzzle without a ton of obscure trivial people.
ReplyDeleteTough but neat Friday puzzle, many thanks, Taylor. And always enjoy your commentary, MalMan, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteMaybe because it's a weekend starting, I really hoped to find a party in today's puzzle. Maybe with a GEEK SQUAD arriving in a CAB, full of CHATTER and hoping to have us CATER some snacks. Well, looks like they'd get some EDAM cheese and maybe some chicken WINGS, and some olives with PIMIENTO and even a CESAR salad. I've never had any SOBA so I'm not sure how they might like that. But where are the drinks? You can't have a party without some--well, you know, drinks.
But hey, it's RAINing, so let's just relax rather than RELAY and DOZE a bit, and have a good time.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody.
Ray -
ReplyDelete"Waltzing with a well endowed lady the man realized the dance was STACKED against him."
You probably know that The Bellamy Brothers had a #1 hit on the country music charts with If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body. Apparently they stole the bit from Groucho.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteSo late to the party but so much fun reading all your clever comments, everyone!
Thanks to Taylor Johnson for the amusement.
It's becoming a regular habit with me to start at the crack of dawn then return to bed, DOZE awhile, and finish later.
Luckily I'm very familiar with CESAR Chavez whom I've seen in person and USAIN Bolt only from TV.
Our local ASIAN Fusion restaurant closed unexpectedly.
One of my cousins moved to OZARK country and speaks highly of it.
TINCTure of iodine was a familiar cure-all for superficial scratches when I was growing up.
As an avid fan of British novels I've seen INNIT often.
I love spicy WINGS as a snack.
The POINNTER Sisters are a favorite singing group.
Last night we feted my daughter for her birthday. I learned that she and her husband have been taking dancing lessons in tango, salsa and other dances. They will have a recital at the end of the term and I'm looking forward to that! She has taken dancing lessons from age seven so she is an accomplished dancer but there is always something new to learn and I am guessing they are adding more spice to their relationship. Good for them!
Have a fantastic Friday, everyone!
Lucina,
ReplyDeleteFeted?
Ok, I learned a new word, thanks!
To finish the Greek salad, the chef FETED it.
ReplyDeleteRay O @ 10:43 ~ My static is more than annoying, it’s downright ear-splitting and non-stop. Talking over it is near impossible which is why I was so relieved this morning that the medical alert operator could understand that I was just testing the system. This static started Monday night out of the blue, and I just assumed I needed a new phone, so I ordered one that night and it was on my doorstep at 9:00 Tuesday morning. Got it all set up and talked to my sister Tuesday night for almost an hour and then the static started up again. So much for needing a new phone. Long story short, I tested all the jacks, connections, etc. to no avail, returned the phone, called Verizon and here I am, waiting patiently for Wednesday to come. I do not like talking on a cell phone and use mine only to text so I can understand your DW’s attachment to the landline as I feel the same way. BTW, I’ve been in this house for 19 years and have never had one speck of trouble with my phone which leads me to believe the problem may be with an outside connection. I will keep you apprised.
ReplyDeleteIM
ReplyDeleteI was telling Marcia about your problem. She said her sister in Rochester recently switched landline service from Frontier to Verizon and is now having the same problem.
Ray - O & IM Sounds like the problem might be with copper wire on the "last mile" between the central office and your house. Just call your phone company and tell them to replace it with fiber optic cable.
DeleteGreetings! Took a 2nd & 3rd look to close in on this one with a few errands in between. All in all, a very likeable puzzle for Friday. Thanks, Taylor. Clever theme.
ReplyDeleteHad to google MADLIBS and SYKES to go from Tata -> TTFN -> TTYL.
BRUV – really?? Boo Hiss. What happened to BRO??
WO: EMoRY -> EMERY. Again, vowels are my downfall.
ESP: CAB
Thanks, MalMan for an eye-opening recap. IIRC, Pegasus was the Mobil Gas logo. He was magical, and on a big sign at the station across the street from my elementary school. Lasting impression.
ReplyDeleteCool theme -- love the reveal -- great review, MM and I so enjoyed the comments! But sheesh, today I realized I've been misspelling PIMIENTO all my life!
PS: Tx, Bill, for the AHA moment. I knew I knew INNIT but couldn't remember from where. Of course!! Get Fuzzy, one of my favorites in the digital Balt. Sun.
ReplyDeleteAlmost everyone seemed to enjoy today's puzzle. There seemed to be near unanimity on the minor nits, too. Thanks for the kind comments. Have a great weekend, all
ReplyDeleteLandline phone systems feature a point of demarcation (demarc) that separates what the phone company is responsible for, and what the owner is responsible for. If the telco tech disconnects your service at the demarc and it's all clear, they are done. Since their labor is part of the tariffed subscription cost, they aren't allowed to trouble shoot the customer's wiring, or even offer a guess as to what's wrong. If I were your neighbor, I would jury-rig the phone to the telco side of the demarc, and if that was clear, wire it to the house side of the station protector (similar to a surge protector) with the rest of the house wiring disconnected. Those things can cause noise, especially if there has been some lightning in the area.
ReplyDeleteSome demarcs are equipped with phone jacks just like the ones in your wall, and those makes this testing easy for moderately handy folks.
I liked this puzzle, which was tainted by a Patti-esque clue only once, namely the clue for CAB.
ReplyDeleteExcellent write-up, MM.
Good wishes to you all.
Thank you, Taylor, for a puzzle that feels good to solve correctly ... and for teaching me how to spell PIMIENTO.
ReplyDeleteFAVs: Darn things and Source of a low blow?
MADLIBS made me think of Misty's clever stories.
Eggsemplary tour, Mal Man! My FAV today was the CAMO gif.
sumdaze @5:45 PM et al. Both PIMIENTO and PIMENTO are acceptable spellings.
DeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Taylor for the puzzle. Took a while for for the theme to fall (didn't help I had reigns for 1d) but I thought it was brilliant.
Fun expo, MManatee. Anyone actually watch History of the World II? Any good?
WOs: reingns->REGIME, PIMmENTO, Seine -> RHONE, TTFN (TA TA For Now) -> TTYL due to SYKES
ESPs: BRUV
Fav: MAD LIBS - we'd played it often and my buddy an I even wrote a program to play on the Apple ][e. It was also good for learning parts of speech.
Cover the Spread = CATER was cute.
My Favorite VAL Kilmer film was Real Genius.
Death CAB for Cutie [Here to Forever] is one of my (CEO) BRUV's favorite bands.
HG - I was at a vending machine and my change was gold $1 coins. Presidents on one side and Statue of Liberty on the other. They're slightly larger than a quarter.
IM - At our last home, when we got DSL 8 years ago, they said they'd have to re-wire the house to keep my land-line. We all have cell phones and only got sales-calls on the land-line anyway so I canceled it. //DW really wanted redundant Internet as she taught tele-classes.
I only missed the land-line when I realized, "Oh, yeah, the alarm system was connected through it." I canceled that service too.
Long day - Youngest's graduation from Lone Star Community College @9am [And!, she got accepted to Johns Hopkins this afternoon] and MIL's 80th B-Day party [we did it up-right - a banner, helium balloons & CATER'd fajitas with all the fixin's].
Busy but a great time all around.
Cheers, -T
-T @8:57 PM The DCFC video was a little strange, but the music was pretty good.
DeleteTony
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your daughter on her acceptance to Johns Hopkins!
My number two granddaughter was accepted to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at ASU.
Good news all around!