Puzzling thoughts: As a CSO to our resident story-teller Misty, I'd like to spin a yarn about today's puzzle ...
As I climbed into the front seat of my SUBARU I noticed a slight MAR in the fabric. I recently bought this car new, from a DEALER, so it was there I now SPED to get their response.
During the purchase negotiations, I had to SPAR several times with the sales rep. Despite his trying to get me to EMOTE about the deal, I remained MUM. I wasn't about to GIVE in to him, as I knew this guy was an ACE.
So today (having just flown from LISBON to Phoenix, and suffering severe JETLAG) the last thing I wanted to do was revisit them.
"AHOY!", I cried. "Is Mr. BADER-EISNER here?" "No", was their response. He was apparently AWOL. I couldn't VET any of the other sales employees, so I asked for a Service PRO instead.
Shortly, HERB appeared. I knew that was his name; it was embossed on his ID TAGS. He looked like he had just come to work from a FRAT party.
He had an ICE pack taped to his head, and was drinking a CHAI tea latte, made from ASSAM. I EYED him up one side and down the other, but it was what he wore in the FRONT that looked pretty HIP. He sported a tie-DYEd HALTER, and his socks had a Doctor SEUSS character embroidered on them. He looked quite the HUN!
We walked out to my car which was parked under the building's EAVE, just next to the IONIC columns. As he opened my car door and saw the tear in the driver's seat, he said, "OH, THAT?" "AT MOST, I'D BET, it's probably a slight flaw in the ALPACA leather. You see, they sometimes use their TUSK to scratch their hide, and it leaves a permanent mark; there's really nothing we can do about it".
I could see that he was doing a bit of IMPROV to get me to buy his story. I asked him, "Is that your final EDICT?"
"Actually, yes; but I have an IDEE [that's French for "idea", BTW], even though it STRAINS me to do this. Go inside and see ANNE, our Promotions Manager. Tell her that SAL, my boss, approves our giving you box seat tickets to the Diamondbacks vs METS game next week. Will that work??" TBD ...
Here is the grid, and then off to the clues and entries ...
Across:
1. Comment accompanying a dismissive hand wave: OH THAT.
7. Tucked in: ABED. This time of year I usually sleep on top of the sheets; it's too hot for being tucked in
11. Hotel hallway sign: ICE. This threw me off, as EXIT was too many characters
14. Automaker with a six-star logo: SUBARU. unclefred this is what we actually did purchase a few weeks ago. The "Ascent" model
15. Serving aid: TRAY. "Seat-backs and TRAY tables in their upright and locked position"
16. Not talking: MUM.
17. *Game delay prevented by a chess clock?: ENDLESS MOVE. First of the themers. A popular song title is: "ENDLESS LOVE". Anyone up for a little Diana Ross/Lionel Richie duet?
19. WNBA player, e.g.: PRO.
20. Message near a candy bowl: TAKE ONE. Last Halloween we had way more candy than kids trick-or-treating; by evening's end we were telling them to "TAKE as many as you like"!
21. Campus group: FRAT.
22. Cartoon supplier of giant anvils: ACME.
25. Pac-12 school in L.A.: USC. In a couple of years they will be switching to the B1G conference
26. Dull repetition: ROTE.
27. *"Has anyone found our pigeon?": WHERE IS THE DOVE. A popular song title is: "WHERE IS THE LOVE"; a duet featuring Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
32. Aveeno grain: OAT.
33. IPO launchers: COS. Abbr. for COmpanies
34. Norse god of war: ODIN.
35. European capital: LISBON. Portugal is on both my and Margaret's "bucket list"
37. Pet collar attachments: ID TAGS.
41. Boxers Laila and Muhammad: ALIS. Which sorta goes with (52-across. Face off in the ring:) SPAR.
43. Robot attachment?: ICS. RobotICS
44. With it: HIP.
45. *Completely hooked on swearing by a Roman god?: ADDICTED TO JOVE. First off, [according to worldwidewords dot org] "Why is Zeus called Jove? Jove is the older name the Romans had for the god Jupiter (which derives from an alteration of Jovis pater, father Jove). Jupiter was the Roman god of the sky, the sovereign deity who had powers over both gods and men (he was later identified with the Greek Zeus)."
OK, now that we have that cleared up for any of you who didn't know that, let's listen to Robert Palmer's rendition of "ADDICTED TO LOVE." I couldn't find a duet version of this song, BTW
49. Out of the wind: ALEE.Moe-ku:
Muhammad and Laila
Sailed into a sheltered cove;
ALIS were ALEE
50. Celery stalk: RIB. Not sure that I ever heard Howard Cosell say, during a Muhammad Ali boxing match, "Don't let the crowd noise fool you; nobody got hit in the celery stalks!"
51. Scrutinized: EYED.
53. Single, for one: BASE HIT. Do teenagers nowadays use the terms "First BASE", et al, to describe how their romantic relations are going?
56. Cantina condiment: SAL. Spanish for "salt", I think ...
THE BIG REVEAL FOR TODAY'S PUZZLE:
57. 1981 Top 10 hit for Soft Cell, and a feature of the answers to the starred clues?: TAINTED LOVE. Quite literally, the word "LOVE" was "TAINTED" three times by the use of an M, a D, and a J
61. Versatile blackjack card: ACE. One or eleven in count value. [grosvenor casinos dot com says] "It is best to hit an ACE (take another card) when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over. An ACE gives you a good chance of making 21 with a hit. When a dealer has a seven, eight or nine card showing it is impossible for them to make a blackjack, so your chances of winning increase." Your mileage may vary, of course ...
62. Carrie-__ Moss of "Jessica Jones": ANNE. I like ANNE as the Promotions Manager for the SUBARU DEALER better!!
63. Brought up: REARED. [dictionary dot com says] "The first records of the word REAR as a verb meaning “to take care of” come from before the year 900. It comes from the Old English rǣran, meaning “to raise.” When it comes to raising their kids, parents have different approaches to childrearing
64. Scratch, e.g.: MAR.
65. Space race initials: USSR.
66. Produces, as an heir: BEGETS. The Bible uses this word, often
Down:
1. Sugar suffix: OSE. SucrOSE; LactOSE; et al
2. Enemy in "Mulan": HUN. I'm sure it's true; "Google" it!
3. Agenda placeholder: TBD. To Be Determined
4. Bikini top option: HALTER. My "mental" image is of Goldie Hawn for some reason ... maybe I will find an image of her in one to confirm
5. Field of study: AREA.
6. Mastodon feature: TUSK.
7. Max: AT MOST.
8. Prefix with dilator or scope: BRONCHO. First ever use of this word by a major crossword puzzle, according to Crossword Tracker
9. Gutter spot: EAVE.
10. Turn red, say: DYE. Cute clue
11. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" technique: IMPROV.
12. Parish figure: CURATE. [Wikipedia says]: "A CURATE is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense, curate means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term curate is commonly used to describe clergy who are assistants to the parish priest. The duties or office of a curate are called a curacy"
Anyone wanting to verify this further can go to an upscale Honda DEALER to check for ACURAcy
13. Put on quite an act: EMOTE.
18. Whoville creator: SEUSS.
21. "Down in __!": FRONT.
22. AFB truant: AWOL.
23. __ latte: CHAI.
24. Team whose first manager was Casey Stengel: METS.
28. Gut bacteria: ECOLI. I am kind of surprised that this word made the cut, as it is much more harmful than good
29. Column style: IONIC. [study dot com says]: "The IONIC order originated in the mid-sixth century on the island of Ionia and was characterized by tall, slender, proportioned, and detailed columns. Buildings including temples, theaters, and stadiums were popularly designed using the Ionic order. Ionic columns were unique and more detailed than previous Doric works". Which is kind of IRONIC, as I totally guessed DORIC here ...
30. Official order: EDICT.
31. Sassy retort: DID SO. Sassy = aka, "Playground" retort
36. The "B" of RBG: BADER.
38. Cry to a matey: AHOY.
39. Buckle: GIVE.
40. Went 60 in a 50, say: SPED.
42. Pushes to the limit: STRAINS.
43. "Sounds about right": I'D BET.
45. Llamalike mammal: ALPACA.
46. Card holder?: DEALER.
47. Former CEO profiled in the book "DisneyWar": EISNER.
48. Flight risk?: JET LAG.
49. Black tea variety: ASSAM.
53. Prohibitions: BANS. The "noun" form; the clue "prohibits" would be the "verb" form
54. Window box plant: HERB.
55. Produit de la tête: IDEE.
57. Letter between sigma and upsilon: TAU. Also, the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet
58. Valuable deposit: ORE.
59. Confirm the credentials of, say: VET.
60. Newsroom VIPs: EDS.
Final thought/comment: I believe this might be Francie Jones's first ever Crossword Puzzle; if so, congratulations! If you want to stop by and say "hello" please add to the comments below
As a footnote:
First, Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Second, for those who follow Thoroughbred Horseracing, tomorrow (May 6) is the first leg of the Triple Crown for three-year old colts. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Derby win, which propelled him to go on and win the Triple Crown (Preakness and Belmont Stakes). All three of his victories set records for the fastest times at those distances. These records still remain today.
For what it's worth, my choices (narrowing it down from the field of 20 horses set to run down to 5 horses I would wager a bet on) are: Tapit Twice, Two Phil's, Forte, Mage, and Angel of Empire
Good luck to all of the horses and their connections, and to those who are going to wager on this race!!
Secretariat (aka, "Big Red")
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHung onto TBA for far to long, so the ND in ENDLESS was my final fill. First I had to figure out that all themers were tainted love song titles. Interesting that MOVE, DOVE, and JOVE all have different vowel sounds. Nice debut, Francie. Enjoyed the outing, C-Moe. (We bought a new car four years ago, and hope it'll be the last vehicle we need. I absolutely hate haggling with the dealership. No matter what price you finally agree on, you know deep down that you've been had.)
Although others may disagree, I didn’t find this puzzle anywhere near as difficult as the “standard “ (bygone?) Friday puzzle. For one thing, the gimmick was obvious from the first themed solve, and also the reveal was nothing that could not be expected. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR. Typical Friday fare. But I take exception to rib as a celery stalk.
ReplyDeleteI threw down TBA at 3D and that really held me up in the NW. I just couldn't see endless for 17A to save me. The theme solved that for me when I saw love for move.
FIR, but erased rotc for FRAT, fern for HERB, and sel for SAL. Hey, I can mispell in TWO languages! UNIR!
ReplyDeleteSub, I agree. Easy for Friday, but still a lot of fun. Gotta like any puzzle that features a One Hit Wonder band.
For "bikini top option" I wanted "absent", but pesky perps wouldn't allow it.
I wouldn't follow Grosvenor's advice. 17 is a bad hand. You lose nearly as often with 17 as with 12. Computer analysis shows you should always hit a soft 17, except you double-down (if the casino allows it) when the dealer shows a 3 through 6. Casinos that stand when the dealer has soft 17 are more favorable to the players.
Virginia-native Secretariat was a wonderful horse. His necroscopy revealed that he had an unusually large heart. Horse people think that was the engine that made him so much better than his competitors.
FLN - Charlie Echo, IIRC it was Songbird. Also didn't know you flew flingwings. Waseeley, I was waiting for you to re-raise with Purple People Eater.
Thanks to C-Moe for the fun review.
Like D-O, I hung onto TBA until the end. This was a difficult CW for me. Also like D-O, it took quite a while to see the theme. Anyway, eventually managed to FIR. W/Os RAISED:REARED, TBA:TBD. Thanx for the challenging CW, FJ. And thanx too to CMoe for the fun write-up, as always.
ReplyDeleteAlmost forgot! Happy 73rd "birthday" to Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton's super sleuth. "73" means "best regards" (or similar sentiments) in the world of ham radio.
ReplyDeleteThis was just fun all around both puzzle theme and blog - all the songs (one from 1972, two 1981s, and one 1985) were in my wheelhouse and I also noticed the different vowel sounds like D-O did. Lots of fun songs going through my head.
ReplyDeleteBRONCHOdilators and inhaled corticosteroids are the mainstays of Asthma treatment. We used to just have SABAs (short acting beta agonists) which would last 2-6 hours depending on how the patient was doing - it was a big breakthrough to have LABAs (Long acting beta agonists) come along in the late 80s/early 90s- so asthmatics didn't have to be using their inhalers all through the day and could just them 1-2 times a day and use the SABAs for rescue and not on a regular basis.
CM - E.Coli populate everyone's gut biome - it's just certain types that can make a toxin that can make people very sick with diarrhea
FLN my husband& kids have rafted down the Klamath river on the border of Oregon and California. (I opted out due to motion sickness) They had a great time- but at one point my husband fell out of the boat - and was holding on the outside but couldn't quite make it back in the boat. The boys were nearest to him but just going along and the guide finally had to jolt them into action "Get your dad back in the boat!"
Thanks CM and congrats to Francie!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe theme was obvious early on, but the reveal was a complete surprise, even more so to me, as I have never heard of the song, Tainted Love. I needed perps for Anne, Hun, and Improv but had no w/os. Wasn’t keen on Cos or Ics, but thought the Rib - Eye(d)neighbors were cute.
Congrats, Francie, on your debut and thanks, Moe, for an outstanding review, the highlight being your witty and wonderful introductory narrative. I loved, loved your deftness in weaving the puzzle entries into such a realistic and comical story. I actually laughed out loud at the Alpaca’s Tusk mischief! I also enjoyed the musical offerings, especially the talented Ms. Ross and Mr. Richie. Well done, Moe!
SG @ 5:52 ~ I think Bygone is the operative word and there is no disagreement from this corner.
KS @ 7:20 ~ I believe Rib is the most common usage in recipes calling for celery. However, for a Bloody Mary garnish, Stalk would be the word of choice. Personally, I dislike Celery and hardly ever prepare anything that calls for it.
FLN
Tante Nique, I hope your special day was celebrated in style. I’m sorry you missed out on the chowder! Everyone enjoyed it including my persnickety BIL.
Have a great day.
A FIR Friday, thanks to Francie's LOVEly debut puzzle. The theme endings were helpful, especially in seeing "buckle" was GIVE. Also, I had "strives" until it was obvious only STRAINS could work. I did get TBD more quickly, so there's that.
ReplyDeleteC Moe, good work pulling it all together for us with song links and further information. plus something new: a story to start us off. Thanks for taking the time to entertain us this morning.
FLN Congratulations to Tante Nique and husband for their wedding anniversary milestone.
Happy Friday and Cinco de Mayo, everyone!
Took 9:41 today for me to find somebody to shove.
ReplyDelete(My apologies to Soul Asylum.)
As usual, we have a Friday add/subtract a letter puzzle.
As usual, I totally agree with my good friend SubG.
As usual, I didn't know today's actress or her show/movie.
As usual, I didn't know today's foreign clue & answer (idee), but I did guess tau (thanks to the "t").
While broncho may score some points as a first time word, it is still only a prefix.
I dislike celery as an ingredient, but I enjoy eating raw celery.
I didn't have as much trouble as todays Lockhorns comic...
ReplyDeleteEcoli, gut bacteria, bad?
Our crossword theme says it ain't so...
Tante nique, a belated happy anniversary cake!
CED, every time I think I'm warped beyond recognition, you show me up. Well done with the stuffed nastys. TAINTED LOVE indeed.
ReplyDeleteIM, the gist of the song is in two lines:
"Once I ran to you
Now I run from you"
Musings
ReplyDelete-OH THAT? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
-Pre-med grandson loves Porsches but drives a white, SUBARU sedan with a stick shift
-We call Lily’s ID TAGS her license plates
-Robert Palmer’s girls do great job considering their fingers never move on the keyboard or fretboard. I’D BET they weren’t there for their musicianship.
-The KC Royals have a terrible record but are among the leaders in Runners Left On Base because they can’t get a BASE HIT when they need one.
-I remember those Russian rockets having the four letters CCCP
-You’d better think twice these days before saying DOWN IN FRONT!
-A former student of mine has built this business with ALPACAS
-Secretariat made many lists of “The Greatest Athletes Of The 20th Century”
Good Morning! Delightfully surprised with today’s puzzle. Thanks, Francie, and welcome!
ReplyDeleteQuite a tale you opened with, C Moe – very creative.
The SUBARU stars represent the Pleiades, the “sisters” Orion endlessly chases thru the night sky. There were seven sisters, but only six stars, hmmmm. Must look into that.
Café -> CHAI for the latte. My morning coffee of choice is the café variety, and I’ve found the secret to making it on my Keurig – “Milkman powdered milk with a kiss of cream.”
ESP: ASSAM
Jinx, I’ve read and enjoyed all of Sue Grafton’s ABC mysteries. So missing the “Z”
C. Moe, thanks for your remembrance of Secretariat. What a wonderful story was his, and a powerful movie. I’ll be keeping my eye on your picks tomorrow, and King Charles. What a busy day!!
Hola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Francie Jones, for a very doable puzzle today.
I wonder what will be King Charles first EDICT?
The most striking thing about LISBON is the wide main boulevard lined with trees. It's quite beautiful.
Yes, SAL is Spanish for salt.
I miss my late friend, ANNE Marie.
I'm going back to bed. Later. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Let me start by saying that today's puzzle was a lot easier than next Friday's puzzle on May 12th. I accidentally solved that puzzle when the Sunpaper was up to its old tricks and denied me access to today's online edition. I was forced (okay so I'm completely ADDICTED) to dig into my stash of upcoming puzzles. I grabbed the 5/12 because it's the day after the 5/11, which is the next one I'm reviewing. Anywho ...
ReplyDeleteThank you Francie and congrats on your debut (which I just verified). I must confess that I was quite MOVED by this puzzle as I got an increasingly rare Friday FIR.
And thank you MOE for your masterful review. Loved the tribute to MISTY. This literary form is known as a MADLIB, and it's a favorite of my youngest granddaughter. I think we're going to see it in the not too distant future (but NOT in my May 11th review).
A few favs:
17A ENDLESS MOVE. IIRC the "Three move rule" actually causes a CHESS game to end in a DRAW. As neither side is going to win, it would be pointless to run up the clock.
53A BASE HIT. These days we protect our younger generations from damage to their SELF-ESTEEM by allowing them to GET A HOME RUN on every PLAY DATE.
4D HALTER. I'm glad you weren't HALTED by prudishness in your choice of pics for this one MOE.
8D BRONCHO. The Crossworld has been holding its BREATH for this one for a long time.
12D CURATE. Also a verb: to select things for presentation, e.g. works of art in a museum, i.e. the job of a CURATOR.
28D ECOLI. I beg to differ. MOEST ECOLI is actually good (including MOE'S), at least according to this (rather longish) National Library of Medicine article.
Cheers,
Bill
ReplyDeleteFIR ...interesting theme. I LOVEd it
Inkovers: café/CHAI, tab/TBD(To Be Done?), utMOST/AT, IDSAY/BET, CCCP/USSR
I have a SUBARU Outback, (it's actually in the parking garage, not "outback" 😆)...never counted the stars. We had this argument, nay, discussion B 4: whether salt, SAL, is a condiment. "Down in FRONT..in the dumps waaay too long
Buckle/GIVE, like a puppy ...that clue gave me pause. 😆
Probably the nth time it's been stated that ODIN is NOT the Norse God of war...from internet "Tyr is the Norse god of war. While Tyr was not worshipped as frequently as other Norse gods, such as Odin or Thor, he was well respected.". This incorrect info is obviously stuck in the databases that the constructors use for clues on.
Where is the editor?
Tyr gives us English Tuesday..Fr/It/Sp..Mardi/Martedí/Martes, (Mars the Roman God of war)..ODIN is the King of Gods like Zeus/Jupiter. (Jupiter/JOVE/Jehovah/Ya....eh)
Knew the song but not the group name "Soft Cell"
E Coli comes in different _____ STRAINS
State of a charged particle...IONIC
Flight delay...JETLAG
A drug's healing stats....CURATE
"My Gal __"... SAL
Ford SUV...BRONCHO
Careful what u say in the garden cuz ____... CELERY STALK!!
Happy Sinko the Mayo...have a ham sangwidge to celebrate.
🥪
I FIR very easily (too easy for a Friday), and noticed the OVEs, but figured it was just a different pronunciation theme. Didn't think of TAINTED LOVE, or ENDLESS LOVE, WHERE IS THE LOVE?, and my favorite song of the bunch= ADDICTED TO LOVE.
ReplyDeleteCarrie ANNE- didn't know of her but I do know the song "Carrie Anne' by The Hollies and "She ain't Heavy, she's my sister".
Moe- I looked at the SUBARU Ascent, really liked it but the 4-cylinder turbocharged engine for that big of a vehicle stopped the deal. Didn't want a turbo under any circumstances.
ICS- filled it by perps but not the until the V8 'robotics' hit me.
COS- didn't like the clue.
OAT- back in the stone ages Aveeno OATmeal and Oral-B were minor products by Cooper Labs. They sold them to J&J and Gillette.
Jinx @ 7:41 ~ Your interesting but previously unknown, to me, tidbit about Kinsey’s birthday led me to a Google search which gave me the surprising news that A & E has acquired the rights to all 25 books of the Kinsey series to be developed into TV shows. This occurred in late 2021, so whether it’s in the actual development stage is questionable, as I’ve never heard a word about it. Sue Grafton was adamant that her books not become movies or TV shows but, apparently, the family is ignoring those wishes, which I find sad and, frankly, a cruel betrayal. Thanks for giving me the gist of Tainted Love; I listened to about 30 seconds of it on YouTube and decided it wasn’t my cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteRosE @ 9:07 ~ I, too, read the entire A-Y Kinsey series and enjoyed them all, some more than others, but I was always charmed by Kinsey’s quirks and calamities. If the books are adapted into TV shows, whether I’d watch them would depend on who would portray Kinsey and how true they were to the characters and story lines created by Sue Grafton. Let’s hope for the best.
Lucina @ 9:34 ~ I miss my big sister, Anne Marie, very much, too. We shared a love of reading and crosswords, both of which were fodder for our daily phone conversations.
Great debut CW. A tad challenging but doable. I too hung on to TBa far too long. I also hung on to parish priest too long also, but I soon came to my senses.
ReplyDeleteFor once the European city is not OSLO, but LISBON.
C-Moe. Enjoyed your little car dealership story. Thanks for the photo of the great Secretariat. What a gorgeous animal.
The photo of Goldie Hawn brought me back many years to my favorite TV show at the time, Laugh-in.
FLN: Thank you all for the anniversary wishes. We had a lovely day, even though IM had given away the clam chowder before I could get some. Next time. 😜
Frantic Friday. Thanks for the fun, Francis and CMoe.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a DNF, as I had three areas that would not compute.
Yes, I held on to TBA, did not know the last letter of that Mulan enemy and did not know the chess term. ENDLESS seems easy in retrospect.
I misspelled EISNER as Eigner, was thinking of a B side record HIT for that single. BASE HIT seems easy in retrospect.
I had Thor, but BRONCHOSCOPY changed it to Olaf (or Olav?), my newspaper had no clue for 21D, I was not seeing ICS (I had Ron as my robot attachment). I finally Googled ODIN. It seems easy in retrospect.
I’m not too impressed with the TAINTED part of the reveal. I didn’t associate the word changes to LOVE with songs. I guess the letter change could be considered Tainted maybe?
I wanted Cave before GIVE. I still think my answer fits the “buckle” clue better.
I noted ABED and ALEE. We haven’t had many A words lately.
Lunch time. I’ll read you all later.
¡Feliz cinco de mayo!
Easier than I expected for a Friday effort. Can't say that I LOVED it, but I did LIKE it a lot! Makes me worry about what tomorrow will bring. I agree with Ray-O that TYR is the War God. Odin is, well, the God of EVERYTHING in Norse myth
ReplyDeleteGreat tunes in the review, C-Moe, and I loved the Roadrunner 'toon. JINX@7:24, no, I didn't fly 'em, I was a crew chief and door gunner on Hueys. (I do have quite a few hours of "bootleg" stick time, though).
Big Easy @ 10:44 --> we test drove several similar SUV's to the Ascent; the SUBARU had the best low-end torque of the bunch (Palisade, Telluride, Pathfinder). I, too am not overly fond of turbo engines, but the Boxster engine by Subaru is among the best, if not THE best
ReplyDeleteGlad y'all enjoyed my little diversion ...
Tough, but interesting Friday puzzle, many thanks, Francie. And thanks for the helpful commentary, Chairman Moe, and that surprising CSO to me--thank you for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, I would LOVE to have loved this puzzle more, but, as it admitted, all that LOVE got a bit TAINTED with other letters. As usual, I looked for critters to LOVE in this puzzle, and had a moment when I thought we'd get a CAT, but it turned out to be an OAT. And the BRONCO turned out to be something else too, so we didn't get an animal with a TUSK or one wearing a HALTER--although there was that handsome horse at the end of Ch. Moe's commentary. But at least we did get a DOVE, and, surprisingly, an ALPACA, so I'll give a bit of thanks for that.
Have a good weekend coming up, everybody.
FLN, Charlie Echo, yes the name of Sky King's airplane was The Songbird.
ReplyDeleteThanks, for the entertaining and illumionating review, Ch. Moe. FWIW, I purchased a new Subaru Legacy Outback (as it was then branded) in 1997. I kept it until 2012 and only had to replace the engine once.
Feliz Cinqo de Mayo a todos!
Jinx @7:24 AM By that time my chewing gum was completely flat. 😁
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSecretariat…I just read an article on that beyond fabulous horse. When he passed on and they did the necropsy, they found a reason for his unbelievable performance. His heart, which in horses is about 8 pounds, was a bit more…it weighed 22 pounds.
On the editor letting the usual bad info into the puzzle, the current editor seems to care little for actual facts, but stresses the unknown and unseen shows and actors.
Congrats to Francie J. on the debut! I liked the fun theme. I had a one-box FIW with uTMOST / AT MOST. FAV: Cry to a matey
ReplyDeleteLike C-Eh!, I was thinking a music single (especially since I had HIT filled), so BASE HIT took a bit. Good one.
H-Gary@8:45. I call my dog's ID TAGS her medals.
Thanks for a fun review, C-Moe! I liked your story (& Misty's, too) and all the good LOVE songs. Poor Wile E. You know that anvil was coming his way. Also, thanks the Secretariat note. He was such a gorgeous horse! P.S. LMK when you want to go to Portugal. DH and I are in! We can go Port tasting.
Renee @ 3:35 --> that would be fun! (wine tasting in Portugal)
DeleteCOS as companies was an odd clue/answer
ReplyDeleteICS was my last fill
C-Moe, there was a song "I got a brand new pair of roller skates he's got a brand new key" about preteen sex with "I've been around The world"
TBD not TBa;CHAI not Cafe;SO gave me ICS
I had more but lost it in docs. We're in SC on the way back from Boston
WC
Re. The ongoing obscurity/genZ inclusivity trend under Patti…
ReplyDeleteBud Light had the "brilliant " idea of putting a Trans woman image on its cans
And lost a fast five $million
WC
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Francie and congrats on the debut. All the "Tainted" songs I knew made this an easier than a usual Friday. Alas, I FIW.
C. Moe - what can I say? #Fun!
WOs: tong -> TRAY. Yes, I ink'd ADDICTED TO lOVE just 'cuz Robert Palmer.
ESP: BRONCHO.
FIW: nUN / On THAT. //sorry, Lucina - I should have known Nun's aren't the enemy but #StJoes :-)
Fav: With it = HIP. It's always been HIP to be Square [name that tune].
Runner-up: ACME anvils.
Not salsa but plain ol' SAL :-(
Inanehiker - harrowing story of DH! //but sounds like all in good fun.
D-O (et.al): I had a boss-man (now a great friend) tell me... "TBA? So you know but aren't going tell us? Use TBD 'cuz you don't know yet."
Also, D-O, CarMax. No dickering and they'll take it back w/in a week if you no-likie. //only DW gets new cars.
IM - still have any left over chowder? The leafy RIB is the 4th best part of a Bloody Mary. #snack
WC - I agree on COS... COSine would have been fine.
Tante Nique - sorry I missed FLN. Happy Anniversary!
Jinx - perfect "Tainted Love" summary for IM. The song won't last the BeatlesTest but it's still fun.
HG - Re: Palmer's "band." Ya think? Palmer was part of super-group ELP back in the day. //sample everyone has kinda heard.
I was up "very late" last night and watched a Sanford & Son episode or three. Redd bought a thoroughbred past it's prime thinking he could put it out to Stud ala Secretariat. During commercial, I moved my car to the curb so Youngest & DW could get their car out of the driveway. Fred got a (g) stud and I got a citation from the HOA for parking on the street overnight.
//I contest -- it was 1:30am: that’s morning!
Cheers, -T
Errata - Carl Palmer was in ELP. Not Robert. Mia Culpa. //I'll go back under my rock now.
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ReplyDeleteDash T, BZZT. Emerson, Lake and Palmer was Carl Palmer on drums. He went on to be part of the rock/pop group Asia. (#ELP albums in the closet) Robert Palmer was a singer. Not related, as far as I know.
Thank you, Francie, and thank you Moe. As with inanehiker, all of the songs were in my wheelhouse. That made for a short solve.
Moe, stick to the Moe-ku's, and leave the stories to Misty :>)
What inanehiker said, re: E. Coli. 0157 is bad.
Dash T, glad you corrected yourself !
ReplyDeleteOur lunch and coffee with our son today, Chairman Moe's write-up, and all your comments were more enjoyable than this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGreat lead-in tale, Chairman! Wish I had that brilliant an imagination.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today with a clever them (all songs of LOVE) and Hallelujah! only hadbtwo proper names — and well-known (i.e., not obscure pop-culture) ones to boot. Well done, Francie 😎👍🏽
====> Darren / L.A.
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