google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday May 15, 2023 Gary Cee

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May 15, 2023

Monday May 15, 2023 Gary Cee

  

Hello Cornerites!
sumdaze here. Constructor Gary Cee has given us an uplifting puzzle. Here is a link to a 2011 interview with Gary Cee posted by the wonderful C.C. Burnikel.
Today's theme is
Rise & Shine
Let's start with a happy song to put everyone in a good mood.
We have 4 themed clues:

17 Across. Cold War political symbol: IRON CURTAIN.
Winston Churchill's 1946 speech at Westminster College in Fulton, MO is said to have made IRON CURTAIN a household phrase. Alexander Campbell had previously used the phrase metaphorically in his 1945 book, It's Your Empire.  
Countries behind the IRON CURTAIN are shaded red.  more info

23 Across. Project announced as a test of public opinion: TRIAL BALLOON.
This is when a company or politician puts out feelers for how the public might respond to a new product, policy, idea, candidate, etc. We see these often as visual metaphors in political cartoons. The No Politics policy here on the Corner means you will have to Google your own examples.

48. Maryland-based daily paper: BALTIMORE SUN.  Hi Waseeley!
This newspaper was founded in 1837 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing.

59. Alabama team: CRIMSON TIDE.
Univ. of Alabama lore credits the team name to a 1907 football game. Birmingham's iron-rich soil turned Alabama's white jerseys red. A sportswriter wrote that the team played like "a CRIMSON TIDE." UA website

The reveal is perfectly centered in the grid:
38 Across. "On your feet!" courtroom command, and a hint to the ends of the answers to 17-, 23-, 48-, and 59-Across: ALL RISE.
CURTAINBALLOONSUNTIDE. ALL these things RISE.  
Next, I will attempt to RISE to the challenge of explaining the remaining clues.

Across:
1. Golden Globe, e.g.: AWARD.

6. Resounding success: SMASH.  This word has a lot of different uses -- some positive and some definitely not positive. In the entertainment world, it is used colloquially to mean something very successful.  Example:  Ke Huy Quan won a Golden Globe AWARD for his performance in the SMASH hit, Everything Everywhere All at Once.

11. Stubborn animal: ASS.  An ASS is what we consider a donkey, except that it is wild. Is it really fair to call a wild animal "stubborn" because it does not want to do what you want it to do?
average lifespan = 27-40 yrs.
14. Nissan crossover SUV: ROGUE.  This is a 5-passenger, mid-size AWD crossover vehicle first introduced for 2008.

15. Yellow parts of eggs: YOLKS.  Imagine if roosters laid eggs. There would be so many new dad YOLKS to crack you up.

16. Like carpaccio: RAW.  One of the biggest differences between beef carpaccio and tartare is that carpaccio is made from thinly sliced beef tenderloin while tartare is made from meat that has been minced.  
This tuna CARPACCIO has capers, limes, and red onions.
19. __-friendly: green: ECO.

20. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.  Last Monday he was clued with Sense and Sensibility.

21. Aunt Bee's charge, in a classic sitcom: OPIE.  
OPIE decides to keep Aunt Bee (1:28 min.)

22. Newbie: TYRO.  ESP.
From Merriam Webster:  The word tyro is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin tiro, which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled tyro as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled tyro or tiro in English (though tyro is the more common American spelling).

27. Harvest-ready: RIPE.
Nothing beats home-grown tomatoes!
30. Low-tech calculator: ABACUS.  
31. Smudge: SMEAR.  or  
35 Down. Pat gently: DAB.

33. Satisfied paparazzi, maybe: POSED.  "Satisfied" is a verb here. Now I get it!

37. Self-mover's rental: VAN.

40. Singer Yoko: ONO.

41. Rank below cpl.: PFC.  An Army Corporal is an E-4 paygrade; whereas a Private First Class is an E-3. In case you were wondering, The Colonel is KFC.

42. Tusked hogs: BOARS.

43. Speaker Emerita Pelosi: NANCY.

45. Gift box trimming: RIBBON.  
cat presents
47. Butterfly catchers: NETS.

53. In __ of: LIEU.  

54. British peer: EARL.  Peerage is the body of peers or titled nobility in Britain. The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order, are duke, marquessearl, viscount, and baron. Until 1999, peers were entitled to sit in the House of Lords and exempted from jury duty. Titles may be hereditary or granted for life.

55. Bit of back talk: LIP.  #teenagers

58. Rather strange: ODD.  ODDs are even strange people find others ODD.

63. Forensic drama franchise: CSI.

64. Physics Nobelist Marie: CURIE.  Marie Curie,  née Maria Sklodowska, was born in Warsaaw on November 7, 1867.  Nobel Prize website

65. Airplane walkway: AISLE.  and  
67 Down. Airplane assignments: SEATS.

66. Daughter's brother: SON.  
Try not to overthink it.
68. Drive off: REPEL.  Were you thinking golf balls ... cars ... cattle ... nails ... a fundraiser???
Bonus:  You can cook with them, too!  (the plants--not the mosquitos)

Down:
1. Opera highlight: ARIA.  Here is a very well-known ARIA:
The Magic Flute – Queen of the Night (3 min.)
Mozart; Diana Damrau, The Royal Opera
2. Threadbare: WORN.

3. On tenterhooks: AGOG.  

4. "Let's get out of here!": RUN.  I cannot verify if this is true, but I saw one website that said "Let's get out of here" is the 2nd most often used stock phrase in movies, after "I love you." This is a 2:35 min. montage of "Let's get out of here" clips. They go fast. See how many movies you recognize.

5. Architectural Digest subject: DECOR.  
May 2023 issue
6. Damascus location: SYRIA.  

7. Road trip stopover: MOTEL.  
Don't stop at this one!

8. __ carte menu: 
À LA.   (of a menu or restaurant) listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal.

9. Hit the slopes: SKI.

10. QVC alternative: HSN.  Both are TV shopping channels.

11. "May I speak now?": ARE YOU DONE.  Putting the reveal in the center of the grid enabled Gary Cee to give us four 10-letter, vertical fills. I especially appreciate that work in a Monday puzzle!  (See also 12D, 28D, and 29D.)

12. Immune from criticism: SACROSANCT.  
(Adj.) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.

13. Require smelling salts: SWOON.  
Lauren Bacall shows us how it's done.
18. Wire service co.: UPI.  United Press International
22. Doting affection, briefly: TLC.  Tender Loving Care

23. English breakfast, for one: TEA.  At first I fell for the diversion and could not see how one cup of tea could stand in for a full English breakfast. Then I remembered that English Breakfast is a black TEA blend.
BTW, my favourite part of an English breakfast is the tomato.  DH cooks a tomato for me when he makes his eggs.
24. Foundation: BASIS.  Here's one Ray-O style:
Players at 1st, 2nd, & 3rd .... BASIS loaded
Happy birthday, Ray-O-Sunshine!! 🎂

25. Five-spots: ABES.  Does anyone call these "Abes"??? 

26. Carrying freight: LADEN.  LADEN was the MW Word of the Day last Wednesday. 
Does anyone else get their daily emails?

27. Invitation letters: RSVP.  

28. "Regrettably, yes": I'M AFRAID SO.

29. Tentatively on the schedule: PENCILED IN.  
32. Bar mitzvah official: RABBI.

33. Dallas suburb: PLANO.  From the (assumedly non-biased) PLANO Chamber of Commerce:
What started as a small, quiet farming community. Plano has transformed into a city known across the country for our smart people, amazing quality of life, and strong job market. Plano is home to roughly 284,579 residents, several Fortune 1000 companies, and more than 10,000 businesses.
34. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.  A hockey player familiar to XWD solvers.

36. Word with Beach, Beastie, and Backstreet, in band names: BOYS.  Good Monday clue!
The Beach BOYS sing Good Vibrations on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968).
composed by Brian Wilson; lyrics by Mike Love; iconic "California sound"

39. Weaver's device: LOOM.

44. Journalist Curry: ANN.  Ms. Curry was born 19 Nov. 1956 in Guam. No relation to 64A.

46. AC power unit: BTU.  British thermal unit is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources. It is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1 degree Fahrenheit at the temperature that water has its greatest density (approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

48. Allied groups: BLOCS.

49. Send payment: REMIT.

50. Simplifies: EASES.

51. "We're full" B'way sign: SRO.  "B'way" is short for "Broadway" and "SRO" is short for "Standing Room Only".

52. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR.  
today's anatomy lesson

55. Invisalign side effect, perhaps: LISP.  an alternative to metal braces
56. At a standstill: IDLE.

57. Banana throwaway: PEEL.  What happened to the banana who got a sunburn?  He PEELed.

59. Keeps in the email loop: CCS.

60. Regret: RUE.

61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA.

62. Cravat or ascot: TIE.  

Here is the grid:


I'll see you next week, 

46 comments:

Subgenius said...

Well, this puzzle certainly was no trouble to solve. In fact, after trying to find some clue or answer that would have caused anyone the slightest difficulty, I came up with nada. Perhaps the theme was a bit obscure at first, but the reveal tied everything together nicely. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

Wilbur Charles said...

Balaam thought his ASS was being stubborn but it was saving his hide. Moral: You may want to listen when asses speak

ROGUE drivers are the BANE of the highways. A lady blew a stop sign on a right turn and went into my lane. I was too quick for her

The Marines had an E3 called a Lance Corporal. His M1/14 could be set to automatic. He led a four man fire team

I used to regale my dentist with 50s Celtic stories and he'd forget to charge for the gas

AC power unit? Volt and Watt didn't fit

Quick and easy Monday. Thanks sumdaze for an entertaining write-up

WC

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Zipped right through this one, theme- and reveal-free. Cute KFC comment, sumdaze. That UPI teletype brought back memories. I sat next to one for several years, and it took several more years for my typing to get back above 55 WPM. If I think about it, I can still hear the chug-chug rhythm. Thanx, Gary and sumdaze. (Are you sure it was a Grammy?)

MW: Not sure what that is. I subscribe to AWAD (A Word A Day). Today's word is "Hail Mary."

Wilbur Charles said...

Fln, that Piccadilly sauce sb piccalilli(made by Howards)

KS said...

FIR. No trouble at all. Just another Monday, not like the last Monday.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR without erasure. What a coincidence - a Monday-level puzzle drops on a Monday!

WC, I don't much listen to ASSes, but I pay attention to barking spiders.

The first time I went to a Ruth's Chris, I thought the prices weren't too bad. Then I realized that if I wanted a salad and a baked potato with that nice steak, I had to order it A LA carte. Yup, pretty expensive.

Steely Dan featured the CRIMSON TIDE in their classic Deacon Blues.

Thanks to Sundaze for the fun review. DNK English Breakfast was a brand of TEA. "Breakfast" probably should have been capitalized in the clue, huh.

inanehiker said...

This was way faster than a usual Monday for me - filled with crosswordese and older name references - hope that makes some of our chronic corner moaners happy!

Jinx- English breakfast is a type of tea (like orange pekoe) not a brand - so no cap needed!

Thanks SD for the fun blog and Gary for the puzzle!

CrossEyedDave said...

Fin b/4 Abe...

RosE said...

Good Morning! What a nice way to start the week. Thanks, Gary. I went back and saw the theme in 17 & 23A when I read the reveal.
And thanks, sumdaze, for another A+ recap. The puzzle filled smoothly to the point that I realized reading the recap that I had not needed to read all the clues.
The one that gave me pause was LISP. I've seen the Invisalign ads, but ignored them, so didn't remember what they are. Perps confirmed the fill.

Monkey said...

The most straight forward puzzle we’ve had in a while. My only head-scratcher was ABES for five-spots. Thank you Sumdaze for the explanation.

Good start to the week.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

An easy peasy Monday with a cute theme and very strong themers, a perfect, rewarding challenge for a newbie. My only w/o was Pvt/PFC. No unknowns and no complaints.

Thanks, Gary, for a fun and smooth start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for a witty and informative review. My favorite comic was the Laughing Gas alternative and the Abacus reboot. Loved seeing those tomatoes, a harbinger of the home grown crop’s season to come, plus my favorite, sweet corn season. I’ve never had Tuna Carpaccio but I’m a big fan of Beef Carpaccio and Steak Tartare!

Buon Compleanno, Ray O. May your day be special and filled with sunshine! 🎂🎁🎉

FLN

Bill G, good to hear from you and thanks for sharing your dining experience. As I’ve mentioned, I, too, order in occasionally and am always satisfied. Yesterday, though, I was invited to my sister Peggy’s and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by her two sons: Prime Rib, Twice-baked potatoes/Sweet Potato/Apple Casserole, Sauted Musrooms, and Fresh Aspargus, plus Shrimp Scampi, followed by Strawberry Shortcake. Not only did they prepare and serve, they did the entire clean-up.

Have a great day.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Quick Monday romp. Thanks Gary.

Fun expo, sumdaze! Loved the cartoons and OPIE clip.

WO: There's two Ls in BALLOON
ESPs: N/A [though some fill was already done by perps by the time I got to the clue]
Fav: SACROSANCT is a fun word.

Inanehiker - thanks for the explanation of Breakfast TEA.
//I also saw EARL in there around the same time and thought of Abejo.

In my MOS (98B - med lab tech) there was no Cpls - we E-4s were called SPC (Specialists).

IM - You're making me hungry! Sounds like a great meal w/o the work - good on them treating you right.

Happy B-Day, Ray-O!

Pondering: Did Lincoln use a 5-spot as a picture ID?

Cheers, -T

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Not even a speed bump this morning.
-Ricky Gervais trashed everything as the host of the Golden Globe AWARDS show. However, it got great ratings and so they had him back four more times.
-The CRIMSON TIDE’s athletic department is dealing with cases of homicide and gambling
-For some reason I remember TYRO from when from when I first started doing LA Times puzzles years ago
-My dentist did not use anything in LIEU of anesthesia this week when removing my tooth
-EARL - Doing nothing to earn a prestigious title is not impressive
-Marie died of radiation poisoning after working around radioactive radium without protection
-You should watch the movie Radioactive about her remarkable life as a scientist and woman
-Will the Huskers be at best mediocre again this year? I’M AFRAID SO.
-PENCILED IN: My preferred modus operandi for crosswords
-My brother and I disagreed on everything. Case in point: He was all Beach Boys and I was all Beatles
-Yesterday, my daughters taught me how to use Venmo to REMIT payments
-Irish, that sounds like a great meal. My daughter outdid herself yesterday with Sunday brunch
-Yeah, Tony, I too learned there are two “L’s” in BALLOON
-Fun write-up Renee and HBD Ray.

TTP said...


Thank you, Gary Cee, and thank you, Sumdaze. Happy Birthday, Ray-O-Sunshine.

Yes, pretty straightforward. Hand up for not seeing some of the clues/answers until reading the review.

I also liked the 10 letter downs answers. I'M AFRAID SO immediately reminded me of that Colonial Life commercial. The one where the husband never gets to take a bite of his cookie. Her woeful expression, while lamenting, "Sadly, not anymore" is so well played. I can't take my eyes off of that commercial, despite having seen it a bazillion times.

PLANO - My great-grand niece lives there, and is soon to be married. Still hard for me to fathom that my niece's daughter's daughter is about to be married, and that there may be another generation on the way in a year or two. Time marches on.

60D Regret = RUE. Such a mundane clue for that answer. :>)

Here's a new clue that the editors might consider for that answer:
60D ____ Sherwood, landscape designer featured on the S44 Ep18 of This Old House, entitled "Ipswich: Careful Considerations"

sumdaze said...

I'm happy to see the positive comments about today's puzzle!
D-O@6:10. MW is Merriam-Webster. I found the Grammy info on todaybirthdays.com. I just now looked for a second source and could not find one so I edited the blog. Thank you! I always find it helpful that you post early so I can fix my errors.
H Gary@9:35. Agreed. Radioactive was an interesting movie.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Nice begining of the week puzzle. No unusual off the wall proper names. The second part of the themed answers ALL RISE, clever

Thought "on tenterhooks" meant being anxious/agitated, not astonished/excited : AGOG. "I'm all AGOG, I finished a Saturday CW with no errors!!" I also thought speaker Pelosi's name was NANCY not "Emerita" 🤔 ("Emmy"? "Rita"?) Isn't a BTU a measure of heat not AC .

IM you said "a perfect, rewarding challenge for a newbie" I'm sorry but don't you mean a TYRO? 😁..and thanks for the BD greetings!! AnonT and HG

Doesn't start with a B but you can add a fav of mine, the Brit duo Petshop BOYS (especially teamed up with Dusty Springfield)...

The 5 dollar "five-spots" needed perping. Agree with SD...except as an answer on CWs I've never heard 5 dollar bills called ABES

Military installations....BASIS
What city has built a lot of freeways....LADED
Jewish advice column: "Dear ____ ".. RABBI.
You kin eat all of da apple 'cept for....DECOR
Teasin'....RIBBON
Swedish songsters swear.... ABACUS

Hope all Mom's had a nice day yesterday. 💐

Monkey said...

Happy birthday RAY-o.🎂🍰🎉

IM what a great meal.

Lee said...

IM, as to your Pvt/PFC dilemma, as Sumdaze mentioned a PFC is an E3 pay grade

. Most people who were not familiar with the military(Army) would not know that there are TWO Pvt ranks; PvtE1 and PvtE2. The E1 rank is used only for persons when they are first inducted. When they satisfactorally complete Basic Training, all inductees are automatically promoted to E2 pay grade. Some highly qualified inductees can be promoted to E3. Often several more will make E3 after completing Advanced Individual Training, which follows Basic.

As for the rest of the puzzle, I agree with the majority, easy and straightforward. Thanks for the summary, Sumdaze

TTP said...

Found that "Sadly, not anymore" commercial:
Colonial Penn TV Commercial: The Talk.

Lee said...

Ray, AC as in Air Conditioning (or are you being sarcastic?)

sumdaze said...

TTP@10:03. Thanks for the link. I see what you mean. Eat the cookie already!

waseeley said...

Thank you Gary for EASING us into the week. I've been away since Friday and while I did take a stab at RICH's Saturday puzzle, I'm afraid he skewered me right back.

And thank you sumdaze for a truly ASCENDANT review. And special thanks for all the DAD YOLKS. When I saw 15A I knew you'd come through!

17A IRON CURTAIN. It has become quite rusty, but it's still hanging in there.

22A TYRO. As for example a 41A.

22A TRIAL BALLOON. China sent one our way not too long ago, but it went over like a LEAD BALLOON.

28A BALTIMORE SUN. Back at ya sumdaze! I RUE that the paper has seen better days.

54A EARL. The most famous of course being the EARL OF GRANTHAM, played by Hugh Bonneville in DOWNTON ABBEY. While he was fictional, apparently there is actally a line of real EARLS OF GRANTHAM dating back to 1698.

64A CURIE. Marie Curie was one of only 4 persons who've won 2 Nobel Prizes.

1D ARIA. Favorite clip. The Queen of the Night (the evil queen) to get her daughter Pamina to kill Sarastro (a king and high priest and a good guy). Her ARIA is one of the most famous in all of opera.

29D PENCILED IN. How I did today's puzzle. It's much easier to make mistakes that way.

18D UPI. They've seen better days too.

35D DAB. My favorite constructor.

Cheers,
Bill

unclefred said...

By the time I got around to finishing the CW and coming to the blog, any comments I would have made have already been posted. Like WC, my first thought was Alternating Current, and WATT and VOLT didn’t fit. Only took a few seconds to realize it meant Air Conditioning. Like Ray-O, I appreciate this CW not having any obscure names. So, anyway, FIR in a faster than usual time for a Monday. Great to see an actual Monday CW on a Monday! Very nice CW, appropriate for a Monday, thanx, GC. Outstanding write-up, also, thanx, Sumdaze.

CanadianEh! said...

Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Gary and sumdaze.
I FIRed in quick time and saw the ALL RISE theme.

Only one silly inkblot to change UPS to UPI.
Even this Canadian knows those ABES by now.
HSN perped fortunately since I don’t TV shop.
SACROSANCT is a great CW fill!
No sass today, just LIP.

Happy Birthday Ray-o.

Wishing you all a great day.

Anonymous T said...

TTP - LOL the Colonial Life commercial. I have GetTV continually on in my study just for the background picture (it's usually on mute) but I love me some Rockford Files. Youngest saw the cookie ad and LOL'd. Then there's the one ad where it's an uncle's funeral and a casserole and the kid comes over to fix the pipes [ cite].
To the latter, Youngest said, "That's so sick. Funny but whaaa?"
//what kinda coverage can CL really offer for the Herman Cain $9.95 plan? Correction: Cain was 9-9-9.

Just 'cuz it's your special day, Ray-O: Pet Shop Boys w/ Dusty.

Lee - I entered Basic as an E2 'cuz of HS ROTC and the Delayed Entry program (that's where you could enlist 9 months before your 18th and serve in the Reserves for that time).
That was a huge mistake as the Drill called me out to be in charge. My Platoon lead lasted about 9 hours 'til one of my charge screwed up and Drill put it all on me.
So, kinda the same as being the big brother ;-)
//I'm the oldest of 5 and got blamed for not making sure my little-brother didn't jump off the roof w/ an umbrella.
How's that fair?
I wanted to see if it worked too!

Cheers, -T

Picard said...

Enjoyed the ALL RISE theme. Hand up PVT before PFC. Learning moment about AGOG meaning.

sumdaze Thanks for the educational review. Learning moment about "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE".

Unfortunately, those flowers won't do much to REPEL mosquitos, according the New York Times yesterday. Interestingly, a fan is one of the most effective ways to REPEL mosquitos.

Here I was at the BALTIMORE Inner Harbor.

Back in MARYLAND for my high school reunion.

From Last Friday:
I was quite surprised to see BUILT as STACKED. This has only one reference, as far as I know. Surprised our politically correct editor went for that!

A Google search revealed that the Commodores song "Brick House" is all about this meaning of BUILT and STACKED. Learning moment.

Lucina said...

Hola!

Happy birthday, Ray-O who brings us a lot of sunshine!

Finished this Monday puzzle easily but with one wite-out, PVT before PFC. I always use ink, never PENCILED IN.

Yesterday during Mass one of our pew buddies did SWOON and faint. She was carried out by the paramedics very quietly while the sermon was being delivered. Father finally paused since all eyes were turned toward the ongoing activity.

Yesterday my family showered me with TLC, breakfast and flowers.

My granddaughter's son plays with his ABACUS and has learned to count.

My preference on an airplane is always an AISLE seat. Southwest Airlines has started to charge extra for certain sections of the AISLE. Believe it or not we already have tickets for our September trip to see our friend in Petaluma.

Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! No counting for me today.



Jinx in Norfolk said...

Inane - Thanks for the clarification. Since tea is not me cuppa, Sumdaze's product picture made me think it was a brand.

HG: "The CRIMSON TIDE’s athletic department is dealing with cases of homicide and gambling." True, but the bigger crisis is discovering that they have the SECOND-best football program in the country. Worse yet, the SECOND best program in the SEC. (Oh wait - that's redundant. Never mind. Bitch.)

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Lee @ 10:07 am

My dumbess...I was thinking AC power as Alternating Current
(Sarcastic? Who? Me? 😇)

Misty said...

Wonderful Monday puzzle, a real pleasure, many thanks, Gary. And your review was a delight, thanks for that too, Sumdaze.

ARIA immediately made me excited about this puzzle, hoping for an opera theme, a place with a great DECOR and an AISLE leading us to the SEATS. And then it began--a magical performance of THE MAGIC FLUTE.
I couldn't believe those high notes, simply wonderful, and when it was done we should ALL RISE and applaud and suggest the performance get an AWARD and the actors a RIBBON. What a great way to start our week!

Have a wonderful one, everybody.

Charlie Echo said...

Nice! Monday actually fell on a Monday this week. No nits to pick for me today. When I was in the Army, about all the Corporals were in the artillery branch. Most E-4s were Specialists. Corporals were considered to be Non-Commisioned Officers, while Spec-4s were not. Great review, Sumdaze! Loved the comics, going back now for the music.

Anonymous T said...

Errata: My MOS was 92B.

+1 Misty.

Picard - for those who don't remember / know Brick House.
//Pop's #2 always teased me for dating "corn fed" girls. Hey, it was IL, what else would they eat?

C, -T

Picard said...

AnonT Thanks for the Brick House link. But the words are very hard to understand. I never knew the words until my search last week.

This Brick House video includes the lyrics.

Including the bits about being BUILT and STACKED like a Brick ... House. Apparently, the "..." is meant to be filled in with another word. This increased my respect for Lionel Richie, who always seemed a bit too tame to me.

CrossEyedDave said...

Happy Birthday Ray-O!

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

FIR - ditto, hands up for PVT/PFC

HBTY, Ray-O-Sunshine

Agree with others that this puzzle was very clean and straightforward; great reveal (which, BTW, I filled in without even realizing it was the reveal)

Thanks, Gary Cee and sumdaze for the entertainment

The ULNAR gave me a thought back to a Moe-ku:

Hit my funny bone.
I didn't laugh, because it
Wasn't humerus

Kelly Clark said...


Fun and clever puzzle, terrific review. Thanks Gary and Sumdaze! Happy Birthday, Ray-O!

Ol' Man Keith said...

Mr. Cee's Monday PZL comes to us through the guidance of sumdaze.

Did not expect to see SACROSANCT! I agree with Anon T & CanadianEh!: 'tis a "fun word" & "great fill."
Moreover, it is based in LATIN, a fill in yesterday's NY Times PZL (Sacrum et Sanctus).
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Only one diagonal, on the far side, but it is rich in possibilities.
I will let colleagues choose their anagram (13 of 15 letters) from my top two favorites.
Readers may choose to honor these silly girls, a bunch of ...

"ABSURD LASSIES"!
- or, they may denounce a group of drunken louts instead, identified only as these...

"SOUSE BASTARDS"!

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Wouldn't SACROSANCT be a great name for a band? Or maybe a rapper? (I'm thinking of you, Ludicrous.)

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle, sumdaze's write-up, and all your comments.

Anonymous said...

Took 3:54 today for the sun to rise here.

Busy day. Easy puzzle.

Aaron Judge anyone?

Anonymous T said...

@7:37p - in '21, I was at the All Star Home Run contest. There were three guys in robes & wigs that would yell "All Rise" when Aaron came to bat.

Nice on the DiagReport, OMK.

Cheers, -Tony

TTP said...

Wow, so many comments since I posted at 9:55, and that was late for me.

I don't know anything about Colonial Penn one way or another, but I like that commercial. He seems to be having an okay day as he takes that cookie, and then she hits him with the bad news about Rick, followed by the "Sadly, not anymore."

Dash T, I had not seen that casserole commercial for Colonial Penn.

So no one liked "Landscape designer Sherwood" as a clue for RUE ? C'mon people, let's have fun with the change. We should have a daily contest to see who can come up with the most obscure clue for a common word in each day's puzzle. It's not like it's going to revert back to what it was, although today did seem like a respite.

Pretty sure that I made E-4 at 12 months in after a waiver from the CO for both time in grade and time in service. He was encouraging me to go to WOFTS, but that would have required a re-up commitment, and by then I was already crossing off days on my virtual short-timer's calendar. I've never regretted my time in the service, but it just wasn't for me.

Anonymous T said...

TTP - I was thinking it was a reference to Rue McMlanahan from the old sitcom Designing Women.

Are you referencing the design co in Ipswich?

Re: Army. I joined the Reserves to pay for college. Little did I know there was going to be a war in Iraq.

Cheers, -T

CanadianEh! said...

Great photo Picard.

Great sunshine cake for Ray-o, CED.

Wilbur Charles said...

In my Disbursing Office in Nam I wasted no time promoting any and all Corporals to Sergeant. No more pulling rank when all were doing the same job.

I should have kept a diary

WC

TTP said...

Dash T, yes. The 44th season of This Old House had the team in Ipswich working on a 1720's Cape Cod. Landscape designer Rue Sherwood and Jenn Nawada meet.... It was first aired in mid April, but is now repeating on the various PBS, Create and Magnolia Network rotations, so I just saw it again. "What a great LA Times clue for RUE", I thought.

Just as an aside, I like that This Old House docs their episodes they way they do, but more importantly, if you see a product or service that interests you, they have links at the bottom of the episode page.

I also thought about actress Rue M from Designing Women, but thought the brief visits on This Old House would be even more obscure.