google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Doug Peterson

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May 16, 2023

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Doug Peterson

HeadQuarters:  Each theme answer is a two word phrase where the first word begins with H and the second word begins with Q.


19-Across. Pint equivalent: HALF QUART.

25-Across. DC Comics' Clown Princess of Crime: HARLEY QUINN.  This fictional character made her first appearance in a 1992 Batman cartoon.  [Name # 1.]

42-Across. Members of royal courts who may be crowned at halftime: HOMECOMING QUEENS.  In this scene, the Homecoming Queen is at her prom.

57-Across. Deluxe: HIGH QUALITY.

64-Across. Feels apprehensive: HAS QUALMS.

And the Unifier:

52-Down. Command ctrs., and a description of five answers in this puzzle: HQs.  As in HeadQuarters.


HeadQuarters of the Longaberger Basket Company


Across:
1. Push, as a button: PRESS.

6. Scuff, say: MAR.


9. Air rifle: BB GUN.  Who remembers this scene from A Christmas Story?



14. Mint with a Coca-Cola flavor: TIC TAC.  I was not aware of this particular flavor.  Does it refresh one's breath?

16. Language suffix: -ESE.

17. Russian crepes: BLINI.  Yummers!



18. Single-celled creature: AMOEBA.



21. "Yellowjackets" actress Purnell: ELLA.  Yellowjackets is television thriller-drama on Showtime.  It's sort of a female Lord of the Flies theme.   The series takes place in 2021 with flashbacks to 1996, when a New Jersey high school girls' soccer team was flying across the country.  Their their plane crashed in the wilderness somewhere.  The survivors were stranded for over a year before being rescued.  The series chronicles their life in the wilderness, as well as their current day life.  Ella Purnell (née Ella Summer Purnell; b. Sept. 17, 1996) portrays Jackie Taylor, the captain of the soccer team.  [Name # 2.]


23. Customizable Nintendo avatar: MII.  The name Mii is a portmanteau of “Wii” and “me.

24. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for her role as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.  [Name # 3.]


29. Re-re-re-reminds: NAGS.

30. "Rudy" coach Parseghian: ARA.  Ara Parseghian (né Ara Raoul Parseghian; May 21, 1923 ~ Aug. 2, 2017) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He played professional football before becoming a college football coach.  He was the head coach at Notre Dame from 1964 until his retirement in 1974.  [Name # 4.]


31. WrestleMania win: PIN.


32. Facts, for short: INFO.

34. Clobbers, quaintly: SMITES.

37. __ Buddhism: ZEN.  Everything you wanted to know about Zen Buddhism but didn't know to ask.

39. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.  Arthur Ashe (né Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.; July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 3, 1993) also makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He began playing tennis at age 6.  During his career, he won three Grand Slam singles titles.  [Name # 5.]


46. Like a Mega Millions jackpot winner: RICH.


US States and Territories that offer the Mega Millions lottery as of November 2022.


47. NYSE debut: IPO.  As in Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

48. Open, as a onesie: UNSNAP.

49. Noisy car part: HORN.



51. "Weekend Update" comic Michael: CHE.  I learned about Michael Che (né Michael Che Campbell; b. May 19, 1083) from doing the crosswords, as he, too, is a frequent guest here.  His 40th birthday is next Friday.  [Name # 6.]


53. LED TV brand: RCA.  The name RCA originally was derived from the Radio Corporation of America.  The company is also known for its phonographs.



54. Ball in a craft store: YARN.  Most yarn I have seen in stores, is actually sold in skeins or hanks.  Maybe our resident knitter(s) will weigh in on the preferred type.



61. Mine, in Marseille: À MOI.  Today's French lesson.

62. 22-Down monitoring org.: EPA.  //  And 22-Down. Pollution stat: AQI. as in the Air Quality Index, which is supposed to be monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Here is the AQI in Louisiana.

63. Aquatic mammal: SEAL.


67. Planet orbited by a moon named Margaret: URANUS.  Margaret is one of 27 moons of Uranus.  Margaret is the only known prograde moon of Uranus, which means it rotates in the same direction as Uranus rotates (as opposed to retrograde rotation).  It was discovered just 10 years ago by Scott Sheppard.  It was apparently named after a character in Shakespeare's play, Much Ado About Nothing.  Margaret is also the name of Scott Sheppard's mother.  [Name adjacent.]


71. Outperform: ONE UP.

72. Official calling pitch clock violations: UMP.


73. City east of Los Angeles: POMONA.

74. Desert sanctuaries: OASES.

75. Part of LGBTQ+: GAY.

76. Teen sleuth Drew: NANCY.  Nancy Drew made her first appearance in 1930, in the teen mystery novel The Secret of the Old Clock.  The books were published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.  I think there is still an iteration of Nancy Drew, but more modern.  I remember reading Nancy Drew mysteries when I was young and being fascinated that she drove a roadster.  [Name # 7.]


Down:
1. Booster gp. for schools: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.



2. Crater's edge: RIM.

3. __ mode: energy-saving car setting: ECO-.


4. Iron alloy: STEEL.  Everything you wanted to know about the history of steel but didn't know to ask.

5. Ferret's cousin: SABLE.  Sable vs Ferret.


6. "Not my fave": MEH.

7. "Same for me": AS AM I.  6-Down.

8. Replacing the inner layer of: RELINING.

9. Smoky chip flavor, briefly: BBQ.


10. Puritanical people: BLUENOSES.  Hmm ... The term also apparently refers to someone from Nova Scotia.  The Bluenose was also the name of the ferry that went from Bar Harbor, Maine to Halifax, Nova Scotia.


11. Celebrity chef De Laurentiis: GIADA.  I am not familiar with Giada De Laurentiis (née Giada Pamela De Laurentiis; b. Aug. 22, 1970).  She hosts a cooking show in the Food Network.  [Name # 8.]


12. Strip of equipment: UNRIG.

13. Informal evenings: NITES.

15. Caribbean music genre: CALYPSO.  The late Harry Belafonte (né Harold George Bellanfanti, Jr; Mar. 1, 1927 ~ Apr. 25, 2023) was known as the King of Calypso.   [Name adjacent.]


20. Literary Huckleberry: FINN.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain (né Samuel Clemens; Nov. 30, 1835 ~ Apr. 21, 1910) has been banned by many schools ever since it was first published in the mid-1880s.  [Name # 9.]

25. __ browns: HASH.  Yummers!


26. Samurai's protection: ARMOR.


27. Maguire's "Spider-Man" director: RAIMI.  Sam Raimi (né Samuel M. Raimi; b. Oct. 23, 1959) is best known for his Spider-Man series of films, of which there are currently three.  He has also collaborated with the Coen brothers on some films.  [Name # 10.]


28. Open, as a gym bag: UNZIP.

33. Mythical man-goat: FAUN.


35. Method: TECHNIQUE.

36. Reverberate: ECHO.


38. Father of Methuselah: ENOCH.  Enoch is a Biblical figure who lived before the great flood.  He supposedly lived to be 365 years old.  He was the father of Methuselah and Jared.  Methuselah was also known for his longevity.  He died supposedly died at age 969.  [Name # 11.]


40. Painter Matisse: HENRI.  Although he was primarily a painter, Henri Matisse (né Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was also known for his printmaking and sculptors,  [Name # 12.]

Self-Portrait

41. Make into law: ENACT.  You really don't want to know how the sausage is made.


43. Headphone jack insert: MINI PLUG.


44. Get in line: QUEUE UP.


45. Fix, at the vet's office: SPAY.



50. Actress Seehorn: RHEA.  Rhea Seehorn (née Deborah Rhea Seehorn; b. May 12, 1972) just celebrated her 51st birthday.  She is probably best known for her portrayal of Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul.   [Name # 13.]


54. "Yippee!": YAHOO.

55. Appliance maker: AMANA.  This brand of kitchen appliances makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

56. Tokens of love: ROSES.



58. Letter before delta: GAMMA.


59. Yankee slugger Judge: AARON.  In 2017, Aaron Judge (né Aaron James Judge; b. Apr. 26, 1992) was named Rookie of the Year.  [Name # 14.]


60. Peruvian pack animal: LLAMA.


65. FedEx rival: UPS.  What's the difference?

66. Eve in "Killing Eve," for one: SPY.  Killing Eve was a British spy thriller.  Sandra Oh (né Sandra Midi Oh; b. July 20, 1971) plays Eve Polastri, the title character.   [Name # 15.]


68. The "N" of NFT: NON.  As in Non-Fungible Token.

69. Mom's bro: UNC.  Slang for Uncle.  70-Down, I am not keen on this answer.

70. "May I just __ ... ": SAY.

Here's the Grid:







חתולה




44 comments:

OwenKL said...

Red is for ROSES,
BLUE is for NOSES.
One is how lovers pursue,
The other is snobs. Which are you?

METHUSELAH was oldest man when he died.
ENOCH, his father, was alive by his side.
Enoch was transfigured, ne'er tasted death.
At least that's what the legends attest.

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death..." (Hebrews 11:5)
{A-, A-.}

Subgenius said...

By the time I got the second themed answer, I had a pretty good idea what the overall theme was. The hardest thing about this puzzle to me was remembering how to spell “queue “ as in “queue up.” Otherwise, this seemed like a typical Tuesday level puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Got ahead of myself and accidentally solved this one yesterday. Noticed all the H-Qs. Was there a reveal? If so, guess who missed it? Thanx for the diversion, Doug, and for the explication, Hahtoolah. (Nice photo with the LLAMA. Was it named Dolly? Also, loved the Jack cartoon.)

NANCY: I was a fan of the Hardy Boys. They also owned a roadster. Speedboat, too.

ECO: My car has one of those. I've never used it. Might, if I were to take a long road trip, but so far it's stayed within 50 miles of home.

TTP said...


Good morning. Thank you, Doug Peterson, and thank you, Hahtoolah.

Q words get above normal representation in today's crossword.

I somehow managed to type SMITES as SMaTES. Oh well, it didn't detract from the fun of the fill or review.

Didn't know of HARLEY QUINN until a puzzle last week or so. Came in handy today.
Learned of MII today.

Longaberger ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in 2018. That building was and maybe still is for sale.

Hahtoolah's first image of the quarters reminded me that yesterday I received two new, bright and shiny 2023 Maya Angelou quarters as part of the change from my Chicago-style hot dog order. (Just had to satisfy the craving after bringing up their neon green relish the other day). I've set the quarters aside in my small collection of coins as they are untarnished and are so bright and pretty.

I enjoy the back and forth between Colin Jost and Michael CHE on SNL's Weekend Update. It is live, and they often used their writers and their own repartee to prank each other. They are often reading the "news" for the first time during the segment, and they sometimes will slip in new material in that the other hasn't seen before. Too funny. Ah, the good old days before the writer's strike.

GIADA - a gimme for this Food Network fan, and yes, she is related to Dino.

Time to brew some coffee.

See all y'all later n'at!

CrossEyedDave said...

headquarters versus hindquarters...

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIW, getting careless at CALiPSO and never hearing of HARLEi QUINN. But I got my Natick @ BLINI x GIADA, so I got that goin' for me. Erased mike PLUG for MINI PLUG.

I did something just as stupid as the guy pressing the "power off" button. My keyboard died about a month ago, and I replaced it with a Bluetooth keyboard / mouse bundle. After I got it up and running, I decided to click on the "Bluetooth Devices" button to see a list of devices also using Bluetooth. That's not what the button does - it turns off the Bluetooth radio. Restarting had no effect - I had to go to another computer and borrow its USB mouse/keyboard system to log on and turn Bluetooth back on. Doh!

If you hit the biggest lotto on record, you are still economically closer to a broke college kid than you are to Buffett, Trump, Musk, Gates, Ellison and the like. You are, however, closer in class to the REALLY rich guys.

Doug and/or Patti doesn't know the meaning of QUALITY. My RAV4 was of much higher quality than my Mercedes 300SE, but the Benz was much more deluxe.

I didn't know that any state other than California used AQI. In SoCal, AQI was measured and reported by the AQMD - Air Quality Management District. POMONA nearly always had unhealthy air. But POMONA was also home to the LA County Fair, more enjoyable to me than any other county fair I've been to, and better than most state fairs, including the California State Fair.

AARON Judge swatted two more dingers last night.

Thanks to Ha2la for the fun and colorful review. The only thing that didn't register was the phone calling the plug "Jack." Huh? Maybe the plug was identifying as a jack. But the wonderful "side chicks" coffee mug more than made up for it.

KS said...

FIR, but I found this to be a bit crunchy for a Tuesday. Too many proper names, many I've never heard of, and to have them cross like Raimi and Harley is truly nasty.

Anthony Gael Moral said...

5 Q's is unique. I'm waiting for 5 Z's or maybe 5 X's. This was fun. Thanks, Doug.

Anonymous said...

Took 5:35 today to get this Humorless Quintet of HQs.

Too many proper names, again.

Today's unknowns were: Pomona, today's actress (Rhea), today's other actress (Ella), the Eve in Killing Eve, the Russian food, and blue noses.

I knew Giada, despite not understanding the appeal of many of the cooking shows.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, Crossword friends. This puzzle certainly did have a plethora of names, but quickly finding the HQ made it doable for me.

TTP: It has been so long since I have actually used cash that I didn't realize that there are still new quarters being issued.


QOD: I am always anxious to know what has happened while I've been asleep. ~ Christian Lacroix (b. May 16, 1951), French fashion designer

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I had HARLEY QUINN in a recent puzzle and learned the names of her pet hyenas are Bud and Lou
-PRESS: Here we say “Turn on the lights” but my East Coast friend says “Put on the lights”
-Edie’s Soprano character remained blissfully ignorant of Tony’s, uh, occupation.
-Like EDIE, RHEA’s character also stuck with a dishonorable title character
-Our AQI here decreases occasionally when smoke from fires in KS and CO drift in
-The pitch clock has greatly increased my enjoyment of the game of baseball
-RAIMI, ENOCH and GIADA easily filled in themselves
-Those laws are usually ENACTED by back room deals and compromises
-I have golf league this morning and we have grown to so many participants we have to QUEUE UP as there are now six men on every tee box.
-FORE!

Anonymous said...

Hello All, wishing you a great day today.
I’ve been away for a while due to a fractured vertebra. Ouch very bad pain.
I really do enjoy this blog because of so many people who enjoy crossword puzzles.
CC, Husker Gary, Irish Miss, AnonT, so many others, you all do a very fine job with the critique and comments.
Sometimes the puzzle gets lost in so many comments.
CC, I sent you the Army sweatshirt for Boomer, I know he was a very fine Army veteran, one of my sons graduated West Point. I thought Boomer would like it.
Best wishes to all

Big Easy said...

I noticed all the QU but the H, nope. The puzzle had too many proper names that took perps and WAGs. I'd never heard of HARLEY QUIN, RHEA, NFT- non, CHE, MII, ELLA Purnell, 'Margaret the moon', BLUE NOSES, or the term MINI PLUG. But it was easy to FIR.

UNC- I guess Patti doesn't like the Tarheels. Must have gone to Duke or NC State.
HALF QUART=pint. At least 50% of HS grads couldn't tell you how many ounces are in a cup, pint, or quart. And since cups of coffee are only 6 oz., probably 90% of the baristas don't know.

ECO setting on your car only shifts your transmission to higher gears at lower speeds. Does it save gas? Who knows. MY Highlander has three modes- Eco, Normal, and Sport, which will keep it in lower gears at higher speeds, supposedly for faster pickup and more control on snaky and hilly roads.

TTP said...


Hatoolah, my sister seldom uses cash, except as gifts in birthday cards and the like. Pretty much everything goes on her cash back or mileage cards.

Your count of names was 14, but you had 12 twice at both RHEA and HENRI, so there were 15.

At least there weren't that many obscure clues (YMMV). There was some opportunity for more. For example:

Instead of 1A. Push, as a button: PRESS, they could've used this clue:
Pistol Pete's pop's nickname: PRESS, or,
Instead of 15D. Caribbean music genre: CALYPSO, they could have used:
Belafonte's third album: CALYPSO
Instead of 58D. Letter before delta: GAMMA, they could have used:
Delta of the delta, in options: GAMMA.

Wilbur Charles said...

The Redsox closer, Jansen, ran afoul of the pichclock intricacies Saturday. The batter pretended to be in the box but was outside it thus the pitcher couldn't begin his windup. Or something like that…

Gary, I ran a Co* golf league in 80s,90s. I had system support off hours. I traded those hours for an hour on Tuesday. Got a boss who was infuriated by the deal. He scheduled "Group" on Tuesday at 4pm. At 415 I got up and walked out. And shortly thereafter walked into a new job

WC

Yes, seemed crunchy after yesterday. Pop-cul pops just when I get rolling.

ARA started at Northwestern where he transformed the BigTen doormats

* To remain nameless

RosE said...

Good Morning! A Tuesday puzzle with a nice theme. Thanks, Doug.
The first themer I filled was Homecoming Queen, and when I got to the HQS reveal, I saw where the other themers were going. However, I had a gnarly square changing CGI -> MII (?) and Queen -> QUINN.
Perps for ELLA and SMITES. Well, duh, I read cobbler, not clobber. Now it makes sense!!!
NON I got on a guess. Good thing the fill wasn’t FUNGIBLE 🤣
Once upon a time I drove a SABLE. Loved my station-wagon!
Thanks, Hah2lah, for a fun recap. Loved the volcano toon, the outhouses and of course, a classic Larson.

TTP said...

Wilbur Charles, the Jansen pitch violations were called because the umpire determined that he (Jansen) was quick pitching the batter (Contreras).

The batter has to be fully in the batters box by 8 seconds left and then ready to face the picture. Then, and only then the pitcher can begin his windup and throw.

In each of Jansen's 3 pitch time violations, Contreras kept his left foot out of the box until just about 9 seconds, but was facing Jansen while out of the box. When he moved his left foot into the box, Jansen started his windup, but Contreras had not yet assumed his batting stance.

The umpire determined that Jansen was quick pitching the batter, thus the pitch violation and automatic ball call. You would think that Jansen would have learned his lesson after the first one, and certainly after the second time it was called. But he did it a third time to Contreras on a 3-1 count, so the automatic base on balls was called.

We'll probably see more of that tactic this season by hitters unless MLB decides to change the rule to compensate for it. In the meantime, pitchers will have to give the batters the additional second or two to get in their stance before starting their windup.

Yellowrocks said...

Many names, but all easily perpable, except for the R in RAIMI and HARLEY. I wagged it, but looked it up to confirm before I wrote it. "Oh, ye of little faith." One LIU, unnecessarily. Later I realized the character's name was a play on words, i.e. Harlequin, a synonym for clown.
The HQ theme was evident quickly, which made the names easy with perps and wags.
My friends here complain about the traffic when crossing streets in our town. I find the pedestrian crossings are very numerous and the motorists always stop for them. Of course, I still look both ways.
I knew I have heard and seen AQI in NJ, so looked it up. It's use is ubiquitous in the US and abroad.
I didn't read many Nancy Drew books when I was young, but read all of the Bobbsey Twins.
Weekend Update is my favorite part Of SNL. I find most of SNL boring, so sometimes I fall asleep and miss Weekend Update.
Coming from PA and NJ I mostly hear turn on the lights. My PA Dutch grandmother would say outen the lights, meaning turn them off.
I ran across Giada's name today on the internet.
Susan, wonderful post, as always. I loved the royal mug. So true.

unclefred said...

I use a more expansive definition of “Name”, and by my count, there are 20 names in this CW. For instance, RCA is a company name. MII is an avatar name. Anyway, almost didn’t start this CW due to the large number of names. I did finally decide to start the CW, and found it more difficult than a typical Tuesday, probably due to all the names, many of which I needed all perps for (RAIMI, for instance). I got the theme, and saw the HQs, so that helped a little. Why is “QUEUE” spelled so goofy? Seems like it could be a one-letter word: Q. Thanx for the challenging CW, DP. And thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up. I’m always reminded of who’s doing the write-up when I see “Yummers!”

Monkey said...

Fun puzzle. Yes a few names but either well-known or easily perpped, so no complaints. I liked the QU theme, after all, those letters are part of my name. LOL.

Hahtoolah again doesn’t disappoint with good thorough explanations and fun comics. That last one is particularly sarcastic.

That basket company deserves an award for an imaginative building design.

We’re about to trade my work horse 10 year old Toyota Highlander for a smaller, sporty RAV4 LXE premium. During the test drive yesterday, we experienced the three modes of eco, normal, and sport. In eco, when the vehicle is stopped like at a red light, the motor shuts off and restarts when you hit the accelerator. A very annoying feature that can be turned off.

Charlie Echo said...

Not a bad puzzle, despite the obscure names. NOTE TO ED.....Not everyone subscribes to pay channels! (Lookin' at you, ELLA!) FIR with perps and WAGs, but the trivial people trivia siphoned off some of the enjoyment. Hatoolahs re-cap added some of that enjoyment back. Bravo!

waseeley said...

Thanks Doug for a fun Tuesday and thanks to Hahtoolah for a funny, informative review. Funny I saw all the Q's but not the H's so I didn't suss the theme. Fortunately there was no place to fill it in so TECHNIQUALLY I got a FIR.

Just a few favs:

46A RICH. Our former editor. Those were the days my friends, we thought they'd never end. 😥

37A ZEN. Liked the link Cat. Very ENLIGHTENING.

55A RCA. A CSO to Misty.

67A URANUS. The planet (not MARGARET) was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. Prior to discovering it Herschel was a well known composer, but his music was ECLIPSED by his astronomical discovery. Here's his Fugue in d-minor (4 min).

Cheers,
Bill

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

Fairly easy Tuesday..

Inkovers: latki/BLINI, (I always make this mistake, should perp-wait)

"Single-celled creature" : Monk, was too short 😁...UNSNAP and UNZIP. A few P's but lotsa Q's today unfortunately never picked up on the HQ theme.

Liked "Killing Eve" (not me, I didn't kill anyone). Her nemesis Villenelle was an intriguing fascinating villain. She made the show.

EDIE Falco is playing Pete Davidson's mom on the current semiautobiograpical series "Bupkis"...plus I am current with "Yellowjackets" episodes but not familiar with the cast.

The late Arthur ASHE finally makes a cameo appearance. 🎾

"Mine in Marsailles is À MOI or "le (la) (les) mien(ne)(s)" ..."the book is mine: "Le livre est le mien" the car is mine: "La voiture est à moi"

Thanks for all the BD greetings and especially that delicious looking cake. Good thing it's a just a great picture 😋

When I saw SPAY as an answer I knew H2LH would use that hilarious "tutored" cartoon. 😆


waseeley said...

Oh and isn't 67A MARGARET a CSO to MOE'S amie?

Lucina said...

Hola!

I'll read you all later. I'm watching my great-grandson and he definitely needs watching!

Solved the puzzle in good time with no problems even though I've not heard of HARLEY QUINN. Makes me laugh.

QUEUE UP gave me pause.

One of my sister's grandsons was married in POMONA at a very nice venue there.

Later! Thank you, Susan and Doug for the fun.

Yellowrocks said...

I am fairy certain the number of proper nouns will not change any time soon, so I am adjusting my attitude. If names are perpable and/or reasonably guessable, I will not stress over them. I am still a bit annoyed when a little square of cells contains several names, both horizontal and perpendicular and several letters seem possible. I was just a tad annoyed with RAIMI and HARLEY, although the R seemed most likely. So, no big deal.
But, note to editor: IMO, even little known words are more fun than names.
When I was a virtual scheduler, my boss used to say , "It is what is" and we would stop fretting over it.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change."
The older I get the more accepting of things I become, and thus I
am so much more serene.

Misty said...

Delightful Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Doug. And always enjoy your commentary, Hahtoolah, thanks for that too.

Well, as soon as I saw TICTAC and BLINI, I started looking for food in this puzzle, especially since we were going to get a HALF QUART of beer or wine to go with those HASH BROWNS. But that was about it--not very HIGH QUALITY and not likely to excite the HOMECOMING QUEENS looking forward to a lovely party.

Always happy to see RCA, my Dad's company at which he started working in the late fifties or early sixties when they were just starting up colored television.

Have a good week coming up, everybody.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

U-Fred - The Brits had to use QUEUE because Q was already taken by the head of technologies and gadgets in the 007 series. Desmond Llewellyn was far and away the best Q (IMO,) but John Cleese, -T's favorite, was Q for awhile (among others.) I think it's the same gene that compels them to spell the town "Gloucester" when "Gloster" would do just fine.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

FIW w/ two bad squares. Spelled it SMyTHS (hand up, RosE - I read cobbler too!) and, above, had ARI.
Regardless, Doug's HQ puzzle was fun.

Thanks for the informative & humor-laden expo, Hahtoolah!
//Jinx - Think the movie Titanic for the "Jack!" toon.

Anyone else notice all the UN-words? UNRIG, UNZIP, UNSNAP, UN-C(? ;-))

WOs: MINI-jack, put NON in UNC's squares.
ESPs: Did anyone mention names? //I knew CHE - like TTP said, he & Jost kill.
Fav: NANCY Drew. Eldest & I keep a list of the volumes that Pop's wife doesn’t have so we can complete her collection when we visit used book stores.

{A, A+}

@7:29a - some of us love food-porn. And, I learned a ton from Alton Brown.

HG - In south Louisiana I'd hear "Cut on the lights."

TTP - 46a could have been clued "LA Time's former Crossword editor Norris" //I see Waseeley beat me to the punch.

UncleFred - because the UEs line up in QUEUE ;-)

SNL's take on NFTs [3:24]

Cheers, -T

Picard said...

Cross of unknown proper names HARLEY/RAIMI rather unfair. HARLEY is a woman? Several other such pairs. WAG to FIR.

Hahtoolah Thanks for the informative illustrated review. Learning moment about BLUENOSES and MII.

Here we stood at the RIM of the Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.

Yes, I shared a similar image three years ago. The risk of an impact like that is low. But the risk per person of such an impact is surprisingly high.

From Yesterday:
CanadianEh Thank you for the kind words about my BALTIMORE, MARYLAND photo.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

-T, Ha2la, oh jeez...Of course - THAT Jack. (I would still like to ask the cartoonist if a mini jack was in mind for a dual meaning. Probably not. But a lot of folks don't know the difference between a jack and a plug.)

Charlie Echo said...

The BLUENOSE was also a famous Canadian racing schooner. I remember building a plastic model of her back in the late '50s. Do kids still build models anymore?

CanadianEh! said...

Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Doug and Hahtoolah. (LOL re that Side Chick mug.)
Officially a FIW today, but I did get the HQ theme. (I saw a Q and Z, and started looking for a pangram. Nope.)

I WAGged a Y (with second choice I) for Hayley not HARLEY (oh a riff on Harlequin).
It took perps and WAGs to get the I in BLINI, and decide between A or E for ELLA.
Plus my Canadian HALF Litre changed to the more accurate HALF QUART. (Pint is 0.47L)

I noted ONE UP and QUEUE UP (we usually just say QUEUE), plus UNZIP, UNSNAP and UNRIG trio.
I’ll take Canadian CSOs for Christmas Story (with parts taped in St Catharines, Ontario), Canadian actress Sandra Oh, and BLUENOSE.
Our most famous Bluenose was a historical schooner which was on our dime. Tourists love to sail on the Bluenose II.
Bluenose

Wishing you all a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

I’ll tackle the Queue question (since we British and Canadians know how to do it so well!)

Merriam-Webster word origin for QUEUE
“The Latin word cauda or coda, meaning "tail," passed into French and in time ended up being spelled queue. English borrowed this word, giving it the meaning "a long braid of hair," one that hangs from a person's head like a tail. This sense is still in use, but we more commonly refer to such a braid as a pigtail today. In the 19th century, queue came to be used for something else that looked like a tail—a number of people waiting in line.”

Picard- I can’t believe the size of that meteor crater!

Anonymous T said...

C, Eh! - Queues are very important in Computer Science. We studied them ad-nauseum for how to make processes faster and how to order data. #FIFOFun!
C, -T
*FIFO - First In, First Out. Not a stack of LIFO [Last In Frist Out - think cafeteria trays]

sumdaze said...

Thank you Doug and Hahtoolah for a nice break in my day! FIW in a few places but I enjoyed the HIGH QUALITY write-up and Harry Belafonte tune.
I recently finished watching the final season (6) of Better Call Saul. RHEA's good acting made her character's choices believable.
I also noticed several UN words. UNZIP & UNSNAP were generated from Qs in the HQ theme.

TTP said...

Dash T, good, but the clue has to be really obscure, so LAT's former crossword editor would not be obscure enough. So the clue for Rich could be something as simple as Karlis. How many would know that one?

I liked your cafeteria tray description of LIFO. Print queues on systems were normally FIFO, based on priority classes (and sysoprs / admins). It was deflating waiting on your much needed 10 page printout knowing you only had x amount of time to catch the next end of day commuter train, and then finding that someone ahead of you decided to printout a 400 page manual. :>)

Charlie Echo said, "The BLUENOSE was also a famous Canadian racing schooner. I remember building a plastic model of her back in the late '50s. Do kids still build models anymore?"

Charlie yes, but they do it on their home computers using CAD/CAM software and then print them out using 3D printers and CNC machines. Or they ask ChatGPT to do it for them :>)

Nice crater pic, Picard

CanadianEh! said...

AnonT- thanks for the info on Queues in Computer Science. We learn something new every day here.

Charlie Echo- I hadn’t noticed your Bluenose comment. You must have posted while I was composing. My son loved to build models, and has done a couple with his son. But all my grandkids prefer to build with Lego or Playmobile.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle, Hahtoolah's write-up, and all your comments. I learned RCA does still make TV sets.

I never have found that "any" key ("Press any key...").

Perps revealed whether it was ESE (ChinESE, JapanESE), ISH (EnglISH, SwedISH, SpanISH, FinnISH), or IAN (RussIAN, ItalIAN, ArmenIAN, NorwegIAN). Perps also revealed that sea mammal was a SEAL, not an ORCA.

Hand up for not subscribing to or watching any cable shows.

I like the name MARGARET. It was years before I realized that was my Aunt Peggy's real name.

Debussy composed a shortish piece entitled Prelude to the Afternoon of a FAUN (Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune).

Good wishes to you all.

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts:

FIW with a miss at AQI/ELLA

Calypso? Hmm, Susan ... where have I seen THAT before??!! ;^)

Qute puzzle and recap

Anonymous T said...

TTP - I remember those print QUEUES. You've got two minutes before class and the guy behind the glass won't move fast enough to get your 80(?)-column to you.

Jayce - in the late 90's early 00's, my buddy, sitting feet away from me, started loosing it while on a support call... "Just PRESS A, that stands for 'Any'."
When he hung up we both fell out laughing.

I have at least 50 of these support desk stories. Another? Guy in the oil field calls - "My critter isn't working" - his mouse-ball got gunked up.

Cheers, -Tony

Anonymous T said...

Jinx - plug v. jack. I think of a jack as an insulated ring of contacts and a plug just a single lead. Elucidate us. -T

Wilbur Charles said...


Re, QUEUE. QUE is What or that pronounced ker or keh thus the need to add UE. French pronounce it "le key" just like we do(oops, we say The Q as in How many jobs in the …?(Thx Anon-T)

And….
The French say "Fermez les lumieres" Close the lights(shut the lights)

WC

Cool crater pic, Picard; worth showing again especially with the lovely Merlie

Wilbur Charles said...

Or... qu'est-ce que c'est que ca(What's that?)