Theme: Re-Unit - Units of various measurements are re-imagined with witty clues.
16A. Loudness of a kiss?: PECK VOLUME. A peck is a unit of dry capacity. In the US it is equivalent to 8 dry quarts. We all knew that, didn't we?
27A. Attraction to certain electric cars?: TESLA MAGNETISM. The international measure of magnetism with the SI symbol T, named for the physicist Nikola Tesla, as was the car.
44A. Number of times one rents a car?: HERTZ FREQUENCY. The ISO measure of frequency with the symbol Hz. I have President's Circle status with Hertz. No idea what that means, I still get the Ford Focus or whatever that I booked.
60A. Quantity of dirt displaced by a burrowing garden pest?: MOLE AMOUNT. A mole is used to measure how many molecules there are in a thing, and is roughly equivalent to 600 sextillion molecules which in an 'eck of a lot! Also known as the Avogadro number after the chap who came up with it. Not to be confused with the Avocado Constant, named by me, which is the number of avocados in a bowl of guacamole.
27A. Attraction to certain electric cars?: TESLA MAGNETISM. The international measure of magnetism with the SI symbol T, named for the physicist Nikola Tesla, as was the car.
44A. Number of times one rents a car?: HERTZ FREQUENCY. The ISO measure of frequency with the symbol Hz. I have President's Circle status with Hertz. No idea what that means, I still get the Ford Focus or whatever that I booked.
60A. Quantity of dirt displaced by a burrowing garden pest?: MOLE AMOUNT. A mole is used to measure how many molecules there are in a thing, and is roughly equivalent to 600 sextillion molecules which in an 'eck of a lot! Also known as the Avogadro number after the chap who came up with it. Not to be confused with the Avocado Constant, named by me, which is the number of avocados in a bowl of guacamole.
I loved the theme - it too a while to emerge but great when it did and helped me through the rest of the solve. There seemed to be a few "stretch" three-letter abbrevisions (I'm particularly looking and you RTS so stop skulking in the corner. I can see you.)
Let's go for a wander around the rest of the puzzle if you're ready?
Across:
38. Tyke: TOT.
39. Education acronym: STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics program. Add Arts to the program and it becomes a STEAM.
41. Extra charge: FEE. Weird clue. Why "extra"?
42. France's longest river: LOIRE. Famous for the wonderful châteaux along its length. The Tour de France is starting soon and there are many aerial shots of them when the tour runs through the region.
48. Member of the underground economy?: MINER.
49. Sephora rival: ULTA. Thank you, crosses
50. Sticky situation: JAM.
51. Lap top protector: NAPKIN. Nice clue
54. Tear: RACE.
58. Furniture chain that is developing a 3D-printed meatball: IKEA. Now there's a phrase you would not have even imagined seeing a few years ago. Isn't it easier to roll them between your hands anyway?
62. 36-Across, e.g.: BEND. I didn't see this while I was solving the puzzle, the crosses must have filled it in for me.
63. Ode creator: POET.
64. Not as current: OLDER.
65. Mex. title: SRTA. Señorita. Lots of diacriticals today. By the way, ñ is a distinct letter in Spanish (enye), it's not "en-tilde". There was an LAT crossword a few years ago where the then editor Rich Norris allowed that as fill which quite surprised me.
66. Feminine pronoun: SHE.
67. Best of the best: ELITE.
Down:
1. Diagrams on golf score cards, often: MAPS. Hole-by hole diagram on the back of the card.
2. Pentathlon sword: EPÉE.
3. MLB semifinal: NLCS. National League Championship Series in Major League Baseball. The Cubs and the Cardinals played a two-game series at the weekend in London. Both games sold out and were watched by more than 100,000 spectators, expat Americans, UK baseball fans and a whole lot of people who couldn't understand why the ball wasn't red, the bat wasn't flat and there were no wickets to be seen.
4. Religion based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak: SIKHISM.
5. Rugged ride, briefly: ATV. All-Terrain Vehicle.
6. Smudge: BLUR.
7. Lock screen readout: TIME. I liked the clue.
8. Third studio album re-released as a "Taylor's Version": SPEAK NOW. Not entirely accurate as of today; it hasn't yet been released. The release date is July 7th. Taylor Swift's own "director's cut" of her 2010 release.
9. Baltimore-to-Ocean City dir.: SSE. (Insert other Cities/Towns/States/Countries here)
10. Penicillin, for one: ANTIBIOTIC.
11. "You'll get a kick out of this ... ": FUNNY STORY.
12. "The Candy House" novelist Jennifer: EGAN.
14. Flower: BLOOM.
17. Kurylenko of "Black Widow": OLGA.
21. Falsehood: LIE.
24. Ginger __: ALE.
26. ACLU focus: RTS. What? This is awful. I would not in a million years have allowed myself to use this in a puzzle.
27. Fashion arbiter: TASTE MAKER.
28. "Bill Nye the Science Guy" staple: EXPERIMENT.
29. "Seascape" playwright: ALBEE.
30. Prefix with political: GEO.
31. Zoom meeting option: MUTE.
32. __ and chips: FISH. The best Fish and Chips I know come not from the UK, but from The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos here in California. Amazingly good. Run down there. You want the halibut, not the cod.
36. Cloverleaf segments: OFF RAMPS.
37. Gen __: X-ER.
40. Any of the Tetons: Abbr.: MTN. Ugh
42. Give permission: LET.
43. Hot: ON A ROLL.
45. Serene: ZEN.
46. Serene: QUIET.
47. Arm bone: ULNA.
50. Triangular sails: JIBS.
52. Milne bear: POOH. Here's the proper Pooh and Piglet drawn by E.H. Shepard, not the dreadful Disney versions.
56. Tech review site: C-NET.
57. French infinitive: ÊTRE.
59. Oral health org.: A.D.A.
61. Springfield barkeep: MOE.
1. Group with a Brain Training app: MENSA.
6. "Mic Drop" K-pop band: BTS. Amazing how quickly a K-pop band becomes a crossword staple. I think I read recently they are taking a break from recording/touring because they have to do their military service.
9. Secure: SAFE.
13. Advanced HS English course: AP LIT. Not sure I like "Advanced" in the clue here; AP stands for "Advanced Placement" so it's something of a repeat.
14. Minor disruption: BLIP.
15. Secure: SNUG.
18. Volcano on Sicily: ETNA.
19. Casual meeting: SESH.
20. Cosmetics giant that annually honors "Women of Worth": L'ORÉAL.
22. Place to retire: INN.
23. Parrot in Disney's "Aladdin": IAGO. New to me, but when the crosses filled "IAG" it was obvious.
25. Captain America co-creator Jack: KIRBY.
32. Dated telecommunication request: FAX ME. Who bought the first fax machine? That's some salesmanship right there. "Well, you can send letters over the phone. When someone else buys one. That you want to send letters to."
33. Sign of summer?: LEO.
34. Annual presidential address, for short: SOTU. State of the Union. I'm not sure I've seen it abbreviated before.
35. Web gateway co.: ISP.
36. Omega-shaped curve in a river: OXBOW. Eventually the river breaks through the meander and leaves behind an oxbow lake. In Australia they're called billabongs, in case you wondered what the jolly swagman sat beside in "Waltzing Matilda".
6. "Mic Drop" K-pop band: BTS. Amazing how quickly a K-pop band becomes a crossword staple. I think I read recently they are taking a break from recording/touring because they have to do their military service.
9. Secure: SAFE.
13. Advanced HS English course: AP LIT. Not sure I like "Advanced" in the clue here; AP stands for "Advanced Placement" so it's something of a repeat.
14. Minor disruption: BLIP.
15. Secure: SNUG.
18. Volcano on Sicily: ETNA.
19. Casual meeting: SESH.
20. Cosmetics giant that annually honors "Women of Worth": L'ORÉAL.
22. Place to retire: INN.
23. Parrot in Disney's "Aladdin": IAGO. New to me, but when the crosses filled "IAG" it was obvious.
25. Captain America co-creator Jack: KIRBY.
32. Dated telecommunication request: FAX ME. Who bought the first fax machine? That's some salesmanship right there. "Well, you can send letters over the phone. When someone else buys one. That you want to send letters to."
33. Sign of summer?: LEO.
34. Annual presidential address, for short: SOTU. State of the Union. I'm not sure I've seen it abbreviated before.
35. Web gateway co.: ISP.
36. Omega-shaped curve in a river: OXBOW. Eventually the river breaks through the meander and leaves behind an oxbow lake. In Australia they're called billabongs, in case you wondered what the jolly swagman sat beside in "Waltzing Matilda".
38. Tyke: TOT.
39. Education acronym: STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics program. Add Arts to the program and it becomes a STEAM.
41. Extra charge: FEE. Weird clue. Why "extra"?
42. France's longest river: LOIRE. Famous for the wonderful châteaux along its length. The Tour de France is starting soon and there are many aerial shots of them when the tour runs through the region.
48. Member of the underground economy?: MINER.
49. Sephora rival: ULTA. Thank you, crosses
50. Sticky situation: JAM.
51. Lap top protector: NAPKIN. Nice clue
54. Tear: RACE.
58. Furniture chain that is developing a 3D-printed meatball: IKEA. Now there's a phrase you would not have even imagined seeing a few years ago. Isn't it easier to roll them between your hands anyway?
62. 36-Across, e.g.: BEND. I didn't see this while I was solving the puzzle, the crosses must have filled it in for me.
63. Ode creator: POET.
64. Not as current: OLDER.
65. Mex. title: SRTA. Señorita. Lots of diacriticals today. By the way, ñ is a distinct letter in Spanish (enye), it's not "en-tilde". There was an LAT crossword a few years ago where the then editor Rich Norris allowed that as fill which quite surprised me.
66. Feminine pronoun: SHE.
67. Best of the best: ELITE.
Down:
1. Diagrams on golf score cards, often: MAPS. Hole-by hole diagram on the back of the card.
2. Pentathlon sword: EPÉE.
3. MLB semifinal: NLCS. National League Championship Series in Major League Baseball. The Cubs and the Cardinals played a two-game series at the weekend in London. Both games sold out and were watched by more than 100,000 spectators, expat Americans, UK baseball fans and a whole lot of people who couldn't understand why the ball wasn't red, the bat wasn't flat and there were no wickets to be seen.
4. Religion based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak: SIKHISM.
5. Rugged ride, briefly: ATV. All-Terrain Vehicle.
6. Smudge: BLUR.
7. Lock screen readout: TIME. I liked the clue.
8. Third studio album re-released as a "Taylor's Version": SPEAK NOW. Not entirely accurate as of today; it hasn't yet been released. The release date is July 7th. Taylor Swift's own "director's cut" of her 2010 release.
9. Baltimore-to-Ocean City dir.: SSE. (Insert other Cities/Towns/States/Countries here)
10. Penicillin, for one: ANTIBIOTIC.
11. "You'll get a kick out of this ... ": FUNNY STORY.
12. "The Candy House" novelist Jennifer: EGAN.
14. Flower: BLOOM.
17. Kurylenko of "Black Widow": OLGA.
21. Falsehood: LIE.
24. Ginger __: ALE.
26. ACLU focus: RTS. What? This is awful. I would not in a million years have allowed myself to use this in a puzzle.
27. Fashion arbiter: TASTE MAKER.
28. "Bill Nye the Science Guy" staple: EXPERIMENT.
29. "Seascape" playwright: ALBEE.
30. Prefix with political: GEO.
31. Zoom meeting option: MUTE.
32. __ and chips: FISH. The best Fish and Chips I know come not from the UK, but from The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos here in California. Amazingly good. Run down there. You want the halibut, not the cod.
36. Cloverleaf segments: OFF RAMPS.
37. Gen __: X-ER.
40. Any of the Tetons: Abbr.: MTN. Ugh
42. Give permission: LET.
43. Hot: ON A ROLL.
45. Serene: ZEN.
46. Serene: QUIET.
47. Arm bone: ULNA.
50. Triangular sails: JIBS.
52. Milne bear: POOH. Here's the proper Pooh and Piglet drawn by E.H. Shepard, not the dreadful Disney versions.
53. Swiss artist Paul: KLEE.
55. German auto: AUDI. Auto Union. Here's the logo from the 30's.
55. German auto: AUDI. Auto Union. Here's the logo from the 30's.
56. Tech review site: C-NET.
57. French infinitive: ÊTRE.
59. Oral health org.: A.D.A.
61. Springfield barkeep: MOE.
Here's the grid, and my work here is done!
Steve
I must say, I didn’t find this as difficult as the “standard “ Friday puzzle. For one thing, there was little to no misdirection, and few obscurities. And by the time I got to “Hertz:Frequency “ I had a pretty good idea of the theme. That’s pretty much all I have to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteOddly high amount of subpar short fill. But hey, this is a pangram, which is totally what's important, not cleaning up the fill. I liked the theme a lot though.
ReplyDeleteWhat does RTS even mean? As a non-American seeing ACLU as the answer to a ton of org. clues (and sometimes even mixing it up with UCLA because acronyms are hard to keep track of), I have no idea what ACLU actually does.
rts = rights = “Civil Liberties”
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteWow, good to see you back for a visit, Steve. It's been awhile. Couldn't understand how NAPKIN could be a "Labtop protector." D'oh. Needed my trusty Wite-Out to correct BLot to BLUR. But d-o managed to suss the theme, so there's that. Those stacked vertical 10's were very nice. I really liked this one. Was it a debut for Spencer Leach? Well done, in any case.
Anon@5:21 -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) crusades for individual RighTS.
ReplyDeleteHey, all!
ReplyDeleteJust a random stranger popping in to wish C.C. a very happy birthday.
FIW, getting careless at SESs x SIKsISM. Erased snag for BLIP, bed for INN, rend for RACE, and name for TIME. Don't know how long it took me, but I'll guess it was 22.4 minutes.
ReplyDeleteFAX machines were a revolutionary tool. Yeah, we had Telex, Telegram and TWX, but they were expensive to use, and you couldn't send diagrams or pictures. "We would love to get started on your order Jinx, but we must have a signed purchase order before we can act." No prob, what's your FAX number? They were originally big and expensive and lived in the mail/repro center, but soon became smaller, easier to use, and much less expensive. Spam faxes soon followed.
OK, I'll admit it. I got UTLA before a single perp appeared. Where do I surrender my Man Card?
I also filled in IKEA after reading "furniture chain...". It has become so ubiquitous that I could get it from "chain furniture store at latitude 42.06 by longitude -88.04" without looking it up.
At first I didn't like "MAPS on scorecards." But then I remembered they usually have a map of each hole, just not of the course layout. When I play a courses for the first time I often find it tricky to get from one green to the next tee. Members don't need good signage, and are loathe to pay for it. I have seen the course MAP printed on scorecards, but not often.
Best FISH and chips? My money is on Ye Olde Kings Head in Santa Monica. If it's still there.
Thanks to Spencer for the easyish Friday grid, and to Steve for the guided tour.
Took 6:33 today for me to measure this one.
ReplyDeleteThe written word was not kind to me today, as I didn't know today's novelist (Egan), playwright (Albee), or comic book co-creator (Kirby). Sikhism was a guess.
I agree with the sarcastic comment above about placing too much importance on a pangram.
In my opinion, lately, Friday puzzles have become too easy, and Saturday puzzles too tricky.
This was an amusing theme, made easier for me since it was filled with science terms.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of PECK VOLUME before, but PECK made me think of the song from "Guys and Dolls" "I love you a bushel and a peck". There are four pecks in a bushel, so a bushel is a LOT of produce. My grandma used to sing that song to us and would sign off her letters to us with that. And who could forget Peter and his PECK of pickled peppers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9QvGVX-gG8
We still do FAXing in the medical field because not everyone is on the same electronic health record, so we send orders to skilled nursing facilities or assisted living or get results from hospitals not on our system.
I like Ivar's in Seattle for FISH and chips.
"The OX-BOW Incident" (famous western novel and movie) must have occurred at an OX-Bow on a river in Nevada where it was set.
Thanks Steve for filling in with a fun blog and Spencer for the puzzle!
FIR. Welcome back Barry G. Been a while. I used to look forward to reading your comments back in the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I follow the theme when it comes to mole amount, but that didn't stop me from solving this typical Friday puzzle.
KS - "mole" is a way to represent a standard amount of molecular stuff, namely 6.022 to the 23rd power molecules of that stuff. Quite a few. How many atoms are in a mole of pure gold? 6.022 x 10^23. How many molecules are in a mole of pure carbon dioxide? 6.022 x 10^23.
ReplyDeleteThank you random stranger!
ReplyDeleteI would have never known today is CC's birthday!
you deserve a belated birthday cake!
Happy Birthday CC!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI think this may be the first time in my crossword-solving career that I had no idea of the theme until I read Steve’s explanation. I foolishly thought itwas a play on words type theme, e.g., Peck Volume/Peak Volume but, of course, none of the other themers fit that theory*, so I was totally flummoxed. I could blame my struggles on enduring the non-stop noise and pounding of the roofers, which went on from 8:00 am until after 6:00 pm, but the truth is I just didn’t understand the commonality of the measurements, especially Mole Amount*. (Whole Amount?) Not surprisingly, I just discovered one of my ceramic Bichon knick-knacks on the floor, courtesy of one of the roofer’s vigorous pounding, no doubt.
Thanks, Spencer, even though our wave lengths were miles apart and thanks, Steve, for clearing the cobwebs and confusion about the theme. Thanks, also, for pinch hitting for Master Moe!
Best wishes for a very Happy Birthday, dear CC. 🎂🎊🎉🎈🥳 (Thanks, Barry, for the reminder.)
Have a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Best golf of my life yesterday, .9” of rain overnight, a wonderful Friday puzzle and Steve returning to the fold! Life is good!
-Units of measure for this science teacher was a hoot.
-Having SNAG instead of BLIP was a, uh, minor disruption
-You’ve got some miles on your tires if you remember Durward KIRBY
-An OXBOW of the formerly capricious Missouri River means you have to drive through Iowa for two minutes to get from Omaha to its Eppley Airfield
-Speaking of meandering, A course MAP is very helpful at Tatanka Golf Course in Nebraska’s Sandhills
-Penicillin was one of those “accidental” discoveries that changed the world
-All the casino ads show some somebody celebrating while ON A ROLL at the slots
-Happy Birthday to our beloved Ringmistress, C.C.!
Oddish clue/answers. But a FRI FIR
ReplyDeleteInkovers: faxit/FAXME, overpass/OFFRAMPS (shoulda known, the clue implied a plural), rend with dire (rip with Fr. infinitive "to say")/RACE with ÊTRE ("to be")
HERTZFREQUENCY....You can put together an airline trip online and print your boarding pass at home...but even though you reserve a car rental online unless you've coughed up the extra fee...you still hafta stand in (a sometimes forever long) line at rental counter to get the car just so the agent can try to up-sell you or get you to pay for car insurance and other stuff you don't want or need. Grrrr (people standing in line with me often have to suffer the above rant, 🙉)
Learnt from HS Earth Sci. class..an OXBOW lake is the final stage of a silted up meandering river. ELITES are not necessarily the best of anything. "SNUG as a SAFE in a wall"... I read "The Candy House", didn't recall the author.
Although I keep forgetting what it stands for at least I remembered STEM, same with the non-word SESH (who says that anyway?) Only knew ULTA cuz we just had it. Liked "lap top protector" According to the French, TETONS come in pairs (oh those "mountains"..sorry 🤭)....OLDER: I'm "not as current" as my younger brov. Forget the "meatball" IKEA should sell 3D printers that make the furniture. 🪑
Offensive oder: derogatory____ ...POET
Snooze...NAPKIN
Diminutive homepage icon....APLIT
Agree with what one of the Anonymi @7:15 said.. Friday puzzles getting easier...Saturdays harder. The "hardness " gap widening.
Happy Birthday to CC, thank you for all the work you continue to put into the Corner. Just received your book from Amazon. Perfect for puzzle doing on trips.
ReplyDeleteJinx would know a JIB from a ?
ReplyDeleteVery slow filling this P&P low but cleverly clued xword. Themes were gettable which helped a bunch. Once Mr Stupidity ledlft the room FAXME,ICP,RTS dropped. Looking back:"That wasn't so hard". Let's see how the STEM guys did.
Oh yeah, the cross of NLC(onf)S(eries) with SESH for session was last fill. I misread meeting as verb not noun.
In 1958 AP was called accelerated. But they overlooked how to grade the more difficult courses vis a vis the regular college prep. All the college saw was C+/B- which were equivalent to B+/A-
There was an incident occurring at an BEND of a river
Ah, Taylor is Swift. Not so for me
Deep frying halibut? Excuse me while I rend my tunic
WC
Good Morning! Thought it was an apt Friday puzzle. Thanks, Spencer.
ReplyDeleteFinished the south on my own with some WOs. CNET in-out-in, Opel -> AUDI.
Nice misdirection: MINER.
North was more of a challenge. Blot -> BLUR, SESs -> SESH. Had to google IAGO. WAG: KIRBY, OLGA. Perps for SPEAKNOW, OXBOW.
Thanks, Steve for bringing it all together.
Thank you Spencer for a relatively easy Friday fling, which I nevertheless flubbed by one letter.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you Steve for the recap. Good to have you back.
Someone asked if this was Spencer's debut, but it appears that he had at least one other appearance on December 19, 2022, reviewed by sumdaze.
I'll start with my DOWN fall: 3D NLCS. I couldn't figure out how to shoehorn E(ast) or W(est) into this and settled for SEEH (?). Of course NLCS/SESH made perfect sense when I saw them.
A few favs:
38A STEM. Add E for English and you get STEME. Being able to write clearly is a critical skill in science and technology. It doesn't matter how fantastic your discovery or invention is, if you can't describe it to your target audience (users, other scientists, science reporters, etc.) it is much less useful.
58A IKEA. 3D-printed meatballs sounds like a solution searching for a problem, when the solution already exists.
60A MOLE AMOUNT. This is also called the GRAM MOLECULAR WEIGHT, which is used in ceramic glaze recipes to calculate the Unity Formula, a way of computing the ratios of fluxes:alumina:silica. Knowing these ratios helps when comparing glazes, substituting equivalent materials, and also modifying the glaze characteristics if needed.
Cheers,
Bill
Once I got HERTZ, I had a feeling the theme had to do with measurements so I was able to confidently enter TESLA. Otherwise Many unknowns that I was able to guess or get with perps without looking anything up.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the clue for NAPKIN.
A 3D meatball??
My soon to be 9 years old great nephew will get a week-long fencing camp for his golden birthday. Who knew that near my house there was a fencing school.
Happy birthday 🎉🎂🎈🎊 to CC.
Easiest puzzle of the week. What wouldn't perp, Wagged. My longest streak of FIRs in awhile. Will have to see what Saturday brings! Happy birthday, CC!
ReplyDeleteTante, Hope your great nephew learns all the important aspects of fencing - barbed wire, chain link, picket, split rail, lattice, etc.
ReplyDeleteGary - I didn't know Durward Kirby until Rocky and Bullwinkle introduced the Kirwood Derby. Whoever wore that chapeau became the smartest person in the world. I also didn't know Hedy Lamarr until Mel Brooks introduced Headley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles. Oh, I get it now!
Well what do you know? Old unclefred managed to FIR. On a Friday. In reasonable time. I agree with others, Laptop cover = NAPKIN is the best clue/fill. An awful lot of names today, by my count 17. I knew about half, the rest needed perps. Clever theme, cute theme fills. Having taught high school chemistry many, many moons ago, a mole as the number of atoms or molecules of a substance in one gram molecular weight pops into my head, but could be wrong. It’s been 50 years since I taught. Overall a fun CW, thanx, SL. Thanx too to Steve for the terrific write-up. Today is C.C.’s birthday? Why didn’t I know that. Gotta mark it in my electric brain (iPhone). Happy Birthday, C.C.!!!
ReplyDeleteThere was a whore on the LOIRE
ReplyDeleteWho doted on pinot noir.
She'd discount her pay
When approached in café
With a bottle sent to her boudoir!
The POET is the ELITE of LIT.
He must write with wisdom and wit.
But, in addition,
He needs erudition
To make rhyme and rhythm to fit!
{A-, A.}
ReplyDeleteI'm bothered by the outlier. PECK is an Imperial system unit, while the other three are scientific units. Since peck was the first one to find, the rest weren't quite as easy. Also, i didn't know Tesla in that context.
By the time I got to Tesla Magnetism I understood what Peck Volume meant and the rest followed. One that I got but don’t ‘get’ is Moe for ‘Springfield Barkeep’…. Anyone?
ReplyDeleteRay - O @9:29 AM I flew to Alabama about 2 years ago to attend a nephew's wedding and rented a Hertz car online. NEVER AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteHBD C.C. 🎂🎈🎀🎁🎉 You don't look a day over 30!!!
uncle @11:44 AM Yer right. What's really remarkable is that that number is always 6.02214076×10²³ for all molecules.
OKL @12:11 PM You are an astute and imperious critic!
Cheers,
Bill
Anonymous @ 12:36 ~ Moe is the tavern owner in the TV Simpsons’ home town of Springfield. Said trivia learned from crosswords, not actual viewing knowledge. 🤣
ReplyDeleteAhhh… I hate Simpson refs… never seen it .. lol. Thank you.
DeleteHG @ 9:07 ~ Congrats on your memorable day on the course. You must have heeded Wilbur’s advice! 🏌️♀️⛳️
ReplyDeleteNeat Friday puzzle, many thanks, Spencer. And your commentary was great, Steve, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, this puzzle had some nice challenges, so I wasn't ON A ROLL right away. But MENSA got me off to a SAFE start, and I began to feel pretty SNUG when I saw that BLOOM. By then I got myself a NAPKIN, hoping for some great food, but at least I got started with some ginger ALE but still waited until finally some FISH arrived. Oh well, better just to focus on the arts, with credit to the novels of Jennifer EGAN and the work of the artist Paul KLEE--both pretty ELITE, and even a POET before it was all over. Not bad for a Friday.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Forgot to say happy POETs day to everyone! [urinate] On Everything, Tomorrow's Saturday!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteDFOMO - Didn't finish on my own :-(
Great puzzle, Spencer. I didn't catch the theme until Hertz Frequency 'cuz I was thinking A->C (maybe ABC sub?) w/ PEaK VOLUME [Hi IM!]... HERTZ's AHA! finished off MAGNATISM and made MOLE AMOUNT obvious. Fun with measure ;-) !
I've so missed your voice in expos, Steve. Critical clue/fill reviews, funny asides, a little learning -- a smashing good show all around.
Google: EGAN - that broke/finished the NE and my grid.
WOs: nEO->GEO & PKs -> MTN
ESPs: KIRBY,
Fav: NAPKIN - LOL, two words: lap top.
{A, A}
Barry G? Is it you? -- I like the updated photo in your avatar pic.
And a very happy birthday to our Founder, C.C.!
FAX - my 1st consulting gig (post DOD stint) was for a stuffy energy company. Suit and tie, no rubber soles, and every correspondence with customers was by post (Fax was too impersonal). They didn't even have email (this was in '98 and they were a nationwide propane co.!). Anyway, I helped take them kicking & screaming to internet connectivity by mid '99 (while I kept telling the ladies the CD tray was not for their teacup).
Jinx @11:22 - lol fencing. And, isn't it wonderful what learning we can pickup while laughing at silly cartoons and outrageous movies?
HG - yeah, the casino adds never show the guy with one chip left and an empty beer on the blackjack table. Maybe I'm just not photogenic.
Cheers, -T
Waz @ 12:53
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it's the same dog and pony show with all the car rental companies.
Jinx in Norfolk @ 11:22
How silly to imply Tante Niques nephew is taking a course in building fences. But once he gets good at "fencing"..I do have some goods maybe he can sell for me at a profit ,no questions asked..😉
Ray-O, thanks for setting me straight. Don't forget about me when you are trying to get rid of some of the stuff that "fell off the truck."
ReplyDelete-T: Silly? Those shows weren't documentaries?
I just finished reading The Story of Arthur Truluv and would like to thank my fellow Cornerite who recommended it. I’m sorry I can’t remember who mentioned it, but I’m grateful for the suggestion as I enjoyed it very much. 😉
ReplyDeleteBTW, I was disappointed to learn that the next season of All Creatures Great And Small is not scheduled until 2024. 😟
Thank you, Spencer, for a challenging-to-me puzzle. My FIR felt well-earned.
ReplyDeleteHand up for liking "Lap top protector" best.
Happy birthday to C.C.!! Wishing you a lovely day!!
I enjoyed your write-up, Steve! Thanks for sharing your take on the puzzle.
FLN: Safe travels to Picard. I look forward to seeing your photos.
Oh, and H-Gary @ 9:07. Please tell us more about your amazing gold day.
ReplyDeleteA lot easier puzzle than Thursday's with a scientific theme- Peck for volume, Tesla and Hertz for physics, and Mole for chemistry. My only write-over was spelling LOREIL for LOREAL with SPEAK NOW as my last fill. Not a Swift fan and Speak Now was all perps.
ReplyDeleteFAX ME- I took DW's car into the shop this morning and as I was walking into the office the FAX was receiving multiple pages of old invoices. Other than a dedicated phone line (or secondary ring #), many times it's easier and faster to FAX something than to scan and email, not to mention a lot simpler. Emails can be ignored. I still send )but don't receive) FAX messages. Just plug in a phone line to my printer-vopier=scanner-FAX all-in-one MFC.
OXBOW lakes- The Mississippi created a lot of them down here.
MOLE AMOUNT- just the molecular weight in grams-KISS.
From Yesterday and Today:
ReplyDeleteWilbur Charles and sumdaze Thank you for the kind words about my photos and for the good travel wishes!
Hand up I enjoyed today's theme. I loved the science measures TESLA, HERTZ and MOLE. Which left me mystified about PECK. That was the last to fill, with the unknown MAPS, NLCS, SIKHISM as clued. I realize now it was all kinds of units, not just science ones. IAGO/OLGA cross a WAG. FIR.
My freshman physics professor liked to talk about "furlongs per fortnight" as a legitimate but unwieldy unit of measure. We are still in touch.
This lovely SRTA performed recently at a street party here downtown.
Anon at 5:20AM Thank you for asking what the ACLU actually does. My brother and his friends published a newspaper in junior high that was very high quality. It also talked about what was going on with the US War in Vietnam and other world news being ignored in the school.
The reward for their ambitious work? The principal confiscated the newspapers and forbid distribution. It took an ACLU lawyer to educate the principal about the First Amendment of the Constitution.
During the run-up to the 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq, I was arrested while on assignment as a journalist, covering a local rally. The ACLU rushed to my aid.
Before the creation of the ACLU there was little or no enforcement of any Constitutional protections. Horrific tortures in prison were common and speech and religious freedoms were routinely trampled. It took courageous and generous ACLU volunteer lawyers to take on these RighTS cases and raise awareness that those rights really meant something.
Thank you again for asking!
And thank you again for the good travel wishes!
Picard @5:44 PM The ACLU appears frequently in the puzzles. In a review I did a month or so back we discovered that surprisingly one of its founders was Helen Keller. Thanks in part to her, Justice is not blind in America.
Deletewaseeley Thank you for the helpful comments about the ACLU and Helen Keller. Hard to believe that it was just about 100 years ago it was founded. And scary to think how few enforced RighTS we had before that.
ReplyDeleteIt took many battles of the ACLU before the Supreme Court to make some progress. And there has been much back sliding as well. Thank you!
Happy Birthday CC!
ReplyDeleteThank you Picard for this info re the ACLU. I am a member and did not know these facts. Their work will be needed more than ever to sort out the latest rulings of the Supreme Court.
Some great ones (MINER and NAPKIN) and a coupla duds (RTS and APLIT) but overall a fun run. FIR so I guess I should not nitpick…and a great review, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd one more Happy Birthday wish to C.C. — thanks for keeping this site hummin’ along!
====> Darren / L.A.
Anonymous at 8:45PM Thank you very much for the kind words. I am honored that I was able to provide some helpful information and grateful that you took this as a learning moment. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteDear C.C., hope you had a lovely birthday today. May this year be kinder to you than the last one.
ReplyDeleteAm late getting to the computer today.