Hello Cornerites!
I searched this blog and did not find another entry from Angela Kinsella Olson, so this may be her LAT debut. If that is the case, congratulations to Angela!!
Our theme: 
Today Angela has given us 3 themed answers. They are:
17 Across. *"She Don't Use Jelly" band, with "The": FLAMING LIPS.
The FLAMING Lips She Don't Use Jelly (1993)
They have 3 Grammy Awards but none for this song.
26 Across. *Mel Brooks Western starring Cleavon Little: BLAZING SADDLES.
Angela, you have made Anonymous T very happy because now I have a reason to link these "Top 10 Scenes".
Blazing Saddles (1974) 6:43 min.
46 Across. *Enthusiastic praise: GLOWING TRIBUTE.
High praise, indeed!
What do these 3 answers have in common? Let's look at the reveal:
63 Across. 1980 Stephen King novel, and what the answer to each starred clue literally has?: FIRESTARTER.
The book, Firestarter, was made into a movie in 1984 starring Drew Barrymore and again in 2022 starring Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
It's probably best to not overthink this one. FLAMING, BLAZING, AND GLOWING are all FIRE-related words and are the STARTing words to the themed clues. Full stop.
Overthink it #1. You can START a (bigger) FIRE if you have a FLAMING torch, BLAZING campfire, or GLOWING ember. I do not think this is what Angela meant because there is no mention of anything along the lines of a torch, campfire, or ember.
Overthink it #2. All three can be the START word in a FIRE phrase of the form "____ FIRE". So, we would have FLAMING FIRE, BLAZING FIRE, and GLOWING FIRE. To me, "FLAMING" feels the weakest of those three but perhaps it is a regional thing.
Am I missing something??? Your thoughts?
1. Some rodent pets: MICE.
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| You can buy this teeny beanie for your pet mouse on Etsy. |
5. Nancy in the National Women's Hall of Fame: PELOSI. Ranker's list of famous Nancys
11. Reno's st.: NEV. "State" is abbreviated, so is "Nevada".
How do you pronounce "Nevada"? Do you pronounce it (nuh-vad-uh) or (nuh-vah-duh) ?
In this clip, the campaign advisor is trying to correct the politician's pronunciation. It turns out, locals like it when you know how to pronounce the name of their state.
14. Water or elec.: UTIL. "Electricity" is shortened, so is "UTILities".
15. Buildings in the Pueblo Revival style, e.g.: ADOBES. Here is an HGTV article on Pueblo Revival Architecture. Also, Monterey was California's first capital city so it is home to many historical ADOBES. This webpage has a list of several of them with photos and a short description of each. The Cooper-Molera ADOBE (11th on the list) is one of my favorite lunch spots.
16. Hockey surface: ICE.
19. "Not happy!": GRR.
20. One of the Bobbsey Twins: FLOSSIE.
Veep starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. "Nevada or Nevaaaada" (17 sec.)
14. Water or elec.: UTIL. "Electricity" is shortened, so is "UTILities".
15. Buildings in the Pueblo Revival style, e.g.: ADOBES. Here is an HGTV article on Pueblo Revival Architecture. Also, Monterey was California's first capital city so it is home to many historical ADOBES. This webpage has a list of several of them with photos and a short description of each. The Cooper-Molera ADOBE (11th on the list) is one of my favorite lunch spots.
16. Hockey surface: ICE.
19. "Not happy!": GRR.
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| Remember this from the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes? Definitely "not happy"! |
20. One of the Bobbsey Twins: FLOSSIE.
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| The older pair were Bert & Nan. The younger pair were Freddie & FLOSSIE. |
21. Ticket marketplace with a rhyming name: STUBHUB. StubHub is an American ticket exchange and resale company. It provides services for buyers and sellers of tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live entertainment events. By 2015, it was the world's largest ticket marketplace.
23. Self-storage rental: UNIT.
25. "Dig in!": EAT.
33. Brand in the eye care aisle: RE-NU.
34. Charged particle: ION.
35. Ailing: ILL.
36. __ Roll: TOOTSIE.
39. Mensch: NICE GUY.
42. Trivial criticism: NIT. See 8D.
43. __ of Reason: AGE. The AGE of reason is generally used as a synonym for the Enlightenment Period (17th & 18th centuries Europe). It is also the title of a book by Thomas Paine, published in 3 parts (1794, 1795, & 1807). Nowadays, the term can be used to describe the time in life when one begins to be able to distinguish right from wrong.
45. Med. condition treated by Ritalin: ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
51. "Hamilton" creator __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
52. Ward of "FBI": SELA.
53. Blunder: MISTAKE. and 61 Down. Prints the wrong tickets, say: ERRS.
57. The U.S., in México: EL NORTE. The accent mark in the clue is a hint that the answer will be in Spanish.
62. Ballpark fig.: EST. "Figure" is abbreviated, so is "ESTimate".
65. "The __ of Pooh": TAO. goodreads link
66. Cousin of the Bradys: OLIVER. This clue refers to the 1969-74 TV show, The Brady Bunch. The addition of younger children to sitcoms that seem to have run their course, in an attempt to improve declining ratings, is known as "Cousin OLIVER Syndrome". These attempts generally fail.
23. Self-storage rental: UNIT.
25. "Dig in!": EAT.
33. Brand in the eye care aisle: RE-NU.
34. Charged particle: ION.
35. Ailing: ILL.
36. __ Roll: TOOTSIE.
39. Mensch: NICE GUY.
42. Trivial criticism: NIT. See 8D.
43. __ of Reason: AGE. The AGE of reason is generally used as a synonym for the Enlightenment Period (17th & 18th centuries Europe). It is also the title of a book by Thomas Paine, published in 3 parts (1794, 1795, & 1807). Nowadays, the term can be used to describe the time in life when one begins to be able to distinguish right from wrong.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) "a veritable AGE of reason" (1:48 min.)
45. Med. condition treated by Ritalin: ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
51. "Hamilton" creator __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
52. Ward of "FBI": SELA.
53. Blunder: MISTAKE. and 61 Down. Prints the wrong tickets, say: ERRS.
57. The U.S., in México: EL NORTE. The accent mark in the clue is a hint that the answer will be in Spanish.
62. Ballpark fig.: EST. "Figure" is abbreviated, so is "ESTimate".
65. "The __ of Pooh": TAO. goodreads link
66. Cousin of the Bradys: OLIVER. This clue refers to the 1969-74 TV show, The Brady Bunch. The addition of younger children to sitcoms that seem to have run their course, in an attempt to improve declining ratings, is known as "Cousin OLIVER Syndrome". These attempts generally fail.
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| Cousin OLIVER appeared in the last 6 episodes of the 5th and final season of The Brady Bunch. Coincidence??? If you do not remember OLIVER, it could be because of the Cousin OLIVER Syndrome. |
67. Brewery output: BEER.
69. "__ on me": "I'm delicate": GO EASY.
70. IRS form figures: SSNS.
Down:
1. Play awkwardly, as a ground ball: MUFF. A MUFF is when a player touches the ball without successfully holding it.
In fashion, a MUFF is an elegant accessory designed to keep both hands warm. I was surprised to learn that in the 1600s they were worn by both men and women. Here is a short history of the hand MUFF.
2. "'__ be fun,' they said ... ": IT'LL. 
3. "Adieu," across the Alps: CIAO.
4. Stately trees: ELMS.
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| The Smithsonian Witness Elm has seen 33 U.S. presidents. |
5. Sandwich made with a press: PANINI.
6. Enter unobtrusively: EDGE IN.
7. "haha! ur a riot!": LOL. The "ur" is a hint that the answer will be textspeak.
8. Japanese sashes: OBIS. "OBI" is a Japanese word but in Japanese you do not create a plural by adding an S. Although I do not like to see this done, I can accept that it is common practice.
9. Mo. many Virgos are born: SEPT. birthdates Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
10. Sent out: ISSUED. like a magazine or a decree
11. Device for one who's afraid of the dark: NIGHT LIGHT.
12. Beige shade: ECRU. I've always been a sucker for an ECRU cable knit sweater.
13. Action word: VERB.
18. Old Rodeos, e.g.: ISUZUS. That capital R was a hint. (Yes, ugh, another English pluralization of a Japanese word....)
6. Enter unobtrusively: EDGE IN.
7. "haha! ur a riot!": LOL. The "ur" is a hint that the answer will be textspeak.
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| Get it? They're laughing hyenas. LOL! |
8. Japanese sashes: OBIS. "OBI" is a Japanese word but in Japanese you do not create a plural by adding an S. Although I do not like to see this done, I can accept that it is common practice.
9. Mo. many Virgos are born: SEPT. birthdates Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
10. Sent out: ISSUED. like a magazine or a decree
11. Device for one who's afraid of the dark: NIGHT LIGHT.
12. Beige shade: ECRU. I've always been a sucker for an ECRU cable knit sweater.
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| Don't they look cozy? |
18. Old Rodeos, e.g.: ISUZUS. That capital R was a hint. (Yes, ugh, another English pluralization of a Japanese word....)
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| They were sold in 1988 - 2004. |
22. Defective: BAD.
24. __ Fridays: TGI.
26. Oven setting: BROIL.
27. "Anna Karenina" writer: LEO TOLSTOY. Spoiler alert:
28. Picnic pest: ANT.
29. Male offspring: SON.
30. Singer DiFranco: ANI.
31. Dodge: ELUDE. Sometimes EvaDE works.
32. __ as a fox: SLY.
36. "Star Trek" series, familiarly: TNG. The Next Generation
37. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN.
38. Cobb salad ingredient: EGG.
40. Poolside structure: CABANA.
41. College URL part: EDU.
44. Aliens, for short: ETS.
47. Wisdom partner: WIT. A good XWD puzzle has a bit of both.
48. Recovering from anesthesia, say: IN A FOG.
49. __ Pieces: REESES.
24. __ Fridays: TGI.
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| Never mind that it's only Monday. |
27. "Anna Karenina" writer: LEO TOLSTOY. Spoiler alert:
29. Male offspring: SON.
30. Singer DiFranco: ANI.
31. Dodge: ELUDE. Sometimes EvaDE works.
32. __ as a fox: SLY.
36. "Star Trek" series, familiarly: TNG. The Next Generation
 |
| CSO to Picard! |
At Seventeen (1975) was Janis Ian's most successful single on the American charts.
Perhaps a bit crunchy for a Monday...
38. Cobb salad ingredient: EGG.
40. Poolside structure: CABANA.
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| Looks like a lovely place to solve XWD puzzles! |
44. Aliens, for short: ETS.
47. Wisdom partner: WIT. A good XWD puzzle has a bit of both.
48. Recovering from anesthesia, say: IN A FOG.
49. __ Pieces: REESES.
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| They are like M&Ms ... but with peanut butter on the inside. |
50. Possible reply to "Will you be there?": I'LL TRY.
53. Max Scherzer's squad: METS. Born 7/27/84, Maxwell Martin Scherzer is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Dodgers...but you probably already knew that.
54. "Out of Africa" writer Dinesen: ISAK.
55. Metric weight: KILO. I'm a fan because I weigh less in KILOs. 😉
56. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
58. Heavenly bodies, poetically: ORBS.
59. GPS suggestions: RTES. RouTES
60. __ Choice Awards: TEEN. Here are some facts you might not (want to) know:
54. "Out of Africa" writer Dinesen: ISAK.
55. Metric weight: KILO. I'm a fan because I weigh less in KILOs. 😉
56. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
58. Heavenly bodies, poetically: ORBS.
59. GPS suggestions: RTES. RouTES
60. __ Choice Awards: TEEN. Here are some facts you might not (want to) know:
The first TEEN Choice Awards were held in 1999.
The last TEEN Choice Awards were held in 2019.
Winners get a custom-made surfboard.
One Direction has the most wins at 28.
64. Actress Longoria: EVA.
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| Easy-on-the-eyes EVA was recently on the cover of Parade magazine. |
And now for the grid:
I hope this write-up answered any questions you might have had. I flame to please!
Notes from C.C.:
Here is a picture of our fun-loving Sumdaze and her dog. She lives near the ocean and loves getting into the water.
You can also click here and see all the pictures of our current and past bloggers and commenters. Email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in the Blog Photos section.
35 comments:
I positively loved BLAZING SADDLES!
It makes us L. O. L. till it addles!
It's a shame that today
P. C. says, "No way!"
And so satire simply skedaddles!
Mel Brooks deserves a GLOWING TRIBUTE
For making us laugh in our youth!
Some day this old ORB
Will Grundys absorb,
And we will laugh P. C. police to mute!
{A, A-.}
Good morning!
Started right off with RATS and REAGAN. (Have I ever mentioned...?) The theme was easy to suss, even though d-o failed to read the complete reveal clue. This was a nice start to the week. Thanx, AKO (nice debut) and Sumdaze. (Thanx for 'splainin' FLOSSIE. I only new of Bert and Nan. And what a coincidence, I weigh less in KILOs, too.)
It may just be me, but this puzzle seemed somewhat more “crunchy “ than the usual Monday puzzle. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before I had whipped it into shape. FIR, so I’m happy.
Definitely a bit much for a Monday, and I HATED the number of names in it, by my count 18, some of them impossibly obscure. Max Scherzer? Well, O.K., looking over the CW I see not that many obscure, actually. Anyway, I did manage to FIR in much more time than a typical Monday: 21 minutes vs. a usual 12 or so. I did get the theme with the second theme clue. My first guess was that it was gonna be a rhyming theme, once I had STUBHUB and NIGHTLIGHT. It took FLAMING and BLAZING to have the real theme FIRE up in my brain. Quite a workout for a Monday, AKO. Thanx for the great write-up, Sumdaze.
Just read OwenKL from last night...
The XKCD site was a rabbithole that Anonymous-T turned us onto about a year ago, and I think it took me 6 months of asking "how does it work" to accidentally click in the right place... it works by HTML by using the preview option. Unfortunately when you do click on the site, it is important to know what day it was (he doesn't post every day) and there is also a random day option.
The one you posted last nite is a special one that will take a big learning curve, (if I am looking at the same one as you are...)
The rocketship on the planetoid is controlled by holding your finger on the planet (when using iPad/cellphone, I guess computer would require a mouse) and when and where you land you will discover new messages. It is a real time sink!
I suggest you start with an easier one, such as the helium comic. I hope this works
Read the comic, then hold your finger (or mouse) in the middle to bring up the preview screen which will give you an extra message, usually quite humorous...
Hmm, ok, I just tried the spaceship one again, and 8 can't figure out how to control the rocket either...
But I did discover a giant planet in the upper right of the screen, and the starting orb now appears t9 be a moon...
I just can't get the rocket to move properly!
Any9ne? Help?
FIR without erasure, but didn't enjoy it much. Ditto U. Fred. But the puzzle had Blazing Saddles fill, so it's got that goin' for it.
OKL, from your fingertips to God's eyes. Here's hoping PC will soon be laughed out of town.
IAN was a snap. That haunting song is hard to forget. She can no longer sing due to scarring on her vocal fold.
Computer acting up so I'll post and restart before I lose my random thoughts. Thanks Sumdaze, especially for the Blazing Saddles coverage.
FIR, no problems. Just an easy Monday puzzle. Clever theme and good cluing. I enjoyed today's debut from Angela.
Nice and easy Monday as usual. I would go with SD first take on it - don't overthink it!
Along with NEVada - the people who get the touchiest about pronouncing their state right are those from Oregon and Colorado IMO!
Max Scherzer of the METS is one of those players who have played for multiple MLB teams because he is an ace and not because he is mediocre. He's been in the Majors for ~15 years and has multiple Cy Young awards and All-Star starts.
I'm assuming SD saying RODEOS was Japanese was tongue-in-cheek
I played "At Seventeen" with Janis IAN on repeat during my teens when I was feeling down.
Thanks SD for the fun blog and congrats to Angela!
Nice puzzle, I liked the rhyming NIGHTLIGHT and STUBHUB. Fire is glowing, blazing, and flaming. My clue for 54D would have been “Peace — — hand” and 68A would have been “Pig’s place.”
Again, too many names. And sorry, but there's been too many WNBA clues lately. No matter how much someone's trying to promote them, hardly anybody knows these, and unlikely to remember them because few people follow them. Well, I'll probably get nixed for being "politically incorrect" even though I'm presenting facts. Southwest corner was bad with one of those, combined with the author and Mets person.
Took 3:55 today for me to put the fire out.
Although I usually consider sports clues an area of strength for me, I didn't know which team that Scherzer plays for now, and I didn't know today's WNBA clue. Good thing I didn't see the Janis Ian clue, as I wouldn't have known that either.
Nice debut puzzle, and review.
Yes, today was an easy FIR. My only slip up was near the end where I put ERIE in the wrong place and entered "be" EASY. Perps soon straightened that out. Thanks for a nice warm debut puzzle, Angela. The theme was appropriate for a Monday.
Thanks, sumdaze, for figuring everything out for us and the fun extras in your review. We liked backpacking with the family and used a FIRE STARTER to get the campfire going. Sitting around the fire was our evening entertainment.
Hope you all have a good start to the week!
Good Morning! I found today’s puzzle came together eventually.
One WO: CIAO – got my vowels mixed up, but perps fixed that.
I don’t recall ever reading the Bobbsey Twins, so learned today there was a younger set.
And never watched the Brady Bunch, so OLIVER was another ESP.
METS next to ISAK crossing SKY were WAGs.
Knew STUBHUB from tickets purchase to a NY Yankees game in the new stadium years ago. Yikes! – the prices, but worth it for a special occasion.
Thanks, sumdaze, for another swell recap.
What a Monday (or maybe Tuesday) xword should be. I tried to solve sans perps but avoided inkovers.
In Vedic astrology the dates run 15-15, thus 10/17 is a Libra in both. If posted this before didn't I
W plus*2 on your l'icks today, Owen. Msg is so APT
SumD, Janice IAN is hardly obscure to the crowd you please (so much) in your write-up. Now Max Sherzer is a future hof pitcher but maybe obscure to the non sporting crowd. And as Jinx said, song is terrific and hopefully be a welcome earworm today
"when I was feeling down."? From J-blog:
"Poor me, pour me another drink, was Chester's mantra
Play something on the jukebox. Orbison not Sinatra
How many ounces he'd had tonight ? Who's counting?
The better question. For what was his life amounting?"
Roy was my goto when in a depressive mood. Laying on the couch listening I said "Hey, dummy, you're dating the most desirable girl in town, get off your arse!"
Re. WNBA: Griner has been granted a private plane for away games because of harassment. Her teammates are sending a thank you to Vlad. Btw, the girls are getting better every day
"Enough Wilbur!"(WC for TTP)
Cc, you have amassed quote a photo album of Blog regulars!
(You have to click older posts, it was good to see Santa (argyle ) again...)
And Lucina!
I'm probably going to go to hell in a handbasket for this, but,
you made a hot looking Nun!
Wow!
This puzzle was a combo of ridiculously easy (hockey rink surface=ice?)
And ridiculously hard, like the sw corner... I had to look up that Bruce guy to discover "Mets."
(I haven't followed the Mets since 69')
Love all the links and the review! (I might be biased...). (Immmean being CED...)
But, from a day or two ago, the Mash link of Winchester was great, but it reminded me of two things.
1) comics can be a great learning experience...
And 2) I never read Moby Dick. I will rectify that immediately...
Oh, and one more ditty about the puzzle and write up!
don't overthink it, YOULL BURN OUT!
(Burn out,, firestarter, puzzle theme... oh forget it.....)
Musings
-I’m probably the only one who remembers a movie character named Ray Kinsella. *Answer below.
-I liked your write-up and even your overthinking, Renee!
-In The Plymouth Express, Poirot uncovers who really killed Florence Carrington (aka FLOSSIE). It was…
-Mistake/MUFF: The Yankee second baseman made a big one last night that helped the Red Sox score the tying run in a game the Sox went on to win. BTW, I love the new pitch clock!
-GO EASY on me. What I would have to tell my chess champion grandson if we played.
-EDGE IN is the goal of a driver leaving the on ramp.
-I had hundreds of ANTS on my driveway. I used one tube of this and they were gone in two hours.
-Janis’ At Seventeen tells the tale of teen angst about as well as it could be done.
-Our baby-faced cousin, Alec Bohm, hit this World Series home run off grizzled veteran Max Scherzer.
-*Kevin Costner played Ray Kinsella in Field Of Dreams
Good Morning:
As others have noted, this was definitely a crunchy Monday puzzle due to the many unknowns, at least to me, and as clued: Pelosi, Flaming Lips, Flossie, Oliver, and Isuzus, but the perps were unfailingly fair, so no complaints, other than seeing Sela Ward clued relative to the FBI, as she hasn’t been in that cast for ages. The three themer’s connections were clear but the reveal was still a surprise and easy to fill in from the clue, especially being familiar with the Stephen King book. As usual, the abundance (26) of three letter words was distracting, as was the unnecessary cluing of basic words using proper noun references, to wit, Adobes, Age, Sky, and Teen. I believe the latter trend is editor-driven so, unfortunately, it will probably continue.
Thanks, Angela, and congrats on your debut and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts in your spot-on review. I agree with your interpretation of the theme and also with Flaming being the weakest link, which stood out to me during the solve. My many favorite comics today include Craft Beer, The Hyenas, Tolstoy, and the Amnesia cure. You always make my Mondays more cheerful. Merci!
Have a great day.
GRR (how many r's? Depends how ired you are?)...DNF, yes on a Monday, sheesh 😨 ..the S E corner shot me down. Didn't know Pooh (Figured "The Loo of Pooh" probably wrong), "Max Scherzer"? And the WNBA team?, just couldn't recall ISAK although a previous answer...But... the theme was definitely Mondayish EZ ...AGLOW... like a recent CW.
FLAMING LIPS and its clue, a bit out there for the beginning of the week. (Is there a lipstick color by that name?). OBIS is incorrect as a Japanese plural like PANINI which is a plural used incorrectly as singular in English...should be panino.
My first thought for "pet rodents" was rats (again, ask Dracula's pal Renfielfd). Haven't seen FBI's SELA in awhile, she must have gone under cover. ...."GPS suggestion"..."Make a U turn" (mine adds "you idiot").
Janis Ian wrote her earlier song "Society's Child" when she was 13. Unfortunately quite controversial at the time. I was in HS. There were radio stations in some states that wouldn't play it.
EGG...Why isn't the answer an ear (of corn), it's a "cobb" salad after all. Never heard of a Dodge model called EVADE, ... wha? Oh sorry, it's called an ELUDE, (kyndova bad name for a car)
When your beef entrée is erroneously prepared...MISTAKE
Where can I find Maynard G. Krebs?.... ADOBES
Busy center known for toe injuries....STUBHUB
Hard to sit at my computer with my tail between my legs. Better luck tomorrow, I'm hoping. 🙄
Good morning! I am enjoying reading your comments. I just want to clarify that do like "At Seventeen" but remembering the name of the artist was the "crunchy" part for me. Names are not my strong suit.
Anon@7:34. I like your suggestion. Do you build XWDs?
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Angela (congrats on your LA times debut) and sumdaze.
I FIRed and saw the kindling.
Only one inkblot to change Gazebo to CABANA.
Some unknown names, but they perped.
I remembered Nan and Bert. Freddie and FLOSSIE, not so much.
I thought of Evade, but perps forced ELUDE.
This Canadian says Nuh- vad-uh.
GO EASY reminded me if the Adele song.
EasyOnMe
If the US is EL NORTE, what on earth is Canada, in Mexico? LOL
Wishing you all a great day.
OK! I figured it out!
Press on hold 3 o'clock to turn clockwise
Press on hold 9 o'clock to turn counterclockwise
Press on hold directly ahead of where you are going to get thrust boost...
Do not forget to turn your space craft around to feet down to land and find stuff!
If you don't turn to landing position, your shield come on and you bounce off stuff!
How many hidden things can you find?
37 Down: I was 17 when this song was new. All you word lovers will appreciate the richness of the lyrics: "I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say, "Come dance with me"
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems
At seventeen
A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said, "Pity, please, the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve"
And the rich-relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly
Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debentures of quality
And dubious integrity
Their small-town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received
At seventeen
To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
When dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me
We all play the game, and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
They call and say, "Come dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen"
FIR, despite the unknown names and fill-in-the blank clues. Not my favorites. Janis Ian and the Bobbsie Twins were in my wheelhouse. My mother had the full set from the 1920's, and our school library had the newer set, updated to get rid of things like making skis from barrel staves, using stove black, and cleaning lamp globes. Also a fan of Blazing Saddles. PC has just about killed off comedy. Few comedians today dare to appear on college campus, where once so many of them got their starts. Sad. Fortunately, humor is alive and well on this blog! Thanks for a great review, Sumdaze.
CED , LIU xkcd.com/2765/ .
Aajama, thanks for those lyrics!
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Angela. And I enjoyed your helpful commentary, Sumdaze, thanks for that too.
Well, this puzzle sure was chilly and needed a lot of warming up which is why we got all those FIRE STARTERS. It might be best just to wear some MUFFs and put on a NIGHT LIGHT even if it's still morning, and then get yourself something to eat, starting with an EGG. A PANINI would also be good, but don't BROIL it, for heaven's sake. You can get some BEER for a drink, and for dessert have some REESE'S Pieces. That would get your day off to a nice EASY start.
Have a great week, everybody.
C-Eh! not sure what it;s called, but if it was up to me Canada would be called EL NORTE FRIO. (LOL^2)
Hi All!
A great Monday theme Angela - Flaming Lips, Blazing Saddles, Fire Starter are all fun pop-culture.
Thanks sumdaze for the comic-laden expo. LOL "Craft Beer."
WO: sad -> GRR
ESPs: FLOSSIE, OLIVER - I nearly forgot about that annoyance.
Fav: Mensch seemed like another nod to Mel Brooks.
FLN: On my PC, the controls for xkcd's game was just the arrow keys. On iThings, think of the arrow-keys but they are the sides (top, bottom, left, right) of the game. Touch Up for thrust, Down is Retro-rockets(?), and then turn left or right.
Back to work, CIAO!
Cheer, -T
sumdaze Thank you for the CSO for Picard and TNG. And thanks for the Best of BLAZING SADDLES video! Any puzzle with BLAZING SADDLES is OK by me.
Hand up almost done in by proper name fest in SW. WAG to FIR. Enjoyed the FIRE theme, even though I avoid horror movies.
Here is a still photo from the GLOWING event I attended.
I posted a video last week for the GLOW UP theme, but some people seem to have trouble with videos. It was a memorable experience to GLOW UP in such an air ship, as I noted last week.
Society'sChild
WC
A little late to the party as I had a flat tire on my way to church this morning and I had to deal with it. ☹
Thank you Angela for getting us off to an incendiary start to the week week, with a FIRE (Finished It Right Easily)
And thank you sumdaze for another fine, funny, and informative review. BTW, what's your dog's handle?
A few favs:
1A MICE. Cute! I doubt that one of ours would stand still for one.
25A EAT. Also a HOMOPHONE for 3D.
45A ADHD. What's the opposite of ADHD and what can I take for it?
53A MISTAKE/61D ERRS. That's why God invented pencils w/erasers and why this is my weapon of choice for fencing with crossword puzzles.
63A FIRE STARTER. FLINT-N-STEEL didn't perp. And RUBBING TWO STICKS TOGETHER was a NON-STARTER.
66A OLIVER. I don't remember OLIVER because I don't remember The Brady Bunch
2D IT'LL. Well it seemed like a good idea at the time.
40D CABANA. I thought they were used as changing rooms, and other things requiring privacy, like PDAs. That one looks a little AIRY.
64D EVA. How come you can get away with calling EVA "Easy-on-the-eyes" and I can't? 😁
Cheers,
Bill
A. Aajma @11:40 AM I would have asked you, but I was too shy.
I was able to solve this puzzle without having to look anything up, which is one of the goals I set for myself when solving. The other characteristic I view as indicating a "successful" puzzle is the amount of pleasure I feel while solving it. On that scale I give it a 7/10.
Loved your write-up, sumdaze. 10/10.
Didn't do the puzzle yesterday because we spent the day at our son's house in Mill Valley. Pleasure ratio there is 10/10. Getting there, i.e. the drive to and from there: 3/10.
I do like the big Sunday puzzles, though, so I'm going to do it now.
Good wishes to you all.
The Sunday puzzle was fun and all your comments were interesting.
This is Tante Nique No internet today.
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