Love is a Many Splendored Thing
This will be Matthew Stock's 10th outing, both solo and co-constructed. For a brief bio see Husker's review of his Saturday, June 25, 2022 themeless. Today Matthew tackles one of life's greatest mysteries, cleverly hidden in the answers to these three theme clues ...
18A. Specialty concerned with player experience: GAME DESIGN. From Adele's album 30 ...
29A. Leadership styles that encourage transparency: OPEN DOOR POLICIES. From Frozen ...
48A. John Travolta film that won nine Razzies, including Worst Picture of the Decade: BATTLEFIELD EARTH. Nine Razzies? Worst Picture of the Decade? (it won't take you long to find out why). Here's a bit about Pat Benatar who sings this song ...
The songs above are (not the only) answers to the following question
(e.g. see line 1 of this review):
64A. 1993 dance hit, and a musical question answered by the starts of 18-, 29-, and 48-Across?: WHAT IS LOVE. From the hit single by Nestor Alexander Haddaway ...
64A. 1993 dance hit, and a musical question answered by the starts of 18-, 29-, and 48-Across?: WHAT IS LOVE. From the hit single by Nestor Alexander Haddaway ...
Wow, that was easy! Don't you wish it was always that easy?
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Tie with a cord: BOLO. Hand up if you started with BIND? The History of Native American Bolo Ties.
5. Unctuous flattery: SMARM. Masters of the art ...
10. Primary course of action: PLAN A. Be sure it includes a plan for PLAN B.
15. "Only joking": I KID.
16. Animated garden snail who dreams of racing in the Indy 500: TURBO.
17. The MLB's Angels, to fans: HALOS. They must be related to the NFL NOLA team.
18. [Theme clue]
20. Greek yogurt brand: OIKOS. OIKOS is also the ancient Greek word for three related but distinct concepts: the family, the family's property, and the house.
21. Henna, for one: DYE. Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet. My artist granddaughter uses it to draw temporary tattoos on her left arm. For some reason she never draws one on her right arm ...
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| Not my granddaughter's arm |
23. Par for the course: AVERAGE. Some of you already knew the answer to this question, but I didn't: How is Golf Course Par Determined?
25. DIY publication: ZINE. You could DIY with Blogger. C.C. did!
27. MRI output: SCAN. Only recently have MRI scans been taken of multiple people who are in close proximity to one another involved in social activities. Scans demonstrating the synchronization of brain wave activity are described in "Hyperscans” Show How Brains Sync as People Interact and Cuddling brings two minds together, MRI study reveals. Neither article describes how this synchronization occurs, but it would be logical to assume that it might be mediated by an as yet undetected form of communication.
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MRI scan of cuddlers |
29. [Theme clue]
34. Like slime-making kits: MESSY. Slime, whether jiggly slime, water slime, or another variety, is always popular. I did not know this. Here are 4 MESSY DIY slime kits.
35. Derisive laugh: HAH.
36. PC file suffix: EXE. EXEcutable, i.e. a program or app.
37. Slalom marker: GATE. Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or GATES.
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Tonje Sekse of Norway 2011 Slalom event |
38. "Color me exhausted": IM BEAT. or a homophone of I'M BEET, i.e. RED.
40. Egg-shaped tomato: ROMA. AKA plum tomatoes. The tomato of choice for making tomato sauce and tomato paste ...
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Roma Tomatoes |
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Battering Ram |
47. Dispatches: SENDS.
48. [Theme clue]
53. "We're on __ way": OUR.
54. Single __ whisky: MALT. Single MALT whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
55. Govern: RULE. Not as easy as it sounds.
56. Free, as legal work: PRO BONO. A CSO to Hahtoolah and Lemonade. Also U2 FANS. A lot of them turned up for this video. The band may have needed some PRO BONO legal work when this was all over ...
58. "About me" bits: BIOS.
60. Rideshare alternative: CAB. Or any or all of these (a CSO to Alan, Doug, and JzB) for giving me a lift with this one.
63. Ames resident: IOWAN. Ames is a city in Story County, IOWA, United States, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Des Moines in central Iowa.
67. General tendency: TREND. See also 23A.
68. Implant: EMBED.
69. Niagara River source: ERIE. Inquiring minds want to know -- Why doesn't Lake Erie get empty at the rate of which Niagara Falls gets drained into Lake Ontario?
70. Retail statistic: SALES.
71. Wanders: ROAMS. Here's baritone John Shirley-Quirk singing The Vagabond from Ralph Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel ...
Down:
1. Mavs' city: BIG D. The city where the Dallas Mavericks play.
3. Citrus shavings: LIME ZEST.
4. Lorca work: ODE. Federico García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. He achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a group consisting mostly of poets who introduced the tenets of European movements (such as symbolism, futurism, and surrealism) into Spanish literature. Garcia Lorca was assassinated by Spanish Nationalists on August 19, 1936.
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García Lorca in 1932 |
6. Euterpe, to musicians: MUSE. Euterpe was one of 9 goddesses, the MUSES who inspired artists. Her sister Erato was the muse of LOVE poetry.
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Euterpe Erato |
8. Justice impersonated by Kate McKinnon on "SNL": RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsberg. SNL can be a bit political, so let's have Felicity Jones impersonate her instead ...
9. Grand Prix locale: MONACO. MONACO is one of many locales where Formula 1 Grand Prix races are held in over 30 nations around the world.
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Monaco Grand Prix track |
10. Most populous U.S. state capital: PHOENIX. A
CSO to Lucina and the Chairman.
11. Den: LAIR.
12. Basic substance: ALKALI. In chemistry, an
ALKALI
is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. The
alkali metals are listed in column 1 (except for the gas
Hydrogen) and the alkaline earth metals are listed in column 2
...
14. Net worth component: ASSETS. An ASSET is a resource with economic value that an individual, corporation, or country owns or controls with the expectation that it will provide a future benefit.
19. Fine and __: DANDY.
24. Driving force in fine dining?: VALET.
26. Promo with a credit card bill, e.g.: INSERT.
27. Round one?: SPHERE.
29. Texter's "Crikey!": OMG.
30. Samosa vegetable: PEA. Here's a recipe.
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| Aloo Samosa |
32. Trix mascot: RABBIT. See 33A.
33. Trix, e.g.: CEREAL. In 2017 the maker of the iconic sugary breakfast cereal Trix reintroduced artificial colors and flavorings after customers complained about the all-natural option.
39. Early ISP: AOL.
41. Well-documented: ON RECORD.
42. Summer hrs. in the Navajo Nation: MDT. The Navajo Nation is a Native American reservation of Navajos in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah.
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Navajo Nation |
45. Polvorones nuts: ALMONDS. Misty's gonna love this puzzle. Here's a recipe.
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| Polvorones |
48. Hasbro toys that issue commands: BOP ITS. New to me. BOP IT toys are a line of audio games. By following a series of commands issued through voice recordings produced by a speaker by the toy, which has multiple inputs including pressable buttons, pull handles, twisting cranks, spinnable wheels, flickable switches—the player progresses and the pace of the game increases. Apparently it can get a bit extreme. Comme ça ...
49. High lights?: AURORA. A CSO to CanadianEh! ...
50. Garden tool: TROWEL.
51. Garden bloom: FLOWER.
52. Extras in "Star Wars" films: DROIDS. Extras? That's a bit cold. Here Luke Skywalker meets the indispensable R2-D2 and C-3PO ...
58. Papa, in Chinese: BABA. What one of my grandsons used to call my son. Now he just calls him DAD.
59. Article: ITEM.
61. Passionate: AVID.
62. Nectar collectors: BEES.
65. Med. network: HMO.
66. Hall of Fame MLB manager Durocher: LEO. Leo Ernest Durocher (July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991), nicknamed "Leo the Lip" and "Lippy", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,008 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. A controversial and outspoken character, Durocher's half-century in baseball was dogged by clashes with authority, the baseball commissioner, the press, and umpires; his 95 career ejections as a manager trailed only McGraw when he retired, and still ranks fourth on the all-time list. He won three National League pennants and one world championship.
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Leo Durocher was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. |
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
What made this puzzle “Thursday worthy “ was the number of clues with a “?” symbol. Each clue with this designation had a “twist” to it that made it harder to figure out. Have you folks heard of “cryptic “ crosswords? Some of the clues today reminded me of one of those. That said, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteIt was BOLO, not BIND at 1a. (Have I ever mentioned....?) The cluing made our morning CEREAL a bit crunchy this morning. For several minutes a successful outcome was in the "iffy" column. Worked out OKAY, though. Thanx, Matthew, Waseeley, and Teri.
AMES: It's claim to fame -- home to Iowa State University.
RBG: Well, RBG is dead, and Kate McKinnon is no longer on SNL. Maybe it's time to revert back to Red-Blue-Green.
D-O @5:39 AM. I think you mean Red-Green-Blue, the order of these colors in the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteTook 5:57 today to find love.
ReplyDeleteDidn't see the theme until coming here, so thank you for a non-Saturday themeless puzzle.
Bind before bolo, and Pheonix (duh!) before Phoenix.
I knew Battlefield Earth, but only because it was so widely panned.
Almost had a themer with "Turbo Lover," by Judas Priest.
I want to know, WHAT IS LOVE?
ReplyDeleteIs it billing and cooing like a dove?
is it a GAME to yield
On emotion's BATTLEFIELD?
Is it an OPEN DOOR to the above?
Is it a special ODE that makes us glad,
Written by an ODD, but AVERAGE lad?
Is it an added ASSET,
To give life some ZEST?
Maybe it's just a TREND, a passing fad!
{A-.}
Yowza!!!
DeleteOKL @7:36 AM {A++}!
ReplyDelete👍👍👍
DeleteFIR. I too had bind before bolo. Tough Thursday CW, but in the end very doable. The NW was the last to fall and bolo was most of the cause.
ReplyDeleteThe theme escaped me mostly because I am unfamiliar with those songs. Lots of cryptic clues, but it made the solve fun and challenging.
FIR, but started off poorly with the need to erase bind for BOLO and swarm for SMARM. Turns out those were the only ones.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know love is a Game or an Open Door, but any song with "Jinx Jinx Again" is okay by me. But actually, some folks I know think that The J. Geils Band got it right.
Not a snail, but Ol' Blue Eyes sang about an ant that dreamed big in his iconic High Hopes.
I'm old enough to remember when people still got paper bills from credit card companies. Also, when you checked out, the clerk got out a paper list to compare your card number with those on the invalid list. (Turn signals were optional as were heaters and defrosters, and seat belts weren't offered in most car models. Gas was $0.25 per gallon and cigarettes were $0.18 per pack.)
I really liked this one, but it had more nits than usual for a well-constructed grid. For instance, IIRC Navajo Nation, and all other US Indian reservations, do not observe DST. Wimbledon analysts would say "unforced error." I have a lot of trouble making tenses agree in my writing, so I am especially alert to those errors. A GATE must have at least two markers (in sailing, too,) and although maybe technically correct, I think that AURORA and LIME ZEST would have been better clued in the singular. "Par for the course" isn't AVERAGE on a golf course by any means, but in common use it's just fine. As in "my Amazon Prime purchase will arrive a day late. Well, that's par for the course."
Thanks to Matthew for the fun. My favorite was "basic substance" for ALKALI. And thanks to Bill 'n' Teri for 'splainin' it all.
Hopi Nation observes DST. Main Street in Tuba City is dividing line between Navajo and Hopi Nations. Cross the street and time changes during DST. Two nations do not agree on many things.
DeleteAbove from memory see yellowrocks@8:36 AM correct
DeleteI am doing everything more slowly these days, including puzzles. FIR in more time than a normal Thursday. Was it tougher than usual or am I just slow?
ReplyDeleteG in BIGD and GAME was my last fill.
I love misdirections and so the ? clues were fun.
RBG is gone but not forgotten. She is still referred to in news shows. She left behind a big footprint after serving all those years.
Am a wrong? I thought the whole gate with the two poles was a multi-part marker. One pole would not signify anything.
I was surprised when a few perps asked for MONACO. I didn't know this.
I thought of, "Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids." Good mind jogger.
My kids had Bop Its. They are still sold, but have changed after all these years.
Yes, we non golfers use par for the course as average. Do golfers actually say par for the course or just par? I don't know.
Google says, "The Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona changes its clocks with the rest of the continental U.S. "
Love is an open door is not what it seems. I thought it strange when I saw the movie, not when it was sung, but later when Hans showed his true colors. The analysis above is fascinating once you see the story!
ReplyDeleteFLN
ReplyDeleteWe were invaded by our two youngest grandsons yesterday, and though I did complete the puzzle before they arrived, I didn't have time to brag about it. So ...
Thank you Brian and Katie for AGREEING to construct it and thank you -T for subbing during your VACAY - you've got nothing to apologize for. Glad you had a good time in the Big Apple.
A few favs:
15A PREPPY. My first girl friend liked me, but not the way I dressed (she thought I looked a bit dorky), so she bought me a copy of this book.
45A LANCET. Had SCALPEL, but it didn't stick.
66A PSY. I used the proceeds from my degree to buy a cup of coffee before drifting into IT. Back then you just needed a BA and the ability to spell COBOL to get into the racket.
4D SEPTET. Beethoven's first hit record (on sheet music paper). Long but well worth it.
Cheers,
Bill
Good Morning! ARG! So close, but I DNF. The upper middle got me. I had to look up TURBO because I had Amy instead of RBG in 9D.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matthew, for a fine Thursday puzzle.
WO: HeH -> HAH and I’m done -> I’M BEAT.
Otherwise perps were kind. But I still don’t get the theme….
New word: BABA
Fine and DANDY. And now I have an ear worm. Does anyone remember that fun musical, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas? Maybe someone could link Dolly Parton’s song, Hard Candy Christmas. I would, but don’t know how.
Anyway thanks, Bill & Teri for a very musical review.
OwenKL, your poem reminds me of this doggerel written by E.Y. Harburg and recorded by the Mitchell Trio:
ReplyDeleteLove is a series
of "Darlings" and "Dearies"
of "Honeys" and "Sweeties"
and sugared entreaties
of moonings and swoonings
and cooings and billings
all tempered, of course,
by occasional killings.
Another for your enjoyment:
DeleteGod made the world in six days flat.
Then he said, "I'll rest"
So He let the thing into orbit swing
To give it a dry run test.
A billion years went by.
Then he took a look at the whirling blob.
His spirits fell as He shrugged and said;
"OH, well, it was only a six day job.
RosE @9:11 AM Here ya go.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteDue to the numerous unknowns, (to me) Turbo, Game Design, Oikos, Battlefield Earth, Rabbit, Almonds, Baba, and Bop Its, I struggled mightily to gain any meaningful footholds. Eventually, though, I finished but the reveal of What Is Love meant nothing to me as to how it related to the themers first word because I never heard of it, or any of those songs. Thanks to Bill’s expo, I get it but too late for any satisfaction in completing the solve. The fill-in-the-blank clues seem to be increasing and I fail to see any good reason for such an unnecessary shortcut, and I also found some of the cluing overly cutesy, at least for my taste. Props for the relatively low (18) three letter word count.
Thanks, Matthew, and thanks, Bill and Teri, for the always informative and entertaining review. Enjoyed the Steve Martin and Michael Caine (a dynamic duo if there ever was one!) video and the beautiful and gifted Renée Fleming. Your inclusion of recipes for the various food entries is appreciated, as well.
I have been fly-free since Tuesday’s insecticide treatment. What a relief and 🤞 that it continues. More positive news is that my cleaning lady hooked up my new Smart TV yesterday with no problems. However, the absence of an instruction manual, a remote with no numerals or directions, only a few buttons with images, and a very complicated format made for lots of frustration and trial and error. I finally managed to activate my Netflix and Apple TV accounts, and learned how to navigate through the myriad choices of options. I have yet to find Brit Box but I’ll continue to hunt and peck my way through the digital maze!
Anon T, your stay in the City sounds very exciting and enjoyable. That AirBnB sounds fascinating and I really enjoyed hearing the owner’s viewpoint. What an unusual place to stay. I’ve eaten at Carmine’s, I think it’s a NYC mainstay. Glad you were able to see some plays and a talent of Laurie Metcalf’s caliber. I’m not familiar with Marjorie Eliot because I’m not a jazz fan, but my jazz-enthusiast husband would have jumped at the chance to hear her. Grey House sounds intriguing, if a little scary. Your Carol Burnett video was pleasantly nostalgic and your whole commentary about the trip was just delightful. Thank you!
I’m making New England Clam Chowder today for tomorrow’s lunch with my best friend, Carole. I found a fairly easy recipe at America’s Test Kitchen which is from a restaurant in Massachusetts. I made it for the first time several weeks ago and it came out very good. I’m also making 🦞 rolls so it’ll be quite reminiscent of our many fun trips to Maine! Of course, no lunch at Chez Davidson would be complete with a Bloody Mary🍹! Or two, 🤣 !
Have a great day!
In a common misquote, LEO Durocher did NOT say "Nice guys finish last." (It was something like "there's a lot of nice guys on that team, and they're in last place")
ReplyDeleteSorry. Without a 🍹!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteFor a while I thought the NW was gonna be my downfall...kept coming back and it finally fell into place 😳....(other than song titles Im not sure what the theme s'pose to be?)
Inkovers : ink/red/DYE
Thought of smal(t)z for SMARM but would fit. Isnt it EZINE? Didn't get the "slalom" GATE connection.
The late Gilda Radner does the late BABA Wawa
We hadda used HIFI record player someone offered my father when I was about 10. My adult cousin gave me all her cool mono LPs cuz she had just bought a newfangled STEREO system. Still have 'em all.
I have an OPEN DOOR POLICY in my office cuz the AC hasnt worked in like forever...The hospital is closing in 3 months and nothing considered non essential (like my comfort) is getting repaired.
Good King Charlie reigns but does not RULE. Had enough perp letters to parse ALMOND from "Polvorones nuts"...BOPITS?
FDR quote about global warming : "Only thing we have to fear is ____ itself....SPHERE
Soccer great, Neato Lionel ____...MESSY
_____ color you want as long as it's Red....HENNA
Wedding gift: "His" and "Hers" _____ TROWELS
Voracious consumer of cornflakes: _____ killer....CEREAL
What deoderant is for....BOPITS 😁
Still getting intermittently gassed from Canada. Air quality alert again yesterday. 🤢
Musings
ReplyDelete-I “got ‘er done” but have never heard any of those songs or that dance
-I guess SMARMY would have a noun counterpart
-The pros play 500+ yard holes as PAR 4’s. My ODDS of success would be zero!
-DIY? My iPhone needs a new battery but the web convinced me to seek expert help.
-A cuddling MRI?
-We will never drain the pool of cluing for ERIE and its lovely vowels
-ALKALAI metals are so reactive and dangerous they are stored in kerosene or mineral oil.
-My uncles delighted in giving NOOGIES and tickling. In retrospect it seems like child abuse.
-Some here are ON RECORD as disliking circles in puzzles
-Haven’t we had ALIENS as extras in Star Wars films
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Matthew, and waseeley and Teri.
ReplyDeleteI almost FIRed (does that count?), but had trouble in that NW corner.
Yes, my hand is up for Bind before the cleverly clued BOLO. But this Canadian was sure that Dallas (DAL) was the answer for 1D (DH even confirmed the city for the team), and was not on the BIG D wavelength.
I had to Google to confirm ODE for the unknown-to-me Lorca.
Add my Iffy instead of OK, and you see that my corner is a big inkblot.
But I did eventually answer the WHAT IS LOVE? theme question.
I had Flag before GATE on that slalom course.
BABA was all perps. It is used for Grandma in Ukrainian.
Favourite today was the clue for VALET.
I have never seen the Northern Lights here, and probably can’t take a CSO. But I’ll take it for ERIE instead.
New clue for ERIE. The volume of water going over the Falls is controlled for power generation. (Spitzboov would have enlightened us). Erie is the shallowest Great Lake.
NiagaraFalls
Wishing you all a great day,
Wow, a real toughie. I, too, DNK those songs, or BOPIT. Didn’t get theme until Bill explained it. Is an MRI output a SCAN? The scan is what you do to get the output, which is the IMAGE, which didn’t fit, so SCAN ended up at 27A even though it is incorrect. Only 8 names = HURRAY! Anyway, managed to FIR in more than usual Thursday time, finishing in the NW. like others, I wanted BIND or BALE before BOLO finally perped. Clever clues, tough CW. Thanx MS. Thanx too to Bill for all his time and effort for our entertainment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Hard Candy Christmas link,waseeley! I loved it!
ReplyDeleteRay-O-Sunshine, your redefinitions continue to be an amusing addition to the Blog. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhew! A bunch of crunch to today's offering, and I mean that in a good way. Bind stayed in until the perps said "no way" and I just couldn't wrap my head around BOLO until Was 'splained it. D'Oh! The TIE, not tying! True V-8 can moment. The songs were no help as my musical tastes were pretty much set in concrete by the end of the 1970's and most music later than that is only random noise. One minor nit at GOVERN/RULE: I may be governed, but I will never be ruled!
ReplyDeleteunclefred @10:03 AM I think the output from an MRI is a SCAN, albeit a 3D scan that probably can only be interpreted via a computer. A CSO to Ray - O or inanehiker for a clarification?
ReplyDeleteYR - Thanks a lot! No big surprise, I got it back-asswards. The only place in AZ that observe DST is the reservation.
ReplyDeleteI found this puzzle challenging, so I got a lot of satisfaction out of FIR. I really enjoy clever misdirections and words that are new to me but not total trivia tests. I sure didn’t breeze through it, but slow and steady got me there. Thanks Matthew.
ReplyDeleteThanks as well to Bill and Teri. There are so many songs I want to listen to, I have to come back later when I have more time. Your unfailing efforts for our enjoyment are SO appreciated.
Ray-O, when the hospital closes will you look for another gig? Or have you decided to join the ranks of the retired?
ReplyDeleteBOLO: When I was a teen I asked my dad to show me how to tie a necktie. "OK, lie down," he said. He was an undertaker.
What is love?
ReplyDelete(Depends on who you ask...)
Fun Thursday puzzle, many thanks Matthew. And always enjoy your interesting commentary, Bill and Teri, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of "polvorones" and am afraid I'd have trouble making them since I no longer use a mixer and the like. But those ALMOND cookies sound delicious. I don't suppose we'd put any LIME ZEST on them, would we?
We got a bit of art in this puzzle, with a chance to listen to the ARIA produced by a MUSE and available on STEREO. Seems like a bit of a spirited world though, with HALOS and an AURORA over our SPHERE rather than BATTLEFIELD EARTH. But I'M BEAT and need a nap.
Have a good rest of the day, everybody.
I, too, fell into the “bind”/bolo trap and the NW took a lot of white out. Took me forever to see Big D. A challenging CW and clever cluing….. kkFolrida
ReplyDeleteRe. FLN: Stefanos Tsitsipas the tennis player doubled up on the "ts" although he is Greek not RussianBABA
ReplyDeleteBOnd/BOLO;are/OUR Boston accent caused it
The US Open will convert par 5s to PAR 4
MONACO and Grace Kelly are synonymous to my generation
And…
I was thinking of Bike Race(Tour de France(just ending)
My son used BABA too
Lou Gehrig chased LEO all the way to Springfield because Durocher stole his watch. Hence St Louis for The Lip(BTW, the "Nice Guy" on the last place Giants was their manager Bill Terry)
PAR for the course is usually 72
Waseeley, a well TROD path. Our wizard was a Philosophy major
Rideshare alternative? Shanks mare
After five perps I finally grok'ed VALET
Speaking of… Once said perps were found (fe. MONACO) the xword proceeded smoothly
WC
Ps, In case you missed it your two part limerick, Owen, is a W+
Hand up for entering BIND and IFFY at first. I mostly enjoyed this puzzle but have the same nits as some of you, e.g. SCAN. Liked the clues for VALET and SPHERE. I wanted AVERAGE at 23-across but I already incorrectly had FRANCE at 9-down, so I had to sort that out. Then there was my error of entering "We're on THE way" and my not knowing BOPITS that bolloxed me in that area. An enjoyable solve.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for an excellent write-up, waseeley. And yes, I have used OHM's Law extensively in my work, far more than any other "Law" besides maybe the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem.
Speaking of MRI scans, I'm scheduled for one in September. This time the doctor who ordered the scan did not hesitate in ordering "adult sedation." In other words, I will be put to sleep. No lying about it this time.
We still have our STEREO system and dozens of vinyl records. Unfortunately the turntable broke years ago and LW has refused to replace it, even though the Fluance RT85 seems eminently affordable and good quality (thank you, Husker Gary, for bringing my attention to it), so we can't play records, only CDs.
AURORA is also a CSO to Lucina.
C.C. has mentioned the word BABA a number of times.
Good wishes to you all.
Oh, and from Tuesday, in response to Hahtoolah's question, my favorite ice cream flavors have long been green tea and pistachio, although recently I have become quite fond of salty caramel. Our son jokingly says I have migrated from green to brown. Ya gotta include white also, as I do appreciate a really good vanilla ice cream.
ReplyDeleteEdward I. LA CA: when I was a Boy Scout, we didn’t 1D, we LASHed them🤪
ReplyDeleteI thought I was having a flashback. I just got an email announcing that tomorrow, the USA will go up against Vietnam. Turns out is Women's World Soccer Cup.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Matthew for a fun Thursday puzzle. I finally understood the theme at Battle Field.
Wonderful expo, wasseley -- LOL Pro-Bono
WOs: Bind->BOLO (Hi D-O!), iffy->OKAY (Hi C,Eh!), chARM->SMARM, PHeoNIX (#untie!)
ESPs: TURBO, OIKOS, BOPITS, BABA, LEO
Fav: VALET's clue was cute but Fine and Dandy always makes me think of Carlin [MA]
I almost entered eHow for ZINE - very cute misdirection.
When a teen, I read BATTLEFIELD EARTH. I never saw the movie but it (now) makes since that Travolta would make a flick based on an L. Ron Hubbard (#Scientology) book.
{A+}
Jinx beat me to Love Stinks.
What is Love makes me think of Night at the Roxbury.
//Chris Kattan now lives in SPI and my (Army (ret.)) BRO is his handyman.
HG - ALIENS was my first thought too. A perp-check scratched that idea.
Charlie Echo - LOL! "My" music pretty much set in the late '90s ;-)
Waseeley - I think all women change the way their guy dresses... DW must have had that in mind when we met -- I was in a concert tee with an open flannel over-shirt.
//she just graduated to getting me a GQ subscription because my fashion is "from the '90s" :-)
Cheers, -T
Unlike others is was "bound to BIND" and couldn't let go. Thought I LIE instead of I KID and the western tie BOLO never came to mind. GAME DESIGN- an alien term for me. My NW corner had BIG D and DYE and nothing else. A DNF.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the puzzle filled easily with the cross of two unknowns finishing it. BOP ITS and BATTLEFIELD EARTH. Never heard of either. I had no idea about WHAT IS LOVE having to do with the theme clues. I remember the songs "Game of Love" and " Love Stinks" and my favorite Meatloaf song "I need you, I want you, but ain't no way I'm ever gonna LOVE you but don't be sad, two out of three ain't bad".
YR- I grew up in NW LA and Dallas was always known as BIG D and Ft. Worth was 'Cow Town". A common saying "as big as Dallas" when describing something.
Gary- I've been putting for eagle on 500+ par FIVES exactly TWICE in my life. Made birdies on both. Both were driver three-wood shots to get there.
Anon @ 8:26. And IIRC, Arizona does not observe DST.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matthew for your slow-solve Thursday challenge. Hand up for Bind before BOLO and for enjoying the aha! moment.
ReplyDeleteFAV: AURORA. It's on my bucket list!
Isn't DROIDS an abbreviation? "Stormtroopers" seems a better fit.
Thanks to waseeley for another outstanding review! Your tour of the songs helped a lot! "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" was a fun movie. I also appreciated the Bop It video as that was also new to me. Thanks also for the lovely ARIA!
FLN: Thank you, -T, for the Carol Burnett link. How did she ever keep a straight face in that costume? You know Harvey Korman was egging her on whenever his back was to the camera. They must have had so much fun on that show.