Hello Cornerites!
Today's theme is: 
Well, not necessarily the soap opera....
And, not necessarily the puzzle....
It is our Cornerite Solvers who are Bold and/or Beautiful! (I will let you self-categorize. 😀)
Builder Bill Thompson earns extra points for fitting 5 horizontal themed answers into his grid. Each is a 2-word answer where both of the words begin with the letter B. We have:
18 Across. Some barbecue ribs: BABY BACKS. These pork ribs come from the back loin section so they are smaller and more tender than regular spare ribs.
23 Across. Safest courses of action: BEST BETS. I'm not a gambler but I can pass on to you that the casino game with the best odds of winning is blackjack, at a 49% chance of coming out ahead.
36 Across. Star of classic TV's "The Incredible Hulk": BILL BIXBY.
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| Bixby played Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno played Hulk. (1978-1982) Sadly, Bill passed away in 1993 at the age of 59 due to complications from prostrate cancer. |
50. Nickname of boxer Ray Mancini: BOOM BOOM. Mancini was an American southpaw boxer who held the WBA Lightweight title from 1982-84. Today he works in the entertainment industry. His 1982 bout vs Duk Koo Kim is said to have changed boxing forever.
55. Cartoon rabbit with a Brooklyn accent: BUGS BUNNY.
50 Down. Cozy lodging hinted at by 18-, 23-, 36-, 50-, and 55-Across: B AND B. Bed and Breakfast (not the same as Airbnb)
29. Abruptly broke off communications: GHOSTED. "Ghosting" is when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else without an explanation. Instead of saying why, they just vanish -- like a ghost. 👻 Ouch!
31. Japanese currency: YEN. Last week the rate was 1 USD = 146 YEN.
32. Site: LOCALE.
35. Folder projections: TABS. Oh, those types of projections!
38. Song sung alone: SOLO.
41. Spoken: VERBAL.
42. Perform on stage: ACT.
45. Math exercise: PROBLEM.
47. __ pub: GASTRO. The term "gastropub" was coined in 1991 and is a combination of the words "gastronomy" and "pub" to emphasize the food aspect of this kind of establishment. Basically, it is an edgy restaurant in a pub. source
49. Island near Venezuela: ARUBA. and 24 Down. Island near Java: BALI
52. Citi Field team, on scoreboards: NYM. New York Mets
64. "Dear" advice giver: ABBY.
65. Boston airport: LOGAN.
Down:
1. Intelligence org. with a Cryptologic Museum: NSA. "Organization" is abbreviated, so is National Security Agency. The museum is "NSA's gateway to the public and educates visitors about the role of cryptology in shaping history." It is located in Annapolis Junction, MD. website
2. Luau instrument: UKULELE. Ukes were probably introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by Portuguese settlers from Madeira. source
21. Clear up, as a dispute: RESOLVE.
23. Chesapeake __ Bridge-Tunnel: BAY. You can travel its 17.6 miles (28.3 km.) via this 3 min. video.
26. Spider's trap: WEB. You can watch a garden spider spinning its WEB in this 1:51 min. video.
29. Smooth-talking: GLIB.
30. Six-sided shape: HEXAGON.
33. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper: CLEM.
34. Like some dicts.: ABR. "Dictionaries" is abbreviated, so is "ABRidged".
36. Anklets worn with poodle skirts, informally: BOBBY SOX.
Bugs Bunny at the Symphony "Rabbit of Seville" Excerpt (2:14 min.)
Plus the unifier:
50 Down. Cozy lodging hinted at by 18-, 23-, 36-, 50-, and 55-Across: B AND B. Bed and Breakfast (not the same as Airbnb)
I BeeBopped along through today's puzzle. The theme was easy to spot and could have been helpful should one need an 'it starts with a B' hint. The television actor and the boxer's nickname might have caused some solvers difficulty; however, this time, both were in my punchbowl (#GenXer).
Before moving on to the rest of the clues, it seems fitting to enjoy a musical break featuring the one, the only B.B. King!
Don't Answer the Door by B.B. King (1966)
Across:
1. Elbow gently: NUDGE. I find interesting U.S. economist Richard Thaler's ideas on NUDGE Theory. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017 for his work in Behavioral Economics. An example of NUDGE Theory is when a company makes participation in a retirement plan the default option because it is a good thing to do. In order to opt out, one would need to take extra steps. It seems like a small push (a "nudge", if you will) but the opposite (having to fill out a ton of paperwork to opt in) can be enough of a hurdle to discourage participation. If this is your cup of tea, I recommend Thaler's 2021 book, Nudge: The Final Edition.
6. Questions: ASKS. Both are verbs. However, we are hearing "ask" as a noun more and more these days.
10. "Jeopardy!" contestant lineup, e.g.: TRIO.
14. Hybrid garment: SKORT. skirt + short. I usually wear these while doing errands on my bicycle.
15. Made off with: TOOK.
16. Hockey venue: RINK. and 39 Down. NHL great Bobby: ORR.
17. Cars: AUTOS.
20. Kareem's former name: LEW. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947. He went by LEW Alcindor until he changed his name when he converted to Islam in 1971 while studying at UCLA.
21. Low-tech leaf blower alternative: RAKE. Haha! Yes, this is my kind of gardening.
22. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO. vegetarians who also eat dairy products and eggs
25. Food pkg. info: NET WT. "Package" and "information" are abbreviated, so is "net weight".
28. Hawaiian hellos: ALOHAS. ALOHAS are also "Hawaiian good-byes."
1. Elbow gently: NUDGE. I find interesting U.S. economist Richard Thaler's ideas on NUDGE Theory. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017 for his work in Behavioral Economics. An example of NUDGE Theory is when a company makes participation in a retirement plan the default option because it is a good thing to do. In order to opt out, one would need to take extra steps. It seems like a small push (a "nudge", if you will) but the opposite (having to fill out a ton of paperwork to opt in) can be enough of a hurdle to discourage participation. If this is your cup of tea, I recommend Thaler's 2021 book, Nudge: The Final Edition.
6. Questions: ASKS. Both are verbs. However, we are hearing "ask" as a noun more and more these days.
10. "Jeopardy!" contestant lineup, e.g.: TRIO.
 |
| It's pretty easy to overthink this one. |
14. Hybrid garment: SKORT. skirt + short. I usually wear these while doing errands on my bicycle.
15. Made off with: TOOK.
16. Hockey venue: RINK. and 39 Down. NHL great Bobby: ORR.
17. Cars: AUTOS.
20. Kareem's former name: LEW. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947. He went by LEW Alcindor until he changed his name when he converted to Islam in 1971 while studying at UCLA.
21. Low-tech leaf blower alternative: RAKE. Haha! Yes, this is my kind of gardening.
22. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO. vegetarians who also eat dairy products and eggs
25. Food pkg. info: NET WT. "Package" and "information" are abbreviated, so is "net weight".
28. Hawaiian hellos: ALOHAS. ALOHAS are also "Hawaiian good-byes."
The Beatles perform Hello, Goodbye (1967) from their Magical Mystery Tour album.
(George does not look happy in that hat.)
29. Abruptly broke off communications: GHOSTED. "Ghosting" is when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else without an explanation. Instead of saying why, they just vanish -- like a ghost. 👻 Ouch!
31. Japanese currency: YEN. Last week the rate was 1 USD = 146 YEN.
32. Site: LOCALE.
35. Folder projections: TABS. Oh, those types of projections!
41. Spoken: VERBAL.
42. Perform on stage: ACT.
45. Math exercise: PROBLEM.
47. __ pub: GASTRO. The term "gastropub" was coined in 1991 and is a combination of the words "gastronomy" and "pub" to emphasize the food aspect of this kind of establishment. Basically, it is an edgy restaurant in a pub. source
49. Island near Venezuela: ARUBA. and 24 Down. Island near Java: BALI
A perp or two helped to pinpoint these familiar XWD destination islands.
52. Citi Field team, on scoreboards: NYM. New York Mets
As of this writing, they are 23 games back in the NL East.
53. Madeline of "Blazing Saddles": KAHN. For the BS fans....
54. Actress de Armas: ANA.
58. Corn-based breakfast side: GRITS. Back when I was in college, I lived with a couple from Georgia who occasionally made GRITS. I'm afraid that is the extent of my GRITS experience.
60. Apt name for a tuxedo cat: OREO.
61. Bar mixer: SODA. not a person
62. Bert's "Sesame Street" pal: ERNIE. a person-like Muppet
63. "Ideas worth spreading" spinoff: TEDx. TED Conferences are organized and run directly by TED. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. more info.
53. Madeline of "Blazing Saddles": KAHN. For the BS fans....
Madeline Kahn sings I'm Tired in Mel Brooks' 1974 movie, Blazing Saddles. (4:34 min.)
54. Actress de Armas: ANA.
58. Corn-based breakfast side: GRITS. Back when I was in college, I lived with a couple from Georgia who occasionally made GRITS. I'm afraid that is the extent of my GRITS experience.
60. Apt name for a tuxedo cat: OREO.
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| Click to enlarge. |
61. Bar mixer: SODA. not a person
62. Bert's "Sesame Street" pal: ERNIE. a person-like Muppet
63. "Ideas worth spreading" spinoff: TEDx. TED Conferences are organized and run directly by TED. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. more info.
64. "Dear" advice giver: ABBY.
65. Boston airport: LOGAN.
 |
| an aerial image of BOS |
Down:
1. Intelligence org. with a Cryptologic Museum: NSA. "Organization" is abbreviated, so is National Security Agency. The museum is "NSA's gateway to the public and educates visitors about the role of cryptology in shaping history." It is located in Annapolis Junction, MD. website
2. Luau instrument: UKULELE. Ukes were probably introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by Portuguese settlers from Madeira. source
Hawaiian sweet bread is another example of a Portuguese influence in Hawaii.
3. Spoils, as a grandchild: DOTES ON.
4. __ chart: kid's height tracker: GROWTH.
5. "Take me to your leader" speakers, briefly: ETS.
6. Chance to get a hit, in baseball: AT BAT.
7. Relaxes in the tub: SOAKS.
8. Japanese beef city: KOBE. 神戸
3. Spoils, as a grandchild: DOTES ON.
4. __ chart: kid's height tracker: GROWTH.
5. "Take me to your leader" speakers, briefly: ETS.
6. Chance to get a hit, in baseball: AT BAT.
7. Relaxes in the tub: SOAKS.
8. Japanese beef city: KOBE. 神戸
Perhaps you are more familiar with Wagyu beef. "Wagyu" refers to any cattle that are bred in Japan. KOBE beef is a subset of Wagyu called Tajima-Gyu, which are raised to strict standards in the prefecture of Hyogo. KOBE is the capital city of Hyogo, thus the name.
9. Rainbow's place: SKY.
10. __ of justice: case that makes a mockery of the court: TRAVESTY.
11. Italian cheese in stuffed shells: RICOTTA. pasta shells
12. Pen filler: INK.
13. Greenlights: OKs. Did anyone else read Matthew McConaughey's book?
19. U2 lead singer: BONO. Paul David Hewson (b. May 10, 1960) is known by his nickname BONO. He is an Irish singer/songwriter, activist, and philanthropist.
9. Rainbow's place: SKY.
10. __ of justice: case that makes a mockery of the court: TRAVESTY.
11. Italian cheese in stuffed shells: RICOTTA. pasta shells
12. Pen filler: INK.
13. Greenlights: OKs. Did anyone else read Matthew McConaughey's book?
19. U2 lead singer: BONO. Paul David Hewson (b. May 10, 1960) is known by his nickname BONO. He is an Irish singer/songwriter, activist, and philanthropist.
U2 performs Sunday Bloody Sunday (released March 1983)
at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
The song is about a deadly clash in Northern Ireland on Sunday, Jan. 30, 1972.
21. Clear up, as a dispute: RESOLVE.
23. Chesapeake __ Bridge-Tunnel: BAY. You can travel its 17.6 miles (28.3 km.) via this 3 min. video.
26. Spider's trap: WEB. You can watch a garden spider spinning its WEB in this 1:51 min. video.
27. NFL scores: TDS. "National Football League" is abbreviated, so is "Touch DownS".
29. Smooth-talking: GLIB.
30. Six-sided shape: HEXAGON.
 |
| "Regular" means that all sides and angles are congruent (equal). |
33. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper: CLEM.
 |
| CLEM Kadiddlehopper was a comedic character portrayed by American entertainer Red Skelton (b. July 18, 1913; d. Sept. 17, 1997). My grandfather used "CLEM" to describe a person making not-bright choices. Perhaps this is why??? |
34. Like some dicts.: ABR. "Dictionaries" is abbreviated, so is "ABRidged".
36. Anklets worn with poodle skirts, informally: BOBBY SOX.
I used to play BOBBY SOX softball when I was a teenager. Our uniform socks were knee-highs. 
37. "Bang!": BLAM. It has been a while since I bestowed the Giant Leap award. 
38. Health resort: SPA.
40. Took it easy: LOUNGED.
42. Making up (for): ATONING.
43. Zagreb's country: CROATIA. This capital city's population in 2019 was 806,341 people.
44. Actor Hanks: TOM. You cannot get more 'Monday' than this clue!
46. Young sheep: LAMB.
48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO. We had this one last Monday.
51. "What a great surprise!": OH YAY.
53. Door handle: KNOB.
55. Plant sci.: BOT. "Science" is abbreviated, so it "BOTany".
40. Took it easy: LOUNGED.
42. Making up (for): ATONING.
43. Zagreb's country: CROATIA. This capital city's population in 2019 was 806,341 people.
TOM Hanks' first appearance on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (1982)
46. Young sheep: LAMB.
48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO. We had this one last Monday.
51. "What a great surprise!": OH YAY.
53. Door handle: KNOB.
55. Plant sci.: BOT. "Science" is abbreviated, so it "BOTany".
Capt. James Cook named Botany Bay (near Sydney, Australia) because of the "great quantity of new plants collected there."
56. Suffix with script: URE.
57. Mex. neighbor: USA.
58. Salon goo: GEL.
59. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.
56. Suffix with script: URE.
57. Mex. neighbor: USA.
58. Salon goo: GEL.
Here's the grid. Notice how the reveal lies in the center column. Well done!
That's all for today. Wishing everyone a good week. Bye Bye!
43 comments:
There was a girl from CROATIA,
If you startled her, she'd Mace ya!
Her chance for romance,
Depended, perchance,
On the supply of Mace in Croatia!
Sometimes ALOHA is a good thing to say,
As when watching a UKULELE's slow drift away.
{A-, B.}
Good morning!
Yay, a Wite-Out-free Monday. D-o didn't notice the reveal, but had sussed the B-B theme without it. Another Yay. Thanx, Bill and sumdaze.
TOOK -- My Lacto-OVO dw is still looking for one of her clogs that the raccoons "disappeared."
YEN -- The exchange rate was 360/$1 when we vacationed there. While on a tour we enjoyed sukiyaki made from Matsusaka beef. Each steer is given a daily sake rub, kinda like being marinated on the hoof. Later, in KOBE, we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch hosted by a shirt-tail relative posted to Japan by Price-Waterhouse.
I didn’t remember the boxer but the answer there soon became obvious. The other “B” answers were very easy to suss. Basically, another Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Big, fat, careless FIW. I had oNA x SBoRRO.
Gotta go to the RV to get ready to go camping tomorrow, but until later, here's today's notables:
Brazilian Blowout (B-B) Day (why not? Brazil used to be the rubber capital of the world, I think)
International Day Of Remembrance And Tribute To The Victims Of Terrorism
National Senior Citizens Day (isn't that every day?)
National Spumoni Day (I prefer Blue Bell (B-B) Pecan Pralines 'n Cream)
Chat later
There's also a vowel progression going on here, with each theme entry containing only that vowel. Nice.
Betrayed by a Monday puzzle, almost, as it took 7:25 today.
Boneheadeddly begun the lower-left with BIO instead of BOT, so couldn't make sense of a tuxedo cat and "Tedx" didn't come around soon enough.
Big brains (sincerely) on Vespa for pointing out the vowel progression.
FIR. Certainly an easy Monday puzzle, until I tried in vain to fit bio at 55D and everything across made no sense. Took a while and finally bot came to me. If not for that I would have sped through this CW in record time.
Cool observation!!
Very easy offering but a well done double theme as observed by Vespa@7:16.
Tres bien to Bill and sumdaze for their fine recap today.
True Monday feel CW with a neat theme, and kudos to Vespa @7:16 for keenly observing the vowel progression.
My only stumble was over SBARRO but perps took care of that.
Yesterday I served GRITS with our Sunday breakfast. At times for dinner I’ll fix shrimp and GRITS. If you go to gift shops in the south you might see t-shirts for sale with an explanation for GRITS message on them: Girls raised in the south.😜
Sumdaze, I liked the video of the little thieving monkey.
Madeline KAHN is one of a kind.
I'm old enough to know all the name clues. I remember Clem being asked to spell his name (I think by a police officer) and he replied "That's KA hopper with a diddle in the middle". I found that to be so funny, I still remember it 65 years later.
Good Morning:
Easy, peasy Monday solve with a basic theme, but with an extra layer of cleverness with the vowel progression. Thanks, Vespa, for catching this feature. No unknowns, no w/os, no nits. Oops, I did have one w/o with Ova/Ovo.
Thanks, Bill, for a pleasant start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun links, videos, and commentary.
Interesting little tidbit: Yesterday, I gave props for the low (22) number of three letter words, especially for a Sunday grid. In sharp contrast was the other paper’s staggeringly high number (42), which, in my experience, is a record-setting amount. I’ve never forgotten a CC Sunday grid that had only 8. Unbelievable achievement!
Where is Ray O, BTW? Also, Anon T?
Have a great day.
Hi Vespa @ 7:16. Thanks for pointing that out. Good catch!!
FLN-To CED- As to who "SS" is, "Speedy Solver" is the name Irish Miss gave to a certain person on this site who chooses to remain "Anonymous," but who always posts his time and, generally, has some witty word-play to contribute concerning the theme of the day's puzzle. His personality is such that its usually clear that it's him, in spite of his "anonymity." Over time, I have established a rapport with him that is rarely equalled by me either on this site, or in my "real life." I enjoy everyone's contributions on this site, but some stand out to me. He's one of them. I hope this clears things up for you, CED. But perhaps your question was rhetorical and I am "over-explaining." If so, I apologize.
Isn't Speedy Solver female?
Thanks Bill for an entertaining Monday FIR. Teri is already planning a B&B getaway I'm sure.
And thank you sumdaze for another fun, informative review. Loved all the music: Bugs, B.B. King (Louise never sounded sweeter!), Beatles, and Bono. B&B? MOI? More like Bombastic and Bullheaded!
Favs:
1A NUDGE. We're off to a good start. I hope I beat -T to this one.
50A BOOM BOOM. The story of the Mancini vs Kim fight was incredible and very sad.
65A LOGAN. Not just an airport, but also a RUN: LOGAN'S RUN is a 1976 sci-fi movie starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov and Farrah Fawcett. IIRC it got the Oscar that year for special effects.
1D NSA. I had the Cryptologic Museum confused with the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Teri and I visited it just before the start of the pandemic. The latter is not a collection of artifacts, but rather brand new, state of the art museum with interactive exhibits designed to teach you art of spycraft. If you're ever in the D.C. area it is really worth a visit.
5D ETS. LEADER was one of the words the nurse asked me to remember during the "cognitive phase" of my annual physical. I said LIEDER, like German art song? Quizzical look. Here's a classic by Franz Schubert, who wrote over 600 songs in his short life of 31 years.
23D BAY. The "Land of Pleasant Living", but not today -- it's supposed to hit 94 deg -- but a cool breeze these days to you folks down South.
Cheers Bill and Renee,
Bill
Vespa. WEES.
Hola!
Normally I would not be up this early but it was noisy while my granddaughter and her son were getting ready to go. I may return to bed after I post. No coffee yet.
Thank you, Bill, for this clever Monday challenge which was a little more crunchy than most Mondays. I liked it!
I love BABYBACK ribs! We had some at my daughter's home yesterday. It was my son-in-law's birthday. Friday was also my grandson's birthday so of course we celebrated both and they each had their own cake. They are all heavily into Star Wars so the gifts reflected that. I gave him a 2000 piece puzzle with that theme.
BLAM. What is BLAM?
Even alter all the trips to the South I have not acquired a taste for GRITS.
ARUBA always reminds me of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. So sad.
I hope you all have a marvelous Monday!
OK, RV ready to travel. Fridge will be nice and cold tomorrow, satellite dish down, and tire/wiper/mirror covers stowed. Tire pressures checked.
BEST BET - Yeah, blackjack is probably the casino's best bet IF: 1) You can find a single-deck game, and B) You know "basic strategy" and play it perfectly every time. If you think there are times when you need to rely on your intuition, you are better off playing craps. Play the PASS line and take maximum odds, and play nothing else on the layout until you get that down pat. Then you can study up on playing the COME line and taking full odds there too, and play those if you like. Nothing else on the craps table comes close to being BEST BETS, except for DON'T PASS and DON'T COME, and nobody likes a Debbie Downer. Ooh ooh, one more thing. Our new casino's blackjack tables only pay 1.5 to 1 on blackjack on their $100 minimum tables. For the tables I can afford, they pay 6 to 5. Avoid those like the plague.
Remember the old joke about the stereotypical diminutive ETS that land on Earth next to the tall, beautiful blonde? She asked "Shall I take you to my leader?" The head ET replied "Take me to your ladder lady, I'll see your leader later!"
The Chesapeake BAY Bridge-Tunnel is less than 10 miles from my home. Indeed a beautiful drive, but it can be very congested, especially on weekends. They have a turnaround at each end so tourists can drive round-trip and only pay toll once. It is a L-O-N-G way to drive around without paying toll - via Annapolis and US-50 IIRC.
Thanks to Bill and Sumdaze for a lot of Monday fun.
Easy Monday, the theme was so obvious I didn’t get it! 🙄 Like RAKE requiring some perp-aid.
Inkovers: ukelele/UKULELE, Klem/CLEM
The star was really Lou Ferrigno “The Incredible Hulk" (The Bold and the Beautiful?) I remembered BILL BIXBY died young from cancer. LIU: lots of tragedy: he died at 59, had a 6 y o son who died of an infection and his ex-wife Brenda Benet committed suicide. Madelyn KAHN also died young at 57 of cancer
I always had a PROBLEM with my “math exercise”, but good hand strength cuz I always counted on my fingers 😄
Afternoon event for country singer Andy….. TRAVESTY
What pugilist Roberto Durán does_____….. BOBBYSOX
“Lite”…… LOCALE
“ideas worth spreading” for adults…. TEDX
Have a Blessed and Beautiful week everyone.
I M have been busy at work and home. Our hospital closes in a few weeks and we move to the newly built Medical Center soon . but also wonder where my co-national has disappeared to
A quick and enjoyable Monday FIR. My only unknowns were Ana, tedx, and I have never heard the term "gastro pub". Sumdaze, I too overthought the Jeapoardy clue and had to wait on the perps. Just a tad bit of the ol' Witeout at the BIO/BOT corner. All in all, a pleasant start to the week.
(Also forgot how to spell "jeopardy". ) Untie!
A Monday puzzle as it should be… easy for newbie’s to solve but clever enough to hold the interest of CW regulars.
I’ve stayed in some quaint Air BnB’s. Thanks Bill and Sumdaze….. kkFlorida
A fun and clever puzzle with 5 BB’s and AEIOU (thanks Vespa),. A good job Bill Thompson! Thank you Sumdaze for explainingTEDX, the picture of shells with RICOTTA could have been taken in my kitchen, and any Monday with monkeys starts the week off right.
BAND B? Not the first time my mind quit working before B AND B was obvious. rand r (r and r) also.
GRITS for breakfast? Oh yes Tante Nique, with scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits.
Do fighters still have interesting nicknames? Not a fan, but remembering reading about BOOM BOOM Mancini, someone named Hurricane and Iron Mike Tyson.
Happy day, all!
A thank you to Miss Irish for gently encouraging me to fill out the form about myself. Not being able to navigate the instructions for postings it (name page URL - what?), I sent her a grumpy email saying I had failed and then I quit trying. When she posted that I had turned blue I was amazed. How did that happen? I’ll never know.
Many on this blog have been posting for years and have learned much about one other. Like other newcomers, I have read the critiques Miss Irish has written which are fair and honest. At a delightful luncheon we shared recently. she casually mentioned that she had written puzzles with CC. Their collaboration has produced many puzzles here at the LAT and the other paper. I just wanted to acknowledge this modest, lovely contributor , because some may not know of her talents.
Interesting puzzle, no unknowns except the X in TED X, easily perped by SOX.
I dislike any kind of porridge including grits. My family liked cornmeal mush. I liked it only as a leftover, chilled, sliced and dipped in flour, then fried.
But baby back ribs? Yummy, a favorite, especially the way David grills them. Master griller.
Vespa, thanks for pointing out the vowel progression. Cool!
Easy peasy start to the week.
Yes in math the exercises are called problems, even when they are just numbers and you have no problem solving them.
I love a good cut of beef, but KOBE is way too extravagant. Google says, "Kobe beef is considered the most expensive and sought after beef in the world, with single portions often selling for more than $200. In Japan, the cost of Kobe beef starts at about $300 per pound. In the States, it can be $50 per ounce—whereas other non-Kobe Wagyu can be half of that cost."
No thanks.
Wow, what a clever CW! Especially with the vowel progression, as noted by Vespa @7:16. And the vowels are the ONLY vowels in the theme fills! Again, WOW! I also very much liked the lack of unknown names. BB, thanx for this ingenious, and fun, CW. FIR in typical (for me) Monday time. Thanx too to Sumdaze for the terrific write-up. I especially liked the Bugs Bunny cartoon. Wishing all a good week!
SubG is correct, I am male.
I just went back to yesterday's posts to see that I was mentioned there.
I am glad some of you are briefly amused by my silly plays on the themes.
I seem to be much, much more intriguing as an anonymous poster than I am in real life. Yet, I welcome Parsan to the blue club (and I enjoyed Parsan's reference to "Miss Irish", which I will take some credit/blame for based on my references to "Ms. Irish Miss").
Also from last night, I have posted about times that I "finished it wrong," though I probably didn't use that exact vernacular.
Like my good buddy SubG said, I also appreciate everyone's contributions to this site. It's interesting to me how other's likes/dislikes permeate into my solving experience. When I finish it right, I think "I'm happy" like SubG. When there's a high amount of 3-letter words, I think of how Ms. Irish Miss won't be happy. When I make a mistake on 1-Across, I think of d-o. When I see circles, I, um, well, that one's on me.
Lucinda@ 9;55 - My grandson also celebrated his birthday on Friday, the one who wrote his name backward, Yort, when he was a pre-schooler. He was 20. How old is your grandson?
A baked grits casserole with cheddar cheese (and garlic, if you like it) is really delicious.
Yellowrocks@11:00 - My Mother also made mush, as we called it and not grits, just that same way. See above.
I had GRITS with my omelet Saturday at brunch. On Sunday, I had GRITS and diced potatoes (they call them hash browns) with my bacon and eggs. Some places make their GRITS in a way that causes them to congeal into a blob as they cool. I HATE that! My favorite brunch joint doesn't make them that way, and I can take little tastes of the grits as I eat my entree. I just add a little butter on top, and occasionally some pepper.
So KOBE beef is $300 a pound in Japan. The way prices are going, that'll be the cost of sirloin in the USA soon.
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Bill. And thanks, too, for your helpful commentary, Sumdaze.
Well, the early UKULELE made me think there might be a party going on in this puzzle, as folks came into the pub LOCALE, saying ALOHA, and clearly in a mood for good time. It was pretty informal, with folks wearing BOBBY SOX who LOUNGED around the room until they spotted the table with eats. There they were able to enjoy some GRITS and RICOTTA cheese with some SODA and OREOS for dessert. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Have a good one today, everybody!
B and B?
I did that all last week!
although, I might have gotten it backwards...
A very relieved learning moment: baby back ribs do not come from baby cows...
Hmm, all this puzzling and learning makes me want to go back to bed...
Parsan, thank you for asking. My grandson is now 17 and a senior in high school. He informed us that he is one of the youngest in his class. He's a whiz in Pokemon which I don't understand but he loves it. He asked, and received, a fancy set of Pokemon cards. I say fancy because it was encased in a handsome box and cost $50.
BTW, congratulations on going blue!
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Bill and sumdaze.
This was more like the usual Monday fare, plus an obvious theme (except the added vowel progressions that it seems only Vespa @7:16 was brilliant enough to notice!).
I have grandchildren here all week (see 3D), and I am posting during “quiet time”. Grands are playing separately and DH is napping LOL.
I started with Uke and extended it with LELE. AUTO corrected the first E to a U.
Hand up for remembering CLEM Kadiddlehopper. Red Skeleton was hilarious.
Another hand up for overthinking TRIO.
I said last week that I needed to memorize SBARRO. Perps were still needed for the S.
OH Boy changed to YAY.
TRAVESTY was our big word of the day.
This Canadian must admit to having never eaten grits. But I knew RINK and ORR.
Wishing you all a great day.
Hand up missed the BANDB vowel progression. Way cool!
sumdaze I loved your ETS cartoon with the oblivious kid with the phone. My experience every day on campus.
SPA is a frequent visitor to the puzzles.
Here is my PANORAMIC VIEW photo at the Blue Lagoon SPA in Iceland last month.
PANORAMIC VIEW was a theme answer yesterday. Not sure why some people were so grumpy with that theme. I thought the DROPS THE MIC theme was clever and very well constructed. In real life, this would be a terribly destructive thing to do.
Musings
-Very hard trivia: Name this movie that featured Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and a character named BOOM BOOM Jackson. (*answer at the bottom)
-The heat and humidity are beyond oppressive but I got in 18 before 11 am. I will LOUNGE for the balance of the day.
-Bill’s Big Bad puzzle was refreshing after getting back to the a/c
-Who is this math guy and why does he have so many PROBLEMS?
-A flight from BALI to ARUBA follows “the great circle route”
-GRITS played a role for the defense in My Cousin Vinnie
-CLEM was the name of the most short-tempered coach I ever had
-Is this a fair analogy: GRITS : American South :: Poi : Hawaii?
-*That is a scene from the 1966 movie The Fortune Cookie
CLEM is short for CLEMENT and there have been the 13 Popes of that name. The first was Pope St. Clement I (c. 35 AD – 99 AD). He is considered the first Apostolic Father and is most famous for The Epistle of Clement which is often cited by Catholic theologians in support of the primacy of the See of Rome.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR - no mistakes or corrections - as others have said, this was more like a Monday puzzle SHOULD be ... easier clues and yet still quite enjoyable because of a clever theme
As others noted, I too did not see the vowel progression of the B's - good catch, Vespa
Thanks to the constructor and our Monday re-capper for the total enjoyment!
I missed all of last week due to deleting the email that C.C. sends to us bloggers that contains the puzzles for that time period ... I was too lazy to retrieve it or find them through another venue ... but the week off has re-charged my batteries, so to speak
I traveled the Chesapeake Bay Bride-Tunnel once; was surprised that most of it is above water, not below
Like Lucina, I have not found much of a taste for GRITS - they are so popular in the southern US that back when gas stations had attendants, they'd give out GRITS with a full tank purchase
Today's "MOES Hardness Scale" score is 2.5 ... for future reference, I will abbr. it as MHS
Enjoy your week! We're already enjoying significantly lower temperatures here ... YEA!!
A Monday Thompson XWD, brought to us by sumdaze...
Loved the clip of the critters making off with the hub cap!
I wonder what a monkey will do with that. Maybe pawn it...?
I had to look up GASTRO pub. Seems to be a pub that specializes in "high quality food,"
... if they do say so themselves!
~ OMK
_____________
DR: Two diagonals, one to a side.
The far side diag has a curious anagram (12 of 15). It refers to an unpleasant subject, death by a noose.
If a suicde, it is very likely done privately, as the anagram states, to...
"HANG COVERTLY"!
Sadly, if performed as a lynching, it is rarely done in secret.
AHA! But I see that we can change the subject, and borrow one more letter from the diagonal.
NOW (13 of 15), if you live in one of the states where cannabis is still outlawed, you may need to make use of your...
"BHANG COVERTLY"!!
Fun and easy Monday
I think that there is an unofficial horizontal line across the US - below it grits are always on the menu for breakfast and the default for iced tea is sweet.
Conversely, above that, grits are rarely on a menu and the default iced tea is sweet. The line is south of where I live in Central MO but somewhere near the Arkansas border.
Of course chains like McDonald's and McAllister's have made sweet tea more available everywhere - much to the dismay of us in the medical field as obesity, Diabetes, and fatty liver disease has increased exponentially- since sweet tea is just as bad as soda - and sometimes worse when it is made super-saturated with sugar.
Like Parsan - I grew up with garlic cheese grits as a side dish especially with BBQ- yummers ! as Susan would say. But not a big fan of just plain white grits at breakfast
Thanks SD and Bill for a fun day Monday!
C-Moe, the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay is relatively shallow. Plenty of water for pleasure boats, but not nearly enough for warships and large commercial vessels. So the south tunnel goes under the deepwater channel for access to the tidewater ports (notably Navy Station Norfolk, Newport News Shipbuilding (where a lot of subs and all US aircraft carriers are born,) various ship repair businesses, and commercial container and coal terminals.) The north tunnel goes under the channel going to Yorktown, Annapolis, Baltimore and other military and commercial ports. Before the CBBT was built, ferries handled vehicle traffic from Cape Charles to Norfolk. They couldn't build a bridge, because enemies can blow up bridges and block the channels. No channels means no ship's ammo and no way for warships to go in or out to the open ocean.
I was a guest aboard a cruiser (USS Normandy) when it went from NNS to Yorktown to offload ammo. It was very impressive - I was allowed to sit through the commanding officer's briefing, then I was in the bridge for a lot of the trip. They had to go out the south channel, around a sea buoy, then back in the north channel en route to Yorktown. Although I was told not to speak unless asked a question, the CO remarked to me that despite having millions of dollars worth of navigation electronics, they still navigated by eye, and from buoy to buoy.
PT2:
Jinx @ 4:09 --> thanks for all the info on the tunnels/channels/bridges. I never thought about the shallow water, but as a young adult I spent a few days each summer fishing with my father-in-law in the Chesapeake. Mostly off of Point Lookout, but other areas, too. Now that I recall, the water depths weren't all that deep (25-30' maybe?). We always hoped for Rockfish (aka, Stripers) but usually caught Blue's. One week after a Labor Day weekend (late 1970's) we had a huge "day" of fishing; between 4 of us (we were on a party boat for a total of 2 hours) we caught 30 Blue's, all ranging from about 6-8 pounds. Quite the haul!
On our drive back to York County, PA, we saw a roadside vendor selling blue crabs. It was a $hitty weekend, weather-wise, so that Sunday PM the vendor didn't want to get stuck with any, so he sold us a full bushel for $5. We bought two! And had quite the feast later that evening ...
FWIW, Margaret (my partner) was born in the Naval Hospital there in the Norfolk area (Portsmouth) ... it was a couple of years ago that we crossed the CBBT after visiting the Tidewater area to go to Chincoteague
I enjoyed this puzzle and all your comments.
Hi All!
I'm still here IM! Just absent being busy w/ stuff. Things should slow down for me by Friday [fingers crossed].
Nice catch on vowel progression, Vespa - I totally missed it.
Thanks for the (mostly) smooth Monday puzzle, Bill. The center was empty of ink until GHOSTED filled.
Sumdaze - from one GenX to another: Bitchin' expo!
WO: vocal -> VERBAL
ESP: ANA
Fav: Waseeley beat me to NUDGE, NUDGE, wink, wink.
Other fun: BUGS BUNNY, & Madeline Kahn.
I don't know how/why BILL BIXBY is in my brain. I did have an Incredible Hulk Halloween costume that I refused to put my coat over so I put my costume over the coat and looked like I had big muscles (and RAKEd in lots of candy!)
{B+, A}
Dark DR, OMK.
Jinx - Brazilian Blowout left an image in my mind I can't unsee. BTW, I never understood craps. I watched guys who tried to explain it to me while I got free booze. I went back to the roulette wheel and lost my $40 there.
My first encounter with GRITs was in the army in S. Louisiana. I was expecting cream of wheat or near-- wet sand in my mouth, it was.
DW's BFF makes 'em with cheese & shrimp - palatable. //and I thought grits was hominy & lye (?)
Ray-O: LOL adult TED-X.
Picard - your pic of Blue Lagoon, while pretty, is lacking Bo Derik
No one? Clem for your entertainment.
SS - I won't spoil, but stay tuned to The Corner -- we'll have fun sans circles.
Cheers, -T
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