Hello Cornerites!
Constructor Amie Walker is back to play, bringing another challenge for us. She gave us a Drop The MIC puzzle two Sundays ago. Today's puzzle features a different type of electronic equipment: gaming CONSOLEs. I will say upfront that this theme is not in my wheelhouse. I only know a few terms from solving XWDs. I welcome any corrections or additions you might have to my recap. Nevertheless, I do need to come up with a theme. How about this one?
FUN & GAMES
Solving XWD puzzles is fun and the circled letters are gaming systems.
The grid has 4 long answers. The circled letters in each spell out a gaming console that can be hooked up to your TV or monitor so you can play video games.
17 Across. Frozen drink sometimes made with rosé: WINE SLUSHIE. NES
24 Across. Inadvertently reveals a secret advantage: TIPS ONE'S HAND. PS ONE
48 Across. Some tissue dispensers: KLEENEX BOXES. XBOX
58 Across. "SNL" alum known for her Target Lady sketches: KRISTEN WIIG. WII
We find the gimmick revealed at
37 Across. Car's storage compartment, or a feature of 17-, 24-, 48-, and 58-Across?: CENTER CONSOLE.
Though not precisely in the CENTER, I think this works because the gaming CONSOLEs do not use the first or last letters of the long fills. The CONSOLE is (sort of) in the CENTER of the long fill. Close enough! Whether or not the circles are necessary is a matter of opinion. Veteran solvers probably did not need them. Noobs probably appreciated the extra hints. Today is Monday....
Because I solve top to bottom, I usually prefer to have the reveal near the bottom. In this case, it was fun to see CENTER CONSOLE in the center of the grid.
Let's move on to the other 73 clues....
Across:
1. __ pitcher: bullpen figure: RELIEF. and 34 Down. Yankee Stadium's borough: BRONX. and 49 Down. Wrigley corners: BASES.
All three are baseball references. Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs.
7. South Pacific resort island: BALI.
11. Agt.: REP. "Agent" is abbreviated. So is "REPresentative".
14. Source of prophecies: ORACLE.
15. "Beg pardon": AHEM.
7. South Pacific resort island: BALI.
11. Agt.: REP. "Agent" is abbreviated. So is "REPresentative".
14. Source of prophecies: ORACLE.
15. "Beg pardon": AHEM.
16. Sculling blade: OAR. Sculling is a form of rowing, a competitive sport in which a person uses OARs, one in each hand, to propel a boat.
19. Get weepy: CRY. I was working on this blog when I read Picard's message about Wilbur Charles. This past February he wrote, "enjoying sumdaze Mondays." He had a way of coining phrases. Sadly, we have lost a good one.
20. Salty expanse: SEA. Saltwater, aka the ocean, covers about 71% of the Earth.
21. Exchanges on WhatsApp, for short: IMS. Instant MessageS
Facebook Inc. (now Meta Platforms) purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. I mostly use WhatsApp with friends who live outside of the U.S. because it is IP-based as opposed to cellular-service-based.
22. Totally fine: A-OK.
30. Slangy "reckon": S'POSE.
32. Washington's capital: OLYMPIA. Clever misdirection! Why Olympia and not Seattle
33. "East of Eden" son: ARON.
34. "Hulk" star Eric: BANA. Last Monday we had Bill Bixby. In 2003 Universal Pictures released a new movie where, thanks to CGI, Eric played both Bruce Banner and Hulk.
36. Heart test, briefly: ECG. I get these mixed up:
22. Totally fine: A-OK.
30. Slangy "reckon": S'POSE.
32. Washington's capital: OLYMPIA. Clever misdirection! Why Olympia and not Seattle
 |
| Cherry blossoms (lower left) also bloom outside of the OLYMPIA capitol building. |
33. "East of Eden" son: ARON.
34. "Hulk" star Eric: BANA. Last Monday we had Bill Bixby. In 2003 Universal Pictures released a new movie where, thanks to CGI, Eric played both Bruce Banner and Hulk.
36. Heart test, briefly: ECG. I get these mixed up:
ECG is an ElectroCardioGram. This one checks your heart's rhythm and electrical activity.
EKG is also an ElectrocardioGram. No wonder I get confused!
EEC is an ElectroEncephaloGram. This one records brain activity.
EGG (Just kidding! I know that one.)
41. Hesitant sounds: ERS. and 18 Down. Hesitant sounds: UMS.
I see the former mostly in subtitles for British TV shows. Have we had them both in the same puzzle before?
I recently heard Grammar Girl talk about this with Lynne Murphy (an American linguist living in the UK) Episode 928. According to Lynne, "It's not that the British put different sounds into their filled pauses, it's just that they typically spell those pauses er and erm instead of uh and um. Since many British English dialects do not pronounce the /r/ after vowels in such contexts, the /r/ here is just to indicate that the vowel is not a proper 'e' but a long schwa-like vowel." Basically, the spellings are not yet standardized. Read Lynne's article at her website.
We should have suspected that the tricky schwa sound was behind all of this!!
42. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES.
43. Misfortunes: ILLS.
44. Connecticut's time zone: EASTERN.
47. Conclude by: END AT. Think "time".
51. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
42. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES.
43. Misfortunes: ILLS.
44. Connecticut's time zone: EASTERN.
47. Conclude by: END AT. Think "time".
51. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
 |
| 12,000 BC Paleo vs. 2090 AD Neo |
52. Smartphone download: APP. for example, WhatsApp in 21A
53. Commotion: ADO.
56. Fake user: BOT. Lots about BOTs
63. Regret: RUE.
64. Not in use: IDLE.
65. Boss: LEADER.
66. Shiverer's sound: BRR.
67. Fifth Avenue store: SAKS.
68. Key tahini ingredient: SESAME. SESAME seeds are to tahini like peanuts are to peanut butter.
Down:
1. Google Sheets lines: ROWS. Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet editor. Would you have penned it more confidently if the clue were "Excel lines"?
2. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
3. "Mariners Apartment Complex" singer Del Rey: LANA. While this 2019 song is likely unknown to most, regular solvers are familiar with "4-letter singer Del Rey" much the same way we would write ORR for "3-letter hockey player whose 2nd cousin twice removed is Joe Bloggs".
4. Freezer cubes: ICE.
53. Commotion: ADO.
56. Fake user: BOT. Lots about BOTs
63. Regret: RUE.
64. Not in use: IDLE.
 |
| I saw these signs while on my recent trip to British Columbia. I hope they catch on. Please do not let your car puff while you check your cell phone. |
65. Boss: LEADER.
66. Shiverer's sound: BRR.
68. Key tahini ingredient: SESAME. SESAME seeds are to tahini like peanuts are to peanut butter.
Down:
1. Google Sheets lines: ROWS. Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet editor. Would you have penned it more confidently if the clue were "Excel lines"?
2. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.
3. "Mariners Apartment Complex" singer Del Rey: LANA. While this 2019 song is likely unknown to most, regular solvers are familiar with "4-letter singer Del Rey" much the same way we would write ORR for "3-letter hockey player whose 2nd cousin twice removed is Joe Bloggs".
Here is the video followed by what the song means. Warning: There are a couple of impolite words.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
4. Freezer cubes: ICE.
 |
| "Liquidation Sale" Ha!Ha! |
5. High rumblers: ELS. and 7 Down. Low rumbler: BASSO.
ELevated trainS and a person who sings bass (especially in opera)
6. King of Spain: FELIPE. King FELIPE VI was born January 30, 1968 in Madrid. In 2014, King Juan Carlos I announced his abdication after almost four decades. His only son FELIPE took the Spanish throne on June 19 of that year, becoming the youngest of contemporary European monarchs at the age of 46.
 |
| In June 2018 he visited the U.S. with his wife, Queen Letizia. |
8. Spa sigh: AHH.
9. Floral garland: LEI. The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) baggage claim area has a wonderful floral aroma due to of all the LEIs given to arriving guests.
10. "Either way works for me": I'M EASY.
11. Vocal group that sings the "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" theme song: ROCKAPELLA.
Here's the song. The play on a cappella took it from ESP to AESP (Almost Every Single Perp).
12. Spot for an AirPod: EAR.
 |
| I still use wires. #OldSchool |
23. Unit of resistance: OHM. electricity
24. Animated character: TOON. slang for carTOON
 |
| Disney has a Toontown area at its parks. |
25. "That __ fair!": ISN'T.
26. Taboos: NO-NOS.
27. Flair: ELAN.
28. Most warm: NICEST.
29. Former U.N. head Hammarskjöld: DAG. (b. July 29, 1905 in Sweden. d. Sept. 18, 1961 in Rhodesia (now Zambia).) He was the 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from April 1953 until he perished in an airplane crash.
30. Related to the lower back: SACRAL. My first guess was "lumbAr" but I needed to guess a little lower.
31. On-screen command after typing one's PIN: PRESS ENTER.
35. Expert serve: ACE.
38. To be, in Paris: ETRE. French verb
39. Trig ratio: SINE. Watch this 27 sec. video to see how a SINE curve is rolled out using a unit circle. Cool beans!
40. Pulitzer-winning poet Sharon: OLDS. Poetry Foundation website
41. Shrill shriek: EEK.
45. Concert keepsake: TEE.
OK, -T. This one is for you. I haven't mentioned this before. Bro #2 saw Rush in '81 in Oakland. I wore his 'concert keepsake' until it looked even rattier than the one in this pic I found on ebay. (I'm fairly sure this is the one.) I cannot say I was a fan so much as I listened to whatever music he played (read: blasted through the adjoining bedroom wall) and I definitely thought I was too cool for school when I wore the shirt.
46. Long mushrooms: ENOKIS. What are your thoughts on using English pluralization conventions (in this case, add "s") for foreign words? I'm conflicted.
46. Long mushrooms: ENOKIS. What are your thoughts on using English pluralization conventions (in this case, add "s") for foreign words? I'm conflicted.
47. Throws out: EXPELS. Think "School Board decision".
50. Make a choice: OPT.
53. Opera set in Egypt: AIDA. What do Clint Eastwood and AIDA have in common?
Answer: Ennio Morricone (b. Nov. 10, 1928. d. Jul. 6, 2020). He was an Italian composer who wrote music in a wide range of styles, including soundtracks for Clint's Spaghetti Westerns and the 2001 Italian animated film, Aida of the Trees.
L'Alba Verra (Dawn Will Come) from Aida of the Trees
Ennio Morricone Composer, Arranger, and Conductor;
Filippa Giordano Vocals; Alberto Salerno Lyrics; and Peppe Servillo Vocals
54. Carpe __: seize the day: DIEM.
55. Shrek, for one: OGRE.
56. "Putting my phone down a sec": BRB. Be Right Back
57. Taylor Swift's "__ Song": OUR.
59. Nutritional amt.: RDA. "Amount" is abbreviated, so is "Recommended Dietary Allowance".
60. Kind: ILK.
61. Alumna bio word: NÉE. It comes from the French feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born".
62. "What __ I thinking?": WAS.
Oh, I remember. I was thinking that I hope everyone has a good day!
35 comments:
Well, to me this puzzle had significantly more “crunch “ than the “standard “ Monday puzzle, so much so that I thought to myself, “Have they moved Mondays to Thursdays now?” Like Sumdaze, game consoles are not in my “wheelhouse,” especially “PS One” (whatever that is) and that made the puzzle more difficult to solve. Nevertheless. I persevered and managed to FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
I was so proud of myself when I confidently inked ON DECK at 1a. And then I wasn't. (Have I ever mentioned....?) Saw the circles, missed the reveal, but managed to figure out that the circled letters were game machines...except for PSONE. Guessed that P was silent. D'oh. Thanx, Amie (or is it Arnie?) and sumdaze.
Doing two M-o-W routes today, and because next Monday is Labor Day, today will be a double-meal delivery day. My little SUV will be stuffed to the gills. I sure hope we don't have any extras, like animeals or breakfast bags today.
FIW, missing oMS x WINE SLoSHIE. Just ran out of P&P before doing my usual sanity check. Erased mali for BALI, WINE SmotHIE for SLoSHIE, metro for BASSO, and aah for AHH. Not too crazy about this puzzle.
Today is:
RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY (for all those wonderful pets that are waiting for us)
INTERNATIONAL READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY (some things are better done in private)
NATIONAL THOUGHTFUL DAY (who would have thunk it)
NATIONAL RED WINE DAY (where were you when I could enjoy you)
NATIONAL CHERRY TURNOVER DAY (no, I didn’t dribble any kind of wine – that’s a cherry stain)
Congrats to Viktor Hovland for winning this week's PGA tournament. The Norwegian took away $18,000,000 US. The #1 rated player in the world played well, except he was statistically the worst putter in the tournament. He had to settle for a lousy $2,000,000 as a tie for 6th place. Two guys most people have never heard of tied for last place, and each won a little over a half-million dollars. Nice work if you can get it.
Thanks to sumdaze for the fun review, especially the circle / sine wave connection. I knew the relationship from understanding 3-phase power distribution (the phases are three sine waves 120 degrees apart from each other,) but never saw it graphically.
This was slightly slower than my usual Monday. For those above who are wondering, PS ONE is for Sony's Play Station 1, I am not a gamer but if I recall they are now up to Play Station 5.
I was glad for circles except not needed for KRISTEN WIIG. Once I had the theme I knew that the WII would be in there somewhere, and I am fan of hers.
The ECG is English spelling, the EKG was from the elektrokardiogram which was from the original Dutch in the paper by Einthhoven. Dutch is a language that is more Germanic in origins - thus the k instead of the C.
Our kids were big Carmen San Diego and ROCKPELLA fans - we even went to a ROCKAPELLA concert.
Early start today at work, so thanks SD and Amie!
oops- typo - Einthoven
Took 6:54 today to cloSE GAps.
Honestly, when I got to the review, I had to go back to the puzzle because I didn't think my version had circles, but yep, there they were. So, oh joy, circles!
Not a fan of this puzzle. Too much crunch (ums, ers, ahh, ahem, etc.) mixed with way too many 3-letter words (can I get an "amen" from Ms. Irish Miss?) and still too many proper names (Dag, Lana, Bana, K.Wiig, etc.).
Good Morning. Tough puzzle today, and, at the start, I wondered if I would finish. I did. Thanks, Amie, for the challenge.
Lots of WOs on the top (e.g. cooler -> SLUSHIE; lumbar -> SACRAL) but then went to the bottom & worked my way up.
Going back over the puzzle in search of a theme I saw X BOX & WII. Not familiar with the others & it didn’t help in the solve as I was filling it in.
ESP: FILIPE, ROCKAPELLA, OLDS.
Sumdaze, Thanks for your recap. You made it seem so clear! But I take issue with your reference to “noobs” and circles as divisive, and I am weary of the never-ending discussion about whether they appear or not. Maybe I’m just cranky about the un-Monday-ish puzzle. Sorry.
Third time's a charm??? Love that I can edit!!
August 28, 2023 at 7:59 AM
August 28, 2023 at 8:09 AM Delete
Puzzle was an easy Monday level but I don't drink WINE and the WINE SLUSHIE was an unknown.
No gaming console either but I knew them except the PS ONE. I've heard of Sony's Play Station and I guess that was their first one.
CENTER CONSOLEs in cars- just more room to carry junk you don't really need. When thieves bust the windows they have another place to look beside the misnamed 'glove compartment'.
Target Lady and KRISTEN WIIG- never heard of either but the perps took care of it.
ECG or EKG- The Germans have the Elektrokardiogramm; that's why it's EKG
EAR- not only do I use wires all my cheapie earphone clip to my collar. I don't want them to fall off when I'm riding my bike, which is about the only time I use them.
BANA, LANA, FELIPE, ROCKAPELLA, OLDS- perps for those.
Rose E- we saw you the FIRST time.
FIR. A bit crunchy for a Monday. Several unknown proper names, useless circles, and a theme that seemed lacking.
Once again, it seems there's a new editor working at the LAT. Something has changed significantly over the last few weeks. And not a good change.
Not a fan of ERS, UHS, EEK, AHH, BRR. The first two especially since they are rarely pluralized. Seems like lazy puzzle making to me.
honorable mention...
As Pogo might say, “Thursday come on a Monday this week.” I was so pleased to see others mentioning that this is not a typical Monday level CW; I was afraid I was just being especially dopey. Also as others mentioned, I wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to finish it. I did manage to FIR eventually, in my usual Thursday or maybe even Friday time. W/Os = AAH:AHH, LUMBAR:SACRAL. Wanted PSYCHIC at 14A but it didn’t fit, and DNK LANA or ELS or NES. Still don’t get “High rumblers” = ELS. What? It took all the way to XBOX to have the V-8 can hit as to the theme, and I was actually drinking V-8 at the time! Then I went back and figured PSONE must be Play Station One, but DNK NES. Never heard of it, but I have not once ever played a video game, so it’s not surprising that this CW was not on my wavelength. This CW would have been a great one for a Thursday or a Friday, but not so sure I appreciate it showing up on a Monday. But that’s not the constructor’s fault, so Thanx AW for the challenge. And thanx too to Sumdaze for the, as always, terrific write-up.
RosE@7:59
A "noob" in gaming parlance is someone who is new to an activity. I thought it was a good fit to use a gaming term to discuss the puzzle. I meant no offense and apologize for upsetting you. I would never want to do that.
Anonymous @ 6:54. You've done it once again. SEGA. Good one!
Good Morning:
As mentioned above, there was certainly more crunch than usual for a Monday puzzle, but this comes as no surprise because the time-honored practice of daily increments in difficulty levels has been abandoned. The present format seems to be “anything goes”, or in the current lingo, “whatevs”. I needed perps for Wine Slushie, Felipe, Rockapella, and Olds. Only one w/o with Lumbar/Sacral (Hi, sumdaze) and the only themer that was unfamiliar was PS One. The Ers and Ums duo were unfortunate, as were the eye-popping 32 three letter words. (Amen, indeed, SS)
Thanks, Amie, and thanks, sumdaze, for a fun and informative review. Favorite comics were the conniving Mice (Eek!) and the Liquidation Sale (Ice). The SNL sketch was a hoot and I never would have guessed Justin Timberlake as the girlfriend!
I watched The Whale last night and now understand and accept*why Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for his flawless performance in what had to have been an extremely difficult and physically demanding role. The story was sad and depressing and, at times, almost unbearable to watch but, at the same time, impossible to look away. *I use the word accept because prior to seeing this movie, I was pretty much convinced that Colin Farrell should have won the Oscar for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Have a great day.
Sum - huh? (Made me look!)
@unclefred ELS as in ELevated trains making noise overhead of anyone at street level. Most common in Chicago, where it's known as the L, not EL.
Managed to FIR, but not a fan of this one. BRB, EEK, AHH, ERS, SPOSE, were a tad off-putting. (Otto-correct doesn't seem to like them, either!) I prefer WORDS in my crossWORDS.
Haven't watched SNL since back in the day when it was funny. Traded in my earbuds for hearing aids long ago. (Seems like helicopters and gunfire are even worse than rock concerts. Thanks, VA!) Best part of today was the recap by Sumdaze. That was AOK! Loved the mice. I have a Huskie that works that trick, too!
Hi All!
DW & I were down for the weekend. We both tested Covid negative but slept a lot! I'm still not 100% as Amie's puzzle took me (seemingly) forever to suss.
Thanks Amie for the grid to play with to start the week.
Sumdaze - That RUSH TEE looks like their Moving Pictures tour. My first concert was Hold Your Fire tour in Shreveport ('87 I think). My last RUSH show was R40 in Chicago w/ my (CEO) Bro and little Sis who we indoctrinated RUSH since she was a baby (she's 9yrs younger than I). Her best memory of the show was watching me & Bro elate with the music.
//The show was slightly different than R40 in Houston - my daughters & I got a second encore! and my TEE souvenir is safely hidden away
Oh, and thanks for the expo - funny cartoons -- giving Hahtoolah a run for her money, you are.
Oh and, since you is, it's spelt n00b (those are zeros too keep the moderator-BOTs from blocking ;-)
WOs: N/A
ESPs: NAMES!
Fav: 'SPOSE it's that. //over the weekend I watched a lot of oaters (Maverik is old-west Rockford Files!) on my sick couch.
Anyone still confused? PS ONE is Sony's Play Station. (oh, Inanehiker said it too)
How ROCKAPELLA was in my little grey matter, I don't know.
I enjoyed reading y'all!
One last thing: My Hold Your Fire concert tee was my fav shirt under my open red&black flannel (yeah, I was that kid). DW lied to me on our 9th date and said she liked 2112 (we listened to the full song in the front of her '76 Torino & kissed when the song was over!). Anyway, after we were married, my RUSH tee disappeared. She claims to this day it wasn't her. //I claim she tossed it ;-)
Cheers, -T
Ditto to all the above comments… a slog for a Monday and smatterings of lazy editing. I enjoyed Sumdaze’s recap more than I enjoyed the puzzle. Especially the mice cartoon with them “eeking” out a living. Thanks Sumdaze….. kkFlorida
Pretty much what WEES. The theme was totally outside my wheelhouse, and so were a few clues. I managed to FIR anyway,
I too preferred Sumdaze’s recap to the CW and enjoyed everyone’s comments, so it’s a win for me.
We had a strong thunderstorm last night and some much needed rain.
Thank goodness I just proofread my comments, because spellcheck had changed WERE to WE’RE. GRR. I’ll try to avoid that word from now on.
Hola!
Since today is Monday, I went to count money but did start the puzzle before leaving. We're on a different schedule and instead of counting on Sunday afternoon all counting is done on Monday so instead of two of us the whole team was there.
I finished the puzzle and liked the long fill. It's nice to see entire words instead of shortened ones or abbreviations.
WINE SLUSHIE reminded me of my late uncle who always made me a strawberry daiquiri when I visited him.
SINE just reminds me of the agony I experienced when I took trigonometry. Math of any kind is not my forte but at least two math courses were required to graduate college.
I used to love shopping at SAKS when they first opened in Phoenix. At the time I wore a size 5 and they had really cute clothes.
I hope you are all having a fine day! D-O, I'm puzzled by your remark. When you deliver double meals, do the recipients have a way to preserve them or do they just consume them all at once? Curious minds . . . . .
Sumdaze, I see your tie-in to the theme, nothing more. Sorry for the rant.
Big Easy, I must do my editing in Word before I post from now on....
TanteN said "pretty much WEES" - so does that mean I can put you down as a fan of RUSH? :-)
Unfashionable late to the party
WOS…Did we skip a few days this week?, not very Mondayish. Lotsa esoterica and PN’s …. EZ theme though for a FIR. Love the bubbles, I mean circles I think of ERIE as Buffalo’s (ERIE county) lake, ERIE canal etc. “High rumblers” hungry stomach?. ELS?
Don’t forget EMG, electromyogram, together with a NCS nerve conduction study; my son is a pain management MD and uses both these modalities frequently to help determine the source of and therefore therapy for peripheral pain
Then there is also mountainous north BALI where the natives eat funny MUSHROOMS which is why the isle is called BALI HAI ��
Ferdinand was too long and too English I guess . Why not some español in the clue? Never remember LANA.
Inkover : lumbar/SACRAL , IMokay/EASY,
Afro or beehive ……ADO
Emcee….. PRESSENTER
What the “fifth avenue dept store” HR person does to a bad employee …..SAKS
FELIPE’s lazy kid: “____ of the King” …. IDLE
”low rumbler” belch……BRB
Took this after a rain storm at camp during a quick temperature reversal. Not a wildfire
Thank you, sumdaze for unpacking today's Walker PZL!
A good thing I did not need to know the names of game consoles to finish this XWD.
We cruciverbal solvers tend to be an older bunch, hence unlikely to know the accoutrements of video games--unless, of course, through children's stuff.
I appreciated the link to the "27 second" explanation of 39D's "Trig ratio." It actually consumed nearly ten minutes of my morning, as I was sufficiently intrigued to hop from one video to another.
I regret now that I was such a poor math student.
The ECG (aka EKG) has undergone a major metamorphosis in my lifetime.
They used to rig you up for these heart tests and run them for the better part of a half hour--or 45 minutes.
Now my cardiologist's asst. does it in five minutes!
(Or my wristwatch does it when I'm not even looking. "BZzz... Ready for a report?")
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal, far end.
Its anagram (14 of 15) speaks of an unpleasant skin infection of the nose.
Yes, I mean a...
"SNOOT CARBUNCLE"!
Thank you Amie for a nice start to the week. The first and last time I played a video game was on an Apple II, so I'm a bit rusty on gamer lingo, although with the exception of PSONE, the CONSOLES did ring a bell.
And thanks sumdaze for a fun review and for clearing up the mysteries the innner workings of Yellowstone and why Olympia, not Seattle is capital of Washington. I've been to the latter several times, but never the former. BTW, is that your GIFFY sculling in the clue for OAR?
Busy day, so just a couple of favs:
7D BASSO. Here's William Warfield singing Old Man River
64D IDLE. My Toyota hybrid doesn't do anything when it's stopped. The engine only runs when you put your foot on the gas, and it gets 40 miles per gallon of the stuff.
Cheers,
Bill
Musings
-Back from a nice 18
-I’m not a gamer but after I sussed out NES, no prob Bob.
-Every bullpen has a RELIEF pitchers who can throw at 100+ mph
-Are all pharmacy REPS tall, beautiful blondes like my neighbor?
-Kings and other HRH’s seem to be harmless anachronisms
-The difference between my saying, “Either way works for me” and my lovely bride saying it, is that I mean it.
-Fun write-up as always, Renee!
HG - re: #5... Tell me you never said b***h.
Nope -- not me either - we're too smart for that :-)
I remember the '90's computer expo fairs' Booth Babes to collect nerds. Did your neighbor REP do those gigs too?
//we need someone for our upcoming campus hiring (we're all old & ugly ;-))
Cheers, -T
OMK - SNOOT CARBUNCLE - I like it! Reminds me of a Halloween witch who is trying to outdo her sister with the wart on her nose. And I wonder why we never see CARBUNCLE as crossword fill - maybe "lovely name for an ugly condition."
Gary, all the drug reps may still be beautiful young women, but there seem to be a lot fewer of them. JAMA reports "Hospitals and physicians have become so wary of the pharmaceutical industry’s reported ability to change prescribing habits—even among doctors who don’t believe they’re being influenced—that they’re increasingly banning reps from their practices." I think that my large healthcare chain has restricted them. For that matter, I remember when flight attendants were stewardesses, and had to "resign" if they became 35, (I think) gain a little weight, or got married. Continental Airlines' catch phrase was "if you can't fly Continental, who's going to move their tail for you." As Edith and Archie sang, "those were the days."
For a long time I thought PSONE must be wrong, that it should be PHONE. Of course, that messed me up for as long as I didn't let go of that idea. I confess my nose wrinkles up at entries like UMS, ERS, and AHH. Ums, would that be OHMs? Maybe IMS? I SPOSE so.
Loved your write-up, sumdaze.
Thanks for an enjoyable Monday puzzle, Amie. And always enjoy your commentary, thanks for that too, Sumdaze.
It's always a RELIEF to have a puzzle start with the word RELIEF, isn't it? And when I saw ICE and WINE SLUSHIE, I figured we were in for a party. But there sure wasn't much to eat in this one until maybe the end, which gave us some SESAME, but just as an ingredient. So no, no food.
But at least the puzzle urged us to be IDLE and say I'M EASY, and everything's A OK.
Maybe we should get on a boat on Lake ERIE, and use an OAR to get out to SEA. Yes, that might be fun, if you didn't live in California, like I do.
Still, have a pleasant and fun day, everybody.
A-t@3:33. You got me about pretty much WEES and RUSH.
Another late to the party day. I was enjoying the beauty of Niagara Falls (just down river from Lake ERIE).
Thanks for the fun, Amie and sumdaze.
I thought it was my tired brain that made this CW seem harder than the usual Monday. But I see the rest of you agreed.
I had better success moving Down than Across, but found RELIEF at last.
And I saw the theme (even if Centre was spelled incorrectly).
Thanks to inanehiker for explaining PSONE, and sumdaze for ELS (um, tired brain excuse).
Woes changed to ILLS, ems to UMS.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Charlie Echo @ 11:18 ... "(Seems like helicopters and gunfire are even worse than rock concerts. Thanks, VA!)",
I see the grunt Ukrainian artillery crews firing those M-777s with 155mm shells, and think they might come close to being qualified for such VA benefits ... if there is a VA in the Ukraine, that is.
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