Theme: Right on time. In-the-language phrases are repurposed to describe arrivals in a way that relates to the thing that is arriving. Let's have a look.
20 A. The ice cream truck arrived __: LICKETY SPLIT. This phrase is of uncertain origin, but its meaning is clear - to achieve something very rapidly. I'm guessing the relevant ice cream treat is a banana SPLIT. I would more likely LICK a cone, but OK.
33 A. The food truck arrived __: IN SHORT ORDER. Another phrase that means to do something quickly. In a culinary sense, a SHORT ORDER is a dish which can be prepared and served quickly. So it fits.
42 A. The newspaper delivery van arrived __: WITH DISPATCH. This phrase means quickly and efficiently. A DISPATCH is a news report sent by a correspondent, often from a foreign land. So the connection is perfect.
58 A. The race car arrived __: STRAIGHT AWAY. This phrase means immediately. A STRAIGHTAWAY is a straight section of a road or race track. Another solid connection.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to register all these timely arrivals. The levels of meaning here are impressive. Let's see what it takes to arrive at the end of this puzzle.
1. Pub hardware: TAPS. A device to control the flow of liquid from a container.
5. Rotisserie rods: SPITS. Thin pointed rods for holding meat over a fire.
10. Peace and quiet: CALM. A placid state, not showing anxiety or strong emotion.
14. Gaelic tongue: ERSE. The Scottish or Irish Gaelic language.
15. Forearm bones: ULNAE. The thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.
16. Little of this, little of that: OLIO. A miscellaneous collection of things.
17. Eyelid affliction: STYE. An inflamed swelling on the edge of an eyelid, caused by bacterial infection of the gland at the base of an eyelash.
18. Former first lady Bush: LAURA. Laura Lane Bush [b. 1946] is the wife of former President George W. Bush and was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as the first lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. She is also the daughter-in-law of former president George H. W. Bush.
19. Voice above tenor: ALTO. In typical 4 voice harmony, the alto is the voice pitched below soprano, and above tenor and bass
23. Firepit residue: ASH. The solid residue left when combustible material is thoroughly burned
24. Stop on the way home?: BASE. In the game of baseball, a run is scored by progression from home plate, though 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base, and back to home late again. I love this clever clue.
25. State strongly: ASSERT. State a fact or belief confidently and forcefully. See my previous sentence.
29. Squish: STEP ON. Specifically on something soft and -- well - squishy, so as to make a soft, squelching sound.
31. Echidna snack: ANT. Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas, which (along with sloths and armadillos) are xenarthrans. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.
32. Cultural org. with annual Jazz Master Fellowships: NEA. The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become teachers.
37. Not ajar: SHUT. Closed tight, as a door.
40. Chest-beating beast: APE. Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Unlike. monkeys, Apes do not have tails due to a mutation of the TBXT gene.
41. Meat inspector's org.: USDA. The United States Department of Agriculture is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food
47. Part of IPA: ALE. Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative.
48. Baseball official: UMP. Short for umpire.
49. Listening aid: EAR BUD. A very small headphone, worn inside the ear.
53. Girl with a missing flock: BO PEEP. The original story is about a little shepherdess who loses her sheep. Her name may have come from a 16th-century children's peek-a-boo game in England known as “Bo-Peep.”
55. Alternative to fries: TOTS. Potato products.
57. Make a mistake: ERR. Be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake. Hey - it's only human.
61. Seats for the congregation: PEWS. A long bench with a back, placed in rows in the main part of some churches to seat the congregation.
64. Get around: EVADE. Escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or trickery.
65. Round of applause: HAND. Informal usage of the word.
66. Diva's solo: ARIA. A self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work.
67. More resentful: SORER. Angrier. A clumsy word that you're unlikely to encounter in conversation.
68. Lakefront city between Cleveland and Buffalo: ERIE. Erie [population ca. 94000] is a city in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula with beaches and trails, curves around Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, Waldameer Park & Water World has roller coasters and waterslides. The Erie Maritime Museum traces the history of Lake Erie and is the home port of the US Brig Niagara, an updated 19th-century ship.
69. Oodles: MANY. A whole big bunch.
70. Slim-necked swimmers: SWANS. Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini.
57. Make a mistake: ERR. Be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake. Hey - it's only human.
61. Seats for the congregation: PEWS. A long bench with a back, placed in rows in the main part of some churches to seat the congregation.
64. Get around: EVADE. Escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or trickery.
65. Round of applause: HAND. Informal usage of the word.
66. Diva's solo: ARIA. A self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work.
67. More resentful: SORER. Angrier. A clumsy word that you're unlikely to encounter in conversation.
68. Lakefront city between Cleveland and Buffalo: ERIE. Erie [population ca. 94000] is a city in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula with beaches and trails, curves around Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, Waldameer Park & Water World has roller coasters and waterslides. The Erie Maritime Museum traces the history of Lake Erie and is the home port of the US Brig Niagara, an updated 19th-century ship.
69. Oodles: MANY. A whole big bunch.
70. Slim-necked swimmers: SWANS. Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini.
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1. Some electric cars: TESLAS. Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, and related products and services.
2. Skillful one: ARTIST. A person skilled at a particular task or occupation.
3. Maiden loved by Cupid: PSYCHE. the Greek goddess of the soul and often represented as a beautiful woman with butterfly wings. The name Psyche means "soul" in Greek. She was born a mortal woman eventually granted immortality, with beauty that rivaled even Aphrodite, goddess of love.
4. Aim (to): SEEK. Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something.
5. Ottoman rulers: SULTANS. A position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate.
6. Stage performances: PLAYS. Examples of a type of literary work that is designed for performance in a theater in front of an audience. A play is composed of dialogue between various characters and divided into acts and scenes to increase the dramatic effect.
7. Not vacant: IN USE. As, for example, a public rest room.
8. Weatherproof canvas: TARP. A large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene.
9. Weatherproofing application: SEALANT. Sealant is a substance used to block the passage of fluids through openings in materials, a type of mechanical seal. In building construction sealant is sometimes synonymous with caulk and also serve the purposes of blocking dust, sound and heat transmission.
10. Layers: COATS. Plies or applications of material to cover an object.
11. 100%: ALL. Completely.
12. On: LIT. Powered, as a light bulb.
13. Cow sound: MOO. The deep vocal utterance of a bovine.
21. Jet, in poems: EBON. Deep black.
22. Analogy phrase: IS TO. A way of indicating a relational comparison. A is to B as X is to Y
26. Halts: ENDS. Comes to a conclusion.
27. Marsh plant: REED. Any of the tall, grass-like plants of wet places. They occur in reed beds. Reeds are many polyphyletic species, which have all adapted to this wet habitat by convergent evolution. It is a "form" name, not a technical botanical term.
28. Voice actress Strong: TARA. Tara Lyn Strong [b. 1973] is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games.
30. __ helmet: safari accessory: PITH. A lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native salakot headgear of the Philippines. Sholapith is dried milky-white spongey plant matter from Aeschynomene species.
31. Sphere: AREA. An area of activity, interest, or expertise; a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic.
34. Trunk hardware: HASP. A slotted hinged metal plate that forms part of a fastening for a door or lid and is fitted over a metal loop and secured by a pin or padlock.
35. Like up and down: Abbr.: OPP. Opposites.
36. German mining region: RUHR. A polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km² and a population of over 5 million, it is the largest urban area in Germany.
37. Forensic evidence collector: SWAB. An absorbent pad or piece of material, often on a stick or rod, used in surgery and medicine for cleaning wounds and skin, applying medication, or taking specimens.
38. Largest city on Hawaii's largest island: HILO. Hilo is on the Island of Hawaii. The devastating wild fires on on the Island of Maui, to the north-west. [Map]
39. Sch. near the Rio Grande: UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.
43. Composition for two: DUET. A piece of music performed by two singers or instrumentalists.
43. Composition for two: DUET. A piece of music performed by two singers or instrumentalists.
44. Dazzle: IMPRESS. Baffle them with your awesomeness.
45. Ties in place: TETHERS. Physically connects something to something.
46. Slight coloring: CAST. Tint, hue.
50. Ides of March word: BEWARE. A cautionary admonition. From an old PLAY.
51. Muse of astronomy: URANIA. Meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven," she was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, her attributes being the globe and compass.
52. England's first poet laureate: DRYDEN. John Dryden [1631 - 1700] was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.
54. Composition: ESSAY. An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story.
55. Headpiece worn by kid-lit's Fancy Nancy: TIARA. Fancy Nancy is a 2005 children's picture book series written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Its first book entry spent nearly 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, resulting in the launch of a series that now spawns over 100 titles, with sales of more than 50 million volumes. A tiara (from Latin: tiara, from Ancient Greek: τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions.
56. City near the Great Salt Lake: OGDEN. Ogden [population 87000] is a city north of Salt Lake City, in Utah. It’s a gateway to ski resorts like Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley. George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park features life-size models and a paleontology lab. Historic 25th Street, once home to Prohibition-era speakeasies, is now a shopping and dining hub.
59. Admit frankly: AVOW. Assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection
60. "Can I get a word in?": AHEM. Used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat, typically to attract attention or express disapproval or embarrassment. "Ahem, excuse me . . ."
61. "The Office" role for Jenna: PAM. Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer [b. 1974] is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She was also a producer for the show's final season.
62. Notable period: ERA. A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
63. Finish first: WIN. Be victorious at the end of a contest or campaign.
OK, Gang. We made to the end. Hope you all got a win. Happy Wednesday.
Cool regards!
JzB
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
73rd birthday to Joseph (MM), our witty and fun Friday Sherpa. He and
his girlfriend Valerie met with Picard (Robert) and his wife Merlie on
Sept 14, 202 in Santa Barbara. Here's the amazing picture.
 |
| Left to Right: Valerie, MM, Merlie & Picard 9/14/2021 |
There was an old hermit near OGDEN
ReplyDeleteWho referred to his home as a hog's den.
He kept it neat,
Had ham to eat,
And enjoyed the poetry of John DRYDEN!
Zach wasn't the sharpest thorn on the rosebud,
Like the day he fell to the floor with a thud.
He fell on his rear
Pouring a beer in his ear,
Because his sister told him he needed an EAR-BUD!
{C, B+.}
Well, maybe I’m getting smarter, or maybe the puzzles are getting less difficult. Anyway, for the last three days, including today, this puzzle has seemed pretty easy to solve to me. Of course, I haven’t seen Thursday, Friday or Saturday yet. I’m expecting more of a challenge then, especially Friday and Saturday. All I can say is, “Bring it on!” Like IM, I relish a good challenge. And, hopefully, this puzzle will be more challenging in the future. Anyway, today was another FIR, so while I’m not satisfied with the level of “challenge “ lately, I am happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteMaryEllen gave us another smooth grid. The theme was impossible to miss -- even d-o managed to get it. IM should be pleased with the low number of 3-letter entries. There also weren't many proper names; only TARA was an unknown to moi. Excellent explication, JzB. (Methinks it was that other NEA.)
FIR, but erased slaw for TOTS and lickity split for LICKETY SPLIT. Well not erase, but I added three arms to the "I" to change it to an "E." Same difference.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL AIRBORNE DAY (The Screaming Eagles are based in Ft. Campbell, KY.)
NATIONAL ROLLER COASTER DAY (I dunno. They have their ups and downs.)
NATIONAL RUM DAY (Now you tell me. My favorite is Aniversario from Venezuela.)
NATIONAL TELL A JOKE DAY (What's the hottest letter? "B." It makes "OIL" "BOIL.")
My favorite SULTANS
Couldn't get the sphere->AREA until I remembered "sphere of influence," a geopolitical status symbol.
Welcome back, Bayou Tony. Sounds like a great confab.
Thanks to MaryEllen for another challenging puzzle, and to JzB for another fun and interesting review. BUT... That NEA is a political action committee. The National Endowment for the Arts funds the Fellowships. I'm pretty sure that they had to reuse the acronym due to the severe acronym shortage caused by the supply chain crisis. And I have to point out that only the slow runners arrive "back to home late again."
Took 6:29 today, going like gangbusters. (The narcs arrived....)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the muse, the maiden, or the poet.
While I am accustomed now to not knowing the near-daily actress, I was surprised to see a clue for a voice actress. I did not know her. The crosses were fair, thankfully, but really, a voice actress?
Clever theme.
Interesting having avow and assert in the same puzzle.
This Wed puzzle was completed STRAIGHT AWAY with minimal effort. I wasn't sure how to spell LICKETY but the SULTANS took care of it WITH DISPATCH (a term I never use).
ReplyDeletePAM, DRYDEN, CAST, TARA Strong- took perps for those
If you drive a TESLA and you want to go faster do you STEP ON the gas? Wait, there's no gas.
SEALANT- two months ago I had a chimney repair man use some to stop a water leak due to a heavy rain. There's only been one decent rain shower since then so I can't tell if he fixed it or not.
Anon@6:29- I like your term near-daily actress. For a while it was a near-daily WNBA player, of which I know exactly one- my neighbor Theresa Plaisance of the Seattle Storm. I ran into her last week in the parking lot of a convenience store. She told me shes was on IR from some surgery.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteMary Ellen never disappoints and today’s offering was a welcome mixture of a cute theme, appropriate Wednesday-level cluing, no junk, no esoterica, and as DO pointed out, a low (14) three letter word count. My only unknown was Tara, as clued and I smiled at Olio because that word always brings CC to mind. However, I was a little perplexed because I didn’t remember comic book Nancy wearing a tiara. Oops, wrong Nancy!
Thanks, Mary Ellen, for a fun and enjoyable solve and thanks, JazzB, for the usual detailed and informative review. Enjoyed the Billy Joel/Alexa video, as well as the out of character Richard Gere performance. His talent, versatility, and range as an actor impresses me.
Subgenius @ 4:18 ~ You’re right about our shared affinity for a challenge, but I don’t expect too much resistance from Wednesday puzzles. OTOH, there have been some Wednesday’s that disproved this pattern. The previous difficulty level by day formula no longer exists, so I guess we have to adjust our expectations accordingly. 😉
Happy Birthday, Joseph, hope it’s a special day! 🎂🎉🎈🎊🎁
FLN, welcome back, Tony, and thank you for the kind words. You were greatly missed! Wilbur was bitten by a snake and said it was a serious injury. We haven’t heard from him in a while, so I’m hoping he’s okay and that he’ll chime in soon.
Have a great day.
FIR. Clever cluing and theme. An enjoyable Wednesday offering. No problems here!
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot to wish Mal-Man a happy birthday. Happy Birthday, young man! You look lots better than I remember in that photo C.C. posted.
ReplyDeleteThis was a steady solve. With the long theme answers I had to do the verticals first to get a toehold. WEES about the National Endowment of the Arts.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether it's because of my age, my kids being milennials, or being a trivia/Sporcle nut- but my times increase through the week M-Sat just like they always have. Some answers always need perps.
Thanks JzB for the informative blog - "Razzle Dazzle" will be my morning earworm and thanks to ME for the puzzle.
-T
welcome back - the last week or so has been kind of crazy so I wasn't able to get back to you-but my son wasn't able to go to the convention - he is a USAFA instructor and classes started last Friday so he couldn't go. Some years classes start more in the 20s
Good Morning! Started out with one WO: SEEm -> SEEK which helped fill LICKETY SPLIT, and that in turn helped with the other themers once I saw where we were going. What a fun theme! Thanks, Mary Ellen!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a good Wednesday level puzzle – a few “gimmees” and many, “is it this, or is it that?” e.g. tiers -> COATS. Cautious progress until perps confirmed.
ESP: TARA, DRYDEN, PAM and ANT – I had no idea what an echidna is.
Thanks, JazzB. Your recap is a wealth of info and back stories – a fun read!
HILO – I was there many years ago and remember the black sand beach – actually shards of lava - very beautiful, but no a place to go walking barefoot!
Happy Birthday, MM!! 🥳 🎂 🎈 🥳
Musings
ReplyDelete-In parts of some golf courses, you’d have to STEP ON your ball to find it
-Instead of striking out, a mistake by an UMP gave a player another chance last week. On the next pitch he hit a grand slam homerun to win the game.
-I remember Wally and the Beaver being SORE at someone; usually Eddie.
-A blog I really like claims Death Of A Salesman is the greatest American PLAY of all time
-Happy LXXII, Joseph!
Thank you Mary Ellen. I got all of this right on time, but the theme never arrived.
ReplyDeleteThank you JzB for the theme expo. Now I see it, then I didn't.
A few favs:
15A ULNAE. SEALANT sealed off the possibility that it was ULNAS.
24A BASE. Favorite clue.
64A EVADE. Needed AVOW to elude ELUDE.
66A ARIA. Do I need a reason?
70A SWANS. Ugly critters when they're young?
12D LIT. Even when it perped I thought LIT was a cognate of ALIT.
37D SWAB. Nice misdirection.
43D DUET. Here's my favorite, from the Pearl Fishers by Bizet sung by Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill.
Cheers,
Bill
HBD MalMan! 🎈🎉🎁🎂
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, MaryEllen and JazzB.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time and saw the ASAP theme.
Was STEP ON (it) an Easter Egg?
A few hiccups in the NE and SE corners.
I was not getting OLIO from the clue, and the “On=LIT” misdirection was holding up that area. COATS broke it open.
In the S, I had EAR but not BUD and went through (in my head) Et Tu (no, two words) and Brutus (too short). I was thinking about clap not HAND and didn’t know that Muse. BEWARE broke that area open.
Did anyone else try to fit Barbara into LAURA’s spot?
I have learned UTEP doing CWs.
Favourite today was the clue for BASE.
I hope to see the SWANs on the Avon River in Stratford tomorrow when we go to see a play.
Welcome back AnonT.
Happy Birthday MalMan.
Wishing you all a great day.
What a fun puzzle. I really enjoyed the speedy theme clues. Good CW puzzles can be constructed without a lot of trivia names.
ReplyDeleteJazzBumpa, thanks for the fun info including more than I ever wanted to know about ECHIDNAS LOL.
Welcome back T. FLN what a neat story about the woman from Egypt.
IM I’m with you wondering about Wilbur.
Happy birthday 🎁🎊🎉🎂 MM.
CC, thanks for that nice picture.
I also forgot to wish MalMan a happy birthday ( I remember when someone called him “Mailman “ (LOL). MalMan, I always enjoy your witty commentary on the days when you are the “moderator “ for our little group. Congratulations, and many more!
ReplyDeleteMonday again? Groundhog Day! Another fast FIR. Clever puzzle. Kinda makes me wonder what the rest of the week has in store. ANT/AREA was the last to fall. Had no idea that was the fancy name for an anteater. Thought it must have been a reference to back in the day when chocolate covered insects of various sorts were a thing. Jinx, thanks for the Airborne Day shout-out. The 101st was my old outfit. ALL THE WAY!
ReplyDelete.
Let's give a HAND to Mary Lou for a fine Wednesday puzzle which was a walk in the park, and to JzB for a supurb expo.
ReplyDeleteOnly TARA and PAM were unknown. OGDEN and DRYDEN took some memory prodding from perps.
TIARA for Nancy was a surefire guess.
Hearing sore in this context is common, sorer, not so much.
I believe the acronym, NEA for National Endowment for the Arts, has been around for a very long time.
My ale of choice in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Happy birthday, Joseph.
Happy Birthday, MM! You look barely a day over 72! Oh wait, when was that picture taken? I hope Valerie brought you some fresh goodies to enjoy in your special day.
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss, I believe Wilbur Charles said he was bitten by a spider, not a snake. He wasn't sure if his finger was going to be amputated, IIRC.
Big Easy was was yakking about Disney World ticket prices yesterday. Something about the cost of over 100 to upwards of 170 per day now. Single day ticket prices were $29 in 1989. 29 in 1989 would be about 71 in today's dollars. We bought 2 of the 5 day park hopper passes in 1989 for $112 each and used only 3 or 4 days of each pass. She has them somewhere.
Really old Disney tickets (like our unused 1989 tickets) don't expire. No additional fees. Since then they have changed their terms. A couple of times. Later, older unused Disney tickets from the early 90s can only be swapped out for credit of their face value. So if they cost you $45 and today's ticket price is $110, you only pay $65. But at some point in the 90's or 2000s, all tickets started having an expiration date. One day tickets expire the day after the ticket (admission) date on them, unused or not. And so on and so forth. I guess Disney wasn't making enough profit for their shareholders.
I went to an IHOP for breakfast this morning. First time in many, many years. $25 for my country fried steak and potatoes breakfast,2 eggs, coffee and tip. In 1989, that same breakfast would have cost $10.14.
Yellowrocks, after IHOP I went to Walmart for some groceries and other essentials. For the first time ever, they checked my receipt. I asked the lady if I was suspicious looking. She laughed and jokingly said yes. She told me that the new policy is to check the receipts any time there is something in the cart that is not in a Walmart bag. I asked her if that included babies and toddlers. (I had bought a case of beer.)
Welcome back, Dash T. You Too, Sumdaze!
SubG, Malman would be a blogger. One who writes a blog. The rest of us are simply commenters. Although, on days he blogs the puzzles, he can remove comments. I guess he could be called a moderator on those days, but really, first and foremost, he is a blogger.
JzB, I thoroughly enjoyed your blog today. Always do.
Waseeley, did you ever fix your small font size issue on your Android? What was the fix?
Time to go weed whip the gardens and pick more tomatoes. Golf later!
Hola!
ReplyDeleteOh, my! Everyone is in such good form today! it must be the puzzle which I agree was superb and though just a bit challenging, was very doable. Thank you, Mary Ellen.
OLIO immediately brings C.C. to mind.
My granddaughters loved their TIARAS, especially on their birthdays.
When I was visiting my friend in San Rafael last spring, we went to lunch with one of her friends in her TESLA. It was a smooth ride and when it needed recharging she easily found a charging station. It was IMPRESSive to see so many of them hooked up against the chargers.
Thank you, Jazzbumpa; I feel like I've earned another degree after reading your extensive commentary. Have a lovely day, everyone!
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Mary Ellen. And your commentary is always a pleasure, thanks for that too, JazzB.
ReplyDeleteWell, this puzzle was a gift for anyone who appreciates the arts and ARTISTS. If you like music,
you can hear a DUET, or an ALTO singing an ARIA or music played on a REED. That would make you take out your EARBUDS. Or enjoy the CAST of a PLAY with an actress wearing a TIARA that would totally IMPRESS you. My goodness, we can get a lot of pleasure to lift our PSYCHE from all these wonderful activities today!
Have a great day, everybody.
I prepared fried RED tomatoes for lunch today, one of my lifelong favorites. If you haven't tried them you don't know what you are missing. They have that zesty umami sun-kissed flavor that only red tomatoes have. I tried fried green tomatoes later in life and was very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI start with ripe red, but FIRM tomatoes and cut them horizontally into 1/4 inch slices with a serrated knife. Then I salt and bread them. Regular bread crumbs are OK. Panko is better. (Hint: I chill all kinds of breaded items in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before frying. It makes the padding adhere better.) Then I fry them on medium high heat with oil, even though I use a Teflon pan. I try to turn them only once. They turn golden brown and crusty. They stay together and are not mushy. If you happen to slice a tomato that is very juicy, just lift the slice a bit very gently to let the juice drip out. If the tomatoes are firm, this not usually a problem. It is fairly easy, but practice makes perfect. We were a large family. My mom always selected me to bread the tomatoes and fry them because I love fried red tomatoes such much I was glad to prepare a huge amount of them.
CC and MalMan Happy Birthday, Joseph! I am honored that we are featured for your birthday! Hope we can meet up again!
ReplyDeleteVery creative and enjoyable theme. Hand up SLAW before TOTS and TIERS before COATS.
Here I played a DUET with my music teacher Nancy while hiking with friends in the mountains here.
Nancy was a dear friend as well as a unicycling and hiking companion. Sadly, she died hiking in Peru in 2021. I miss her very much.
Gary, I once played the Las Colinas TPC course on the Monday after the Byron Nelson Classic. TV doesn't do justice to the length of the rough in those tournaments. I remember watching my drive land a yard or two in the second cut, marking it carefully, and still not being able to find the ball when I walked up to where I thought it was. And even though the groundskeepers didn't touch the greens that morning, they were so fast that I found them to be nearly unplayable at my level of "skill."
ReplyDeleteThe last time I went to Disneyland, there was a small entry fee, but nearly everyone also bought ride tickets. The ticket assortments were for rides rated A, B, C, D, and E, I think largely on the popularity of each. I rarely used my A and B tickets, and would end up buying more E tickets. I used to race against a boat named "E Ticket." Roy Disney was racing a super go-fast boat named Pyewacket, but I wasn't in the same class division as his boat.
YR, I know that the NEA and the NEA have been around a long time. It was my lame attempt at dad/bad humor. If ya gotta 'splain it, it ain't funny.
Charlie Echo - One of my crew retired from the 101st as a full bird. She could whup any of the guys on the crew and still look great when we got back to the dock. Funny, she never had to prove it.
HBDTY, MalMan. If you see a rookie lefthanded hurler in MLB in the next few years who shares your birthday, he's probably my grandson.
The Savannah South KOA Campground (in Richmond Hill) has a flock of swans on their lake. They beg people no to feed them.
RosE - My pool in Atlanta was made using Hawaiian lava sand. Beautiful charcoal/black finish. It also extended our swimming season by a couple of weeks on each end. (It also used an ionizing sanitation system to avoid chlorine and bromine, which might have blanched the finish. Also prevented red eyes and faded swim suits, on the rare occasion when they were worn.)
Hi, Gang --
ReplyDeleteNEA . . . NEA. My Navajo mark for the day.
Guess I can't tell my NEAs without a program.
Cheers!
JzB
TTP @ 11:21 ~ Of course it was a spider, not a snake bite that Wilbur suffered. Don’t ask me where my mind was when I typed snake, but thanks for catching my error. And, yes, he did mention an amputation possibility, that’s why I’m so concerned about why we haven’t heard from him.
ReplyDeleteEdward in Los Angeles: always nice to my alma mater here; ‘81 BS Biology, ‘83 BS Civil Engineering.
ReplyDeleteA doable Wednesday, with a fun and obvious theme, and lots of clever clues. Thanx, MEU. My W/Os = OLEO:OLIO, SLAW:TOTS. DNKs = URANIA, DRYDEN, or TARA. Thanx JzB for the wonderful write-up. HBD MalMan! BTW, C.C., u have a typo on the picture naming, unless Valerie has a beard, but I’m sure everyone figured that out.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and fun puzzle -- thanks so much MaryEllen! And thank you, JzB for the tour!
And Happy Birthday to MM -- interesting photo caption, C.C.! :-)
TTP @11:21 AM Well, er, uh, NO. Funny that I don't have the same problem when I access my development blog via my Android. When I bring the production blog up on my cell it's still 4 pt font. I can scroll all the way to the bottom, click "View web version", but have to resize it to normal size. If I then post a comment all the other commenters handles revert to 4 pt font but their actual comments still look normal.
ReplyDeleteThis all seemed to start when the Chrome app failed and I had to re-install it. I recall you suggesting something about adding an exception for cookie tracking for crosswordcorner.blogspot.com. I just went to check the setting, but couldn't find where it is defined.
TTP @11:21 AM. Just added this comment from my cell.
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed working out MaryEllen's puzzle. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks to JzB for your research and excellent description of the theme. The echidna info. was especially interesting. I also needed your help understanding on/LIT.
Happy birthday to MalMan! Enjoy your day!
Thank you all for the Happy Birthday wishes! I prefer to think of the number as Jack Benny plus 34.
ReplyDeleteJazzbumpa brings us today's Uthlaut PZL...
ReplyDeleteA fine XWD, mid-week level challenges, got 'em all.
~ OMK
_____________
DR: Two diags, one per side.
The near-side diagonal's anagram (14 of 15) refers to a place where young pheasants are stored.
Naturally, it's a...
"PHEASANTRY BANK"!
I prefer my echidnas con pollo, topped with salsa verde and served with a double serving of beans instead of rice and beans. In days of yore, I would rinse them down with a margarita grande, frozen, con sal.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteJinx @ 5:01. You’re a real hoot.
ReplyDeleteHi All:
ReplyDeleteThanks MaryEllen for the fun-theme puzzle. Thank you JzB for the extensive review.
WOs: SEALers, tint->hews->CAST, slaw->TOTS
ESPs: ANT, HILO, TARA, URANIAN
Fav: SULTANS (of Swing - thanks Jinx!)
{B, Ha!}
Happy Birthday MManatee! (You've only got 2 months on Pop). Nice snap w/ Picard.
IM said: "You were greatly missed!" Do you mean "gratefully" ;-)
Oh my, a spider bite leading to possible amputation? Not a good thing. Get well soon WC!
What a day. Had to work from home so I could deal with DW's dead car battery. Fortunate that I did (WFH) 'cuz BIL (with the pickup-truck) became ill and I had to rent a Penske for tomorrows move. Youngest & I then retrieved some furniture from storage and then packed the rest of her stuff in the truck. The Penske is about 5x the size we need and everything is just flat in the cargo's bed.
Tomorrow, we drive to Austin, move Youngest in, and then drive back for work on Friday. Saturday we'll once again drive to Austin to help get her settled into her first apartment.
Cheers, -T