google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday October 16, 2023 Lynn K. Watson

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Oct 16, 2023

Monday October 16, 2023 Lynn K. Watson

  

Hello Cornerites!

Today's theme:         Do-able 'N' Delightful

I thoroughly enjoyed Lynn's puzzle and I hope you did, too! She gave us four themed answers (lengths 11, 13, 13, and 11); a 3-letter reveal perfectly centered in the grid; plus two, 10-letter vertical fills. Let's admire her work:  

Beginning with the reveal:
37. Role-playing game with a 20-sided die, familiarly, and a feature of this puzzle's four longest answers: DND.  Dungeons aNDragons is a fantasy, tabletop, role-playing game originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. It is commonly abbreviated as either D&D or DnD.
Do we have any players on The Corner? I have never played DND but I have a friend who used to play so I asked for his input. He recommends Critical Role, a YouTube series where a group of voiceover actor friends, led by Matthew Mercer, play the game.

The reveal tells us that the four, themed clues all look like this:  D___ AND D___ .

17 Across. Move with a mouse, say: DRAG AND DROP.  This one was my favorite!

27 Across. Farrelly brothers buddy comedy: DUMB AND DUMBER.  a 1994 movie starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels

43 Across. Small, irregular amounts: DRIBS AND DRABS.  I have heard this expression but it is not in my lexicon. You can read more about it here.
Thank you, Lynn, for the FBI intersection! Apparently the eggcorn "DRIpS AND DRABS" often pops up.

58 Across. Eat without paying the bill: DINE AND DASH. Not cool, dude!

Across:
1. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.

6. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

11. Midwest winter hrs.: CST.  "Hours" is abbreviated, so is "Central Standard Time".

14. Slather with grease: OIL UP.  OIL prices are going UP

15. "It's been said ... ": I HEAR...

16. Hosp. recovery area: ICU.  "Hospital" is abbreviated, so is Intensive Care Unit.

19. Neither's partner: NOR.  

20. Karaoke selection: SONG.  A cringe-worthy karaoke scene is a common movie trope. In My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Julia Roberts tries to make Cameron Diaz look bad in front of Dermot Mulroney but her plan backfires. (3:09 min.)  

21. Overhead trains: ELS.  In this scene from The Godfather (1972), director Francis Ford Coppola brilliantly uses the noise from the ELS (first in the bathroom, then in the dining room) to add to the viewing tension.
Warning:  blood & violence (It is The Godfather, after all.)

22. Like bibs and aprons, usually: TIED ON.

24. Lotion additive: ALOE.

26. Sign of spiders: COBWEBS.  Halloween is just 15 days away so we might want to know the Difference Between Cobwebs & Spiderwebs.  

31. Cockeyed: ATILT.  

32. Mine find: ORE.

33. Psychic powers: ESP.  

36. Uses an all-in-one printer feature: FAXES.

38. Pixar title robot: WALL
E.  This puzzle also features a very different Disney robot movie at 2D.

40. BTW part: THE.  By THE Way  

41. Shark feature: FIN.  You can watch for sevengill sharks, leopard sharks, spiny dogfish (sharks), and Pacific angel sharks on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Shark Web Cam.

42. Luminous: AGLOW.  Speaking of spectacular marine life, here is a pic of a bioluminescent jellyfish.   

48. Wandering from place to place: NOMADIC.  This word helped me decide if 37D. DISC ended in a C or a K.

50. Lighten (up): EASE.  Speaking of amazing bioluminescent fish, How do they "light up"?

51. Assuming that: EVEN IF.  This one was one of my FAVs today.

52. Common TV set-top box: DVR.  I think Lynn knows that it would be difficult to place anything on top of today's flat-screen TVs. Her clue connects an old-style TV set to an old-style piece of equipment. Nicely done!

53. Bigger than big: EPIC.  
Today on The Corner 
57. Unite: WED.

61. One more than bi-: TRI-.

62. Trojan War saga: ILIAD.

63. Not merely decorative: UTILE.  
I once toured Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House in Virginia.
He sought to design UTILitarian homes that were also artistic and decorative.

64. RR stop: STA.  "Railroad" is abbreviated, so is "STAtion".

65. Two more than bi-: TETRA-.  Two more than two is four. That is why the game Tetris uses shapes made of four squares.  

66. Doomed one: GONER.  Speaking of sharks...  


Down:
1. Lays down the lawn: SODS.  I kept reading this as "Lays down the law." I think that might have been Lynn's sneaky plan all along.

2. "Big Hero 6" hero: HIRO.  Below is the trailer for the movie. It came out in 2014. I have not seen the movie nor did I watch Big Hero 6: The Series (2017 - 2021); however I did watch Baymax!, a six-episode mini-series released on Disney+ in 2022. It took me a bit to get it, but I ended up loving Baymax! He is an inflatable healthcare robot ("balloon man" in the trailer). If you like heartwarming stories, I recommend you give Baymax! a try.
BTW, HIRO is the youth filing the police report in the trailer.
Notice the setting is San Fransokyo. πŸ˜€

3. Actor Alda: ALAN.

4. Inviting cuddles: HUGGABLE.  Baymax from 2D is HUGGABLE.

5. Pampering spot at a four-star hotel: SPA.

6. Moved like a crab: SIDLED.  
Why do crabs walk sideways? (1:39 min.)
7. Advanced degs.: PHDS.

8. Gassy prefix: AER-.  This prefix, along with aero-, is used to indicate atmosphere, air, gas, and aviation.

9. __ and PrΓ­ncipe: island country in the Gulf of Guinea: S
ΓƒO TOMΓ‰.  8 Interesting Facts
  
#7 from the above link (8 Interesting Facts) is Tchiloli. The image to the right is a 1:31 min. video of the celebration.

10. Onetime Dr Pepper rival: MR. PIBB.  The Coca-Cola Company introduced Peppo in 1972 to compete with Dr Pepper. They reintroduced it as MR. PIBB in 1974 after being sued for trademark infringement. MR. PIBB was discontinued in 2001 and Pibb Xtra filled its spot on store shelves. Drama drama drama.

11. Glass slipper wearer in a fairy tale: CINDERELLA.  What a fun 10-letter fill, along with its symmetrical partner at 29D!

12. Shaggy's pal, to Shaggy: SCOOB.  

13. Chances to play: TURNS.  TURNS out, having a TURN is more fun than waiting for your TURN.

18. Bright light in the big city: NEON.

23. Lamb nurser: EWE.  

25. Back muscles, for short: LATS.

26. Morsel Miss Muffet ate with whey: CURD.  "Morsel" gave us a single CURD.

27. Electronic music duo __ Punk: DAFT.  They split up in 2021 but will be forever WED on XWD puzzles.

28. Home of the Mighty Five national parks: UTAH.  and  46 Down. 28-Down's western neighbor: NEVADA.  
29. Hybrid art technique: MIXED MEDIA.  a term used to describe artworks composed from a combination of different media or materials  
Pablo Picasso's Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper (1913)

30. Fashion designer Karan: DONNA.  
Richie Valens sings about a different Donna (1958).
He said the song was a tribute to his high school sweetheart.

34. Neatnik's opposite: SLOB.  
The Odd Couple (1968) (1 min.)
35. Chapel benches: PEWS.

37. Part of CD: DISC.  CD stands for "Compact DISC". It is easily confused with DISk.

38. Bunches of bucks: WADS.  
not a herd of deer

39. Shook hands on: AGREED TO.

41. Record that may be accessed in the electronic FOIA Library: FBI FILE.  "FOIA" is the "Freedom Of Information Act". Oh, that makes sense.

44. Tried to win an election: RAN.

45. "Yay, me!": I DID IT.

47. "Shoot!": DARN.

48. Small salamanders: NEWTS.  Their favorite food is worms, they can regrow lost or damaged limbs, and their top speed is 30 mph (48 kph).  more interesting facts

49. Not hidden: OVERT.

52. Much loved: DEAR.

54. Big hassle: PAIN.

55. Capri, for one: ISLE.  
neither a kids' beverage NOR a pant hem length


56. Pop diva who was the 2017 Billboard Icon Award honoree: CHER.  Here's a video I hope Lucina likes.  πŸ˜€  
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) 
You might recognize the two young girls under their wigs as Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci.

59. Tiny criticism: NIT.  It can be the egg of a louse (or other parasitic insect) or a minor shortcoming. Neither seems complimentary.

60. Broke ground: DUG.  

I'll let you know if this digger finds anything. Meanwhile, have an EPIC week, everyone!

Notes from C.C.

1) Happy birthday to CrossEyedDave, who bakes the best birthday cake in the world! 

CrossEyedDave

2) Happy birthday also to Blue Hen, who makes the best cheater risotto in the world! 

3) I made today's "Monster Mashup" (Halloween theme) for Atlas Obscura. Click here to solve.  It's edited by Samir Patel, the editor-in-chief of AO. I'm glad that a few regulars on our blog (Hahtoolah, Tante Nique, etc) like that site, which now features a new puzzle every Monday, about NYT Tuesday or Wednesday level difficulty. Some big name constructors: Brendan Emmett Quigley, Stella Zawistowski, Laura Braunstein, Natan Last and Brooke Husic.

30 comments:

  1. I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle that seemed, for the most part, the usual Monday “walk in the park.”
    And, Happy Birthday, CED! I only have one question: Who’s going to bake YOU a cake ??

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  2. Good morning!

    This one was a smooth romp. Got the theme, but missed seeing the reveal. So what's new? Based on sumdaze's link, it appears that DISC should'a been DISK. Is that a NIT? No matter, enjoyable Monday offering, Lynn. Excellent review, sumdaze.

    SIDLED : Calls for a link to Crabs Walk Sideways

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  3. Yep, a wonderful Monday CW: Monday, my fave! And only 9 names! I managed to FIR in what has become my new “usual time”, longer than my old “usual time”. Only W/O = PICK:DRAG, a pre-coffee mistake. HBD CED, and anyone else who has managed to survive another year as of today. Thanx LKW for the fun CW; I did get the theme with the first theme clue, once I got PICK outa the way, which helped with the other theme fill. Thanx too to Sumdaze for the wonderful write-up.

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  4. Took 4:14 today for me to dink and dunk my way through this one.

    Fbifile took a bit to suss. Otherwise, seemed like a Monday puzzle on a Monday.

    I recommend taking a trip to see the Mighty Five National Parks in Utah. They are some of the best parks in the country.

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  5. Oops, forgot to wish a happy birthday to our resident cake caterer, CED. HBD also to Bluehen. (Do you still visit occasionally?)

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  6. FIR on line, so I don’t remember where I made corrections, though I had a couple. I remember backspacing over "cut and paste" for DRAG AND DROP, and I had to fix the eggcorn. There were others. Up early again due to my Restless Dog Syndrome. Thought she might need to go out, so I dressed and went down stairs, but she waited about 30 minutes to follow. Some emergency. I finally got back to sleep and slept in until after 0700.

    I also noticed “common set top” for DVR.

    Today is:
    NATIONAL BOSS’S DAY (put in that extra effort so your boss will get a great year end bonus)
    DEPARTMENT STORE DAY (how very floppy disc)
    NATIONAL DICTIONARY DAY (how very 300 baud modem)
    NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY (when is National MYOB day?)
    WORLD FOOD DAY (if you can sneak it by me)
    NATIONAL LIQUEUR DAY (pass, thanks)
    GLOBAL CAT DAY (a little liqueur will have you feline fine)
    NATIONAL SPORTS DAY (oh c‘mon – isn’t that any day that ends in “y”?)
    And, to ironically go with our crossword "DD" theme, I heard this morning that Susanne Somers passed away yesterday.

    Thanks to Lynn for the fun, Monday-easy puzzle, and to sumdaze for another delightful tour.

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  7. FIR. I might have finished faster if I had been more careful reading the clue at 37A, and gotten the D and D thing earlier. I failed to see the unifier and that worked against me.
    Hiro, Sao Tome, Wall-e, and mixed media do not seem Monday worthy to me. They added a slight crunch to an otherwise easy puzzle. Again the perps made it happen.

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  8. Little Miss Muffet did not eat Curd. She ate Curds and Whey. That clue was misdirection.

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  9. Easy Monday plus the theme was a great help automatically supplying two D’s and AND in three places. Inkover: AGREEDon/TO

    Iran’s SHAHS power was solidified by the US abetting (our common CW term) the overthrow of the democratically elected PM in 1953.

    Punk Duo? Mighty Five? DND? (Ah “Dungeons and Dragons”)

    To pass ___ is human….AER, (to forgive that is divine😁)
    Either’s partner….. ORE
    Dark reddish-brown….PEWS
    What Leigh did in “Gone with the Wind”…. HUGGABLE

    “Three’s Company” is only onenow that Suzanne Somers has died. John Ritter in 2003, just “Janet” Joyce Dewitt. Somers was the the mysterious Blonde in T-bird in “American Graffiti”

    Happy Birthday to CED, nice picture, quite a handsome fellow, but who’s the dude with the beard? πŸ˜„
    πŸŽ‚

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  10. Good Morning:

    There were several unknowns, to me at least, for a Monday puzzle: Hiro, Daft, Wall-E, and SΓ£o TomΓ©, but the perps were fair, so no problems. (Had no idea Wall-E was a robot) I saw the D and D theme early which made Dribs and Drabs and Dine and Dash shoo-ins. As sumdaze pointed out, the fill had more pizazz than the usual Monday fare.

    Thanks, Lynne, for a smooth start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for a very informative review. Your illustrations and links were fun and fitting. Seeing the young Al Pacino is quite a contrast to today's graying, grizzled-looking 80+ years old new father! Enjoyed The Odd Couple clip, but IMO, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were the better odd couple. Randall personified a fuss-budget neatnik on and off the screen, while Klugman was the perfect schlubby slob!

    Happy Birthday to our resident Imp and cake baker extraordinaire, CED. πŸŽ‚πŸŽπŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸŽˆ

    Happy Birthday to our AWOL resident chef extraordinaire, BlueHen. πŸŽ‚πŸŽˆπŸŽŠπŸŽπŸŽ‰ We miss you and your culinary escapades!

    FLN

    CanadianEh, I mentioned that The Lilac Bus was one of my favorite Maeve Binchey works. Glad you enjoyed it.

    Bill, the key to the green paint label is specific vs generic. A recent example was Pet Cat. I don't remember the clue but the answer Pet Cat is generic (vague), therefore, green paint. Depending on the cluing, an acceptable answer would be Siamese Cat or Rag Doll Cat, both very specific. Hope this helps.

    I'm going to dinner tonight at my sister Peggy's to celebrate her and BIL's 69th wedding anniversary. πŸ€—

    Have a great day.

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  11. Musings
    -Done and done!
    -Jim Carrey imitating another famous physical comic. I can take or leave either one.
    -I HEAR: Our town’s FaceBook page is always full of rumors that hardly ever prove to be true
    -Bioluminescent fireflies (lightning bugs) are much rarer than in my childhood
    -Our TV remote has an STB (Set Top Box) for a device that sits under the TV
    -Also, movies are still called “films” and we still say “hang up the phone”
    -People disagree on the pronunciation of Nevada and Missouri
    -This SLOB married and neatnik
    -A single $100 bill on the outside of a wad of $1 bills gives a false impression
    -Shoop, shoop. You can’t go wrong with good old 60’s rock and roll.
    -HBD Dave and Blue Hen! After golf, I’m off to solve Renee’s puzzle.

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  12. Good Morning! Good start to our puzzle week with, I thought, a little crunch in the South. Thanks, Lynn.

    One easily fixed DVD -> DVR – just added a couple of legs. DVR is the only way I watch my shows. Lets me see them WHEN I want to watch them.

    ESP: HIRO and WALL•E.
    DIS (C?) (K?) & waited for the perp. Thanks, NOMADIC.

    I grew up with the expression DRIBS AND DRABS, so that was familiar. Thanks, sumdaze, for introducing a new word to me – eggcorn…. Our Father who art in Heaven, HOWARD be thy name 🀣🀣🀣… or is that malaprop? This all sent me down a couple of rabbit holes…

    Happy Birthday, CrossEyedDave. Nice pic with you and your beautiful dog! Tell us more!

    Calvin & Hobbs is one of my all-time favorite ‘toons. Thanks for all the fun, clips and info, sumdaze.

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  13. Yes, Sumdaze, I really enjoyed this puzzle. A few unknowns, including DND but after filling in the long answers it was a no-brainer.

    I had AGREED on before TO, and EVEN so before IF.

    ILIAD and EPIC in the same vicinity.

    Before October was even here, our neighbors decorated their front yard with a huge COBWEB, as well as other spooky decorations. Some people really get into the Halloween spirit.

    Sumdaze, thanks for alerting us to Atlas Obscura’s CW. I’ll check it out.

    Another lovely, cool fall day but still too windy for my taste.

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  14. Hola!

    Hooray! A Monday puzzle on a Monday! I liked the D and D theme. But I do not like that some people DINE AND DASH. That is very bad. Some of my nieces worked in restaurants in their youth and I recall how tired they always appeared after a day's toil. All restaurant workers should be rewarded.

    Ahem. I still have and use a DVR especially if I will be gone and don't want to miss a favorite show.

    It's a good thing HIRO perped because I would not have known that.

    Yes! I like CHER; thank you for the clip.

    Have a mighty fine Monday, everyone!



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  15. Happy birthday CE Dave! I hope someone "bakes" you a cake.

    Happy birthday, Blue Hen! I wonder if we'll see you back here again.

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  16. A Monday worthy puzzle. I’m not sure if new printers still offer a fax feature…. Them’s the facts… Thanks Lynn for a fun πŸƒ‍♂️ run. Thanks Sumdaze for an informative recap….. kkFlorida

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  17. Easy Monday. Got the FIR, despite a few squishy clues. Oil up and grease up are two different things, IMHO. No real complaints, though. HBD, CED- and what a good looking companion! Loved seeing Calvin & Hobbs again. Thanks, Sumdaze, and for the Shoop-Shoop, too!

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  18. H.Gary, we (at least I) also still say "dial 867-5309" even though I haven't touched a dial in more than a quarter century. ('Course it's been that long since I've purchased a new suit, too.)

    Ray-O, do I remember correctly that the last SHAH'S fate was sealed by Jimmy Carter insisting that Iran release all the radicals that were imprisoned? At least by our standards, Iran was a much better country to live in under the SHAH than under the weird beards. Especially for a female or a member of the LGBTASDLJZCVIJJAEDUHJAMDSCLMKJSDNCK+ community.

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  19. Thank You Ms. Lynn Watson for a very nice Monday puzzle, that I completed at 0045 hrs today, ( ... because I was having insomnia problems ...). No, not because of the puzzle ... I was up anyway so I decided to solve the puzzle. The Cinderella answer made it much, much easier ...
    The D and D long answers also made the puzzle very do-able, as Sumdaze puts it.

    Thank You Renee Sumdaze, for a very involved and informative blog. Lots and lots of loads of information videos, which made it all very interesting ... thank you.! I'm always trying to guess as to who will do the Monday blog, each week ... lots of fun.

    Happy Birthday Cross Eyed Dave !!!! We get so much pleasure in looking at your hard searched birthday cakes, that you so assiduously researched and accumulated for our pleasure...
    I still relish the cake that you made for me 3 years ago ...
    Thats a nice picture of you .. and your Husky (?).... or a Malamute, or an Alaskan Eskimo dog ? The last picture of you, that I have in my mind, was you in a hammock...
    I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and may your joy and happiness last all year long.!!

    Have a great rest of the week, all you folks.




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  20. Hey guys!

    Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Sorry I can't post silly links, I'm too busy wine tasting in Napa.
    (I still owe Jinx a cake from Tuesday, I was rushing out the door to catch a plane...)

    P.s. that's Layla, my neighbors dog.

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  21. Happy birthday to the Dashing and Dynamic CrossEyedDave!

    Happy birthday to Blue Hen as well! I hope you come to the blog today to see everyone's well wishes.

    There might be some confusion. The "I" in "I made today's 'Monster Mashup' (Halloween theme) for Atlas Obscura." is C.C.

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  22. I forgot to say Happy Birthday to CED. πŸ°πŸŽŠπŸŽ‚πŸŽ‰

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  23. Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Lynn and sumdaze.
    I FIRed in good time and saw the DND theme.

    Several inkblot.
    Scans changed to FAXES.
    STN changed to STA.
    Aeneid popped into my head before ILEAD fit as the saga. Nice catch with EPIC, Tante Nique.

    I noted AGLOW and ATILT.
    We had OIL UP, AGREED TO, TIED ON.

    THANKS Irish Miss for the Lilac Bus recommendation. Happy Anniversary to your sister and her DH.

    Happy Birthday CED! Enjoy Napa.
    Happy Birthday Bluehen!

    Wishing you all a great day.



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  24. Sumdaze does today's Watson PZL...

    DVR? The clue should have included the word "old," or maybe "former." ("Old fashioned," "Outmoded"?)

    UTILE reminds me of one of the two things writers and poets, indeed ALL artists, should provide--according to Horace and other classical critics: "UTILE et dulce."
    My directing students could usually be expected to provide one, if not the other.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    DR:
    Only one far side diagonal. It has only two vowels in 15 letters, too few on which to base an anagram. Sorry.

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  25. Happy Birthday, Cross Eyed Dave! Hope you have fun today. Also to the increasingly infrequent Blue Hen.

    I almost always start my solve somewhere in the middle of crossword puzzles. Today I started at 37A and immediately filled DND. I've never played the game but I have briefly read about it and the part of the clue about "20-sided die" made it a gimme. That was a fun way to start.

    Fun puzzle, and funner review. :>) I like learning new terms, and eggcorn is a fun new word.

    C.C.'s puzzle at Atlas Obscura was also fun.

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  26. Oops, sorry about that. Just meant to link the top picture, not the whole page.

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  27. This was a fun Monday - even though it took a little bit longer than the average.

    I remember D & D coming out about the time I was in college. Hard to believe in this era - but at school each student was given 2 hours of computer time max between 6 am and midnight daily in the computer lab. But unlimited time between Midnight to 6 am. So the D & D addicts would stay up all night for many nights to get through the game.

    My grandma had occasional meals which was similar to DRIBS and DRABS - she called certain meals Dibs and Dabs night when she had several leftovers but not enough for everyone to have any of it. Since she was a great cook, we never complained even though we might have fought over a last piece of pie. My mom had a variation called YoYo dinners for "You're on your own" when there were several options of leftovers.

    Thanks SD for a fun blog to match the puzzle and Lynn for the puzzle
    HBD to CED and Blue hen!

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  28. I just did C.C.'s Atlas Obscura puzzle (see link at the end of today's write-up). I enjoy holiday-themed puzzles so it was a fun solve. I especially liked the added spooky clues for some of the random fill. Thanks, C.C.!!

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  29. Ditto, Sumdaze's words about CC's puzzle.

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