google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, November 10, 2023 - Annemarie Brethauer

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Nov 10, 2023

Friday, November 10, 2023 - Annemarie Brethauer

Theme: "OB Left!"

Puzzling thoughts:

First off, if you're not a golfer or don't follow the game, "OB" refers to "OUT of bounds". The white stakes in the image above marks the golf course "boundary", and in my theme name example, if a golfer were to hit their shot to the LEFT of these stakes, the ball would be OUT of play. The penalty for this - in golf - is one the most egregious as the player must rehit their shot AND take a penalty of one stroke to add to their score for the hole. BTW, the best explanation of the game of golf is in the video below ... I was able to find the one rated PG!

So, Moe, how does this golfing analogy fit into today's puzzle? Very easily; it's the 61-across answer, and the reveal for the puzzle. All one has to do is add the word OUT to the LEFT of the first word of 18-, 22-, 38-, and 56-Across. This action is what is excluded (LEFT OUT), and what is needed to match their clues (add OUT to the LEFT)

Our constructor du jour is Annemarie Brethauer. [Brittanica dot com] "Annemarie Brethauer is a freelance crossword constructor whose work has appeared in newspapers through Andrews McMeel Universal and L.A. Times syndicates, in Simon and Schuster publications, in Games World of Puzzles magazine, in the woman-oriented online site Inkubator, and elsewhere."

Annemarie cleverly came up with four familiar phrases, (LET DOWN; FIELD DAY; FIT FOR A KING; and BACK TALK) but clued them to imply that something was missing. The "AHA" Moe-ment for me was when I got to the reveal @ 61-across when I realized that when I added the word OUT to those four the clues then made sense

18-across. Pillow filling bought at wholesale?: (OUT)LET DOWN. Which of course prompted this Moe-ku:

OUTLET store pillow
Filling didn't sell. You think
They would markdown DOWN?

22-across. Specialized session of baseball practice?: (OUT)FIELD DAY.


38-across. Crown, scepter, and ermine robe?: (OUT)FIT FOR A KING.


And MY favorite: 56-across. Barbie, bush telly, choccy biccy, etc.?: (OUT)BACK TALK

Well done, Annemarie!

For those who thought that Mal Man was supposed to blog today, he and I switched weeks. Joseph will blog on Friday the 17th. He sends his regards ...

The grid, and then the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:
1. View from much of U.S. Highway 101: PACIFIC. So many to choose from as this coastal highway stretches from San Diego California to the perimeter of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park in Washington


8. Water stopper: DAM. The amount of water that this dam stops has gone down considerably since it was filled (created Lake Mead) in the 1930's. Interesting read

11. __ Dhabi: ABU. People ask: Is Abu Dhabi different from Dubai? "Yes, Both are 2 different states or what they call as emirates in the country United Arab Emirates. U.A.E consists of 7 emirates namely Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras- Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah. Abu Dhabi is the capital."[Quora dot com]

14. Oval-shaped instrument: OCARINA. Beautiful

15. One of the only two South American countries that doesn't border Brazil: ECUADOR. CHILE didn't fit

17. Compete in a hybrid winter sport: PARASKI. This was one that MalMan could better explain, as he is a skiier. Not I

19. Unusual: ODD. EVEN I got this one! 藍

20. Contacted with a click: E-MAILED. On Monday of this week we had CLACK as an answer; today we have "click" in the clue

25. Separate by type: ASSORT.

29. Sound engineer's slider: FADER. Notice the technique

30. Starship Enterprise letters: NCC. [fandom dot com] "According to both "The Making of Star Trek", and the second seaon writers guide update, NCC officially stands for "Navy-Curtis Craft", referring to the fact that the design and construction of the cruisers was a combination of the Navy's and Curtis Industries inputs"

32. "Don't reckon so": NAW. YEP

33. Some govt. lawyers: D.A.S. Pluralized abbr. for District Attorney. DAS is also one of the three German definite articles of grammar(DER, DIE, DAS). Das Buch = "the book". Ich habe Deutsch von 1963 bis 1974 studiert. Erste, in Hochschule, und dann beim Universität

35. Fossey subject: APE. As opposed to Fosse subject:

37. Genesis maker: SEGA. Hyundai didn't fit. Video game

41. Home of the Muscat Gate Museum: OMAN.

43. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA. Solved via perps and mistake (notice the red mark in the "A" square on my grid photo)

44. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.

45. Benatar in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: PAT. According to a Google search, the song below is her all-time best hit. Do you agree?

46. Yukon XL maker: GMC. $60k is the price for the base model of this SUV

48. Killer whales: ORCAS.

52. Cooks in a bamboo basket: STEAMS.

58. Share a course?: CO-TEACH. A CSO (in a way) to our Saturday blogger, Husker Gary who CO-TEACHes when he substitutes for the regular teacher

60. Vegetable soup bit: PEA. I couldn't think of any other 3-letter word that fit here

64. Uncomfortable situation: HOT SEAT. HA HA. Speaking of GMC:

67. Emphatic denial: "I SAID NO!!". An erstwhile expression ...

68. Hosp. triage expert: ER NURSE. Nurses also performed triage behind the battle lines ... this scene from M*A*S*H* shows Major Houlihan saying goodbye to her fellow officers as she and her NURSEs leave to provide aid ... typical Hawkeye!

69. TiVo antecedent: VCR. Video Cassette Recorder. I had an uncle who pronounced the word "CASSETTE" with the emphasis on the first syllable

70. Oft-redacted ID: SSN.

71. Has no use for: DETESTS. That's a bit harsh

Down:
1. Rant: POP OFF. Moe-ku #2:
Vodka drinker's mad;
Store ran out of his brand. Might
POP OFF for Popov

2. National park on the Maine coast: ACADIA. Margaret and I have been visiting National Parks the past few years when we vacation. She has never been to Maine; I am pretty sure that this Park is on her bucket list

3. Stopped at the door, perhaps: CARDED. Or the pearly gates, perhaps??


4. Writer Levin: IRA. Moe-ku 3:
Writer Levin has
Retirement fund called an
Ira I.R.A.

5. Grafton's "__ for Fugitive": F IS.

6. Signed in pen: INKED.

7. Large Central American reptile: CAIMAN. Moe-ku #4:

Large croc's corrected
Spelling of Keys near Cuba:
The CAIMAN Islands

8. Grocery section: DELI. Publix Grocery Stores in Florida had the best DELI section

9. Amtrak service that caters to business travelers: ACELA. The nose of this engine resembles that of the SST Concorde


10. Silences with a button: MUTES.

11. Brouhaha: ADO.

12. Fiddle stick: BOW. Clever clue

13. Ornate garden pot: URN.

16. Tots up: ADDS. Hmm; this solved via perps as I was unaware of the British phrase tot up. Of course, it spawned this Moe-ku #5:
The waitress knew that
Her side order was ready;
Chef exclaimed: "Tots up!"

21. "¡Dios mío!": AY CARAMBA. I spelled this incorrectly when I first solved the puzzle; if you go back and look at the solved grid, there is a black mark on the "C" of CARAMBA. I had this as AYE CRUMBA or some such ...

23. Ushered: LED IN.

24. "Cripes!": DRAT.

26. Univ. donor type: O NEG. I had O POS at first before discovering my error

27. Tabloid: RAG. Why is a newspaper called a "RAG" you ask? One answer from [Quora dot com]: "Many people say it's because such papers historically printed on lower-quality, raglike newsprint than respectable papers. Others say the term stuck because the content rag papers printed was salacious and aimed at the lowest common denominator — the equivalent of rag material"

28. Former JFK flyer: TWA. This is just a mock-up; but notice how the front of the plane resembles that of the ACELA engine in 9-down


31. No. cruncher: CPA.

34. West Coast luggage tag letters: SFO.

36. Make (out): EKE. Kiss and neck wouldn't fit

37. Horse noise: SNORT.

38. Lot: FATE.

39. Gp.: ORG.

40. "No broken bones!": I'M OK.

41. Photo __: OPS.

42. Bathroom rug: MAT.

47. Stashed away: CACHED. The word CACHE(D) has evolved its definition into the world of computing (see #3 meaning in the link)

49. Tartar sauce ingredient: CAPERS. Learning Moe-ment. I thought it was just mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard

50. Div. of the Blue Jays and the Rays: AL EAST. American League East Division baseball teams

51. Hockey gear: SKATES.

53. When Lear divides his kingdom: ACT I. It could only have been ACT I, ACT V, or ACT X in Roman numerology

54. Humors: MOODS.

55. Bowls over: STUNS.

57. Gofer's task: CHORE.

59. Fleming and Orwell's school: ETON.

61. Actress Tyler: LIV. Steven Tyler's daughter

62. Key next to F1: ESC. Computer keyboard keys (F1 and ESC)

63. At a distance: FAR.

65. Demo stuff: TNT. Clue misdirection; demo as in the abbreviation for "demolish", which fits the answer "TNT" which an abbreviation (acronym) for Tri Nitro Toluene

66. Go after, in a way: SUE. Final Moe-ku:
New Johnny Cash song:
The mis-named lad lawyer's up;
The "boy named SUE" sues

That's all she wrote. Hope that this puzzle didn't find you "OUT in LEFT field". I solved it with a couple hiccups in very moderate time; MOES hardness scale = 5.0. See you in two weeks ... this time "I MEAN IT"!!! 嵐

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Today we celebrate the 77th birthday of the brilliant Joann (Husker Gary's wife) and her twin sister Joyce. Here they're with their mom Martha, who passed away in August at the age of 100.

 

 

36 comments:

Subgenius said...

After careful consideration, I finally understood the reveal and what it meant in conjunction with the themed answers. And, on the whole, I found this puzzle fairly easy for a Friday, though others may disagree. FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Yay, this was a Wite-Out-free Friday. Didn't notice the theme while solving; needed C-Moe to 'splain it to me. Visited three of the seven emirates including ABU Dhabi back in my awl-patch days. AY CARAMBA evokes images of Bart Simpson. This was a nice late-week offering; thanx Annemarie.

Husker, pls pass on Happy Birthday wishes to Joann.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIW, missing all three of my Naticks: ChIMAc x OCARINh & cCC, and ORo x AYCARoMBA. Maybe I'll remember Rita's name next time; female name = end in "a." I do love the Caymans, but didn't come close to thinking of the reptile. Also, it took me forever to parse CO TEACH. I almost wrecked that section; for a second I was convinced it should be "go dutch."

Today is:
NATIONAL CIVIC PRIDE DAY (back in the day, it brought communities together and encouraged everyone to feel a sense of pride)
NATIONAL FORGET-ME-NOT DAY (reminds Americans of the sacrifices returning soldiers have made of body, blood, and limb)
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY (established as the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775. (Happy birthday jar heads!)
NATIONAL VANILLA CUPCAKE DAY (if you survive the USMC’s Crucible, you ain’t no cupcake you are a MARINE!)
WORLD NET CANCER DAY (Neuroendocrine tumors)
Although tomorrow is Vet5erans Day (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,) today is when folks get the day off with pay.

When PARASKI dropped into the grid it reminded me of kitesurfing, a beautiful and very dangerous sport.

I'll bet that if Tiger Woods had crashed a BMW instead of a Genesis, he wouldn't have been so badly injured. Heck, there may not have even been a wreck.

Thanks to Annmarie for the stretch objective, and to C-Moe for the fun review. HBD to your DW.

KS said...

FIR. Nice puzzle for a Friday, clever cluing and just enough difficulty.
I didn't get the theme until I got here, but it wasn't needed for the solve.
This was a most enjoyable crossword.

Anonymous said...

Took 11:01 (nearly the date) today for me to get out of bed.

I struggled in the top-left. I didn't know the Star Trek letters (forgive me, please, Picard), the ocarina, and both "fader" and "caiman" took a long time to surface.
A rarity, but I knew today's actress (Liv).

"Shadows of the Night" has my vote for best Pat Benetar song.
"We Belong" and "Heartbreaker" are probably 2nd and 3rd.

I've been to my fair share of National Parks, and I loved my time at Acadia. If you go, make reservations early for the Jordan Pond House, so you can indulge in the delicious "pop-overs." Olympic National Park (referenced by the Chairman today) is also wonderful. I'd like to go back there, as there are parts I wasn't able to get to. And sadly, the lodge at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP burned recently. Beautiful views from there.

RosE said...

Good Morning! A surprisingly easy flow thru today’s puzzle. Thanks, Annemarie.
Very clever theme – I suspected something was up when LET DOWN didn’t seem to match the clue, but the perps were solid, so I moved on.

I wanted a “U” in CARAMBA like (I think) it’s pronounced, but again the perp was solid.

Thanks, C. Moe for your ever-entertaining recap sprinkled with your witty Moe-kus. And thanks for the heads-up from your post yesterday. Good call! As to your tartar comment – just like spaghetti sauce or meatloaf, the ingredients for tartar sauce vary widely.
LOL at the toon of Barbie & Ken.

LEFT OUT clip – Robin Williams had such a genius for comedy.

Happy Birthday to Gary’s wife, Joann and her sister.

Whiner said...

Easy for a Friday. I even got the theme early (unlike yesterday, and most days) and used it to help with answers.

I think the only corrections I made was on cayman instead of CAIMAN, and mag for RAG.

Never heard of OCARINA or ASSORT but the perps got them for me.

I challenge someone to use "humors" in the definition used without it sounding very clumsy. They were all in good humors? Nope.

Big Easy said...

I was OUT in LEFT FIELD trying to see how the theme answers were connected. But the puzzle was an easy fill, not a Friday level offering, starting with the gimme of PACIFIC for 1A.

NCC- not the slightest idea on that one but perps solved it.
Anon@7:45- I'm not a Trekkie either.
whiner@9:02-CAIMAN is a croc; CAYMAN is a Porsche.

CAPERS- learning moment for me too.
ACADIAna- why that's SW Louisiana. ACADIA Parish is between Lafayette & Lake Charles. That's where the CAJUNS live.
CO-TEACH- always heard 'team' teaching and they gave out 'DE TESTS' on Friday. The 'mean' teachers gave tests on Monday.
OCARINA- hadn't seen it in a while
SEGA- wanted Hyundai for Genesis
Rita ORA- really don't know anything about her other than she joins Bobby ORR and Mel OTT every week.
ER NURSE- granddaughter is a night time ER NURSE at UMC (level 1) in NOLA. Gunshot victims nightly. Drug dealers and gangs.
CARDED- just yesterday the 'old' lady in front of me was carded at Walgreens for a bottle of wine. Common sense has disappeared.

Lee said...

Not a very hard puzzle for a Friday. The most trouble I had was figuring out which answers were theme answers. 38A was obvious. The I saw the clues with "?"s and the light bulb went on.

I, too, had a bit of trouble spelling AYCARAMBA but the perps filled it in.
Tried ChiveS before CAPERS.

My sister lives in Maine but I haven't been to Acadia NP. O-neg blood is the most sought after since it can be given to anyone without type matching in an emergency.

A man's reach should exceed his grasp. (Robert Browning)
Or what's a Heaven for?

Try

Lee said...

True that. Most people would say " in good humor" using humor as a collective noun.

Lee said...

Big Easy, I have been carded too. Most people when chided about not seeing that I am over 21(by almost 6 decades) tell me they are required to ask because of regulations, and because their boss says they must. I agree it is a bother but some people do look older than they are.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

While this is not my favorite type of theme, I found this offering to be very clever, with very solid in-the-language phrases and fitting ones for the clues/theme. My only unknown was NCC, (sorry, Picard), but no w/os. Caiman was a gimme as Bill corrected Cayman/Caiman in a recent review. The three letter word count of 32 was noticeably high, because of the dense theme material, no doubt.

Thanks, Annemarie, for a fun solve and thanks, Moe, for the detailed review and commentary. Shrimp on the Barbie was very funny as was Moe-ku #5, Tots Up. The clip of Robin Williams was a poignant reminder of how talented he was and how much he is missed.

Happy Birthday to Joann and Joyce! 🎂🎂🎊🎊🎉🎉🎈🎈🎁🎁

Have a great day.

waseeley said...

Thank you Annemarie for a Friday FIR. More'n likely the last one I'll see this week.

Thank you MOE for another entertaining and informative review. Favorite cartoon: Shrimp on the Barbie. I thought of that Aussie saying when reading 56A, but before the penny dropped.

A few favs:

14A OCARINA. An inspiring video MOE. The lady who played that plaintive song looked a lot like LIV Tyler (61D), who played Arwen in the Lord of the Rings. And here is how to make an OCARINA out of clay.

33A DAS. Ich habe 4 Jahre lang Deutsch an der Universität studiert. But today I had to use Google Translate to make sure I got the grammar straight!

56A BACK TALK. Favorite themer, the one that gave away the theme. I'd heard the term, Bush Telly,, but didn't know what it meant. Now we do.

53D ACT I. ACT X is ruled OUT, as all Shakespeare plays have only V ACTS.

66D SUE. A clecho to the author of FD.

Cheers,
Bill

HBD Joann! 🎂🎁🎀🎈

Monkey said...

I got the theme pretty quickly because I started with the reveal. FIT FOR A KING is a good one and what confirmed the theme for me. outBACK TALK however left me puzzled.

Has no use for, DETESTS I agree is a little strong and was the last to fall.

CAPERS in Tartar sauce?

Some 50 years ago DH and I vacationed in the Cayman Islands. What a beautiful place.

C-Moe. Thank you for that terrific video of Robin Williams explaining the game of golf.

CanadianEh! said...

Fab Friday. Thanks for the fun, Annemarie and CMoe.
I saw the missing OUT with BACK TALK which helped with the themers.
I smiled at FIT FOR A KING after our discussion of the British monarchy yesterday.
But my PACIFIC coast was a sea of white for a long time.
One Google help to give CAIMAN and things improved.

I did note 30 three-letter fills, which is well above IM’s acceptable limit!

Picard may be appalled at the number of us who didn’t know NCC.
We don’t often see ASSORT, the verb. Assorted, the adjective, is more common. (Sort would fit the clue also)
Tuner changed to FADER.
The horses sound was SNORT, not Neigh.
Some Canadian disadvantage today - I can never remember ACELA. Where is Hwy 101? SFO perped. But I learned SSN long ago
Like Jinx, I did not parse COTEACH correctly, and was thinking of food.

HuskerG- please pass on Happy Birthday wishes to Joann and Joyce.

Wishing you all a great day.

Charlie Echo said...

Very enjoyable puzzle today. FIR with only a minimal amount of WiteOut, and even got the theme! Will wonders never cease? AYCARAMBA brought Speedy Gonzales to mind, and NCC was a gimme for this Trekker. Moe's recap was a delight as usual. Loved the GOLF explanation! A happy B-day to both Js!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

That was a fun outing from Annemarie as the fill was nice and the theme elusive 'till the end.

Thanks C. Moe for the expo (ah, yes, that's a OCARINA) and the Kus.
That was a "cleaned up" version of Williams' golf bit :-)

WO: egad -> DRAT
ESPs: OCARINA, COT EACH(?), CAPERS (as clued), LIV, IRA, ORA
Fav: The clue for BOW; Fiddle Stick(s)

Heartbreaker is my fav. Benatar song.

30a) NCC-1701. Subsequent Enterprises had a -A (introduced at the end of Trek IV), -B, -C, etc after NCC-1701.

HG - Extend my HBD wishes to Joann; you do something special now, you hear?

Back to work
Cheers!, -T

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I was halfway accepting of the gimmick fills but BACK TALK was a mystery. The reveal got a laugh out of me.
-OUTFIELD DAY: Coaching someone to not immediately run up on a fly ball
-The most surprising thing of taking the 101 down to SFO was the Nebraska-like rural areas between Portland and SF
-Some schools ask you to CO-TEACH but most just have you do worksheets and videos
-POP OFF: The image of recently passed Bobby Knight came to mind
-Our low-budget tartar sauce has CATSUP and horseradish
-Thanks, C.C., for the lovely post for Joann and Joyce. They join me on 77 Sunset Strip today. I also appreciate the kind sentiments from all of you, my puzzling friends!

inanehiker said...

Enjoyed this puzzle - felt more like Thursday level which is fine

For PARA-SKI I wanted to put in biathlon (the skiing/shooting competition) but it was one letter too long.

Thanks for the blog CM and Annemarie for the puzzle!

Lots to catch up on today, HBD to Joann and her sister. Thanks to all the veterans who served, as this is the observed Federal holiday since it falls on a Saturday. My family has most of the branches covered except the Coast Guard, as my dad was in the Marines during WWII and then switched to Naval Reserve until retirement, my FIL was in the ARMy, my brother was in the Army then finished up in the National Guard until his retirement, and son in the Air Force.

unclefred said...

I would have gotten the theme had I looked! I wish I would remember to look, but usually I am just so happy to FIR I come right to the blog. Seems like a Wednesday or Thursday CW to me, which is not a complaint. Clever theme, good clues, not strangled with obscure names…a very nice CW, thanx, AB. Outstanding write-up, thanx CMoe. When I read the theme I was upset with myself for not looking for it. Only W/O = SST:TWA.

Anonymous said...

A enjoyable Friday 🏃‍♀️ jog in the park. No wite-out needed. A clever theme. My fav was “Out Back Talk” and the shrimp on the barbie cartoon.

Best Pat Benatar song is Heartbreaker.
Before she was famous she used to sing jingles for Pepsi-Cola commercials.

Thanks Annemarie and Cmoe….. kkFlorida

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Hold on...wait a minute...waaait a dad burn minute. IIRC, it is really California 1 that has most of the scenic coastal views. Doesn't US-101 run largely slightly inland of CA-1? Seems like 101 has SOME nice views of the Pacific, especially in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, but not for MUCH of it. CA 1 is the true scenic route. (Could be my SoCal bias shining through.)

TTP said...

Thank you, Annemarie Brethauer, and thank you, Moe.

I've had a busy day anbd solved this in the wee hours of the morn.

By the time I read the clue for 1A ". View from much of U.S. Highway 101", I already had FIC in place. I entered trafFIC. Bzzt. Still managed to correctly solve the puzzle, and get the them in just over 15 minutes. The west side gave me a few delays, but the east and middle fell quickly.

Our tartar sauce is pickle relish and mayonnaise.
Gary, our cocktail sauce is horseradish and ketchup. Happy birthday to Joann and Joyce!

In 1980, my girlfriend and I sat at a small table in the front row of a small rock club with a small stage in Youngstown to see Pat Benatar. The place maybe held 250 people tops. They played songs from their first album, but I think they were really there to test the songs that were about to be released on her second album. The show isn't even listed on her concert history pages, but I'll never forget that concert night.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Dang!
Thanks,Annemarie Brethauer. This was tough but do-able.
I was proud of myself for sticking it out and completing a Saturday XWD!
It was only afterwards that I realized this is Friday.
Double Dang!!

I shouldda known when I came across clues like at 48A. I can't recall a Saturday PZL that just handed me the answer...
~ OMK
____________
DR:
. No diagonals today.

CrossEyedDave said...

Left Out?

Anonymous T said...

innanehiker - FIL was (R.I.P) a Marine. Pop & Aunt (Mom's side) were Air Force. Both Gramps were WWII vets.
Bros & I were Army. We all served in our own way (little Bro 23 yrs before RET!).
//To others - do NOT thank us for our service - we did what we signed up for.

So no one uses Cream of Tartar (aka potassium bitartrate) in their fish-dippin' sauce?
KC4H5O6(?) cleans out the coffee URN pretty swell too.

TTP: I have a modeling head-shot of Mom from the early '70s. In that photo she a dead-ringer for Pat Benatar. //kinda weird to think your mom was a hottie :-)

Jinx - arguing about the 101 v. CA-1 is, um, (got 24m?) SNL worthy [The Californians].

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle.

I gotta ask, Chairman Moe, what was your meaning by putting the characters 藍 and 嵐 in your write-up?

Good wishes to you all.

Anonymous said...

Ah, C-Moe, du sprichts Deutsche, ausgeseichnet!

Really liked today’s theme hook, very clever ruse. OUTBACKTALK I finally grokked — it gave me a good facepalm as, in spite of having several friends from Oz, it zoomed right past me at first. FIR thanks to the reveal; nicely played by the constructor.

Thanks for the Robin Williams vid link, Chairman — such an amazing talent. Still makes me sad that he chose to leave us…

====> Darren / L.A.

Anonymous T said...

With nothing better to do than chase a Rabbit say...

The Californians clip [SNL above] had a piece of music that I strongly recognized.
My brain hurt until I could suss it OUT...

Me thinks I gots it!
It's America's Venture Highway's intro!!! //Fight me if I'm wrong.

That made me chase another rabbit down a hole...
Why aren't they in the RRHoF?

//Sry for the ODD post: DW is in Chicago for a conference so, um, "In my own defense, I was left unsupervised." [that's the sticker on my water-bottle opposite a Blackhat sticker :-)]

Cheers, -T

Chairman Moe said...

Puzzling thoughts 2:

Jayce @ 3:33 --> those characters were meant to be emojis. Apparently the blogger software didn't agree; sorry. I have NO idea what the characters that were actually posted mean

Jinx @ 2:35 --> you are correct; the majority of US 101 in CA runs inland. In OR and WA (I think the photo I posted was in OR) that highway runs along the PACIFIC. Sorry for the misunderstanding

As Dash T noted, the Robin Williams golf bit is also available as a Rated R or NSFW video. That one is also quite funny but shows Williams' more raunchy side. A lot of F bombs which I didn't think was appropriate for the blog

The Pat Benatar video was a result of googling "Best ever Pat Benatar song/hit". Both Margaret and I were shocked at seeing that as opposed to her other more recognized hits

Thanks to all who left a message today; we bloggers enjoy seeing what you do and don't like as well as the constructors

A salute to all of the veterans who signed up to serve and protect our country and constitution

Picard said...

Anon at 7:45AM, Irish Miss, CanadianEh You are forgiven if you don't know NCC. I was indeed pleased to see the STARSHIP ENTERPRISE today.

I found the LEFT OUT theme a bit difficult to figure out, but I was very impressed with the construction when I did get it. The theme answers have to work with and without OUT at the LEFT. Hand up struggled to parse COTEACH.

Here I was on top of Cadillac Mountain in ACADIA NATIONAL PARK in MAINE.

The highest point on the Eastern Seaboard.

From Yesterday:
waseeley Thank you for the shout out with SCOTTY! I was very grateful to meet him in real life. A true gentleman.

sumdaze said...

I enjoyed Annemarie's so very clever theme! FAV: Fiddle stick and (OUT)BACK TALK which was made even better by C-Moe's comic. Well done!

Loved all the Moe-kus. FAV: CAIMAN. I was also curious about the kanji. Thanks for your response, C-Moe.

FAV Pat B. is Hit Me With Your Best Shot, but I can easily be persuaded to pick another. Good stuff.

CanadianEh!@10:38. If you travel on the 101, you will eventually cross the Golden Gate Bridge. In some places, 101 veers inland and HWY 1 keeps along the coast. Big Sur is an example of the latter.

Happy b-day to H-Gary's bride and SIL!

Happy birthday to our Marines! They have their own definition of FIELD DAY. Wilbur Charles was a Marine (RIP). Any others?

Vidwan827 said...


Thank You Annearie Brethauer for a challenging Friday puzzle. I really enjoyed it. I 'got' the Left Out bit on the long answers, but like some, as above, I missed the (Out-) Back portion of the pun.

Thank You Ch. Moe for the sparkling commentary. I finished the puzzle, again, at two hours past midnight, this morning , but lost my post on the telephone, because I could not find the button to post the comment...

OCARINA:: I bot a dozen Chilean or Peruvian (?) Ocarinas, about 30 years ago, after I heard the player-salesman play a plaintive tune ... After I brought them home ... I realized you still have to know music and how to play a musical, er wind, instrument .... The Ocarinas are still lying in my closet, until I can give them away to the Salvation Army.

Happy Birthday to HuskerGary's JOann and her twin Joyce. You both don't look like a day over 39.!!@!! HGary is lucky to have two very special people in his life, and his commentary, on his blogs, often,( on his marital relationship) shows his devotion grandly... I have often believed that having a great marital relationship is 90 percent of the pleasures of life and living...

On Abu Dhabi, and Dubai ... Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate, by far, of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Abu Dhabi, is about over 85% of the entire area, the population, the economy and the oil revenue. It is like, as if, Canada, was the 51st state of the USA....

I was surprised to see the TWA on an SST ... before I read, 'thus was just a mock up ...' ha, ha ...

Have a great weekend ahead, all you folks ...

Vidwan827 said...


From Yesterday or perhaps the day before::
To Lucina, ... I am very sorry to hear of your grand daughter's auto accident, where she was hit ... rear ended by a careless driver. As other people have also noted ..Thank God, she was not hurt badly, and is in good physical health ... even though her car was badly damaged... '

Two years ago, my wife's car, which I was driving, was also struck in a rear ending collision, by a massive semi-truck, ... on I-76 in the outskirts of Philadelphia. The accident caused our car to also hit the car ahead of us... causing us a bigger headache... and legal liability.

The driver spoke no english, had no drivers license, no legal papers on nationality and his insurance, was fake and did not cover his driving a truck ... I understand that he was cited, but he promptly absconded, and has since disappeared. Our car too, was a total loss, and it was only 2 years old... but we are grateful that we, and all others, got out of it, with our health and body and mind intact. We should be truly grateful that what could have happened to us ... didn't happen.

Michael said...

-T, the generational time warp strikes again.

"Thanks for your service" is meaningless, when EVERYBODY either enlisted (RA), got drafted (US), or got a deferment for college and deferred the choice. This was until the draft was put on hold, 197-something.

That was my situation, and so the "Thanks" rings hollow.

TTP said...

Dash T, my oldest brother found a pic of my dad and mom in 1942. She would have been about 19 at the time. My brother had the print enlarged and then sent each of us siblings a framed copy. I was stunned. I had no idea.