What a Card.
Happy Monday folks! Today John gives us a cute reveal with the double-meaning of POST -- "mail" and "after." See, both parts of each themer can follow (be after) CARD.
I'll be honest, it took me a minute to figure out the theme - i.e. themer words POST (after) CARD...
12. Place in a house where one might find a cue or Clue: GAME ROOM. A Card Game may be played in the Card Room.
20. Many a corporate decision-maker: BOARD MEMBER. Cardboard. Card Member (Got Amex?).
34. Investor who has shares in a company: STOCK HOLDER. Cardstock. Card Holder (for business cards or a Mastercard user? We should be told.).
51. Seating chart designation: TABLE NUMBER. Card Table (aka the kid's table at Thanksgiving). Card Number (from one's Visa?).
60. Mail that doesn't need an envelope, and where both words of 12-, 20-, 34-, and 51-Across can be found?: POST CARD.
Fun, huh? Alright, let's take a look at the rest of the fill.
Across:
1. Opera highlight: ARIA.
5. Spanish Mrs.: SRA.
8. Yin and __: YANG.
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| Taoist Balance |
14. Sherlock's sister, per two Netflix films: ENOLA.
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| Sherlock & Enola |
16. Caffè Americano base: ESPRESSO.
Weird Al tells us there's no X in Espresso
17. Hale and hearty: STRONG.
19. Mil. category: NCO. Non Commissioned Officer. i.e. Sgts.
20. [See: Theme].
22. "Finding Nemo" kid who scares the fish: DARLA.
Dentist Scene
24. "My thought is ... ": I ASSUME.
25. Choir voice below soprano: ALTO.
26. Knightley's "Pirates of the Caribbean" role: SWANN. Keira Knightley played Elizabeth Swann.
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| Keira Knightley |
29. "On my way!" text, maybe: LIE. It's a lie 'cuz you haven't left yet, have you?
30. Black-and-white cookies: OREOS.
32. Keyboard sound: CLACK.
34. [See: Theme].
37. Finish, as cupcakes: FROST. Didn't he write The Cupcake Not Taken?
39. Precise: EXACT.
40. NFL official: REF.
41. Fill in, as a lawn bare spot: RESOD.
43. Caustic remark: BARB.
47. Heartburn remedy: ANTACID.
50. Thigh bone: FEMUR.
51. [See: Theme].
55. Lagunitas Brewing Co. specialty: IPA.
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| Beer Advocate rates it a 93 |
56. "You're killing me, __!": line from "The Sandlot": SMALLS.
S'Mores?
59. Top-notch: ELITE.
60. [See: Theme].
61. Reduced by: LESS.
62. Sault __ Marie: STE.
63. Regarding: AS TO.
Down:
1. Guide that can become the outline for a meeting's minutes: AGENDA.
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| This Tracks |
2. Imp: RASCAL. HG quizzed us Saturday.
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| My guess: Buckwheat, ?, DARLA, Spanky, Alfalfa, ? |
3. Commodity from abroad: IMPORT.
4. __ Lingus: Irish carrier: AER.
5. Fair to middling: SO-SO.
6. Civil rights icon Parks whose actions inspired a bus boycott: ROSA.
7. Another name for the Roman god Cupid: AMOR.
8. Overly agreeable guy: YES-MAN.
9. Starts a poker pot: ANTES.
10. Social standards: NORMS.
11. Spherical: GLOBULAR.
13. Singer McEntire: REBA.
15. Lacking vigor: ANEMIC.
18. One from Athens: GREEK.
21. Ruckus: DIN.
23. Plunders: LOOTS.
26. Brief moment: SEC.
27. Round-bottomed cookware: WOK.
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| Mmm... Fried Rice |
28. Fireplace leftovers: ASHES.
31. Wither away: ROT.
32. Public health agcy.: CDC. Center for Disease Control
33. Leave alone: LET BE.
The Fab Four
34. Jocelyn Alo's sport: SOFTBALL.
35. Good Grips gadget brand: OXO. I have a few of their kitchen tools -- Good Grips indeed.
36. Little guy: LAD.
37. Counterparts of sororities, for short: FRATS. Fraternities.
38. Menu option in a file manager: RENAME. In Windows, you can also just CLACK F2 and change the name in place.
41. Runs water over: RINSES.
42. School URL part: EDU. .edu is the top-level domain (TLD) for universities and colleges. The original TLDs were .edu, .com (commercial), .mil (military), .org (organization), .net (network related), .gov (government), & .int (international). I've had all but .int.
44. Compañeras: AMIGAS.
45. Stewie's teddy bear on "Family Guy": RUPERT. Family Guy is a cartoon for (im)mature audiences.
46. Marlon of "On the Waterfront": BRANDO.
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| He Coulda Been a Contender |
48. "Kate & __": 1980s sitcom: ALLIE. The WikiP
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| Susan Saint James & Jane Curtin |
49. Britons and Gaels: CELTS.
50. Agonize (over): FRET.
52. GPS app on iPhones: MAPS.
53. Printer smudge: BLOT.
54. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.
58. Early TV brand: RCA. Hi Misty!
The Grid:
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| The Grid |
The skinny:
WOs: CLiCK -> CLACK ("Hello, you're on Car Talk.")
ESPs: DARLA, LIE, SWANN, RUPERT
Fav: A good buddy of mine (ex-Navy) would say "You're killin' me SMALLS" anytime someone around him didn't "get it."
Cheers, -T
I admit I didn’t bother to consider the meaning of the reveal until I came on this site, but it certainly makes sense. And there were a couple of proper names I didn’t know, “Swann” and “Rupert,” but the perps were kind. All in all, it was a pretty typical Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteDidn't get the theme, failed to read the full reveal, but still got all the letters in the correct boxes. D-o calls that a win. This week's America's Test Kitchen discussed "Wok Hei" -- never heard of it before. OXO is one of my favorite brands. Dash-T is one of my favorite subs -- well done. Enjoyed your effort, even if I didn't fully understand it, John.
Far too many names. Jocelyn Alo? Stewie’s teddy bear? I so look forward to Monday CWs. Not this one. Phooey. I did FIR, but did not enjoy this CW. Thanx for the fine write-up, Anon-T.
ReplyDeleteFIW, getting the wrong Tappet Brother. I also had GLOBULiR. Sum folks sez I don't spel two gud. Erased ado for DIN.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
JOB ACTION DAY (about exploring the different job opportunities available – kinda wasted on most Cornerites)
NATIONAL NACHOS DAY (DW used to love them, but now can’t figure out how to eat them)
NATIONAL SAXOPHONE (everyone seems to have a favorite sax riff)
COLOR THE WORLD ORANGE DAY (to bring awareness to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Yeah, I knew that. Or not.)
I prefer the lemon variety of crossword-favorite OREO.
"One from Athens" had to be GREEK, because "Dawg" was too short. Go UGA!
Thanks, John. I liked this one, except on what planet does a male constructor know Jocelyn Alo's sport? If that's your clue, I suggest surrendering your man card immediately. And thanks to Bayou Tony for another fine job of pinch hitting.
FIR. Too many proper names, again!
ReplyDeleteThe theme reveal was a stretch in my opinion. However the theme answers were clever. But overall I did not like this puzzle.
Took 4:52 today for the bouncer to card me.
ReplyDeleteSeemed like a good themeless puzzle to me, except I agree with the others about too many proper names: someone's teddy bear's name, someone named Alo's sport, the girl from Finding Nemo, Allie, and Sherlock's sister. I will exempt Reba and Rosa, though I'm not sure why.
PS. "Swann" was my other unknown. I eventually remembered that her character was "Swan" but seemed unfair for a Monday to have a silent double letter in a movie character's name.
ReplyDeleteThank you John for easy/peasy Monday puzzle with a "class two" theme. Class 1 -- first you get the theme and it helps you solve the puzzle. Class 2 -- you solve the puzzle and it helps you solve the reveal. Sort of like the Cryptic crosswords clues that the Brits are so fond of.
ReplyDeleteThank you -T. Loved the review. Very funny and chocked full of stuff I can plagiarize. 😁
16A ESPRESSO. It's what we do. Solve petty WORD CRIMES.
17A STRONG. It's how I like my 16A.
29A LIE. I cannot tell a LIE, it got this on perps. Actually the ACROSS clues were going so swimmingly that I never read the clue.
32A CLACK. All I hear is the pitter patter of big fat fingers.
56A SMALLS. Really? Spanky and Our Gang the video?
27D WOK. A CSO to C.C.
38D RENAME. Best tip -- if I can remember it.
46D BRANDO. I've only seen him in Last Tango in Paris -- it wasn't as revealing as I hoped it would be. 😎
33D LET BE. Favorite video. Apparently the powers that be couldn't LET IT BE and now we have Now and Then. I'm glad we do.
Cheers,
Bill
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a quick and smooth solve once Darla, Swann, and Smalls perped. I questioned Keyboard sound=Clack until I realized it wasn't a musical keyboard. I didn't see the theme until the reveal and, even then, I had to study the answers more thoroughly. We don't see this type of theme very often, so this was a nice change of pace.
Thanks, John Michael and thanks, Anon T, for a fun commentary. Your Bon mot at Frost, "The Cupcake Not Taken" cracked me up. Thanks for pinch hitting, once again.
FLN
Grumpy Granny, best wishes for a successful retinal surgery.
Have a great day.
Easy-peasy, honkey-dorey, no sweat offering g today. Didn't know a Fer of the names, SWANN, RUPERT, etc but perps filled it all in. FIR.
ReplyDeleteFor those interested,, I have finished reading the two books I referred to in pervious posts, Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. The saga turned into an amalgam of the Iliad and a future Earth history where an invader from another universe came through a Brane hole and attempted to take over. The main characters turned out to be Achilles and Ulysses who interacted with the humans on Earth who fought the takeover.
Strange plot, but very interesting if you like learning about Greek mythology. Simmons is an excellent writer and well versed in his subject.
If anyone asks, tell them to read the book.
Toodles
Try "few"
DeleteAlso can't forget to thank John and -T for their efforts today.
DeleteFIR but had to visit the Corner so -T could explain the reveal. I was stumped! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEven though I’m usually annoyed by too many proper names, somehow i didn’t even notice them, probably because those I didn’t know perpped easily. I think I made up a word, sorry.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme quickly and FIR. So as someone already said easy-peasy. The last to fall was the SW because I immediately entered softly instead of SMALLS (?) thinking about talented Roberta Flack’s song Killing me Softly with his song.
A-t seems recovered and raring to go giving us a nice recap.
ReplyDeleteAlthough “Monday-easy” the puzzle was also fair without any truly unheard of clues with crazy answers . (OK yeah Alo’s sport.)
Old saw: “I assume can make an ass of u and me.” STRONG crossed with ANEMIC
Don’t think of “wither” as ROT
AMOR spelled backwards is the città d’AMOR’…ROMA
Been a “Family Guy” fanatic for years but still put Hubert first instead of RUPERT. Seen all the “Pirates of…” flix but did not recall Knightly’s name. Perpaid required. I didn’t know the “Sandlot” quote.
RASCAL wine…IMPORT
That bar Cheers!” bar stool is _____…NORMS
The French Friend Petroleum Co. •••AMIGAS
One who carries a pig to market…STOCKHOLDER
”Car Talks’” Tappet Bros.…Click and….CLACK
Top ‘o the week to all. Time to pull up the defunct (“wither”ed not ROTted) annuals after the recent hard FROST
Musings
ReplyDelete-Having half of a phrase in the gimmick is fun but it is doubly fun when both words are in it!
-I’m getting used to a second path to ENOLA for fill
-I said I knew four of the Little RASCALS in that picture. Buckwheat (talk about racism) is on the left, Spanky is on the right, Alfalfa is next to Spanky and DARLA is pouring the lemonade.
-It seems like a long time since I have heard the CLACK of a typewriter
-REF: Someone has to explain to me what holding is. It happens on every play but is only sometimes called
-Some people do not come to our house because they are allergic to our Lily. Too bad.
-Hearing, “I’ll just be a SEC” from inside the house isn’t really a LIE but…
-A wonderful video (1:01) of a beautiful SOFTBALL pitcher and a major leaguer with a good sense of humor
-I have a template called Sub Master that I call up and simple RENAME it to save it. Today is it’s Parson 11.6.23
-If all ELSE fails, read the directions.
-Today is a great sub day. I’m done by 2 and the kids keep themselves busy! An easy $160!
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun John and AnonT.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in very good time and saw the CARD part of the theme. But I missed the POST connection.
No inkblots as any of the multiple names perped for me. (Monkey, I have been using that word, but my Canadian spelling has only one P.)
16 three-letter words is borderline acceptable I believe per IM’s criteria.
LIE perped , but I was looking for text-speak definition. Duh!
I have silenced the keyboard CLACK. It drives me nuts.
Ray-o- I too did not think ROT was a good match for withered. Rot is smellier than just drying up.
And I wanted to Ice those cupcakes at first.
My limited Spanish lessons from Lucina recognized that the female friends needed an A not O.
CSO to CED with RASCAL.
FLN- best wishes for successful retinal surgery , Grumpy Granny
Wishing you all a great day.
AnonT Thank you for explaining several mysteries I could not solve. I FIR, but had no idea what the POST CARD theme meant. I could not figure out LIE, assuming it was some text-ese. And no idea how a piano keyboard would CLACK. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOur DJ friend DARLA Bea asked me to do a photo shoot of her celebrating being a winner as best DJ in Santa Barbara.
Not sure if anyone saw my post and question yesterday. I feel bad for CC that Sunday always seems to be a slow, quiet day here.
PS:
ReplyDeleteAnonT Thank you for that wonderful Weird Al Yankovic grammar lesson!
Finished this one quickly despite the obscure clues, and without much satisfaction. Didn't get the reveal, but didn't spend much time looking. I'm with UNCLEFRED on this one.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, starting the day with a dash of Wierd Al is always a treat! Thanks, -T.
Good Morning! Yes, still a.m. Takes a few days to adjust to the “new” time.
ReplyDeleteI spent much of my morning watching a crew take down a 40 – 50 foot tree in my front yard. Poor honey locust had powdery mildew up to the top. Had to come down. Amazing process – they made short work of it. Another crew will come later this week to grind down the stump.
Anyway, what a nice puzzle today. Thanks, John. Even a few fills slipped past me which had been filled in by the perps. Didn’t see them until I got to the Blog.
Thanks, Anon-T for the fun recap today.
I needed perps for ENOLA, DARLA, RUPERT and SMALLS.
WO: ado -> DIN.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteCanadianEh! go to the head of the class!
Thanks to John Michael Currie for the entertaining puzzle and to AnonT for the fun-filled analysis!
I'm a BOARD MEMBER of our HOA and have been for 40 years. Sadly we don't have others stepping up to replace us and I am nearing my time to exit from it.
I really miss the CLICK and CLACK show on Saturday radio. It helped me while I was cleaning house and of course, I don't do that anymore, either.
Because of a gap in our AGENDA, my friend and I spent an ten extra days in Greece. Our hotel in ATHENS was in the middle of the city so we could walk to all our venues. The museum there is fascinating with many items collected over the centuries. Luckily it was within walking distance and We went every day and discovered new things on each visit. I don't recall if the entrance was free or maybe just a few drachmas. That was in 2004 just before the Olympic games.
Have a magnificent Monday, everyone!
ReplyDeleteRosE….idly wondering what the charge was for the takedown.
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, John. And your commentary was a delight, AnonT, thank you for that too! (How did you ever remember that my Dad worked for RCA all those years? Thank you for mentioning it--made me happy).
ReplyDeleteWell, as soon as I saw ESPRESSO I was ready for some breakfast snack, an OREO, maybe, or, even better, a cupcake with some FROSTing on top.
Time to send some POSTCARDS to some AMIGAS.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteHG @ 9:54 --> additional comment about REF's: what is "roughing the quarterback"? Head scratching calls nearly every game. No one seems to call them the same. My prediction is that after the 2028 Olympics (where I believe they have lobbied to include "Flag Football" as an event) the NFL will go tackle-free, and will play "flag football" for real. Too many concussions and other injuries will change this sport forever
Regarding POSTCARDS ... back when I was a kid I got several postcards from my grandparents whenever they traveled. Fast forward to 2022, I decided to send a postcard to MY grandson; sadly, the USPS lost it and it never got delivered
I had the GLOBULAR/LIE/CLACK Natick which yielded a FIW
C-Moe
I liked solving this puzzle and reading all your comments. Tony, like Irish Miss, I cracked up at your Frost "The Cupcake Not Taken" humor.
ReplyDeletePicard, your photo of Darla Bea is outstanding. Very high quality.
ReplyDeleteI looked up what wok hei (鑊氣) is. Interesting.
EZ Puzzle, and fun review. Well explained.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank You John Currie for a charming Monday puzzle, that completed itself in more or less good time, .... the perps were generous and plentiful to account for a few words and concepts that I had never heard of... like Companeras, Darla, Smalls, Swann, Enola etc.,
The only Enola I knew was Enola Gay ... but now as some one else mentioned, as above, here's another one ...
Thank You Anon-T for your interesting commentary, and side jokes, of which I managed to understand , a few... If this voluntary reporting essay could mean that you have recovered from your recent ills and pains, then it is indeed very good news !
Like many others, I loved your comment on 'Frost'.!
Picard, your pictures are very nice - of what can be expected from an experienced and proessional photogrpher ! Very nice indeed !
I meant to post early this morning, but had to get prepped up for (yet another) med exam, that was late in scheduling, and took up most of the day ...
Have a nice week, all you folks...
Lucina, Glad to know, you are having some free time to yourself .. . you need it for all your voluntary work for your multiple level of relatives, and at your age, you are entitled to a lot of rest ....
I am a little younger than you, and I never took care of even my grandkids ... but my kids still need me to take care of some of their problems ...!!!
ReplyDeleteRe:: The comment that Jaycee made ... what is a Wok Hei ??
Google says, ...it is the 'Breath of the Wok' ... achieved by a thoughtful caramelization of some of the meat and vegetables, and then seared on a flaming wok ... preferably with some wine, like Merlot ... sort of aan instant char broiled phenoena...
It can also be achieved by a "flaming torch" ...
Vidwan827
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I am very glad for this time of quiet and solitude and don't even turn on the TV except for the News and Jeopardy. However, I started watching "All the Light You cannot See" on my Smart TV. I read the book and am very interest on how it is being developed.
Lucina@9:24. I so loved the book “All the Light You Cannot See” I’m afraid to try the film version. Let me know, if you would, how they compare.
ReplyDeleteMonkey
ReplyDeleteSo far I like the actors and how the show is staying true to the book.
Chairman Moe et alii: Another weird NFLism is 'PASS INTERFERENCE'. How is the defense supposed to stop a play without "interfering"?
ReplyDelete