google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday December 4, 2023 Brian Callahan

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Dec 4, 2023

Monday December 4, 2023 Brian Callahan

  

Hello Cornerites!

Theme:            MVP  (MOST VALUABLE PUZZLER)

sumdaze here with Brian Callahan's eighth LA Times puzzle and his third Monday offering. Today we have four seemingly unrelated themers and a unifier near the bottom -- just the way I like them! I won't keep you in suspense. Here is the grid:

For each of the themers, we find the letters TV (TUBE) at an INNER location of the spelled out themers. Additionally, the T's and V's are never in the same word.
"The TUBE" is a nickname for a TV set because they used to have CRT vacuum tubes in them. If that reference is before your time, let me ask, did you ever wonder why they call it YouTube?  
Let's zoom in:

16 Across. TikTok posts by some pet owners: CAT VIDEOS.  

23 Across. Tart sprinkle for fish and chips: MALT VINEGAR.  

35 Across. Appraiser's determination: FAIR MARKET VALUE.  The FMV is the price an asset would sell for on the open market.
(With three words, this one is a bit of an outlier.)

46 Across. Ability to see in low light: NIGHT VISION.  "Low light" means there are a low number of photons compared to a daylight scene.
Night Vision Goggles enhance night vision and allow the wearer to see into the near IR (infrared) spectrum.
Coincidentally, this NVG uses a form of a CRT projected onto a green phosphorus screen,
similar to the TV tubes we were just talking about -- hence the green!

And the unifier:

57. Inflatable river float, or what the answers to 16-, 23-, 35-, and 46-Across have: INNER TUBE
Like TV TUBEs, INNER TUBEs are a thing of the past (for car tires, anyway). The INNER TUBE would be placed inside the tire then inflated. If inflated outside of a tire, they made a soft rubber donut -- perfect for floating on rivers and lakes. (Modern car tires are now tubeless.)
Totally Tubular Fun!!
This clue reminded me of stopping by the service station on the way to the lake to put gas in the boat
and air in the INNER TUBEs.
Moving on...

Across:
1. Court sport, for short: B-BALL.  Basketball

6. Pen tip: NIB.

9. Building manager, casually: SUPE.  SUPErintendent  
Pat Harrington Jr (1929-2016) played Schneider, the SUPEr on One Day at a Time.

13. Nest on a crest: AERIE.  Clues like this one and 1-A make for a fun solve!

14. Ostrichlike bird: EMU.  Moo the EMU lives at Australia's National Zoo. 

15. Country between Togo and Nigeria: BENIN.  We'll find out if BENIN crossing BEENE tripped up any Monday solvers.
18. Went astray: ERRED.  

19. __ upon a time ...: ONCE.  ONCE upon a time (2007 to be precise), there was a touching, Irish film called Once. The soundtrack for Once is one of my favorites. Falling Slowly, written and performed by 
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová won an Oscar for Best Original Song.  
The imperfections make it perfect!

20. College URL part: EDU.   and   43 Down. Encrypted URL starter: HTTPS.
See your web browser's address bar.  

21. Actor Danny in Jersey Mike's ads: DEVITO.  Danny DeVito has been married to another crossword regular, Rhea Pearlman, since 1982. Here is one of his Jersey Mike's ads.

22. Neither's partner: NOR.   and   50 Across. To and __: FRO.
an oft' borrowed quote

25. Words of compassion: I CARE.

27. Say confidently: AVER.

28. Indian lute: SITAR.  This site features an interesting collection of string instruments and a 1 min. video that discusses the progression from a 1-string Ektar to electric guitars.

30. Singer Yoko: ONO.

31. Autumn: FALL.  

39. Like most software, once: ON CD.  The future might be ceramics-based storage systems.
Does constructor Brian Callahan look old enough
to be writing all these back-in-the-day clues?

40. Mass. MLB team: BOS.  Fenway Park in BOSton Massachusetts is home to the Red Sox, a Major League Baseball team.

41. Ziff who's infatuated with Marge Simpson: ARTIE.  
ARTIE Ziff is a minor character on The Simpsons.
He is a former billionaire and was Marge's senior year prom date.
Jon Lovitz voices ARTIE.

42. Tequila order: SHOT.  A SHOT of alcohol is 1.5 oz. (about 44 mls.)
Did you know that the lines on a Red Solo Cup are measurement marks?
44. Beyond compare: PRIMO.  English borrowed this word from the Italian word for "first".
Also, PRIMO is a 2023 coming-of-age TV show on Amazon Freevee. Michael Schur (The OfficeParks and RecreationBrooklyn Nine-Nine) is involved in it so I thought it would be good -- and it was!  
In Spanish, "PRIMO" means "cousin".
So is my mom's brother's son my PRIMO PRIMO?

53. Flattened at the poles, as Earth: OBLATE.  You can pronounce it /
äbˌlāt/ or /ōˈblāt/.
I've only learned this word of late.

54. Knee injury initials: ACL.  Anterior Cruciate Ligament

55. Sty fare: SLOP.  food for pigs

56. Seize illegally: USURP.  Def:  to take control of a position of power, especially without having the right to do so.

59. Looks for: SEEKS.  Here is a song about a guy who SEEKS love through a personal ad.  
Rupert Homes sings Escape (The Pina Colada Song).
It hit #1 on the charts 44 years ago and has been a pop culture classic ever since.

60. Shar-__: wrinkly dog: PEI.  
The shar pei is a dog breed from southern China.
Traditionally kept as a property guardian, the shar pei was driven to the brink of extinction in the 20th century.

61. Dine at home: EAT IN.

62. Fades to black: ENDS.  

63. Curved piece: ARC.

64. Small songbirds: WRENS.  You can listen to a WREN sing here:  

Down:
1. Turkey__: breakfast meat that's both halal and kosher: BACON.  Neither allow eating pork or birds of prey. Unfortunately for turkeys (and despite some wild stories out there), they are not considered to be birds of prey.

2. Game of chance similar to bingo: BEANO.  This game is 100+ years old. It is like bingo but you use beans for the markers. I am surprised the Patent Office did not put up a red flag.

3. Writer who visits a lot of galleries: ART CRITIC.  

4. Word in many concert album names: LIVE.  Check out this list of 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time from Rolling Stone to see your favorite's ranking. Coming in at #3 on the list, here is the LIVE version of Folsom Prison Blues from Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (1968). You can hear the prisoners in the background. They sound relatively polite by today's standards.  

5. Floral wreath: LEI.

6. Pine leaf: NEEDLE.  
7. "See ya": I'M OUT.

8. Mass transit option: BUS.  

9. Facility with a supercomputer array: SERVER FARM.  I assume this definition of SERVER FARM is correct.

10. Strip of gear, as a ship: UNRIG.  It stands to reason that if one can rig a ship, one can UNRIG a ship. "Derig" is in the dictionary, too.

11. Michelangelo sculpture in St. Peter's: PIET
À.  The Pietà ("pity" in Italian) depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of her son Jesus after his death. Michelangelo began carving this masterpiece when he was 24 years old. It is the only sculpture he signed.
We usually see a front view. I thought this side view was interesting.

12. Ewoks' home: ENDOR.  The Forest Moon of ENDOR scenes were filmed on location at Redwood National and State Parks in northern California. Here is a clip to give you a sense of the terrain:  
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (1983)
No trees were harmed in the making of this movie. 😊

15. Fashion designer Geoffrey: BEENE.  He was born in 1924 in Haynesville, LA and died in 2004 in New York, NY. He was know for his formal wear and accessories designs. He designed for public figures such as Marilyn Monroe and Lady Bird Johnson. I was unable to find out if he ever played BEANO.

17. Sweetheart: DEAR.  Yes?

21. Hunk of turf: DIVOT.  This is a golf reference. I was unsure if a DIVOT referred to the piece of turf that goes flying or the hole left behind. The Cambridge Dictionary says it can be both.
The caption on this said, "Justin Rose chunks the worst shot of the 1st round."

23. Quaint suffix with school: MARM.  "Marm" is a variant spelling of "ma'am".
I held back on filling this one in because I do not think of "marm" as a suffix.

24. Barn topper: VANE.   and   38 Down. Narcissistic: VAIN.  
Don't you? Don't you?  ♪♪

26. Players who have mastered the art of the deal?: CARD SHARKS.  This clue is a fun play on the word "deal". To deal playing cards is to distribute them to the players.

28. NorCal airport: SFO.  "Northern California" is abbreviated. So is San FranciscO International Airport.

29. Suffix with Dickens or Orwell: IAN.  Charles Dickensian and George Orwellian
At this time I would like to thank Mr. H., my HS English teacher.

30. Signs off on: OKS.

32. Wind instrument that might have a curved head: ALTO FLUTE.  

33. French pronoun: LUI.  I learned this one the Sunday before yesterday. We had "96A. French masculine pronoun:  LUI." I made up the memory trick "Louie is a male's name," but now I am reading that when functioning as an objective pronoun, it can replace male and female pronouns. Please feel free to correct me on this.

34. Director Ang: LEE.

36. Over: ABOVE.  I like it when constructors use words with multiple meanings. Is it 'finished' or 'upward'? The grid will let you know.

37. Naan relative: ROTI.

44. Dine outside: PICNIC.  
I like the body language of the aardvark to the right.
45. Part in a film: ROLE.

46. "It's pointless": NO USE.

47. Playwright Henrik: IBSEN.  He was a Norwegian poet, playwright, and theater director, perhaps best known for A Doll's House. (1828-1906)

48. Used Elmer's: GLUED.  
49. More levelheaded: SANER.

51. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Roberts: ROBIN.  Also, one of my favorite birds!  
Robin Roberts   and   the American robin
52. Unseals: OPENS.

55. Celebrity: STAR.  Another excellent Science word loses out to Hollywood....

57. Hoppy beverage with New England and West Coast varieties: IPA.  Most of us had this at "3-letter hoppy beverage"; nevertheless, this link helps explain the second half of the clue.

58. "Go back" button: Abbr.: REW.  Be kind. REWind.

That's all for today. I'm off to cook some lunch. I have a sudden craving for root vegetables and perhaps some haricot verts. Enjoy your week!

54 comments:

Subgenius said...

I didn’t find this puzzle too difficult, although it is interesting that one entry spanned the entire grid. But that entry, “fair market value,” like the rest, was easily sussed. FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Guess who managed to screw up three of the four themers...at least at first? peT VIDEOS, tArTar sauce, FAIR MARKET pricE, I'm lookin' at you. That same individual failed to read the full reveal clue, and ergo missed seeing the buried TVs. "pet" resulted from cApOn at 1d..have I ever mentioned? It wasn't d-o's finest hour. My grid is correct, but what a mess. Thanx for the Monday challenge, Brian, and for the expert explication, sumdaze.

OBLATE: When our fourth grade teacher explained that the earth is really a sphere, supernerd student Rick corrected her. "No Miss Holding, it's an OBLATE spheroid."

NIGHT VISION: My first computer monitor back in the early '80s had a green screen, too.

Anonymous said...

The correct term is Card Sharps, not Sharks. FYI - Stout is stout, ale is ale and beer is beer. They are all “brews,” but only one is beer, lager or pilsner. Sorry, that’s bugged me for years.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Well, this was a typical Monday stroll in the park, but with a few rest stops along the way, I.e., Benin, Artie, and Oblate. I saw the ending T and starting V while solving, but thought there had to be more than just TV, but the reveal proved me wrong. My only w/o was Fair Market Price instead of Value. (Hi, DO!) I liked Wrens crossing Robin and the proximity of Picnic to Eat In.

Thanks, Brian, for a smooth and satisfying solve and thanks, sumdaze, for lots of learning moments and even more smiley moments with "Season Desist", You're So Vane, the homely-cute Shar Peis and lastly but not leastly, you're Veggie Sign-off! Haricot Verts, indeed! 🤣

We lost power last night at 6:30 and were advised the outage would last until 8:00. An update changed it until 10:00. Fortunately, the update was wrong and the lights came on at 8:00 on the dot. Naturally, I was initially trapped in my electrically-powered recliner, but managed to escape unscathed, aided and abetted by the flashlight on my phone. All's well that . . .

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Your not You're, Mr. Smarty pants Autocorrect! And i.e., not I.e! 😬

Anonymous said...

Took 4:41 today for me to geT Victory.

Seemed like another themeless puzzle to me, until I read the review.

I had no idea about the minor Simpson's character or the French pronoun.
The playwright and the fashion designer were slightly-educated guesses.

I entered "cardsharPs" first, but "seeps" didn't make sense for "looks for."

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIW, missing BEaNE x DaVITO, Knew both names, but what a surprise - not how to spel them correctly. Erased derig for the new to me UNRIG, and les for the new to me LUI.

Today is:
SANTA'S LIST DAY (why did my elf-on-the-shelf laugh at my list?)
NATIONAL COOKIE DAY (maybe Santa will give us his wish list)
CABERNET FRANC DAY (frankly, I’ve never tried it)
INTERNATIONAL CHEETAH DAY (I’ve always heard that cheetahs never prosper)
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION DAY (our zoos do a great job of helping endangered species survive)
NATIONAL SOCK DAY (the late Judy Carne was the “Sock It To Me” girl on Laugh In)
NATIONAL DICE DAY (I asked for National Gambler’s Day, but they said “no dice")

Okay, Bayou Tony - Is there ever a supercomputer in a SERVER FARM? Methinks Brian (or Patti) drew a foul on this one.

Thanks to Brian for the fun Monday puzzle, and to sumdaze for the chuckles.

inanehiker said...

I found this to be a little crunchy for a Monday- solvable - but I had to come to the blog to figure out that the INNER TUBEs were TVs in the theme answers

I don't remember learning OBLATE as the shape, instead I knew of OBLATES as those who align themselves with a religious order without taking the vows - but have spent extended time in a monastery and have been invited to be a part as a lay person.
Kathleen Norris is one of my favorite authors and she details her time at St. John's monastery in her book "Cloister Walk"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/108681

Thanks SD for the fun blog and Brian for the creative puzzle

Monkey said...

Very decent CW. A few unknowns, but none that couldn’t be solved with perps or guesses.

However, I saw all the Vs but never saw the T, therefore didn’t get the really clever theme.

That poor little kitty falling through.

Sumdaze you are correct LUI can point to a man or a woman, for example in “give it to her”, the her would be LUI and “to him”, it would be LUI as well.

Nice mild day in store here. No complaints.

Anonymous said...

I know, why doesn’t it mind its own business!

Anonymous said...

I’ve Beene meaning to learn about Benin when I tore my ACL last fall, while the robins were still here and the fair market value of my home was at the price of bacon.

Lee said...

A fairly easy puzzle for Monday. My only scratch of the head was the "B" in BENIN/BENNE. Several answers filled themselves with perps. Though I don't do TikTok (or any other social media) I enjoy cat videos. I have two of my own previously and currently who give both joy and frustration with their antics.

I guess the flutes that are normally seen are soprano flutes because they play in a higher register. I know that saxophones come in soprano, alto, tenor and bass vatieties.

Years ago when a "tubeless" tire got punctured, the cure was to put a tube inside if the leak was somewhere that couldn't be patched. Nowadays most folks just buy a new tire.

Danny Devito is one of those actors you just can't duplicate. He is so unique. Linda Hunt is another who comes to mind

Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns. - Johnny Cash

Expect

Lee said...

Forgot to extend thanks to Brian and sumdaze for their participation in today's frolic through the mystical land of crossword puzzles.

Subgenius said...

IM at 7:50 - Welcome to one of the most frustrating aspects of owning a smartphone to me! “Autocorrect “ may be auto , but it very often is not “correct!” (As we both continue to find out!)

RosE said...

Good Morning! One up to Brian. Almost, but not quite made it to the finish line. I had to google ARTIE before the midsection on the East came together. Alto was a WAG and LUI was UNK. Then I waited to see if FiRM or FARM.

AERIE: Crest? On a wave came first to my mind…? Thought the clue was unpunny.

Perps for ROTI until I begin to remember we’ve seen it before.

Thanks, sumdaze for all the fun and info.

Big Easy said...

Good morning. After the CA-TV-IDEOS & SAL-TV-INEGAR ( which MARM made me change to MALT) "As Seen On TV" and the INNERTUBE was an obvious theme. BEANO, ROTI, and ARTIE were unknowns.

Only other change was I'M OFF to OUT.
Turkey BACON- Yuk! Oxymoron. Give me the real stuff with all the bad stuff in it.
BEENE- from Haynesville, LA, not far from where Anon-T and Big Easy lived.
ROBIN Roberts- MLB Hall of Fame pitcher. Remember him? Oh, the 'other' Robin. Played college basketball in LA; her sister was a local news anchor.

Anonymous said...

Agree with Anonymous @ 7:01 about Card Sharp (used often in classic Westerns like "Maverick"). I would also dispute that Yoko Ono is a singer (may I suggest "screecher" as an alternate clue?
But all things considered, a well-constructed, enjoyable puzzle.

KS said...

FIR. I found this to be a little crunchy for a Monday. The crossing of Benin and Beine was nasty for me and held me up for quite a while.
Overall for this puzzle, yuk!

Yellowrocks said...

Hello, old friends. I have been solving the LAT puzzle and reading the blog most days. I was having trouble for months with both Word and my posts on the blog. Highlighting to edit would make most of my text disappear, so I got out of the habit of posting. The problem seems to be solved now.
I enjoyed today's puzzle, but didn't suss the theme. Clever.
SALT changed to MALT. DA VITO to DE VITO.
SCHOOLMARM is a compound word, not a root and suffix. OED says, "schoolmarm is formed within English, by compounding." SCHOOL+MARM.

CanadianEh! said...

Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Brian and sumdaze
I FIRed in good time, with just a few hesitations but no inkblots. (No problem with that B in BENIN/BEENE cross).
But it did take a minute of head scratching before I saw the INNER TUBE was TV.

We had IPA and tequila SHOTs.
I noted PEI and LEI, ONCE and ON CD, EAT IN or PICNIC (hi IM).
(Good catch sumdaze on VAIN/VANE.)

I thought of Tennis, but it wouldn’t fit the BBALL court.
Not our usual Oboe today, but an ALTO FLUTE.
OPENS was at the End, and ENDS was not quite there.

Wishing you all a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

Welcome back YR. Good to see your post again.

We are concerned about OwenKL. He hasn’t posted here or in the J blog for weeks.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I saw the TV’s in the middle but needed the reveal in Renee’s fun write-up
-The house across the street listed for $700,000 and that was well over FAIR MARKET VALUE. I am curious to see what the kids paid who moved in this weekend
-NIGHT VISION is something our kitty has
-I should have taken Shakespeare’s advice on “Neither a borrower NOR lender be”
-FALL is receding but we will set a record high on Thursday
-BOS was also the home to the Braves until 1953 who then moved to Milwaukee and then Atlanta while the SAHX stayed
-Several ROBINS at our feeders this month did not get the memo about going south
-I am subbing today and have some sophs coming in. When they’re settled I am going to look up haricot verts!

CrossEyedDave said...

Sox b/4 Bos,

Did "you" request an inner tube?

Found the TVs, which made me think about how Cathode Ray Tubes work. probably going to be a lost technology now.

When I was young, flat screen TVs were impossible, and only seen in science fiction movies...
a simplified image of how this miracle is done...

Yes, everything is now quicker, and faster. Why I remember when we couldn't get a tubeless tire inflated because the air would escape from the bead seal until there was enough pressure to hold the tire bead against the rim. So what did we do? Why, wrap and inflate an inner tube around the tire to hold it together long enough for the pressure to build. Then you could deflate and remove the inner tube, and reinflate the tubeless...

no, even that is done much faster today...

Husker Gary said...

Addendum
Good to see you back in the game, Yellowrocks!

Charlie Echo said...

FIR. Clever Monday offering, and the obligatory proper names weren't too irritating today. Old software could have been "floppies", REAL old software..."tape". Nice recap, Sumdaze! Liked the anteaters and "Season Desist".

Charlie Echo said...

...and nice to hear from you again, Yellowrocks!

Ray - o - sunshine said...


Nice ‘n’ Easy Monday but needed a few minutes to parse the theme. 📺

I thought BEANO relieved gas? 🙊. The only actor I know as “Danny”’is DEVITO and he fit. UNRIG? really? why not deRIG or disRIG. Was sure it was sALTVINEAGAR but the schoolMARM rapped me on the knuckles. 😫

“The art of the deal” is FAIRMARKET VALUE when applying for a loan.

LUI: French (accent on the last) and also Italian (accent on the first) syllable for “him”…. It was NO USE trying NOway first.

OBLATE: (Hi InaneH) A lay person connected with a religious order or institution and living according to its regulations…per the clue I would guess they must be “flat topped (level headed) and flat footed” “flattened at the poles”

Bovine “Elmer” invites equine friends to tour his glue factory but they…never… leave 😱…. ALTOFLUTE: that’s some weird looking instrument

When we wuz kidz the only water floats wuz an old patched INNERTUBE (autocorrect changed it to “intestine” 😄) just hadda not get struck in the ribs with the valve stem. “Owie”

Manger…… ASTRAY
What an Optometrist provides….ICARE
Child caretaker,baby___ …..SITAR
All rams? ____ ?…..NO USE
Prince William’s school and what he did to avoid paps…… EATIN
Mr Cage is best for the role so ___ …..PICNIC

A “hoppy” top o’ the week everyone.

Welcome back YR

Irish Miss said...

SubG @ 9:21 ~ I solve on my iPad which also harbors the Evil Autocorrect function. I use my Smart Phone mainly to text my niece every morning to let her know I'm still kickin'! 🤣

Welcome back, YR. 🤗

sumdaze said...

I am enjoying reading your comments!

A while back, I listed to a Grammar Girl podcast on CARDSHARKS. "Card sharp" refers to someone who cheats at cards and can also be skilled. It is spelled as two words. On the other hand, a "CARDSHARK" is someone who is skilled at cards but not a cheater. This one is spelled as one word. This being the case, I think the clue fits CARDSHARKS. Grammar Girls also said that some people think CARDSHARK is an eggcorn but the two terms have different etymologies. Hope that clears things up. The English language is so interesting!!

So nice to hear from you, Yellowrocks!

Monkey@8:41. Thank you for the French lesson. Also, like you, I saw the Vs first but did not immediately notice the Ts.

FLN, Thanks to Vidwan for writing about Diwali. I mostly only knew it from the US postage stamp.

sumdaze said...

Oops. Sorry. I mixed that up. Cardsharp is one word. CARD SHARK is two words.
Also, "listened" not listed.

RosE said...

Husker Gary,do tell,what do you put in your feeders that attract robins? I've only seen them in the Spring pecking in the grass for worms. Never had them at my feeders.
Greetings & welcome back, Yellowrocks.

AnonymousPVX said...


YR….you had us (me) a bit worried, glad to herald your return.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Brian for a fun 🏃‍♀️ run in the park. And thanks sumdaze for an interesting and informative recap.

I used to love inner tubing on the river with my kids when they were younger. Beautiful way to spend a hot summer day.
…. kkFlorida

Jinx in Norfolk said...

YR, glad your 'puter is working again. I'm thinking about disabling my laptop's touch pad because of a similar problem. Since I'll be staying put for a couple of months, being limited to the mouse isn't a problem.

As a young man I found that a truck inner tube (22.5" rim size) was perfect for couples rafting. Adequate room, but plenty cozy.

My BBALL team dropped a couple of spots this week, after a fine win over U. of Miami, then falling to the huge underdog UNC - Wilmington. I hope that this bunch of freshmen learned about being ready for each and every game. If so, it could be a very beneficial loss.

inanehiker said...

Good to hear from you YR! Glad you are okay!

Yellowrocks said...

Thanks for the warm welcome back. I disabled my touch a few years ago and have a wireless mouse. I really do not know what my problem was. All's well that ends well.
I have been healthy and happy all this time. I love living here. I have a lot of independence with little or no maintenance concerns. Help is available if I need it. I feel at home in my apartment. There are fine friends and interesting activities right outside my door, under the same roof.
I am busy with church activities, too, such as lector, usher, worship leader, vestry person.
I am class coordinator for new square dancers and copresident of the square dance club. I do most of the admin and paper work.
I am floor leader here. This afternoon I am in charge of our floor's tree decorating cum happy hour party.
I bring Alan here every weekend with longer visits on holidays. I am teaching him to read and he is doing well.
Thanks for your concern. I am fine, but slowing down from what I was ten years ago.

CrossEyedDave said...

Yes, welcome back Yellowrocks!

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

To answer your question, sumdaze, yes the B in the square labeled 15 eluded me (and the other 25 letters didn't seem right either). DNF.

Thanks Brian for the (otherwise ;-)) fun grid. I liked the VANE VAIN "dupe."

Fun expo, sumdaze. We must be within years of each other 'cuz Schneider was my first thought at 9a too.

WOs: N/A
ESPs: [see: DNF], BEANO [KENO was too short], IBSEN
Fav: OBLATE is a fun word.

Gigabyte provided the correct definition of a server farm. It is NOT a facility and (except on very rare occasions (and then you'd have only 1)) a supercomputer.

Who else filled CARD SHAR_S and waited on the perp? //and now I know. Thanks again, sumdaze.

Welcome back, YR! I recall you were having computer problems but never understood exactly what was happening.

I enjoyed reading y'all!

Cheers, -T

Jayce said...

I enjoyed solving this puzzle and reading all your posts.

Parsan said...

A fun puzzle made easier when the TV’s appeared but the reveal was a surprise, Thank you BC, and informative, funny review sumdaze. I remember CTR vacuum tubes. Did not know OBLATE or ENDOR but did know BENIN. Salt before MALT VINEGAR but then MAAM showed up.

Lee@ 9:06 - Baritone sax is one of the 4 major saxophones (Saxcello, Contrabass, others). Soprano flutes and several saxophones are E flat instruments while ALTO FLUTE’s are in the key of G.

The Doll House by IBSEN received some negative reviews from dramatic ART’s CRITICS’s when it first appeared because of it’s feminist theme.

Geoffrey BEENE made beautiful, expensive, wearable clothes. A fellow designer of his era, Karl Lagerfeld, left part of his $300,000,000 estate to his CAT. MY cat Freddy likes to watch CAT VIDEOS of monkeys.

Loss of NIGHT VISION is a real problem, but lose of day vision is much worse IMO.

Big Easy said...

Parsan- B-Flat instruments, C, E-Flat, and G. They ALL play the same notes but have different 'names' for the same note.

If you never learned to read music and played by ear you wouldn't have a problem until some singer said "play a D-Flat" for me.

Whiner said...

No clue on BEANO (other than gas reliever), BEENE, LUI, or UNRIG. Those made it tough for a Monday for me. I had AVOW instead of AVER (not knowing BEENE, and being slow on SERVER FARM since I don't believe it has anything to do with a Supercomputer.

TTP said...

I didn't notice the TVs and I didn't pay attention to the reveal clue. My mind was elsewhere during the solve. Good thing I waited until later to read the entertaining review!

Welcome back, Yellowrocks.

waseeley said...

Thank you Brian! I got all the fill, but didn't have time to suss the clever theme. But I have had many a fun time INNER TUBING down the Gunpowder River in Baltimore County.

And thank you sumdaze for teasing out the TV's. I remember our first TV. The screen was very small and came with a big plastic, water filled magnifier to make the pictures bigger. And thanks for all the fun!

Time for just a few favs:

16A CAT VIDEOS. Here are two kittens on a granddaughter's lap that I captured this past thanksgiving.

64A WREN. Very protective of their nests. They have the highest ratio of ferocity/weight of any song bird!

Cheers,
Bill

Ol' Man Keith said...

Good Ol' sumdaze does Callahan proud!

Several tough chews for our Monday b'fast digestion.

Like the Irish Lassie I had PRICE before VALUE--and then SHARPS before SHARKS.
Unlike the Eagles facing my 'Niners, I appreciate being schooled.
~ OMK
____________
DR:
Three diagonals - far side.
The central diag yields an anagram (13 of 15) telling of a real bad dude.
I mean...

" ONE OUTRé KNAVE"!

Parsan said...

BigEasy @ 3:44 - Right-o!

Lucina said...

Hola!

I, too, am happy to see Yellowrocks back.

However, my heart is very heavy right now. My beloved niece, Regina, had a cerebral aneurism yesterday while driving. She was taken to the hospital where later they performed brain surgery to remove a huge clot. She has been comatose since yesterday and completely unresponsive. The doctors believe she is brain dead and I am so, so heartbroken.

Sunday we spent most of the day making tamales, laughing and sharing stories. She loved to hear about family anecdotes especially about my mother. When we needed more supplies, she drove to the store and on the way back, she called her husband and told him that she had a terrible headache. That was when she was last conscious.

I finished the puzzle and it provided me with a good distraction. It was not as easy as Mondays usually are, but I found it doable.

I hope you all had a good day. Please hug your loved ones.

Lucina said...

It is sad because my nephew is across town recovering from cardiac arrest that he suffered on Thursday. It has not been a good week for the family.

Monkey said...

Lucina, I am so sorry about your beloved niece. What a terrible shock.

TTP said...

Lucina, my heart goes out to you and your family. So truly devastating. I know you will be a beacon of strength for your family.

Anonymous T said...

Lucina - I'm so sorry to read of your family's horrific events. Loving thoughts your way. -T

PK said...

Lucina, my prayers for you and your family. Such a tragedy to have at this time of year.

waseeley said...

Lucina -- Please accept my condolences to you and your family for these tragedies. God bless all of your family and give them strength. 🙏

waseeley said...

Yellowrocks @10:26 AM It's great to see you again. Grammar has been in the pits since you've been gone! 😀