Department of Transportation
Happy Wednesday, Cornerites. Today Amanda and Katie give us some common words/phrases where the last part in each is also a mode of transportation.17. Transport for loudmouths?: VOCAL COACH. A vocal coach is someone who helps/coaches singers. Eldest, the opera major, had a vocal coach for years; DW & I would to drive her by motor-coach [car] to lessons.
26. Transport for nanobots?: MICROPLANE. A microplane is a grater with finer teeth.
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| Lemon zest for the win! |
36. Transport for the army's best poker players?: SHARK TANK. A card sharp or card shark is a deft poker player; a military one would likely motor about in a TANK. //Or, if caught cheating, sleeps with the fishes in the TANK ;-)
51. Transport for rural golf instructors?: PROTRACTOR. This themer made me LOL; the image of the golf Pro out on his Tractor.
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| Hand-up: You had one in your pencil box. |
60. Transport for seminary students?: CROSS-TRAIN. You cross-train staff so they can do each others' major functions. A seminary student probably doesn't need much training with the Cross but, if new to the city, would need commuter-rail train training.
A fun play on transports, I thought. Let's see how Cook & Hale round out the 15x15.
Across:
1. Parakeet's pole: PERCH. Roost fit but perps disagreed. //Perch is better fill anyway.
6. Margarita flavor: LIME. And tequila!
10. Roughly: OR SO.
14. Nebraska city: OMAHA. Hi HG!
15. "Make it snappy" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.
16. 29-Across, for one: JOEY.
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| Kanga and Roo |
17. [See: Theme]
19. Many 4WD autos: SUVS. Sport Utility Vehicles.
20. Fizzy fountain drink: COLA.
C-O-L-A Cola [The Kinks' Lola live]
21. Car loan figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage RateS.
23. Allow: LET.
24. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS.
26. [See: Theme]
29. Young character in Milne stories: ROO. The joey in 16a's image.
30. Not pos.: NEG. Negative.
31. Being tracked, in a way: ON RADAR. e.g. Santa by NORAD Sunday night.
32. Little sandwich treat: MINI OREO.
35. Express checkout units: ITEMS.
36. [See: Theme]
39. __-knit sweater: CABLE.
42. "Barefoot __": Ina Garten cooking show: CONTESSA.
46. Overdue debt: ARREARS.
49. QB stats: TDS. Quarterbacks stats: Touchdowns.
50. Beach ball filler: AIR.
51. [See: Theme]
53. Doomed: SUNK.
54. Rocker Vicious portrayed by Gary Oldman: SID.
Sid And Nancy [Trailer]
55. Bygone Russian ruler: TSAR.
56. Has a meal: EATS.
58. Hall of Fame catcher Rodriguez nicknamed "Pudge": IVAN.
60. [See: Theme]
64. Letter after epsilon: ZETA. It's all Greek to me.
65. Overture follower: ACT-I.
66. __ Carta: MAGNA.
67. Utopia: EDEN.
68. For fear that: LEST.
69. Exhausted: SPENT. Not yet, we've the downs to go...
Down:
1. Perspective, for short: POV. Point of View.
2. My Chemical Romance genre: EMO.
Watch 60 seconds and you won't forget MCR is EMO.
3. Critter also called a trash panda: RACCOON.
4. Complete disorder: CHAOS. Not KAOS.
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| We don't do za Holiday Partiez? |
5. Edvard Grieg's "In the __ of the Mountain King": HALL.
6. Asian language: LAO.
7. "Foundation" series writer Asimov: ISAAC. In HS, I read everything I could find from Asimov.
8. Powerful Apple: MAC PRO. Apple Computers.
9. Filmmaker Nora: EPHRON.
10. Citrus drinks, for short: OJS. Orange JuiceS
11. French meat dish: ROULADE. Food. Specifically, rolled food.
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| Beef Roulade |
12. Start time for some morning shows: SEVEN AM.
13. Shellfish served with mignonette sauce: OYSTERS. More Food!
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| Center red sauce: shallots, red wine vinegar, and pepper pickled for about 2 hours. |
18. GoPro product: CAMERA.
22. Legs it: SPRINTS.
24. Common injection site: ARM.
25. Me, in Marseille: MOI.
27. Disney CEO Bob: IGER.
28. Hanukkah pancake: LATKE. Food!
30. Problem for the Tin Man: NO HEART.
Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man that he didn't already have.
33. Dot in the ocean: ISLET.
34. Thunder's city, for short: OKC. Oklahoma City Thunder is an NBA team.
37. "Africa" rock band: TOTO. If you listend to Monday's "Straight No Chaser" 12-Days of Christmas that sumdaze linked, you may have noticed at 1:57 they break into Toto's Africa rhythm .
[the "not from Kansas"] Toto - Africa
38. "We Feed People" chef Jose : ANDRES. He's a (burgeoning) Thanksgiving Tradition on Colbert.
A take on [6a's] Margarita
39. Flip over at sea: CAPSIZE. Not to be confused with your head's circumference.
40. Got somewhere: ARRIVED.
41. Night out for straight guys: BRODATE. Since our wives had no interest, BIL & I went on a brodate to see Facing Nolan #Baseball
43. Bangers and mash protein: SAUSAGE. Food!
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| Traditional(?) |
44. Serious misdeed: SIN.
45. Biblical evacuation vessel: ARK.
47. Scamp: RASCAL. Imp.
48. Hardly plentiful: SCARCE.
52. Dressage paces: TROTS.
53. Interchangeable watch component: STRAP.
57. PIN points: ATMS. Personal Identification Number; Automatic Teller Machine.
59. Brit's grandma: NAN.
61. Command to a collie: SIT.
62. Travel stop: INN.
63. __ Geo Wild: NAT.
The Grid:
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| The Grid |
WOs: ade->OJS but not before inking evaS(?) at 19a; ISLan -> ISLET
ESPs: HALL (as clued), ROULADE(sp)
Fav: ISAAC Asimov.
If I don't post before the 1st (we leave for SFO tomorrow), Happy New Year!
Cheers, -T
27 comments:
I don’t know about the rest of you, but this puzzle seemed pretty difficult to me. I can’t put my finger on any one clue/solve that made it so but just, in general, it seemed to me to be quite “thorny” However, if others find it “easy” I guess I’ll just be “out of step” once again. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Hi there~!
Thanks -T for the write-up, and for the Africa "live" clip - always interested to see how a band wraps up a song that 'faded' on the record or in the video...
To answer your question from yesterday, the wood pipes at the left in the image had to come out first - and they get taller, wider, and therefore heavier, the further back you go - the good news is, at the end of the day, when they have to go back in, they get "lighter", so to speak~!
Thanks, too, to CED from yesterday for the 'inside the keep' video - tho I was a little put off by the British version of the whiny valley girl that was the narrator~!
And thanks always to the rest of the corner for your comments - I do like it when I am offered a guest blog spot~!
Splynter
I'm up early because son and girlfriend were catching a 5:30 flight back to DC this morning - so I saw them off and waiting to get sleepy to go back return to bed!
This was a smooth solve with a little crunch here and there.
I was definitely one who had a PROTRACTOR in my pencil case.
I have mostly heard of MICROPLANE in relationship to dermabrasion where a person goes to a med-spa and has the upper layer of skin cells exfoliated along with hair/peach fuzz in women
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a13036262/dermaplaning-women-shave-face/
My mom is a big fan of the TV show SHARK TANK so I am required to watch it if I'm visiting her - not a big fan of the great American materialism fest!
My son is a fan of BRO DATEs which can vary from poker nights to rockclimbing/hiking together.
Thanks Tony for the blog and have a good trip to NorCal and to Amanda & Katie for the puzzle
Good morning!
Today's names were either familiar or readily perpable. The themers were cute; PROTRACTOR was the best one. (We didn't measure angles, so why did we have one in the pencil box?) This was a nice mid-week outing. Thanx, Amanda and Katie, and thanx for temping yet again, Dash-T.
FIR, but erased opossum for RACCOON and gaits for TROTS. And I've HAD the TROTS!
Today is:
NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY (you can have my share)
Yup, that's the only one from my source.
My favorite SUV was my Sequoia. Wonderful beast, but new ones are running nearly $100K now.
Learning moment for MICROPLANE. I'm in the middle of the Dean Koonz "Jane Hawk" series about a cabal of elites in government, education, law enforcement, research and business. This cadre conspires to perfect the world by identifying people thought to have "dangerous" leanings, and injecting them with nanobots that self-assemble in the brain and render them controllable. I started my fourth last night, using Libby for the first time.
ARREARS isn't necessarily overdue. Utility bills and mortgage payments are made in ARREARS, while rent is (normally) not.
I thought ROULADE was a competitor to Alka Seltzer.
In Texas, the Thunder are located in "Oak City."
I watch a LOT of Nat Geo WILD for the vet and zoo shows. DW seems to sometimes enjoy them.
I'm running out of GBs for the month, so if I disappear I'll be back January 12th.
Thanks to Amanda and Katie for the fun Wednesday-level puzzle, and to Bayou Tony for the fine tour through it. Hope you enjoy your time away.
Took 6:23 today for me to transport my way through it.
I didn't know many of the food/cooking clues/answers (the French meat and the chefs) today.
Speaking of transport, time to leave for a little trip.
So, let me wish you all an early Happy 2024!
When you hear "Barefoot Contessa" do any of you think of the '54 Bogart/Gardner film?
This one seemed pretty easy to me, except I didn't know ROULADE and drew a blank on LATKE, and not knowing MICROPLANE I tried MICROPhoNE though it didn't seem right.
FIR. This was a typical Wednesday puzzle and very enjoyable. A few unknowns for me but the perps came to the rescue. I loved the theme, very clever, and forced the old thinker in my skull to come up with the answers.
Good Morning:
This was a very cute and clever theme and an enjoyable solve. I stumbled at Roost/Perch and needed perps for Ivan, Toto, and Bro Date. I think the authors had food on their minds because they gave us Chef Andres and The Contessa to whip up some culinary treats: Latke, Oysters, Sausage, Perch (😉), Roulade, Oreo, Eats, all washed down with Lime, Cola, and OJs! The themers were all solid in the language phrases and fit the wacky cluing perfectly.
Thanks, Amanda and Katie, for a post-Christmas treat and thanks, Anon T, for the usual fun and facts. Safe travels and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024.
Have a great day.
At first I thought I would fall in the SHARK TANK with this CW, but slowly but surely, it got all filled.
Now I’m full with all the food and drinks this morning. All fun.
A-t Bon voyage.
Good Morning! The NW confounded me for a time, so I worked my way to the South which came together quicker. Thanks Amanda and Katie.
I went sweet for the pancake and tried blini and blintz (too many letters) before LATKE appeared.
MICROPLANE: Bakers know it’s easier to guesstimate the amount of zest if you face the blades of the MICROPLANE down with the fruit underneath so to catch the zest in with the cup-side facing up.
Chef ANDRES is famous for his World Central Kitchen. He sets up his meal distribution centers in disaster areas to provide food for those in need after hurricanes, tornados, floods, etc. A very worthy charity.
Thanks, Anon-T for today’s recap. I enjoyed the musical links, and Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you Amanda and Katie for a Wednesday FIR, somewhat complicated by the fact that the BMORE Sun truncated the last line or two of the puzzle and I didn't have complete clues for 24D, 25D, and 36A. Fortunately I had a stash of the blogger puzzles and was able to gettr' done. I was really TRANSPORTED by the theme!
And thank you Tony for the entertaining review with your usual antics.
A few favs:
51A PROTRACTOR. Hand up! AND a COMPASS. I've still got them, as they occasionally come in handy with ceramic designs.
60A CROSS-TRAIN. My second oldest grandson just started in the seminary in Washington, D.C. He asked for a pair of ROLLER BLADES for Christmas, which Grandma dutifully bought him. At the Christmas party we found out that he's going to use them to skate down the long hill from the seminary to Catholic U. I don't think he planned how he's going to get home in the evenings. We are praying that he doesn't break anything!
5D HALL. Here's Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King from his incidental music to the Ibsen play Peer Gynt. You may recognize it from the 1957 movie The Pied Piper starring Van Johnson.
7D ISAAC. Asimov wrote over 500 books! I never completed the Foundation series, but I just found out that there is a TV series of it on Apple+.
13D OYSTERS. That mignonette sauce looks good. We usually buy OYSTERS for New Years and I think I'll give it a try.
Cheers,
Bill
Fun clues … easiest puzzle so far this week.
Like Antknee I perp-checked before filling in “roost” for PERCH 🐟
“Barefoot” CONTESSA?, but we never see Ina’s feet. Her original specialty food shop named for the 1954 movie. Ina like “Ava”, Gartner like “Gardner”? 🤔 hmmm
BRODATE: Does it lead to bromance? 🥰😄
Started to knee-jerk fill ADE for the oft used “citrus juices” clue till I noticed it was plural🍊🍊🍊
Hat measure….CAPSIZE
What we use to hear with…. ARREARS
Personal agricultural aircraft …MICROPLANE
how to access a locked carpark …. LATKE
A puzzle with lots of “Utopian” food references you may have ____ …… EDEN (actually “Utopia” in Greek οὐτόπος means “No place”)
Happy Hump day …. been 40s, rainy and damp since Christmas.
☹️
Musings
-As a math teacher, it always seemed odd to me that kids asked for a compass when they wanted a protractor and vice versa
-As a child OMAHA started at around 52nd street; now it begins around 204th street
-Do you just grin and bear it when someone ahead of you has way more than 10 ITEMS in the 10 ITEM or fewer line?
-A QB can get credit for a TD when he throws a 1 yd pass and the receiver goes 98 yds for a TD
-I don’t know my LATKES from my MATZOS. Oy vey!
-Grieg has written several of my fav pieces of music
-I’m the only one in the world who thinks of the song Beep Beep when I hear In The Hall
-I am looking right at MAC (Book) PRO as I type this
-SEVEN AM was the usual time I ARRIVED at school
-My sub pay is always in ARREARS
Great Monday puzzle! This one went so quickly I never saw a lot of the "Down" clues until I got to -Ts excellent re-cap. Guess today's effort was ON my RADAR. Going back to that for some tunes now!
Try again
La Contessa Scalza
Anyhoo
Since switching to I-Phone last summer
Getting more difficult to post comments. Need to use web version. Can’t use profile account which asks for google UN and PW but PW not recognized. Hafta print name. No longer can bypass “I am not a robot”
Today hadda pick out pics of motorcycles instead of just clicking “publish” 😖😤
First time picked wrong pics.
Or….🫣
Maybe I AM a ROBOT 🤖 (I keep repeating “Danger! Will Robinson!!”🤔)
Any suggestions?
Just read that Tom(“Mom always liked you best”) Smothers died at 86
Fun, creative theme. Hand up never heard of MICRO PLANE. Learning moment. Never heard of a VOICE COACH being called a VOCAL COACH.
Here was a family photo with my BRIT GRANDMA in purple.
We called her GRANDMA, not NAN. I am with my mother, who is in red. The other women are my BRIT GRANDMA's sisters. The handsome man at left was my Grandpa.
From Yesterday:
AnonT Thank you for the kind words about my PETRA photo of us on camels. Not sure we will ever top that photo!
sumdaze Thank you for the kind words about my MONA LISA and PETRA photos! Again, sorry we missed seeing you in Monterey! Hope you can come by Santa Barbara sometime!
I liked this puzzle and all your comments.
Too bad about Tom Smother. I used to really the brothers’ routine.
An easy puzzle with obvious theme fills but MICROPLANE is new for me. Never heard of it but for me, ZEST is a bar of soap. PLANING is when your car hits water on the road and doesn't stop if you stomp on the brakes. Micro-planing - doping it in a Smart Car.
HALL of the Mountain King, ROULADE, IVAN, ANDRES- thank you perps
CAPSIZE- 'keel over" was one letter to long
Like Spynter said this early AM [paraphrasing] "it's fun to get feedback on The Corner blog when we get a guest host spot."
I've enjoyed the last 4 Wednesdays playing with the grids - a labour of love(ish) :-)
//Splynter will cover for me / JzB / mb / ??? come the 3rd of '24(?!)
RosE - My microplane has a little plastic thing that fits over the underbelly and catches the zest of the cup grate. It's +/- a 1/4 tsp when building fish or other delish.
HG - yes; Sometimes I confuse compass with protractor 'cuz a magnetic compass and sundial looks like a protractor but we... well, you know. #timeNplace #Heisenberg
Ok, folks, I know my comedic-timing is oft flat but really(?), circumference of the head for CAPSIZE?
Nutin' but Crickets!?
//Ok, yes, I see the door.
Cheers, -T
Hola!
Late, again! I keep fooling around with my gifts, the Smart watch(I love it!), the toiletries (I love smelling them!) and other things. I finally threw away the wrappings, etc.
Tonight I'll just get take-out for dinner. Who can cook with all this excitement!
Safe travels, Tony and family!
I love the CROSS TRAIN clue!
CSO to our Saturday tour guide at OMAHA!
For NAT I like "Cole" as a clue.
I hope you are all enjoying the "apres" Christmas days and looking forward to the new year!
Thanks to Amanda and Katie for their witty take on transportation! My only troubles today were being uncertain of certain spellings so waited for perps to set me straight. FAVs: Parakeet's pole and PROTRACTOR.
3D translation:
You should know that it's good. (Yes, you can ask me a question.)
Where do you want to end up?
Tin man. Great line! Makes it almost OK to hear it repeatedly in that song.
-T. Fun write-up!! Yes, your CAPSIZE was "fittingly" funny! I thought of that "Africa" connection, too. Safe travels to SF!
Picard: Another great pic. Love the era vibe.
Another late post after more family visits.
I FIRed and smiled at all the themers. Thanks to Amanda and Katie, and AnonT (safe and happy travels).
I noted a PRO sub-theme with MAC PRO and CAMERA clue “GoPro product”, and then we had PRO TRACTOR.
Off for more family time tomorrow at the grands hockey games.
Good evening all.
Waseeley - I read the Foundation Trilogy twice. Like LOTR, the second book was hard to get though with all the names (and time shifts!) but it was brilliant. My fav Asimov's were the Robot books - it explored what is "human" ala Star Trek (later) did with its Spock / Data characters.
Other Asimov works that sit with me are Twilight Zone-ish; like the guy who was cryogenically frozen to be cured of his incurable ailment in the future when there's better science. But he got snuffed out because he sneezed -- the future had already eradicated the common cold and he was a new vector. #D'Oh!
And then there was Aub [complete short story] with ####SPOILER!
//////"special" maths power that proved humans could replace the heavy computers required in combat. //I love that Asimov still assumed computers were titanic machines w/ tubes; Bell Labs fixed all that #Transistors
...
Lyft will be here in 6.5 hours to COACH us to IAH*. We're finally done with cleaning, trash, laundry, watering the Christmas Tree, packing... Everyone is situated, so #Nap
Cheers, -T
*had to order an SUV 'cuz none of our cars will fit all the girls' luggage - It's only 5 days!!! (what do you mean, "but this is our shoecase"?)
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