Puzzling thoughts:
This is better ... back to wordplay in a Friday puzzle. And today's puzzle did not just commit wordplay in the entries; it did so, too, by its reveal: 59-across. Book supplements, and an apt title for this puzzle: ADD END UMS
Ok, if you want to nitpick, the plural for ADDENDUM is ADDENDA (which I suppose could be another puzzle theme in a few years), but a couple of googled dictionary sources say it's OK to use ADDENDUMS. Maybe Yellowrocks or Misty will chirp in and give us their expert opinion? But I digress ...
Today's puzzle is a collaboration between Gary Larson and Amy Ensz. The two of them have collaborated on puzzles here (mostly on Sunday) as well as the Wall Street Journal. In an interview, Gary refers to his wife as "Amy". I wonder if her last name happens to be Ensz??
Anyway, the puzzle has four entries and a reveal; 55 characters in all. That is a lot of theme characters for a 15x15 grid (minimum number of theme characters is usually 40)... which leads to a plethora of 3-letter entries (I think I counted 19), as well as 4-letter and 5-letter ones. I am no speed demon, but today's puzzle was completed in record-Friday-time (less than 9 minutes). Once I "got" the gist of the puzzle (adding an "UM" to the end of the entries) it solved quite quickly. But that did NOT diminish the enjoyment I had figuring it out. Here are the entries:
16-across. Class reunion attendee who's in no one's yearbook?: WEIRD ALUM.
 |
| Weird Al |
 |
| Weird Alum (also Weird Al) |
25-across. Proper etiquette at the plate?: HOME DECORUM.
 |
| Home Decor |
 |
| Home Decorum |
37-across. Impulse behind the gift-giving in "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?: PRESENT MOMENTUM.
 |
| Present Moment |
 |
| Present Momentum |
47-across. Discussion panel about sheets, duvets, blankets, etc.?: COVERS FORUM.
 | |
| Covers For | |
click on this to expose: COVERS FORUM
Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words ... let's see how the rest of the words got THEIR moment(um):
Across:
1. Framing piece: JAMB. How about a Moe-l'ick right off the bat??
Welch's factory worker named Sam
Was found stealing. He went on the lam;
Tried escaping through door
Of the Company Store.
Don't you know he got stuck in the JAMB?
5. Swiatek who won her fourth major singles championship in 2023: IGA. Pretty sure that she does her food shopping at the "Hometown Proud" store in her area
8. Carding pre-entry: I.D.'ING. A bouncer's duty, perhaps, at a popular nightclub?
13. Vineyard measure: ACRE. The vineyards abroad generally use the term "hectare" to refer to this: "A hectare is a unit of measurement used by farmers to describe an area that is 10,000 m². Another way of looking at it is 1 hectare is equal to around 2.47 acres. As grapes for wine making are grown by farmers, the standard farm practice of measuring in hectares still stands" [Google search]
14. Russian dynast: TSAR. TSAR vs CZAR: Always remember TSAR is the head of a Russian dynast-TEE, CEE?
15. West Coast NFLer: NINER. They have a big NFL Divisional Round playoff game tomorrow vs the Packers
18. Dried poblano: ANCHO. CSO to Lucina, perhaps? I bet she knows a thing or two about peppers!
19. Off the street, in a way: GARAGED. Our subdivision has homes all with two-car garages, and allows for on-street parking on just one side to allow for emergency vehicles, et al, to pass freely
21. Irish capital: EURO. Since DUBLIN didn't fit, I knew that the "capital" meant their currency. Northern Ireland uses the British Pound, I believe
22. Touch: TAP.
27. Many of the Marshall Islands: ATOLLS. Another Moe-l'ick:
A PIRATE liked to wander afar,
On a boat, or by plane, or by car.
His next year's travel goal,
Is to see an ATOLL
Called Raroia; Its Airport Code? RRR!
29. Order member: NUN. Moe-ku:
Sister at convent
Was brash. Superior said,
"We'll have NUN of that!!"
30. Seldom seen: RARE. Also, the way that Chairman Moe likes having his steaks cooked (beef or tuna)
 |
| Perfect sear |
31. IRS action: AUDIT. Has anyone here been AUDITed by the IRS?? Want to talk about it??
34. Place for a mineral scrub: SPA. Believe it or not, the Chairman had a mineral scrub (Dead Sea salt) when he visited Israel 15+ years ago ...
41. "__-boom-bah!": SIS. I rather doubt that modern-day cheerleading squads utter this
42. "The __ in Me": Britney Spears memoir: WOMAN.
43. Senior advocacy group: AARP. AARP counts seniors as those over the age of 50; I never referred to myself as a senior until I was eligible for Medicare
44. Bank of China Tower architect: PEI. CanadianEh!, can you confirm that he once lived on Prince Edward Island??
45. Hot Wheels maker: MATTEL.
53. Go out with: SEE.
54. Again: ANEW.
55. Sang high notes?: YODELED. Old commercial for Swiss Miss:
57. Shopping aids: LISTS. Our shopping LISTS have one of two titles on them (depending on who's shopping): naughty or nice
63. Looks down?: MOPES.
64. Pharmacy orders, informally: MEDS.
65. Far offshore: ASEA.
66. Catch in a trap: SNARE.
67. Hindu title of respect: SRI.
68. Business review app: YELP.
Down:
1. Giant part of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton: JAW. Took me a couple of tries to get this; I knew it wasn't an ARM
2. Big heart?: ACE. Fun clue
 |
| We only play with Jumbo Index cards!! |
3. Sports doc's order: MRI.
4. Part of an icy breakup: BERG. Another fun clue; iceBERG
5. Quran faith: ISLAM.
6. Speedometer, e.g.: GAUGE.
7. Set, as an alarm: ARMED. Moe-ku:
My first alarm clock
Was shaped like an octopus
ARMED and dangerous
8. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.
9. Make a meal of: DINE ON.
10. Run up, as debts: INCUR.
11. Jacket style named for an Indian leader: NEHRU. This brings back memories
12. Best man's best friend, often: GROOM. Another fun clue
14. Need for poi: TAROS.
17. Arlene of classic cinema: DAHL. Or, Willy Wonka creator Roald
20. Sturdy material: DENIM. This clue threw me off for a few moments
22. Infield protectors: TARPS. Abbr. for TARPaulin
23. Centipede platform: ATARI. Centipede is an old arcade game
24. Sponge features: PORES.
 |
| Sponge, au naturel |
26. Adorable: CUTE. This little guy, maybe?
 |
| Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) |
28. Guitar legend Paul: LES.
31. 24/7 money source: ATM.
32. Thurman of "The Producers": UMA.
33. __ Quixote: DON.
34. Sports figures: STATS.
35. Blender setting: PUREE.
36. Copious: AMPLE.
38. Washbasin jug: EWER. Moe-ku:
Famous artist was
Asked to paint still-life. He said,
"EWER kidding, right?"
39. Loud: NOISY.
40. NL East player: NAT. Washington NATional
44. Tin alloy: PEWTER. PEWTER is an alloy composed primarily of tin with varying quantities of hardening agents such as antimony, bismuth, copper and lead
45. Grand Canyon rentals: MULES. Not now; overnight lows are in the teens and high temp's are barely above freezing
46. Hymn finale: AMEN. This is a beautiful rendition of Gloria Patri
47. Settles: CALMS.
48. Gibson garnish: ONION. A martini usually is garnished with an OLIVE or LEMON peel; a Gibson is garnished with a pickled ONION
49. Italian scooter: VESPA. Moe-ku:
Italian priest rode
A scooter to evening Mass
VESPA, for vespers
50. Bubbles up: FOAMS.
51. More eccentric: ODDER.
52. __-wip: dessert topping: REDDI. Anyone ever do this with a can?
56. June 6, 1944: D-DAY. My dad enlisted on D-Day; he had his 18th birthday just a few days before
58. London-to-Paris dir.: SSE. Directions, anyone??
60. "__ your head!": USE. What I usually say to myself when trying to figure out the puzzle themes
61. Airport code for Australia's second largest city: MEL. Airport code for MELbourne
62. Plant juice: SAP.
Here's the grid: Thanks to sumdaze for showing me how to caption my pics!! 😘
34 comments:
I didn’t find this puzzle overly difficult. With the first themed entry, I understood the gimmick, and that made the rest of the puzzle easier to solve. And though there were a couple of obscure names, the perps were kind, so they were no problem. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Started off with STUD at 1a. (Have I ever mentioned....?) My second entry was L.A. RAM. And so it went, not much MOMENTUM. I believe Gloria Patri is what Twain called the "Old Doxologer." Interesting theme, but why is the WEIRD ALUM in no one's yearbook? Thanx, Gary, Amy, and C-Moe.
FIW, missing the very first cell with mAW x mAMB. It's 5:30, I'm drinking decaf, and not wearing underwear. No wonder my brain won't function. Also, erased over for ANEW and readi for REDDI.
Today is:
NATIONAL POPCORN DAY (I like mine with that stuff the movies call butter)
(I suspect that other "Today Is" entries got caught up in the supply chain crisis)
I just (yesterday?) learned here that an ANCHO was a dried poblano. I boil ANCHOs and scrape the insides to get seasoning for my favorite chili.
Yes, Chairman, I've been audited by the IRS. Twice. In consecutive years. Filing short form. The first time I went to the audit with my documentation in hand and won. The next year I sent them a nasty letter (I was young and dumb back then) and got a dismissal letter in return. They have left me alone since.
Don't know that Brittany Spears could write, and never heard of the book. Shania Twain co-wrote and performed the beautiful song The Woman In Me (Needs the Man In You):
The woman in me
Needs you to be
The man in my arms
To hold tenderly
'Cause I'm a woman in love
I use the Simple Notepad app for tons of stuff I need to remember, including my grocery LIST. I'm pushing the limits of the app and need something more robust. Anyone else have a favorite? Four main requirements:
- Compatible with current versions of Android (actually, a good notes app could get me to switch to an IThing.)
- Have checklist and note capabilities
- Can be backed up to an external storage site
- Can import an export using some standard file format, like .txt or .csv.
FLN - Vid, thanks for the beautiful and tranquil YouTube clip. I took note of the kid playing something that looked like American hopscotch. I wonder if those types of activities are destined to be invented wherever kids need to burn off excess energy?
Thanks to Gary and Amy for the fun and clever puzzle. And thanks to our Chairman for the visuals and the 'kus.
FIR. Today was a whole lot easier than yesterday. Are the days of the week jumbled up? This was more of a Tuesday presentation.
Got the theme late when I saw momentum, and then clear sailing after that. Last to fall was the NW. Weird alum wouldn't show itself, and I wanted stud at 1A. But then the light bulb went off!
I second the easy Friday motion.
Only nit I will pick is, a jamb isn't a piece of the framing. It is part of a door or window and is installed after the framing is complete.
UM, wasn't this puzzle slotted for Monday, not Friday? The added UMs were obvious immediately.
GARAGED- our subdivision allows no overnight on street parking-none.
WOMAN & PEI- only 'real' unknowns today but were easy to guess after a perp or two.
JAW- wanted LEG at first but JAMB wouldn't allow it.
PORES or HOLES- wait for a perp. Ditto for NUN or ELK.
MEL is where IGA is currently playing. I watched her defeat Danielle Collins in three sets Wed. night (Thurday afternoon in MEL).
Took 9:40 for me to, um finish this one.
The Chairman got me today. Congratulations.
Addendums looked "odder" to me.
Seemed like a lot of 3-letter words to me too.
I didn't know today's actress (Dahl). Top-left corner took me the longest today.
WEES: what, it’s Monday today? It’s OK.I’ll take easy this morning. I got my theme MOMENTUM with PRESENT MOMENTUM. Then went back to the NW and caught WEIRD AL to FIR.
C-Moe regaled us with his wit and imagination that formed a nice ADDENDUM to this CW.
It’s cold again. I can’t wait til next week’s warmup.
Um, I didn't see the ums, until the end...
My yearbook photo: I didn't think it was that odd...
addendumb?
And, of course, this post would not be complete without...
I think, um, that this, um, puzzle, um was pretty, you know um, easy.
Nuff said.
Thanks Moe, for your, um, fine recitations and review. Gary and Amy, this was, um, one of your best submissions. Thank you!
Needless to say, I FIR today. I was stuck in the SW until I remembered the name of the Italian scooter. Sports figures turned from STArS into STATS, cute.
All for one, one for all. Together we rise, together we fall.
Dang.
CEDave @9:52 --> those cracked me up! 😂😂
Good Morning! Let me say right off, I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle! Thanks, Gary & Amy. It filled so smoothly, one word building on another, just like I hope every puzzle would be. A fun surprise for a snowy Friday.
We’re having our second snowstorm building atop the 5” we already had on the ground, and it’s supposed to continue until evening. Brrr.
Two WOs: carts -> LISTS and noise -> NOISY.
Grocery LISTS: If I would ever forget mine, I might as well turn around & go home. So many choices (I’m not complaining) – it’s a question of focus, focus, focus….
ANCHO: Thanks, Pioneer Woman, for presenting something I would probably never use in cooking. And I love her dishes & kitchenware.
I echo Big Easy: PORES or HOLES- wait for a perp. No plagiarism here – I’m citing my source! My mother was an artist, so natural sponges were a part of her tools.
Thanks, Chairman Moe, for a delightful recap. Loved your l’icks, Mo’kus & toons, a fitting summation to a fine puzzle.
Good Morning:
On the plus side, the themers were a notch above the usual add/subtract phrases and the reveal was fun and spot-on. On the negative side is the aforementioned non-Friday difficulty level. I know Patti doesn't strictly adhere to the previous format of incremental degrees of difficulty over the course of the week, but this offering is so un-Friday, it's a huge let down for the solver. This type of theme lends itself, by nature, to be less challenging, but the cluing can always be tweaked to add some oomph. For example, a typical Friday-level grid should not contain fill-in-the-blank clues for simple words such as, Sis, Woman, Don, and Use.
I, and I'm sure others, really miss the Friday stumpers that caused teeth-gnashing and hair-pulling but also, most often, an enjoyable and satisfactory solving experience.
Thanks, Gary and Amy, and thanks, Moe, for the great recap. Favorite comics were the Fourth Wiseman (Fruitcake 🤣) and the Elephant Pianist. Loved the Jamb Moe- l'ick and the PBGV pup. The name reminded me of the adorable dog in As Good As It Gets, Verdell, a Brussels Griffon.
Have a great day.
Irish Miss @ 10:25
Click here for a tough Friday puzzle. Not mine, Stan's. This is more of what Friday puzzles used to be
CMoe
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Gary and Amy, and CMoe.
I FIRed and saw the ADD END UMS theme.
(Addendum has Latin origins and plural is usually Addenda. But like Atrium, which is pluralized to Atria or sometimes Atriums, Addendums is acceptable as an alternate.)
The NE corner was the last to fall. I had ACRE crossing BERG and nothing else, but saw that Arm or Leg would not perp. I resorted to Googling a photo of T. Rex, and immediately saw the JAW. The corner filled rapidly for the Tada.
My sports figures were Stars before MATTEL forced STATS.
SRI confirmed the I, not Y, on REDDI.
MOPES corrected my Vesna to VESPA.
PEI may have visited PEI during his days at MIT, but never lived there LOL. (He might have redesigned Green Gables!). But he did design the CIBC Commerce Court Plaza in Toronto in the early 1970s. CIBC Tower of stainless steel was highest at the time.
Favourite clue today was for ACE.
Canadians have CARP.
Wishing you all a great day.
We are getting more snow!
I am directionally challenged today. That should be the NW corner that was the last to fall.
They're getting easier! A fast Moday-esque FIR with some clever misdirection, and for desert, a bountiful helping of 'kus and 'licks from the Chairman. What's not to like?
Musings
-NW corner took a little time to bring to heel.
-Very cool! WEIRDALUM took a while to parse as WEIRD AL… (seed entry?)
-We had a WEIRD ALUM who was in the yearbook but no one in our class of 28 peeps know what has become of her
-COVERS FOR is an alternate name for what I do about 70 times/year
-I don’t know/remember IGA at all but I know she’s a tennis player that is alternate fill for a grocery store group.
-Every year, my Turbo Tax program says my chances for a AUDIT are near zero
-YODEL here in the west might be clued “Herd tunes”
-Joann gives me a LIST but knows I’ll FaceTime her to see if I’m right. How many types of orange juice can there be?
-I struggle as to where that silly “U” goes in GAUGE
-Blowing snow this. Morning in -10F weather required DENIM and thermal underwear
-When singing The Lord’s Prayer, the AMEN is at least 8 notes
-Jinx, TMI to the max!
-Fun write-up and cartoons, Chris!
WEES: A very “early-of-the-week” level puzzle. Transparent theme with UM a bonus given at the end of each answer. The final clue: Won’t get into the argument of ADDENDUMS vrs. ADDENDA. The octopuses are fighting with the octopi over this one as it is.
Seems some if not all are Larson’s “Far Side” cartoons. The “Elephant Flautist” is a classic favorite
Inkovers: holes/PORES
NEHRU jackets were popular here for a short while in the early 60’s. GAUGE: Why is it “gayj” not “gawj” ? (cuz it’s Inglish). Guess “need for poi” wasn’t fingers. Is YODELED attached to NOISY for a reason?
MOPES, "Who invaded Spain in the 8th century?" Would have been a better clue. Oh wait sorry that was the MOOPS.
We washed the blackboard in one of the early elementary grades with a real (sea) “sponge” ….VESPA: “wasp” (not the Anglo-Saxon kind).
If oceans keep rising the Marshall Islands won’t exist ____ …ATOLL
Not wide…. NEHRU
Coxswain’s call….EURO!
Tattoo artist …..INCUR.
If tomorrow’s puzzle is Monday easy and this unnatural reversal of difficulty continues …First sign of the apocalypse? 😱🙀
Chairman Moe: Your link to your puzzle answers yesterday did not show a grid.
Is there a full answer grid for your puzzle?
Hola!
MMM. ANCHO chilis roasting in the oven reminds me of arriving at my mother's home and smelling that delicious aroma. She roasted them, peeled them and cooked them, then froze them for future use. I really miss her.
Was it in "Roman Holiday" that featured a VESPA?
ALEXA is in charge of my grocery LISTS. When I run out of something, I tell her to add it to the grocery list. The list is automatically transferred to my telephone. What a remarkable century we live in! My clever daughter set it up for me.
When visiting colonial Williamsburg many years ago, we saw vast amounts of PEWTER items in use.
I can't say I like GARAGED used as a verb.
Arlene DAHL was a beautiful redhead.
I have been to the Grand Canyon but never on MULES.
I shall now say AMEN and adieu to all of you. Have a wonderful day!
WEES. I struggled more on Monday than today. This is NOT a complaint: I like CWs that I can manage to FIR, and not hafta cheat w/ a Google search. I even saw the theme today! Imagine that! I enjoyed this CW, thanx GL&AE. Too many clever clues to list. C-Moe you can always be counted on to provide a great, informative and entertaining write-up. Thanx!
H.Gary, You'll be happy to know that I'm all clad now, under and outer.
Lucina - Virginia requires property taxes to be paid in the entity where it was GARAGED on January first. Caused my nose to wrinkle too. (BTW - Doesn't matter where the RV actually is, if you have a storage place where it usually is, that's where it is GARAGED. Thought I had found a loophole since I'm always in FL on 1/1, but NOOOOO.) My RV is stored wide open to the elements, but is GARAGED by the tax man's definition.
When I lived in Canyon Country, CA, the HOA required all vehicles to be inside the garage with the door down by sundown every day. Street parking was allowed only during the day and for loading, washing, visitors, deliveries, workmen and the like.
Picard, et al: A while back we were talking about Ford's Garage restaurant, and the view on the restroom glass when leaving the men's room. I posted a picture I took at the Ft. Meyers store, and it showed "WOMEN" on the glass to startle the men who were exiting. Picard posted a picture with WOMEN in mirror image, which is as it should be for maximum effect. I had lunch at the Lakeland store, and the word was also in mirror image.
Apropos of nothing, I like to shop local when it makes sense. But I went to three area WalMarts to buy disposable undies for DW, and none of them had them in her size. So I went to Amazon, and will get delivery today.
C-Moe @ 11:03. Thanks for Stan’s Friday-level puzzle. Got almost all of it.
Wants Answers @ 11:59 --> check the blog again. I pasted a screen shot of the answers to the Universal puzzle at the bottom of the blog. Hope this helps!
I liked this puzzle.
Yes, DW and I were audited a few years ago. We brought our documents to the meeting with a very pleasant IRS agent and showed her that our filing was all on the up-and-up, and she was satisfied. All was well that ended well.
Good reading you all.
Hi All!
Thanks Gary & Amy for a nice Friday romp; great theme!
Thanks, C.Moe, for a fun expo w/ some nice MoKus. I sent Elephant at Piano comic to Opera Eldest.
WOs: STArS, carTS -> LISTS, Rxes -> MEDS, "Off the Street, say" was almost "Got A job" but GUAGE disagreed
ESPs: IGA, DAHL
Fav: VESPA - a friend went to Rome to start a new life. After a few months, she sent back a picture of "his & her" vespas ;-)
Not with REDDI-wip but did the trick with cheese-in-a-can while camping.
RosE - I'm with you; back to the house if I forgot the list. I'll get there and not recall but half and must go back again (probably) before dinner. This applies to grocery, hardware, or just errands in general (e.g. tomorrow's circuit: hair-cut, dry-cleaning, car-wash, ATM, car-inspection station).
HG - Orange Juice! Simple OJ! Now they add mango or pineapple or some other to my normal looking, green-labeled, "low-pulp" OJ. Twice I've done a spit-take over my eggs having NOT been expecting another fruit in my juice.
LOL Carson Clip, CED - tanks for the laugh!
Cheers, -T
My in laws ran a bar and grill and were audited years ago. Some tense moments but all went well probably aided by my MIL preparing the investigators a fancy steak dinner. Another couple who ran a similar joint didn’t do so well. When the feds arrived the husband yelled up the stairs to his wife to bring down the “books”. Which set of books? she asked. Fed guys who heard her yelled back the realbooks 😃.
Got the theme reveal right away, which helped a lot with the solve. I agree that ADDENDA is probably the correct Latin. But it does not bug me the way OCTOPI does. I enjoyed the theme and the solve. Even with the unknown proper names. FIR.
Here we experienced an ICY BERG up close and personal in Greenland last summer. Note: This is a VIDEO.
Jinx Thanks for the reminder about Ford's Garage and ODDER toilet signs. I find the one at the Santa Barbara Mission even ODDER.
Chairman Moe and Wants Answers Thank you for the answer grid for your puzzle. I also found it unsettling to solve the puzzle and not have such a grid to look at afterwards.
So what’s wrong with a nice, leisure-cruise cw every now and then? Besides, it furnished C-Moe a ton of material for his rare-form writings— loved the RRR pirate ‘ick and yes, RARE ahi is perfection: Ssss-(flip)-sss, eat.
Easy romp with some nice entries; I especially liked the way Gary and Amy crossed DDAY and ADDENDUM, that was pretty snazzy to see. My gripe of the day: TARO is taro, there’s no plural of it (I used to live over on Da Rock).
AARP started pestering me in my late 40s; I was like “UM…I’m still 20+ years from AARPage, guys”. Gotta luv modern marketing…
And, believe it or not, I have in my closet a lime-green NEHRU shirt, with a peace-symbol necklace hung on the hanger with it; it comes in handy for Halloween parties when paired with a hair-metal wig I have from another party I went to a while back (yes, I hang out with some, UM, “interesting” people…). The big miracle is that, 50 years later, I can still fit in the bloody thing!
====> Darren / L.A.
Delightful Friday puzzle, many thanks, Gary and Amy. And your commentary was a big help, as always, Ch. Moe, so thank you for that too.
When I saw the cookbook writer INA Garten next to DINE ON, I got excited thinking we'd get to enjoy a food theme. But 'twas not to be. All we got was a need for some TAROS to make poi, and an ONION, and an ANCHO (whatever that is) and the blender setting PUREE--not exactly a set-up for a great meal.
But I still enjoyed it, and wish you all a pleasant weekend coming up.
Anon-T - 😉🤣🤣🤣 RE: lists! Just saving brain space for the important things....
Misty:
ANCHO is a type of green chile usually from New Mexico. Interestingly, the word ANCHO actually means "wide" in Spanish. ANCHO chile is a bit larger than most other chiles.
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