Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with today's pacer. Excuse me, recap. Our puzzle setter, Luke Schreiber has executed a pretty straightforward theme. Or is it a straightbackward theme? At four places, Luke presents us with single-word clues followed by a question mark. To answer these clues we are required to reverse the letters of the clue, place that reversed rendition at the end of the allotted squares, conjure up something that explains the reversal and then place that explanation at the head of the answer. The four themed answers are found at:
21 Across: EMIT?: TURN BACK TIME. Turn TIME backwards and you get EMIT
39 Across: LOOP?: REFLECTING POOL. POOL as seen in a mirror, or reflecting pool, will appear to be reversed. It won't read LOOP but the letters will be in that order.
52 Across: SPOT?: FLIP TOPS. Flip TOPS around and you get SPOT.
63 Across: RAW?: REVOLUTIONARY WAR. This one is a bit less straightforward but Luke has made up for that by having the answer span the entire grid.
The grid is 16 squares wide, instead of the usual 15, and the symmetry is atypical and really quite elegant in and of itself.
Here is how all of this appears in the grid:
Here are the other clues and answers:
Across:
1. Moussaka ingredient: LAMB. Eggplant was too long.
5. Harmonious church groups: CHOIRS. Singing in harmony.
11. Parachute necessity: CORD. Do not forget to pull the ripCORD.
15. Cookie with a Java Chip flavor: OREO. My niece recently sent me a link to a puzzle source and, in one of those puzzles, there was a great clue for OREO: Cookie whose clue is almost moot since you likely knew what the answer was after reading "cookie".
16. Solitary sort: HERMIT. We could go with a song by Herman's Hermits but this fits the clue pretty well:
Johnny Cash
18. Wolverine, for one: XMAN.
19. Esoteric information: ARCANA. Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
20. A few: SOME.
24. Not quite aligned: OFFSET.
OFFSET Wrenches
26. Inventor who said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work": EDISON. Thomas Alva EDISON.
29. Slugger Judge who was AP Athlete of the Year in 2022: AARON. A baseball reference.
30. Ankle-length attire: MAXI.
34. Mouthwash brand: SCOPE. Listerine was too long. Act was too short.
35. Feudal estate: FIEF.
36. Selena or Selena Gomez: LATINA. SINGER would have fit.
38. Katniss Everdeen portrayer, to fans: J LAW. a "Hunger Games" reference. The character is portrayed by Jennifer LAWrence.
42. Overhang: EAVE. EAVEs hang around our puzzles quite regularly.
43. Midwestern Native: SAUK. New to this solver. Those in the Green Bay, Wisconsin or Northern New York State areas may be more familiar with the SAUK.
44. Five-time Olympic gold-medal swimmer Ian: THORPE. Jim Thorpe, it turns out, was a member of the SAUK (aka Sac and Fox) peoples. Luke, however, has gone with Ian who is Australian.
47. Comes down hard?: SLEETS. A hard rain's a-gonna fall. Literally.
Figuratively
51. "Just a Geek" memoirist Wheaton: WIL.
57. Tate Modern filler: ART. A museum reference.
58. Verdi aria that translates to "It was you": ERI TU.
60. Lisa Halaby's royal name: NOOR. An American-born Jordanian who was the fourth wife of the late King Hussein of Jordan. She was Queen NOOR of Jordan from 1978 until the king's death in 1999.
61. Sunlit lobbies: ATRIA. Plural of ATRIum. Stadium / Stadia
66. Intense: KEEN. What do you call someone who really likes to talk about cereals? A KEEN oat speaker.
67. Some green sauces: PESTOS. Rarely seen pluralized.
Basil and Roasted Tomato PESTOS
68. Senate position: PAGE. Go-fers, albeit esteemed, for the senators.
69. Divisions in an outdated atlas: Abbr.: SSRS. Soviet Socialist RepublicS
70. Plumes: CRESTS.
Mount CRESTed Butte, Colorado
71. Exxon constituents?: EXES. In the middle of the word. Often clued with reference to past partners.
George Strait
Down:
1. Bagel topping: LOX.
2. Branch: ARM. The U.S. Army is a branch of the armed forces.
3. Vegetarian: MEAT FREE. A woman came up to me and said that she recognized me from the local vegetarian restaurant. This confused me as I had never met herbivore. Perhaps it was a missed steak.
4. Pot sweetener: BONUS OFFER. Hand up for trying to think of something related to poker.
5. Root words?: CHANT. As in to root for your favorite sports team.
6. Cilantro, e.g.: HERB. I really need to plant some HERBs of my own. I have been living on borrowed thyme.
7. Wolf of the sea: ORCA. They swim through our puzzles on a regular basis.
8. Apple since 1998: IMAC. Not a fruit reference.
9. Curling spot: RINK.
The Physics of Curling
10. Washington, but not Washington, D.C.: STATE. Nor George.
11. Life itself, to a crepehanger: COSMIC JOKE.
12. Recital piece for a double-reed woodwind: OBOE SOLO.
13. "Collapse Into Now" band: REM. The clue is the name of one of REM's albums.
14. Go green, perhaps: DYE. Hand up for first trying to think (overthink?) of something ecologically related.
22. Kylo __: "The Last Jedi" villain: REN. A Star Wars reference.
23. Picks out, for short: IDS. We had IDS as, IDentufieS in the puzzle that I recapped two Fridays ago.
24. Lummox: OAF. What do you call a healthcare worker who does not self isolate after contracting COVID? A Hippocratic OAF.
25. Just: FAIR. Not "Just" as in merely.
27. Iridescent gem: OPAL.
28. Not old: NEW. Now, this one is straightforward.
30. Spice cookie spice: MACE. Also, a brand of self-defense pepper spray.
31. QB stat: ATT. A football reference. Passing ATTempts.
32. Roman dozen: XII. Roman Numeral
33. Accommodating places: INNS. Places to procure accommodations for the night.
36. Flatten: LEVEL.
37. Shocked: AGASP.
40. Squiggly baby, to a sitter: LAPFUL. Nice wordplay employing babysitter and anyone who happens to be seated.
41. Radio wave-emitting star: PULSAR.
44. Dances provocatively: TWERKS. Today's let's pass on the video moment.
46. "Last Week Tonight" host John: OLIVER.
48. Swab target: EAR WAX. A Q-tip™ reference.
49. Emergency priority system: TRIAGE.
50. Unblinking looks: STARES.
53. __ Miami CF: INTER. A Major League Soccer reference.
55. Friendly horn sounds: TOOTS. As opposed to an unfriendly horn sound?
56. " ... but I could be wrong": OR NOT. "I take back everything that I just said."
59. Heavy weights: TONS. SNOT?
62. Variety: TYPE.
64. Lines at the register?: UPC. Universal Product Code aka Bar Code
65. Donkey: ASS.
Well, that will wrap things up for today. Time, now, to get my donkey back on the slopes.
_____________________________________________________
47 comments:
One of the hardest things for me to get in this puzzle was “flip tops” because of some obscure perps. Another toughie was “cosmic joke” partly because of the obscurity of the clue. Another thing: the combination of “Thorpe”, “Wil,” and “Oliver” meant that if you didn’t know at least a couple of these names you would probably be “lost at sea,” as the saying goes. So I wouldn’t say this puzzle was easy, by any means. Nevertheless, the themed answers were all well-known, “in-the-language” phrases so that helped out somewhat, anyway. And anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Got 'er done in near record time this morning. My only stumble was AGApe/AGASP. Both are awkward words. Puns were plentiful, and appreciated, particularly that "keen oat speaker." Thanx for the excursion, Luke, and for steering the boat, Mal-Man. (Don't bust your donkey on the slopes.)
SAUK: SAUK County is northwest of Madison, WI. It includes SAUK City, Prairie du SAC, and the SAUK Prairie recreational area. There's also a SAUKville north of Milwaukee. But none of those places are very near to Green Bay.
EAR WAX: Your ENT will tell you **not** to use a Q-Tip to remove ear wax. Use your elbow, instead.
I ignored the theme clues until I had enough letters to get TURN BACK TIME. The others came easily and that gave me enough letters to get the rest of the puzzle. I was fortunate to know the proper names so that helped too. I got ERITU entirely from the perps.
I didn't understand CHANT until I read MM's explanation and I guess that's it.
I used to read a lot of books about "Indians" when I was young so I knew of SAUK from Black Hawk.
SLEETS? I guess not a hard amount, like a hard rain, but rather frozen rain that feels hard if it hits you.
FIR, but erased lard for LAMB, seat for PAGE, and agast for AGASP. This one exercised my ability nearly to the failure point.
Today is:
NATIONAL GREEN JUICE DAY (I’ll wait until St. Paddy’s day and green beer)
NATIONAL PEANUT BRITTLE DAY (sponsored by the American Dental Association)
NATIONAL SPOUSES DAY (a man is not complete until he marries – then he’s finished)
NATIONAL BIG WIG DAY (original idea was to wear an outrageous wig to shake off the post-holiday blues)
NATIONAL FUN AT WORK DAY (don’t let the big wigs know you’re having fun)
I thought it must be Jude LAW until our aquatic mammal 'splained it.
All My EXES Live In Texas says George Strait, which is why he hangs his hat in Tennessee.
A tradition on St. Paddy's day is to DYE the Chicago River green.
Thanks to Luke for the appropriately difficult Friday challenge, and to our MalMan for the PUNishment.
Enjoyed the creativity of the theme- I got the EMIT to TIME switch early on so that gave the theme answers a head start.
I used to live in Madison, WI so the SAUK came quickly and was too short for Sioux. SAUK City ,WI is the original location for Culver's frozen custard - people from Madison used to drive out there for it or stop on the way back from the state parks it is near.
Ian THORPE's nickname was THORPEDO since he was such a fast swimmer
Thanks MM for the blog laden with puns and Luke for the puzzle!
Took 9:05 today to turn this one around.
Didn't know sauk, and like others struggled with agape v. agasp.
I knew today's actress (Jennifer Lawerence, even though I cringe at "JLaw"), but not the royal name. 1 Across (moussaka ingredient) struck me as a Saturday clue, where uncommon foods are common. Calling the orca the wolf of the sea was new to me.
I agree (as I often do) with SubG's comment about the proper name crossings in the lower-left (Oliver, Thorpe, Wil), which I would add was complicated by the foreign: eri tu.
FIR. So far two vertical puzzles in a week; can't wait to see tomorrow! (Sigh!) I really dislike this style.
Got the theme early, although this didn't help much. Some of the clues were more like Saturday fare. I had to take a WAG at the crossing if Saud, JLaw, and cosmic joke. All three were above my pay grade. And the lower third was a bear.
But I got the finish, so I'm pleased.
What does it mean when people call it a "vertical puzzle"?
Good Morning:
We haven't had this type of theme in a very long time, so I found it to be a nice change of pace and a fun solve. My favorite themer was SPOT=Flip Tops and I also appreciated the grid-spanning Revolutionary War, even if it was a bit of a stretch to fit the reversal theme feature. Sauk and Thorpe were unknown as was Inter, as clued, but perps were fair throughout the grid. I went astray briefly at Mere/Fair, REO/REM, Agape/Agasp, and Meatless/Meatfree. The fill was fresh with some nice entries such as Bonus Offer, Cosmic Joke, Triage, Pulsar, etc. I wasn't keen on Lapful but that's a small, personal nit, which was more than offset by the very acceptable and evenly dispersed three letter words, 14 by my count.
Nicely done, Luke, and thanks, MalMan, for the fun, facts, and some very punny puns! Enjoy your time on the slopes!
FLN
Bill, thank you for the Beethoven clip. I wasn't familiar with that Symphony.
Have a great day.
Those mirror image answers were easy after Cher's Song "TURN BACK TIME" was filled. That let me fill the theme clues too easily. But it was a DNF due to a few unknowns. Both Crepehanger and COSMIC JOKE were total, unheard of unknowns. I Had filled COSMIC___O___E. Having never heard of SAUK or JLAW I tried CONE and POLE but PLAW, CLAW, & SAUN made no sense. Maybe SAUL was a "Midwestern Native" from the Middle Ease. I managed to fill INTER for "Miama CF" by perps but had no idea what it was about. Ditto for CHANT being "Root words".
WIL Wheaton, REM's song, John OLIVER, INTER Miami CF- thank you perps for those fills.
BONUS OFFER- 'wait, wait, there's more' by Ron Popeil
Whiner@7:17- looking at the MM's synonym list you could change your name to 'crepehanger'. DW and I called our first granddaughter Mrs. Whiner until she was about five.
Agnes- agree with you on the LAPFUL; had always heard it as HAND FULL to handle.
Can someone explain what "FLIP TOPS" are? Perped/guessed it correctly, but it is not a term I've ever heard. And a Google search did not provide any definite answer.
Apparently, there is a bass guitar amp called a Fliptop, but that hardly seems like it would rise to the level of common knowledge to make a good, punny, theme answer. There also appears to be a brand or category of spinning top toy called a Flip Top, but again, this does not seem remotely common enough to be a likely candidate for a theme answer in a crossword puzzle.
There are, of course, various types of "flip top" caps, lids, etc. But this does not seem to fit the clue/answer because TOPS is plural and therefore a noun.
One other observation of something I thought was ironic: the constructor used the correct pluralization of the Latin "atrium" but a handful of clues later did not use the correct pluralization of the Italian "pesto." I have long since given up being annoyed by crossword puzzles using incorrect pluralization of loan words in the English language, so I am not complaining about this. I just thought the close proximity of these two answers in this puzzle was interesting.
FIR. Didn't see the theme 'till MalMam set me wise to it. Tried TWistS, but when KEEN showed up, I remembered Billy Ray's daughter, Miley, who brought the word into the English language. Didn't know SAUK. All perps. Knew Mr Thorpe and Queen Noor as well as Mr Wheaon.
Hopped all over catching foothold, but it all came together. Thank you, Luke for the crunchy meal and Malodorous Manatee for your satisfying recap.
Run like the wind in pusuit, but stand like a rock for justice.
Wonderland.
Good Morning! Whew! Didn’t know if I’d see the finish line, but it gradually built, and I did. Thanks, Luke, for the challenge. I spotted the theme which helped me fill POOL & TOPS, and the words preceding were familiar & gettable.
ESP for JLAW, SAUK, THORPE & REN
ARCANA: often found in later week puzzles.
LIU: INTER which helped fill the mid-south.
WO: (sp) fife -> FIEF
MalMan, after enjoying the classic Johnny Cash vid, I was watching the classic George Strait when I got one of those “ALERT WARNING: YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED. DO NOT TURN OFF… CALL MICROSOFT. Of, course I then turned off my computer, went & made a cup of coffee. After turning it back on, all seemed fine…. I don’t know if it was triggered by the George Strait video or not, but very unnerving.
Anyway, I loved your recap. Your puns are priceless! LOL!!
It's built from top to bottom as opposed to a diagonal grid, built from upper left to lower right.
Hola!
This was fairly easy for a Friday when I expect more of a challenge; nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Thank you, Luke.
I'll take a CSO at LATINA.
Queen NOOR, aka Lisa Halaby, must have loved King Hussein exceedingly to consent to be his fourth wife. I couldn't do it. Of course, being waited on hand and foot sounds attractive.
John OLIVER is a very funny man!
SAUK is new to me. Which reminds me, I had not thought I wanted to see "Killers of the Flower Moon" until I saw Martin Scorsese on the Tonight Show last night. He convinced me. So I need to find out what time I can go see it.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
DNF. MMs definition of ARCANA pretty well sums this one up for me. Totally uninitiated this morning! What ever happened to the days when a constructor would at least give a couple of shots at a name, such as "Curtis or Bennett " for Tony?
A cute Friday toughie with a gimmick! Just what I have been asking for!
(Patti Varol must have heard me!)
This puzzle kept me busy so long, I had to take a break and get my butt off the couch!
I didn't even mind the Dad joke pun groaners in the write up. thank you MalMan!
I wonder if I should have dressed for the occasion...
"Revolutionary war" got me, especially since I had "inner" down instead of "inter" and I could not remember John Oliver's last name. However, I got the theme and really enjoyed the puzzle.
I have the same question that someone else already asked, what are flip tops?
Is that an expression?
The flip-top bass amp is an Ampeg B-15. Owned one for a short time and it sounded nice but woefully underpowered
Musings
-Oh so clever!
-Yes, thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, Cher did TURN BACK TIME
-ARCANA – I try to make sense out of what our programmers post here.
-OFFSET: Unstable ground caused the Washington Monument it to be OFFSET 392’ to the SE from the center line extended from the White House.
-Johnny Cash’s rendition of Neil Diamond’s big hit was interesting
-Cwd’s feature Eris Tu and ERI TU
-MEAT FREE burgers don’t get it for me
-Life itself to a crepehanger: LIFE IS A JOKE. Fabulous
-Lunch bell just rang!
Flip top is what they call the closing devices on fancy-pants beer. IIRC, those refillable beer growlers used for taking home craft beer also sometimes have them. A cork and a wire mechanism that allow the user to seal the top with a levered closing device. Reads obtusely - sorry, sometimes I fail when I try to use my words.
Of course, if I were smart I would just look for an example on Amazon.
A clever theme and fresh clues.
I enjoyed this Friday offering.
Thanks Luke.
Looking ahead…. For tomorrow’s Saturday puzzle I think I’ll check the “ cornerites “ comments and if the majority are positive then I’ll attempt to solve it.
There have been too many Saturdays lately where I devoted my time and energy into a puzzle that the editorial team destroyed with their overly obscure and self-absorbed clues.
… kkflorida
@KS I guess I'm dense and don't really understand. Do you mean if you can start with the first letter in 1A you can't go diagonally to hit the last letter in the last across answer in the bottom right without hitting a block? But normally you can? How does that matter? Less likely to have perps to help?
It's not really important, I'm just curious. Thanks.
Folks old enough to remember TV cigarette advertising might recall, "There's a lot to like in a Marlboro: Filter, Flavor, Flip-Top Box."
Whiner, most cw grids have rotational symmetry -- turn the grid upside down, and it still looks the same. Today's grid had left-right symmetry. I think that's what KS meant.
Thanks Jinx. I had considered that type of closure (which can also be found on, among other things, some mason jars). However, in that context, I think of "flip-top" as being an compound adjective modifying "lid," "cap," "jar," "bottle," "growler," etc. Top is also used as a synonym for lid or cap, so one could imagine a someone saying, e.g., "do you have any jars with flip tops?" I think my initial question was really to find out if there was some bit of cultural context I was missing.
So, perhaps my actual nit about the clue/answer in this puzzle is that FLIP TOPS is not a well-known/often-used phrase, event, cultural reference, etc. and, therefore, doesn't have the level of cleverness that I enjoy in theme answers. And, to be clear, it is at most a nit. Overall, I thought this was a very well-constructed puzzle and an enjoyable solve. I have never dabbled in crossword construction and can only imagine how difficult it was to put this puzzle together; particularly given the refreshingly low number of three-word answers, the absence of what I call vocalizations (aah, ahh, ohh, etc.), and the near lack of constructing gimmicks to get fill letters (I would say there were only two: XII and SSRS).
Edit: glad I refreshed the page before posting this, so I got to see d-o's addition about Marlboro. That is exactly the type of cultural context I wondered if I was missing. D-o, or anyone else, do you recall people actually using the term Flip-Top as a shorthand for that variety of cigarette box (e.g., asking a cashier for "a carton of Marlboro flip-tops")? My knowledge of cigarette advertising on TV is reruns of some shows in which there is a "brought to you by" ad baked-into the beginning of the program, like The Beverly Hillbillies and Winston cigarettes.
I'd be curious to know what Mr. Schreiber actually has in mind when he imagines a "flip top."
Jinx @ 12:11
Fancy pants beer?
Well, for this (beer absorber), all you had to say was Grolsch...
We used the empty bottles to store extra virgin olive oil from the cans papu used to bring back for us from Greece...
Ah yes,
I remember those flip tops from when our kids were just babies....
Anon@1:08, yes folks would request Marlboros in a box or flip-top. If memory serves, the cigarettes in the box were slightly shorter than those in the soft-pack.
Hi All!
Soux [sic] held me up for quite a bit...
Thanks Luke for the fun (in a whimsy way) puzzle. The gimmick gave up TOPS but it took a while and two lucky guesses to FLIP it.
Great Expo, MManatte! Thanks for 'splainin' CHANT among the giggles.
WOs: CHioR (Untie!), soux [sic] -> SAUK
ESPs: ERI TU, JLAW, INTER, NOOR took _OOR to noodle it out.
Fav: John OLIVER. I watch him every week on HBO. He's silly-serious.
Sparkle: What IM said.
TNG fans - who else hated the good Dr's precocious son, Wesley Crusher? After seeing WIL in interviews and other shows, I now feel kinda bad about it :-)
@10:03am & 1:08p - Other than a box of smokes* (D-O) or growlers (Jinx) [both fun vices!), you have a FLIP TOP on toothpaste.
Back to the salt-mines.
Cheers, -T
*Camels came in flip-tops and I'd spark 'em up with my flip-top Zippo.
This puzzle was fun, although I forgot the Sauks and and didn't know JLAW, so I missed the J and K in JOKE. Two bad cells. The puzzle seemed of average Friday difficulty. I sussed the theme quickly which provided many perps.
I thought of plumes as feathers. A birds crest is made of feathers.
The SW was not easy, but doable.
I heard of a lapful of apples or kittens, why not a lapful of squirming child? Lapful is really a word. It does not really mean difficult to deal with as handful does. Your lap is full when you hold a squirming child.
There are many types of flip top boxes. My stationery box is an example. These days most cigarette boxes are flip tops and can be opened with one hand.
Our happy hour is coming up in half an hour. My life is not a joke, but it is filled with friends, family (virtual and in the flesh), fun and happiness.
"The noun pesto can be countable or uncountable.
"Pestos: In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be pesto.
However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be pestos e.g. in reference to various types of pestos or a collection of pestos." Thanks, Google. BTW MM's illustration was perfect for pestos.
No time to finish the puzzle. Just now took a break to see what’s going on down on the “corner”
“Crepehanger” a new word, the meaning can’t be guessed from the word itself. Had no idea what it meant. Now I can call an IR tech or nurse a “crepehanger” when they start whining about something and not get reported to HR .
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” one of the shows I look forward to each week when it’s in season.
Thank you Luke for a Friday FIR (with a little help from Teri). Loved the Type 1 theme (one that helps you figure out the puzzle, rather befuddles you with puzzles within puzzles).
And thanks for the PACER MM, loved all the clever SNUP. The news on the street (well in FLA waters anyway) is that your tribe is on the mend -- here -- and here.
A couple of favs:
16A HERMIT. I really liked the Johnny Cash clip. Samuel Barber also wrote about hermits on a cycle called Hermit Songs -- here's the 3rd of 10 called the Monk and his cat sung by the great Leontyne Price with Barber at the piano. The riffs on the piano are supposed to evoke the cat walking on the keys. I believe this clip segues into the rest of the cycle, but please feel free to leave at any time. 😀
43A SAUK. Last fill. Learning moment. One of the things I like about CWDS.
58A ERI TU. From Verdi's Masked Ball. It was initially about the assassination of Gustav III of Sweden but by the time two rounds of censors got through with the libretto the setting had moved to Boston and the victim was a Count Warwick. Verdi ran into this kind of stuff often.
Cheers,
Bill
The crepe hanger got to me, no JOKE, no JLAW or SAUK. the rest was a lot of fun. Enjoyed.the theme very much.
MM gave us a great recap. All this makes up for our having to go to a doctor’s appointment in the pouring rain and almost wrecking, not once but twice.
Glad to be home, and of course now it’s not raining anymore.
d-o, thanks. Still not sure why that makes a puzzle any more difficult though, but that's ok.
Well, it's 5 o'clock somewhere,,,
(Oh wait, it's here!)
I can't let Wil Wheaton pass without links, especially since it will annoy all the TBBT non watchers.
Hmm lessee, so many links to choose from...
As an appetiser, you can't go wrong with the enchanted bunny as an introduction to the chaos that ensues when you combine Wil and Sheldon...
(There are so many interactions that are link worthy... )
But, for the epitome of Wil Wheaton, you must watch William F*cking Shatner sorry that it's 25 minutes, but every minute is f*cking hilarious...
Rose @ 10:24, the clips came directly from YouTube via the Blogger software protocol. Both are Goggle products and I have never had a malware experience using that combination. If this is a first, please accept my apologies.
I liked this puzzle for all the reasons you all have already stated.
Rose @10:24. Now that you mention it, this morning before I had a chance to add my comment, I was reading now I don’t remember if it was MM’s recap or comments, I got one of those ALERT, CALL APPLE SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY (unlike yours which was Microsoft.) i turned off my iPad and several minutes later turned it back on and all was fine.
Friday frazzle. Thanks for the fun, Luke and MalMan.
This CW required P&P, but I FIRed and saw the reversal of the last theme words after the first two. The last one was more difficult to see the theme until I thought of the letters Revolving.
Hand up for being slowed down by that SE area with names crossing, plus a language. (THORPE, WIL, ERI TU, OLIVER). But eventually I WAGged the L and I correctly.
SAUK was unknown to me.
“Lines at the register” seemed to require a plural, and I entered an S. When UPS resulted, I though5 it was a meh clue referring to lineups. CRESTS corrected my thinking.
Wishing you all a good evening.
As I mentioned earlier, my friend, Kathy and I, went to see Killers of the Flower Moon. A true sad and tragic story but with a great cast and excellent story line. It's very much worth watching.
Crepe is a fabric. In the Victorian era black crepe was hung on the front door of a deceased person. In the idiom, a crepe hanger is sad and depressed about everything, funereal
MalMan, thanks for responding. No apology necessary. I've had that happen once before years ago for I don't know why or where from. I suspect it's a scam since I've heard Microsoft doesn't take calls from anyone, even professionals. No harm done. My computer seems to be working fine, still unnerving when it happens, and yes, it was locked up, so "rebooting" got me back on track. Thanks again.
Monkey, glad to hear you & your computer survived. As I wrote to MalMan, rebooting seems to fix it.
Thanks, MalMan, for the great puns. I needed a good laugh.
Thanks, Luke, for a perplexing puzzle. I questioned whether this could be called a "theme". Definitely called it a gimmick. Struggled with the first words in each one. Red-letters flashed with a lot of tries throughout the puzzle.
I was enchanted about stories of Queen NOOR as a youngster, but didn't remember her American name. Never heard of most of the other names. Lucky guessed Thorpe.
Having had a lapful of babies in many of my younger years with 2 siblings then 4 of my own, I had no problem with that one.
My driveway which went unshoveled during the snows & teen temperatures finally thawed down to slightly wet. I was able to get a grocery delivery for the first time in almost 4 weeks. I was out of almost everything but some canned meat & applesauce. I would have had to open my emergency SPAM tomorrow.
Thanks to Luke and MalMan for an enjoyable excursion! This one was slow to start but then I saw the light with POOL. Ultimately I fell short with COSMICcOrE. Thank you for explaining that one, MalMan, along with why CHANT worked and the PULSAR video -- plus the tunes and smiles. Excellent work!
M & M’s recap: PACER or a CAPER?
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