Theme: A Rough Translation
Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. I hope you got off on the right foot and did not stumble on this one!
I searched The Corner and found this Tuesday, April 19, 2022 puzzle by today's constructor, Billy Ouska. It's nice to see him back with a Monday challenge. He delivered three themed clues and a reveal tucked into the SE corner. A less crowded field allowed room for some longer, fun fills. Sussing those out was my favorite part of this puzzle.
The themed clues are:
17 Across. Artistic gymnastics event: UNEVEN BARS.
 |
| I've always been impressed by this skill! |
24 Across. Campy musical comedy starring Tim Curry, to fans: ROCKY HORROR.
 |
| This is Tim Curry, in character and in life. He played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in both stage and film versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. |
47 Across. Cocktails with peach schnapps and orange juice: FUZZY NAVELS.
FUZZY was a nice add to Billy's list of synonyms for ROUGH. It made me think of leather. Only one side is smooth. The ROUGH side is what we call suede. A saddle with the suede side showing is called a "roughout" saddle.
 |
| Here's a FUZZY-skinned peach slice garnish for your FUZZY NAVEL. |
And the reveal:
57 Across. Inauspicious beginning, or a feature of 17-, 24, and 47-Across: ROUGH START.
UNEVEN BARS, ROCKY HORROR, and FUZZY NAVEL all START with a synonym for the word ROUGH.
30. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.
31. Place to observe undercover activity?: SLEEPLAB. Polysomnography, known as a sleep study, is a test used to diagnose sleep disorders. Polysomnography records your brain waves, the oxygen level in your blood, your heart rate, and breathing during sleep. It also measures eye and leg movements. Has anyone here done one?
36. Safari park roarer: LION.
37. Rolled sandwiches: WRAPS. If you are wondering which is the healthier choice, sandwiches or WRAPS, you might want to read this article.
39. Prefix with space: AERO-.
40. First picture in a baby book, perhaps: SONOGRAM. Often the terms SONOGRAM and ultrasound are used interchangeably; however, there is a difference. An ultrasound is a tool used to take a picture and a SONOGRAM is the picture that the ultrasound generates.
52. Far from strict: LAX. Def.: not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful.
53. Ram of horoscopes: ARIES. Those born March 21 - April 19.
54. Make a priest, say: ORDAIN. confer Holy Orders on
56. Mario Kart units: LAPS. I had the luxury of remembering this from a previous puzzle I blogged.
61. Narrow opening: SLIT. Or SLoT? The definitions for slot seem more focused on a SLIT designed for something to be inserted into it.
62. Like agts. who no longer work for "the company": EX-CIA. "The company" is a nickname for the CIA.
63. Outback birds: EMUS. EMUS have a reputation for being very dangerous; but in actuality, there are no confirmed cases of an EMU directly killing a human. (Of course it would be foolish to threaten or provoke one!) Read more here.
64. " Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ. A polite way of asking "How are you?" in Spanish.
65. "Stunning!": SO HOT. HOT has been slang for "attractive" for many years now. SO HOT, meaning more than attractive is a step up from that.
66. Far from bold: MEEK. 
Down:
1. AC meas.: BTU.
2. Made a break for it: RAN. Made and RAN are both past tense.
3. Freedom from an obligation: EXEMPTION. Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2016, your federal tax return no longer counts up how many EXEMPTIONs you have -- but your State return might.
5. Hamstring, for one: TENDON.
49. "Quiet, you!": ZIP IT.
50. Brand of saltine crackers: ZESTA. 
51. Go to bat (for): VOUCH. Def.: to be able from your knowledge or experience to say that something is true.
55. Celebrity couple: ITEM. Here is People Magazine's list of the top 10 celebrity couples at this year's Golden Globes. Bennifer is #2 so I guess there is some stability in the universe.
57. Hi-__ image: RES.
58. Good Grips brand: OXO.
59. Feel shame about: RUE. A cringe attack is the sudden, intense feelings of embarrassment, shame, or awkwardness that flood over us when we recall past actions or events that we perceive as negative or humiliating. The experience is often accompanied by a mental replay of the incident, complete with vivid sensory and emotional details that can make the event feel as if it is happening in the present.
60. "For shame!": TSK.
46-Down. PSA
Let's keep going. The terrain can be uneven so watch your step!
Across:
1. Raised, as horses: BRED.
5. Dust-ups: TIFFS. I was not familiar with this phrase. They can be arguments or a scuffles.
10. Rights org. with a Smart Justice campaign: ACLU. "Organization" is abbreviated, so is American Civil Liberties Union.
14. Lyft alternative: TAXI. UBER also has four letters.
15. Former Chinese premier Zhou __: ENLAI. (1898 - 1976) He was a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and also the premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death.
16. Shoe with little to no heel: FLAT.
19. Sample: TEST.
20. Miatas and CX-5s: MAZDAS. Mazda Motor Company's headquarters are near Hiroshima, Japan.
21. Fluff, as hair: TEASE. Here is a 1:46 min. How-To video:
22. Cough syrup dosage unit, maybe: CAP.
1. Raised, as horses: BRED.
5. Dust-ups: TIFFS. I was not familiar with this phrase. They can be arguments or a scuffles.
10. Rights org. with a Smart Justice campaign: ACLU. "Organization" is abbreviated, so is American Civil Liberties Union.
14. Lyft alternative: TAXI. UBER also has four letters.
15. Former Chinese premier Zhou __: ENLAI. (1898 - 1976) He was a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and also the premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death.
 |
| Many say his 1972 meeting with Nixon was a game-changer. (I wrote this Saturday night so 112-D in yesterday's puzzle was a gimme.) |
16. Shoe with little to no heel: FLAT.
 |
| I am wondering if any of the guys had trouble with this one. It's a no-brainer for women. |
19. Sample: TEST.
20. Miatas and CX-5s: MAZDAS. Mazda Motor Company's headquarters are near Hiroshima, Japan.
21. Fluff, as hair: TEASE. Here is a 1:46 min. How-To video:
22. Cough syrup dosage unit, maybe: CAP.
 |
| This brand's lid (CAP) doubles as a cup for administering the dosage. I had this in mind when I entered CuP before CAP. |
27. Have a higher position than: OUTRANK. This was the theme of last Wednesday's puzzle. 
29. Geologic span: EON. and 42 Down. Historic spans: AGES.
30. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.
31. Place to observe undercover activity?: SLEEPLAB. Polysomnography, known as a sleep study, is a test used to diagnose sleep disorders. Polysomnography records your brain waves, the oxygen level in your blood, your heart rate, and breathing during sleep. It also measures eye and leg movements. Has anyone here done one?
36. Safari park roarer: LION.
37. Rolled sandwiches: WRAPS. If you are wondering which is the healthier choice, sandwiches or WRAPS, you might want to read this article.
39. Prefix with space: AERO-.
40. First picture in a baby book, perhaps: SONOGRAM. Often the terms SONOGRAM and ultrasound are used interchangeably; however, there is a difference. An ultrasound is a tool used to take a picture and a SONOGRAM is the picture that the ultrasound generates.
43. Slangy about-face: U-EY. U-Turn. Well mates, from what I can tell, this seems to be more of an Aussie spelling.
44. Voice range of many a 4-Down: SOPRANO. and 4 Down. Opera star: DIVA.
44. Voice range of many a 4-Down: SOPRANO. and 4 Down. Opera star: DIVA.
Metropolitan Opera SOPRANO, Maureen McKay (3 min.)
I do not know what she is singing about but her voice is beautiful
and it makes me feel a melancholy for something just out of reach.
52. Far from strict: LAX. Def.: not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful.
53. Ram of horoscopes: ARIES. Those born March 21 - April 19.
54. Make a priest, say: ORDAIN. confer Holy Orders on
56. Mario Kart units: LAPS. I had the luxury of remembering this from a previous puzzle I blogged.
61. Narrow opening: SLIT. Or SLoT? The definitions for slot seem more focused on a SLIT designed for something to be inserted into it.
62. Like agts. who no longer work for "the company": EX-CIA. "The company" is a nickname for the CIA.
63. Outback birds: EMUS. EMUS have a reputation for being very dangerous; but in actuality, there are no confirmed cases of an EMU directly killing a human. (Of course it would be foolish to threaten or provoke one!) Read more here.
64. " Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ. A polite way of asking "How are you?" in Spanish.
65. "Stunning!": SO HOT. HOT has been slang for "attractive" for many years now. SO HOT, meaning more than attractive is a step up from that.
 |
| a stunning sunset (Both sunsets and suns are SO HOT.) |
Down:
1. AC meas.: BTU.
2. Made a break for it: RAN. Made and RAN are both past tense.
3. Freedom from an obligation: EXEMPTION. Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2016, your federal tax return no longer counts up how many EXEMPTIONs you have -- but your State return might.
5. Hamstring, for one: TENDON.
 |
| Try this stretch for tight hamstrings. Notice that she is reaching her chin towards her toes as opposed to her nose to her knee. |
6. Place for a passenger: IN BACK. I cannot wait for driverless cars so I can ride as a passenger IN the BACK seat.
7. Chem lab vessel: FLASK.
8. Not within walking distance: FAR.
9. Female sib: SIS.
10. Trying to find: AFTER. as in "they're only after a good time"
11. Wipe away: CLEAR.
12. Rodeo rope: LASSO.
13. Give voice to: UTTER.
18. Old Testament book before Nehemiah: EZRA.
7. Chem lab vessel: FLASK.
8. Not within walking distance: FAR.
9. Female sib: SIS.
 |
| Click to expand. |
10. Trying to find: AFTER. as in "they're only after a good time"
11. Wipe away: CLEAR.
12. Rodeo rope: LASSO.
13. Give voice to: UTTER.
18. Old Testament book before Nehemiah: EZRA.
Also, Better Than Ezra is an American rock band based in New Orleans. Their name comes from an Ernest Hemmingway book, A Moveable Feast, "Anything was better than Ezra learning to play the bassoon," referring to Ezra Pound. Here is the song Good off of their debut album.
Who knew FFA jackets were cool?
21. Vocal quality: TONE. and 23 Down. Broadcast's sound component: AUDIO.
22. Goes from hot to warm: COOLS. Obviously! 😜
25. App with reviews: YELP. Years ago, before YELP and smartphones, a friend and I were the unknowing beneficiaries of a big misunderstanding. We were at a restaurant. The soup was delicious so I pulled a pen and pad out of my backpack and started writing down what I thought the ingredients might be because I wanted to replicate it at home. I felt "caught" when the waitress approached unexpectedly so I tried to hide what I was writing. She must have thought I was secretly reviewing the restaurant because after that she kept bringing us small bites that the "chef wanted us to try" and giving us way too much information on what we were eating. We finally figured out what was happening when she brought us a free dessert. Did we clear the air? No. It was too awkward. But we did leave a big tip!
26. Long-handled garden tools: HOES.
28. Nevada city near Lake Tahoe: RENO.
31. Actor Rockwell: SAM.
22. Goes from hot to warm: COOLS. Obviously! 😜
25. App with reviews: YELP. Years ago, before YELP and smartphones, a friend and I were the unknowing beneficiaries of a big misunderstanding. We were at a restaurant. The soup was delicious so I pulled a pen and pad out of my backpack and started writing down what I thought the ingredients might be because I wanted to replicate it at home. I felt "caught" when the waitress approached unexpectedly so I tried to hide what I was writing. She must have thought I was secretly reviewing the restaurant because after that she kept bringing us small bites that the "chef wanted us to try" and giving us way too much information on what we were eating. We finally figured out what was happening when she brought us a free dessert. Did we clear the air? No. It was too awkward. But we did leave a big tip!
28. Nevada city near Lake Tahoe: RENO.
 |
| That's a climbing wall in the NW. |
31. Actor Rockwell: SAM.
 |
| Here he is with Saoirse Ronan in See How They Run (2022). |
32. Pioneering late-night host Jack: PAAR. I always forget...two As or two Rs?
33. Passport info: LEGAL NAME.
34. Big venue: ARENA.
35. Fenway Park team, casually: BO SOX. Do people say this?
37. Small, chirpy bird: WREN. In proportion to its size and weight, the call of the Winter Wren is ten times louder than that of a crowing rooster. "Chirpy", indeed.
38. Disney's "__ and the Last Dragon": RAYA. This movie was released in 2021, making XWD constructors everywhere very happy. Here's the trailer:
33. Passport info: LEGAL NAME.
34. Big venue: ARENA.
35. Fenway Park team, casually: BO SOX. Do people say this?
37. Small, chirpy bird: WREN. In proportion to its size and weight, the call of the Winter Wren is ten times louder than that of a crowing rooster. "Chirpy", indeed.
38. Disney's "__ and the Last Dragon": RAYA. This movie was released in 2021, making XWD constructors everywhere very happy. Here's the trailer:
41. "__ Grocery Games": Food Network series also called "Triple G": GUY'S. It stars Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fame.
44. Spanish golfer Garcia who won the 2017 Masters Tournament: SERGIO.
45. No longer in style: OLD HAT.
46. Educational TV ads: PSAS. Public Service Announcements
44. Spanish golfer Garcia who won the 2017 Masters Tournament: SERGIO.
45. No longer in style: OLD HAT.
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| Ah, but wouldn't it be lovely if they were still in style? (cartwheel hat, 1948) |
46. Educational TV ads: PSAS. Public Service Announcements
Please see mine below.
47. Untrue: FALSE.
47. Untrue: FALSE.
 |
| Linus goes for the meta approach. |
48. Range between Europe and Asia: URALS. 
49. "Quiet, you!": ZIP IT.
55. Celebrity couple: ITEM. Here is People Magazine's list of the top 10 celebrity couples at this year's Golden Globes. Bennifer is #2 so I guess there is some stability in the universe.
57. Hi-__ image: RES.
58. Good Grips brand: OXO.
 |
| I use a lot of these OXO containers. |
59. Feel shame about: RUE. A cringe attack is the sudden, intense feelings of embarrassment, shame, or awkwardness that flood over us when we recall past actions or events that we perceive as negative or humiliating. The experience is often accompanied by a mental replay of the incident, complete with vivid sensory and emotional details that can make the event feel as if it is happening in the present.
60. "For shame!": TSK.
Time for the grid:
46-Down. PSA
Cue my annual reminder.... Tax season in the U.S. is just around the corner. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. This will be my 6th year as a VITA preparer. D-Otto volunteered for several years, too. If you know someone who needs assistance with filling out their forms, perhaps recommend they try VITA. We do both Federal and State income taxes. Certain complicated returns are out-of-scope. Use this link to find an IRS VITA location near you.
Have a good week, everyone!
Notes from C.C.:
Dear Agnes suggested that regulars
designate someone to alert me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you just can't
be on the blog for sometime for whatever reason. We're a close
community, we care very much one another's well-being. I know first-hand
how important your cards and emails meant for Boomer and me in his
fight against cancer. We want to provide the same support to all our
regulars.
37 comments:
After erasing “first” for “legal” I didn’t have much trouble with this puzzle, which was the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
D-o managed to find several ways to go wrong on this one. That golfer's name had to be SERGEI, right? D'oh! My FUZZY brain resulted in an UNEVEN performance, but I got 'er done. Thanx, Billy and sumdaze. (Thanks for continuing to volunteer with your VITA-TCE program. I volunteered for more than 10 years, but gave up two years ago with all those Covid restrictions.)
FIR, but Maine took forever until I erased erase for CLEAR. Also, mule->FLAT, coupes->MAZDAS, and eras->AGES.
Today is:
NATIONAL POLKA DOT DAY (my so-called mind immediately jumps to the yellow bikini of song)
NATIONAL BLONDE BROWNIE DAY (love ‘em, but wonder if I could invent a “redhead brownie")
CELEBRATION OF LIFE DAY (honors the children and grandchildren who bring joy to our lives. Like my two elder sisters, to our parents and teachers. Then there was me)
EN LAI has found new life in consecutive puzzles.
Our renovated historic movie house shows ROCK HORROR on the last Friday of every month. Kids still flock to see it again in costume and makeup.
My picture of the sign for LAX Medical Clinic was published in National Lampoon magazine, earning me an additional year on my subscription. (It was named that because it was near the airport.)
Want a great weekend? Tour the California Train Museum in Sacramento. Allow at least a half day for that, then take Amtrak through the mountains to Reno. Gamble if you like, but take time to rent a car and drive through nearby Tahoe and on to Donner Pass.
None of the TV and Radio stations where I've worked use PSA as type of ad. If it's free, it's a PSA. If paid, it's an ad. I don't know if that is technically correct, but confusing them at the station would expose your rookie status.
In pre-digital days, the AUDIO portion of a TV program was broadcast via the "aural" transmitter (FM), separate from the "video" transmitter (AM). The signals were combined before being blasted out the antenna.
FLN:
- Vid, thanks for the info on the beautiful movie. I'll save the second link for home, where I have unlimited gigs.
- Anon @ 6:56, very funny. I don't think H.Gary uses his electric mower to deliver his Meals On Wheels, but who am I to say. Like the M&Ms say about Santa, I've never met the guy.
- Darren, I think you're right - a pinch, not a skosh. Or as they say in Kentucky, "painch."
Thanks to Billy for the fun romp, and for reminding me of Judge Smalls' special putter in Caddyshack. And thanks to sumdaze for the chuckles and information.
No idea how to spell UEY and didn't know RAYA. Took awhile to realize TSP had to be CAP. Nice Monday crossword to start the week.
Took 4:46 today for me to find the irregular verbs.
I didn't know Raya or the Spanish golfer. I confuse the spelling of that Paar with the incorrect Parr.
Thank you for pointing-out there was a theme.
C.C.'s note reminded me of something I read this weekend. The New York Times was promoting its online puzzle (crosswords and other games) forum and noted how someone referred to it as "the nicest place on the Internet." It made me think of the people on this Corner.
sundaze, "O mio babbino caro" is a stereotypical opera plot - "Dear father, I love my boyfriend so much, please let me marry him or I'll throw myself into the river." Which is why I thought it was hilarious as background music for some commercial with Mario Andretti driving a race car around a track.
FIR, but not without a struggle. Proper names like Raya, Sergio, and Guys didn't help, along with several two word answers such as in back, zip it, and old hat to (legal) name a few.
Saw the theme early on and that and the perps helped a lot.
Good Morning:
This was a smooth and easy Monday solve, but I don't equate Fuzzy with Rough, at least not in the same vein as Uneven and Rocky. But based on sumdaze's example, I guess it's close enough for crossword usage. I went astray at Tsp/Cap, Erase/Clear, and Eras/Ages, and Raya was the only unknown. The fill was more interesting and lively than the usual Monday and the cluing was fine except for a personal nit, probably more of a generational opinion. Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn were Stunning! Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were So Hot.
Thanks, Billy, for a pleasant start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts and photos. Favorite cartoons were the ones for Dust-ups, Sonogram, and Meek. I also enjoyed Miss McKay's beautiful aria.
CC, thanks for posting that suggestion. I hope everyone takes it to heart. 😉
Have a great day.
Hi all, this is Billy here. I check out this blog from time to time and it's great to recognize many of the same names of commenters over the years. Hope you are all doing well. Thank you for the review, sumdaze!
Some "behind the scenes" info:
* My original submission had CRACKED WISE instead of FUZZY NAVELS, but the editors felt "cracked" wasn't a great synonym for rocky, which I understand. If only ROWDY GAINES were better known, he would've been a great themer!
* The bottom left corner originally had FERAL, UTICA, ZHANG, and ZONES going down. I would've liked to get Rose Zhang into a puzzle since she's already well on her way to becoming an LPGA phenom, but that would've been a tough answer for a Monday so I understand why the editors revised that corner.
* I'm grateful that Patti and her team kept my clue for 31-Across, because I was pretty proud of it! I liked how they linked 44-Across with 4-Down - that was something I hadn't considered doing but it's a natural fit.
Hope this puzzle didn't lead to a ROUGH START to anyone's week!
I have a leisurely morning since we moved our clinic start to 10 am because of snow/rainy early morning beginning about 3 am. The schools are all closed - I'm hoping it's not too icy since it's bad enough on flat terrain - but it's very hilly here. Not sure if it will be better by 10 am!
Nice Monday morning solve even though it was supposed to be ROUGH
Gimmes: we're studying EZRA at our church this winter; my great niece is named RAYA after the character in the movie; my DH is an ORDAINed pastor - even though he just retired from his main church responsibilities 3 weeks ago and we spent the weekend having a retirement celebration for him.
For extra confusion - PAAR is the old time late night host and Parr is the family in Pixar's "The Incredibles"
Renee - I have heard and said BOSOX
Thanks for the blog and belated HBD SD and Happy birthday to the BLOG - thank you CC for starting it!
IMHO a tad too difficult for a Monday. Lotta PNs never heard of
Inkover: clean/CLEAR, tsp/CAP (c’mon, who else pre-perp?)
☘️M if it weren’t for 3 letter answers providing perpage I wouldn’t finish a lotta puzzles. Such a one is today’s
“Give voice to” means giving another who can’t, a chance to be heard. (PETA “gives voice to” abused animals?”) ✋I also can never remember if it’s PAAR or PArR. (🙄par for the course). C(K)atherine Parr the 6th and last wife of Henry VIII
TSK sounds a little lame “For shame!!
“
Once we’re done messing it up the MEEK won’t want to inherit the Earth
Just when we think we’ve seen the last of it UEY raises its ugly head
Since 2020 the clue for Lasso could also be “Ted”
The lady with that discus hat, please don’t sit in front of me at the movies
Cause of beer stein spillage: UNEVENBARS.
Smell more than …..OUTRANK
“Former Chinese premier” who told fibs while eating: Chou ____ …EN LAI
Airport selling the newspaper where this puzzle can be found …LAX
S’pose to go from single digits to 40 this week,
Good Morning! Sorry to say, I am not much of a fan of today’s puzzle, but I must say it fit the theme perfectly. 57A. Yes, UNEVEN, ROCKY, FUZZY.
The NW was last to fill.
WOs: EN LAI was in, out then back in; muscle -> TENDON; oversee -> OUTRANK; uie-> UEY; clean -> CLEAR; state -> UTTER.
LIU: EZRA.
The south came together more smoothly.
Thanks, sumdaze. A much nicer summation than the event.
Thanks to CC and Agnes for their thoughtful suggestion.
Musings
-Billy’s fun puzzle and Renee’s always engaging write-up made for a good start to my Monday
-The Jessica Pearson character in Suits is already tall and wears spike high heels never flats.
-Teachers with LAX discipline soon regret it
-SO HOT: Today is the first day in weeks where the high will be above 32F
-Our new car has a warning light for when something is left IN the BACK seat
-AUDIO is my start word in Wordle. A few months ago, it was the actual word. Wow!
-WRENS, sparrows and finches are our main winter diners at our birdfeeders
-I hated TRUE/FALSE questions that these choices: A, B, C, D, A &B, B &D, etc.
-I had a sever Cringe Attack last week!
-I’ve never gotten help for my taxes and I think it is unconscionable that our government requires us to fill out forms that are so difficult.
-Billy, I really appreciated your “inside baseball” comments
Thank you for the puzzle. Please check your anatomy. Hamstring is a muscle, not a tendon. Every muscle has a tendon, but the correct answer should be “muscle,” which would not fit with all the other correct answers.
My goodness,
I thought Mondays crosswords were supposed to be easy....
(Not on this constructors wavelength.)
Firstly,
Wraps, healthy?
Tortillas traditionally made with lard, are now made with trans fats...
Secondly,
I cracked up at the urn/ashes/marriage counsellor cartoon, reminded me of another dust up in The Big Lewbowski.
And finally,
Notes from CC?
Designate someone to alert you?
I'll have you know I am a "professional crastinator", who hasn't even written a will yet!
(Maybe I will, and maybe I won't...)
Jeez, so far all I've done is tell my kids, if after I'm gone, if they want to remember me, just read the old blog posts...
Hmm,
This is actually harder than it seems, what do you leave a group of people that are into puzzles?
Nothing FUZZY here. Smooth and CLEAR puzzle. First had tsp for CAP and erase for CLEAR, but that got fixed in no time.
Many years ago we had a Miata. Loved it.
Sumdaze’s WRAP up was fun and informative. Agnes’s suggestion is a good one. We seem to worry when a regular stops contributing.
FLN. I so enjoyed Vid’s links to Indian music. I always appreciate his candid comments.
Thank you Billy for a very SMOOTH start to the week!
And thank you sumdaze for a fun review. I'm glad you're feeling better! Favorite illustration was TIFFS! I've often thought of making a ceramic urn decorated with a glaze made with my ashes, but Teri won't hear of it! Plus, I guess I wouldn't be around to mix it.
And some other favs:
16A FLAT. Women seem to have a much wider variety of shoe heights than men. Is a partial reason for this to enable them to adjust their GROSS height to appear just a little shorter than the males they are dating? Just sayin'
24A ROCKY HORROR. We've seen the movie on TV, but never attended a cinema showing. RHPS fans are a real CULT and bring all sorts of props to performances to be deployed on cue at different events during the pic. If you go to one, make sure to wear a raincoat.
31A SLEEP LAB. I've had three studies. Imagine yourself trying to sleep in a cocoon of wires attached to sensors pasted all over your body and wearing a space helmet. The first test was inconclusive; I fled the second in the middle of the night with a panic attack; and the third was successful -- the technician suggested a lightweight mask which didn't make me feel claustrophobic. Now I no longer snore and I have dreams, and I'm addicted to my CPAP machine*.
44A SOPRANO. That beautiful ARIA is Il Mio Bambino Caro from Puccini's only comedy, Gianni Schicchi, based on a story from Dante's Divine Comedy.
46D PSAS. PSA also stands for Prostate Specific Antigen, a screening test for prostate cancer. They are recommended for "men of a certain age". Above a value of 4 your doctor will want you to go in for a biopsy. Whatever you do, make sure you do it under anesthesia!
Cheers,
Bill
* CSO to Picard and Jayce. If it hasn't been done already, the person who invents low-cost, reusable bluetooth senors for conducting polysomnographies will make a fortune!
FIR in typical (for me) Monday time. I enjoyed this CW, thanx BO, even though there were a few things I had to guess. UEY crossing RAYA for instance. "Y" was the only letter I could think of that might be correct, and luckily it was. Nice clues, nice theme, a definite improvement from last week's "Thursday-On-A-Monday" CW. Thanx Sumdaze for the terrific write-up.
A very apropos puzzle for a Monday, thank you for easing us into the CW week Billy! The only real unknown for me was RAYA, but it easily perped. FIR in a decent time for me (which is typically about 3 times as long as it takes SS).
Sumdaze, I always enjoy your informative, entertaining and lighthearted blogs. The OLD HAT pic ~ watching movies from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, women really sported some beautiful hair styles, would be nice to see some of them make a comeback. Nice photo of you that C.C. posted yesterday, and speaking of hairstyles, those are some braids! 😊
Billy Ouska Thank you for stopping by and telling us about changed clues and answers. CRACKED WISE seems odd. Only ever heard of WISE CRACKED. I did enjoy the ROUGH theme.
Hand up sure it was TSP before CAP. CAP seems unsanitary. Hand up cross of unknown RAYA and ambiguous spelling UEY seemed a bit unfair. Last to fill was the SO HOT/unknown SERGIO area. FIR.
I saw this hilarious EMUS cautionary road sign in Australia.
waseeley Thanks for the inventing offer. SLEEP LABS are becoming less necessary. I don't do phones or apps, but rumor has it that they can do a pretty good job of monitoring sleep without a tangle of wires in a strange place.
From Yesterday:
Vidwan Thank you for the comment about my WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL by GEHRY photo. It is actually in LA not SF. By coincidence with the MIT answer yesterday, there is also a GEHRY building at MIT. I have photos of that, too...
I'm not sure that 'VOUCH' is a good fit for the clue "Go to bat (for)"? I suppose they both mean 'support' in some way but "going to bat for someone" carries connotations of effort that I don't think "vouch" does?
A pleasurable Monday offering.
Thanks Billy.
I remember the first time I saw the Rocky Picture Horror Show in a theatre and the audience knew all the songs and dialogue… and people were actually throwing toast .. it was such a weirdly delightful experience.
Thanks Sumdaze for the thorough and thoughtful recap.
The dust up cartoon made me 😂 lol.
Have a good week everyone.
…. kkFlorida
Oops … I meant the Rocky Horror Picture Show…
Anon @ 11.32 - About 100 years ago when I was still in high school, a friend of mine drove down to see me from a town a couple of hours away. We became friends on a common school trip, and found out our fathers were friends from way back. On the way he realized he had forgotten his wallet and needed to buy gas. He had his checkbook, and asked a local gas station if he could buy gas that way. Since it was an out-of-town bank, he was asked if he knew anyone locally who could VOUCH for him. He gave my dad's name and number (4-4759) and they called him. My dad told them that if the check was for less than $1 million, it would be as good as gold. I think that Dad "went to bat" for him.
If you want to see lots of elegant OLD (fashioned) HATs, don't miss TV coverage of the Kentucky Derby on May 4th. Seems that the big city women want to dress up like ladies of the plantation for a day, and don't mind spending big to do so.
Wheels42@8:34. Thanks for the behind the scenes look!
I do not have any inside gouge but I expect there will be a next time with RAYA so we should remember that one.
IM. That's a great suggestion. I still wonder about ATLGranny....
billocohoes@7:25. Thank you for explaining the aria.
inanehiker@8:44. I'm happy to hear that BOSOX is a thing. Also, thank you for the b-day wish.
LOL@ the funny links & pics posted by our usual witty posters!
As a former New Englander I can also VOUCH that BOSOX is a thing.
Zipped quickly to the FIR. Only stumble was UBER/TAXI...shoulda' waited for the perps! Guess I was on the proper wavelength this morning, or the caffeine was really working. Enjoyed the debrief, SD!
Sumdaze, what's an "inside gouge?" From context I assume it's like the inside dope or inside scoop, but I've never heard gouge used in that sense.
D-Otto @ 1:18. Yes, that's how I use it. I think I picked up that usage from DH -- so probably military jargon.
Hola!
Late to the party as it is counting Monday and I usually need a nap after that, too.
Thank you, Billy Ouska, for the fun puzzle and for your appearance here, as well. It's so nice to hear from constructors!
I had UBER before TAXI and started with OVER then realized OUT would go with RANK. Otherwise no more errors.
Yesterday at church a woman behind me was singing in a beautiful SOPRANO voice; I wanted to ask her why she wasn't in the choir. It was one of those deep from the diaphragm, trained voices. I liked that she was behind me, though, and I could enjoy it.
I like ZESTA crackers.
My late brother-in-law loved his MAZDA.
And back in the days when we wore HATS to church, my mother loved to wear her stylish ones.
In the folder with "last instructions" for my daughter, I shall add information about this Blog so that she will inform you all of my passing when it happens. Thank you for that suggestion.
I hope your Monday has gotten off to a smooth, not rocky, start, everyone!
I liked this puzzle, except for UEY.
Speaking of that "O mio babbino caro" aria, I hereby shamelessly complain that it hurts my ears when the singer holds that high note for so damn long. The score is not written that way and it is not the rhythmic way of the Italian language. The words I refer to are ""O mio babbino caro, mi piace è bello, bello." The "o" in the first "bello" is the high note I am referring to, and is scored as an eighth note, which is very short compared to the half notes of "bel" and the second "bello." No Italian speaker would ever say "BellOOOOOOOOOOOOO" as so many singers do it. They only drag it (unnaturally) out because it's a high note. It really hurts my ears and, doggone it, it's not what the composer wrote.
Good wishes to you all.
Hi All!
Thanks Billy for a nice Monday puzzle to welcome in the work week and for swinging by The Corner with some inside-baseball.
Wonderful expo & (FLN) Happy Birthday!, Sumdaze. Of course folks say Bo-Sox, how else to differentiate from the Chi-Sox? ;-)
WOs: EXit -> EXEM(PTION), CLEAn -> CLEAR
ESPs: RAYA, SERGIO
Fav: MAZDAS - reminded me of my old GLC hatchback and my subsequent 626. (Army) Bro has a CX-5.
FLN, HBD MdF. Glad to know you're still out there; swing by once in a while.
I have a pocket protector that says "The GEEK shall inherit the Earth."
@7:07a I read the same NYT article. I don't participate in the NYT forums, so I can't really compare it to The Corner -- only that C.C.'s set the kindness-bar pretty high here.
Gotta run.
Cheers, -T
SERGIO was a young phenom when he broke into the PGA tour. He was fun to watch, and seemed to be in awe about the game and his fellow competitors. Here's the shot that endeared him to golf fans in the USA.
But yesterday we crowned a new young hero - Nick Dunlap, an amateur from Alabama, won the PGA's American Express tournament. He is the first amateur to win a PGA event since Phil Mickelson did it last century. He's already had a big first - Nick joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur.
Nice word to start Wordle. I use aegis or weird. Will Shortz suggests arose among others.
Husband took the test and used a cpap machine ever after. I had to listen to NPR to camoflage the machine.
Gehry has now designed a huge rectangular hotel complex across the street from the beautiful Disney Hall. Aargh!
Excellent point. An American speaking Italian exaggerates the word NO by saying Noooooo or yeeeeeess Siiiiiiiii I was corrected early on that for emphasis repeat the words don’t stretch out the vowels. “No , No” or “Si, Si”
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