Any Which Way But Loose. The letters in the circles are currently arranged any which way but correct. Rearrange the letters and they will spell a compass direction.
18-Across. Wall Street fluctuation: MARKET SWING. West
23-Across. Unpaved side of the road: SOFT SHOULDER. South
49-Across. Boundary of a black hole: EVENT HORIZON. North
56-Across. Overly cute "So cute!": TOTES ADORBS. East
And the unifier:
37-Across. Take a different route, and a hint to the circled letters: CHANGE DIRECTION.
Across:
1. Mike and __: fruit-flavored candy: IKE. Everything you wanted to know about Mike and Ike but didn't know to ask.
4. Spanish small plates: TAPAS. Everything you wanted to know about Tapas but didn't know to ask. There is a Tapas restaurant near me, which serves very good food. The problem is you tend to order many, many dishes, so it can be rather expensive.
9. Bungling: INEPT.
14. Supervillain Luthor: LEX. The archnemesis of the superhero Superman. // And 11-Down. Like a supervillain: EVIL. [Name # 1, Fictional.]
15. On one's toes: ALERT.
16. Fourth prime number: SEVEN. A prime number is defined as having only two positive factors. Number 1 is not a prime number because the number of positive divisors or factors is only one i.e. 1 itself. The number 2 is the smallest number that satisfies the definition of prime numbers. Primes: 2, 3, 5, 7...
17. Fish-throwing Muppet __ Zealand: LEW. I don't remember this Muppet. [Name # 2, fictional.]
20. Sambuca flavor: ANISE. Everything you wanted to know about Sambuca but didn't know to ask.
22. Spanish grandmother: ABUELA. Today's Spanish lesson.
27. Patella place: KNEE.
28. Common first section of a menu, familiarly: APPS. As in Appetizers. Not to be confused with Tapas.
29. Food Network host Garten: INA. Ina Garten (née Ina Rosenberg; b. Feb. 2, 1948) is also known as the Barefoot Contessa, which was also the name of her television cooking show. [Name # 3.]
32. Jeans accent: RIVET. They actually serve a purpose.
34. Architect's creation: DESIGN.
41. Grumble over: BEMOAN.
42. Swamp reptile, for short: GATOR. A few years ago, my sister and I went to Avery Island to view the gardens. We came across an unexpected visitor there.
 |
| This critter was a little too close for comfort. |
43. "lol oops": SRY. Textspeak for Sorry.
44. Exceedingly: OH, SO. Meh!
45. Mountain climber's goal: ACME. Hand up if you tried Peak first.
53. See where one's coming from: RELATE.
55. Like a couch potato: INERT.
60. Business VIP: CEO.
61. Country singer Gill or writer/producer Gilligan: VINCE. Although I have heard of Vince Gill (né Vincent Grant Gill; b. Apr. 12, 1957), I don't always know the names of screenwriters and producers, such as Vince Gilligan (né George Vincent Gilligan Jr.; b. Feb. 10, 1967). The latter is known for writing and directing both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. [Names # 4 and 5.]
62. Deceitfulness: GUILE.
63. Meat in a Dr. Seuss title: HAM. I do not like Green Eggs and Ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. I have the Hebrew version of this book, which is called Green Eggs No Ham.
64. Shutter strips: SLATS.
65. Les __-Unis: ETATS. Today's French lesson.
66. Player coming off the bench, for short: SUB.
Down:
1. "Let me find out": I'LL ASK.
2. Passionate about: KEEN ON.
3. Post-divorce party: EX-WIFE. Not a party with cake and balloons, but a party to the divorce proceeding.
4. Brings under control: TAMES.
5. Styled after: À LA. As in Pie à la mode.
6. "As __ our agreement": PER.
7. Noah's boat: ARK.
8. Fantastic deals: STEALS.
9. Debate topic: ISSUE.
10. More contemporary: NEWER.
12. Former MLB catcher Tony in the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame: PEÑA. Tony Peña (né Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla; b. June 6, 1957) was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. In 2016, he was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. He played professional baseball for almost 30 years: beginning in 1980 with Pittsburgh Pirates until 1997, retiring with the Houston Astros. He also had brief stints with several other teams, including the Boston Red Sox. [Name # 6.]
13. "Star Trek" series, for short: TNG. The Next Generation.
19. Not yet scheduled: Abbr.: TBD. To Be Determined.
21. Fondue fuel: STERNO.
24. Safe space: HAVEN.
25. Persuasive column: OP-ED. A crossword staple. The term is short for "opposite the editorial page", referring to the practice of newspapers placing op-eds on the opposite side of their editorial page.
26. High-strung: UP-TIGHT. // And 44-Down. High-strung: ON EDGE.
29. Sundial three: III.
30. Private aid gp.: NGO. Non-Governmental Organization.
31. "I Hope You Dance" singer Lee __ Womack: ANN. Lee Ann Womack (b. Aug. 19, 1966) is primarily a country music singer. [Name # 7.]
33. Tennis player Swiatek: IGA. I am not up on my professional players. Iga Natalia Świątek (b. May 31, 2001) was born in Razsyn Poland. [Name # 8.]
34. Half a droid name: DETOO. The droid's full name is Artoo-Detoo, or R2-D2. [Name # 9, fictional.]
35. Prefix with system: ECO-. Ecosystem.
36. Use a colander: STRAIN.
37. "Ghosts" network: CBS. If you haven't seen Ghosts, you should seek it out. It is really funny. The series began as a British series, and now there is also an American series.
38. Yonder lass: HER. Meh!
39. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY. Amy Klobuchar (née Amy Jean Klobuchar; b. May 25, 1960) has been a Senator from Minnesota since 2007. [Name # 10.]
40. Poison ivy reaction: RASH.
46. Prague residents: CZECHs. Prague is a beautiful city.
47. "The Island of Doctor __": H.G. Wells novel: MOREAU. The Island of Doctor Moreau is a 1869 science fiction novel about a mad scientist (Dr. Moreau) who experiments with animals. The novel addresses the moral ethics of animal dissection. [Name # 11, fictional.]
48. Bury: ENTOMB.
49. Put in power: ELECT.
50. Bouquet holders: VASES.
51. Pilot's update, briefly: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. A crossword staple.
52. Reacts to yeast: RISES.
53. Bubble and churn: ROIL.
54. One of four active volcanoes in Italy: ETNA. The volcano is on Sicily.
56. Den sets: TVs.
57. Not trendy: OUT.
58. Fjord kin: RIA.
59. Simple sammie: BLT. Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
This puzzle was not terribly difficult. However, it was made harder than it needed to be because of the number of obscure (usually three letter) names, IMHO. But I did get the theme quickly, especially after I solved the reveal, so that helped solve the whole puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased pbj for BLT, which aren't simple to me. At least the B isn't. Then ya gotta get out the toaster. Waaaa.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL PIE DAY (still not March 14th, the real pi day)
NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY (backed by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association. Yes, it’s a thing)
If someone invites you onto their boat for an outing, don't wear anything with those RIVETs. They leave marks on the fiberglass that are removed with acetone. (You may want to leave those high heels at home too.)
Kentucky has a new SUB. Croatian Zvonimir Ivisic (called "Z") was finally declared eligible by the NCAA a couple of hours before their game Saturday. He came off the bench, and in his first five minutes made three 3-point goals, blocked two shots, made two assists, got two steals and got a technical foul (for doing a chin-up on the rim after dunking.) At 7'2" he will be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. He probably won't start tonight, but his minutes will probably increase.
I wonder if the Auld Bard would be cancelled for penning The TAMing of the Shrew if he were writing in this era.
CSO to Picard at TNG.
I wonder what percentage of the populous can name even one of their US Senators. Hell's bells, I wonder what percentage know how many US Senators their state has. Sad.
I've had a fjord (Mustang), and I have had a couple of Cjhevvys.
I love the Chewy commercial with the dog apologizing to his dad after the dog broke the VASE with his wagging tail after he saw the Chewy box show up. The two bicker about vahze vs VASE.
Thanks to Noelle for the fun Tuesday special. I suspect that your name is pronounced like the Christmas carol, even though it contains two els. And thanks to Ha2la for more chuckles. BTW, one of my Jewish coworkers referred to ham as "pink chicken." He was not the most devout individual I've ever known.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteStumbled in northern CA. BEMOAN and SRY were slow to arrive. In my defense, following cataract surgery my near vision really sucks. Read the clue for SRY as "Lot cops." Also failed to notice the circles, so the theme eluded me. Again. Thanx, Noelle and Hahtoolah.
Obscure proper names (many of them 3 letters), foreign language words, text speak, and circled letters--plenty for me to whine about today. Srsly, I hate text speak in crosswords. I understood the theme but being scrambled letters really didn't help me. No reveals needed but I did need to check and correct a few answers.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't thinking "Yonder lass" would simply be HER until I got enough letters around that answer.
FIR. This puzzle had all the things I dislike: circles and obscure proper names, some even crossing, as in Ina and Ann. Thank heavens for perps or this would be worse.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was easy enough to get, and it was clever. However totes adorbs is not in my daily vocabulary and seems a bit much for a Tuesday.
Took 5:26 today for me to get oriented.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the prior comments. Too many proper names, too many 3-letter words (Ms. Irish Miss, do you agree?), and of course...
Oh joy, circles!
This INEPT solver wasn't too ALERT this morning. I didn't pay any attention to the circles until after I solved the puzzle and noticed STEW, SHOUT, and THORN. I couldn't see any connection. My thinking needed to CHANGE DIRECTION.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a big MARKET SWING in the last few months; hope everybody was in on it.
EVENT HORIZON- I knew it but solved it by perps before seeing the clue.
SRY is a 'sorry' excuse for a fill. I'll just BEMOAN that.
TOTES ADORBS- I guess it's trendy but I've only seen it in puzzles
ABUELA- saw it last week and faintly remembered.
LEW Zealand- thank you perps
If you have an EX-WIFE you can always try to get a NEWER model.
Jinx-"I wonder what percentage of the populous can name even one of their US Senators." Current ones Cassidy & Kennedy. I also play pickleball with an ex-senator (David Vitter) and his wife (federal judge Wendy).
BE @7:49AM But unless you've got BIG BUCKS you're not likely to get a TROPHY for her.
DeleteJinx and big easy - Ms Britt and Mr Tuberville, also known as Coach
ReplyDeleteBeen lurker for quite a while but decided to join the fray. Love the write ups and all the comments
Aubiemom @8:15 AM Welcome to the Corner! Please get a profile and tell us a bit about yourself.
DeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI can abide the circles because it's Tuesday and the proper names because I knew them, but the 26 three letter words (Yes, SS, I heartily agree) and the fill-in-the-blank clues, and the nauseating Totes Adorbs absolutely took all the joy out of this solve, Sry (!) to say! The theme was evident after parsing West and South and the reveal clue's simplicity led to a quick conclusion on Change Direction. Ina and Iga are becoming staples due to those handy vowels.
Thanks, Noelle, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the great review and the usual chuckles. Favorite comics today were Noah and his Coterie of Cats, the Trick Knee, Dr. Zeuss, and the TV Rabbit Ears.
Have a great day.
Another coinkidink - GATOR fill in the CW; GATORcicles in my home town paper. Turns out that GATORS in North Carolina have adapted to their harsh (for GATORS) winters. When it gets close to freezing, the GATORs get into their water environs, stick their snouts out of the water, and allow the rest to sink. The water freezes, and the GATORS go into kind of a hibernation state. When the ice melts, they wake up, climb out of the water and sun themselves when they can to help them recover. I'll see your cold-stunned iguana, and raise you one GATORcicle.
ReplyDeleteNational Pie Day is Charlie Papazian's birthday. Without him beer wouldn't be home brewed, nor would there be as many mini breweries. Only .000038% of humanity are 7 foot or taller. That's about 2800 people. That answer for being cute isn't cute, IMHO. And what was wrong with crossing HEP with SPY instead of HER with SRY? That letter R was my only wrong guess on the grid.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Mr Cosby, Noah had to keep telling the rabbits, "ONLY TWO, ONLY TWO".
ReplyDeleteToday, I was attuned to our esteemed purveyor Noelle. No trouble at all with the solve. Theme and reveal came out easily. I echo the comments on SRY and TOTESADORBS. The current crop of young people should recognize their abuse of the spoken English language for purposes of being "cool". Using a word to mean something other than its original definition, e.g. hot to mean sexy, is one thing, but abbreviation like that just because they are too lazy to type or say the whole words is unacceptable. End of rant.
Noelle and Hahtoolah gave good effort on our part and I congratulate them for their work. Thank you!
Blessed be the cruciverbalists, for theirs is the kingdom of puzzlement.
Beleaguer
OH SO it’s Tuesday. Thanks for the fun Noelle and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteI looked at this grid and immediately thought “oh joy, circles!”. LOL SRY.
I FIRed eventually and saw the CHANGEd DIRECTIONs with the reveal. Before that, I was seeing Stew and Shout. Like IM, I thought that the location of the reveal in the middle spoiled the solve of the last two themers below it.
I agree re too many names and three-letter answers. My possible Natick crosses were up in the NW (I am not directionally challenged today) with the unknown-to-me trio of IKE, LEX and LEW. Fortunately perps were friendly.
I remembered last week’s Spanish lesson and entered ABUELA immediately. My memory was not as good for IGA (can we please have the grocery store clue!).
Croc was too short; GATOR fit. DH worked on John Deere GATOR utility vehicle DESIGN and production before the Canadian plant was closed.
TBA changed to TBD; old changed to OUT.
At least the clue for TOTE ADORBS acknowledges that it is “overly cute”!
I noted SHOULDER and KNEE underneath. There was a (S)WING above.
Canadians do not elect Senators; they are appointed. We elect MPs and MPPs (Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament). Allison and Oosterhoff respectively for me.
Join in again Aubiemom.
Wishing you all a great day. More snow here!
Musings
ReplyDelete-My 52-yr-old daughter used TOTES ADORBS in a conversation last month she had with her sister.
-Working out in any clothing with RIVETS is prohibited at our YMCA because they can cause tears in the benches. A muscular body builder refused to obey and it was a quite a scene to get him removed.
-INA and IGA are in my name list now
-STEALS: If the price seems too good to be true…
-Former Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts and west Nebraska rancher Deb Fischer
Here in Texas we've got John Cornyn and he-who-shall-not-be-named.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning! Today’s puzzle was an amble and hopscotch, but I made it to the finish line without too much trouble. Thanks, Noelle. No complaints from me.
ReplyDeletePerps filled in the unknown LEW, PENA and SRY.
One WO: (spelling) CHechs -> CZECHS. (Rats, I guess I do have a complaint (or is it a BEMOAN?) This blog won't let me underline, italic or bold.
Jinx, et al: Casey & Fetterman. Fetterman is much improved in his speech and is saying things not approved by his party but much on point.
Thanks, Hah2lah for the fun. Yikes about the GATOR! – too close! The Dr. Zeuss, and the sundial watch were LOL! Your sourcing toons is amazing!
change direction?
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Noelle Griskey. Were you born in December, close to Christmas? Last night I watched a movie on Netflix called THE NOEL DIARY.
I agree that Prague is a lovely city. The town square (actually it's a circle) is large, much larger than the one in Venice and no pigeons. None that I can recall, anyway.
I can RELATE to the poison ivy RASH. On an outing to Mt. Palomar we encountered POISON IVY and the entire group was "stung". On our return home, we slathered ourselves with calamine lotion.
I'll take a CSO at ABUELA. I'm a grandmother several times over.
Mmmmm, TAPAS.
I hope your day is peaceful and happy. It's raining here!
Big Easy@7:49. I too thought the circles spelled STEW, SHOUT, and THORN. I knew I needed to CHANGE DIRECTION, but i didn’t make it.
ReplyDeleteI remembered IGA from a recent puzzle. I agree with others who were put off by the names and that totally absurd TOTES ADORBS. I hope never to see it again. EVENT HORIZON was a WAG facilitated by the Z of CZECHS.
Hahtoolah regaled us as usual with some cute illustrations. My favorite was Einstein’s quote. How true in my case.
Yay, it’s not freezing, finally.
Our senators are Kelly and Sinema.
ReplyDeleteSlogged through to an FIR finally. Did not particularly enjoy this one, the clues were a tad off my frequency today. ENTOMB seemed a strange answer for bury, aren't most tombs above ground? Loved Dr. ZEUSS, Ha2la! Time for another cup of "dark matter".
ReplyDeleteDurbin & Duckworth, for me.
ReplyDeleteJinx Thank you for the CSO for Picard in TNG.
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah Thank you for the many hilarious illustrations. Loved Dr Zeuss. By coincidence I just read the Genesis story of NOAH and the ARK. Some animals were to be taken in pairs of 7 animals: "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female."
One of my best friends Petr is CZECH and lives in PRAGUE. I was just emailing him yesterday. Since we just had the architect GEHRY...
Here I photographed this GEHRY "Dancing House" in PRAGUE while visiting my CZECH friend Petr.
Enjoyed the CHANGE DIRECTIONS theme and it helped with the solve. FIR. Delighted to see EVENT HORIZON. Has anyone ever heard APPS used as short for Appetizers?
C-Eh, your senators are probably closer to what our founders intended than ours are. Members of the House of Representatives represent the individual people in their district, or mostly do so. Our senators were supposed to represent the individual states, with each state's legislature deciding who they would be. Our 17th amendment changed that to direct election. As a result, Yemen is represented in Washington, but Illinois (or any of the other 49) is not. Another thing to fix if we can ever get a second constitutional convention. I won't hold my breath. Those in power are loath to put their fiefdoms in jeopardy.
ReplyDeletePuzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFIR with one write/over
Thanks to Noelle and Susan for the fun solve and recap; I don't think the circles were needed, but they helped
The "reveal" in the dead center of the grid made the puzzle easier to solve
Nice puzzle despite the plethora of 3-letter words ...
A constructor explanation for this:
1) there are 225 squares (total) in a crossword puzzle grid (15 columns by 15 rows)
2) there are 38 black squares (blocks) in this puzzle; that's about the normal amount
3) this puzzle had 76 words if I counted correctly (76 - 80 is about normal for a 15x15 grid)
4) there are 59 letters in the four entries and reveal (that's a lot; normally, the entries plus the reveal total 40-48 letters)
4) after adding the number of black squares (38) and entry/reveal squares (59), there remained 128 letter squares to fill
5) not that this is a "perfect" explanation, but when you take the remaining words (71) after the entries, divide that number in half (as half of the words go down and half go across), and then divide 128 letter squares by that number (35.5), you get an "average" word length of 3.6 letters
6) so it's not surprising that a puzzle (like today's) will have so many 3-letter words
Just for fun, I played around on my crossword puzzle software, and found only one other grid that fit these four entries and reveal: it had 78 words, 38 black squares, and 25 3-letter words
So while we all might complain a bit when we see a puzzle with loads of 3-letter words, there IS an explanation ... and now, you know!!
Totally delightful Tuesday puzzle--thank you very much for this treat, Noelle.
ReplyDeleteAnd Hahtoolah, your cartoons were a total pleasure this morning. My favorite was the Dr. Zeuss cartoon, which appears to have been a pleasure to so many as well.
It was also fun to have the circles transform into map directions--also a neat surprise.
Have a delightful day, everybody.
Thank you Noelle for an almost FIR. Got the theme and everything else except I couldn't RELATE to 53A, as 543D BOIL made sense, so I talked myself into BELATE (?).
ReplyDeleteThank you Hahtoolah for all the fun and elucidation. Loved the reveal cartoon, Dr. Zeuss's lament, the two couch potatoes and the plethora of cats on the ARK (there's an exception to every rule).
Some favs:
6A TAPAS. For people who can't decide what APPS to order.
22A ABUELA. A lesson I learned from crosswords.
31A ANN. Loved the video.
33A IGA. She's been playing on the Corner a lot lately.
37A CBS. I've got Ghosts bookmarked. I'll start with the Brit series.
46A CZECHS. Here's the 3rd movement from Mozart Symphony No. 38, known as "The Prague". It was premiered there on January 19, 1787.
FLN
In yesterday's puzzle Renee selected an aria from the Puccini's 1 act opera Gianni Schicchi to illustrate the word SOPRANO. Not only is it Puccini's only comedy, but it's hilarious, relatively short (less than an hour) and I think this YouTube version would be a perfect introduction to this most maligned of art forms ...
PRECIS:
The opera opens in the bedroom of a rich man named Buoso Donati who has just died and is surrounded by mourning relatives. Their attention soon turns to finding his will and their crocodile tears turn to rage when they find that he has left all his money to the monks of a nearby monastery! After they cool down, someone comes up with the idea of calling in the local lawyer Gianni Schicci to see what can be done about it. He arrives, comes up with solution, and hilarity ensues. Here's the complete opera with English subtitles (enlarge to full screen to see them best, and bypass the credits -- the action starts in at 3 minutes). The famous aria I Mio Bambino Caro starts at about 32 minutes.
Cheers,
Bill
C-Moe @12:04. Thank you for lifting the curtain on the grid construction. Of course it’s like sausage making, I’d rather not know what goes into it. I like the mystery of the puzzle. But it gives one a new respect for puzzle constructors.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Noelle for a very Tuesday-feeling solve! FAV: EVENT HORIZON. I also noted IGA & INA. What would they text each other about? IDK.
ReplyDeleteRIVETS are also placed where they will not scratch marks into a saddle. Similarly, Wranglers have a flat inner leg seam to avoid rubbage when riding. Levis don't have a flat inner leg seam but plenty of cowboys have no problems with Levis.
Thanks for your fun tour, Hahtoulah! FAVs: Clint, Dr. Zeuss, Noah's cats, and TV rabbit.
Welcome, Aubiemom!
My 2¢, Chairman Moe, I’m impressed with your explanation of the structure of a crossword. Cheers to those who do it. My brain’s not wired for it, nor do I ever aspire to it.
ReplyDeleteI will challenge you on one point though, not ALL (everyone) complain(s) about 3 letter words. I doubt I ever will. I find some can be difficult to suss while an 8 – 10 letter fill might be easy. A lot depends on cluing and obscurities.
Hand up for entering PEAK at first. Then I tried APEX, but it turned out to be ACME. Sure, like every mountain climber says, "I am trying to reach the acme before nightfall."
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it was an okay puzzle. Gave me something to do before reading Hahtoolah's interesting writeup and all of your comments.
If I can finish a puzzle, whether fast or slow, I will not complain. My enjoyment is in accomplishing it to the end. I may or may not like the theme, it makes no difference to me as long as I fill the grid. If it's amusing and/or challenging so much the better. I salute all constructors for their skill. I know I couldn't do it but I'm glad I can enjoy their talents.
ReplyDeletewaseeley
Thank you. That is beautiful! I love the strings!
Alex Padilla, and, as the interim fill-in for Dianne Feinstein, Laphonza Butler. Soon it will be either Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, or Adam Schiff.
ReplyDeleteToken Creek @11:27 AM, awwww, you named him!
Jinx in Norfolk @11:56 AM, I don't understand your Yemen comment.
BellOOO, bello!
Jayce, the point is that states have no representation in Washington. Even third world countries, including many that are hostile to this country, have more access to the big seat of power than our states. Even though a couple of senators aren't the same as an embassy, it is two very powerful individuals who could directly, not indirectly, represent the states. An example of why this is important: For years, the Feds have issued unfunded mandates for a whole host of bright ideas the bureaucrats dream up. The states fume, but it is hard to get voters to get excited by them. If senators were accountable to their state legislatures, these would not be tolerated unless it was urgent and important.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle for the quick Tuesday puzzle. The theme eluded me 'cuz I descrambled the circles ALA BigEasy.
Thanks for the fun expo, Hahtoolah. "Trick KNEE" was cute; Dr. Zeuss was LOL.
WOs: Old -> OUT
ESPs: LEW, IGA, MOREAU (sp)
Fav: ON EDGE abutting UP TIGHT
Jinx - Cruz & Cornyn. I could probably name 45 or so of the 100 senators by state.
Welcome to The Corner, Aubiemom. Based on your senators, Alabama is your home state. Based on handle, at least one of your kids went to Auburn ;-)
HG - If you're paying attention, you can narrow down all the NEWER Cornerites' home states for your map ;-)
TNG Picard - my (CEO) Bro says Apps all the time for starters. Speaking of Bro & apps, if his flight cooperates, we'll have lunch tomorrow before his meeting. Then he'll have to fly back to CO.
Back to work. Cheers, -T
To RosE and Monkey:
ReplyDeleteThe biggest "challenge" when having so many 3-letter words in a puzzle is avoiding (as much as possible) abbreviations. They are inevitable but can also be clued in such a way to make them tough or easy. As constructors, our clues are often edited; and that's perfectly fine. The editor has to balance the number of times the same (or similar) clue appears - especially if the word (e.g., IGA) entry appears more than once per week
Chairman Moe, Thanks, I hear your point about three letter words. I just wanted to say I don't complain about their presence. If they pass Patti's desk, they must be necessary to be there, Goodness knows I'm not one to challenge their presence, although I might grouse a little if they are obscure (to me!). 😊
ReplyDeleteJinx, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed today's puzzle, thanks, Noelle. Also liked Billy's puzzle yesterday. Sunday, I read thru some clues, turned off the computer & went to bed. Great expo, Hahtoolah! I'm amazed that you stuck around long enough to photograph that gator encounter.
ReplyDeleteSenators are Marshall & Moran. I knew Moran well in his earlier days in politics when I interviewed him frequently for the newspaper. Moran's a great guy. Marshall, I wouldn't vote for if I could vote.
My cable TV has been off and on a lot lately. Currently off. It was on one day last week long enough for me to learn that single digit temperatures had caused water main breaks and our city was under a "boil water" advisory. I'd been drinking the water four days since that went into effect. Can't tell if the water hurt me or the frigid weather left me feeling poorly. I haven't called the cable guy because I think he will have to climb the pole and a ladder in my backyard full of snow. I don't need TV bad enough to endanger him.