google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday March 18, 2024 Mary Crane

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Mar 18, 2024

Monday March 18, 2024 Mary Crane

  

Theme:        
Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a fresh and fun puzzle idea from Mary Crane. As far as I can tell, this is a debut for Mary at the LA Times. (Her NY Times debut was last July.) Congratulations, Mary!
Unfortunately, your puzzle fell on a Monday and this Monday blogger is not a fan of MAYOnnaise. I avoid all of your themed foods. Nevertheless, I am a fan of your puzzle! Well done!

The four themed answers all feature mayonnaise (a.k.a. MAYO) as a prominent ingredient:

17 Across. Hors d'oeuvre often seasoned with paprika: DEVILED EGG.

28 Across. Picnic side dish: POTATO SALAD.

36 Across. Creamy dip for buffalo wings: RANCH DRESSING.

43 Across. New England seafood sandwich: LOBSTER ROLL.

And the reveal:

59 Across. Minnesota medical center, or where one might learn how to prepare 17-, 28-, 36-, and 43-Across?: MAYO CLINIC.  The Mayo Clinic is the largest integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice in the world.

The themed clues were straightforward and without wordplay. However, revealing MAYO CLINIC as an instructional class on how to prepare recipes which contain MAYOnnaise was a delightful spin! I only wonder how Mary managed to leave out XWD favorite "aioli".

The other clues:

Across:
1. Gave a darn: CARED.  

6. Personal bearing: MIEN.  Def.:  a person's look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood.
MIEN likely came to English from a French word meaning "expression".
BTW, mein is a German possessive pronoun meaning "my".

10. Spongy earth: MIRE.

14. __ and kicking: ALIVE.  

15. Like a quaint shoppe: OLDE.  

16. Unknown author, for short: ANON.  
Destiny's Child  ~  Say My Name  (1999)

19. Looped in, on email: CC-ED.  I liked how this was an almost-reflection across the black square.  
See the full grid below.

20. Corp. VIP: EXEC.  "Corporation" and "Very Important Person" are abbreviated, so is "EXECutive".

21. Quite: VERY.  Our constructor Mary is quite clever.

22. Infant's cry: WAH.

23. Skin pictures: TATTOOS.
"A rad little tidbit you may not know, the word “tattoo” actually comes from the Samoan word "tatau" which was an onomatopoeia for the sounds that were made when turtle shells tapped boar's teeth loaded with ink into the flesh. Now you know."  source

25. Calm and dignified: SEDATE.  
Ramones  ~  I Wanna Be Sedated  (1978)
I've heard this song in my head during the last eight miles of every marathon I've ran.

31. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

34. Charged particle: ION.

35. Helena's st.: MONT.  
where you can see Canada from your front porch

40. __ mater: ALMA.

41. "__ moved on": I'VE.  ...and so should you.

42. Parrot in Disney's "Aladdin": IAGO.  He was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried in the 1992 movie. (Robin Williams voiced the genie in the lamp.)

47. Securities backed by the govt.: T-NOTES.  Since we are in tax season, I will remind you that interest income from U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and bonds is subject to federal income tax but is exempt from all state and local taxes. Make sure to subtract this income from your state returns!  IRS site

48. Fought: BATTLED.

53. Raw mineral in a mine: ORE.

54. Supermarket area with fresh cheeses: DELI.  This was a fresh take on an old staple ... and a possible Easter egg. What do you think, C-Eh! ?

56. Hitchhiker's hope: RIDE.  Remember your towel! After all, it "is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."

57. Foggy state: HAZE.

61. Scat legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.

62. Brick __ pizza: OVEN.  
63. Tiny spot: SPECK.  

64. Overly compliant: MEEK.

65. Floating ice chunk: BERG.  
66. Auto body blemishes: DENTS.  
This is what hail can do to cars in Colorado.

Down:

1. Military academy enrollee: CADET.  

2. Name said to activate an Amazon Echo Dot: ALEXA.  

3. Fastener in a girder: RIVET.  

4. Kick out: EVICT.

5. Oscar winner Benicio __ Toro: DEL.  He won for Traffic (2002).

6. Not showy: MODEST.

7. Actor Robert who hosts the podcast "Not Today, Pal" with former co-star Jamie-Lynn Sigler: ILER.  ESP. The extra-long clue makes me think nobody expected us to know this one.

8. Envelope-pushing: EDGY.  It's a peculiar saying because what could be less hip than an envelope?  

9. Opposite of pos.: NEG.  

10. Expensive nut from Hawaii: MACADAMIA.  So 'ono ("delicious" in Hawaiian)!

11. Advance slowly: INCH ALONG.  Def.:  to move by small degrees.  

12. Fish-to-be: ROE.  I loved this sushi-less angle!

13. Conclude: END.

18. Sauteing acronym: EVOO.  Rachael Ray fans know this is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  
She usually says, "Add a tablespoon of EVOO," as she pours in half a cup.

22. Director Craven: WES.  He's one of my FAVs ... oh, wait, NO! WES Anderson is one of my FAVs. Oh well, it all worked out in the end.

24. Oil cartel acronym: OPEC.  Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

25. "The Brady Bunch" trio: SONS.  I got this one with a little "more than a hunch". 🎵

26. Dance that takes two: TANGO.  

27. NYC summer hrs.: EDT. New York City summer HouRS are Eastern Daylight Time.

29. TV station, e.g.: AIRER.     and     
55 Down. Watchful sort: EYER.  These two feel a bit too crosswordese to me (more common in crosswords than in language).

30. Shoe front: TOE.

31. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic fabric: ORLON.  DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941 and trademarked them under the name ORLON. It was first developed in the mid-1940s but was not produced in large quantities until the 1950s.

32. Hoodwink: BAMBOOZLE.  I'm going to take this opportunity to share a song I love:  Red is Blue by Ben Folds from the animated movie Hoodwinked (2005). The film is a Little Red Riding Hood derivative.  

33. Winning game after game: ON A STREAK.  Awesome fill!

37. Makes haste: HIES.  Sure thing, Willy Shakes.

38. Binge-watcher's device: DVR.

39. River sediment: SILT.

40. PC key near the space bar: ALT.

44. Casual shirt: TEE.

45. Like a kiwi: OBLONG.  An OBLONG is a shape that is longer than it is wide. We can get pedantic about weather or not "roundness" is a requirement and 2D vs. 3D. In the end, I think we knew what the constructor was going for.  
(l to r)  kiwi bird, kiwi fruit, Kiwi actor Jemaine Clement
46. Not of the clergy: LAIC.

49. Utter nonsense: TRIPE.  

50. Lightweight fabric: LINEN.

51. Formal decree: EDICT.

52. Cruise ship levels: DECKS.  
Julie, Doc, Gopher, and Isaac will meet you here.

54. Singer Grohl who founded the Foo Fighters: DAVE.  This is Dave on vocals and guitar in Best of You (2005).  

57. __ and haw: HEM.  To HEM and haw is to hesitate, to be indecisive.  
Homer, hemming & HAWing

58. Hoppy beer: ALE.

59. Disorderly crowd: MOB.

60. 1960s hallucinogen, for short: LSD.


That's a wrap for today. I think I'll go make a sandwich....

57 comments:

  1. I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle .
    Besides making me hungry, it was the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.

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  2. Good morning!

    Can one have a mean MIEN? Finished this one Wite-Out-free in under six minutes -- unheard of for d-o. Managed to miss the reveal (and the theme) along the way. Nice one, Mary and sumdaze. (I agree about AIRER and EYER.)

    MAYO: Mom went to the Mayo Clinic back in the early '50s for cancer treatments. She lived on for another 50 years.

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  3. FIR, but erased inch close for INCH ALONG. Waited for tbills/TBONDS and burg/BERG.

    Today is:
    NATIONAL SUPREME SACRIFICE DAY (similar to Memorial Day, but this day honors heroes - in uniform and out - that gave their lives for others)
    NATIONAL BIODIESEL DAY (regardless of Caterpillar’s warning not to use it, all the stations I use have at least 10% biodiesel. No ill effects yet)
    NATIONAL AWKWARD MOMENTS DAY (if they need a spokesman or a poster boy, I’m available)
    NATIONAL SLOPPY JOE DAY (most of the joints I frequent have “burger Monday,” but I like these too)
    NATIONAL LACY OATMEAL COOKIE DAY (last week’s A1C results show me into prediabetes, so I’ll pass)

    sundaze linked Say My Name. My response would be "I would, honey, if I could remember it."

    "Hitchhiker's hope" had to be RIDE, because "not to get murdered" wouldn't fit.

    It was nice to learn the little Soprano kids are still close as adults.

    The PGA's Scotty Scheffler is ON A STREAK. By winning the two previous tournaments, Scotty earned $8 1/2 million. Not bad for 8 days of work. He also became the first back-to-back winner of The Player's Tournament in its 50 year history. Tiger Woods, Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus won multiple times, but not back-to-back. Nicklaus won a total of $170,000 for his three wins in The Players, while Scotty pocketed $4.5 million for just this one.

    Most Mexican restaurants around here serve red salsa and white salsa with their complimentary chips. The white salsa base is MAYO. It is supposed to be a Tidewater invention, but I've seen it in other states too.

    A Saturday clue for TRIPE would be "tongue."

    Thanks to Mary for the fun start to the work week. And thanks to sumdaze, for the fine, funny review.

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  4. OK Jinx. It's The Players Championship, not Tournament. Have another cuppa decaf.

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  5. Thank you, Mary Crane.   Congrats on your debut at the LA Times.

    When I clicked on 29D to start the crossword, 5 rows were highlighted so I read those clues.   I got all 5 answers without any perp help, and without any other answers filled in anywhere on the grid.   That seldom happens, but it is Monday, so the odds are better.

    MAYO again. - On Saturday, DW made a Caesar Salad Roast Chicken recipe she saw on Mary Makes It Easy.   She covered the spatchcocked chicken covered with a thick layer of a seasoned mayo mixture, and then panko.   Before roasting, icky looking.   But after roasting, OMG it was delicious!

    Fun puzzle.

    Thanks, sumdaze.   Loved the review.   IMO, you can add HIES to EYER and AIRER.

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  6. MIEN crossing with ILER was a little spicy for a Monday. No idea about ELOO in that general area either, but the perps filled that one in.

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  7. Good Morning:

    Seeing all the creamy dishes, I knew Mayo was coming into play but that reveal of Mayo Clnic was an A Number 1 surprise, and a hoot, to boot! Lobster Rolls and Potato Salad are two of my favorites, the other two, not so much. This was a fun Monday with some nice long fill, in addition to the themers. I like the word, Bamboozle, and also its clue, Hoodwink. They are equally descriptive and quirky-sounding. Noticed the duos of Orlon/Linen and Evict/Edict. This is a perfect puzzle for a newbie, but was also enjoyable to this non-newbie solver.

    Thanks, Mary, for a fun start to the week and congrats on your LA Times debut and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts. The Wallaby-Mart comic wins Best In Show by a landslide! Runners up are the Aladdin video and the Alexa comic.

    Have a great day.

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  8. Took 3:37 today for me to ... celebrate an early Cinco de Mayo?

    I agree with sumdaze comments/review, especially as to Iler, eyer, & airer.

    I didn't know Iler or mien.

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  9. My "go to" lobster roll is "hot buttered". Delicious!

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  10. FIR. I went through this Monday puzzle so fast the theme went by like a blur. Then I saw the reveal and all became clear. Although I didn't know ranch dressing had mayonnaise in it. No wonder I like it! And I miss lobster rolls. When I lived up north, I took it for granted that I could have them anytime. Now I really miss them. (Frown)
    Several proper names I did not know, but the perps saw me through. All in all, an enjoyable puzzle to start off the week.

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  11. Speedy solve today probably because, like IM, I like all those dishes except RANCH DRESSING would not be my dressing of choice!
    I usually make DEVILED EGGs around Easter because I was given a special ceramic Easter plate specifically for them and then sometime in the summer for a church picnic.

    Thanks SD for the entertaining blog and congrats to Mary for the debut puzzle!

    Now the brackets are out - how many of the Cornerites will be participating in a March Madness contest? - we just have one amongst our family that is easy to set up on ESPN.com for the men and women's college basketball

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  12. KS @ 8:14 ~ If you have "deep pockets", you can order fresh, cooked lobster meat to satisfy your cravings. Every so often, I throw caution to the wind and order it (and other fish/seafood) from my long-time purveyor in Gloucester, MA. 🦞

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  13. Good Morning! Breezy start to the week with this fun puzzle. Thanks, Mary and Welcome!
    Nice theme, right down my alley. Food!

    POTATO SALAD is one of those concoctions where everyone seems to make their own variation, and everyone likes their own best!!

    RANCH DRESSING – nope! I’ll have my wings with Bleu Cheese Dressing and a couple stalks of celery. Very traditional.

    LOBSTER ROLL – classic New England, but for us inlanders, hard to find. The last time I was at a Red Lobster, no LOBSTER ROLL was on the menu. Duh!!

    I surmise the recipes from the MAYO CLINIC are of the low-fat, low-cal variety. In moderation, I’ll stick with original versions. But nice tie-in to the themers.

    Sumdaze, rollicking fun with your recap today, but please do tell – do you avoid all the delicious dishes using MAYO, or have you found a substitute ingredient???

    Only one blot marred the grid: WAa - > WAH. And you may have heard spelled sounds are a bane to my existence.
    Fav fill: BAMBOOZLE!

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  14. Smooth CW. I was not BAMBOOZLEd by the theme.

    I like POTATO SALAD with boiled shrimp, and yes I like my own version best. LOL. And DEVILED EGGS are a family staple at Easter. Unfortunately no LOBSTER ROLLs in this area. Last year at Christmas my nieces bought us a frozen package of the delicacy, rolls and all the fixings at Costco. Can’t beat fresh however which I tasted once I was in Maine. I can live without RANCH DRESSING.

    When I was a child my mother made her own MAYO, as most French people still do today.

    Thank you sumdaze for a stellar review to get us started for the downhill side of March.

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  15. I should have said once WHEN I was in Maine.

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  16. Because I had already done today's puzzle, it was fun seeing 23A HOLD THE MAYO in yesterday's puzzle.

    RosE@9:26. For sandwiches, try substituting a thin spread of tahini instead of MAYO. Yum!

    waseeley@10:03. Cool ORE story. Let us know how things turn out -- perhaps a pic.

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  17. Only two answers new to me, DEL and this particular DAVE. Easily perped. Zip, zip, done. CSO to my older son, Dave.
    Foodie puzzle today.
    I love mayo and all the theme goodies. Aioli is mayo-like, but contains no mayo.
    I often bring deviled eggs to square dance or church parties. They are scarfed down quickly, no leftovers. Always a big hit.
    I love potato salad usually with mayo. As a change up I sometimes make warm German potato salad with a bacon dressing, no mayo. RosE, right you are. My Dave thinks his potato salad is best and I think mine is.
    Tripe is the first or second stomach of a cow or other ruminant used as food. I like smoked beef tongue sandwiches. I don't like tripe.
    I think of oblong as being 2D and longer than it is wide with 4 right angle corners. I term the fruit an ovoid. I see that it is common usage to call an ovoid an oblong.
    Envelope is more than the cover for a letter. An envelope of air surrounds the earth. Envelope is used in engineering, mathematics, and aeronautics among other fields.
    The sounds spelled as words really describe the utterance much better than a long description. It s difficult to think of a better alternative. Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate sounds. Many of them have become standard English, such as sizzle, smack, clap, boing, wham, gargle, etc. Many of the frowned upon words are accepted as interjections. "We have lots of interjections in English, including whoops, oops, yikes, eek, ouch, argh, and ugh. Argh and ugh are two interjections that sound similar, but can mean very different things."

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  18. No problems with this smooth Monday solve. I managed to FIR in my usual Monday time, with the only W/O being DAZE:HAZE. AND I got the theme, which helped. Also helped that there were not a lot of names, and I knew most those that WERE in the CW. Thanx MC for your fun and creative CW. Thanx Sumdaze for the terrific write-up. Your inclusion of so many cartoons has me looking forward to Hahtoolah tomorrow.

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  19. Rose, a month or so ago, I'd suggested that you download and run Microsoft Security Scanner.   I know that you said that while it was running it reported some issues were found, but then when the Scanner program was completely finished, it reported "0 issues found."   That was perplexing, right?

    A couple of days ago while looking for something else, I inadvertently came across the explanation of why that happens.

    During the scan, the tool is looking for known malware and "signatures" of malware.   If any found, it saves the info to a file, and also lists them on the screen.   After it finally completes the scan, the tool submits the saved info to Microsoft where it is then analyzed for active malware.   If that analysis doesn't find anything to be concerned about, you'll get the message on your screen indicating 0 issues found.

    So why did it list them during, and then report 0 at the end?

    It's an indication that you did have malware at one time (that may have been previously mitigated by your regular antimalware product), OR that there were unsuccessful attempts to install malware on your system, and that some fragments or signatures typical of known malware exploits were left during the failed install.   The "0 issues found" was telling you that there is nothing to address, despite these fragments still existing on your computer.

    I thought you might like to know why it did what it did, and why it appeared to give conflicting information.   I have confidence in the tool.

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  20. Thank you Mary for your Monday puzzle and congrats on your debut -- you'll love it here. BTW, delicious theme!

    And thank you sumdaze for another yummy start to the week. I too missed AIOLI, especially Sriracha Aioli. If you ask your Echo Dot politely, she may even whip up a batch for you.

    16A ANON. Beyonce is not exactly a poster child for ANONymity😀.

    31A OBOE. The OREO of wind instruments.

    53A ORE. We were out on a short hike with the two "littles" yesterday and made our usual visit to an old mine tip (tailings from a spent mine) near my son's house. I saw a black stone that looked out of place so I reached over and picked it up and it was very HEAVY. Turns out that the oldest of the two grandsons already knew that it was IRON ORE, a variety known as MAGNETITE. He was able to demonstrate this by actually hanging magnets off of it (he has a very magnetic personality!). I took some pieces home and plan to grind some of it up and test it as a colorant in ceramic glazes. Given the right base composition and kiln atmosphere, IRON can produce black, blue, green, gray, brown, yellow, and red glazes. Versatile stuff IRON.

    62A OVEN. I have three "OVENS", but if you fired a pizza in one it would evaporate.

    57A DAZE. A semi CSO to our reviewer? You do have your SPACEY side Renee!

    59 MAYO CLINIC. My niece is a 4th year Psychiatry resident at the Mayo Clinic. All the brains in my family are on my sister's side!

    Cheers
    Bill

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  21. Musings
    -We are Miracle Whip people. It’s what we grew up with.
    -I recently posted a video of ELLA singing Can’t Buy Me Love on The Ed Sullivan Show.
    -DENTS: The place where I have bought my cars for over 50 years just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars putting up shelters for all the cars on their five lots
    -We still call student teachers CADETS
    -Jacob Davis came up with the idea of reenforcing work pants with RIVETS in Reno, NV. He took the idea to Levi Straus in San Francisco who manufactured them and the rest is history.
    -No matter how long the clue was, I would not have known ILER
    -MLB plays 162 games per year but The World Series is often won by a team on a HOT STREAK
    -Fun review, Sumdaze!

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  22. Yellowrocks, hand up here for enjoying the no-mayo potato salads.   Especially the German potato salad with bacon bits.  Yum.   At picnics on hot sunny days, I stay away from dishes with mayo unless they are kept on ice and out of the sunshine.

    Also to your interjections comment, the somewhat controversial (here at the Corner) yeet. As an interjection, used to express surprise, approval, or excited enthusiasm.

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  23. Loved the reveal of today's puzzle, and loved sumdaze's choice of opening cartoon, "MAYO dreams all come true!" Also liked our blogger's reference to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

    I think of "envelope pushing" as trying to fit more into a narrow framework -- more like stretching the envelope than pushing it. Now I wonder if that is correct.

    Wrinkled my nose at most of the foods mentioned here today, but EVOO is at the heart of most of my cooking.

    Interesting that good old English words like MIEN and HIES are singled out as obscure today. Tomorrow the complaints will likely be about new words!

    FIR and enjoyed it. Many thanks to Mary, Patti, and sumdaze.

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  24. Usual Monday fare, fun gettable theme, I’ve been to the Mayo Clinic. A family member needed a second opinion. (BTW, They get upset if you order a sangwidge in the cafeteria and ask to “hold the MAYO” 😉. ) My BIL is an MD head of a major department there. He showed me plans for their 5 Billion expansion. Yikes. Makes our new 650 million hospital look like a Doc-in-the-box!

    Spelled MIEN, as “mein”, perpcorrected….foolishly flaunting the i before e rule 🙄… Also not too crazy about EYER

    “Foo fighter founder” for DAVE? It’s Monday, shoulda been a more familiar guy

    Binge watching DVRer 🥺…. That’s me.,📺

    Running naked…. ONASTREAK
    Ten Gallon Hat, bolero, and chaps….RANCHDRESSING
    Cooked cows stomach, (some folks think it tastes “offal”)…TRIPE

    Mary as this is your first foray into LAT CW world there’s a rule , no Proper Nouns, it’s not your fault it’s your debut, so we’ll overlook it this time🤗

    Top of the week to all.😃

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  25. An easy but fun puzzle, thanks MC. Recap a winner sumdaze, with facts and laughs.

    WA waited for A or H, boys before SONS. and can’t ever remember if it’s mein or MIEN and is it ILER or Eler.

    LOBSTERs are available live at our supermarket and they will cook them for you. I cook them myself. Once when I steamed two, one was a female and thousands of roe appeared on the tail, which was unexpected and scary looking. I understand that a 1 pound lobster produces 8,000 eggs. Also, it is illegal to sell female lobster. (No “s” when general reference.)

    inanehiker 8:21- The NCAA women will be playing here at the MVP Albany Arena through the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. We hope Dawn Staley will bring in the South Carolina team which is ON A STREAK (32-0} and hopefully will play Iowa who has a player that holds the most points ever in Div. 1 or defending champion LSU.

    The 4 uses of MAYO all make sense but a ridiculous event occurred after WVU beat North Carolina in the Duke’s MAYO Bowl this past football season. A YouTube video shows a hugh tub of MAYO being dumped on the winning coach. Funny or yuck depending on your sense of humor. Duke’s the major brand in the south.

    Happy day, all!

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  26. Fast, fun, Monday FIR with a cute twist to the reveal! So fast, I never saw many of the clues until I read the review. Thanks, Sumdaze! I also try to avoid mayo. It's Miracle Whip for me. Yum!

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  27. I make my Connecticut Lobster Rolls (lobster meat warmed in butter, served on a buttered top sliced hot dog roll) from lobster meat I get from Overnight Lobster….guess how long it takes to arrive hahaha.

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  28. A perfect Monday offering.
    I liked bamboozle and hoodwinked paired together.
    A wite-out free Monday that even noobs would enjoy.
    I’m not a big fan of mayo but it made this puzzle fun.
    My wife cooked 35 vegetarian samosas yesterday. I love them with a spicy chutney. She’s freezing most for when our kids visit. But I’m happy to plow my way thru a few before they visit.

    Thanks Mary for a fun puzzle.
    Thanks sumdaze for your review. I liked the kangaroo cartoon and the Dave Grohl clip.

    …. kkflorida

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  29. CED - Carry a blanket day - got it!

    I've got a little of that brand of salsa in the fridge. BOGOF at Publix. (BTW, while we were away, our first nearby Publix opened. Trouble for Harris Teeter.)

    Ray-O, are you saying that EYER raised your ire?

    Parsan, if I'm reading the bracket right, LSU might (and probably will) meet Iowa in the Elite Eight, but neither can see SC until the championship game. But it wouldn't be the first time I've misread a schematic. I think that LSU will give Iowa fits, and that either has a good chance of beating SC (if they get that far.)

    I think there will be more "Madness" on the men's side this year. Overall men's top-seed UCON has three losses. Expect lots of bracket carnage this year.

    YR - thanks for the TRIPE correction. Even knowing that it isn't tongue, I still have never been hung over enough to eat menudo.

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  30. Hi All!

    Congrats on the LAT debut, Mary, and thanks for the cutely theme'd grid with yummy dishes.

    Entertaining expo, sumdaze! Thanks for taking the time to find all the comics.

    WO: EjeCT -> EVICT
    ESPs: DEL, MIER | ILER, ORLON,
    Fav: BAMBOOZLE is a fun word but DAVE Grohl (Monday easy for me, Ray-O) is the best [Studio 666 is silly slasher/rocker-film Foo Fighters did]. Dave is known as the nicest guy in Rock & Roll, oh, and Nirvana's drummer).

    Inanehiker - I don't know squat about College Basketball but I'm rooting for UofHouston's Cougars 'cuz I'd like to see some H-Town love.

    HG - I grew up on Miracle Whip in the Midwest. After moving to Louisiana, I learned what Helman's is and never looked back.

    CED - Verde Salsa is second only to Pico de Gallo #Fresh. Salsa is always cooked and, while OK, not the bestest in my book.

    TTP - I too eschew MAYO dishes in the sun*; they don't seem to phase DW's kin(?!?).

    Back to work.
    Cheers, -T
    *cue Violent Femmes?

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  31. Hola!

    Thank you, Mary Crane and sumdaze. Good puzzle and good review.

    I love RANCH DRESSING. It is on our dinner table every day. I make my own with the recipe from the RANCH DRESSING package.

    When I tasted LOBSTER in Maine I could not understand the attraction. It was bland and tasteless.

    DEVILED EGGs are what I usually take to our family gatherings along with another dish, usually corn casserole.

    My niece, Irene, makes a delicious POTATO SALAD, and it is always in demand for our family parties. She doesn't share her secret ingredient and I've tried to replicate it but to no avail.

    I love the word BAMBOOZLE.

    I hope you are having a great Monday!

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  32. Sumdaze, I’m glad you mentioned tahini. I was introduced to it by Molly Yeh in her cooking show. She uses it frequently and in a variety of recipes. She’s never identified the kind she uses other than naming it “tahini.” I bought a jar (not cheap!!) of unsweetened tahini & tasted it – it was awful! Was there something I was supposed to do to make it palatable, or should I have bought a different kind? I would like to try it again because I do like sesame. Thanks.

    TTP, thank you for the very informative follow-up. I’m saving it for future reference, but in the meantime 🤞 & knock on wood, no more “events.” Thanks, again.

    Yellowrocks, thanks for bringing to my attention all the “sounds” which are a part of our lexicon without giving it a second thought. I only whine when I misspell one in the crossword, or it’s a variation of an accepted spelling. 😏. I must start waiting for the perps when one appears.

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  33. Fresh lobster is flown in daily to So Cal from Maine and available via the Cousins Lobster trucks. Expensive but delicious!

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  34. CED, there’s a local Mexican restaurant in York PA which serves a white sauce and the usual red salsa along with the initial bowl of chips. I asked about it and was told it’s called “creama.” It’s delicious!!! I couldn't get enough!! There seems to be many variations in the recipe. Maybe Lucina could tell us more.

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  35. TTP - Do you mean Microsoft Safety Scanner, not security?

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  36. A-t@12:52. I agree about Hellman’s mayo.

    RosE@12:57. I keep a jar of tahini in the fridge to make hummus for example.

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  37. I've never seen white salsa here in Tex-Mex country. When you sit down you immediately receive a bowl of chips and bowls of red salsa and salsa verde (green) for dippin'.

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  38. Dash-T, have you ever tried Blue Plate Mayonnaise? Dw grew up a Hellman's girl, but now buys only Blue Plate.

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  39. Parsan, I saw that mayo drenching on ESPN Sports Center or the sports segment on the news here shortly after the game.   Too funny!

    Ray- O, Someone has to fight those foos!   The background story is that it is supposedly a WW2 era term by some aviators for UFOs.   BTW, Dave Grohl is a rock legend.  

    Dash T, I was today years old when...   I'd never heard of Violent Femmes or Blister In The Sun before today.   And, I've never seen a Weber Kettle grill being used as a percussion instrument either, but why not?   Yeet!

    Agreed about salsa fresca and salsa verde, and would add salsa roja.   Salsa mole or mole sauce?   Not for me.   Maybe I haven't had the right one yet.   I tried it on enchiladas in Tucson, and then had to reorder something else.   Probably enchiladas with ranchera sauce.

    Jinx, try a taco de lengua first, and then ask what it is.   Yes, Microsoft Safety Scanner.

    NaomiZ, I didn't see any comments calling MIEN or HIES obscure.   I was the only one that mentioned HIES.   I suggested to sumdaze that HIES could be added to her AIRER, EYER comment about them "feeling crosswordese."   Obscure is different than crosswordese.

    Crosswordese is the group of words frequently found in US crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation.

    Jinx, next year on March 18th, add "National Correct Each Other's Comments Day" to your Today Is listing.

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  40. TTP - Now I have to find the ESPN link... Oy!
    The Violent Femmes is a band that every college student "discovers." I never told Eldest about them but last summer she asked me, "Would you like to see the VFs? They're in town."
    I was taken aback; How'd she know the band I "discovered" in college?!?
    We went to the outdoor show at White Oaks Music Hall and she knew the kid playing the big-a** horns in this jam (their new stuff).

    And yes, DAVE's Foo Fighters took their name from the WWII UFO chasers.. //he, Dave, read it in a UFO book [Cite]

    Blue Plate, D-O? I'll look for it at HEB for my next Deviled Egg build.

    I used HIEs once IRL. People (DW) pointed and laughed at me :-(

    Cheers, -T

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  41. I just watched the MAYO drenching video. Ickkkkk!!! That coach was a good sport!

    RosE@12:57. I do not have a certain tahini brand that I buy. I just make sure the only listed ingredient is sesame seeds. No additives needed. Maybe tahini is one of those foods that brings out the good flavors in other foods as opposed to being tasty on its own. Like you said, Molly Yeh uses it as an ingredient in a variety of recipes. Monkey added that it is an ingredient in many hummus recipes. I love it on sourdough bread with grilled veggies, fresh greens, shredded carrots, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
    My other MAYO substitute for a sandwich is a smear of fresh avocado across one of the slices of bread.

    TTP@1:51. "National Correct Each Other's Comments Day" I think that idea will catch on!

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  42. sumdaze Hand up it was fun seeing MAYO two days in a row! I thought I had seen a lot of Ireland, but I missed COUNTY MAYO and most of the other COUNTIES in yesterday's puzzle.

    I loved the MAYO CLINIC theme, but I am a HOLD THE MAYO kind of person.

    Last week my friend Maria MAYO posed in her new restaurant not far from where we live.

    I first knew her as a server at the East Beach Grill in Santa Barbara. Way cool that she now has her own restaurant!

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  43. My mom always bought a store brand similar to Miracle Whip. Then my husband liked only Miracle Whip. When I was on my own I switched to mayo. Wow! I will never go back to Miracle Whip. I love Hellman's regular, not the low fat version. I find Hellman's way superior to Kraft's. I even use it on hamburgers with lettuce and tomato. Alan and I like to spread liverwurst on toast, cover it with mayo and pop it in the toaster oven. It can be cut into quarters for finger food.
    Google says, "Beef or cow tongue is organ meat, but it does not have the iron-like mineral taste that most organ meats have. Instead, it tastes like a delicious and tender piece of steak when prepped and cooked correctly." It is especially good smoked and is considered a gourmet fare. I like liver pâté, too and Jewish chicken liver appetizers. If we can eat liver, tongue does not seem so bizarre.
    Lobsters, yum! We all such different tastes.

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  44. My paper wasn’t wrapped in plastic today and it got soaked from the rain. It’s been drying for a while but still not ready for pen. So I haven’t looked at anything in this blog yet.

    But I have glanced at a lot of the cw and wanted to mention—it looks like the buffalo wings dip is going to be “ranch dressing.” This is sacrilege. The classic pairing is blue cheese dressing. Hope others have mentioned this.

    And thanks everyone for the italics help.

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  45. My goodness--reading all these discussions about food has just made me completely hungry. I'd normally wait for supper at 7pm, 4 hours from now, but I think I'm going to have to find a small snack to survive this wait. Maybe I could read or watch something else that would take my mind and my system off f--d? I'll try.

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  46. Anon-T,
    Salsa is always cooked?
    SACRALEGE!...


    I always believe, everyone has an opinion, and diversity creates strength. But salsa "always" cooked?
    Anon-T, you need to try a few different salsa's...

    Also,
    I don't know why,
    But I can't stand ranch dressing. Tastes Blah to me...
    Chicken wings need Bleu cheese, or just plain hot sauce. Ranch? Why ruin a good wing?

    Just an aside,
    I don't like mussels.
    Yet, I have tried every recipe out there, because, once, just once, a white wine recipe with garlic and thyme tweaked my taste buds.
    I have been looking for it again ever since... every restaurant, (& I mean every...)

    But!
    I found a mussels appetizer Naples Florida that blew me away!
    bar Tulia, ( the bar side of the restaurant "Tulia" on 5th Ave) once made a mussels appetizer, with a draft beer on tap (local)
    And bleu cheese! (Heavy on the razor thin sliced garlic, thyme, onion slices, and God knows what else !)
    They no longer have it on the menu, but I ask them to make it special for me every time I visit there...
    (they Don't forget the toasted sourdough for dipping!)

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  47. I was stumped on M_EN/_LER, even though I recognized the actress as the Sopranoes daughter. It really could’ve been any vowel but I went with ‘U’—wrong—so my 7-day win-STREAK came to an end… on a Monday!

    But the theme was very fun. The puzzle overall was very easy, even though there were a few tough words: ORLON, MIEN, HIES, and LAIC were all new to me, and seem too much for a Monday. If others say these words are not obscure, I’ll take your word for it.

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  48. I play duplicate bridge on Mondays, so I'm always late with my comments every Monday.

    First, like most everyone else, welcome, Mary, to LA Times Crosswordville. Your first effort was clever and fun. I enjoyed the reveal and theme, and I laughed at the image (from your reveal clue) of people learning how to prepare potato salad and whatnot at the Mayo Clinic.

    It's an interesting coincidence that we've dealt with mayo on two consecutive days, and with three different meanings. Yesterday's puzzle had Mayo County, Ireland. And today's puzzle has the Mayo Clinic as well as the shortened version of that most delicious condiment, mayonnaise.

    I might otherwise be shocked at the percentage of mayo-haters here on the blog except for one thing: my brother, who is otherwise an intelligent, perceptive, discerning MIT PhD, and all-in-all good guy, gets a gag reflex at the mere mention of mayonnaise. I, on the other hand, think the inventor of mayonnaise should be nominated for sainthood.

    I agree with whoever was sticking up for the use of words like MIEN, HIE, NIGH, and so forth. I would add "hark" to that list, because of my grandfather. He would be sitting in his chair, and way off in the distance you'd hear a train horn, and in dramatic fashion with a hand cupped to ear, he'd always exclaim, "Hark! A train!"

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  49. I liked this puzzle, sumdaze's write-up, and all your comments.

    There's a Mayo Clinic on Shea Blvd just east of Scottsdale, AZ. LW and I have driven past it several times on our way to and from Fountain Hills, AZ, which is the access point to McDowell Mountain.

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  50. Marvelous MAYO Monday. Thanks for the fun, Mary (congrats on your LAT debut) and sumdaze.
    I FIRed in good time, saw the Foody theme, and then smiled broadly when the reveal showed it was a MAYO theme.
    No, sumdaze, I wouldn’t consider DELI cheese an Easter Egg, since it doesn’t include MAYO. Now, if it had been clued as the source of a Ham and Cheese on Rye . . . !?
    Now EVOO might be an Easter Egg, but apparently it is tricky to make MAYO with EVOO without it separating and/or becoming bitter. .

    AIRER and EYER are what C.C. calls gluey fill (nose-wrinkling, but necessary to the constructor).

    Traditionally, Buffalo chicken wings (aka Anchor Bar originals) are served with celery and blue cheese dip. But apparently, Ranch dressing is more popular with the overall American public. (I see RosE and Arizona Jim are on the blue side!)

    I love the sound of BAMBOOZLE. Those four long fills were great, especially the opposites, ON A STREAK and INCH ALONG.

    Wishing you all a good evening.

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  51. Thanks, sumdaze, for all of the cartoons. I especially liked the penguins and the recycled Shelly Berman joke (about an airplane landing ahead of schedule).

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  52. Az Jim, when I lived in Phx, the Az Republic was in greater jeopardy from sprinklers than from rain. Also: ORLON, MIEN, HIES, and LAIC are all fairly frequent visitors to LAT crosswords. You'll get used to them in short order.

    MAYO comments - I'm OK with mayo, especially on a grilled cheese sandwich made with a slice of tomato. And I like ranch dressing on my wings. But I can't get Dutch mayo out of my mind, even though it's been more than 50 years since I've been in Holland. I remember getting what we call french fries in a paper cone, topped with what I'm guessing was home made mayo. The purveyor's place (in Rotterdam) looked like a fair vendor's trailer we would see in the USA. I can still smell and taste those fries in my mind.

    TTP - I ran the Safety Scanner on my laptop and desktop and got a lot of "finds" that disappeared by the time the utility completed. I would have worried had you not explained why.

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  53. Foo fighters clue, if it hadda musical. As a boomer woulda preferred The DAVE Clark Five

    Deadly Mayo 😫

    Had just a one forkful of cole slaw at a restaurant in Florida realizing it was oddly warm. That night severe abdominal pain, N & V… became so dehydrated spent two days in hospital rehydrating and rebalancing my screwed up electrolytes. Wouldn’t get near the stuff again for quite awhile

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  54. Sumdaze, that coach was truly a good sport!   Maybe in the moment, I'd be okay with it too.

    Dash T, tell me it isn't true!   You didn't really try to use HIES IRL, did you?   That's an overt sign that you are a crossword puzzle solver and that you use words from the middle ages!   Talk about outing oneself!

    Rose and Jinx, I'm happy that I stumbled upon that explanation (from a self-described Microsft insider) of how the Safety Scanner actually works.   From an IT development perspective, it is logical.  The big picture view, so to speak.   Although, Microsoft could have clarified and lessened the potential confusion with help text in the explanation of the tool.   I'm not faulting them.   They are a trusted partner in the defender war against offenders.   Or, as others might say, in the war of white hats vs black hats.

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  55. BTW, Dash T, thanks for that WWII UFOs Chaser link at 2:39.

    Ray-O, that must have been awful.   One time I ate an under-cooked polish sausage at a local drive thru.   So sick!

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  56. RosE, I'm sorry but I am not familiar with any white salsa. Our family makes and serves only SALSA VERDE or SALSA ROJA. We all make our own. In fact, one of my nieces has a small side business of making and selling her salsa. The ones she posts are all red.

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  57. For AJ @ 5:00, anf other puzzled puzzlers--

    If you look at the home page, in the upper right corner, you'll see a column headed "About Us."

    Scoll down the column -- you will discover the joys of 'Page Down' -- until you hit a heading of "Olio." Under that are 3 subheads containing the word 'Comments.' Read them for much insider info, such as 'What the heck does TITT mean?' and how to make a reference to a file or photo appear in a post on the Corner.

    Also, a new "Crossword Link" may be useful to all. The program is Wordplays.com, and I found it a big help in trying to solve "Caleb's Inferno" in the Atlantic.

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