Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, trying to come up with a suitable title for this Harry Doernberg puzzle. While seeing the theme came easy to me, giving it a title did not. Please bear with me on this one. A slang definition for flame is to insult someone over the internet. Harry's puzzle is so fantastic that it leaves no opening for such behavior. Therefore, my title is
FlameprooF
Perhaps it is best to leave it at that and move on to the puzzle's four themed clues....
17 Across. Closely held conviction: FIRM BELIEF. 
23 Across. Sport with flying saucers: FRISBEE GOLF.
46 Across. Blue toon in green overalls and a straw hat: FARMER SMURF. I was unfamiliar with this character but "blue toon" and "overalls" got me there. Cute!
57. Formal sleeve style: FRENCH CUFF. This is a soft double cuff that is made by turning back half of a wide cuff band and fastening with a cuff link. more on French cuffs
Here is the reveal:
46 Down. Camera lens setting, and a feature of both ends of 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57- Across?: F-STOP. more on F-stop
All of the themed clues begin and end with the letter F. The Fs act as STOPS. In this case STOP is a noun much like a bus STOP is the beginning or end of a bus route. 
We solvers often see F-STOP and SLR as fill clues and answers. It was fun to see F-STOP functioning as the reveal today. I noticed the initial F's early on but overlooked the final F's. The grid contains only one other F that is not a STOP. It is the second F in FRENCH CUFF. An interesting feature of this grid is how the reveal is placed vertically, growing off of one of the themed clues. I will insert the grid here so you can see what I mean.
1. SUV alternative: SEDAN. A SEDAN is a closed automobile having two or four doors and a front and rear seat. SUVs add a rear door, along with other features. Here is a Car and Driver comparison.
6. Say "I do": WED. Have you heard that some people are using ChatGPT to write their wedding vows? Who Says Romance Is Dead?
9. Tire speed stats: RPMS. Revolutions Per Minute
13. Speaker on a dais: ORATOR. A dais is a raised platform, as in a lecture hall, for speakers or honored guests.
15. Rd. crosser: AVE. Road and AVEnue
"Chicken" did not fit. 
16. "Pick me! Pick me!": OH OH. Does this make anyone else think of Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)?
19. Peeved: SORE.
20. Top combat pilots: ACES.
21. Yahoo! alternative: AOL. America Online
22. Nickel or copper: METAL. and 28 Down. Nickel or copper: COIN.
16. "Pick me! Pick me!": OH OH. Does this make anyone else think of Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)?
20. Top combat pilots: ACES.
21. Yahoo! alternative: AOL. America Online
22. Nickel or copper: METAL. and 28 Down. Nickel or copper: COIN.
"Copper" is a nickname for a U.S. penny and also some British coins. It might have helped to see something in the clue that hinted at a nickname, but that would have foiled the clever clecho.
26. College level HS course: AP CLASS. "High school" is abbreviated, so is Advanced Placement.
30. Novel thought: IDEA. Author Danielle Steel has turned over 140 IDEAs into novels.
31. For all to hear: ALOUD.
32. Reward for giving a pawshake, perhaps: DOG TREAT. Meadow does high fives.
36. Limit, with "in": REIN.
37. Gem State capital: BOISE. The Star Garnet is the state gem of Idaho. We Januarians recognize the garnet as our birthstone.
39. Wide valley: DALE. Also ... Dale Evans (b. Frances Octavia Smith; 1912-2001) was Roy Roger's on- and off-screen partner. She became influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities when she wrote Angel Unaware (1953) about her daughter, Robin.
40. Organ that produces insulin: PANCREAS.
 |
| So much for being "pretty on the inside". |
42. Classic breath mint: CERTS. They were officially discontinued in 2018. If you find a roll in your glovebox or at the bottom of an old purse, you might want to throw them out.
43. Microwave: HEAT. verbs
44. Ceramic cooker for a classic Boston dish: BEAN POT. This one is new to me. Has anyone cooked beans this way?
51. "__ you happy now?": ARE. This 2003 Michelle Branch song falls into the Break-up Revenge Song category.
52. "Poor Things" Oscar winner Stone: EMMA. Here she is winning her second Oscar this past March. I have not seen this movie but I generally like her so I just now put it on my library queue.
60. Fail to include: OMIT.
61. Sweets: LUV. not candies
62. __ sauce: seafood condiment: TARTAR. I thought the second A was an E.
63. Pea homes: PODS.
65. Bonkers: NUTSO. Merriam-Webster says this word is "sometimes offensive".
Down:
1. Furniture to crash on: SOFA. I liked this clue! Crash is slang for "to sleep" or "to collapse exhausted".
 |
| Do you see the U.S. Army soldier crashing on this SOFA? |
2. Rapper Eazy-E's given name: ERIC. I guess that makes sense.
3. Truth alternative, in a party game: DARE.
5. Noodle: NOB. NOB is slang for the human head.
6. Cries and cries: WAILS.
7. Genesis figure: EVE. Last Monday we had "Genesis man: ADAM".
8. Rock's __ Leppard: DEF. Def Leppard is an English rock band formed in 1976. On April 20, 2024, they released a vinyl recording of a live show they performed last year.
9. Site of many outdoor presidential press conferences: ROSE GARDEN. National Park Service link
10. Shutterstock image: PHOTO. Shutterstock, Inc. is an American company founded in 2003. It listed 1,274 employees in 2023. They provide stock photography, footage, music, and editing tools. Here is an example of a Shutterstock image:
11. "Little Bunny Foo Foo" lesson, e.g.: MORAL. Little Bunny Foo Foo is a preschoolers' song about a rabbit who liked to hop through the forest, pick up field mice, and bop them on the head. The Good Fairy gave him three chances to change his ways before turning him into a goon.
Spoiler alert: The MORAL of this story is, "Hare today, goon tomorrow."
(I did not make that up.)
12. Tchotchke holder: SHELF. A tchotchke is a small trinket that is more decorative than functional. Its etymology is Polish.
14. Guides into adulthood: REARS. Guides is a verb here.
18. Daily Planet reporter Lane: LOIS.
23. Short-term trend: FAD. Maybe this blending-in-with-your-sofa thing could become a FAD.
 |
| Notice he is in a furniture store so he probably did not plan this. |
24. Short get-to-know-you pieces: BIOS.
25. Precipice: EDGE.
26. Group with a Staying Sharp program: AARP. American Association of Retired Persons
 |
| Visiting The Corner everyday checks the first two boxes. (Click to enlarge.) |
27. Impassioned cry: PLEA.
29. Cold cuts: LUNCHMEATS.
33. Old West icon Wyatt: EARP. Kurt Russel played him in Tombstone (1993). Do you recognize the other guy? (See below.*) 34. Midrange voice: ALTO.
35. Experiment: TEST.
37. Fozzie, for one: BEAR. He is one of Kermit's buddies.
38. Horse feed grains: OATS.
41. Stink to high heaven: REEK.
42. Half-__: coffee blend: CAF. Half-Caf coffee is made with a blend of regular and decaffeinated beans, usually in a 1:1 ratio. I have also seen it spelled with two Fs.
44. Insult: BURN. Kelso on That '70s Show (1998-2006) used this slang a lot.
47. San Antonio field trip site: ALAMO. I liked this angle for clueing the site of the 1836 battle between Mexican and Texan forces. These days, 2.5 million people a year visit the ALAMO. I would guess that a substantial number of those are students on field trips.
48. Tried again: REDID.
49. Irish novelist Binchy: MAEVE. Maeve was born May 28, 1939 in Dublin, Ireland. She passed away there 73 years later. Her stories are described as "delightful, charming, and a joy to read".
52. Eggshell shade: ECRU. Both are off-white.
53. Pup of unknown origin: MUTT. The word MUTT is derived from muttonhead. It has come a long way from being an insult to today's connection as man's best friend.
 |
| National Mutt Day is July 31. |
54. Some drama degs.: MFAS. "Degrees" is abbreviated, so is Master of Fine Arts.
55. Questlove's hairstyle: AFRO. Ahmir K. Thompson (b. January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, record producer, and music journalist. You might recognize him as the drummer for The Roots (Jimmy Fallon's house band).
58. Dull routine: RUT.
59. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN.
 |
| Farewell GIF Have a great week, everyone! |
*33-Down. Billy Bob Thornton played the crooked dealer in Tombstone.
44 comments:
One across and one down could have been any number of things, but the surrounding perps soon made it clear. And I didn’t know what the theme was going to be until I got the reveal. But other than that, I’d say this puzzle was the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Guess who mistakenly solved this one yesterday, and thought it was pretty easy for a Sunday. D'oh. Noticed the initial Fs, but not the bracketing. OK, but not the tour de force that sumdaze saw. Thanx, Harry and sumdaze. (Yes, I thought of Horshack. He died back in 2012.)
DOG TREATS: I carry a pocketful on my M-o-W routes. There are a few pooches who expect, nay demand, 'em.
Heavy thunderstorms overnight, one after another. I can see that the road in front of our house is flooded. Won't be able to see just how bad things are until the sun comes up.
FIR without erasure.
Today is:
NATIONAL ZIPPER DAY (as a young man, had I known how to keep them closed I would have two fewer (crossword favorite) exes)
NATIONAL PEACE ROSE DAY (the Peace rose is a hybrid (crossword favorite) tea rose developed in France just before Hitler invaded. A cutting was sent to the USA on the last plane available before the German invasion)
NATIONAL SHRIMP SCAMPI DAY (not to be confused with “snail escargot”)
Better not start a FRISBEE GOLF course, lest you find yourself in court.
The wokies are trying to take away AP CLASSes around here. Claim they are racist. Will mainstream people prevail? I kinda doubt it, our faculty lounges are inundated with like minds.
How dare you put EMMA Stone as fill!!! She wants to be called "Emily" now that she's rich and famous.
"Please clap now" is a famous quote from Jeb Bush from when a punch line of his fell flat during the primary season for the 2016 Republican nomination.
You need some guidelines agreed to before Truth or Dare starts. Otherwise you could quickly end up naked. And we don't need no stinkin' game board to play it.
I remember those presidential news conferences. Seems like it was only four years ago.
I love my greyhounds, but MUTTs are the healthiest choice.
Thanks to Harry for the Monday-easy puzzle, and to sumdaze for the great writeup. Except I'm confused by the "filed mouse." Is that (crossword favorite) akin to Mitt Romney's "binder filled with women?" Other than that, the review was SOFA king good.
FLN: Charlie Echo - I'm from rural Kentucky, and I knew as a child that ministers and bootleggers both fought to keep our county dry. An enemy of my enemy is my friend. Remember that Roosevelt and Stalin got chummy to defeat Hitler.
p.s. At least in Kentucky it was county-by-county. In Texas, it was voting precinct-by-voting precinct, which was VERY confusing.
Good morning. Thank you, Harry Doernberg, and thank you, sumdaze.
Smooth solve. FSTOP. F at the ends. F-ENDS. "FENDS" ???
Serendipity. I was listening to the news as I got to the clue "Poor Things" Oscar Winner Stone. I'm not familiar with the movie, but seeing that the answer was 4 letters, I knew it wasn't Sharon or Oliver. Therefore it had to be... And just then, in the "Trending News" segment, I heard "Emma Stone prefers to be called Emily, her real name."
That PEAS IN A POD(CAST) cartoon made me chuckle.
I've never played Truth Or Dare.
I did not notice the soldier sacked out on the sofa until you pointed him out. A near perfect ghillie suit!
Jinx, the news about EMMA must be trending.
Desper-otto, we had heavy rains Saturday and into the night. Yesterday I filled up the lawn roller with water and towed it around the yard. When full, it weighs 600 pounds. I'm not sure if it really helped flatten the ground.
Michael (FLN), a few days ago I linked to a citation in a Wikipedia article. The source was a 1969 newspaper, The Beaver County Times (PA). The big news that day was about NASA's fly by of the moon (before the lunar landing later that year), and of Joe Namath's ownership of a nightclub and NFL Commissioner Pete Roselle's actions against him.
Another article caught my eye. The lede was, "Who is the largest purchaser of liquor in the US?" The answer was the State of Pennsylvania. The article covered some of PA's odd state liquor laws. One law limited the types of foods that could be sold in bars to only potato chips, pretzels and nuts. Another law limited to-go beer purchases from a bar to two six packs at a time. If you wanted more, you could buy two and take them to you car, and then go right back into the bar and buy two more, for as many times as you needed. These and other odd alcohol sales laws were up for legislative review and possible repeal.
And Jinx, Ohio was a 3.2 ABV state for 18 to 21 year olds. PA was 21 for all strengths. So the local "Pa Boys" simply drove across the state line to go to the bars or to the beer stores.
Took 4:50 today to Finish this ofF.
I knew today's actress (Emma), but not today's writer (Maeve).
I passed today's French lesson (cuffs)....
Per the usual, I didn't see the theme, though I am not clear on how "stop" is the start of the words.
FIR. Few problems with this typical Monday puzzle. I didn't know the smurf, and Maeve was an unknown proper name along with Eric, but the perps came to the rescue.
The theme was clever, and when I got the reveal, it sped up the solve of the lower section.
Overall a nice puzzle, very enjoyable.
A fun Monday and no wite-out required.
Who remembers the Certs twins arguing that its a candy mint or a breath mint?
Thanks Harry for a Monday worthy puzzle.
….. kkFlorida
Good morning!
Yesterday we had 30A. Start and end of a faceoff: EFS
Today we had a whole puzzle on that theme.
Annon@8:14. Perhaps think of bookends. Those "ends" or "stops" can be at both ends of a line of books.
Jinx@6:04. I have correctly filed the mouse is his proper genus. Thanks!
Oh oh?
I dunno, isn't it ooh, ooh?
Ace pilot? reminds me of a song...
And Fstop? Well, if you asked Dad...
Jinx, national zipper day?
I dunno, sounds like a magic show to me...
Musings
-FATHER SMURF fit first at FA _ _ ER SMURF but I knew that had to be PAPA SMURF
-OH OH (pick me), OH oh (Oops), oh HO (Gotcha)
-Free AP CLASSES get some kids out of paying later in college for the same thing
-Over hill, over DALE…
-OMIT: “A 5? Uh, you forgot about that ball you hit out of bounds, Gary.”
-I looked up Easy E’s lyrics. My search for printable rap “artists” continues.
-Overthinking 101: I thought of etagère before shelf
-When did this become a FAD?
-You have a very nice, light touch Sumdaze!
-FORE!
What an enjoyable way with which to spend Monday breakfast. Thanks, Harry, for the fun (and occasionally crunchy) crossword, and to sumdaze for his amusing guidance and apt naming of the puzzle (FLAMEPROOF).
We often run into "F-stop" in puzzles, either as a clue or as an answer, but here it plays a leading role as the reveal. It helped me greatly with some of the long theme answers.
I come from a family of photographers, going back to my great-grandparents in the late 1800's. Hands up from those who remember using film (gasp!) In their cameras.
Getting back to the puzzle, I was stymied a bit in the South, mainly because of the Irish writer. I don't know if his name is Maeve Binchy or vice- versa. But there were perps down there which helped (except for LUV).
Thanks, Harry, for your craftsmanship and cleverness in fashioning a Monday-appropriate crossword.
Good Morning:
This was an easy, pleasant start to the week with only Eric and Farmer Smurf needing perps. Fozzie and Little Bunny Foo Foo were unknown, as well, but were easily guessed. I saw the beginning and ending Fs, but the reveal was a big surprise, as was its odd location. I'm not sure I've ever seen a reveal in that section of a grid. I like clecho cluing and today we had two examples with Nickel or Copper and Insult. I also like the canine couple of Mutt and Dog Treat. Overall, an enjoyable solve. CSO to Lucina at Dale!
Thanks, Harry, and thanks, sumdaze, for entertaining and enlightening us. Favorite cartoons today were the Grilled Chicken and the laugh-out-loud Peas In A Podcast. The bean pot you highlighted is an exact replica of the one my sister, Peggy, has. Nice job, as always!
FLN
TTP, thanks for sharing the video of the Oreo production process. In addition to the mind-boggling procedures required to simply create the cookies, I was fascinated by the machinery required for each and every step, from mixing the batter, embossing, filling, apportioning, to wrapping and sealing the packages.
Have a great day.
Hola!
What a fine meeting of the minds! I haven't seen this many early comments in a very long time but then, it's Monday and the puzzle was fun. Thank you, Harry Doernberg and sumdaze!
My grid has several wite-out spots which points to the mis-directions in some of the clues. WEEPS changed to WAILS and NUTTY to NUTSO but I finished in good time.
Thank you, IrishMiss, for the CSO at DALE. I'll take it!
SHELF was my last fill because I wasn't sure what tchotchke meant. And I've never heard of FRISBEE GOLF. Also, what an odd clue for AARP.
Time to go! It's volunteer day at church. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
I stumbled at first but recovered when I noticed the bookended F’s. However I didn’t quite understand the reveal until it was explained here.
Otherwise all good.
Thanks Sumdaze for the recap.
It sounds like several cornerites experienced some weather events this morning. I hope not bad like Nebraska and Oklahoma. We had a strong thunderstorm come through this morning, but it’s quiet now.
Fare, Fun Monday. Few Proper Names. (MAEVE gets Binchy if her name doesn’t show up as an answer a few times a year). Lotsa FFs in the clue answers.. Canada Eh a good puzzle for the Banff , Alberta newspaper
Inkovers: weeps/WAILS, alloy/METAL (a Nickel coin is a “nickel”/“copper” alloy)
”Let the fools have their TARTAR sauce”
CERTS: Was the 50-60’s conundrum ever resolved? A breath mint or a candy mint 🤔 or a montrous hybrid chimera (“two mints in One” !! 😱)
It’s my FIRM BELIEF that there is no rhyme or reason why some of our Utica byways are called AVEnues except they tend to be, but not always, shorter than our streets. (some AVEs cross other AVEs) Our super short streets are “Places” (one near my home growing up was spelt Eleanor Place on one end and Elenor Place on the other 🙄)
Pay a premium for a “Designer Dog” …. fancy name for a MUTT
In Italian: “Io sono influenzato” I am influenced means “I have the flu”
“I’d Rather not,” ____ SEDAN
Talking ___ is not ___ in a library_____ …. ALOUD
It falls meinly on the pleins at Madrid airport___ REIN
Midi-skirt: half __ CAF
Happy top of the week.
Good Morning! I enjoyed today’s puzzle and theme. Thanks, Harry.
Alas, on WO: NUTty -> NUTSO.
NOB is new to me, all perps. Noggin, yes, NOB, no.
It’s always a surprise in reading the Blog to find an answer to a clue I never saw because it was filled by the perps. Fun!
Thanks, sumdaze. I enjoyed your recap.
"Hats off" to Harry for leading us into the week with a fast, fun puzzle! And also to Sumdaze for her as always bright recap. Gotta love a morning when the cap stays on the WiteOut bottle!
Thank you HD for this easy and fun puzzle, and for the enlightening and funny review, sumdaze. Corrections - bawls/WAILS, money/METAL corrected by PHOTO. When would NUTSO not be offensive? Yes for Arnold Horshack
Husker Gary@9:38 - You must have missed my referral to you about 2 weeks ago about the rapper Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Walker) who had the first No. 1 rap hit, “The Breaks”. Original rap was clean and funny, as this one is, and not what it has evolved to today. Also “——and we hit the dusty trail”.
MAEVE Binchy - her books are very enjoyable.
Jinx - EMMA Stone had to choose a different name when she joined the Screen Actors Guild because there was already an actress registered as Emily Stone. Also, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union pushed abstinence, asking teenagers in our church to sign a pledge. As a 13 year old I didn’t drink, but many of us would not sign because we did not think it was their business.
Happy day, all!
I don’t normally comment on Monday puzzles with a fairly average difficulty level, and never doubted I’d FIR. So why did this one stick to my craw?
I’ll tell ya why: The amount of lameness was hall-of-fame level, so bad that the crossing of FARMER SMURF and Fozzie BEAR was perhaps the best thing about it. I liked the FSTOP unifier and the premise, and I liked FRENCH CUFF as an example, but FARMER SMURF was an unknown, and FRISBEE GOLF seemed like a contrivance. Those were my only two unknowns, which means the other 20 items I flagged were either lame clues or lame answers – and I mean REALLY lame. Certainly not a tour de force.
There was REDID, which I kept hoping wouldn’t prove to be the answer; the cluing of RPMS in terms of tire rotations instead of engine cycles; the Little Bunny Foo Foo clue; and two examples of the dialogue entries I gripe about at least once a week: the “please clap now”/TADA entry and the nauseating “pick me, pick me”/OH! OH. Said no one ever – including Horshack. Yes, I did think of him, but only because Ooh! Ooh! is very different with that extra o.
Are AP CLASS and DOG TREAT examples of green paint?
I was so hard-put to come up with entries I liked that the mention of Questlove topped the list. CERTS came in second. MAEVE made the list because it’s such an exotic name, and I liked seeing REIN in because so many people erroneously stick a G in there.
As one who takes PHOTOs with a real CAMERA I enjoyed the FSTOP theme. I only know NOB Hill in SF. Never heard of COPPER as a COIN. Never heard of QUESTLOVE. Learning moments.
Here we were in our Santa Barbara ROSE GARDEN, with the Santa Barbara Mission beyond us.
Yes, I shared this once before.
From Yesterday:
Quite a challenge, but also quite a clever theme to remove "IT". DUCK FACE was a learning moment. My niece is one of many Millennials whose social media photo has a weird facial expression that is not flattering in any way. I still don't get it, but at least I know it really is a thing.
Copy Editor, it seems that nearly every day that puzzles I like will be disagreeable to other Cornerites, and vice versa. Vive la différence (A phrase more used in America than in France.)
BTW - the sport is widely called "disc golf" to avoid copyright infringement. I've seen a lot of them crop up over the last several years. Not exploding like pickleball, but getting more popular nevertheless.
I thought this was an outstanding puzzle!! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Thanks Harry for a Fun FIR to start the week.
Thanks sumdaze for a your usual funny, informative review. You're in a really good RUT! LUV'd the LUANN toon.
Favs:
15A AVE and 29D LUNCH MEATS The other toss ups for favorite toon.
32A DOG TREAT. The last time we saw Meadow, she was standing in front of your vineyard. What DOG brand is she?
44A BEANS. We cook ours overnight in an electric slow cooker, which does happens to be ceramic, but it doesn't have that classic shape.
52A EMMA. EMMA, nee Emily Jean Stone, recently announced is now her preferred name.
63A TARTAR. One of the preferred condiments for Crab cakes in the Land of Pleasant Living.
1D SOFA. Well camouflaged. Any relation?
5D NOB. We really need them on the Corner on the weekends.
8D DEF. So they perform in ASL?
11D MORAL. Favorite video. I'm sending a copy to my two youngest grandsons.
18D LOIS. Well OYL was too short!
Cheers,
Bill
Picard @12:01 pm. What gorgeous roses. I can almost smell them.
Bill, I don't know how big Meadow is (because it is a close-up picture), but looks to me like she has some Aussie Cattle Dog in her pedigree. DNA analysis is popular with MUTT owners.
TARTAR on crab cakes? Dunno, never tried it (or even thought about it.) But I do like A-One on some steaks, especially breakfast steaks, so I might like it.
Charlie Echo @ 10:55. Was that just an expression, or do you really use liquid WiteOut? The nice thing about Bic WiteOut EZcorrect tape is you don't have to huff & puff on it or wait for it to dry. Believe me, it's a regular companion for me doing our CW!!! 😂😂😂
“Little Bunny Foo Foo”, a preschool favorite is sung with motions, like one does when singing “I’m a little teapot”. The MORAL we taught was that you didn’t “bop” bunnies, or any animals on the head, and it followed that you didn’t hit anyone on the head. It was not uncommon in this age group to hear “pick me, pick me” or more commonly “me, me” and also “oh, oh”. The comments they made about hitting could be insightful, sad, and sometimes funny.
Nice Monday CW, thanx HD. I even saw the theme, but not until the reveal clue. FRISBEEGAME/FRISBEEGOLF. NUTTY/NUTSO. DNK MAEVE or FARMERSMURF but perps were kind. Thanx for the super write-up Sumdaze, and the camo-on-the-couch pic is terrific. It is taking me almost twice as long to do the CWs now, due to my continuing eye problems. I had yet another laser eye surgery on the right eye last Wednesday. Friday, I learned I will need yet another somewhere in the future. For now both eye surgeons suggest letting the right eye rest a while. It has had five surgeries now since last Nov. 16. And they fear doing any more surgery on the left eye for fear of creating more retina problems. Thus my lousy vision, and my slow-speed solves. At least I did FIR today, however slowly.
FYI, a 4-door car is called a SEDAN, a 2-door car is called a coupe.
RoseE. Yes, liquid for me. Old School Luddite!
Farmer Smurf
Dis
Burn
Maeve
Hard ones for a Monday puzzle.
Monkey Thank you for the kind words about our Santa Barbara ROSE GARDEN scene! Yes, they are indeed very fragrant!
By popular demand, here is a first photo from our Japan travels.
Here Merlie posed with Mt Fuji and a cherry tree in bloom.
We were near the small town of Hakone, about two hours from Tokyo by bus. We were very fortunate. Mt Fuji is often shrouded by fog. And there are few places to stop and get the view. Merlie just told me that the locals were upset by tourists causing traffic and leaving trash, and they demanded the few view spots be closed.
Picard@12:01. What a lovely photo!
waseeley@12:21. Meadow is a MUTT. Actually she is a legit cur. She is a shelter dog but the shelter people were fairly certain she is half Catahoula (State dog of Louisiana) and half Labrador retriever. Her disposition is much more Catahoula than Lab. Jinx@12:48 guessed cattle dog because of her blue merle. If you Google images of Catahoulas, you will see both red merle and blue merle markings. Unfortunately, that is not my vineyard. Meadow weighs 63 lbs. DH is a retired Marine so no relation to the Army soldier on the couch. Great pic, though, right?!
unclefred@1:31. Thanks for the update. I didn't realize you were having another surgery last week. Keep on keeping on!
Lee@1:37. Like you, I always thought a coupe had 2 doors and a sedan had 4 but when I researched it for this blog I learned that the difference is based on size. Here is one source: https://www.mercedesofindy.com/blog/2022/september/15/difference-between-a-coupe-and-a-sedan.htm
Picard@2:22. Wow! That is a gorgeous pic from Japan! I hope you'll continue to share more photos with us in the coming days.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR with one write/over - misspelled word, actually - with ROT/RUT
The reveal - F STOP - was ok but not a ha ha
I did not know that FRISBEE GOLF was not the actual name for the sport - disc golf makes more sense from a legal standpoint if indeed the makers of Frisbee (Hasbro?) didn't authorize it
sumdaze, you once again outdid yourself with all of the clever cartoons and puns - good job
HG, I was thinking of you the other day when I saw the tornado activity near Omaha; I trust you're ok ... prayers to those in Sulfur, OK (and the surrounds) after the devastating tornadoes there. The recent line of storms covered a path similar to the area of the solar eclipse, earlier this month
Speaking of the storms and their path ... and not knowing whether any other of you follow airline flight paths ... but I noticed yesterday that the line of storms through Texas caused flights from Dallas to Amarillo were diverted south to Houston before then heading west and north, just to avoid flying over and or through the storms. A normal 1 hour flight became 2-1/2 hours
I thought this was a good Monday puzzle, almost no unknowns.
I guess the difference between lame and fun is whether or not you have run into the clue or fill before. We all are so different from each other.
My students said OH! OH! quite a bit, never OOH! OOH!
To a student I wrote, "See my notes. You should redo this paper," so she redid it. A common word in my experience.
I enjoyed many of Maeve Binchy's novels. Wiki says, "Anne Maeve Binchy Snell (2 May 1939[1] – 30 July 2012) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings." She was on the best seller list and won many awards.
I have seen bean pots like the one pictured, but I don't make baked beans. I have two small condiments pots shaped like little bean pots.
CSO to my sister, Lois.
Contrary to popular belief, silence doesn't reign in modern libraries. Talking in a moderately low voice is acceptable, although some older folks give angry stares to anyone who talks at all. One lady even chastised the librarian. One of the libraries here has a completely silent room for studying, which indicates that the rest of the library is not completely silent.
We have a square dance for newbies tonight. We have been getting a younger enthusiastic crowd. I danced Friday night, too. This is truly independent living, not an "old folks' home."
Uncle Fred: So sorry about your eye problems. We so depend on our eyes, they are very precious.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle and reading all your comments. Picard, thanks for the terrific photos.
At least on Windoze computers, you can UNDO by pressing the CTRL key and the Z key at the same time. You can REDO (if you don't like the results of the UNDO) by pressing the CTRL key and the Y key at the same time.
PICARD...Awesome photo of Fuji! Been over 50 years since I was there to see it.
Hi All:
Thanks, Harry, for a Fun relieF while I waited at the dentist's office this morning.
Wonderful expo, Sumdaze! //and, yes, Horshack throwing his hand up in Mr. Kotter's class was all that filled my head at 18a.
WOs: N/A
ESP: MAEVEN
Fav: NUTSO and Little Bunny FooFoo (my Girls loved the latter and call me the former).
FRISBEE GOLF - I played it a lot in HS / college. The only golf I get par on :-)
C.Moe, the last I checked Frisbee was "owned" by Wham-O.
D-O: That was a great storm last night. If it wasn't 3am, I'd have gone out and watched it.
FLN - I was confused somewhere around Dallas where I couldn't get a beer while DW & her girlfriend shopped. What's really interesting is, in IL, one can get hard liquor at the gas station.
TTP - I'll second IM's thanks for the Newman's Own cookie process. I love watching "how it's made" videos.
HG - when I saw Youngest w/ the Front Tuck, I said her shirt was stuck in her pants. DW schooled me.
T.Ken - I still have Mom's '70's era Minolta. Finding film is just a bit easier than finding a developer.
Great snaps, Picard!
Cheers, -T
I'll be AWOL for the next few days. Stay well, everyone and enjoy life.
Sleep schedule is haywire again.
Dash T, yes. Dallas is in (wait for it) Dallas County. Dallas County is a "moist" county. Just like Harris County for Houston, and Travis County for Austin. Wet in some areas, dry in others. There are only a few completely dry counties left in Texas now. Most counties are moist. About 20% of the counties are wet. Like Bexar for San Antonio.
Glad that you and Irish Miss liked that "Oreos" video. I thought I was watching Oreo cookies getting made until the very end. Same diff.
From my earlier comments:
Oh duh. I found that 1969 newspaper article again and reread it on the quirky PA alcohol laws. Bars were prohibited from offering free food as inducements to drink, with the exception of potato chips, pretzels and nuts. And popcorn. "Which happen to be four of the most thirst-inducing foods known to civilized man."
I wonder if that rule ever got changed in PA. Grazing at the happy hour buffets at the big nightclubs and bars in Houston was fun.
I did find out that the PA "to-go" limit from bars is still 2 six packs. They never updated that law.
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