Good morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of today's puzzle by Michael Torch. The theme of the puzzle is based on the placement of words within four of the responses. In those places, Michael has taken common expressions that include the word BEFORE and omitted the word BEFORE thereby allowing the order of of the words to speak for itself. He has "literally" placed certain words before (in front of) others. Let's take a look at the first example:
17 Across: Give unappreciated gifts, literally: CAST PEARLS SWINE.
The expression is, of course, "cast pearls before swine" and it has come to mean to not present a thing of value to those who will fail to understand or appreciate it. Here, our constructor has physically CAST (placed) the word PEARLS in front of (before) the word SWINE. As a result we can read the answer as CAST PEARLS (BEFORE) SWINE. Michael has, literally, cast pearls before swine.
Here is how the gimmick is applied at the other themed clues and answers.
25. Pre-chaos moment, literally: THE CALM (BEFORE) THE STORM. In the answer, THE CALM, literally, comes before THE STORM.
43. 48 hours ago, literally: THE DAY (BEFORE) YESTERDAY. You get the idea.
57. Overconfidence is dangerous, literally: PRIDE COMES (BEFORE) A FALL. Cometh, goeth, who's quibbling!?
Here is the completed grid:
.... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Radio format: TALK. Hand up for first thinking AM FM. TALK radio as opposed, say, to Top 40 radio or All News radio.
5. Johnny Chase's nickname on "Entourage": DRAMA. Unknown to this solver. Thanks, perps.
10. Hunk: SLAB. Not as in Adonis. A hunk, for example, of meat or concrete.
14. Land east of the Urals: ASIA. I sometimes wonder whether we would consider Europe and Asia to be separate continents if the map makers who had the greatest influence were not, themselves, European.
15. Scout's task, briefly: RECON. Not a reference involving Tonto's horse. RECONnaisance.
16. Choice: A-ONE. Used as an adjective.
20. Unsubscribe, with "out": OPT. Why did the Maharishi Yogi OPT out of Novocaine during his root canal? Because he wanted to transcend dental medication.
21. Boot: EXPEL. Not a shoe reference. Perhaps a shoo reference.
22. Took the top prize for: WON AT.
23. Drink suffix: ADE. As in lemonade. Or Gatorade.
24. Emmy nominee Lucy: LIU. A frequent visitor.
34. "Boléro" composer: RAVEL.
24. Emmy nominee Lucy: LIU. A frequent visitor.
34. "Boléro" composer: RAVEL.
35. Fields: AREAS. As in AREAS of expertise. Not as in comedienne Totie.
36. Highlands refusal: NAE. Scottish. "No more Glenmorangie for me, thanks" would not fit in the allowable space.
37. Cupid counterpart: EROS.
38. Snide remarks: SNARK. An answer that did not end with an S.
39. Orchid garlands: LEIS. An answer that did end with an S.
40. Set as a price: ASK.
41. Cozy inn, informally: B AND B. Bed AND Breakfast.
42. Modest hits?: BUNTS. Not a musical or theatrical reference. A baseball reference.
46. Scrubs ctrs.: ORS. Medica personnel wear scrubs in Operating RoomS. With the leading cap it could be a reference to the TV show.
47. Consumed: ATE.
48. Enjoy every bite of: SAVOR.
51. Leading the league: FIRST. A possible baseball reference.
54. Place for a mud bath: SPA. STYE was too long.
60. Middle East capital: RIAL. Capital in the financial sense.
61. Trim: PRUNE. What did the gum trees say after I PRUNEd them? Eu-clipped-us!
62. Alien conveyances: UFOS.
63. Bulldog's home: YALE.
64. Turn off: REPEL. What did the male magnet say to the female magnet? He said : When I saw your backside I was repelled....However, after seeing you from the front, I now find you very attractive.
Down:
1. Birria option: TACO. A Mexican food reference, Birria is a flavorful stew that originated in Jalisco.
2. Letters of urgency: ASAP. What do you call very short proverbs? ASAPs fables.
3. Enumerate: LIST.
4. Dennings of the MCU's "Thor" films: KAT.
5. School that's home to the Dragons: DREXEL. Known for their women's basketball program.
6. Harvest: REAP. As ye sow . . .
7. Plot piece: ACRE. Not a literary reference. A bit misleading as an ACRE, by itself, can be a fair sized plot.
8. Defoe's "__ Flanders": MOLL. A literary reference.
7. Plot piece: ACRE. Not a literary reference. A bit misleading as an ACRE, by itself, can be a fair sized plot.
8. Defoe's "__ Flanders": MOLL. A literary reference.
9. Y or N, possibly: ANS. Punt. Yes No ANSwer
10. Showed the door: SAW OUT.
11. Pork cut: LOIN. CHOP would have fit.
12. Golfer Nordqvist: ANNA. Winner of the 2009 LPGA Championship and the 2021 Women's British Open.
13. __ red: BEET. ERIK THE was too long (and red was not capitalized).
18. Elliptical part: PEDAL. An exercise machine reference.
19. Reuben cheese: SWISS. A sandwich reference. For a number of years, the Yamaha FJR motorcycle community put together a Ruben Run to La Pine, OR.
23. Las Vegas team: ACES. A basketball reference.
24. Security concern: LEAK. Call the White House Plumbers.
25. Halloween option: TREAT. TRICK was also five letters. Fill in the T and the R and find a perp.
26. Rather severe: HARSH.
28. Third baseman Machado with two Gold Gloves: MANNY. Obviously, a baseball reference.
29. Vocation: TRADE.
30. Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme: HERBS. Once again, Patti and the puzzle setter have teed it up.
31. Upright: ON END.
32. Condiment in Indian cuisine: RAITA. A creamy yogurt-based sauce.
33. Tough to resolve: MESSY. As in a MESSY situation.
38. Word with you or who: SAYS. Before and after. SAYS you and who SAYS. Or, Simon.
39. Bass player?: LURE. Not a music reference. A fishing reference.
38. Word with you or who: SAYS. Before and after. SAYS you and who SAYS. Or, Simon.
39. Bass player?: LURE. Not a music reference. A fishing reference.
41. Fitness program that incorporates ballet, yoga, and Pilates: BARRE. Another unknown for this solver.
42. Siamese fighting fish: BETTA. ... and yet another unknown to this solver. Thanks, perps.
44. Marginal drawing: DOODLE.
45. Shoe decor: TASSEL.
48. Nimble: SPRY.
49. Covent Garden solo: ARIA. Covent Garden is a London, England venue used for operas.
50. Glass vessel: VIAL. I once made the mistake of drinking the liquid from a scientist’s test tube. It was a VIAL substance.
51. Anterior: FORE. Most often seen as a golf reference.
52. "My turn!": I'M UP. Another possible baseball reference.
53. Artist Magritte: RENE. Another frequent visitor.
54. Jewel box?: SAFE. A place to store your jewelry. Jewel box is often used as a CD case reference.
55. Tiny splash: PLOP.
56. Plus: ALSO.
58. Lifeguard skill: Abbr.: CPR. An abbreviated answer to a non abbreviate clue.
59. Lab coat?: FUR. Not a reference to what might be worn in a facility used to conduct experiments.
I'll take two.
And, on that note . . .
____________________________________________
37 comments:
I’ve seen this type of puzzle so many times before that I understood the gimmick nearly immediately. (The key was the word “literally”.). And all of the “expressions” were pretty common ones, too. That’s why I say this puzzle wasn’t nearly as difficult as I would expect a Friday puzzle to be. (Not that I’m complaining.) FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but erased tall for TACO (thought "birra" must be fancy coffee talk) and TASSle (UNTIE!)
Today is:
NATIONAL ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY (Secrets of the Zoo chronicles some of these efforts)
NATIONAL PACK RAT DAY (unfortunately, not endangered)
NATIONAL DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION DAY (bridges, interstate highways, public transportation, waterways and air)
NATIONAL CHERRY COBBLER DAY (warm with a scoop of vanilla, please)
NATIONAL BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY (Get that Harley shined up)
NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK DAY (Get that Harley shined up)
NATIONAL PIZZA PARTY DAY (ball pit, sugared-up kids, a man in a mouse costume, and drunk parents. What could possibly go wrong?)
NASCAR DAY (zoomzoom)
NATIONAL WALNUT DAY (messy to hull and extract from the shell, but worth the work)
MALCOLM X DAY (he evolved to believe that the success of a nation meant working together, despite racial differences)
NATIONAL GRADUATION TASSEL DAY (now, if I could only spel “tassel” I would have saved an erasure today)
We’re breaking camp a day early due to bad weather expected tomorrow. DW decided that 0430 was a fine time to rise, so I’m up doing puzzles and she’s (crossword favorite) abed.
PEARLS [before] SWINE by Pastis is one of my favorite comics.
In the days before aluminum bats and designated hitters, BUNTing was an essential skill for a pitcher.
Thanks for the fun Friday workout, Michael. And thanks to our MalMan for another punny review. Except c’mon, MalMan. No Scot has ever refused another Glenmorangie.
Good morning!
Caught the theme early, and sashayed (Hi, Lucina) to the finish line. RAITA, BETTA, and BARRE were new ones, but perps came to the rescue. Are we still allowed to say UFO in the day of the UAP? Thanx for the exercise, Michael, and for the punny expo, Mal-Man. (Stye was too long, but Sty would've been apt.)
An okay puzzle with a hugely entertaining recap by the esteemed MM. Welp, no work for me today. My wife and I are about to embark on a road trip from Concord, NH to Saranac Lake, NY. Our first road trip of 2024. Cue up Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” A song I always play at the very start of a road trip.
Good morning. There was definitely THE CALM before THE STORM last night as storms rolled through. Power is still out in many areas but I'm sure it will be on AFTER the schools that will be closed are set to open.
I'd already filled CAST PEARLS SWINE by perps but didn't understand how it fit the clue until 25A. The others fell easily after a few perps. MANNY, RAITA, BIRRA & BETTA were perped today. BARRE was not know as a fitness program but I got it.
OPT out? NAE. Give me the Novocaine and Nitrous Oxide.
FIR. Clever theme which I did not see immediately but got the day before yesterday.
I was not impressed with Drama at 5A, just another proper name that doesn't belong in a CW.
But having said that, for a Friday, it was fairly easy and enjoyable.
Good Morning:
Though this wasn't an old-fashioned Friday head-scratcher, I enjoyed the solve immensely. The theme was obvious from the get-go and offered four very solid in-the-language phrases. I had Goeth before Comes but that was quickly corrected, as were Barbs/Snark and Ahead/First. I needed perps for Drama and Barre, as clued, Anna, Betta, and Manny. I can never see Nae* without thinking of our dear Wilbur. Because of the theme's clarity, the solve was on the easy side, but the clean grid, lively fill, and minimal TLWs were all pluses, in my book. *My niece texted her mother from Scotland yesterday, "We're on our way to St. Andrew's." My non-sports-savvy sister texted back, "Say a prayer for me." 🤣
Thanks, Michael, for a fun Friday romp and thanks, MalMan, for the many puns and chuckles in your informative and very entertaining review. You were in fine fettle this morning! Loved the "exercising" Kitty and that regal Lab, and André Rieu is always welcome, as are Simon and Garfunkel.
Anon T, hope you are safe and sound after those deadly storms.
Have a great day.
Took 7:26 today.
Easy Friday, clear theme.
I knew "Pearls before Swine," but didn't know "cast." Also didn't know the clue for taco, the betta, Manny, and how to properly spell tassel.
I knew today's actresses (Kat & Liu).
I guessed correctly at the Middle East capital and the Indian condiment.
Hola!
BEFORE was the missing link and that was clear after the first theme answer. Nicely done, Michael Torch. And thank you, Malman, for your insightful review.
I love Ravel's Bolero!
CSO to my cousin's husband, RENE.
I'm not sure how LURE is a bass player. I had LYRE first but that made even less sense.
BETTA is unknown as is RAITA. Both were filled by perps.
Sports is not my strong suit but I have heard of BUNTS.
i really, really dislike TALK radio. Once in a while an interesting topic will be discussed but not often. My radio is set to the classical station KBAQ.
Please enjoy a wonderful day, everyone!
Clever of Michael to come up with four expressions that not only had the word "before" in them, but that also were all the perfect length for a 15-grid spanner!
I always thought the verb in the last expression was "goeth" or "goes." The latter was out because it would have meant 14 letters. But "goeth" would have worked. It would have meant a change in a few vertical perps. And maybe I'm just incorrect; maybe the correct verb is comes (or cometh).
Once I had the main themers figured out, they became a huge asset in doing the rest of the puzzle. I also needed some helpful horizontal perps in the East, because we had some verticals over there that were all bunched together like BETTA, LURE, and RAITA. All beyond me. But Scotland, Hawaii, and baseball came to the rescue with easy answers: NAE, LEIS, and BUNTS.
I liked the 59D clue, lab coat. I need some clarification, however, on one or two other clues. First, 38A, snide remarks. Sounds like we're looking for a plural. But evidently the singular SNARK is the correct answer. Huh?
The other question I have is if anyone could clarify BARRE. I recall that for my students who were taking ballet, there was a handrail that ran around the walls that was called a barre. Has that handrail now become the name of a full program incorporating ballet and a bunch of other stuff?
Michael, you devised a very clever puzzle that I found enjoyable and entertaining. I look forward to your next outing.
Lucina, if you're bass fishing, you may try to "play" the fish with your LURE.
Good Morning! I was not quite up to today’s challenge, but I did better than I first thought. I knew it wasn’t Monday when I saw that 1A would not be AM-FM. Thanks, Michael, for your puzzle.
WOs: RAVEL, it was a vowel thing; cAT -> KAT - I know her, but C? or K?, guessed wrong; Vase -> VIAL; drOP -> PLOP
Unknown/new to me: Johnny Case – never watched Entourage; DREXEL Dragons; BETTA crossing RAITA.
I saw “before” was missing in our themers, but I came to the Corner to verify.
Reubin sandwiches, Cracker Barrel used to have great ones, but they dropped them from their menu. Boo Hiss!
Awwww, sweet Lab pic. I got FUR right away. I’ve had 5 black and one chocolate in my life.
Thanks, MalMan, your puns are chuckles and groans and your commentary witty. It starts my day with a smile!
Second eye cataract surgery was on Wednesday. Today first time in 30 years doing a CW without glasses!! 🤓….(Now how imma gonna hide them bags under my eyes 👀)
And after a mighty struggle with the mid north managed to FIR to “boot”
Easy theme providing lotsa perpage but….“Dennings”? “Johnny Chase”? “Birria”? The “3rd baseman” (obviously not the “bass player”) or the golfer? And always forget the artist “Magritte” )…LIU was the only 3-letter “Lucy” I niu .
Inkovers: lock/LEAK, erect/ONEND. vahze/VIAL, blob/SLAB, tetra/BETTA. Otherwise I made no EROS 😁
CAST PEARLS (BEFORE) SWINE (is that the same as “Put lipstick on a pig?” 💄🐷) Don’t forget “The Greeks shall inherit the earth” and “Blessed are the cheesemakers”
I wonder if RAVEL looked at his fancy short Spanish jacket in the mirror and said “ think I’ll write a song about it” 🤔
Mal man unless you’re referring to JC putting “mud” on a STYE that made a blind man see I think you meant STY 😉
“Ballet-yoga-Pilates fitness program?” Sign me up…NOT!!! 😥
AONE is that a Greek island? O I C
Liked “Lab coat” I have one hanging ready to don when I’m cold just in “scrubbs” (New hospital but no office climate control 🥶🥵)
Obviously this time it wasn’t Ned then recalled the movie “MOLL Flanders”…. “Shoe Decor” Not a sculpture made with high heels I guess 😊. What’s the “elliptical part”/PEDAL connection? Isn’t it a circle?
SPRY, Mom used it instead of Crisco. (LIU, phased out in the 50’s)
Nice sunny day. Need to purchase a hot set of shades. 😎
Cool CW. I DNF however because of TALK radio and TACO, as clued. I missed all the DRAMA, and the BUNTS. The rest filled easily.
I too thought BARRE referred to the ballet hand rail.
We had quite a STORM yesterday, but Houston had it worse. My SIL who lives there is without power. Trees fell around her. I hope our own A-t fared well. Another round of storms is expected tonight.
Thank you MM for the entertaining review. Boléro always gives me chills with its haunting start.
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Michael and MalMan.
I FIRed with just a few pauses, and saw the omitted "Before" theme early in the game.
Several inkblots and unknowns, but perps were fair.
I took a WAG on the D in the cross of DRAMA and DREXEL. (Has this Canadian ever complained about the American teams and schools that are abundant in CWs? I won't even mention the missing U in SAVOR! LOL!)
Hand up for thinking of AM FM before TALK, but I refrained from entering.
Slurs changed to SNARK. (Yes, I had automatically entered the final S for a plural clue.)
That centre area was the last to fill.
LURE filled but I didn't get it. Thanks MalMan for identifying the Bass fish.
We usually say BNB informally, but the space required B AND B.
We had an EL abundance today with EXPEL, RAVEL, REPEL AND TASSEL.
I planted my HERBS yesterday. More flowers going in this weekend.
Wishing you all a great day.
Amusing theme. Yes, we have seen similar themes before. ?OLL/DRA?A was a WAG.
Gaviota Hot Springs is a good place for a MUD BATH.
Yes, I have shared this photo before. It is only about a mile from the road, so I usually combine it with a longer hike when I lead it.
From Yesterday:
CanadianEh I am delighted that you are delighted that we both dined at Aux Anciens Canadiens. I have friends in Montreal, so we hope to be back in that area next summer. Thanks for the explanation about Misty and her tortoise.
Misty Do you have any photos of Gophie that you already have? If so, you can email them to me at earthmanrobert (at) gmail.com and I can post them for you.
Ray O, you're right about STY . . . and it would have fit! Brain freeze on this end.
Challenging but mostly enjoyable solve today. Two and a half nits to pick and one query. (Nit 1) DRAMA and ACES both being proper nouns as clued when there are plenty of other ways to clue each. (Nit 2) DRAMA as a proper noun crossing proper nouns DREXEL and MOLL. At least they are each from quite different realms of knowledge (early-mid 2000s premium cable programing; NCAA athletics, namely women's basketball; and classic literature). However, they all were particular enough to be unfamiliar to me. (Nit 2.5) I can't think of a sentence in which FIRST can replace, one-for-one "Leading the league." As clued, I think the answer needs to be "in FIRST."
Regarding PRIDE COMES (BEFORE) A FALL, is that the way anyone has heard/used the phrase? My recollection of hearing the phrase is that the verb is "goeth" not COMES. I also think I've always heard "the" FALL rather than "A" FALL. What experience do others have with this phrase?
Once I found that the word “before” was missing from each of the theme entries, the concept became too easy for a Friday. The rest of the puzzle had some crunch, largely because of misleading or obtuse cluing.
Oddly, one of the clues committing that offense was the Johnny DRAMA entry. I was a big fan of “Entourage,” but it took me about 90 seconds to come up with the Kevin Dillon character’s nickname. By the way, why did half-brothers Vince and Drama have the same mother but also the same last name?
The TACO clue threw me, too. I once had an absolutely delicious goat stew that defined my idea of what birria means, and a taco made from that stew would soak the tortilla pronto. So my first guesses for 1D were “stew” and “goat.”
I knew most of the names, including DRAMA, KAT, LIU, RAVEL, EROS, RIAL, YALE, MOLL, ACES, MANNY, RAITA, RENE, and DREXEL, though I didn’t remember the Drexel mascot. I first became aware Drexel exists, by the way, when the school put a team on G.E. College Bowl in the mid-1960s.
I thought the “bass player” clue for LURE was Friday caliber, although I surmised easily enough that it was the fish version of bass, but all in all today’s puzzle was a big letdown after Thursday’s gem.
TRAVELOGUE: IM’s St. Andrews anecdote reminded me of our one-day stay there, a few weeks before the 1995 British Open was staged there. It was still light at 10 p.m. as I watched live coverage of the U.S. Open on a tiny TV in our tiny room. It seemed weird. . .I’m envious of the Anonymous who’s making that drive from Concord to Saranac Lake. I’m guessing the route begins due west past Killington and Pico to avoid Lake Champlain.
Thanks MalMan, for the analysis and also for dredging up the frustrations of the first season I followed baseball. I liked Willie Mays right away, and the Giants led all season, but they finished third. The Dodgers outlasted the mighty Braves, who probably deserved their third consecutive N.L. pennant with Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette constituting a memorable bunch of stars.
Another enjoyable puzzle. The theme answers were clever, and gave a nice toehold. Lots of clever misdirection and a satisfying FIR, unusual for me on a Friday! Great recap by MM. Loved the Twilight Zone "To serve man" reference. DW and I are on our third yellow lab.
Anonymous @ 6:10 Am
Saranac Lake is about an hour or so north of me in the Adirondack Park where I hope to be the rest of the weekend. The forecast sounds good for the next couple weeks but beware this is black fly season. Get a repellent with DEET
Have fun
Musings
-How unusual, the gimmick was obvious and I wasted time looking for more
-CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE brought to mind all the great lessons I taught in front of some kids who were disinterested. They were not pigs who needed any amount of lipstick!
-TALK saved AM radio
-I erased FLACK to put in SNARK at _ _ _ _ K and TETRA for BETTA at _ E T _ A
-Farmers here with a 24-row planter, you can plant 24 ACRES/hr. which about 2 ACRES/min.
-The ANTERIOR cruciate ligament suffers tears more often than the posterior one
-Last day of 2024 subbing, I think.
-Fun write-up MM!
Thank you Michael. Teri and I did this one together, but the FIW was MY BAD (see below).
And thank thank you MalMan for the usual WRY review. Today we OPTED for DAD JOKES instead of MOEKUS. We kinda sorta got the theme (drop BEFORE from a common phrase) but we needed you to 'splain the literal meaning of "literally".
Some favs:
5A DRAMA. DNK this guy, but he perped.
22A WON AT. WON IT fit and worked, but because I didn't know Ms NORDQVIST I WAGGED ANNI.
39A LEIS. Crosswordese.
42A BUNTS. I was a lousy hitter in little league, but I could occasionally get a BUNT. And I was a slow runner, but all the fielders were lousy too and would miss the cutoff at 1st.
34A RAVEL. RAVEL is one of my favorite composers and he hated this piece, because he wrote a lot of really great stuff that most people don't know about, frinstance his elegiac Pavane pour une infante défunte.
54A SPA. I don't think an EYE is a good place for a "mud bath" Joseph. 😁
4D KAT. Had CAT, but had to drop her to get TALK radio.
8D MOLL. What no video? I guess mobsters must have some literary taste, as this is what they call their DAMES.
13D BEET. We like the greens and we also like sweet pickled baby BEETS, which are really good in salads.
18D PEDAL. Clever clue. Which reminds me I have to re-up my GYM membership at the Geezer Center.
28D MANNY. He used to play for the Orioles, but now he's just MANNY WHO. And he's not on first!
40D ARIA. This one's for you D-O!. 😀
Cheers,
Bill
Lucina @9:04 AM You might try this station -- they play classical 7x24.
Irish Miss, that "regal" lab was our beloved Rustler (named for Alf's High Rustler - a ski run at Alta, Utah). The photo was taken in Colorado roughly twenty years ago.
Charlie Echo, I am glad that you picked up on the Twilight Zone reference. I intentionally kept that reference subtle just to see what reactions it might elicit. As a family we had two chocolates and the yellow. I tend to greet every lab I see out walking and that often elicits a "There are other dogs, you know!" from Valerie.
Picard, I used to frequent Gaviota (and Sespe) hot springs.
Thanks, all, for your kind comments.
d-otto@9:45
Thank you. It seems like a stretch to me but then, I don't do any fishing.
Otherwise this puzzle really had some sparkle.
waseeley@9:54
Thank you for that recommendation. KBAQ is our local classical station and that is all they play, 24-7.
Copy Editor, I forgot to mention, above, that as a youngster I had a Lew Burdette "autographed) baseball glove.
FIR, perps were kind. The obvious but fun theme supplied many perps and easy solving. FIR w/o LIU or red letters.
My favorite clue was bass layer, thinking of bass as fish. Playing a fish is a technique used when a fish is hooked on a fishing line. It involves using both the rod and reel to give and take with the fish until it is close enough to the boat to be reeled in.
I have come across RAITA, ACES, and DREXEL just in the last few days. I knew BETTA, but had to depend on perps to get the double T spelling.
Cast your pearls before swine means don't waste your goods or words on those who don't appreciate them. Putting lipstick on a pig means making superficial changes on something that is undesirable without making it better.
Ray-O , I have been thinking of you. Glad things seem okay.
1. So is that fitness program (41D) Barre named after the handrail used in ballet exercises?
2. Is the word snark a plural word?
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Canadian Eh:
I've been meaning to touch base with you because I love your comments and admire yoir pluck and patience. I can't imagine my attempting a Canadian crossword with its colleges, sports teams, TV shows, businesses, stores, and their abbreviations. As for the differences in our spellings, if you've come up with a word in an American puzzle, and it has "ou" in it, you should probably drop the "u"!
Ray O @ 9:54 ~ Glad to hear all went well! You surely won't miss a trick now! 🤣
Bill @ 12:59 ~ I'm not sure DO is a La Boheme fan, but I certainly am. Thank you.
MalMan @ 1:00 ~ I think we many of us have a beloved memory of our own Rustler in our minds and hearts.
Omit the we, please. 😉
I liked the x before y gimmick.
Wow, two days in a row to FIR in record time (for me). Again, everything just seemed to fall into place, and I saw the theme with 17A, which helped a lot. The DNKs filled by perps easily. MT, thanx so much for a fabulous Friday CW, both clever and fun to do, Thanx too to MalMan for the terrific write-up.
Puzzling (after) thoughts:
BUNTS/BETTA was corrected before I could stop the timer - FIR with that one w/o
MM, I agree with Jinx: since when you EVER say NAE to a dram of Glenmorangie??!!
I was thinking STY [before] SPA but flipped the coin correctly
Getting rid of a totaled car is almost harder than obtaining a new one
They (the PGA pros) are going low @ Valhalla despite its playing over 7,600 yards in length
T-Ken, I think SNARK is like "flack" and "guff." We say "I don't want to hear any flack from you," not "...a single flack from you." Same, I think, for "guff"and SNARK. (Although I have heard that something was a SNARKy remark. Maybe the word is binumberal.)
Thanks to Michael for the Friday fun! I caught the first themer and BEFORE I knew it, the grid was filled. However I did have a one-box FIW for 22A. waseely @ 12:59 explained my experience exactly.
FAVs: Halloween option; Lab coat?; and Word with you or who.
DRAMA was in the punchbowl.
Bolero is inspiring but I always feel sorry for the guy on the snare drum.
Ray-O. That's great news about your successful eye surgery!
H-Gary @ 12:32. Congrats on another year! Now you'll have more time for golf.
Thanks to Mal-Man for his excellent review! I laughed at the cat Gifs and wondered if you knew that dog. Thanks for sharing Rustler with us! Gorgeous!
Ray-O congratulations on successful eye surgery. Yep. Those bags under the eyes! That’s why I wear glasses anyway. LOL.
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