Root, Root for the Home Team!
If you didn't spot them while solving (CSO to D-O), here they are ...
3D. Spiritual path of action: KARMA YOGA. YAM. Well I've always thought that a YAM was just another name for a SWEET POTATO -- but they are not the same vegetable.
10D. Event for minor leaguers?: TEE BALL GAME. BEET. These are not particularly difficult to grow, but we like the tender greens in salads and tend to side pick them stealing the strength from the root. But whichever way you eat them they are good for you.
|
|
Detroit Dark Red Beets |
|
| Carrots |
|
|
Taro Roots |
... and the rest of today's garden ...
Across:
1. Tools with teeth: RAKES. And C.C. starts us off with RAKES, essential tools for planting ROOT CROPS, which like fine, well raked soil. Teri and I use a modified version of Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening method, planting the seeds to a depth of 2-3" in drills filled with potting soil. We've had good luck with BEETS, RADISHES, CARROTS, and TURNIPS. We usually plant our YAMS (sweet potatoes) with plants in shallow trenches. I've not seen TARO seeds or plants in our gardening catalogues.
6. Geocaching device: GPS. You use the Global Positioning System in your phone to zero in on containers called geocaches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world. Here's a one minute explanation ...
9. Did a face-plant: ATE IT. Ouch!
14. "This really matters to me": I CARE A LOT. When you
really CARE A LOT ...
18. Like a misty pond after dark: EERIE. It's not a good idea to go there alone. 😨
19. Genre that includes dubstep: EDM. Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies. The style emerged as an offshoot of UK garage, drawing on a lineage of related styles such as 2-step, dub reggae, jungle, broken beat, and grime. In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s. Here's a dubstep number by Lindsey Stirling called Crystallize that I thought was kind of cool ...
20. Dudes: MEN. All the ones I know use HE/HIM/HIS pronouns.
21. Vegetable in a yellow pod: WAX BEAN. The original version of this particular bean grew in the tropical climate of Central and South America. “Wax” has become a common term and refers to any yellow bean whether it is waxy or not. True wax bean types actually do have a waxy texture and feel.
|
|
|
Wax Beans Atchison Farmers Market |
25. Color of rambutan skin: RED. What the heck is Rambutan and how do you eat it? They look like "the aliens have landed", but they don't bite you, you bite them ...
|
|
You eat the white part |
27. Deli jarful: MAYO. Also a clinic in Minnesota that C.C. is probably familiar with. I have a niece who is a resident in psychiatry there.
29. "The Chimpanzees I Love" author Jane: GOODALL. Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE (born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years' studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to observe its chimpanzees in 1960. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots program, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues.
|
|
Jane Goodall and friends |
33. "Xanadu" band: ELO. The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography. Here's the title song from the 1980 fantasy film Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelley ...
34. Classic Chevy: BEL AIR. The car I learned to drive in. Teri, who already had her license, would drive over to our house in her Rambler, and she would sit in the passenger seat of our 56 Chevy and tutor me on the finer points of driving.
|
|
1956 Chevrolet Bel Air |
38. Gas in some lasers: ARGON. Argon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble (inert) gas. Argon is the third most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere after Nitrogen and Oxygen. Argon lasers have a wide variety of uses including eye surgery. and the treatment of various skin disorders.
40. List-ending abbr.: ETC.
42. Shelter made of compressed snow: IGLOO.
43. Pacific Palisades location: LA AREA. Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the West-side region of Los Angeles, California, situated about 20 miles (32 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles.
 |
| View south from Will Rogers State Beach, of Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica I think Renee lives around here somewhere |
47. Lie adjacent to: ABUT.
48. Shelter dogs: RESCUES. CSO to Pat.
50. Fail to see: MISS. But we hope we see our Irish MISS on the Corner every day.
51. Branch of Islam: SHIA. Shia Islam (/ˈʃiːə/) is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656 – 661 CE) as his successor and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as leader of the Muslims by some of Muhammad's other companions. This view contrasts with Sunnī Islam, which asserts that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death and considers Abū Bakr, who was appointed caliph by a group of senior Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful caliph after Muhammad (632–634 CE).
54. Short flight: HOP.
55. Subsequently: THEN.
57. Keep under wraps: CONCEAL.
59. Kung __ tofu: PAO. Kung Pao Tofu is a vegan stir-fry dish made from tofu (soy cheese) with dried red chilies, pepper, peanuts all tossed together in a flavorful sauce. Here's a recipe ...
 |
| Kung Pao Tofu |
63. Reversed: UNDID.
64. Tipping point: LAST STRAW. The proverbial STRAW that broke the camel's back.
67. For the time __: BEING.
68. Bankrupt company's transaction: ASSET SALE.
69. Opposites attract, e.g.: ADAGE. Also a law of physics.
70. Tedious routine: RUT.
71. Squelched: SAT ON.
Down:
1. Like a yellow papaya: RIPE.
3. [Theme clue].
4. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS. They're not hectic until they're hectic ...
5. Note with a low grade, perhaps: SEE ME.
6. Narrow valley: GLEN. E.g. Glen Canyon, a natural canyon carved by a 169.6-mile (272.9 km) length of the Colorado River, mostly in southeastern and south-central Utah, in the United States.
 |
| Glen Canyon |
8. Slow-boiled: STEWED.
9. "Don't live life without it" card co.: AMEX.
10. [Theme clue].
11. Blundered: ERRED.
12. Poem that inspired Pat Barker's "The Women of Troy": ILIAD. The Trojan War is over and the Greeks are ready to return home as victors. But their fleet is becalmed and they must camp by the city they destroyed waiting for a fair wind, kept company by the women they stole it from.
15. Get payback for: AVENGE.
22. Very little: A DAB. "Brylcreem - a little DAB'll do ya". Just make sure you don't use two!
25. [Theme reveal].
27. Dim sum, e.g.: MEAL. Chinese TAPAS.
 |
| Dim sum |
31. Necklace shipped with ice packs: LEI. You can by them from Cindy.
35. [Theme clue]
36. Markers: IOUS. The first time I've seen this clue for IOUS.
37. Becomes inedible: ROTS. E.g. when your PAPAYA turns BROWN.
39. Maiden name indicator: NEE.
41. Billiards stick: CUE.
44. "The Prisoner's Wife" author Bandele: ASHA. As a favor for a friend, a bright and talented young woman volunteered to read her poetry to a group of prisoners during a Black History Month program. It was an encounter that would alter her life forever, because it was there, in the prison, that she would meet Rashid, the man who was to become her friend, her confidant, her husband, her lover, her soul mate.
|
49. Shirt feature: COLLAR.
51. Reef explorer's gear: SCUBA. An acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
|
|
SCUBA diver |
53. 28-Down's country: INDIA.
58. Slight lead: EDGE. Also a singer in a rock and roll band ...
59. Soft "Look over here!": PSST.
61. Divine circle: HALO.
62. Clive of "Monsieur Spade": OWEN. To really understand Monsieur Spade we have to go back twenty years to the Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart as San Francisco private detective Sam Spade ...
"Monsieur Spade", played by British actor
Clive Owen, is now comfortably retired in the South of France but he finds that
his karma has followed him there ...
The first is a great film and the second a great series, although the plot of
the latter is quite complicated and the ending is a little enigmatic.
65. Sun Devils sch.: ASU. Arizona State University.
66. Airport org. that approves some locks: TSA. What are TSA-approved locks?
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
61. Divine circle: HALO.
62. Clive of "Monsieur Spade": OWEN. To really understand Monsieur Spade we have to go back twenty years to the Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart as San Francisco private detective Sam Spade ...
65. Sun Devils sch.: ASU. Arizona State University.
66. Airport org. that approves some locks: TSA. What are TSA-approved locks?
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Well, I definitely wouldn’t call C.C.’s puzzle “easy.” But through P&P I made it work. It didn’t help that I started one across as “combs” rather than “rakes” but I eventually got it, and everything else, right. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased rap for the unknown EDM.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (it used to be observed on July 4, but it seems that there was another event on that day. The observance was moved to the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan.)
NATIONAL TRUFFLE DAY (a versatile day, it celebrates both the type that gets your fingers gooey, as well as the type that you need a trained pig to locate so you can dig it up. They aren't roots, but the fungi grow where the roots are.)
NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE DAY (this industry started on May 2, 1759, when the charter was recorded for the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.)
DNK that AMEX had changed their "don't leave home without it" slogan.
DNK there were TSA locks. On a trip to Venezuela, I assumed that my luggage would be opened. So I made sure there weren't any valuables in my suitcase, and even left my key at home. When I checked in to the Caracas Hilton, I found that my bag had not only been opened, but the helpful searchers had locked the bag when they were finished. Had to get hotel maintenance to open it for me - using a big screwdriver and a hammer. On my return flight I closed it with packing tape, then threw out the bag after getting unpacked.
We used to call the beautiful, ritzy community "PAC PAL." IIRC, that's where the LA Open golf tourney is played, although it now carries a meaningless corporate name.
Thanks to CC for another delightful puzzle. And thanks to Bill 'n' Teri for the fun review. I misread "taught me to drive in" as "taught me to drive-in" and thought "I never knew that drive-in was a verb."
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThings were uprooted this morning, thanks to C.C. Didn't notice them while solving, but hadn't read the full reveal clue, so didn't think to look for 'em. Had E__, so thought of EMO; didn't recognize EDM, even after getting it. (Thanx for 'splainin', waseeley). All in all, this was ten minutes well spent. Thanx, C.C., waseeley, and Teri. (Very well-researched, fact-filled expo. I enjoyed it.)
Woke up to thunder-boomers this AM. We got 7" earlier this week, so we really don't need the rain. If we get more than a couple inches, flooding could be an issue. I've got an M-o-W route later this morning. I hope things settle down by then.
Forgot to mention, I suspect that PERSEVERE was C.C's CSO to I-M.
ReplyDeleteSince I don't have a puzzle to solve today, here's what I'll be doing to occupy my time.
ReplyDeleteThis is what David has to say about it: On March 26, 1665, Samuel Pepys, the great English diarist, recorded that he had lately enjoyed an unusually long spell of good health and wondered what had caused it. Three possibilities occurred to him: the possession of a rabbit’s foot (an excellent “preservative against wind”), the avoidance of sleeping on his back (which tended to make his “water the next morning . . . very hot”), or the “taking of a pill of turpentine every morning.” Now, as a confirmed disbeliever in conventional medicine, as in all things based on reason and logic, I’ve tried each of these remedies myself, without however noticing much good effect, though the last of them may have had something to do with the state of mind in which I thought up today’s puzzle.
P assed this one in 8:32 today.
ReplyDeleteI knew one author today (Goodall), but not the other one (Asha).
N ever had kung pao tofu or done karma yoga.
R ambutan?
U sual Thursday level.
T hank you for no circles.
FIR. This was a hard Thursday puzzle but quite enjoyable. Thank you CC.
ReplyDeleteI admit I didn't see the theme till I got here, and then slapped the perverbial forehead afterwards.
The NW had me perplexed for a while and I tried La Brea before LA Area which left me with an answer ending in GB. No good!
Also tried to force a tad before a dab, a slight setback, but eventually corrected.
Creative puzzle from CC - I didn't search for the ROOTS going UP until after I was done.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Bill & Teri for the blog - sweet story about learning to drive with the BEL AIR. I don't remember what car I learned to drive on initially, but I remember learning to drive a stick shift on my boyfriend's dad's Audi in his grandma's little town in Kansas. He glibly said that everyone should learn to drive a manual transmission on someone else's car - don't think he told his dad that ;)
Time to work! Fun that SS added his own ROOT!
SS @7:18 AM PIN RUT? PEANUTS perhaps -- they're ROOT CROPS.
ReplyDeleteNina @7:52 AM IIRC the BELAIR had an automatic transmission on the column. I didn't learn how to drive a manual transmission until I burned out a friend's clutch driving his Karman Ghia back from the Toronto Rock festival.
Waseeley @8:22 AM: Turnip.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-It appears EDM is a thing and so I am good in C.C.’s lovely and creative puzzle
-People digging out tornado victims in Omaha got another ½” of rain on them last night
-Our Lily was a RESCUE and Joann says if a tornado heads toward us, Lily is the first thing she would grab on the way to the basement
-I’m subbing today and didn’t have the time to ROOT OUT the gimmick but Waseeley did it for me in his nice write-up
-GPS has gone from being a system to being a name for what the system does
-I don’t hang out in environments where gendered nouns and pronouns are scrutinized
-My DW makes a great four-bean salad that counts WAX BEANS as an ingredient
-Rambutan: And the learning just keeps on coming
-Those mid to late 50’s Chevys were a big part of my growing up
-News outlets today use political leanings to decide what to cover or what to squelch
-Oh, that favor is fuh VORE not FAY vor
-A cattle raiser told me that rather than let fruit and veggies ROT, groceries sell him tons of produce and he feeds them to his animals that love the treat.
-The had the ultimate movie MacGuffin
FWIW
ReplyDelete-I am subbing in 10th grade English today and showing a video about Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby today. As I survey the room of 16-yr-olds, I wonder what they are taking away from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Nice theme, but I forgot to look for it.
ReplyDeleteRambutan was new to me, but RED, a three letter color, filled itself.
I missed one cell, the M in in edM. I thought of karMa, but in my mind it didn't go with yoga. Yes, it goes with path, but I focused on yoga. I see now that it is a common form of yoga.
In my family I am the only one who likes like cooked or roasted carrots, epecailly when cooked with pot roast. The family likes them raw. Meh.
Real yams are extremely are in US grocery stores, where sweet potatoes are often called yams.
My brother and his wife used to go Geo Caching on vacation. They were more agile then.
LA AREA was tough, but I got it. I was looking for something more specific.
I like that wax beans have no strings. I love snow peas, but not as served here. The cooks do not remove the strings.
ate it - fell down (faceplant)
ate dirt - accepted blame
ate it up - gladly accepted; did successfully; believed without questioning (all so different from each other)
ate the cost - bore the cost or loss
Idioms are so hard for new English learners to understand. We new Japanese learners found their idioms hard to understand, too. Also, the morals that the Japanese draw from common fables are not common to us Americans.
Phew! I am making big gains in reorganizing my paper work. TA DA. I volunteer in four four or five different groups. I promise to file or purge more faithfully. A stitch in time saves nine.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI was pleasantly surprised to see CC's byline on a Thursday. Her latest offerings have been geared towards Saturdays (themeless) or early week (easy-ish). I always enjoy a vertically themed grid because I find it more challenging to suss out the theme. Today's was fairly easy, once you filled in the reveal clue and I echo SS's appreciation for the absence of tell-tale circles. The solve was tricky in spots, e.g., the EDM, Karma Yoga, Pao, Asha entries, plus the missteps at App/GPS, LaBrea/LA Area (Hi, KS!) and Last Stand/Last Straw. With the exception of I Care A Lot, the puzzle was missing CC's signature feature of a smattering of declarative phrases and some tongue-in-cheek playfulness, but was still an enjoyable and satisfying solve.
Thanks, CC, for a Thursday treat and thanks, Bill, for the excellent review and commentary. The music snippets were vivid reminders of the good old days and the not so good old days. Wasn't the '57 Chevy the cream of the crop, car-wise? Thanks for the CSO and I'll try not to play hooky any time soon! Thanks to you and Teri for keeping us entertained and informed!
DO @ 5:40 (What an ungodly hour to be awake!) ~ If I am the IM you're referencing, I'm flattered by the CSO, but don't get the meaning. 🤔
Have a great day.
Those old cars were great, but dangerous. If you wanted seat belts, you had to order them aftermarket from somewhere like JC Whitney's. Padded dashboards were optional. They had single-chamber brake master cylinders, and relied on what we now call "parking brakes" if it failed. Air conditioning wasn't available, and most had "Armstrong" power steering (because it make your arms strong.) But most had wing windows, one of the things I miss most about the good old days.
ReplyDeleteA girlfriend's dad had an ancient Mercedes diesel with a 4-speed, column shifter transmission. Couldn't wear it out. It was also equipped with a huge back seat. For taking friends along. Sure.
SS @8:53 AM DUH! I now see that you UP ROOTED them.
ReplyDeleteHusker @17 AM One of your MacGuffin's will be making an appearance in these pages next week.
Anon@7:18
ReplyDeleteNice!
what can "I" say about todays puzzle...
Of course, there are downsides to everything...
Great write up and links! I'll be down the rabbit hole for hours!
I-M @ 9:42, yes I meant you. You often refer to the P&P required for your solves.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Jane Goodall’s name it prompted me to watch the YouTube video of her hugging a chimpanzee Wounda. So lovely.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely tougher than the recent offerings, with lots of stuff unknown to me, but perps were fair, and led to an enjoyable FIW. I don't think I've ever run into a CC puzzle I did not like. Theme? Oops. Knew I forgot something this morning! Thanks, Was!
ReplyDeleteI often look at a puzzle from the viewpoint of its constructor. So I'm picturing C.C. finding some puny backwards root veggies like yams, and then she hits the jackpot thanks to--of all things--motor racing. And there it is, CARROTs, in all its six-letter glory. Who'da thunk it?
ReplyDeleteTo me, carrots are a key anchor to the puzzle. Admittedly, I'm somewhat biased, because I love 'em raw or cooked. I can't imagine making a stew or soup without carrots.
Speaking of soup, though, I spent some time in the Soviet Union back in the 60's, and I can make a borscht that will knock your socks off. Naturally, its key ingredient is not carrots, but another veggie from this crossword, beets.
But I digress. This puzzle shows C.C.'s professionalism. I think she can toss off a crossword in a heartbeat. For instance: if you focus on the difficult words, like EDM, ASHA, and CLIVE, say, you will see that they are a) scattered around the puzzle, and b) they are surrounded by friendly perps. These two factors enabled me to FIR--because of C.C.s--and presumably Patti's--craftsmanship and sense of fairness.
I had a question about 32A. Haven't I seen it as GOTE? It doesn't matter, of course. Whichever, it's a distinctive honor to win all four.
Thanks, C.C, for providing us with an entertaining Thursday morning, as well as a strange urge to make some soup.
You may be thinking of the Greatest OfAll Time acronym: GOAT. EGOT is the accepted one for the winner of all four awards.
DeleteDO @ 10:10 ~ Aha! That reference went right over my head! Thanks for clarifying! 😉
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.C., for a great start to this Thursday. Thanks, Bill, for the great recap and for the link to the bonus puzzle. BTW, I'll change your flat tire, Merle.
ReplyDeleteBig Brother And The Holding Company
What a treat to find a fun and challenging CC puzzle. Very enjoyable. And who wouldn't like a puzzle with their name in it! I did forget to look for the veggies. Duh. GC
ReplyDeleteWell, I printed the CW but after just a minute or two decided to do it online instead. I was very surprised to see how much faster I managed to FIR than my usual paper CW time. Perhaps being able to read the clues helped? Anyway, a very fun CW, a bit easier than most Thursdays. I didn't look at the constructor's name until I got to the blog, then was pleasantly surprised to see it was another C.C. gem! Thanx, C.C., great CW. What is no surprise is that I (as usual) forget to look for the theme. It would have been obvious had I remembered to look! Thanx too to Bill for all the time and effort put into the write-up. Well done, Waseeley! Now, to go get some carrots!
ReplyDeleteNice CC CW. I got all the long answers but missed the veggies. Oops. This puzzle is loaded with food, WAX BEANS, dim dum, rambutan, kung PAO tofu, and all the roots, CC must have been hungry when she created that one.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know Pacific Palisades, but I love the little town of Pacific Grove, the butterfly city.
This morning returning from the store, turning in my subdivision with me was a Tesla Cyber truck. Ugly!!! I didn’t know some had sold already.
Among the many things I don’t do “up,” is “root up.” It was fun to search for the roots, though. Rutabagas would have added to the fun.
ReplyDeleteCircles would have made the searching too easy. It also wasn’t easy for C.C. to set up the up-rooting, which led not only to abnormal syntax in the unifier but also to the appearance of the inelegant “L.A. area” underneath KARMA YOGA. I wasn’t familiar with the latter, and it seemed contrived, but apparently I should have known better. And in C.C.’s defense, I stayed in Pacific Palisades last time I was in the, ahem, L.A. area.
Also in the L.A. area: BEL AIR. I was expecting D-O and/or ANON Tony to point out Houston’s version is Bellaire, where my wife grew . . . up.
There were only a couple of unknowns, and I would have capitalized “country” in the MERLE clue, but this was a fairly easy and enjoyable Thursday FIR. I didn’t really have to PERSEVERE. Thanks, C.C. and Bill/Teri.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, C.C. and waseeley (and Teri).
ReplyDeleteC.C.‘S CWs are always fair and interesting. (TKen @11:31 said it more eloquently.)
I FIRed in good time and saw those ROOT veggies going UP.
It’s almost time to plant the garden - after May 23 here.
We also had WAX BEANS (not a ROOT), plus some other foods to put in our MEAL, like the RIPE papaya and RED rambutan (unknown to me!)
AGRA and INDIA today after my comment yesterday about son and DIL’s trip. I knew that AGRA was SE of New Delhi from following their adventures on the map.
EDM and dubstep were unknown to me. I was toying with Emo. We did have ELO later.
Idiom yesterday, ADAGE today. Speaking of idioms, I usually saw Final Straw, not LAST.
Of course, you all know that freezing temperatures are in the TEENS on the Fahrenheit scale. We are nineTEEN Celsius today and it is lovely. No sweater required.
Wishing you all a great day.
MalMan, I had no idea that they had a career without Janis. Thanks - good tune.
ReplyDeleteWhat does P & P stand for?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I assume that a CSO is some kind of shout-out; what does the C stand for?
Thank you, Zhouqin Burnikel, and thank you, Waseeley.
ReplyDeleteMy day got away from me. Solved early this morning, but I had to get working on my Scag walk behind mower. First time it's broke down in 23 years. Wouldn't start. Electrical problem. Found the wiring diagram online. Bad neural interlock switch. Anyway, I'll have to read the review and comments later.
Fun theme. I heard "rooting around" many times growing up.
Richard Tandy of ELO just passed yesterday.
I had a B-I-L that lived in Bellaire, a city on the west side of Houston.
Pacific Palisades - A Topanga for me. Good thing the perps made the answer obvious. Except for the first A in ASHA.
Gotta run.
Ken @ 3:18 P and P stands for Patience and Perseverance . CSO means a Coincidental Shout Out. 😉
ReplyDeleteThank you, IM!
DeleteI enjoyed solving this puzzle by C.C.
ReplyDeleteKARMA made me change RASPS into RAKES. MERLE made me change VISA to AMEX, the X of which gave me WAX BEANS. I waited for perps to reveal whether the color of the unknown-to-me rambutan skin was TAN or RED.
I learned to drive in an automatic transmission Plymouth Fury. Later I learned how to drive a manual shift car in a 1957 Chevy BELAIR. I still cherish my memories of that car.
Good reading you all.
Greetings! Thanks CC. it was a nice surprise to see your name in the headline today.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to Bill & Teri. Thanks for explaining rambutan. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it, seen it or would want to taste it. I’m just not that adventurous an eater.
The puzzle did not turn out to be as difficult as I thought it might be perusing the top. As it came together down the middle and worked up the sides, it all came together.
I must admit I didn’t look for the theme until I got to the Corner but found it so clever & well placed.
WOs: hatha -> KARMA; pre -> TEE BALL GAME; Camero -> Bel Air.
ESP: EDM, ASHA
What a lovely treat, to get a delightful C.C. puzzle this morning. So interesting to have those long up and down answers, and yet still have the whole thing quite doable. Many thanks, C.C., and Bill, your commentary was very helpful too.
ReplyDeleteI was especially moved to see I CARE A LOT so early in the puzzle, and it got me to PERSEVERE to get it done. And I hardly ERRED at all, working my way through it. There was a bit of cold weather here and there, and I was especially surprised to have that LEI shipped in ice packs going to that IGLOO right down below. Made me get myself a hot cup of coffee.
Have a great weekend coming up, everybody. And thanks again for this fun puzzle, C.C.
Ken, with GOTE, were you thinking of GOAT, greatest of all time?
ReplyDeleteIM @3:27 PM I guess my mileage may vary on the abbrevs: P&P as a pejorative for People and Places and CSO for a Crossword Shout Out. I defer to your greater wisdom! ♥
ReplyDeleteD'OH! The neutrel interlock switch, not neural. A neural interlock switch is something that Asimov or Bradbury might incorporate into one of their writings.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks, Waseeley. Nice write up, and a very enjoyable puzzle today by C.C.
Good comments today. D-O, I noted the weather reporting on the flooding in College Station, and the forecast for potential severe weather in Central Texas.
Bill @ 6:53 ~ I've only seen P and P used to express Patience and Perseverance and I always thought the C in CSO meant Coincidental, but I could be wrong. 😉
ReplyDeleteBill, I like (for our purposes) Crossword Shout Out, since it mostly acknowledges (brings to mind, greets) others of us who comment in this Blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Thurs. fun, C.C.! What a clever way to prepare those veggies!
ReplyDeleteFAVs: ATE IT and LAST STRAW
I needed to suss the theme to put the YAM in 3D then that led to LA AREA as my last fill.
My Australian friends would blush at ROOT UP.
Thanks to waseeley & Teri for another phenomenal write-up!
I always thought RAKES have tines, not teeth…but other’n that this was a nice challenge. Thanks, C.C. !
ReplyDelete====> Darren / L.A.