Stick(y) Figures:
20-Across. Specialized curriculum in a public school: MAGNET PROGRAM. Technically a magnet is anything that carries a static magnetic field
around with it. Here's a scientific definition of why things STICK to a magnet.
35-Across. Expand one's horizons: BRANCH OUT. Why is this clue/answer different from all other theme clues/answers? *
40-Across. Pet with separation anxiety, perhaps: VELCRO DOG. I had never heard the phrase Velcro Dog, but apparently it's a thing. Here's the history of Velcro.
And the unifier:
52. Complicated discussion topic, and an apt description of the start of 20-,
35-, or 40-Across?: STICKY SUBJECT.
Across:
1. Joni Mitchell's "Both __ Now": SIDES. [Name # 1.]
6. Dano of "The Fabelmans": PAUL. I wasn't familiar with the
2022 film, The Fablemans, which is apparently a coming-of-age film, which
stars Paul Dano (né Paul Franklin Dano; b. June 19, 1984) as Burt Fableman.
I was also not familiar with the actor's name, however, I do recognize
his photo. [Name # 2.]
10. Performances: ACTS.
14. Buzzing: ALIVE.
15. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO. // And 49-Across. Uno y
uno: DOS. A double dose of today's math and Spanish lesson.
16. Pad see ew cuisine: THAI. Yummers! Pad see ew is a stir-fried noodle dish that is commonly eaten in Thailand.
17. Breathable fabric: LINEN.
18. Wharton biz school home: PENN. The Wharton Business School is at the University of Pennsylvania. [Name adjacent.]
19. Nightstand light: LAMP.
23. YouTube spots: ADs.
24. Merry: GAY.
25. Mahalia Jackson's genre: GOSPEL. Mahalia Jackson (née
Mahala Jackson; Oct. 26, 1911 ~ Jan. 27, 1972) was born in New Orleans.
There is a beautiful theater in New Orleans that is named after her: The
Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts. [Name # 3.]
28. Yoga surface: MAT.
29. Bouncy gait: TROT.
31. Quartz suffix: -ITE. More than you will ever want to know
about Quartzite.
32. Conspiring clique: CABAL.
37. Mining yields: ORES. A crossword staple.
38. Sir Michael of acting: CAINE. Michael Caine (né Maurice
Joseph Micklewhite; b. Mar. 14, 1933) appeared in over 160 films during his
acting years. He became Sir Michael in 2000. [Name # 4.]
39. Overturn: UNDO.
42. "A Doll's House" playwright Henrik: IBSEN. A Doll's House is a 1879 play by Henrik Johan Ibsen (Mar. 20, 1828 ~ May 23, 1906).
It was quite radical for its time. It's about the fate of a
married woman, who lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a
male-dominated world. One could argue that not that much has changed in
the ensuing 150 years. [Name # 5.]
43. Class for some immigrants: Abbr.: ESL. As in English as a Second Language.
44. Masterpiece: OPUS.
45. Coast Guard rank: Abbr.: ENS. As in Ensign. In
case you have ever wondered about the ranks in the Coast Guard, check
out this site.
46. Comfy cozy: TOASTY.
48. Texter's "No idea": IDK. I Don't Know what this means. **
56. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI. Also a flightless bird found in New
Zealand.
58. AFB truant: AWOL. As in Absent WithOut Leave.
59. Bass of 'N Sync: LANCE. Lance James Bass (b. May 4,
1979) was one of the 5 members of the boy band 'N Sync. [Name # 6.]
|
| Lance Bass is on the far left. |
60. "As far as __ tell ... ": I CAN.
61. Snatch: TAKE.
62. Like draft beer: ON TAP.
63. NBA two-pointer: DUNK.
64. SimCity console, in brief: SNES. As in Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Hand up if you knew this.
65. Overflows (with): TEEMS.
Down:
1. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA. She is best known as Salma
Hayek (née Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; b. Sept. 2, 1966). [Name # 7.]
2. Trojan War epic by Homer: ILIAD. Homer was an ancient
Greek poet. Two of his epic poems are known today:
the Iliad and the Odyssey. He didn't have a
surname, so shouldn't be confused with Homer Simpson. [Name # 8.]
3. Demerits: DINGS.
4. Not odd: EVEN.
5. Westernmost country of continental Africa: SENEGAL. The
official name of Senegal, is the Republic of Senegal. The country was in
the news last week when a plane in Dakar skidded off the runway and caught fire.
6. California's state flower: POPPY. The state flower of
Louisiana is legally the Magnolia (see La. R.S. 49:154). What is your state's flower?
7. Dell competitor: ACER.
8. "Never gonna happen": UH, NO.
9. Of the distant past: LONG GONE.
10. Geography book: ATLAS.
11. Victors: CHAMPIONS.
12. Scottish cap: TAM.
13. Small drink: SIP.
21. Tit for __: TAT.
22. Campus mil. group: ROTC. As in Reserve Officer Training Corps.
26. Piano exercise: ÉTUDE. Today's French lesson.
27. Disclose: LET ON.
28. Not fem. or neut.: MASC. Masculine is neither Feminine nor Neutral.
29. Some jazz groups: TRIOS.
30. Pealed: RANG.
32. Really, really want: COVET.
33. "You __ busted!": ARE SO.
34. Edward Cullen's love interest in the "Twilight" series: BELLA SWAN. [Names # 9 and 10, fictional.]
35. "Queen of Neo Soul" Erykah: BADU. Her given name is
Erica Abi Wright (b. Feb. 26, 1971). [Name # 11.]
36. Centers of activity: HUBS.
38. Mimics: COPY CATS.
41. Round flatbread: ROTI. A flatbread found in Indian
cuisine.
42. Rorschach pattern: INK BLOT.
45. School URL ending: EDU.
47. Big to-do: STINK.
48. Tahiti and Bora Bora: ISLES.
49. Al __: firm, as pasta: DENTE. Today's Italian lesson.
The phrase Al Dente literally means to the tooth. Pasta cooked al dente is firm when bitten without being hard.
50. Philosopher who espoused simple explanations: OCCAM.
William of Ockham (1287 ~ 1347) wasn't a barber, but he does have a
razor named in his honor. Occam’s Razor is the principle that says that if you have two competing ideas to
explain the same phenomenon, you should prefer the simpler one. [Name #
12.]
51. Fitness tracker units: STEPS.
53. "Rich People Problems" novelist Kevin: KWAN. Kevin Kwan
(b. Nov. 8, 1973) is a Singapore-born American novelist. He wrote a trilogy of
satirical novels Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems. Crazy Rich Asians was also made into a movie. [Name # 13.]
54. Oxen harness: YOKE.
55. Actress Fonda: JANE. In addition to being an actress,
Jane Seymour Fonda (b. Dec. 21, 1937), is the daughter of actor Henry Fonda
(May 16, 1905 ~ Aug. 12, 1982), and sister to Peter Fonda (Feb. 23, 1940 ~
Aug. 16, 2019). [Name # 14.]
|
| The family Fonda. |
56. Young goat: KID.
57. Hospital dept.: ICU. As in Intensive Care Unit.
Here's the Grid.
* On Passover, we ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" We know, of course, what the answer is. My question about why the Branch / Stick was intended in the same vein. The answer is "different" because a Branch is literally a Stick, whereas with the other two answers, something can Stick to Magnet and Velcro.
** Yes, I do know that the letters IDK actually stand for I Don't Know.
חתולה
40 comments:
Like Hahtoolah, I don’t understand how a “branch” would be “sticky.” Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Oh, wait a minute! I think I just figured it out! A branch is a “stick,” right ? So that’s how a branch is “stick-y!” A stretch, I know, but I think that’s what the constructor is doing there!
Good morning!
If d-o was to suss this theme, he would've needed a reveal. D'oh. There were plenty of unrecognized names, but the perps were kind. No foul. Needed my Wite-Out to fix Crave/COVET. I liked this puzzle; was it a debut for Emily and Sala? Enjoyed your expo, Hahtoolah. (The ESL and mosquito cartoons were priceless.)
CAINE: I remember him as Harry Palmer from The Ipcress File and Funeral In Berlin. He taught me how to crack an egg with one hand. He was hilarious as the swishy pageant prep specialist in Miss Congeniality.
Thanks for pointing out that there were 14 names, a bunch of which were pretty obscure. On a Tuesday? I guess it's no use complaining about this any more... nothing changes.
Andy
FIR. Not bad for a Friday, but wait, this is Tuesday! This puzzle was more than a little crunchy. And way too many proper names for one puzzle.
OK, the explanation for branch I get, but what a ridiculous stretch. And a velcro dog? Really?
I'm sorry, but this was a poor presentation for a crossword puzzle. I give it a resounding YUK.
This was a fun puzzle with an amusing theme!
If you haven't seen it, try to watch "The Fabelmans" with PAUL Dano as the dad - directed by Steven Spielberg - it is loosely based on his growing up years and interest in film making at a young age. It was an Oscar nom for best picture in 2022.
my friend's daughter spent her year abroad in SENEGAL. My challenge is more geography related trivia - with the capital Dakar. I always mix it up with the capital of Bangladesh - Dhaka.
OCCAM's razor is a principle that is hammered into you in medical training
Thanks Susan for another fun blog and to Emily and Sala for the puzzle - congrats if it is a debut!
FIR, but erased grab for TAKE and naan for ROTI.
Today is:
NATIONAL DANCE LIKE A CHICKEN DAY (wait - I thought the chicken dance was only done at weddings)
NATIONAL DECENCY DAY (be decent with others - unless, of course, the "others" happen to be Jewish (or so it seems))
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND AMERICA DAY (living in what is essentially a fancy storm cellar is appealing, especially in light of this year’s tornadoes)
NATIONAL BUTTERMILK BISCUIT DAY (let’s not fight over whether they are to be topped with honey or jelly)
There are a lot of HUB cities in the USA. Among them are Hawkinsville, GA, Lafayette, LA, Spartanburg, SC, and Crestview, FL. Most were established where multiple railroads or highways crossed.
Dittos to those griping about the makeup of this one. But thanks to Ha2la for the fine review.
Took 6:06 for me to glue this one together.
I agree with the prior posts, mostly about all the proper names.
I knew today's Spanish lessons (ocho y dos) and tody's actress, but not today's writer (Kwan).
I only knew one of the actors (Caine, not Paul) and I didn't know Bella's last name.
Sorry for ... stuttering. I received an error message as soon as I hit "publish your comment" the first time.
Maybe it was a sticky key.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Emily and Sala, and Hahtoolah (LOL re that autopsy INK BLOT toon).
I FIRed and saw the STICKY SUBJECT theme in just a little more than the usual Tuesday time.
Any unknown-to-me names perped (and I WAGged the N in KWAN).
Several inkblots. Quick change of ROTA to ROTI, and Ilead to ILIAD. ACER was mistakenly entered into 8D and had to be moved to the left.
I did an alphabet run for the K in STINK (and DUNK). I consider that a legit solve unclefred.
TAKE seems a little bland for Snatch.
I smiled at the COPYCATS crossing the VELCRO DOG.
Same for the DUNK for DOS pointer.
FLN - Happy Anniversary to Picard and Merle.
Wishing you all a great day.
It took me a while to catch on to the theme. For the reveal I had touchy SUBJECT. I finally sorted that out and went back and found the STICKY words. Although I came up with VELCRO DOG early on, I doubted it was correct. Cute expression bu I’m not familiar with it.
Yes, a lot of proper names but at least fair range of generational references. From sir Michael CAINE to PAUL Dano.
Hahtoolah, thanks for the neat funnies. I especially liked the ESL one..
SS@7:49
I have, lately, also received that ‘error message’ when I post, old friend. But as my posts always go through anyway, I have learned to ignore it!
Good Morning:
I'm not sure that this theme is as tight as it should be, based on the questionable outlier of Branch, but I won't quibble because I loved Velcro Dog. I was unaware, until post-solve research, that this is a bona fide descriptive for clingy canines. I can relate to this as our beloved Fluffy, AKA, Velcro, a name I christened her with 25 years ago, never left my husband's side! Badu, Swan, and Kwan all needed perps but no w/os, a sure sign of straightforward fill. I was pleased to see Are So clued as a non-playground retort and I also appreciated the minimal TLW count of 14.
Thanks, Sala and Emily, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for another fun and fact filled review. Favorite rib-ticklers today were Stick Figures, One Night Stand, ESL Class, Copy Cats, and Nessie wearing a Tam. Coincidentally, a niece and her husband are in Scotland right now, enjoying their famed golf courses. The Michael Caine video was a treat, and even though his chicken joke wasn't that funny, he was still his charming and self-effacing self.
Apologies for but very sincere belated best wishes to Jinx and DW and Robert and Merlie on their wedding anniversaries.
Have a great day.
Two days in a row now the puzzle has provided enjoyment to me. Today a couple things stand out:
First, velcro dog. I am not a dog owner, but I can probably figure out the meaning. A young friend has an English something-or-other service dog, and the dog craves human touch. And vice-versa. It is a mutual love affair--and yes, she just sticks to you.
Second, "Both Sides Now." Joni Mitchell wrote it, but it is Judy Collins' version that has moved me the most since her "Wildflowers" album came out in the late '60's. I forget what it's called when you can't get a tune out of your head, but I love having this one stuck. (Hey , wait a minute; stuckness is the theme of today's puzzle!)
My wife and I were living in San Francisco when Judy Collins' "Both Sides Now" came out in the late '60's. We were fortunate to get tickets to see her live in Berkeley, and before she sang "Both Sides Now, " she had some sweet and gracious thanks for Joni Mitchell. When she finished " Both Sides Now," there was nary a dry eye in the house, and our ovation lasted about two minutes.
Oh--the puzzle. I felt it was a fun and straightforward Tuesday test, and not that tricky for me to FIR. Nice job, Sala and Emily, and I look forward to a return visit.
Subgenius. I too every once in a while get an error message when I post, but my post goes through anyway, so I’ve learned to ignore it.
Irish Miss ☘️. You were way ahead of your times christening your sweet dog VELCRO. I had a miniature schnauzer named Bogie that followed me everywhere and when I sat down, it would place part of its body on my foot. DH said Bogie was my shadow.
Sorry Tues. for me. Way too many proper nouns , 16. May have missed some. Knew very few.
Sigh. We're back to crossNAME puzzles. FIR, but the obscure names sucked a lot of the enjoyment out of it. Fortunately, Ha2la was able to pump most of the fun back in. As a Viet Nam vet, you could say that I'm not too FONDA Jane.
Good morning.
Like Hahtoolah, I'd never encountered the phrase VELCRO DOG before. Our vet cautioned about making any dog become too needy, but we needed to be especially diligent with our second German Shepherd Dog. Because I worked from home, I was around all of the time, and the GSD was already showing signs of separation anxiety.
They are very smart. If they have a need for attention or suffer from anxiety, they'll act out and start destroying stuff. Like the pillows on the couch, or the couch itself! If you make a fuss about it, that reinforces their bad behavior, because they are now getting the attention they craved, even if it is bad attention.
I was also not aware of the film "The Fabelmans" or the actor.
Yesterday, sumdaze provided a link to aptronyms. The bass singer of NSYNC is Lance Bass. That's apt.
I don't think I've ever seen the band's name stylized as 'N Sync. It has always been NSYNC or Nsync, but mostly in caps. The only places I could find it stylized as 'N Sync" is in the Wikipedia article, an old Wall Street Journal article & a few others, and in this crossword. There's probably a few more, but in most cases it's simply one word. NSYNC, in capital letters.
"NSYNC created their name after Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" the group's singing voices were. The group's name is also a play on the last letter of each of the initial members' names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC." - Wikipedia
Dash T, I know you'll remember Mr Garvey in "Key and Peele - The Substitute". You posted the video here.
Have you seen the viral vid of the graduation ceremony at "Thomas Jefferson University"? Ouch!
FIR and enjoyed it! Things got a little STICKY toward the end with unknowns LANCE, BADU, and KWAN, but perps were fair, and the word fill seemed fresh and lively to me.
Many thanks to Sala & Emily, along with Patti. Hahtoolah's review was a delight from the STICK(Y) figures onward.
Hi All!
Argg! I crashed and burned. I wouldn't let go of RESCUE DOG and that really muddled up 32d's and 34d's (Name!) squares.
Thanks Sala & Emily for making me look silly on a Tuesday.
Thanks Hahtoolah for salving the wounds with a sparkly & funny review.
WOs: kAINE, wrong YOlk at first.
Fav: IDK
//ever tell you about the time I received that text from Youngest?
//I asked her what it meant and she replied, "I don’t know" and I shot back, "then why did you use it if you don't know?"
//It took a second for the penny to drop.
FLN - LOL TTP. Yes, I guess I do have the "big brother" vibe. Not only am I a Cyber "Big Brother" at work (we watch everything ;-)), I'm also the oldest of five (5). //and LOL the Mr. Garvey-esq graduation video!
FIL called me & DW the "VELCRO kids" when we were dating. We still are (um, not kids but stuck to each other).
MAGNET PROGRAM - yep. They took me out of typing class (girls!) to put me in advanced maths & sciences.
//I should have intentionally failed the exam but I didn't know it was for where to put me in school. I had to learn typing (for programming) later with Mavis Beacon.
Snatch? Oh, TAKE not slang for [REDACTED].
Jinx - Honey or Jelly? How 'bout some sausage-gravy on those biscuits?
Cheers, -T
I never noticed the STICKY SUBJECT theme. And after filling it I still couldn't understand how BRANCH had any thing to do with it. The unknown (for me)proper names made the puzzle a tough on for a Tuesday. BELLA SWAN, BADU, KWAN, SNES, LANCE, PAUL Dano.
"Both SIDES Now"- Judy Collins' rendition was better.
GAY and merry. I remember the definition.
Rich People Problems vs. 3rd world problems- not even close. To some people this isn't the real STICKY SUBJECT.
Which restaurant will we go to, which steak would you like, I'll be late because my Mercedes needs the Michelin's rotated, Our tee time has been pushed back two hours, was Fifi delivered from the pet spa..... or
I there anything to eat tonight, I hope to be back in two months from picking crops, is the mule getting to old to pull the plow, has Jr's wound closed up after gashing himself with the axe.
I found this CW to be annoyingly filled with names, several times crossing each other. If you don't know "SimCity console" or who Kevin Kwan is, you have to WAG the N, giving you a 1/26 shot of getting it right. The NW has 3 names crossing! I knew "Iliad" and "Senegal" fortunately, and eventually remembered that it's "Both SIDES Now", so managed. But at the end of the day, had to Google 53D to get the "N", so can't say I managed to FIR. Very nice write-up, Hahtoolah, thanx. I watched the video of the piano etude: amazing that anyone can play that! Astonishingly fast!
Monkey Hand up STuCK a long time with TOUCHY SUBJECT. Are we the only ones? Hand up about the crossed proper names. I almost TITT for the first time ever, because of that cluster in the south and southwest. Last to fill was WAG KWA?/S?ES to FIR. Amused by the STICKY theme.
Merlie and I enjoyed THAI food for our anniversary dinner.
CanadianEh, Monkey, AnonT Thank you for the Anniversary wishes! We had Tom Kha soup and Duck in "Lava Sauce" at a new restaurant in our area called Yummy Thai. Yummy, indeed!
Dash-T, I also took H.S. typing...after getting kicked out of biology for the year (on the first day of school). It was the only other class offered at that hour for sophs -- very small H.S. Over the years I've found typing to be a valuable skill. I've never missed taking biology.
D-O: Biology? Isn't that what I learnt when I met DW? ;-)
-T
Hola
Though I finished this puzzle at 5 A.M., I returned to bed and slept another three hours. Sigh. I hate when that happens.
Anyway, I found the puzzle fairly easy and recall when THE FABELMANS came out though I haven't seen it. Steven Spielberg spoke of it as a somewhat retelling of his life.
CSO to my niece's husband LANCE.
VELCRO DOG is new to me; my daughter's dog has been that way since his companion died a year ago. Both are chihuahas.
As has been noted before, my computer is an ACER.
The only reason I know of Erica BADU is from watching Entertainment Tonight.
Be safe and be happy, everyone!
Too many names for a Tuesday, some crossing each other.
Jane, Ibsen, Senegal, Occam were easy. Salma, Badu, Bella Swan, Kwan were difficult.
BTW. Occam's razor is an excellent concept. Better than "jumping to confusions."
I realized a branch was a stick, but that is a big stretch when all the other theme answers are really sticky. Meh.
Many words with double meanings like gay. Names, like John, Dick, and Karen have unfortunate connotations. In college asking, "How did you make out?" elicited smirks. When teaching simple machines to second graders, the word, screw elicited laughs. In high school we were having play practice at our teacher's house. She invited everybody upstairs to see her chest. Wink, wink among the guys. She showed us her refinished bureau.
The kiwifruit was named after the kiwi bird, small brown and fuzzy. The New Zealanders came to be called, kiwis, too, after the bird.
We initiate our new square dance graduates by having them do the chicken dance.
I overdid my activities yesterday. I started crock pot soup at 6:30 AM for our dinner last night. I then made deviled eggs for our monthly afternoon floor meeting and social here, where I am the leader and hostess. Then I was off to the square dance pot luck dinner and dance with my soup. I am co-president. I danced too many tips (or sets.) This morning my wagon was draggin', a reminder that I am no longer 75. I goofed off today and tonight I have vestry (church board) meeting. These activities keep life interesting and the brain challenged.
BTW last night I learned a new tip on how to fall asleep. Just lie very near the edge of the bed and you will soon drop off.
Bayou Tony - No, no, no - she was your anatomy lab.
D-o @ 1:02 I wonder what gets a soph kicked out biology class, on the first day no less.
Yellowrocks @1:43. I too filled with energy sometimes take on more than I can chew, then I pay the price. One advantage though, I sleep well.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR with a hiccup; I saw a different clue for 44-across but was able to fix it
Interesting reveal - I, too questioned the BRANCH with the others (MAGNET and VELCRO) for STICKY but am not gonna quibble
Well, the car situation is now clear; the amount of $$ to fix it was more than what the insurance company wanted to pay, so it was labelled "a total loss". And given the extent of damage I would be fearful of the car's being worth anything, down the road, had they fixed it. I was given a fair price from the adjustor; I didn't have to haggle. But I am still pretty pi$$ed off knowing that I might have to deal with SCC in order to recover my deductible ... unless of course the guy who hit me is actually insured (which I doubt)
One final thought on this: cars can be replaced, lives can't. We are both OK, physically. The car "took one for the team". FTR, it was a Subaru Crosstrek. They not only hold their value, but they can take a pretty big impact. Mine had a manual gear box. It won't be easy to find another one with that few miles and in a six-speed. I'm not going to rush into a purchase/replacement ... maybe we will have to co-exist with just one vehicle
Greetings! Thanks Sala and Emily for your puzzle. I made it through most of it. The south gave me fits no knowing SWAN or KWAN.
Perps for PAUL Dano; SNES; SWAN, I knew BELLA, but not her last name; KWAN.
WO: Yale -> PENN a) shoulda known & b) shoulda waited for the perps; touchy SUBJECT -> STICKY. BTW, what is that guy floating in in the cartoon?
Male -> MASC: I wasn’t paying attn. to the clue, duh!
Thanks, Hah2lah. As always, superlative toons and music. I loved the Kiwis and Lock Nessie.
Thanks to Sala and Emily for their sticky puzzle! FAV: California POPPY
Happy belated anniversary to Picard & Merlie!
Sorry to hear about your car situation, C-Moe. I'm glad you're both OK. These things can be frustrating....
Misty. I saw your post last night about Gophie.Thanks! I googled her species. So interesting! I read, "The desert tortoise produces a variety of sounds - hisses, grunts, pops, whoops, huhs, echs, bips, etc." I bet you've heard the full range over the 40+ years. I read about what they eat but I am curious how much Gophie eats. How long would a head of lettuce last her?
TTP@10:55. Interesting that they blamed the mispronunciations on phonetic spelling.
43A ESL was a CSO to Lucina!
Thank you Hahtoolah for all the research you did for this blog! Thanks for the JM and MJ music. FAV funnies: magnet dog, one night stand, ESL, and copy cat
Hahtoolah, I failed to thank you for the excellent analysis with witty toons!
I also did not know BELLA'S last name, SWAN as I've never seen or read Twilight.
However, DOS and OCHO are near and dear to me.
Drat! I had one error at ISLET where I mistakenly put ISLES but SNET means nothing to me.
Currently I'm reading "Fictions" by Amor Towles. It's a series of short stories which I normally avoid but I like the author and they are intriguing. I've read all of his other books and enjoyed them. The best one, IMO, was A Gentleman in Moscow although Rules of Civility and The Lincoln Highway are good, too.
And like d-otto, typing is a skill I'm glad I learned in high school. It has been useful for most of my life.
Musings
-Just enough spice to make the puzzle stew interesting
-A very non-Tuesday PAUL
-Adjusting to the bouncy gait of a horse in a TROT is not easy
-That ESL cartoon was hilarious!!
-Most of you will understand, “IDK is on third.
-Most of the slave trade went through Senegal
-P _ _ _ Y flower was not POSEY or PEONY
-My grandson Parker’s jazz group is a TRIO
Sumdaze, thank you for looking up Gophie's breed. I must say that in all the decades that I've had Gophie in that large, low, fence-like concrete container on the back patio, I have never heard her make a single sound--not one. Even when she seems a little agitated with the way she moves around, there's never been a single sound coming out of her. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm thankful. It makes me much happier to have a quiet pet than to have her making a lot of noise.
As for her diet, I get a 32 ounce bag of chopped romaine lettuce for Gophie, rather than a head of lettuce. I keep it refrigerated, of course, and I know it lasts at least two weeks or maybe even three or more--I'm not sure. When some of it at the bottom starts getting a little brown, then it's time to get a new bag.
Sorry to go on so long, but I haven't had any questions about Gophie in ages, so it's fun to chat about her with someone. Many thanks for your interest.
I mostly enjoyed this puzzle. After seeing MAGNET and VELCRO it took me a second to understand BRANCH.
There is a town in western Arizona called Quartzite. We've driven past it, and even stopped in to get gas and lunch (once and only once) there, on our numerous drives along I-10 to and from Phoenix when our son and his family lived there (in Phoenix, actually Tempe, not Quartzite).
For some reason I knew Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of NSYNC. Maybe because they were on Dancing with the Stars or something. I don't remember.
In the military I was diligent in avoiding getting any DINGS.
Our yard is TEEMing with California POPPies. I think they are pretty. I also remember, for some reason, an actress whose name was POPPY Montgomery. Maybe it was because I thought she was especially pretty.
There is a mountain in Marin County called Mt. TAM (short for Tamalpais). We used to test our magnetometers up there because it was far enough away from sources of man-made electromagnetic noise.
My dad, who was a psychiatrist, used to tell a version of the joke about Rorschach inkblots. The punch line was something like, "I don't have an obsession with sex, It's you who's showing me all those dirty pictures."
Good reading you all.
I forgot to mention that a friend of ours has a Hungarian Vizsla, which is how we learned the term Velcro Vizsla.
sumdaze, I know, right? Phonetics?
I was somewhat skeptical, so I watched some other versions of the video and read some more articles later. One of the videos or articles suggested that the phonetic spellings were taken from an online tool for British English rather than American English.
Still...
Jayce, yes, I remember Poppy Montgomery from the TV shows, Without a Trace, and Unforgettable, based on the real-life actress Marilu Henner (Elaine on Taxi), who has a photographic memory.
Interesting - Her parents named all their daughters after flowers – Poppy, Rosie, Daisy, Lily and Marigold.
I thought it was a great puzzle! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
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