Good morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap. It is morning here but, fortunately, it's 5 o'clock somewhere because today's puzzle by Katherine Baicker and Laura Dershewitz requires a bit of experience with the language and customs of drinking whisky (or whiskey if you prefer potables other than Scotch). It may have been appropriate to publish this puzzle tomorrow as July 27th is National Scotch Day!
Let's start with the reveal:
61 Across: "Straight up, please," to match 17-, 25-, 37-, and 51-Across?: MAKE IT NEAT. In drinker's jargon, "NEAT" (or straight up) means with no ice. At four places within the grid our co-constructors have removed the ICE in order to form creative and amusing answers to the clues.
Let's see how this "gimmick" is applied:
17 Across: Orientation for new senators?: POL ACADEMY. A learning place for politicians (POLs). Before the removal: POLICE ACADEMY
25 Across: "Margaret won't be in the comedy showcase!"?: YOU HAVE NO CHO. Comedienne Margaret Cho has scratched from the showcase. Before the removal: YOU HAVE NO CHOICE
37 Across: Exclamation when a product lives up to the hype?: THE PR IS RIGHT. The public relations blitz was not just a lot of hot air. Before the removal: THE PRICE IS RIGHT
51 Across: Tables and chairs that wobble?: OFF FURNITURE. There is something wrong with the furniture. It's a bit OFF. Before the removal: OFFICE FURNITURE
Here is what the completed grid looks like:
Here are the rest of the clues/answers:
Across:
1. Light melody: LILT.
5. Singer Del Rey: LANA. A frequent visitor these days and, yet, someone about whom this solver remain totally ignorant. However, while walking around Venice,CA with Valerie I did see these posters:
9. Photographer Adams: ANSEL. Nice shot.
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14. Nice companion: AMIE. Nice as in not mean? No. As in the French city.
15. Sister of Castor and Pollux: HELEN.
16. Raises or rises: REARS. Here, Trigger REARS (rises). I wonder if Trigger raised his children to do the same.
19. Possessed: OWNED. Not a demonic reference.
20. "Way cool!": SO DOPE. Slang. Why does BITCHEN or GROOVY, or even PHAT, seem okay but not this? Wait, don't answer that, please. In an homage to the Seven Dwarfs, DOPEy is now followed by "What's Up, Doc".
21. "Wabbit" hunter: FUDD. Elmer was too long.
22. AQI monitor: EPA. Air Quality Index in the clue.
29. New England state: VERMONT.
31. Conclude: END.
32. __ Lingus: AER. The Irish airline.
33. Theme park serviced by the Disney World monorail: EPCOT. EPCOT opened on October 01, 1982.
34. Took to court: SUED. I SUED the airlines for losing my luggage. I lost my case.
36. IRS IDs: SSNS. We are often asked to supply this even though we're told to never share it.
41. Pupil's place: IRIS. Not a schoolhouse reference. An eyeball reference.
43. Wee bit: IOTA. A constructor's friend.
44. Needed a sick day: AILED.
47. Boxing Day mo.: DEC.
48. Part of a pod cast?: PEA. Not a tech reference. PEAs in a pod.
49. Q-Tip and Ice-T: RAPPERS. Not the swab and the beverage. Does Elmer listen to wappers?
55. Circular __: SAW.
56. Scull pair: OARS. Before a surgery the anesthesiologist asked the patient if she'd like to be knocked out with gas or be hit over the head with a canoe paddle. It was an ether/oar situation.
57. Reptiles in the logos of some dojos: COBRAS.
59. Muddle: MIXUP.
65. Shampoo brand since 1947: PRELL.
Pam Dawber - 1973
66. Correct spelling, say: EMEND.
67. Beltmaking tools: AWLS. Not as in the old saying "ALLS well that ends well, I suppose."
68. Source of waste: HASTE. As in the old saying "HASTE makes waste."
69. Movie night rooms: DENS. Often clued with an ursine reference.
70. Nerd (out): GEEK. Used as a verb in the clue although I am not sure why as the noun forms of each would have worked out the same.
Down:
1. Cozy cat seat: LAP.
LAPtop Cats
2. "Sez me": IMO. In My Opinion
3. Smaller than sm.: LIL. This one was a bit of a stretch. Thanks, perps.
4. Bitter brews: TEAS. Hand up for trying to make ALES work out. . . and it did at 63 Down.
5. Showed the door: LED OUT. Don't let it hit you.
6. First Hebrew letter: ALEPH.
7. Mythical lion's home: NEMEA. The NEMEA lion was a legendary creature in Greek mythology that ravaged the area of Nemea. Its fur was impenetrable by the weapons of humans and hence, was unstoppable. It was considered to be the child of Typhon and Echidna, father and mother of all monsters.
8. "__ minute now ... ": ANY.
9. Word with poke or push: AROUND.
10. Fresh cut: NEW DO. A hair style reference.
11. Beach homes?: SAND CASTLES. With a tip of the hat to Jimi Hendrix.
12. Afore: ERE.
13. Acid initials: LSD. Did you hear about the guy who got LSD and LDS mixed up? Instead of going on a trip he went on a mission,.
15. Wore: HAD ON.
18. University of South Dakota athlete: COYOTE. Something of a universal mascot in SoCAl these days.
21. Italian luxury brand: FENDI. PRADA and GUCCI would also have fit the allotted space.
22. Morn's opposite: EVE. Morning / EVEning
23. Pizzazz: PEP.
24. Permafrost predators: ARCTIC FOXES.
26. Turn sharply: VEER.
27. __ of the woods mushroom: HEN. Thanks, perps.
28. Alternatives: ORS.
30. Hardness scale name: MOHS.
30. Hardness scale name: MOHS.
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34. Prepare for takeoff, maybe: SIT. Huh? Okay, no one stands for takeoff but this one is a huge stretch.
35. Katie Ledecky's team: Abbr.: USA. An American Olympic swim team member.
36. Pickup alternative: SHIP. A choice familiar to those who use, for example, Target or Walmart's websites.
38. Docking stations?: PIERS. Not a tech reference. A ship reference. Nice placement.
39. Reddish horse: ROAN.
40. Watch in wonder: GAPE AT.
41. "Who wants cake?" response: I DO. More often clued with a matrimonial reference.
42. Slo-mo reviewer: REF. REFeree
45. Time worth studying: ERA. What era is a musician in when she has not money. The Baroque ERA.
46. Bargain footwear chain: DSW.
48. Red and blue: PURPLE. Not the colors alone. The colors together.
49. Flemish painter Peter Paul __: RUBENS.
49. Flemish painter Peter Paul __: RUBENS.
50. Extra Extra Dry brand: ARRID. A deodorant reference.
52. Server error?: FAULT. A tennis reference.
53. Beginning of a famous boast: I CAME. If Caesar spoke English.
53. Beginning of a famous boast: I CAME. If Caesar spoke English.
54. Part of NFT: TOKEN. Non Fungible TOKENs Explained
58. Unexpected hitch: SNAG.
59. Speed letters: MPH. Miles Per Hour
60. Rollover subj.: IRA. Individual Retirement Account
61. Larger than sm.: MED. Small . MEDium / Large The last of ten abbrevaitions (your criteria may vary) to be found in today's puzzle.
62. Fleece source: EWE.
63. Bitter brew: ALE. The local bar ran out of ALE. It was a bitter disappointment.
64. Judgy sound: TSK. Often, we initially do not know if it'll be TSK or TUT.
64. Judgy sound: TSK. Often, we initially do not know if it'll be TSK or TUT.
Well, it's time now for yours truly to go grab a glass of ju and maybe eat a sl of cold pizza. Have an n day, everyone. Slainté !
_______________________________________________
49 comments:
I got the gimmick from the first themed fill, and that helped me solve this somewhat challenging puzzle. Although I don’t drink, I’m quite aware that “neat” means “no ice” so the reveal made sense to me, after a few seconds of pondering it. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Yay, d-o figured out the theme, though he needed help from the reveal. Had to change SET (Ready, set, go) to SIT, my only Wite-Out moment. Thanx, Katherine, Laura, and the very punny Mal-Man. (Methinks it's really Silver.)
I didn't catch the gimmick until after my first drink this am. The NW had me moving on to come back and FIR later. IPAS or ALES for 'Bitter brews', not TEAS while I knew AMIE was that French friend, IMO was slow to hit my brain. COYOTE- perps. SO DOPE- also perps, never heard of it.
LIL for 'smaller than sm? I wanted PETite but there was no way.
d-o, it was also SET before PRICE changed it.
As for 'no ice', it took OFF FURNITURE for me to get it.
HEN of the woods and DSW- complete unknowns for me.
Moh's hardness scale. My prof said the easiest way to remember was:
T-all G-irls C-an F-lirt A-nd O-ther Q-ueer T-hings C-an D-ance.
MM- I ate cold pizza last night for supper. There was hot pizza for lunch. I skipped the 'chicken fried snake'.
FIW. Done in by the north central with the tough crosses, but would have survived if I hadn't gone brain-dead by misspelling and not noticing acadAMy. I'm left bitter and ailing. :)
FIR, getting my WAG @ NEMEA x SO DOPE. The eraser called in sick today. For a change, I got the theme before getting to the reveal.
I always thought it was a waste to use sick days when I wasn't feeling well.
The GEEK in me would like to have seen "PDP-11/70 maker" for DEC.
I smoked cigarettes when I was in high school, and asked my Latin teacher what that "veni, vidi, vici" was on my Marlboro flip-top box. She translated it and told me why it was a famous saying. Good teacher - she could have lectured me on the hazards of smoking, which, of course, I already knew.
Thanks to Katherine and Laura for the fun, easy-for-Friday puzzle. And thanks to our Malman for delivering again. I didn't know Castles Made of Sand, but I did know that Jimi Hendrix was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne before becoming a professional musician.
Took 11:21 today for me to finish, but at least there were no crls.
Quite a few unknowns: hen, imo, aleph, rubens, and Helen (and her sisters).
I like Ansel Adams' photographs, but I also find it difficult to take bad pictures of some of our National Parks. That view of Yosemite (El Capitan & Half Dome) is breath-taking.
I solved this faster than yesterday's. Easy for a Friday. I got the second and fourth themers using perps and wags. With the reveal I completed the other two. Good theme.
I forgot about NEMEA, but I had four perps and SO DOP_ demanded and E.
Sand castles was cute.
FIR. I got the theme from the reveal, but "the price is right" and "police academy" were stubborn. Last to fall was the NW. 2D eluded me.
There was a lot of clever cluing and misdirection in today's puzzle, to be expected on a Friday.
Although I had moments when I didn't think I'd finish, I stuck with it and saw it through. Overall an enjoyable CW.
Good Morning:
Anyone else think of Tinbeni while solving? I caught the theme at You Have No Cho, which then allowed me to go back and fill in Pol Academy. I expected Ice in the reveal answer, but Make It Neat is a perfect substitute. My only perp dependent entries were Helen, Nemea, and Coyote and there were zero w/os. While I admire and appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship necessary for puzzle constructing, this particular type of theme isn't really my cup of tea, mainly because I prefer the old-fashioned, straightforward style, sans gimmicks. I also prefer fewer TLWs than today's 28, but what I really prefer and sorely miss are the Friday challenges that Jeffrey Wechsler, Ed Sessa, and others provided.
Thanks, Katherine and Laura, and thanks, MalMan, for the review and comical commentary. Favorite fancy-tickler this morning was the LSD/LDS mix-up. Nice visuals, too.
Have a great day.
The puzzle…Not talc but more like coral or amber on the MOHS scale. But …. hovering around diamond as far as the theme. Now that I see the reveal maybe if Ida spent a bit more time trying to parse? but Ida said she was too busy.
Inkovers: ledout/LETOUT, artic wolves/ARCTICFOXES (attractive Inuit ladies?)
When does NICE ever mean anything but “la ville française” in a(n) LAT CW?
NEWDO : “fresh cut”, not like flowers but a hair style. Clever,
Tried to squeeze Narnia into 4 spaces. 🦁
“Speed”, ACID: LSD, SODOPE (this puzzle needs a parent advisory “drug use” warning)
“I CAME” etc , “Waynee. Weedy. Weekie..” (Roman Latin or three more Teletubbies?)
Speaking of Latin (“who is? Just you”) DENS (Latin: “tooth”) AKA odontoid (Greek: “toothlike”) process. Important component of the second cervical vertebra.
LAP: for all you childless 🐱 ladies. “Docking stations” PIER. Earlier this week they aPIERed to be anchorages or moors
Was “out” necessary after “nerd”?
Cliché that comes back to bite you: “circular” ____ …. SAW
The demise of Dorothy’s aunt…EMEND*
Strippers school…POLACADEMY
Why a wildebeest might visit a beautician….. NEWDO
Mal man. Loved the puns. Almost thought you were serious (“no I’m Lebanese”) about “losing the case”. So …. do you think Pam Dawber liked to play Bingo?? 😉
Good Morning! Well, I passed, but didn’t ace it, still a fine puzzle for Friday fare. Thanks, Katherine and Laura.
I missed on HELEN crossing NEMEA and NEW DO. But I did see the theme - no ICE.
I still don’t get how POLICE ACADEMY relates to the misdirection of senators in the clue: POLicians have no ICE. I went with it, but still seems off.
I had to come to the Corner to get IMO. Familiar to me but nothing in the clue led me to think text-speak.
Thanks, MalMan for your wit and wisdom. You gave us some knee slappers today🤣🤣🤣!
Thank you Katherine and Laura for a fun Friday FIR, with a theme that was a CSO to our dear friend Tinbeni. Has anybody heard from him? I found this puzzle a bit tricky at first, but as has already been said this morning -- I'm happy.
And thank you MalMan. This was a pretty good review, although I think you may have exceeded your quota for Dad jokes today.😀
Some favs:
15A HELEN. She is also credited with launching the Trojan War, causing lots of Greek plays about it, and the composing of several operas. A very influential lady.
16A REARS. IIRC Trigger was Roy Roger's horse.
32A AER. Flew coach on Aer Lingus to Ireland once. It was like flying first class.
47A DEC. My Mom told us it was item two on MM's list -- she should have known as she was one of those trades people (a seamstress).
1D LAP. Cute LAP CATS.
11D SAND CASTLES. And here they are.
27D HEN. Grifola frondosa mushrooms are considered a delicacy, although I've never tried any.
30D MOHS. I'd rate this puzzle a Fluorite on the hardness scale. MOE used to rate them this way, but he seems to have switched to the star system. I wonder what he'll say.
54D TOKEN. I'm sure this will give rise to NFT forgery before long.
Cheers,
Bill
John @7:03 AM Hang in there, you'll heal eventually!
Jinx @7:40 AM DEC -- I learned MUMPS on a PDP-11/70. A fun language -- database, procedural language, and system language all rolled into one.
IM @8:43 AM Yes!
Ray - O @8:47 AM I did too, but Aslan is not mythological -- he's real!
NEMEA and SO DOPE were my only hiccups. I had to wait until OFFice FURNITURE to get the theme. By then I had already filled in the reveal, so I went back and filled the others with no problems.
I don’t mind this kind of CW. I enjoyed it. One asset: not many names.
I also enjoyed MM’s recap.
waseeley -
I agree with you about Alan.
Darn that Autocorrect! I meant Aslan, of course!
POLICE ACADEMY Drop the ice and you have POL ACADEMY, a school for politicians (often called pols)
I remember when a TV room was called a den. I have not heard that in decades. Rec room, which was also popular, has likewise faded away. Now we say family room or TV room.
I use IMO on this blog. I try to avoid using IMHO. (in my humble opinion) It sounds fake.
In my teens and twenties I used Prell shampoo. I see they still sell it.
At Philadelphia airport, a thunderstorm was brewing just when we were all loaded in the plane. We had to sit, sit, sit. It seemed like forever before we were cleared for takeoff. I got this answer easily, but it seems awkward.
Musings
-Some mistakes and lack of knowledge kept me from POL ACADEMY for a while in this fun puzzle
-YOU HAVE NO CHO revealed the gimmick early
-Every January I had to herd a slew of teenagers onto the monorail to get from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom at 1 pm.
-The CEO of Lifelock dared anyone to steal his SSN by having this done. It was stolen 13 times.
-Seinfeld on PRELL
-I know plenty of computer experts who you would never call a NERD or GEEK
-Luxury brands? $12 polo golf shirts in our big box store work as well as $75 ones with a Nike logo
-We spent a lot of real dollars for TOKENS in Chuck-E-Cheese for grandkids
-Me too on Tinbeni, Irish!
-Nice touch, Joseph!
SG @10:17 AM I call it "auto-defect" and I knew who you were referring to.
YR @10:24 AM I use IMHO occasionally. I have a lot to be humble about!
I slowly managed to FIR. DNKs LANA, AQI, FENDI, HEN as clued. Clever theme and theme clues. Not much else to say about this CW. Thanx KB&LD for the entertainment. Thanx MalMan for the as always terrific write-up.
An enjoyable easier-than-usual Friday puzzle. Got the FIR and even grokked the theme, despite the nose-wrinkling paraphrases. SO DOPEy! Ah, well. All's well, etc.! Hiyo, Trigger! Away! (Who was that masked man?)
I got 1A and 1D right away but quickly ran into trouble in the NW because the clues for 2D, 3D, and 4D all were problematic, problems I solved only at the end after bouncing around the rest of the puzzle. Only at the end, with POL ACADEMY, did I figure out the “no ice” theme, even though I had solved the unifier and filled in the other theme entries.
I liked the unifier and the premise, but the theme entries were clunky, especially the Margaret Cho reach. THE P.R. IS RIGHT was the best of the four.
Proper nouns, especially product names, propelled me to a fairly orderly FIR. VERMONT (favorite place I’ve lived), PRELL, ARRID, FENDI, COYOTE, and RUBENS helped me along.
HELEN (should have known), HEN, DSW, and NFT held me up. The SIT situation threw me too (thanks for agreeing, Mr. Manatee), and ORS was downright awful. But the real snag was created by those three lousy clues in the NW. “Sez me” does NOT denote an abbreviation like IMO. LIL is NOT a true abbreviation, despite the “SM” in the clue. And TEA is NOT bitter, even when it’s strong, the way I make it.
All in all, it was an easy but unmemorable Friday.
Marvelous puzzle, Katherine and Laura! The only stumper for me was COYOTE as clued, but since we have lots of coyotes in the streets of Los Angeles, it wasn't hard to fill. I saw the theme early on, but the first two examples were the hardest to complete, especially NO CHOice because the missing ICE trailed off the end, rather than coming somewhere in the middle like the others. FIR!
MalMan, you outdid yourself today. Great explanations of the tricky clues and answers, and very punny jokes. My favorite was the lost luggage. Bravo!
HEN of the Woods mushroom is a delight that DH and I have prepared at home, and also enjoyed in vegetarian restaurants. It makes a lovely main course. SO DOPE!
Just read this in an AARP newsletter -- among other commemorative postage stamps will be works by
ANSEL ADAMS showcasing the American landscape through photographs; Ansel Adams is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. To honor his art and contributions, USPS is releasing 16 stamps featuring some of Adams’ most famous images.
Hola!
Call me old fashioned but I prefer straightforward words in a puzzle. While I did eventually eke out the gimmick I didn't especially like it. it seems like a shame to work so hard at constructing something that is ultimately doable but seems sloppy. Sorry Katherine and Laura but that's my opinion.
I did, however like seeing FENDI, ANSEL, and ARCTIC FOXES was superb as was SAND CASTLES. No MIX UP there.
PRELL is a blast from the past!
Thank you, MalMan, and I agree that the lost luggage was the best.
Hi All!
Ooof! Katherine & Laura gave us a good run for our money. IPAs at 4d and sEe OUT hand me on the ropes for a spell. Thanks ladies.
MManatee - what can I say but giggles all the way. Pam Dawber (Mindy) has got to be why I know a shampoo introduced in 1947 :-)
WOs: IPAs until it had to be AMIE.
ESPs: I got lost counting 'em. And plenty of WAGs ta'boot.
Fav: FUDD - I grew up on Loony Toons.
IM - as soon as I figured out the theme, Tinbeni came to mind.
SIT? DW's BFF was on the tarmac in ATL for hours... #CrowdStrookDelta
//at least Deta has one of the best EDRs in the biz
NFTs already peaked. They were DOPE but no one is spending >$50k on them today.
Ray-O: I don't say it oft enough, but you never fail to amuse. LOL 3 Teletubbies & the redux to DAUBer.
YR - now it's just the "living room" offset from the kitchen and the breakfast nook so you can still see the TV. #OpenFloorPlan
HG - I don't know any computer experts that aren't nerds. I think most experts in a field are quite nerdy. GEEKs? Well, there's a Venn Diagram for that. [Dry Bar Comedy - stick with it...]
Cheers, -T
I, too thought of Tinbeni when I read MalMan's recap. I tried reaching him via email (we exchanged emails for a brief time), and unfortunately discovered that he passed away. 😕 I found this obituary. Notice that his screen name was his last name spelled backwards
tinbeni
Wow -- thanks for that MOE.
Didn't hate this puzzle, and I found the theme both pleasant and helpful for the solve. But I, like some others on the blog, do find puzzles less enjoyable when they include too many TLWs and/or proper nouns.
Some stats on today's offering: 83 total clues; 14 (16.9%) answers were proper nouns (as clued); 23 (27.7%) answers were TLWs (but not proper nouns); 5 (6.0%) answers were both a proper noun and a TLW; and 41 (49.4%) answers were neither a proper noun or a TLW. Which means that the answer to more than half of the clues was either or both a proper noun and/or a TLW.
Tough Friday puzzle, but then Fridays are supposed to be tough, so still many thanks, Katherine and Laura. And thanks, too, for your always helpful commentary, MalMan.
Well, I was so happy to see this puzzle start with LILT, which made me expect to find lots of playful words, including maybe some music. We did run into a fun SAND CASTLE right away, but soon we had to deal with folks involved in an ACADEMY, maybe one in VERMONT, but that was about it, except for that GEEK at the end. OFFice FURNITURE wasn't very promising, although if someone showed up with a NEW DO, that might MAKE IT NEAT. But all the negatives were downers (YOU HAVE NO . . ., SUED, FAULT, MIX-UP, ARRID, HASTE). But wait, lets go to those DENS at the end, and have some ALE and then take a ride on that SHIP afterwards. That would make for a better afternoon, wouldn't it?
Have a good one, everybody.
C-Moe, thanks for the sad notice about Tin. I was floored when I saw his picture - I looked a lot like him at that age (25-ish?) Not like a twin, but maybe a brother, and certainly a cousin. I'll have to see if I can find a snapshot from those days.
-T, I'll bite - What's an EDR?
C. Moe, say it aint so!
May got rest his soul - NEAT.
Jinx - EDR == Endpoint Detection & Response. Basically, your father's Antivirus on 'Roids. The idea was to take the Castle & Moat model of security to protect the end-point with the same NG (Next Generation) firewall technology used in the moat (Sharks with laser beams :-)).
Crowdstrike's IR (Incident Response) teams are top notch (along w/ Mandiant - now part of Cisco's Talos) and their EDR is (was?) pretty good. There's only a handful of players* in that space that I'd consider using (Palo Alto's & Microsoft's are putting too many eggs in one basket).
Cheers, -T
//I had a link to Tropic Thunder - um, not fit for a family audience :-)
Saddened to learn about Tinbeni.
I liked the theme gimmick but found some of the clues far too cutesy. A clue I did like a lot was the clue for HASTE, which I think showed real (not faux) intelligence and wit.
Tony @1:26 PM I went to that link for the Venn diagrams (I luv Venn diagrams) and ended up staying for the whole enchilada -- what a hoot!
Tinbeni ? Can someone please elucidate the references?
ANSEL Adams: Being a former resident and admirer of all things New Mexican, my favorite Adams photo is “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.” Adam’s printed a few copies of it (the exact number is unknown) as 30” x 40” murals. One recently sold at Christie’s for neatly $1 million.
Prof M - Tinbeni was a regular poster who eschewed ICE in his cocktail or his x-word grid.
//dude purposely did NOT finish a puzzle 'cuz ICE was the fill.
Tin was a frequent commenter at The Corner until he wasn't; a happy spirit, that man, who always took it NEAT.
C, -T
Chairman Moe Thank you for sharing the sad news about Tinbeni/Andrew Robert Inebnit. Interesting about his name. Inebnit is the one that looks backwards! He was not that old. Very sad.
I don't drink much, but I enjoyed the NO ICE theme. Not at all happy about that proper name cluster of LANA/HELEN/NEMEA. Could have been LANA, LARA or LALA and the cross did not help at all. WAG to FIR but that was pure luck.
MalMan Thanks for the PRELL commercial. I remember the commercial, but never made the connection to Mindy of Mork and Mindy. Cool. I never saw that show.
Thank you -T!
Prof M
Thanks to Katherine and Laura for a N___ puzzle! I needed the theme to go back to fill 17A and the NW.
I noted we had ORS and OARS.
Perhaps we might allow the constructors more TLWs in a 16X15 grid?
-T @1:26. PPT comedy guy was too funny. Like waseeley, I ended up watching the full show. Will be forwarding that one to DH.
Thanks to MalMan for his excellent guidance! I needed your help with IMO. (IMO, "Sez me" feels like bully talk and IMO feels like humble input so I was not connecting them.) Loved the luggage joke!
ChairmanMoe'
Thank you so much for the sad news about Tinbeni. I often wondered why he stopped posting but then so many people often do. He once shared with us that his name was a puzzle and challenged us to discover what it was. He was intelligent and witty as well as cynical. Anytime I see NEAT or ICE in a puzzle I think of him.
Google is getting ever more annoyingly intrusive. Sheesh.
RIP Tinbeni.
Tinbeni usually closed his comments with:
"A "toast-to-ALL" at Sunset. Cheers!"
For those so inclined, let us have a cheer for Tinbeni.
Thank you, Chairman Moe, for letting us know.
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Katherine and Laura, and MalMan.
I FIRed and saw the NO ICE theme, but had to come here to confirm some of my fill.
The first themer was the last to fall. I finally changed LEt OUT to LED and saw ACADEMY. That gave me the totally unknown-to-me NEMEA.
I’m late to the party and haven’t read you all yet. We old timers immediately thought of Tinbeni with his aversion to ICE.
I noted 28D “alternatives=ORS” moving down from CHO(ice).
I smiled at the British/Canadian Boxing Day. I hope you all got DEC.
We had GAPE AT, MIX UP, HAD ON, LED OUT
I think we have had those NFTs before, but of course I had no clue, even when TOKEN perped.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Toasting Tinbeni. Cheers!
Sad news when I got a chance to read you all. Thanks CMoe for following up.
RIP Tinbeni.
er…wasn’t it “Hi-ho Silver, away!”? Trigger was Roy Rogers’ steed. 😎
===> Darren / L.A.
Pretty snazzy theme — once I got it; CHO was the V8 can.
Yeah, I’m with Mssr Picard: that triple p.n. crossing is criminally insane — let’s not do any of that anymore, okay?
MalMan, you were in exquisite form today — I was LMAO all the way through your review! I will elaborate on an item: there is one flight discipline where take-off is done standing up: hang-gliding! Tried it once at the beach decades ago; ended up eating sand…
SO DOPE was just that: so dopey.
====> Darren / L.A.
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