Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a dual effort from John Beck and Doug Peterson. Upon searching our blog, I found numerous puzzles from Doug (including this one from two Mondays ago) but none from John. Perhaps congratulations are in order for his LAT debut?! Nonetheless, John has a lot of XWD experience. I am fairly sure this is John scoring big on the TV game show, Merv Griffin's Crosswords from 15 years ago.
Today's theme is
We will begin with the reveal:
57 Across. "You're not alone," and what the first word in the answer to each starred clue can do: JOIN THE CLUB.
In other words, the first word of each of the four themed clues can be JOINed to the end of the word CLUB to create a new concept. Let's take a closer look:
17 Across. *Alternative sentencing option: HOUSE ARREST. This is when the court orders an offender to remain confined in his/her residence.
Also... a CLUB HOUSE is a meeting place for a CLUB to hold CLUB activities.
Rodney Dangerfield yuks it up at the golf CLUB HOUSE
in Caddyshack (1980).
25 Across. *Love for hot rods and drive-in movies: CAR CULTURE. This is "the shared beliefs, values, purpose, customs, language, arts, institutions, achievements, etc., of a particular group of people that have an affinity for the automobile. There is no single car culture, but some aspects of car culture are shared."
Also... a CLUB CAR is "a railroad car equipped with a lounge and other amenities."
CLUB CAR scene from White Christmas (1954)
38 Across. *Former name of 30-Down: SANDWICH ISLANDS.
I am not sure I am OK with a crossed referenced clue used for a themer. Your thoughts?
 |
| This one was a gimme for me because this 56-A of the SANDWICH ISLANDS is hanging on my wall. |
46 Across. *Wayyy past irate: HOPPING MAD. I always think of Yosemite Sam. 
And... CLUB HOPPING means going to several different nightCLUBs in one night.
John and Doug maxed out the LAT's 78 word limit for M-F puzzles. Here are the other 73 clues:
Across:
1. Angelic auras: HALOS.
6. Crass: CRUDE.
1. Angelic auras: HALOS.
6. Crass: CRUDE.
Also, there this type of "bubblin' CRUDE":
Beverly Hillbillies theme song (1962-1971)
<I like the dog.>
11. Stat for Shohei Ohtani: AVG. He is a pitcher and a designated hitter for the Los Angles Dodgers, which is unusual because a DH usually hits for the pitcher. Every DH wants a high batting AVeraGe. As of this writing, his AVG is 0.317. That has him sitting second in the National League. NL STATS
14. Organic building material: ADOBE. TREES?
Here is a video of how to make ADOBE bricks. They use dirt, water, and straw -- which technically does make them organic though I have never heard anyone describe them as such. Notice that the wall behind them is made of ADOBE bricks.
15. A park in a busy city, for some: OASIS.
16. Musical acuity: EAR. My grandfather and his brother both played several instruments by EAR. This picture shows my great uncle and my grandfather sitting behind the bass drum. People say I look like my grandfather, but unfortunately I did not inherit his musical EAR.
15. A park in a busy city, for some: OASIS.
16. Musical acuity: EAR. My grandfather and his brother both played several instruments by EAR. This picture shows my great uncle and my grandfather sitting behind the bass drum. People say I look like my grandfather, but unfortunately I did not inherit his musical EAR.
19. Bitter brew, briefly: IPA.
20. Comedy show host: EMCEE. Master of Ceremonies
21. General vibe: MOOD.
22. "Fiddlesticks!": RATS.
29. Like Bono, Branagh, and Brosnan: IRISH. ... and Irish Miss ☘
31. "Praise be!": AMEN.
32. Starting hr. for some: NINE A.M. Cue Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 (1980)...
I have tickets to see a local theater production of 9 to 5 this week. It should be fun!
34. Cry of regret: ALAS. and 34 Down. Cry of recognition: AHA.
35. "Chandelier" singer: SIA. ESP, for me official website
41. Cathedral city near Cambridge: ELY. Another ESP for me but the first sentence on its Wikipedia page says, "Ely is a cathedral city and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district ...." So it must be true. 😜
42. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.
43. Indian lutes: SITARS. A SITAR is a large, long-necked Indian lute with movable frets, played with a wire pick.
44. Italian farewell: CIAO. and 33 Down. Center of Italy's fashion industry: MILAN.
52. "__ we forget": LEST.
53. Ride-hailing app: UBER.
54. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
56. Document a new region: MAP. "Document" and "MAP" are verbs here.
63. Little devil: IMP.
64. Supplement: ADD TO.
65. New Brunswick neighbor: MAINE. There is also a city called New Brunswick in New Jersey.
66. 24 hours: DAY.
67. Southwest plateaus: MESAS.
68. Pop star John: ELTON. This is the movie trailer for the 2019 biopic Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John.
Down:
1. "A likely story!": HAH. The phrase, a likely story is used to express disbelief of an excuse.
2. Flap: ADO. Flap = Fuss = ADO
3. Bud's partner in classic comedy: LOU. Last week we had LOU clued as "Rugrats grandpa".
4. Overly preoccupied (with): OBSESSED. Here's some advice:
5. Appear to be: SEEM.
6. Jazz composer Chick: COREA. waseeley and MalMan have been talking about Béla Fleck lately. Perhaps they will enjoy this collaboration with Chick Corea.
35. Capture: SNARE.
36. "Hijack" star Elba: IDRIS. Hi Lucina!
37. Item of value: ASSET.
39. Problem that a snake might solve: CLOG.
40. Supported growers in one's community: ATE LOCAL. "ATE" was needed to match supported.
44. Lifesaving letters: CPR. CardioPulmonary Resuscitation
46. Muggy: HUMID.
47. Only U.S. president born in 30-Down: OBAMA. President Barack Obama was born at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu, HAWAII.
48. Full of vigor: PEPPY.
49. Tropical ray: MANTA. Here is a beautiful video showing giant MANTA rays (2:38 min.). Adults average 3,600 lbs. (1,633 kgs.) ... yet they are so graceful!
50. Midrange voices: ALTOS.
51. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.
55. Video that's suddenly everywhere, say: MEME. Def.: an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media
This MEME is trending this week:
35. "Chandelier" singer: SIA. ESP, for me official website
41. Cathedral city near Cambridge: ELY. Another ESP for me but the first sentence on its Wikipedia page says, "Ely is a cathedral city and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district ...." So it must be true. 😜
42. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.
43. Indian lutes: SITARS. A SITAR is a large, long-necked Indian lute with movable frets, played with a wire pick.
44. Italian farewell: CIAO. and 33 Down. Center of Italy's fashion industry: MILAN.
 |
| Speaking of Italy, the Italian Air Force Precision Demonstration Team Frecce Tricolori stopped at the Monterey Airport to refuel this past Tuesday. They did an impromptu flyover for the locals. (I pulled these pics from the KSBW news video.) |
45. Spooky: EERIE.
52. "__ we forget": LEST.
53. Ride-hailing app: UBER.
 |
| Cindy has the app on her smart phone. Notice she is missing a shoe. #NiceTouch |
54. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
56. Document a new region: MAP. "Document" and "MAP" are verbs here.
63. Little devil: IMP.
64. Supplement: ADD TO.
65. New Brunswick neighbor: MAINE. There is also a city called New Brunswick in New Jersey.
66. 24 hours: DAY.
67. Southwest plateaus: MESAS.
68. Pop star John: ELTON. This is the movie trailer for the 2019 biopic Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John.
Down:
1. "A likely story!": HAH. The phrase, a likely story is used to express disbelief of an excuse.
 |
| Click to expand. |
2. Flap: ADO. Flap = Fuss = ADO
3. Bud's partner in classic comedy: LOU. Last week we had LOU clued as "Rugrats grandpa".
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (3:48 min.)
4. Overly preoccupied (with): OBSESSED. Here's some advice:
5. Appear to be: SEEM.
 |
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre |
6. Jazz composer Chick: COREA. waseeley and MalMan have been talking about Béla Fleck lately. Perhaps they will enjoy this collaboration with Chick Corea.
7. Not as easily found: RARER.
8. "__ your head!": USE.
9. Talk smack about: DIS. I like how slang in the clue (smack) hints at a slang answer.
8. "__ your head!": USE.
 |
| Ouch! |
9. Talk smack about: DIS. I like how slang in the clue (smack) hints at a slang answer.
Def.: (v.) slang: to treat with disrespect or contempt.
10. "C'__ la vie!": EST. French for "That's life!".
11. Phonics lesson quintet: A-E-I-O-U.
12. Humidifier output: VAPOR.
13. B-, for example: GRADE.
18. N.C. State's athletic gp.: ACC. "North Carolina State University" and "group" are abbreviated, so is the "Atlantic Coast Conference."
10. "C'__ la vie!": EST. French for "That's life!".
11. Phonics lesson quintet: A-E-I-O-U.
12. Humidifier output: VAPOR.
13. B-, for example: GRADE.
18. N.C. State's athletic gp.: ACC. "North Carolina State University" and "group" are abbreviated, so is the "Atlantic Coast Conference."
I hope your FIR was not riding on this one!
21. Topography abbr.: MTN. MounTaiNs
22. Quickly hose off: RINSE.
23. Basic font: ARIAL. Speaking of fonts, you might be interested in learning about this font, designed for people with dyslexia. Henry Winkler used it in his Here's Hank books.
24. Having a thin, metallic sound: TINNY. Did someone say, "Metallica sound"?
26. Southwest Colombian city: CALI. According to Columbia.travel, Cali is known by the rest of Colombia as the "Rumba Capital" and by the world as the "Salsa Capital". It's elevation is 3,340 ft. (1,018 meters).
27. Amherst sch.: UMASS. "School" is abbreviated, so is "University of MASSachusetts".
28. WNBA legend Lisa: LESLIE. (b. 7/7/1972 in Compton, CA) WNBA site
30. State whose official individual sport is surfing: HAWAII.
21. Topography abbr.: MTN. MounTaiNs
22. Quickly hose off: RINSE.
23. Basic font: ARIAL. Speaking of fonts, you might be interested in learning about this font, designed for people with dyslexia. Henry Winkler used it in his Here's Hank books.
24. Having a thin, metallic sound: TINNY. Did someone say, "Metallica sound"?
One (1988)
Note: Probably best to skip this video if you are not into heavy metal music.
26. Southwest Colombian city: CALI. According to Columbia.travel, Cali is known by the rest of Colombia as the "Rumba Capital" and by the world as the "Salsa Capital". It's elevation is 3,340 ft. (1,018 meters).
27. Amherst sch.: UMASS. "School" is abbreviated, so is "University of MASSachusetts".
28. WNBA legend Lisa: LESLIE. (b. 7/7/1972 in Compton, CA) WNBA site
30. State whose official individual sport is surfing: HAWAII.
Surfing made its Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 2024 Olympics surfing competition will be held at Teahupo'o, Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France.
35. Capture: SNARE.
36. "Hijack" star Elba: IDRIS. Hi Lucina!
37. Item of value: ASSET.
39. Problem that a snake might solve: CLOG.
 |
| Oh, that type of snake! |
40. Supported growers in one's community: ATE LOCAL. "ATE" was needed to match supported.
Eating LOCAL does not mean frequenting your local McDonald's. Instead, it means to enjoy more locally grown produce from the farmers in your community. 7 Benefits to Eating Local
44. Lifesaving letters: CPR. CardioPulmonary Resuscitation
46. Muggy: HUMID.
47. Only U.S. president born in 30-Down: OBAMA. President Barack Obama was born at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu, HAWAII.
48. Full of vigor: PEPPY.
49. Tropical ray: MANTA. Here is a beautiful video showing giant MANTA rays (2:38 min.). Adults average 3,600 lbs. (1,633 kgs.) ... yet they are so graceful!
50. Midrange voices: ALTOS.
51. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.
55. Video that's suddenly everywhere, say: MEME. Def.: an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media
This MEME is trending this week:
57. Scanner problem: JAM.
58. Celebratory verse: ODE.
59. Confirms someone's age, for short: ID'S. This means to check someone's ID to make sure they are "old enough".
60. Blazing: LIT. This could be slang, but then again it could just mean "on fire". Oh, wait, that's slang, too.
61. __, dos, tres: UNO.
62. Actor Kingsley: BEN. (b. 12/31/1943 in Snainton, U.K.) his IMDb page
 |
| I like how the cartoonist drew the glass ceiling. |
58. Celebratory verse: ODE.
59. Confirms someone's age, for short: ID'S. This means to check someone's ID to make sure they are "old enough".
60. Blazing: LIT. This could be slang, but then again it could just mean "on fire". Oh, wait, that's slang, too.
61. __, dos, tres: UNO.
62. Actor Kingsley: BEN. (b. 12/31/1943 in Snainton, U.K.) his IMDb page
Here is today's grid: 
That's everything for today. Congratulations! You have made it through initiation, are now in the CLUB, and are invited to comment below.
30 comments:
I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. The only pause was getting “Cali” and “Leslie” so close together. Other than that, I would say this was another Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
I probably do waaay too many crosswords... I don't think anyone's first instinct would be to put in MIEN for MOOD off of the M. And that's not even what MIEN means.
In a recent post, Rex Parker asked: do you ever get misled by a clue that's actually completely straightforward? I wanted "organic building material" to be something like amino acids or nucleotides. "Organic" just made me instantly think of organic chemistry for whatever reason.
Then with ATEL- at 40D, I misread it as ANTEL- and put -OPES without even looking at the clue. And THEN I was briefly mystified by the clue because I was reading it the wrong way (supported = adjective, growers = subject, so I was looking for a plural noun for "growers" that one might "support".). Basically I'm so used to themeless trickery that I sometimes forget that it's Monday.
FIR, but erased carea for COREA (UNTIE!) Can't wait to get to my desktop and listen to that duet! (My laptop sound isn't great.)
ELY is also a little town in Nevada at the crossroads of US 93 and US 50. You might go there if you are a miner, or if you are a state convict.
USE your head! (That's what SHE said)
I've been using EAT LOCAL wrong, as in "don't eat at chain restaurants."
UNC is also in the ACC, but you knew that. I'm glad that UF / FSU and UK / Louisville aren't in the same conference. (FSU and Louisville are in the ACC; UF and UK are in the SEC.)
I had forgotten about CLUB CARs. I think Amtrak calls them "bar cars" now. I spent nearly my entire trip from Sacramento to Reno in one. You can enjoy the beautiful vistas without getting a crick in your neck. I was thinking of CAR CLUBs, one of which seems to have a rally (meet? run? rendezvous?) every weekend.
Thanks to John and Doug for the fun Monday romp. I'm hoping sumdaze meant "dual effort" instead of "duel effort," but I appreciate how tough collaboration can be. And thanks to sumdaze for another chuckle-worthy explanation of the grid.
I really liked the theme.
Don't forget there is also the group CULTURE CLUB (Karma Chameleon)
I had at first EIEIO instead of AEIOU.
I also didn't like COREA near CALI near LESLIE.
FIR. Typically easy Monday fare. A few proper names but nothing too difficult. Sia and Idris crossing is a no-no, but fortunately often found in crosswords, so doable so to speak.
The theme was clever, but completely unnecessary for the solve.
Overall an enjoyable start to the week.
Counted 17 proper nouns, a little much fir a Monday but filled ok. Had issues with 35 across and 36 down. Two names I was unfamiliar crossing each other.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, John and Doug, and sumdaze.
This CW FIRed in good Monday time, and the theme revealed itself with an AHA.
Two inkblots to change Aura to MOOD (Alt to MTN), and Plug to CLOG.
I have been in CALI on a trip to Quito, Ecuador.
We had HAH, AHA, and DAH.
Glad to see IRISH Miss back (but she would not like the 23 3 letter words today).
Thanks Arizona Jim for letting us know about your dad. Hoping that he can be back with us soon.
Wishing you all a great day. It is HUMID here.
Good Morning:
The NE corner was the last to fall due to my being convinced that Ohtani's stat had to be either RBI or ERA. This was a tricky misdirection on the constructors' part as most baseball players have only one three letter stat, whereas all baseball players have an Avg. Using Ohtani in the clue was devious, but fair. In any case, that glitch, coupled with wanting Water instead of Vapor and wanting something more esoteric than IPA for Bitter Brew had me flummoxed for a while until AEIOU saved the day. I thought the theme, execution and fill were all a notch or two above normal Monday level and I appreciated the varied and distinct type of Clubs. Leslie was the only unknown and there were no w/os. I wasn't aware that you could just hail an Uber; I thought you had to order one through the App. The high count (24) of TLWs was offset by the quality and enjoyment of the overall solving experience. Being Irish and a lover of alliteration, I was tickled by Bono, Branagh, and Brosnan.
Thanks, John and Doug, for a delightful start to the week and congrats to John if this is a debut and thanks, sumdaze, for an outstanding review, commentary and visuals, links. My favorite comics today were "Cindy" calling an Uber and the "Meme" Cat, plus the photo of the Pug getting hosed off. I really enjoyed all of the nostalgia, from Bing and Danny, Bud and Lou, and Yosemite Sam and Dagwood, right up to Jed Clampett and Elton John. You always do a terrific job but today's was brimming with fun and facts. Brava! BTW, thank you for your kind words yesterday.
Anonymous @ 4:57 ~ You were not alone in having Mien be your first thought for 21A. 🤣
Have a great day.
Nice puzzle today. Solved it the way I like to do it, by only making a new entry connected to a previous one. Thanks to Jonn and Doug for the submission and Sumdaze for the analysis.
Ii always try to support local businesses, restaurants or other types. You get a better bang for your buck as well as personal attention. Best food values come from local farm markets, too.
Whence you comest, or whither thou goest, there thee are.
Bangles.
Good Morning! A little bit of a Wednesday vibe for me today, but an interesting collection of subject matter. Thanks, John and Doug.
I thought I saw the theme but questioned how HOPPING MAD fit. CLUB HOPPING? I’m not a party person, so this is not in my scope. Thanks, sumdaze for the confirmation and the fun recap. BTW, I’m okay with HAWAII crossing SANDWICH. Both Monday level, so very gettable. A later-in- the week day, maybe not so.
Two WOs – both spelling; both vowels Grrr. I see you AEIOU.
Unknown names: COREA, SIA, ELY, as clued, ACC, LESLIE
sumdaze ~ your Monday blogs are a real good match with the puzzles, lighthearted and breezy! Not to nitpick but I think you meant to reference 56A and not 59A. Learning moment for me today - that HAWAII was once part of the SANDWICH ISLANDS, the clue denotes singular, but the answer is plural 🤷♂️. I don’t see a problem with SIA crossing IDRIS as they both appear often in CWs. Thank you John and Doug for the pleasant start to the week which I managed a FIR in a little under 12.
Glad to learn that Tehachapi Ken is on the mend, hope to be reading his comments soon!
That was a real direct SO to IRISH Miss today! ☘️
Didn’t know of the maximum 78 word rule for the M-F grids, would be interesting to know of the other guidelines that constructors must follow.
As they say in MILAN: EZ piselli
Only a couple of brief holdups. (btw: Frecce Tricolori (freh’ cheh) “Three Color Arrows” 🇮🇹)
Went way off the mark themewise. At first figured the “you are not alone” answers had to do with being “alone”. Alone in the HOUSE, alone in a CAR?? A single lonely slice of meat in a SANDWICH? HOPPING can only be done “alone”. 😳Huh??.
(Sumdaze, I have that same “Sandwich Islands” map framed in my library along with old world maps of “Sanybel island”, “Sankt Thomas” and Ischia)
Inkovers: mts/MTN, Ariel/ARIAL (always make this error 😤)
HAH!! It’s HALOS not auras-aurae! 😇
AEIOU (Y was it left out?). The 3 IRISH are all guys, let’s add our ☘️ Miss for some balance
One of Maynard’s friends….ADOBE
Slippery TV Tarzan, Ron…. ELY
Slangy American CIAO… SIA
Female swooning statement “ Able was I ‘ere I saw ____ Elba”…..IDRIS
Have a nice week, Off for two. 😊
Jinx@5:01 and YP@9:12.Thank you for the corrections! "Duly" noted!
= )
Great Monday morning CW. My only unknown names were SIA and LESLIE. I’m a big fan of Chick COREA. Thank you Sumdaze for the link.
And the heat goes on, here.
IM @8:59. I think you are correct about not being able to "hail" an UBER the way one can a taxi, but people do sometimes use that verb -- much like we say "dial a number" with our smart phones.
In response to YooperPhil at 9:12 AM, who wrote "that HAWAII was once part of the SANDWICH ISLANDS, the clue denotes singular, but the answer is plural," I offer a clarification. The (singular) state of Hawaii (which is made up of several islands) is synonymous with the (plural) Sandwich Islands, so named by Captain Cook after the Earl of Sandwich who funded his voyage. The chain of islands was later called by an indigenous name.
I liked this puzzle. It's encouraging to have the first block in the northwest filled so easily. Only real unknowns were SIA and LESLIE ... alas, soon to be forgotten. I happen to know someone who occasionally gets HOPPING MAD, so I know that's a real thing. In his case, it blows over quickly, so I can smile about it.
Thanks for the Monday fun day, John, Doug, and sumdaze!
sumdaze @ 10:12 ~ Yes, long after I posted, I realized that hail has multiple meanings. Spoke too soon! 😉
Musings
-The fill for two-way superstar Shohei fill could have been ERA, HRS, RBI, etc.
-CRUDE is in the EAR of the beholder
-Have you ever had a job that started at NINE A.M.?
-Remember the ALAMO, the Maine, Pearl Harbor, more?
-I thought Rocketman would be a great song for my funeral until I read the lyrics
--97F today with high humidity today and then mid-80’s the rest of the week. Humidity is loved by the corn. Me? Not so much. I’m LOAFING today! :-)
-SNARE is one of many verbs sports writers use to describe a ball being caught
-Petting a ray at Sea World felt like rubbing a wet inner tube
-12 ALTO rock and roller singers
-Every place I taught issued teachers ID badges but they were seldomly worn.
-Fun write-up, Renee. Gotta love the kitty pic!
Two very nice collaborations this morning (is that redundant?). Thanks for the Chick and Bela, sumdaze. The recap was stellar, too.
NaomiZ ~ thank you for your explanation as to why the HAWAII clue was correct, it makes sense now. I was thinking of the singular island of Hawaii (like Maui or Lanai), and not the “state” which consists of all the islands.
FIR, but with a little more crunch than your normal Monday. It was enjoyable, though! Nice recap today, sumdaze! Enjoyed the Sajak 'toon!
CROSSWORD COMMENTS
I’m having trouble understanding why people are citing LESLIE, CALI, and COREA as though they were neighboring entries in a triple-natick, but then, I was familiar with all three. Lisa Leslie has appeared in many CWs, and I’ve seen Cali in several. Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellin are also puzzle/quiz-worthy Colombian cities. I’m a big fan of the late Chick Corea, whose jazz-fusion group Return to Forever provided my starting point for jazz appreciation. Sirius radio has been celebrating Corea a lot this year. Even before I knew his work, the name had caught my eye and I could have identified him in a quiz question.
ACC is another frequent crossword fill entry. No one’s FIR should have been marred by that one.
Shohei Otani is still billed as a two-way player, but he hasn’t pitched this season and probably won’t ever again. He has played outfield occasionally prior to 2024, but a sore elbow has limited him this year to being a DH – an extremely productive one. His .317 batting average is less impressive than his stats for on-base average (he walks a lot) combined with power hitting, including home runs. He ain’t merely the second-best hitter in the National League; he’s easily No. 1.
Spelling hazards: Colombia/Columbia (most people spell it wrong and pronounce it wrong); Abbott/Abbot (the name nearly always has two t’s). Watching a documentary about Beatles guitarist George Harrison a couple of years ago, I learned I had been pronouncing SITAR wrong all these years. The stress is on the second syllable, so si-TAR rhymes with gui-TAR.
Hola!
Today was my volunteer day at church so I'm at the very end of the commenters; however, reading your posts gives me a different perspective on this puzzle which I thought was just a tad more challenging than the usual Monday ones. However, I finished without any problems and yes, my heart did a little skip at IDRIS Elba.
Also noted was the CSO to IRISH Miss!
LESLIE is a complete unknown to me but it was filled before I even noticed.
On my first trip to HAWAII with my DH we went on a bus tour and it was explained to us that SANDWISH ISLANDS was the original name.
When CLOG perped I had a good laugh because the clue was such a misdirection. Good one!
thanks to John Beck, Doug Peterson and sumdaze for today's fun. I hope all is well with everyone.
Oh! SANDWICH. Is that my Spanish pronunciation creeping out?
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, John and Doug. And always appreciate your helpful commentary and pictures, Sumdaze, thanks for those too.
When we started with HALOS and a little later AMEN, I thought we might be in religious territory with this puzzle, but ALAS, 'twas not to be. The place where we ended up was on the MAP, with lots of places alluded to, with my favorite, HAWAII, and, of course, the SANDWICH ISLANDS, and MAINE, and MILAN, and a reminder of IRISH culture. Lets go back to a little more culture, like the music of the SITARS and the ALTOS and that TINNY sound we also heard.
Well, time to say CIAO and get some lunch.
Have a good day, everybody.
RosE, CLUB HOPPING is what the trendy drunks do. The crowds I drank with did the similar "pub crawl."
I liked this puzzle, sumdaze's write-up, and all your comments.
I am also a fan of Chick Corea.
Jinx @ 3:59. Ah, yes. I've heard of pub crawl. Sounds more friendly and less frantic than club hopping.
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