google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday August 26, 2024 Margi Stevenson

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Aug 26, 2024

Monday August 26, 2024 Margi Stevenson

 


Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle from Margi Stevenson. The Corner has previously blogged five of Margi's puzzles. She has published one each on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Today's is her second Monday puzzle. I hope she brings us seconds for each of the other weekdays, too!

Theme:  
On The Corner we often talk about needing P&P to solve a difficult puzzle. Today's puzzle came with its own P&P. Let's see what I mean. First the themed clues:

17 Across. Social set with similar ages: PEER GROUP.
As it turns out, I have a summons to be in someone's potential PEER GROUP at the county courthouse today (aka "jury duty"). We'll see if I am needed....

24 Across. Sticker that may be good forever: POSTAGE STAMP.  forever STAMPS  
I want to get a sheet of the new ones featuring Ansel Adams' photography.

39 Across. Cosmetic tattoos: PERMANENT MAKEUP.
One example of this is tattooed eyebrows.  Pros & Cons

53 Across. Recreational getaway: PLEASURE TRIP.  
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Chevy Chase in the Grand Canyon scene (2 min.)
Bonus points if you can remember the color of his car:  Metallic PEA
Then the reveal:

65. Soup legumes, or a phonetic description of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 53-Across: SPLIT PEAS.  
Each of the themed clues begins and ends with the letter P, thereby splitting the Ps apart.
I noticed the Ps while solving this grid from top to bottom. I wondered what Margi was planning to do with them. Her reveal was a delight!

...plenty more to recap:

Across:

1. Little complaints: NITS.

5. Lingerie brand owned by Hanes: BALI.  

9. Marinade of vinegar and spices: ADOBO.  "The word adobo is a derivative of the Spanish word adobar, which translates as "to marinate" in English. Spanish colonizers carried the word “adobo” to the regions they conquered, so adobo means something different depending on where you are in the Spanish diaspora. In some places, adobo is a dry seasoning rub. In others, the spices are combined with vinegar and fresh ingredients to create a marinade called adobo."  source & more info.

14. Farmland unit: ACRE.

15. Garden of Eden figure: ADAM.  
Adam & Eve in Paradise camP

16. Perdue competitor: TYSON.  Both are brands of chicken.

19. Scary creature: BEAST.

20. Take the wrong way?: STEAL.     and     27 Down. Swiped: TOOK.
Swipe is slang for STEAL.

21. Ill-mannered: RUDE.

23. Hawaiian wood used for ukuleles: KOA.  KOA is the largest native tree species in Hawaii. 
28. Target, as an audience: CATER TO.  This means to deliver your message in such a way that your intended audience will like it more. 
Pro Tip:  Know your audience!

31. Intl. peacekeeping alliance: NATO.  "International" is abbreviated, so is "North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

32. "__ you kidding?": ARE.  apparently not

33. "No thanks, just had lunch": I ATE.

35. Scandinavian capital: OSLO.  A popular attraction in OSLO is Frogner Park where one can see over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland [1869 - 1943].  
This one made a big impression on me.
It is composed of 121 human figures.
44. "Me too!": SAME.
palm up!

45. New Mexico art town: TAOS.

46. Issa of "Barbie": RAE.  
Issa played President Barbie in the 2023 movie.
47. Performed in a choir: SANG.

51. Kane's last word in "Citizen Kane": ROSEBUD.  I would tell you more but it gives away the whole movie.

57. Snakelike fish: EEL.

58. Memphis record company: STAX.  This is from their website:
Stax Records is critical to American music history as one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time. In 15 years, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 on the pop charts and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts. It launched the careers of legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, among numerous others.

59. Move crabwise: SIDLE.  Def: to go or move with one side foremost especially in a furtive advance.
parallel creep

63. Top-level performance: A-GAME.

68. Toys with tails: KITES.  

69. Quick look: PEEK.

70. "Kinds of Kindness" star Stone: EMMA.  Emma has been in a lot of movies. Their IMDb page lists 54 acting credits. I did not recognize this movie title. It was released on June 21, 2024. This might be the most recently referenced crossword clue I've ever seen.

71. Frets (over): STEWS.  Last Monday we had "
63 Across. Stews (over): FRETS".  
72. Plumlike gin flavoring: SLOE.  

73. Japanese-Peruvian fusion chain: NOBU.  On Tuesday, August 13 we had "23 Across. Restaurateur Matsuhisa: NOBU." 
NOBU seems like a helpful word to constructors. It might be helpful to solvers to commit it to memory.

(pause the recap)
Down:

1. Goes out in the afternoon?: NAPS.  "Go out" probably came to mean "sleep" from the expression "Go out like a light".  napping advice for adults from the Mayo Clinic

2. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE-T.

3. Family __: genealogy chart: TREE.  
Norman Rockwell (1959)

4. Mexican cloak: SERAPE.  Clint made them look cool.  
5. Happy hour locale: BAR.

6. Kerfuffle: ADO.

7. Actress Linney: LAURA.  She turned 60 this year.  IMDb page

8. Assail, as a reputation: IMPUGN.  This was a recent Word of the Day.  

9. If everything goes smoothly: AT BEST.

10. Hair salon stock: DYE.

11. Honshu port city: OSAKA.  When I lived in Japan, there was a radio jingle about Osaka that became a forever earworm. It gets triggered ever time I read/hear this name.
Honshu is Japan's main island.

12. Chest: BOSOM.  Remember when Tom Hanks starred in this TV sitcom?  
13. Ready to go: ON TAP.

18. "Conga" singer Estefan: GLORIA.  Here you go, a ticket back to 1985....

22. DOJ arm concerned with narcotics: DEA.  The Drug Enforcement Administration is under the Department oJustice.

25. BTS ARMY enlistee, e.g.: STAN.  There is so much to unpack here:
(1.)  BTS is a very popular South Korean K-pop group.
(2.)  STAN is slang for a superfan. It might come from stalker-fan.
(3.)  Similar to how Jimmy Buffett fans are called "Parrotheads"; fans of the TV show Glee are called "Gleeks"; and supporters of politician Andrew Yang are called the "Yang Gang"; BTS STANs call themselves "ARMY".
(4.)  Here, ARMY is an acronym that stands for "Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth". (Most sources say the "M.C." is "Master of Ceremonies" but I also saw other interpretations.)
(5.)  All seven members of BTS have begun their compulsory military service. Nevertheless, let me emphasize that ARMY is the fan group, not the band.
(6.)  As far as I can tell, enlistee is just a play on ARMY.

26. Cart (around): TOTE.  TOTE is clued as a verb this time.

28. Beanies: CAPS.
IIRC, CanadianEh! call them toques.

29. Length x width: AREA.  This formula works for parallelograms, too -- but we typically say "base x height".  

30. Semester or quarter: TERM.

34. Sinus specialist, briefly: ENT.  "Otolaryngologist" is much more difficult to remember than "ENT" or "Ear Nose Throat".

36. Belgrade native: SERB.

37. Waikiki party: LUAU.
pineapple group

38. Opinion column: OP-ED.

40. City near Phoenix: MESA. Other cities in AZ with 4-letter names include Eloy, Naco, Page, Pima, Pine, Vail, and Yuma.

41. Open-topped pie: TART.  I think the distinction is more complicated than that but TART works so let's move on.

42. Secure, as a boat: MOOR.  Jinx ASSISTed us with this one last month. To MOOR a boat is to tie it up with a permanent anchor. He also said people sometimes use "anchorage" instead of "MOORing" to refer to a place were a lot of boats are MOORed.

43. Help: ASSIST.

48. Make a valuation: ASSESS.

49. Pecan or acorn: NUT.  Did acorn give you pause? Yes, an acorn is a nut. It is the fruit of the oak tree. Depending on the species, it can take six months to two years to mature and drop. They are edible -- just not directly off the tree.  webmd & edible acorns  
Here is Scrat the squirrel-rat from the 2002 movie, Ice Age. (2:06 min.).

50. Takes hold of: GRASPS.  GRips and GRabs were too short.

52. Auto-injector for an allergic reaction: EPIPEN.  It can be used to treat a life-threatening, allergic emergency in people who are at risk for or have a history of serious allergic emergencies.

53. Pinnacles: PEAKS.  The word pinnacle relates to the structure shown below in Gothic construction. It is easy to see how the word was then generalized to refer to lofty PEAKS, including natural ones.  As it turns out, I will be camping at Pinnacles National Park the weekend before this blog goes live.

54. Aboveboard: LEGIT.  informal for legitimate

55. Bring joy to: ELATE.

56. More than suspend: EXPEL.  Think "
school district punishment options".

60. Free software version: DEMO.

61. Moussaka meat: LAMB.  Moussaka is a traditional Greek casserole made with eggplants, potatoes, LAMB, and bechamel sauce.  

62. Jacob's twin in the Book of Genesis: ESAU.

64. Kitten's plea: MEW.  

66. Sign before Virgo: LEO.  I do not know their order but I do know that only one sign is three letters long.

67. 1950s POTUS: IKE.  Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower was the President othe United States from 1953 to 1961.  

The grid:  

That's all for today. (Please clap.) 👏



47 comments:

Subgenius said...

Although there were a couple of obscurities (“koa,” anyone?), I’d say this puzzle was another Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Dredged up KOA from the depths of memory, but New England was still tricky. OSAKA and BOSOM finally broke it open. Thanx, Margi and sumdaze. (Hope your weekend at Pinnacles was pleasant and fire-free.)

TREE: I was quite active on Ancestry for several years. I built my tree, but couldn't get back further than the mid-1700s.

EPIPEN: The FDA approved NEFFY, a nasal spray replacement for the Epipen, on August 9th. I'm still awaiting word as to when it'll be available, and how much it'll cost. My Epipen expired several years ago. All right, 2007.

SIDLE: That reminds me of the love story of Herman and Sally. Herman was a lobster, and Sally was a crab. As the Smothers Brothers sang it, "Crabs walk sideways, and lobsters walk straight, and we won't let you take her for your mate." Here it is, if you're interested.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased hats for CAPS, gel for DYE, sing for SUNG (read the clue, Jinx) and impune to IMPUGN (bad spelars of the world, UNTIE!)

Waited for legal/LEGIT.

DNK that KOA was anything other than a chain of campground franchises.

Johnny Carson used to complain about his "eye, ear, nose and wallet" doctor.

I always feel a little naughty when my receipt says "card swiped." (Yes, I still have one card without a chip.)

I can finally sorta remember what a STAN is, and who BTS are. ARMY is new to me, except that's what Kiss fans are called too. Fans of the Grateful Dead are called "Deadheads." Led Zeppelin fans are called "Led heads." Fans of Insane Clown Posse are called "Juggalos." Fans of Greenday are called "Idiots." (No kidding.)

Thanks to Margi for the Monday eyeopener, and to sumdaze for another fine review.

Anonymous said...

Pleased to say it took me 5:11 today to finish uP.

I didn't know the Hawaiian tree, the Mexican marinade, or the Japanese-Peruvian fusion. Had no idea about the BTS clue. I wanted trunk or torso for chest. But, I knew both of today's actresses (Laura & Rae)!

I loved my brief trip to Pinnacles National Park, which was shortly after it became a National Parks. It's very pretty there, I hope you enjoy your trip, sumdaze.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Almost forgot - there used to be a restaurant over Lucina's way called Pinnacle PEAK Patio. (Lots of P's, none split.) The restaurant was known for outlawing neckties. Customers who entered with them were warned, then the ties would be cut off and stapled to the ceiling or wall if the warning was ignored. Many folks wore old ties just for the purpose, and it became a tradition to take a newly-retired coworker or spouse there so that his now-redundant tie could be ceremoniously lopped off.

KS said...

FIR, but I found this a tad crunchy for a Monday. Adobo, koa, nobu, and a few others, not to mention proper names Laura Linney and Issa Rae made this a bit challenging.
The theme was apparent and helped with the reveal, but shouldn't that be the other way around?
Overall not my most favorite Monday puzzle.

billocohoes said...

STAN and STAX unknown, EXPEL only after trying Erase and annuL. Arnie's Army for golfer Arnold Palmer may have been one of the first modern fan groups.

Anonymous said...

A whole slew of proper nouns. I counted 29 knew half . Was able to figure most out by crosses. Didn't know Adobo ,Tyson , or Koa so that corner did not work out well for me.

Monkey said...

I thought I would triumphantly announce I finished this CW in no time, but the NE just got to me. RATS. For one thing I stuck to gel for DYE. I don’t remember ever seeing Perdue chicken and couldn’t think of a wood beginning with K. So that’s my ad tale.

The rest was smooth. Two unknowns STAN and STAX, but perps took care of them.

I’ll watch anything LAURA Linney is in.

I like SPLIT PEA soup in the winter.

Thanks sumdaze for that nice recap. You’re on your A GAME.

Monkey said...

That should be SAD tale. It’s not easy to review what I’ve written before publishing.

RosE said...

Good Morning! I thought I saw the theme but had to come to the Corner to confirm. I saw the SPLIT PEAS, but 17A didn’t fit – no A. AHA, clever! I was fooled by the "SPLIT" PEAS in the other three themers. I suspected there had to be more to it and never noticed the ending Ps.

Perps for KOA, STAX, NOBU (your advice noted 😉), STAN

NAPS: Are you kidding me??? Now there are “rules” to napping! Geesh…

WO: IMPUGH (spelling) LEGal -> LEGIT.

Thanks, sumdaze! I enjoyed you fun and thematic recap!

Lee said...

Three in a row, FIR, whoopee!!

Thank you to Margi and Sumdaze for today's entree and analysis.

Whine and dine doesn't work.

Negotiate.

Tehachapi Ken said...

A most enjoyable start to the week, Margi. And the theme/reveal culminated in a culinary payoff, with SPLITPEAS. That's one of my favorite soups--and crossing it was another top dish of mine, moussaka (LAMB). Nummer nummer all the way around!

Sumdaze, thanks for leading us today. If I may, I would like to clarify the anchor/moor issue. Mooring a vessel is the general term for securing it; anchoring is specific. The anchor on a boat or ship is that device--usually metal-- that is stowed up near the bow. When flung overboard, it digs into the bottom.

So the vessel is made fast by the anchor being embedded on the bottom. That is one way the vessel can be moored. But there are other mooring possibilities. We would sometimes moor our Chris-Craft by briefly beaching her (depending on the tides) when out on a cruise.

Most boats and ships spend a substantial portion of their nautical lives being tied up at a dock. That is the most typical kind of mooring.

Anchoring is only one way of mooring.

Today's puzzle is a straightforward and rewarding Monday exercise. Not only was it free of gimmicks, but unlike most end-of-the-week puzzles, its Natick nightmares were few and far between. The main ones were ADOBO, NOBU, and STAX. They were surrounded and outnumbered by hospitable perps.

Thanks, again, Margi, for providing us with a fun and fresh exercise to start the week.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

It's slipper than that. "Gonna moor?" "Nah, I think I'll anchor and save the $50."

RosE said...

OOPS, spelling: IMPUNE -> IMPUGN & you -> your.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...


EZ split PZ theme: BTW the 🫛🫛 are also split in EPIPEN (in the middle not the ends) . Easy snap peasy West to East long clue answers too.

“Chest” had me baffled for awhile and I know we’ve previously had “ukulele wood” then it suddenly smacked me in the face, BOSOM.

Turns out “Perdue” competitor was not an Ivy League college. I know by now BTS is Korean boys group but needed perps for the rest of this confusing clue.

Inkover: DDE/IKE, impune/IMPUGN, (please don’t ASSail my spelling ability 😒)

I always forget ICET (not eye-set) is the answer to the common “L&O SVU actor” question.

Perps revealed it’s not a legal but a LEGIT answer.

Stay remarried after divorce …. PERMANENT MAKEUP
Cheats at hide-and-seek …. PEAKS
Hike….. LEGIT
Timber used to make a sitar: ____ Wood … BALI

😷 Isolation ends today, back to the photon factory tomorrow.

desper-otto said...

R-o-S, are you saying you're going back to "light" duty?

NaomiZ said...

A great puzzle, but not necessarily easy P's ee. Did not know NOBU was a chain restaurant, STAX was new to me, and although TYSON is familiar, Perdue is not. I haven't eaten a chicken in 35 years, so I may be out of that loop!

Thank you, Margi, for the puzzle, and sumdaze, for the explanation. Please tell us all about Pinnacles National Park and share photos!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I was aware of the beginning P but not the ending P, so the reveal was a fun surprise. Didn't know Koa, as clued, nor Stax at all. A Game is becoming a regular visitor. This was a perfect Monday offering for newbies and an enjoyable, if easy, solve for oldies!

Thanks, Margi, for a pleasant start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts. Loved the irate Elephant and the mewing Kitty. Hope your camping trip was enjoyable.

Have a great day.

Ray - O - Sunshine said...

The Internists used to call us Shadow readers 🫥

Anonymous said...

Jinx, don't leave out PEAK Antifreeze.

Misty said...

Delightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, Margi. And thanks too for your commentary, Sumdaze.

Interesting to see ADAM and ESAU--would they be a PEER GROUP, by any chance? How about GLORIA and EMMA? But we don't know if they know each other. Anyway, hope they can go on a PLEASURE TRIP and enjoy a snack with some SPLIT PEAS and a TART. That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Have a great day, everybody.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

slippier, not slipper. Shoo autodefect.

Prof M said...

And ties aren’t Particularly cheaP these days!

Anonymous said...

Hi, it's sumdaze, on a break from the jury duty selection process. The KOA comments prompt me to say that I was very fortunate to paddle in KOA outrigger canoes when I lived in Hawaii. The wood is gorgeous! We only used them for flat water regattas. We used fiberglass canoes for practice and the long ocean races.

Prof M said...

Was Perdue a boxer who fought Mike TYSON?

Picard said...

Enjoyed the SPLIT PEAS theme, which helped with the solve. Hand up NE a BEAST to solve.

Here we rode a river boat near our hotel in OSAKA.

Our Japanese boat guide only spoke Japanese.

unclefred said...

Very nice Monday CW, thanx, MS. AND I got the theme, immediately (imagine that) by noticing the split "P"s with the first theme clue. Yep, Mr. Forgot-to-look-for-the-theme got it right off the bat today. Speaking of: Who watched the Little League World Series Championship Game yesterday? What fun! Anyway, a few DNKs which perps solved, and overall an enjoyable start to the week. Terrific write-up, Sumdaze, thanx. The Scrat video was a special treat! Poor flat Scrat! I like to do the CW in ink on paper, but no amount of coaxing, restarting, re-WIFI-ing or anything else my techno-limited brain could think of could get that sucker to print. Finally had to do the CW online. Grr.

unclefred said...

What the......? I no more than posted that last comment and my printer spit out the CW! I had told it to print the CW starting at 9am. Deleted the print job and reloaded several times, finally leaving it just to see if it would eventually print. 2:42pm it spit it out. Dang!

YooperPhil said...

A little late to the klatch today due to an early dental appointment, then a couple hours with a truck salesman. I always enjoy a Monday CW as it is like a refresher course with lots of easy cluing and familiar fill, and a little crunch for good measure, ie: the clue for STAN, which took sumdaze 6 lines to eloquently explain. NOBU was perped and I did remember seeing it a couple weeks ago with a different clue, didn’t realize it was a Japanese/Peruvian fusion, which seems a rather odd combination to this non foodie. KOA was in the puzzle yesterday with a more recognizable clue than the one today. When I’m in Florida I MOOR my boat on a floating dock, drive on, drive off, keeps the barnacles and stain off the hull. Thank you Margi for your construction, and to sumdaze for another sparkling upbeat review!

YooperPhil said...

I used to be a pen and paper guy but much prefer online solving, no erasures or WO to make a mess, the backspace key is my friend, plus the congratulatory message for a FIR is like a pat on the back.

YooperPhil said...

UP where I live a toque is called a “chook” which I thought was a mispronunciation of toque which it may be, so I googled it and found that chook is a Yooper thing 🤷‍♂️.

Lucina said...

Hola! It's volunteer Monday so, of course, I'm late. However, I started the solve before I left and had just a bit to finish. TYSON held me up because of course, I was thinking of a college! Once I recalled ADOBO (yummy) the verticals filled nicely.
Scary creature also held me up because I was thinking more specifically not just the generic BEAST. I also had to change GEL to DYE.
We visit TAOS once again.
A character in children's books is LEO the Lion.
CSO to my granddaughter EMMA.
The illustration for CAP looks more like a hat. I consider a CAP to be more reduced in size such as a ball player's CAP.
POSTAGE STAMP reminds me to go and buy a supply before the price increases if it hasn't already.
Have a lovely afternoon,, everyone!

Acesaroundagain said...

Thanks for the recap Sumdaze. I had no idea what "Stan" was.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

No, but both companies are fighting attempts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Both are major polluters from their livestock and poultry operations on the Eastern Shore.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-The heat index is well over 100F now but I played at 8:30 am, had 27 holes in before 11:30 and am now home. This oppressive weather will break later this week.
-This puzzle took some time to start but I was able to “git ‘er done” after getting a toehold on fill that was not immediately apparent but filled quickly afterwards, even ADOBO
-Because of one disaster after another, The National Lampoon Vacation changed from pleasure to a “quest for fun” as Clark Griswold wigged out!
-CATER TO an audience: Give me a bunch of kids and get out of the way, I got this!
-I mentioned last week that my daughter’s family recently ate at NOBU in LA for $160+/plate
-OSAKA was never a possible atom bomb target but conventional bombs killed over 10,000 people in this city that was a big cog in making war materials.
-The audio and video of CONGA and Sumdaze’s write-up brightened up my day!
-That’s a lot in STAN!!

CanadianEh! said...

Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Margi and sumdaze.
No newspaper today (printing problems apparently) and I solved online. Then I can never remember my NITS and do-overs.
But I got the Tada eventually. I did see the SPLIT PEAS early in the solve, and that helped the fill.

Hats changed to CAPS (yes, that is a toque, sumdaze! Never heard of chook, YooperPhil).
The NE corner was the last to fall. I thought Perdue was a university or college. TYSON was unknown. BEAST eventually replaced Ogre which was too short.
KOA was unknown. I see others had problems there too.

Thanks for explaining STAN, sumdaze. We have had it before, but I did not get it with that clue.
Impune changed to IMPUGN. Odd spelling.

Wishing you all a great day.

CanadianEh! said...

DH and I watched the Little League Championship game yesterday. Those kids were great, and it was too bad one team had to lose. It was wonderful to see the hugs from the winners to the inconsolable second place team. Good sportsmanship!

Anonymous said...

YP here ~ Perdue is a chicken producer, Purdue is a university in Indiana 😊.

Monkey said...

That’s weird indeed about your print job. I’ve given up understanding technology. We’re at its mercy. Now why did you post at 1:45 about a 2:42 event?

Anonymous said...

Too much work for a Monday. No fun

Anonymous said...

2:42 Florida time, Monkey.

Anonymous said...

2:42 Florida time, Monkey.

Jayce said...

I liked this puzzle, sumdaze's write-up, and all your comments.
I kept thinking PERDUE was a pharmaceutical company (thought of the Sackler family) so wanted MERCK as the answer.
Been to Pinnacles National Park a coupla times. Nice place. LW and I crawled through some caves.
I like the word IMPUGN. SIDLE and sashay are fun words, too.
Hand up for GEL before DYE. Also FULL before I ATE.
ON TOP gave me KOO. I finally figured it out.
Didn't know STAX, STAN, NOBU, or BALI. Got 'em with perps.
I, too, would watch anything that has LAURA Linney in it.
Good reading you all.

Jayce said...

I sorely miss being able to Preview and possibly edit, before publishing.

RosE said...

Reply to Monkey: Time zones. Our posts are always registered in the Central time zone.

Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Saved by the theme at 24a! My errors [see: WOs] were eventually fixed when I inked the P and ON TAP became obvious.

Thanks Margi for a nice Monday puzzle to ease us into the work-week.

Thanks sumdaze for the expo; loved the comics for ADAM and STEWS.

WOs: IMPUNN [sic], tOrso -> BOSOM
ESPs: BALI | LAURA, ADOBO, KOA
Fav: I'll go with STAX for the reasons sumdaze cited.

I saw many an ad for NOBU while staying at a Caesars' property (Linq) in Vegas during Blackhat | Defcon.

Ray-O: This standup isn't for everyone but... John Mulaney re: ICE-T on L&O: SUV [begins @1:04].

Enjoyed reading y'all!
Cheers, -T