google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Thursday, August 8, 2024, Rebecca Goldstein

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Aug 8, 2024

Thursday, August 8, 2024, Rebecca Goldstein

 

Four What It's Wurth

Today constructor Rebecca Goldstein presents us with three straightforward theme clues and a rather cryptic reveal, one of those puzzles within a puzzle.  Here are the theme clues.

17. Patrons of the arts: CULTURE VULTURES.  After getting this on perps, I thought it might be a rhyming theme -- but it wasn't.  There seem to be several definitions for this phrase.  Here's a poetic definition by Christopher Lindsay 
Vultures in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

27. Fluffy blockers of the sun: CUMULUS CLOUDS.  This one was pretty obvious.  Cumulus clouds  have flat bases and are often described as puffy, cotton-like, or fluffy in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin cumulus, meaning "heap" or "pile",  as in "to accumulate".
  
Cumulus clouds

48. Coined phrase?: E PLURIBUS UNUM.  Today's Latin lesson: "Out of many, one",  a phrase describing the unity of our nation -- one state comprised of many states.  It appears on the Great Seal of the United States, and on the coinage and paper bills of our currency.  It is also the title of this book by former President George W. Bush ...

61. "So great, bestie!," and a phonetic hint to 17-, 27-, and 48-Across: I LOVE THAT FOR YOU.
This was not so easy to get, as I initially had HOPE instead of HYPE for 58 down.  The FOR YOU in the fill is a homophone for the FOUR Us that occur in each of the themers.  Here's how they appear in the grid ... 

Here's the rest ...

Across:


 1. Topic covered in middle school math: RATIOS.  In mathematics, a ratio shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ratio 4:3).
The ratio of width to height of
standard-definition television

(aka the "aspect ratio")

7. Pretax funds for medical expenses: Abbr.: HSA.  Health Savings Account (HSA).  A type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. By using untaxed dollars in an HSA to pay for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and some other expenses, you may be able to lower your out-of-pocket health care costs.

10. Salty snack: CHIP.

14. Tennis great Andre: AGASSI.  Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to achieve the career Grand Slam in the Open Era and the fifth of eight overall to make the achievement.  He is also the first of two men to achieve the career Golden Slam (career Grand Slam and Olympic gold medal), as well as the only man to win a career Super Slam (career Grand Slam, plus the Olympic gold medal and the year-end championships). He has been married to tennis great Steffi Graf since 2001 ...
October 22, 2001
15. Industrious insect: ANT.

16. Traditional Maori dance: HAKA.  Traditionally, HAKA was a customary way to welcome visiting tribes, but it also served to invigorate warriors as they headed into battle. It was a show of physical prowess but also an embodiment of cultural pride, strength, and unity. It was intended to strike fear in the hearts of the enemy, but perhaps more so, to get them to retreat, avoiding bloodshed on both sides.  Today is often danced when New Zealanders start a contest in competitive sports such as rugby or soccer and thus it is known to sports fans around the world ...
17. [Theme clue]

20. Per: EACH.

21. Chill: VEG.  Just act like a VEGetable and relax! πŸ˜€

22. Regions: AREAS.

23. Recurring theme: MOTIF.  Recurring themes are used in all types of music, but in none more than in Richard Wagner's four opera Ring Cycle.  In these operas they are called leitmotifs ("leading themes") and they play a important role in announcing the arrival of characters, objects, emotions, and places.  In this brief clip members of the Metropolitan Opera's brass section explain and play some of the major leitmotifs from the cycle ...

26. Inspired stuff: AIR.  The guys illustrating the last clue are inspiring a lot of AIR, demonstrating some of Richard Wagner's inspirations for several new types of instruments.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Up for the day: ARISEN.

34. Minor issue: NIT.

35. Quick cut: SNIP.

36. Small drink?: BEV.  Short for BEVerage

37. Volleyball court divider: NET.

39. Where to hang one's hat: PEG.  Or the INSPIRATION for this song ...

41. Average guy: JOE.  Or a BEV I drink soon after I've ARISEN.

42. Villain's hideout: LAIR.  According to this book, some of those LAIRS are pretty fancy hideouts ...
LAIR
Chad Oppenheim ,
Andrea Gollin, et al
.

44. Little glob: DAB.  We had a DAB of Brylcreem just last week.

46. Insist on: DEMAND.

48. [Theme clue]

51. Thumbs-down in Dijon: NON.  Today's French lesson: "NO",  in a town that DEMANDS that any mustard be made locally.  πŸ˜€

52. Drew (in): ROPED.

53. Pod used as a chocolate substitute: CAROB. The carob, sometimes called "the poor man's chocolate" is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods.  The carob tree is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.  Portugal is the largest producer of carob, followed by Italy and Morocco.  Here's a recipe for Carob Almond Freezer Fudge.
Carob pods and leaves
56. Bark: ARF.

57. Flight of fancy: WHIM.

61. [Theme reveal]

65. Heavy volume: TOME.  You can have a limited edition of this TOME containing the complete works of Shakespeare for only $460 or 5 monthly installments of $92 ...

66. Make things interesting, say: BET.  Just make sure it's a sure thing!

67. Acclimates: ADAPTS.

68. Time between birthdays: YEAR.

69. Reddit Q&A: AMAAsk Me Anything.  But you'd better take a seat first. πŸ˜€

70. Spotify button: REPEAT.

Down:

1. Fun run, for one: RACE.

2. Amazon contents: AGUA.  Today's Spanish lesson: "Water", as in the water in the Amazon River, which passes through  Peru, significant parts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and a small area of Venezuela.  As it also passes through Brazil, so it is also today's Portuguese lesson: ÁGUA.
Amazon River
3. Mineral no longer used in baby powder: TALCTALC is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2.   In 2019 Johnson and Johnson discontinued sales of their baby powder product, due to the association of the mineral in nature with asbestos, a known carcinogen.  
Johnson and Johnson baby powder
TALC is still widely used in ceramic clay bodies and glazes.  With proper dust control in the studio it does not pose any risks ...
Talc based Silky Matte glazes
4. Land bridge: ISTHMUS.  Try saying that 3 times real fast!  πŸ˜€

5. Columbus campus initials: OSUOhio State University
6. Salutation in a salute: SIR.

7. "Enjoy yourself": HAVE FUN.

8. Not at all baggy: SNUG. Like a BUG in a RUG.  πŸ˜€

9. 53-Down with more than 70 sts. that have a form of "Peachtree" in their names: ATL.   "sts" is an abbreviation for "streets" and ATL is an abbreviation for a particular 53D.

10. Pastries often dipped in chocolate: CHURROS.  Here's a recipe (I think Misty is going to like this puzzle!).  I bet you could dip them in hot Carob sauce too.
Churros
11. Jackrabbit, e.g.: HARE.

12. Billy bookcase retailer: IKEA.  Ektorp.

13. "Nah, thanks": PASS.

18. Wicked: EVIL.

19. Shadow: TAIL.  As in TAILING a suspect.

24. Bad sign: OMENAlbert King sings the blues ...

25. Aware of one's surroundings: TUNED IN.  In the Sixties, a lot of hippies TURNED ON, TUNED IN, and DROPPED OUT. πŸ˜€

26. Pulled shenanigans: ACTED UP.  A lot of those were going on back then too.

27. On speaking terms, say: CIVIL.  Civility appears to be a lost art.

28. Small drink: SIP.  A clecho with 36A .  DNK that the term clecho was actually invented on the Corner by someone named Dennis?  Hand up if you know him?

29. Remove a crumpled sheet from, maybe: UN JAM.  E.g. a Laser printer.  When I was in IT support I often said that "Computers would be really great if it weren't for printers!".

30. Singer Celine: DIONCeline Dion sings a stirring rendition of Γ‰dith Piaf’s Hymne Γ  l’amour ("Hymn to Love") at the base of the Eiffel Tower on the evening of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony ...(and a CSO to CanadianEh!) ...
31. Tested a certain limit: SPED.

32. Having the wherewithal: ABLE.

33. Collect crops: REAP.

38. Word often seen under a tilde?: TAB

40. Molecular biology unit: GENEIt’s time to admit that GENES are not the blueprint for life -- is the title of a  Nature article by one of my favorite biologists reviewing a book by one of my favorite science writers --

Amazon link
43. End a few minutes late: RUN OVER.

45. Creamy cheese: BURRATA.  Burrata is an Italian cow's milk (occasionally buffalo milk) cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid cheese, while the inside contains stracciatella and clotted cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is a specialty of the Puglia region of southern Italy.  Here's a recipe
Burrata with
heirloom tomatoes
47. Cleansing treatment that sounds dirty: MUD WRAP.  I seem to get WRAPPED up in MUD every time I go down to my studio. πŸ˜€

49. Plushy hotel perk: ROBE.  Also a 1953 film starring Jean Simmons and Richard Burton ...

50. Word with launch or landing: SOFT.

53. Dot on a map: CITY.

54. Plant toxic to some pets: ALOE.  Funny that Aloe is toxic to some pets, but not to humans -- you can actually add the stuff to smoothies.  And here's another shameless ripoff from Hahtoolah's cartoon hoard ...

55. Tomato type: ROMAHow to grow Roma tomatoes.  And here's a recipe for tomato sauce that requires no peeling or blanching.

56. "I'm standing right here": AHEM.

58. Build up anticipation: HYPE.  We'll be hearing a hyper amount of it in the coming weeks ... πŸ˜”

59. Greek vowel: IOTA.

60. Absolute necessity: MUST.

62. Placeholder abbr.: TBA.   To Be Announced, but first it's TBD.

63. Not even close: FAR.

64. Venerating verse: ODE.  Here's an Ode to Odes from the Chicago Poetry Center.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

47 comments:

Subgenius said...

I didn’t understand
the reveal until waseeley explained it. Otherwise, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle, despite never having heard of “burrata” cheese. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy .

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased ricatta for BURRATA and need for MUST.

YooperPhil said...

We’ve seen Rebecca G’s byline fairly often as of late and today’s solo effort showcases her creative talent, four themers with four U’s, impressive! IMO this is as good as it gets for a Thursday puzzle. FIR in 23:28 after stalling in the middle south where I initially had SITE instead of SOFT. BURRATA was unknown as was HSA, and CHURROS I vaguely recalled. CULTURE VULTURES was perped. Did anyone know HAKA off the top of your head? I still don’t understand AIR as being inspired stuff 🀷‍♂️. Thanks Rebecca and Patti for the morning challenge.

Bill & Teri ~ quite enjoyed your very detailed write-up today, always an education when you pen the blog!

On another note, the new format has appeared again today with somewhat of an improvement. In previous encounters with it, when I clicked on “Enter comment” my iPad screen went bonkers, today the flashing cursor appeared and I was ready to go. And the photos are back.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Guess the dreaded format is here to stay. Rats. Enjoyed this one and noticed the four U's in each themer without the reveal. Yay me. Only went sideways with MUDbath, which slowed down the WRAP up. Nicely done, Rebecca, waseeley, and Teri.

UNJAM: My first few printers were dot-matrix. Jamming was not a problem. Ripping off the sprocket strips was.

BURRATA: Not familiar with this cheese variety. Would you put it on your burrito?

Yooper, when you draw in a breath you are inspiring. Hopefully, when you breathe out, you aren't expiring.

Anonymous said...

A fun romp today, no major speed bumps. That photo is certainly not a 31-year old Mr. Agassi or Mr. Agassi at all. Have a great day everyone!

YooperPhil said...

Looking back, there were three themers and not four as I previously stated, but still a top quality construction. Thanks d-o for enlightening me on “inspiring”.

waseeley said...

By George Anonymous I think you're right! As I was unable to find the provenance for that picture, I did a bit of research and found and updated that photo. πŸ˜€

KS said...

FIR. I struggled with this puzzle especially in the center bottom. I'm unfamiliar with that cheese and as a result of throwing down safe instead of soft, nothing made sense. And then the aha moment.
The theme eluded me and I needed to come here to understand it.
Overall a mostly fun puzzle, Thursday hard but doable.

Anonymous said...

Took 7:41 today for me to get my muumuu.

I didn't know the cheese, the Dijon word, and another couple. I had mud bath before mud wrap, and need before must.

I knew haka - was reminded recently of that while watching Olympic rugby.

I don't like the clue/answer/pairing for "ATL". I get it, but don't like it.

RustyBrain said...

I love U guys! But I don't love the revealer. "I love that for you" sounds condescending to me. Seems passive aggressive. I don't hear it as nice phrase from a bestie. Sorta like when someone says "oh, bless your heart."

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Sorry, folks, I'm afraid the new-format-induced grouchiness wasn't lessened by this offering, which is just not my cup of tea, theme-wise or reveal-wise. Thumper agrees with me.

Thanks, Rebecca, for your efforts and thanks, Bill, for the terrific review and commentary. Your musical selections are always delightful, but today's inclusion of CΓ©line Dion's powerful and moving rendition of that beautiful song was the highlight for me. Kudos to you and Teri for your dedication each week.

My suggestion to maintain the continuity of the format that we're accustomed to would be to not use the Reply button, rather just post a new reply referencing the poster and time that you're referring to: Ex: Irish Miss @ 9:39. This would eliminate having to read the entire blog over and over for comments made throughout the day.

Have a great day.

Yellowrocks said...

This puzzle was a piece of cake until I arrived in Texas. Two bad cells. I thought I knew cheeses but BURRATA was new to me. Crossing it with AMA messed me up. HelIo, KS. I am used to FAQ. I thought of BOURSIN.
I saw the 4 U's and guessed the theme portion, FOR YOU. It took a while to get the middle, THAT. I see LOVE THAT FOR YOU is an internet catch phrase. Life is moving past us seniors.

Anonymous said...

The creamy cheese crossing the Reddit Q&A left one box open; but otherwise, loved it!

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-I tried to make the gimmick harder than it was and also had to work to fill in the Texas area
-HAKA solved itself. BARRATA was unknown to this Velveeta fan.
-New 16:9 RATION TV screens allow for this to happen
-Inspiring AIR was fun
-Butch and Sundance’s LAIR was Rooster’s Roost in Utah
-This year BETTING is legal in Nebraska along with all its benefits and drawbacks
-As we watched out daughters leave on dates, we always said HAVE FUN but…
-PASS: What I have said all my life when offered a cigarette
-TUNED IN = “Read the room”
-Construction made speed limits to go to Omaha yesterday 70, 60, 55, 60 and then 70 in 15 miles.
-Van Halen DEMANDED that all brown M&M’s be removed from the group’s candy bowl
-Nice job Bill and Teri!

Monkey said...

I was doing fine until I got to the center on down. A big hindrance was not knowing this BURRATA cheese, odd since I’m a cheese lover. I very early saw the four Us, so for the reveal I was able to enter FOR YOU, then I had the first part I LOVE but the rest just didn’t come. I find that sentence very awkward. I would never word my enthusiasm for a friend’s achievement this way.

On a more positive note, there were very few proper names and I thought the theme answers were really fun.

I always appreciate waseeley’s musical interludes.

Now about that awful format. I assume I’ll ADAPT, and stop griping about it.

Brian said...

I love the work around that TTP pointed out about using the archive version to view the current day of the Blog to see the comments in the older format and putting the comments in chronological order. I especially like that when you get to the end of the comments, you can leave the window open in it's tab during the day and you can just refresh the screen and the cursor position stays where you left off and then it's easy to scroll down to see the added comments. The only downside is if you click on the link to create a comment, the window jumps to the new format, so I might just keep a separate tab to enter any comments.

Sophia said...

Burrata - I probably wouldn’t put it a burrito. But - it’s amazing on hot, crisp garlic bread with bruschetta. One of my fave cheeses - mild, lightly salty, creamy

Sophia said...

One breathes in air:
“spirare” = L. “to breathe”
(I’m an etymology fan 😊

waseeley said...

How do you invoke the archive version?

Sophia said...

Oh - gotta LOVE Velveeta! My m-in-l (may she rest in peace) made the most amazing carrot-onion-velveeta side-dish at Thanksgiving! A yummy savory alternative to candies yams.
And, I gotta say, Burrata is its own kind of amazing …

Sophia said...

Well - I’m usually an appreciative “lurker” here. Love the info, the illustrations/ elaborations - just plain fun to learn w/ every puzzle and responses. Love the community of the blog! Since I made so many replies I thot I could say “HI!” I’m Sophia in Pasadena CA. Today I did not finish - got stuck in SE corner 🀦🏼‍♀️🀷🏼‍♀️. But love the puzzle! And the write up. And hope y’all will try Burrata - I AM a FAN😊
Hope y’all have a great day

Copy Editor said...

Aside from whether the four-U/for you pun is clever, is “I love that for you” really such a common expression that it can carry a crossword theme? I say “no” on both counts.

I was sailing along in this puzzle after quickly seeing CULTURE VULTURES and rather quickly working my way to the bottom. There I encountered the BURRATA/AMA natick and had to guess, and I guessed right. I’d say BURRATA/unifier was also a natick. Having MUDbath before MUD WRAP didn’t help, and neither did the useless dialogue clue for AHEM.

I did think the “inspired” clue for AIR was indeed inspired. I also thought the succinct clue for UNJAM made that made-up word sussable.

Thanks, waseeley, for the analysis – and the Wagner motifs.

unclefred said...

I have never used SPOTIFY or REDIT. All I know about them is from CWs, yet it was enough for today. Being a cheesehead, I was surprised to find a cheese I DNK: BURRATA. Also DNK HAKA, CHURROS, and what my bad eyes told me was BESTIEL. It was only here that I realized it was BESTIE! not BESTIEL. In spite of all that I did FIR in (best guess) 15. I forgot to note the time when I filled the last cell, so that's a best guess. I, too, at first thought it was a rhyming theme, but amazingly enough soon saw the four "U"s, before getting to the reveal. Thanx for the fun, RG, very nice CW, and perfect for Thursday. Thanx Bill for the terrific write-up. AND for the picture of churros. As a diabetic, I can't eat them, but even if I could I probably wouldn't: they look too much like fried caterpillars.

Charlie Echo said...

Mostly enjoyable puzzle this morning, although I had to get the gimmick from Waseeleys great review. At least this was more of a proper crossWORD for a change! OMENs can also be good!

Jinx in Norfolk said...

As a former ATL resident, I think the clue is fine. I once worked across on Peachtree -Dunwoody Road. Kinda confusing until you get the hang of it.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Yeah, I'm trying to make myself like this format. It does have some benefit, after all. I don't think that using it like the old format will work over time.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Gald you're getting your feet wet. BTW, I lost a bundle of money near Pasadena, so if you see it let me know. The last time I saw it was at a teller's window at Santa Anita Racetrack.

Lucina said...

Hola!
I wish I could say that I loved this puzzle but I'll just say that it was doable. Thanks to Rebecca for the workout. CUMULUS CLOUDS and all kinds of other CLOUDS are part of the fourth grade science curriculum. Homework given was to study the CLOUDS but here in AZ that is sometimes a rarity. We mostly have clear skies.

I've tried CAROB and it is NO substitute for chocolate! Would a patron of the arts really like to be called a VULTURE?
Yesterday, on a WHIM I decided to go for a haircut and now my only consolations is that it will grow back! It is too short! However, it is easier to care for. AMA can be so many thins: AMERCIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, etc.
I hope you are having a great day!

Anonymous said...

πŸ˜ƒ oh those races! I stick to just the rose parade - floating along …

Sophia said...

That was me - not “anonymous”πŸ˜‰

Brian said...

Wesley@10:35am: To invoke the Archive version of the blog, once you're in the blog that the reviewer has written, go on the right side of the site down the column that has "Olio" and "Crossword Links", and you will get to a section titled "Blog Archive". The today's Blog is the link with today's date. When you open that you will again see the reviewer's write-up and below that are the comments that have been written so far for today.

Sophia said...

Oh My, I’m chatty today 😁
I suppose they’re “vultures” if they get “greedy” about it ?

Brian said...

Sorry, I should has written Waseeley above.

waseeley said...

Thank you Brian.

Anonymous said...

Can someone explain what Ektorp means?

Prof M said...

Hi, Lucina! The afternoon and evening “monsoon” storms down here in Tucson bring us some magnificent CUMULUS CLOUDS this time of year.

Lucina said...

That photo of CHURROS does not do them justice. Think of doughnuts split and spread out. That is a more accurate version of what they look like. They are usually sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and are yummy!

waseeley said...

Anonymous @1:42 PM Ektorp is a small town in Sweden, and as it turns out many of IKEA's products are named for Swedish towns. The term "Ektorp" was coined by one of our constructors to mean any clue deducible from its contents -- a 4 letter clue referring to furniture is likely to be IKEA and such a clue is called an "Ektorp", e.g. 12D.

RosE said...

Greetings! Another puzzle where I had to back away from the tricky south and pick it back up later for a second look. I still needed help from google to get the cheese BURRATA and then the rest came together.
WO: MUD bath became MUD WRAP; isle became CITY.
CUMULUS: My freshman year in high school I took an Earth Science class which was so interesting. We were introduced to clouds … and isobars. πŸ˜€ Loved it!
While I got the themers, I never picked up on the theme.
ESP: HAKA
Thanks to Bill & Teri for an enlightening recap.

Yellowrocks said...

I see that LOVE THAT FOR YOU is very common these days outside our usual social circles.. It has three connotations:
-I'm glad for you . Congratulations. -I'm glad you like it, but it's not for me. OR -(sarcastically) Good for you. (not)
It seems to be very common among the younger crowd. The believe the sincere first meaning is often the case. Why fight modern sayings? We had our own silliness in our day.
More modern slang: The slang term "culture vulture" is used to describe someone who is extremely or pretentiously interested in the arts, such as art, music, and theater.
The sensitivities and culture of the younger crowd are different from ours. I find the differences between generations and between cultures fascinating.

Yellowrocks said...

Subway (sandwich chain) has warm churros sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

RosE said...

Yellowrocks, I was just at Subway this afternoon. I tried the pretzel but should have gotten the churros. Next time! πŸ˜„

Anonymous said...

Just now got to the puzzle as DH and I spent the day at Denali National Park - to keep the traffic down you have to tour in a National parks bus - but we had to get there by 6 am- so returned to a welcomed nap and some down time with the puzzle . It made the park so much quieter than others with tons of cars going through like Yellowstone
Enjoyed the four U theme - puzzle went fairly quickly for a Thursday
with perps that were helpful
Like SS, HAKA was fresh in my mind from the New Zealand teams in the Olympics
Lucina and I share the same opinion about CAROB - meh at best; I love Churros
The unknown BURRATA cheese,with Bill blogging today, reminded me of "Carmina Burana" the cantata by Orff- the mind drifts where it wants to!

Thanks Bill & Teri for the blog and Rebecca for the puzzle

inanehiker said...

prior entry was from me - I slipped up with the new format

sumdaze said...

Thanks to Rebecca for her fantastic puzzle! What a clever idea! This might be your best yet!
FAV: Shadow for TAIL

If I am shopping with a friend and she holds up an article of clothing and asks, "What do you think?", I sometimes reply, "I LOVE THAT FOR YOU."

Hi Sophia!

inanehiker@6:24. It sounds like you are having a wonderful trip!

Thanks to waseeley for sharing his thoughts, recipes, and talents! I've been missing your daily posts...am desperate to get a summer zucchini report.
; )

inanehiker said...

SD - it's been great and a nice break after retiring 2 weeks ago!

NaomiZ said...

Very late joining the cruciverbalist crowd tonight. I am on the road, but still able to solve the crossword puzzle on my phone. I loved Rebecca's puzzle, which filled quickly for me, and I enjoyed Bill's informative review. Our 33 year old daughter says "I love that for you" in a truly positive, congratulatory way, and I think the clothes shopping way works, too. Inanehiker, you're in a great place! Enjoy!