Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Congratulations are in order for today's constructor on her LA Times debut! Way to go, Ilana Levene!!
Theme: 
20 Across. Chicago's Italian beef, for one: STEAKSANDWICH. more info.
20 Across. Chicago's Italian beef, for one: STEAKSANDWICH. more info.
Did anyone else think "vendetta"?
34 Across. Pronouns on a towel set, in some families: HIS AND HERS.
41 Across. La Jolla sch. with a top-ranked surf team: UC SAN DIEGO.
University of California, San Diego is one of ten campuses in the UC system. The other nine locations are Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. Berkeley was founded in 1868, making it the oldest on the list. Merced is the youngest (2005).
Next the reveal:
55 Across. Metaphor for constant, unpredictable change, or the pattern made by this puzzle's circles: SHIFTING SANDS.
Looking at the grid, we see that the word SAND SHIFTs from top-center to right-of-center to left-of-center to more-right-of-center. One can imagine sand flowing downward through the grid.
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| I like how the letters S, A, N, and D span across two words in two of Ilana's themers. |
Across:
1. Feature of most debit cards: CHIP. I needed a perp or two to narrow this one down.
9. Flower in a chain: DAISY. There are four dogs in my neighborhood named DAISY -- a Bichon, a Jack Russel, a Basset Hound, and a mix.
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| Left: a flower DAISY chain Center: The line of blue straps on the backpack is also called a "DAISY chain". Right: Backpack DAISY chains are good for attaching carabiners. |
14. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. RAVI is one of four crossword regulars in today's puzzle. We also have:
- 16 Across. Heroic knight of medieval Spain: EL CID. Read about him here.
- 27 Across. New Yorker who's the youngest woman to serve in Congress, familiarly: AOC.
- 31 Across. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.
15. Norwegian capital: OSLO. 
17. Newspaper opinion piece: EDITORIAL.
19. Appearances: MIENS. MIEN is a somewhat literary term that refers to a person's appearance and behavior toward others. It shares its etymology with the word demeanor.
22. Distress call: SOS.
23. Staple __: upholsterer's tool: GUN.
24. Timeworn: AGE-OLD. Def: having existed for ages; ancient.
28. Curly coif: AFRO.
30. __ Mahal: TAJ. Sometimes we need to know that the Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India.
37. "Can't you get anyone else?": MUST I. and 18 Down. "Take it away!": OK GO. and 35 Down. "Sign me up!": I'M IN.
39. Early web portal: MSN. Microsoft Network was launched in 1995.
40. Figure out: SOLVE.
44. Exam for jrs.: PSAT. Basically, it is a 'practice' version of the SAT for high school juniors.
45. Feminine pronoun: SHE.
46. Penny: CENT.
47. Driver's one-eighty: U-IE. informal for U-turn
49. West Coast nabe known for Chicano culture: EAST LA. This yale.edu website is about the Chicano culture.
51. Addams cousin: ITT.
52. Informal promise of payment: IOU.
59. Sing a lullaby, perhaps: CROON.
17. Newspaper opinion piece: EDITORIAL.
19. Appearances: MIENS. MIEN is a somewhat literary term that refers to a person's appearance and behavior toward others. It shares its etymology with the word demeanor.
22. Distress call: SOS.
23. Staple __: upholsterer's tool: GUN.
24. Timeworn: AGE-OLD. Def: having existed for ages; ancient.
28. Curly coif: AFRO.
30. __ Mahal: TAJ. Sometimes we need to know that the Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India.
37. "Can't you get anyone else?": MUST I. and 18 Down. "Take it away!": OK GO. and 35 Down. "Sign me up!": I'M IN.
39. Early web portal: MSN. Microsoft Network was launched in 1995.
40. Figure out: SOLVE.
44. Exam for jrs.: PSAT. Basically, it is a 'practice' version of the SAT for high school juniors.
45. Feminine pronoun: SHE.
46. Penny: CENT.
47. Driver's one-eighty: U-IE. informal for U-turn
49. West Coast nabe known for Chicano culture: EAST LA. This yale.edu website is about the Chicano culture.
51. Addams cousin: ITT.
52. Informal promise of payment: IOU.
Jack Johnson with Matt Costa sing Lullaby.
Curious George soundtrack (2006)
61. House key that can be memorized: ENTRY CODE.
62. Language of runes: NORSE.
63. Land unit: ACRE.
64. Ballpark level: TIER.
65. "Rudolph the Red-__ Reindeer": NOSED. A couple of weeks ago waseeley gave us Burl Ives singing Riders in the Sky. Today Burl CROONs his signature song...plus a cute cartoon.
66. Demonstrate: SHOW.
67. Some 35mm cameras: SLRS. I know this from doing crosswords.
Down:
 |
| These are pretty handy ... and easy to install. |
62. Language of runes: NORSE.
63. Land unit: ACRE.
64. Ballpark level: TIER.
65. "Rudolph the Red-__ Reindeer": NOSED. A couple of weeks ago waseeley gave us Burl Ives singing Riders in the Sky. Today Burl CROONs his signature song...plus a cute cartoon.
66. Demonstrate: SHOW.
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| "Evince" is a later-in-the-week clue. |
67. Some 35mm cameras: SLRS. I know this from doing crosswords.
Down:
1. Easy-to-grow herb in the mustard family: CRESS.
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| It is peppery tasting. Try it in a 4-Down with hummus. |
2. "You __ be there": HAD TO.
3. Wall-climbing vines: IVIES.
4. Bread often cut into triangles: PITA.
5. Neil who has been a Supreme Court justice since 2017: GORSUCH. He was born in Denver, CO in 1967.
6. From Japan, e.g.: ASIAN. There are 48 countries and three territories in Asia.
7. Think ahead: PLAN.
8. Gavel banger's word: SOLD.
9. Beings who are part deity, part human: DEMIGODS. Def. a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god.
10. Jazz great Coltrane: ALICE. (1937-2007) Alice Coltrane was an American Jazz musician. She was an accomplished pianist and harpist. This is Alice playing harp in Lovely Sky Boat on her first solo album, A Monastic Trio, released in 1968.
11. Businesses that face liquidation every year?: ICE HOTELS. If the ICE melts it will liquify. (har, har, har)
12. Transgression: SIN.
13. Gridiron distances: Abbr.: YDS. "Gridiron" is a nickname for a football field.
21. Caution: WARN. "Caution" is a verb here.
25. Butterfly stage: LARVA.
26. Dance party mix: DJ SET. I doubt any DJ SET ever included Jack Johnson, Burl Ives, and Alice Coltrane.
27. Utah ski resort: ALTA.
28. Valuable item: ASSET. In business, ASSETs can be tangible, e.g., land, equipment, and buildings or intangible, e.g., reputation, goodwill, and brand awareness.
12. Transgression: SIN.
13. Gridiron distances: Abbr.: YDS. "Gridiron" is a nickname for a football field.
 |
| the backstory |
21. Caution: WARN. "Caution" is a verb here.
25. Butterfly stage: LARVA.
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| Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed plants. People can help by planting them in their yards. more info. on what to plant |
26. Dance party mix: DJ SET. I doubt any DJ SET ever included Jack Johnson, Burl Ives, and Alice Coltrane.
27. Utah ski resort: ALTA.
28. Valuable item: ASSET. In business, ASSETs can be tangible, e.g., land, equipment, and buildings or intangible, e.g., reputation, goodwill, and brand awareness.
29. Rattlesnake tooth: FANG.
31. Entertain: AMUSE.
32. Very, in Spanish: MUCHA. MUCHA is used to modify singular, feminine words.
33. Property tax calculators: ASSESSORS. A local tax ASSESSOR's primary responsibility is to annually determine the proper taxable value for each property so the owner is assured of paying the correct amount of property tax for the support of local government. In some places this position is call the 'county appraiser'. Their selection process varies by state with some officials elected by the public and other officials appointed by county government.
36. Optimistic feeling: HOPE.
38. In the mood: INCLINED.
42. Like many Gallaudet students: DEAF. Gallaudet University is a private, federally chartered university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children.
43. Got too big for: OUTGREW.
48. "The __-bitsy spider ... ": ITSY. It is basically a nursery rhyme version of the myth of Sisyphus.
50. The ones over there: THOSE.
51. Opening words: INTRO. I wanted it to be "sesame".
INTRO can be a noun that means "introduction" or it can be a prefix.
52. How smoked oysters may be packed: IN OIL.
53. More weird: ODDER.
54. Operators: USERS. Think "computers".
56. Bigelow products: TEAS.
57. Fraction of a foot: INCH.
58. Plays a role: ACTS. This one is a theater clue. I miss Ol' Man Keith and his diagonals.
59. "This Morning With Kasie Hunt" channel: CNN.
60. Joey of kid-lit: ROO. A joey is a baby kangaroo. This clue makes use of the capitalize-the-first-letter convention to misdirect us towards a possible human character from children's literature.
52. How smoked oysters may be packed: IN OIL.
54. Operators: USERS. Think "computers".
56. Bigelow products: TEAS.
57. Fraction of a foot: INCH.
58. Plays a role: ACTS. This one is a theater clue. I miss Ol' Man Keith and his diagonals.
59. "This Morning With Kasie Hunt" channel: CNN.
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| She was born Kasie Sue Hunt in Dearborn, MI in 1985. |
60. Joey of kid-lit: ROO. A joey is a baby kangaroo. This clue makes use of the capitalize-the-first-letter convention to misdirect us towards a possible human character from children's literature.
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| Winnie, Roo, and Tigger, too! |
Alas, all the SAND has run out of the hourglass. Have a great week, everyone!
42 comments:
This had quite a bit of “crunch” for a Monday puzzle, including “mucha” rather than “mucho” so I’m not sure that I would say it was a “walk in the park” but everything turned out alright in the end. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but erased care for WARN.
ICE HOTELS? On Monday? That's just cold.
UC SAN DIEGO is strategically located near the famous clothing-optional Black's Beach.
Cheech and Chong sang this song about being Born in EAST LA. I understand that some guy from New Jersey had a hit song from the same tune with different lyrics.
AGE OLD project management adages:
- Failing to plan is planning to fail
- There is never enough time to plan, but always enough time to fix
I love Carly Simon's version of ITSY Bitsy Spider.
Thanks to Ilana for the fun Monday eye opener, and to sumdaze for another great review. Also thanks for your and C-Eh's comforting thoughts FLN.
https://imgur.com/c2FDnuT
This is what happens when you solve downs-only and can only rely on pattern recognition for Acrosses. I really wanted AMUSE at 31A but that gave me EO- at 49A. I eventually managed to sort everything out.
I’ve been doing NYT Mondays downs-only for a while and this was my first LAT attempt. I thought LAT would be harder because of the typically higher PPP density. This one was much tougher than a typical NYT downs-only solve but it was mostly because of unusual letter patterns (such as E—ID making me doubt DEMIGODS, I was ready to geg mad at HALFGODS but thankfully it was DEMIGODS). Still had to run the alphabet at -ORS-CH but of course all the crossings are fine. PPP x short answer crosses can be deadly in a downs-only solve.
31A should be 31D here.
Good morning!
Yes, Ilana put a little crunch in our cereal. Mucho and Uey tested my Wite-Out. It soon became apparent that all of the circles would spell SAND, so that sped things up. Nice outing. Thanx, Ilana and sumdaze.
DAISY: Around here Maximus is a popular dog name -- two in a single block. To keep them straight, I call the little one "Gluteus."
NOSED: Before Burl Ives sang it for the TV show, Gene Autry sang it on the radio.
ASSESSORS: We have to make our property tax payments payable to the Assessor's name, not to the office, nor to the county. And it's gotta be a check. No electronic payments, no credit cards.
Shifting Sands: This was a popular recording from my ute.
Took 4:50 today for me to put on my sandals to walk to Sandusky to watch Sanda Bullock.
I didn't know miens or a 5-letter jazz great Coltrane, and I had to change "on ice" to "in oil."
This reminds me that if you enjoy the game Tetris, you may want to try the free online game "Sandtris," which is like Tetris, except once the pieces land, they turn to sand, and shift.
Oh joy, circles!
The only ILANA LEVENE I located in my Google search is a professor from England, hmm. I hope Ilana stops by to introduce herself. 1 Across was my most difficult fill requiring all the perps. Sumdaze, I think you and Hahtoolah need to have a cartoon off, as you both find so many perfect pictures. The Goldilocks, Batman, SPONTANEITY and INCLINED were each awesome. Thank you Thank you
FIR. The sound you heard was me groaning at the sight of circles. Yuk!
Beside that, I had little trouble with today's puzzle, but it is Monday after all.
Went astray once with mucha when I spelled it mucho. That left me staring at a word that started with "eo". I soon saw my error.
Overall a so-so puzzle, just OK.
Today's puzzle seemed to be replete with inexplicable clues. Some examples:
--10 Down, ALICE. There are literally thousands of ways to get to this answer, such as the girl from Wonderland, or Alice Roosevelt, or Alice Cooper, or Alice Kramden, or Alice B. Toklas, or Alice Walker....But the choice was to go for a clue that better described Alice Coltrane's husband--John Coltrane! He figures prominently in the history of American jazz, not her.
--41 Down, UCSANDIEGO. My brother was a professor there, and founded their MRI facility at the School of Medicine. Even he would not know from the clue what college you're going for. Come on--the surf team!?
--34 Across, HISANDHERS. This is the Age of the Controversial Pronoun, I understand. But still. SOME families? How about 99% of families?
There were several more of these peculiar sorts of clues that made me curious about the constructor's (and/or editor's?) decision-making.
It was otherwise a pretty standard Monday puzzle. Hey, can anybody think of a long word where just one particular letter makes up more than half its letters? I'll bet 33 Down, ASSESSORS, will be hard to beat.
Good Morning! The wheels were a little slow to turn this morning, but finish I did without any WOs! Yay! Congratulation, Ilana, on your debut.
Fun theme. The SAND was a gimme for HIS AND HERS.
I relied on perps to finish several entries. UCSD, DEMIGODS, ICE HOTEL to name a few. I’ve had many STEAK SANDWICHs, but new to me was that Chicago Italians had a specialty version.
Thanks, sumdaze. Loved the Wheel of Fortune eye chart, music, toons and info.
Musings
-The obvious SAND in the circles made this SOLVE even easier
-My SAND has been shifting south for some time
-PepperJax is a Midwest franchise and we’ll be having another great Philly Cheese STEAK SANDWICH there in Omaha today
-Today’s “news” shows have a very faint line between information and EDITORIALS
-Our ENTRY CODE for our door is the same as the one for our ONSTAR service and other code-reliant devices
-I miss my SLR but my iPhone camera is great and much more convenient
-Removing IVY from a wall is hard work
-My jazz expert grandson knew ALICE was the second wife of John Coltrane
-Another 5-letter, 3-vowel butterfly stage we see in puzzles
-ASSESSORS receive a lot of complaints when new assessments come out. Mill levies may stay the same but...
-I am not DEAF but when my hearing aids fail, my faulty hearing gives me some idea of being on an acoustic island.
-Nice job, Renee!
Coulda done it without the circles? Maybe, OTOH fairly str8forward
Inkovers: I can/I’M IN, ICEhouses/HOTELS 🥶(Are the toilet seats made of ice too?😳)
UIE is back😡
Did mucho of you try MUCHo not MUCHA. (I thought “very” in Spanish was “muy” an adverb so it doesn’t take a gender)
All “debit cards” are thin my first pick, “some” have a CHIP
An Italian “beef” where I grew up would be a STEAK sangwidge or “Hey, the pasta is overcooked”
Prep or PLAN
He who is “without”
transgression in Madrid….. SIN
Erato, e.g. .….AMUSE
Tower of Pisa….INCLINED
From a camera drone above LaJolla____ ….. UCSANDIEGO
View from the deck of our camp, Adirondack Foothills this weekend
Completed this CW pretty rapidly. At first I expected the SAND to shift in each clue. Sumdaze’s explanation makes sense.
My niece’s part pit bull is named DAISY.
I never heard of ALICE Coltrane, but I was a huge fan of John’s whom I saw for the first time in a little dive I used to frequent in Washington, DC in the early 60s called The Bohemian Taverns.
For MSN I had AOL.
Thanks sumdaze for a nice review.
To answer your question, because it is frozen and attached to the cone.
I meant John Coltrane who TK says was Alice’s husband.
I always associate the name Alice two ways, the famous little girl who goes down a rabbit hole, and Alice’s restaurant, both the song and the movie.
Addendum
-I lost a pretty good streak yesterday in Wordle as I had the last four letters correct and only needed the first letter with three more guesses. Make that three wrong guesses. Now I have a streak of 1, sigh…
-Grandson just added, Alice's was very much into the avant garde music of the late 60's and was really "out there"
Lemonade714 @ 9:52
I'm a bit unsure who's question you were answering, perhaps because ray-o's question about ice hotel toilets was stuck in my head? (Frozen cones?)
Anywho, the whole thing gave me the shivers, so I looked it up, and it's true!
But don't worry, there's always a backup plan...
I found the term “La Jolla school” to be a dead giveaway re UCSD.
Sand, sand, sand ... DH's nightmare after the kids go to the beach! But very nice to find in a puzzle, and the circles certainly helped.
T Ken, are you suggesting that 99% of families have HIS AND HERS embroidered on their towels? That would make me a one percenter!
Ray-O, what a beautiful view of fall colors from your camp.
Congratulations to Ilana for a fine puzzle, which could have been a Tuesday or Wednesday offering, and to sumdaze for a very enjoyable review, as always!
Yup. Monday. Zip, zip, done. Liked the Goldilocks 'toon, sumdaze! "Is a bear Catholic? Does the Pope..." oops.
No, 99% means the vast majority. By their saying "some" instead of "most" towel sets, they are inferring that "his and his" and "hers and hers" are also in the running. I doubt it.
T Ken at 10:51, I get it. But taken literally, the clue is about how many families actually have those towel sets. I certainly know and love some couples who would be better served by his & his, or by hers & hers, towels -- and am meeting more "theirs" all the time.
I enjoy reading your takes on today's puzzle!
Lemonade@7:59. I'll pass on the cartoon off as we all know Hahtoolah finds the best comics. I will say though that I do like using them because a comic can often provide both an explanation and an example -- a 2 for 1 deal!
I had a wonderful collection of comics I used to use when I was a math teacher. They helped to make another schematic connection in my teenagers' brains. Back in the day, I would copy the comics on transparencies and showed them using the overhead projector.
D-O @5:50. Gludeus. LOL. Does the owner know you renamed the dog?
FLN. I'm happy to hear you had a good trip, Lucina!
Easy peasy puzzle. I solve across and down together, so just a letter or two can suggest the fill. There was only one unfamiliar answer easily perped, Alice Coltrane. With CHIP at #1, I was off to a flying start. Putting SAND in all the circles suggested UC San Diego. No problem.
SAND made me nostalgic for our vacation at Wildwood Crest, NJ. Great fun, Great family time. Wonderful weather.
When I moved to my condo my dining rom chairs clashed with the decor. I reupholstered them using a staple gun.
No 99% of households are not his and hers. It's more like 47% I have not had a partner for 50 years, only sons. Did you forget single parents, widows, widowers, and the divorced?
BEEKEEPER ties it with 9 letters and 5 Es. VOODOO is 66.6666…% Os which is a larger fraction of the total letters but it’s not that impressive.
Much can be an adverb. I feel much better. It can also be an adjective modifying a noun. Much love, mucho amor, much money , mucho dinero, much or many thanks, muchas gracias.
My son and DIL like to ski at Alta in Utah. They claim it's much better than eastern skiing,
We can buy Italian beef in the Shoprite deli. I like the spicy taste.
My sister in law used to interpret for the deaf. She attended Gallaudet for a two week course to enhance her skills.
Alan loves Curious George. His reading skills are coming along nicely. I have the freedom to teach to his personal learning style instead of using the usual methods. I'm amazed how different, but successful, this experience is. It is so rewarding, even though I can give only short lessons two days a week.
The second-best STEAK sammies I've had came from a little shack on US-1 somewhere near the Santa Monica / Venice line. It was named "3,000 Miles to Philadelphia" with the motto "Eat Here." The best was from an old joint across the street from the Philadelphia Exposition Center.
I tried to crowbar Jessi Coltrane into the puzzle. I finally remember who Jessi is. Her name is actually Jessi Colter and I once had the screaming warmies for her, even though she was married to Waylon Jennings at the time. Her big hit was I'm Not Lisa.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Ilana (congrats on your debut) and sumdaze. (I was expecting a link to the Glenn Miller orchestra’s IN THE MOOD.)
I FIRed in good time and saw the SHIFTING SANDS.
This Canadian can never remember AOC. I always have a problem deciding between EL sID and CID.
Uey changed to UIE
I WAGged the C at the Natick cross for me of UC SAN DIEGO and MUCHA. But I did have the A on MUCHA after AMUSE changed WeST LA to EAST.
Of course, you all know that Canadians have no CENTs.
Hôtel de Glace (ICE HOTEL) just outside Quebec City is worth a visit. Because it liquifies (LOL), it is different every year. We did not stay overnight! (Bathrooms are in heated area Ray-o, and there is a spa area.). There is even an ice chapel for weddings. Guests freeze their bums.
I noted OSLO and NORSE.
We had HIS AND HERS, SHE, THOSE.
I don’t have CRESS in my herb collection., but I have parsley,, sage, rosemary and thyme - plus basil.
Wishing you all a great day.
The clue said “very” which is an adverb and doesn’t need a gender, singular or plural.
One of my colleagues and his young family went to an Ice Hotel. My question was
Why? 😳
Beautiful colours Ray-o (and great photo with the reflection in the water). Our trees are just starting to turn here in southern Ontario, but Algonquin Park reports “ October 4, 2024 - Peak of the Sugar Maple canopy fall colour is reached along the Highway 60 Corridor of Algonquin Park. This date is a week later than the average peak over the last 50 years.”
Ditto me!! Frustrating…lol
Lots of SAND where we live; enjoyed the theme. Hand up learning moment about ALICE COLTRANE. I looked it up and it seems she was a great asset to her more famous husband.
Just before I broke my wrist we encountered a very angry RATTLESNAKE. I have photos, but I know some of you don't like such things. Dogs worry me much more, based on statistics.
SMOKED OYSTERS IN OIL is a favorite hike lunch for me.
I have never visited an ICE HOTEL.
But last year we explored this ICE Cave in ICEland.
No toilet, but you can see a different kind of throne.
From Yesterday:
I mentioned an amazing talk by innovative educator Salman Khan that involved CHAT GPT. I meant to ask: Are other people familiar with Khan and his wonderful Khan Academy? He has transformed education for tens of millions of people and I wonder how widely he is known?
Delightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, Ilana. And I loved listening to a couple of the songs in your commentary, Sumdaze---also a pleasure, thanks for those too.
Well, when I saw HIS and HERS in this puzzle, I right away thought of a couple living in EAST LA and maybe going down to SAN DIEGO and going to a diner and getting themselves a STEAK SANDWICH with some PITA bread along-side. After that they had to decide whether to SOLVE some puzzles or go and watch a SHOW. But they decided the first thing they should do is go to the beach and walk in the SAND. They loved it, and had a wonderful time.
I wish you all a wonderful time today too.
Thank you, llana, and thank you sumdaze.
No reals probs, but did have a typo. Had an F in the lower left corner instead of a D.
I enjoyed the review. Very much.
I also enjoy Italian beef sandwiches here. I order mine dry, au jus on the side. Sometimes with the giardniera. Most of the time plain. Some get the "cheezy Italian beef." To each, their own.
34A Pronouns on a towel set, in some families: HIS AND HERS. - When I was single, I probably had more mismatched bath towels and hand towels than matched sets. That changed after I got married. Now all of our towel sets are matched. Matching colors, matching patterns... (I also learned years ago that some of the sets in the guest bathroom - carefully folded and perfectly aligned - are for display purposes only). There's always an additional "everyday" hand towel hanging on the ring next to the sink.
I can confidently say that none of our towel sets have pronouns on them. We do have some friends (I can think of two couples out of the many) that do have HIS AND HERS matching towel sets. (I think they are for display only, as they are in their guest bathrooms, and there's always an everyday hand towel available). :-)
So it's clear to me that some families do have pronouns on their towel sets. I had no problem with the clue, and didn't read anything else into it.
But I wouldn't have a problem if a couple had his and his, or hers and hers. To each, their own.
FIR in very good time, even for me, for a Monday. Lotsa names, 14, but only DNK 4. I was a big fan of John Coltrane, but in the day, and was astounded to discover there was an ALICE Coltrane! Lots of forehead wrinkling when JOHN did not fit. With the second SAND fill I guessed the theme, and filled the other circles with SAND, which, of course, was a big help. BIGELOW I thought of CARPETS (didn't fit) or RUGS which perps hated. Finally remembered there's also a TEA company. Thanx IL for the fun, and thanx Sumdaze for the fun and informative write-up. I enjoyed your cartoons, also, as others did. CanEH, you grow "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme". Are you sure you're not in Simon and Garfunkel's garden? And I LOVE sweet basil!
Hola! Although I have a raspy cough I don't have covid, thankfully. My son-in-law tested me and it was negative. It's strange to have what feels like an obstruction in my throat but no pain and no fever.
As for the puzzle, it was easy and the SANDS appear clearly within the circles and I see that they SHIFT to the left on each line.
We do not have ENTRY CODEs on our doors but I see that my next door neighbor had a keypad installed on her door and presumably that is how she enters. She is quite tech savvy and works from home. She is the second person on our HOA Board who works from home.
An ICE HOTEL would not appeal to me. At all!
I was surprised to see MUCHA; usually mucho is more common but of course it has to agree with its noun, e.g., mucha gente, many people. muchas cosas, many things.
I graduated from the U. of San Diego but not in La Jolla. It's been a long morning of getting covid tested, checking on my bank account, etc., etc. I hope you are all faring well today.
I should explain that my son-in-law tests his clients and that is why he has the equipment for testing. I'm grateful he could do it and I don't have to go looking for a test elsewhere.
Oops. No, the SANDS shift to the right, not the left.
You guessed the song unclefred!!
I liked this puzzle okay and liked sumdaze's write-up even more.
I'm with Ray-O that MUCHA should not be clued as "Very." It means "a lot" or "much." It is an adjective, not an adverb.
I liked the clues for DAISY, SOLD, and FANG.
Oh joy, paraphrases:
"Can't you get anyone else?": MUST I
"Take it away!": OK GO
"Sign me up!": I'M IN.
DW and I had lunch with our son today: PITA and hummus. Israeli PITA, which is fluffier than Greek PITA.
DW and I like Bigelow's "Constant Comment" tea.
Lucina, glad you enjoyed your visit in California.
Good reading you all.
Ray -O-Sunshine is correct muy is an adverb that means very. No gender. Mucho/a is an adjective that means a lot. Pretty basic Spanish.
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