Today is Veterans Day (USA) and Remembrance Day (Australia, Canada, and the UK).
To all the veterans on The Corner, thank you for your service!
sumdaze here with my 100th blog on The Corner. It feels like only yesterday....
Constructor John Michael Currie returns this week, bringing a gentle touch. The theme is:
 |
| Soft Serve |
These are the four themed clues:
17 Across. Campy photo booth accessory: FEATHER BOA.
Some people rent photo booths for their events. I have been to weddings that had them. Outside the booth there were various accessories one could put on to create a fun photo. These are example pictures from the internet. 
25 Across. Southern California's June Gloom, essentially: CLOUD COVER.
We get June Gloom here on the Central Coast, too. We also say "May Gray". Some people add "No Sky July" and "Fogust" but that might be going a bit too far. The marine layer usually burns off around midday, revealing a sunny sky. explanation from a San Diego weatherman
38 Across. Candy treat shaped like a chick or bunny: MARSHMALLOW PEEP. 
46 Across. Sleepover hideaway: PILLOW FORT. 
The reveal ties these all together:
57. Trial period for a new product, and what 17-, 25-, 38-, and 46-Across all have?: SOFT LAUNCH.
A LAUNCH is the start of an event. Each of the themed clues starts with something SOFT (FEATHER, CLOUD, MARSHMALLOW, and PILLOW). I like it!
Here are the rest of the clues & answers:
Across:
1. __-dab in the middle: SMACK. This was a fun start, erm LAUNCH!
20. Epitome of slowness: SNAIL. An epitome is a typical or ideal example; embodiment.
21. __ acid: AMINO. Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. They play a crucial role in the body’s functioning and are vital for growth and development. functions & food sources
22. "Oorah!" military org.: USMC. Marines say "Oorah!" and Army soldiers say "Hooah!".
30. Fish eggs: ROE.
31. Assumed name: ALIAS.
32. Gravy vessel: BOAT. I liked this November angle on a common word!
34. Goes (for): OPTS.
41. Some Fidelity offerings, for short: IRAS. Fidelity Investments is a financial services company headquartered in Boston.
42. Fades to black: ENDS.
43. Snorer's affliction: APNEA. Mayo Clinic info on sleep APNEA
44. Gut punch reaction: OOF. intersects 44 Down. Alley-__: OOP.
52. Weightlifter's units: REPS. How many REPS are needed to burn off the calories in one CRONUT?
53. Furnish with gear: EQUIP. One might equip (not an abbreviation) themself with equip. (abbreviation for "equipment").
54. For starters: FIRST. This M-W article about FIRST vs. firstly is for the word nerds (like me).
56. Skeet shout: PULL. I linked a video about skeet shooting two weeks ago. In trap shooting, the participant calls, "PULL" when they are ready for the target to be thrown.
62. Flowerpot spot: SILL. I think of the SILL as being on the inside and the ledge as being on the outside but I found this on a window installation company's website:
1. Beach bottle no.: SPF.
2. Actress Whitman: MAE. Mae's IMDb page
3. Toothpaste-endorsing org.: ADA. American Dental Association
4. Doesn't make history?: CUTS CLASS. Good one! The student skipped history class.
5. "Clue" actress Madeline: KAHN. She played Mrs. White in the 1985 movie. (58 sec.)
6. Diamond birthstone month: APRIL.
7. "Halo" star Schreiber: PABLO. Pablo's IMDb page
8. In favor of: PRO.
9. __ urchin: SEA. Purple SEA urchins got out of hand and began destroying the kelp forests along the CA coast when their predators, starfish, began to die off. Here is a news story about what the scientists are doing to reverse the damage. (3:32 min.)
10. Pink cocktail, familiarly: COSMO.
11. Last part of a play, perhaps: ACT IV. Applause was too long.
12. MacGowan of the Pogues: SHANE. (1957 - 2023) Born in Kent, England, he was a singer-songwriter, musician, and poet best know as the lead vocalist in the Celtic punk band the Pogues.
13. Accept, as a coupon: HONOR.
18. A pop: EACH.
21. Card with no face or number: ACE.
22. Savory quality: UMAMI. UMAMI means "delicious savory taste" in Japanese. It is one of the basic five tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is often described as "the meaty, savory deliciousness that deepens flavor", but it is not necessarily restricted to meat. Mushrooms and tomatoes can have an UMAMI taste, for example.
23. Renewable energy source: SOLAR. CSO to unclefred!
24. Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA. Catherine O'Hara played MOIRA Rose on this TV series (2015-2020).
26. Mountain range from Kazakhstan to the Arctic Ocean: URALS.
27. Inflict upon: DO TO.
29. Fire residue: ASH.
32. National park in Alberta: BANFF. Established in 1885, Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park. It encompasses 2,564 sq. mi. (6,641 sq. km.) in the Canadian Rockies. (That is a little larger than the State of Delaware!) The scenery is gorgeous in every direction!
33. On in years: OLD. "Getting on in years" is an idiom that means "becoming elderly".
34. Perfectly timed: OPPORTUNE.
35. Tubular pasta: PENNE.
36. Start, as a golf round: TEE UP. In golf, when you TEE UP a ball, you place it on a tee so that it is ready for you to hit it.
37. Petty quarrels: SPATS. and 40 Down. Armed conflict: WAR.
39. Cat's noise: MEOW.
45. Keyboard shortcut starter: CTRL. CTRL is a key on PCs.
46. Cola brand: PEPSI.
47. "That's it for me!": I QUIT.
48. Calm periods: LULLS.
49. Pharmaceutical giant Eli __: LILLY. Eli Lilly and Company (dba Lilly) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. Eli Lilly was a Union Army veteran and pharmaceutical chemist who founded the company in 1876. Lilly was the first company to mass-produce the polio vaccine and insulin.
50. Proposal: OFFER.
51. Posh: RITZY. RITZY entered English in 1919 to describe the ostentatiously fancy lifestyles of the guests who could afford to stay at the hotels owned by César Ritz (1850-1918). The enterprise is now the Ritz-Carlton hotel company.
55. Onetime Swedish automaker: SAAB. The company was founded in 1945 and went defunct in 2016.
57. NNE opposite: SSW. compass directions
58. French yes: OUI.
59. Do __ disturb: NOT. I set my cell phone to 'Do Not Disturb' from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Whatever it is, it can wait.
60. Media that's burned before reading: CDS. "Burned" is the term used to mean the information is imprinted onto a CD.
61. "Listen up!": HEY. I can hear my grandmother answering, "Hay is for horses and cows." In other words, she thought it was impolite to try to get attention by hollering, "Hey!"
Have a great day, everyone!
1. __-dab in the middle: SMACK. This was a fun start, erm LAUNCH!
SMACK-dab means exactly; precisely; right in place or time; squarely. Its first known use was in an American publication in 1892.
6. Smartphone downloads: APPS. How many are on your phone?
10. Paper money: CASH. and 28 Across. 10-Across, slangily: MOOLAH.
14. City west of Venice: PADUA. PADUA has two UNESCO World Heritage List entries: the world's oldest Botanical Garden and its 14th-century frescos.
15. Shave (down): PARE.
16. Spanish eight: OCHO. Here's a Spanish cover version of a song you likely know:
6. Smartphone downloads: APPS. How many are on your phone?
10. Paper money: CASH. and 28 Across. 10-Across, slangily: MOOLAH.
14. City west of Venice: PADUA. PADUA has two UNESCO World Heritage List entries: the world's oldest Botanical Garden and its 14th-century frescos.
15. Shave (down): PARE.
16. Spanish eight: OCHO. Here's a Spanish cover version of a song you likely know:
OCHO días por semana... 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮
19. Comics icon Lee: STAN. (1922-2018) Fans loved his cameos in the Marvel movies. Here's a quick one from Avengers: Endgame (2019).
20. Epitome of slowness: SNAIL. An epitome is a typical or ideal example; embodiment.
21. __ acid: AMINO. Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. They play a crucial role in the body’s functioning and are vital for growth and development. functions & food sources
22. "Oorah!" military org.: USMC. Marines say "Oorah!" and Army soldiers say "Hooah!".
30. Fish eggs: ROE.
31. Assumed name: ALIAS.
32. Gravy vessel: BOAT. I liked this November angle on a common word!
34. Goes (for): OPTS.
41. Some Fidelity offerings, for short: IRAS. Fidelity Investments is a financial services company headquartered in Boston.
42. Fades to black: ENDS.
43. Snorer's affliction: APNEA. Mayo Clinic info on sleep APNEA
44. Gut punch reaction: OOF. intersects 44 Down. Alley-__: OOP.
45. Trademarked pastry creation: CRONUT. CROissant + doughNUT = CRONUT
53. Furnish with gear: EQUIP. One might equip (not an abbreviation) themself with equip. (abbreviation for "equipment").
54. For starters: FIRST. This M-W article about FIRST vs. firstly is for the word nerds (like me).
56. Skeet shout: PULL. I linked a video about skeet shooting two weeks ago. In trap shooting, the participant calls, "PULL" when they are ready for the target to be thrown.
62. Flowerpot spot: SILL. I think of the SILL as being on the inside and the ledge as being on the outside but I found this on a window installation company's website:
Despite common belief, the window sill is found on the outside of the home. Inside the home, the part of the window often called the "sill" is actually the stool. However, the stool is often described as the sill, even by window experts.
Hmmmmm....... 🤔
Hmmmmm....... 🤔
63. Mideast canal: SUEZ. 
64. Battery terminal: ANODE.
65. "The __-bitsy spider ... ": ITSY.
66. Lean and muscular: WIRY. Def: (adj.) Being lean, supple, and vigorous; sinewy.
67. "Heavens to __!": BETSY. Land sakes! This one took me down a rabbit hole trying to find its origin. more
Down:
64. Battery terminal: ANODE.
65. "The __-bitsy spider ... ": ITSY.
66. Lean and muscular: WIRY. Def: (adj.) Being lean, supple, and vigorous; sinewy.
 |
| Both of these men are lean and muscular, but I would call only one of them WIRY. |
67. "Heavens to __!": BETSY. Land sakes! This one took me down a rabbit hole trying to find its origin. more
Down:
1. Beach bottle no.: SPF.
Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) ~ Baz Luhrmann ~ 1997
2. Actress Whitman: MAE. Mae's IMDb page
3. Toothpaste-endorsing org.: ADA. American Dental Association
4. Doesn't make history?: CUTS CLASS. Good one! The student skipped history class.
5. "Clue" actress Madeline: KAHN. She played Mrs. White in the 1985 movie. (58 sec.)
6. Diamond birthstone month: APRIL.
 |
| (Click to expand.) I wonder how the November people feel about this. |
7. "Halo" star Schreiber: PABLO. Pablo's IMDb page
8. In favor of: PRO.
9. __ urchin: SEA. Purple SEA urchins got out of hand and began destroying the kelp forests along the CA coast when their predators, starfish, began to die off. Here is a news story about what the scientists are doing to reverse the damage. (3:32 min.)
10. Pink cocktail, familiarly: COSMO.
 |
| Sex in the City's Samantha, Carrie, and Charlotte with their COSMOs. |
11. Last part of a play, perhaps: ACT IV. Applause was too long.
12. MacGowan of the Pogues: SHANE. (1957 - 2023) Born in Kent, England, he was a singer-songwriter, musician, and poet best know as the lead vocalist in the Celtic punk band the Pogues.
13. Accept, as a coupon: HONOR.
18. A pop: EACH.
21. Card with no face or number: ACE.
 |
| It was not standard for playing cards to have numbers on them until the 1860s. |
22. Savory quality: UMAMI. UMAMI means "delicious savory taste" in Japanese. It is one of the basic five tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is often described as "the meaty, savory deliciousness that deepens flavor", but it is not necessarily restricted to meat. Mushrooms and tomatoes can have an UMAMI taste, for example.
23. Renewable energy source: SOLAR. CSO to unclefred!
24. Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA. Catherine O'Hara played MOIRA Rose on this TV series (2015-2020).
26. Mountain range from Kazakhstan to the Arctic Ocean: URALS.
27. Inflict upon: DO TO.
29. Fire residue: ASH.
32. National park in Alberta: BANFF. Established in 1885, Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park. It encompasses 2,564 sq. mi. (6,641 sq. km.) in the Canadian Rockies. (That is a little larger than the State of Delaware!) The scenery is gorgeous in every direction!
 |
| I took this picture last summer of Mt. Rundle and the Bow River outside the town of Banff. |
33. On in years: OLD. "Getting on in years" is an idiom that means "becoming elderly".
34. Perfectly timed: OPPORTUNE.
35. Tubular pasta: PENNE.
 |
| Besides being tubular, another feature of PENNE is its diagonally cut ends. |
36. Start, as a golf round: TEE UP. In golf, when you TEE UP a ball, you place it on a tee so that it is ready for you to hit it.
 |
| This one is for Husker Gary. |
37. Petty quarrels: SPATS. and 40 Down. Armed conflict: WAR.
39. Cat's noise: MEOW.
45. Keyboard shortcut starter: CTRL. CTRL is a key on PCs.
47. "That's it for me!": I QUIT.
48. Calm periods: LULLS.
49. Pharmaceutical giant Eli __: LILLY. Eli Lilly and Company (dba Lilly) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. Eli Lilly was a Union Army veteran and pharmaceutical chemist who founded the company in 1876. Lilly was the first company to mass-produce the polio vaccine and insulin.
50. Proposal: OFFER.
51. Posh: RITZY. RITZY entered English in 1919 to describe the ostentatiously fancy lifestyles of the guests who could afford to stay at the hotels owned by César Ritz (1850-1918). The enterprise is now the Ritz-Carlton hotel company.
 |
| In 1934 Nabisco used the RITZ name to give depression-era shoppers a taste of the good life, but the crackers were not connected to the hotels. I imagine that would be a big law suit today! |
55. Onetime Swedish automaker: SAAB. The company was founded in 1945 and went defunct in 2016.
57. NNE opposite: SSW. compass directions
58. French yes: OUI.
59. Do __ disturb: NOT. I set my cell phone to 'Do Not Disturb' from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Whatever it is, it can wait.
60. Media that's burned before reading: CDS. "Burned" is the term used to mean the information is imprinted onto a CD.
Talk about burning media....
"This tape will self-destruct in five seconds."
Peter Graves ~ Mission: Impossible ~ 1966-1973 TV series
61. "Listen up!": HEY. I can hear my grandmother answering, "Hay is for horses and cows." In other words, she thought it was impolite to try to get attention by hollering, "Hey!"
It is time for the grid:
When it comes to the reveal, I see the “soft” part.
ReplyDelete“Launch?” Not so much, particularly with “cloud cover.” Nevertheless, this seemed to me to be another Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
(And, by the way, to all you veterans out there, of which my kid brother is one, “Thank you for your service!”)
LAUNCH is just a way to hint at the fact that the first words of the themers are the theme-relevant part. I've seen this theme done with SOFT OPENING as the revealer.
ReplyDeleteThat clue on CUTS CLASS is ridiculous for a Monday, without "perhaps" or "say" at the end. And IMO "doesn't make" doesn't really convey the idea of intentionally skipping class, even with the question mark.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteFIRSTLY, the "down east" area gave me pause with COSMO, ACT IV, SHANE, and HONOR -- not a gimme in the bunch. The perps were fair, so no foul. The only Schreiber known to d-o is LIEV. PABLO on a Monday? Still, this one fell in early-week solving time. Nice. Well done, John Michael. Enjoyed your tour, as always, sumdaze. (I don't have many APPS on my smartphone. They all fit on a single "page.")
CLOUD COVER: With true military logic, our boot camp company commander ordered us not to get sunburned. Tough to obey in July, marching around the "grinder" in San Diego. D-o was finally ordered to report to sick bay due to a blistered neck.
SEA Urchin: Interesting news video. The purple plague is also a big problem on the Maine coast. Am I mis-remembering that sea otters will eat 'em?
D-Otto@5:57. I remember seeing the paintings on the wall at San Diego of the new recruits with band-aids on their ears. The combination of buzz cuts and CA sun was a tough mix.
DeleteYes, the sea otters will eat the SEA urchins. Unfortunately, without the starfish's help, the SEA urchin population got out of whack and they destroyed the kelp that the sea otters live in. So without the kelp, the sea otters weren't there to eat the SEA urchins. Scientists are hoping to restore the balance of SEA urchins & kelp & otters & starfish.
FIR, but for->PRO and dvd->CDS.
ReplyDeleteAccording to my phone, it has 202 APPs. Don't think I loaded a lot of them. Probably time for a little phone cleaning.
The odd thing about the SoCal marine layer is that it doesn't go very far inland. I remember leaving my place in nearby Torrance in bright sunshine and arriving at Marina del Rey 10 minutes later to find cold and gloom with no wind. Like clockwork, around noon the sun would start to appear and the wind would pick up from the south to southwest.
Actually, TEEing UP doesn't start the round, TEEing off does. (More accurately, "addressing the ball" starts the round - even if you swing and miss, your round has started.)
I hate it when I find bird stool on my SILL.
My favorite role by Madeline Kahn is her portrayal of Lili Von Shtüpp in Blazing Saddles.
Thanks to John for what I found to be Monday-easy. Yeah, lots of perp help needed, but the perps were generally easy. And thanks to sumdaze for another fine review.
Took 3:35 today to listen to Roberta Flack killing me.
ReplyDeleteI knew today's actress (Kahn), but not Pablo or Shane.
I passed today's foreign language lessons (ocho and oui).
I liked USMC on Veterans' Day, which reminds me: Happy Veterans' Day and thank you to all the veterans.
FIR. To ali those veterans out there, of which my late brother was one, we salute you and thank you for your service.
ReplyDeleteTypically easy puzzle for a Monday. The theme was fun and i got it early on. The cluing was fair except for the crossing of two proper names, Stan and Shane.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAs Subgenius is fond of saying, a Monday walk in the park, except there are usually not any unknowns, least of all, four for me: Mae, Pablo, Shane, and Moira, but no complaints because the perps were fair throughout the grid. The theme was as light as a feather but fine for a Monday.
Thanks, John Michael*, for an easy, peasy start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for the informative tour and commentary. Favorite comic is the “Reboot” of the shoe house! 🤣
Thanks and tribute to all veterans, especially my late brother, John Michael, USMC.
Have a great day.
Kinda a sappy Vets Day story, but it's true.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew was a smart kid, but he didn't apply himself in school, and hung around a bunch of sketchy kids. He was self-aware enough to know he was headed in a winless direction, so right out of high school he enlisted in the USMC. There he DID apply himself, and was a good man when his enlistment was completed.
Then he went to college, which included a chemistry class taught by his mom, my sister. He found chemistry with a beautiful coed pre-med student. After graduation he went back into the USMC, first through officer candidate school. She went to med school to become a US Navy doctor.
They married, and she completed her Navy commitment and went into private practice. He made a career of the Marines, retiring a couple of years ago. They are still happily married, and their adult daughter has become an accomplished show horse rider.
Happy vets day, Kevin and Stephanie!
#VeteransDay - Especially today, I thank both those who currently serve and who have served our country.
ReplyDeleteAn Army buddy veteran sent me this image years ago. A Veteran
sumdaze, Congratulations on your milestone (100th) blog post! All very well done. Yours truly authored 96 reviews before deciding it was not for me. Keep up the great recaps!
TTP@8:34. Thanks for that image. I see these men when I go to the commissary. I think of how they used to be WIRY young studs putting it on the line for their country. I get a bit emotional.
DeleteIf you’re a Softy this is the puzzle for you but TTTT it wasn’t exactly a Monday pushover: SHANE, MAE, PABLO (DO I thought of Liev too)
ReplyDeleteFor Pete’s sake stop tryin’ to figure out the origin of “Heavens to BETSY”
I have of late realized that the answer for the clue “ a pop”
Is not cola, soda? or Dad
Inkovers: Paula/PABLO, Milan/Padua. … DW and I took a train from Bologna to PADUA circa 1976. After visiting St. Anthony’s Basilica we happened on a restored palace that had just opened to the public. The guide was preparing for tours and asked if he could use us as practice. His Italian had a sing-song lilting quality I knew I had heard before. Then realized it was the same accent of the Venetians. Looked on the map. PADUA is in the same Veneto regione(province) only a half hour away.
PEEPS are the Halloween “candy corn” of Easter. OOP? OOF!!
Ze burglar of Banf-f-f
Gershwins: George wrote the music, the lyrics were ____ ….IRAS
”Petty arguments” over shoe styles: SPATS
Mobile: ACTIV
Lyric poem to a deceased battery: ANODE
In that picture of “Sex in the City” the woman on the left looks like Candace Bergen not the actress (actor?) who played Samantha.
Thanks to our vets for their service 🇺🇸 and another thanks to Sumdaze for your service
That actress also played Miss Homeywell in the classic drama Porky's. A-WOOOOOO. Kim Cattrall
DeleteLight and airy CW this morning. A few unknowns but no obstacle to FIR.
ReplyDeleteGreat review sumdaze. I like your remarks and the cute cartoons. Congratulations on your 100th turn.
I have veterans and soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice on my mind since I’m reading a recent bio of Eisenhower and just finished the section about the long and costly Normandy invasion and the march to Germany.
So, happy Veterans Day to all who served and the many who sacrificed so much.
This puzzle came in just under the wire, of being considered a crossNAME puzzle. There were something like six names or so just in the Down clues. And why couldn't the clue for SHANE be (since it's easy Monday) something like "character played by Alan Ladd who is idolized by Brandon deWilde"? And similar arguments could be made for every other name.
ReplyDeleteIt was pleasant to be reminded of someone who died way too soon, the great Madeline Kahn. I just saw her last night in the Bogdanovich screwball comedy., "What's Up, Doc?". We usually associate her with Mel Brooks films, which is understandable, but she was wonderful also in non-Brooks films like the above. Or "Paper Moon." Madeline Kahn was outrageously funny, and could steal a scene--or an entire movie.
The constructor was kind to CanadianEh with 32Down, eh?
There were several clues I liked, such as: 4 Down "Doesn't make history?" (CUTSCLASS), and 18 Down "A pop" (EACH).
I believe the clue for 23 Down ("Renewable energy source," is a noun, but the answer, SOLAR, is an adjective.
Thanks, veterans; this is your day to be recognized and honored! Formerly called Armistice Day, and still known (I think) as Remembrance Day in Canada. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Thanks, John Michael, for your competent construction, such as putting one of your long theme answers dead center as a 15-letter grid-spanner. The puzzle was clever and fun, and satisfying to solve.
Good Morning! This puzzle was a good start to the week and a fun theme.
ReplyDeleteWO: I hesitated with a “B” thinking it might be bill for paper money which rapidly turned to CASH. Then I’m out became a little more emphatic with I QUIT.
I relied on perps for PABLO, SHANE, MOIRA.
Thanks, sumdaze. Today I’m stumped with the ADA toon. What’s the kid on the right doing/holding/waiting for? Anyway, thanks for the fun and info. This November poster is miffed at the shortchange in jewelry, and yellow color, blah and blah!!
PS: Thanks and remembrance to all veterans today. And to my uncles Bill and John, Army, and brother-in-law Norm, USMC
DeleteRosE@10:11. Yes, "shortchange" is the word I was looking for. Thanks for that and Happy (upcoming) Birthday!!
DeleteRE the ADA comic: The dentist is acting like he is on the golf course. His hygienist is acting like a caddie.
Congrats, sumdaze, on your 100th! Thanks for all of the great cartoons.
ReplyDeleteThank you, sumdaze, for your 100 exceptional blog posts, and TTP, for your 96! Guides for the perplexed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that more Mondayish clues were available for MAE, PABLO, and SHANE, but perps saved the day.
PADUA is not far from Verona, where my lovely daughter lived for a couple of years. She was in love with a young man there, but her work was in Florence. When the young man proposed marriage, she said she was willing to relocate from Los Angeles to Florence on a permanent basis, if he would also move. He told her that "a man from Verona can never live in Florence." So she moved to Florence alone, married a man from that region, and eventually brought him home to L.A. Apparently men from Tuscany are more flexible!
NaomiZ@10:21. That's a great story about your lovely daughter. It reminded me of a book I read last year called "Naked (in Italy)" by M.E. Evans. The book wasn't actually that great but it does relate to your story.
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Hearing OCHO días por semana was a hoot
-Playing golf with someone who is SNAIL-like, takes a lot of fun out of the day
-ALIAS, nom de plume, pen name, pseudonym and stage name are somewhat similar.
-Fade to black: Greatest spoken last lines of movies
-Veteran Day thought: EQUIPPING countries to go to war is terrible, but it’s better than sending our men and women.
-Trapshooting is big at our school and the kids told me last year that these days the clay pigeon is released when they speak into a radio device
-Barney Fife said he was WIRY. Lean – yes. Muscular – uh, no.
-Hey, Renee, I enjoyed your write-up and I have indeed played with snow on the ground! :-)
-Lily’s demand for food is more of a chirp than a MEOW.
-I QUIT! I could never beat (or even come close to) grandson in video car racing.
Happy Veterans Day to my Brothers (and Sisters) in Arms!
ReplyDeleteThanks John for the puzzle. Thanks sumdaze for the wonderful (Reboot - LOL!) review.
But, sumdaze, I think you missed a chance at PULL: Mel Brooks ;-)
WO: put LILLY in 46d's spaces.
ESPs: names save STAN Lee
Fav: USMC on Veterans Day. RIP FIL.
RayO: LOL F-Troop clip! I haven't thought about that show in years.
Anyone else want "overslept" for 4d? I got an F in physics first time taking it. Professor EarlyBird held it at 7am. What the heck can anyone learn at 7am? Lewis Black said it best.
//I did graduate w/ a 3.3 in EE. So, I've got that going for me :-)
D-O: I was at boot camp in El Paso. In July. Drill told us if we got sunburnt, we'd be harming government property. I did get one sickbay day. The food at the hospital was so much better, I thought about getting sick again.
My (Army) Bro retired after 22 years enlisted. He now, having taken over Pop's Handyman service, enjoys life building stuff for others.
My Navy buddy and I will be having lunch and catching up next week.
Cheers, -T
Thanks to those who shared their Veterans Day thoughts and connections. I enjoyed reading those. Thanks also to those who wrote centennial congrats.
ReplyDeleteFirst and most importantly Thanx to all veterans. As to the CW, I did not like it. FAR too many names (17) of which I DNK 9. All too often the names crossed, with PADUA crossing both MAE and KAHN. This is a Monday!! I did manage to WAG my way out of this mess in the NW, and also WAG my way to a FIR, but in much more time than a typical Monday. Also, never heard of a CRONUT. I never looked for the theme, I was just too happy to be finished. Sorry, JMC, I am not a fan of your CW. I am more than a little surprised nobody else mentioned all the names, although TK did call it a "crossname" puzzle. Thanx to Sumdaze for the excellent write-up, and thanx too for the CSO re solar. Looking at your picture of the guy with the six-pack abs reminds me of how proud I am of MY six-pack abs: I am so proud of them I keep them carefully protected behind 4" of fat!
ReplyDeleteHola! Happy Veterans" Day and thank you to all who served, including two of my brothers. I appreciate all you have done and what you have gone through.
ReplyDeleteSince today is counting Monday I left after starting the puzzle. It was a fairly easy solve and I appreciated the "SOFT" landing. Thank you, also, for OCHO; I always appreciate some Spanish in the puzzle. However, I've never heard of PABLO Schreiber, only Liev. And "OORAH" is also new to me.
Thank you, sumdaze, for your entertaining narrative! Have a great day, everyone!
Flew through fast and had fun! Didn't Davey Crockett name his favorite rifle Ol' Betsy? (Or was that just Disney?) During the late Southeast Asia War Games, we lived by the modified Golden Rule in the Air Cav. "Do unto others before they can do it to you"
ReplyDeleteDelightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, John. And your commentaries are always a pleasure, Sumdaze, thank you for this one too. And thank you all also for your tributes to our veterans.
ReplyDeleteSo this puzzle started out with CASH and MOOLAH, which made it a bit worrisome that we might get someone with an ALIAS who might be up to some risky business. Maybe he or she was wearing a FEATHER BOA used as a CLOUD COVER--made them look RITZY. Well, maybe after enjoying a SOFT LAUNCH they took a BOAT and sailed down to the SUEZ CANAL. If so, it's time to wish them a great journey, while we go off to enjoy some MARSH-MELLOWS, one of my favorite treats because they are so MELLOW. And while I'm enjoying those I'm going to pet my sweet BETSY, who just asked for a treat with her MEOW.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Anon T: I also took basic training at Ft. Bliss in July and August of 1967. We bivouaced in the desert near White Sands Missile Range. Sunburns galore! Advanced training at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. Despite being deep in the Sonoran Desert there were no sunburns as my training was in supply; all in doors. But I will say, seeing the sunrises there, while standing in formation at 6:00 am, was glorious. I became enamored with the desert and is the reason I retired to Tucson.
ReplyDeleteProf M:
ReplyDeleteYou were 20 years ahead of me but nothing changed. 2 week bivouac at White Sands watching tarantulas in the brush while doing pushups.
I too remember my first sunrise while standing at ease. I could see the crest coming over the mountain, and then, bloop!, like in cartoons, the whole thing was over the ridge.
Thanks for your service. The early 70's were not an easy time to adorn the uniform.
Cheers, -T
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, John and sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time and saw the SOFT theme.
The NW was the last to fall. I smiled at SMACK when I TEEd UP, and then again when SPF finally slathered into view.
Unknown names (MAR, PABLO, SHANE) perped fairly today.
This Canadian had to wait for USMC, but BANFF and MOIRA were easy fills.
I have never eaten a CRONUT.
Today we HONOuR all who served and still serve to protect our freedom. (Thanks sumdaze for noting that we call it Remembrance Day.). A restored Lancaster bomber from the Hamiltin War Heritage Museum flew over our area this morning.
Wishing you all a great day.