Theme: "PrEEEE-fix" - or - "Four E-'s [sic] a jolly good fellow ..."
16-across. Headquarters for a simulated space launch?: E-MISSION CONTROL. An emission control system on a car, for example, might be a catalytic converter which converts noxious gases into a less harmful substance. (Note: How come they haven't been able to develop something similar for the flatuant society?)
I digress ... the clue, however, refers to a "mission control center" - the facility that monitors and guides space flights, e.g. The humor/wit is associated with how I've hyphenated the answer. Items that begin with the prefix "E -" usually refer to something "electronic" or done "on-line" (e-commerce/e-mail/e-ticket). If there ever existed a place where space-traffic control applicants could go to train in a simulator, it might be here ... @ e-mission control
29-across. Recognition for top cyber snoops?: E-SPY AWARDS. I would hope that all who have solved crossword puzzles are familiar with the ESPY awards which honor professional and amateur athletes. The word ESPY is very commonly used by crossword puzzle constructors. By hyphenating the "e" from the "spy" in this example, an on-line (cyber) recognition for top sleuths might be called the e-spy awards
47-across. Group of online church leaders?: E-RECTOR SET. Hands up for how many of you Crossword Corner readers played with one of these when you were a kid? A rector is defined in various ways, as the hyperlink shows. Not sure if the American Anglican church is ready to hand over their priestly duties to an e-rector set just yet. If they did, would they now be called: e-piscopalians?
62-across. Co-branding by web-based sellers?: E-MERGING MARKETS. You seeee [sic] where this is going by now? 😉
I guess if I had to choose one of the four entries today that gave me a slight grin it would be the E-SPY AWARDS. The others were kinda "meh" IMO, although E-RECTOR SET might be the best of the other three
As for the rest of the fill, it was actually quite tight. No weird words, nor too many TLW's or abbrs. Also, the inclusion of the words: TOE TAP, CORKER, and GREEN MEN added to its enjoyment. All in all, I score it, ⭐⭐ - 3/4⭐, though I think a few solvers today might use the "juice/squeeze" analogy in their comments. It certainly was not very hard for a Friday puzzle, but that seems to be the norm these days
Here is the filled in grid with the "E-s" highlighted, then off to the rest ...
 |
The Grid |
Across:
5. High flyer: JET. Glad to see an actual word here instead of SST, for example
8. Medicinal or savory plants: HERBS. Hand up for trying ALOES, first?
13. Prong: TINE. As on a fork
14. "That was a long time __": AGO. When C-Moe last blogged, maybe?
15. Fermented Japanese condiment: TAMARI. Not familiar with this condiment
[themer]
19. Spunk: MOXIE. I love this word!
20. Like many shower stalls: TILED.
 |
This type of tile seems to be the current trend for shower stalls |
21. NYC hrs.: EST. Eastern Standard Time (only during late fall and winter hours, however)
22. Grocery department: DELI. When I stop by there, they make me feel like a hero
24. Working diligently: AT IT. What I found myself doing with today's blog! A bit rusty I admit
26. One of Padmé and Anakin's twins: LUKE. Star Wars dude, Skywalker
[themer]
34. Mil. branch: USN. I waited for the perps to fill this
35. Dust speck: MOTE. Seems synonymous - let's check with the thesaurus-saurus:
 |
| Close enough |
36. Jasper Johns genre: POP ART.
 |
The artist and one of his images (pop art) |
37. Cal State city: CHICO. Here is a link to the Cal State dot edu website. CHICO is in the north/central part of the state, between Sacramento (the capital) and Redding. My partner Margaret was on the library staff of Cal State Channel Islands, once upon a time
39. Droop: SAG. Gravity takes over on we older persons. My extra bit of paunch is what I refer to as "Dunlop" disease ... my belly done lopped over my belt
41. Consideration when halving or doubling a recipe: RATIO. I liked this clue! 3:1 = 6:2
42. Rehabilitate: REFORM. There is no reforming C-Moe, I'm afraid
44. Wearying trip: TREK. @ Picard - would you define the journey of the Star TREK Enterprise to be wearying?
46. Brew in a mug: TEA. and its "clecho" @ 64-down. Brew in a mug: ALE.
[themer]
49. Anatomical sac: CYST. Moe-ku:
50. __ fresca: AGUA. CSO to Lucina
51. Sound reflection: ECHO. Clue reflection = clecho
53. Science site: LAB. Or for some owners, "lap site"
56. Martian, perhaps: ALIEN. and its "clecho" @ 40-down. Martians, perhaps: GREEN MEN.
58. Clear: ERASE.
[themer]
65. Silky fabric: SATEEN.
66. Hair-raising product: GEL. This look would scare me; you??
 |
How much GEL was used to create this whatever it is you'd call it? |
67. Stretches often named for music genres: ERAS. Any Disco ERA fans here?
68. Some Central Europeans: SLAVS.
69. Dollar: ONE. Store, Tree, or General did not fit
70. Automation prefix: ROBO.
Down:
2. Prom conveyance: LIMO. Or in my case, a 1964 Dodge Dart GT, equipped with a 225 cu in slant 6, and Chrysler's TorqueFlite push button transmission - I think the young lady that rode with me was named Debbie ... great car for driving: not so much for a prom date ... bucket seats ...
3. Linux predecessor: UNIX. I will defer to the resident computer geeks to better explain this clue and answer ...
4. Dwell: RESIDE.
5. __ alai: JAI. Here is an erstwhile popular crossword pair of entries - I think "Alai" appears more often then "Jai"
6. Narcissists: EGOTISTS. Nudists: ECOTISTS
7. Collette of "The Power": TONI. This link will tell you about her
8. Artisan's output: HANDIWORK. According to @CrosswordTracker, this entry word has shown up just once - also in 2025 - so kudos to Ms. Simonson for finding this
9. First aid pro: EMT.
10. Not well-done: RARE. The hyphenated "well-done" led me to think it referred to a temperature of steak. Here is how I prefer my steak prepared:
 |
"Pittsburgh" style; Rare + |
11. Frat boys: BRO'S. [note: I added the apostrophe so you could see that it's an abbreviation] Fraternity members are called "brothers". Moe-ku #2:
12. Fine-grained soil: SILT. and its clecho (count 'em, three clechos today!) 18-down. Fine-grained soil: CLAY.
15. Keep time with one's foot: TOE TAP. Here is a golden oldie that includes tapping all five TOES
17. Behold: SEE.
[cut and pasted next to 12-down]
23. Many an August baby: LEO. The others are Virgos - hands up for any LEOs here? Not I
25. Taberna dish: TAPA. Taberna: Spanish; Tavern: English ... tapas are small plate dishes (appetizers) that are offered by many tabernas
26. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE. Crossword-y?? Not a word I use in everyday speak
27. Guide: USHER. I like this clue, as the clue word and entry word mean both whether it's used as a noun or a verb. "The guide ushered me to my seat, or the usher guided me to my seat"
28. Kitchen block insert: KNIFE. We have one of these kitchen blocks, but they contain a mis-matched set of knives a pair of food scissors and a meat fork
 |
| Picture this unbranded, for mine |
30. Bog accumulations: PEATS. Not sure that I like seeing the word "PEAT" pluralized; maybe a forced entry or something edited in? Moe-ku #3
31. Threadbare: RATTY. This picture describes it perfectly!
 |
Star of a new movie called "Ratty Toile" |
32. Hangs on the line: DRIES.
33. Weasel with a black-tipped tail: STOAT.
35. Household expenses: MORTGAGES. Another word that shouldn't be pluralized, IMO, given the context of the clue. Unless, of course, you have two (or more) mortgages to pay. One is enough for me/us, thank you!
38. __-Cola: COCA. Is this really Friday? Did anyone else think that the clues/answers were not "Friday-tough"
[cut and pasted next to 56-across]
43. __ Rouge: Paris cabaret: MOULIN. Online reservations are available!
45. List shortener: ETC. Et al had one too many letters
48. Picnic spoiler: RAIN. ANTS fit until it didn't
49. Excellent joke: CORKER. This brought back memories of the 15 odd years I lived in New England. The word corker has its roots in the UK and means: a person or thing that is especially good, attractive, hilarious or funny. The folks I knew in NE wouldn't pronounce this as it appears (Cork' - er), they would say: (Caw'-kuh)
 |
| Here's a real "corker"! |
52. Pronoun option: HER. HIM works, too
53. Minus: LESS. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please
54. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL. George Clooney's better half
55. Phi __ Kappa: BETA. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please
57. Waffle maker: EGGO. I suppose IRON would fit, but again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please
59. Prefix with dynamic: AERO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please
60. Grab with a toothpick: STAB. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please
61. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please [CSO to Canadian Eh!]
63. Informal title for a clergyman: REV. Short for Reverand
[cut and pasted alongside 46-across]
I thought
ReplyDeletethe gimmick of the added “e’s,” was “meh,” at best, even after C-Moe’s explanation. But the puzzle wasn’t too difficult, anyway. FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but sand->SILT.
ReplyDeleteMOXIE was the name of one of my boats, probably my favorite. Built in Vancouver, the Martin 242 was selected as the one-design racer in Marina del Rey circa 1985.
Seems like only yesterday that we had STOAT.
Remember Mitch Miller's song My Gal's a CORKER?
My gal's a CORKER, she's a New Yorker
I buy her everything to keep her in style
She's got a pair of legs, just like two whiskey kegs
Hey boys, that's where my money goes-oes-oes
I think of UNIX as a proprietary system from AT&T/Bell Labs, and Linux as an open-source clone OS.
Thanks to Katherine for the fun Friday. I actually liked the theme and thought it clever. And my dumb mass doesn't need a whole lot of challenge, especially with Saturday looming on the horizon. And thanks and welcome back to our Chairman. Seeing your byline this morning was a sight for sore eyes.
Speaking of My Gal’s a Corker, what ever became of Spike Jones?
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteYay. D-o figured out the theme. Slid right through this one; the Wite-Out got a rest. Thanx, Katherine and C-Moe. (Welcome back, from this Virgo.)
FLN
ReplyDeleteI thank everyone for the kind comments to yesterday's puzzle as well as a few that arrived through email. First let me assure everyone that I'm not on the brink of death – although in a sense we all live there each day! At age 77 I've collected several chronic conditions that require 1 or 2 doctor visits each month, blood tests, etc. Probably the most serious in relation to continuing as a reviewer, was the aftermath of the cataract surgery I had last year, which did little to improve my vision.
More important than all of the above however is the need to spend more time with my grandchildren, and especially teaching them the art and craft of ceramics, which I've been involved in since 1972. This is an obsession which I inherited through my mother, who was from Stoke-on-Trent England, the birthplace of the great potter Josiah Wedgwood. There have been potters in my family at least since the late 18th century and some have also been great. One of them invented a process for transferring lithographed images to platters, and actually had a piece exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851, and which is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London – see https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O8062/bread-plate-austen-jesse/. I am currently involved in setting up a studio at my son's home about 20 miles from my home and need to spend my remaining time on this mortal coil in that effort.
As for spending time on the Corner, this has also been an obsession that dates back to 2012, and I don't think I'll be able give it up lightly. I've resolved to continue solving the LA Times puzzles and to comment on at least one a week. And I especially need to thank C.C. for her leadership, but especially her kindness and devotion. I have been using social media since long before the invention of Windows, and this group is unique. Most disintegrate within a few years of their creation, but this one has survived, due to C.C. and the daily efforts of the Cornerites. I want to thank her also for selecting Naomi as the Thursday blogger. When I told C.C. that I had to stop blogging I asked her to keep it a secret until the day of my last puzzle, and to ask anyone she contacted about replacing me to keep it secret as well. I secretly hoped that C.C. would select Naomi and she did.
Finally I have to thank Teri for all of her help in the production of my reviews. I have known her for 60 years, and have been married to her for 56 of those years, and I love her to bits!
Cheers,
Bill
Thanks Bill and good luck in the future. I wish I only had 1-2 doctor visits a month. Four in the last two weeks. Luckily, I no problem with the cataract surgery last year. It's just the continual visits with the Ortho, derm, cardio, gastro,. and others that fill up my calendar.
DeleteBill, thank you for explaining, in depth, your reasons for retiring from blogging. I think at our age the health challenges can sometimes be overwhelming, so you’re wise to limit any unnecessary external activities and just focus on the enjoyable and meaningful endeavors. I can’t thank you enough for the knowledge and delight that you provided every Thursday. God Speed! 🙏
Deletewaseeley at 6:11 AM -- Thank you for the (now not so secret) vote of confidence! And thanks for all your help getting me started on the blog.
DeleteLinux/Unix -- IIRC Unix was developed by Bell Labs back in the mid-60s. When AT&T, Bell's parent, was broken up in 1983 by the Department of Justice, they were free to market Unix as a product. However prior to this AT&T, as a public utility, had freely given away tapes containing the Unix software. These tapes proliferated among the "free software" community and eventually morphed into Linux. Since the tradename Unix was protected, the developer of the Linus Torvalds, simply named it after himself. Since then Linux has largely replaced Unix in data centers around the world.
ReplyDeleteTook 9:17 today for me to finish this escapade.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good puzzle, though easy for a Friday. I think that when the +/- a letter (or two) themes on Fridays became the usual, the difficulty dropped.
I didn't know the Japanese condiment, corker, and a couple others.
Thank you, waseeley, for the reassurance on your heath. Best of luck with your ceramics projects.
FIR. When I threw down "emission control", I saw the gimmick immediately. That helped a lot with the rest of the solve.
ReplyDeleteFor a Friday, I didn't find this very difficult. The cluing was fair and the perps were where they needed to be.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Katherine, your puzzle today was a breath of fresh air: challenging but fair, well-constructed with a clever theme, and containing two grid-spanners. And you were only a Q and Z short of a pangram!
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, you not only managed to avoid tired staples like ACAI and OREO, but on the contrary, you gave us vivid and fresh words like MOXIE, LUCRE, and CORKER.
Waseeley, thanks for dropping by. It is so impressive that your family expertise in ceramics goes back to the late 18th century. The fact that you are continuing this tradition tells me that the apple does not fall far from the tree. Good luck in setting up your studio.
Chris, welcome back. Your review today was extremely detailed and helpful. And of course entertaining. Hope your floaters have disappeared!
Thanks, again, Katherine, for an enjoyable Friday excursion. I look forward to a return engagement.
TehachapiKen @ 8:58 ==> for the most part the floaters have disappeared; except for the ones called "Weiss Rings" (google it if you're not familiar with what these are). Next visit is in two weeks and I hope to be able to go forward with a new prescription for eyeglasses
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DeleteI caught the E-xtra E at E-MISSION CONTROL, which could also mean 'other[ things. Just sit tight for emission control.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the fill had very nice clues that took some perps to complete. TATARI, TONI, and CORKER were unknowns but the perps helped.
SLUR was easy it you ever had to read music; unknown to others.
Moe-our 1964 Dodge Dart GT had the automatic gear shift on the floor. A friend had a Plymouth with push button transmission control. It was a crappy car, a little better than the 1960 Dodge Dart. We bought it used for $750 in 1967.
My dad was a Dodge man starting post-war, and the first car I can remember was that '60 Dart with the push buttons. As the family grew, he switched to Chevy station wagons.
DeleteMy Dad bought a brand new 1950 Dodge “Meadowbrook” . I came along the same year. 1969 he bought a Dodge Dart and gave me his 1963 push button Plymouth Valiant. The floorboard rusted out and severed the brake line and a cylinder blew We replaced it with a plywood plank and I drove it in 5 cylinders
DeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe theme was obvious early on and made the solve easy and fast, aided by the non-Friday cluing level. I like Clecho cluing, but I think three of them is overkill. Mortgages, as clued, is questionable, but Peats is unforgivable, IMO. I needed perps for Tamari and Chico, but the overall fill was straightforward and discernible. I still miss the Friday challenges of the past. 🙁
Thanks, Katherine, and thanks, Moe, for the detailed and informative expo. I detected no “rustiness” at all, especially in the always clever Moe-kus. Welcome back!
Have a great day.
I didn't like PEATS either, but looked it up and it seems acceptable.
DeleteIt STEMS from an expression grumbled by Irish farmers who couldn’t get their fireplaces to light “For Peats sake!”
DeleteAgnes @ 9:15 ==> with regard to the pluralization of PEAT ... back when Rich was the editor of the LAT puzzles, I submitted a puzzle that he rejected because I used the word "COEDS". Other editors found its use fine, but not Rich. PEATS had not been used as a crossword answer since 2022 according to Crossword Tracker
DeleteThe Charmain reminded me of Carson's funniest bit during a Carnac the Magnificent segment. He divined the answer as "sis boom bah." The question in the sealed envelope was "describe the sound when a sheep explodes." It's rare to see Johnny laughing so hard he couldn't go on. He was the master of late night and I fell asleep to him for many years. Now I fall asleep to just about anything after 10pm! LOL
ReplyDeleteRustyBrain @ 9:38 ==> indeed, I was "inspired" by Carson's Carnac skit where he divined the answer "sis boom bah". My "brain" works in mysterious ways, if you hadn't already figured that out! ;^)
Deletesis, boom, bah Cheers, -T
DeleteTony (-T) @ 1:00 ==> I found this link from an interview with Ed McMahon after watching yours ... classic character, that Carnac
DeleteThat's hilarious, C.Moe.
DeleteHola! i ECHO what you all have said about the ease of solving this Friday puzzle. It felt more like Monday. However, TAMARI, SLUR, and HET could have been problematic without perps. CORKER is unfamiliar as well. TREK without STAR seems unfinished.
ReplyDeleteI love TONI Collette though I've only seen in her in one or two movies.
Thank you for the CSO! Sadly, now that my mother, grandmothers and all the various other relatives are gone I no longer have anyone with whom to speak Spanish and I miss that. Have a fabulous Friday, everyone!
Easy for a Friday. I liked the theme, which I caught onto early.
ReplyDeleteI had a mess of write overs in TX. Although I had the correct letters, the mess kept me from seeing the k in markets. One bad cell.
CHICO was all perps.
People with vacation homes often pay two mortgages. PEATS could have been better defined. The plural, peats, can refer to cut pieces of peat. I put several peats on the fire.
Wasseley, your lively posts will be missed. How exciting to teach your pottery skills to the grandchildren.
I was never sorry I took early retirement to spend three days a week with my toddler grandson. It was worth the cut in pension and Social Security. I loved teaching him many skills.
Having Alan here only on weekends is like having a grandchild. I really enjoy it
Thanks, Katherine and Moe.
If you have a mortgage on your fist home, you shouldn't be buying a second home just to go deeper in debt.
DeleteGood point on two mortgages for two homes. One can also have two mortgages on one home, including a HELOC (home equity line of credit.) Come to think of it, "additional mortgage, initially" for HELOC would be great clue and fill.
DeleteAnon @1:56, that all depends on your personal situation - primarily financial position and risk tolerance. Real estate usually appreciates, and usually at a higher rate than the interest rate paid. And, most important, YOLO.
DeleteOops. I see a big booboo. JET not HET.
ReplyDeleteRB, on that basis, I stand corrected. However, I still don’t like it and, stubbornly, don’t accept it, any more than I accept Totes Adorbs, Convo, Bae, Yeet, etc. 😂
ReplyDeleteI come to the defense of PEATS. It is by no means a clecho, or anywhere near such abominations as Totes Adorbs or Bae. To slog through a typical moor in Britain is to get your boots all peaty (also a word). Indeed, a moor without peat is unusual.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDon’t forget “OWIE”, “UEY”, and “IRED”
DeleteKen, let’s just agree to disagree. 😉
DeleteMy 9:47 post is a reply to RustyBrain’s reply to my 9:15 post.
ReplyDeleteSLUR and TAMARI were unknown to me, but the rest of the puzzle filled in quickly (9:34). The gimmick didn’t interfere with the solve, as most of their perps were gimmes. Overall, too easy for a Friday.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-This NASA guy was initially puzzled by an appended E to MISSION CONTROL but then really liked the gimmick
-My old electric lawn mower was made be EGO
-WASABI almost fit
-I loved the DISCO ERA music if not the bell bottoms, etc.
-Dollar General has 162 stores in Nebraska and provide a great service in very small towns
-I like my steak on the RARE side and most restaurants state they are not responsible for steaks ordered well done.
-Omaha once had three theaters with 70 mm film, reserved seats and USHERS. My GI doctor’s office sits right on the site where one used to be.
-A hilarious AMAL joke with a gentle poke at her husband.
-Thanks for the update, Bill and Teri. I would love to see some examples of your pottery work. Do you have a web site?
Husker @10:21 You once requested that we send you "Shelfies" for some clue or other. If you still have it, you'll find 4 or 5 shelves of assorted pots. If you can't find it I can send another one. Best to send the request via email, as I might not be checking comments everyday.
DeleteTruly an easy Friday, the gettable long theme answers helped. IMHO all the answers without the E except RECTORSET…. Add E to ERAS gives you ERASE
ReplyDeleteInkovers: iota/MOTE, taco/TAPA, wasp/RAIN, aria/alla/AGUA, self/ROBO.
The terms BRO and “frat boy” may have similar roots but nothing in common…. “Padmé and Anakin twins?”
Dad’s doodles … POPART
Replace clapboards …. RESIDE
Eco guys …. GREENMEN
Winners of all the entertainment awards … EGOTISTS
A mug of ___ : good for what may ___you… TEA/ALE
Final job at the winery … CORKER
Have a nice day. See you all …TAMARI 😃
TAMARI and SLUR as clued were unfamiliar and didn’t know TONI as clued. I finally got the theme with E MISSION CONTROL, I’m slow. Otheriwse, fairly easy CW.
ReplyDeleteC-Man Moe, nice to have you back. I notice that everyone has á different experience with cataract surgery. The shape of the eye is an important element in the success or lack thereof in such surgery. That Rat á Toile picture is hilarious.
A nice change of pace for me...a FIR on a FRI! Doesn't happen all that often. I'm with Irish Miss on "peats". It may be correct, but I still don't like it. Thanks to Rustybrain for the Carnak memories. Unfortunately, none of the current late night hosts are even close to Carsons class and talent, but that's okay...I am also not usually up that late, either!
ReplyDeleteThe theme was a bit dry, perhaps because of the EMISSION CONTROL. Wasn’t that the theme of the “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Contest?”
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, CMOE!
Mine was a leisurely solve with few annoyances. I’m not sure about plural PEATS and fine-grained CLAY, but they clearly seemed to be the right answers. I shouldn’t have needed perps for SLUR, but I did. LUCRE occurred to me readily, but now I guess all lucre is “filthy” and that the adjective is redundant.
CHICO was the first Cal State city I thought of, because I had just been checking precipitation figures on the weather page and considering how much Chico’s prominence among far-Northern California towns has increased. It has won a few “No. 1 party school” citations. Speaking of colleges and fraternity “bros,” it should be pointed out that most fraternities disdain the term “frat.”
RATIO reminded me of how annoyed I get at Facebook memes that claim algebra is a waste of time and that hardly anyone uses it in real life. Between calculating gas mileage in my head and immersing myself in baseball statistics, I can’t agree. DW often asks me to recalculate recipes for her, often with ratios more difficult than 2-1.
I enjoyed the archaic CORKER and the seldom-seen MOXIE. Funny it was the former that took Moe back to New England. The latter reminds me of a New England soft drink people either love or hate. I’m a fan.
Another line from the song Jinx cited was “She’s got two great big hips/Just like two battleships. . . “
Speaking of GEL, there’s been a hairspray shortage all year, but people aren’t talking about it. It’s due to a combination of a new environmental restriction and a shortage of aluminum that has affected packaging wherewithal. On many retail shelves, only one company’s products are available, and they’re awful. I’m surprised President Trump didn’t address the shortage on Day One.
Copy Editor @ 11:52 ==> I lived in New England from 1975 to 1990. Maybe I was never "introduced" to it, but the soft drink "MOXIE" does not ring a bell. FWIW, I could mimic a pretty good accent of the various NE states. They all speak a different dialect
DeleteFIR in excellent Friday time. SLUR and TAMARI are both unknown to me, but filled with perps. I liked the clechos, got the theme early, which helped, and just generally enjoyed this CW. I burned a few of my scarce remaining brain cells to come up with MOXIE, which broke open the NW. Great Friday CW, thanx KS. Really terrific write-up, thanx C-Moe for all the time and effort. Bill, you mention the failed cataract surgery, and I can really understand your unhappiness. I had cataract surgery Nov 2023, 10 days later had a retina detachment as a result. I've had five (5) retinal detachments in the right eye since then, and my retina surgeon has given up and referred me to Bascom-Palmer Eye Clinic...which is a very high priced eye clinic which doesn't accept Humana, my insurance. So... Oy. I struggle trying to read the CWs. Both eyes now have problems. So, Bill, I hear you loud and clear. Good luck with the pottery, and I look forward to hearing from you from time-to-time here on the blog.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Friday puzzle, many thanks, Katherine. And your commentary is always helpful, Chairman Moe, many thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, after getting POP ART so early in this puzzle I was happy to see the production of some HANDIWORK with the ability to earn some possible AWARDS. But we only got some CLAY sculptures, and some clever TOE TAP dancing which might have been RATED as pretty talented. But that was about it, so we should get into a LIMO to take us to a DELI where we can order some COCA COLA and ALE and enjoy some TAPA.
Have a lovely weekend coming up, everybody.
Ray-O, your lexicons (sic?) are clever, beyond words!
ReplyDeleteProf N @1:19 PM I've been nagging Ray -- O to become a blogger for years, but he's too busy zapping people with he Ray Gun. 🤣
DeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteKatherine's puzzle was an easy Friday morning e-Theme'd treat.
Nice to read you again, C.Moe! Fun expo.
WOs: ALLA [sic] fresca [I read fresco and assumed... um, too many things] & there's something under the start of MORTGAGE but I'll be damn'd if I remember.
ESPs: TONI, CHICO (I only know CHICO and the Man) ;-)
Fav: GREEN MEN xing ALIENs
CORKER is just plain sparkle.
SLUR I knew 'cuz Eldest has a degree in Opera (and Psych).
TAMARI - less salty & a richer soy sauce. Yummers!
Good to know you're not not long for this world, waseeley! Teach those children well.
MORTGAGES - I have three. Two on rentals that I lived in for 11+ years on 30 and 15 year notes. The latter will be paid off by the lessee in another 8 months. And, of course, there's the house I'm living in now.
Nerd Alert!: Linus Torvalds, in '91, built Linux from the kernel-up as a self-learning project in operating systems to mimic UNIX & MINIX (a FOSS (Free Open Source Software)). Folks [See: GNU (GNU is a recursive acronym for GNU Not Unix)] built upon it. Slackware ('94(?)) was the first release I toyed with. Today, I have multiple Linux boxen from old ThinkPads (that won't run Win11) to Raspberry PIs - it's a good OS that kid developed.
Pop got an early '70's something Dodge Dart after Mom #1 & he went (mostly) separate ways.* Sharp car.
Cheers, -T
*once there's kids involved, both had to attend weddings, funerals, and all that ;-)
Please tell me that "boxen" is a typo and not geek for the plural of "box." Some of my engineers in California tried to push "mouses" as plural for the pointing devices. Don't think that got off the ground.
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DeleteHey, Jinx, if it's oxen, then it's boxen. And, I didn't warn you Nerd Alert :-)
Delete//mouses is just right out. Plural is micen or meeses :-)^2
Remember that Mr. Jinks, the cat from Hanna-Barbera's Huckleberry Hound Show, used to say "I hate those meeses to pieces."
DeleteFabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Katherine and CMoe (welcome back).
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time, and saw the E themers. I smiled at the Aha moment for each of them.
I was held up in the mid west coast area, when I saw _ _ KE and hurriedly entered Nike. It took a while for this Canadian to see USN, and CHICO was not on my map radar. But then I remembered USN, USHER and that “filthy LUCRE”, which corrected Nike to LUKE (Stars Wars not Star TREK).
Hand up for a nose wrinkle at PEATS, but apparently there are “countable” peats, or a collection of different peats.
That ESSO clue is old, but I’ll take a CSO.
I’d prefer SILT over CLAY in a garden, although loam is a better combination.
TAMARI perped.
I entered AqUA before I switched to Spanish AGUA. (We would have been just a Z sort of a pangram, TehachapiKen.)
Wishing you all a great day.
Constructor here - thanks to all for the comments/humor! And to CMoe for the lively review. I am a regular reader of the corner and an occasional poster. Have learned a lot from reading about your likes/dislikes over the past year.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun theme to work with and I am glad that it gave some of you a smile. I was so happy when ALIEN crossed GREENMEN. For me, that was the highlight of the time spent building the fill.
A bit surprised about the controversy regarding PEATS - I think of it as a plural just like "grasses". But I **love** that we each get to draw our lines where we please, and to defend them against all others! :o)
Thanks Kat for stopping by - we always love it when a Constructor pops in with some inside-baseball here at The Corner!
Delete//I also like that my Fav was yours whilst building :-)
Cheers, -T
Kat, first off, welcome back and thanks for providing your "puzzling" thoughts! 😉 As a fellow "pandemic era" crossword puzzle constructor, I can empathize with the back and forth that occurs between you and the editor to get the final, approved version. And like you (I gather) I have had (using your ratio reference) a way larger number of puzzles rejected than accepted. I used to keep a spreadsheet to track them but have since stopped. I'm probably at a 30:1 reject vs accept over my brief history of crossword puzzle construction
DeleteAnyway, I am glad that most all of our regulars who leave comments liked your puzzle. I did, too. My main objection was how easy it was for a Friday-level puzzle (and that's NOT a criticism) but maybe Patti is reducing Friday's difficulty on purpose ... maybe she's making them easier for me to solve, knowing that I write the Friday blogs!! 😂😂
I enjoyed Katherine's puzzle and am delighted she stopped by the Corner at 2:50 PM. Moe, I'm glad you made it back to the Corner in time for this one, because while the theme was clever, it was not so EEsy to explain. You did it well!
ReplyDeleteLike Anonymous T at 2:23 PM, I'm a fan of TAMARI and have used it in place of soy sauce for many years. One of my daughter's best friends went to CHICO State, partied hearty, and eventually settled down. Personal experiences certainly contribute to a puzzle being easy or difficult for a particular person! I've seen ESPY here many times, and had not yet grokked that it was a sports award.
Mo, thanks for the welcome! I have found the corner to be a wonderful environment for learning, and your blogs always bring a smile to my face. Patti and Katie also provide great guidance on puzzles in progress.
ReplyDeleteAgree that today's was easy for a Friday, but I don't know how the decision is made on which day to run a puzzle. I have another in the queue and was asked to clue that "at a Tuesday level". Not sure when it will run!
Thanks so much for checking in with us, Kat--lovely to hear from you and get your further comments. Have a great weekend.
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