Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Jess Shulman and Amie Walker threw out a fun, early-in-the-week solve for our entertainment. The theme is:
Take Out the Trash ~ They Might Be Giants ~ (2007)
These are the three themers:
16 Across. Collection of personal clippings: SCRAPBOOK. 
29 Across. Puppies born together: LITTERMATES.
 |
| Ahhhh..... |
48 Across. Last minutes of a blowout game: GARBAGE TIME.
Def.: (noun) the final moments or minutes of a game in which one side has an insurmountable lead, substitutes often enter the game in place of starting players, and scoring is typically easier because of looser defensive play. 
64 Across. Taunts between teams, or an apt description of 16-, 29-, and 48-Across?: TRASH TALK.
Def.: (noun) disparaging, taunting, or boastful comments especially between opponents trying to intimidate each other.
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| Click to enlarge. |
SCRAP, LITTER, and GARBAGE are all synonyms for TRASH.
Works for me -- although I am a bit surprised to see that two of the themers are one-word answers.
Well, let's not waste any more time. We need to sort out the other clues....
1. NFL team that shares SoFi Stadium with the Chargers: RAMS.
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| SoFi Stadium is in Inglewood, CA (about 4 miles from LAX airport). It is the home of the Los Angles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams. The opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Summer Olympics will be held there, as well as the swimming events. |
5. "We __ to please": AIM.
8. Photograph holder: FRAME.
14. Black-and-white ocean predator: ORCA.
15. Blood drive participant: DONOR. Want to lose one pound in ten minutes? Donate a pint of blood.
18. Person on a role?: ACTOR. On a role or IN a role?
19. Walk confidently: STRUT.
John Travolta STRUTs though the opening credits of
Saturday Night Fever (1977).
<H-Gary: I hope this makes up for not including a "good" Disco song last Monday!>
20. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) STRUTs through the crowd in this scene from The Matrix while Neo (Keanu Reeves) tries to keep up.
22. Smooch: KISS.
23. Puerto Rico y Cuba: ISLAS. Spanish is an official language on both of these islands.
25. Cat's noise: MEOW.
27. Actor Aykroyd: DAN. (b. July 1, 1952) Dan was an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player on SNL (1075-1979). He also starred with John Belushi in The Blues Brothers (1980).
Everybody Needs Somebody to Love scene
34. Yale alum: ELI.
35. Winter forecast, often: SNOW.
36. Crow "In your face!," say: GLOAT. today's Easter egg (if C-Eh! agrees)
37. Short hairstyles: BOBS.
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| four Bobs (l to r: Ross, Sponge, Newhart, & Marley) |
39. Body part that's a metaphor for courage: SPINE.
43. Self-mover's van: U-HAUL.
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| This one is for our Florida Cornerites. Ghost Orchids of the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve |
45. Didn't float: SANK.
47. Mauna __: only Hawaiian volcano taller than Mauna Loa: KEA. Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island is the highest mountain on Earth -- if you measure from its base on the ocean floor.
51. "__ away": "I have nothing to hide": ASK.
52. Preworn, say: USED. I USED to love getting hand-me-downs because I wanted to be just like my older siblings and cousins.
53. Subway tracks: RAILS.
55. Permanent mark: SCAR.
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| another reason to NOT use your phone while driving |
58. Pen point: NIB. Yeah, despite years of doing crossword puzzles, I still do not say NIB.
60. Census figures: STATS.
62. Excuse: ALIBI.
67. Walkie-talkie, e.g.: RADIO.
68. Roof overhang: EAVE.
69. Leg bender: KNEE.
70. Brain waves: IDEAS.
71. Genetic material: DNA.
72. Small whirlpool: EDDY. A large whirlpool is an Edward. 😜
Down:
60. Census figures: STATS.
62. Excuse: ALIBI.
67. Walkie-talkie, e.g.: RADIO.
68. Roof overhang: EAVE.
 |
| EAVE on a house on E AVE., perhaps??? |
69. Leg bender: KNEE.
70. Brain waves: IDEAS.
71. Genetic material: DNA.
72. Small whirlpool: EDDY. A large whirlpool is an Edward. 😜
Down:
1. Some QB protectors: RTS. QuarterBacks and Right Tackles
Remember when Dan Marino (former Miami Dolphins QB) used to make Isotoner gloves commercials? (30 sec.) 
3. Spot where cocktails may be shaken or stirred: MARTINI BAR.
4. Practices in the boxing ring: SPARS.
5. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO. An AROmantic has little to no interest in romantic relationships. They may or may not have sexual feelings toward others.
6. Desktop image: ICON.
7. Stubborn reply to a direct order: MAKE ME.
8. Govt. org. that regulates vaccines: FDA. The Food and Drug Administration is a government organization.
9. Gym feature for indoor climbers: ROCK WALL. This video teaches us five fundamentals (2:53 min.).
10. Pro's opposite: ANTI. for & against
11. Cattle sounds: MOOS. Have a laugh at this 1:30 min. video about cow sounds in other languages: 12. Is off the mark: ERRS.
14. Gets: OBTAINS.
17. Yanks: PULLS.
21. Poetic "above": O'ER.
24. Put an end to: STOP.
26. "Srsly!?": OMG. texting shortcuts
"I take care of the hands that take care of me."
2. Eyebrow shapes: ARCS. 
4. Practices in the boxing ring: SPARS.
5. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO. An AROmantic has little to no interest in romantic relationships. They may or may not have sexual feelings toward others.
6. Desktop image: ICON.
7. Stubborn reply to a direct order: MAKE ME.
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| Clint came to mind on this one. |
8. Govt. org. that regulates vaccines: FDA. The Food and Drug Administration is a government organization.
9. Gym feature for indoor climbers: ROCK WALL. This video teaches us five fundamentals (2:53 min.).
10. Pro's opposite: ANTI. for & against
11. Cattle sounds: MOOS. Have a laugh at this 1:30 min. video about cow sounds in other languages: 12. Is off the mark: ERRS.
14. Gets: OBTAINS.
17. Yanks: PULLS.
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| This one never gets old. |
24. Put an end to: STOP.
26. "Srsly!?": OMG. texting shortcuts
27. Fix, as computer code: DEBUG. DEBUG can refer to removing insects, malfunctions, or listening devices.
28. Hawaiian hello: ALOHA. Today's tranquil moment:
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole ~ White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i ~ (1993)
<Picard, I hope this helps.>
30. Surprise in a plot: TWIST. Gotta love a good plot TWIST!
31. Defended one's point of view: TOOK A STAND.
32. Makes less difficult: EASES.
33. Cut of beef, tuna, or cauliflower: STEAK. In the case of cauliflower, we are using this definition of STEAK: a thick slice or piece of a non-meat food especially when prepared or served in the manner of a beef steak.
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| cauliflower STEAK w/ arugula & radish slices recipe |
Opening credits for The Wonder Years ~ (1988-1993) ~ (1 min.)
40. Hair removal brand: NAIR. Apparently NAIR is still in business.
41. All together: EN MASSE. If you had to guess, you would probably say we got this word from French...and you would be correct.
44. __ Vegas: LAS. Their weather forecast for today is partly cloudy with a high of 71°F and a low of 51°F.
46. Country singer Urban: KEITH. (b. Oct. 26, 1967) He was born in New Zealand but grew up in Australia. He has citizenship in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
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| Keith with wife Nicole Kidman at this year's Golden Globes. |
49. Intro to Xer, Yer, and Zer: GEN.
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| It seems the more we label people, the more we focus on differences. |
54. Potato pancake: LATKE. LATKEs are a traditional food during Hanukkah, often referred to as the Festival of Lights.
55. Diwali dress: SARI. SARIs are a traditional dress worn during Diwali, often referred to as the Festival of Lights.
56. Dressed (in): CLAD.
57. Assistant: AIDE.
59. Dietary fiber source: BRAN. A wheat kernal is made up of three parts: The BRAN, endosperm, and germ. Wheat BRAN is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel. During the milling process, the BRAN is stripped away from the wheat kernel and becomes a beneficial byproduct.
61. Winter conveyance: SLED. As it turns out, a famous SLED dog race is happening right now! The 2025 Iditarod started on March 1 and will end on March 16. Find updates about the race, mushers, and dogs here.
63. Apple platform: iOS. iOS is the operating system that runs Apple's mobile devices. It stands for iPhone Operating System.
65. Hannah Einbinder's "Hacks" role: AVA. Hacks is a dramady in its third season on HBO Max. I have not seen it; but, IIRC, SS told us he liked Jean Smart in this show.
66. __ lime pie: KEY.
The grid: 
Today's puzzle might have been about refuse, but I refuse to end without first wishing everyone a wonderful day!
56. Dressed (in): CLAD.
 |
| This family is CLAD in traditional Diwali outfits. |
59. Dietary fiber source: BRAN. A wheat kernal is made up of three parts: The BRAN, endosperm, and germ. Wheat BRAN is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel. During the milling process, the BRAN is stripped away from the wheat kernel and becomes a beneficial byproduct.
61. Winter conveyance: SLED. As it turns out, a famous SLED dog race is happening right now! The 2025 Iditarod started on March 1 and will end on March 16. Find updates about the race, mushers, and dogs here.
65. Hannah Einbinder's "Hacks" role: AVA. Hacks is a dramady in its third season on HBO Max. I have not seen it; but, IIRC, SS told us he liked Jean Smart in this show.
66. __ lime pie: KEY.
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| It is the official state pie of Florida. |
41 comments:
Not the most pleasant puzzle, in terms of a theme. But “a walk in the park,” nonetheless. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Zip, zip, done. Doesn't "celebrating Diwali on Denali" sound better than "celebrating Diwali on Mount McKinley?" Weird that the non-theme vertical 10s are longer than the horizontal themers. Only noticed after the fact. Thanx, Jess, Amie, and sumdaze.
Monday (and usually Tuesday) puzzles are too easy.
Contrary to the theme, there is no junk in this puzzle, straightforward clues and fill made for a quick Monday solve of 6:47. Thank you Jess and Amie for the pleasant start to the week, I’ll never complain about a CW being too easy cuz I know the alternative. sumdaze ~ I always enjoy your bright and cheerful write-ups, thanks for your time putting them together!
FIR, but heart->SPINE.
I knew KEITH, but not that he was married to Tom's ex.
I was a frequent blood DONOR, but since I started blood thinners for afib, they don't want mine anymore.
Bob Seger sang about Her STRUT.
Me: Hi honey. Guess what? I bought a new putter at the course today!
She: Nice one. But what was wrong with the old one?
Me: It didn't float.
Okay boomers - in yesterday's Zits comic strip, in response to his girlfriend's question, Jeramy texts "homework, snack, tiktok, the yoozh." And I thought I hated "totes adorbs" and "srsly."
Reading "cauliflower steak" makes me want to punch someone in the nose.
I just watched a program on Mauna KEA. They have a SNOW sports facility there.
Today I will be exposed to iOS for the first time. Until today my smart phones used the Android platform. There's nothing wrong with my old phone, but OS updates ended a couple of versions ago. Apple supports their phones with OS updates much longer.
Thanks to Jess and Amie for the fun, fast Monday. And thanks to sumdaze for another fine review. My favorite part of today's outing was the caption "It seems the more we label people, the more we focus on differences."
Reminds me of the old gag: "there are two types of people - those who categorize people, and those who don't."
Took 3:32 today to take out the trash.
Why yes, I do think "Hacks" is a great show. It's very well written, and Jean Smart and today's actress (Hannah) are both great.
Today was a SubG endorsed WITP.
FIR. Nothing too difficult and yet one or two curveballs. Aro, OMG, and Ava for example, but the perps were fair.
The theme was lackluster to me and not helpful for the solve.
Overall not my most favorite puzzle.
I saw the trash connection with the second themer. Easy. I think easy Monday and Tuesday puzzles are a good way to attract new solvers. Also they are good for longtime solvers who are developing shaky memories.
Aw! Cute litter mates.
I didn't post yesterday. I thought the big white space in the comments around noon was a failure in the blog and didn't realize I just had to scroll down more.
I had a few red letters so I count it a DNF.
Good Morning:
This was a perfect puzzle for a newbie, as Mondays are meant to be. The cluing and fill were straightforward, there were no obscure references, and the theme was obvious to the solver. Any minor glitches (Aro, Ava, etc.) were handled by the fair and plentiful perps. This seasoned solver, however, quickly and confidently threw in Album but was taken to task when the perps dictated Frame. Hubris tamed, once again. 🤣
Thanks, Jess and Amie, for a fun start to the week and thanks, sumdaze, for entertaining and educating us so charmingly. The puppy litter mates photo was the highlight of your excellent review, but I also chuckled at the kennel-bound pub with his ball and chain, and the John Travolta and Blues Brothers clips.
Have a great day.
Musings
-Coasters: “Take out the papers and the TRASH” Yakety Yak, Don’t Talk Back
-Larry Bird is said to be the master of TRASH talk
-If you STRUT, GLOAT and TRASH TALK, you’d better be able to back it up
-All is forgiven, Sumdaze! The Bee Gees harmonized all through my commenting today! :-)
-The US Census no longer asks about religion, citizenship status, or political affiliation.
-The census is testing “Gender assigned at birth” followed by “Current gender identity”
-Bob Newhart awakening from a dream was a plot TWIST that really floored me
-GEN X, Y and Z. Like them, we baby boomers don’t all have the same characteristics
-Somehow Diwali has stuck in my brain pan and so SARI is a natural fill
-It’s going to be 74F on the Great Plains today! Any guesses on what I’ll be doing?
Jinx, I fear we’ll see “Yoozh” in a puzzle sooner than we’d like!
I don’t do the Sunday puzzle so it’s was a shock to the system to go from last Saturday’s disaster to today’s park in the walk 😀 (Saturday clue: “Econ Course” today “census figures” …. both for STATS)
Cauley flower STEAK? (Medium rare or well done?) add a lobster mold made from mash potato’s … vwala…. Surf & Turf ðŸ¤
“Bedroom communities”, immediately filled with suburbs too short then suburban too wrong.
This Boomer can’t keep all the GENs str8! …
ARO? Really? And I agree, isn’t it “Person in a role”?
Sumdaze, liked Eddy/Edward 😀….was gonna say, are we naming whirlpools now? My large capacity Whirlpool is Marge.
HG: I agree the TWIST end of the second Bob Newhart show awakening from a dream about the first was incredible.
Try this ___ new high fiber cereal…. BRAN
Gossip among garbage men … TRASH TALK
I like ___ new short hair style … BOBS
KEA is more elevated while the other Mauna is___ LOA.
The concert hall was robbed , the thief even ____ TOOK A STAND
Happy week, 😀
The US Census is required by the Constitution, but only for the purpose of allocating members of the House of Representatives. I received a questionnaire a month or two ago asking all kinds of stuff, like number of bathrooms in my home and my income. I noted "already reported to the IRS" for the income question, and left the other nosy questions blank. If I disappear from the Corner, it's probably because the Census SWAT squad has hauled me away.
Good morning! I enjoyed looking through all the LITTERMATES photo options this week.
YP@7:18 "No junk". Good one!
Jinx@7:20. I thought the same thing when I read yesterday's Zits comic.
H-Gary@9:34. Great example of a TWIST. Enjoy your round of golf!
Any puzzle (like a great dinner) that ends with KEY Lime Pie is a winner in my book. I had my first taste of it a few days after moving to Florida some 40-odd years ago, and it's still one of my all-time favs.
29A & 48A theme fills are longer than 10.
OY! They are perfect for this CW struggler!
An easy Monday puzzle with no surprises and ONE unknown-AVA.
Seriously, I don't like SRSLY.
A little TRASH TALK that most women haven seen. In some men's bathrooms there are signs above the urinals that read:
"We AIM to please, please AIM."
If you look at the floor, a lot of men have a bad AIM.
Wow. For the first time, I filled a puzzle using only the across clues! Didn't see the downs 'til I got to sumdazes review. What a lovely start to the week! (I'll take easy once in a while.)
What's "74F"? Not knowing this, my best guess is you will be harvesting cauliflowers to make steaks?
Should you find yourself in FLL, go to 15th Street Fisheries and order their version of Key Lime Pie, it's really something special. If you go, aim to be there around 5:30, when they feed the tarpon.
I've seen, "We aim to please, you aim too, please!"
I loved this CW for a number of reasons: fast and easy solve (all time fastest solve time of 6 minutes) and very few names, only 9, only 1 DNK. Too many names is my usual criticism, so VERY happy with this lack of names. Only W/O: loa:KEA. The clue about a team being far ahead reminds of "How to lose a game: give up playing the way you played to get the big lead, and start playing 'not to lose', instead." Thanx, JS & AW for this wonderful CW. Thanx too to Sumdaze for all the time and effort put in for our entertainment. But wait...the Swimming Events are gonna be at SoFi? They don't have a pool!!
74 degrees Fahrenheit. Perfect for our Saturday sherpa to use implements of destruction on his local golf course.
I had a sailing buddy who ran the southwest division of a restaurant equipment supply company. His favorite product was a urinal strainer imprinted with a target on the top.
OT
The constructor of today's NYT puzzle is my long-time friend & LAT puzzle editor, Patti Varol. It's a good one.
Neat Monday puzzle, many thanks, Jess and Amie. And I always enjoy your commentary, Sumdaze, and I too loved seeing those sweet puppies. Thanks for that too.
Well, the comments in this puzzle suggested that an ACTOR might worry that if he ended up in a SCRAPBOOK, the DONOR might AIM to create a TRAP to FRAME him for any errors that he'd made. So he hired an EDITOR to help him TAKE A STAND to get rid of any TRASH TALK or GARBAGE concerning his career, and make sure he had an ALIBI for any accusations. His IDEAS worked and he said ALOHA! when he read the article, and went off to celebrate with his editor at the MARTINI BAR.
Have a good day, everybody.
Yep, that's a good one. But truth be told, I've tried many from Palm Beach down though Key West and I'm rarely disappointed. For the uninitiated, key limes are small, about the size of a golf ball, and their tartness is what helps make the pies special. Note the filling should be yellow (not green!) on a graham cracker crust. Add a dollop of whipped cream...delish!
Fun! Try downs-only next Monday, seems harder somehow. In either case, it turns an easy puzzle into a surprising challenge. No peeking at the other (down or across) clues!
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Jess and Annie, and sumdaze.
I FIRed in good time and saw the TRASH TAKK theme early in the game.
Great catch on the GLOAT Easter Egg, sumdaze! (And HuskerG included STRUT which although not verbal TALK, can be seen as body language.)
Silly mistakes quickly fixed were the only inkblots today.
Sunk changed to SANK.
How could I have entered Ben for Canadian DAN Ackroyd?!
I entered Loa before I saw it in the question. REA was needed.
I noted RAMS crossing RTS.
We had MOOS and MEOW.
When I heard that DIL’s mother was wearing a SARI with gold thread pattern for the wedding, I knew that I did not need to worry about my “mother-of-the groom” dress outshining the mother-of-the bride’s outfit.
Wishing you all a great day.
Gen X, Y and Zers have phones full of photos, but never print them to put in an Album, and rarely put them in a FRAME. But when my kids and grandkids visit, they love looking at all the 43 years of picture albums.
Here I stood on the RAILS along the beach here.
sumdaze Thanks for trying to EASE the insanity with some ALOHA music. It will take some court rulings to MAKE ME feel better.
From Last Night:
Thank you for the book reference about a previous era of insanity that we are still living with.
Misty’s story today picks a different theme out of the CWs. I will encrypt mine and you can DEBUG if you choose.
It seems to be 48A, when we hear 64A with 19A and 36A everywhere on 67A and TV, as your bad 18A 53A and seems 10D to everything in our 71A. At first, we said 26D, and felt as if we had received a 69A in the gut, and come up against a 9D, but now we united 41D, stiffened our 39A and 31D. Please 24D, as these 4D are creating a deep 55A that will be a long time before it 32D. Don’t 7D have an 50D view of those who formerly said 28D. We will all 42A and 22A Entre Amis* goodbye.
Elbows up!
* https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/between-friends-%2F-entre-amis/9780771067181.html
I ate key lime pie every night of my trip up and down the Keys and was never disappointed.
WEES. Easy and nice Monday puzzle.
Thank you sumdaze for some good info.
Today it was my turn to wait while DH endured a medical procedure. Pencil and paper in hand, today's puzzle provided a happy distraction. With my cell phone volume down low, I was buoyed by watching John Travolta's strut. Thanks, sumdaze! Delightful puzzle, Jess and Amie!
46D: a CSO to moi 😊
Well said!
600$ Yikes. I’ll wait till Netflix makes it into a limited series. 😀
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