Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Theme: Wisdom Teeth
Let's begin with the reveal:
64 Across. Molar, or a feature of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 50-Across: BACK TOOTH. A molar is a TOOTH towards the BACK of a human's mouth. Our clever constructor Kit has also found words such that TOOTH can be added behind (in BACK of) them to create new, in-the-language terms. Here they are:
Also, in case you missed it, CED shared this funny meme with us last Tuesday. Here's one more: 
SHARK TOOTH. Several of my male friends sported these necklaces in the 1980s. 
24 Across. Hunting dogs with a keen sense of smell: BLOODHOUNDS.
 |
Trumpet was the first BLOODHOUND to win Best in Show at Westminster (2022). |
HOUNDSTOOTH. You do not have to twist my arm to try on anything with this pattern.
39 Across. Completely unexpected revelation: BOLT FROM THE BLUE. This expression is new to me. Its meaning is as defined in the clue. It was first used in the mid-1800s. We have readers from across North America. Perhaps one of you is familiar with this expression and can tell us more.
BLUETOOTH. It is wireless technology that allows you to connect your devices over a short distance.
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| The Bluetooth logo is a bind rune merging the Younger Futhark runes (Hagall) (ᚼ) and (Bjarkan) (ᛒ), King Harald Bluetooth’s initials. He was the one who united Scandinavia. Get it? He connected them. |
50 Across. Like chocolate with a high cacao percentage: BITTERSWEET. Most recipes for chocolate chip cookies call for semi-sweet chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate contains 70% cacao, has less sugar, and has a deeper flavor than semisweet chocolate, which has 60% cacao. One can substitute these chocolates for each other in most recipes.
BITTERSWEET is also this very cool 1990 song by Big Head Todd and the Monsters: SWEET TOOTH. This idiom is a way of saying someone has fondness for sweet foods. ✋
There's more:
Across:
16. One of two on a 747: AISLE. A 747 is an airplane with two AISLEs running lengthwise down the plane.
19. Spot for a brooch: LAPEL.
20. Tennis great Williams: SERENA. She is also a fashion designer. Here she is modeling one of her fashion designs.
21. "Quiet on the __!": SET.
23. Color named for a duck: TEAL. There are several different types of TEAL ducks. This photo is of a male and female blue-winged TEAL.
27. Less likely to back down: FIERCER.
31. Puts a name to: IDS. Think of someone ID-ing a criminal.
32. Hoped-for result of a brainstorming session: IDEA.
33. Super Mario brother: LUIGI. According to the internet, Mario is known for his red hat and blue overalls while Luigi often wears green. They are both plumbers and are known for their adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they often rescue Princess Peach from the antagonist Bowser.
36. Stately tree: ELM. I listen to Alan Titchmarsh's podcasts on BBC Gardener's World. He often recommends people plant English ELMs for their hedgerow. Here is a pic.
43. Sneaky: SLY.
44. Allows to use temporarily: LENDS. A library comes to mind.
45. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. (b. May 16, 1955 in Belarus) She won six medals in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and was the inaugural inductee to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1988.
46. No longer fashionable: OUT. and 41 Down. Fashionable again: RETRO.
47. 1960s TV role for Diana Rigg: MRS. PEEL. I had to look this one up to get the "P". Diana Rigg (1938-2020) was an English actress who played Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers (1965-1968).
55. Textbook section: UNIT.
56. "__ la la!": OOH.
57. Philadelphia NFLers: EAGLES. and 71 Across. 57-Across, for one: TEAM.
1. Kissing pair: LIPS.
2. Sunburn soother: ALOE.
3. Fashion's Christian: DIOR. There is a bit of a fashion sub-theme going on today.
4. Christmas season: YULE.
5. Spanish Mrs.: SRA. Hmmmm..... "Mrs." is in the answer to 47-Across so we should not see it in a clue.
6. Upper body: TORSO.
7. Jabbed: POKED.
8. Orioles great Ripken: CAL. If you do not know who Cal Ripken is, you should. You can learn about him here.
9. Temporary break: HIATUS. HIATUS is a fun word. Its etymological origin is from Latin's hiare, meaning "to yawn". When you think about it, we do take a temporary break when we yawn.
10. Colorado ski town: ASPEN.
11. Beseech: PLEAD.
12. Exchanges for cash: SELLS.
14. Rachel Maddow's network: MSNBC.
18. In fine fettle: HALE. Fettle, like HALE, is a word seldom heard these days. The definition of fettle is (noun) state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form. It also has a verb meaning.
22. Quadriceps locale: THIGH.
25. Synthetic fabric pioneered by DuPont: ORLON. Its texture is wool-like. more detes here
26. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.
27. Trivial lies: FIBS.
28. Object of adoration: IDOL.
29. Too wriggly to get hold of: EELY.
30. Rodent in a subway tunnel: RAT. Freakonomics recently did a three-part podcast series on RATs. I learned that one rat female can have up to 72 pups per year. (Yes, they're called "pups".) A rat pair having offspring and those offspring having offspring can add up to 1,200 rats born in one year just from the original pair. Oof!
34. College Park sch.: UMD. The University of Maryland is located in College Park, Maryland.
35. "Who's there?" reply: IT'S ME. This made me think of this 1981 Men at Work song:
36. French pronoun: ELLE.
37. Olympics sled: LUGE.
38. Lunch or brunch: MEAL.
40. Chimney part: FLUE.
42. Jazz style: BOP. As I said at 47-A, I had to look up the "P". For some reason my concepts of Jazz and Bop were not on the same page. Perhaps I was confusing BOP with Doo-Wop. Learning moment. BOP can be short for bebop, a style of jazz.
46. Playful river mammals: OTTERS. The subjects of this 57-sec. video are sea OTTERS, not river OTTERS, but I think you will like it anyway. To really appreciate the OTTER'S actions at the end, you need to know that OTTERS have a pocket-like flap of skin in their armpits that they use to carry a favorite rock to use for opening shellfish.
48. Really stink: REEK.
49. Data for a sports analyst: STATS.
60. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.
61. Phony: SHAM.
63. "What'd I tell ya?": SEE.
65. Massachusetts cape named for a fish: COD. Cape Cod was named by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 with a nod to the abundance of codfish in the area.
1. "A Star Is Born" star __ Gaga: LADY. Here she sings Shallow with Bradley Cooper in this video composed of movie scenes. She co-wrote this song for the movie.
5. Gas additive brand that's a longtime NASCAR sponsor: STP.
8. Blokes: CHAPS.
13. Largest bone of the pelvis: ILIUM.
5. Gas additive brand that's a longtime NASCAR sponsor: STP.
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| Constructors love this product as much as NASCAR does. |
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| a CHAP wearing CHAPs to protect him from CHAPparral |
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| I remember this one because in Yoga we stretch the iliopsoas muscles. |
15. Kanga's kid: ROO. characters from Winnie the Pooh
16. One of two on a 747: AISLE. A 747 is an airplane with two AISLEs running lengthwise down the plane.
20. Tennis great Williams: SERENA. She is also a fashion designer. Here she is modeling one of her fashion designs.
23. Color named for a duck: TEAL. There are several different types of TEAL ducks. This photo is of a male and female blue-winged TEAL.
27. Less likely to back down: FIERCER.
31. Puts a name to: IDS. Think of someone ID-ing a criminal.
32. Hoped-for result of a brainstorming session: IDEA.
33. Super Mario brother: LUIGI. According to the internet, Mario is known for his red hat and blue overalls while Luigi often wears green. They are both plumbers and are known for their adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they often rescue Princess Peach from the antagonist Bowser.
36. Stately tree: ELM. I listen to Alan Titchmarsh's podcasts on BBC Gardener's World. He often recommends people plant English ELMs for their hedgerow. Here is a pic.
44. Allows to use temporarily: LENDS. A library comes to mind.
45. Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. (b. May 16, 1955 in Belarus) She won six medals in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and was the inaugural inductee to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1988.
46. No longer fashionable: OUT. and 41 Down. Fashionable again: RETRO.
 |
| This was Heidi Klum's tagline on Project Runway. |
47. 1960s TV role for Diana Rigg: MRS. PEEL. I had to look this one up to get the "P". Diana Rigg (1938-2020) was an English actress who played Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers (1965-1968).
55. Textbook section: UNIT.
56. "__ la la!": OOH.
57. Philadelphia NFLers: EAGLES. and 71 Across. 57-Across, for one: TEAM.
aka this year's Super Bowl champions
Also, is anyone else spying on the bald EAGLES, Shadow & Jackie? Their three eggs hatched the first week of March. Watch as they bring fish from the nearby lake to feed the eaglets. If you hear one of the parents call out, the other will arrive soon. Their devotion is inspiring!
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| I grabbed this screenshot last Wednesday. That silver thing between Shadow's feet is a fish. You can watch the live cam here. |
62. Fixed prices: RATES. Fixed is an adjective here, not a verb.
66. Drum kit component: SNARE.
67. "Mr. Blue Sky" gp.: ELO. This song peaked at #35 in the US Billboard Charts. Here you go, a ticket back to 1977:
68. __ Monica, California: SANTA.
69. On edge: TENSE.
70. Raspberry shade: RED.
Down:
66. Drum kit component: SNARE.
67. "Mr. Blue Sky" gp.: ELO. This song peaked at #35 in the US Billboard Charts. Here you go, a ticket back to 1977:
68. __ Monica, California: SANTA.
70. Raspberry shade: RED.
 |
| This shade goes well on 1-D. |
1. Kissing pair: LIPS.
2. Sunburn soother: ALOE.
4. Christmas season: YULE.
5. Spanish Mrs.: SRA. Hmmmm..... "Mrs." is in the answer to 47-Across so we should not see it in a clue.
6. Upper body: TORSO.
7. Jabbed: POKED.
8. Orioles great Ripken: CAL. If you do not know who Cal Ripken is, you should. You can learn about him here.
9. Temporary break: HIATUS. HIATUS is a fun word. Its etymological origin is from Latin's hiare, meaning "to yawn". When you think about it, we do take a temporary break when we yawn.
10. Colorado ski town: ASPEN.
11. Beseech: PLEAD.
12. Exchanges for cash: SELLS.
14. Rachel Maddow's network: MSNBC.
18. In fine fettle: HALE. Fettle, like HALE, is a word seldom heard these days. The definition of fettle is (noun) state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form. It also has a verb meaning.
22. Quadriceps locale: THIGH.
25. Synthetic fabric pioneered by DuPont: ORLON. Its texture is wool-like. more detes here
26. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.
28. Object of adoration: IDOL.
29. Too wriggly to get hold of: EELY.
30. Rodent in a subway tunnel: RAT. Freakonomics recently did a three-part podcast series on RATs. I learned that one rat female can have up to 72 pups per year. (Yes, they're called "pups".) A rat pair having offspring and those offspring having offspring can add up to 1,200 rats born in one year just from the original pair. Oof!
34. College Park sch.: UMD. The University of Maryland is located in College Park, Maryland.
35. "Who's there?" reply: IT'S ME. This made me think of this 1981 Men at Work song:
36. French pronoun: ELLE.
37. Olympics sled: LUGE.
40. Chimney part: FLUE.
42. Jazz style: BOP. As I said at 47-A, I had to look up the "P". For some reason my concepts of Jazz and Bop were not on the same page. Perhaps I was confusing BOP with Doo-Wop. Learning moment. BOP can be short for bebop, a style of jazz.
46. Playful river mammals: OTTERS. The subjects of this 57-sec. video are sea OTTERS, not river OTTERS, but I think you will like it anyway. To really appreciate the OTTER'S actions at the end, you need to know that OTTERS have a pocket-like flap of skin in their armpits that they use to carry a favorite rock to use for opening shellfish.
48. Really stink: REEK.
49. Data for a sports analyst: STATS.
Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt in the 2011 movie Moneyball (2:46 min)
I loved this movie but I loved, loved, loved the book.
50. Sudden outbreak: BURST.
51. Vapid: INANE. Our inanehiker is the opposite of vapid. She is quite sensible.
52. Pre-Olympian god of Greek mythology: TITAN.
53. Temperate: SOBER.
54. Mammal that feeds on krill: WHALE.
58. One looking after the kids?: GOAT.
51. Vapid: INANE. Our inanehiker is the opposite of vapid. She is quite sensible.
52. Pre-Olympian god of Greek mythology: TITAN.
53. Temperate: SOBER.
54. Mammal that feeds on krill: WHALE.
58. One looking after the kids?: GOAT.
two minutes of hoppy kid GOATs
59. One and only: LONE.
60. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.
61. Phony: SHAM.
63. "What'd I tell ya?": SEE.
65. Massachusetts cape named for a fish: COD. Cape Cod was named by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 with a nod to the abundance of codfish in the area.
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| Atlantic COD |
Here is today's grid:
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| This might be an LA Times debut for Kit Sheffield. If so, congratulations! |
45 comments:
As to the reveal, I admit
I didn’t see that coming. Nevertheless, this was another Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
This was a toothsome offering, even though d-o failed to notice the dental connection. But the LUGE did go downhill fast, completing this one, Wite-Out free, in five minutes flat. Thanx, Kit and sumdaze. (I've always interpreted BOLT FROM THE BLUE to be unexpected, like a bolt of lightning from a blue sky.)
TEAL: A pair of whistling ducks has taken a big interest in our woodlot. Plenty of rain this winter turned it into a shallow pond -- just ducky. We think they may be planning a nesting spot nearby.
EAGLES: Yes, we've been watching them. The third one took a long time to hatch. Now, only two eaglets remain. Not sure why one is gone. And not certain if that was the third arrival.
Hi there~!
I am so pleased to see Big Head Todd and the Monsters, sumdaze~! Very cool, and some great comics as well - I'm looking at you, aloe. . . .
Splynter
FIR without erasure.
I've always heard DO's explanation of BOLT FROM THE BLUE as well. IIRC, it happens in very dry systems, where the friction of warm air rising causes enough static charge to produce a lightning BOLT, but the rising air doesn't reach its dew point and so a cloud isn't formed.
At least in business, an IDEA isn't the result of brainstorming, rather IDEAs are inputs to the process. The intent is to generate a lot of IDEAs in a short time. The reason it works is that when someone speaks, it often triggers others to think of something they hadn't thought of before. In a brainstorming session there are never bad ideas, and duplicates are OK. Only after the session ends are the ideas grouped to consolidate similar ideas, then those are evaluated for practicality and effectiveness.
Mrs. Peel - my fantasy in my tweens.
I had an office at 100 Wilshire Blvd that overlooked the SANTA Monica Pier.
In 1891, Member of Parliament Charles Dilke said "there are three degrees of untruth—a FIB, a lie, and statistics."
Thanks to Kit for the fun Monday romp, and to sumdaze for another chuckle fest. BTW, I use that "who could it be now" segment as my ringtone.
If we’ve been watching the same EAGLE cam, I believe the latest hatching one didn’t make it.
sumdaze--
I agree with DO and Jinx on the derivation of BOLT FROM THE BLUE. The key is the unexpectedness and suddenness of the event, and how surprising it is. It is an idiom where the figurative meaning has not strayed very far from the literal. My idiom dictionary has an early use of it from Thomas Carlyle in 1837: "Arrestment, sudden really as a bolt out of the blue, has hit strange victims." Interestingly, the idiom OUT OF THE BLUE, which is perhaps used more today, comes from the BOLT idiom, and means the same thing.
Took 3:51 today to bite down on this one.
I agree with SubG in the pole position that this was a WITP.
I also loved the Big Head Todd & the Monsters reference, sumdaze. I don't go to many concerts, but I saw them perform in 1993 or 1994, and I will see them perform at Red Rocks later this year. Seeing a concert at Red Rocks has been a bucket list item for me for a long time.
FIR. A super easy Monday puzzle. Didn't even pay attention to the theme as I zipped through this.
I probably spent the most time figuring out the theme from the reveal, and that wasn't long.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
This was an enjoyable start to the week, Kit. Straightforward puzzle with a fun theme. And except for ALOE, you somehow managed to dodge all those other annoying overused staples. Well done!
Monday is my duplicate bridge day, so I need to leave. Maybe my partner or I will make a brilliant and surprising play that will seem like a BOLT FROM THE BLUE to our opponents.
Thnks again, Kim, for your refreshing Monday-appropriate challenge that was fun to solve. And thanks, sumdaze, for your usual amusing and helpful recap.
Good Morning:
This was a typical quick and easy solve, but the reveal was a total surprise. Strong themers and a few thought-provoking clues raised the Monday bar a little, which is fine by me.
Thanks, Kit, and congrats if this is a debut and thanks, Hahtoolah, for a fun and enlightening review. Loved the Aloe Ala Mode comic and, also, the otter and goats video. Thanks for the Intro and the Coda Irish references!
Happy St. Paddy’s Day! 🍀🍀🍀
The Moneyball clip features Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Kim and sumdaze.
I FIRed in good time, but there was a little crunch for a Monday.
I was trying to fit BOLT out of THE BLUE into 39A, as that is how I know the expression. (See TKen@7:47 re original use of the expression)
One inkblot to change sole to LONE.
54A gave me pause, as I had the HA but knew it couldn’t be another SHARK.
AMD was all perps for this Canadian.
It has been my experience that if you keep a fashion item that is OUT long enough, it will become RETRO. I wore a beloved pair of HOUNDSTOOTH wide-legged pants, that had survived closet clean out for over forty years, to 2024 Christmas parties.
Wishing you all a great day.
Typical of a Monday, this was no pain in the ILIUM to FIR in 8 flat. Only a couple DNKs, MRS PEEL among them. A Seinfeld quote “clothes should come with an expiration date so we would know when they go OUT of style”. CHAPs and LIPS sorta go together. Somehow I’m not familiar with Big Head Todd 🤷♂️. In addition to the fashion sub theme, there’s also one of body parts besides TOOTH, TORSO, THIGH, LIPS. Is Jeff Wex on HIATUS, haven’t seen his byline in ages? Thanks Kit for today’s construction, and to sumdaze for sharing your um, wisdom!
“An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth”. Cheers 🍻☘️
Musings
-My HOUNDS TOOTH sport coat is over 40 years old and I still wear it. Is it RETRO or OUT? Don't know, don't care. :-)
-The origin of the term BLUETOOTH is as cryptic as a lot of other techspeak.
-I remember finding a huge bar of BITTERSWEET Hershey’s chocolate in mom’s cupboard. I only saw the word Hershey and the familiar color of the wrapper. Yup, one big bite later I knew something was wrong.
-Hip pads to protect the ILIUM are among the many pads FB players don
-An EAGLE’S nest is part of the KSC tour
-Before TV shows go on HIATUS, they have a “cliffhanger” episode that makes you want to come back for more. The one for The Lincoln Lawyer has me wanting more.
-I second the motion on inanehiker. She, her Lincoln friend and I had a great lunch last year.
-This is one of several sweet videos showing WHALES allowing humans to remove thousands of barnacles by compassionate humans.
-Lovely summation, Renee!
Typical Monday but I completely forgot about the theme 🦷…. Molar: I was such a smart kid, then I had my wisdom teeth removed 😲
ILIUM: pelvic bone, Ileum: second part of the small intestine (jejunum the first)
To broach the subject of how to pronounce “brooch” (it’s apparently “broach”.) “quadriceps” cuz when it comes to the THIGH muscles “four heads” are better than one. Remember the famous subway tunnel pizza RAT 🐀🍕
Thought it was POOL SHARp…. Lady GAGA: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta…. LUIGI , (Super Mario Brothers: The ultimate stereotype)
At 15 y o my heart would start fluttering and other things happen when Emma Peel showed up in her tight black leather cat suit 😰…. Now I just take meds for atrial flutter 🥺
Look guys those folks are waving ____ … HIATUS 👋🏿
TV audio failure result, “quiet on the ___ “ … SET.
They nag for serum donations. BLOODHOUNDS
Slippery 60’s TV Tarzan (the vines kept sliding out of his hands): Ron ___ EELY
Which of you salts is Cap’n Hook’s first mate? ___ ….ITSME.
😀
Oops, sorry. What was I thinking? I fixed it. Thanks!
H-Gary, thanks for the whale video! I didn't know people did that.
San Patrizio
St Joseph’s Day March 19 is Fathers Day in Italy. While at university there I went looking for a greeting card to send my father back home. I asked the clerk if they might have St Patrick’s Day cards too. She said no but was curious how we celebrate the day in the US. “Is it a religious holiday, do you go to mass?” To her look of shock I answered “No we have a parade then everyone gets drunk”
☘️ 🍻
RE: EAGLE cam. I took that screenshot last Wed. They had a big storm with over 2 ft. of snow on Thurs. & Fri. Sadly, one of the babies did not make it. I agree with YP that it was likely the last one born. Nature can be harsh! I'm happy to see the other two are up and eating this morning.
Thanks, TK. I am familiar with "Out of the blue". It makes sense that it came from BOLT FROM THE BLUE.
A quick FIR in 8, in spite of the 20 names, maybe because I DNK only 3. Thanx KS for the fun, and thanx Sumdaze for the nice write-up. I did not see the reveal until Sumdaze 'splained it. Happy St. Pat's Day! Go have a green beer at your closest Irish bar. Here in FLL there are plenty of choices, but my fave hangout, the Quarterdeck, is also offering corned beef sandwiches or c.b. & cabbage dinners.
YP here - yes sumdaze that is the same cam I’ve been following, amazing how the mother protected her babies as she was half buried in the nest!
Zipped through this at warp speed, so quickly that I flew right by the gimmick 'til the fair sumdaze 'splained it to me! Sure an' it's time for me to check and see how the corned beef is comin' along. A happy St. Pats to all!
Sincere apologies to sumdaze for not giving her proper credit for today’s review. Can I blame those impish Leprechauns for distracting me? ☘️
A nice Monday morning puzzle by Kit Sheffield, beautifully illustrated and set to music by Sumdaze! Many thanks to both of you.
D-O at 5:30 AM nailed the meaning of BOLT FROM THE BLUE. Jinx at 6:51 AM explained the physics. TKen at 7:47 AM related it to "out of THE BLUE." Great TEAM work!
HOUNDStooth is a pattern, BLUEtooth is a technology, and SWEET tooth is a flavor preference -- but SHARK tooth is just a tooth. I know people used to collect them or wear them, but couldn't it have been OTTER tooth, RAT tooth, or any other animal's tooth as well? For me, SHARK tooth didn't have quite the same kind of twist as the others. That's just me, going over it with a fine TOOTH comb.
Mindless wanderings:
Was reminded of the wisdom tooth they removed that I thought was growing out sideways. When they showed it to me, it turned out the roots were completely straight, and it had a 45 degree bend in the middle!?
Mrs Peel reminded me that Alton Brown named his Pizza Peel "Emma." Which also reminded me of how hard it can be to transfer that raw doughy pizza into the oven. I have always wondered if a combo pizza peel and parchment paper gadget would be helpful, like this...
I enjoyed solving this puzzle.
PILOT became AISLE. TRA became OOH. HIHAT became SNARE.
My wife likes Christian DIOR fashions and is happy that her initials are CD.
Many of my high-school classmates went to Penn State in College Park, PA, so I had a small stumble at this entry.
Sometimes I say IT'S ME so fast it sounds like SMEE. My longtime friend Sherif told me his wife says his name so fast it sounds like Shreef.
Yep, I thought of inanehiker at INANE.
I am up early (early for me, anyway) to drive my wife to her radiation appointment today. Usually I don't post here until midafternoon Pacific time.
Good reading you all.
I solved this very quickly and easily, as most others have done. No unfamiliar fill.
I do not care for nitpicky rules, such as, if Mrs. is in a clue, it should not be in an answer. Why not?
I remember only the Avengers series featuring Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel from 1965-1967. I didn't watch the other series. She was cool and the interaction between Mrs. Peel and Steed was interesting.
I wanted "out of the blue," but it was too short. I have heard "bolt from the blue," but not as frequently. I agree that its image is a lightning bolt coming unexpectedly from a blue sky. "The phrase "a bolt from the blue," meaning something sudden and unexpected, first appeared in English in Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution in 1837, where he wrote "...sudden really as a bolt out of the Blue...". Maybe Carlyle invented it.
I agree with Naomi that shark tooth is not as worthy as the other themers where the answers were not actual teeth..
I’m more familiar with out of THE BLUE.
EELY, ELM, and ETTA, are “near-miss” staples.
And ELLE.
Fun Monday puzzle, many thanks, Kit. And thanks too for your always helpful commentary, Sumdaze--always appreciated.
Well, it seemed possible that LUIGI and his LADY had some TENSE and BITTER SWEET moments when, like a BOLT FROM THE BLUE, they learned that the money they had won may have come from a SHAM of some sort. They had already spent some of it on cool DIOR clothes made of ORLON, and had made a delightful trip to ASPEN and surrounding areas, where they visited lots of interesting wild animals. They saw hunters accompanied by BULL HOUNDS, and OTTERS in the river and a WHALE in the sea, and EAGLES flying around everywhere, and even a little GOAT near a farm. They stayed SOBER the whole time on their trip, and not too long after they got home they learned that their threat of a SHAM was itself a SHAM. What a relief!
Have a delightful week coming up, everybody.
Not sure if anyone else sees this problem, but I hereby am ending the italics.
It should be gone now.
U-Fred, I wonder if the Fort Liquordale Quarterdeck is a reincarnation of the one that was in Key Colony Beach, but closed years ago. My buddy owned a duplex across a canal from it, and we went there a lot when I was visiting. One day a week (Mondays?) they had Buffalo wings for, you guessed it, a quarter each.
I thought PSU was in State College, PA. DW worked at PSU's Entomology department as a young woman, and sometimes I bug her about that.
Hola! this puzzle was SWEET but not BITTERSWEET. I liked seeing LADY Gaga and MRS PEEL. How I enjoyed seeing her on TV. She did wonders with her lithe and graceful body. Many years later she appeared briefly on "Creatures Great and Small" on PBS in a greatly matured body. The same with OLGA Korbut; what a wonderful athlete!
Thank you, sumdaze, for he recap.
Jinx, you are right. The name of the Pennsylvania town is State College.
"Bug" haha!
Picard & Jinx. I'm sorry guys but I removed your political posts. I understand that these have been controversial days and people feel a need to talk about it. I also understand that other people are tired of encountering these discussions everywhere and come to The Corner to get a break from it.
Peace.
Oops! I think I forgot to comment today on this easy Monday puzzle. All good. I remember MRS PEEL. I loved the Avengers.
Thanks sumdaze for á terrific recap, and for your devotion to peace.
sumdaze Goodbye for awhile. I can't participate and stay silent when such horrors are happening. "Silence is consent." Maybe soon I will see enough hope to change my feelings. Thanks.
Thanks.
To Picard, I hope you change your mind about participating. We cannot stay silent!! I for one always look forward to your comments!
Anon at 7:08PM Thank you for the words of encouragement. I will continue to read Crossword Corner. Things may change. Not sure when. Thank you.
Quick Monday with a clever theme- it went fast enough that a lot of the vertical answers were filled in by the horizontals - so I came here to find that there was an INANE CSO.
I was so impressed with Diana RIGG as an actress in the Avengers and also the original Mission:Impossible TV series
I didn't know the "Mr Blue Sky" song but ELO was an Ektorp
Thanks Renee for the entertaining blog and Kit for the creative puzzle
I don't understand those comments about Italics. I have not seen any.
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