Theme: Waiting for the big BUILD-UP
Hmm ... where to begin today ... do we talk about the theme (based on the reveal in 25-down)? Do we talk about having another "easy Friday" solve? Do we talk about some rather hackneyed entries/clues?
I address them all, so don't worry about any big "build-up" in today's puzzle re-cap
First - the theme: 25-down. Create high expectations for, or an apt description of the first part of the answer to each starred clue: BUILD-UP (note that the first word of each entry answer below is highlighted in red)
Second - the ease of solving: I solve the puzzles using "Across Lite" software. This software contains a timer, separate from the grid. I don't type nearly as quickly as I solve, and I often have to backspace and/or erase rogue letters I've entered. I also like to take a sip of coffee (or another beverage) whilst solving, so I will never win a prize for being the fastest. But today, I managed to get this in about 7 minutes:30 seconds. That, to me, is not what a "Friday puzzle" should "feel like"
Third - the hackneyed entries (and clues): I will address these within the text of my recap below
Can we all agree that whenever we solve a crossword puzzle - regardless of the venue - we have a certain "build-up" of expectation? Are we wondering on what clever corridor the constructor took us? I know I do. I am always looking for the "aha" moment when the final letter is placed in the grid, and/or the reveal is, well, revealed. So, if anyone had trouble sussing this today, please allow me to "emarf" my answer. Here are the "theme entries":
5-down. *Snappy dresser: NOIHSAF PLATE. The word "FASHION" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid
11-down. *Many a rejection notice: MROF LETTER. The word "FORM" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid
23-down. *Pillar of society: LEDOM CITIZEN. The word "MODEL" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid
29-down. *Mutate: EPAHS SHIFT. The word "SHAPE" is inverted and/or built "UP" in the puzzle grid
FASHION, FORM, MODEL, and SHAPE are all synonyms of the word "build" (when used as a verb)
This is Noelle's third puzzle @ LA Times. Her two previous ones were in 2024 and appeared on a Monday and Tuesday. I think that this one, too, should have been featured on an early-in-the-week day
Level of difficulty (Mohs hardness scale rating): 2.5 out of 10
Let's examine the grid and then the rest of the entries:
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The Grid |
1. Country made up of 14,125 islands: JAPAN. This was a learning moment (for me) but also my first choice. I sneaked a peek at 1-down and knew that it had to start with a "J" 🗾
6. Vegetable with a lacinato variety: KALE. Odd clue / odd vegetable; solved with a perp or two
10. License issuers, for short: DMVS. Plurals of abbrs are not my favorite entries
14. Budget, in brand names: ECONO. Budget is also a brand name of a rental car company
15. Storm centers: EYES. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
16. Part of the HOMES mnemonic: ERIE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
17. Italian luxury brand: FENDI. "Posh", on steroids
18. "Cool!": NEAT. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
19. Ingredient in some barbecue sauce: COLA. Learning moment for me. Here is a recipe
20. Anew: FRESHLY. This is a good and proper Friday word entry. According to Crossword Tracker, this is just the fourth usage of the word freshly - well chosen, Noelle!
22. Fried chickpea bite: FALAFEL. 🐤🫛
24. Bygone Swedish auto: SAAB. Moe-ku #1:
26. Relate: TELL.
27. Microbrewery fixture: ALE TAP. This answer might soon become hackneyed
31. Secondhand: USED. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
33. Pitching stat: ERA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
36. On __ the world: TOP OF. Can you be "on top of the world" and "over-the-moon" at the same time?
37. Tech boss: CIO. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
38. Rice cooker brand: OSTER. Well, I suppose if the clue read "Blender brand" I could pan it as being too easy for a Friday! 😜
40. Forever __: STAMP. Speaking of "BUILD UP", check out the increasing prices of the Forever Stamp since its inception in 2007
41. "__ see myself out": I'LL. This would've been a fun clue and entry @ 64-down!
42. Dull, in a way: MATTE. As in a matte finished photo, e.g.
43. "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" singer Waters: ETHEL. Acceptable; a non-acceptable clue would've referred to erstwhile singer/actress Merman
44. Bother: ADO.
45. Family friendly: CLEAN. I wanted to use "RATED G" but there weren't enough spaces
46. Small batteries: AAS. Plurals of abbrs are not my favorite entries
47. Six-time MLB All-Star Moises: ALOU. Speaking of hackneyed clues/entries
49. Letter before Tango: SIERRA. My last recap contained a reference to the NATO alphabet
50. Make full: SATE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
52. Novel idea?: PLOT. Clever clue and answer 📖
54. Reach, as a goal: ACHIEVE. I tried SUSTAIN first
57. Pink Floyd album with the songs "Dogs" and "Sheep": ANIMALS. This 1977 studio-album release from Pink Floyd was loosely based on George Orwell's Animal Farm - the entire album is downloaded below (41 minutes in length). More about it from Wikipedia
62. __-back: LAID. Not usually a descriptor used for yours, truly
63. Fair, in a way: EVEN. Not according to the Thesaurus-saurus
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| Not "EVEN" mentioned |
65. "Not another sound!": ZIP IT. 🤐
66. Small transverse flute: FIFE. A fife is played in a position transverse to the flute. I wonder if anyone needed a perpendicular to solve this? That would be fitting, wouldn't it?? 😜
67. "The thing is ... ": LOOK. 👀
68. College athletics airer: ESPN U.
69. Picnic pests: ANTS. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer 🐜 🐜 🐜
70. Trinitron developer: SONY. Sony Trinitron history
71. Snooped: NOSED. I tried SPIED first and then changed it
Down:
1. TV host Probst: JEFF. He, of the CBS virtual reality show, "Survivor"
2. Big name in laptops: ACER. DELL also fits
3. Southern cake: PONE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
4. "No ifs, __, or buts": ANDS. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
[5. 1st Entry]
7. Yeoman's yes: AYE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
8. Part of the Apple logo: LEAF.
9. Manor: ESTATE. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
10. Parking permit, perhaps: DECAL.
[2nd Entry
12. Wicked: VILE. Its anagram - EVIL - also fits 😁
13. Make airtight: SEAL. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer 🦭
21. Napkin holder: LAP. Moe-ku #2:
[23. 3rd Entry]
[25. - Reveal]
27. Sailing: AT SEA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
28. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA. One of my favorites; this iconic Led Zeppelin hit song:
Another of my favorite Led Zeppelin hits:
30. Hefty volume: TOME. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
32. Aria, for one: SOLO. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
34. Do some roof repairs: RE-TAR. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
35. Hockey venue: ARENA. How "un-Friday like" a clue/answer
37. Parting word: CIAO. [my use of "how un-Friday like" is starting to get hackneyed]😄 So, I will not use this again ...
48. Takes to the ground: LEVELS. I remember when a few of the older casinos in Vegas were imploded ...
49. Bart, to Homer: SON. Monday clue/entry
51. Hill workers: AIDES. As in "Capitol Hill" (assistants to senators and representatives in Washington, D.C.)
53. Long and lean: LANKY.
54. Letter before Bravo: ALFA. My last recap contained a reference to the NATO alphabet; today's recap contains two
55. "Mildred Pierce" novelist: CAIN. Acceptable; a non-acceptable clue would've referred to a family member in the Book of Genesis
58. Japanese soup base: MISO. This answer might soon become hackneyed
59. Home screen array: APPS. This answer might soon become hackneyed
60. Part of a script: LINE. My last recap used this as the clue: Actor's "What am I supposed to say?": LINE.
61. Wall support: STUD.
64. Countless lifetimes: EON. No comment ...
56 comments:
When an answer starts to
form, but makes no sense, I am an experienced enough cw solver to try looking at it backwards, and, sure enough, that paid off in this case. I pat myself on the back for not being “taken in” by this well-known gimmick. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
The chairman was feeling a tad curmudgeonly this morning. This was a quick solve, but d-o enjoyed the puzzle. I looked sideways at the meaningless verticals, but they just had to be correct. Missed the reveal. Again. The aha light finally came on with SHAPE SHIFT. Well done, Noelle.
"Part of the Apple logo" -- I always thought that was supposed to be the stem of the apple. Learning moment.
FIR, but erased evil for anagram VILE. Noticed LEVELS crossing EVEN.
Got the theme (with the help of the reveal) at EPAHS SHIFT. Guess I'm too scientific-minded to like the clue "mutate."
Ocala's On TOP of The World old folks development seems to be modeled after The Villages, located nearby.
There were lots of unknowns to my dumb mass today. FENDI reminded me of C. Eh!s Bay of Fundy, I'm sure I've eaten FALAFEL before but didn't know what it was, ETHEL, JEFF, CAIN, and any brand of rice cooker.
IIRC, the Tropicana was the Hilton property before they built the giant Las Vegas Hilton. I think they sold the Trop to Ramada Inn after the new place opened. I played at their swim-up blackjack table once. It had stools for the players to sit, a wringer/drier for bills, and cocktail service. After a few drinks I excused myself to go to the rest room, and when I resumed playing, I noticed that no one else was taking a potty break. After I thought about the implications, I returned to my room, took a shower, and stuck to gaming on dry land for the rest of my trip.
Thanks to Noelle for the fun Friday, and to our Chairman for doing the bitching for us. Saved a lot of keystrokes.
A guy from my little home town wrote a book in 1970 called Evil is Live Spelled Backwards. It was about a government that was big, powerful and out of control.
Yikes. Well, I didn't intend for this to be a Friday puzzle. Yes, I do have an Etsy shop and live in Pittsburgh.
I’m 81 now and still love doing the puzzle. I enjoyed sussing this one 🥳
FIR. This was a typical Friday puzzle with a difficulty level to match.
I stared at the first long answer in the NW and swore I was making some kind of major mistake. I had "noish" and it seemed wrong. Then on to the middle and the reveal. And I had my aha moment. From there on it was clear sailing.
Overall I really enjoyed this puzzle.
T ook 8:43 today to finish the build.
C ould see that some of the themers were scrambled or something.
E ventually, saw the themers were upside-down, at least partially.
R elieved when 5D's "noihs" wasn't another spin on "nice" such as "noice" the other day.
E thel and Cain were complete unknowns.
Noelle,
Thanks for joining us in the Corner. It's always a pleasure when the constructor drops by.
I note your evident surprise that your puzzle turned out to be a Friday crossword. Were many of your clues rewritten by the editors, perhaps--in their view--to make the puzzle more Friday-appropriate?
Many of the clues were edited. They thought the theme would work for a Friday.
Good Morning:
I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other about the theme and execution, but it’s very disappointing when a Friday puzzle doesn’t offer much more challenge than this one did. It appears, rightfully or wrongfully, that more emphasis is placed on gimmickry than on the long-established tradition of a difficulty progression scale.
Thanks, Noelle, sorry your work was misplaced and thanks, Moe, for the candid and correct, IMO, analysis.
Have a great day.
Oh well, as long as the check doesn't bounce!
I think Chris was either looking for a job as a crossword editor or was too hard on fellow Pittsburgh person, Noelle. The theme was a Friday one for me, but the cluing was often way too easy. In my final days as the Friday sherpa, after Rich Norris retired it became obvious that the new regime wanted to get away from the golden oldies like Barry Silk and Jeffrey Wechsler. I know Jeffrey who loved the LA Times lost interest in being rejected.
any new and creative Mother's Day plans? I have always had problems knowing what do for my wife who is not my mother. Enjoy all.
To me, the Friday difficulty aspect was in the theme and reveal. It took me á while to detect the BUILD UP, but once I got it everything fell into place. However I didn’t see that the UP words were synonymous. Nice, and thanks C-Moe for detecting that.
My only unknown was JEFF and perps took care of him.
I do love FALAFELs.
Thank you Noelle for commenting here. I wouldn’t think constructors of CW puzzles decide what day their creation will appear. So, good job. I liked your puzzle.
Super write up, Moe! This one wasn't that easy to describe. Not the greatest Friday, but the fact that the first words were synonyms of BUILD elevated it somewhat.
Speaking of elevated, when the elevator operator was asked how he liked his job, he replied, "It has its ups and downs." That's what I thought of this puzzle as well.
The sound of a FIFE and drum corps takes me back to my youth. Growing up in Williamsburg, VA, the soaring fifes and pounding drums of a militia muster could be heard a mile away, as they were intended to be. The tunes played by the corps were used to signal the troops, similar to a bugle today.
When I see "Going out of business" SALE poster that's been in a window for months, I call it "Going out FOR business."
A Forever STAMP is a tattoo.
I thought EVOO just described the olive oil, not the full dressing.
A BUILD UP of frustration when obvious answers wouldn’t even fill with perp-aid until I tried doing the puzzle on my head 🙃…. and “vwa lah” a FIR.
Lots of back and forth in the NW. Prada, Gucci FENDI. ACER Dell back to ACER
SIERRA an odd choice for the letter S since it sounds more like C. A “second hand” clock may be missing one. Two film versions 1945, 2011 but didn’t know “Mildred Pierce” was originally a novel, 1941
“Happy to see him retire the company said CIAO to the CIO”
Based on yesterday the “snappy dresser” should be a Fop. It started with A but ants too short for “Hill workers” though they eventually show up. Liked “novel idea”/PLOT
Thought it said Bard to Homer (another old timey poet?)
Thanks for your comments, Noelle. When we critique a puzzle we need to remind ourselves that much of it is due to the editor’s input. I can’t imagine writing a novel only to have up to 90% altered by someone else. 😖
CIAO
Musings
-What a hoot, Noelle! The unique gimmick turned out to be very helpful once I saw FASHION going up.
-I guess we frequent solvers are jaded when we look for more obscure cluing which is often the case here.
-My only holdup was reasonable alternative fills and lousy typing skills
-We love KALE and were surprised to learn it is only widely available in the fall
-If a pitcher gives up one or more runs without getting an out, his ERA is ∞ (infinity if blogger won’t print the character )
-We have multiple bird feeders and I think of this song when “lowly” sparrows appear.
-The ALOU family is multitalented and multi-voweled
-My initials are Golf (yay!) Delta Sierra.
-A hilarious take on EVEN Steven (2:39)
-FIFE – Taylor’s deputy sheriff. More Fridayish?
-Loved the “no bathroom” break at the blackjack table, Jinx!
-Fun write-up, Chris.
Gary @ 9:52 ==> Loved the Seinfeld clip. My NATO initials are Charlie Alfa Golf. Speaking of golf, I finally played now that my cataracts are gone. What an amazing difference! I can now actually see every topped shot and slice ...
D-O @ 5:26 ==> after re-reading my blog I can see that I was a bit of a curmudgeon today
Noelle @ 7:08 ==> First off, thanks for stopping by the Corner. Second, "how 'bout 'dem Stillers??!!" Third, please understand that whatever criticisms I made about the clues for your puzzle today were not meant about you as a constructor ... as I tried to say at the epilog, if this were a Monday puzzle I would have had a far different commentary. I liked the theme and reveal just fine, but I miss the more difficult end-of-the-week puzzles; and that's not YOUR fault, it's that of the editor(s)
Anonymous @ 7:48 ==> I think this may be the first time that I ever solved a puzzle in a shorter time than you did!! ;^)
Jason @ 9:07 ==> First off, I trust that all is well with you and Oo. Hope you find a fun thing to do on Mother's Day. Take her to Oceans 234 in Deerfield Beach. The restaurant GM is a friend of mine. Drop my name and maybe it'll help! :)
Second, I was not "looking for a job as a crossword editor" and certainly meant no ill feeling toward a person from the 'Burgh. As many of us who are also part-time crossword puzzle constructors, it is incumbent, I feel, to let the editors know when THEY erred and/or disappointed US. If we are supposed to take their criticism, I think it only fair that they take ours, too. As Agnes said, the Friday puzzles are now just laced with gimmickry, and THAT is supposed to be our challenge. I've always been the opposite of the "Rex Parker" reviews that are more scathing (for the NYT puzzles) when I do my blogs. I realize how difficult it is to get published and have a fresh and fun theme. This "pan" was meant for the editors, but I doubt they have the time to come here and read every post ...
My drives top out at about 200 yds and I lose sight of them after 150. My cataracts will have to wait until after the season. Did you choose near or far vision with you new lenses?
I swear, todays puzzle was easier than yesterday and certainly Wednesday. I got the misdirection right away. However, I still enjoyed it.
Chairman Moe, all good. Oh the Stillers...IMO, glad Pickens is gone and this Aaron Rodgers stuff is beyond ridiculous. I do think the draft was decent. I won't even mention the Pirates! Have a good weekend all. Thank you for all the nice comments.
I found the puzzle easy for a Friday. I guess the editorial team couldn’t care less; as they sit in their swivel office chairs and wrinkle their noses at us mere solvers.
Husker Gary @ 11:32 ==> I chose "near vision". Since I was about 11 or 12 years old, I was near-sighted and started wearing glasses. In my late '50's/early '60's, I believe, was when I started using a progressive bi-focal lens in my glasses and I became quite adjusted to them. When playing golf, though, I found that using a "single vision" pair of glasses to be better, as the bifocals were awkward. As my cataracts became worse, it didn't matter what glasses I wore when golfing; I genuinely couldn't see the golf ball - in focus - from the address, to the swing/contact, or to seeing it land.
I played this past Monday - for the first time since last September. I didn't have a chance to warm up, so the first nine was me trying to reimagine the golf swing. I fared a bit better on the second nine, and had my best tee shot on 18. Good luck with your surgery; I suggest you choose whichever lens makes you more comfortable, but feel free to email me if you want more details ...
Easy?
Lots of learning experiences, (I never notice that about a fife).
I had such a hard time starting with the NW, (because I didn't even try for the reveal) that I was perping from the get go, and getting no where. I had to take a break and clean bathrooms, which is an indicator of a very hard puzzle...
Once I saw the reveal, I still found it confusing. (Plus I am easily puzzled)
Because, I thought it should be build out, and not build up. You know, like the answers started from the center and went up and down...
Anywho,
Cleaning bathrooms, and building out, seem to be a perfect silly theme link for this puzzle...
Thanks, Lemony, for the insights on the disappearance of Jeffrey Wechsler and Saturday Silkies from the L.A. Times puzzles. I didn't realize rejections were involved.
I enjoyed the theme answers and figuring out the gimmick, and there was more to like than dislike about the rest of the puzzle. It seemed difficult until the gimmick became clear, but it ended up seeming easy for a Friday.
Although I liked the puzzle more than CMoe did, I appreciate criticism in the blog. It makes compliments seem more genuine. I always liked the way you could really tell how Steve felt about Thursday puzzles.
One of the few dislikes was the LOOK paraphrase. That’s going a bit too far to complicate things. I ended up feeling that way about the Mildred Pierce/CAIN entry, but I’ll concede it was a good trivia question. The word “bite” in the FALAFEL clue was misleading. Another dislike: JEFF Probst and his mean-spirited show.
I wondered if I’m the only Cornerite who has a copy of Pink Floyd’s ANIMALS album. Underrated. . . . The NATO alphabet clues were more obscure than most. I knew ALFA off the top of my head but had siesta before SIERRA. . . . We had not only pasta underneath our pasta sauce last night, but also KALE. I don’t hate it. . . . I don’t consider ETHEL Waters obscure. . . . I’m only of average height, but I’ve become a bit too skinny, though with just enough sinew to be LANKY. . . . I’ve always found it humorous that armed forces used to have musicians on the battlefield, and that FIFE was crucial. Bob Newhart had a joke about that in one of his routines.
Some of us NEVER use technology in any way (except the "print" button) (or outside references) to solve a puzzle with only paper and pencil. So an easier puzzle is fine.
I've done these puzzles every single day for years. I was still clueless (ha ha) about the theme, even after completion. I had to come here to be "enlightened," and shake my head. I can tell you it took me longer than seven minutes!
Copy Editor, I'm glad you enjoyed it. For the record, my original JEFF clue was Actor Bridges of "The Big Lebowski";). And, we definitely own ANIMALS, great album!
I would have more enjoyed a clue with the Lebowski reference.
Hola! Whaaaat? Give me an old-fashioned puzzle anytime. It's what I prefer and though I finished this one I can't say I loved it. Good for the constructor who could demonstrate her creativity by spelling backwards! Dyslexia will do that, too.
ALOU was for a long time a crossword staple but hasn't been seen in a while. And really? COLA is in some BBQ sauce? I should read the list of ingredients.
As for using the military form of spelling, that seems unexpected for us non-military types. Once seems acceptable, but twice? That's when I start questioning the creativity of either the constructor or the editor.
Enjoy your day, everyone!
"un-Friday like"
"un-Friday like"
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"un-Friday like"
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"un-Friday like"
Think I got tired of reading the same insipid comment 18 times?
Delightful Friday puzzle, many thanks for this gift, Noelle. And your commentaries are always so helpful--thanks for that too, Chairman Moe.
Well, we started out meeting some interesting geography with JAPAN and KENYA and even our own ERIE. Wish we could have gotten some of their own food specialties, but even so, we still got some KALE and some FALAFEL and some MISO soup. I'd say that's a pretty nice lunch, accompanied by some COLA and some ALE from the tap. We might even feel a bit SATED after all that. But the additional treat was getting a bit of music, including a SOLO and the sound of a FIFE. Delightful way to spend a Friday, thanks again, everyone. And CIAO!
Have a lovely weekend coming up!
I think this puzzle was put on Friday because of the creative theme not because of some of the easier fill answers - if we had a theme like this on any other day, all the naysayers would have cried foul!
I got FENDI mixed up with Fenty - one is Italian luxury and the other is the pop star Rihanna's fashion brand which has also popped up in crosswords before
Thanks to Noelle for the creative theme and for stopping by
AnonymousPVX @ 1:04 ==> FTR, I looked it up and I now own the record number of "un-______ (fill in the blank) like" comments of any blogger on the Crossword Corner. Insipid, indeed
(BTW, if ever you'd like to join the group of us who blog these puzzles [for free] please contact C.C. as I know she is always looking for folks who would volunteer to help)
Copy - not too long ago I read The Killer Angels, a great book about the Civil War. They explained that the "music" was to communicate action orders to the soldiers. There weren't any radios to relay commands, and yelling wouldn't cut it. So there was a sequence to sound an attack and another to retreat, for example. And while marching, the cadence played by the drummer helped the soldiers who were often bone tired and nearly starving to stay together. Without the drummer, the unit could be spread out, delaying the arrival of the troops and making them easier targets for ambush.
Question for C-Eh! - The new Pope was once named Prevost. Seems that it was pronounced "pray-vost." The best, most expensive RVs are based on the chassis made by the Canadian bus manufacturer Prevost, pronounced (at least in RV circles) "pray-vough." How do folks in your neighborhood pronounce it?
And "commence firing" / "cease firing," now that I think about it.
I liked the BUILD UP gimmick.
I agree that a FALAFEL is really more than a bite.
Also a learning moment about JAPAN and COLA.
I hate KALE.
I think the SONY Trinitron was a marvelous invention.
So, we had AT SEA today instead of ASEA.
When I was a young man I was quite LANKY. I like that word.
I, too, thought EVOO referred only to the olive oil.
Good reading you all.
ZIPped right on through today. Un-Fridaylike clues always accepted by this solver! After a bit of head scratching, the build-up theme hit like a V-8 can and it was off to the races. A very nice puzzle, Noel, even if the editor screwed it up some. I enjoyed the gimmick! I learned the old Army phonetic alphabet from my WW2 vet Dad (able, baker, Charlie, dog, easy, etc.) and then had to relearn the new one after I was drafted. Yes, the old SUGAR for S made more sense than SIERRA, IMHO.
Few approved of yesterday's(?) Stockton as gold country. Maybe we should install it as the phonetic alphabet's 19th entry.
I really didn’t mind having a bit of a “vacation” from the usual Friday difficulty-level; Noelle’s puzzle was fun, with the flipped wordage, and, although the clues were not Friday-ish, I didn’t care that they may’ve been a little mundane for end-of-week. I did get a grin seeing Moe getting his pantries all bunched up by them, though! 🤣👍🏽 And there were indeed a couple of real dud fills today: EVOO is just dumb, and the LOOK thing was quite (to ref: yesterday’s puzzle) UMYEAH…
HOMES as a mnemonic for the Great Lakes was a learning moment, although I’ve never had any problem remembering them. Quick quiz: what’s the only Great Lake completely in the USA?
I always thought that A in the NATO alphabet was spelled “alpha”, until I just looked it up. Another learning moment. SIERRA, btw, is used because the word is recognized universally, not so much for its sound.
The Chairman’s recap was, as always, great fun to read — the Led Zep clips made a great play-in-the-background track whilst reading the comments, and your Mo-Ku’s never fail to give me a laugh! That handicap parking gag was a gem, too — taking up three parking spaces, no less!! Soooo special 🤣🤣
@Jinx, just be thankful that the swim-up game was blackjack, not the craps table…
====> Darren / L.A.
I forgot — I also wanted to give Noelle props for joining our little kaffee-klatsch here; it’s always a good insight into how this racket works. Thanks for stopping by!
====> D.
I used one of each. Worked out fine.
Might have brought on a Caddyshack moment!
Our pastor for many years now deceased Father Fred Prevost pronounced his name “Preevost” Likely an anglicized pronunciation of the French name Prévost
Sorry Jinx, I’m not familiar with the name and don’t have a pronunciation. Just looking at it, I would say Preevost (as in prefect).
I’m not as LANKY as I was in my youth either. My dad called me “a long drink of water”. Anyone else heard that expression?
CanadianEh!
My daughter's now deceased second husband who was 6'7" tall was often called "a tall drink of water."
Lake Michigan
Thanks Lucina. I’m glad to hear that someone else is familiar with the expression.
Right you are, C-E! And I’d fully expect a Cannuckistani to know 🤙🏽😎
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