Love is in the air...
Good morning folks. Today's expo is going to be a little skinny as my allergies turned into a chest cold. On the plus side, Youngest Graduated UT and is now taking a break in Spain before digging into Law at GW. I've got Eldest home for only one more day :-)16. *Dolores Huerta, for one: LABOR LEADER. - The leader of labor is the letter L
25. *In the lead: OUT FRONT. - O is the front letter of out.
35. *Convention site: CIVIC CENTER. - The center of civic is the letter V.
52. *Portion of the Irish flag that's green: ONE THIRD. - The third letter of one is the letter E.
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| Yep, 1/3 Green |
60. Messages containing X's and O's, and what the answers to the starred clues literally describe?: LOVE LETTERS.
Across:
1. Stirs in: ADDS.
5. Canines, e.g.: TEETH. Ripping teeth, not puppies.
10. "In a way": ISH.
13. Mammal that may steal fish from a fisher's line: SEAL. Humm, minus a T in Steal is the SEAL.
14. Transparent layer in the eye: CORNEA.
15. Surname separator: NEE.
16. [See: Theme] 18. TNT part: TRI. TRInitrotoluene
19. Hotel fillers: GUESTS. DW has eschewed Hotels for Air B&Bs. Most of 'em are great but no breakfast.
20. Tempts fate: DARES.
22. Rum-soaked cakes: BABAS.
25. [See: Theme]
27. "Call anytime": PHONE ME.
Call me any time... Dirty Deeds - AC / DC.
30. Raves about: PRAISES.
31. TV remote batteries: AAS.
32. Bodega convenience: ATM.
34. Cooling systs.: ACS. Air Conditioners. I have a degree in EE but BTUs still escape me. Convert to Joules and I've got it.
35. [See: Theme]
40. "Unforgettable" singer __ King Cole: NAT.
41. Cap. founded by Brigham Young: SLC.
42. Shrill bark: YAP.
45. Cause of a flubbed field goal, maybe: LOW SNAP.
49. Beer bashes: KEGGERS.
52. [See: Theme].
54. Robust: LUSTY.
55. Yemen metropolis with an elevation over 7,200 feet: SANAA.
56. "But of course, Madame!": OUI OUI.
59. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.
60. [See: Theme]
65. Actress Vardalos: NIA.
66. English cathedral city: EXETER.
67. In a frenzy: AMOK.
68. Family docs: GPS.
69. Frowned-upon activities: NO-NOS.
70. Shade of red: RUBY.
Down:
1. Handy way to communicate, for short?: ASL. American Sign Language. Cute that "Handy" was in the clue.
2. Justice Dept. arm: DEA.
3. Apply with a light touch: DAB.
4. "Just say no" or "Just do it": SLOGAN.
5. Small digits: TOES.
6. Poet's Muse: ERATO.
7. Ultimately becomes: ENDS UP.
8. Merch table purchase: TEE.
9. Truism backed up with irrefutable evidence: HARD FACT.
10. Prefaces: INTROS.
11. Placid: SERENE.
12. Bank capers: HEISTS.
14. The Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.
17. Clever scheme: RUSE.
21. Get out of bed: ARISE.
22. Chem. in some plastic: BPA.
23. Cry after an epiphany: AHA.
24. Pear variety: BOSC.
26. Hypnotic state: TRANCE.
28. Cocktail with a tiny umbrella: MAI TAI.
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| Yummers! |
29. "I could go on" abbr.: ETC.
33. Roast VIPs: MCS.
36. Social media app launched on Oct. 6, 2010: INSTA.
37. "1984" rock band: VAN HALEN.
 |
| MCMLXXXIV - Catholics know their Roman Numerals :-) |
38. Caribou kin: ELK.
39. Marbled loaves: RYES.
43. Works on easels: ART.
44. Social science maj.: PSY.
45. Behind, in a way: LOSING.
46. How detectives might act: ON A TIP.
47. Dressed like for a comic-con, e.g.: WENT AS.
48. Tried-and-true: PROVEN.
50. Oversupply: GLUT.
51. Instrument for 37-Down: GUITAR.
53. Caused by: DUE TO.
57. Seine sights: ILES.
58. Opposite of 'neath: OER.
61. Good Grips brand: OXO.
62. Grounded bird: EMU.
63. Actor Lowe: ROB.
64. Drone zone: SKY.
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| The Grid |
Cheers, -T
After staring at the
ReplyDeletepuzzle for a few minutes, I finally understood the reveal. Very clever. Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis may have been the quickest solve of the week. Only needed the Wite-Out to correct badSNAP. Thanx, Desiree, Jeff, and Dash-T.
Thank you, Desiree Penner and Jeff Sinnock, and thank you, Dash T
ReplyDeleteI tried SAYING before SLOGAN, and EXETER didn't come to mind, but the perps resolved those issues. Everything fell into place rather nicely.
The theme was clever. All about the placement of the key letters. The reveal made it clear.
Way to power through it, Dash T. Hope you are feeling better.
FIR, but mai oui->OUI OUI. (Ok, ok, now I remember - it would be mais, which has too many letters.)
ReplyDeletePetula Clark sang a gentler Call Me . Most whippersnappers would much rather text ME than PHONE ME.
After NAT died, his talented daughter created this duet of Unforgettable with her dad.
Medical day here in Jinxville. Zoั seems to have a UTI. And I woke up very dizzy, to go along with other symptoms that have ominous implications. So I'll call my PCP (who I've not met,) then probably my insurance's nurse hotline, then probably an Urgent Care center. So much for a perfectly good Thursday.
Thanks to Desiree and Jeff for the fun, easy-for-Thursday puzzle, and to Bayou Tony for another sterling review.
Criminy, Jinx. Your medical report for today for the Jinx household sounds somber. Do what you need to do to take care of yourselves. Keeping us posted in the Corner is appreciated, but only when it doesn't take time away from higher priorities.
DeleteYup. Called the nurse hotline, and have been directed to go to the ED right away. Can't go until DW's RN arrives around 9:30, and my hospice respite aide arrives at 10:00. I'll need to cancel Zoั's vet appointment, and figure out what I'll do about DW's care if for some reason they want to admit me. (Will discuss with the hospice nurse when he arrives. I'm sure they've had this situation many times.)
DeleteTake care Jinx.You have รก lot on your plate. I hope you get help.
DeleteGood luck, Jinx. Please keep us posted when possible.
DeleteI hope you and your wife get taken care of. Zoั too.
DeletePraying for you and your wife, Jinx.
DeleteJinx, best wishes for good news.
DeleteTook 5:48 today to find love.
ReplyDeleteActually, I didn't see (or look for) the theme until I came to the Corner.
Clever.
I knew today's actress (Nia), but not babas. I normally don't associate "robust" with "lusty," but it works.
I thought of Blondie's "Call Me".
Well, it took a few extra days, but we finally got that Monday-level puzzle. Straightforward clues and sensible fill.
ReplyDeleteFIR. The SW gave me grief, first putting non snap and being befuddled by the rest of that corner. Up to that point this was easy.
ReplyDeleteI got the reveal easily, literally threw it down. But then stared at the long answers in mystery. I had to come here to have it explained.
Overall this puzzle was so-so for me.
With P&P I might have FIR but I abandoned the SW. Otherwise, piece of cake. Nice puzzle with รก clever theme.
ReplyDeleteGet well ร -t. Thank you for your effort.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis type of theme is as rare as it is clever, IMO, and I needed the expo to understand what was going on. The solve was pretty smooth and straightforward with no obscure entries, but the over abundance of TLWs (29) was noticeably distracting.
Thanks, Desirรฉe and Jeff, and thanks, Anon T, for pinch-hitting under less than optimal conditions. Hope you feel better soon.
Have a good day.
FIR w/o help. I didn't get the theme, although I appreciate it now.
ReplyDeleteI wagged the W in LOW SNAP but dithered over WENTAS. I let it ride. Thanks DASH-T for WENT AS.
We often say a crying baby has lusty lungs. Lusty usually means healthy and strong and lustful means lecherous.
Phone me anytime. NO! I can't be a slave to my phone. Text me. Sometimes Alan calls me 15 or more times a day . We have six set times. I usually don't answer at random times. Of, course, he can't text. My not answering lets it go to voicemail where I hear crickets. My VM box is always full. Of course, he can't text.
The last few months Alan has had almost constant headaches and often has a serious lack of focus. It is much worse this week. He usually communicates the headaches only to me. He is somewhat communication handicapped. The lack of focus comes and goes, so with changing shifts the staff doesn't see it. I am quite concerned and am tracking it down with our team.
Jinx and DW, I am sorry to hear of your troubles. Jinx, I know it is even harder when you, the care giver, is down. Your are both in my thoughts. Please keep us posted.
Is it Valentines' Day already? But LOVE is always a great sentiment, it's all we need!
ReplyDeleteNice job, T, in figuring out how to present the theme. Very clear and helpful.
And congrats on your newly minted Longhorn. My niece graduated from the film school there and is now a rising editor in Hollywood.
Fairly easy for a Thursday. Glad the constructors used the clue “Call me” rather than “The smallest unit of sound that conveys meaning” for PHONEME. Didn’t catch the theme, was trying to incorporate LABOR of “love” somehow
ReplyDeleteGot hung up on the “Irish green” flag stripe. Knew it was next to the staff but couldn’t figure how to use that in an answer
A “Fisher” (fisher cat) is also a weasel-like mammal (one said “hello” to me on our deck last summer before scampering back to the woods).“Fisherman” might have worked better.
Took a stab at OXO for “good grips brand”. Forgot that VANHALEN was also the name of the group.
Joke from grade school
French guy gets into a cab. Driver asks if he’s going to a hotel. He answers OUIOUI. Driver yells “not in my car!”
Loser of the “high noon” duel: SLOGAN
V …. CIVIC CENTER
Not _____but still not ____ OUTFRONT , LOSING
Turned the big 75 today.
A “birth” day photo. Mom had no idea what she was in for.
๐
Cute baby photo. Happy birthday ๐๐๐๐
DeleteHappy birthday Ray-O a nice milestone!
DeleteHappy birthday, young man. How are you going to celebrate?
DeleteBy requesting that my buds to stop asking me when I’m going to retire ๐
DeleteDinner with the DW thanks ๐
Happy birthday, Ray - O - Sunshine!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Ray-O! That's what I would call a literal birth day picture!
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-AHA, the gimmick was a meta device with the fills!
-I failed at _ABA/_PA. “The sun’ll come up tomorrow!”
-Women retaining their original surnames seems logical to me. This still only occurs in about 20% of marriages.
-Most NFL teams use their punter for a FG holder and have a player who only snaps the ball on kicks. Those long snappers make, on average, $1M/season to avoid LOW SNAPS.
-So you want to shell out $60 for a Taylor Swift TEE
-All Seinfeld fans remember Jerry stealing a marbled RYE from an elderly lady
-Sorry to hear that, Jinx! My philosophy of “Ignore it and it will go away” is not wise.
-Roofers and Medicaid peeps have been calling a LOT. At least my iPhone shows they are SPAM.
Hmm...still Monday? Or just nicely fitting into my wheelhouse? Either way, a very easy FIR. Oh, the theme? Had to wait for -T's explanation for that.
ReplyDeleteA smooth puzzle today. No white-out.
ReplyDeleteI also needed -T to explain the reveal.
Edward in Los Angeles: I am a CE, and I don’t get btus or joules either.
ReplyDeleteHad to change BAD to LOW but very easy for Thurs. Didn't know Yemen had any elevated cities but then I don't know much about Yemen. At any rate, pretty basic stuff here. I hope you feel better T.
ReplyDeleteNeat Thursday puzzle, many thanks, Desiree and Jeff. And thanks for your always helpful commentary, AnonT.
ReplyDeleteWell, this puzzle suggested a story one might have heard about a fellow who was trained by a LABOR LEADER, and then later began working at the CIVIC CENTER. He liked promoting ART and enjoyed playing the GUITAR, which got him PRAISES from GUESTS and friends. One member of his audience began sending him LOVE LETTERS, which put him in a TRANCE. But it started them dating, and by now they have SEALED their relationship.
Have a delightful and enjoyable day, everybody.
Solved but did not "grok" the theme until reading the recap. Thanks, -T.
ReplyDeleteTake care, Jinx. Hoping, here, that all goes well.
Hola! Thank you, Tony, for explaining! The top THIRD of this puzzle filled very easily but then the bottom slowed me. Oh! LUSTY LOVE LETTERS!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and her husband love Comic Con but it took me a long time to suss WENT AS and the W in LOW SNAP was the last fill.
Very nice, Desiree and Jeff. Thank you. Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Tony, take care of yourself and be well soon.
ReplyDeleteSome parsing errors that I made: PHONEME in the linguistic sense that Ray-O mentioned, and what the heck is a WENTAS? I liked this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWENT AS
ReplyDeleteWas ripping through this one with the greatest of ease…until things came to a screeching halt down in the SW. Like D-O and others, I’d stuck in badSNAP, so none of the perps were panning out, until the detectives went ONATIP, and I got LOWSNAP. Boom, FIR. But I will say that, imho, the theme is a stretch — even after slamming in LOVELETTERS, I still didn’t grok the hook until DashT waved it in my face! Besides a plethora of TLWs, there were also a pile of 2- and 3-word phrase fills today.
ReplyDeleteBtw — Good on ya, DashT, for toughing it out this morning; hope you get back up on the cam quickly! Thanks for the “Dirty Deeds” vid; I always thought that was a funny hook for a song.
And sending good vibes to both Jinx and his DW — this “getting old” business is for the birds. But as long as the birthdays keep on coming, all’s good — so Happy Birthday, Ray-O ๐
====> Darren / L.A.
Just, now, caught the end of your post, above, Ray O. Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteDon’t know “call me” or PHONEME, but I sure like Diana Krall’s “Peel ME a Grape.”
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Ray-O
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cake, thanks, hope it’s chocolate ๐
ReplyDeleteIt's late but I hope it's not too late to wish Ray-O a happy birthday, Jinx & Zoe healing treatment, and -T a quick recovery!!! Also, congrats to -T for parenting another graduate! (I hope I didn't miss anyone. Lots going on with our group.)
ReplyDeleteNow for the puzzle... I'll copy what Darren / L.A. said: Was ripping through this one with the greatest of ease…until things came to a screeching halt down in the SW. Like D-O and others, I’d stuck in badSNAP, so none of the perps were panning out, until the detectives went ONATIP, and I got LOWSNAP. Boom, FIR.
I solved the grid but not the gimmick. Thanks -T for explaining the L-O-V-E letters! Thanks, also to Desiree and Jeff for bringing the fun!