Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a delivery from August Miller. August is more of a Wed.-Sat. kind of constructor. This is his first Monday LAT puzzle -- a 61-A. RARE TREAT for us solvers.
Theme: CSO to D-Otto!
Our very own desper-otto is a dedicated MEALS ON WHEELS volunteer.
He even brings snacks for the dogs on his route. (T)His community is lucky to have him!
First, the themed clues and answers:
20 Across. Cozy spot for a morning repast: BREAKFAST NOOK. This is a small space, often adjacent to the kitchen, used for casual dining. It generally fits a small table and comfortable seating.
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| Get it? "NOOK & cranny" Haha! |
34 Across. Not in the office, perhaps: OUT TO LUNCH. 
42 Across. Evening ringer: DINNER BELL.
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| Snoopy improvises |
55 Across. Nonprofit that delivers food to the elderly, or what can be found three times in this puzzle?: MEALS ON WHEELS. Their mission is "to empower local community programs to improve the health and quality of life of the seniors they serve so that no one is left hungry or isolated." How to Become a MEALS ON WHEELS Volunteer
Also, three MEALS (BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER) appear to be placed ON WHEELS (actually letter O's). Notice that the WHEELS are consistently placed under the second and the second-to-last letters of each MEAL. I liked this purposeful use of circles!
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| Alternating the placement of the meal words (first, last, first) helps the WHEELS to stand out. |
Rolling along now....
1. Current locale of NASA's Perseverance rover: MARS. NASA's Perseverance website
5. The Great Pyramid, for one: TOMB. The Great Pyramid was a TOMB for Pharoah Khufu. It is the oldest and tallest of the three pyramids towering over Giza. It was constructed around 2551-2528 BCE and its height would compare to a 45-story building. There is surprisingly little 'open space' inside.
9. Feet and inches: UNITS. and 9 Down. Forks and knives: UTENSILS.
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| Perseverance has 6 WHEELS; but, alas, delivered no MEALS to a hungry 38-A. |
5. The Great Pyramid, for one: TOMB. The Great Pyramid was a TOMB for Pharoah Khufu. It is the oldest and tallest of the three pyramids towering over Giza. It was constructed around 2551-2528 BCE and its height would compare to a 45-story building. There is surprisingly little 'open space' inside.
9. Feet and inches: UNITS. and 9 Down. Forks and knives: UTENSILS.
I put these together because of the symmetry in the construction of the two clues, plus UNITS can be spelled with the letters in UTENSILS.
14. Cultivated: GREW.
15. "Search Party" star Shawkat: ALIA. Although I have seen this actress in previous puzzles and I do remember her from Arrested Development, I spelled her name wrong today for a one-box FIW. I had ALeA crossing 7-D Nicki MeNAJ. Yes, Nicki MINAJ is an international star but I thought she spelled her name with an E. That is on me. However, I will say that this is the reason many solvers do not like to see crossing names in a grid. There is an abundance of flexibility in how people spell their names. Fortunately for me, this type of FIW does not really bother me. Perhaps if it did, I would try harder to remember the spellings for next time.
14. Cultivated: GREW.
15. "Search Party" star Shawkat: ALIA. Although I have seen this actress in previous puzzles and I do remember her from Arrested Development, I spelled her name wrong today for a one-box FIW. I had ALeA crossing 7-D Nicki MeNAJ. Yes, Nicki MINAJ is an international star but I thought she spelled her name with an E. That is on me. However, I will say that this is the reason many solvers do not like to see crossing names in a grid. There is an abundance of flexibility in how people spell their names. Fortunately for me, this type of FIW does not really bother me. Perhaps if it did, I would try harder to remember the spellings for next time.
Funny note: While proof reading this blog I saw that I had been misspelling "Nicki" as "Nikki". Good grief!
16. Domesticates: TAMES.
17. Set a date, say: MADE PLANS.
19. __ Allen furniture: ETHAN. One source said there are 169 Ethan Allen stores in the U.S.
22. Chooses: OPTS.
23. Delights: JOYS. It turns out that both words can be either nouns or verbs.
24. Budget exec: CFO. executive and Chief Financial Officer
26. Abbr. after a list: ETC.
28. Huffy state: PIQUE. Def.: (noun) a transient feeling of wounded vanity; resentment.
32. Part of a barn: LOFT.
38. Sci-fi visitor: ALIEN. 
40. P-shaped Greek letter: RHO.
41. "You and me both!": SO DO I. I am still thinking about that ME, THREE answer from last Monday.
45. XPS laptop maker: DELL. Translate: It's a four-letter computer name.
46. Rising, as a ballerina: ON TOE.
47. Jar topper: LID.
49. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds: RIO. 50. In-game hint providers, for short: NPCS. Non-player Characters. These are characters in a game that are not controlled by a human video game player.
53. Drink holders: CUPS. ...but CUP holders are not drinks.
60. "My Ántonia" novelist Cather: WILLA. [1873-1947] This 1918 novel is about immigrant life in Nebraska. goodreads link
16. Domesticates: TAMES.
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| A good pun can only take you so far. |
17. Set a date, say: MADE PLANS.
19. __ Allen furniture: ETHAN. One source said there are 169 Ethan Allen stores in the U.S.
23. Delights: JOYS. It turns out that both words can be either nouns or verbs.
24. Budget exec: CFO. executive and Chief Financial Officer
26. Abbr. after a list: ETC.
28. Huffy state: PIQUE. Def.: (noun) a transient feeling of wounded vanity; resentment.
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| PIQUE is also a fabric. |
32. Part of a barn: LOFT.
40. P-shaped Greek letter: RHO.
41. "You and me both!": SO DO I. I am still thinking about that ME, THREE answer from last Monday.
45. XPS laptop maker: DELL. Translate: It's a four-letter computer name.
46. Rising, as a ballerina: ON TOE.
47. Jar topper: LID.
49. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds: RIO. 50. In-game hint providers, for short: NPCS. Non-player Characters. These are characters in a game that are not controlled by a human video game player.
53. Drink holders: CUPS. ...but CUP holders are not drinks.
60. "My Ántonia" novelist Cather: WILLA. [1873-1947] This 1918 novel is about immigrant life in Nebraska. goodreads link
61. Unexpected pleasure: RARE TREAT. See ¶ #1.
63. Band's release: ALBUM. Streaming has changed how music is released. If you are feeling a bit lost when it comes to music nowadays, perhaps this guide will help: Types of Music Releases
64. Similar (to): AKIN.
65. See 35-Down: MENU. and 35-Down. With 65-Across, 2022 black comedy film set in a restaurant: THE.
This is the trailer for this 2022 film. Creepy alert! Also, Anya Taylor-Joy stars in it. We frequently see her crossword-friendly name.
66. Stay in a heated yurt, perhaps: GLAMP. We have become portmanteau obsessed. Glamour + Camp = GLAMP
67. "I'm down!": LET'S.
68. Casual eyewear: SPEX. Casual means a slangy term for eyewear -- not eyewear to go with a casual look. SPEX is short for spectacles.
Down:
21. Featrue of this clue: TYPO. Feature has a typing mistake in it.
24. Clothed (in): CLAD.
25. First __: Shakespeare collection: FOLIO. The First Folio is the first published collection of Shakespeare's plays. It was produced seven years after his death. Its title is Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories & Tragedies.
43. House lawmakers, briefly: REPS. Think "Civics class".
44. Organisms that are like tiny ecosystems: LICHENS. I LICHENed this 1:22 min. video a lot.
48. Piano piece for four hands: DUET. Splynter gave us this very funny piano DUET skit last Wednesday. I'm adding it here in case you missed it.
51. With 52-Down, reptile with red, yellow, and black bands: CORAL. and 🠟
52. See 51-Down: SNAKE.
54. Curly hairdos: PERMS. Remember this 43 sec. scene from That '70s Show?
55. Pepper grinder: MILL. Not a sandwich! 😉
56. Idris of "Luther": ELBA. Lucina is another Cornerite who generously volunteers her time every Monday at her church. This one's for her:
57. Reunion attendee: ALUM. This SNL skit with Jack Black about old friends getting together to reunite but digress to one-upping is 64-A AKIN to a class reunion.
58. Court order: WRIT. A writ is a formal, legal document that orders a person or entity to perform or to cease performing a specific action or deed. Writs are drafted by courts or other entities with jurisdictional or legal power. Warrants and subpoenas are two common types of writs.
59. Sensible: SANE.
60. Tail motion: WAG.
62. Prom rental: TUX.
Time to roll....,
66. Stay in a heated yurt, perhaps: GLAMP. We have become portmanteau obsessed. Glamour + Camp = GLAMP
67. "I'm down!": LET'S.
68. Casual eyewear: SPEX. Casual means a slangy term for eyewear -- not eyewear to go with a casual look. SPEX is short for spectacles.
Down:
1. Studio with a roaring mascot: MGM. 
2. Like a Bedouin: ARAB.
3. Motel 6 competitor: RED ROOF INN. Both are considered cheap hotels.
4. Gather dust, maybe: SWEEP. Fun clue! Gather dust usually means you let the dust settle on you.
5. Chats with: TALKS TO.
6. Frozen "Frozen" character: OLAF. I liked this clue, too.
7. Rapper Nicki: MINAJ. See 15-Across.
8. Low opera voice: BASSO.
10. Gp. whose newest member is Sweden: NATO. Sweden formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on March 7, 2024. There are 32 countries in the group.
11. Short and modest "I think ... ": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion
12. Tropical wood: TEAK. TEAK is a durable hardwood often used to make patio furniture since it is water resistant.
13. Fig. on Form W-2: SSN.
18. Meaty spread: PÂTÉ. Def. :(noun) a spread of finely chopped or pureed seasoned meat.
2. Like a Bedouin: ARAB.
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| The Distribution of Bedouins over Arabic Countries |
3. Motel 6 competitor: RED ROOF INN. Both are considered cheap hotels.
4. Gather dust, maybe: SWEEP. Fun clue! Gather dust usually means you let the dust settle on you.
5. Chats with: TALKS TO.
6. Frozen "Frozen" character: OLAF. I liked this clue, too.
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| Olaf is the snowman. |
8. Low opera voice: BASSO.
10. Gp. whose newest member is Sweden: NATO. Sweden formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on March 7, 2024. There are 32 countries in the group.
11. Short and modest "I think ... ": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion
12. Tropical wood: TEAK. TEAK is a durable hardwood often used to make patio furniture since it is water resistant.
13. Fig. on Form W-2: SSN.
18. Meaty spread: PÂTÉ. Def. :(noun) a spread of finely chopped or pureed seasoned meat.
21. Featrue of this clue: TYPO. Feature has a typing mistake in it.
24. Clothed (in): CLAD.
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| This woman is CLAD in a Glad garbage bag and ready for her date with Vlad. I wonder, does it comes in plaid? |
25. First __: Shakespeare collection: FOLIO. The First Folio is the first published collection of Shakespeare's plays. It was produced seven years after his death. Its title is Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories & Tragedies.
27. Where the sidewalk ends: CURB. This was my favorite clue today. Did anyone else think of this book? 
29. The "Q" of QED: QUOD. Quod erat demonstrandum is a Latin phrase which means "I showed you what I told you I was going to show you."
30. Not get enough rest: UNDERSLEEP. I had the U so I quickly filled UP ALL NIGHT then patted myself on the back for sussing that one so easily.
31. Food safety concern: ECOLI.
33. Outdoor wedding rental: TENT. Ahh, that's why we GLAMPed in a yurt instead of a TENT for 66-Across.
36. Per-axle fee: TOLL.
37. City on the Big Island: HILO. I used to go to Hilo a lot for work. It is so lush and green -- very different from the Kona side.
39. Many an orange-red indicator light: NEON LAMP. According to M-W and Wiki this really is a thing so I must be wincing from the glare of a legitimate light.
29. The "Q" of QED: QUOD. Quod erat demonstrandum is a Latin phrase which means "I showed you what I told you I was going to show you."
30. Not get enough rest: UNDERSLEEP. I had the U so I quickly filled UP ALL NIGHT then patted myself on the back for sussing that one so easily.
31. Food safety concern: ECOLI.
33. Outdoor wedding rental: TENT. Ahh, that's why we GLAMPed in a yurt instead of a TENT for 66-Across.
36. Per-axle fee: TOLL.
37. City on the Big Island: HILO. I used to go to Hilo a lot for work. It is so lush and green -- very different from the Kona side.
39. Many an orange-red indicator light: NEON LAMP. According to M-W and Wiki this really is a thing so I must be wincing from the glare of a legitimate light.
43. House lawmakers, briefly: REPS. Think "Civics class".
44. Organisms that are like tiny ecosystems: LICHENS. I LICHENed this 1:22 min. video a lot.
48. Piano piece for four hands: DUET. Splynter gave us this very funny piano DUET skit last Wednesday. I'm adding it here in case you missed it.
51. With 52-Down, reptile with red, yellow, and black bands: CORAL. and 🠟
52. See 51-Down: SNAKE.
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| Red touches yellow, kill a fellow. Red touches black, safe for Jack. |
54. Curly hairdos: PERMS. Remember this 43 sec. scene from That '70s Show?
Kelso: So that's permanent?
55. Pepper grinder: MILL. Not a sandwich! 😉
56. Idris of "Luther": ELBA. Lucina is another Cornerite who generously volunteers her time every Monday at her church. This one's for her:
57. Reunion attendee: ALUM. This SNL skit with Jack Black about old friends getting together to reunite but digress to one-upping is 64-A AKIN to a class reunion.
58. Court order: WRIT. A writ is a formal, legal document that orders a person or entity to perform or to cease performing a specific action or deed. Writs are drafted by courts or other entities with jurisdictional or legal power. Warrants and subpoenas are two common types of writs.
59. Sensible: SANE.
60. Tail motion: WAG.
62. Prom rental: TUX.
 |
| Too Cool for School |
sumdaze
37 comments:
Once again, I’m reluctant
to give a Monday puzzle the designation of “a walk in the park.” Answers like “NPCs” just didn’t seem all that obvious to me. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Thanx for the shoutout, sumdaze. Timely -- I've got an M-o-W route later this morning. M-o-W is struggling since federal funding was cut. I'm told the feds had been providing 40% of the local budget.
Failed to read the complete reveal clue. [Again.] Those circled O's were a mystery until the writeup. Thanx for the amusement, August.
SNAKE: We often see a lady walking her dog Gracie during our morning march through the 'hood. Last week we were regaled with a tale of Gracie's encounter with a gardener [sic] snake.
TEAK: The flight deck on our WWII-vintage aircraft carrier was covered in teak. At decommissioning, a secion of that deck was cut and polished. Pieces were presented to the surviving members of the original crew -- the "plank owners."
FIW, missing my WAG @ MeNAJ x ALeA. Sucked 99.44% of the fun right out of this one. But I finally remembered NPCS, so I got that goin for me. Which is nice.
Seems to me that bands don't release music anymore, they drop music, as in "our latest single drops tomorrow." See? I'm cool! I'm with it! (A legend in my own mind.)
Thanks to sumdaze for another fine review.
Was taught " Red and black, friend of Jack. Red and yellow can kill a fellow." Flows off the tongue a bit more easily.
FIR. This had a lot more crunch to it to be featured on a Monday. And the number of proper names added to this chaos. Not to mention a very lame theme with circles that were totally unnecessary. Wheels? Really? I think not!
And the thought of the Great Pyramid being a tomb rubs me the wrong way. There is too much evidence to the contrary in modern Egyptology.
Overall not even close to enjoyable. Thank heavens it's done and can reside in the dustbin of poor puzzles.
Marvellous (minus one for the Natick) Monday. Thanks for the fun, August and sumdaze.
Hand up for a FIW (I guessed an O in that horrible Natick cross of ALIA and MINAJ). ALIA could have been clued with the et al. meaning! We did have ETC.
But I got the MEALS ON WHEELS theme (and immediately thought of d’o).
On first glance, I thought those O’s were plates for the MEALS, but that soon changed to the WHEELS. Nice visual! I liked that the meals were in the order of daily consumption.
I inferred the present tense to “set”, and the resulting K in MAkE held up my visit to the RED ROOF INN.
5 letter opera voice reflexively gave me “tenor”. BASSO is lower and correct.
It was a class reunion today not the AKIN family. ALUM not aunt.
I noted ALIA and ALIEN (our ET from yesterday, to go with MARS).
We had Easter Eggs, UTENSILS, CUPS and LID to go with our MEALS (but hopefully no E COLI!).
We had a plethora of final O’s that weren’t even WHEELS- NATO, IMHO, RHO, RIO, TALKS TO, TYPO, CFO.
Wishing you all a great day.
Thank you, August Miller Very clever and well designed. I saw the wheels but didn't notice their precise placement until sumdaze pointed them out.
sumdaze, thank you. We could hold hands. I had MaNAJ and never bothered to reading the crossing clue. Mox nix.
I liked your, "(T)His community is lucky to have him!" I see what you did there. I also liked your memory trick for the snakes.
"Never bother to reading"?!!
I know all those words, but that sentence makes no sense to me.
Contrary to what KS stated, the circles were most necessary to coincide with the theme, (but not needed for the solve itself), and as sumdaze pointed out, the positioning of the “wheels” was very clever by the constructor. FIR in 10:43 with a 60D at the I in the aforementioned ALIA/MINAJ crossing. Had NEON but hesitated with sign till LAMP fully perped. Never heard of THE MENU so that was full on perps also. I don’t think I’ll ever remember NPCS unless it shows up tomorrow. We haven’t had a pangram lately, a Z and a V would have given us one today. A very worthy Monday puzzle IMHO, thank you August for your fine work. sumdaze ~ as always, thank you for your informative, sparkling review!
The above is YooperPhil, maybe I’m Anonymous cuz I’m in 🇨🇦 🍁 🤷♂️.
Nicely done! Even the Naticks had an obvious letter in common if you sussed their surroundings. Loved the visual!
I was going to say, now even those circle haters must regret their vitriol. But I was wrong... (jeez, some people would let the air out of Meals on Wheels car tires just to spout more vitriol...)
That's how I remember it from grade school, maybe from a cub scout handbook?
FIR. Lucked out on spelling ALIA correctly, an unknown name to me. Other unknowns were NPCS and THE MENU, but perps helped. IMHO appeared on its own and I needed sumdaze to explain it.
I didn’t get caught by the TYPO. CUTE.
I Liked the theme. I hadn’t noticed the precise location of the wheels but I saw them.
Thank you sumdaze for the fine review.
O yeah, I really liked this one! August Miller provides a RARE TREAT this Monday. I had to work my way done to the revealer before seeing what the Os were up to. Visually, an O in a circle looks very much like a hubcap on a tire. Each "wheel" is placed one letter in from the bumper on each meal. And they are also in proper order during the day. All that plus a shout out to a worthy cause that is being defunded. Now, that's a puzzle!
I knew the name Nicki MINAJ, but my unknown letter was the last one, wanted a "G" but that easily changed vs. people who got stuck on the "I".
If "featrue" is mispelled [sic] on purpose, is it a typo?
LICHENS are used extensively as foliage in model railroad scenery.
Super-duper review today, sumdaze. Great way to start the week! And many thanks to desper-otto on his community service!
Musings
-I wondered about the circled O’s and thought it was a very clever gimmick
-I, too, am so grateful for people like our D-O!
-The Great Pyramid of Giza held the title of the world's tallest building for approximately 3,800 years, from around 2570 BCE to 1311 CE. It was surpassed by the Lincoln Cathedral in England.
-Two of my friends had basketball courts in their hay LOFTS
-Willa Cather’s childhood home in Red Cloud, NE
-Joann “gathers dust” while I vacuum on Fridays
-Nice job, Sumdaze.
It's been mentioned before how some can like a CW others hate. I was surprised at all the negative comments this morning. I have my nits to pick with this CW, like names right next to each other and crossing names, both of which I hate, but the THEME of the CW was genius, and extremely well executed. Getting the wheels not only under the meals, but under the second and second to last letters of each meal had to be a real challenge. And Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in order, top to bottom, in the order a CW is usually worked, is also impressive. I saw the theme and am still smiling! FIR in 12, a bit long for a Monday, but the names.... Anyway, I really liked this CW a great deal, thanx AM, pure genius. Try to avoid names right next to each other or crossing in your next CW, though, please. 12 names, DNK 4, shoulda remembered NPCS as we just saw this recently, but, DOH!, needed all perps once again. Thanx Sumdaze for the terrific write-up, and for the warning about that movie. I was gonna say, "Someone remind me to NOT watch this movie, it creeps me out!", but don't need to say that, it is SO creepy I will remember on my own. It reminds me of the horror film "Room 1408", which is the scariest movie I've ever watched. If you like horror films, don't miss this one. There are two versions, with the ending being different. My GF couldn't watch it, and went out to the pool patio. I almost joined her. VERY terrifying movie. Has anyone else watched "Room 1408"? What are your thoughts?
I loved today's puzzle. August provided us with humor, fairness, and many creative misdirections.The theme was clever--and being a Monday, not that difficult to figure out. And what a visual he gave us, with each of the three theme answers riding on a pair of wheels! I've always appreciated circles anyway, and here they are serving an intriguing and different purpose: they are graphically demonstrating meals on wheels.
Puzzles that have a sense of humor, where the constructor's goal is not to show off, but to make the puzzle enjoyable for the solver, always appeal to me. For example, look at August's clue for 21 Down, "Featrue of this clue." This guy knows the fun of word play.
So thanks, August, for providing us a satisfying lift to the beginning of the week. Yours is the kind of puzzle I would give to a beginning solver so that they could see how much fun a crossword can provide.
And thanks, sumdaze, for such a comprehensive as well as entertaining review.
The puzzle was Wednesday-worthy to this solver. On a typical Monday I can fill in 80-90% of a puzzle without even looking at the "down" clues. Today was closer to 50-60%.
Many here have commented on the cleverness of the theme, and I'll have to take their word for it, as I paid it no heed during the solve.
Good stuff, C-Eh!@8:39 !
Circles in Circles! What's not to like? I really enjoyed today's outing. Clever wordplay, fair perps, and a cute gimmick. Guessed right on MINAJ, and WILLA somehow emerged from the deep recess of my brain. Another sterling recap from sumdaze provided the icing on the cupcake.
H-Gary@9:59. Thank you for the Willa Cather link. I thought you might have some extra info. but I didn't want to assume....
Thanks for the encouraging comments!
Reading the different guesses for the name crossing is a reminder of how the schwa sound can be the bane of English spellers.
Good Afternoon:
Although this had more crunch than a typical Monday, perps were fair so even a newbie should solve it with relative ease. And a newbie would surely appreciate the clever theme, reveal, and visual representation. The standard meal sequence adds another layer of tightness. I consider the puzzle a tribute to DO’s dedication over the years.
Well done, August, and well done, sumdaze, for another outstanding review. As I’ve mentioned before, your eye for word/letter patterns or similarities is as keen as ever, to wit, your comment on Units and Utensils. I enjoyed your numerous photos and videos. The Menu was a very strange and frightening movie, but I could forgive Ralph Fiennes almost anything.
Have a great day.
A little crunchy for a Monday but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the coral snake reminder.
Delightful Monday puzzle--many thanks, August. And your commentaries are always a big help, thanks for today's too, Sumdaze.
Well, MARS and TOMB looked as though we might be off to a depressing start in this puzzle, but clearly our constructor had MADE PLANS to give us a lot of pleasure with that delightful food-setting theme. The dinners were so nicely organized to have us go through the day starting out in that BREAKFAST NOOK at home, then going OUT TO LUNCH at a diner, and later going to a fancy restaurant where a DINNER BELL would announce a lovely supper which was bound to be a RARE TREAT. I just wish we had gotten more of the actual food, but at least that MENU at the end did start us off with UTENSILS and some delicious PATE, but I'm afraid that was about it. (No, there is no way we're going to eat a SNAKE). Still, if you like going out to restaurants this was fun, and we did also get a bit of lovely music including that DUET. Not a bad way to spend a Monday, I'd say.
Have a lovely week coming up, everybody.
LOL YP. You can come out of hiding. We won’t elbow you!
Room 1408 is a nightmare! Plain and not so simple. I wouldn't call it Horror, but it is, without all the blood and gore. It messes with your mind...
There are two endings? (I only know the one, will have to research.) or are you talking about the fake ending towards the end. ( is am I telling to much)
Anywho, don't watch it, it will give you nightmares...
1408 was based on a short story by Stephen King, again, Don't Watch It!,!!
Wait a sec, wtf? it has 4 endings? (don't watch spoilers...)
Oh great, thanks a lot Uncle Fred, now I'm gonna have multiple nightmares...
YP - If you are gonna make the hockey game tonight, you'd better fly in to Miami (but not on B.O.A.C.) ASAP. First two games have been decided in OT. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if the remaining 5 go to OT.
I liked this puzzle. Fortunately I knew of Nicki MINAJ so ALIA emerged. But I still don't like names crossing names, especially, as sumdaze said, "There is an abundance of flexibility in how people spell their names."
Enjoyed reading all your comments.
Oy! I watched it twice, the second time only to see if it was as terrifying as I remembered, and it was. But I was surprised when it had a different ending. Now you tell me there are FOUR different endings? I'm gonna take your word for it. CANNOT watch "Room 1408" two more times. They'd hafta bring a straight-jacket.
Really neat puzzle -- thank you, August! I FIR and understood the theme, but the way Sumdaze highlighted the theme answers and explained the placement of the "wheels" enhanced my understanding and enjoyment. I like RustyBrain's observation that "an O in a circle looks very much like a hubcap on a tire."
We've had the freckle faced Alia Shawkat before, so no problems there.
Egyptologists no doubt ascribe all kinds of meanings to the pyramids, but they were certainly tombs. Only real stumbling block for me today was NPCS, but perps took care of it.
Sumdaze, thanks for replaying Splynter's funny duet! I don't often take the time to follow links, but that one was worthwhile. I also appreciate that you give the running time for your videos, so I was encouraged to dip into others, and was glad I did.
C Eh! ~ up in Tobermory opening up the camp/cottage for the summer. No problem crossing the border, even the customs officials are most welcoming. Not sure about re-entry to the U.S., especially if they confiscate my devices and see my FB posts 😂. I have seen some “Elbows Up” hats, but I ♥️ Canada. 😊
Thanks, NaomiZ. I know we all do not have time to follow every link provided by the bloggers. waseeley used to liken his blogs to a smorgasbord. I agree. No one is obligated to try everything on THE MENU. Readers are welcome to click on whatever interests them.
tOOk 4:11 today to pop a wheelie.
Busy digging out after a weekend getaway.
Oh joy, circles!
I enjoyed the puzzle (#BrilliantUseOfCircles!) and sumdaze's review. WEES re: fun grid (and I knew MINAJ for some reason (SNL?)).
inre: NPC - watch Free Guy [trailer] for a hoot.
Cheers, -T
-T@9:50. The "Free Guy" trailer is a perfect fit for NPCS. I wish I would have thought of that. It was a fun movie. Of course they had me at Ryan Reynolds.
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