Happy Labor Day, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's puzzle is a Lynn K. Watson and Katie Hale collaboration. This is Lynn's fourth LAT puzzle and her first collaboration with Katie, whom we know as the assistant crossword editor for the LAT.
Theme: CSO to C.C.
An early peek at the grid explains it all: 
17 Across. *Grinning creature in Wonderland: CHESHIRE CAT.
34. Eases off: ABATES.
37. Half a laugh: HEE.
38. "Big Blue" tech co.: IBM. This clue is a bit too close to 67-Down.
39. Classic Battleship game piece: CRUISER. 
41. "You look just like me!": TWINSIE.
44. Dah's partner: DIT. This clue refers to Morse Code. When expressed as sounds or light, they are DITs and dahs but are written as a series of dots and dashes. The duration of a dah is three times the duration of a DIT.
45. Queen guitarist Brian: MAY. Sir Brian Harold May was born July 19, 1947.
47. Strong blackjack hand: ACE-TEN.
52. Golfer's goal: PAR. an admirable alliterative allusion
53. __-friendly: ECO.
54. Monopoly surface: BOARD.
58. Zigzag on skis: SLALOM.
61. "Lonely Boy" singer Paul: ANKA. He also composed Johnny's Theme, the theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
63. Member of a slapstick trio: MOE. a CSO to C-Moe!
64. Part of mpg: PER. Miles PER Gallon
68. Have breakfast: EAT.
70. Texter's "Or ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand ...
12. Put on the market: SELL.
15. Winter wrap: STOLE.
18. Epic protagonists: HEROES.
23. "Video Games" singer Lana Del __: REY.
25. Start of a play: ACT I.
27. "Nice to __ you": MEET.
30. "I can help": USE ME.
31. Starting to learn: NEW AT. It could not be "NEW to" because "to" is in the clue.
32. Theater award: OBIE. Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper for certain productions in New York City.
33. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN.
34. Band with a thunderbolt in its logo: AC⚡DC.
35. Pizzazz: BRIO. Def.: (noun) enthusiastic vigor; vivacity, verve.
36. Spark plugs, wiper blades, etc.: AUTO PARTS. 👍👍
40. The Indy 500, e.g.: RACE.
42. Swelling reducer: ICE BAG. In movies, they use a bag of frozen peas.
43. Wolfe of detective fiction: NERO.
46. Mexican peninsula: YUCATAN.
49. "House" actor Penn: KAL. his IMDb page
50. Self-congratulatory cheer: I ROCK.
51. This evening, in ads: TONITE.
55. Valued violin: AMATI.
56. Candies that resemble lampshades: ROLOS. Lampshades and ROLOS have the shape of a conical frustum (also called a truncated cone).
57. Indian metropolis: DELHI. The weather forecast for Delhi today is 84°F/76°F (28.8°C/24.4°C) with periods of rain.
58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.
59. Main role: LEAD. think "theater"
60. Barnyard bleats: MAAS.
62. More than guessed: KNEW.
66. __ Lanka: SRI. Colombo, Sri Lanka is 1,490 mi. (2,398 km.), as the plane flies, from Delhi, India.
67. Businesses: Abbr.: COS. Companies (Some, like IBM, are Cash Cows.)
17 Across. *Grinning creature in Wonderland: CHESHIRE CAT.
 |
| I bought this Coffee Cup the last time I visited Disneyland. It is oversized so I use it for soup. |
29 Across. *Only "Friends" star never nominated for an Emmy during the show's run: COURTENEY COX. I did not realize she spelled her name that way.
She might not have won and Emmy but she did get a star.
 |
| Courteney with co-stars Jennifer (l.) and Lisa (r.) in Feb. 2023 at Cox's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony |
48 Across. *Gingerbread shaper: COOKIE CUTTER. This answer is a noun so no hyphen is needed. On the other hand, when used as an adjective as in "COOKIE-CUTTER houses", Merriam-Webster calls for a hyphen. 
65 Across. *"A Chorus Line" event: CASTING CALL. A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater. It follows 17 dancers auditioning for spots.
The reveal is the last Across clue:
73 Across. "Oui! Oui!" in Oaxaca, and a phonetic description of the answers to the starred clues: SÍ! SÍ!.
A French "Yes! Yes!" becomes a Spanish "SÍ! SÍ!" in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The reveal tells us that each of the four starred clues is a two-word answer where both words begin with the letter C. Note that it specifies, "a phonetic description". Works for me!
 |
| This is the cover of the 10th studio album by the British band, Madness (2012). Ska fans can click here for a 4 min. video about how the album was named plus more background. |
Next we will look at the other Crossword Clues:
Across:
1. Life line location: PALM. Coincidentally, last Wednesday's 1-A was PALMS.
Scientists call the lines on our PALM palmar flexion creases. They begin to form around the 12th week of gestation. They help the skin in our hands squeeze and stretch.
5. Touches on an edge: ABUTS. The two U.S. states with the most shared borders are Tennessee and Missouri. They each ABUT eight other states, including each other, sometimes leading to a Cultural Clash.
10. Outfit for a lazy day at home, for short: PJS.
13. Chemistry test subject?: ACID. I liked this play on ACID test.
14. Tropical verandas: LANAIS. and 28-Across. Tropical garland: LEI.
16. Weeding tool: HOE. Using one might turn up a Creepy Crawler.
19. Monogram on a Libre perfume bottle: YSL. I was not familiar with this perfume but this monogram shows up frequently in crossword puzzles so I gave it a try.
20. Japanese pond fish: KOI. 6 Interesting Facts about KOI fish on PetMD
21. James of jazz: ETTA.
22. Tiny bit: MORSEL. Did you ever notice the bag says MORSELs, not "chips"?
5. Touches on an edge: ABUTS. The two U.S. states with the most shared borders are Tennessee and Missouri. They each ABUT eight other states, including each other, sometimes leading to a Cultural Clash.
10. Outfit for a lazy day at home, for short: PJS.
13. Chemistry test subject?: ACID. I liked this play on ACID test.
14. Tropical verandas: LANAIS. and 28-Across. Tropical garland: LEI.
16. Weeding tool: HOE. Using one might turn up a Creepy Crawler.
19. Monogram on a Libre perfume bottle: YSL. I was not familiar with this perfume but this monogram shows up frequently in crossword puzzles so I gave it a try.
20. Japanese pond fish: KOI. 6 Interesting Facts about KOI fish on PetMD
21. James of jazz: ETTA.
22. Tiny bit: MORSEL. Did you ever notice the bag says MORSELs, not "chips"?
 |
| Chocolate Chips |
24. Whale locator: SONAR. Captains use SONAR to locate whales for whale watching trips.
26. "Uh ... ": ERM .... a Communication Crisis???
34. Eases off: ABATES.
37. Half a laugh: HEE.
38. "Big Blue" tech co.: IBM. This clue is a bit too close to 67-Down.
44. Dah's partner: DIT. This clue refers to Morse Code. When expressed as sounds or light, they are DITs and dahs but are written as a series of dots and dashes. The duration of a dah is three times the duration of a DIT.
45. Queen guitarist Brian: MAY. Sir Brian Harold May was born July 19, 1947.
Queen ~ Keep Yourself Alive ~ 1973
(May is playing on stage left.)
<BTW, this video is brought to you through a Creative Commons license.>
47. Strong blackjack hand: ACE-TEN.
 |
| 10 + 11 = 21 |
53. __-friendly: ECO.
58. Zigzag on skis: SLALOM.
61. "Lonely Boy" singer Paul: ANKA. He also composed Johnny's Theme, the theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
63. Member of a slapstick trio: MOE. a CSO to C-Moe!
 |
| inspirations for many a Class Clown |
64. Part of mpg: PER. Miles PER Gallon
68. Have breakfast: EAT.
69. Hand-to-hand combat style: KARATE.
70. Texter's "Or ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand ...
Or, as they say in the KARATE dojo, OTOH2H.
71. Items in jewel cases: CDS. Here we have a case of intentional misdirection. The plastic cases that CDs come in are called jewel cases or sometimes jewel boxes.
71. Items in jewel cases: CDS. Here we have a case of intentional misdirection. The plastic cases that CDs come in are called jewel cases or sometimes jewel boxes.
 |
| If you put it in the fridge, you will have a Cold Case. (ba dum tss!) |
72. Muscle-bone connector: SINEW.
Down:
Down:
1. Prepares for a trip: PACKS. 
2. Sneeze sound: ACHOO.
3. Hit snooze, perhaps: LIE IN.
4. Health care pros: MDS. An abbreviated clue hints at an abbreviated answer.
5. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.
6. Negotiate a trade: BARTER.
7. Dig up: UNEARTH.
8. Tic __: mint brand: TAC. Do you remember these commercials telling us that one Tic Tac had only two calories? It was a Madison Ave. miss. I always wondered: (1.) They are so tiny, what do you expect? (2.) Who eats just one? and (3.) Are people concerned about gaining weight from breath mints?9. "The King and I" kingdom: SIAM. This story takes place in Siam during the early 1860s. Siam first changed its name to Thailand on June 5, 1939, changed it back in 1945, then became Thailand permanently on May 11, 1949.
10. Stephen Hawking, for one: PHYSICIST. Stephen William Hawking (1942 - 2018) wrote A Brief History of Time. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
11. "Feliz Navidad" singer Feliciano: JOSÉ. José will turn 80 years old in nine days. Feliz cumpleaños, José!
3. Hit snooze, perhaps: LIE IN.
5. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.
6. Negotiate a trade: BARTER.
7. Dig up: UNEARTH.
8. Tic __: mint brand: TAC. Do you remember these commercials telling us that one Tic Tac had only two calories? It was a Madison Ave. miss. I always wondered: (1.) They are so tiny, what do you expect? (2.) Who eats just one? and (3.) Are people concerned about gaining weight from breath mints?9. "The King and I" kingdom: SIAM. This story takes place in Siam during the early 1860s. Siam first changed its name to Thailand on June 5, 1939, changed it back in 1945, then became Thailand permanently on May 11, 1949.
10. Stephen Hawking, for one: PHYSICIST. Stephen William Hawking (1942 - 2018) wrote A Brief History of Time. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
11. "Feliz Navidad" singer Feliciano: JOSÉ. José will turn 80 years old in nine days. Feliz cumpleaños, José!
12. Put on the market: SELL.
15. Winter wrap: STOLE.
 |
| I bought one of these with my Credit Card but someone STOLE it. |
23. "Video Games" singer Lana Del __: REY.
25. Start of a play: ACT I.
27. "Nice to __ you": MEET.
30. "I can help": USE ME.
31. Starting to learn: NEW AT. It could not be "NEW to" because "to" is in the clue.
32. Theater award: OBIE. Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper for certain productions in New York City.
33. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN.
 |
| The Caped Crusader (Batman) is in a different universe. |
34. Band with a thunderbolt in its logo: AC⚡DC.
35. Pizzazz: BRIO. Def.: (noun) enthusiastic vigor; vivacity, verve.
36. Spark plugs, wiper blades, etc.: AUTO PARTS. 👍👍
40. The Indy 500, e.g.: RACE.
42. Swelling reducer: ICE BAG. In movies, they use a bag of frozen peas.
46. Mexican peninsula: YUCATAN.
50. Self-congratulatory cheer: I ROCK.
51. This evening, in ads: TONITE.
55. Valued violin: AMATI.
56. Candies that resemble lampshades: ROLOS. Lampshades and ROLOS have the shape of a conical frustum (also called a truncated cone).
 |
| (Click to enlarge.) |
57. Indian metropolis: DELHI. The weather forecast for Delhi today is 84°F/76°F (28.8°C/24.4°C) with periods of rain.
58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.
59. Main role: LEAD. think "theater"
60. Barnyard bleats: MAAS.
 |
| These goats are helping to clear potentially flammable brush. I was fortunate to see similar working goats on my bike ride last Thursday, along with two Great Pyrenees dogs! Their mouths were too full to say MAA. |
66. __ Lanka: SRI. Colombo, Sri Lanka is 1,490 mi. (2,398 km.), as the plane flies, from Delhi, India.
67. Businesses: Abbr.: COS. Companies (Some, like IBM, are Cash Cows.)
We had a bit of a theater mini-theme with CASTING CALL, ACT I, OBIE, and LEAD so I will add some Closing Credits. 
I hope this puzzle is now Crystal Clear! Thank you for visiting the Crossword Corner!
55 comments:
Other than a little
trouble spelling “Courteney” (I thought it was “Courtney”) I didn’t have any trouble with this puzzle, so I am awarding it the title of “a walk in the park.” We’ll see if you friends agree. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning, and welcome to September!
I had planned to compliment the puzzle setters for this reveal-free offering. Scratch that. Instead, I'll compliment them on their tribute puzzle to our blog mistress. When is "pizzazz" not ELAN? When it's BRIO, apparently. This one turned into a 6-minute SLALOM to the bottom. Thanx, Lynn, Katie, and sumdaze. (Apparently every role in those credits was played by Hideo Kojlna. Talented guy.)
ERM -- Does anybody actually say that?
MAAS -- I read an interesting article recently about using goats for weed control under the panels of a large solar energy farm. They're short enough to walk right under the panels, they're glad to do it, and you don't have to pay them. Win, win, win.
FIR, but erased twenty then eleven for ACE TEN. FOUL! ACETEN is blackjack. Methinks Lynn, Katie and Patti have never played a single hand blackjack in a casino.
A golfer’s goal isn’t PAR. PAR is a benchmark. Most golfers are delighted to average one over PAR on each hole, and professional golfers won’t be professionals very long if they doaverage PAR on every hole.
IBM – It’s Better Manually.
Genesis had a big hit with their Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, although they didn’t spel it the want ads way.
Thanks to Lynn and Katie for the fun, easy start to September. And thanks to sumdaze for the interesting review, and all those additional CSOs to our dear leader.
SI SI, It's a C.C. puzzle, not by our C.C.
The only slow up on this puzzle was the initial spelling of COURTNEY, oops, it has a extra E. COURTENEY. I never saw the show but have heard of her.
TWINSIE- that's a new one for me. I remember people calling people who accidentally wearing the same clothes as Bobbsey Twins.
ABUTS- Arizona abuts Colorado the width of one Hydrogen atom.
ROLOS- I've never bought any and didn't know their shape.
Par is definitely a hack golfers’ goal, bogey golf may be a goal to a really bad hacker.
FIR. I had no problems with this Monday puzzle. I got the theme early on with Courteney Cox, although I misspelled her name at first and had an extra square at the end as a result. It didn't take long to see my error.
I solved so fast I missed the reveal at the end altogether. But it really wasn't needed.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Took 4:55 today to eat my cold cereal.
I didn't know that the Actress of the Day (Courteney Cox) was spelled that way.
I agree that "ace ten" is much more than a "strong blackjack hand." I also agree, as usual, with SubG that this is a WITP.
Anka also wrote "My Way" for Sinatra who hated the song but had to sing it at every concert.
Good Morning:
I guess Courteney Cox tripped up a few of us this morning, but only temporarily. The theme was obvious early on, but the phonetic Si Si revealer was a surprise. I Rock is a little green-painty to me, but a minor nit in an otherwise easy, peasy start to September. Chuckled at the Moe entry, a cute nod to our Chairman. Of course, the entire puzzle was a CSO to our own dear CC.
Thanks, Lynn and Katie, and thanks, sumdaze, for the detailed and informative review. Favorite comics were the singing Whale and Seasons Greetings.
Have a great day.
Like everyone else, I was temporarily stymied by the spelling of COURTENEY’s name. As many times as I’m sure I’ve seen the actress’s name in print, I never noticed the unusual spelling of her first name. Even spell check doesn’t like it. LOL.
Otherwise, the CW was PAR for the course for á Monday puzzle. The theme was simple enough with á cute reveal. The only other hesitation was caused by TWINSIE and ERM.
Recently someone on this site explained the difference between BAA and MAA.
sumdaze, you were in splendid form this morning with your own C C alliterations and really cute funnies. I loved the one about the whale.
Musings
-TWINSIE and LIE IN? ERM, still I earned an easy “got ‘er done”
-A development of starter homes across the street are COOKIE-CUTTER offerings
-ABUT: A nursery where I worked in Arlington, NE billed itself as the largest nursery in contiguous states.
-Two days of rain have made for lazy days at home. Nobody will be testing PAR on soggy courses here in the heartland today.
-Every submarine movie features SONAR beeps
-At times, that trio featured brothers MOE Howard, Curly Howard and Shemp Howard – nee Horowitz
-Run for office and your opponent will UNEARTH every indiscretion you’ve ever committed.
-Our kitty Lily has roots in SIAM somewhere
-SELL: My DW loves to hold garage sales where she makes $200 after many hours of work. I’d take all that to the Goodwill and be done with it.
-When I asked a favor of a good friend, she would say, “USE ME, abuse me, make me write bad checks”
-Those ROLO shapes remind me of the stands for the circus elephants
-Many plays have secondary characters who overshadow the LEAD.
-As usual, I agree with Irish but I will quote Monkey, “Sumdaze, you were in splendid form this morning with your own C C alliterations and really cute funnies.”
Addendum
-My long Wordle streak came to a halt today. I had the last four letters with three guesses for the first letter and I entered three wrong guesses. :-(
Things I've never heard in conversation in my seven decades on this planet..."lie in" as clued, and "erm" as a subsitute for "um" or "uh "
Overall, a six-minute walk in the park today. The puzzle was perfect Monday-level.
That blackjack hand was a stumble for me as well. ACE TEN is a winning hand.
IBM = I've Been Misled
I hate it when I get the last four letters then it’s just an alphabet run for the right answer and you hope you’re lucky that day.
75% of all golfers average higher scores than bogie golf. The average golfer having PAR as the target is about as realistic as my goal of displacing Travis Kelce as Taylor Swift's main squeeze.
ACE TEN is a win-or-push hand.
YP here ~ my personal streak ended a few weeks ago with the unknown “kefir”, 2 days later I see it in the dairy case at the grocery store. I don’t like them when they become a guessing game, more fun to deduce by elimination.
We're off to a great start this week courtesy (Courteney?) of Lynn & Katie.
I always hear TWINSIE in the plural: "We have matching clothes—twinsies!"
Sumdaze, you pulled out all the stops today with your Clever Conclusions!
Didn't know Ms. Cox was the only "Friends" star not nominated for an Emmy, but did know the unusual spelling of her first name. BTW, for the write-up, the lady on the right at the Walk of Fame ceremony is Lisa Kudrow, not Phoebe, which is the character she portrayed on the show.
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Lynn and Katie, and sumdaze (loved all your CCs today).
Not exactly a WITP but I had a fun stroll and saw the CC theme (and the CSOs to our own C.C. and CMOE).
Several inkblots starting at 1A where Hand changed to PALM.
DRS changed to MDS.
I Rule changed to I ROCK.
XMEN finally perped.
LIE IN is not a common expression for me, and I gave a Meh!
“Put on the market” equates better with “List” than SELL IMHO.
Wishing you all a Happy Labour Day (no matter how you spell it)!
I ROCK today. I got the Wordle in two guesses for a Magnificent.
Today's LAT puzzle may have nodded to our dear CC, but today's USA Today was actually constructed by her.
Here's a link, with no assurance that it will work.
https://puzzles.usatoday.com/game/e602ffda-f3f5-4089-ae39-a64b9903398d
I was going to say that LIE IN is not a thing, but a Google search pulls this from Oxford Languages:
"Lie in, phrasal verb of lie, British.
Remain in bed after the normal time for getting up.
"If I'm not due anywhere I'll lie in until something kick-starts the day"
Google also quotes Merriam-Webster:
"The meaning of LIE-IN is an act of lying down (as in a public place) in organized protest or as a means of forcing compliance with demands."
Are we going to take this lying down? ;-)
Otherwise, a very cute puzzle from Lynn and Katie. Sumdaze has taken it to another level with her Clever Commentary.
John M27 yesterday @9:18 am. “One of the few hard-and-fast rules of crossword puzzles as far as I know. MAA is always used for goats and BAA is always used for sheep.” Today the clue said “Barnyard bleats” and we had to wait for perps to decide the animal.
CanadianEh, me, too! A rare occurrence, indeed!
Learning moment: Cox was never nominated for an Emmy?
I can't be sure, but I believe Emmy nominations are submitted in writing, and no one could spell Coxs' name...
In searching for a silly SiSi link, I came across someth8ng else that was incomprehensible. can you translate this?. Apparently, Mexican slang is not Google (or A.I.) friendly...
here are 15 more conundrums. (and you thought French was hard...)
It sounds like the owner of this car doesn’t like ugly girls.
Hola! So, is it coincidence or did Lynn and Katie mean to honor C.C. with their opus? It's clever and cute in any case. My hand is way up for not knowing the spelling of COURTENEY's name. My daughter and granddaughter watched Friends a gazillion times, but I guess I never paid attention to the spelling of names.
And the things I l earn from doing crossword puzzles. Never have I compared ROLOS to lamp shades! ACDC has a lightning bolt in its logo! Etic, etc.
thank you, sumdaze, for opening the windows and letting in the sunlight! Have a wonderful day, everyone!
I also need to proofread better! I apologize for the errors.
A splendid start to September.
No wite-out needed.
Thanks Lynn & Katie.
Reporting today from ‘somewhere in time’ on Mackinac Island MI, a gem of a day out here on the water! Labor Day being the only day of the year where pedestrians can trek across the 5 mile span of the Mackinac Bridge a couple miles away, DW and I instead opted for a bike ride around the 8.2 mile perimeter of the Island. As for the puzzle, I only had to dedicate 9:35 for the FIR. I think the SO to C.C. was intentional. That pesky ERM again, tsk pfft. I didn’t notice the odd spelling of COURTENEY till others brought it up, perps filled it in for me. Thanks to Lynn and Katie for the fun solve, and to sumdaze for your witty and well thought out take on the puzzle, always a pleasant read post puzzle!
Fast FIR today, but the puzzle was kind of meh. ERM? LIE IN? TWINSIE? ACE TEN is more than just a "strong" hand! Sheesh. Fortunately, sumdaze was on the job, and managed to pump the enjoyment factor back up.
Delightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, Katie and Lynn. And, Sumdaze, your commentary is always so helpful and therefore much appreciated--many thanks for that too.
Well, as soon as I saw PALM and LANAIS in the puzzle, I figured we were in California, my home now, which was a happy relief. Unfortunately we don't have any CHESHIRE CATS at this time, but if we did, we'd be feeding them MORSELS of cat food right now. But instead, it's almost tempting to think about maybe getting on a CRUISER to take a bit of a voyage. Bet we'd hear a CASTING CALL and find KARATE teachers, and just hope nobody injures a SINEW. Well, OUI! OUI! OUI!, its time for me to go and get some lunch.
Have a wonderful beginning of September, everybody!
I enjoyed this puzzle and all your comments.
When I watch a British show on TV with Closed Captions turned on, when an actor says "um" the captions show "erm." The British also often say "LIE IN" while we North Americans say "Sleep in."
My son is in New DELHI all this week on business.
Best wishes to you all.
Big Easy, I love your observation that "Arizona abuts Colorado the width of one Hydrogen atom."
My streak nearly came to an end with TOWER ... but today, the least I could do was get an eagle!
Wordle 1,535 2/6*
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I put TENACE into the grid before a perp decided to make me flip the two words. I agree with you that while PAR is a "goal" of golfers, we all strive to shoot under PAR. The best in the world right now, Scottie Scheffler, has shot 21 consecutive rounds under 70. In my salad days, I was able to break PAR three times and break 70 twice
I love Mackinac Island. Although it was extremely cold the time I was there, I still enjoyed walking around. It was tulip time.
ERM is a British thing. Watch any British TV show with Closed Captions (CC) on and you will likely see it.
Puzzling thoughts:
Clever Concept, for sure. Creative Constructing, maybe? Crafty Clues?
Thanks, sumdaze, for the great recap (and CSO to yours, truly!); thanks, too, to Lynn and Katie for the fun start to the first week of September
What I found interesting was that in an online newspaper I read (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), today's puzzle (from the NY Times - July 28, 2025) has a similar "C" theme. You may have to cut and paste this link but I think it's worth "C"ing!
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/28/2025
I see Jayce and I are TWINSIEs regarding ERM.
Hi All!
Thanks Lynn & Katie for a Labor-less Monday puzzle. WEES re: COURTENEY.
Thanks too to sumdaze for Crossword Commentary! I liked learning that ANKA wrote Johnny's Theme and the Season's Greetings (where can I get that for my Christmas Cards?)
WOs: N/A
ESPs: N/A though I didn't read many of the downs.
Fav: astroPHYSICIST Sir Brian MAY who studied space dust.
@alpernm - thanks for the link to C.C.'s USA Today's. Another Monday WITP
Ditto today's Wordle in 2/6. My streak was broken Friday w/ 4 bad guesses at ?RA?T (cRAFT was my 6/6 #Bzzt)
I'm with you, RustyBrain - plural TWINSIEs is what I hear (when it's not "Twinkies!").
This morning, I got the STI shifters (aka brifters - brake/shifter combo) on my road bike fixed (they weren't shifting properly) about 15 minutes before the rain started. iWeather says it won't rain for another couple of hours so I'm off to try again.
Cheers, -T
I got the Wordle on the third try.
That was me just above.
Inventive puzzle C-Moe. I wonder if there’s ever been one like that.
Last week a had a couple of CWs that I was SO on the wavelength. Not today. Just the opposite. Everyone seems to think this was a typical Monday. I struggled. I did FIR but it took 15 minutes, which is far over my usual Monday time. 16 names, only DNK 3. STRAD? No, AMATI. Thanx LKW&KH. Tough Monday, for me, but that's not your fault. Thanx too to Sumdaze.
I very much enjoyed a Labor Day bike ride -- made even better by an osprey sighting!
Thanks to those of you who mentioned all the C.C. words in the blog! I appreciate your appreciation. ;- )
RustyBrain @ 10:18. I also think of TWINSIEs as a plural but I'm sure there is someone out there using it in the singular....
Anonymous @ 10:19. Good catch. I'll fix that.
C-Eh! @ 10:25. I thought the same about SELL ... but it has been a SELLers' market for so long now. Perhaps nowadays a LIST equals a SELL?
“Maa”? Baa, even though maa completes “slalom”
You were quite the crackerjack golfer! (Bet that one doesn't register when translated into other languages!) I started playing in my late-30s, along with a work friend who had briefly taken up the game in high school. So as beginners we made up our own scoring. If we lost a ball we scored it as 1 under. If we found a couple of balls, we scored it as 2 over. Best I ever shot was an 82 on a reasonably difficult course. I shot a 2 over PAR (38) once during our after-work l9-hole league on a tough course, even though I bogied both PAR 3s. That little hot streak DESTROYED my handicap, and I never won a match after that.
I still contend that the aim for the vast majority of golfers is to shoot bogie golf. Most will never do so.
9 hole, not 19 hole.
Sigh. Today I went shopping for a new purse and when I came home discovered the security devise still on it! Some security! Luckily, I keep all receipts and tomorrow will have to go have that removed. I also wanted to buy some towels for a birthday gift, but they had a logo on them! On towels! it was the preferred color for my friend and it's not easy to find. More shopping!
I'm at my mom's and her paper has the NYT's crossword in it - Today had a puzzle by Brian Callahan and the themes were all words beginning with C also, and the theme reveal was Clear sailing areas and homophonically a feature of the theme clues - ans OPEN SEAS
Thanks SD for the fun blog
To inanehiker: Here is a link to the clues and answers to the NYT crossword puzzle in your mom's newspaper. They must have a syndicate group of paper they work with; it was in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today, too https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/28/2025
I’ll bet Anonymous is a hack golfer. What a snob.
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