This is Joel Woodford's second publication; his first was a NYT puzzle last year in August. Today we have a letter-replacement-at-the-end-of-phrases theme, with "d" becoming "i", and a very clever reveal. A simple solve ( for me ) this time, stumbled just a little in the center and down in the SW. Standard grid, no circles, just a handful of names, a couple of twurds, two 9-letter Downs, 15 3LWs - and four Coopers~! The themers and reveal;
20. Small car that can only follow a single route?: ONE-TRACKMINI - One-track minD, like me and 14A.; the Mini was a British car, then it became the Mini-"Cooper" (#1), and now a line from BMW - I think; it's hard to tell who owns them, manufactures them, and markets them . . .
An A I visual evolution - I am beginning to appreciate A I
29. Songs heard during a colorful spring festival?: MUSICONHOLI - Music on holD; we appreciate your patience - please enjoy this 20min flute solo . . .
43. First dish made at a cook-off?: OLDESTCHILI - Oldest chilD - I am the oldest of two, but my brother likes to behave like the alpha, so I let him; speaking of my brother, I am going to be house-sitting and walking my buddy in June~! Yay~! AND, I have found a place to adopt a schnauzer puppy, but I have to stabilize my work schedule before I commit, then fence in a part of my yard.
Cooper (#2)
52. Designer's asset, or a phonetic description of 20-, 29-, and 43-Across: EYEFORDETAIL - parsed differently, it reads "I" for "D" tail - the last, or "tail" letter of the theme answers changes from an i to a d - very clever reveal~!
Но подожди, И это ещё не всё~!
ACROSS:
1. Meat in some fried rice: SPAM - I like Spam, buy it in bulk at BJs, get the low(er) sodium one
10. Inspiration for the DC Comics hero Green Arrow: ROBINHOOD - I did not know this - filled via perps. I grew up with Robin Hood imagery , as my parents were born & raised in Nottingham England
11. Consumed: ATE
12. Barbie, e.g.: TOY - Doll, Name, Movie - several choices, but I like one-to-one vague cluing, as long as we're talking words, not names - it feels like I am learning something . . .
13. 24-hour care ctrs.: ERs
21. Scuttlebutt: RUMOR - I thought 'scuttlebutt' was a person, not a term
25. Aim: GOAL - I have struggled with what my aim/goal/intent/dream/purpose ( see yesterday's puzzle ) is to be for the 'second half' of my life - the first was to buy my own home, which I accomplished in 2022. I am going to focus on the production of my board games; found an intellectual property lawyer, have a business plan - amd I'm beginning to embrace A I as an effective tool, too.
A trial playing of one game, back in 2017
26. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO... "
27. Parks it: SITS
30. Like Guinness: IRISH - Dah~! Not STOUT -and a SO to Miss
31. Crew team leader: COX - the lightweight "jockey" at the back of a boat with the rowing guys
32. Biker trying to miss the bus, perhaps?: DAREDEVIL - I love this clue/answer. I had just been griping about people who do NOT get up to speed at a highway on-ramp - I acually said "if you were jumping 26 buses, do you want to be going 40, or 140mph~?!"
OK, so it was only 14 buses, and just 95mph . . . 51D.
35. Per: APOP - possibly the worst twurd, not the word "EACH"
36. Chorus syllables: LA-LA - meh. I tried TRAS
37. Shipshape: TIDY
38. __ drop: MIC - yeah, I went with DEW
39. English county: SHIRE - Sweet~! The generic, crossword answer, not the crossname ESSEX
41. Eye affliction: STYE
42. Trudged: PLODDED
44. Authoritative retort: "SAYSME."
45. "Jackpot!": "I'MRICH~!" - No, I am Rich~! ( when I'm not Splynter ) name(ish), twurd(ish)
46. "You're being cruel!": MEANIE - this was part of my mom's affectionate email address, "Mrs. Meanie" - a moniker she earned over 30 years as a teacher's assistant
47. Formats, as text: ALIGNS - I use center align for my images and "justify" for text on the blog
48. Archipelago units: ISLETS
51. "Even so ... ": "STILL . . ." Evel Stunt Cycle
54. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID - ooh, good WAG on my part; name #5
56. NYC ave. on the East Side: LEXington - ah, forgot about that one. The Chrysler Building is located on Lexington @ 42nd street; the whole structure is in dire need of modernizing . . . and pays rent to Cooper Union (#3)
Cooper again~! This time, the Square (#4)
Numbered 'backwards', east to west, 1st - 12th
57. Sushi option: AHI - interesting that the last Down fill ends with an "i"
I got the idea for the gimmick from the first themed fill, so that was definitely a help in solving this fun puzzle. There were no big hang ups, nor were there a lot of obscurities. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Four-letter meat served with rice. Hmmm. Gotta be PORK, right? Wrong. Wite-Out, please. MUSIC ON HOLI was cute. Why is it "Bongos" and "Congas?" Makes no sense. Thanx, Joel and Splynter. (I was right there with ya at EAT IN.)
FIR, but eldest chili->OLDEST CHILI, serbs->SLAVS, ange->INGE, eat in->EXILE, and cava->FAVA. Caught on to the gimmick @ ONE TRACK MINI - well before the reveal, for a change.
Thought of the Three Dog Night classic at "the loneliest numbers," then in the Universal Crossword by Jim Heane, I found "the loneliest number, per a Three Dog Night song." (Yes, I got up extra early this morning.)
Is IRON ON really a style? I think of it as a type of patch.
LEX is the airport code for Bluegrass Field, just across the street from Keeneland Racetrack. I used to fly LAX->LEX when I lived in SoCal. (17 states have towns named Lexington.)
Thanks to Joel for the easyish Friday puzzle, and to Splynter for another fun review. I liked the candy bar narrative even better than the leg shot.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Ella), nor did I quite sense what was going on with the theme until I finished. Oddly, I knew both writers today (Inge & Ovid).
Bottom-left corner was the last to fall. Not a fan of "chorus syllabus: lala". CSO to our dear Ms. Irish Miss at 30D (Irish).
FIR. This was really easy for a Friday. My only snag was throwing down "says so" before "says me". That had me staring at "exilo" and scratching my head. And then the light bulb went off. I had the gist of the theme from the get go with the first long entry. From there on it was clear sailing. Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
The light bulb never went off for me, so I kept SAYS so and messed up the SW. It took me a while to get the theme, but finally got it at OLDEST CHILI. I didn’t need the reveal.
For 1D I wanted SENOReS, but finally came to my senses. The rest filled pretty quickly. I’m just not a fan of phrases such as “You’re being cruel” as clues. One or two is OK , but more, that’s too many.
DARE DEVIL and PLANET were neat.
Thank you Splynter for your clever review. I hope you do get a Schnauzer. They’re fine dogs. My little Bogey was a prince.
Musings -I learned about HOLI doing cwds but had never heard of MUSIC ON HOLD. I’ll read the comments to see if I am the Lone Ranger. -Some might remember Snagglepuss saying, “EXIT stage right” -INGE/AGEE coin flip was unsuccessful -Some see crop circles and immediately think zebras and not horses -JOE was my first common name but it is not a surname -Just when you think an interminable teachers meeting is finally over, we hear “ALSO” - aarrghh. -I knew how to spell EVEL Knievel but then saw it was a generic fill
Wow, I was so impressed with myself just flying through a Friday CW...until I got to the SW corner, where fill slowed to a crawl. In the end, FIR in 16. Probably 6 of that 15 was in the SW corner.
Only 10 names, DNK 4, which helped speed things along.
Like DO@5:58, PORK/SPAM W/O. I like Spam, knowing most people don't.
Thanx JW for the low-name, easy-for-a-Friday CW. I could see there was a theme brewing at 20A, but it took the reveal for me to see it.
Thanx Splynter for your great write-up. Your talk about the Mini had me thinking of cars in general. What is/is not an "American" car? Parts come from all over. Assembly is all over. BMW's largest assembly plant in the world is in S. Carolina. Does that mean Bavarian Motor Works is an American company? Of course not. But cars are tough to define by country anymore.
Joel provided us with a fine Friday puzzle today, I believe. It is a good example of a constructor who has the best interests of the solver in mind. For example, in the NW, 14-A was a name unknown to me. Names often become a magnet for Naticks. But Josh, perhaps foreseeing this potential impasse, made sure that nearby perps were friendly.
The theme was unique and clever, and as a misdirection-lover, I loved being treated to so many such clues. Thanks for that, Joel--and undoubtedly Patti.
BKTYS (Be Kind to Your Solver) should be every constructor's mantra. That doesn't mean the puzzle has to be easy; today's puzzle is proof that you can make a tough puzzle while at the same time respecting your solvers.
Thanks, Splynter, for another sparkling recap. I like Spam, too; I often put it on the barbeque.
Good morning. I didn't get it at first but after already having ALSO and SITS, HOLI for 'hold' gave the V8 notice. That opened it up and let me guess ROBIN HOOD for the unknown Green Arrow. Filling the rest was a piece of cake. Finishing is my GOAL.
RON, LEX, & ELLA joined Robin as other unknowns. Autism has joined ADHD as the most prolific dubious provider receiving Medicaid money for patients who really don't have those conditions.
OBEYS-About 10 years ago, C.C. and I made a puzzle with the title "Mind The Gap'. It was rejected by everyone because the editors stated it was an obscure term that only Londoners knew. About two years later the WSJ ran one with the same 'Mind The Gap' theme.
There's an IHOP close to us that is usually busy and another about 4 miles away that rarely has anybody there. We never go to either; service is two slow.
I got my first toehold with PAYDAY (after considering O Henry), which helped me find both OLDEST CHILI and the unifier, so I soon completed the lower half of the puzzle.
As I worked upward, the perps fell into place, except for the NW corner, where neither SPAM nor SENORS came easily and ELLA was an unknown. I do like Spam, maybe once a year. NAIL wasn’t the first polish-able item I thought of – or any man would think of. ONE-TRACK MINI then became the key to FIR.
The theme entries – the theme itself, really – didn’t move me at all. Some of the fill was imaginative, but a Friday puzzle ought to be more spectacular than this.
Nostalgia: My father drove a Renault 4-CV during the early 1960s.
Interesting Friday puzzle, many thanks, Joel. And thank you too for your commentary and pictures, Splynter, always appreciated.
Well, it made sense that the DELI owner was upset when he discovered that some of the products he paid for were SPAM and not natural foods. His workers were SENIORS and not at all ALIENS, and were IRATE when they learned that they might have trouble trying to EXTRACT their now lost funds. But the guys who had replaced the natural food with spam were delighted at the funds they now owned, yelling I'M RICH, until they were arrested for their VICE. When everything was settled and their funds were restored on PAY DAY, the DELI workers hosted a lovely party where everyone avoided the OLDEST CHILI, and enjoyed MORSELS of healthy food while listening to MUSIC. So all was well again.
While I agree that a Friday puzzle should be more challenging, I liked the theme and cluing and as a change a letter exercise, it was head and shoulders above the usual boring fare, IMO. The reveal was spot on and very clever. Hand up for Pork/Spam and Says So, both easily corrected, and Ella was the only unknown. The double clechos were a treat, as was the CSO, voiced by Splynter and SS.
Thanks, Joel, and thanks, Splynter, for a delightful review and an update on your canine quest and your board game endeavors. Give Cooper some tummy rubs from me. I well remember that scene from The Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins, serial killer extraordinaire!
OK, not crossword related but I need to vent. I had some shopping to do in Virginia Beach, so I decided to have lunch at a nearby Chilis restaurant. I used to enjoy their soup and salad with chili as my soup choice, but I didn't see it on the menu. I asked my server, and she said "Oh, we don't serve chili any longer." I started swiveling my head as if looking for the restaurant's sign, and she said "I know, I know. Chilis without chili. Doesn't make sense, does it."
Hola! Fabulous Friday! SPAM, DELI, CHILI, MORSELS and PAYDAY for dessert are enough to make a solver hungry! But I am always IRATE when I see CHILE spelled CHILI though I know it's a losing battle. The same with SENORS. Ugh! CSO to my late mother, LALA. Children with ADHD are disruptive in a classroom and usually require much more one-on-one time from a teacher than those with normal personalities. I speak from experience. CSO to IRISH Miss! Thank you, splynter, for a well-crafted narrative. Enjoy your day, everyone!
I had the same chili experience at Chili's about 10 years ago . We will go sit at the bar, order unlimited enchilada soup with chips and salsa. If you ordered a beer or any drink they would give you two. Easier than doing it later.
Another time at a Mexican restaurant, there was a framed painting on the wall with pictures of all the different chili varieties. And they had it spelled like the country ,not a chili. CHILE. I asked for the manager and told him he should take that picture down. The next time we went there it was gone.
Just a fun Friday puzzle and write-up, An easy puzzle everybody oftenisagood way to encourage new solvers, I only found 3 Coopers but I don`t see very well. Thanks Jamie and Splynter. Happy early Mother's Day to all
Nice anthropomorphic take on Chili as a mascot J. DEW drop without the Inn never came to mind especially with the voluminous MIC DROP references like the silly Serena one.
Jamie, I would be disappointed if I went to McDonalds to discover they don't sell hamburgers any longer. And if my favorite local Mexican place (named Tacos y Tequila) stopped serving tacos and tequila I would find a new favorite.
Oh boy—another theme with changeable or interchangeable or omitted letters or whatever. Not necessarily a DNF as much as Decided to not Finish. Unenjoyable gimmicks—yuk. Time for an overdue nap.
I liked this puzzle, even though I started off with several totally wrong answers: PORK-->SPAM UPSET-->IRATE CRETE-->MALTA BLADE-->ROTOR CITROEN-->RENAULT SERBS-->SLAVS SINS-->VICE and EATIN (hi, Splynter)-->EXILE. Like Monkey, I'm not a fan of phrases such as “You’re being cruel” as clues. Good reading all your comments.
32 comments:
I got the idea for the
gimmick from the first themed fill, so that was definitely a help in solving this fun puzzle. There were no big hang ups, nor were there a lot of obscurities.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Four-letter meat served with rice. Hmmm. Gotta be PORK, right? Wrong. Wite-Out, please. MUSIC ON HOLI was cute. Why is it "Bongos" and "Congas?" Makes no sense. Thanx, Joel and Splynter. (I was right there with ya at EAT IN.)
FIR, but eldest chili->OLDEST CHILI, serbs->SLAVS, ange->INGE, eat in->EXILE, and cava->FAVA. Caught on to the gimmick @ ONE TRACK MINI - well before the reveal, for a change.
Thought of the Three Dog Night classic at "the loneliest numbers," then in the Universal Crossword by Jim Heane, I found "the loneliest number, per a Three Dog Night song." (Yes, I got up extra early this morning.)
Is IRON ON really a style? I think of it as a type of patch.
LEX is the airport code for Bluegrass Field, just across the street from Keeneland Racetrack. I used to fly LAX->LEX when I lived in SoCal. (17 states have towns named Lexington.)
Thanks to Joel for the easyish Friday puzzle, and to Splynter for another fun review. I liked the candy bar narrative even better than the leg shot.
Took 8:54 today to reach the eni.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Ella), nor did I quite sense what was going on with the theme until I finished. Oddly, I knew both writers today (Inge & Ovid).
Bottom-left corner was the last to fall. Not a fan of "chorus syllabus: lala".
CSO to our dear Ms. Irish Miss at 30D (Irish).
But wait, that's not all! But let's not Russian to anything. Great title and Ai effects, Splynter.
I thought the puzzle was on the easy side for a Friday, but liked the theme. Words ending in "I" are unusual, so that was fun.
I grew up in Robin's hood - the developer named all the streets after Robin Hood characters. I lived on Nottingham Road.
While DOE is the default, occasionally Roe is used if there are more than one unknowns or if a specific person requests anonymity.
FIR. This was really easy for a Friday. My only snag was throwing down "says so" before "says me". That had me staring at "exilo" and scratching my head. And then the light bulb went off.
I had the gist of the theme from the get go with the first long entry. From there on it was clear sailing.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
The light bulb never went off for me, so I kept SAYS so and messed up the SW. It took me a while to get the theme, but finally got it at OLDEST CHILI. I didn’t need the reveal.
For 1D I wanted SENOReS, but finally came to my senses. The rest filled pretty quickly. I’m just not a fan of phrases such as “You’re being cruel” as clues. One or two is OK , but more, that’s too many.
DARE DEVIL and PLANET were neat.
Thank you Splynter for your clever review. I hope you do get a Schnauzer. They’re fine dogs. My little Bogey was a prince.
Musings
-I learned about HOLI doing cwds but had never heard of MUSIC ON HOLD. I’ll read the comments to see if I am the Lone Ranger.
-Some might remember Snagglepuss saying, “EXIT stage right”
-INGE/AGEE coin flip was unsuccessful
-Some see crop circles and immediately think zebras and not horses
-JOE was my first common name but it is not a surname
-Just when you think an interminable teachers meeting is finally over, we hear “ALSO” - aarrghh.
-I knew how to spell EVEL Knievel but then saw it was a generic fill
Wow, I was so impressed with myself just flying through a Friday CW...until I got to the SW corner, where fill slowed to a crawl. In the end, FIR in 16. Probably 6 of that 15 was in the SW corner.
Only 10 names, DNK 4, which helped speed things along.
Like DO@5:58, PORK/SPAM W/O. I like Spam, knowing most people don't.
Thanx JW for the low-name, easy-for-a-Friday CW. I could see there was a theme brewing at 20A, but it took the reveal for me to see it.
Thanx Splynter for your great write-up. Your talk about the Mini had me thinking of cars in general. What is/is not an "American" car? Parts come from all over. Assembly is all over. BMW's largest assembly plant in the world is in S. Carolina. Does that mean Bavarian Motor Works is an American company? Of course not. But cars are tough to define by country anymore.
Joel provided us with a fine Friday puzzle today, I believe. It is a good example of a constructor who has the best interests of the solver in mind. For example, in the NW, 14-A was a name unknown to me. Names often become a magnet for Naticks. But Josh, perhaps foreseeing this potential impasse, made sure that nearby perps were friendly.
The theme was unique and clever, and as a misdirection-lover, I loved being treated to so many such clues. Thanks for that, Joel--and undoubtedly Patti.
BKTYS (Be Kind to Your Solver) should be every constructor's mantra. That doesn't mean the puzzle has to be easy; today's puzzle is proof that you can make a tough puzzle while at the same time respecting your solvers.
Thanks, Splynter, for another sparkling recap. I like Spam, too; I often put it on the barbeque.
Good morning. I didn't get it at first but after already having ALSO and SITS, HOLI for 'hold' gave the V8 notice. That opened it up and let me guess ROBIN HOOD for the unknown Green Arrow. Filling the rest was a piece of cake. Finishing is my GOAL.
RON, LEX, & ELLA joined Robin as other unknowns.
Autism has joined ADHD as the most prolific dubious provider receiving Medicaid money for patients who really don't have those conditions.
OBEYS-About 10 years ago, C.C. and I made a puzzle with the title "Mind The Gap'. It was rejected by everyone because the editors stated it was an obscure term that only Londoners knew. About two years later the WSJ ran one with the same 'Mind The Gap' theme.
There's an IHOP close to us that is usually busy and another about 4 miles away that rarely has anybody there. We never go to either; service is two slow.
I got my first toehold with PAYDAY (after considering O Henry), which helped me find both OLDEST CHILI and the unifier, so I soon completed the lower half of the puzzle.
As I worked upward, the perps fell into place, except for the NW corner, where neither SPAM nor SENORS came easily and ELLA was an unknown. I do like Spam, maybe once a year. NAIL wasn’t the first polish-able item I thought of – or any man would think of. ONE-TRACK MINI then became the key to FIR.
The theme entries – the theme itself, really – didn’t move me at all. Some of the fill was imaginative, but a Friday puzzle ought to be more spectacular than this.
Nostalgia: My father drove a Renault 4-CV during the early 1960s.
"I-for-D tail" is such a psychotic theme I simply have to respect it lmao, cool puzzle
There’s a pre-recorded message at every rail or Tube stop in the UK, “Mind The Gap”.
The 3 dog night song was written by the late Harry Nillson. I just learned that yesterday so I thought it would share that.
Interesting Friday puzzle, many thanks, Joel. And thank you too for your commentary and pictures, Splynter, always appreciated.
Well, it made sense that the DELI owner was upset when he discovered that some of the products he paid for were SPAM and not natural foods. His workers were SENIORS and not at all ALIENS, and were IRATE when they learned that they might have trouble trying to EXTRACT their now lost funds. But the guys who had replaced the natural food with spam were delighted at the funds they now owned, yelling I'M RICH, until they were arrested for their VICE. When everything was settled and their funds were restored on PAY DAY, the DELI workers hosted a lovely party where everyone avoided the OLDEST CHILI, and enjoyed MORSELS of healthy food while listening to MUSIC. So all was well again.
Good Afternoon:
While I agree that a Friday puzzle should be more challenging, I liked the theme and cluing and as a change a letter exercise, it was head and shoulders above the usual boring fare, IMO. The reveal was spot on and very clever. Hand up for Pork/Spam and Says So, both easily corrected, and Ella was the only unknown. The double clechos were a treat, as was the CSO, voiced by Splynter and SS.
Thanks, Joel, and thanks, Splynter, for a delightful review and an update on your canine quest and your board game endeavors. Give Cooper some tummy rubs from me. I well remember that scene from The Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins, serial killer extraordinaire!
Have a great day.
OH, Nilsson schmilsson. (For you post-boomers, that's not a snide comment.)
I'm guessing that Rich was the editor back when your puzzle was rejected. These days I suppose being rejected for a lack of Brit-speak is more likely.
OK, not crossword related but I need to vent. I had some shopping to do in Virginia Beach, so I decided to have lunch at a nearby Chilis restaurant. I used to enjoy their soup and salad with chili as my soup choice, but I didn't see it on the menu. I asked my server, and she said "Oh, we don't serve chili any longer." I started swiveling my head as if looking for the restaurant's sign, and she said "I know, I know. Chilis without chili. Doesn't make sense, does it."
Hola! Fabulous Friday! SPAM, DELI, CHILI, MORSELS and PAYDAY for dessert are enough to make a solver hungry! But I am always IRATE when I see CHILE spelled CHILI though I know it's a losing battle. The same with SENORS. Ugh!
CSO to my late mother, LALA.
Children with ADHD are disruptive in a classroom and usually require much more one-on-one time from a teacher than those with normal personalities. I speak from experience.
CSO to IRISH Miss! Thank you, splynter, for a well-crafted narrative. Enjoy your day, everyone!
I had the same chili experience at Chili's about 10 years ago . We will go sit at the bar, order unlimited enchilada soup with chips and salsa. If you ordered a beer or any drink they would give you two. Easier than doing it later.
Another time at a Mexican restaurant, there was a framed painting on the wall with pictures of all the different chili varieties. And they had it spelled like the country ,not a chili. CHILE. I asked for the manager and told him he should take that picture down. The next time we went there it was gone.
Chili is just the mascot-owner of Chili's, you wouldn't expect to see Ronald McDonald on the menu at McDonald's, right?
Just a fun Friday puzzle and write-up, An easy puzzle everybody oftenisagood way to encourage new solvers, I only found 3 Coopers but I don`t see very well. Thanks Jamie and Splynter. Happy early Mother's Day to all
Nice anthropomorphic take on Chili as a mascot J.
DEW drop without the Inn never came to mind especially with the voluminous MIC DROP references like the silly Serena one.
The soup Nazi didn’t have soup sometimes. For you.
Eat in > evict > EXILE, Agee > INGE, shoe > NAIL
Jamie, I would be disappointed if I went to McDonalds to discover they don't sell hamburgers any longer. And if my favorite local Mexican place (named Tacos y Tequila) stopped serving tacos and tequila I would find a new favorite.
Oh boy—another theme with changeable or interchangeable or omitted letters or whatever. Not necessarily a DNF as much as Decided to not Finish. Unenjoyable gimmicks—yuk. Time for an overdue nap.
And imagine my surprise when I discovered that I couldn't order an amazon from Amazon! (Hey, I'm a lonely old widower.)
I liked this puzzle, even though I started off with several totally wrong answers:
PORK-->SPAM
UPSET-->IRATE
CRETE-->MALTA
BLADE-->ROTOR
CITROEN-->RENAULT
SERBS-->SLAVS
SINS-->VICE
and EATIN (hi, Splynter)-->EXILE.
Like Monkey, I'm not a fan of phrases such as “You’re being cruel” as clues.
Good reading all your comments.
Anonymous @ 1:47PM, actually, a pepper is a CHILE, not a chili.
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