"Let me "elbow" my way in here"
OR
Leverage Buy Out
Hello Cornerites, C-Moe here on his second straight Friday, courtesy of Lemonade 714 graciously swapping this week for next. And unlike my normal "ad nauseum" recaps, this one will be short, sweet, and to the point. I'm pretty sure that this is the first Craig Stowe puzzle I've recapped. I know Husker Gary has review Craig several times; often with themeless puzzles.
Today's Stowe had a well-hidden theme that fortunately had no circles attached, otherwise it would not have been "Friday-worthy". This Friday's (for me, at least) solved much more quickly than I imagined, and had maybe one or two W/O's, and no cheats. Not that many proper names nor any sports references (unless 10-Down counts); clean fill and clever clues. What's not to like??
In 5 (or 6 if you count the reveal) of the across entries, Craig figured out how to use the letters "L" "B" and "O" (in sequence in either one word or a two-word phrase) to provide a phonetic reveal: 64-Across. Hands-free greeting aptly depicted five times in this puzzle: ELBOW BUMP. The "ELBOW BUMP", like the "FIST BUMP" has become an accepted way to greet one another during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your elbow, unlike the hands and fingers, is not able to transfer germs to your mouth or eyes, or ears, for that matter. And while it's a bit awkward (to say the least), I don't think it will soon leave us. Even our politicians seem comfortable with it . . .
16-Across. Obsolescent collection site: TOLL BOOTH. Craig Stowe is a Canadien (CSO to C Eh!), and the last time I was driving in Canada, all of the TOLL BOOTHs were gone from the pay-for-use highways, and special cameras and or sensors replaced them. These devices detect the traffic to register their fees. Here in the US, though, TOLL BOOTHs do exist although they are slowly converting TOLL roads into the Canadien model. As for the puzzle, the last L in TOLL "BUMPS" the "BO" in BOOTH
18-Across. Unexpected profession, in modern lingo: L BOMB. A complete unknown to Moe, at first; but after re-reading the clue, the word "profession" means the same as an utterance or expression. "When someone drops the L BOMB" unexpectedly, it tells you that they love you. Usually comes out of the blue when you least expect it and are not prepared to respond. Urban Dictionary. And you can see again how the L bumps the BO
33-Across. Clothing chain founder Rudolf or Nancy: TALBOT. I've heard of this clothing chain but that's about all. Women's clothing. Here's more info on the company. In this example the L BO is in the middle of the word TALBOT
51-Across. "Tuesdays With Morrie" author Mitch: ALBOM. "Tuesdays with Morrie" is a memoir by American author Mitch ALBOM about a series of visits ALBOM made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz gradually dies of ALS. The book topped the New York Times Non-Fiction Best-Sellers List for 23 combined weeks in 2000, and remained on the New York Times best-selling list for more than four years after. In 2006, Tuesdays with Morrie was the bestselling memoir of all time. Wikipedia. L BO, again, is found in the middle of the name
And last but not least: 52-Across. Frodo inherited his ring: BILBO. BILBO Baggins of The Hobbit, "Lord of the Rings". And one of the names that spurred this limerick many moons ago:
BILBO Baggins was recently scarred,
And the news really caught us off guard.
He expired from infection
After getting an erection.
Guess it's true that old Hobbits die hard.
The rest of the Across clues and fills:
9. Bygone ruler: TSAR.
13. Echoing remark: SO DO I, and 25-Across. Playground retort: I AM SO.
14. Short site?: LOC. Abbr for LOCation I think
15. "Unity of humanity" faith: BAHA'I. The Baháʼí Faith stresses the unity of all people, explicitly rejecting racism and nationalism. At the heart of Baháʼí teachings is the goal of a unified world order
19. "No argument here": I SEE. Or, if you were playing Texas Hold'em, one might say: "I SEE your bet and raise you another 500,000 chips"
20. "__ you been up to?": WHAT'VE. Me? No good, mostly . . .
22. Loos, briefly: WCS. Last Friday the clue was WC and the fill was LAV. I still think that one was wrong, and LOOS is the more correct answer. British
23. "Anaconda" rapper Nicki: MINAJ. Not my music "genre", but then, neither is 47-Across
27. "__ use!": IT'S NO. IT'S NO use, I can't make my recaps short and sweet!
30. "You're too much!": OH STOP.
32. Luck, to Shakespeare: HAP. According to Google: HAP(n.) luck, chance, accident
36. Facebook button: LIKE. Along with other images to describe your "LIKE:
39. Paint type: OIL BASE. I put ACRYLIC in first, but that clearly didn't fit
41. Spendthrift: WASTREL. Not a word in my lexicon
43. Movement in "The Nutcracker": PLIE. Got this on the first go-around
44. Least feral: TAMEST. I guess it helps to know what feral means. As in a pet. A cat, e.g. A feral cat or a stray cat is an un-owned domestic cat (Felis catus) that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched. The opposite of it would be a TAME cat
46. Artistic medium: INK. This answer also applies to TAT's
47. Electronic genre: TECHNO. See 23-Across for another genre Moe dislikes. Here's an example:
49. Some singers: ALTOS. SATB = Soprano/ALTO/Tenor/Bass. ALTO refers to the female singing voice a pitch below a Soprano, and is usually sung in harmony. But it also can refer to the overall pitch of a female singer whose musical register is lower. Many popular artist female singers are ALTOS
55. Bobbie Gentry wrote one to Billie Joe: ODE. Bobbie Gentry was an ALTO
56. Many a surfer: WAHINE, and 6-Down. (56-Across hi:) ALOHA. A WAHINE is a young woman, especially a surfer. And when they say "hello" or "goodbye" it's usually the word "ALOHA"
58. Villagers below the Grinch's cave: WHOS. A Christmas Classic
62. Frenemy, at times: RIVAL. Frenemy: a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry. Many of the golfers on the PGA/LPGA/ and Champions Tour are RIVALs/Frenemies, but not always to the level that this definition describes. Most of them actually "like" each other, but are still RIVALs
66. Looks badly: LEERS. OGLES fit
67. Sheltered: LEE. Confederate General also fit as a clue
68. Put on the line: WAGER. Line betting is a form of betting where the market is handicapped to make both betting outcomes equal. The bookmakers achieve this by giving both teams a margin, known as a line. If the bookmakers believe that one side is 12.5 points better than their opposition, you can back them to win by 13 or more points. Literally, when WAGERing, you are "putting it on the line"
69. __ log: YULE. The penultimate item that the Grinch who Stole Christmas took from the WHOS' house's fireplace
70. Drug originally synthesized from ergot: LSD. A popular hallucinogen when I was a teen, but I never tried nor wanted to
71. Dramatic literary device: IRONY.
Down:
1. Wine region east of Turin: ASTI. Your resident Sommelier knew this. Most folks see the words "Asti Spumante" on a wine bottle and don't realize that the word ASTI is a region, not a grape varietal. Spumante literally means "sparkling". Most ASTI Spumante is sweet, but not all. If you see the words "Barbera d'Asti" on a wine bottle, it's the grape (Barbera) from the ASTI region. Which is pretty big
2. Herd voices: MOOS. COW sounds; not COWL (see 48-Down) sounds
3. Hardly working: IDLE.
4. Heavy: SOLEMN. "Serious" is the unifier
5. One of the fam: SIB. SIS fit, too
7. Found work: GOT A JOB. Tough to say I "GOT A JOB" when collecting unemployment pays more than the JOB does
8. Vier und vier: ACHT. ACHT = German word for 4 + 4. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, VIER, FÜNF, SECHS, SIEBEN, ACHT, NEUN, ZEHN. 1-10 in German. A CSO to Spitz
9. Bill: TAB. See 61-Down for another carry-over word from last Friday
10. Support the team, say: SHOW SPIRIT. These kids sure know how!
11. Transmission repair franchise: AAMCO. AAMCO is an American transmission-repair franchise founded by Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino in 1957 in Philadelphia. Martino eventually ended his affiliation with AAMCO to manage the MAACO autobody-shop franchise, but Morgan stayed on with his son, Keith Morgan, succeeding him as CEO. Wikipedia. I had MAACO for the longest time before the perp with TSAR corrected it
12. Rack that's rubbed: RIBS. My most favorite clue today. I use a dry "RUB" on my ribs to help seal in the juices and keep them from getting too dry
15. Pasture cry: BLEAT.
17. Personal: OWN. Used here as a pronoun. "Your decisions are your OWN"
21. Panoramic views: VISTAS. How's this one? From C-Moe's personal pics. A trip he took to Ireland. Ring of Dingle
24. Shred: IOTA. Friday clue - shred the noun, not the verb
26. Slough off: MOLT. Interesting that Thesaurusaurus shows MOLT and slough as synonyms, but not slough off and MOLT
27. Denny's competitor: IHOP.
28. Bone head?: TAIL. I couldn't make heads or TAILs out of this one. You?
29. It has staggered stories: SPLIT-LEVEL. Our first house was a SPLIT-LEVEL, as I am guessing many first time home buyer's are. Here's a typical one:
31. NHL legend Gordie: HOWE. OK, I lied; there is a sports reference in today's puzzle! #9 for the Redwings, aka "Mr. Hockey"
34. Often-allergic condition: ASTHMA. If I had this we wouldn't have a cat in the house
35. Slim: LEAN. Like this "Slim"
37. Gambling game: KENO. I only played KENO when I needed a break from the BlackJack table. I find it quite boring but the cocktail servers will still offer a free drink if you're playing
38. Part of BPOE: ELKS.
40. Telly network, with "the": BEEB. As in the nickname for the BBC
42. Try: STAB.
45. Cells, to Brits: MOBILES. I was thinking the cells in "gaols" and the word "PRISONS" was erroneously entered
48. Monastery wear: COWLS. What a great word! The COWL (from French coule, itself from Latin cuculla, itself from Gaulish Celtic cucullos, which all originate from the Greek κουκούλα : koukoúla, meaning "hood") is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves.
Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a cloak or cape (cappa) by the fact that it refers to an entire closed garment. Today it is worn primarily by most Catholic and Anglican monks when participating in liturgical services. Wikipedia
50. Type of exercising squat: LOW BAR. Video shows it better than I could describe it
53. Not up: IN BED. Where C-Moe is most mornings when this blog "goes live"
54. Two before Libra: LEO. And two after Libra is SAGITTARIUS
55. Paris airport: ORLY. The other is Charles DeGaulle
57. "Other people," to Sartre: HELL. “HELL is Other People.” That's actually a famous line from French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre's 1944 play, “No Exit.” In the play, three characters arrive in Hell
59. Sci-fi award: HUGO. The HUGO Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier award in science fiction. Wikipedia. Here are the 2020 winners
60. Sign: OMEN.
61. Light-footed: SPRY. Didn't I just have this word appear in last Friday's puzzle?
63. "Blessed __ the meek ... ": ARE. ". . .for they shall inherit the Earth. Matthew 5:5
65. JFK was born during it: WWI. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. World War I lasted from Jul 28, 1914 – Nov 11, 1918. During World War I JFK's father, Joseph P Kennedy, was an assistant general manager of a Boston area Bethlehem Steel shipyard; through that position, he became acquainted with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy
The grid:
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Hey Moe! Did you forget something?? Oh, yeah, the clue and answer for 51-Across. It may be bid: ADIEU. What I am going to "bid" you all for awhile. Just taking a needed vacation. No details. Lots of driving, though. desper-otto will be doing my August blogs; and for me? Well, as the old song goes:
Notes from C.C.:
1) Have a fantastic trip, Moe!
2) Here's a sweet picture of Yellowrocks (Kathy) and her son David. I also dug out another picture from our Blog Picture archive. That one was taken in 2016.
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