Mike

@Heidi Thank you for keeping that catch phrase afloat! It shall live on forever! Or at least another couple weeks.

@mirle234 There's a US-based cable channel called "TruTV". And yeah, might be the first time I've seen "sleazo" in a puzzle.

@Jonathan Agreed. The double Hebrew thing was a hard foul. Especially with myriad ways to clue "ELI".

@Barry Ancona Multiple times; never heard the term used.

@Aaditya ...And everything in your week matches mine, except I was 10 seconds off on Monday! Pretty funny.

@Dave K. Yeah, sensed it coming. I smelt it from a mile away.

@Barry Ancona Except "tap out" connotes a choice, popularized when competitors concede a match in martial arts. "He had a submission hold on me, I had to tap out." Gamblers don't have a choice when they are out of money. When betting funds are depleted, someone is "tapped out" (early 20th century expression - the spigot, or tap, is drained).

@Dave K. No, very little resembling a Monday here, with the spanners and occasional vague clues. As many have said, it's closer to a Wednesday.

@Katie Her frustration wasn't uncommon; dismissive "advice" like this does nothing to improve the forum here.

@Splat Try to get clear, close-up images of your puzzle and the solution. Show those, side by side, to someone else - anyone else. Sometimes your brain will just skip a letter, convinced it's right, and it takes another pair of eyes to catch it. I've had it happen a few times where it locked me up for half a day.

@The X-Phile "I've been driving a car for 32 years. Today, traffic was unpleasant." "Well, keep practicing!"

@g No reboot needed; the validation delay is on their end.

@Nancy That 1-iron joke is one of my favorites. But yeah; once hybrid clubs took off, those long irons were pretty much out of most bags. I played for a long time, and could never hit a 1 iron. A local pro even told me, "I keep that club in my basement where it won't hurt anyone."

@Suzanne I've also heard rumors that pigs actually don't say "oink".

@B I will say that Sunday's had good clues and everything around the dreaded rebus areas flowed nicely. Certainly not the worst ever.

@RozzieGrandma From what I've read, they're not the same, but very closely related, to pigeons. They really have (almost) identical behaviors. Yeah, I see what you mean, the droppings can be a problem. It's getting noticeable along the windows and I can't hose it down until it's warmer. As for your case, there are things like ultrasonic repellents for keeping them clear of the panels (at least temporarily) but I imagine that would keep all birds away.

@john ezra Obviously such a culture existed. I heard and saw it myself when our family moved there in '81, and we weren't even in the Valley. The ensuing catch phrases (such as "gag me..."), however, were things I didn't notice until the Zappa song came out.