Mean Old Lady

I'm heartsick and lonely. Forgive me, Strikers, but the puzzles are one of the few bright spots, living as we do in Deep Red, and wondering if we have years enough left in our lives to see our country emerge from darkness. Delightful and challenging puzzle! It also exposes more "cultural" blanks in my life...Raves, Dungeons and Dragons, The Simpsons, Mario Bros, Miami, rock hits and rockers, ....whew. BUT! Jane EYRE to the rescue, wonderful memories of AMSTERDAM, Texas geography, Route 66, and things I say all the time. Thank you, Joe Deeney.

Of all the.... The likes of.... Who in the... What the... How did.... Is this a.... In other words, SHEESH and YOWZA (you can't make me spell it that way!) and congratulations. I can hear the shrieks from here. How did I even.... In what world... Except for the fact that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "OKRAS" this was the most amazing, baffling, clever, intriguing, FUN puzzle evah! More, please!

I haven't solved yet....but I will be back in the morning to Comment. I can't resist reporting on the Cloud City Coffee meet-up. Itwas such a treat! Cindy (her real name!) and her husband cCame, plus "Seward Parker"....My DHubby and our son were part of the party.... . Sotto Voce really did make that long drive!, it was so very fun! Not to mention we learned some real names! We even finished up some puzzles that had stumped me....old collection of challenging NYT puzzles published as a book in 2016! But at last closing time broke up the wordplay!

Oooooookay. One of my first entries this morning: BATTING! And then what to my wondering eyes should appear? Oh, goodie! A QUILTING BEE. How long have we stitchers waited for this happy moment? I was solving away, (even willing to overlook the clue calling the *herding* breed--the wonderful BORDER TERRIER--a "Small British *hunting* dog") and I reached 29A ....B...L...A... Say it ain't so, Joe!!! If I had been wearing pearls, I might have clutched them as I reeled back from the breakfast table. Even DHubby TSK-TSK-ED. A QUILT... is... NOT... a... BLANKET. No part of a QUILT is ever referred to as a BLANKETY BLANK BLANKET, BUSTER. Thanks for asking. Yes, at present I am QUILTING two children's quilts (total of 48 pineapple-variant BLOCKs.) Two small art quilts await BIINDING. I am prepping fabric for, well, four other projects. Don't judge! It keeps me off the streets and out of the bars, right?

Hmm...back when I wore "hosiery" we worried about RUNS, not SNAGS. (I go far enough back that I remember trying to get the seams straight up the backs of my legs...and Oh, that garter belt!) The advent of "Pantyhose" was rather fraught, as "one size fits all" made many of us get creative... Back in the Dark Ages... "Da Bomb" is DATED slang? I remember when classmates referred to our son (the math whiz) with that term... He is in his forties now, come to think of it. I need to go lie down now.

Well, gee. Despite the intiimidating grid, this puzzle unraveled like an old sweater. I barely paused, getting the long entries like I was taking dictation. Slight pauses (SGT Friday?) gave way to AHA moments and the crossings were the tickets to the next answer. Best moment: 4D "Does, perhaps" BRER Fox and BRER Rabbit, along with BRER Bear entertained us kids ON A REGULAR BASIS... Government by FIAT, SRSly..... Judging by the redacted Comments yesterday, the NYT is worried about TENURE. I wish it were an occasion for LEVITY, but instead I feel bound to note that running scared seldom PROTECTs anyone. Don't be a PRAWN in the Game of Life!

First, I would like to thank PhysicsDaughter for studying VIOLA for all those years (12, counting from 4th grade through college. Grad school meant a hiatus, but she's now back performing with the Vicksburg Symphonic Society after recovering from surgery and radiation. Bravo for all amateurs who are still making music!) ICE PACKS before (duh) thinking of all those GEL PACKS in our freezer. We have at least a half-dozen. Pogonophobia? Srsly? DHubby had a BEARD when I met him, and has had for most of our 45+ years of marriage. The time he shaved it off and walked into the kitchen for breakfast, he looked SO different that I went and put on my bathrobe.

This was right up my alley. The value of a liberal arts education, illustrated! The 'Six Basque villagers' were the instant Reveal... and , as ever, a wrench of the heartstrings. Scene: 1967, Art History class... our prof clicked the button and the slide of GUERNICA was projected on the huge screen--unforgettable moment. I had never heard of (let alone seen) the painting. The last entry into the grid (irony!) was the last word of Dali's title for the melted clockfaces. Mini-AHA Moments: So, that's where the Phoenicians disappeared to?! ATLanta has a team called The Hawks? I blame the Editors for "Enthusiast" as a clue for NERD. Hmmph! Name-callers are often LIARS. But any puzzle that references EB White's wonderful book is tops with me! SOME CONSTRUCTOR!

When people downplay their intelligence/acumen/skills, I often respond with, "I haven't noticed that I have to use only words of one or two syllables around you!" And then here's this puzzle.... (Only 48A has a word with three syllables...) Should we really label someone an EX if we only dated him? Hardest clue/answer: 21A. apparently I do not actually know what TikTok is/does/features..... and anyway, is it about to be gone? Today is DHubby's birthday: 83 is the new.....?? He's not sure, he says. "It doesn't get any better," was his comment, on his way to use the nebulizer. PhysicsDaughter is planning to drive up for lunch at a Greek place, followed by pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. (We're not Cake People.) Charlotte the Kitty got him a card, so that added some cheer. The sun's out, the sky's blue, the roses are blooming....Onward!

" Some very clever clues. In particular, I am reminded of my grandfather's appearance in court to protest a ticket for rear-ending another motorist. "Your Honor, the man in front of me STOPPED ON A DIME--and I STOPPED ON eleven cents." Judge was unmoved and Grampa was fined. TSK.

Late to the party...DHubby had a Coffee Emergency, so I had to drop everything and mop up scalding coffee, salvage enough to fuel the rescue operation, and treat his burned hand (MERE first degree, but of course it hurt. Immersion in ICE water for 10 minutes is the treatment for burns; once the pain of the cold is able to OUTDO the pain of the burn, you'll find there isn't even blistering.) So I got breakfast under way, too. I don't know how to work the NINJA coffee-maker, so there was a wait... In short, we were IN A PICKLE. (Not exactly having a BALL, though.) Hope the rest of our day goes more smoothly. Yours, too!

Deb actually made a trip to Little Rock, ARkansas, for our annual Crossword Tournament--part of the Literary Festival; it was my one chance to meet her in person!! But our building (next to the Clinton Presidential Library) suddenly had a fire alarm go off...at length!...and we had to leave the building to preserve our hearing under the relentless blast. I could see Deb in the distance, but couldn't reach her. They finally got the alarm partially quieted, and the puzzles commenced with a background of muted but distracting alarm noise buzzing in our ears. Once the contest was over, winners announced, and formalities over, I thought I'd have a chance...but Deb had been rushed out the door in order to get to a flight ahead of the threatened storms that had been predicted! Alas... (Deb did say she had recognized me from afar--probably the horns, fangs, and forked tongue-- but maybe she'll make a trip to the Jackson Literary Festival one day. Deb is bound to have another book in her! Right, Deb? All good wishes for your retirement! From the MOL!

So, I am guessing the fooferaw has dwindled down to a few muttering late-comers. Before PhysicsDaughter arrived, I used colored pens to indicate the pairs--putting her on par with the folks who use the app, etc. She did the puzzle and chuckled. It *is* Memorial Day...so the lone entry that seems apt, in today's puzzle, is 38 Across. I remember Stevie Odom, who was 19; his sister was a year ahead of me at Briarcliff HS. I stood in front of his name on The Wall, remembering. Years later, I learned that Jim Pender, a stand-out upper-class-man when I was a lowly sub-Freshman, had become a military pilot; he also was killed in VietNam. Sadder still, I had tutored the girl he married--we were both students at Young Harris College--and she had a new baby the last I had heard. Sadness for all that could never be.

For some reason (mercy, accident, bowing to popular demand) the puzzle and clues were 'normal' in size today.... Thank you! OOPSY-daisy, and just *maybe* (if you're Hugh Grant) UPSY-daisies, but UPSA? Just NO, even if it IS only Wednesday. And then there is the Kyrgyzstan mountain range, but at least that isn't a faked-up word. Isn't there a saying about not looking a GIFT COP in the mouth? We followed a tradition in our family: presents are opened on Christmas morning, one at a time, so that everyone can enjoy the surprise and pleasures of giving and receiving. Policing was never required, and not even the youngest one ever complained My fave is the Kurt Vonnegut quote. PhysicsDaughter is at the AIAA conference in Orlando (said her presentation went well) and she's the first person I'll share that quote with. Wink! (She is in a minority--masking--and says there is a lot of coughing going on. Hope THOR is on the job.) Must go read the column to see if we have a debut puzzle here, which might account for the leniency.... but thinking of all you solvers in the path of this storm system. It appears our state got off lightly in comparison.

Well, I prefer BRITISHISM to BRiTICISM, but of course it's hard to walk away from a witticism, ism it? CUZ they're so fun. Difficult to know if it's NOOB or NEWB, and apparently I don't know the correct order for LBGT, either. TSK TSK indeed. Clever and interesting theme! Having recently read James Rebanks's three books (he is a shepherd with HERDing DOGs)--I was primed for acton here. In fact, as I look back: An early Scholastic Book was _Follow My Leader_ about a boy who gets a GUIDE DOG after losing his eye-sight. And did anyone else read all the DOG books by Albert Terhune? Not to mention Jack London's _Call of the Wild_ and goodness! Gipson's _Old Yeller_. Is this an unusual background for a Cat Person? Bright sunshine today, allowing the cold to move in without the protection of clouds... and I do believe that h*ll did freeze over!

Well, this was just a ton of fun (I should have said 'w0le lot of fun' but couldn't come up with a way to illustrate that nicely.) Quite a few Unknowns for me: ZIP CAR, Don deLILLO, WHACAMOLE (as spelt), PIA, AOL's original name, the musical SIX (though not difficult to guess, speaking of WHACk)..... and just when we got resigned to the appearance of ATTA WAY, here comes the MUCH MORE USUAL 'ATTA BOY'..... I did take Phonetics my senior year in undergraduate study; it was mildly interesting, especially since I had never been taught any phonics at all (like many kids, having figured it out--imperfectly--on my own.) Dick, Jane, and Baby Sally, your legacy is illiteracy! (My mother was an early victim of the "Look-Say Method." She never learned to read or spell well, doomed by her learning disability and the misguided 'teaching' schema.)

Fortunately, I'm not generally put off when an entry seems to bear little resemblance to its clue; so much in Life makes no sense, after all... This was quite a clever, well-constructed, and enjoyable puzzle, even if it did have Rocker album/songs, Japanese anime, and (ARRGH) "Little Mermaid" clues...and more nail polish and injectable poison in with the other stuff. Gotta take the bad with the good. Speaking of bad: who says an IMP must be a "hellion" or badly-behaved youngster? The very word evokes thoughts of a mischievous but entertaining character--not one that is necessarily destructive or awful. So say I. Lone do-over: PIANO STOOL before I was BENCHed. Looking forward to more from Parker Higgins!

Hoo BOY. Over 200 Comments already, and I am here to say some of the same things, I imagine...not that it takes much imagination to "get" that. The MINORS. Double A. Triple A. Let me be the zillionth solver to roll my eyes and utter snappy sayings like JEEZ LOUISE. But wait! There's more! YELP, by the way, earned a black eye by paying people for submitting fake laudatory reviews of restaurants (especially crumby greasy spoon eateries) so sensible people don't use YELP for anything. And if Kristi Noem is around, dogs that are YELPERS are askin' for it. You'd just hope she doesn't have an UZI. But the prize goes to 11D. DUNZO. dunzo DuNzO dUnZo Any way you look at it, this is an absolute stinker. And when you add the fact that I use the little line to cross the Z, which you learn in math so as not to mix it up with the numeral 2, it doesn't even work for the theme. Bah.

SO FUNNY! I don't understand why this puzzle seemed to solve itself, but it was one of those "can't write fast enough!" sorts of puzzles. At one point (late in the puzzle) I laughed out loud and DHubby wanted to know what was so funny...."Sign of sluggishness" and the answer (-LIME--AI-) cracked him up, too, even though he was shaking his head and rolling his eyes.. MALTA has a Popeye theme park? No SHH.....? OSCAR NOD before BID ONLINE before ON LATE And yet another reason never to try haggis.... But every reason to hope for more from Billy Bratton!! Bravo!!!

I felt like I was in some sort of time warp....SLY BOOTS (a phrase that would be heard in the 1800's) crossing the once-unimaginable TERABYTE ...and the seldom-seen term REGNANT...My head is spinning a little with the EPICNESS of seeing NOAH next to the Three Stooges passing around a DOPE SLAP. We're about to get an ALDI here in the suburbs of Jackson, MS. (Still no Trader Joe's or Macy's. My brother found this unbelievable, but I pointed out that the state has fewer than 3 million residents--less than the number of people in his immediate neighborhood...) Well, we didn't move here for the shopping. I am glad I read the column today--which I don't normally get around to. It's good to know you are holding your own in the face of CLL, Deb! It's indeed a challenge to keep one's thinking from racing ahead. For us, just as PhysicsDaughter has completed cancer surgeries and radiation and regained some of her 'normal life,' her ophthalmologist has declared she needs cataract surgeries...at age 42...while I'm staving it off at 78. (We had nothing but myopic genes to offer our kids. Oops. Or SPLOOT!)

Oh, that Joe Deeney! How nice to see something besides IAMB for the poetic "foot"! And John Phillip SOUSA, The March King, appears again, along with half of the quote AD ASTRA PER ASPERA (or is it the other way around?) My fave was WIRY SIMILE. Living the live I lead, I have many opportunities for WRY SMILEs. Anyone else try AEGEAN before IONIAN? I can never keep them straight...just another Right/Left puzzle for me! PhysicsDaughter was here to cheer Penn State with DHubby, who then stayed up late to see the Dawgs robbed by Bama. As you might suspect....I went to bed at a decent hour.

welp...yesterday it seemed like a good idea to go ahead with derm surg for the latest squamous cell carcinoma... not sure I thought it through entirely. ...it's on back of my hand. Took 1/2 hr to type in via app w/ L hand... but what an amazing trick! only a twisted mind cd have managed it! (my kinda guy) adios, amigos e amigas

This was fun....but I must admit I found the slightly snarky CHARACTERizations quite a bit more fun (and easier to solve) than the straightforward ones. (Tesla and Edison were bitter rivals who hated one another...they are writhing in their respective graves at being paired up. Yes, I checked.) And you're never, ever going to FORCE me to read/watch "Game of Thrones." Super congrats to our new constructor. Welcome! Please send another puzzle soon! We even forgive the S on BLINI.

OoooKay! All y'all who've been complaining about those puzzles that were too easy --(not that you were wrong, but...) Well, you can just HUSH now. There are claw marks on the tablecloth from my scratching and clawing to find a toehold. Of course I knew LORETTA Young at once, and EPCOT was a gimme...I even got OOLONG TEA (my fave.) But MANDALAS for the psychedelic art, something lacking HOPE for being "Beyond repair" and PUNNY for the barely-funny....Woof! A puzzle when one whips the LEONIDS and TROUTS into place instantly should not keep me busy wearing down the eraser on my pen! ADESTE fideles, indeed. I am hereby protesting the weensy skinny Comment box that won't expand as I type. One more inconvenience for the Solvers and Commentariat? Other than that, Ms Katie Hoody, I have this to say: WOW! Talent out the WAZOO. (I had that and took it out... tricky!)

Once I found a wee toe-hold, this puzzle gradually worked itself out, but it was quite a hunt. For their help, I would like to thank the HUGOS and (who'd have thunk it?) Clint Eastwood. I fell for most of the misdirections...??MODERATOR, and ON A ?HAPPIERNOTE, and ????ESTTIME LINE (evil?) and KITkat bar. I had a lovely time! Happiest entry: 17 Down... because it evokes a memory that makes us smile every time we play one of our LP recordings of "The Planets." (Skip on down if you hate digressions.) Five-year-old PhysicsDaughter (small for her age) was listening to music with DHubby, who was explaining in detail the fascinating passage that embodies Mars. She was thrilled, but "What are planets?" So...off to the library with Mom, where (never shy) PhysDau asked for a book about this subject. "Oh, PLANTS! Are you going to have a garden?" the sweet librarian asked. Indignant , emphatic PhysDau: "Not plants! Plan-NETS! Like Mars, the BRINGER of War!" ?BOP for "Catchy tune" made me go, "Hmm." And thanks, Rachel Fabi, for 44A. Definitely a POSITIVE NOTE!

Oh, my!! This was just wonderful. I like to solve from the bottom to top, so my first encounter with Nikhil's trickery was at 55A (which HAD to be correct, despite being weird. But, with the giant hint of "ancient Roman" I slipped IV into the margin next to the 55A row and soldiered on, thus warned... and shortly I came upon FORTY/IV and cha-ching! The non-themer parts of the puzzle are also admirable...mostly. My last entry, almost against my will, was of course the little cluster on the Eastern border...OPTIC LOBE, eh? I had my DOUBTs, but was delighted to learn I had it right. Mad respect! Kudos! (I think I'm out of superlatives, and must run. It's SALE day--always an exhausting free-for-all, but in a good cause.) I hope everyone else loves this puzzle as much as I do. (To All soreheads from yesterday: no need to come back! Thank you for giving up and staying away!)

Hmmm... Aren't GILL NETs illegal? Who on Earth ROASTS ribs?? CORN MAZE, yes. A PIT??? You're aware that grain bins are dangerous, right???? And: You put in 8A and then get prissy with 41D? We lived IN Cincinnati during the "WKRP" years, and watched it, but for the life of me all I could come up with was, "TIM, the cute Black guy" until I had a few Downs to assist me. That was quite the work-out--daunting at first....then Pouf! THESE THINGS HAPPEN...

Yet another clever theme that feels fresh and entertaining. PECS or LATS? SPACKLE brings back all those hours of prepping for painting, not to mention the fun with drywall mud and such during our rehabbing years...on houses that needed rather more than mere TLC. "Wounded knee site".... Hhmm, maybe too soon. That was wince-worthy...given the ongoing issues with BIA, the disenfranchised and underserved residents of reservations, life span stats and suicide rates, and more.

Makes and models of cars....almost always have to be dredged out of the mud by crossings... Aptly enough, EXCHANGE WEDDING VOWELS happens to appear on the day of our 45th WEDDING anniversary. (Time is speeding up... This afternoon we'll start Year 46....with hope in our hearts for the Republic...if we can keep it.) EMUs should try milkweed leaves; maybe it will help their wings!

Wow, wow, WOW!!! How do these constructors DO it?? Early on I was confronted by CONS for *Mensa (Srsly?) but as is my wont, I just kept on and waited for enlightenment. I not only fell for the trick clues, I created my own stumper by christening Darwin's ship as The BEAVER. Oops! But it did make me laugh. 21D was a big stumper--winkled out letter by letter, really--and of course I know nothing about BONO or the Lennon's son. The Crosses to the rescue! Wonderful beginning to the day. I recall the PAYOLA scandal, but the biggest one was the Fifties TV contest in which Charles Van Doren admitted to cheating. I was in 7th grade; I wrote a skit for a group in science class using the quiz show format. I was the contestant with wildly obvious cheats--answers up my sleeve, written on my palm--read while pinching the bridge of my nose, etc.

Here I am.... in the PNW, and therefore comparatively *Late to the Party* ...well, it took me a bit to break into this puzzle, which was plainly full of misdirection, trickery, etc. I am sure I'm not alone in entering IVANS at 4D. Plus I have been known to "get TEARY" at a wedding; haven't you? My one Nit: FAV instead of FAVE. Now, I *know* that DAFFODIL was worth it, but still.... And then a semi-nit: 47D "Where the Red Delicious apple originated"-- the one, true four-letter answer is indisputably: HELL.

OooooKAY. It's MINT JELLY, never SAUCE. Ewe are mistaken. And speaking of Eww: "Piercing site" for LIP Fails the Breakfast Test !!! Plus, I work in my STUDIO. It's not an ART *LAB*... ask any artisan, crafter, artist, maker, painter, potter, quilter, etc. It wasn'ta LAB even in HS ART class. The SAUCE and the LAB seem to be desperation entries that should have been torn out and redone so that we would not have to HATE Solve. OPEL and AUDI were my early choices for the European car makers. On the Good News side, the RSV vaccine has miimal side effects--a welcome constrast to most other vaccines recommended for us Elderly Patients. NASONEX, eh? Would that be any help for those of us living in The Pollen Capital of The Nation? Because we all have runny noses and sneezing fits. The End.

Welp, this one was interesting. Ish. When you have to strain to zip something up, it doesn't fit. VERGE IN is not a phrase anyone would sensibly use; sometimes you need to leave stuff on the cutting room floor. There were a couple of groaners, but one can let those pass when it's wiithin the realm of possibility. This was NOT! I am guessing I'm not alone. CrispyShot has taken care of the other piece of Dead Sea fruit. Just for fun: early spelling for the Pacific Islands in books like _Eight Cousins_ (by Louisa May Alcott, and found on my Granny's bookshelf): Owhyhee. I thought that was hilarious, but not really "out of line."

Welp....I had entered NATTER for 46A, but when that didn't work for 25D, I thought YAMMER (definitely second best.) Not to be a NATTERing nabob of negativism, but YABBER? JABBER is a word, but YABBER ruins the puzzle, IMHO. Other than that, I completed the puzzle easily, without pause right up until that entry, which really ruins the puzzle. Haven't been in a KOHL'S in ages. Wanted LOWE'S; now, ThaT is MY kind of store.

I hate when I get a BAD HAND. Brown BASMATI rice is a household staple here. It is also helpful in solving crosswords. Six years' AGE GAP did not seem too serious in 1979, but it's a little more impactful down the road.... We don't use little phrases like "TO DIE FOR" in case it's too close to home. QDOBA was kinda tough. Wanted Quizno....tested some creative spellings. If you're a ZILLIONAIRE, maybe you think you should be a co-president... I am reminded of the novel _The Octopus_ .....only I think the situation is worse. Hey, all you Tarheels--better check your voter registration, 'cause you might have been purged. The PARERS have been hard at work. Wow, who knew Jake Bunch had constructed his puzzle with so much apt and timely material?!

Coming up with this word list was just an act of genius, IMHO, and I loved this puzzle. Except for LOCO, which after all had long been included in our English language, these were, indeed, words learned in BEGINNER SPANISH--8th grade "sub-freshman" year, 1960-61. Speaking of included words in our language, today's Spelling Bee STILL excludes CONTINUO. It's sad when MUSIC education is missing from someone's background. But 'peplum' was fine the other day? In 2010, when LeBron left CLEveland, people burned their jerseys. Quite the turn-around n 2014. Enjoyed the proximity of Lil ABNER and "Backwoods Barbie" Dolly PARTON....as a substitute for Daisy May. Or was it Mae? In The Fifties, "the Funnies" were the big event; we three kids vied over who'd get the paper first. And Funnies on Sundays were in COLOR!!

I kind of went around and around with this one, having started with ERIK LARSON in my brain... Was anyone else entertained by the presence of MOOS and APPLE TART? The gentle cow all red and white, I love with all my heart. She gives me milk with all her might, and cream for APPLE TART! RLS, please forgive me any misquotes in there; it's been a long time since I was in The Child's Garden of Verses. I got LOUPE at once, but CLASSMATES? and STAG! were difficult... I wasn't fooled by NEPALIS, but NELLA? Who? Some CRACK and an ACID TRIP might help us through coming days.... I'm off to a gathering of Southern Fiber Artists. Adieu, mes Amis!