Margaret

@Motown A ride or die is a friend who is with you through it all and to the bitter end. It might come from motorcycle biker lingo - not sure. Someone you can count on.

@Allan 70-year-old American here. I had never heard of Arctics. Figured the answer was "rubbers"

@Michael Do you mean you initially entered the letters L I N E? If so, how did your down fills make any sense to you?

@Christine My thoughts exactly. People are throwing "whom" around like crazy. I say if you don't know the difference, it's better to stick with "who" even if it's wrong. I observed a court trial recently and, I'm not kidding, the judge asked the prosecutor throughout the day, "Whom is your next witness?" And while I'm at it, what's with all the bros and their "Me and my buddies did this" and "Me and her did that"?

@Carl How is that physically possible?

@Bill Yet, OSHA's oversight includes offices as well as factories and warehouses etc. I think this makes a clever clue, as one's first thought might be the office monitor is the BOSS or even some kind of computer component.

@Laura The Muppets appeared on Sesame Street.

@B Not just on television. It's so weird. Some of the smartest people I know do this. And it's such an easy thing to learn for a native English speaker. You would never say, "He was so kind to I".

@Matthew in WeHo I was thinking basketball - doesn't "post up" mean to hang around under the basket?

@redweather I hear it all the time except it's been shortened to "po" for the most part.

@James Right!? We have the "I've been had" and "I was robbed" but nobody in the history of the English speaking world said, "I been had." It's not even slang or some kind of niche lingo. Very weird to me.

@Marty My husband who taught middle school tells me that "capping" is lying or exaggerating. To cap is to lie. So NOCAP means "no lie" or "for sure."

@Cat Lady Margaret Boy am I glad I checked the crossword comments today. This is magnificent. Thank you.

@James I had addin and pitmaster. (Barbecue pit)

@Andrzej Just telling me that the Wordle word is a word you never heard before affects my approach. Wait for the next day to comment, please.

@Francis Blandly is right. Lovely lecture.

@Leila Sink disposals are banned in New Jersey? Huh? Why?

@HEK I still don't know what it means!

@Remy I know "many people" and I've never heard this idea that "moist" is an ugly English word. Who thinks that? And what's your objection to "skort"? Is it the sound or does it have some meaning to you other than a skirt with shorts built in?

@Lauren a man's purse = a murse.

@Eric Hougland There probably aren't many people who remember going to a movie theater to see Charlie Chaplin either. Yet...

@Leontion I don't think this is a good example of "languages change." Pronouncing it as "jewlery" is as incorrect as pronouncing "nuclear" as "nucular." It's just incorrect. IMO

@John I was certain the answer was "oval." Ideally, a ball is round. I'm with you.

@Cooper Thank you!

@Nora ha ha what? Whose mind is in the gutter?

@Mark Carlson Having watched Network (again) just recently, I say Ned Beatty was indeed one of the co-stars of the movie. He didn't have the screen time given over to the (unlikely) coupling of WH and FD, or of course to Peter Finch, but it was a significant and dramatic performance. IMO

@Bill Thank you - I misunderstood and thought we were talking about a grocery chain with the name "Crocker." Feel dumb. Thanks again.