Leapfinger

'Similc or Enfamil' is a clue for BABY FOod, not BABY FORMULA. A clue for BABY FORMULA would be something like: "First, you find two people who love each other very, very much"

I know the song "Strange Fruit" made famous by Billie Holiday, but didn't retain (if it ever registered) that the TREE was a poplar. What I do recall is that the lyrics were an original poem by a Bronx schoolteacher, Abel Meeropol, who at one time had James Baldwin as a student. Meeropol was an open leftist, and adopted the two sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg when they were executed for espionage early 1950s. All old history now.

SOFA as I'm concerned, an ONION_BAGEL hasn't ONION enough to give you pungent breath. SAUSAGELINKs, otoh.... In LIU of either Oh the IRONY of thinking that little milk vetch plant was ASTRALagus! I understand it grows well in TOPS OIL... Merlin's autobiography: I, MAGE. The sequel, while in higher ed: GRE, O, GRE! Don't DUNST sound like it ought to be some kind of portmanteau verb? Like halfway between MUSTN'T and DAREN'T? Is it true that a ROBIN sings at dawn? I thought that was a rooster or crow, though that might also be a COCKTAIL. I'd love to TOKYO at face value but can't AGREE about Hospital concern being HEALTH, when focus was always Disease care more than HEALTH Care. Of late, they're all shifting toward being TERMINALLYbottomLINE /sliding softly into endrant so y'all don't have to interCEDE Loved the GLORIouS fill of ALLTHUMBS and AVANTGARDE, for non-downer Downs to balance the excellent Across themers. Appreciating the IRON-clad IRONY of BLOGPOST ending: HOST MEETS PEST TY VEERy Much, @Kiran Pandey, I enjoyed it SHO 'nuff!

This was so absoLUTELY worth the 53ish minutes it took to get there! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZOj-3W8GGAk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZOj-3W8GGAk</a> Enjoyed every circuitous minute of it

Good to know that 'Tokarczuk' is the name of a minor planet, as well as a literary star. OLGA deserves a prize for the title alone of "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead".

A sunny little SO-FUN Saturday, hafta hand it freely that there's NO MEAN FEAT to WEEPOVER. Beautifully colloquial long ones that almost make it easy to remember the Comte de la Fere was one of Dumas' Mousquetaires who HELD EPEES, if not rapiers or sabers. Admitting problems with wanting two Ts in my MASERATIS, as well as a geographic marker along I-95, like the Macon-Dixon line... instead of ACELA Now comes the bottom & the WEEPOVER, despite a fair start with PULIS (Hungarian), LILITH (Cabala), BAATH (from somewhere that stores AA words) and BILL (don't we all?)... I *knew* ACDC was more likely than ABBA, but *really* wanted FEEL IT IN THE AIR and CAPITOL SHORTS, Also thought TRASH BLOSSOM more appropriate than CRASH BLOSSOM, having never heard of either. Didn't help that Tolstoy got in my head with his "All happy families" quote, which had me go with HOME where HERO should have rested. So it was a slow rassle with that miserable retort at 41D, and a look-up of the suspected COE University, sadly not on my radar till now. Finally realizing that 51A was a *coin* flip led the whole gallimaufrey "home" All in all, enjoyed the hand to hand combat with Kareem A, and will AIR my one working nit in a reply to self

Today's XWP couldn't have been more made-to-order for me without having Leapfingerprints all over it. A. I was in NewHaven back in the day of Wm Sloan Coffin when Doonesbury was just a newbie strip in the Yalie Dailey, and ANGELA_DAVIS came to town with her yard-wide AFRO. O MAN, and Huey Newton, also B. I'll rewatch DR_STRANGELOVE every time I POSSE-bly can, it never gets old. How tickled I was when I realized the bombardier was James Earl Jones in an early role, recognized just by That Voice! C. Followed Peter Sellers since the Gong Show, even unto The World of Henry ORIENT, where he's stalked by two tweens who find him SEXY although he's TUCCI-zee for words. D. Wonderfully inclusive to find the Buddha GOTANA consorting among all the FALLEN_ANGELS. There were plenty of places to scrabble but the only place I *really* gave my BRAIN A SIESTA was where I had DVORAK precede MAHLER, just because 6 letters fit, ach du lieber! Y'all are cherubs for allowing me space to unload, especially since UNO how I tend to rAMBLE. Nicely done, Joe Marquez!!

I always love me a Kam Collins crossword, ever since his NYT debut when he chimed in on the comments, never fails to make it a chase and a treasure hunt. Great grid today is supported by a hilarious TWOHEADED column photograph, which I'll nitpick by suggesting it's a wallaby instead of a kangaroo. No way to tell its size, but a wallaby (like Joseph) has a coat of many colours. Could even be a pademelon! Once again, KamC made me glad I'm among the generations that enjoyed SESAME_STREET, which deserved every Emmy, and even made a place for Oscar. Plenty celebs were happy to BELT_LINES on that show: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqJjrtDFGpI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqJjrtDFGpI</a> Admitting I was afraid 34A clue Bosom buddy might turn out to be BRA, but I spose 1A BRAY was close enough. Appreciated HEDY Lamarr (Hungarian), and happy we didn't die INTESTate. Me too about POLLIWOGS, Mr Collins. Give the man ARRAYS!!

32D. ARTISANAL Isn't that being rather judgemental? ...Myself knowing at least a few artists who are quite relaxed and tolerant. Myself also always loving a good laugh (esp on April Fuels Day) and having learned the hard way that sometimes it's wiser to keep said laughter under wraps... ...and tickled to remember the Old Old days when the NYT ran a segment titled LAUGH LINES that one time earned me an Honorable Mention Well played, Joe Marquez!!

PAWN my word, there must be some UTES on these boards with the IDEA its more fun if they Kahn solve Quigley, but I SOO prefer to get my $$$$'s worth per unit puzzle, and NOW I SEe that, the longer it takes me, the happier I EXEC UTES! Today, I had LE TOUT fini at a respectable 35:40 (including rabbit-holes), which cALMS my NEEd to PILE_ON the speedfreaks who otherwise TAURUS in TWOS. PS: All said in fun, and it's just as well I don't solve the way I drive.

I think the votes are in. More Spoonerisms, please!

I agree with @SamC that having fun with solving crosswords is the GOOOOOOOOAL....And this abso was

Some people might prefer A VOID AT ALL COSTS, but personally, I'm always pleased when a constructor offers me something like NEST SIN or a PEE RAT, so I can remember what it's like to be 9 or 10 years old again.

From today's Midi, with thanks: "I'm going to lead with a series of quick jabs to the mid-section." "And I'm going to parry with my left, follow with a right uppercut!" "Oof, look out! Here comes the haymaker!!" "Gnnaarff..." DIALOG BOX

In today's Wordle forum, one commenter was bemoaning the news currently being aired about Cesar Chavez, which led me to reply with the classic trope of the Hero and the FATAL Flaw. Whatever the actual lethality of any flaws in question, I credit that forerunner as my break to see 33A was just FATAL

Re 6A TAKESABOW That isn't how you spell SABOT <a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=CotZfnKGWHM" target="_blank">https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=CotZfnKGWHM</a> Otherwise, I CANARDly say enough about this Friday that had a SMILE LINE by LINE by LIN. Now really IMPEI shan't for more, tyvm!! PS