
Got it in three!
Got it in three!
A throwback post this week.
——
Toward the end of last year but well before the indefinite stay-at-home orders, I drove across the city to pick up some chairs that were listed in the free stuff section of craigslist. I drive a coupe, and I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get the chairs into my car. I had thought I might be able to disassemble them before taking them home, but wasn’t happening.
The chairs looked to have a lot of potential, and that’s the main draw for me for a project.
Since this is the first time I’m taking on a chairs project, I knew when I set out that there was a real chance I would not be successful. As this is an ongoing project that is not yet complete, this series will have many updates, and there have been numerous challenges along the way. I’ve also learned a lot along the way so far, and there’s more to go.
My plan was to get all the paint off the chair and give them a natural finish. I’d have to figure out how to redo the cushions or just buy new ones that fit.
On first glance, the chairs looked fine structurally. But it’s hard to really get the old finish off and repair damage without taking the item apart. Doable, sure, but this is my first foray into chairs.
Since I had two chairs, I knew I had the flexibility to take different approaches.
When I looked closely at the chairs, I saw that they had been painted thick with the orange paint. It looked like it was a fun project to do. As is appropriate for a final project before discard, there was no mind paid to removing screws or making any adjustment.
Screws were barely visible under the paint. Screws I’d have to remove.
And the screws that kept the chair together are the flat-head screws.
So I had to make a decision: Do I sand the the areas with the screws first and then try to remove the screws, or do I clear out the channel of the flat-head and try to remove them before sanding?
That’s the first bifurcation.
I got to try both ways because I have two chairs.
More next week.
Yeesh is right. A 50-second finish for a Tuesday.
I got so excited to put ORGAN in R2 that I totally missed that the R isn’t in the second place. Dumb. Still got it in three!
I pulled out 8D Breakout movie role, say: STARTURN because I’ve never heard this term before. Maybe I have, and maybe it was a crossword answer before. If so, I’ve solved it only from the cross words.
Theme!
16A It doesn’t need time to rise before baking: QUICKBREAD.
29A One of two “royal” sleeping options: QUEENBED.
35A Social crafting event: QUILTINGBEE.
42A ATV with four tires: QUADBIKE.
59A Key member of a football team, in brief … or a feature of 16-, 29-, 35- and 42-Across?: STARTINGQB.
Nyah-nyah, Tom Brady. LFGR.
Finished this one in 6:23.
Man, 27 seconds for a Monday mini?
The finish-in-two streak is over. Got it in four.
I pulled out 18A Scorpion, for one: ARACHNIDS because I hadn’t realized that scorpions are arachnids. I had thought that scorpions only have six legs.
But as is clear from this picture, scorpions have eight legs. Wow is that an ugly animal.
The title of this puzzle is Turns of Phrase.
21A Artists sketching pectorals?: DRAWERSOFCHESTS.
33A Vow to remain mum about hotel guests’ secrets?: HONOROFMAIDS.
52A Small distance covered by a naval armada?: FOOTOFFLEET.
73A Boxer lacking a left hook?: MANOFRIGHTS. Extra funny because man of right or mano frights?
89A What brass band music has?: PLENTYOFHORN.
107A Tree feature in winter?: ABSENCEOFLEAVES.
14D What a dog walker and a strong-willed pooch might vie for?: COMMANDOFCHAIN.
45D The Bee Gees’ Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb?: BROTHERSOFBAND.
It’s a turn of phrase of a turn of phrase. You gotta turn the turn of phrase around to get the turn of phrase we know to be the way the phrase is turned.
21A DRAWERSOFCHESTS -> CHESTS OF DRAWERS.
33A HONOROFMAIDES -> MAIDS OF HONOR.
52A FOOTOFFLEET -> FLEET OF FOOT.
73A MANOFRIGHTS -> RIGHTS OF MAN.
89A PLENTYOFHORN -> HORN OF PLENTY (CORNUCOPIA).
107A ABSENCEOFLEAVES -> LEAVES OF ABSENCE.
14D COMMANDOFCHAIN -> CHAIN OF COMMAND.
45D BROTHERSOFBAND -> BAND OF BROTHERS.
Finished this one in 33:57.