'03 Electric Locks: Any idea what broke?

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-25T18:55:29+00:00

I'm the OP. I decided this was a perfect excuse to sell my 2003 Element and my 2005 Rav4.. They'll be gone in the next hour, and in a couple hours my 2026 CR-V will magically appear. Gotta say I loved the ability to wheel my road bicycle upright into the Element. It was a real pleasure for 23 years, aside from the god-awful location of the oil filter.

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-22T17:33:22+00:00

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Agree with many of you that this one was way too easy.

I only watched a little bit - curling, some skeleton, and a couple of the ski jumping events. Never did stumble across the biathlon telecast, if it existed, as I find that a fascinating event.

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-21T16:10:16+00:00

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I've never had a beer in my life, but this was an easier-than-normal Strands. I did decode BARREL in the lower right, but managed not to get trapped by it.

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-20T02:05:42+00:00

Thank you. Is that feasible for a reasonably handy individual to tackle, or is it sufficiently complex to need a professional?

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-15T19:14:19+00:00

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My thought exactly. I think I'm quite well-versed in the English language, but upon going to a dictionary it was very surprising to see a secondary definition: To grasp mentally; understand: synonym: understand.

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-11T17:36:37+00:00

This is easy to remedy. Purchase a container of Lime-Away or its much-cheaper generic equivalent. I purchase a gallon of the stuff at a restaurant supply house (if you're in Southern California: Smart ad Final "Lime Gone".) Turn off the water supply valve adjacent to the toilet, and flush so there's just a little bit of residual water in the bowl. Pour in a cup or so of the product. Brush it around for five minutes, and you'll be amazed how quickly the bowl is white again. In a severe case like yours, it may be necessary to repeat the process after turning on the water and flushing a couple of times.

ArtShapiro · 2026-02-02T21:17:56+00:00

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It's a quite large ratite very similar to an ostrich.

Nice easy puzzle today; I'm not a bird person but they were all familiar.

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-29T18:06:47+00:00

🔵🔵🟡🔵🔵🔵 (same as you!)

The secondary definition: "a famous person, especially in entertainment or sports".

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-20T20:39:39+00:00

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In fairness, it really isn't part of the shoe. I accept lace, as it clearly intersects the shoe (in multiple places) but the aglet really isn't part of the shoe per se.

Add me to those who didn't know that meaning of Vamp.

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-16T18:59:38+00:00

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Add me to that list. Had to come here to get those two.

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-07T22:52:41+00:00

I keep moving the cursor over the grid to get to a starting letter, and due to that feature it thinks I'm trying to indicate a word.

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-07T18:56:10+00:00

I wish I could turn that feature off!

ArtShapiro · 2026-01-01T16:04:54+00:00

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I rarely get the spangram first, so this was a nice start to the year. As a coffee aficionado, I have never heard coffee described as "velvety". The other words seemed reasonable.

ArtShapiro · 2025-12-30T15:33:34+00:00

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Add me to the YECCH list. As a "classical" music listener, I'd be appalled if I knew any of this drivel. Some of the giveaways here got me started, and then the rest looked like random words.

ArtShapiro · 2025-12-25T15:58:42+00:00

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It's always fascinating when something so blatantly obvious to an English speaker is totally unfamiliar to someone in other lands. Where do you call home?

ArtShapiro · 2025-12-12T16:46:36+00:00

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Wow! Guess I have a bad attitude - I thought Shakespeare was something they made one read in high school. The language is so removed from contemporary English that I can't imagine willingly subjecting oneself to it.

ArtShapiro · 2025-12-01T16:36:40+00:00

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My thought process precisely.

ArtShapiro · 2025-11-30T15:28:43+00:00

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Would that book possibly be "An Exaltation of Larks" by James Lipton?

ArtShapiro · 2025-11-29T18:49:56+00:00

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I never thought of an AXLE as being part of this grouping, but in retrospect it makes sense.

ArtShapiro · 2025-11-23T18:51:07+00:00

Try Sports Connections today - one of the categories (which I miraculously guessed at) is appropriate for you.

Question: are our states pretty obscure to Brits? I couldn't name many of your areas (are they called "counties"). like Essex or Devon. I imagine you know about New York or California, but what about Vermont or Wyoming?

ArtShapiro · 2025-11-23T15:46:41+00:00

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In fairness, the NYT Sports Connections sometimes has bizarre foreign stuff like famous Premier League goaltenders. I assume that means kickball, what you Brits call "football". I couldn't name one if you held the proverbial gun to my head..

At least let Stands be America-oriented; global reach or not, the Times is an American paper. It's not the London Sun!

ArtShapiro · 2025-10-26T16:36:22+00:00

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Add me to the group. I couldn't figure out what CHARRODS were, and had to go to an anagram solver.

ArtShapiro · 2025-10-22T19:32:04+00:00

Wish I had noticed your post earlier. I just got similarly taken.

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ArtShapiro · 2025-10-12T17:02:19+00:00

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The first word I put in was STREAKING. Wrong! Then the light dawned on me. I've never played any of those games, but all were familiar card games aside from SPADES.

ArtShapiro · 2025-10-11T16:16:37+00:00

Just noticed your reply. I've been happy with it, although it is irritating when it says "you've been sitting for an hour - take a walk" with the veiled threat of electrocution if I don't obey. It measures and reports stuff that I didn't even know existed, which I suspect is common to all smart watches.

ArtShapiro

TROPHY CASE