I think that was the last one made because I was like, "That is so ridiculously contrived - what do we have now, a talking donut??" I think Jimmy Buffett could get behind a talking donut!
Explanation: The four restaurant-themed entries all contain the triple pairs of double letters MM, FF, and TT. This, coupled with the anchor (and middle) entries of MARG + HUH + RITA, point to the one and only JIMMY BUFFETT (and if you can find someone else with those triple double letters who opened a restaurant, let me know!). Also threw a little breadcrumb with GYMS having "buff" in the clue.
I wasn't planning to go the restaurant angle, but a couple of the entries took that form, so I just decided to run with it. While I never frequented Margaritaville, I did eat at the late Buffett's Cheeseburger in Paradise once, for what it's worth, and have enjoyed some of his music over the years - I've been jamming to his tunes the past month or so in his memory.
boharr 4s · 2023-09-30T20:22:47.780Z
Thanks, Mikey. And condolences if the Cubs don't make it.
I think this is google-able. I hope it is! There's probably an engine out there to get you * MM * FF * TT *, and I'm all for those helpers!
whimsy 30:59 · 2023-10-01T14:13:11.658Z
I was clueless so I was shameless -- googled Famous Person Who Opened Restaurant and got: https://www.eatthis.com/celebrity-restaurants/ Scanned the list until #16 jumped out at me. :-)
Onelook dictionary will pop up JIMMY BUFFETT if you put that in, of course if you are looking for an ex boxer it will pop that up too. You'd also get Emma Moffatt, and that one Ben WOULD recognize!!
markhr 🤓29:38 · 2023-10-01T00:17:53.233Z
Odd, I've had a Jimmy Buffett earworm today but it didn't seem to help me solve this any quicker.
I was focusing on Food Network types. Finally caught on. Back to "Banana Republics"...
Finally found the correct google search term: "MMFFTT" and the rest fell into place. Nice breather in a challenging meta week. Great themers too. Thanks.
Didn't know until now that Margaritaville is an actual restaurant chain, as opposed to just being a song.
Fun respite Mikey!
One of those serendipitous times when I immediately had the answer just from seeing the prompt alone - everyone gets that once in their meta-solving lives, right? so I used mine up. But a fun grid to confirm, with clever easter eggs to boot... thanks, Mikey!
Of course! I'm totally fine when that happens! It was equally serendipitous when the MMFFTT entries started revolving around food, and Buffett's restaurants helped make that connection!
Bird Lives 8s · 2023-10-04T14:20:29.636Z
Why don't we get drunk and solve this meta?
I wonder how many people get the reference in the title of his early album "A White Port Coat and a Pink Crustacean."
Will Pf had a similar puzzle a while back based on Russell Westbrook, though at the time Westbrook had not just died.
As soon as I heard the album title for the first time (high school? college?), I knew that was a pun on something - I know Marty Robbins through one of my favorite lyricists Bernie Taupin, who said "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" is his favorite album of all time.
Joe 🤓16:28 · 2023-10-05T19:27:18.249Z
I know the dude. I know the song. I had no idea it was a restaurant. I need to get out more. Thanks, Mikey! It took me 3 hints. Yeesh!
I really do appreciate the fact you're puzzlin here
The voice is so familiar
But the clues are not that clear
So puzzler bring the grid on, let's hope that I evolve
Maybe I need to get drunk and solve
One of my favorites, and I mourn his passing. I had a bit of a time trying to answer all of the clues, but I see why. Love the cheeseburger (triple double) reference. It was MUFFULETTA that tipped me, it sounded so much like BUFFETT and I started thinking Buffet Restaurant and the rest is just wastin away. Thanks for the puzzle Mike, sorry it took me so long to get around to it.
Bird Lives 8s · 2023-10-06T23:35:10.854Z
At a chairs’ meeting some years back, the dean was telling us that we shouldn’t just automatically approve applications for promotion. “I’m not saying to deny them, but give them some scrutiny. You should scrutinize them according to the criteria,” etc. Words to that effect, but he used the word “scrutiny” a few more times. So I said, not quite sotto voce, “Why don’t we get drunk and srutinize these applications,” with an appropriate caesura in the middle of the word. None of the fourteen people at the table laughed. You gotta know your audience.
Oh Lord, been there done that! Some people treat humor like a boil; they don't want to talk about it, they cannot wait until it is over and they hope it never happens again. Needless to say that during a teaching and clinical career I ran across more than my fair share of "bad audiences" for perfectly delightful double entendres and bad puns.
Yeah, it felt really surreal when I woke up to that news. He seemed so timeless but also of this era. Still weird typing this knowing he's no longer with us. Yeah, and the "triple double" cheeseburger reference helps put the icing on the cake (more healthy grub).
Qmark 3s · 2023-10-07T14:39:16.018Z
This took me way longer than it should have...but happy that it came to me before the deadline.
Thanks Mikey!