(Note: LA Times website does not support circled letters feature. Here is the pdf file of today's puzzle.)
Theme: No More Boos - A Halloween puzzle. The word "ghost" is "busted" in each familiar phrase and orderly circled in the grid. Please see Don "Hard G"'s notes at the end of my writeup for his construction inspiration.
23A. One with all the answers—or in one case, questions : GAME SHOW HOST. Alex Trebek (Jeopardy) has all the questions as answers.
32A. Global warming factor : GREENHOUSE EFFECT
41A. Boom box : GHETTO BLASTER. Not familiar with this term. Makes sense.
53A. Prepare for lean times : TIGHTEN ONE'S BELT
66A. Movie with the tagline "Sleep kills" : A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Nice grid spanner. Plus the scary factor. Good one.
76A. HDL, familiarly : GOOD CHOLESTEROL. LDL is bad.
89A. Haunted house creaker : FLIGHT OF STEPS
101A. Medical school affiliate : TEACHING HOSPITAL. Unique GHOS & T break.
112A. Movie good guys responsible for the circled squares in eight long puzzle answers : GHOSTBUSTERS. Great unifier.
Total 133 theme squares. Very dense. Don also tried a variety of different GHOST buster phrases. Additionally, he was able to sprinkle in more Halloween spookiness in more fill/clues:
25A. October porch swinger : SKELETON
118A. Like much Halloween candy : BITE-SIZE. Great answer.
1D. Working at night for Dr. Frankenstein? : DIGGING. Scary.
3D. Twilight Saga character : VAMPIRE.
103D. Graveyard divisions : PLOTS
113D. Half a scary fly : TSE. Our old editor Wayne R. Williams used this answer/clue all the time, sans "scary".
Across:
1. '90s sci-fi series "seaQuest __" : DSV. Immediate stumper. DSV stands for "Deep Submergence Vehicle"
4. Frost's foot : IAMB. Robert Frost.
8. Honest prez : ABE
11. Parks for rights : ROSA. Rosa Parks.
15. Imogene's partner : SID (Caesar)
18. "Isn't __ pity?" : IT A
19. Greek king tormented by fruit and water he could never quite reach : TANTALUS. From him we get "tantalize".
21. __ minérales : EAUX. Plural of eau.
22. "A long time __ in a galaxy ..." : AGO
27. Aquarium fish : GUPPY. No idea. Looks like a fish peacock.
28. __-jongg : MAH
29. Like "egad," oathwise : MILD
30. Ford whose debut album was "Out for Blood" : LITA. No. Don't recognize her name.
31. Vying : IN IT
37. ATM maker : NCR
38. When to get well? : SOON. Get well soon.
39. Friendship : AMITY
40. Limber : LITHE
45. Female "Mortal Kombat" agent __ Blade : SONYA. Complete unknown. Nice abs.
46. Two-legged zebra : REF. Fun clue.
47. Pitch path : ARC
48. Pooh __: pompous officials : BAHS. I know Grand Pooh-Bah.
50. Blemish : STAIN
61. 1962 Phantom portrayer Herbert : LOM. No idea. "Pink Panther" is so silly.
62. AFL affiliate : CIO
64. Good Witch of the North portrayer Burke : BILLIE. I had her Franklin Mint doll. Wicked Witch of the West was the most expensive in the series.
65. Eye's middle layer : UVEA
72. Ship with a tilde : NIÑA. The Niña, Pinta & Santa María.
73. Memory lane walk : STROLL
74. "So that's it!" : AHA
75. 8-track tape co. : RCA
81. They may be taken with a raised hand : OATHS
83. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Hurt. Out for the season.
84. Milk, on an Rx : LAC
85. You can bet on it : TIP. Good clue.
86. Affect, as heartstrings : TUG AT
96. Maître d's stack : MENUS
97. Didn't miss __ : A BEAT
99. Oater actor Jack : ELAM. This image is ingrained in my brain.
100. Wine holder : VAT
105. __ monster : GILA
106. Diet suffix : ETIC. Dietetic. I only know dietitian.
107. Kind of crazy? : STIR. Stir crazy.
108. Matterhorn, e.g. : ALP
109. Student of Graham : AILEY (Alvin). Martha Graham. Faintly recalled the name.
110. Hitchcock genre : THRILLER
116. Born : NEE
117. Pulitzer winner Bellow : SAUL
119. Vote for : YEA
120. Put in : ADD
121. World Series sextet : UMPS. Very timely. Also 122. New Eng. sextet : STS (States). "Sextet" clechos.
123. Cast-of-thousands movie : EPIC
124. Ohio summer hrs. : EDT. Don lives there.
Down:
2. Steadfast : STAUNCH
4. __-bitsy : ITSY
5. Relaxed reaction : AAH
6. LP filler? : MNO. Alphabetic run. L M N O P.
7. Texter's "incidentally" : BTW
8. Float __ : A LOAN
9. Outback topper : BUSH HAT. Well, I am sure Kazie knows. It's like this.
10. Car repair fig. : EST
11. Make a stand : RESIST
12. Buffalo Bill associate : OAKLEY (Annie)
13. Glove material : SUEDE
14. Rose of Guns N' Roses : AXL
15. Fullness : SATIETY
16. "Tricked you!" : I GOTCHA
17. Campaign Web site option : DONATE. Another timely clue.
20. Words of woe : AH ME
24. Skillful, kiddingly : EPT. Opposite of "Inept".
26. Like Puck : ELFIN. Puck is capitalized, the trickester in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
29. Conservationist John : MUIR
32. Blockhead : GOOF
33. Director Reiner : ROB. Loved his "A Few Good Men".
34. Zhou of China : ENLAI. Zhou is also the name of a dynasty, right before Qin. Both had capital in Xi'An. Hence my real name.
35. 'Abitation? : OME. Habitation/Home. Both Hs are dropped. Cockney accent.
36. Brush partner : FLOSS
38. Malodor : STENCH
42. Start to fold? : TRI. Start to the word trifold.
43. Uru. neighbor : ARG
44. SAT-taking venue : SCH
45. "Jeepers!" : SHEESH
48. Cotton capsule : BOLL. Have you picked fresh cotton? I have.
49. Wolfman, some nights : ANIMAL
50. "A poor man's poetry": Moore : SLANG. Unaware of this saying.
51. "Pagliacci" clown : TONIO. Can never remember this name.
52. __ acid : AMINO
53. Source of an oater long-distance call? : TOM TOM. Drum. I don't get this clue. Why "long-distance call?"
54. Hose clamp tightener : T-BOLT
55. German article : EIN. German "a".
56. Pirates' former div. : NLE (National League East). Now NL Central.
57. Rough case? : BUR. The prickly seed cover. Rough indeed.
58. Chris on the court : EVERT. Tennis court.
59. Parasite : LEECH
60. Brit's bye-byes : TATAS. Same here.
63. Sweater words? : IT'S HOT. Sweater = One who sweats.
67. Roam (about) : GAD
68. First name in protest singing : ARLO (Guthrie)
69. __ v. Wade : ROE
70. Local pair? : ELS. A pair of letter L in local.
71. Eastern philosophy : TAOISM. And 90. __-tzu, founder of 71-Down : LAO. Lao = Old.
77. Rubbernecking cause : CRASH
78. Taina of "Les Girls" : ELG. No idea. Which one?
79. By itself, not much of a cheer : RAH. Lovely clue.
80. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, say : OCTET. Septet + One.
82. Liable : APT
85. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL
86. Grew choppers : TEETHED. Sweet clue.
87. Like a repressed grievance : UNAIRED
88. Big name in leather goods : GUCCI
89. Baseball players' union chief before Weiner : FEHR (Donald). He looks familiar.
91. Sellout reaction, in headlines : IT'S A HIT
92. Plug extension? : OLA. Plugola.
93. Wicked looker : EVIL EYE. My friend Roberto wears an evil eye charm. He bought from Turkey.
94. Pink, e.g. : PALE RED. Not a phrase I use.
95. Patronizes, as a motel : STAYS AT
96. Ital. volcano : MT. ETNA. In Sicily.
97. Dealer's demand : ANTE UP
98. Nightclub circulators : B-GIRLS. B-B0ys too.
102. Koran religion : ISLAM
104. __ dixit : IPSE. Literally "He himself said it".
105. Yosemite Sam's "Scram!" : GIT
109. "Just __!" : A SEC
111. The NCAA's Fightin' Tigers : LSU. Shaq's alma mater.
112. "Pygmalion" monogram : GBS (George Bernard Shaw)
114. Marceau alter ego : BIP. Unknown to me.
115. Compact submachine gun : UZI. Israeli gun.
Answer grid.
Notes from Don G:
"I was inspired by John Lampkin’s Pumpkin puzzle last Halloween. I was reminded how fun this time of year is. My first idea was a dud. I tried to do something with the words TRICK and TREAT. It didn’t work very well.
I was solving a circle puzzle some time shortly thereafter, and it just clicked. Put GHOST in circles, find them “busted up” within other entries, and we got GHOSTBUSTERS. I realized early on that I did not want GHOSTBUSTERS to appear in the title. I like surprises in my puzzles. The title was decided after everything else was done, which is opposite to how it often happens. The title I came up with is “No More Boos”, and we’ll see if it sticks. Kind of a downer, though. We want our boos (and maybe booze) on Halloween.
John Lampkin had also taught me about using One Look Dictionary as a search engine. It came in handy here. I got a couple on my own, but I relied on computer generation to help me find the hidden GHOSTS. I went a little overboard, too. I think my theme letter count got up to 130, which is fairly high. Filling the grid becomes tough. To further challenge myself, I wanted to put in some Halloween-type entries to enliven the theme. It should be a lot of fun, and that’s what it’s all about on Halloween.
I've mentioned John twice. I have been fortunate to have learned a great deal about crossword puzzles from him, and he has been generous in explaining his approach to creating puzzles. He is a consummate artist when it comes to creating puzzles, which he pursues quite avidly as he does butterflies and music. The world is a much better place for John Lampkin! I am happy to call him a friend."
C.C.
Theme: No More Boos - A Halloween puzzle. The word "ghost" is "busted" in each familiar phrase and orderly circled in the grid. Please see Don "Hard G"'s notes at the end of my writeup for his construction inspiration.
23A. One with all the answers—or in one case, questions : GAME SHOW HOST. Alex Trebek (Jeopardy) has all the questions as answers.
32A. Global warming factor : GREENHOUSE EFFECT
41A. Boom box : GHETTO BLASTER. Not familiar with this term. Makes sense.
53A. Prepare for lean times : TIGHTEN ONE'S BELT
66A. Movie with the tagline "Sleep kills" : A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Nice grid spanner. Plus the scary factor. Good one.
76A. HDL, familiarly : GOOD CHOLESTEROL. LDL is bad.
89A. Haunted house creaker : FLIGHT OF STEPS
101A. Medical school affiliate : TEACHING HOSPITAL. Unique GHOS & T break.
112A. Movie good guys responsible for the circled squares in eight long puzzle answers : GHOSTBUSTERS. Great unifier.
Total 133 theme squares. Very dense. Don also tried a variety of different GHOST buster phrases. Additionally, he was able to sprinkle in more Halloween spookiness in more fill/clues:
25A. October porch swinger : SKELETON
118A. Like much Halloween candy : BITE-SIZE. Great answer.
1D. Working at night for Dr. Frankenstein? : DIGGING. Scary.
3D. Twilight Saga character : VAMPIRE.
103D. Graveyard divisions : PLOTS
113D. Half a scary fly : TSE. Our old editor Wayne R. Williams used this answer/clue all the time, sans "scary".
Across:
1. '90s sci-fi series "seaQuest __" : DSV. Immediate stumper. DSV stands for "Deep Submergence Vehicle"
4. Frost's foot : IAMB. Robert Frost.
8. Honest prez : ABE
11. Parks for rights : ROSA. Rosa Parks.
15. Imogene's partner : SID (Caesar)
18. "Isn't __ pity?" : IT A
19. Greek king tormented by fruit and water he could never quite reach : TANTALUS. From him we get "tantalize".
21. __ minérales : EAUX. Plural of eau.
22. "A long time __ in a galaxy ..." : AGO
27. Aquarium fish : GUPPY. No idea. Looks like a fish peacock.
28. __-jongg : MAH
29. Like "egad," oathwise : MILD
30. Ford whose debut album was "Out for Blood" : LITA. No. Don't recognize her name.
31. Vying : IN IT
37. ATM maker : NCR
38. When to get well? : SOON. Get well soon.
39. Friendship : AMITY
40. Limber : LITHE
45. Female "Mortal Kombat" agent __ Blade : SONYA. Complete unknown. Nice abs.
46. Two-legged zebra : REF. Fun clue.
47. Pitch path : ARC
48. Pooh __: pompous officials : BAHS. I know Grand Pooh-Bah.
50. Blemish : STAIN
61. 1962 Phantom portrayer Herbert : LOM. No idea. "Pink Panther" is so silly.
62. AFL affiliate : CIO
64. Good Witch of the North portrayer Burke : BILLIE. I had her Franklin Mint doll. Wicked Witch of the West was the most expensive in the series.
65. Eye's middle layer : UVEA
72. Ship with a tilde : NIÑA. The Niña, Pinta & Santa María.
73. Memory lane walk : STROLL
74. "So that's it!" : AHA
75. 8-track tape co. : RCA
81. They may be taken with a raised hand : OATHS
83. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Hurt. Out for the season.
84. Milk, on an Rx : LAC
85. You can bet on it : TIP. Good clue.
86. Affect, as heartstrings : TUG AT
96. Maître d's stack : MENUS
97. Didn't miss __ : A BEAT
99. Oater actor Jack : ELAM. This image is ingrained in my brain.
100. Wine holder : VAT
105. __ monster : GILA
106. Diet suffix : ETIC. Dietetic. I only know dietitian.
107. Kind of crazy? : STIR. Stir crazy.
108. Matterhorn, e.g. : ALP
109. Student of Graham : AILEY (Alvin). Martha Graham. Faintly recalled the name.
110. Hitchcock genre : THRILLER
116. Born : NEE
117. Pulitzer winner Bellow : SAUL
119. Vote for : YEA
120. Put in : ADD
121. World Series sextet : UMPS. Very timely. Also 122. New Eng. sextet : STS (States). "Sextet" clechos.
123. Cast-of-thousands movie : EPIC
124. Ohio summer hrs. : EDT. Don lives there.
Down:
2. Steadfast : STAUNCH
4. __-bitsy : ITSY
5. Relaxed reaction : AAH
6. LP filler? : MNO. Alphabetic run. L M N O P.
7. Texter's "incidentally" : BTW
8. Float __ : A LOAN
9. Outback topper : BUSH HAT. Well, I am sure Kazie knows. It's like this.
10. Car repair fig. : EST
11. Make a stand : RESIST
12. Buffalo Bill associate : OAKLEY (Annie)
13. Glove material : SUEDE
14. Rose of Guns N' Roses : AXL
15. Fullness : SATIETY
16. "Tricked you!" : I GOTCHA
17. Campaign Web site option : DONATE. Another timely clue.
20. Words of woe : AH ME
24. Skillful, kiddingly : EPT. Opposite of "Inept".
26. Like Puck : ELFIN. Puck is capitalized, the trickester in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
29. Conservationist John : MUIR
32. Blockhead : GOOF
33. Director Reiner : ROB. Loved his "A Few Good Men".
34. Zhou of China : ENLAI. Zhou is also the name of a dynasty, right before Qin. Both had capital in Xi'An. Hence my real name.
35. 'Abitation? : OME. Habitation/Home. Both Hs are dropped. Cockney accent.
36. Brush partner : FLOSS
38. Malodor : STENCH
42. Start to fold? : TRI. Start to the word trifold.
43. Uru. neighbor : ARG
44. SAT-taking venue : SCH
45. "Jeepers!" : SHEESH
48. Cotton capsule : BOLL. Have you picked fresh cotton? I have.
49. Wolfman, some nights : ANIMAL
50. "A poor man's poetry": Moore : SLANG. Unaware of this saying.
51. "Pagliacci" clown : TONIO. Can never remember this name.
52. __ acid : AMINO
53. Source of an oater long-distance call? : TOM TOM. Drum. I don't get this clue. Why "long-distance call?"
54. Hose clamp tightener : T-BOLT
55. German article : EIN. German "a".
56. Pirates' former div. : NLE (National League East). Now NL Central.
57. Rough case? : BUR. The prickly seed cover. Rough indeed.
58. Chris on the court : EVERT. Tennis court.
59. Parasite : LEECH
60. Brit's bye-byes : TATAS. Same here.
63. Sweater words? : IT'S HOT. Sweater = One who sweats.
67. Roam (about) : GAD
68. First name in protest singing : ARLO (Guthrie)
69. __ v. Wade : ROE
70. Local pair? : ELS. A pair of letter L in local.
71. Eastern philosophy : TAOISM. And 90. __-tzu, founder of 71-Down : LAO. Lao = Old.
77. Rubbernecking cause : CRASH
78. Taina of "Les Girls" : ELG. No idea. Which one?
79. By itself, not much of a cheer : RAH. Lovely clue.
80. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, say : OCTET. Septet + One.
82. Liable : APT
85. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL
86. Grew choppers : TEETHED. Sweet clue.
87. Like a repressed grievance : UNAIRED
88. Big name in leather goods : GUCCI
89. Baseball players' union chief before Weiner : FEHR (Donald). He looks familiar.
91. Sellout reaction, in headlines : IT'S A HIT
92. Plug extension? : OLA. Plugola.
93. Wicked looker : EVIL EYE. My friend Roberto wears an evil eye charm. He bought from Turkey.
94. Pink, e.g. : PALE RED. Not a phrase I use.
95. Patronizes, as a motel : STAYS AT
96. Ital. volcano : MT. ETNA. In Sicily.
97. Dealer's demand : ANTE UP
98. Nightclub circulators : B-GIRLS. B-B0ys too.
102. Koran religion : ISLAM
104. __ dixit : IPSE. Literally "He himself said it".
105. Yosemite Sam's "Scram!" : GIT
109. "Just __!" : A SEC
111. The NCAA's Fightin' Tigers : LSU. Shaq's alma mater.
112. "Pygmalion" monogram : GBS (George Bernard Shaw)
114. Marceau alter ego : BIP. Unknown to me.
115. Compact submachine gun : UZI. Israeli gun.
Answer grid.
Notes from Don G:
"I was inspired by John Lampkin’s Pumpkin puzzle last Halloween. I was reminded how fun this time of year is. My first idea was a dud. I tried to do something with the words TRICK and TREAT. It didn’t work very well.
I was solving a circle puzzle some time shortly thereafter, and it just clicked. Put GHOST in circles, find them “busted up” within other entries, and we got GHOSTBUSTERS. I realized early on that I did not want GHOSTBUSTERS to appear in the title. I like surprises in my puzzles. The title was decided after everything else was done, which is opposite to how it often happens. The title I came up with is “No More Boos”, and we’ll see if it sticks. Kind of a downer, though. We want our boos (and maybe booze) on Halloween.
John Lampkin had also taught me about using One Look Dictionary as a search engine. It came in handy here. I got a couple on my own, but I relied on computer generation to help me find the hidden GHOSTS. I went a little overboard, too. I think my theme letter count got up to 130, which is fairly high. Filling the grid becomes tough. To further challenge myself, I wanted to put in some Halloween-type entries to enliven the theme. It should be a lot of fun, and that’s what it’s all about on Halloween.
I've mentioned John twice. I have been fortunate to have learned a great deal about crossword puzzles from him, and he has been generous in explaining his approach to creating puzzles. He is a consummate artist when it comes to creating puzzles, which he pursues quite avidly as he does butterflies and music. The world is a much better place for John Lampkin! I am happy to call him a friend."
C.C.
32 comments:
Hi CC.
It is only 10:08PM here. Time to get some sleep.
Cruciverb had the circles again.
After the second GHOST, I just started to fill them. It was still
a nice puzzle.
The Sharks just beat the Ugly
Ducklings (Anaheim).
Will come back later.
Take care.
Morning, all!
I finally solved this on paper with the circles (thanks, C.C.!) and, for a change, the circles actually helped. As with Dilbert, once I filled in the first two theme answers and saw that each had GHOST -- in that order -- in the circles, I went ahead and filled in all the other circles.
Not much else to say about the puzzle, except that it was solid overall and I enjoyed all the Halloween references throughout.
And speaking of Halloween, be safe out there tonight (both those taking their kids out trick-or-treating and anybody driving through neighborhoods full of trick-or-treaters)!
Good Morning, CC and Friends. What a fun Sunday puzzle. After I got TEACHING HOSPITAL and GHOST BUSTERS, I could easily fill in the circles in the other theme clues.
It's always nice to see Annie OAKLEY and BILLIE Burke in a puzzle.
Shaq isn't the only one who graduated from LSU. Yours truly also earned her terminal degree from that school.
Happy Halloween! Don't be scared by the GHOSTS tonight.
QOD: Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. ~ William Shakespeare (a quote from "Macbeth")
I don't usually do the Sunday puzzle, as it doesn't appear in my newspaper, but since a pdf version was posted on the blog yesterday, I decided to do this one. It was pretty easy, but due to added length it took right at an hour to complete. No real issues except I made a careless error at 46A and missed REF. Otherwise, it was mostly a routine filling in of the grid.
JACK ELAM
HERBERT LOM AS THE PHANTOM
Lom also played Commissioner Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films, Inspector Clouseau's unfortunate boss.
HERBERT LOM AS DREYFUS
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I was gonna skip the blog today but wanted to say how much I enjoyed this puzzle. You know you're going to get a fun experience with a DonG puzzle, but this one exceeded my expectations.
As with Barry, seeing 'ghost' in the circles of the first theme answer helped fill in the other theme answers fairly quickly, but I didn't think of 'ghost busters' until the end. Very clever. And 'clever' was found throughout in clues like 'Ship with a tilde', 'two-legged zebra', 'rough case', etc. Nice way to start a Sunday.
C.C., tom-toms were the Indians' email; they could be heard over long distances, and they were one of their primary means of communication.
Has anyone heard from Clear Ayes? I hope she's having the time of her life.
Have a great Sunday; do something fun.
C.C. Wonderful write-up.
Esp. the note from Don,
aka "Hard G"
Really enjoyed this Halloween puzzle.
Practically did the entire thing only from the across clues.
Needed the downs to get LITA Ford and Graham's student, AILEY.
Fave was the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.
Nice to see Jack ELAM in the grid. What a great 'character' actor.
Time to head to the gym ... then the beach.
Cheers to everyone at sunset.
Happy Sunday:
As with so many of the puzzles we do, this was another example of a wonderful concept, brilliantly executed. We are getting spoiled with the level of creativity from Don, JL, Jeff, Donna, Jerome and so many others. It also is so refreshing, in a world where competition is made more important than morality, to see the genuine respect and appreciation of each others work, among the quality constructors. It does amaze mw how quickly a year passes, as it hardly seems possible it was that long ago we were doing JL's Halloween epic.
May your day and night be all treats, such as this puzzle was for me.
Hello Puzzlers - What a fun puzzle! Well done, Don, I really enjoyed your craftsmanship.
I'm glad the circles were available on Cruciverb again.
We're about ready for little goblins tonight, having laid in a good supply of Kit Kats and Reeses. We tend to buy what we like to nibble ourselves...
We've seen some cute and clever costumes over the years, but my favorites are generally the little bumble bees. Adorable!
Trick or Treat, everybody!
Good Morning C.C. and all.
I didn't want to skip this puzzle by Don, either. Did it on line without the circles which I guess I didn't need. Expected a Halloween theme and found myself on Don's wavelength for much of the clueing. Thought ROSA was clever and guessed at LAO. The long fills were relatively easy with perp help. Liked seeing Jack ELAM in the puzzle.
Enjoy the day.
What a fun romp.
Speaking of fun romps, Marcel MARCEAU was much more than just his signature character, BIP, in the classic french striped shirt. He was 'discovered' by Laurel and Hardy who knew about silent comedy.
Happy Halloween,
Thanks C.C. for giving us the xwd last night, and thank you Don G. for your cleverness. The circles actually helped.There are always a few new words which I have to look up, or get help here if the perps don't help (ex:amity...abitation).How did I not know Tantalus, a big a-ha that explains tantalize.
My maiden name ends in eaux, but I didn't place it with minerales.Laughed at guppy; 1st thought was tetra.
Have a lovely day and evening. Looks like it will be clear and cool here.Jack o lanterns are all set; favorite one I did was a spider web.Seeds are drying.
Hello, Puzzlers. Lovely write up, C.C.
Thanks, Don; this was fun. I went straight through most of it, with only a few hiccups since I didn't know LITA, misspelled SONYA, and wanted FOSSE instead of AILEY. I also had MOLLY and had to look up GUPPY to complete the NE.
But it was all easily corrected and I really liked the theme answers especially ANIGHTMAREONELMSTREET stradling across the center.
It's always nice to see one or two western fills, ELAM, TOMTOM and GILA made me smile.
Frost's foot, IAMB
Parks for rights, ROSA
were my favs.
Here in our complex we never have trick or treaters; they attend parties at the local park or at churches.
And I'm going to a Halloween wedding at 5. It's one of my grandnephews who apparently really likes Halloween; dressing in costume is an option but I've decided against it.
My daughter and her DH dressed as Multiple Personality Disorder and Nudist on Strike, respectively.
She had labels all across herself with names. Very creative both of them without spending much money.
My older granddaughter has a lovely fairy costume and the baby a ladybug.
Thanks, DonG for this fun puzzle.
Happy Hollow's E'ven, everyone!
A bit of Halloween / Biographical trivia ~ Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926. Houdini fans still conduct seances on the anniversary of his death in hopes of bringing his spirit back. Today marks the 84th anniversary of his death.
C.C., Don and sputniks, a really fun crossword for me has the following hallmark: It is not possible to fill in the cells immediately but everything looks "gettable" with some effort. A good metaphor for life by the way. I hate the puzzles where there is a cell that has
The Latvian Demigod of Diarrhea crossed with
Yiddish Bedbug (a bone thrown out to other M*A*S*Hophiles.
This puzzle satisfied in that vein as well as the theme being fun, easily discerned and helpful. What a pleasant 90 minutes!
-Imogene's Sid the opposite of our earlier Cyd
-Loved ref prompt! I was at the Husker game yesterday and it was deafening as the two-legged zebras had a very hard day!
-How can you see wine Vat and not think of Ethel and Lucy?
-First LP I thought of had to do with the fraction 33 1/3 but MNO came soon.
-Buffalo Bill's Scout's Ranch is still a beautiful tourist attraction in North Platte Nebraska
-TFAL is a big deal to us State Fair junkies who love to see these products get pitched every year!
-I had my own Corn Detasseling Company called Schlapfer Detasseling and we called the kids Cornbusters! Who 'ya gonna call?
p.s. Cool, overcast weather has put the damper on Halloween here but we will have at least 150 visitors tonight and may have to shut off the lights again. The kids the last few years have been dressed in elaborate costumes and have been well rehearsed to be very polite!!
We love the little ones but ain't so crazy about non-costumed adolescents who just want candy without any deference to the rituals of the evening. Kind of an adjunct to my earlier idea of being rewarded for no effort!
oh well. just so you got the message Dennis.
One of the best Halloween puzzles ever!
Nice write-up from our bloG HOST.
Don G, your puzzle provided wonderful entertainment! It's obvious a lot of time and effort went into it. Please know that it was appreciated and enjoyed. One Look is an awesome, powerful tool, especially with this type of theme. Nice long theme entries too!
I was able to complete all but one square on paper - the cross of ARC/SCH. I never thought along the lines of a baseball pitch. My first thought was for pitch TAR, then I was stuck on the pitch of a plane as it ascends. And I was thrown off of SCH by the H being at the end, instead of Sr. High School. I'd unknowingly found a loophole for bypassing the SAT, so I missed that H.S. "experience".
Afterward, I discovered a few minor QA mistakes, such as SONEA instead of SONYA, and AVEA instead of UVEA (sadly, I had UVEA at first and had incorrectly changed it!)
I agree that the puzzle included a lot of fresh, new clues and fill - I liked the addition of the extra Halloween fill beyond the theme. Pooh-Bah reminds me of The Flintstones. I loved the clue for EVIL EYE!
Hi all.
Loved doing this xwd last night. A
lot of nice fill. Just printed a copy of Matt's to do this afternoon.
Thornton's line will have three days to rest before playing Minn on Tuesday. They ran out of steam
the third period. Twelve, 5 min fighting penalties was NOT good.
Navy lost (sniff - sniff) but Pitt and Penn St. won. (rah)
Never met a B-Boy in a salior bar.
Plenty of B-Girls though.
Don't eat too much candy tonight.
Take care out there.
Good afternoon everyone.
Great write up, C.C. And good to read Hard G's comments. Thank you.
I, of course, didn't get all the answers because I didn't get any of the long ones.
But I did put down, very confidently, that sweater word was ARGYLE. Such a disappointment.
My favorite costume at church this morning was Hermione from Harry Potter. (The kids were in costume so they could get money for the UN kids' fund [I can't remember what it is properly called]).
Cheers
Hello everybody. Awesome puzzle! My experience with it are similar to Barry G's. Very much appreciated.
Best wishes to you all.
Well, contrary to my suggestion to do something fun today, I spent half the day cleaning out the gutters and the other half helping our neighbor find a roof leak. Missed a Halloween party this afternoon, but it's just as well 'cause I was gonna go as an elephant and some people get upset.
Anon@1:45, I don't have a clue. What message?
Dilbert, Navy almost pulled it out; damn shame.
7 pm and we are out of candy! 150 bags. Cars from out of the neighborhood were lined up and down our street which has very few little ones. We had so many "Thank You's" and "Happy Halloweens", it was amazing. Our town has a significant, and growing, Hispanic population and I swear every child they have is beautiful and so respectful!
I don't know if C.C. will read this, but I would like to know if China has anything like this holiday.
I took Joshua out trick-or-treating tonight, despite the fact that the Pats vs. Vikings game was on. We worked out a little routine, though -- at each house he would say, "Trick or treat," and I would ask, "What's the score?" ^_^
Not as many kids came by this year, which means we have a ton of stuff left over (stuff that I'm not allowed to eat, of course). Maybe it's the fact that today is Sunday? I dunno...
Dennis, 24-0 at the half was just too big a hole. Don't understand why they didn't have Dobbs throwing sooner.
Giants or Steelers tonight? Guess which one!
Take care.
Good Evening C.C.,Don G. and all,
Great write-up C.C .!,Really enjoyed the puzzle Don! My day has been so unbelievably filled, I can't believe I finished the puzzle this a.m.. Its been so long ago.I'm saving it for tommorrow to really pour over. Halloween galore!
Great way to start the day. Just can't tell you how much I enjoyed it; and the bumps along the way. I've scanned the other posts, and I felt a kinship with each in some way. Don, very artistic of you; loved your cluing us into the creation of it. It does make me appreciate it even more.
Hope all are doing OK tonight, and have had a nice Halloween.
We had a good turnout tonight, but nothing like Husker Gary's. I give the kids their choice of candy or a pack of baseball/football cards, and that seems to have been well received, especially by parents. Disappointing to see so many kids just walking around house-to-house with bags, no costume. "What are you supposed to be?" "Uh....I'm a high school student, dude."
Hi all,
I'm in Southwest Texas for a week-long butterfly festival and almost missed this one. Thankfully, Annette just gave me a heads up.
Wow! Don G has done it again. Congrats Don, and thanks so much for the shout.
In case anyone is wondering, I give Don a bright shiny nickel every time he says nice things about me.
Despite the late hour, could somebody maybe write in and tell me what a B GIRL is? Thanks.
We have a bag each of Reeses and Kit Kats left. mmmm
Dudley, I understand that Bgirls were hired by some bars to flirt and get men to buy drinks.Their drinks were either watered down, or non alcoholic so they could do this all night.
Oh, I've heard of that trick. Some colleagues took me to a disreputable establishment down south, where the scantily clad professional flirters placed orders for fancy $7 cocktails on their male victims' tabs. What a scam.
I had no idea these were called B GIRLS.
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