Theme: Chicago to Canton
(Chicago Bears Hall-of-Famer. NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, OH)
1A & 127A: Bear in Canton since 1993: Walter Payton
24A: Bear in Canton since 1963: Bronko Nagurski
70A: Bear in Canton since 1963: George Halas (Papa Bear)
115A: Bear in Canton since 1998: Mike Singletary
31D: Bear in Canton since 1977: Gale Sayers
41D: Bear in Canton since 1963: Red Grange
51D: Bear in Canton since 1988: Mike Ditka
55D: Bear in canton since 1979: Dick Butkus
No joy today in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out! Brutal! I don't even know which Vikings are in the HOF. OK, Alan Page comes to my mind. He is our Supreme Court Justice now. Bud Grant? Yes.
By the way, I came across Chuck Foreman at flea market several times last year. He was selling his autographed photos/helmets/footballs, etc. This guy squandered all the money he made during his career I suppose. Twins Great Zoilo Versailles was the same. He had to wash airplanes for a living when he was old. That's just so sad.
Anyway, this puzzle was too much a workout for me. I was not in good shape football-wise, lots of panting, gasping for air, wild throw and cheating. But damned it, I finished it!
Across:
7A: Handle capably: WIELD
12A: Droop: WILT
16A: Ernie of the PGA: ELS. The Big Easy. I tried to copy his lazy swing, didn't work.
19A: Take for granted: ASSUME
20A: Nine: pref.: ENNEA
21A: Type of navigation system: INERTIAL
23A: Make additional cuts: RETRIM
26A: Host of a '70s variety series: FLIP WILSON. Sorry, I didn't know you.
28A: Brand name on cakes: SARA LEE
29A: Listening device: BUG. Have you ever seen an expert debug a phone, in person? Very fascinating.
32A: Inside:pref.: ENTO.
33A: Of bristles: SETAL
34A: Hermits: LONER
39A: Quickly: ASAP
38A: Long, thin fish: GARS. Often clued as long-snouted fish.
40A: Chicken caller: DARER. I like this clue.
42A: Vesicle: CYST
43A: Called (archaic): YCLEPT. Past participle of clepe. Ridiculous looking word!
45A: Extinct bird of New Zealand: MOA
47A: Any individual: SOMEONE
50A: __ Salt: EPSOM. Great for muscle pain relief. Trust me on this one.
52A: C & W fan's channel: CMT (Country Music TV). Country & Western (C & W)
54A: Soup scoop: LADLE
55A: When it's light out: DAY
58A: "The Thieving Magpie" composer: ROSSINI. Did not know him. The title looks interesting.
60A: Pink color: CORAL
62A: Wedge-shaped piece: GIB. I put Pie first.
63A: Non-network station: ITV (Independent TV network)
64A: Diarist Nin: ANAIS. I read 3 pages of her Delta of Venus. Wow, talk about graphic S scenes.
65A: Wailed: KEENED. I lifted this one out of dictionary.com. Keen, n/v, to wail in lamentation for the dead.
67A: End of a buck: AROO
68A: __ -Magnon: CRO. The Cave.
69A: Charles II's lover Nell: GWYN. Called "Pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, another famous diarist.
73A: Go, in Glasgow: GAE. Scottish accent I suppose.
75A: Intervene: STEP IN
76A: Kind of cigar or sandwich: CUBAN
78A: Lilly or Wallah: ELI
79A: Main Street structure: STORE
80A: Small sphere: GLOBULE
82A: Deg. with teeth: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science)
83A: Taiwan Strait Islands: MATSU. I think our crossword editor is obsessed with this word, which has made at least 3 appearances since I started blogging.
86A: Israeli seaport: EILAT. Also spelled Elath. I only knew Haifa.
87A: Gambling: RISKING
89A: Grad. deg.: SCD (Scientiae Doctor, ie, Doctor of Science)
91A: Russian drinks: VODKA. Add Kahlua, you get your own Black Russian. Na zdorovje, Putin, for your power-grabbing prowess!
97A: Robert and Alan: ALDAS
99A: Yen: URGE
102A: Sports venues: ARENAS
105A: Flags: TIRES
107A: Jedi teacher: YODA
109A: Half of B.S.: SCI
110A: Mid-ocean: OPEN SEA
112A: Work by Horace: ARS POETICA (The Art of Poetry)
117A: Whole lot: TUBFUL
121A: Partly: IN A SENSE
122A: Roofing material: TERNE. I only knew "slate" for the roof.
123A: Cosmopolitan: URBANE
124A: Confirmed: SET
125A: Blue-green color: TEAL
126A: Mighty mount: STEED
Down:
1D: Simple card game: WAR
2D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. I forgot her name.
3D: D-Day craft: LST (Landing Ship Tank)
4D: Greensward: TURF (sorry about the mistake earlier)
5D: French writer Zola: EMILE
6D: "Bronco Buster" Sculptor: REMINGTON (Fredric). It looks majestic.
7D: Destructive caterpillar: WEB WORM
8D: Calvary inscription: INRI. I mixed it up with Cavalry. These two words are so close.
9D: Tautomeric compounds: ENOLS. Why in the world should I know this?
10D: Filmed, slangily: LENSED
11D: Badlands states: DAKOTAS
13D: Claire and Balins: INAS
14D: Authorized by law: LEGAL
15D: Cornwall town: TRURO. It's in the UK.
16D: Anthony of "Hawaiian Eye": EISLEY. Never heard of him.
17D: NBA team: LAKERS
18D: Crafty to the max: SLIEST
22D: Hypnotic state: TRANCE
25D: Streaking: ON A ROLL
29D: Hound sound: BAY
30D: Trojans of sports: USC
34D: "Champagne Tony" of golf: LEMA. 12 PGA wins. Pretty impressive. On the Eve of his first win, He joked to the press that would serve champagne if he won the next day. Hence the nickname. I want K. J. Choi to win Masters this year.
37D: Stomach enzyme: PEPSIN
39D: Mia Hamm's game: SOCCER
44D: Greek letters: PSIS
46D: In the company of: AMONGST
48D: Medleys: OLIOS
49D: Moses's mount: NEBO
53D: Christmas star's place: TREE TOP
56D: Of an entrance court: ATRIAL
57D: Actress de Carlo: YVONNE
58D: Tattered: RAGGED
59D: Ahead: ONWARD
61D: Sticks: ADHERES
66D: Dawn goddess: EOS. Just for your information: Io is a moon of Jupiter, also from Greek Mythology.
71D: Quick impression: APERCU. It also means short summary.
72D: Daybreak song: AUBADE. Pronounced as Oh Bad. Sung at dawn to compliment someone.
74D: Actress Moore: DEMI Surprised that her marriage with Ashton Kucher is still solid.
76D: Neighbor of N. Mex.: COLO.
79D: Daytime timepiece: SUNDIAL
81D: Was extravagant: LIVED IT UP
84D: Riverbed deposit: SILT
87D: French city in Bretagne: RENNES. Never been there. Did not know it.
88D: Attics: GARRETS
90D: Tearless: DRY-EYED
92D: Circle segment: ARC
93D: __ disant (so called): SOI
94D: Judd and Campbell: NAOMIS. Naomi Campbell knows how to throw a blackberry tantrum.
95D: Sempervivum: ORPINE. Unknown to me, both the clue and the answer.
96D: Sneak a look: PEEK AT
98D: Part of a sonnet: SESTET
103D: Selling point: ASSET
104D: Cast net: SEINE. Can you seine in Seine?
106D: Let live: SPARE
108D: Legend automaker: ACURA. I love the clue.
111D: Latin handle: ANSA. It's a looped handle. Ansa is the Latin word for handle (Thank you Hugh Brown). By the way, Asian apricot is ANSU, so similar to ANSA.
113D: Caen's river: ORNE
114D: "Dear" columnist: ABBY
116D: Solidify: GEL
118D: Love-handles content: FAT
119D: One in Toledo: UNO
120D: Sportscaster Berman: LEN. Did not know him. Probably will forget him again. Love Joe Buck though.
Alright, now I am going to devour my high-carb breakfast.
C.C.
(Added later: Please let me know if you see any mistake or have any question. You can either Comment or Send me an email. Thank you.)
(Chicago Bears Hall-of-Famer. NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, OH)
1A & 127A: Bear in Canton since 1993: Walter Payton
24A: Bear in Canton since 1963: Bronko Nagurski
70A: Bear in Canton since 1963: George Halas (Papa Bear)
115A: Bear in Canton since 1998: Mike Singletary
31D: Bear in Canton since 1977: Gale Sayers
41D: Bear in Canton since 1963: Red Grange
51D: Bear in Canton since 1988: Mike Ditka
55D: Bear in canton since 1979: Dick Butkus
No joy today in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out! Brutal! I don't even know which Vikings are in the HOF. OK, Alan Page comes to my mind. He is our Supreme Court Justice now. Bud Grant? Yes.
By the way, I came across Chuck Foreman at flea market several times last year. He was selling his autographed photos/helmets/footballs, etc. This guy squandered all the money he made during his career I suppose. Twins Great Zoilo Versailles was the same. He had to wash airplanes for a living when he was old. That's just so sad.
Anyway, this puzzle was too much a workout for me. I was not in good shape football-wise, lots of panting, gasping for air, wild throw and cheating. But damned it, I finished it!
Across:
7A: Handle capably: WIELD
12A: Droop: WILT
16A: Ernie of the PGA: ELS. The Big Easy. I tried to copy his lazy swing, didn't work.
19A: Take for granted: ASSUME
20A: Nine: pref.: ENNEA
21A: Type of navigation system: INERTIAL
23A: Make additional cuts: RETRIM
26A: Host of a '70s variety series: FLIP WILSON. Sorry, I didn't know you.
28A: Brand name on cakes: SARA LEE
29A: Listening device: BUG. Have you ever seen an expert debug a phone, in person? Very fascinating.
32A: Inside:pref.: ENTO.
33A: Of bristles: SETAL
34A: Hermits: LONER
39A: Quickly: ASAP
38A: Long, thin fish: GARS. Often clued as long-snouted fish.
40A: Chicken caller: DARER. I like this clue.
42A: Vesicle: CYST
43A: Called (archaic): YCLEPT. Past participle of clepe. Ridiculous looking word!
45A: Extinct bird of New Zealand: MOA
47A: Any individual: SOMEONE
50A: __ Salt: EPSOM. Great for muscle pain relief. Trust me on this one.
52A: C & W fan's channel: CMT (Country Music TV). Country & Western (C & W)
54A: Soup scoop: LADLE
55A: When it's light out: DAY
58A: "The Thieving Magpie" composer: ROSSINI. Did not know him. The title looks interesting.
60A: Pink color: CORAL
62A: Wedge-shaped piece: GIB. I put Pie first.
63A: Non-network station: ITV (Independent TV network)
64A: Diarist Nin: ANAIS. I read 3 pages of her Delta of Venus. Wow, talk about graphic S scenes.
65A: Wailed: KEENED. I lifted this one out of dictionary.com. Keen, n/v, to wail in lamentation for the dead.
67A: End of a buck: AROO
68A: __ -Magnon: CRO. The Cave.
69A: Charles II's lover Nell: GWYN. Called "Pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, another famous diarist.
73A: Go, in Glasgow: GAE. Scottish accent I suppose.
75A: Intervene: STEP IN
76A: Kind of cigar or sandwich: CUBAN
78A: Lilly or Wallah: ELI
79A: Main Street structure: STORE
80A: Small sphere: GLOBULE
82A: Deg. with teeth: DDS (Doctor of Dental Science)
83A: Taiwan Strait Islands: MATSU. I think our crossword editor is obsessed with this word, which has made at least 3 appearances since I started blogging.
86A: Israeli seaport: EILAT. Also spelled Elath. I only knew Haifa.
87A: Gambling: RISKING
89A: Grad. deg.: SCD (Scientiae Doctor, ie, Doctor of Science)
91A: Russian drinks: VODKA. Add Kahlua, you get your own Black Russian. Na zdorovje, Putin, for your power-grabbing prowess!
97A: Robert and Alan: ALDAS
99A: Yen: URGE
102A: Sports venues: ARENAS
105A: Flags: TIRES
107A: Jedi teacher: YODA
109A: Half of B.S.: SCI
110A: Mid-ocean: OPEN SEA
112A: Work by Horace: ARS POETICA (The Art of Poetry)
117A: Whole lot: TUBFUL
121A: Partly: IN A SENSE
122A: Roofing material: TERNE. I only knew "slate" for the roof.
123A: Cosmopolitan: URBANE
124A: Confirmed: SET
125A: Blue-green color: TEAL
126A: Mighty mount: STEED
Down:
1D: Simple card game: WAR
2D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. I forgot her name.
3D: D-Day craft: LST (Landing Ship Tank)
4D: Greensward: TURF (sorry about the mistake earlier)
5D: French writer Zola: EMILE
6D: "Bronco Buster" Sculptor: REMINGTON (Fredric). It looks majestic.
7D: Destructive caterpillar: WEB WORM
8D: Calvary inscription: INRI. I mixed it up with Cavalry. These two words are so close.
9D: Tautomeric compounds: ENOLS. Why in the world should I know this?
10D: Filmed, slangily: LENSED
11D: Badlands states: DAKOTAS
13D: Claire and Balins: INAS
14D: Authorized by law: LEGAL
15D: Cornwall town: TRURO. It's in the UK.
16D: Anthony of "Hawaiian Eye": EISLEY. Never heard of him.
17D: NBA team: LAKERS
18D: Crafty to the max: SLIEST
22D: Hypnotic state: TRANCE
25D: Streaking: ON A ROLL
29D: Hound sound: BAY
30D: Trojans of sports: USC
34D: "Champagne Tony" of golf: LEMA. 12 PGA wins. Pretty impressive. On the Eve of his first win, He joked to the press that would serve champagne if he won the next day. Hence the nickname. I want K. J. Choi to win Masters this year.
37D: Stomach enzyme: PEPSIN
39D: Mia Hamm's game: SOCCER
44D: Greek letters: PSIS
46D: In the company of: AMONGST
48D: Medleys: OLIOS
49D: Moses's mount: NEBO
53D: Christmas star's place: TREE TOP
56D: Of an entrance court: ATRIAL
57D: Actress de Carlo: YVONNE
58D: Tattered: RAGGED
59D: Ahead: ONWARD
61D: Sticks: ADHERES
66D: Dawn goddess: EOS. Just for your information: Io is a moon of Jupiter, also from Greek Mythology.
71D: Quick impression: APERCU. It also means short summary.
72D: Daybreak song: AUBADE. Pronounced as Oh Bad. Sung at dawn to compliment someone.
74D: Actress Moore: DEMI Surprised that her marriage with Ashton Kucher is still solid.
76D: Neighbor of N. Mex.: COLO.
79D: Daytime timepiece: SUNDIAL
81D: Was extravagant: LIVED IT UP
84D: Riverbed deposit: SILT
87D: French city in Bretagne: RENNES. Never been there. Did not know it.
88D: Attics: GARRETS
90D: Tearless: DRY-EYED
92D: Circle segment: ARC
93D: __ disant (so called): SOI
94D: Judd and Campbell: NAOMIS. Naomi Campbell knows how to throw a blackberry tantrum.
95D: Sempervivum: ORPINE. Unknown to me, both the clue and the answer.
96D: Sneak a look: PEEK AT
98D: Part of a sonnet: SESTET
103D: Selling point: ASSET
104D: Cast net: SEINE. Can you seine in Seine?
106D: Let live: SPARE
108D: Legend automaker: ACURA. I love the clue.
111D: Latin handle: ANSA. It's a looped handle. Ansa is the Latin word for handle (Thank you Hugh Brown). By the way, Asian apricot is ANSU, so similar to ANSA.
113D: Caen's river: ORNE
114D: "Dear" columnist: ABBY
116D: Solidify: GEL
118D: Love-handles content: FAT
119D: One in Toledo: UNO
120D: Sportscaster Berman: LEN. Did not know him. Probably will forget him again. Love Joe Buck though.
Alright, now I am going to devour my high-carb breakfast.
C.C.
(Added later: Please let me know if you see any mistake or have any question. You can either Comment or Send me an email. Thank you.)
4D: Greensward: TUFT
ReplyDeleteshould read TURF
I've corrected it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteC.C.
For:
ReplyDelete93D: __ distant (so called)
I think you mean disant.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/soi-disant
111D: Latin handle: ANSA. It's a looped handle. But why "Latin"? Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a Latin word and means handle.
http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2F&type=text&text=ansa&from=ltt&to=eng
Thank you a lot for the help Hugh Brown.
ReplyDeleteI have corrected the the "__disant" mistake and made changes to the Latin handle clue.
I always thought it's soi distant. If you did not point it out, I would forever make this error.
C. C.
C.C., when I'm training for the crossword tournament, I end up doing a lot of older puzzles in book collections. They're not as good as today's better puzzles, and many of the puzzles contain one to three words I've never seen before (despite doing crosswords for 30 years and doing about five puzzles a day, every day). This puzzle you just blogged about has five words I have never seen. Five!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like laziness, to publish a crossword with so many oddball obscurities. There are almost always other options for the fill that would eliminate such problems.
Orange,
ReplyDeleteToday's puzzle (Jan 18 Monday)is very difficult too. They have Hadj rather than Hajj for the Mecca pilgrimage, then Janet Gutherie for first female Indy entrant, Babe Zaharias for Ms. Didrikson, Annika Sorenstam. Zaharias was very tough as the down clues could not help much.
Wrote to Kristin Tillotson earlier.
C.C.
So glad I found your blog, this puzzle was driving me crazy. As a woman I didn't think it was fair to include impossible clues as well as all those sports hall of famers. I wanted to light it on fire!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 12:50pm,
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh.
I don't mind baseball Hall of Famers. My husband has a huge collection of those baseball cards.
But I am really not into football at all. I don't even watch the game when the Packers come to town, not to mention the Bears.
Yeah, as Orange said, some of the clues were too obscure. She is one of this country's top crossword solvers and has an expert's view on this clueing stuff.
Just keep plugging away, it's always good to learn something new every day.
C.C.
95d Orpine is a plant from Europe also called a Live-Forever. In latin, Semper=always, vive = life
ReplyDeletePS. thanks for this blog, we never would have finished without it as we lost the following week's paper