Theme: GETTING ON
17A: Getting on: NO SPRING CHICKEN
29A: Getting on: OVER THE HILL
57A: Getting on: OLD AS METHUSELAH
Hmm, welcome back Robert A. Doll! It's been a long time.
I really like this guy's pseudonym, very spooky. Had to admire his discipline today not to clue 56A: OTTO as Robert the Doll family. That self-referential meta would've driven me up a wall. By the way, has anyone been to that museum (Key West, FL) and seen Robert the Doll?
"Haunted" is how I felt this morning while solving this puzzle. I was possessed by the stupefying number (30) of 3-letter words. So overpowering! What seized you to commit this frown-upon crossword construction sin, Mr. Doll?
On the other hand, all the three theme entries are very appealing to me. Some of the colloquial expressions (HEY, C'MON, IT'S ME, DIS, HOORAH) and simple phrases (GROSS OUT, NEAR MISS, ESCAPE KEY) are very lively, esp the grid structure of the last three. It has some elegance. OTT and OTTO should not be in the same puzzle though. The same with ODIUM and RADIUM. Juttingly clumsy!
No home run today. Not even a triple or double. Plenty of singles, all over the field.
Grid: Total letters filled: 187. Total blank squares: 38
Front Nine:
1A: Design detail: SPEC
5A: Shake a leg!: C'MON
9A: Intense loathing: ODIUM. Does ODIUM have a plural form? I could not find it in the dictionary. Maybe it follows the same pattern as Odeum (the ancient Greek hall): Odeums, or Odea?
14A: Celestial bear: URSA
16A: Actress Delta: BURKE. Have never heard of her.
20A: Funny Foxx: REDD. Learned his name from doing crossword. Have never watched Sanford and Son. Is it good?
22A: Red shade: CERISE
25A: Disgust: GROSS OUT
30A: Altdorf's canton: URI. Altdorf is the capital of URI. Home of William Tell, the legendary Archer. I spent about 5 years in Canton (Guangzhou), China before I moved to the US.
31A: Bond backer: ISSUER
33A: Silvery-gray: ASH. Did not know that silvery-gray can be a noun. Always thought it was an adjective.
34A: Went like the wind: RACED
36A: Way out on the computer: ESCAPE KEY
41A: Precedes: ANTEDATES
43A: Dirty look: GLARE. Really? I always thought "GLARE" was a harsh look. LEER is a dirty look, isn't it? (Update: here is what drdad says: A glare is a dirty look, i.e., a fierce or angry stare. A leer is a desirous and sly look. It can suggest a desire for sex or a malicious intent).
43A: On the back: DORSAL. Alright, its root is "dorsum" (Latin for back). VENTRAL means on the back, its root is "venter" (Latin for belly). POSTERIOR & ANTERIOR is so much easier to remember. (Update: According to Dennis, Dorsal' is used mostly in fish (dorsal fin) and aircraft (dorsal antennae). )
50A: Close call: NEAR MISS
53A: Sore: TENDER
56A: "Beetle Bailey'' pooch: OTTO. No idea at all. Is this a gimme for you?
65A: Gets really steamed: BOILS
66A: Put on: GAIN. I had GA _ _ idling there for a while. I was temped to pen in GARB (as in putting on clothes).
67A: Khartoum's river: NILE. Khartoum is the Capital of Sudan. Do you call Sudan a Muslim country or an Arab country? I can never tell the difference.
Back Nine:
4D: Old Mercury: CAPRI. Also can be clued as Island in Italy of course.
5D: Calls on the carpet: CHIDES. Not familiar with this phrase. Can you give me an example on the usage?
9D: Newspaper section, for short: OBITS
10D: Channels: DUCTS
13D: Part of "MIB": MEN. The movie, "Men in Black". Not my favorite Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones movie. I think I hate this clue, so unfair to those who have never seen the movie. Terrible abbreviation. Clue overkill!
18D: Domiciled: RESIDED
19D: Triumphant shout: HOORAH. Which is more common, Hoorah or Hurrah?
24D: Lasagna cheese: RICOTTA
25D: Productive oil wells: GUSHERS
26D: Alcove: RECESS
27D: California city: OAKLAND. A chance missed for Billy Beane. He could've bribed the constructor and got some exposure for his Athletics.
32D: Scraps: SET-TOS
35D: Cain raiser: EVE. Is this a good clue to you? Cain raiser, Cain rearer, it just sounds so weird to me.
37D: Baby oinkers: PIGLETS. I put PIGGIES first.
40D: Marie Curie material: RADIUM
41D: Conservative Coulter: ANN. She drives me mad all the time. But I love the clue. Very topical.
48D: Harmonize: ATTUNE
51D: Domain: REALM
52D: Billiard stroke: MASSÉ. Is it the same as CAROM? (Update: Feedback from drdad: in pool, a carom is any shot involving a strike of the ball and subsequent rebound. A masse is a shot taken with the cue almost vertical that causes the ball to follow an extremely curved path.)
54D: Interminably: NO END
56D: CSNY song: OHIO. Nope. Total stranger.
57D: Sapporo sash: OBI. I just don't get this editor's obsession with Sapporo. What happened to you in this city?
(Update at 6:01pm Friday. Orange said Robert A. Doll is the constructor's real name. My mistake. Sorry)
C.C.
17A: Getting on: NO SPRING CHICKEN
29A: Getting on: OVER THE HILL
57A: Getting on: OLD AS METHUSELAH
Hmm, welcome back Robert A. Doll! It's been a long time.
I really like this guy's pseudonym, very spooky. Had to admire his discipline today not to clue 56A: OTTO as Robert the Doll family. That self-referential meta would've driven me up a wall. By the way, has anyone been to that museum (Key West, FL) and seen Robert the Doll?
"Haunted" is how I felt this morning while solving this puzzle. I was possessed by the stupefying number (30) of 3-letter words. So overpowering! What seized you to commit this frown-upon crossword construction sin, Mr. Doll?
On the other hand, all the three theme entries are very appealing to me. Some of the colloquial expressions (HEY, C'MON, IT'S ME, DIS, HOORAH) and simple phrases (GROSS OUT, NEAR MISS, ESCAPE KEY) are very lively, esp the grid structure of the last three. It has some elegance. OTT and OTTO should not be in the same puzzle though. The same with ODIUM and RADIUM. Juttingly clumsy!
No home run today. Not even a triple or double. Plenty of singles, all over the field.
Grid: Total letters filled: 187. Total blank squares: 38
Front Nine:
1A: Design detail: SPEC
5A: Shake a leg!: C'MON
9A: Intense loathing: ODIUM. Does ODIUM have a plural form? I could not find it in the dictionary. Maybe it follows the same pattern as Odeum (the ancient Greek hall): Odeums, or Odea?
14A: Celestial bear: URSA
16A: Actress Delta: BURKE. Have never heard of her.
20A: Funny Foxx: REDD. Learned his name from doing crossword. Have never watched Sanford and Son. Is it good?
22A: Red shade: CERISE
25A: Disgust: GROSS OUT
30A: Altdorf's canton: URI. Altdorf is the capital of URI. Home of William Tell, the legendary Archer. I spent about 5 years in Canton (Guangzhou), China before I moved to the US.
31A: Bond backer: ISSUER
33A: Silvery-gray: ASH. Did not know that silvery-gray can be a noun. Always thought it was an adjective.
34A: Went like the wind: RACED
36A: Way out on the computer: ESCAPE KEY
41A: Precedes: ANTEDATES
43A: Dirty look: GLARE. Really? I always thought "GLARE" was a harsh look. LEER is a dirty look, isn't it? (Update: here is what drdad says: A glare is a dirty look, i.e., a fierce or angry stare. A leer is a desirous and sly look. It can suggest a desire for sex or a malicious intent).
43A: On the back: DORSAL. Alright, its root is "dorsum" (Latin for back). VENTRAL means on the back, its root is "venter" (Latin for belly). POSTERIOR & ANTERIOR is so much easier to remember. (Update: According to Dennis, Dorsal' is used mostly in fish (dorsal fin) and aircraft (dorsal antennae). )
50A: Close call: NEAR MISS
53A: Sore: TENDER
56A: "Beetle Bailey'' pooch: OTTO. No idea at all. Is this a gimme for you?
65A: Gets really steamed: BOILS
66A: Put on: GAIN. I had GA _ _ idling there for a while. I was temped to pen in GARB (as in putting on clothes).
67A: Khartoum's river: NILE. Khartoum is the Capital of Sudan. Do you call Sudan a Muslim country or an Arab country? I can never tell the difference.
Back Nine:
4D: Old Mercury: CAPRI. Also can be clued as Island in Italy of course.
5D: Calls on the carpet: CHIDES. Not familiar with this phrase. Can you give me an example on the usage?
9D: Newspaper section, for short: OBITS
10D: Channels: DUCTS
13D: Part of "MIB": MEN. The movie, "Men in Black". Not my favorite Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones movie. I think I hate this clue, so unfair to those who have never seen the movie. Terrible abbreviation. Clue overkill!
18D: Domiciled: RESIDED
19D: Triumphant shout: HOORAH. Which is more common, Hoorah or Hurrah?
24D: Lasagna cheese: RICOTTA
25D: Productive oil wells: GUSHERS
26D: Alcove: RECESS
27D: California city: OAKLAND. A chance missed for Billy Beane. He could've bribed the constructor and got some exposure for his Athletics.
32D: Scraps: SET-TOS
35D: Cain raiser: EVE. Is this a good clue to you? Cain raiser, Cain rearer, it just sounds so weird to me.
37D: Baby oinkers: PIGLETS. I put PIGGIES first.
40D: Marie Curie material: RADIUM
41D: Conservative Coulter: ANN. She drives me mad all the time. But I love the clue. Very topical.
48D: Harmonize: ATTUNE
51D: Domain: REALM
52D: Billiard stroke: MASSÉ. Is it the same as CAROM? (Update: Feedback from drdad: in pool, a carom is any shot involving a strike of the ball and subsequent rebound. A masse is a shot taken with the cue almost vertical that causes the ball to follow an extremely curved path.)
54D: Interminably: NO END
56D: CSNY song: OHIO. Nope. Total stranger.
57D: Sapporo sash: OBI. I just don't get this editor's obsession with Sapporo. What happened to you in this city?
(Update at 6:01pm Friday. Orange said Robert A. Doll is the constructor's real name. My mistake. Sorry)
C.C.
29 comments:
Good morning, C.C. - another smooth sail. Could tomorrow hold the hammer?
Couple responses: To chide someone is to scold, as in "the boss chided the employee over his lateness". Beetle Bailey is a comic strip that's been around forever. 'Dorsal' is used mostly in fish (dorsal fin) and aircraft (dorsal antennae). We've all 'glared' at someone we're made at. And I'm not sure about your question re 'raced'.
Have an outstanding Friday.
Hi Dennis,
I knew "CHIDE", but not "Call on the carpet". Can you say "The boss calls the employee on the carpet over his lateness"? I think I understand 34A now. Was confused earlier.
Good morning CC. This one really stumped me. I had a hard time with this one. Redd Foxx was pretty funny "in the day". I love Ann Coulter.........don't be mad at me!
I won't be able to check your site until Tuesday. I am going out of town. I will miss my mornings here checking out your site. Have a good weekend.
cc Yes you can say "The boss called you on the carpet" ... I don't know the origin of the expression but it has been around longer than me. If I had to guess the boss is usually in a carpeted office and if you screw up you will be called to his carpeted office. I struggled with the upper right corner today. 13D left me cold until I remembered Delta Burke from Designing Women.
Good morning. Only stumper was "cerise" but that filled in from the down clues.
A glare is a dirty look, i.e., a fierce or angry stare. A leer is a desirous and sly look. It can suggest a desire for sex or a malicious intent.
The boy was "chided" for his sloppiness. And yes, the boss can "call you on the carpet" for poor performance.
I googled "plural of odium" and the hit came up as "odiums."
Have a good weekend.
Good morning, CC
I was completely surprised that today went pretty smoothly for me. Having seen "Men in Black", I have to admit that 13D left me a little stumped. I thought I had 5D wrong as I'd never really heard "chide" used in that manner. And I never heard of "Methuselah" let alone hear it used in a phrase! Loved 52D as I am an avid fan of billiards. :o)
I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings. Keeping my fingers crossed that there are NO roman numerals!
It's raining here in Philly, so I don't think it could get much worse. At least it's Friday, though. Right?
Have a good one!
In pool, a carom is any shot involving a strike of the ball and subsequent rebound. A masse is a shot taken with the cue almost vertical that causes the ball to follow an extremely curved path.
I struggled with this one due to 57A... "Old as Methuselah"... once I got that though the rest was easy...Also 36A "Escape Key"... I was thinking cyber something... which of course did not work... This was a nice puzzle though...
C.C. better light a fire under the Twins... 1 out of 4 so far...Still have the same sign-on problems...
This one was good mix-- I finished it, but it took some thinking to do it. I thought the ESCAPE KEY clue was especially clever.
I had 19D as "hurrah," originally, and I penciled in "garb" instead of gain for 66A. It didn't take me too long to see they weren't right.
As for the book of quick crosswords I bought, I agree that this site makes the TMS crossword more fun. Also, those puzzles can be very frustrating because they are small and don't have a lot of interlocking clues. For an eight letter answer, you generally get four letters-- every other one. If you can't get it from that, you're toast.
Katherine,
Have a wonderful weekend. See you next Tuesday.
Dick & mkat,
I got 13D easily, but I loathed the clue. The constructor/editor stretched too hard to get a cute clue when none is needed.
Drdad,
Thank you for the information on MASSE and GLARE. I've updated the blog to reflect your input.
superfrey,
I am waiting for Morneau to get out his mental hole.
ellie,
Who authored the book you have?
I struggled at first. I was having trouble with the right side. Once I figured out Grossout the puzzle came together but it still took over 30 minutes.
Well, I got one for a change, but it took me awhile. I thought Masse was spelled mashe, so I had to fix that. Being more of an ebay fan than a movie buff, I wanted "MIB" to be "mint in box". I was sure the computer exit clue was "ESC" but when I saw all those letters I had to think. Ott and Otto were slam dunks, and then I went on from there. Nailed the 5 star Soduko this morning too. Should have a 700 tonight.
"Domiciled" (18D) is a very strange clue for "resided". If I heard "domiciled", I would think of it more like "housed". Most of the dictionaries I checked give it only as a transitive verb (needs a direct object).
Example, "He domiciled his family in a small bungalow"; not "He domiciled there for three months".
CSNY (56) makes me think the answer should have also been an abbreviation of some sort. They are usually referred to by the full name "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young".
It took me a while to figure out they weren't talking about a college in New York!
"Ohio" is a song about the shootings at Kent State U in Ohio in 1970 or so.
Neil Young sang lead on the song, so I always thought it was just a Neil Young song. Neil has a very distinctive voice. Once you hear it, you never forget it, no matter how hard you try.
I think I am "no spring chicken" when it takes me so long to think of words and phrases I should know such as that!
Wanted GARB instead of GAIN for 66A-Put on, so that threw me off for awhile.
I did not know 56A-CSNY song either, and I certainly should have. The song Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young refers to the Kent State student shootings in 1970 by the National Guard. . Now I really feel like I'm "over the hill". Some of the lyrics are:
Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming, we're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?
DORSAL is also used in anatomy and medicine.
Seems to me I was going to address something else but forgot, probably because I'm as "old as Methuselah".
My 82 year old mother would say it's all relative! Hope you all have a good weekend!
Oh, I know, in regards to yesterday's comments about trouble commenting here, sometimes I have to try several times before it finally goes through.
why didn't the first six go through??
c.c.
I tried 6 times to enter a blurb and got refused each time. I finally 're-joined' and then it seemed OK.
Was something wrong? ?
jim
Jim,
I have no idea what's going on with Blogger software. I've changed NOTHING on my part.
Let's see if Blogger software work!
C.C., the book doesn't have any names listed. It's compiled by Igloo Books. They're a UK-based publisher, and I've already run into trouble with not knowing British word usage.
It makes me even more impressed with you. :)
Dennis,
Have you encountered the same problems Jim and others went through in the past several days? What's happening here? I've received no message from Blogger that they are having outrage or any maintenance service.
johnboy,
Dictionary.com lists Domicile also as an intransitive verb.
Went through similar thought on CSNY as you did.
nytanonimo,
Not sure if you also comment on Rex's blog. Does this Comment glitch happen anywhere else?
ellie,
Now I am getting more curious. How come you bought a British crossword book? Does each puzzle have its own titled theme?
I've commented on other blogs c.c. and do not notice the problem posting on those blogs as much as I do here. Maybe you could email Rex aka Michael Sharp, or Donald Brooks of The NYT Crossword in Gothic, or Linda G. at Madness ... Crossword and Otherwise, about this issue-they've been blogging for awhile and could probably advise you better.
Methuselah is mentioned in Genesis and I believe he was the grandfather of Noah. My aunt used to always use the expression "Old as Methuselah" He is the epitome of old age having supposedly fathered a child when he was over 150 years old and lived over 900 years. If alive today he alone would have bankrupted social security...
C.C., I never cared for Sanford and Son -- a one gag show, and very narrow in scope, from what I remember. I liked the clues for 35D and 30A. Took me a while to recognize CSNY as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. I didn't think NOR was a "common" conjunction. "Negative" maybe, but I don't think it's used frequently enough to be put in the "common" category. I didn't realize until today that you only started doing crossword in Jamuary!! Way to go -- you've come a long way in a short time. 56A was a gimme. I also wanted to do GARB for 66A, but it didn't fit. Have a great day, everyone!
I was in the zone today, got Spring Chicken right away, I knew who CSN&Y were, figured out methuselah... Perhaps I should go buy a lottery ticket.
I believe silvery-grey is referring to the color ash(like ash-blonde hair color or her face was ashen) not the residual from logs.
Raising cain is an expression for causing trouble, so I thought it was a clever clue to mean the Biblical Cain's mother
Methuselah was pre-flood, long lives..oldest man in the Bible at 969 years.
Hey, all! Haven't had access to the internet all week and have missed the puzzle comments.
This one was another easy one for me. Took about 10 minutes start to finish.
However, I didn't know what CSNY meant, and I'm embarrassed to admit that. The answer filled in on crosses, but it didn't make sense to me until I came here! Thank goodness for your blog, C.C.!
Don't know if any of you take on the NYT's puzzle, but today's (syndicated 6-week delayed one) was an absolute bear! Got it done, but it took over an hour and lots of googling!
Have a great weekend, all!
sallyjane,
Good to see you again. I thought you were busy constructing puzzles!
No NY Times for me! I may take several bites on Monday/Tuesday puzzle if I am in the mood.
i was totally foxed today.since i didnt get the theme i just floundered. got success with very few words.u people seem to be v good . how u do it in 10 mins -i dont know
Ritu,
Don't be frustrated. Those guys who can polish off the puzzle in 10 minutes (or 5 minutes in Dennis' case) have been doing this puzzle for decades. I've never finished a puzzle under 20 minutes.
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